From Behind the Lens to Behind the Desk

I guess you can call me a broadcast news veteran. For 10 of the 11 1/2 years I've been in the television industry, I've been a news photographer (videographer/cameraman/whatever you want to call us).  I could go into excruciating detail on the specifics of my professional career, but here it is in a nutshell: I worked at KRBC from 1995-99, mostly as a news photog.  I then moved up to a "big" market, working as a photog for WINK-TV in Ft. Myers/Cape Coral/Naples, Florida for a year and a half from '99 to the end of 2000.  I left the news business for a "real job" in Houston, but I was "downsized" in early 2005. I returned to Abilene, and in the summer of that year I was named Chief News Videographer of the now-combined KTAB/KRBC.

Fast-forward six years, and it's time for a new position with a new title.  I'm now the Assignments Manager for the KTAB/KRBC/Bigcountryhomepage.com News Department.  The title doesn't mean much to people outside of the business, but it's the #2 position in our news operation, just below our fabulous News Director, Austin Kellerman.  My functions are too numerous to describe here, but in future blogs I'll elaborate on my new digs.

The biggest change is the scenery.  As a photog, the majority of my time was spent on the streets; my news vehicle was my office.  I was on the scene of the news as it happened, documenting it all with a very nice high-definition television camera.  Now, I sit at a large, U-shaped desk most of the day, with scanners and telephones constantly blaring in my ear.  But it's a nice change, and I'm enjoying it!  And the best part is not having to be out in the 107-degree heat; or the 2 degree cold....

Much more to come later!