Austin beckons Breck

Published 12:00 am Saturday, August 21, 1999

Like a lot of people, Tony Breck went to college not knowing what it was wanted to do with his life.

Saturday, August 21, 1999

Like a lot of people, Tony Breck went to college not knowing what it was wanted to do with his life.

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After two years of school, he joined the Army Reserves, went to basic training at Fort McClellan, Ala., then returned to school at South Dakota State University in Brookings.

Upon his return, Breck got an itch to be a reporter.

It was a good choice. His first job, an internship at KDLT-TV in Sioux Falls, S.D., turned into a full-time gig within a week.

Now, the ladder-climb for the 24-year-old has reached Austin, where Breck works for KTTC News Center.

"I really enjoy it," he said. "I like the people. They’ve been willing to talk."

The Rochester-based NBC affiliate covers Austin, Mower County and Albert Lea by utilizing an office in Riverland Community College, where it shares equipment with KSMQ-TV, Austin’s public television station.

Breck is the sole man in the office, responsible for one live shot and a package, or story, every day on the 6 p.m. news.

All told, Breck’s air time is two-plus minutes a day. Not bad, considering the news takes up nine minutes of the 30-minute broadcast.

"One quarter of the news is about what I produce," said Breck, who is on the phone several times a day with news director Joel Streed in Rochester.

Breck’s live shot is done with a stationary camera set in front of a Breck’s editing station.

For Breck, there’s a lot of work that goes into a two-minute broadcast.

He gathers news throughout the day by attending police briefings, city council meetings, and the like. Like all reporters, he goes where the news takes him. Once he’s on a scene, he collects footage with his shoulder camera, and performs on-camera interviews with subjects.

By 5 p.m., Breck is usually back at the office, where he writes a script – he doesn’t have the luxury of a teleprompter – and edits his stories before going live at shortly after 6 p.m.

The live shot is done "to show we have a presence over here," Breck said. "Between Austin and Albert Lea there are 50,000 people. It’s important for us to have somebody here."

Breck lives in Albert Lea with his wife, Emily, who was especially glad to move back to Minnesota, where the couple has lots of family.

"It’s a good, central location for both of us," said Breck, who fulfills his commitment to the Army Reserves at Fort Snelling and likes to take-in Twins games.

Now nine weeks into his job, Breck seems to have found a home. There’s an empty pizza box on his desk top, and a collection of pressed dress shirts hanging above the live-shot camera. The office has that lived-in look and Breck truly looks comfortable with his career choice.