talk . When we finally talked , it went very well . He liked me . I got my start at NBC 13 working part-time as a producer behind the scenes . I then began working as a writer . A lot of the anchors really liked it when I wrote for them . They started requesting my services as a writer . That helped me get my foot in the door and establish a reputation . It took me about a year to go from behind the scenes to in front of the camera .
Sherman : What was it like to be on TV in the beginning ?
Gray : It was a lot of fun , but it was definitely different from working on the radio . You had to be conscious of your visual presentation . If you wear an ugly tie or don ’ t fix your hair the right way , someone might write a letter to complain . I tried my best to remain in the moment and not let the little things like that get to me . I became fascinated with storytelling . I was always trying to find a fresh and different angle . I had somebody tell me early on , “ If you want to last in this business , make me remember you .” That ’ s some of the best advice I ever got . Of course , in the beginning , your ego goes through the roof . When you ’ re first on TV , you ’ ll be walking around the supermarket hoping that somebody recognizes you .
Once you move past that , it becomes more about the job and less about the ego . I worked at NBC 13 for 15 years . I started full time on the air in 1989 . After two or three years of successful work as a reporter , they gave me a show in the morning . From there I started working nights , and then I took an offer to work for a different station . I ’ ve worked at WXXA FOX 23 and WTEN ABC 10 for the past 16 years .
Sherman : What kind of work goes into an average news broadcast ?
Gray : If I ’ m anchoring , my producers work on the show all day . I read as much as I can before I go into work so that I know what ’ s going on . I try to stay as well-informed as possible . Sometimes the producers responsible for putting the show together are young and inexperienced . I want to be able to catch any potential mistakes that they may make . For my reporting pieces , I either come up with the topics for my own stories , or get tips from other people . Funnily enough , a good example would be the story that I did about Old Mill Road Recording . During a trip to Southern Vermont , I took my kids to the Chocolate Barn over in Shaftsbury . When I was talking with the owner , she told me about the studio in East Arlington . When I got home ,
I googled it , saw the studio , and decided to do a story on it . I love stories that I learn about in an organic way . Sometimes I ’ ll have an idea of a story I want to do , and it will take me years to put it together . You have to spend a lot of time tracking certain people down , because some of the best stories don ’ t want to be told right away . You have to almost pull them out of people . Having a good track record is key . If people know your name and trust you , they ’ re more likely to open up to you when you ’ re interviewing them for a story .
Sherman : Have you had any bad experiences where things went wrong in the newsroom ?
Gray : I ’ ve had some bad experiences with laughing on air . Sometimes I laugh when something goes wrong , and then I can ’ t stop laughing . If I ’ m with an anchor who ’ s prone to laughing too , then we both can come off as silly on the air . The worst thing that can happen is when you ’ re giggling about something during a feel-good story , and the next story is about a local tragedy . Those are the situations I try to stay away from . I also try to pick the stories that keep me out of trouble , and stay out of hazardous situations . I always tell crews when they ’ re going out to shoot stories , “ Don ’ t put yourself in danger .” If you use your
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