Andria Kirkland
Journalist. Reporter. Producer. Story Teller.
Producing Reel
Here's a compilation of some of my work while at NBC-affiliate News 4 San Antonio (WOAI). This reel combines clips from various newscasts that I've worked on as the 10 pm producer. I have covered a variety of stories including breaking news, severe weather and localized national stories. A strong suit of mine is showcasing and developing breakouts to bring more context or clarity to a story. At News 4, and as journalists, the mission is to always be there for our viewers and we try to emphasize that through our storytelling and writing.
Increased Border Enforcement & Processing Migrants
Efforts are underway to stop the flow of migrants crossing the Rio Grande to reach the United States. A long line of U.S. law enforcement vehicles line the banks of the river to deter migrant groups. On Mexico's side of the border, agents there are using tactics like overnight raids to find migrants and transport them further away from the U.S. border.
Abbott Witnesses the Migrant Surge
Governor Greg Abbott takes a visit to Del Rio to survey the condition of the makeshift encampment where Haitians are living underneath the International Bridge. Our crew down at the border reports on how the rush of migrants is negatively impacting the city's economy, which relies heavily on tourism and trade.
Airport Shooting
An active shooter is taken down outside the San Antonio Airport after firing shots into the terminal where travelers were claiming their luggage. The FBI was on hand to investigate any potential terrorism nexus. We were able to catch up with some of the travelers franticly running to find safety after hearing the gunshots.
February Freeze
A winter storm overwhelmed the state of Texas. A blast of snow closed roads and intense temperatures caused power outages, leaving millions of Texans to freeze inside their homes. The storm would prompt a number of accountability reports to understand the systemic and leadership failures and how to prevent those going forward.
Migrant Housing Contract
This newscast's top story covers the ongoing challenges at the border and an effort to house migrant children seeking asylum. The federal government reaching an agreement with a local facility to shelter hundreds of children while they are waiting to be reunited with family members in the U.S.
2019
Lifting Mask Mandate
Governor Greg Abbott reopens Texas by ending the statewide mask mandate and lifting business occupancy limits.
2018
Masks in Schools
One of the community's largest school districts holds a board meeting to hear parent concerns
and decide whether or not to require masks for students.
Halloween Show
When it's Halloween you have to kick the show off with a little fright. In absence of pre-produced intros themed for the occasion, I worked with editors to develop show opens fitting for the night. Perhaps one is notably a bit cheesy, but it was created in good, spooky spirit. The reporters enjoyed contributing and showcasing their personalities.
Producing Reel
Here's a compilation of some of my work over the course of my time at KRCG 13. This reel combines clips from various newscasts that i've worked on, including the morning, afternoon and evening shows. I have covered a variety of stories from breaking news and severe weather to localized national stories and consumer reports. Featured in this reel is also some of the demonstrative segments I have produced, one of which was a mini self defense class that included our own meteorologist.
July 20, 2018
This show covered the boat accident that killed 17 people in Branson, a community just 3 hours away from our station.
July 19, 2018
Our lead anchor was in the field today so a reporter filled-in at the desk. We opened the show immediately with an active scene as emergency responders worked a highway vehicle crash. Our opening live shot was of a medical helicopter preparing to airlift a patient. The news broke shortly before the show and our crews were still working to gather detailed information from authorities. We continued to take viewers back to the scene throughout the show as we learned more. The stories to follow included a sex offender arrest at a local state fair on opening night as well as a breakout I developed about a visit to the state by Vice President Mike Pence. It was a busy day for our talent as we had an anchor in the field at a street concert and our sports anchor provided live coverage from our local high school version of the Espys.
July 10, 2018
We begin with coverage of executive action by Governor Mike Parson regarding tax reform. We followed the lead story with live coverage from outside a local grocery story that will shut its doors permanently after two decades. Later in the show we had a couple vehicle crash and fire related stories, including a VOB with explosive video of a car fire at a St. Louis gas station.
July 09, 2018
This show may be from the same day as the newscast published directly below this post, but the shows look different. Directly out of the open I featured a live look of the White House. Just an hour before the show President Trump had announced his nominee. This was the night's big story and so we also brought in a political expert to analyze the possible implications of the decision. We featured graphics with reaction from area lawmakers about the decision. Our reporter covered a school board meeting and broke down the approved changes to a plan for construction of a new middle school.
July 09, 2018
Traffic, cave rescues and Supreme Court nominees are some of the primary stories featured in this newscast. We begin with a reporter fronting his package on highway ramp construction live from the field. We also continued coverage of the ongoing cave rescues underway in Thailand. We localized that international news by having a reporter front a breakout about caves in the mid-Missouri area and explain the history of cave rescues within the state. This show also provided a local perspective from lawmakers about the president's possible SCOTUS nominees.
July 06, 2018
This show began with the details of an active amber alert for a missing girl. The young teen was believed to be in danger and traveling out of the state with an adult male. We wanted to get this info out first and foremost to bring public awareness. Next, we featured a Kansas City officer-involved shooting as the suspect was from the mid-Missouri area. The top two stories were both at the quad with the large monitors to showcase the importance of the stories. This newscast included a live shot from a house fire and featured a social media feed with a controversial tweet from a law enforcement official.
