Court reporting programs at the state's technical colleges, which also teach students how to do closed-captioning for TV programs, aren't attracting large numbers of students. And a Federal Communications Commission order requiring TV broadcasters to caption most new programs by 2006 could further drain the pool of people with the skills to work in those fields, said Gwenn Bever, president of the Wisconsin Court Reporters Association.
Some court reporters drive up to four hours a day to fill in for an ill or vacationing colleague.
Others find they're simply out of luck when they need time off. Lisa Weber, a Circuit Court reporter in Taylor County, frequently had to reschedule doctor appointments while she was pregnant with her daughter because no one was available to fill in for her. But she's often asked to substitute during her off weeks for other reporters in the 9th Judicial District. They've called me for days in July already. Training programs at Gateway Technical College in Kenosha and Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in New Richmond recently closed because of a lack of students.