OLLI members were seen on set and behind the camera for our visit to WMBD Television.
During the behind-the-scenes tour, we were albe to walk through the control room, where producers and directors receive network satellite feeds, create the newscast graphics (stock reports, etc.) and manage the schedule of each newscast. When news breaks, these staffers are responsible for determining what stories should be cut from the existing script, then make sure the information is placed into the anchors' teleprompters.
Most of our time was spent in the actual studio where WMBD broadcasts its morning, noon, and evening newscasts. OLLI members were very impressed how the anchors were very comfortable in front of the cameras. When you are watching the news at home, you don't realize how fast-paced the action is in the studio. The entire news team must work diligently under pressure to get a story off the ground. The anchors seemed to truly enjoy their jobs. When the cameras weren't rolling, they were seen laughing and were very eager to answer any questions our group had. OLLI at Bradley University would like to thank WMBD for a wonderful tour. We are very fortunate to have strong local news stations in our community. To view WMBD-TV's website, visit http://www.ciproud.com/.
