Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Farmington Graduate Heads To New York
Teddleton To Work For Long Island Television Station
FARMINGTON — With a high school diploma in hand, two years of college and six years’ experience in television journalism and producing, Farmington High graduate Josh Teddleton is headed to the Big Apple to work for a Long Island television station and do some weekend work for the Today show.
Teddleton said his story line might be, “Small-town Farmington graduate doesn't have a degree and is going to New York City.”
At Farmington High, Teddleton, now 24, probably was best known for his musical talents. He played trumpet in the Farmington High band and played violin in the former Northwest Arkansas Youth Symphony.
Having played violin for eight years, Teddleton said he thought music was his destiny.
He said, though, that he realized playing violin was not stimulating him beyond the musical notes. He interviewed with his violin teacher at the University of Arkansas and when he left her office, decided to stop by the journalism office.
He applied with all the TV stations in Fayetteville, and KNWA offered him a part-time job as a camera operator. Along with working for KNWA, Teddleton studied broadcast journalism at the UA and criminal justice at Northwest Arkansas Community College.
“I realized this is what I wanted to do long-term,” Teddleton said. “I could get my feet dirty and I ended up falling in love.”
Teddleton said his real destiny may have been decided years ago when he was 10 years-old and visiting New York City for the first time with his parents. His mom tells him that he asked, “Where will I live when I come here?” She told him he was distraught when they left NYC and has talked about it ever since.
Teddleton said when other kids were outside playing ball or other games, his mom said he preferred to stay inside and watch CNN or Fox News.
“I was a nosy person,” Teddleton said. “An in-your-face guy, an aggressive personality.”
Those characteristics help him in broadcast journalism, Teddleton said, adding that he believes journalism falls in the realm of community service.
He views journalism as the public's whistleblower, as fighting for the viewer and fighting for the product.
After working for KNWA, Teddleton was offered a job as a weekend producer for KARK in Little Rock. He decided to drop out of college and began working full-time in television news (the University of Arkansas at Little Rock does not offer a journalism degree).
Teddleton has received several promotions during the past three years and has been the executive producer for the news show for the past nine months. As executive producer, he would oversee the other producers and was involved in “everything you can imagine that goes into television news.”
In New York City, Teddleton will
be a full-time producer for News 12 Long Island. News 12 is owned by Cablevision and the cable company has news bureaus in several communities in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. News 12 Long Island would be similar to a northwest Arkansas bureau for Cox Cable, Teddleton said, adding he's signed a threeyear contract with the station.
The local angle is the main reason he accepted the job. He talked to family and friends and random people in the area and many indicated they watch News 12 because the journalists “fight” for the local community.
All the details are not worked out yet, but Teddleton said he will work as a volunteer or do freelance work for The Today Show on weekends. He sees this as getting a foot in the door and hopes it will lead to something more permanent in the future.
Teddleton expressed appreciation to his Farmington High teachers who supported him over the years. He said many people just thought his goal to move to New York City was a “pipe dream.”
Teddleton said he didn't accept that, noting he is grateful to those teachers, in particular Tonya McCuistion, Carol Bundsgaard and Lesley Helms, who felt he was worth it. Band Director Jim Spillars also supported him throughout high school, he added.
“I had a very supportive family,” Teddleton said. “My mom has been my biggest cheerleader all this time.”
He encouraged others to dream big and not give up.
“A lot of kids grow up in small towns and think they'll never to go New York City. I hope my story will motivate some of these kids. This is six years of hard work that is really paying off. New York City is the biggest market and I'm going there.”
Teddleton moves to New York City on July 12 and starts work with News 12 on July 17. He said the transition has come fast. He interviewed with the station on a Friday and was offered the job the following Monday morning.
He's also finding out how different life will be in NYC, as compared to Arkansas. Housing prices come with a sticker shock, and he said he hopes to live in Brooklyn where housing does not cost quite as much. Even then, he said his apartment rent will probably increase from about $ 600 per month to $1,300 per month. Another advantage to Brooklyn, he said, is that it is located about halfway between Long Island and The Today Show.
Another difference, Teddleton said, is how the Long Island bureau covers the news. He's already seen this change when moving from the Fayetteville to Little Rock markets. In Fayetteville, a death of any kind is a story for three days, Teddleton said. In Little Rock, a death would be a 20-second blurb in one show.
News 12 Long Island will cover the same type stories but the approach will be different, he noted.
The move is causing him to reminisce about growing up in Arkansas. When he first accepted the job, he said he was “gung-ho, 'I'm leaving.'” Now, he said, he's thinking back.
“Arkansas will always be home to me. I love this state,” Teddleton said.
However, he's ready for the move, he said, “from Main Street in Farmington to Broadway in