Yuma Sun e-Edition

Ernesto Romero

News Director, KYMA

BEING IN THE business of gathering and reporting the news, Ernesto Romero loves the surprises that each day brings.

“I love that every day is different,” said the news director at KYMA-TV and KSWT-TV. “It is exciting to get the news on the air. It also comes with lots of stress, but it is rewarding to keep our community informed. It’s also nice to do well for others, and for our viewers to truly feel informed. We provide a lot of help to a lot of people, and being from Yuma, I couldn’t ask for anything more rewarding.”

Romero has been at the stations for 13 years, having worked his way up from producer to managing editor to his current position, which he has held since 2013.

“I am responsible for hiring all of the on-air news talent at our station, as well as overseeing the digital content team, and the technical directors on our team,” he said. “Typically my reporters and anchors are with me for two years before they move on, so hiring is a constant for me. I generally have about 30-35 employees who I manage every single day. On top of this I am responsible for editing reporter copy, approving story ideas, approving promotional campaigns, critiquing newscasts, making sure newscasts go on the air, and ensuring quality newscasts are provided to our viewers every single day.”

Romero said he’s had many memorable moments over the course of his career.

“Some surround the breaking news I have helped cover. From the Easter Sunday Earthquake in 2010 to a mass shooting in Yuma a couple years later, military plane crashes, murder trials, the list goes on. I am also very fond of the nights when I won my two Emmys.”

Receiving those honors, he said, “was truly something I never thought or even dared to think I could achieve.”

That could be why he is fond of a quote attributed to Walt Disney: “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

And it’s fitting that he counsels other young professionals not to be afraid to dream. “With hard work, dedication and patience, you will achieve what you set out to conquer.”

As for his own future, he said he just wants to be “happy and healthy, with my friends and family and loved ones.”

The person who nominated Romero for the 20 Under 40 honor notes that he is involved in the community and in volunteerism.

“Ernesto makes sure to highlight the organizations who are helping the Yuma community. He himself has served on the University of Arizona scholarship committee for three years, helping students get college scholarships. He helped start the National Association of Hispanic Journalists UofA chapter in 2006 while in college.”

The nominator added: “The news business is hard, yet he manages to get the work done in a professional, empathetic, and ethical manner. He guides and mentors the new reporters and many have gone on to larger markets because of his leadership in the newsroom.”

Biz 20 Under 40 Winners

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2022-11-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-11-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://yumasun.pressreader.com/article/281681143830835

Alberta Newspaper Group