December 2007 Archives

It really is horribly depressing to think that we all (as in the J694 class) will not be together anymore. Out of my four years in college I cannot think of a single class that felt like its own little family.

I'm not an emotional or blatantly touching person, but I will admit that we have a bond that has developed both in and out of the classroom. I'll definitely miss having class with our little "newsroom family" but, I know we shall continue with our "TV.KU.EDU Thursday Night Out" and our random excursions.

I'm pretty sure you get the picture that we're friends outside of the classroom and it probably seems like nothing will change, but that's not the case. Good ‘ole Sam and Brad will be graduating, leaving the rest of us two family members short.

Sam – I'm not sure you know this, but I learn new words from you every class. Your speeches, rants, whatever you want to call them, are sometimes confusing and sometimes insightful but, I learn new words.

Brad – Please laugh for me one more time before you go. Now, if you haven't seen Brad in a fit of laughter, you should probably add that to your "Before I Die To-Do List".

To those who will be sticking around for another lovely semester: I look forward to our crazy nights, dinner dates (that's you Peteritas) and random group dates (whether those be hamburger night at Cochran's or dinner at Grandma Quante's).

Thanks everyone, it's been fun. I give you all my best.

One more thing, perhaps we should arrange a special reunion so that when we're all married and old with kids, or just old, we can reminisce about the good old days of KUJH TV. Who's in?

During the first week of class, after hearing that we'd write blogs for this class, I was excited about the opportunity to post my ranting and raving for all to see. I immediately started thinking up themes and topics for my blog that would rival my favorite vlogger, William Sledd. (I couldn't post my last blog without mentioning him.)

I was a little bummed to discover that my blog would be about a topic related to the course and not whatever was on my mind that week. (What a concept.) But, my blogging experience turned out to be a good one.

While I was directed in what I could talk about, I enjoyed the opportunity to write again. As much as I enjoy editing and as good of a fit it is for me, I miss writing. I forgot that I missed writing until my mom reminded me of this. I sent her an e-mail after Googling her name and discovering a main character in the book "Like Always" shares her name. I dreamt up all the possibilities of why an author would use her name. Her explanation: I've gone mad and I haven't written as much lately and needed an outlet for my creative energy. Luckily for my mom's own sanity I've had this blog keeping me from sending her too many imaginative stories.

My experience blogging has come in handy. My mom teaches computer classes at a senior citizen center and knowing that I blog, she asked me for advice about the medium because some of her participants were interested in blogging. On a side note: (Which, I'm allowed because it's my last blog) I love how accepting of and excited about all this new technology my mom's 70-year-old students are. It's encouraging to see them willing to adapt. For example, my grandma is in my mom's class and e-mails me. She used to send me letters, and she still does, but she also e-mails me on a more frequent basis.

Anyway, back to the point. This blog has also been useful in keeping in touch with my family. This weekend, my uncle who lives in the Little Rock, Ark., area informed me that after Googling my name, he came across this blog and reads it occasionally. (Hi, Leonard!)

While I have had difficulty coming up with an opinion on some of the issues and enough to say about some others, blogging routinely has been an enjoyable experience. I probably won't be creating my own account on blogger.com after this semester, as I wouldn't make the time to blog without the responsibility of a grade linked to a post, but this has been a good experience. I'll miss you, my blog readers (aka Uncle Rick, Uncle Leonard and Mom).

I'm graduating in two weeks. Holy cow.

It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in Multimedia Reporting, scared to death of TedFred and Uncle Rick, thinking I was the worst reporter on the face of the planet, wondering who all the weird people in my class were. It seems like just yesterday I was doing my first newsroom shift for TV News I, freaking out about getting B-roll and an interview, talking to Gretchen on the phone every 10 minutes trying to calm each other down.

It seems like just yesterday I was online producing with Chris Raine, HTML coding, impressing him with my ability to sing every Spangles jingle. Oh, wait... that was two weeks ago.

Now the newsroom has become not only my second home, but my second family. My classmates are some of the funniest, craziest, most wonderful people I've ever met. We've been through a lot together and we always managed to find a way to have a laugh.

Ok, so I'm not really leaving for good. I'm hoping to get in to law school here at KU. But I won't be in the newsroom every day and, honestly, I'm going to miss it. You know what they say, though: "Don't be sad because it's over; smile because it happened."

Wow, where to begin? So much has happened in the last three months: I've made friends, I've blogged, I've re-purposed television stories for the web, I've spoken several times in class. And the memories! There was that one time we hung out at that bar, and, um, that time we made burgers! Yeah!

And even though I'll probably never see most of you again, I'll never forget you, nor the important life lessons you've taught me, like how to use hot keys, that maybe there is a need for dancing in the newsroom, that adding "-ish" to words makes them funnier, and that Uggs makes boots for men. We also talked about the internet a lot.

In fact, my experience in this class has been so positive that now I only slightly hate TV news, where before I really hated it. Although I still see television news anchors as soulless automatons mindlessly reading whatever tripe their corporate masters put in front of them, I now realize that some of them probably weren't like that in college.

