Posted by chicagomedia.org on January 12, 2010 at 14:47:00:
Jennifer Graves holding down Channel 7's crown
Graves adeptly handles running best local newscasts in city
You won't see Jennifer Graves in front of the camera every day on the newscasts produced by WLS-Channel 7. But as the No. 1-ranked station's news director, she is the most important person involved in orchestrating WLS' news product and helping to ensure the station maintains its top spot in the local news ratings:
Q. Did you get your start in television in news management, or did you move over from the reporting side?
A. I started on the assignment desk, as a weekend assignment editor and desk assistant at KSDK-Channel 5 in St. Louis. The desk is a great training ground for learning how to recognize and develop a story and juggle a million details at once. I eventually moved to newscast writing, producing and then eventually management.
Q. Is it tougher today managing a TV news department in a major market than it was 10 years ago and, if so, how?
A. In some ways, yes. News managers now are thinking about content, not just for television newscasts, but for all platforms, like our Web site and digital channels. And technology advancements, while streamlining newsrooms, have made them more complex. I think most news directors would tell you they've had to become more fluent in engineering and IT issues in the past 10 years. But at the end of the day, it's still all about producing and delivering relevant local content.
Q. Do you have to spend a lot of time massaging talent egos, and is there a trick to keeping egos from getting in the way in TV news?
A. Egos in television? Can anyone make that assumption? Seriously, people in front of the camera, seen by thousands each day, need to have a solid ego and the confidence to do what they do well. And every manager, no matter what level, has to deal with a wide variety of personalities. But that said, I'm fortunate to have a newsroom full of real pros who put the story and our viewers first.
Q. Some have said TV news is rapidly becoming irrelevant. Do you think that is true?
A. No. We provide local information, whether our viewers see it on TV, read it on the Web or on their handheld device. I don't think the thirst for truly relevant local information will ever diminish. That's why it's important to focus on the local picture, whether it's breaking news, weather, political debates or good, local investigative journalism. It's our job to continue to meet that need and deliver the information when and where our audience wants it.
Q. If you could be granted one wish, what one thing would you wish to add to the WLS news department in 2010?
A. More viewers! That's ultimately what everyone in the local news business wishes for!