Journalists may feel that their choice of print or broadcast reporting is the be-all, end-all of their career, and they can never change.
However, speakers Maki Becker of WKBW-TV in Buffalo, N.Y., and James Pilcher of WKRC-TV in Cincinnati showed journalists otherwise in an SPJ 2026 panel “Making the Jump: Transitioning to Broadcast News Mid-Career.”
The panel, part of the Radio Television Digital News Association’s (RTDNA) world tour, helps journalists considering a step into the broadcast world.
Becker, now a senior reporter, was a print journalist for 18 years at the Buffalo News before being chosen for a now-inactive E.W. Scripps journalism initiative that started in 2024 that taught veteran print journalists to become visual storytellers.
Becker recalls her experiences with the video journalism boot camp, comparing it to moving to a new country. “When I was a kid, I moved from Japan to California,” she said. “It was kind of like that. Everything was new and different, and I didn’t know how to do anything.”
Becker admitted to having mixed feelings about her experience.
She says she remembers the number of “tearful drives back home” after attempting to learn so many new, technical skills. However, she eventually got the hang of it.
After being laid off from The Enquirer in 2019, Pilcher began reaching out to Cincinnati’s journalism community, including an investigative reporter at WKRC-TV.
“They needed somebody in the city, and I’d been living there for 20 years,” Pilcher said. “I knew the city, I knew the issues.” He was eventually hired, with a few weeks of training planned until he was ready to go on air.
A week after Pilcher was hired, the COVID-19 pandemic began. “I literally learned how to do TV in my basement,” he said.
Pilcher describes the experience positively, saying it was beneficial to learn the TV industry during a time when everyone was doing the same thing. “It was scary, but also invigorating,” he said. “I got thrown into the deep end.”
Becker and Pilcher both emphasize that they still do the reporting they love — just differently.
“I still get to ask important people nosy questions and hold them accountable,” Pilcher said. “The core of this job is still to find out the information.”
James Pilcher of WKRC-TV shows off his mobile teleprompter app. Photo by Colae Eason.
Pilcher had to learn to be on camera daily, write for TV and adapt to visual storytelling, which eventually led to the production of his show, “Beyond the Podium.”
Becker and Pilcher touched on the challenges of broadcasting, including the pace of TV news, breaking big stories into sections, scheduling TV interviews and broadcast production.
As a multimedia journalist, Becker is expected to deliver a full package every day, handling reporting, editing and shooting with her own equipment.
Pilcher has a cameraperson. He admits to struggling occasionally with live shots and “thinking visually,” meaning writing in ways that accompany the visuals rather than explaining what the visuals already present.
Becker and Pilcher say one of the biggest benefits of transitioning to broadcast news is how much more the audience trusts you.
From receiving positive feedback in the grocery store to new sources approaching you with useful information, being recognizable has its journalistic perks, according to Becker and Pilcher.
Becker mentioned how broadcast journalism builds trust, as viewers watch you during the reporting process, increasing transparency and engagement.
Becker and Pilcher ended by offering advice for future broadcast transitioners: use social media videos, practice recording voiceovers and hone ad-libbing skills.
Featured story by Colae Eason.