A group of Communications and Marketing students and members of the COMM faculty visited KDKA-TV’s headquarters in downtown Pittsburgh on Oct. 19.
The group was provided a behind-the-scenes look at operations at a major CBS Network affiliate and observed the station’s noon newscast.
Students met and conversed with the station’s team of anchors, producers, technicians and writers and discussed the work these people perform around the clock each day to keep Pittsburgh residents informed.
“I never realized how many people it takes to run a newsroom smoothly,” said junior Marketing major Kayley Sossong.
“It was clear that all of the staff dedicate so much of their time to the job.”
KDKA news anchor Erica Mokay described to the SFU students the importance of developing strong writing skills if you want to work in the news industry.
“Even though I am a seasoned anchor,” said Mokay, “I still write my own stories and scripts.”
Mokay described the dedication that is necessary to succeed as an anchor, such as waking up at 3 a.m and ad-libbing breaking news stories.
After a tour of the station, students watched the noon newscast live from the studio. Mokay gave the University a shoutout as she closed the newscast.
Following the newscast, Mokay, executive producer Corey Martin, meteorologists Mary Ours and Falicia Woody, as well as several other KDKA staffers answered students’ questions and provided career advice.
