Changing Channels

I want to thank Jesus who is always the head of my life for this huge opportunity. After four in a half years of working at Action News here in Jacksonville FL I'm leaving the FOX & CBS affiliate for another one. I'm very blessed, proud and excited to be joining the number one station in  Raleigh NC WRAL. Tuesday morning I received the call and without hesitation I said "yes" and asked when i can start.  I would like to thank everyone who prayed and believed in me in chasing my dreams to get to the next level. I've prayed, worked hard and never gave up. My last day at Action News will be on March 4, 2015 and start date will be on Monday March 16, 2015. I've worked with some amazing people, made some great friends and covered some great stories here in Florida. I truly believe that my season is here and I had to be patient with God while he does his amazing work, Jesus never gave up on me and never shall I. My new adventure awaits in Raleigh so like I say... stay tuned. #Blessed #Honored #Excited (Psalms 107:1)

I'M GOING BACK TO CNN....WE'LL SEE.

I remember the day, two and half years ago when I went to my former boss at the media giant and told him that I got a job offer at WTVM/FOX 54 in Columbus Georgia as a photojournalist. This shocked him and others but for me I had to start a new direction in my career because I always wanted to be a camera man for a major network or local TV station. When a made the announcement to my former boss he sent the email:

"VJ Thomas Bradley has decided to leave CNN after accepting a job with WTVM News 9 in Columbus, GA as Field Photojournalist and Editor. Thomas is known for the enthusiasm and energy he brings to work on a daily basis. His attention to detail in the studio became very evident during the transition to temporary studios while the main studio at Headline News was being renovated last year. He played a key role in getting the temporary studios set up and ready for the renovation and played a very vital role in the launch of the new studio. Please congratulate Thomas as he enters this next phase of his career—his last day will be Friday, April 27th."

After the cat was out of the bag of sorts I sent out my own offical announcement good bye email:

"After six and a half years at CNN with mixed emotions I'd decided to leave to start my next adventure and challenge. With many years of working in this industry from working for free starting with GPB (Georgia Public Broadcasting) doing camera work during pledge drives to working with the "big leagues" of CNN I accomplished a lot since graduating from Brown College in Minnesota in 2002. This journey is about to get "Freakin' Awesome Dude" as I had accepted a full time position in Columbus Georgia with an ABC/CNN affiliate, WSB-TV Ch. 2 sister station News Leader WTVM 9/WXTX Fox 54 as a field photographer/ editor. Friday April 27th is my final day with CNN and I assume my role with WTVM 9/WXTX Fox 54 on Monday April 30th. For this huge opportunity I would like to think you all from my lord in savoir Jesus, my mom Belinda, and the teachers in school, my mentor for over 11 years Phil Proctor, Shariff Mosley and everyone whoever motivated me and believed in me. For all who have dreams hold on to it and never let it go and never give up because when you do right good things happens. Before I go I have a bible scripture to share with all and this scripture is what I live by each day. Philippians 4:4-13: "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Right now I'm L.T.D Living The Dream and going to do what I always prayed to God to do and that's videography. I will always be a "headliner" and I am CNN. If Gods willing I will be back here at CNN in some fashion...stay tuned."

It was very tough leaving CNN then because I gave so much there and apart of me felt like I did not achieve all of my goals as my ultimate goal is to be a network editor or photojournalist there. I just applied for a Network Editor position at CNN and I hope to get the job. I know that If I get the position I will have to give up the daily grind of a photojournalist, chasing down house fires, covering press conferences, driving miles in our DMA for stories and finally doing live shots in the extreme elements. I will pray on this and hopefully If Gods willing I will return to CNN. Just stay tuned. Till next time "Chance favors the prepared mind".

My Schedule Change

So just you thought it was safe to say that working as a day side photographer was a good thing? Well, yes but doing the night side photog thing well it's another thing. I, at lease will have more sleep time to recharge my batteries so to speak, run more errands that I couldn't do while on the day beat and work on my reel plus website. Last year I did work the evening shift with good results as I covered my fourth fatal car crash along side J.R Allen Parkway here in Columbus GA. The reason why the change is because one of our photographer is going to guard training to be redeployed to Afghanistan for the U.S Army. I hope Jeff will be safe over there. I will miss the day side beat and working along side my favorite reporter at WTVM Zaneta Lowe. It's going to be a new challenge in working the evening beat but I know I can handle it but working at night makes some good lighting for live shots and no one knows lighting more than me. Till next time "Chance favors the prepared mind".

IM SAT CERTIFIED!!!!

