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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 1985)
Page 4/The Battalion/Wednesday, December 4, 1985 Aggie enjoys challenge as TV news director “I think if more emphasis is placed on writing, Texas A&M will turn out people of a much higher caliber and much more able to compete out there in the work pla ce. ” —Jeff Braun, news director for KBTX-TV Channel 3. By ANDY RICHARDSON Reporter Jeff Braun, a former Texas A&M student, says experience and deter mination are what have gotten him to his present position as news anchor and news director for Bry an’s KBTX-TV Channel 3 news. As news director, Braun is in charge of the news staff and prepar ing the news for the 6 p.m. weekday broadcast, which he co-anchors with Debbie Ramsey. Braun, 26, whose personal philos ophy is to treat others as he would like to be treated, describes himself as a determined individual. “I could be a little headstrong, but there are many times when I have a vision of what something should be and to get that accomplished I may have to overcome a number of obsta cles,” he says. Sitting on the news set where he is the most familiar to viewers, Braun described some of his personal views and past experiences which brought him into journalism in Bryan-Col- lege Station. Braun started his journalism ex perience as an errand runner at a ra dio station in Bellville while in high school. After the previous morning- shift worker left, Braun got his first taste of on-the-air experience. It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time, he recalls. Braun went to Blinn Junior Col lege for a year before transferring to Texas A&M. Working for the Office of Public Information at A&M, he had the opportunity to work with KAMU-TV, the television station on campus. Braun says this experience was what gave him the desire to go into television. The following summer he started work for KAMU as a photog rapher and a reporter for the now- defunct news department which was eliminated by budget cuts this sum mer. Braun worked there for more than two years. Gaining a job with Channel 3 as a weekend anchor and reporter was another case of being in the right place at the right time, he says. After working there slightly more than a year, Braun was offered the position of news director at the station when the old news director decided to leave. The job of being in charge of the news at the station and still try ing to finish up his journalism de gree was a challenge tin t Braun says he eagerly accepted. Taking on the added responsibili ties did delay his graduation, how ever. “I was thinking along the lines that experience is just as important as the formal education and it was an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down,” he says. Braun’s dedication to the tele vision news is not just skin deep. He says he is deeply concerned with the quality of writing for each broadcast. He says many people going into television are too caught up in the cosmetics and the glamour asso ciated with it. “They become more concerned with making things look good and forget about the bread and butter journalism that is involved such as the facts, how to write it and how to communicate it,” he says. “I think if more emphasis is placed on writing, Texas A&M will turn out people of a much higher caliber and much more able to com pete out there in the work place.” As far as goals go, Braun says he is excited about what Channel 3 has ac complished since he has been news director. Revamping the newscast with dual anchors and a new news set are just two changes he has helped institute. “I like to think everything we have done here has helped to improve television journalism in this commu nity,” he says. Braun says he is happy with his job, but thinks the need to be chal lenged must be maintained. He says he doesn’t want to get comfort able with the job. “I don’t feel very comfortable he re,” Braun says. “I think that when I would feel comfortable is a time when I would have to start looking at why, because when you’re comfort able. there’s really not a challenge there and there is a challenge here." Braun says he thinks that in the last five years the impression that other televsion stations around the state have about Channel 3 has im proved. Brain says he is very ambitious but realizes that sacrifices must be made to achieve some of his goals. He says a key word in his vocabulary is “satis ficing.” “Satisficing” is when you satisfy a need or desire, but by doing that you sacrifice some points, he says. “I think that’s probably a good word as far as management goes for me,” he says. Braun says he enjoys his bachelor status, but that some day he would like to try family life. “Family life is very important to me and anyone who knows anything about the TV business knows that it is not conducive to that,” he says. Braun also is known for his work with the Muscular Dystrophy Asso ciation’s annual Labor Day Tele thon. Each year he travels to Las Ve gas for the report to the master of ceremonies from the different sta tions working on the special project. He says helping with “Jerry’s Kids” means a lot to him and that it is something he prepares for months in advance. The elves have taken over the workshop. They say Santa’s gotten all the credit for Christmas. While they did the work. So they want a break. Less work, fewer presents to makeorSantastays tied until New Years. Give the elves a break. Buy your Christmas gifts at Twin City Furniture. This month during Twin City’s Annual Anniversary Sale, save 10°/o to 57% on great Christmas presents of all sizes. Microwave ovens. Couches. Chairs. TVs. Stereos. Everything in the store. Reduced up to 57% this month. All reducing the elf workload. Downtown Bryan/779-0894 All with instant in-store financing and same day delivery. Give an elf a break. Shop Twin City Furniture’s Anniversary Sale. TWIN CITY FURNITURE 219 North Main Hors< wins By SHER ■l ^ J Photo b\ SflKES.tt Jeff Braun — news co-anchor and news director for KBTX-TT Channel 3 How to fit a The Texas Team is the f the nation to Grown” of hor H The team st ning first pi judging conte; semester. 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