{"id":8792,"date":"2011-11-14T11:27:09","date_gmt":"2011-11-14T16:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/news\/article.php?ArticleID=8792"},"modified":"2011-11-14T11:27:09","modified_gmt":"2011-11-14T16:27:09","slug":"8792_broadcaster-of-the-year-award-goes-to-tom-kaminski-84","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/college-of-communication-and-media\/2011\/11\/14\/8792_broadcaster-of-the-year-award-goes-to-tom-kaminski-84\/","title":{"rendered":"Broadcaster of the Year Award Goes to Tom Kaminski \u201984"},"content":{"rendered":"

Veteran WCBS Radio traffic reporter and Montclair State University alumnus Tom Kaminski \u201984 was presented with the 2011 Allen B. DuMont Broadcaster of the Year Award at the DuMont Television Center on November 11. The Broadcaster of the Year Award is presented to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the field of broadcasting.<\/p>\n

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Kaminski has covered metro-area traffic and breaking news from \u201cChopper 880,\u201d the station helicopter, since 1988 and is the WCBS Radio 880 Traffic and Transit Managing Editor. He has covered everything from traffic accidents to ticker-tape parades, and is noted for his coverage of the events of 9\/11, which he witnessed and was first to report from his unique vantage point in the sky over Manhattan.<\/p>\n

Kaminski was joined at the DuMont Award event by WCBS colleagues reporter Rich Lamb and news director Tim Scheld. After taping an interview with Assistant Professor Marc Rosenweig for a special edition of the Department of Broadcasting\u2019s weekly show, Carpe Diem<\/em>, Kaminski accepted the award and, together with Scheld, spoke to a master class of broadcasting students.<\/p>\n

The two industry veterans responded to a wide range of questions from the students including one about how technology has changed their work. \u201cIt\u2019s probably the most exciting time that journalism has ever experienced, mostly because of the exponential change in technology,\u201d responded Kaminski. \u201cEverybody is a journalist. Every one of you probably has a cell phone that\u2019s able to record audio, that\u2019s able to record video\u2014you are now a journalist. That\u2019s different from when we were the only ones who had tape recorders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another student asked what the pressure to be the first on the scene was like. \u201cWell, I may be able to be on the scene first, but that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that I have all the information, so what I do is just report on what I see,\u201d said Kaminski. \u201cI focus on the facts of what I see and don\u2019t speculate.\u201d Scheld added to this comment saying, \u201cThere is no pressure to be first\u2014the pressure is to be right. Because if you\u2019re wrong when everybody rushes to [you] as a news source, they will remember that you were wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Established in 1985, the Broadcaster of the Year Award has honored noted individuals in the field including Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes, Roz Abrams, formerly of Eyewitness News<\/em>, Inside Edition<\/em> anchor Deborah Norville, and My9 News<\/em> anchor Brenda Blackmon. The selection of candidates is based on recommendations by faculty and staff of the Department of Broadcasting and the DuMont Television Center at Montclair State University.<\/p>\n

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