I thought so…
Back in the day, I had lots of auditions for hosting gigs where I’d “go up against” former news reporters, so I became convinced that the only way to get a hosting job was to become a reporter by trade. So, I went to school to learn how to produce, write and edit a story AKA a package.
After I sort of had a handle on how to produce a package, I got an internship and then an ensuing job at a local news station and began to hone my journalism skills. Then, the hosting jobs just started rolling in… um, I wish!
Truthfully, I thought I was being super tenacious by putting myself in a position to get in the back door since the front door wasn’t working as quickly as I had hoped. But, what I actually found was that while I was able to talk the producer’s language it didn’t necessarily help me get hosting jobs because most people didn’t care that I knew how to craft a story… they just wanted me to host the dang show! Having said that, it did allow me to apply for entertainment news jobs, which are kind of a hybrid of hosting and reporting,. So in that respect becoming a reporter was helpful.
Today, every now and then I get asked if I’ve ever been a reporter to which I answer yes… and then I follow it up with my commentary on being a reporter – I say that I don’t necessarily want to be a reporter anymore as I’m not driven by facts (which of course are kind of paramount to telling news stories!) as much as I am about entertaining! Which is why hosting was, is and always will be my bag.
In the infamous words of my husband, Marty Metro, “Good luck and be yourself!