Across the country, Illinois State University alumni are taking over the afternoon airwaves.
“I started to see this trend,” said TV-10 News Director Laura Trendle Polus. After the nationally syndicated Ellen DeGeneres Show ended in May 2022, Trendle Polus saw several television stations launch local programs to fill the void—some hosted by Illinois State alumni. The new shows range in format from newscasts, to lifestyle programming, to a blend of the two.
Daralene Jones, WFTV Orlando
Daralene Jones ’02 found her niche in journalism after exploring different majors at Illinois State. She got involved with the Vidette, WZND, and TV-10 and knew it was what she was meant to do.
Jones said TV-10 was her “first job” and prepared her for her career.
“The Illinois State I remember is a place that affords students an opportunity to get real hands-on training in journalism,” Jones said.
After graduation, Jones worked as an investigative reporter at stations in Illinois, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Florida. She is now a three-time Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter, the creator and executive producer of the Ocoee Massacre documentary, and the current 4 p.m. newscast co-anchor at WFTV in Orlando.
In her current position, Jones reports breaking news and applies her institutional knowledge to add context to stories.
Reflecting on her time at TV-10 and how it prepared her for her current role, Jones said, “TV-10 was really like a job that we did. It was being a working journalist in the community, and now I’m a mom with three kids and working full time and juggling my home life and working life. I think that TV-10 prepared me for what was to come in more ways than I knew.”
Laura Schweizer, WKRN Nashville
Laura Schweizer ’12 recalls pretending to interview people and host shows when she was a kid. Ever since sixth grade, she knew she wanted to go into broadcast journalism.
At Illinois State, Schweizer joined TV-10 where she helped create an entertainment program, Ten on 10, which still airs today.
“ISU inspired me because it gave me that platform to do the work that I’m doing now,” said Schweizer. “With the opportunity of TV-10 and Ten on 10 and that hands-on experience, I knew and understood and believed that I could do this and make this my future.”
Schweizer is an award-winning journalist who helped create 4CornersTV.com, a digital media company, hosted Laura Schweizer: Weekend Warrior, served as a digital contributor for 303 Magazine, worked as the digital manager for KITV Island News in Hawaii, and now co-hosts Local On 2, a 2 p.m. lifestyle show at WKRN in Nashville.
“We like to say we are covering the heart of middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky,” said Schweizer.
The show covers local businesses, events, inspirational people, and is filled with heartfelt stories. It is more relaxed compared to a traditional newscast, and guests are often brought in or interviewed to highlight their positive and innovative community impact.
“I love telling stories. I love listening to stories. And I think that stories can help create community and they can change other people’s lives,” said Schweizer.
Jeff Wagner, WCCO Minneapolis
Jeff Wagner ’09 discovered his love for broadcast journalism when he joined his high school’s student newscast. He continued to fuel his passion through Illinois State’s broadcast journalism program and TV-10.
“The second you graduated, you knew you had the skill set to apply for these broadcast jobs,” said Wagner.
After college, Wagner worked as a reporter and anchor at WCIA in Champaign before serving as a broadcast journalist at WISH in Indianapolis where he won Emmy awards for tornado coverage and video journalism. Now, Wagner co-anchors a new 4 p.m. newscast with WCCO in Minneapolis.
“I’m in a CBS station and we had the Ellen DeGeneres Show at 4 p.m. for a long time,” said Wagner. “Then that went off the air last year. Our station was trying to come up with a plan.”
WCCO landed on a blend of the traditional evening news with some lighter news mixed in. Hosting the 4 p.m. newscast, Wagner said, is a different experience than reporting. He sits in a comfortable armchair, interviews guests, and covers more light-hearted news.
Reflecting on his time at TV-10, Wagner said, “Getting involved with as much production as you can to gain as much experience as possible is only going to make you better.”
TV-10 offers current students classes and opportunities to build broadcasting skills, Trendle Polus said. Students start with short, 90-second newscasts. Then, they are taught how to use professional cameras, edit videos, find stories, and contribute to newscasts. At the final stage, students oversee an entire newscast where they serve as the producer and can also anchor or host the production.
Trendle Polus said in addition to preparing students for traditional newscasts, TV-10 allows students to be creative and explore their personal broadcasting interests—from entertainment to sports programming. These diverse opportunities continue to set alumni up for success in the ever-changing broadcasting industry.
“I’m proud to get to watch what our alums do,” Trendle Polus said. “That’s a great position to be in.”
