Time management will make or break you, according to Jenna McWilliams, a multimedia journalist at WFXL-TV, the FOX affiliate in Albany, GA.  She finds, sets up stories, writes, voices, edits and contributes stories to the station’s Web site http://www.mysouthwestga.com/

Jenna, who’s worked at the station as a multimedia journalist for two years, says:

The most challenging aspect of “one man banding” I believe is timing. If you can handle your time then you can pretty much juggle your stories. It’s good to lock down a time for interviews that you know won’t change early in your day – so then when breaking news happens you hopefully already have things going on your other stories.

Everything is subject to change though as well.  You must be able to capitalize on every second of your time while at work.

Best Part of the Job

The best part of my job is the versatility of it and the creative freedom you have doing it. When you’re shooting your own video, you know exactly what it’s going to look like in your story – how you’re going to weave all your elements together.

My job also changes everyday.  I meet new people everyday.  It’s not just the same old thing – but I guess that’s a perk of any “news” job.  I think a good job is done when you know you’re doing your best. So whether that’s 100 stories in one day or one story a day, what you put into it is what you get out of it.

The Quality Issue

Once you hone your craft much like any other job, the experience and capability is evident.  Like a fine wine:  Better with age.

I refuse to believe though with more stories one’s content gets worse – if it’s that bad maybe you shouldn’t be airing it anyways.

Once again timing is key!  You have to keep a schedule of your day manageable if you want to get the job done. But communication is also very important.  My co-workers and superiors know I am just one person and if I get in a bind or need some help, they are a text/phone call away. You have to be willing to help — when help is needed for the good of the station. 

The Web

We are required to submit a “web” version of our news stories. The trick to that is wording.  When people are searching the web, they want the descriptive words that will stand out like “shot, murder, naked.” You have to entice them to view your video online.  Here at Fox 31 we have someone that uploads our stories onto the web.

About Jenna

Jenna is originally from Tecumseh, Michigan.

She attended Wayne State University in Detroit on a four year softball scholarship.

After graduation, Jenna attended Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts with a video concentration.

She spent almost one year reporting in Northern Michigan at WFQX FOX 33 News before moving to Albany.

“I am a long ways from home but can honestly say I don’t miss the snow at all!” 

This entry was posted on Friday, March 27th, 2009 at 7:55 am and is filed under Multimedia Journalism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.