DITV alumni see success
A once in a lifetime opportunity
When Becky Bereiter (B.A. 2006) applied to the newly started Daily Iowan TV in 2005, she checked the box marked reporter from the list of available jobs, thinking the position would be a good learning experience. Little did Bereiter know, she would be selected to be the station’s very first news director.
On the spot news Dashing to the scene, Becky Bereiter (left) interviews one of the mayoral candidates in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Charlotte Observer's T. Ortega Gaines
"Around homecoming 2005, I got called into a meeting with Stacey Cone, Charles Munro and Bill Casey," Bereiter said. "They kind of sat me down and said what they had pictured for me. They wanted me to run DITV. I first thought, ‘Excuse me? I checked the reporter box!’ I just didn’t know if I could do what they wanted me to do, but I just couldn’t say no."
Bereiter, who now works as reporter and producer for News 14 Carolina in Charlotte, NC, said it was at Daily Iowan TV, where she gained the most valuable (and stressful) experience of her life.
"It was an amazing opportunity for me," Bereiter said. "I was very overwhelmed at the time because what they wanted to do was incredible and it continues to be incredible to this day. I lived in that building [Adler] my senior year. There were some weeks I never saw my roommates in college."
Bereiter often had to spread her time out among multiple projects and said working at Daily Iowan TV allowed her to learn time management. She recalled the most memorable story she covered for Daily Iowan TV as the tornado, which struck Iowa City in April 2006, causing major damage.
"A national story was happening right at the ped mall," Bereiter said. "That’s the kind of stuff that if you don’t capitalize on it, you’re either not meant to be in the business, or too scared to be. I was blessed to be around 50 people who wanted to be there and that was so amazing."
Award winning journalism
Jay Knoll (B.A. 2008) said that despite earning numerous awards while at Daily Iowan TV from 2006 to 2008, including six Iowa Broadcast News Association awards and being selected as one of UWIRE’s Top 100 College Journalists in 2008, he still had a hard time finding a job.
Checking the shot Jay Knoll positions his camera to get the best footage. Photo by Kara Bacon
"Given the economy at the time, all the contacts I developed while at Iowa said that there was no one hiring," Knoll said. "I graduated in December and was sending out resume DVDs and making phone calls. It took a few months, but I finally found something."
The job was working for KCRG Channel 9 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as midday and weekend morning producer, where he is currently employed today. Knoll has also been working on a side business videotaping various events such as weddings and motorcycle drag racing.
"Just being able to shoot and edit video is probably the most valuable skill to have," Knoll said. "Especially if you’re a journalist, because you may not always have a job, but if you know how to shoot and edit video and do it well, you can be self employed and make a pretty good living."
Knoll said that without Daily Iowan TV and adjunct instructor Charles Munro’s Media Management class he might have never ended up in television news.
"I can’t thank Bill Casey enough for keeping DITV up and going," Knoll said.
Small town success
Starting out in the television news industry can mean long hours and grueling work. Beth Tuttle (B.A. 2009) sounded tired over the phone as she described her workdays at KIMT 3 in Mason City, Iowa.
From reporter to producer Beth Tuttle presents a KIMT 3 newscast. Photo contributed by KIMT 3 TV
"It’s the kind of thing where you eat lunch on the road when reporting," Tuttle said. "You don’t really get breaks and the day ends when you finish your work. So if that takes a couple extra hours a day, that’s how long you’re staying and you still have to come to work at 3 a.m."
Despite the hours, Tuttle said she enjoys the fast pace life of a producer/reporter at KIMT. She equates the experience as being similar to what she did in her time working for Daily Iowan TV.
"At DITV I was able to do so many things with producing, tech and camera, and reporting and anchoring, that it kind of helped me fit in at KIMT," Tuttle said.
Tuttle said that her Daily Iowan TV experience helped her develop confidence with interviewing and taught her how to go out with a camera and seek out a story. She also said that even the little things, such as learning news language, proved helpful.
"I was talking about BOPSA today in our meeting and my director was like, ’Wow, good use of language,‘" Tuttle said. "If you film a school board meeting for instance and everyone is just sitting there, that’s what BOPSA is. It means bunch of people sitting around."
Live from Channel 5
Economic crisis? What economic crisis?
Joseph Augustine (B.A. 2009) had a job lined up at the time of his graduation, proving that with a little hard work, it is possible to get a paying job as a television general assignment reporter.
Anchor Spot Reading from the releprompter, Joseph Augustine (right) presents a part of a DITV evening newscast. Photo by Heidi Pierson
"I literally drove to my graduation ceremony and then left for WOI Channel 5 in Des Moines," Augustine said. "Not too many people can say that."
Augustine began working for Daily Iowan TV during his sophomore year at The University of Iowa as a sports intern. Eventually he decided to switch over to news reporter, working his way up to producer and eventually lead anchor.
"Everything that I accomplished, I owe to the DITV and Charles Munro," Augustine said. "I would not be where I am today without it."
Augustine said that he recently put together a storm recovery story by using the advice he gained from his time learning from Munro.
"One thing that Charles Munro taught us, is that on certain stories all reporters will do the same sort of thing and you have to find a way to differentiate yourself," Augustine said. "I focused on the personal stories of people affected by the storm and it turned out to be a great story."
Overall the most valuable skill Augustine picked up at DITV was writing.
"Writing, writing, writing," Augustine said. "I also learned a lot of people skills."