Jean Jadhon, a reporter and co-anchor for WDBJ-7 News in Roanoke, was on the scene when Hollins University inaugurated its 11th president, Nancy Oliver Gray on Friday, Oct. 14.  Jadhon was the likely candidate to report the story, as she is currently an undergraduate teacher and graduate student at the university.  Her well-seasoned and amiable personality revealed why she was a shoe-in for the job. 

Q:   While attending St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY, did you study Communication?

Jadhon:  Yes, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Journalism and I also took courses in Marketing.

Q:  Did you intern while you were a student?

Jadhon:  I had two internships.  One was with a small TV station in Utica during the summer.  I had lots of stuff to do with them; I had my first actual interview and got to do some writing, though it was very nerve-wracking!  The second was with WHEC TV, an NBC affiliate, where I did minor tasks like checking police beats, which were crucial, but tedious. 

Q:  Did you know what you wanted to do immediately after graduation?

Jadhon:  I knew I wanted to be on the air, reporting as an anchor.  Two months after I graduated, I was a part-time assistant producer with WHEC.  Having the internship the previous summer definitely helped me get my foot in the door.

Q:  Did you find that a career in Communication was competitive?

Jadhon:  Yes, there were very few jobs available then and it still is that way.  I was in a station setting and getting paychecks, but I wasn’t on the air and I still needed more work.  I was turned down from numerous stations.  I saved my rejection letters; there’s a stack of them!  I found that making connections was a huge part of the job finding process.

Q:  How did your career progress after graduation?

Jadhon:  I stayed in Rochester for one and a half years, and then I moved to Binghamton where I worked the early morning shifts for NBC and CBS stations.  It was a smaller market and I needed more exposure so I moved to Syracuse and worked as a reporter for the ABC affiliate there, WIXT.  I was working a 3-day weekends then that progressed into full-time night shifts.  It was good because the market was larger and the pay was better.  Then I moved to the Gulf Coast area in Florida where I worked night shifts at the Independent station in the Fort Myers-Naples market. 

Q:  What shifts do you prefer to work?

Jadhon:  I’ve worked all different shifts and found that evening news is the most predominant and I get the most coverage.

Q:  Did you find a difference between working for all of these different affiliates?  Were there any biases?

Jadhon:  No, there wasn’t any difference politically at the stations.  The only differences were the size of markets and different ownership. 

Q:  What is it about your personality that lends itself to your career?

Jadhon:  Well, to really make it in the business, you have to be outgoing.  You can’t be afraid to approach people.  You don’t want to be standoffish or aggressive, especially with sensitive topics, but you need to balance the two.  You have to make people feel comfortable around you, so be genuine.  You’ve got to be thick-skinned, too.  You know, some people will tell you, ‘Oh you look smaller in person,’ or say hurtful things about your work, but you have to roll with the punches.  You have to work well with others.  You’re dealing with a lot of people; cameramen, co-anchors, writers, reporters, producers; it’s a real team effort.  At the same time, you have to be self-sufficient, because it’s up to you to get your work done. 

Q:  Who has been a great inspiration in your development as a media professional?

Jadhon:  Well, a number of people actually, specifically, my co-workers in Syracuse.  I was close with Peggy Finnegan when we were both in Syracuse.  She’s now in Pittsburgh, PA working for WPXI TV. 

Q:  What has been the most embarrassing moment for you while reporting?

Jadhon:  When I was Florida, I was reporting a live story and my earring fell off onto the microphone and made a loud clinking sound!  Yeah, it was pretty bad.

Q:  How about the most challenging story to report?

Jadhon:  9/11.  It was hard to be on the air at such a scary time.

Q:  What’s your focus now as you attend graduate school at Hollins University?

Jadhon:  Still Communication.  I’m working towards my Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies. 

Q:  Why did you feel the need to go to graduate school while you are well into your career?

Jadhon:  Higher station pay, thought I would take advantage of that.  And also, I’ll have to have my Masters if I want to continue teaching.

Q:  What courses are you teaching at Hollins?

Jadhon:  I teach Electronic Media, or television news writing, twice a week at the undergraduate level.

Q:  Do you enjoy teaching?

Jadhon:  Yes, I do.  It’s challenging though.  Sometimes it’s hard to give grades to people if something isn’t just right or wrong since I’m grading students’ writing.  It’s hard to differentiate between an A- and a B+.  I usually give a lot of As!

Q:  What’s your secret—how are you able to balance a full time job while pursuing a graduate degree?

Jadhon:  Take one class at a time and do work in increments.  You definitely need to be disciplined.

Q:  How do you define “media professional?”

Jadhon:  Someone who is in the media and adheres to a professional code of conduct.

Q:  Do you have any recommendations for the Communication students of today?

Jadhon:  Learn how to write, write, write!  Be open to the industry changing.  Definitely know how to work with all types of technology. 

Q:  Now as you go back to write this story on the Hollins Presidential Inauguration, or any other story for that matter, how do your organize yourself?

Jadhon:  When I’m out in the field, I usually begin thinking about the story and how I’m going to word things so that I can turn right around and write it up.  Especially during interviews, I listen to what they have to say then word it around in my head.

Q:  Do you have any tips you’d like to share about media writing?

Jadhon:  Always use an active voice when reporting.  You want to stick to concise thoughts and short sentences.  You have to remember that it’s all about the people.  You don’t want to just report the facts.  You should add color to your story to make it more interesting!

Q:  Where do you see yourself in five years?

Jadhon:  Continuing to anchor, hopefully raising a family, having completed my Masters, and teaching more at the college level.