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BUSINESS REPORTERS ARE MADE, NOT BORN

Jun 23, 2003  •  Post A Comment

Stations are looking everywhere, from the local newspaper business pages to the financial world, for people with the expertise to handle the job of financial reporter.
Ilyce Glink, financial reporter for WGN-TV, the Tribune Broadcasting Co.-owned independent in Chicago, was a financial reporter for radio and newspapers for 15 years before moving to television five years ago. That experience was critical, Ms. Glink said, adding, “If you don’t know the subject inside out, it’s easy to make mistakes, especially because the time pressure is huge.”
She calls herself “your synergy person.” In addition to her appearances on WGN, which is also a superstation, Ms. Glink is a nationally syndicated columnist, an author of nine books on finance and real estate and a fill-in host on Clark Howard’s top-rated financial/consumer talk show on WSB-AM, Atlanta.
In addition to his on-air work for ABC affiliate KPNX-TV in Phoenix, Brahm Resnik serves as business and consumer reporter for the Arizona Republic, which, like KPNX, is owned by Gannett Co. A business journalist for 11 years, he began appearing on KPNX in January 2001.
Similarly, Joe Smith, business reporter for NBC affiliate KGW-TV in Portland, Ore., is actually employed by the Portland Business Journal, part of the American City Business Journals group. Mr. Smith has appeared exclusively on KGW for the past 21/2 years. American City Business Journals has a similar arrangement with TV stations in 10 U.S. cities.
Mr. Smith has previous on-air experience. He served as an anchor at Tallahassee-based Florida’s News Channel, where he anchored a half-hour daily business report. He also covered the business beat for Las Vegas public station KLVX-TV.
“Using specialist reporters to deliver business and consumer news is a newer approach for local TV,” Mr. Resnik said. “Now that the FCC has spoken, I expect you’ll see even more newspapers providing on-air talent in business and other specialties to their sister stations.”