| Topic Name: |
Assignment Desk |
| Message Name: |
Lunch/ Scheduling |
| Date Posted: |
05/14/2005 |
| Message: |
Lunch: I've worked in four newsrooms on the desk. Three of them I never got a real lunch---ran upstairs to microwave something, or had something delivered to the station and ate it at the desk. It's really part of the job. I'm sure if you complained about it you could have gotten a half hour-1 hr lunch break away from the desk, but it's a catch 22, because some days an hour away from the desk, in desk time, is like being away for 4 hours. If there is coverage on the desk, it is nice to get away, because you can refresh away from the scanners.
As for the four full timer schedule. It would be nice to have two reliable part timers to fill in the weekend night shift, and some early morning shifts, but it seems like these jobs sometimes get cut. Again, I am sure some shops have a plethora of underpaid, green part-timers, but even if that's the case, there are only really two shifts for them to work.
As for the early morning shift, there is a trade off in that position. If your shop has an active assignment manager and a dayside editor, thn the early morning shift can be completely flexible to the needs of your shop. You can have that person work more of an overnight/morning shift. If you don't have a AM, or the AM is one of your 4 FTers, you have to think about where best to put the early guy. Is your staff down in the morning? Do you have two producers and two writers putting together a 2 hr+ morning show? Then maybe the desk should come in earlier to help, and the loss will be felt be the dayside AE being solo on the desk for 3-4 hours until the nightside AE comes in. OR is the trade off, having the AE come in at 5 or 6 am, and having a better staffed desk during the day. I'd have to say in many cirumstances, even though not ideal, have the AE come in a little later. It's better to play catch up at 5am, than to have one person on the desk during the middle of the day, juggling 8-10 crews, breaking news, booking sat time, dispatching the chopper, etc... I guess also into consideration in the equation is what your news product is like during the day. Are you a 5-7, 12, 5-6:30, 10,11 type place, or a Fox affiliate? Or don't have a noon show, etc. That also is to take into consideration. I've written far too much. I'm done now.
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