JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Forty-five years — that’s how long Tom Wills has anchored the news at WJXT-TV.
Over the years, Wills has seen just about everything. But nothing quite like this.
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The longtime anchor has pivoted from reading the news from the Channel 4 studio to a makeshift setup in his family room in Mandarin.
“First of all, I didn’t think anything like this was even possible,” Wills said as he sat down ahead of a newscast. “And look at how possible it is.”
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Wills was the first News4JAX journalist to switch to working from home after the coronavirus pandemic led to safer-at-home orders in Florida. He said it was what his family wanted because of his age.
“My family’s really very much in favor of me doing this,” he said. “They think this is really important that I do this. My boss is really in favor of me doing this, and so I’m cooperating.”
Each day, Wills scans through scripts using an iPad at home. He calls reporters in the field and stays in constant contact with his producers, some of whom also find themselves now working from home.
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About 3:30 p.m., chief photographer Al Campbell arrives to set up the lights and camera for Wills’ broadcasts. The live pictures are sent back to the television station almost instantaneously through a bonded cellular backpack. Gone are the days of bulky satellite trucks staffed by engineers. Wills listens to his producers and co-anchors through a wireless earpiece.
“Technology really allows us to be able to do all of this,” Campbell said. “Especially that we have the technology here and then we can put it in people’s homes and we can still get our job done. Just think about it — Tom only has to go five minutes from his room and he’s right here.”
“A decades ago, you would have to bring in a satellite draw and run cable and wires and probably have somebody manning it back there.”
Campbell said he is careful to keep his distance from people while out and about so he can minimize the risk of coming into contact with, and potentially spreading, the novel coronavirus.
Wills said the broadcasts are far from easy. For instance, he no longer has a teleprompter to help with scripts. Instead, he has to memorize them until he has a moment, however brief, to look down. While his co-anchor Mary Baer reads from the studio, he studies the next story.
There have been slip-ups where he’s lost his place, and communication can be an issue. But as Wills tells it, viewers have been understanding of the circumstances and appreciative of the service he’s providing.
“I’m glad that I did not retire before this happened because I feel that I can be of service to the viewers, just because they’ve known me for a long time and I’ve known them for a long time,” he said. “So, I think they’re counting on me. I have not taken a day off since this started.”
Besides, he noted, how would he spend a day off? At home.
At the same time Wills prepares for his 5 p.m. newscast, his producer, Chris Robbins, is busy across town at his Southside home getting ready for the show. Robbins has worked in a newsroom for nearly a decade, surrounded by ringing phones and vocal co-workers as crews hustle in and out of the building. Now, Robbins is joined by his wife, Ashley, and their two children, 2-year-old Rory and 5-year-old Rylan.
He said the change of scenery hasn’t kept him from staying in the loop.
“We have a pretty good communication system,” Robbins said. “We communicate well on our laptops, using the Microsoft Teams app, so that’s really great. You can contact people really easily. And then, of course, if you want to talk to somebody on the phone, we just pick up our cell phone and call.”
Robbins writes the show throughout the day, coordinating coverage with reporters, fellow producers and anchors, including Wills. Granted, things can get hectic with the children running around, especially when a news story breaks. That was true of the day a deputy and fugitive got into a shootout and former Congresswoman Corrine Brown was released from prison. Robbins said he had to scramble to get in touch with everyone and get a clean newscast on the air.
One major difference? Robbins is not in the control room producing his newscast from the driver’s seat. In his place, a senior producer handles the booth and coordinates with anchors and field crews. Robbins and the other producer stay in touch by phone and will leave their call on speaker during the newscast.
No matter the challenge, Robbins is embracing the “new normal.”
“There have been challenges, but we make it work,” he said. “What’s the best part? The best part is being with your family — family first.”
As the old adage goes, the show must go on. And it does, every single day at News4JAX. For Robbins, Wills, Campbell and company, each day they go on air and deliver the news to their community is an opportunity to serve their neighbors. For them, the calling remains the same, regardless of the setting.