Thomas Miller | March 1, 2011
 |
| Photo by Thomas Miller |
| Elyse Evans, BAJ'05, is an anchor at WTWO in Terre Haute. She spoke to classes Monday. |
Related |
Evans, who won an Emmy in 2009 for her series on a triple murder case in Parke County, talked to associate professor Mike Conway’s J353 Advanced Broadcast News class Monday and then joined a group of students for lunch in the Ernie Pyle Hall lounge to talk about her career and the benefits of her education at IU.
After sending out a second round of tapes, Evans interviewed in Fort Wayne, Terre Haute and South Bend. She decided on Terre Haute because it afforded her the opportunity to focus on her reporting as opposed to the reporter/producer jobs offered in Fort Wayne and South Bend.
She also began using her mother's maiden name professionally, changing from Elyse Hershenson, which is the name many of her fellow students will remember.
Once she arrived in Terre Haute, her career moved quickly. After three months of working as a reporter, she was offered a position at the station as one of the morning anchor.
“When I did mornings, my alarm went off at 2:30 a.m.,” said Evans. “I would get off work at noon and I tried to be in bed by 7:30. Here I am in my 20s going to bed at 8.”
She was again promoted in 2007, this time to an evening anchor position. Today, Evans anchors four shows a day, but she continues to hone her craft as a reporter.
“You’re only going to get better if you want to get better,” she said before talking about the importance of having good writing skills as a reporter. Her Emmy was for broadcast writing of a three-part series. “If you can tell it to me in five words, you’ve got a story. It has to be so clear and the sentences have to be so short because the viewer isn’t giving you their full attention. They’re doing other things.”
She said that no matter how stressful her job is, she is motivated by her love for journalism.
“I don’t know what else I would do,” she said.
Evans said she felt empowered by the trust viewers place in her.
“I love being behind the camera and I love the fact that people turn on the TV because they trust what’s coming out of my mouth,” she said.
She was the second alumna to speak in Conway’s class and his students said they enjoyed having the opportunity to hear a young recent grad talk about their career.
“I love seeing more women come through the door,” said senior Eunice Ntiamoah. “He’s brought so many great role models. It’s inspirational.”
 |
| Photo by Thomas Miller |
| A broadcast career can be challenging but rewarding, Evans said. "You have to make sure it's something you really want." |
“It’s very true,” said Conway, who spent two decades working in broadcast before turning to the classroom. “You really have to put your mind to it in broadcast news.”
Before leaving Ernie Pyle, Evans told students to be persistent and have an open mind.
“I love what I do,” she said. “You have to make sure it's something you really want.”
Questions? Comments? Email the Web editor.
