WTOP during the coronavirus pandemic

By Matt Small
April 21, 2020 | 4:50 AM

WTOP Anchor Kyle Cooper runs the on-air studio board, playing all of the elements that one of the midday anchors who is working from home cannot, such as sounders, live interviews and commercials. (WTOP/Matt Small)

Depending on the shift, a skeleton crew remains at WTOP's studios. Seen in these photos are Assistant Editor Andrea Cambron, Afternoon Drive Editor Mike Jakaitis, Midday Editor Joslyn Chesson and Midday Anchor Mark Lewis. Since this photo of Lewis was taken, he now works from home. (WTOP)

WTOP Morning Drive Anchor Bruce Alan, seen here updating listeners with the latest news and information on the coronavirus pandemic, continues to come into the studios. He uses his face mask when he isn't broadcasting. (WTOP/Matt Small) — WTOP Morning Drive Anchor Bruce Alan, seen here updating listeners with the latest news and information on the coronavirus pandemic, uses his face mask when he isn't broadcasting.

WTOP Morning Drive Anchor Joan Jones is one of WTOP's familiar voices who is working remotely. She has retrofitted a closet. She communicates with her editor back at the studio by cellphone and an intercom system. (WTOP/Joan Jones) — WTOP Morning Drive Anchor Joan Jones, seen here working from home, is one of the many familiar voices still heard live on WTOP, that haven't stepped in foot in WTOP for some time.

WTOP Anchor Debra Feinstein works out of her closet using a remote access unit, her computer and cellphone. Back at the studio, another staffer pushes buttons that ensure traffic, weather, sports, business and a host of other things get on the air. (WTOP/Debra Feinstein)

One of the new things inside the WTOP newsroom is the hand sanitizer dispenser. In addition to people sitting farther apart, those in the newsroom are constantly sanitizing. WTOP Afternoon Anchor Shawn Anderson is seen here. (WTOP/Matt Small)

WTOP Afternoon Anchor Hillary Howard prepares to broadcast live from her home. She said she is grateful to colleague WTOP Reporter/Anchor Mike Murillo for his help in setting up her work-from-home studio. (WTOP/Hillary Howard)

WTOP continues to provide the news, traffic and weather information you depend on, but we've had to make some adjustments to how we operate due to the coronavirus pandemic. The majority of our staffers currently work from home — including much of the web team, whose section of the office stands empty. (WTOP/Matt Small)

Before the coronavirus, many of these WTOP newsroom workstations would be shared by people working different shifts. (WTOP/Matt Small)

Many WTOP staffers, such as Business Reporter Jeff Clabaugh, Storm Team4 Meteorologist Matt Ritter, Reporter/Anchor Mike Murillo and Digital Editor Will Vitka, have slight variations of their work-from-home setups. Murillo was the first anchor to broadcast from home. (WTOP) — Many WTOP staffers, such as Business Reporter Jeff Clabaugh, Storm Team 4 Meteorologist Matt Ritter, Reporter/Anchor Mike Murillo and Digital Editor Will Vitka, have slight variations of their work-from-home setups. Murillo was the first anchor to broadcast from home.

WTOP's Megan Cloherty works with her nephew on her lap. She finds working from home challenging. "Before the pandemic, I was accustomed to filing from the field. But working from home is a totally different animal. In our house, we are balancing childcare and trying to work around each other’s work demands. I’ve had to get used to watching press conferences on a live stream and calling in to ask my questions on a delay. We are getting a lot of great stories from community members who are sharing their new normal - what’s working and what’s not. It has been fun to break out of crime and courts reporting for a bit and tell different stories," she writes in an email. (WTOP/Megan Cloherty) — WTOP's Megan Cloherty works with her nephew on her lap. (WTOP/Megan Cloherty)

WTOP reporters, including Kristi King, work from home. The cushions and other items facing Kristi are used when she goes live on the air and when she records. If not for these creative sound barriers, King would sound hollow or like she was speaking from inside a "tin can." (WTOP/Kristi King)

WTOP General Manager and Senior Vice President Joel Oxley speaks during a March 27 staff meeting, held over a conference call. Not seen in the photo is an intercom where staff members call in so they can talk with their co-workers and hear what's going on in the newsroom. (WTOP/Colleen Kelleher)

WTOP Director of News and Programming Julia Ziegler, seen here in her office participating in a conference call, comes into the office most days. Managers — Darci Marchese, Jared Ruderman and Pat Brogan — sometimes work at home and sometimes work in the office. Craig Schwalb, WTOP's new Director of Content Integration and Operations, has yet to meet the staff in person. He just moved here from the New York City area. For the first couple of weeks of his new job, Schwalb worked remotely, answering listener emails from what was jokingly known among the managers as the "Princeton Junction bureau." (WTOP/Matt Small)

WTOP Senior Digital Editor Colleen Kelleher typically does not work in an actual office, but she filled in for her recently promoted boss, Digital News Director Sarah Beth Hensley, who has been on maternity leave since February. Hensley returned to work April 14. Kelleher, who has been at WTOP coordinating how to cover the pandemic and other stories online as well as cross-training Matt Small to work on WTOP.com, returned to her normal early morning web editing shift when Hensley returned. (WTOP/Matt Small)

WTOP Writer Brandon Millman, is part of the skeleton crew still working in the WTOP newsroom. In addition to writing for the morning drive anchors, Millman has been doing some in-house reporting and running the on-air studio board for anchors broadcasting from home. (WTOP/Matt Small) — WTOP Writer Brandon Millman, is part of the skeleton crew still working in the WTOP newsroom. Most staffers, both on-air and behind the scenes, ware currently working from home.

