Special Skills
News producer/correspondent Jeanne Ringe recommends majoring in
English, history, or liberal arts. "You have to be able to think clearly and
write clearly. Writing for television is different than writing for print. You
can learn the lingo and restrictions of writing for timed pieces once you
get into television. If you're a good writer to start with, you can refine
those skills."
Advice for Someone Seeking This Job
After obtaining a bachelor's degree, some recommend going on to
journalism school. Others, like Ringe, advise going directly to a job in a
newsroom. A college internship is a good way to get into a newsroom,
learn the various job functions, prove your work ethic, and make contacts
that might lead to future employment.
Professional Profile: Jeanne Ringe,
News Producer and Correspondent
"In the right place at the right time" is the theme of Jeanne Ringe's
career. The Virginia native originally enrolled in high school Spanish
because she wanted to communicate with her Latin American boyfriend.
Excelling in the language, she went on to major in Spanish at the
University of Texas with the intention of working as an interpreter at the
UN until marriage and children came her way.
To support herself during her last two years of college, Ringe worked
at the state legislature. She got involved with the Jimmy Carter presiden-
tial campaign, but did not survive the transition into the White House.
On her way to apply for a job in a think tank, she got off the elevator on
the wrong floor and stumbled into the offices of the Mutual Radio
Network. Ringe decided to put in an application, was interviewed by the
news director, and was hired on the spot with the promise to make her
the next Connie Chung. Until then, she was to serve as the newsroom
secretary and learn the business of news. When the news director was
fired a couple months later, Ringe learned the first rule of broadcasting:
"Never believe anything anybody promises you."
Ringe worked for Mutual from 1977 to 1980, earning a meager $200 a
week. When the company put the Larry King Show on the air, they offered
Ringe an extra $10 a week to help book guests. She was later promoted to
producer of the show for another $15 a week. "That was probably the
toughest schedule of any job I ever had. I would go into work at 10:30 or
11:00 at night. The show started at midnight and we were on the air live
for five and a half hours. I would go home and unplug my phone and
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