Mat Mendez joined the KRCR-TV senior management team as Assistant News Director in September of 2012, after a nearly three-year stint as a digital journalist at WTVD-TV in Raleigh, NC. The move marks a homecoming for Mat, who grew up in Northern California. He brings with him a considerable amount of network and local news experience, both on-camera and behind the scenes. Before WTVD, he was a freelance field producer and desk assistant for ABC News in Los Angeles and New York, and an intern for KABC-TV in L.A. While at USC and ATVN, he was on the front lines of some of the biggest stories to hit Los Angeles, including the Sesnon Fire in Porter Ranch, a Metrolink train crash, and the hit-and-run that killed a USC student in March 2009.

Awards:

2009 - Emmy certificate for contributions to GMA’s daytime win for “Best Morning Program” 
2009 - Hearst Journalism Award Championship Finals: 2nd place (multiple stories) 
2009 - Hearst Journalism Award: Best use of television for news coverage (Sesnon Fire, Hit-and-Run) 
2009 - Society of Professional Journalists: National finalist - TV News photography (Sesnon Fire) 
2008 - Scripps Howard Foundation: Top Ten journalism award 
2008 - Hearst Journalism Award: First round recognition (multiple stories)

The bottom line on this question is you need to be good in all areas, very well-rounded, experienced, and eager to grow and learn with the times. That said, these skills are in demand:

Multimedia writing - you will need to feed multiple platforms, and be deft in doing so 
Multimedia shooting - different platforms require different composition 
Multimedia editing - know what works best for each story, in each medium
..do you sense a theme here?

News anchor, reporter, producer, W/S/E, assignment editor, floor manager, guy-who-used-Twitter-a-lot

There’s nothing like learning journalism by doing journalism. ATVN is as real as it gets in a college environment. The experience is what you make of it. And if you take advantage of what ATVN has to offer, you will be well-prepared to enter the working world - especially if you not only learn, but maintain your skills and thoroughly understand what you’re doing.

Do as much journalism as you can stand...and then do more. Do internships, do ATVN...do everything and anything. Ask questions until you feel like an idiot for asking so many questions. And don’t forget to stay in touch with those you’ve worked with in the past...ESPECIALLY if they offer to help you when needed.

Go in with a plan...know what you want and what you’ll settle for, and most importantly, don’t accept something that doesn’t feel right. If you’re getting railroaded into a quick decision or pay that’s not comparable to others in the market, make sure you take a breath and think twice. That said, economic times are tough, so don’t push it too much.