An outstanding impact on my professional life

Although many people may claim Bob Pompeani as their role model, I am one of the few that can say they have been directly affected by his unbelievable professionalism and undying support for a young broadcaster. This is why he has become one of my role models and an influential person in my professional life. Though Mr. Pompeani has not seen me through my entire collegiate career, he was with me every single day this past summer at the KDKA studios. Bob, as he insisted I address him, was a constant fountain of advice. Not only that, but he asked me daily if I was having fun working, because, according to him, if you weren’t having fun there was no point to being there. The more he asked the more fun I found I was having. Even during the stressful points of the internship, I could always think of something I’d be doing later that week that would make me happy. Bob made me read all of his scripts for the news. It became routine after a while. He’d read over his scripts and, upon finishing, would hand them over to me and say, “Read it like you would on TV.” I would read and he would sit there and ignore everything else around him (phones, orders from his producer, etc.) and when I was finished he would critique me. After an entire summer of practice like that, I gained a better way of speaking and being more animated.
Bob always pushed me, as well. At KDKA, he treated me a like a real employee, not just a peon intern. He insisted I take on all the duties that a producer would do, in addition to practicing the live shots, stand ups, live reports, and at the desk reports he did live. He always took time out of his busy schedule to make sure I was taping all of my stand ups and to offer advice, especially during Steeler Training Camp. He made me do stand ups everyday and conduct the interviews with the players and coaches with my own questions I crafted. Halfway through the summer, I began to see that Bob was pushing me to do on air sports coverage. Reading all the scripts and taping my stand ups were building up my resume for my future career. All the practice began to pay off and both Bob and I, along with my supervisors, noticed. Bob continued to urge me to pursue being an on air sportscaster, saying that my voice was easy to listen to and that I had the drive and heart to succeed. It’s hard to ignore something that significant come from the most widely recognized and veteran sportscaster in Pittsburgh. It was plain to see that he was simply making me realize my goals and manifest them.
Bob has proved to be a role model and guide for me as I pursue my professional career as a sports broadcaster. He took the time to help me mold my skills, such as reading scripts and doing stand ups. It was an experience and advice that I will never take for granted, because it’s not everyday that you work side by side a veteran sportscaster like Bob.