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MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J. —  Marijuana farmers in the small residential town of Monroe Township have been arrested. Police seized more than 10 million dollars worth of marijuana.

According to the New Jersey State Police News Release, “In total, ten search warrants were executed over five days by numerous agencies in three counties.  Along with a vast array of indoor cultivation equipment, 3,370 growing plants, 115 pounds of harvested marijuana and $65,000 cash was seized.”

The raids stretched across five towns including Monroe Township, Millstone, Old Bridge, Manahawkin and Manalapan. The bust was the largest in New Jersey history.

Attorney General Paula Dow said, “While law enforcement in New Jersey has encountered high-tech indoor marijuana growing operations in the past, we have not seen anything to match the volume of production of this criminal enterprise. These defendants might be called tenant farmers in one sense, because of their use of rental properties, but they certainly were not struggling to pay the rent with their harvest.”

At least three other suspects are still on the loose.

In my On-Camera Performance class we have been going on the air and working on our broadcasting technique. The most challening aspect I think is the writing. Many say it’s all about the way you look on camera, which is true, but it’s also your writing ability.

What makes the writing so challenging is that you have write simple sentences. I have taken numerous English courses which have pushed me to become a better and more descriptive writer. In broadcast writing, you kind of throw all of that away. You simplify the sentence. People don’t have time nor do they have the concentration to listen to heavy weighted sentences (like this one).

People are in a hurry. They are also preoccupied with other activities. Simple doesn’t always mean shorter sentences. You also have to chose words that simple and easy to understand. If you have to think about what the broadcaster said are you really going to understand what the story is about? More than likely not.

Think about it this way. Do you talk the way that you write? When your talking with your friends would you say:

“Mary, I just got back from a long walk along the winding river behind the school yard.”

Or would you say:

“Mary, I just got back from a walk.”

That probably isn’t the best example, but the point is we speak in fragments. We speak in simple and short sentences. Because it would take too much energy and too much time to understand. The trick is to write well, but in a way that’s simple and conversational with the audience. That’s the hard part.

]]> http://www.joegullo.net/me/2010/03/09/my-100th-post/feed/ 2 http://www.joegullo.net/me/2010/03/08/proofreading-is-important/ http://www.joegullo.net/me/2010/03/08/proofreading-is-important/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:32:41 +0000 Joe http://www.joegullo.net/me/?p=1796 I decided to do a little exercise today. I wanted to see if I could simulate writing under pressure. In some instances, I am going to be required to produce quality material with a short deadline. This is the most crucial time because proofreading and writing fast is essential.

Proofreading is important regardless of the amount of time you have to write story.

Today I wrote an article for DigitalJournal.com, which I have been writing for the past couple of months. I wrote a story on The Oldest American Woman died on Sunday. I made a little blunder and a simple one at that. The birthday of Mary Joseph Ray was in 1885 and not in 1985 as I wrote it.

Since I wrote fast, I didn’t even pick up on it. So lesson learned, proofread before you click submit or hand in your article or copy!

I’m super pumped and super excited! I am going to be working on a video for Plattsburgh’s Got Talent which is going to be sweet! The show is being put on by the Student Association’s Activities Coordination Board; More specifically the Entertainment Committee. The show is going to consist of a variety of acts; singers, musicians, comedians and dancers — pretty much anything that you can do!

I am in the process of coming up with ideas for the video. The most exciting part about planning a video is sorting through all of the ideas. It’s like your mind is in overdrive thinking of creative and cool things to do with the video.

Before I begin making any video, I try to think about the focus of the video, the audience, and the audience effect that I want to get.

When I was in high school, I was involved in the marching band program. We had so many opportunities to perform in front of hundreds of people. We even had the opportunity to go to Disney World to march in a parade. We also went to a work shop and we played a song from The Little Mermaid. The music director said something that will become an intricate part of my video planning for the rest of my life. He said something along the lines of, the music makes the video. Try and watch a movie without having any music. The movie is kind of dry and lacks, emotion.

The point is. You could have the best video – but the music will make a good video or movie that much better. Your choice of music will change the mood of the video. Now I’m not saying that the video itself is not important but the music is a very important element. The music for the video has already been determined – which I have to say is an excellent song for the “audience effect” we’re trying to achieve. However, if you have a song idea – feel free to let me know and it may wind up in the video at some point. You never know. The way I look at it, the more options the better.

So the focus of the video is the people that are performing in Plattsburgh’s Got Talent. I want the camera to be there every step of the way – covering the journey and telling a story. Who are these people? What struggles did they have to overcome? How much work did they have to put in to their performance? That’s the story that needs to be told.

College Students. Well that’s the audience. After all it is a college event open to college students. This may seem like a stupid question to consider being that this video is covering college students and being delivered by college students. However, different audiences require different things in the video. When making a video, the video must be:

• Engaging. Every element of the movie needs to pop off the screen. Engaging is making the audience feel as if they are a part of the film by
• Entertaining. While making them feel apart of the film, you want them to feel emotions by
• Telling a Story.

