NBC-10 Reporter Kristen Welker Visits

The Art Institute of Philadelphia General Education faculty member James Schreyer invited NBC-10 reporter and weekend anchor Kristen Welker to visit his Effective Speaking (GE10320) class on May 21, 2009.

A history major while at Harvard, Welker told the students that the most exciting part of her job is "getting a front-row seat to history."

So far this has included interviewing then-Senator Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign and frequent interactions with local politicians, including Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter.

"I love politics," Welker told the students, adding that she hopes to "get to a point where I can focus on politics all the time" in her reporting.

A Philadelphia native, Welker established herself as a TV news reporter first in Redding, California.

Describing her experiences there as "one-man banding," Welker often carried her own camera to events she covered, wrote all the news copy when serving as weekend anchor and occasionally filled in to do the weather.

"Your first job won't be your dream job," she told the students. "Your first five jobs might not be your dream job."

Nevertheless, those just starting out need to make the most of every opportunity.

"You need to be aggressive about learning as much as you can about your field," Welker told the students.

"Don't be afraid to work long hours or strange hours," Welker added, noting that she often puts in ten-hour days and finds herself working weekends and holidays when most people are at home.

"Hard work is necessary if you are really passionate about something."

As she described her career, Welker's stories about her on-camera experiences proved to be as entertaining and informative for fashion students in the class as they were for those studying media arts.

"I pick out all my own clothes," Welker told the students. The students were surprised to learn that Welker also buys all her own clothes - no "wardrobe" is provided by the station.

"When you are on TV, the public expects you to look a certain way," Welker noted.

Over the years, Welker said she has learned which colors work best with her skin tone and how to accessorize her best clothes so she can wear them more often on camera.

Of course, sounding good on the air is as important as looking good.

"When you are speaking in public, it is important that everyone can understand you," Welker told the students in the class.

Welker said that she goes to great lengths to make sure she finds out the correct pronunciation of the names of streets and towns as well as of families she is reporting on.

Mispronouncing the name of a street or town can "immediately alienate your audience," she warned the students. A reporter doing this will "immediately lose credibility" with viewers in the region.

Welker addressed some of the changes that might be coming to the industry with the advent of HD technology and a greater online presence for television news operations.

Lighter HD cameras might lead to reporters capturing their own video footage and additional online content is now a routine part of most news stories.

Welker predicted that the students will have careers which will require them to "have a lot of different skills that revolve around your main skill."

Pictured: NBC-10 Reporter Kristen Welker with faculty member James Schreyer and students in his Effective Speaking class