It's very early on Monday morning and I'm wide-awake, ready to "go to work". Today I'm helping out on the news side of WBOY. By helping out, I mean that I'm getting a free makeover. Yes, my job is rough.
I love sports and it's what I'm good at. When I first started at WBOY, as a ‘youngin' with hopes and dreams, I was only part-time. A full time job in the news department came open and one of the counties this job covered was Randolph (home town). I was offered the job, basically, to have a full time gig. I can remember looking at my boss Aaron and saying, "Thank you, but honestly, no offense, I don't care if this building is burning down, let alone one in Elkins." I have nothing against burning buildings and by 'I don't care' I really meant that it just doesn't interest me. It's always been sports for me, always will be.
That all being said, I do like to dabble in news every now and then...but only the fun stuff.
So why am I up early on a Monday morning ready to go to work? I'm helping out Stacy Jacobson with a project you'll start seeing all over WBOY social media. It's called Makeover Monday and I think just about every female that works in the station is participating. We're all making the horribly long trek to RiverSong Spa in Weston to meet Allison and get a free makeover! Again, my job is tough.
I do have more examples of helping out the news department and they're all fun. For instance, since they day I started my job at Channel 12, my sixth grade home room teacher at Elkins Middle School, Mr. Leitner, has been asking me to come down to Elkins and cover the Chinese New Year parade that EMS puts on every year. I finally was able to do it this year! I had a blast. I got to see lots of teachers from my days as a Hornet and it's always nice to hear how proud they are of me and their memories of me at EMS. Coach Carr, the principal at Elkins Middle, is a neighbor and good family friend. I refused to leave the building without giving him a hug. On top of all that, the Chinese New Year parade at EMS has always been a ton of fun and that was true this year too, even as I stood behind a camera and filmed it all.
When it's election night across the state, everyone, and I mean everyone, helps out. Sports does not get a free pass. I've been helping out with elections for almost three years now and they always send me to the Randolph County courthouse in Elkins, I think mostly because I know where it is. Elections are a fun news event for me to cover because I know several people that work at the courthouse along with other members of the local media and in general, the people of Elkins. It's always nice to get paid to go home for a few hours and catch up with old friends. Plus, if there's something news-like that I am interested in, it's probably elections. I remember being there the night that the school levy was voted on. Both my parents were teachers at the time, so I really did care about that.
When we do series pieces, mostly everyone helps out there too at some point or another so that the stories don't get redundant. Restaurant Road Trip is now a regular on Wednesdays and our viewers have really come to love it. I did a RRT at Colasante's in Morgantown a while back, mainly because it has a nice sports bar as part of the restaurant. They also had delicious pizza. Twist my arm. I admit that's the only one I've ever done, but I would love to help out again and hopefully it can be a sports-related eatery. Suggestions? Email me!
I've helped out at a few other things. I let the station film my fitness assessment in conjunction with a story at the Clarksburg YMCA. One time, I was on my way back from a game at Bridgeport High School and the lights had gone out on Emily Drive so I stopped to get some video (very dark video). I just happened to be on my way back from Cooper's Rock, with our Chief Photographer Michael Corley, the day Best Car Pharmacy in Bridgeport was robbed and the guy was out on the loose. We stopped along I-79 to get video of the police looking for him in the woods off the highway. I stayed in the car.
Extra experience is always good to have but admittedly, I've immersed myself in sports and when it comes to news, I'm a little clueless. I do my best to help out and just like my every day job in the WBOY Sports Department, I always try to have fun. So, Stacy needs help with a Makeover Monday series? I'm in!
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