Fun stuff. So I’m open to suggestions so please feel free to comment on this post. I want to know what you want to see.

Also, if you’re a SUNY Plattsburgh Student and you have a talent, don’t be shy and sign up. Leave a comment on the post or email me at joe@joegullo.net to learn how you can get involved! You’ll have fun, promise. If you’re not going to sign up then at least encourage a friend or a friend of a friend.

If you could answer the poll question below that would be great! All submissions to the poll are anonymous.

Also, if you are interested in being interviewed for the newspaper let me know by leaving a comment and or use the contact form! Thanks for all your help.

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Stay tuned for more updates regarding the earthquake in Chile.

It’s strange to me because I have always had a passion, always had a drive to try to forecast the weather. Now that’s gone somewhat. It’s strange because a part of me wants to do it, but another is removed from it.

Anyway, the weather has been too quiet up here in North Country. Almost eerily quiet and uneventful. I would have never imagined that my house in New Jersey would see more snow than Plattsburgh New York. I guess there is always a first for everything.

Be prepared. This step has multiple parts to it. Being prepared does not just mean having an idea of what you’re going to say or talk about on air, but also to be prepared mentally.

Have a plan. Winging it will definitely add to your nerves. Having a general idea of what you’re going to say will help ease your fears. Think about a time when you were presenting something and you were prepared. Didn’t you feel more comfortable than when you presented something you weren’t as prepared for? To help you plan your show, think about your radio show almost like an essay:

Introduction. When you write an essay, you don’t just start going into the content without first introducing your topic right? You usually have an introductory paragraph which includes your thesis statement. Similarly, you wouldn’t start your radio show without first introducing yourself right? You don’t have to do your radio show with a thesis statement, but you will want to introduce yourself.

Body. What are you going to talk about? Most radio shows are around 4 to 5 hours in length. You want to have enough material to last you the entire duration. You also don’t want to talk about everything during the first two hours of your show. You want to find the right balance with releasing information and teasing your audience to listen for more. You also don’t want the topic to linger too long where your audience gets bored. Your radio station will give you details on when you have time to talk and when you need to give weather, news, traffic, and possibly station ID.

Conclusion. You don’t want to leave your listener without saying goodbye first. You wouldn’t leave a friend or family member without saying goodbye first – so make sure you let your listener know you’re time is up and what’s/who is coming up next.

Frame of mind. Your frame of mind is everything. If you go in with a bad or negative attitude, your show will probably be not so hot. No one is perfect so making a mistake is not that big of a deal. In fact, most people will not even realize that you made a mistake unless you draw attention to yourself. Think about the times you listen to the radio – it’s rare that you’re just listening to just the radio. We sometimes listen while we’re driving, while we’re at work, 0r doing chores. Our attention is not 100% on the radio station – we’re preoccupied by other things. While it’s important to grasp your listeners, keep in mind that they will be selectively listening to you. If you make a mistake, it’s more than likely going to go unnoticed.

Practice. In the broadcast industry – the first time you read copy, is the time you’ll make the most mistakes. I like having script. It helps me understand my plan and mission. While this is good for planning, it’s also important to keep in mind that you may have to ad-lib. Don’t be “married” to your script where you can not function without it. While I like to have a script to rely on, I also have some backup material to fall back on in case in need to. If you have copy, read it a couple times before you go on air.

Pretend. Radio can be a little impersonal sometimes. It’s just you and that fuzzy microphone. Sometimes it’s hard to realize that somebody is listening on the other end. By pretending you’re talking to someone it’ll make your voice more personable and more conversational. Pretending you’re talking to someone you’re comfortable with can also help ease some of your nerves.

Have fun. Last, have fun. Radio is a place where we can express our views, opinions, current events with a large group of people. It’s also a place for our listeners to offer their opinions and views on a variety of issues. Radio gives the public a voice. A voice to be heard. Radio is just a device that offers communication. In reality, you’re talking to each one of your listeners as a one-on-one conversation.

Good luck, have fun and feel free to let me know ho your radio show goes!

“To those who say people wouldn’t look, they wouldn’t be interested, they’re too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter’s opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost. This instrument can teach. It can illuminate and, yes, it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it towards those ends. Otherwise, it is merely wires and lights — in a box.” – Edward R. Murrow¹

Is television just merely “wires and lights –in a box?” Or is it something more? Does television offer some value in our society? If television ceased to exist would we as a society we better off? Does television have value, but the programming doesn’t?

I’m not sure what struck out about the quote, but it definitely left me inspired. I think I just connected with what Murrow wrote and the way the actor,
David Strathairn read it. In my opinion, television doesn’t have to be “wires and lights — in a box,” television is much better than that.

What do you think?

1. http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechgoodnightandgoodluckmurrow.html