Journalist Spotlight | Interview with Steve Hart, Anchor at WIN TV Wollongong

Hi Steve! Congratulations on your new role at WIN Television! Could you tell us a little bit more about this? How did your experience in other roles prepare you and have you always wanted to be a Broadcast Journalist?

This year marks my 30^th year in broadcasting…  It feels like yesterday I began my first shift as a nervous wide eyed Breakfast Announcer at radio station 2LF in Young and since then what a wonderful ride it has been.  

The best part is I feel like I’m still learning. 

I’m excited to be taking up this role with WIN News because I feel it’s an opportunity to bring all that 30 years of experience to help find and tell the stories that matter to our audience, the people of regional Australia.

I didn’t always know I wanted to be a Journalist, but I did always want to tell stories. To entertain people, move people, make them laugh, make them cry, make them think and feel something. I guess ultimately that’s how I found my way into journalism. I love meeting people and hearing their stories. Often in news you’re meeting people at some of the worst or best times in their lives and because of that you often build a close and long-lasting relationship due to the deeply emotional subject matter.

To be able to join WIN News at this time of my life and career is an honour and a privilege. I see it as a chance to hopefully pass on some of that experience to the many younger talented people we have at WIN News who may be just beginning their careers. If they want my help, I’m here to share what I’ve learned along the way, I’d really like that.

How did you get your start in journalism? And what are the biggest changes within the industry that you’ve witnessed?

I got my start in radio as an announcer and eventually found my way to television and journalism firstly as a Sports Journalist, with my big break coming in 1999. I was thrilled to join the team at SPORTS TONIGHT on Network Ten, a show that was hugely popular at the time and where I got my first opportunity to read the sports news. 

Since that time the industry has seen wave after wave of redundancies and cutbacks, largely due to the evolution of the internet and streaming services, etc. TV News now has a lot more competition than it did back in the glory days. So nowadays we do a lot more with a lot less. One thing that hasn’t changed is the people who work in the industry are extremely passionate and dedicated to what they do. Hopefully regional news will be here for a long time yet, as I see local news as being incredibly important to regional communities. 

What does your media cycle look like currently? And what does a workday look like for you?

For me my workday in this new role has changed quite a bit after being on the road as a crime and news Journalist for most of the last decade.  This role gets me back in the studio and behind the news desk. I read seven bulletins a day across regional QLD and NSW. The day begins slowly enough but finishes in a controlled mad rush. Some days I like to still get out on the road and find good stories to share. The morning is busy with reading and editing scripts as they come in from our reporters on the road . The afternoon is when things really heat up and we get very recording all the bulletins ready to air at 5:30pm. 

You’ve also worked for various outlets throughout your career. How do these outlets differ in how they plan and produce their content?

I’ve worked in regional radio stations to metro radio and television stations, and they are all very similar, with the main difference being in how specialised the roles may be. For example, in the regional stations, you have to wear many hats. A journalist could also be a producer, a copy writer may even be a camera person etc. As you move into the metro stations those roles get separated and specialised a little more. However, even that is changing as metro newsrooms are forced to survive with less staff than in previous years.

What makes for a good pitch? Have you received one that stood out to you recently? 

Well, a good story is one that moves people and that can be in any number of ways. If it shocks, angers, makes you laugh or cry then there is a good story. For TV it may be some great video, e.g. CCTV of a dramatic police car chase might make for a good starting point for a story. Television is all about pictures, so you need great pictures and people to share their stories on camera. Other good stories may come from people sharing something that’s happened to them or a government decision that has angered them.

Finally, what are your thoughts on AI? Have you used it in your own work and how do you think it will affect Broadcast differently (from written journalism)?

AI is a bit of a scary thought for me. How far will it go and how do we make sure we humans don’t make ourselves redundant? I am amazed by what it can do, and its potential is terrifying. Let’s hope we as the human race can find a way to make it work for us and not the other way around. I fear the horse may have bolted.