Clark: Still excited to go to work every day Spring 2009 - By Rachel Marrs
When she was a little girl growing up in Effingham, Ill., Rebecca Clark wanted to be a reporter. When she was young, she would perform skits for her grandparents. She would be the head anchor of a newscast, and her stuffed Kermit the Frog was the co-anchor. Miss Piggy was the reporter in the field. She can honestly say she has always wanted to be a reporter.
She attended Effingham High School and then left home for junior college in Mattoon, Ill. Clark went on to pursue a degree in journalism at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.
“I chose SIUE because it was far from home. I knew my parents wouldn’t want to drive into St. Louis, and, plus, I’m a big Cardinals fan,” Clark said.
She spent four years at SIUE doing all she could to prepare for her future as a reporter. She took many classes from Gary Hicks, Patrick Clark and Ralph Donald. She tried to take as many classes from Hicks as she could.
“I think if you stick with one teacher, they have a big impact on you, and it helps,” Clark advised.
Hicks said reporting was definitely the right choice for Clark.
“She had a very inquisitive attitude, which helped with her grades,” he said. “Her natural curiosity for the world showed through her interaction with professors and other students. This interaction always helps with interaction in a reporting career. She has the perfect personality for it.”
Donald agreed that reporting was the right path for Clark.
“She's an excellent example of a mass communications major who knew what she wanted and put in the hard work on her reporting and writing skills to learn the business and prepare herself for a career in news,” Donald said.
Patrick Clark said he remembers three things about Rebecca Clark.
“The first day of class, how determined she was and is, and the fact that we shared the same last name. The first day of class I'd usually go around the room and have everyone introduce themselves and tell a little of their history and why they were in the Mass Communications program at SIUE. When we got to Becky, the first thing out of her mouth was, ‘My name is Becky Clark, and I'm going to have Tom Brokaw's job one day.”’
Rebecca Clark worked at KPLR (Channel 11) in St Louis as an intern during her senior year at SIUE. Patrick Clark was also a reporter for Channel 11 and remembers her internship.
“‘I’m doing an internship here’, she announced to me. And she tackled all the jobs thrown her way...which, as an intern, aren’t always very glamorous. But she persisted, and, instead of sitting in the newsroom, she asked to go out on stories with reporters and photogs.”
He remembered that she was an excellent intern and worked hard every day.
“She was persistent and available and willing to work,” he recalled. “Show that to a potential employer, and, when the opportunity opens up — and it will, you'll be the first one to be considered for the gig.”
In a lucky break, she was offered a job upon graduation at the station.
“Channel 11 was the right place at the right time,” Rebecca Clark said. “I was really fortunate. One of the ladies working there went on maternity leave, and they needed help through the holidays. So, I volunteered to help out. They hired me while I was still doing my internship, actually.”
It was not the dream reporting job that she always wanted, but it was a great opportunity.
“I am always willing to learn new roles. You just need to put your foot in the door. Even if you don’t think you would ever work in that position, get yourself in there. You never know where you will end up.”
After leaving Channel 11, Clark had a hard time finding a job that suited her. She sent her tapes to different stations all around the St Louis area.
“I had the idea that I was a local girl from around the St. Louis area, and I wouldn’t have to go very far to find a good job,” she said.
Six months later she finally got a break — in Jacksonville, Tenn., four hours from home. Once again, she said it was not her dream job, but a step in the right direction.
“It was the best thing for me,” she explained. “At places like that you can make the mistakes you need to make, and it’s okay. You learn from those mistakes. You aren’t going to get fired for them. They were a lot more forgiving than other places.”
After working in Jacksonville for a while she was hired in Springfield, Ill., as a producer of WICS-TV. Her commute was 1 hour 15 minutes from home but more of what she had always wanted to do. Most people would not want to commute that far every day, but Clark did not mind.
“It shows how much I really love reporting,” she said.
Now she has moved up from producer to managing editor at the station.
She gives back to SIUE by mentoring interns that Donald sends her from the university. She recently hired a new weekend sports man from SIUE. She said they are always looking for more interns, especially photographers.
“If you have a camera and you want to work in the news, please come by,” she said.
She tries to give interns advice that she has learned since graduation.
“The very first thing I tell them is remember that you won’t get paid well for a long time. It can be very frustrating living on Ramen Noodles and peanut butter and jelly, but you aren’t going to make a lot of money, especially right off,” she said. “I still don’t make as much as I would like, but I know it will take a while to get there.”
She has always wanted to be a reporter, and now Rebecca Clark is living her dream.
“I come to work excited every day. Barrack Obama came into our station twice, and now he is the new president. It’s an exciting job.”
See Clark’s work at http://www.wics.com.