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.
I “This team
ojhers,” team
said. “They ar
win all three a
■ The first c
peted in was t
San Horse S
FfM. on Oct.
first, and the i
Barbara Galla
■ On Oct. 25
Golimibus, Ol
can Quarter l
njng first pla<
cjeved its sect
leaders in Oh
Mendy Fentor
■ The third
the World C
Horse Show
Okla. Nov. 20
tired first
“Triple Grot
leaders for t
were Barbara
ton, Wes Shah
■ "This was ;
Potter said. “1
five, hard wor
ive of each oil
■The judgin
the Texas Ai
elation. They
Gret
Ass
Give a gift
certificate!
Available in any
denomination :
over $1.00.
Ask the
•y; manager at > u ,
any Flying
. Tomato C
. > •; for details.. M
■ DALLAS -
Greenville P<
filed a $57
against Lend
black enginei
partment in <
vestigation of
robberies.
WmMf
lln a feder
day, Police C
Lt. James Foi
fi'ed mental
ble loss to th
suit of a $28
filed Nov. 8
the five other
iGeter and
compensatior
'-‘■S
flzzvmH
303 W. UNIVERSIll
Hewlett-Packard...
For Tough Assignme
c
3 W 5 6 1 -; I
©©©©©©©fflPR©
0hii©©IA!®0©©
Hewlett-Packard calculators...for Science, Engineering, Business, orFiranct.
They save time and simplify complex problems. How? With built-in func
tions, programming capability, and time-saving features like dedicatedte
Buy yours today!
• lll’-HC Slim line Advanced Scientific
Programmable $65.50
• HP-12C Slim line Advanced Financial
Programmable $99.00
• UP-15C Slim-line Advanced Scientific
Programmable with Matrices
• 1IP-16C Slim-line Programmable for
Computer Science
• IIP-41CV Advanced Programmable
Alphanumeric
« HP-41CX Advanced Programmable
Alphanumeric with Extended Functions
$99.00
$99.00
$180.00
$257.00
HEWLETT
PACKARD
AUTHORIZED HEWLETT-PACKARD DEALER
505 CHURCH STREET
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS
409/846-5332