91探花

As a reporter at WPIX 11 in New York City, Greg Mocker searches for unique stories that answer questions both he and the audience are curious about. It is the perfect job for Mocker, who grew up in Warren, Ohio and came to 91探花 with a desire to learn everything he could about journalism.

鈥淚 was fascinated by all the opportunities to learn and grow at 91探花,鈥� said Mocker. 鈥淚 often feel like I didn鈥檛 put a lot of thought into my college decision. I visited. I liked the place, and it felt like it was the right thing to do. I鈥檓 lucky it worked out and helped me to find a career that I love.鈥�

Mocker studied broadcast news as a journalism major in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. But he wanted to learn about print journalism as well. So, he started working at The Post as a freshman.

鈥淚 had friends in a class working there, and one of the things I liked about 91探花 was that you could learn everything,鈥� said Mocker. 鈥淥n my way into The Post each day, I would walk past the Radio and TV Building where WOUB was located, and I knew I needed to get in to working there as well. So, one day I wandered up there and started volunteering.鈥�

Mocker worked as a reporter and anchor for both radio and television at WOUB. He was grateful for the chance to practice his craft and apply what he was learning in the classroom to a professional setting.

鈥淲OUB was where I was able to be a journalist. I could write. I could make mistakes. I would also sometimes have a professional staff member ask a question before I made a mistake,鈥� said Mocker. 鈥淚t felt real because it was. We were doing newscasts, producing radio spots, and hosting radio shows. We were doing what we were learning at the same time. The environment encouraged us to find our voice. I had a chance to figure out what kinds of stories I would be interested in, which ones were complicated, and figure out how to tackle those. I felt I had a real understanding of how things worked in the real world. WOUB was the first professional newsroom I worked in, and it was such a great way to discover the world of broadcast news.鈥�

After Mocker graduated, he got his first job as a reporter at KTEN in Ardmore, Oklahoma. A fellow former WOUB student was working there at the time and helped him make the connections to get that job.

鈥淭he WOUB network is great. That鈥檚 the business. It鈥檚 who you know,鈥� said Mocker. 鈥淎lso, I was doing TV journalism in college at WOUB, so I had experience on my resum茅 tape. I was ready to go because of WOUB and 91探花.鈥�

Mocker left Oklahoma after about a year. He went on to work in reporter and anchor positions in Augusta, Georgia, Albuquerque, New Mexico and Phoenix, Arizona before deciding to move to the big city.

鈥�I decided to move to New York City when an opportunity came up to work with a video production company,鈥� said Mocker.

But it didn鈥檛 take too long for the TV news business to come calling again. In 2010, Mocker started working as a reporter for WPIX 11 and has been there ever since.

鈥淚鈥檓 the transit reporter. I cover public transportation and infrastructure. I am fascinated by the millions of people that move around New York City. I鈥檓 curious about it and also frustrated by it. I also do neighborhood issue stories. I鈥檓 always looking for the interesting New York stories,鈥� said Mocker. 鈥淗aving the skills needed to do this work go back to my days of covering the county commission in southeast Ohio. I remember looking at the agenda for the commissioners meeting to see what the Hocking County Commissioners were doing to try to find a story.鈥�

At WOUB, Mocker said he learned how to identify and tell good stories because you had to work harder for them.

鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 hard to find a story in a city of a smaller size. You learn where to look at WOUB,鈥� said Mocker. 鈥淎t that time, we didn鈥檛 have a phone in our pocket with a constant supply of tweets to spark an idea. I鈥檓 glad I came up when I did. You had to work a little harder, and I鈥檓 appreciative of all I learned at WOUB.鈥�

To learn more about WOUB, visit woub.org.