Background

There’s never a dull moment in TV News. Every day is different, and that’s why I love it – and chose to get into the business in the first place. It’s no secret, TV News is changing dramatically. Viewers have so many options for their source of news these days. Competition is fierce and there’s much more on the line for TV stations. Viewers are much more difficult to attract and retain. So in order to do so, journalists need to ‘get with the times’.

The Changing Face of TV News

A big part of getting with the times is learning to embrace social media and all the Internet has to offer. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google – if you’ve heard about it, people are using it. I realize how important it is to understand the Internet and what it offers viewers.  Journalists need to be involved in this evolution to help deliver content that appeals to all viewers, and quickly.  Viewers are becoming savvy and starting to understand their options. They know what they want, and are quickly learning how to find it.

To help understand how TV News is changing, I’ve tried to learn all aspects of news. Earlier in my career, I learned to write, shoot, edit and produce the news. In the past, it seemed like it was only necessary for a journalist to master one or two elements in order to succeed. But now, with viewers’ high demand for faster news updates, journalists are finding they have to utilize many of these elements together in order to be more efficient and successful. I’ve worked to master these skills over the years and utilize them.

TV News Background

I attended both the University of Colorado-Boulder and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a major in Journalism. I went on to become and intern at both KSTP-TV and WCCO-TV in Minneapolis and St. Paul Minnesota.

My first television job was as a reporter and evening anchor for KAAL-TV in chilly and snowy Austin, Minnesota.

Three years later I moved to the “dry heat” of Tucson, Arizona. I was morning anchor at KVOA-TV for nearly five years and covered several big stories regarding border security, the border fence debate and illegal immigration in Southern Arizona, John McCain’s presidential campaign and the Sweat Lodge controversy with James Arthur Ray.

 

I joined the Eyewitness News team in July of 2010. During my time at WFTV-TV, I’ve covered big stories out of Central Florida including the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill, Casey Anthony trial, the end of NASA’s Space Shuttle program, Rick Scott’s Gubernatorial campaign and, most recently, the controversial Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case.

In August of 2012, I became morning anchor at CBS WFOR-TV in Miami, Florida. I help ‘wake up’ South Floridians every day with the latest news, weather and traffic. Some of the bigger stories I’ve covered while at CBSMiami were President Obama’s re-election, the death of Venezuela President Hugo Chavez,  the resignation of Pope Benedict the 16th and many, big local stories.

 

I have received an two Eric Sevareid awards, a Society of Professional Journalists award, an Associated Press award for Best Series and an Emmy nomination for my 13-part series on missing anchorwoman Jodi Huisentruit.

I specialize in technology reporting and enjoy investigative series pieces. I am proficient in several editing systems including Final Cut Pro, Media 100 and Avid. I am an ENPS Super User and proficient in iNews. I’ve embraced social media and use it as much as possible assist in my news gathering process.