What I learned about journalism from "NewsRadio"

Following up on this post, I thought I would spend some time to write about what could be gleamed about the journalism profession from the television show NewsRadio:

1. Anchors are mostly idiots (still): Television is not kind to our nation's broadcasters. Phil Hartman's portrayal of the vain Bill McNeal showed us a man who knew he was good, really good, but had no clue how uncool he looked to others. McNeal's replacement, Max Lewis, was always unprofessional and spent his time flirting with the secretary. However, the show had one sane anchor: Catherine Duke, whose energy was spent on biting one-liners rather than elaborate plots.
2. News directors are nice: If there was ever the anti-thesis of Lou Grant, it would be Dave Nelson. His Midwestern mannerisms stayed with him and he tried to be nice to the staff throughout the shows run. He may not have had complete control of his staff, in any way shape or form, but he would be the nicest boss you could ask for.
3. You will work with odd people: The self-confident and duct-tape wielding electrician, the lazy redhead secretary, the childish news writer and the academically-minded news producer. It sounds like the set-up to a joke, and for this sitcom, it kind of was. But in real life, you never know what assortment of people you will work with. And in a profession that attracts may big egos, that saying has more weight than before.
4. There's always time to do something: Whether it's covering the big story, sneaking in a make-out session or playing a prank on a co-worker, if you can manage your time efficiently, there's no end to what you can do during your office day.
5. You may wind up working in the background: Every now and then, NewsRadio would make some reference to the background actors and people who supposedly also ran the fictional radio station, but were never part of the cast. The journalism career involves thousands upon thousands of people who will extraordinary jobs who never ever get public credit or glory. People who go into any form of journalism or media need to go in expecting to do it for the love of the job, not to get famous. There are a handful of popular journalist, thousands more of terrific workers.