A couple of weeks ago on a Friday I reached another milestone in my professional career. I am now a satellite truck operator! After two and a half years of being a photojournalist in this industry it feels good to get this monkey off my back as I start my new role as a sat truck operator. If you ask me I like operating microwave ENG trucks better because you don't have to call ABSAT to book a "window" as we call it then wait a certain time to "come up on power" on galaxy 17. Don't get me wrong but doing satellite shot is great because I can be so far away from the station in addition of learning from other satellite truck operators as well. I learned from the best with my chief photographer Paul Therrien, he has been doing this thing for over 25 years and he was the one who train me and mold me to become a satellite truck operator. Paul thanks and big ups to you. I know when I do my first sat shot I will be very nervous but thanks to my training, the computer in the truck and my GPS system I know that I will be fine. The picture below shows the truck that we have at WTVM. The truck serves both as a microwave ENG truck and a SNG truck as well. When I perform my very first live SNG live shot the video will be posted here on my blog as well on the video section. Till next time "Chance favors the prepared mind".

© 2008 Frontline Communications

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Very Busy But Back Writing.

Sorry everyone but I know that I have not written anything here in a while but you know life as a news photojournalist can be busy, I mean very busy. Since I blogged last I witnessed the largest fire here in Columbus Georgia history, click here for that story. Since the fire we in the Chattahoochee Valley experienced massive amount of rain and it flooded most of the residence homes here. Very bad flooding that ruined infrastructure like the waters did during hurricane Katrina. In my “Liveshot Of The Month” on my website you can see where the water was at this particular house. Columbus so call “9th ward was very much damage. In the first time in history the over flooded its banks. I live here two in a half years and I never thought I will see the day that river ever get swollen due to the drought we had here in Georgia. Finally, the event that I was apart of well sort of when the tornado hit Columbus. I always wanted to see a twister but I found out when I went to work the next day that the tornado came over Phenix City Alabama, over the river, hit downtown then skipped over Veterans pkwy and heavily hit the midtown/ lake bottom park area. Click here for this story as well. The tornado was my third tornado coverage ever in my career as an news photojournalist. After all I have been busy and now shooting nat packages (packages without a reporters track) and trying to get my tape together to move to the next market. As soon I get more news or event I will write more. Till next time “Chance favors the prepared mind”.

THE POWER OF TV

Well after one month since the FBI had there press conference in Columbus Georgia to name their top ten addition to the "Most Wanted", something finally happened. When I arrived to the station after my lunch break we got a fax form the Columbus police department around 1:00pm in the afternoon. The fax had gave us a heads up that a big press conference is going to be taking place at 3:00pm at the police station. The newsroom was a buzz as we was speculating that what the outcome of the conference will entailed. It was not your usual "hands on deck" situation but something big was about to go down. Unfortunately I was not called to shoot the press conference but the assignment desk that was ran by my news director that day assigned the task to other photogs as I had to go out with one of my anchor to another story assigned later that day. As a spoiler we found out on the Ledger-Enquirer that they just reoported on the website that they had arrested Columbus Georgia native and killer Michael Jason Registe. We boke in regular programming and went live for the annoucement but our competitor could not due to their station was off-air for about a day. As stated in in the previous post "IF YOU BREAK THE LAW WE WILL MAKE YOU FAMOUS.", Registe was featured on Fox's "America's Most Wanted" and not even a month he was arrested at a guest house shortly after 11 a.m. by St. Maarten police officials in conjunction with the Antilles Director of Public Prosecution and through coordination with the FBI's legal attache in Bridgetown, Barbados. Although I was not at the press conference but I know the family was thankful that they can some what move on with their lives. The media and AMW deserves partial credit in his arrest. Not all news that the media reports are bad news. We can make a difference in helping cases.

Above is the newspaper details arrest of Michael Registe and on right is the FBI wanted flyer.

I KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT RELATED TO TV BUT...

After getting some well deserved days off from work I decided to return to Atlanta to catch up with my friends who was at the Philips Arena for WWE. If you did not know I'm a huge WWE fan ands before you say something I do not "Mark Out". Basically I went there just to catch up on my friends who work behind the scenes of the company i.e cameramen, TV production truck operators, and sound technicians. I saw everyone but Rico who was on this first wedding anniversary in Aruba, lucky him. I got a chance to see all the new fancy and expensive (HD) high definition equipment and I was a kid in a candy shop. My friend Marty call me while I was visiting my friends and former coworkers at CNN then we went to the arena. I was glad to see everyone then we preceded to WWE catering. The food was good as I had the beef ribs that was very tender and good. Marty introduced me to WWE director Kevin Stilfiles or "Kerwin" and It was a honor to meet the one who call the shots in the cameramen headsets. After getting my stomach full and some good knowledge from Kerwin I took a tour in WWE's 200 million dollar HD TV production truck. Although I did not took any pictures for obvious reasons the inside of the truck as well as the outside. The outside of the truck features graphics of the WWE wrestlers or superstars and the inside has state of the art high definition equipment. The switcher alone has over one thousand buttons and ten camera inputs.

This is one of an inside look of the HD production truck. This area is the control room in other words the nerve center. All video, audio, graphics and other video elements comes together here.

This area is known as the audio room. This room controls all the audio including mics from the cameras, ring, crowd, announcers and any other incoming audio feeds.

In all I had fun meeting everyone again at the show and touring the new stuff they have. I just wish I can work for them one day, not as a wrestler but in WWE production staff. I think, no, I know what it takes to work there at WWE.