Just how much do you need to know about “new media” to get a job in TV news? It depends on who you ask. Gary Holmes, news director at Capital News 9 in Albany, NY, says it’s a good thing to be “tech savvy” these days. “Anything you can do to show your versatility makes you a stronger candidate,” he says.
Speaking at a broadcast journalism seminar at Syracuse University, WIVB-TV news director Joe Schlaerth said anyone applying for a job at his station should be able to “hit the Web running.” The station’s news operations manager, Nancy Sanders, says that doesn’t mean you have to be proficient at everything, but you should know “a few tricks.”
Scott Atkinson, news director at WWNY-TV in Watertown, NY, takes a different view. He’s in a “starter market,” [#177, according to Nielsen]. “If you can think I can teach you want you need to know,” Atkinson says. “I don’t care if you have skills when you walk in the door. I think this is hugely oversold. If you want to work for me, be able to write well.”
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