(May 15, 2018) You don’t have to graduate from a big name school to get a job in sports broadcasting. Sean Coffey’s school doesn’t even have a broadcasting program. Still, the 2017 graduate of William & Mary has earned a job at Newscenter 25 KAVU in Victoria, TX as a sports anchor/reporter.
“As someone who didn’t graduate from a broadcasting powerhouse – who, in fact, didn’t graduate from a school with broadcast journalism or communications programs – the chance to continue building upon the hands-on experiences I’ve had so far, in a variety of roles, is really exciting,” Coffey smiles.
The KAVU opportunity admittedly caught Coffey by surprise. “I had sent cover letters and resumes to about 35 different stations without success when I finally got a call from Victoria.”
Through his job market challenges, Coffey remained confident.
“Trust the body of work you’ve produced,” he suggests to job seekers. “It can obviously get frustrating, and disillusionment will begin to creep in, but channeling the same energy and optimism towards job lead number 30 as you did towards job lead number 3 will go a long way in keeping you sane and level. Sooner or later, the right match – a station that finds your demo in perfect harmony with their needs – should come along.”
Coffey has leaned on STAA for advice since joining in November. “Helping to eliminate a lot of the doubts has been huge,” he says. “Having a support system of seasoned industry pros has been nothing but advantageous, and being able to call on [STAA’s Jon Chelesnik] with any crossroads I’ve encountered has made all my decisions more informed.”