CHANNEL 9 LOCAL NEWS / SOUTHERN NEWSWEEK
Channel 9 / Allied Press, Dunedin
Studio Camera Operations, Setup, Sound Operations, Floor Manager, Editor/Compiler
2004-2006

5 nights a week the Channel 9 Local News broadcasts at 5.30pm. My
original entry to working on it was to cover a staffing gap one Friday
night in early 2004. As there was only one show before the shift I was
needed for I came in to work on that. It amounted to around 15 minutes
of watching and 15 minutes work while being supervised. The next night
the on Friday I was by myself. I made two mistakes. I think I did okay all
things considered, and this led to being asked to come back for work
more frequently.

Not only to cover more sound shifts and also come in and do studio
camera occassionally as well when short staffed. This then put me on a
path to also setting up the news studio each night. I left in mid 2004 and
returned around Christmas.

When the new production manager arrived in early 2005 I mentioned my
work on the news and immediately I picked up where I had been before.
Most of my time was spent setting up the studio with other staff and on
the main camera position during that year, unless there was other more
important gaps that needed filling.

Later in 2005 and into 2006 the production operations operator for
Channel 9 left and with him went the person who edited the news
highlights show each week, Southern Newsweek. A template was
already set, so I was asked to take this over each week, to edit the show
and get copies out in the post to our affiliate regional stations at CUE in
Invercargil and CTV in Christchurch. A list was provided of news show
material for me to ingest, a recording from the night before of the news
presenter doing links for me to also ingest and edit, and then I would
follow the news producers notes on what order they wanted the material
in. This was a solid piece of work once a week and often became a
highlight of my week. I continued to do this until I shortly before I left the
station near the end of 2006.

channel 9 news / southern newsweek photos