News Career in California

Jess O'Neill '97, originally from Providence, R.I., chose Guilford because he wanted to attend a small private college like his brother did, only in a warmer climate. He felt the whole Office of Admission went out of its way for him during the application process, especially staff member, Elizabeth Wolcott. He said,"The school did a lot for me. I was elected speaker for the senior class. The whole four years at Guilford were wonderful."

At Guilford,O'Neill was an English major with a double minor in history and political science. Three people stand out in his memory of that time, Beth Keiser, Sarah Malino and Jack Zerbe. "Jack was my mentor for Senior Seminar and I learned a lot from writing that piece. Beth Keiser was so supportive. She is a professor who really took time and got to know me as a person.That 's a lot of what Guilford is. I had Sarah Malino as a freshman. She had such a passion for history. I made sure I took more of her classes,"  he said.

O'Neill credits his college internship experiences with helping him begin his career in broadcasting. He was able to work for a FOX affiliate in Massachusetts and for the BBC in London during his study abroad semester.After graduating, he moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he worked at a CBS station and at the Ohio News Network, a 24-hour news station broadcasting only Ohio news. O'Neill was an on-air personality and producer there.

Currently,O 'Neill is senior produer of the news at the CBS affiliate in Palm Springs, Calif. This was the first CBS affiliate in the area and he is proud to have been a part of its launching. He is responsible for eight live broadcasts and oversees coverage and content for all newscasts. Two of his shows have been nominated for Emmys this year. He originally wanted to be a news anchor but felt it was not as rewarding as producing the news. "With my English background and love of writing, I enjoyed producing and felt I contributed more,"  he said.

O'Neill would eventually like to move into field producing where he would be out on location covering the production of the news.