West Virginia University broadcast news senior Kasey Hott is poised to be a star in the world of broadcast news. ABC News On Campus recently selected Hott as their “Roving Reporter of the Year.”
Hott will be recognized for her achievements at ABC News later this year. The network plans to fly her to New York City for a two-day visit with news management and recruiters and a behind-the-scenes tour of their news operations. Hott hopes the visit will serve as a springboard for her career.
“I’m not sure where this will lead to,” said Hott. “I know that most people who want to be reporters start out small, and I’m definitely willing to do that . . . to even have this opportunity to meet these people when I’m this young is really neat.”
During the spring semester, the High View (Hampshire County) native served as a reporter and anchor for “WVU News,” a regular newscast produced by WVU Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism students.
ABC News On Campus has run two of Hott’s “WVU News” stories – “Recession-Proof City,” focusing on the strong economic climate in Morgantown, and “Virginia Tech’s Legacy of Safety,” on the second anniversary of the campus mass murder.
“Both reports were thorough and powerful,” ABC News On Campus executives stated in a letter to Hott. “[Hott] responded promptly to edit suggestions and delivered a professional-quality finished product.”
ABC News established ABC News On Campus in 2008 to allow young journalists to work with broadcast news professionals and to showcase work from college journalism students across the country. The program allows students to report on stories in their areas and produce a wide array of content for ABC News digital and broadcast platforms.
Gina Martino Dahlia, teaching assistant professor and broadcast news program chair, said ABC News got it right when they selected Hott as their “Roving Reporter of the Year.”
“Kasey Hott is one of our many shining stars in the broadcast news program,” said Dahlia. “I am very proud that ABC News On Campus has bestowed this honor on Kasey. I can not think of any student more deserving of this award.”
Hott’s award is the latest for the School of Journalism’s broadcast news program and “WVU News.” As part of the broadcast news program capstone course, students report and produce stories for the statewide newscast. They also serve as on-air anchors and work as the technical crew during newscast tapings at WVU’s professional television studio.
“WVU News” airs on West Virginia Public Television and on Time Warner Cable in North Central West Virginia. It is available online at http://www.youtube.com/westvirginiau and at http://iTunes.wvu.edu/.