AUGUST 30,2010
Wow. It’s been EXACTLY one year since I started working at News10. And, it has been 16 years for me in the media business.
A year ago, the 49er Fire erupted and news crews from Sacramento were scrambling to cover the developments. I had just returned from 3 weeks in Guatemala and Honduras. Upon returning to Sacramento, I was in the right place at the right time to be immediately dispatched to cover breaking news.
I’ve been a professional news reporter for 16 years. I’m amazed at how much has changed and how little has changed. I remember my starting salary as a reporter: $20,000. Age: 20. Living in a small farming town. Ouch. This was after I graduated with a double major and honors from University of California, San Diego. I put aside my law school application and decided that journalism was my calling.
For years, credit cards helped me stay afloat and pay for food, rent, gas, clothes, and makeup. I’m not certain what the starting salary is for a beginning reporter these days in market 121, but I know it isn’t much.
16 years and many stops later, I’ve seen so many colleagues’ come and go—including news directors and general managers. There have been massive changes to the media landscape. Journalism—tv and print-- has seen dramatic downsizing, layoffs, and cutbacks. For those who are still lucky to be in journalism, it’s a labor of love. It’s certainly not because of the salary or the benefits.
I still pursue the craft of writing, of telling a good story, of learning and sharing. Some days are better than others. For now, I’m still a believer.
Email: sphan@news10.net
Twitter: @suzannephan
Facebook: SuzannePhanNews10
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Remembering Hurricane Katrina and volunteering
AUGUST 29, 2010
Today is the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It's amazing to see the pictures of before and after the natural disaster struck and then to see those places five years later.
Many of my colleagues were dispatched to the Gulf Coast to cover the damage done and the massive impact on thousands of lives.
I had just finished my Red Cross training. I had signed up to get re-certified in CPR and First Aid and decided to take the few extra courses needed to help during disaster relief. Little did I know that I'd be assigned to the Gulf Coast. So, I asked my employer for some vacation time, I packed my big backpack along with plenty of wetwipes and mosquito repellant and was adamant that I would bring a laptop along because somehow I was going to blog about the experience from a Red Cross shelter (despite the lack of power and electricity in many places). And, I had plane ticket in hand-- I was heading to Baton Rouge.
But, sadly, just hours before my flight, I got a phone call saying that because of another hurricane heading that way (I now know it was Hurricane Rita), and my team was told to "stand down." I never got the call to continue on that mission. I unpacked my bags and watched as events unfolded on television.
I still think about how close I came to heading out as a Red Cross volunteer. I'm sure that experience-- for the hundreds of people that did go from the Sacramento area-- was remarkable. I know volunteer work is tough and sometimes tedious. Hats off to everyone who devotes their time and energy to such causes-- to volunteering with disaster relief--- be it following a hurricane, a house fire, or any other time where people and families are in need.
If you were a Red Cross volunteer in the Gulf, I'd love to hear from you-- how long were you there, what did you do, what the experience meant to you...
sphan@news10.net
Twitter: @suzannephan
Facebook: SuzannePhanNews10
Read more…
Today is the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It's amazing to see the pictures of before and after the natural disaster struck and then to see those places five years later.
Many of my colleagues were dispatched to the Gulf Coast to cover the damage done and the massive impact on thousands of lives.
I had just finished my Red Cross training. I had signed up to get re-certified in CPR and First Aid and decided to take the few extra courses needed to help during disaster relief. Little did I know that I'd be assigned to the Gulf Coast. So, I asked my employer for some vacation time, I packed my big backpack along with plenty of wetwipes and mosquito repellant and was adamant that I would bring a laptop along because somehow I was going to blog about the experience from a Red Cross shelter (despite the lack of power and electricity in many places). And, I had plane ticket in hand-- I was heading to Baton Rouge.
But, sadly, just hours before my flight, I got a phone call saying that because of another hurricane heading that way (I now know it was Hurricane Rita), and my team was told to "stand down." I never got the call to continue on that mission. I unpacked my bags and watched as events unfolded on television.
I still think about how close I came to heading out as a Red Cross volunteer. I'm sure that experience-- for the hundreds of people that did go from the Sacramento area-- was remarkable. I know volunteer work is tough and sometimes tedious. Hats off to everyone who devotes their time and energy to such causes-- to volunteering with disaster relief--- be it following a hurricane, a house fire, or any other time where people and families are in need.
If you were a Red Cross volunteer in the Gulf, I'd love to hear from you-- how long were you there, what did you do, what the experience meant to you...
sphan@news10.net
Twitter: @suzannephan
Facebook: SuzannePhanNews10
Read more…
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