January 2024

January 2024
Katerina Belales

(BA, Journalism, '21)

Q & A:

1. What was your favorite class, who was your favorite professor, or what is your fondest memory of Hofstra?
   There are so many fond memories and professors to choose from during my time at Hofstra! While I’m grateful for the entirety of my four years there, two moments always stick out to me. The first one was being cast in the Drama Department’s production of Legally Blonde: The Musical during my junior year. As a double major in journalism and drama, I aspired to incorporate both careers and interests into my daily life. However, due to scheduling conflicts, I started gravitating toward more clubs and organizations in the School of Communications (which I loved). When I finally took a leap of faith and was cast as a supporting character in Legally Blonde, a part of me felt restored. Throughout the rehearsal process, my professor and director, Jen Hart, called me a “star” both on the stage and in front of the camera. Not only did she make me once again feel seen in the entertainment world, but also she was so understanding and encouraging, no matter what life path I decided to take in the end. That honestly goes for all the professors in the Drama Department, but Jen calling me a “star” has always been a core memory for me.
   
   A year later, I learned that I had earned the role as one of the head anchors of Hofstra Today, Hofstra’s only daytime news broadcast. This moment was especially full circle for me, as I did not even make the cut when I first auditioned as a freshman. From that point on, I worked tirelessly each year to improve my skills in front of the camera. Thanks to those efforts, I became the Entertainment anchor in my sophomore year and the National News anchor in my junior year. Receiving the head anchor gig in my senior year was a full-circle moment that “freshman-year Katerina” was waiting for. I just knew I made her proud, as well as my professors in the School of Communication. One of them happens to be an incredible mentor: Professor Liz Burke. She not only guided me throughout the reporting and anchoring process, but also helped me achieve success during my last semester as the advisor for my honors thesis (and she also nominated me for the Alumni Newsletter, so thank you, Professor Burke!).
   
   Both of these instances showed me not only the value that I had in myself as both an actress and journalist, but also the impact a professor can have on a student. When a mentor has that much faith in you, no matter what career you choose in the end, it’s the most wonderful feeling in the world.
2. What was your first job after graduating Hofstra, and what was the most valuable thing you learned there?
   My first job after graduating from Hofstra was being the Morning News anchor and producer for the ABC/CBS/CW affiliate WENY-TV. Our morning show, Good Morning Twin Tiers, allowed me to fulfill my lifelong dream of being a morning news anchor, reporting on not only the top and breaking news stories of the day, but also the more uplifting, positive stories of our local communities. Having that balance in a newscast is always incredibly important to me, and it showed the public that the news can be FUN! So many friends and colleagues have expressed that concern to me over the years, and I always wanted to ensure that the public enjoyed our newscasts. After all, they were starting their days with us, so while we may have started with some of the more serious and breaking news, we always tried to end the newscast on a fun, positive note.
3. What is your field of specialty, and how did you come to work in the industry?
   My field of specialty is broadcast television journalism. I began working in the industry during my time at Hofstra. Once I joined WRHU-FM and the HEAT Network, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. These experiences allowed me to receive internships at NBC’s Weekend Today, MSNBC, and CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront during my time at Hofstra. As I previously mentioned, I joined WENY-TV after graduation. After two years in the Twin Tiers, I decided to move forward in my career by joining the Westchester and Hudson Valley teams at News 12 Networks.
4. What advice would you give Hofstra students?
   Utilize all the resources Hofstra University provides during your time as a student. My professors were incredibly helpful within the classroom, but I must also give credit to the clubs and organizations I was a part of while I was a student. The HEAT Network, WRHU-FM, Delta Phi Epsilon, Honors College, the Chai Notes, the Hellenic Society, and so many other organizations and honor societies each offered the skills and life lessons that helped me become the best-rounded person I could be. When it came to my majors, the organizations within the School of Communication helped me land major internships like Weekend Today, CNN, and MSNBC. Pursuing a drama major was also a bonus, as it helped me differentiate myself from other communications students and have inside knowledge of the entertainment industry. Therefore, joining groups related to your major can give you a huge boost in your career.
   
