Camp News 2024, Weekend Workshop for Aspiring TV Journalists

By Paul Greeley
817-578-6324, Paul@NewsBlues.com

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Suzie Suh attended the first Camp News workshop in 2000. Suh, a co-anchor for KCAL, the CBS-owned independent station in Los Angeles, is a 20-year veteran at the station.

“I had heard about this camp,” Suh says. “They said there were going to be a bunch of professionals there, reporters, anchors, and photographers with their live trucks and do all the things that I aspired to do in the field. I was like, wow, this sounds amazing.”

Suh says she saw it as an opportunity to create a demo reel that looked real.

“We put together a package and I had a standup in it,” she says. “And I used that standup in my tape, which got me my first gig. That camp helped me so much in my personal career. It was such a neat experience.”

Camp News 2024, in its 25th year, is a 2-day weekend workshop for college students and early career TV journalists that takes place December 14 and 15 in the Malibu area outside Los Angeles.

There are two programs going on simultaneously for you to choose–Reporting Camp and Anchor Camp.

At Reporting Camp, students tackle a mock news scenario, guided by mentors through the news-gathering process, ultimately producing a completed package by the end of the camp. Reporting Camp activities are held on-site at the Salvation Army Conference Center in Malibu Canyon.

Anchor Camp focuses on anchoring skills and on-air presentation techniques, with mentors offering personalized instruction. Anchor Camp students will head to Pepperdine University for specialized training.

Hal Eisner is the founder of Camp News, which is a non-profit. Eisner is a reporter with 40 plus years on television in Los Angeles, most at KTTV, the Fox-owned affiliate in LA.

“It’s from the heart,” Eisner says. “People are volunteering, giving up their weekend to help young people.”

He says the students who attend Camp News as participants come back as mentors once they’re broadcasters.

Pete Wilgoren, the managing director of content and coverage at KTLA, Nexstar’s CW affiliate in Los Angeles, has been a mentor at Camp News for 10 years.

“How in-depth and comprehensive the weekend was just blew me away,” he says.

Gary Brown, CEO of Talent Dynamics and co-owner of News Blues, says he’s been a mentor at Camp News and he’s amazed at “the magnitude of setting up a real news story and the amount of cooperation he gets from different agencies in the area to stage the event. It’s not a simple story the students are given as an assignment. It’s all valuable to get that real-life experience.”

Camp News 2024 registration is $400 from now until December 10th when registration ends.

Meals and lodging are included in registration. Saturday’s meals cover lunch and dinner, while Sunday includes breakfast and lunch.

Campers will stay in dormitory-style accommodations with shared bathrooms (separate for men’s and women’s dorms). Each room comes with a bed and mattress, but campers should bring their own bedding (sheets, pillows, sleeping bags) and personal items like shower towels.

Rob Hayes, who’s been a reporter and fill-in anchor at KABC, the ABC-owned affiliate in Los Angeles for 20 years, has been a mentor at Camp News on several occasions.

“It’s one of those things I wish was around when I was in college,” Hayes says. “It’s a really good experience for students who are looking to get into the business. It gives them a good taste of what life in news is like.”

Suh says she sometimes hears from students who attended Camp News and are now working in TV news. They tell her how much her mentoring helped them.

“To me, that is everything,” Suh says.

“If you’re a college kid and interested in local TV news, it’d be something I would recommend,” Hayes says. “They learn a lot, and it’s worthwhile.”

For questions, email CampNewsInfo@gmail.com.

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