Ditchfield’s typical day is anything but boring. She wakes up at 2:30 a.m. and begins her first broadcast at 4 a.m. She reports on both traffic and weather.
She told me that the weather reports can take a bit longer because she covers all breaking news. However, this is just a sliver of what her job entails.
“It is very important to be flexible because todays journalism careers require you do a multitude of tasks,” Ditchfield explained.
Ditchfield is responsible for attending morning meetings to discuss current topics and events that might be aired. However, the job aspect she was most excited to discuss is the creation of weather screen graphics that can be seen behind Ditchfield while she is reporting the weather.
“I actually won an Emmy for one of my weather screen graphics. I’m very proud of that,” told Ditchfield.
Although she loves many aspects of her job, she was honest about some of the difficult responsibilities her job encompasses.
“Social media plays a big role in this career, but it is not my favorite part of the job,” Ditchfield said.
Social media is a major part of journalists’ careers because it reflects how many people consume their news. A recent Pew Research Center study found that 67 percent of American adults get at least some of their news from social media outlets. Ditchfield explains that through social media you are able to “interact with your audience” by receiving weather updates and by reporting on different platforms like Facebook Live.
She and her desk mate joked about a weather fanatic who will tweet at them a lot of the time to ensure accuracy in their reporting.
Ditchfield chuckled and said, “I don’t know why she always tweets at us, but she makes our job easier in some ways.”
They told me about a time when they were chasing a “wedge tornado” in Windsor, Colorado and they were able to tweet at the National Weather Service.
“We were chasing this tornado in our rigged-up van and we luckily, somehow had service so we could tweet and receive tweets as well,” said Ditchfield.
She told me that authenticity is most important for your presence on social media and for this career in general. Being authentic about her passion for meteorology is what helped her career thrive and get her to the level she enjoys today.
“Be yourself because people can see through fake. If you are truly authentic about your passions then you will thrive,” Ditchfield told me.
Ditchfield knew she wanted to become a meteorologist ever since she was a junior in high school. She used to be scared of thunderstorms, but as she got older, that fear turned into curiosity. Since calculus and physics were her best subjects in high school, she decided on Meteorology as a major in college.
“I came home one day after school telling my mom that I wanted to become a meteorologist,” she said. “She looked at me for a moment with a confused look and was like, really?”
Ditchfield graduated from Valparaiso University in Indiana with a B.S. degree in Meteorology. She also holds minors in both math and broadcasting and is a member of both the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association.
Even though Ditchfield knew she wanted to become a meteorologist from a young age, she explained that it was a family friend in youth group that encouraged her to pursue broadcast journalism, telling her she has the “looks and education” to be good at it.
She started at her first broadcasting job at KTHV-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas. Before that she worked as a meteorologist for a television station in Hastings, Nebraska.
As we continued our conversation at her desk in the center of the newsroom, she explained to me that having an internship “definitely helps when employers look at your resume. You want as much experience as you can to stand out from the rest in this competitive field.”
As for the future of journalism careers, she did not shy away from telling me that jobs are declining.
Ditchfield was honest about what lies ahead for journalists as she said, “Even here there are not as many jobs as there used to be. Employers are looking for people who can do everything. You need to be well-rounded.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects a ten percent decline in broadcast journalism positions from 2018 to 2028. Meteorologist positions, on the other hand, expect an eight percent growth in the next eight years.
These positions also make a higher average salary than other news broadcast positions. Broadcast TV announcer positions in general make $43,490 per year, while meteorologists make an average salary of $94,110 per year.
As the tour was ending, I couldn’t help but take another glance behind my shoulder at the newsroom filled with people editing at their desks, TV monitors mounted on the ceiling, and Ditchfield’s station with the bight green screen.
Seeing the glimmer of hope and admiration in my eyes, Ditchfield left me with a piece of advice, “You can do it. I found a space for myself. But you have to remember to be authentic and flexible. Just keep pushing for it.”
The MFJS Reporter -- Winter 2020 T-R 