Lindsey Mastis

Good Morning America began its program this week on a train. It’s part of ABC’s 50 States in 50 Days tour. Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, Chris Cuomo, and Sam Champion climbed abord a train for their Whistle-Stop Tour. The idea is to find out what voters across America are thinking about the election. The tour also highlighted the beauty–and economics– of the country. On Friday, they stopped in DC and spent the morning broadcasting from the Newseum.

I got up early to stand in line. Most people were there to see Jennifer Hudson perform in the atrium. I wanted to see GMA behind the scenes. We were placed in one of the theatres where we could watch the show. Then, we were ushered into the atrium for the concert. I was part of the cheering crowd and got to see Sawyer, Roberts and Cuomo run back and forth between the stage and Champion’s weather area. There were photographers, producers, and Newseum volunteers everywhere. Everything went smoothly.

Afterward, I talked with some people from GMA. I learned there were about 90 people who rode the train during the week, including security. It took seven months to plan the Whistle-Stop Tour. They used two main satellites, which wouldn’t work if they went under a tunnel or if there was a large tree. So everything had to be thoroughly planned. They needed to know where the train would be during every moment of the broadcast.

At the newseum, freelance photophers and others working for GMA arrived at 10 p.m. Thursday to set up. They stayed until the broadcast was over at 9 a.m. the next morning. Although many people looked tired– it was time to celebrate. After all, the Whistle-Stop Tour made broadcast history. I’m fortunate to have experienced a little bit of it first hand.