Exclusive interview with Keith Jones, Morning Anchor Tampa Bay

Keith Jones, the morning anchor of Tampa Bay 10 News (WTSP), did not exactly want to become a "news" guy back then. Wait until you read what he reveals about what's really behind the reasons he is doing what he is doing today and where he was when the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 occurred! This successful professional who posesses a great and contagious sense of humor,  grew up in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. Based on a baseball scholarship, he was able to attend Barry University in North Miami. Now it's time to see what Keith Jones has to reveal!

1. How do you describe your immersion into such competitive field? Tell us about your first job as a reporter! Actually getting into this field was an absolute accident. I went to school for a business degree. My career goal  was to own a chain of sporting goods stores. For whatever reason, a prerequisite for the particular field of study… was an impromptu speech class. So here I am, a freshmen in college on the first day of class and the prof decides to illustrate what the class is all about. The professor made each of the students get up and talk about a random topic of her choice for 15 seconds. The professor called on me. I was given my topic (don’t recall what it was) and started talking. She had a stop watch, clicked it and said, "Your time is up". In the not-so-unusual-smart-aleck-form I said, “No, I have more”. She said, “Fine, go 30-seconds on this topic”. I did. She clicked the stop watch and I said, “Nah, I have more on this one too”. This scenario repeated itself until I was yapping for 2 and half minutes. After class, the prof called me over.  I’m thinking great, first day of college in my first year and I’m already busted. She asked what my major was and I explained business and what my aspirations were. She said, you absolutely have to do something in broadcast, whether it be radio or tv. So I started snooping around some production classes, then journalism classes and discovered I was pretty creative and fairly decent in front of the camera.

My first reporting position: I was hired the ABC affiliate in West Palm Beach right out of college. Not a typical starters market, but I was fortunate to begin my career here. It was pretty harsh. Long days, unbearable work load, horrible shifts, etc, but I wouldn’t trade it. All of the aforementioned was a tremendous learning experience. I learned early on it was going to be a sink or swim first job. Typically a kid out of college has to begin in a small market, make his/her mistakes, and eventually move up. I knew my mistakes had to be few and far between and couldn’t’ be repeated. I learned I wasn’t very good LIVE (lack of experience), but was a good story teller. In fact, I was nominated for an Emmy Award within my first 6 months. So I lived,…. I learned and moved on from West Palm.

2. You have been able to cover fascinating stories and experience closely events that have impacted the whole nation on a concerning level. Considering that you need to be elaborately trained and significantly skilled in your job in order to cover breaking news, how did you make it through during the September 11th crash of United Flight 93 in Somerset , Pennsylvania ? How did you cope with your own reactions vs. your duty? I think it was the disbelief of what was happening. At first everyone was transfixed on what was happening in New York City . Then the Pentagon was hit. Then Somerset. At the point it became clear all three were connected. I was sent to Pittsburgh International where I was able to get updates from the Aviation Authority. I remember this voracious appetite for any and all information. After several hours there, I was dispatched to the scene in Somerset , PA. It’s a long drive and we were learning this was a terrorist attack. I remember talking with my photographer about how scary this was. The uncertainty.The angst. What I was feeling was no different than other Americans. Your adrenaline takes over in situations like this and it helps suppress your inner fear and emotions. I spent an entire week in this field. By the time I got home, I was exhausted, stressed, etc. Leave it to my oldest daughter to force the tears to my eyes. She asked me why the bad men crashed planes into buildings. As journalists, we cover SO many horrific stories with ugly details. Honestly, like cops, we become numb to them. You have to or you’d end up in a deep depression. That’s not to say we’re completely devoid of emotion, but as a coping mechanism you just learn to say, “here we go again”. The stories that just kill me are stories in which children are hurt in some way. I always think, “geez that could be one of my daughters”.

3. How is your daily schedule like working for Tampa Bay 10 News? How do you get prepared for every appearance? My day starts at 2:45am. I curse this shift every morning, but then praise it at 12:30 in the afternoon when my day is done and I have the rest of the day to do, well… whatever. I’m in the shop by 3:30am, sit down and start copy editing scripts and discussing the stories our reporters are on. At 4:45am I go shave and get dressed and I’m on set for the 5:00am newscasts. Our broadcast runs for 2 hours so lots of coffee on set is a must.  When our show is over we start working on the “cut ins”. These are abbreviated newscasts that run at 7:25, :55, 8:25, :55.  After that, we start working on our rundowns for the Noon show. We’re constantly writing scripts and re-writing as new information comes in.

4. What is the part that you enjoy the most about your job?
Probably the people I work with. We have a tremendous crew in the morning. We work well together and most of all we have fun together. I enjoy the fact no day is the same. Each day is different.  I enjoy the fact anything can happen on live t.v. and something unexpected usually happens. I enjoy meeting new people out on stories or a live broadcast. In addition to all this…. Where else could I get paid to tell stories?

5.Tell us about the time that you and your family have donated to the American Heart Association and the Children's Hospital. Are you guys still in active with them?
People get involved with charities for a myriad of reasons. Mine is personal. My oldest daughter was born with an incurable heart disease.We didn’t know until she turned 1 year. In fact, we spent her first birthday in the hospital when she got diagnosed. She wasn’t supposed to live but 2 years. After numerous open heart surgeries, 2 artificial mitral valves, 2 pacemakers later…. She’s 14. To help raise awareness that kids have heart disease too, my family is intimately involved with the Heart Association. We engage in fundraisers, emcee events, share our stories with groups, etc. And since we spend so much time at Children’s Hospital, a place that has treated us very well, we offer our time and efforts their as well.

6.What are the topics that you are particularly passionate about and truly enjoy to the fullest when covering a story or even when you are just carrying a regular conversation? The stories I enjoy the most are features or positive stories involving kids.  I’m tongue in cheek with my story telling which lends itself to a log of humor. I love to combine natural sound, sound bites, creative writing and camera shots into one piece that leaves the viewer smiling, laughing, and informed. There’s an art to it and for me, it’s a lot of fun to meld these items into a compelling story. As for what I like to talk about… hmmmmm… usually my kids, because they are a wealth of stories. Unbeknownst to them… they’re entertaining and provide for a plethora of anecdotes. Additionally, I was apparently born with the gift of gab and can talk to anyone about anything.