I am honored to share the spotlight with one of former students for this blog.

Ashley Reynolds is a 2003 graduate of Hillcrest High School, where she was a reporter and anchor on “HTV Magazine.” Her junior year, she was part of the team that won the “Robert F. Kennedy Award” for high school broadcasting for their in-depth study called “Poverty in the Ozarks.”

She is now a working journalist, one who is still young enough to clearly remember her high school and college experiences, and how they helped prepare her for a career in journalism. Ashley is currently a reporter and anchor for WYMT in Lexington, KY.

Below find her answers to four questions I posed. (And thanks, Ash, for taking time to provide such thorough responses)

1. Tell me two or three lessons/concepts/approaches/experiences from high school TV that have stayed with you through college and now professionally.

A. The story is never about you. So many folks want to get into TV because they simply want to be on TV. The best reporters let their sources and natural sound tell the story. Always have a CCC- A Central Compelling Character. Center your stories around real people. Don’t just interview the city council members about the new smoking ordinance, get out and talk to smokers and nonsmokers.

B. Shoot in sequences. This is as basic as you can get, but it is true. This saves me everyday. I see what I want to shoot and write a basic script in my head so I can write to video…then once I edit, I just lay down the shots. This makes you fast!

C. KISS- Keep It Simple Sweetheart or as Davis says, “Puppies must die.” Everyday I get about 90 seconds to tell a story. It’s all about trimming fat. I hate throwing away good bites, but you can’t just use good bites… you have to use good bites that move the story forward.

2. What aspect of broadcasting was hardest for you to grasp or conquer in college, or now?

I think sometimes it is still hard to grasp not everyone will like your stories. No matter how much work you put into it, or how fair you think the story is, someone is going to hate it. That’s just part of the job. Many people do not see their own biases. I had a parent tell me once I had no right to interview school district officials about an educational story. The parent thought I should only interview parents. Even after explaining I couldn’t just tell one side to the story, the parent still did not agree with me. In some cases you just have to use sound journalism and hang your hat up and call it a day.

Also, I don’t think covering murders, car accidents, shootings, any of those stories will ever get easier. I’m a strong believer you have to feel it to tell it. I meet a lot of people on the worst day of their life. That will always be hard for me.

3. What excites you about your job now that you are a professional journalist?

What really excites me about my job is telling stories using different mediums. I love using the Internet to make my stories better. I have a blog that helps give our viewers more information. I also use Twitter and Facebook to give updates throughout the day. These are great tools to connect to viewers so we can improve news.

4. What is your biggest suggestion for finding a job in TV news?

My biggest suggestion is to learn how to do everything. Report, Anchor, Produce, Edit, Shoot, and web! If you don’t, you probably won’t get a job. News Directors are laying off people that have limited skills and hiring those that can “do it all.” The days of having a photog are basically over. Cameras are easier than ever to use and stations don’t want to pay two people to do the job when one can. This skill can only help you. The internet is king. The more tools you know how to use, the more marketable you are. Finally, go to a college where you are going to get REAL experience. Internships are great, but the more hands on experience you get the better. KOMU in Columbia, MO is a great setup to get the feel for what an actual reporter does.

Finally, the goal for your first TV job is to get you to your next TV job. Bigger cities are not always the best option. Go to a place that has opportunities.