Elon School of Communications Board Members Discuss the Future with Students

Debora Wilson and Graham Woodlief addressing students

Journalism is currently stuck in a constant state of change.  Every other week there seems to be some major change in the way reporting is either done or published.  Nobody can really be sure what is coming next, a fact that has been particularly troubling to the Elon University journalism students who will be entering the job market in the coming years.

Luckily, School of Communications board members Debora Wilson and Graham Woodlief were able to take time to talk to eager students about the state of media and what changes we can expect in the future.  Wilson, former president and chief executive of The Weather Channel and Weather.com, and Woodlief, the vice president of communications company Media General, took time to discuss their experiences in media and answer student’s questions.

Wilson Weighs In

A recurring topic was exactly what media companies need to do in order to remain viable in the future, especially with a struggling economy and the strength of the Internet.  According to Wilson, media providers always need to be asking themselves “where are people going to be, and what do they want?”

As an example she used her own experiences with The Weather Channel, who were among the first major companies to move to the Internet fifteen years ago.  She claimed that when the usefullness of the Internet was still unproven, her company did a good job in anticipating the needs of its customers.  As a result, weather.com is one of the top 15 web properties on the Internet.

“Every media company is going through economic struggle in this economy,” she said.  “Most will be fine, some will evolve.  Leaders must know where to go.”

Woodlief’s Words

Woodlief had a similar opinion.  After 44 years in the media business, he said he had seen “quite a bit of transformation.”  While things look bleak for some newspaper companies at the moment, Woodlief believed that they would not be disappearing completely any time soon.

“Information is very important to people,” he explained, adding that the job of any newspaper is to gather and provide information to its consumers.  Woodlief explained that recently his company has overseen the convergence of six markets and major restructuring in five markets, decisions that were reached after asking the question “How do we produce information that is better for our customers?”

Advice for Students

For graduates entering the job market, both Wilson and Woodlief were clear in their advice.  “Don’t own the word ‘entitlement,’ ask what you can do to add value to your organization,” said Wilson, adding ”Step up and lead.”

Woodlief encouraged students to view “obstructions as oppertunities.”  Students should be “glad to work, and always want to work harder.”  Reporters these days need to know how to do anything, so students should also be eager to learn during their time at school.