Tornadoes and Warnings and Cut-ins! Oh My!

Today has been a crazy day. I figured I would tell you about it, while the action is hot. Today, we've been having Tornado Warnings, for the last 2 hours or so. As Master Control, it's my job to run crawls for weather warnings. But, what happens if it's so severe that there could be tornadoes?

If the threat is real for tornadoes, we might have to cut into programming, which we have done two times so far today. For me, it's a matter of dumping out of my programming, and giving control to the news department. They will do everything that they have to, to inform the public, so they can stay safe. But my work has just begun, in this process.

It's my job to monitor the programming schedule. I have to decide ways to cut programming, so I can stay on time. First, I'll decide how much time I'm losing. I can remove promos for shows on the station, or PSAs (Public Service Announcements). We don't get paid for these, so losing them is OK.

Next, I have to figure out if time constraints can save the paid commercials. I am basically running the cash register for the station, as the paid sponsors are what brings in our revenues. Right now, in an election time, it's important to make sure those play, as they are bigger money. That won't be an issue for me today. It's always bad to lose commercial revenue, but it's more important to keep our viewers informed and safe.

The main bummer for me today, is that I am in a block of paid programming (infomercials). These are half hour blocks, that make quite a bit of money. If you've ever wondered why stations play infomercials, it's because they make good money. I've dumped out of one program, and had to join another in progress when we came back. As I'm typing this, we are cutting into another one. My job is to make sure that the money gets played, without errors. Today, due to circumstances with weather, which I cannot control, I can't complete that task.

It makes the time go fast, and it's very exciting to be a part of this team. Our meteorologist Craig Gold, has been on point, talking for 40-50 minutes at a time. Our director Chris Siegert, has been switching weather graphics at Craig's cues. We really do have the best coverage, when it comes to severe weather. Our passion, and commitment to being the best really shows on days like today.