Skip navigation
Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism University of Southern California
ALUMNI

Tom Henkenius

Class of 2000, Bachelor's



Tom Henkenius graduated from the University of Southern California with degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science, Go Trojans! After college Tom spent two years teaching junior high kids in Southern California. But it was quickly back to television. He returned to reporting in Torrance, California from there he moved to Greenville, Mississippi where he anchored the top rated morning show for the local CBS affiliate.

But moving to Northern Nevada means doing what he loves closer to home. You can catch Tom live every day during “Channel 2 News this Morning.”

In his free time, Tom enjoys swimming, cooking, reading, tennis and yoga. But his true passion is news… he’s a news junkie and loves to know what’s going on all over the world.

Survey

What are the top three skills journalism students should learn in college?:

1 - Making a solid resume tape
2 - Learning that they work in television and not print, your video has
to drive your story
3 - Learning how to live on a TINY budget.



What were your duties at ATVN? :

Reporter / [email protected] exec producer / host



How did ATVN prepare you for your career?:

ATVN gave me the basics of reporting, the nuts and bolts of getting the job done.



What is your advice to aspiring journalists?:

It’s how you take the nuts and bolts that Annenberg gives to you that makes you a great reporter. Success as a reporter means: working on your craft everyday; learning something new everyday; and loving your job (almost) everyday.



What should graduates keep in mind when negotiating their first job?:

Take what you get… But don’t lock yourself into these long term contracts everyone is asking for now. Two years with outs during the last 6 months is fair.

Twitter Feed