Ms. Tia Johnson is a young and brilliant Multimedia Journalist for WBAY 2 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The Houston native knew while she was in college that if she wanted to work in the news she was going to have to put in some hard work along the way.
Tia studied Mass Communications at Prairie View A&M University, where she made connections with the professors in the Communication department. While at PVAMU, Tia noticed that other schools had more resources geared towards careers in the media industry. Professor Teresa Dowell-Vest was Tia’s professor at the time, and the two of them put their heads together to create what is now PVAMU TV.
Juggling school and the stress of being a college student, Tia did not let anything distract her from working towards her goal of working in the news.
While in college, Tia interned at Fox 26 in Houston and KBTX in College Station, Tx, near Texas A&M University. Being at such a large station like Fox 26 was overwhelming yet exciting for Tia. It wasn’t until the summer after her internship that she was told at an NABJ conference,
“If you didn’t shoot it, edit it, write it yourself, then I can’t hire you.”
That made her realize she needed to continue working on her craft to land the position she has now.
After graduation, Tia was eager to get into the news industry, but she knew to find a job so soon after college wouldn’t be easy. For six months, Tia worked in a position unrelated to her degree and nowhere near related to the news. Post-graduation wasn’t like anything Tia expected, but fortunately, her wait was over when she received a position as an MMJ. Throughout her journey, Tia has learned valuable lessons that she’s always willing to share with upcoming journalists.
The tips I took from Tia’s lecture on Zoom we’re to network and maintain relationships, learn your craft and perfect it, and never stop creating!
Tia is full of gems, and I’m glad I was able to put a few in my pocket as I journey to become a successful broadcast journalist.
Photo Credit: @tiajohnsononair via Instagram
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