CBS News – Greene Gazette

By Layla Gentles

On Wednesday, the other Greene Team members and I took part in a makeshift Stony Brook News broadcast! If I’m being honest, that was the most engaged and excited I’ve been since the start of the program. I love being on camera and performing because I do a lot of public speaking in and outside of school, and I’m also part of the Baldwin theater program—so this broadcast was perfect for me.

The first decision I made that day was whether to wear my favorite blue suit or a brown and beige co-ord. I wanted to pick something that made a statement, clean, put-together, and powerful. So, of COURSE I went with the suit. I threw my hair in a high bun and was camera-ready!

Picture of me on our way to the Newsroom!

After we ate breakfast and got settled into the recording studio, we did a quick run through the script and got started! I met Nicole Sganga, a Greene Team alumna and broadcaster at CBS News. She gave great advice and shared her stories on the job.

When it was my turn to be an anchor I was more than ready. As someone who prides herself on being a strong speaker and well as a great performer (shout out to Baldwin theater department) I felt in my element. Reading off the teleprompter was easy enough, but an issue I’ve had since forever was talking too fast. One of the people at the recording studio gave me that note, so the next time we recorded I slowed down a bit and it felt amazing. I don’t really think I will go into journalism as a career path but, honestly, anchoring was the best time I had at the program.

After everyone was all done recording, we all watched each others’ broadcasts, and I liked it and did great. But that’s just what’s expected from me! When I wasn’t an anchor, I was floor manager. I thought I would enjoy this role because the qualifications for the role was “bossy.” When that word was spoken, everyone pointed to me. But the job wasn’t as exciting or enjoyable as a thought it would be. It was a lot at once because of the multiple voices in my headset at once. But my friend, Faith Welch, took over and she crushed it.

After we were all done, we watched the broadcast and headed to lunch!

By Faith Welch

Day 3 was so enjoyable and definitely the most interactive day by far!

I woke up in the morning so excited to learn something new, and I definitely did. We all strutted down to the TV room in our suits, blazers, and dress-to-impress wear.

First things first, we had an amazing conversation with Nicole Sganga, a former member of the Greene Team. Sganga is a CBS News homeland security and justice correspondent. She is based in Washington, D.C., and reports for all shows and platforms. She was an amazing person to hear from, and she really dove deep into the vulnerable parts of journalism, and interviewing people on their hardest days, and being able to connect, and to be authentic.

Next up we got straight into anchoring, reporting, camera work, tele-prompting, and more! The first thing I did was report, it was fun, but definitely a bit nerve racking as well. But I really enjoyed it! My favorite role was definitely directing the floor, being able to give direction, and having a voice meaningful enough that my suggestions, like moving the camera up a bit, or telling the anchor to sit up, are actually implemented because of the role I held. I enjoyed that because my true desire is to do everything I do in perfection; not meaning everything is perfect, but to do my best to get it to as close to perfection as possible. I’m very thankful to Anjali for mentoring me through this process.

After the TV room and a melancholy lunch, we headed to News 12! We learned a lot about the process of how everything gets on air, and the editing, and graphics. It was a really interesting experience! We also got an exclusive view of the broadcast room that I see on my TV every day, which was really cool!

Then we headed back. When we got back we had dinner, and then we headed to the dorms and played some card games with our chaperones, Melanie and Anjali, which was so fun!

Now, I am TIRED!!! And tomorrow is a long day of work and editing, talk to you then.

I’m a news anchor!?

Mics, Camera, Action!