KUSA — All this week on 9NEWS at 6 a.m. we're taking our viewers behind the scenes to show you how the newsroom operates.
Three decades ago 9NEWS anchor Gary Shapiro produced a series of stories taking viewers behind the scenes to show how we get the news on the air each day.
As you can imagine, a lot has changed during that time, but covering the news live from the scene is still an important part of what we do on a daily basis.
RELATED: Going behind the scenes at 9NEWS
In 1988, 9NEWS crews used a microwave truck to get a signal back to the station for a live report. Now, our reporters and photographers use backpacks that take advantage of cell phone towers for live reports.
Today there are a lot fewer people In the control room during a newscast. At one point there was a producer, director, technical director, audio operator, and someone to put our graphics on the air.
Now, most of those positions are automated. The director uses a computer to code the newscast, and those codes put everything on the air automatically.
There’s still a producer, who's responsible for putting the show order together, figuring out how the stories will be presented, and how long they will be. The producer often writes a good portion of the show.
In the case of the morning show, it’s really hard work and some pretty odd hours. Lesley Martin is the executive producer for 9NEWS mornings.
“You have to love it. You have to love the environment, and the responsibility and the adrenaline and the failures and everything. You just have to love it.”
The goal of everyone working on a newscast has remained the same over the years, to give people information, context, and updates on the news throughout the day.
9NEWS reporter Liz Kotalik said while doing that, you also have to keep in mind the people affected by the stories.
“I think people have this understanding or this image of reporters, that we just want to get in people’s faces, but especially mornings like this we really do care," Kotalik said. "It’s sad to see some of the things we have to report on.”
Do you want to see or learn something about the newsroom?
Use #Beon9 on Twitter to ask questions and tell us what you want to see. On Friday, we'll wrap up the week by taking viewers where they want to go in the newsroom.
