For this week’s Media Monday, we’d like you to meet Alex Rozier, an award-winning journalist and general assignment reporter at KING 5.
- How did you find yourself at KING 5?
I found myself at KING 5 after a stint in Spokane and Columbia, Missouri. I started my broadcast journey working for KOMU (NBC), where I anchored and reported while going to college at the University of Missouri. After my graduation and four years at KOMU, I accepted a position as weekend anchor and reporter at KHQ Local News (NBC) in Spokane. I spent three great years in Spokane before accepting my current position as a reporter in Seattle. I have been in Western Washington now for nearly three years as well.
2. Which of your stories are you most proud of?
Surprisingly the story I am most proud of is a piece I produced in college. I won a worldwide reporting project from Pulitzer and YouTube that allowed me to travel anywhere I want in the world and report on any story of my choice. At the time, I had recently met a man who was working out of his cul-de-sac in the middle of Missouri making three wheel mobility devices for the disabled in the developing world. You may not realize that due to the terrain wheelchairs often times cannot navigate the land in the poorer countries of the world. So this man started what is now a national effort known as the P.E.T. (Personal Energy Transportation) Project, a project that has donated more than 20,000 mobility carts to disabled people in more than 100 countries throughout the world. Once I won the project, I went to Guatemala and Honduras and produced a short documentary called “The Culture that Crawls” where we documented the struggle for the disabled in the developing world. That project raised thousands of dollars for people in need. It is something I will never forget.
3. What is your favorite thing about your job?
My favorite thing about my job is that every day is different. As a general assignment reporter I never know where I’m going to be and what I’m going to be reporting on. Through good times and bad, my work is always interesting.
4. What is your interview style?
My interview style is conversational. I like people to feel comfortable. I try to make them forget the camera is there so we can just talk. I’ve found that when people just have a conversation, they don’t come off scripted and it does not look forced. It’s a win win for all of us. The interview subject looks better, and I have a better story because my character is more relaxed.
5. What do you look for in a story?
Every great television story has great people at the heart of it. I look for what I call ‘Central Compelling Characters’, someone I can tell the story around. This person is relatable to the audience, someone the community should meet. Additionally, every great tv story has great visual opportunities. If you are going to be a tv reporter and you need to pitch a story, before you do it I want you to ask yourself, ‘What will I use for video?’
6. What is your day like at your job?
I’m not lying when I tell you every day is different, but for the most part they follow a general format. I report for the morning show so I get in at 3 am. Right when I get in I start writing my stories. I write two different versions, one for the 5 (5 am news) and one for the 6 (6 am news). Once I complete my copy I send them off to an editor so they can add video. While the editor is working on the video I start writing my story for king5.com . By the time I am done with my web commitments it is usually when I need to get out the door. I am live at 5, 6, and 7 in the field, and then, for the most part, I do something on tape for the 8 o’ clock hour. After our live broadcast I go out conducting interviews, shooting video, and gathering sound from 8-10 am. From 10:00-11:30 I am transcribing my sound so that I am ready to write my story the following day when I get in at 3 am. I am happy if I am out the door by noon.
7. Who do you most look up to in the journalism industry?
The people I look up to are storytellers. Steve Hartman from CBS, Keith Morrison from NBC, Boyd Huppert from KARE 11 in Minneapolis…..I look to journalists who are able to weave words with video and interviews to perfectly share a story that people need to hear. That is a true talent.
8. What is your favorite news outlet?
KING 5 🙂 …….and NBC National News. 😉
9. Fill in the blank:
- If I am not reporting, I am…hopefully working out
- If I could interview anyone, it would be…President Barack Obama
- My favorite thing about Seattle is…so many good restaurants for food and drink….and when I’m ready to run off all that food….Seattle has great trails to run on!
10. What is your guilty pleasure?
Chocolate. ?