Three years after graduating, alumna Rodriguez finds job as Traffic Reporter

Gaby Rodriguez, issue 15, Katie Jenkins-Moses, KFSN, Features - By Katie Jenkins-Moses on Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 03:10

“Well, you realize that if you want to be in this business you are going to have to move to Podunk, Idaho and start there making $18,000 and maybe, just maybe, make it back to Los
Angeles.”

This is what alumna Gaby Rodriguez (’08) was told when she walked into KABC, the news station for the Los Angeles area, in 2008. At first taken aback, not really knowing what she was getting into—having majored in English—Rodriguez eventually became comfortable with the idea and she adopted the mentality of “well, if that is what it is going to take.”

Just three years after graduation Rodriguez is now the Traffic Reporter and Producer for KFSN, ABC30 Action News Team in Fresno, Calif. Arriving each day at the station around 4 a.m., Rodriguez only has 30 minutes to do all the sound and lighting checks before the start of the show at 4:30 a.m., where she gives the traffic reports every 10 minutes.

Rodriguez has been the Traffic Reporter and Producer in Fresno for the past five months. Her responsibilities are to keep the lines of communication with the California Highway Patrol, to check the CalTrans feeds, to figure out if there are any road closures that the public should be aware of and to report the road issues.

During her senior year at Whittier, Rodriguez had earned an internship with KABC and was offered a job there after graduation. Although grateful to have a job in the industry that she loved, Rodriguez was still submitting resumés and cover letters to almost any position that she found. Unfortunately Rodriguez only had two small bites and was sent a contract to a position in Wyoming, a position that had a very small market. Right before taking the position in Wyoming, she was contacted by ABC30 in Fresno with her current job offer.

“I never thought that in a million years my first on camera job would be in a medium-size market, that is above and beyond my expectations,” Rodriguez said. “I always thought that as long as I get a job and get my start reporting I don’t care where I go, but it’s easier said than done. When they are telling you to move to Casper, Wyo. and you are a full on LA. girl, you feel like someone kicked you in the stomach and you can’t breathe.”

The position in Fresno is a dream come true to Rodriguez. “Being in Fresno, I have to be honest, sometimes when I am driving back home and thinking to myself I still can’t believe it,” Rodriguez said. “It really is like a dream come true. It is definitely not what I thought I would get as a first job. It was what I hoped for but not where I thought I would get it.”

Rodriquez’s biggest story that she has reported since working for KFSN was a homicide that occurred approximately a month ago. The first information that she received on the incident was that it was a car fire; however, as the morning continued they began receiving conflicting information—the abandoned car fire was now being reported to have a fatality. Trying to get to the bottom of the story before her next update, Rodriguez called the police department and fire department with no answers. Finally getting into contact with the Sheriff’s department, Rodriguez discovered that the incident was not a typical car fire but in fact a homicide investigation where a young man was burned to death. This was the first story that Rodriguez was responsible for breaking herself.

Rodriguez grew up watching ABC news, and it was watching this channel that inspired her to want to go into a career in broadcast journalism. “I have always been a channel 7 ABC girl,” Rodriguez said.

“I have grown up watching that channel and the people at that station, the reporters and anchors. I just feel like they just go out there and have the best resources and the best ethics when it comes to news and just a well-rounded newscast.”

When Rodriguez finally began working as a senior in her internship with KABC she was able to work with all the people she grew up watching on the television. “The biggest shock to me was how down to earth and helpful these people were,” Rodriguez said.

“Of course they are very busy people so you have to make your presence known, you have to approach them, but overall they were just really, really helpful. I think they are part of the reason I never gave up on the business.”

In addition to her internship with KABC, Rodriguez was involved in the Hispanic society and the Metaphonian society while at Whittier College. Although she was a tour guide for one semester, Rodriguez was also employed as an independent contractor in the cosmetics field. She majored in English and minored in Spanish.

In the future Rodriguez would like to do some general assignment reporting because she believes that this is where all the action is, where you can have interaction with the public and where you can dig up the story.

However, at the moment she is just happy to work in the industry that she loves.