By Ariana Allen
Picking a career in journalism is often a case of what if’s. What if I don’t like my station? What if the city isn’t a good fit? What if my starting pay isn’t where I want it to be? These questions and more went through the mind of multimedia journalist Danielle Church of WGRZ in Buffalo, New York, and for Church, some of the what if’s came true.
A DePaul alum, she spent time mulling over her career decision before choosing a place to begin her professional life.
“I wasn’t sure I was going to actually do it because I didn’t want to leave Chicago,” Church, who grew up in Chicago’s Northwest suburbs, said of her feelings at the time. She eventually decided to go for it and started a career in journalism in Fargo, North Dakota.
For a lot of students finding a place or as those in the business say, “news market”, the move is often one of the biggest challenges, as first markets are usually in smaller, less familiar towns. Many students are taught that the way to make it to a bigger market like Chicago or Los Angeles, is to work their way up gradually…still, this process can be daunting.
When it came time to leave Chicago’s Lincoln Park and move to the upper midwest, Church had some reservations.
“I’m not going to lie, it was pretty tough…It’d be different if you were moving to a place that you really wanted to go but Fargo, North Dakota is very, very cold. Like -40 degrees [in the winter],” Church said of the move she ultimately made.
While in Fargo, she wanted to familiarize herself with all aspects of the job so she asked her news director if she could try something new.
“I’d really like to learn to produce and learn to anchor,” Church said, and he partially obliged, allowing her two days a week to produce. While Church did gain experience, she realized producing wasn’t really for her.
“I don’t like producing at all. I think it’s very boring,” she said of the behind-the-scenes newsroom job.
When her contract was coming to an end, Church began looking to land elsewhere, but the job search did not go as smoothly as she wanted.
“It took me about six months to find my next job in Buffalo. It wasn’t my first interview, but it was the first station to call me back,” she recalled.
During her interview in Buffalo, the job wasn’t exactly what she hoped as it did require some production, but Church still decided to go for it.
“I was like well this is a good station. I can put in the work and show them I’m a team player and hopefully I’ll be out of [producing] soon.”
Church did eventually work her way through producing and doesn’t do it as frequently anymore, but after almost five years in the business, Church’s future in the career is undecided.
“I just don’t know if I’m going to stay in it to be honest with you,” she said.
Her uncertainty stems from feelings of being underappreciated in the newsroom.
“You work your ass off to get these story ideas…and sometimes I don’t feel like I’m listened to or like my ideas are always on the back burner.”
Church continued, “Everybody is so excited [about going into their first market] which is great. But I really wish somebody would have sat me down and been like, listen, this is what it’s like.”
After listening to her talk about the business, her story rang out as one that is not shared nearly enough as it should with future on-air reporters. The reality is, the starting pay is low, hours are unusual, and most will be far from home if they weren’t already while in college. Being a reporter is a job for those who have a real passion for storytelling and who are willing to take on the responsibility of having such a crucial role in society. Church’s vulnerability allows others to see the truth behind being a new reporter, ultimately showing how good of a journalist she really is by revealing the other side of a story not many are willing to tell.
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