Spotlight Article: Covering the Winter Storm

The last couple of days have been long ones for everyone at WKYC as we, along with other media outlets, brought you expanded coverage of the severe winter storm that pummeled our area. It was 36 hours of hunkering down and covering the storm all across Northeast Ohio.

Many people take the media for granted. After all, we are in the public service industry. Our job IS to keep viewers informed, but there are risks involved that people at home don't think about. Everyday our reporters and photographers put their lives in danger when they go out to cover stories.

You may have seen the story of one of our photographers who was injured recently at Tower City covering a story about kids causing trouble around Public Square. As it turned out, a safe story turned out very differently as the video shows:

http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=62803

During this winter storm, our crews had to face the same frustrations and treacherous conditions that other motorists faced while covering the story. Although we knew the storm was coming and planned for it, you are never completely prepared for the power this type of storm had in bringing the area to a standstill.

Everyone who was out in the field should be commended for not only their bravery in battling the elements, but also their commitment to providing our viewers with information that could have saved their lives.

The people inside the stations were equally brave trying to get to work. They could have stayed home, like everyone else did. But they choose to come to work to keep the station going and the news & information flowing. From the technical crew, to the news department to the business department, it's a team effort that deserves some recognition and thanks.

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