PHL17’s Meissner talks about how she landed job straight out of college
Jenna Meissner of the
PHL17 Morning News team brought a dose of Delco pride to the recent Tasty Talks luncheon at Iron Hill Brewery in Ardmore. Raised in Media, Meissner spoke to a room full of fans, friends, family and fellow professionals about her local roots, as well as her career path from 2015 Temple University graduate to
PHL17 morning traffic anchor.
Hosted by Main Line realtor Michelle Leonard of Keller Williams Realty, Tasty Talks is an ongoing series of lunchtime talks featuring a different speaker every month focusing on the topic of “making a difference.” Past speakers include CBS3’s Jim Donovan, WOGL’s Marilyn Russell, former Action News anchor/author Lisa ThomasLaury, former Governor Ed Rendell, FOX29’s Sue Serio, WXTU radio host Nicole Michalik, PHL17 Morning News anchor Nick Foley, who was also in attendance to introduce Meissner at this luncheon, and a host of others. Since its inception in 2017, Tasty Talks was held at Yangming in Radnor until the restaurant closed in January. CBS New Anchor Jessica Kartalija spoke in January at the final Tasty Talk event at Yangming. The Tasty Talks event featuring Meissner was the first to be held at Iron Hill Brewery.
According to Leonard, “Tasty Talks is a fun luncheon that meets the last Wednesday of the month with various people in media sharing their interpretation on making a difference. It’s a great way for us to get to know the people behind the pen, microphone, and camera in a different, more intimate way.”
The crowd listened intently as Meissner, 25, talked about her fast-rising career and how she scored an on-air position, fresh out of college, in Philadelphia, one of the top five TV news markets in the country.
According to Meissner, she knew even as a child growing up in Media that she was meant to go into broadcasting. She laughed as she shared memories of her youth, and how she’d create her own amateur newscasts with a V-Tech camcorder. Meissner attended the Academy of Notre Dame in Villanova for high school and went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude from Temple University’s Lew Klein College of Media and Communication where she studied journalism with a specialization in broadcast. During her time at Temple, Jenna received a number of broadcast awards and was inducted into the National Journalism Honors Society, Kappa Tau Alpha.
Praising Temple as having “one of the best programs in the country” and “the most amazing professors in the field,” Meissner said that she applied for an internship in 2015 at WPHL17.
“I’ll never forget getting the call,” the on-air personality said. “It was Steve Highsmith, the anchor of all those Mummers parades. He asked if I had a car and if I had any vacations planned for the summer.” Meissner leapt at the internship opportunity, learning all she could about broadcast news. When graduation rolled around, Meissner said she began to panic because she had nothing lined up. Her college friends in the same major began accepting jobs “in the middle of nowhere” just to break into the market and get a start in their careers.
“My parents were really great,” Meissner said, as her mother Lynne Meissner sat at one of the tables at Iron Hill, beaming with pride. “They said, ‘You’ll figure it out’ and did not pressure me to take just any job outside of my field.”
As luck would have it, three weeks later, she got a phone call from WPHL17, asking her to be a Street Team representative at local events. She laughed as she explained how she handed out T-shirts and magnets to promote the station. However, she also used the time to learn everything she could about life in the newsroom. A short time later, she was offered the job of production assistant. She continued to soak up the ins and outs of news reporting, and even worked as a camerawoman for a while.
It was during her days as a production assistant that Meissner noticed there was no traffic reporter at PHL17. She began, on her own, to study traffic patterns and learn the software.
“When I felt a little knowledgeable, I went to our news director, pitched the idea, and asked if I could audition for the position of traffic reporter,” Meissner remembered. “I will never forget, it was a January morning when I got a text message from him, saying to practice for one month, learn the green screen and then he’d give me a chance. This year, on March 4, I will mark my fourth year at the station!”
Meissner chuckled as she said, “My friends think I just show up, stand there, and talk about traffic. But, the truth is, it’s a lot of hard work and it’s not always easy.”
In addition to appearing on air every morning from
5 to 9 a.m., Meissner also does a lot of work behind the scenes like editing visuals and audio, producing news packages and writing for the morning broadcast.
“She’s a natural,” stated
WPHL17 morning anchor Nick Foley, in his introduction. “Jenna is genuine and really good at what she does. We’re lucky to have her.”
“I absolutely love it,” Meissner told the crowd. “Whenever I am asked for career advice, I tell people to stop at nothing to go after their passion. If it’s right for you and what you want, just keep on going until you get it.”
At the conclusion of the luncheon, a raffle drawing was held, with proceeds benefiting The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia, the charity of Meissner’s choice. Through after school and in-school programs, The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia helps shape the lives of young people from all walks of life by reinforcing values like integrity, respect, and perseverance through the game of golf. Meissner chose the charity to honor her late father Doug, who passed away four months ago. He was an avid golfer, with a passion for the sport.
In addition to Tasty Talks, Leonard also hosts Dine and Dish, a monthly dinner series held at Main & Vine, 789 Lancaster Ave., Villanova. For more information on upcoming Tasty Talks and Dine and Dish events, call founder/host Michelle Leonard at 610331-5913.