Not much is expected from a creative services director at a TV station in their first couple days on the job. It usually takes a new employee a week or so just to find their way around. Meet the staff, find the restrooms, the newsroom, where the edit suites are. But Rob Thomas needed to […]
Not much is expected from a creative services director at a TV station in their first couple days on the job. It usually takes a new employee a week or so just to find their way around. Meet the staff, find the restrooms, the newsroom, where the edit suites are.
But Rob Thomas needed to get up to speed quickly. In his second day as the new creative services director at WAVE, Raycom’s NBC affiliate in Louisville, Ky., there was a shooting at a local high school.
I asked Rob to give us the scoop.
“Tuesday, a young man went into a Louisville High School with a gun and shot another student early in the afternoon. As you can imagine it was a big story here. The WAVE3 news team went wall-to-wall for several hours, showing local viewers exactly what was happening live. News did a phenomenal job of being in the right places at the right times. And just as important, getting the facts right.
“They were there live with aerials when all the students left the building with their hands over their heads. It was a very memorable scene. They were there live when and where parents rushed in to get their kids, there live when school district leaders were briefing the parents (not a media briefing).
“Our news team showed great sensitivity in helping parents watching it on TV or on mobile to get the important info they needed. All of this happened live before our eyes on WAVE3, and the coverage included two anchors in the field and a number of reporters and photogs. Of course, the digital team here kept everyone well informed throughout on Facebook, Twitter and WAVE3.com. In addition, the news team has made a commitment to look forward from here — to push for solutions to keep it from happening again.
“Our news brand and slogan are Expect More Right Now. This is a shining example of how WAVE3 delivers on that promise. Kris Baete produced a terrific POB that proves it.”
Police have made an arrest in the shooting and the student who was shot is suffering from non-life threatening injuries.
I’d say Rob Thomas did indeed hit the ground running.
Comments (0)
Reader Interactions