I've also learned that I really enjoy blogging and online media in general. There's a freedom to it that doesn't exist in more traditional forms of journalism, a break from the rigidity and staleness that plagues modern news. Although most people have already gotten sick of the word "blog," there's still a tinge of newness to it, a sense that there's a new frontier to explore and we're entering the profession at just the right time to catch the crest of the wave. As the old guard of journalism struggles to comprehend the rapidly changing media environment, they'll be forced to turn to us to save their flailing industry. I'd like to think this class has helped prepare us to be those much-needed saviors.

And so I leave you, a leaf in the wind, riding this wave where ever it may take me. I don't know where I'll land, but maybe some of you will be close by when I do. Until, much love, and farewell. We'll always have 694.

Sitting in my apartment sophomore year, I wanted out. I was sick of journalism, tired of KU, and just wanting to be back in Illinois. I can't even explain how grateful I am that my plans to transfer schools fell through. Through journalism, I have met some of the greatest people and learned valuable work and life skills, and I can't believe my time in the J-School is now ending.

It is undeniable that the chemistry of our class is something special. I actually look forward to coming to 694! These people are some of the first I call for a fun night out in Lawrence or for an optimistic perspective about the awkward situations I tend to find myself in. I cry nearly every time I'm with them…from laughing so hard at their stories and comments. I want to thank each of you who has made my time in the J-School so enjoyable, especially this semester.

"Rick Musser is the meanest professor in journalism. Avoid him at all costs." Well, thank goodness I didn't heed that warning. Thanks, Uncle Rick, for truly accepting our unique personalities and helping us to build on our strengths. Not many people would put up with our loud remarks, our random rants, and our inability to grasp a strategy. I hope we lived up to your expectations.

Thank you, Willie Nelson. Oops, Dick Nelson. Thanks for letting me learn for myself what makes a good story (by crashing on a few) and for allowing me to make up words on the air. I hope "bummerish" can live on in KUJH-TV history.

As I move on to my last semester of school, I leave behind KUJH-TV and the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications. What I take with me, though, are incredible friendships, good communication skills, and the ability to complete a task under deadline. Though I'll soon begin an entirely new chapter of my life, on a new continent with a new career and new people, I know that I have been changed—for good.

Stephen and I have been through journalism and life together. Hell, he even took a semester off and I took a summer class just so we could be on the same class schedule from 301 on, so it's only right that we write this post together.

College: We never used to get why they called it higher education. Of course we learned how to frame an interview and what a cut away is but like with all lessons the most important are learned outside the classroom.

We just never thought that the lesson that was the defining experience of our college careers would happen in a Jimmy John's waiting for a sober rise home from the sandwich delivery guy: sitting with heads in hands trying to comprehend the ridiculousness of the original KUJH-TV night out we heard what is and probably continue to be the greatest speech of our lives from the infamous Samuel C Knowlton.

"Once during my journeys I came across a Buddhist monk for Tibet. He granted me that I could ask him one question. I asked the question that anyone would ask: what is the most important thing in life? The monk nodded his head and took a few seconds before he responded. He calmly cleared his throat and answered the people you meet in life. To this point in my life I have found that this advice is the most truthful statement I have ever heard."

Like we've always said about just any assignment in journalism if Knowlton says or does it, it's probably right. Honestly though, the people we've met along the way have made the difference in our college careers.

What would a day in the newsroom be without Wiebs having to walk down to the editing bays a million times to help us with Final Cut? How would we ever pass the time in class if Knowlton didn't randomly break into monologues and ridiculously complicated questions? These are all questions we don't know the answer to and are glad we never had to ponder.

We know there isn't a way to thank all of you but you made our time in the newsroom unforgettable. We both wanted to do something special to show our appreciation but in true Brad and Stephen fashion we waited until last minute and ended up half-assing it. Here's a short slide show instead.

Well, all good things must come to an end. Just like KU Football's 11-game winning streak and William Hung's American Idol reign; the J-694 blogs are no more. In my farewell to the Newsroom I'd like to reminisce on the good times, but I don't want it to sound like a resume either.

I started out at KUJH as a bright-eyed freshman running camera, audio, teleprompter and whatever else was needed for the KUJH Newscast and Jayhawk Sports Talk. Since the first day I stepped foot into Lawrence I wanted to be a part of KUJH in some form or fashion.

The opportunities here at KU are endless and I felt like I took advantage of as many as possible. Working for TBS for 3 days at Arrowhead for Kansas vs. Oklahoma, traveling to the 2006 Big 12 and NCAA Basketball Tournaments, and driving to Austin, Texas for a KU and UT Football game were some highlights. Again, I couldn't have done it without the skills and knowledge I gained from the J-School.

Whether it was shooting post-game press conferences, doing stand-ups, or editing highlights, I got a feel for it all. Both behind-the-scenes and on-air were areas that I contributed on a daily basis. Now, taking a step back I realized how much time and effort was spent on the 2nd floor of the Dole Human Development Center.

However as I leave the Newsroom, I know there will be better days ahead, but I'll never forget where I came from. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
-Alex Wiebel KUJH-TV News