Katie in Nashville

If you watch the CBS Evening News, you might know that Katie Couric was in Nashville yesterday to interview Fred Thompson. Because she couldn't get back to NYC in time for the nightly news broadcast, she did the broadcast live from LP Field (Home of the Titans). CBS rigged a set on one of the ramps leading up to the Club Seats so that the city skyline was the backdrop (left).

I thought I would publish all three of the photos to show what you don't see when watching television. If you look at the top photo, you can see that the "set" is on risers so that you see the city and not the railings of the ramp behind Katie. In addition, note the three camera men as well as production assistants, floor director, director, etc. Lighting hangs from the grid above as well as in front, and the two, domed "towers" are portable heaters.

In the photo at right, note the piece of white tape at Katie's feet, marking where she needs to stand during the broadcast. You can also see the monitors, although you don't see the teleprompter which is hidden behind the men standing around. The man standing directly in the center of the two wide-shot photos (and whose arm is in the close-up of Katie) was talking on his cell phone, no doubt to the CBS newsroom back in NYC.

In other words, there's a lot behind the scenes that you just don't see!

In the spirit of full disclosure, I do want to advise that my husband is the news director at the CBS affiliate here in Nashville and actually was a producer at CNN at the same time the then Katherine Couric was an assignment editor there. In addition, I'd like to thank one of the NewsChannel5 photographers, Terry Godfrey, for taking the photos for me.