Five seconds to air time, Whitney Self wraps up the conversation she is having with her co-workers about her dog and looks into the camera.

News Watch is seconds away from broadcasting to 12 counties in east central Illinois, but she’s not worried because after two years in front of the camera and three years in broadcasting, she’s used to the routine.

Self, a junior journalism major from Mattoon, was recently awarded first place in the country for Best Television News Anchoring at the Broadcast Education Association’s annual student awards.

“She is one of a team of (35) standouts,” said Kelly Runyon, news director at WEIU-TV. “We have wonderful students that work in news.”

Schools from coast-to-coast sent 179 taped entries separated into different categories such as newscast composition, hard news reporting, feature news reporting, sports reporting and news, weather and sports anchoring, and were reviewed by 12 stations in eight states, Runyon said.

Finalists were then chosen and sent to five news stations in five different states to be narrowed down to one winner per category, she said.

Self will receive her award April 21 when she, Runyon and six other broadcast students attend the BEA conference in Las Vegas from April 21-24. They will also find out if WEIU-TV won any awards for news broadcasting.

“(When I found out) I was completely surprised and in shock,” Self said.

She said she owes it all to WEIU-TV.

“Every day I do something different,” Self said.

Thursdays are her busiest day, she said. Self has class from 8 to 9:40 a.m., then she reports from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. At 5 p.m. she comes into the studio to prepare for News Watch, which airs from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday on Channel 4, for viewers in Charleston.

Usually, she likes to read through her script two to three times, but on her busiest day, she only has time to go through it once. After News Watch, she tapes a show for the following morning. She spends about 15-20 hours in the newsroom every week, Runyon said.

“Deadline is the hardest part of the job, when you have so many things to do and so little time to do it,” Self said.

Just before Self goes on the air, she sits up straight and puts on a straight face. Looking confident in her gray jacket and red, collared shirt, she wants to look as professional as possible.

No one except the people in the studio know that she’s wearing black sweatpants with white stripes. She likes to be as comfortable as possible, she said.

Behind the news desk and behind the cameras, papers are spread out all over the floor.

The anchors report stories covering a 12-county area. During commercial breaks and taped stories from the field, the anchors go back to chatting about their everyday lives and about the stories they are reporting. When a mistake is made, the co-anchors are there for one another, telling each other, “Don’t worry about it.”

Self tries to imagine different audiences when speaking in front of the camera, depending on the mood of each separate story. When she’s reporting about something happy she likes to sound happy, so she imagines her brother, she said.

Talking in front of the camera is hard at first, said Jenni Ketchmark, a sophomore communication studies major who does the weather on News Watch. She imagines she’s talking to her boyfriend, she said.

“It’s just like talking to one of your friends,” Ketchmark said.

Working with Self has been a motivating experience for Ketchmark.

“She makes me want to work harder,” she said.

Self describes herself as a motivated person, who was always taught by her parents that she could do whatever she wanted, as long as she put her mind into it. She wants to make it big as a news anchor, and is determined to get there on her own and not because she knows somebody in the business, she said.

Self isn’t just an anchor on News Watch. She also reports stories from the field. The reporting aspect of her job has enabled her to do things most regular people never have a chance to do, like attend Paul Simon’s funeral, see former vice-presidential candidate John Edwards and interview country music stars, she said.

She also helps newer students learn the ropes around the station, and is the president of the Student Illinois News Broadcasters Association on campus, Runyon said.

Self said she has always wanted to get into broadcasting, and she’s been working hard to make her dream come true. Self got her start working behind the scenes instead of in front of the camera, Runyon said.

“She started day one as a freshman,” Runyon said. “She came to me and said ‘I don’t have experience but news is what I want to do.’ I’ve been her news mentor for the three years that she’s been a student here.”

Self said Runyon is like a second mom, and her co-workers are life-long friends.

“I spend more time in the TV station than I do in my apartment,” she said, explaining that she’s only really in her apartment to sleep and to get ready for work or class.

Self likes to go to work, and she likes to get things done.

“It’s not really like being at work to me,” she said. “I have such a great time and I love what I do. I’m constantly on the go.”

Self said she enjoys making connections, and making a great final product for each show. She was always taught to give 110 percent in everything she does.

“If everyone gives 110 percent at WEIU (TV) we can be an excellent, excellent TV station,” Self said.