May Commencement 2009 | Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism

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May Commencement 2009
NBC’s Hoda Kotb delivers keynote address

On Sunday, May 17, 2009, WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism graduates and their families gathered at the Creative Arts Center for the School’s May Commencement ceremony.

Hoda Kotb, co-host of the fourth hour of NBC’s “Today” with Kathie Lee Gifford and “Dateline” correspondent, delivered the keynote address. Sharing stories of her own struggles and triumphs, Kotb told the graduating class to be courageous and “not to worry.”

Q&A with Hoda Kotb

Interview by Christa Vincent

How did you get started in your broadcast career?

After 27 news directors told me “no” in the course of 19 days… I accidently drove into Greenville, Miss., and they were looking for someone to hire. I drove up, and the guy hired me on the spot. It was “market map-dot-nothing” ... I was making government cheese money and whatever, but I was happy because I was doing what I wanted to do. So that was my first stop on the train, in Greenville, Miss., then I just kind of hop-scotched my way around to different markets. I went from Greenville, Miss., to Bowling, Ill., to Ft. Myers, Fla., to New Orleans then ultimately to the network, “Dateline” and the “Today” show.

Did the money issue ever deter you in the beginning?

I think it’s one of those things you can be happy every other Thursday on payday or you can be happy in your life. I think you have to find something you love and figure out how to get paid for it.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Journalism in general. I just love it, period. You get a front row seat to everything. They’ve sent me to China, to Afghanistan – China for the Olympics, Afghanistan for the war – Iraq for the war, Burma for coverage of the politics over there, the Middle East, Gaza, all these different places … You get to see the Olympics. You get to go see the Grammy’s. And sometimes you’re just sitting there thinking, “Boy, this is really kind of cool,” because you really do get to see it up close and personal. There is a responsibility that comes with that.

Is it difficult to juggle both “Dateline” and “Today”?

Sometimes it is. You’re working different muscles but each one sort of helps the other …The “Today” show is very free-flowing and ad-libby, and “Dateline” is very structured. My thing is, when you use those kinds of ad-lib skills on your “Dateline” interviews, they end up flowing much more easily as opposed to when you have a structured list of questions that you want to get to. Sometimes you get caught up in “I’ve got to get this and I’ve got to get that” and you’re not engaged all the way.

What was your big break into network news?

I think a lot of it is just luck and timing. There are so many ultra-qualified people who could be at 30 Rock and who aren’t. For me, I was in New Orleans and some NBC people were sort of interested in paying attention to what I was doing. A colleague of mine, who was a good friend, got a job at “Dateline,” and I said, “Wow, that’s pretty cool.” Then, they [Dateline] called me and said, “We want to put you through a test run and see if you can write a ‘Dateline’ story. We’re not sure if local people can make the transition to network, but we’ll give you a test run…”

What skills did you have to develop for your career as a journalist?

I don’t think you have any when you start. You are constantly learning. I’m still developing, even now. I’m a student of other journalists. I’m very curious about how people conduct interviews. If three of the top journalists in the country each get 10 minutes with Barack Obama, how would they approach that interview? Or if three top journalists in the country got 10 minutes with any world leader, how would they conduct the interview if they got a finite amount of time? I’m always curious about that. What’s the first question? Do they approach him aggressively or do they approach him softly? What do they feel are the top issues to go on? I just think you can learn by watching different people do different things.

What should students study in college to prepare them for careers in today’s media?

Obviously you have to be up on the latest of everything. I think there are some basic skills that have nothing to do with technology, like talking to people and trying to get the whole story. I think that’s something that’s going to be important no matter what happens technologically.

How important is it for students to have international experience (e.g., study abroad)?

I can’t even tell you how important that is. I think it’s immeasurable. The world is small. It’s itty bitty any more, and you have to know what’s going on around the world. You have to know what other people think, how they live, how they speak … You need to be able to understand where they are coming from. I graduated college and spent a year overseas. I remember thinking, “I should be getting a job, what am I thinking?” But I learned so many things—one about being tolerant of other people and understanding other peoples’ backgrounds. Plus employers love the fact that you are bigger than your town, even than your country. It’s all about acclimating. So much of life to me is about acclimating. Can you fit in? I think that’s one of the great skills you learn from that [travel abroad].

What do you believe to be the future of TV news and journalism in general?

I think it has to last because someone has to watch these guys [government]. Think about life without journalists. Imagine if everyone could operate with no one peaking in. What would happen? I think it’s imperative that kids continue to go into this field. When you cover a story that really matters, I think it’s at that point a lot of budding journalists figure out if it’s the profession for them. I hope and pray that it [journalism] stays strong. It’s really important.

P.I. Reed School of Journalism
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