Behind the scenes at Marketplace

Adam Popsecu of LA Weekly writes Thursday about the making of the Marketplace Morning Report, a business news show that airs on NPR stations and is produced in Los Angeles in the middle of the night.

Popescu writes, “This small team consistently produces the most popular of the Marketplace family of shows — which include the daytime show Marketplace, Marketplace Money and Marketplace Tech Report. But for all their camaraderie, members of the overnight crew know they can’t work this shift forever. The hours are taxing. There’s a saying around the office that every year working the overnight translates to losing one year of your life.

“To keep morale (and their bodies) up, some members of the team swear by melatonin. Others, including Lindsey, use eye shades and blackout curtains to ensure sleep during daylight hours.

“But even after almost seven years working overnight shifts in Washington, D.C., as a reporter for The White House Bulletin, followed by two stints as a reporter and then producer with Marketplace, Lindsey maintains that he’s undeterred by the schedule.

“‘It becomes your normal life. It doesn’t bother my body clock,’ he says.”

Readmore here.