It's 9 p.m. on a weekday, what does your newsroom look like?

This is sort of a d_b, since it has been discussed before in other threads. But I'm just curious to get an up-to-the-minute response.

So, it's 9 p.m. on a Thursday, who all is in your newsroom?

The reason I ask is we recently had a "shootout" at a local eating establishment at approximately 9 p.m. and got several phone calls to alert us. At the time, there were three copy desk people (on the news side) and the sports department (SE, paginator, prep guy, college beat writer and part-time agate clerk).

Not one single reporter in the building, not a single editor in the building (other than the SE) and not a single photographer in the building.

I never really pay attention to who's in the newsroom and who's not, but it kind of got my curiosity going and for the next two nights, our late crew was pretty consistent, save for an editor on duty (with said editor being really nothing more than another paginator with supervisor status). The last news reporter checked out before 8 p.m. both nights, never to be seen again.

Is it pretty much a universal thing now in newsrooms for reporters on the news side to be done at 6 p.m.? I know times have changed, but it seemed like not too long ago just about everybody on the news side worked the same hours as sports (2 p.m. to 11ish).

Anyway, just curious to know if this is a new trend developing in newsrooms across the country, or I happen to work in a place that doesn't think news happens after 6 p.m.

By the way, I work at paper with a circ of around 50K.

 

We've got sports and news deskers, plus a night editor, one cops reporter, one web producer and usually someone from the business desk who's working late. No photogs. No head honchos.

 

Generally, the desk crew (including the assistant news editor), a city editor, the night reporter, the web producer, a sports reporter or two, sometimes a photographer if there was a late assignment.

Most nondesk people are long gone though.

 

Thursday - Saturday: all the press guys, one designer and the two sports people. Maybe, maybe, a news editor or the staff photographer if they are working on something late, but probably not.

The rest of the time: just me and the SE (which is how we like it, because then we can watch whatever we want on TV or play whatever music we want.)

However, if something were to go down, the photographer lives right down the street. She probably wouldn't be thrilled but would still go out to cover something.

 

Three on copy desk, four in sports. No other reporters or photogs, unless they are working on a story or photos on deadline.

 

With more than one paper in the building, there's about six designers, a couple editors, an occasional appearance from a night reporter, a security guard and a photo clerk (who processes and tones incoming photos). Most of our night photography is farmed out to freelancers.
I think most news reporters do work 10 to 6, 11 to 7, etc. That's all I've ever known.
BUT aren't we all going to 24/7 newsrooms and someone will have to work overnight and bring out a digital camera and a video recorder to an accident, a fire or a crime scene and put that stuff on the internet for all the people who just came home from Denny's?

 

If I'm not there...empty.

 

Three or four in sports, three news deskers, maybe one late reporter and maybe the part time photographer.

There used to be a day not too long ago when reporters would be there right along side you until at least 11. Now everyone is in such a damn hurry to get the fuck out and go home.

 

At 9 p.m. on a weekday, my newsroom is dead. Except if the cleaning guy is still hard at work.

 

If it's not sports, news doesn't exist at night. The reporters track it down the next morning.

 

This is, for the record a 36K:

Two news deskers and a night editor, with a reporter on call.

Two sports deskers and, (too) oftentimes, me.

Usually a random shooter doing random shooter-type stuff.

And, typically, at least one other person – the weekly Neighbors section editor, maybe, or the business editor working on Sunday stuff or the Religion editor working on Saturday stuff, etc.

 

Two news designers, three sports and some weird guy from the mail room emptying the trash.

BTW, last summer a shooting/robbery broke at a downtown business around 9 p.m. and sports was the only people in the newsroom. We tried to call our ME, news editor and a couple reporters only to get no answers. So being the trooper, I headed out to dangerville, got the story, wrote something, re-worked 1A and made sure our fine subscribers were able to read all about it the next morning. Should of got a raise for that one.