Peter Weitzner
Biography
Bored with life as a CPA, Pete Weitzner decided to follow his dream—to be a sportscaster—and went back to school to earn a master's degree in broadcast journalism from the respected Medill School of Journalism. He worked his way up through reporting jobs "in the hinterlands" to a position as a business/political reporter at OCN, Orange County's 24-hour news channel, and then as a business reporter for UPN/LA. Currently, he is the business anchor for KOCE's Real Orange, and a business analyst for KTTV-Fox11, both of which air throughout Southern California. And what about sportscasting? "You learn to play to your strengths," says Weitzner.
At Chapman, Weitzner has his students producing, reporting, and hosting news and sports shows cablecast to 600,000 homes.
Weitzner implores his students to be "100 percent committed, because this business is not just a job, it's all-encompassing," with constant deadlines, and the reality that young reporters "may start at $7 an hour in Idaho." So is it/was it worth it? Says Weitzner, "At 23 you can interview the president. But it's definitely a career for doers, and here at Chapman they learn quickly if TV news is what they want to do."
Recent Creative, Scholarly Work and Publications
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Standing panelist/collaborator on "Inside OC," hosted by Pulitzer-winning journalist Rick Reiff. I provide business and political insight. Show is broadcast weekly on PBS So Cal, second largest affiliate in Orange County. Show is re-launching this month, September 2015.
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Standing studio-political analyst/expert for Fox11's "Good Day LA," show -- the 20th Century Fox affiliate's award-winning morning show-news program.
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Host - Radio Program "Critical Mass for Business." Frequent guest host on the weekly hour-long business show -- a broadcast and podcast out of the studios of OC Talk Radio in Costa Mesa.
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ongoing (fourteen years) Business show, "Chapman Business Report." I host, and exec-produce.
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Journalism Career Guide, 2nd Edition - Institute for Humane Studies My Chapter: Breaking into the TV-news business By Pete Weitzner P 93