I am in my second day of a three-week internship at CH News in Victoria, B.C..

The city was hit by a a massive (by Victoria standards) snowstorm that shut down the city.
In a city that rarely gets below freezing, let alone snow, an easterly cold wind has not been kind.

On Monday morning there was almost no transportation in the city: public transit was shut down, the airport closed (mostly), road advisories got people to stay home and the wait for a taxi was 2-3 hours.

So, to show how keen I was to my newsroom, I walked for an hour through ice and snow to "do the news."

Actually it wasn't too bad: I have a heavy jacket, weigh 265 lbs and have facial hair... ladies, don't all swarm me at once.


That aside, life in the newsroom so far is kind of what I expected: I answer calls, set up interviews, do research.


Something I didn't realize is how many people work in this station. There is a core group of approx. 15 people in the newsroom, but when you add in the eight full time camera men, multiple tech guys, lots of editors, sales staff and stringers, you have got a lot of people.

Another thing I didn't realize was the interconnection of CH to the rest of Canwest news. I can look at all story line-ups for all CH and Global stations from my desktop. It shouldn't have been a shock, but it's still pretty cool. Also, canwest stations are NBC affiliates. I didn't know that affiliation could be international.

As for newsroom politics, both inside and out, I am still observing. Last night I watched the news from behind the newsdesk (not the one on TV... that would be reading the news!) with Rob and Rob, the assignment editor and news director respectively. It's neat to watch and see what we missed (not much) and what our competition (A-channel news) got (not much.)

I also talked to many of the the good, sad, mad and crazy people who call the newsdesk for information.
Everything from bus schedules (people had been calling 911 for that) to why people on the street should freeze to death, to pleas for help by an elderly couple stuck in their home.

Good stuff.

This is it.

After three months of talking about this blog it is finally starting.
Sort of.

My name is Sterling Eyford.

I am a one-year bachelor of journalism student at the University of King's College in Halifax.

My intent with this blog was to chronicle my journalism education.

That didn't really happen.

But something will...

I promise.