July 05, 2018
This show provided a follow-up to a story we'd been covering ahead of and through the Fourth of July holiday. A mid-Missouri battle known as the Fireworks Wars gained the attention of the community and law enforcement agencies. The annual event includes participants aiming and shooting ignited fireworks at each other. This day we covered the neighborhood clean up efforts, got a look at the aftermath of the chaotic event and spoke with the war organizer. In addition to that story, we began the newscast with the story about the death of a child in a hot car. This show featured numerous live shots and some talent interaction.
July 04, 2018
Happy Independence Day! Every year the station takes its show on the road for mid-Missouri's Capital City Salute to America celebration. All our talent anchor from the field and are stationed in different locations to share views from all across the festival. The talent also front stories aimed at providing perspective on fireworks preparations, traffic and parking and the variety of activities available to fair attendees. This show required fast-paced teamwork to have production set up and running in the field. Scripts also had to be written, printed and delivered to the talent an hour and a half in advance of show. Countdowns and cues from the booth were critical for smooth execution on air.
April 07, 2018
This show was one of the first installments of our all-live newscast. The concept behind this show is to utilize all the live media sources available. The goal is to include a live element in every story - whether that be a live reporter presence, a live satellite image, or an active online feed i.e. social media. This show began with five back-to-back live video elements; the new innovative format quickens the pace of the newscast and holds viewer attention. Producing a show like this requires a careful selection of stories that offer a feasible, active element to showcase it.
March 17, 2018
Happy St Patrick's Day! This show opened with a live look at the streets of Dublin, Ireland and a little bit of history about the holiday and transitioned to a story about increased traffic patrols to ensure safety during the local celebration. Chicago is one of the most popular destinations for St Patricks Day so right before the weather segment, I featured video of the well-known green river - this story had a personal connection to our meteorologist who is from the Windy City. This newscast ended with a segment that showcased our talent's personalities and generated a lot of positive viewer feedback. Our meteorologist is a world-champion Irish dancer and so she demonstrated how to dance a traditional jig with the participation of our news and sports anchors.
February 4, 2018
It's game day! This show aired the night of the Super Bowl. Our weekend anchor happened to be a native of Philadelphia, home of the new champions. While the show covered the big win, the highly anticipated puppy bowl and a local VFW "Stand for the Flag" event, the show opened with coverage of accidents across the mid-Missouri area as a result of winter weather. We incorporated video of cars that slid off the road as a result of ice, reports from Missouri State Highway Patrol and we used the media sharing app Banjo to compile viewer-generated content of a massive highway pile up. The multi-car accident happened more than an hour away from the station and with back ups and inclement weather, it was not safe and unlikely that crews would be able to locate the accident for a live shot in the newscast. Banjo allowed us to highlight video taken from drivers who were just feet away from the wreck and include viewers accounts of traffic conditions.
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In regards to our Super Bowl coverage, I included a live satellite look over the intense crowd gathered in the street to celebrate the Eagles' victory. While reporting on the results of the Puppy Bowl, the anchor fostered a lighthearted moment when he bolstered a genuine, hearty laugh at reading the words "lombarky trophy."
April 26, 2016
This show was a whirlwind. We raced against the clock to get this breaking news live shot on the air. We knew something was happening, but we weren't able to confirm that it was an investigation into the suspects of a double-homicide, until the very last moments we had before showtime. The news team was up against a few factors including a faulty live backpack, a rural area with little to no telephone service and law enforcement that would not release or confirm information. Through persistence, teamwork, communciation and perhaps even a little luck we were able to develop a pretty seamless newscast and deliver this breaking news as it pertains to public safety. This show was a true test of management and flexibility to rearrange your show, add stories and throw stories out at the blink of an eye to appropriately prioritize the news of the day. It also embodied the challenge of gathering news in a speedy and accurate manner.
April 19, 2016
Not only are firearms a hot topic politically right now but so is the economy. I led this show with a package only found on KOMU 8. This package was the lead story because production jobs are popular in mid-Missouri where factories are prominant to the community and economic stability of the state. It also would catch audience attention and keep it with us being that this story was a reporter-generated idea and not something that could be seen on other stations. We want to highlight our creativity and original journalism the most. I then link the gun package to a number of crime stories that involved firearms. Education is a highly important topic to this communtiy so we aired a recut of a package from the 5 pm show about the changes being made to academic requirements. After crime, I flow into another story (this one heartwarming) that honors a local officer for his service. I loved the weather segment because we were able to utilize the touchscreen to showcase viewer content sent into us of a small tornado and the start to storms. This increases engagement and stresses that we need community cooperation to cover some news. It also shows that we appreciated and enjoy the active participation of our audience.
April 8, 2016
This show was very crime heavy and involved an update from a big story the community had been following regarding a school bus shooting. I wanted to open with a crime segment because any story that impacts the safety of the community is a top concern and priority. Viewers want to stay abreast on the latest investigations, especially if someone is on the run. So updates on the hunt for the school bus shooting suspect led the show. I wanted to stack the show based on importance to viewers but also in a way that made sense. After crime I entered a segment that focused on the economy and education. The 6 pm always features a Your View segment where we examine viewer response to our coverage. I place this in the c block because it is more of a feature story and to place this at the top of the show would be a little vain on our part.