It’s Friday morning television at KMAX, and the “Good Day Sacramento” set is abuzz with activity: A video camera has been rigged onto a pole and held above the anchor desk for a bird’s-eye view of the proceedings. The production staff is preparing two guests for their appearances, each only minutes away. News producers try to coordinate three different stories with a reporter in Elk Grove.

 

And then there is CHP Officer Jim Harris, who is singing Earth, Wind & Fire tunes on the air during a traffic report.Is this a great job or what?

 

“You’ll notice everyone here has a really good sense of humor,” says Stacy Tiffin, the “Good Day” senior producer. “It makes it a really fun show.”

 

For seven years, KMAX’s “Good Day Sacramento” has been serving up its own unique perspective on what a television morning show should be. From irreverent features like “The Car Czar” to celebrity interviews, from sports highlights to warm-hearted feature stories, the program’s versatility has helped establish it as the top-rated morning show in the Sacramento-Stockton region.

 

“The balance is exactly what makes it rewarding,” explains Eric Amorde, the show’s executive producer. In addition to the program’s lighter elements, Amorde notes that having a “credible news product” helps to give “Good Day” the dynamic range to keep viewers engaged and–most importantly–tuned in.

 

Not only has “Good Day Sacramento” managed to retain a loyal viewership, but the staff has had some of the lowest turnover of any morning show in the area. Marianne McClary was behind the anchor desk for the first show in August of 1995, just where she is for this hectic Friday extravaganza. Abbott Dutton has reported news at KMAX since before “Good Day” even began.

 

Sacramento native and CSUS alumna Tina Macuha enjoyed a 12-year career in local radio before moving to “Good Day” in 1995. In addition to covering what she refers to as “human-interest” stories, she has been the only traffic reporter the show has ever known.

 

“I do traffic alerts and traffic hot spots,” Macuha says between glimpses at the California Highway Patrol Web site. “There’s a lot more emphasis on traffic now, because with the city growing, it’s just getting worse.”

 

For a woman who says that she spent a lot of her youth in her bedroom pretending to run a radio station, Macuha has become an invaluable asset in front of the television camera. Her monthly “Head of the Class” segment profiles an outstanding local school teacher, and her “From The Heart” features focus on regular folks who make positive contributions to their communities.

 

Of course, Macuha jokes she’s “famous” for her “Grub Runs,” a feature in which she takes food to viewers selected at random from faxes and e-mails.

 

“She’s a great person,” producer Tiffin says, flashing a smile. “She’s a hard worker, very enthusiastic, and has a big heart, too. She wears a lot of hats.”

 

This particular morning, however, Macuha is dialing up shots from Highway Patrol cameras out on the roadways. There is a big rig accident on Highway 99 in the south part of town, and Macuha has to inform her viewers before they get out in the commute.

 

“For a morning show, traffic and weather are two major franchises,” says Amorde. “If you’re not all over it, you’re going to wind up taking a hit.”

 

While traffic and weather are well-represented by two Sacramento veterans (former KOVR weatherman Tom Loffman handles the forecasting duties), broadcasting neophyte Doug Brauner is out behind the building preparing for a segment on dirt.

 

Brauner isn’t exactly a rookie. Also known as “The Car Czar,” he hosts a syndicated radio program on Sports 1140 and writes an automotive advice column that appears weekly in the Sacramento Bee. He also owns Auto Masters, a Sacramento car repair shop. “An average day for me,” says Brauner, “starts at 4 a.m. here and ends at seven at night when I lock that shop up and go on home.” Like Macuha, Brauner was established in one profession before deciding to take the plunge into another. Even as his business was flourishing, he envisioned himself in some type of broadcasting role. He says the advent of niche programming like Home & Garden TV helped him realize that his knowledge just might fit somewhere in the local media.

 

Brauner feels blessed to have the opportunity to work on “Good Day Sacramento.” Still, he worries that he might have a bit of work to do before he’s quite ready for prime time.

 

“I’m like, ‘How could you love that? It’s terrible!'” Brauner laughs, approximating his response to his fans. “And yet, sometimes I look at the tapes and I say, ‘Well, that wasn’t that bad. I think it worked.'”

 

This morning, Brauner is fixed outside with Tom Perkins, a horticulturist who is about to spend a few minutes discussing soil for “Good Day” viewers. Brauner leaps into his work with abandon; at the end, he laments that it’s over before he knows it.

 

“There is something that happens when you squeeze it into that signal and send it out,” Brauner says.

 

Back in the studio, the crew is coming out of a sports report. Sports director Gary Gelfand is live at Arco Arena covering the upcoming San Jose Sharks hockey exhibition.

 

Next up is “Movie Surveillance,” a segment in which the KMAX security guard offers a review of a new release. Seconds later, McClary and co-anchor Nick Toma are telling the story of a New York mother who bequeathed a winning $1 million lottery ticket to her son. There is a hoot around the studio. “Nice Mom,” sighs Macuha.

 

In the “Good Day” control room, where the pace of the show is monitored and created all at once, the production crew watches back-to-back live interviews with Oscar-winning actress Rita Moreno and TV pitchman “Dan the Del Taco Guy”.

 

KMAX entertainment reporter Mark S. Allen is away from the studio, so McClary and Toma chat with the guests at the anchor desk. Dan has brought enough Del Taco food with him to feed everyone in the building.

 

It’s just another busy morning at “Good Day Sacramento.” Stacy Tiffin watches it all unfold, then confesses: “I hate getting up at two o’clock in the morning and coming in to work. But you know what? I love my job.”