Weekly Feature: Hidden Gems

(Photo: former intern Mark Zinni who has gone on to much bigger and better tv accomplishments!! He set the bar for wkyc interns!!! I can not ever do an 'intern' story without mentioning Mark)!!

Today's Hidden Gem: WKYC Interns

I was about to pen a totally different Hidden Gem when the sub-zero arctic weather blew into C-Town! Today's original topic will survive another week or two, probably much better than Cleveland's streets, our chapped skin and lips, my nearly flat left rear tire, and Mom's windshield wipers!

Please indulge me this week.

We've just been joined by a new class of interns. And what a week for them to start. Talk about 'trial by fire.'

Aaron, Diana, and Jeff dove into one of the craziest weeks we've had in a long time--with totally open arms.

I'm fortunate to be able to work with all three of them. In past years, the interns and I never crossed paths, or I'd know them to say 'hello' as they worked a different shift or with another department.

Each of them, from day one to the next time they arrived in the newsroom, made quite the leap.

The first day, not necessarily terrifying, but overwhelming. Let's face it--putting yourself in their shoes. You are one person being introduced to dozens and dozens of foreigners, where as everyone else can remember YOUR name. You are given the grand tour, the mandatory meeting with the HR woman, an overview of what is expected, and a bit enamored by the 'stars' roaming around the newsroom. Up 'til now, you've only seen them 'on tv!' Maybe you watch a show from the studio or the control room, which IS tres cool! The day zips by and closing time rolls around before you realize it even began!

Day 2. No nonsense now. The honeymoon is over. Each one of them were given a serious assignment and a series of tasks which made an impact on the newsroom.

There was research to be done......each one of them took a stab at writing for the 11pm news....the obligatory 'beat calls'.....shadowing the producer of their choice.....trying to master a new phone system without losing too many calls....entering data for Metromix.....learning WHO everyone is.....logging the competition......and the grand daddy of them all: the iAlert System.

As I've mentioned in previous entries, we have an improved school closing system, the iAlert School Closing System. It should be a dream when all the bugs get worked out and the users get acclimated to this new process.

Every day, midday, night this week there have been cancellations and delays and our new class of interns have stepped up to the plate to assist with the deluge of calls we've been answering non-stop since Monday.

Today, for some unknown reason, was the craziest. Diana and Jeff were busy entering any closings that administrators were unable to complete via phone or Internet themselves. We all were. When I say 'all,' I mean ALL! In our phone system, you can hit 'directed pickup' and the extension to answer a ringing phone. Every person in the newsroom was answering news desk calls at their desk and jotting down ID's and Passwords to be entered into the system. A true joint effort, which pretty much, went off without too many hitches!

I'm fairly confident that these students from John Carroll and Kent State will be just as busy during the rest of their internship stint...but if not, they have had an exciting week that I'm sure will resonate for years to come.

The more training, advice, hands-on experience, and grooming we can give them will, in the long run, help their cause as well as making OUR lives much easier (at least while they are here).

In their first week alone, all of them have helped me immensely, more than they will ever know. This, alone, is why I have deemed our new crop of newsroom interns this week's Hidden Gems! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!!!!