Skip to main content

Former TV news anchor shares advice for students

The world of broadcast journalism is competitive. Journalists have to work quickly and accurately to get stories covered first; but before you can pick up a microphone and begin reporting, you have to get hired. Today, we focus on a graduate of Troy University who served in the TV news business for years and has returned to teach students about the industry in hopes of getting them hired.

Stefanie Hicks East grew up in Enterprise, Alabama, before attending Troy’s Hall School of Journalism and Communication, majoring in broadcast journalism. She worked at the on-campus television station TSU TV, which is now known as Troy TrojanVision News, then accepted an internship with WTVY in Dothan, Alabama.

She was soon hired, and worked to create broadcast news stories independently, as a “one-man band.” She was then promoted as the station’s morning news anchor and woke up every morning at 1 a.m. to produce the newscast.

She then took on another job opportunity in 2004 as the evening news anchor at WAKA CBS 8, now known as the Alabama News Network, in Montgomery. For fourteen years, she worked until 11 p.m. each night sharing news with her viewers until 2018.

East now works as a lecturer at her alma mater and she shared with me some tips for aspiring journalists. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

6 ways journalists can find story ideas

You don’t have to work in the business long to know that slow news days exist. They defiantly do, but just because your list of potential stories is slim doesn’t mean there aren’t any in your community. You just have to know where to look, who to contact and get creative.  1. Ask around This may sound like commonsense but hear me out. Your friends, family and the general public could lead you to your next big story. These people can provide you with more eyes and ears in the community and may have run across something interesting while they were out and about. Ask your loved ones for potential stories. Crowdsource on your social media pages to get the public in on the action. These people know of organizations and scenarios that have affected them, so utilize them well.  2. Be observant  Driving down the road? Look for road closures or things that appear out of the ordinary, then ask yourself “why?” Keep your eyes peeled at all times. You never know when ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Utilizing social media to report on COVID-19

I felt a little hindered at first, knowing that because of the coronavirus I couldn’t visit the television station and whip up a story like I normally would. But, being a multi-media journalist means being flexible. So, I and some fellow Troy University student journalists are reporting the news the best we can while also practicing social distancing; via social media.  Because I can’t necessarily create a TV news package, because I really don’t have much to film in my home, I’ve had to rely more on a print format. I’ve reached out to the university and will soon reach out to students through my phone to get information from sources.  I’m currently working on a story for Troy University’s student newspaper, The Tropolitan, about on campus dining closures. Many restaurants have closed down shop to prevent the spread of the virus.  All dining options in the Trojan Center are unavailable, and a few other eateries have new, temporary hours. Troy’s dining hall is...
Post a Comment
Read more