ORLANDO, Fla. – As the News 6 Insider Guide, you know I like to keep you in the loop with behind-the-scenes info on what goes on inside our newsroom.
You won’t ever see our producers, but they play a huge role in our newscasts because they ultimately put the shows together. They write the scripts and organize all the information to make it more digestible for you, our viewers, during our newscasts.
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I’m introducing you to Katrina Scales, our 4:30 a.m. producer, and showing you how she went from print to podcast to bring you “Your Florida Daily” podcast.
“This is the reality of being a morning show producer. You get to work at 11 p.m. at night. That’s how long it takes to produce a newscast. It’s a marathon and takes a lot of work,” Katrina said.
Katrina is a Central Florida native and a graduate of Florida Atlantic University, where she contributed to the University Press.
“The newspaper is where I learned that local news is the coolest thing ever and that catapulted my love for being in news,” Katrina said. “I loved writing and putting together this product, but at the same time I was a huge fan of National Public Radio. It was a different type of storytelling.”
Before coming to News 6, Katrina worked at a radio station in Orlando.
“I often put together these 3-minute local stories that you can easily listen to in the car while you were in traffic,” she said.
Katrina combining all of her experiences to create one of News 6′s newest podcasts called “Your Florida Daily.”
“It’s probably the most concentrated dose of Florida news you can ask for,” Katrina said.
She writes the scripts, voices the podcast, edits each episode and makes it available all before most of you are probably getting out of bed.
She shares the top stories affecting Floridians in a short minutes-long podcast that you can listen to just about anywhere.
“When you only have 3 minutes to cover three stories that might have a lot of details, you have to pick the details that matter most. Television journalists know this very well. You only have a limited amount of time to tell a story. It’s about choosing the most important details and stories that interest people,” Katrina said.
You may notice Florida has some downright odd stories involving people dubbed “Florida Man.”
“It’s worth noting that the reason why we have so many crazy stories come out of Florida is because we have really open public records laws - a lot of people don’t know that. It allows us to get these details that otherwise journalists in other states wouldn’t be able to get,” she said.
Your Florida Daily also includes a quick forecast from a member of our News 6 Pinpoint Weather Team. And wraps up with a unique Florida fact.
“The random Florida fact really brings a positive tone at the end and maybe gives you a leg up in trivia later as well,” Katrina said.
One random fact Katrina shared with me is that every year, tens of thousands of Floridians and tourists gather at the panhandle for a multi-day mullet-toss. People actually throw the fish from the beach over the border to Alabama. It’s about some rivalry but also benefits charity.
What a weird tradition.
Anyhow, be sure to subscribe to “Your Florida Daily.” You can find it wherever you listen to your podcasts.
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