From Boxer to Broadcaster

Trotter '12 with her parents during Commencement 2012

By Molly Jean Trotter '12

During the spring of 2012, I applied for reporting jobs at more than 70 news stations. I heard back from a few, but nothing regarding getting a job. 

In the spring, I took an electronic journalism class from Grant McOmie '75, from KGW's "Grant's Getaways" and Jeff Kastner to learn the ins and outs of the broadcast journalism world. By taking that class, I really learned what it is like to be a "backpack journalist" I filmed, reported, edited and produced my own story.

Before spring break, Grant called Rick Howard, the news director and Ktvl, News 10 in Medford, Ore. Rick and I scheduled an interview during spring break, where I had the chance to visit the station and meet a few faces. The interview lasted all of 20 minutes, so I thought nothing of it.

On May 3, I received a call from Rick Howard offering me a three year contract with Ktvl. You can imagine my excitement.

For someone who didn't go to a school with a big journalism department, like U of O and ASU, I was so excited that they offered ME a job! I knew all my hard work had to pay off, but I didn't know how long it would take for someone to notice.

Currently, I am a daily reporter at Ktvl and I cover every topic out there. On Friday nights, starting August 31, I will be covering high school football and basketball in the winter.

Trotter '12 hard at work at the station

I love my job! I work about nine hours a day, but those nine hours are packed full of filming, reporting, editing and writing scripts for my story for the newscasts that day. It is a lot of work, but every day is a new day and I am continually getting better at it. You have no idea how good it feels to pick a major, go to school for it and get out in the real world to use those skills and actually LOVE your job. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Even though Pacific doesn't have a broadcast journalism department, I did what I could as a journalism major and taking film classes to get where I am today. I will always be grateful for the connections I have made at Pacific.

My ultimate goal is to be a sportscaster at ESPN. I cannot wait for my job to take me somewhere big someday. 

Trotter '12 was a journalism major at Pacific and also enjoys photography, volleyball and outdoor recreation. She describes herself as a "sports junkie" and that ESPN never leaves her television! More more information on KTVL you can visit the website, www.ktvl.com.