Class of
2005
Bio: I’m a reporter with CBS 47 in Fresno, California. I work nightside during the week, and I am the only dayside reporter on the weekends. I’ve learned so much in just a short time with CBS 47, but I still have a long way to go. I am very lucky to be surrounded by some very experienced and talented reporters.
ATVN positions and duties: Executive producer, producer, anchor, reporter, WSE, director, technical director, and playback.
How did ATVN prepare you for your current job?
ATVN gave me the opportunity to “do everything.” Learning how the control room works, how to work on set, how to gather a story out in the field, and how to producer an entire newscast gave me solid foundation for understanding how news is covered. Having that broad base helps me better perform my duties as a reporter.
What is your advice to aspiring journalists?
Constantly strive to learn and improve. Pick out the people who can really teach you something and make you better. If you work at ATVN, look to Serena and Willa. It wasn’t until I started working that I truly realized how much I learned from them and how much I still need them.
What are the top three skills college journalism students should be working on in order to be prepared for their first broadcasting job?
Writing and working very quickly. I miss the days when I had eight hours to do one package. Often, I am asked to do three separate packages in one day.
What is the most important thing a college journalist should know when he or she is trying to negotiate his or her first job?
Be confident. If you doubt yourself, that will show through. Appearing sure in yourself and what you can do is half the battle. The last question the news director asked me as I left the station after my interview was “Do you think you can do this job?” I think it was important to him that I be confident in the skills that I have.
What prepared you most for your current job?
Just going out there and doing it. Putting myself in new uncomfortable situations. When you start your new job, every situation will be new and different, from going out with a photographer to reporting the kinds of stories you’ve never covered. But if you’ve put yourself out there enough times, you’ll know the next time you’re in a new situation, you’ll be able to respond.
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