Sophomore Erin Dunphy, a journalism major and history minor at Ithaca College, is this year’s director of ICTV’s Newswatch 16. This summer, Erin will be leaving her hometown in southern New Jersey to intern with ABC News Now – Digital in the Big Apple. But before heading off to the glitz and glamour of L.A. next spring, she will spend the fall 2011 semester calling the shots on campus at Newswatch 16.
HC: What brought you to IC?
ED: I looked at a lot of schools that had strong communications programs. I went to a high school where I was very active in the television studio and program. And a lot of the schools I looked at, I’d be repeating in my last two years of college what I learned in high school. … When it came down to where I was going to go, it was where was I going to have the most opportunities, where was I going to make the most connections, where was I going to learn the most as a freshmen so that I wouldn’t be learning what made sense ten years ago. I needed to learn what was going to make sense ten years in the future. And IC really has that, so that’s why I decided to come here.
HC: When did you know you wanted to do broadcast and television production?
ED: I figured out really young that I wanted to do broadcast. I grew up right outside Philadelphia. We had a family friend who worked for KYW news radio, so I learned about radio news and visited studios. All of a sudden, I thought it was the coolest things ever. I was ten years old and that’s all I wanted to do with my life. I pushed myself throughout high school to make those connections with the local anchors and local producers. I produced my own show in high school and I reported. And being here has reaffirmed every day that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. 99-percent of the time I’d rather be sitting in the basement of Park and working on a show than be in classes or writing papers. So part of me is so excited to be in college and I love the experiences, but the other part of me just can’t wait to get out in the real world and essentially get to do ICTV for the rest of my life.
HC: So what would be your ideal dream job?
ED: My ideal dream job would be either reporting in investigative units or producing for a general news show or sports show.
HC: What do you like to do outside the newsroom?
ED: The TV station pretty much takes up all of my life. But outside the TV station I love hanging with my friends. I don’t have a lot of time to spend with them throughout the week, and when I’m not here I’m writing papers, or I like to sit down and read a book, or hang with my friends and go out and relax after everything. I try to watch TV, but working in it has completely ruined it for me. All I do is sit there and critique it.
HC: Where’s the best getaway spot for you in Ithaca?
ED: My favorite place is the Borg-Warner Room in the Tompkins County Public Library. It’s the back room past the children section, it’s kind of dark, there are a lot of books to pool from, there are all these really comfy couches, and whether it’s rainy or sunny, it’s just a great place to be. It’s quiet. I can think. I can relax.
HC: What’s your favorite restaurant in Ithaca?
ED: My favorite place (and all my friends’ favorite place to go) is the Ale House. It’s just a great atmosphere and great food. I’m a big fan of their onion soup and their French dip. It’s a great hangout. We love to go there to celebrate different wins, and when we wrap something or when people visit … Really, it’s just an excuse to go there. Other than that, I’m a big fan of Mexican.