Communiqué
“Weekend TODAY” Coordinating Producer Learned Valuable Skills at WOUB
< < Back toKatie Primm graduated from Ohio University in 2006
ATHENS, OH – NBC Weekend TODAY Coordinating Producer Katie Primm recently worked her fourth presidential inauguration for the network. It’s an opportunity she says she owes to WOUB Public Media.
“The inauguration of President Biden was different in so many ways with the pandemic and the U.S. Capitol riots only a couple of weeks prior,” said Primm. “It was a logistically difficult project. But I was able to take 15 minutes and go stand out on the lawn, which I would not have been able to do if the normal crowds were there. I also got to see the first female vice president and the president take the oath of office. It was amazing. I love covering these kinds of events. For me, it’s not political. It’s history. It’s America. It doesn’t matter what person we are celebrating; we are celebrating the office and democracy.”
Primm grew up in Amherst, Ohio near Cleveland. She came to Ohio University in 2002 because she knew it had a quality journalism program.
“Ever since I could remember, I wanted to work in TV news. I worked at the local high school cable access station,” said Primm. “The moment I decided to go to Ohio University, it was the best decision. What students are able to learn in class and by working at The Post and WOUB, it is the reason I have the job I have now. It was all such a great training ground.”
Primm started at the student newspaper The Post when she first arrived on campus. She got the opportunity to work on her writing and got a feel for campus news. But it wasn’t long before she came to volunteer at WOUB.
“I started working on the radio and moved up television,” said Primm. “I worked as a reporter and anchor for NewsWatch. I also anchored sports a couple of times, which was fun. I also produced NewsWatch a couple of times. I really liked writing, going out on interviews and talking to people. And that’s a lot of my job now.”
In the fall of her senior year, Primm got an internship at NBC’s TODAY Show in New York City. She made connections and really enjoyed working at the network.
“I came back to Athens for winter and spring quarters and started working on my resumé and reel,” said Primm. “In February, I interviewed for the NBC page program and got the job. I graduated from Ohio University in June of 2006. The page program was a one-year program, and I thought I would give New York and the network a try for a year and then see where things stood. It was a one-year adventure that never ended.”
Primm was hired from the page program into the NBC Specials unit and election unit – covering breaking news and politics. She recently made the move to Weekend Today.
“I’m in the control room every Saturday and Sunday morning handling live segments. I also I work with the anchors and help produce the feature pieces,” said Primm. “These are all skills I learned at WOUB. The teamwork and collaboration you had to develop to get the news programs on the air were invaluable. The daily experiences we had at WOUB were amazing because it’s a real station, with a real audience that relies on you and that makes such a huge difference. When I came to NBC, I could separate myself out and get noticed because of what I knew from WOUB.”