MACON, Ga. — As we continue to celebrate 70 years of 13WMAZ, we are so proud to share our memories with you!
From our most experienced team members to our newest, we all work together to make sure we give you the newest, most accurate information when you tune in. So, what do we do? Let's show you!
"The morning meeting kicks us off. It is like the brainchild for the day," said Weekend Morning Anchor Suzanne Lawler.
Every morning, we sit down to learn more about what you want to see on 13WMAZ. We go over the top stories and the latest trends to deliver a great product for you.
It's where we plan everything we're going to show you when you turn on 13WMAZ. Reporters get their assignments, and producers start to plan their shows.
"Today I'm going out to Warner Robins. I'll be heading out to the police department. And we'll be talking about recruitment and retention today. It's something they've been working on a little bit over a year now," said Multi-Skilled Journalist Megan Western as she packed up to head out.
Reporters like Western head out pretty quickly after the meeting, hoping to do their interviews and get back quickly to write their stories. Sometimes, the digital team goes out and does their own stories, too. They manage and write almost everything you see online.
"There is a digital team member working most hours of the day and into the morning to make sure everybody gets the news that they need to get," said Digital Content Producer Xan Hart.
While they're out, the newsroom belongs to the producers. They figure out how the reporters' stories fit into their shows.
"Right now, I'm looking at state news. Like one more state news story," said Producer Naomi Williams, who works on our midday show.
We all do something different at 13WMAZ, but we find time to come together and have a bit of fun, too!
"This is our question board. So, this week's is 'What's your favorite Halloween candy?'" Digital Content Producer Mallory Morgan said. "I just thought it would be a fun way for me being new to get to know everybody. And then as new people come in for them to kind of get to know other people in the workplace."
New faces are pretty common here. It's just how things go. No matter how new a team member is, you can be sure they understand the 13WMAZ legacy.
"It's just really nice to know that not only the work that we've done today means so much to our community, but it has always meant that much to our community," Hart said.
"I love all the different counties that we are able to go out into, meeting all the people, telling all their stories. And I just hope that we're able to do it well and that we continue to do it well," Western said.
If you ask anyone here, they'll tell you the people are what set 13WMAZ apart.
"'Straight from the Heart' is a real thing. It's not just our station motto. We actually live by it. And everybody here is family," Special Projects Producer Erica Carr said.
We're a family with the same goal every single day; and we come from all over the country to serve Central Georgia 'Straight from the Heart.'