#MediaMonday – Scott McKane
Today, both our Flagstaff readers and those from Utah will be smiling as they read our #MediaMonday. Even Buffalo Bills fans might finally have something positive to smile about.
Why, you ask?
Scott Hanson (NAU alum and former KNAZ-TV staffer) is profiling former KNAZ-TV reporter Scott McKane, who is now with FOX 13 News in Salt Lake City.
For those new to this weekly blog feature, each #MediaMonday (to see them all, click here), we are posting a blog to help our readers get to know the media just a little bit better.
With a TWIST!
No, we aren’t posting story pitch tips or media lists, but instead great stories from the media themselves about their lives, their work and other little known facts! Think of it as your first “networking” opportunity of the week!
So, Scott, time to share!
What do you want to tell the blogosphere about yourself today?
I’m a native of Buffalo, N.Y., who wound up in TV because the Economics & Accounting classes at Canisius College were too damn hard! So with a JBS degree in hand and a VHS tape of my “work,” I headed west.
After a short stint in SoCal working odd jobs, I got a call from News Director Bonnie Holmes at KNAZ-TV in Flagstaff, Ariz. That led to the oddest job of all, TV News! That’s where I met HMA president Scott Hanson. He was the sports honcho at the time and Scott taught me that “It ain’t who you are, it’s who you know!” I’ve been fortunate enough to know Scott for 25 years now. Flagstaff begat a gig in Anchorage, Alaska where I covered (among other things) dog sled races, a volcano blowing its top and an oil tanker that crashed and spilled millions of gallons of crude into some of the most beautiful territory you’ll ever see. I eventually landed in Salt Lake City where I’ve been for 20 years now, mainly covering the crime beat for Fox 13.
One of the most intense years was spent covering the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case. We were able to break several, critical elements of the story, up to and including being first on the air with her safe return. The “business” has changed a great deal, especially over the past few years with blogs, FB, Twitter, etc. But the oldest rules still seem to apply: You work hard, treat people fairly and with dignity and the stories will come. It can be a crazy business but also one filled with interesting and sometimes amazing people.
It also helped me meet my wife (who also works in TV news) and together we juggle two careers and three beautiful children. And when time permits, I still indulge my masochistic side; I’m a devoted follower/fan of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres.
