I wonder what it would be like to be in TV news. 

On the one hand, a reporter is always on the go, always trying to be first on the scene with late breaking news.  The excitement of sharing a story, live, surely creates an amazing adrenaline rush.  And the thought of preparing a report that will make a difference in politics, culture, community, or entertainment must be an empowering experience.

On the other hand, have you seen how many local newscasts are on during the day?  How many times do the anchors -- and often the reporters -- have to repeat the same story over and over?  Most stations air local news for 2 hours in the morning, 30 minutes at noon, an hour and a half in the evening, and another 30 minutes at night.  This is a minimum of 4.5 hours a day, and many stations have an hour more than that!  Then, you add the fact that their "sister station" has an additional 10pm newscast, and you can easily be up to 6 hours a day.!

On days when there's a lot of news or inclement weather, there's a good bit of variety during these 6 hours.  But when it's only an average -- or less than average -- news day, the anchors and reporters repeat the same stories every 30 minutes. 

But it gets worse.  What about the poor meteorologist?  These days, the weather is repeated every 10 minutes.  The first installment is a tease.  "Well folks, it's cold outside.  Stay tuned to see what tomorrow's weather has in store for us."  Then, 10 minutes later he/she is back with the full weather.  Another 10 minutes, and you see the 5-day forecast.  Then the process is repeated -- often with a different meteorologist -- for the 5:30 news.  Wash, rinse, repeat.

This isn't too bad for the viewer, because most people don't sit through every 30 minute cycle.  I think it's interesting that the national news -- that is, all the news for the entire planet! -- can be covered in 30 minutes each evening, but the local guys spend over 2 hours in the evening and night to tell us what's happening across town.  There's nothing wrong with that, but it is intriguing.

And speaking of intriguing news, did you hear about what the Statesville Walmart greeter did last night ?  If there was any doubt, this is why we need local newscasts.