(Goggles and hairnet, please. This could get messy.)
The what? You read it right. It was Otto von Bismarck who once said: “Laws are like sausages. It is better not to see them being made.” Somewhere along my winding career path, one of my many mentors said the same was true of news. So I don’t take credit for the phrase. I just repeat it and tip my hat to the observant folks who came before me.
I never forget the sausage factory analogy because I’m reminded of it every day I step foot in a newsroom — any newsroom. I’ve worked in six of them. Small and medium-size sausage factories. Now a pretty big one. Northern, Midwestern and Southern sausage factories. I’ve made many brands of sausage. NBC, CBS and ABC. (No Fox sausage.) And I’ve come to the conclusion that on a certain level, all sausage factories are the same.
Making the news you see every day can be an ugly process. That’s why “Mary Tyler Moore” and “Murphy Brown” were so funny. I’ll let you in on a little secret: Those weren’t sitcoms. They were the first reality TV shows. That’s what I hope to do here… Spill a few secrets. Give you a window into our world. I’m always blown away by the seemingly insatiable appetite for every last detail about what we do at The Factory. This is where you’ll find “the rest of the story.” (At least the stuff that won’t get me in really big trouble.)
If there’s anything you’ve always wondered about what happens in a real TV newsroom, fire away. Send your questions, thoughts, requests, rants, recipe suggestions to: brian.curtis@nbcuni.com. But if you click “send,” don’t be surprised if your comments show up on The Factory floor. This is supposed to be an open conversation, not a monologue.
One final thought on cranking out sausages… And this is the most important part. When they come off the grill, sizzling with that smoky aroma, don’t they taste terrific?
When the red light goes on in the studio, we hope to serve up something equally satisfying.
