By: Andy Cole
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| Every day begins the same for Brooke Butler, tapping her key card into the same six locked doors. Butler has been the weekend evening anchor and weekday reporter at WJCL since January 2021. |
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| Butler says she has to get a fresh cup of water when starting her shift. "Some people drink coffee or tea, others drink soda. But for me, I love a good cup of water to get me through my shift." |
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| Butler (left) checks in with meteorologist and friend Victoria Kokinos (right) in the WJCL Weather Center. "The weekend crew is really tight and I love working with a friend like Victoria." |
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| Next, Butler stops by the assignment desk to pick up her car keys. Every reporter and photographer is assigned a station vehicle to drive to and from stories. |
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| Once she gets to her desk, the headphones come on and Butler runs through her emails. Her inbox stays full--100 emails is a slow news day, Butler says. |
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| Butler assists her producer with writing parts of the show. "It's a huge part of our jobs. Writing is fundamental and takes a large chunk of my time, especially when I'm anchoring," Butler said. |
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| Butler records a standup for a story she's putting together for a later show. "Some stories I put together from start to finish in a couple of hours, others we have time to work on it. I really like those long form stories," Butler explained. |
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| Butler (left) connects with producer Jeremy Clarke (right) to chat about the show before the final touches are made. Butler told me, "Communication is key in this business. Since we move so fast, we're talking all throughout the day so we can stay on the same page." |
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| Butler begins to put the final touches on her copy behind a COVID shield that divides the desk in the newsroom. WJCL has returned to normal operations from the pandemic, but has retained the acrylic panes. |
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| Butler joined the industry to follow in the footsteps of her brother, who is also a TV news reporter. Before coming to Savannah, she worked as a anchor/reporter in Salisbury, Maryland. |
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| Butler stops by Production Control to check in with the technical team. "It takes a large team to put together the news. From photographers, to producers, our newsroom is a well oiled machine," said Butler. |
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| Butler overlooks the control room monitors. In this room, producers and directors switch between camera angles and cue stories, putting the show on the air. |
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| Butler makes her way to the studio to anchor the 6 p.m. weekend news. On the weekend, she's joined by Kokinos in studio and me reporting live in the field. |
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| Butler takes a seat at the news desk and puts on her lavalier microphone. She also wears an earpiece so she can hear the show and directions from production control. |
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| Butler reads off a teleprompter, and most days she is able to read the show many times before she goes on air. A 'cold read' is rare, but does happen sometimes in breaking news situations. |
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| Butler faces three robotic cameras, under bright studio lights. "People rarely get to see this side of things, but this is my view for a couple hours over the weekend," Butler said. |
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| Butler is able to review her scripts on an iPad, too. In case the teleprompter fails, the iPad serves as a backup and replaces printing out each and every show, page by page. |
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| Butler wraps up the 30-minute broadcast and throws in to ABC World News Tonight. She also anchors the 11 p.m. newscast, and that's a full hour. |
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| Butler pulls off her microphone and logs off of her iPad. Butler says she loves the news because each day is different, with no two days ever being the same. |
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| Butler leaves the station to grab a quick dinner in between shows before preparing for the next. "I love my job and I love the people I work with. I'm living the dream," Butler said. |
