Hello fellow students and welcome to the first ? and what I?m sure won?t be the last ? student blog in the WVU IMC program.

My name is Anne Linaberger and I?m in my third semester. I’m taking Creative Strategies from Prof. Dana Coester. So far I?ve taken the introductory course from Prof. Friedman and PR from Prof. Stump. They?re both super teachers, and if you haven?t had them yet, trust me, you?ll enjoy them.

I?m the Assistant News Director at KDKA-TV & Pittsburgh?s CW, the CBS-owned and operated TV station duopoly in Pittsburgh, PA. I?m second in command in a newsroom of about 110 people, where we produce nine hours of live news and news-related programming every day, which is a lot of news! My typical work day is 10 hours minimum, and I?m often on call at night and on weekends if there?s breaking news.

I live in Ross Township, which is located in the North Hills suburbs of Pittsburgh. I?m married to Tom Mazula, and we have a 7-year old son J.T. who loves to play any sport, especially baseball.

We share our home with an elderly cat named Felix. I take a yoga class once a week, and try to kick-box twice a week (don’t worry I’m not thinking of any professors or fellow students when I’m punching and kicking!).

As you might imagine, between my job and my family, I don?t have much free time. So like the rest of you, applying for the IMC program was a huge decision. I worried: would I have the time to give the program the attention required? When they say you?ll spend 15-20 hours a week on schoolwork, what exactly does that mean? BTW, I plan to actually “time” a week this semester to see how much time I’m really putting in, and I’ll report back.

My goal for this degree is to eventually do something other than what I’m doing now. While I love being a journalist, the demands on my time and the unpredictability of the job make it tough to have a normal family life.

When it comes to the IMC program, it’s been a blessing to have a husband who is willing to accept the fact that many nights, instead of hanging out with him, I’m on the computer, working on a paper or a discussion posting. My son understands that “mom has homework” but is still unwilling to let me go until after he falls asleep at 9 pm, which means that 9:30 pm is about the earliest I can get going on IMC work most nights. I have some thoughts about how I squeeze in some of my work during the day, which I’ll relate during the term.

I’ve been accused of talking (or in this case writing) too much, so I’ll sign off for now.