Transition Times: Alan Reganof Presentation College in Carlow spent a hectic and eye-opening week on work placement with TV3
For as long as I can remember, nothing has interested me more than the ways in which broadcasters and the media operate. So as the placements approached, I decided to go somewhere that would reveal once and for all: was this what I wanted to do?
My search brought me to TV3 News, where I spent part of my work experience this year. My first morning was spent out and about with reporter Sharon Tobin and cameraman Paul Deighan for a package on Brain Awareness Week.
We visited Headway, the national association for acquired brain injury, where Sharon spoke with clinical psychologist Salvatore Giangrasso and patient Liam Crofton. Liam told Sharon that he can remember life up to the point of his accident at work, but has little recollection of anything since.
Afterwards, we met up with Dyane Connor, who was busy that day reporting on the court case involving Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code. We travelled back to TV3, where Sharon demonstrated how reports are edited and prepared for broadcast. With a job that is scrutinised so closely, attention to detail is paramount.
That evening, I watched the 5.30pm and 6.30pm bulletins from the gallery - the room where the team puts the broadcast together. After the initial programme each evening, there is a debriefing, where any problems that may have occurred are discussed so they can be rectified for later editions.
The following day, I travelled with Kieran McSweeney from TV3 Sport to Lansdowne Road, where the Irish rugby team were preparing ahead of their Six Nations clash with England. We then attended their press conference in Killiney Castle, where manager Eddie O'Sullivan announced the starting team, and Brian O'Driscoll answered questions from the media. Following this, Kieran interviewed them, along with Andrew Trimble, Malcolm O'Kelly and Geordan Murphy. After arriving back to the newsroom, he put together a report for Sports Tonight.
Wednesday saw an early start, where Victoria O'Brien, one of the producers of Ireland AM, brought me into the gallery to watch the programme going out live. Later that day I travelled to where the breakfast team was recording items for the following day's programme. We joined producer Rebekah O'Neill, and one of the station's best-known personalities, Alan Hughes.
I spent my final day in Ballymount, with Deirdre McNamara and Kate Hayes in the news library. The archive managers are kept busy throughout the day. Reports from the previous night have to be quickly transferred onto tape and correctly catalogued so they can be found easily. They were like everyone else I met over the week - friendly, welcoming and helpful. All of my questions were answered and they willingly demonstrated their work, explaining all the processes involved.
Yvonne Doyle, assistant news editor, always ensured that there was something for me to do - in fact there was never a dull moment throughout my short time at TV3.
