Waldy Diez

Waldy Diez graduated with a master of arts in broadcast & digital journalism in 2015. Diez works as a morning producer at WBNG-TV 12.

What is your position and employer?

Morning producer at WBNG-TV 12 in Binghamton, N.Y.

How did you land your job?

I was a producing intern for the morning show during the spring 2015 semester. I received a phone call from their morning anchor Haley Burton (also a Newhouse master’s BDJ alum) a few weeks before graduation saying the morning producer position would be opening up and she thought I would be a good fit for the job. I had my interview the following week. A week after that, I signed my contract.

What are your responsibilities?

I am responsible for making sure the morning shows get on and off the air smoothly. I write all of the stories, prepare all of the graphics and find video for the editor to cut.

How do you feel Newhouse prepared you for your job?

I took the advanced producing course with Professor Suzanne Lysak, and that course places you in a production internship for the semester. The WBNG internship allowed me to practice what I learned in the classroom to refine my skills as a producer. Newhouse makes a great name for itself and really delivers on the best education you can get. I think news stations really see that and trust its interns to dive headfirst into what they want to do.

I knew I wanted to study broadcasting, and Newhouse had a program for it. I was also lured in by the promise of a brand new state-of-the-art television studio. I had never done anything with television broadcasting, and I wanted to learn from the best. I was fortunate enough to be an instructional associate (IA) for the same newscast course three times a week in the new Dick Clark Studios. Between my time in the studio with the undergrads and with my own classmates in the summer, I got to know every nook and cranny of the studio. It was such an amazing first experience in the TV world.

What is unique about the graduate program?

BDJ is very hands-on, which I loved. It taught me how to write quickly and efficiently. The entire program was very fast-paced, which perfectly simulates what it’s like in real-world journalism. Our professors threw us out into the real world and treated us like blooming journalists, not just students. Newhouse also allows you to intern at news stations that are hands-on, too. I think you get more out of your education and internship when you can “get your feet wet” and actually practice what you learn in the classroom.

Describe your most valuable/significant experience at Newhouse.

I think our summer newscast class was the most valuable experience for me. It operates like a real newsroom and puts all of the skills you’ve learned throughout the year to work. It taught me a lot about working together with others; you’re so used to working on your own stories and relying on only one person the majority of the year. The newscast forces you to be able to work together and communicate so you can put on an entire half-hour show.

Is there a professor or class that you would recommend?

It honestly depends on what you want to do with your career. From my experience at Newhouse, I would recommend two professors: Professor Lysak for producing and Professor Hub Brown for multimedia journalism. They both genuinely care about their students and provide a “tough love” learning environment. They know so much about their respective fields and can offer tons of advice.

Best on-campus memory or activity?

I really loved the camaraderie between all of my Newhouse classmates, especially within BDJ. All of your classmates are in it with you. You really become family and after a year, you experience it all – the happy dance when you make deadline hours in advance, the tears that flow when your computer crashes and all of your work is gone and the pride you feel when you worked so hard on something amazing.