   You should additionally try to branch out to organizations outside of your major. It will allow you to meet people from all different walks of life and gain a new perspective on society. My outlook on life would’ve been very different if I had only participated in clubs within the School of Communication or the Department of Drama and Dance, so I’m grateful for all the different types of people and majors I came in contact with during my time at Hofstra.
5. In one word, how would you describe Hofstra?
   Abundant. The opportunities to grow and become a successful, well-rounded person at Hofstra are almost endless. I touched upon it in my previous answer, but the number of resources Hofstra provides for students of all majors is truly astonishing. The faculty wants you to succeed and ensures you have everything you need right at your fingertips for a bountiful future.
6. What is a typical day like for an Alert Center anchor and senior multimedia journalist?
   I start my day by getting “camera ready” bright and early at 2 a.m. That means doing my hair and makeup and picking out my dress for the day. Once I arrive at work, I immediately start researching for any breaking or hard news stories happening throughout Westchester County and the Hudson Valley. As an Alert Center anchor, I have eight hits throughout our morning show focusing on some of the biggest stories happening that morning. Because of the number of hits I have, I try to pitch six to 10 stories a day (we sometimes will repeat stories depending on how important they are). Once my executive producer chooses which stories I will be reporting on, I start writing the stories and gathering any content needed for the hit. That includes any videos, soundbites, graphics, and maps. Once 5 a.m. rolls around, our morning show is officially live, and I make reports every half hour until 8:30 a.m.
   
   After the morning show, we attend our post-mortem meeting, where we discuss all the positives of that day’s show and ways to improve. Going forward, there are two ways my day can go. The first is attending our 9 a.m. editorial meeting, where reporters pitch their stories for the day. In my case, I would pitch Alert Center stories to report on for our noon show. Since that show is only 30 minutes, I will only need to report on two stories. Once those two stories are picked, I once again write them up, gather all necessary visual content, and then report on them for our noon show.
   
   The other option is reporting in the field by myself as a multimedia journalist. That means I do all the work: I shoot, edit, write scripts, and report the story. Depending on the day, I will go out into the field and report on a breaking news story for the noon show, sharing the latest details on what we know of that story before potentially passing it on to another reporter for the evening.
7. What unique experience or qualifications do you have that separate you from other people in your field?
   While my current career is in the broadcast journalism field, one of my first loves has always been the theater! As I mentioned previously, I earned both a BA in Journalism and a BA in Drama, with a minor in musical theater. I always say the acting and improv skills I learned during my time in the Department of Drama and Dance helped improve my on-air presence. My confidence has grown, I solidified my “anchor voice,” and I learned how to “improv” in breaking news situations by going off-the-cuff in a fast-paced news environment.
8. Who was the person who influenced you most, and how?
   Oprah Winfrey. Growing up, I was always told, “You can either be a journalist or an actress. You can’t do both.” Oprah proved all those people wrong. Both acting and journalism give me such joy in different ways; I would not be complete if one of them was missing. As someone who also cherishes volunteer work and giving back to the community, I admire Oprah’s advocacy for so many different yet important causes. Through her decades of work, multiple news outlets have deemed Oprah one of the most influential people of all time. To have that kind of impact on society is truly admirable, and I can only hope to have a fraction of that impact on the future by doing something I truly love.
9. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you see your career progressing in the future?
   There are so many ways this can go. On one hand, I would love to be an award-winning, nationally ranked lifestyle and entertainment journalist who focuses on the fun, positive news stories happening throughout the nation. On the other hand, I would love to try to incorporate acting into my life, alongside my journalism career. Maybe someday Broadway will be in the cards? Maybe someday I will win an Emmy? Both of those would be incredible paths, and I would be proud to walk down either of them. But at the end of the day, life has crazy ideas in store. That’s the beauty of it, and I plan to soak it in as much as possible.