By: Sarah Worthen, Sanctuary TLC Supportive Services Coordinator

Five residents from our Transitional Living Centers (TLC) program participated in KSEE 24’s annual Career Day. The station staff pulled out all the stops and provided an amazing introduction to a variety of careers in broadcast journalism, both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes, to students from schools around the Valley who packed the studio to standing room only.

Participants visited various departments, meeting with executives, directors, reporters, photographers and on-air talent. They met with the station’s General Sales Manager who introduced them to marketing and production. They also learned about the dizzying array of complex equipment used in the control room to piece together each broadcast.

Outside the studio, students visited a live news van and met Reporter Jobin Panicker who shared how he went from being a barista at a coffee shop to becoming the recipient of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in journalism.

News Anchor Matt Otstot gave youth the opportunity to sit in front of the cameras and practice delivering headlines from a teleprompter. Presenting the weather segment in front of a “green screen” proved especially challenging, not to mention hilarious (a “green screen” is an empty, green-colored wall or screen where images, in this case maps, are superimposed on the screen. Meteorologists point to an empty, green screen while presenting the weather forecast; they use a nearby television set to ensure they are accurately pointing at the correct section on the green screen.)

A big highlight of the day was sitting in as the live studio audience for a live taping of Central Valley Today with Alex Delgado. She dished out about her humble beginnings fetching coffee as an intern.

When asked about his impression of the experience, TLC 3 resident Reginald Hudson shared, “Going behind the scenes of this news station really opened my eyes to the in’s and out’s behind the camera and on air talent. Most interesting to me was how much time and education each person put into getting where they are, but each person also started out like anyone else and had to work hard to achieve their dreams.”