DeVine applies for one job at WDAY-TV, ends up with another

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(April 30, 2019) Blake DeVine applied for one position at a North Dakota TV station but ended up landing another. An STAA member, DeVine is joining WDAY in Fargo as a News/Sports Reporter.

“WDAY gives me a great opportunity to get my foot in the door within the television industry. Working in a city such as Fargo, with a tremendous passion for prep and college sports along with an opportunity to cover the Minnesota Vikings was very attractive to me. The ABC-affiliate serves as the flagship television station in the local area and has been broadcasting since 1953. Being apart of a station with so much history and an emphasis on sports coverage was very important to me.”

DeVine initially applied for a sports anchor/reporter position at WDAY that he learned about through STAA. When Zach Staton filled from that position within, DeVine was hired in Staton’s former role.

DeVine is graduating from Florida State University in May. He was ranked the 11th most outstanding collegiate sports broadcaster in the country in STAA’s 2018 All-America program. Though sports remain his ultimate goal, he sees value in the news reps he’ll get in Fargo.

“When they offered me a news/sports reporting gig, I was initially a bit hesitant,” DeVine admits. Obviously, my overarching goal was to secure a sports reporting and anchoring position upon graduation. However, I thought about how being versatile and adaptive is vital towards success. By covering news, it’ll hopefully allow me to improve my on-camera performance and grow a greater understanding of the industry as a whole.”

A spreadsheet proved helpful to DeVine in organizing his job market efforts.

“I was advised by a friend who works in the industry to create a Google Sheet consisting of all the places I’d applied,” he says. “Not only did this spreadsheet include information on the company, location and specific job but it also kept track of the date I submitted my application along with whether or not I’d followed up in 7-10 business days. This allowed me to stay organized throughout my job hunt and was especially helpful.”

While Fargo is far from DeVine’s roots in Santa Barbara, CA, it’s much closer than Tallahassee was to SoCal.

“My father, mother and sister still live back home in Santa Barbara while my grandparents live nearby in Los Angeles. For this reason, I hope to eventually work in a major city in California. Moving to Fargo is still quite far—two flights away at the minimum—yet I still remain confident that I can thrive while living away from home.

“When I chose to attend FSU, I sought a college experience in a location completely different culturally than where I grew up. This has allowed me to feel comfortable in a distant environment.”

DeVine joined STAA last year after applying for the Jim Nantz Award. “After placing in the Top 20, I was immediately connected with many of the applicants and honorees. Through this experience, I began to realize STAA’s noteworthy network of broadcasters.

“I would’ve never come across the [Fargo] job opening if it weren’t for being an STAA Member!”

(Visit Blake’s website).

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