What a Journalist at ABC 10News wishes they had known before entering the Journalism industry
Ava, a multimedia journalist (MMJ) at ABC 10News KGTV, reveals a crucial lesson learned: the "entire orchestra of people" required for a news broadcast, highlighting the "crucialness of each job" and how the fragility of the system depends on every role, from reporters to directors, producers, and anchors. This interconnectedness, and the fact that many roles, like Ava's, are combined, was something that was unexpected.
Multimedia Journalism, Teamwork, Fast-Paced Environment, Communication Skills, Industry Knowledge
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Ava Kershner
Journalist
ABC 10News KGTV
Cal Poly, Cuesta College, Hancock College, Cal State Northridge
N/A
Creative Writing, Journalism
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Communication and Marketing
Honors Student, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. The news industry involves many interconnected roles, such as reporters, writers, videographers, editors, producers, directors, anchors, and weather/sportscasters. Each role is crucial for a news broadcast, highlighting the importance of teamwork.
2. A multimedia journalist (MMJ) often performs multiple roles, including reporting, writing, shooting video, and editing. This demonstrates the diverse skillset required in the field.
3. The fragility of the news production process is emphasized; if one crucial role is missing, the entire broadcast could be affected. This illustrates the importance of reliability and preparedness in this career path.
Transcript
What have you learned about this world that you wish someone had told you before you entered the industry?
I would say something I didn't know about this industry before I actually got into it is that there's a job for everything. Nowadays, a lot of those jobs are mixed into one. For example, I'm technically an MMJ, a multimedia journalist.
This means I'm a reporter, a writer, and I shoot and edit my own video. There are so many moving parts in just putting on a five o'clock show. You have the producer who writes most of it and organizes it.
You have the multiple reporters with their big stories. You have the directors who actually put it on TV and control everything you see. The anchors read everything, and then of course, you have weather forecasting.
There's also sports doing their segment. It's an entire orchestra of people. If one of them didn't do their job, the entire thing would fall apart.
Reporters are only a small piece of the show, but if an anchor calls out sick, then you have no one to read the news. If a producer calls out sick, you have no one to write the news. If a director calls out sick, the news won't even get on the air.
I'd say just the crucialness of each job was something I had no idea about until I actually got into the industry.
Advizer Personal Links
Instagram @avakershner, facebook @Ava Kershner TV, Tiktok @avaontheair, Linked In @avakershner