by David Murphy
It isn't always easy. Journalism is a competitive, demanding profession which requires weird working hours, changeable shifts, lots of working holidays and fast-paced deadlines. Rather than being content with success, the people who run the station probably work even harder than those at struggling stations to maintain the level of performance we've seen over the years. There is certainly no taking it easy around here.
On the other hand, the atmosphere is also pretty friendly. People are usually in a good mood and most of us generally get along with each other very well. Arguments are rare. Professional debates about everything from news coverage to the fine points of a weather forecast are common.
We have some fun things, like ice cream Friday's, a lunch room book exchange and company outings. The morning show employees organize newsroom birthday parties and an annual trip to the Phillies. Because we're owned by Disney, we get discounts at the theme parks, which is great for those of us with families.
I get together with work mates occasionally away from the office and I've developed numerous, pleasant working relationships with staffers, both on air and off. The fact that we like and know each other around here comes across on the air, I think. Most of what you see in the movies about the TV news business being swamped by enormous egos is at best exaggeration and at worst, fiction, although I've heard of and have observed a few stations that suffer from that sort of problem. Here, it's the exception; not the norm.
