Last week, I was able to get in touch with Gordon Collier, news anchor at KWTX, the CBS affiliate in Waco, Texas. We’ve traded a few emails, and below you’ll find the results of a short email interview I was able to do with him about his career in news media.
TMD: Your bio on the KWTX site mentions that you “were bitten by the news bug” while you were in college. Did you go into undergrad planning on being a journalism major?
GC: I had no idea that I would be a journalist when I went to college. I had never really been exposed to the life while growing up…other than my dad used to sit us down in front of the television every night at 6pm to watch the evening news. I took a reporting I class as part of my public relations major and I was inspired by a teacher named Kay Gaddy. She made me realize that I always wanted to be a reporter. My mother used to tell the story of how when I was about three years old I would use the spray nozzle on the sink to “interview” her while she was doing the dishes…
“What is your name, Mommy Collier?” That’s how my first interview went. Then in grade school I always wanted to be the first person to share the big story of the day. And I had to be the one who got the story right…and separated the truth from rumor. So it seems I’ve been a “reporter” all my life.
TMD: Your career has put you right in the path of two very dramatic events in recent U.S. history - the Branch Davidian situation and the Oklahoma City bombing. Do you find that it is harder or easier to do your job at times like those? How has covering those events - along with other major stories - affected the way you do your job today, if at all?
GC: It’s much easier to cover the big stories. There’s never any question about what angle the story is going to take. The most challenging thing about the big story is finding the elements that no one else has found or telling the story better than the other guys. I think covering the big stories has definitely shaped the way I approach the every day story.First of all there’s the confidence that I have gained in knowing that I’m capable of covering the big stories…”been there, done that.” Very few stories intimidate me now because of the major stories that I’ve covered. There’s also the speed factor. When faced with a big breaking story a few seconds can mean a world of difference. So I’ve learned to maximize my time in the field.
TMD: What brought you back to KWTX from a stint at Oklahoma’s KOTV after a few years? When you returned to Texas, did you move right into the anchor role, or did you work as a reporter for awhile?
GC: When I left Waco for Tulsa in 1993 I told my boss that someday I’d like to come back and be the primary anchor. Two and a half years later he called me to remind me of that conversation and to offer me the job. I took it. Although I hadn’t really planned on sitting on the anchor desk until later in my career.
TMD: I’ve interviewed a few other newspeople for the site, and they all have different experiences in their job. One was a news radio anchorman, and the other a technology reporter for a television network. They had very different experiences in their “day in the life” when it was relayed to me. Would you give me a blow by blow on how a typical work day goes for you?
GC: I typically get to work at about 1:30pm. I start by scanning the wires and checking the run-downs for the upcoming shows. We have a meeting at 2:30 where we discuss the news content of the day. After the meeting I get started on promotions. I write all the news promos that run through the day on our station and the promos that run on a local radio station. I am also the interim executive producer which means I’ll be approving reporter scripts as they write them and assist the producer with whatever she needs to get the 6pm show done.After the 6pm show we have another meeting to talk about the upcoming 10pm show and the process starts over. I usually get home at about 11:30 or so. That’s the typical day but that could change dramatically in the event of breaking news. I also have a 30 minute feature program that airs once a month called Backroads. I look for the interesting people, places or things that make Central Texas what unique. Recently I haven’t had much time to devote to the show but I’m still working on it.
TMD: A few months back, ESPN’s “SportsCenter” program let the fans of the show in on what goes on behind the scenes. We got to see (for the first time, at least in my case) the running around between commercials, watched the control room changing camera views and bringing up highlights and interviews and live shots, and heard what the production staff was saying in the earpieces of the on-air talent. Many people thought it was amazing that anything could get done with that much going on in someone’s head. Sports is one thing - the news is a whole different animal….but would you say there is as much going on or more in your evening newscasts?
GC: At times, it’s a real mad house. The producer’s talking to us in our ear, the floor director is trying to get our attention, the directors trying to talk to the producer, there’s no shortage of distractions. Sometimes we have visitors sitting in for a news cast and they are always amazed at how we can carry on a conversation and then with 2 seconds out, snap back up to the camera without missing a beat. It’s all about getting accustomed to the distractions and learning how to work through them. After a while you’d be more concerned if there weren’t any distractions. That usually indicates something is seriously wrong.
TMD: I’ve also heard varying stories on how “fame” works for media
personalities. Do you have any good stories about people recognizing you from television - perhaps the first time they did so? Or is it not such a great thing in your eyes?
GC: Being recognized in public is something else you just get used to. It’s when they don’t recognize you that you get worried.My favorite being “recognized” story happened a year or so ago at a club in Meridian, Texas. Sometimes I play guitar and sing in a country band that plays mainly small shows around Central Texas. Just before we took a break, I noticed a man who had “had a few” staggering in our direction. He jumped up on stage and grabbed the microphone and said. “Hey, do y’all recognize this guy???? This is Rusty Collier the Waco weatherman!!!” The problem is, my name is Gordon Collier and I am a news anchor. Rusty is our weatherman…he was a little confused. I still haven’t lived that one down.
TMD: Do you have any suggestions, tips, or “words to live by” for people interested in studying journalism or working in the media world that I could share with the site’s readers?
GC: That’s easy, my advice is don’t do it! Seriously. I discourage everyone I can from becoming a journalist. Only those determined enough to not heed this advice will ever make it in this business.
TMD: As an member of the media, do you feel/see bias in the media as a whole, and if so, does it have a consistent political slant? Along with that, is it possible that getting all “bias” out of news and news reporting is quite hard to do, based on the fact that people are…people, and they have beliefs and personal biases that are very hard to hide at all times?
GC: Everyone has an agenda, whether they admit it or not and sooner or later it will show. . But I don’t believe the media, in general, is as politically biased as some would have us believe. Yes, there are media outlets that have a slant. They’re easy to recognize. People will believe what they want to believe…and anyone who says something to the contrary is biased… I love it when someone accuses me of being part of the liberal media…I’m conservative. That must mean that I’m concealing my bias fairly well. The bottom line is, journalists have an obligation to tell the facts and let the reader or viewer form the opinions…if you can’t do this then get a talk show.
Special thanks again to Gordon Collier for taking the time out of his hectic schedule to answer a few questions for TMD. Hopefully this interview provides some interesting insights to its readers - I definitely learned a few things. Particularly, I enjoyed Collier’s “advice” to anyone pondering journalism as a career.
As always, if you have any suggestions on future TMD profiles or interviews, feel free to contact me with your ideas!
