Photo by: KNOP -TV

Imagine walking down the street and hearing your name called out by

someone. Turning around, you see that a group of people you have never met before have gathered around wanting autographs and a handshake. How would you react?

This is just a typical day in the life for Todd Unger, a former DU student who graduated from the Department of Mass Communications and Journalism Studies in June and is now working as a news anchor for the Nebraska station KNOP-TV, a NBC news affiliate.

“Where we broadcast in Nebraska is a very small town. We reach about 75,000 or 80,000 homes so being recognized on the street is interesting and takes a little getting used to,” Unger said.

“Being on-camera is fun at first but after awhile the excitement wears off.”

Unger first became interested in journalism while interning for a radio station in his native Portland. Unger interned during the summers and was an associate

producer on a radio show, which got him interested in a career in the media.

He also wrote a couple of articles for Colorado Avid Golfer and interned at FOX 31 News in Denver.

“It really just depends on what realm of journalism you want to work in,” he said. “Television and radio are a little harder to break into and they pay a lot less than if you were to take a job doing print and working for a weekly

newspaper. It’s interesting because writing for TV and writing for prints is very different. Skills you may use in one area may not necessarily apply to the other. It really just depends on what interests you most and what you are looking for. I pretty much did everything on my own to get

where I am today.”

B Unger cannot put a finger on the aspect of journalism he is most passionate about, but he does think that writing stories is most important.

“Whatever story you write or propose for the day, you need to work your butt off and do whatever you can to get it done and make it interesting. No matter who you work with or interview, you can always find one good quote or an angle that works.”

For now, Unger is keeping busy reporting one story a day and anchoring the 10 p.m. news.

“I would like to move on from where I am now at some point because you always want to move on to bigger and better things. Eventually, I would love to work in a big market for NBC or ABC news and become an anchor there. Going around the country and going overseas to do foreign reporting has always interested me and is something fun to do when you are younger. At some point, though, I would like to have a steady anchor job somewhere where the pay is good.”

Unger could not stress enough the importance of putting in effort in order to be successful. “Put in your time, it will pay off in the end.”