WTOP Writer/Digital Editor Jack Pointer divides his time during the week either writing for the afternoon drive anchors from his sofa or writing and editing web articles. His dog Matilda is bored with having him around so much. (WTOP/Jack Pointer)

WTOP Assistant Editor Adisa Hargett-Robinson wears a face mask and gloves as she prepares material for air. Hargett-Robinson started with WTOP in March, just as coronavirus really started to become a problem locally. She has not known what it is like to work in the newsroom in precoronavirus conditions. (WTOP/Matt Small) — WTOP Assistant Editor Adisa Hargett-Robinson wears a face mask, as she prepares material for air.

WTOP Assistant Editor Alicia Abelson, seen here wearing a face mask, coordinates with colleagues working in the newsroom and at home. (WTOP/Matt Small) — WTOP Assistant Editor Alicia Abelson, seen here wearing a face mask, coordinates with colleagues working in the newsroom and at home.

WTOP Traffic Reporter Jack Taylor said he finds it "super cool" to realize all of his old home equipment would allow him to broadcast live remotely, with the addition of new software. What he does not have is screens showing dozens of streaming cameras. Taylor said what he has really missing is "the co-workers, my traffic team, teamwork in one room. I love it from home but interaction! Please personal interactions!" he wrote in an email. (WTOP/Jack Taylor)

WTOP Traffic Reporter Mary DePompa answers a call to the WTOP Traffic Center from her home studio. (WTOP/Mary DePompa)

WTOP Traffic Reporter Reada Kessler, seen here in the WTOP Traffic Center, prepares to update listeners on road conditions. She wears her face mask when not broadcasting. (WTOP/Matt Small) — WTOP Traffic Reporter Reada Kessler, seen here in the traffic center, prepares to update listeners on road conditions. She wears her face mask when not broadcasting.

WTOP Traffic Reporter Rob Stallworth, seen here wearing a face mask, updates the latest traffic information. Someone is always in the WTOP Traffic Center. (WTOP/Matt Small) — WTOP Traffic Reporter Rob Stallworth, seen here wearing a face mask, updates the latest traffic information.

Jacob Kerr works on editing audio in operations. He takes in audio from reporters, weather and various networks. Should an Emergency Alert System message need to go out, Kerr is ready to handle it. (WTOP/Matt Small)

Chris Cichon also works in operations, but is doing it from home. He also does weekend sports from home. (WTOP/Chris Cichon)

Each studio undergoes a detailed cleaning before another anchor gets behind the microphone. WTOP Technical Operations/Engineering Assistant Zach Shore, seen here cleaning the main studio, comes into work to help troubleshoot any number of problems that can arise in-house and off-site. (WTOP/Matt Small) — WTOP Technical Operations/Engineering Assistant Zach Shore is seen here cleaning WTOP's main studio.

People still working in the WTOP newsroom clean their areas before and after each shift with what's been dubbed the "corona cleaner." (WTOP/Matt Small) — Everyone still working in the WTOP newsroom cleans their work area before and after each shift.

It takes a large stock of cleaning supplies, some of it seen here, to keep WTOP's "24/7-365" news operation humming. (WTOP/Matt Small) — Museums and other organizations are gathering artifacts and ephemera to document today's coronavirus crisis for future generations.

WTOP no longer lets employees bring in food to share with their co-workers, something that was very common before the pandemic. For those still coming in, a refrigerator and freezer are stocked with healthy foods. And, then there's a good bit of junk food to keep everybody happy. (WTOP/Matt Small)

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Covering the news during the coronavirus pandemic is different than anything WTOP has experienced. Never in WTOP’s history have so many people worked off-site. Here’s a look at staffers and how they’re doing their jobs. Not everyone who works in the newsroom is pictured.

Read how coronavirus changed how WTOP brings you news

Amphora Catering brings Thanksgiving feast, cooking tips to Glass Enclosed Nerve Center

By Jennifer Ortiz
November 22, 2019 | 11:16 AM

It's one of the best Thanksgiving-time traditions to grace the WTOP Newsroom. Amphora Catering brought a feast fit for journalists to the Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center on Friday and head chef Thanos Argyropoulos shared some tips to make this year's lavish dinner better than the last. His No. 1 tip: Plan ahead. "Everything is really easy. People have to remain calm and plan ahead," Argyropoulos said. This is especially true when it comes to defrosting the turkey. The protocol is to purchase 1 lb per person and; defrosting usually calls for the bird to sit in the refrigerator for three days per 12 lbs.

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