Life After a Project

Life After a Project--deb wallevand

Is there life after the completion of a project? Finally a somewhat easier question to blog about! My answer is YES. I apologize if that comes off as arrogant, because I am sure there are a lot of people who may be unsure of what the future holds. And that is totally okay.

I guess my feeling is that the project is only the first step for me. As of 10 o'clock Thursday night this 17th of April 2008 I would like to be a sports producer. With this responsibility it will be my goal to level the playing field (haha, no pun intended!) when it comes to the coverage of women's sports on television. I have a slight idea of what's in store for me. It's one thing to observe the problem on TV and read it in journals, but it's completely different when executive producers are telling you 'no' to your face. My project, a 30-minute sports program devoted to women's sports, will have the same attributes men's programs have: good writing, interesting stories, advanced graphics and camera shots.

Obviously though, no matter how good the production is the absence of men's sports and male athletes from the show will be seen as a weakness. I know I can't change all of society's gender-biased attitudes with this one project, but I do believe I can get a least a few people thinking about women's sports differently. I think if we actually see women's sports taken seriously on television then the audience will start to do the same. I know it is going to happen. We've had over a hundred years of men's sports in the U.S. It is established. Women's sports are the new kids on the block. It's going to take some time, but women's sports will be taken seriously if I have any say.

Someday, perhaps when I feel I've given the industry enough of my life, I'll go back to school yet again and pursue a PhD so I can teach those future sports journalists and broadcasters. I've found in my almost 8 months at OU that some undergrads do listen to what you say. It's nice to get them when they're young, before they get into that tired old newsroom routine.

When it comes down to it, I want to influence all audiences.