Erica Van Ross, an eight-year veteran of Channel 4, has freed herself of what she calls a “changing industry” in news reporting and stationed herself at the helm of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s public relations division.
“TV news is a changing industry,” said Van Ross, who reported the news mornings on Channel 4 until Tuesday, May 21.
“People aren’t watching as much, so the industry is struggling, especially with more people getting their news from cable and the internet.”
She saw harder times going on the TV news beat.
“TV (and newspaper) reporters are going to be asked to do more for less, and that’s a direction I didn’t want to ride out,” Van Ross said.
“So I thought this was a good time to ride out on a leap of faith.”
The 32-year-old broadcast journalist began media relations duties at the department on June 2.
She is now responsible for internal and external communications and the dissemination of accurate information about the police department to citizens via print and broadcast media outlets.
The public relations division is also responsible for departmental newsletters, an “Annual Report to the Community” and planning and implementation of the special events.
Van Ross’ flight into public relations is a route that reporters commonly take, often for more money.
She wasn’t necessarily gunning for an increase in income as much as she sought a career move that could sustain her need for action and excitement in the thick of things.
“The police department has enough going on to feed that bug,” said Van Ross, adding that her new digs will pacify her compassion.
“I’m now working with people who help people instead of standing by like reporters do in their role to comfort people impacted by situations,” Van Ross said.
Van Ross’ compassion for people once took her to tears on TV while reporting a fatal car crash early in her career – a “no-no” for reporters.
She also has always been very shy and quiet, unlikely characteristics for broadcast journalists, but it didn’t stop her from her childhood dream.
Ever since Van Ross was in elementary school, she wanted to be a reporter and enjoyed being in the know and watching the news, something she enjoys to this day.
She grew up in Kansas City, born to a teenage mom who became a single parent by the time Van Ross was six-years-old. And while she didn’t live in the slums, she said her family was nowhere near middle-class and struggled financially.
She was only the second person to get a college education on either side of her family.
Van Ross chose nearby Kansas University, where she got her undergrad in 1999. After graduation, she worked in the university’s recruitment department, targeting multi-cultural and first-generation college students like herself.
It was rewarding, but journalism never stopped calling, especially while she monitored police scanners at a Fox News affiliate in Kansas City along with her recruitment job.
In 2003 she went away to school at Syracuse University to get away from the Midwest for awhile and earn a masters degree in broadcast journalism.
Unlike most TV reporters, she didn’t have to gig at a lot small-market stations in lean years of working her way up.
While in grad school, she worked a small station in Binghamton, N.Y. which helped land a job at a station in Syracuse where she reported and anchored for nearly three years.
Looking to get back to the Midwest and her close-knit family, Van Ross learned of a reporter’s position here at Channel 4.
Having friends here she had met at KU made it all the more worthwhile. And she loves St. Louis.
“I love the neighborhoods,” she said.
“It’s one of the most interesting cities in the country in terms of pockets and history and it reminds me of Kansas City, though it’s a little faster and has more entertainment.”
Van Ross said she also likes that St. Louis has a lot of young, African-American professionals.
She lives in a Downtown loft and really likes the area, especially since her former and current work sites are nearby.
Van Ross is also a supporter of Angel Arms, which helps foster children stay with their siblings and adjust to the system.
