Throughout the TOUR Championship, a team of student correspondents from Drew Charter School are providing their perspectives on the week. This piece is written by Asha Anderson, a junior at Drew Charter School involved with Chorus, Drama and Student Government Association.
Since 1980, CNN is the global station that we count on to provide reliable information that concerns the majority of the world. I had the opportunity to talk to three men from CNN on their job experience as they covered the TOUR Championship today.
Dan Moriarty is one of many producers at CNN. During his childhood, he would take joy by running up and down in his backyard playing various sports. He then developed a longing to make a career out of sports, which led him to major in broadcast journalism in college. In college, Dan was assertive and strived to have good relationships with his teachers who were journalists and reporters themselves. Luckily, he received an internship at the local ABC affiliate in Tampa, Florida.
Fortunately, his hard work paid off and he landed a job as a sports producer at CNN. Mr. Moriarty describes his experience as an, “amazing experience, since I get to travel the world and cover sporting events I would’ve never had the opportunity to see if I wasn’t working at CNN.” At CNN, they work as a team, whether it be deciding what stories to do, setting up for on-air hits together, or determining what questions to ask athletes during interviews.
This week they have done interviews with Tommy Fleetwood and Tiger Woods, who is currently tied for the number one spot in the tournament. Mr. Moriarty described his role of producer as, “always trying to think ahead of what could happen or where we need to be next.” Preparing for live shots, balancing videos, and getting post-game interviews are very important to ensure that the viewer is told the best story. Mr. Moriarty says that Atlanta is a growing city where media and the arts are thriving. His favorite moments of coverage have been the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and golf tournaments. Many television stations only cover one sport, but CNN gives him and others the opportunity to do it all.
Patrick Snell is a reporter and anchor at CNN. He is originally from England, where he took a radio journalism course. Mr. Snell then set off from England to embark on his journey to become a reporter in America. Mr. Snell says working at CNN allows many opportunities that he can take and learn from along the way. His favorite part of his job is the “all access,” where he can meet many well-known athletes. From there he enjoys asking them questions and telling the story through not only the athletes’ eyes, but also the fans’. Patrick carries a notepad where he writes down notes on what he will say during his live shots. He then takes the pad and practices reciting the story before going on air to remain as professional as possible.
Today’s story will be on Woods and Justin Rose who are tied for 1st place. During his time on the air, he will talk about what is currently happening between the two golfers and his predictions on how the tournament will go. At noon, he will be live talking to the anchors back in the studio through a headset. On the previous day, they recorded interviews with both players which will be inserted into the live broadcast. The crew goes out about three minutes before going live to meet up with the camera man and make sure everything is in place. After the live shot Is over, they will bring the lights down and wait for the other shoots of the day.
Charlie Neiswenter is the last man I spoke to today. He is the satellite truck engineer, where he is responsible for the vehicle and all the operations that go along with it. This job comes with a lot of deadlines, so every day he strives to get to work before everyone, to be on schedule and have the day run smoothly. Leading up to landing his job at CNN, he went to Missouri State University for two years and worked at a PBS station there he learned producing and writing. Soon, he found out he liked electronics, so he started to work with radios, radars, and satellites. He started cleaning tape machines and did station engineering as his first TV job.
A few years later, he provided cigarettes to a man in need of a smoke. Little did he know with that pack came the job of a lifetime. He was referred to CNN for an interview, and a few weeks later he got the job. “Time management is the most stressful part of the job,” he explains. Without his truck the crew can’t get their stories back to the studio.
These roles are just a taste of how CNN operates and provides news and sports to its viewers. I learned many things from these hard-working men today, such as managing time, being assertive for what you want, and always believing in yourself. CNN truly has the best of the best on their team.
The Drew Charter School is a key component in the East Lake Foundation’s cradle-to-college pipeline. The Foundation is one of the primary beneficiaries of the TOUR Championship.
