It’s debate day, and I’m writing from the MSNBC offices in Umrath Hall, where I’ve spent the majority of the past three days. Since Wednesday, I’ve had the opportunity to assist MSNBC with the production of “Hardball With Chris Matthews,” as well as with their general debate coverage. I must say, it’s been an amazing experience. I’ve learned so much and met so many people in the past few days: it’s been such a blur.
On Wednesday, I got to help out with AV tests on the “Hardball” stage. Along with four other interns, I got to test out the TV hosts’ earpieces and microphones and see myself on camera. We all felt like such celebrities-other students walked past the stage and recognized us, always curious about what we were doing and how we managed to get such a cool job. It was definitely fun, but perhaps not as glamourous as it might seem; I ended up having to sit for over four hours and wound up a feast for the hungry St. Louis mosquitos.
Thursday was the day of the first live broadcast. Early in the day I got to drive a golf cart all around campus, hanging posters and promoting the show. The TV personalities showed up a little later on: Ron Reagan, Chris Matthews and Pat Buchanan among others. Meeting them was a lot of fun, as was assisting them (I’ll admit I even jumped at the chance to bring Chris Matthews his coffee). That evening, when “Hardball” went on the air, I was one of the lucky volunteers who got to be in charge of crowd control. We tossed t-shirts and foam wavers into the crowd and helped to control the crowd’s volume. Standing in front of that many people was intimidating, but fun at the same time. Getting to be part of the “behind the scenes” filming of a live news show was unlike any other experience I’ve had.
Today is Friday, debate day, and things are certainly more tense around the office. MSNBC will be on-air beginning at 3:00, straight through to post-debate coverage. I have just learned that I will be a “greeter” today, helping to make sure all the guests scheduled to appear on-air will be where they need to be when they need to be there. I’m very excited about this… I guess I’m easily starstruck. I have no idea how many hours I’ll end up putting in today, and I don’t care either. Sure, I have a marketing exam on Monday and a paper due in Shakespeare on Thursday, but helping out with this debate is a once in a lifetime experience, and there’s no way I’m going to let schoolwork make me miss out on any of it!