The new CBS6 series Road Trippin’ takes a closer look at local destination hot spots. From The Catskills to Lake George, the journey continues throughout the month of August, featuring restaurants, museums and the pristine Adirondack scenery we have all grown up on.
CBS6 Promotions Producer Erin Clark is the face of Road Trippin’, which airs every Thursday and can be watched online. A big undertaking for the CBS6 team, this new segment is already getting community attention, featuring interviews with community leaders to highlight upcoming events and specials.
Now Clark is in the hot seat, answering my 10 questions about her journey from the initial planning meetings to the on-the-road adventure any newscaster would dream of.
1. Where are you from? How long have you worked at CBS6?
Erin: I’m from the Binghamton, NY, area originally. I have lived in the Capital Region for about 7 years now. I have worked at CBS6 for about a year.
2. What’s your relationship to Road Trippin’? How did it start?
Erin: Road Trippin’ is the brainchild of our sister station in Salt Lake City, UT, KUTV. Our parent company, Sinclair Broadcast Group, INC., thought it was a great idea and asked if we would give it a shot. I was involved in the early planning meetings which eventually evolved into being asked if I would be the face of the program’s online video presence. For 13 weeks we traveled around the region and beyond, capturing our adventures along the way as we found the best places to eat, stay, play, shop and more.
3. What kinds of places do you feature? How do you select what areas to feature next?
Erin: For the online portion of Road Trippin’, we always tried to feature the best place to eat, place to stay and thing to do – secret spots, best lunches, etc. On air, the news focused on special events in the area: history, culture, arts or other newsworthy items from each location.
All of our areas for this round of Road Trippin’ were picked for their natural, historical and special features. We wanted to feature interesting communities that were easy for people to get to from the Capital Region, and also show the area some things they might not know were in their own backyards.
4. Who else is involved with Road Trippin’?
Erin: Road Trippin’ is truly a full station effort. In the field, we had news anchors, reporters, and photographers capturing the best of what our destination cities had to offer. Back at home base in Niskayuna, Internet Content Producers, Account and Digital Executives, Editors, Writers, Directors, and our Graphic Designer made sure everything went smoothly over the air and online. One of the great things about CBS6 is the true team effort it takes to make something we’re all proud of.
5. What has been the community’s response to this new segment?
Erin: The communities we visited have truly been awesome! One of the best parts of the whole project was getting to meet great people from all walks of life who had a similar passion for whatever they did. It was really an honor to work with such fabulous people.
6. What’s one of your favorite segments?
Erin: It is quite a challenge to nail down just one segment as a favorite. I absolutely love goats – don’t laugh – and got to encounter them on two of our stops, so that was fun. But I think one of my absolute favorites was when we visited the Hanford Mills Museum in East Meredith, NY. The museum is a working water and steam powered saw and grist mill and it is really incredible. Staff members are super knowledgeable and were able to answer any random question I had along the tour of the large facility. It is a step back in time and a place with something for all ages.
7. What are some challenges to producing this segment?
Erin: Some of the challenges we faced involved time. Everyone involved in the project had other duties to attend to: I’m a Promotions Producer in real life, our Commercial Producer/Directors were my photographers, our news team has…well, news. Other challenges our crew personally faced on the road were van trouble, locking our keys in the car at the U.S. Ski Jumping Complex in Lake Placid, and having to reschedule a boat tour on Lake George three times because of stubborn rain.
8. What do you hope for the future of this segment? Is this a seasonal segment or will this be year-round?
Erin: Road Tippin’ is a seasonal segment. This year is coincided with our 85th anniversary of broadcasting. Television was invented in Schenectady, NY, and it was so neat to be able to share that story with those we met on the road who had no idea.
Some of the other stations who have done Road Trippin’ in the past produce both summer and winter versions of the project. So everyone will have to stay tuned to CBS6 to see what is in store for Road Trippin’.
9. How can local businesses get involved with Road Trippin’?
Erin: If a local business is interested in being a part of Road Trippin’ in the future, first I would say that you are very smart. Secondly, you won’t regret it. And third, our Sales department is top notch and can help you with any sort of need you may have.
10. Where can we watch Road Trippin’? When do the segments air?
Erin: Road Trippin’ segments will air every Thursday through the end of August, starting with our CBS6 morning show. For all the early risers, that is 4:30 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. Segments also air in the evening shows on Thursdays. All of the web content for Road Trippin’ can be found on our website.
