Six things I wish someone had handed me on day one — instead I learned them the hard way, on deadline, on camera, and occasionally in a parking lot.
The #1 note every young reporter/anchor receives is to "be more natural." Here's how.
Turning a remarkable story on a tight deadline is a skill. Here's the whole playbook.
The fastest way to become invaluable in a newsroom is being the person who finds the best stories consistently. It's a muscle you have to build. But you can build it quickly.
What's a potential lead right now? What's the big story tomorrow? What can we explain better than anyone else? What does our audience actually care about?
Where the actual digging happens:
Business owners, elected officials, professors, nonprofit advocates, attorneys, real estate agents, farmers, student leaders, former teachers, school board members. The reporters with the deepest rolodex always appear to be the luckiest in the newsroom. Record scratch — they create their luck.
I didn't know a single soul when I applied to KRDO in Colorado Springs. Here's what actually got me in the door.
Ten years ago I read a book by Steve Dalton called 2-Hour Job Search, and it landed me the job I still have today. His framework on how to network via email is eye-opening. The first takeaway? Know the three types of people out there:
Find the booster in the newsroom you're targeting and ask for an informational interview — just 20 minutes of their time to ask about the station, the city, and the job. Once that connection is made, they'll often hand-deliver your resume and reel straight to the hiring manager.
I've interviewed with just about every major company in this business. Some had neon-red flags. Here's how to spot them.
It's hard for viewers to relate to words they'd never actually say out loud. Please, don't use these, for the love of the almighty.
Nobody's ever said this at a barbecue unless they're making fun of news.
Unless there's an actual alarm, just say what happened.
They're all simply people.
Say "argument." You're not writing a police report.
He's in jail. Or prison. Just say that.
Stable is not a condition. A dead body can be stable.
It's snow.
Show us the shock instead of naming it.
The ultimate sign you've stopped writing and started coasting.
This is the best advice I can give that I was never given. But this just scratches the surface of surviving TV news. The knowledge that's actually specific to your reel, your market, and your career — that's a longer conversation.