PR Professionals in the News Room

PR Professionals in the News Room

By Kelley Bennett

Two years ago I had the priveledge of interning at KJRH 2NEWS in Tulsa, OK. I interned in the promotional/public relations department and had an absolute blast! I worked for a woman named Samantha Knowlton. Sam was a great influence in my PR life. She adores her job and really taught me a lot about public relations as it relates to the media.

Sam is the Public Relations/Promotions coordinator at KRJH and has been working at the station for seven years. She attended the University of Tulsa and got her bachelor's degree in English and communications. When Sam was in college, she interned with a local television station in Denver and knew she had to work in some form of media. When she graduated college, she got a job working in public relations at a small newspaper in Colorado. Although she loved that job very much, she wanted to get back to Tulsa and really focus on getting a job in television. She has been working in public relations for a total of 11 years and says she has loved every minute of it.

On a daily basis Sam can be innundated with many tasks. From writing press releases, to tracking audience viewership, to planning on-air promotional appearances, Sam does it all. She actually assignment me a press release while I was interning with her that was eventually picked up by the Tulsa World. One of Sam's favorite aspects of her job is planning the promotional events. Every year, KJRH teams up with Make-a-Wish and publicizes the applicant's send-off party and their "wish." Sam loves the creative aspect of getting to plan the parties and work one-on-one with community.

Sam's job covers all areas of public relations and Sam says she's lucky she gets to do so many different activities so she isn't sitting at a desk all day. She loves being surrounded by the creativity of working at a television station. "There is always something to do and always something that needs to be done," says Sam.

When I asked Sam what her best piece of advice was for future PR professionals, she told me "to always follow your heart and do what you love to do." She says she is so lucky to have found a job that allows her to express herself and her creativity. She also said that as a PR professional, it is important to stay on top of your tasks because PR professionals usually have a lot on their plate at one time.

I had a great time interning with Sam two years ago and it was great to catch back up with her over the interview. I would love to work in television PR someday and she taught me a lot about what it takes to make that happen! I'm thankful for the opportunity to get to work for such a talented practioner.

Photo courtesy of KJRH.com