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 Tim Duboyce, CBC Radio ADQ Bus: 3/13/03 9:52PM  Since this is my first time covering an election from a bus, I came into this campaign expecting quite a few surprises. And there have been some.My first surprise was just how well-oiled the Action Démocratique's media "machine" is. The technology offered to journalists in 2003 is a far cry from some of the war stories I've heard told by more experienced colleagues. For example, after attending an event, such as a meeting between Mario Dumont and his supporters in one of the many ridings scattered throughout the eastern parts of the province (where we've spent most of the campaign so far), I come back to the bus, where my laptop computer is hooked up to a high-speed, satellite Internet connection. Why is that important? In short, telephone lines, especially cellular lines which are sketchy at best in rural areas, have trouble handling the amount of data contained even in a simple news report. Though far from foolproof, (as the groans of agony from reporters as the satellite connection cuts out occasionally can attest to) it certainly helps get the job done faster, and without having to find a radio station or land phone line to send reports back to the CBC newsroom. Of course, not everything is high-tech. My "studio" on the road is my seat on the bus. So, when I'm recording my reports, I simply pull out a microphone, ask other reporters on the bus (some of whom can be quite boisterous at times, though I wouldn't name any names -- yet) for a little quiet, and I hit "record". Travelling from town to town, with 7 a.m. departures and late-night hotel check-ins, gives me a whole new appreciation for what travelling salesmen and rock stars must call "normal". If reporting under typical circumstances requires stamina, this is the Iron Man. And that's after two days on the campaign trail! |
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