Class of
2007
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Jeff Robinson
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Bio: In high school, I hosted a weekend show at a radio station, and that’s when I caught the broadcasting bug. I came from Northern Virginia out to USC in the fall of 2003 solely to study broadcast journalism, and never regretted it because of ATVN. Now, I am a weekend anchor / weekday reporter in Idaho Falls.
ATVN positions and duties: I began as a floor director, then moved on to audio, writer/shooter/editor, reporter, and anchor.
How did ATVN prepare you for your current job?
I use every single thing I learned at ATVN at my current job. The pressure of doing a day-of-air story is fundamental to my job, as well as being able to write, shoot, and edit all of my own stuff, working with producers and keeping them updated on how my story is panning out, presenting myself on-camera and live on-air, and anchoring a newscast. I would not have all been prepared for this job without ATVN.
What is your advice to aspiring journalists?
When looking for a job, if you can afford to, take your time. You don’t want to sell yourself short. It’s more important to find the job that is right for you than it is to be assured you will have a job to go to the very day you graduate. I am happy where I am, but I conducted my job search a little too hastily. If you can afford to visit a station before taking an offer – a lot of small markets will simply offer one after only a phone interview – do it. But if you can’t, talk to as many people from the station over the phone as you can to get their opinions, not just the news director, and talk to your family.
That being said, apply everywhere you see an opening you think you’d be at all interested in. TVJobs.com is a wonderful thing for doing just that. Sign up for a membership there; it is vital. With more options to choose from, you’ll have greater success in finding a good match for you. I got two offers, was on the verge of getting a third when I took my current job, and four more places called to interview me afterward. Not because I’m that fantastic; it’s because I sent out my tape in waves, getting advice from Serena, Willa, and my internship advisor at KCBS every single time. Overall, I sent out about 80 tapes. Having options is a very god thing.
What are the top three skills college journalism students should be working on in order to be prepared for their first broadcasting job?
1. Enterprising story ideas. In small markets, slow news days are the norm, or at least that’s how it has been here. It is very likely you’ll have to come up with a feature piece when there’s nothing going on. JOUR 402, Judy Muller’s class, is essential to help you with this. It is the most valuable class I took at USC.
2. Independence. It’s nice at ATVN having an assignment desk and a staff to help you with your package, but you probably won’t have either of those at your first job. People will help you when you first start out, but not once you’re on your feet. You’ll be expected to turn in a package all by yourself, and often, another vsv or even another package. You’ll also have to get used to living by yourself, truly on your own for the first time.
3. Voice and on-air demeanor. It sounds shallow, and it is, but you won’t get anywhere if a news director does not like the way you look and sound. I’m not talking about your physical appearance; I’m talking about how you carry yourself and the confidence you exude. Work with Judy and Bob Jimenez on your voice when you have the opportunities.
What is the most important thing a college journalist should know when he or she is trying to negotiate his or her first job?
You probably won’t get more than you’re initially offered, but DEFINITELY ask for it. If you have two offers, innocently work into the conversation how much another station is offering you. If the news director you’re speaking with is so hot-headed that it makes them mad, they’re not worth working for anyway.
Don’t listen to anyone who says “you’re gonna send out 200 tapes and be lucky if you get one offer – take what you can get.” I believe that’s garbage. If you worked hard at ATVN and 402, then went over your tape with ATVN’s advisors, you will have a reel that is head and shoulders above all your competitors. When I flew out to Wisconsin to interview for a different job, I was told I was the only person they were interested in at all; every single other tape they got was from someone that simply was not qualified. I say this only so you know that you are not going to be in a “take what you can get” position.
One complaint I heard from that Wisconsin news director was that every other tape she got had college-related stories on it. News directors won’t care about USC-related stories nearly as much as they will about stories pertaining to all of L.A. There’s so much stuff to cover out in L.A., stuff that airs on regular L.A. newscasts. That’s what you want on your tape.
One last piece of advice, and I’ll say up front that it goes against some of the advice I heard – if you aspire to anchor as a career, your first job should involve more than fill-in anchoring. It will be hard to jump to the anchor desk for your second job if you’ve hardly got any anchoring material from the first to go with. There are a good number of entry-level weekend anchor/weekday reporter positions out there, and it’s a great way to get experience at both. A lot of those job descriptions include the usual “this is not an entry-level position” clause and even claim to want a year of experience, but it’s often garbage. Wisconsin’s ad told me that and still had me interview. Apply anyway.
What prepared you most for your current job?
ATVN and 402, plain and simple. ATVN for the day-of-air pressure and the anchoring, 402 for the ability to dig up story ideas, do research, contact and schedule interviews in advance, build relationships, and improve my voice.
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