WRNJ’s Joyce Estey Visits Centenary

Joyce “The Voice” Estey Visits Centenary

As a working mom, Joyce Estey- now WRNJ’s news director- found her calling while reading to her children in the voices of their favorite characters– Grover, Mickey, and Minnie. 

Back then, Estey never expected her knack for voices would open doors to a lasting successful radio career of 31 years and counting. When Estey spoke to Centenary’s Introduction to Journalism class, the students were fascinated by her humor and intellect, which she has brought to local news at WRNJ for the last 28 years. 

“In radio, all we have are words,” said Estey, “and words need to speak in a visual way.”

Advice to Young Journalists

“You’re never going to please everyone,” said Estey, “so you might as well tell the truth.” 

Estey had lots of great advice for young journalists.

Ask interviewees what is at stake. According to Estey, the role of the on-air interviewer is to “lighten the load” so the listeners can identify with the subject matter, which is key when interviewing. 

“I love Joyce’s humor and how she presented her information,” said student-journalist Samantha Swayze. “I found it interesting how she plans for each of her shows, making sure she is mentally prepared. I also found it cool that she reported at Centenary before. Overall, she seems very passionate about what she does, and she is easy to listen to.”

“I was very interested by Joyce Estey’s discussion on her experience with WRNJ,” said student-journalist Tanner Sullivan. “I personally loved how much advice she provided working in both news and radio. It not only provided a lot of insight into how she works as a journalist, but also provided knowledge on subjects I was not familiar with.”

Advice continued regarding the advantages of technology for news reporters. “The phone is a marvelous tool,” she said. She uses it as a file organizer, to record information, and for instant communication. Cell phones can be an advantage for journalists if they're not misused or abused.

All young people are also encouraged to take political science courses before voting to be more informed. “Students can have a voice and be a part of the process,” according to Estey.

Interviewing Techniques

“I love the interview process,” said Estey. “It puts me in control of the situation.” And the best way to start an interview, according to her, is to know what you’re reporting on; research is key.

“Your interests will help you do the research,” said Estey. For example, she doesn’t do many sports interviews because she isn’t interested in sports. 

She’s more interested in the human interest pieces, such as the people who have lived to be 100 years old. The best question to ask is what makes them happy, not the obvious: what made them live this long. “Look for the light in their eyes,” said Estey, because, “they are sweet and have so much to offer about life.”

The most important question in an interview is the first, according to Estey. It can usually get the interviewee to open up or shut up. 

Next came pointers on how to do an interview, which included asking the interviewee questions about themselves to coax them to open up. “Ask them what they see for the future in their area of expertise,” she said. Request talking points and work with them during the commercial breaks. And, “always remember: you are the audience and the interview is never about you,” said Estey. 

During interviews, Estey is both a planner and improvisational. “It’s not about cleaning your house; it’s bringing together a town,” she said. 

The point of reporting news, said Estey, is to try to make the listeners stick around. When she reports on Hackettstown Mayor Jerry DiMaio, for example, she uses sound bites from him directly, so the meaning of a mandate or ordinance is clear. Also some professionals do not like to be paraphrased, according to Estey. Having the newsmaker talk helps the public understand the person they are voting for. Estey leaves the “uhms” and “ahs” in the sound bites, which are considered parts of “raw quotes.” 

Everyone is human and vulnerable, so reporters should “stay as true as they can,” according to Estey. She reminded the class about President FDR’s leg braces and how he was never shown standing. Also, many people have a lisp or stammer. 

People like and remember those who were interested in them, so ask the right questions and actually care about the interviewee and their answers. 

Estey’s On-Air Interview Style

Estey’s favorite thing to do is ask questions, which allows her to control the situation, and “puts [her] in the driver’s seat.” 

On the topic of political forums, which are big during  an election year, her goal is to help the audience understand the information and stay informed before voting. For example, Estey ensures listeners understand Republican Assemblyman John DiMaio is the minority leader of a red (Republican) section of a blue state (Democrat). 

Estey reports the facts and remains unbiased. She advised not to let politics get into your writing. A coworker once told her he couldn’t tell what political affiliation she was based on her writing. This was her exact intention, and was the best compliment she ever received. 

Best Guests and History with Centenary

The most interesting guest she ever had was Christine Todd-Whitman, the former governor- and only female governor- of New Jersey, who, according to Estey, is very intelligent and knows everything about her state. 

She really also enjoys speaking to Centenary’s president, Dr. Dale Caldwell. She described him as “very articulate,” with “incredible leadership skills.”

She also used to host a radio show called “Inside Centenary,” which included student guests, for nine years.

Problem With Media

The news media has been “imploding for some time,” said Estey. The introduction of “liberal media,” which was meant to change news, ended up hurting itself in the long run. 

Journalism is defined as reporting the facts. However, “liberal media” focuses on editorials, which can be biased and tells people what to think. 

This disenfranchised the public and turned them towards social media, according to Estey. However, social media isn't fact checked. 

How WRNJ Works

On radio, the news cycle runs by what’s called “the clock.” At the top of the hour, there’s a four-minute ABC broadcast, a spot break, the weather, and another spot break. The rest of the hour is broken up with music, short news stories, interviews, and more. Also, a mandatory station ID is played at the top of the hour. 

Estey’s stories at WRNJ are usually 40-45 seconds and include a script, soundbite, lead-in line, clever one-sentence synopsis, and a closing line. This process is not easy and Estey challenges the interns to take a shot at writing stories in this format as a teaching tool. 

Estey’s Backstory

Her career started as a commercial artist in corporate imaging, but made the shift from visual to verbal when her children were small.

Her “was-band”- a term she coined- encouraged her to return to school and work nights, so she enrolled in the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, where her professors’ connections got her an unpaid internship at WNNJ radio. 

On her first day, Norman Ward, the director of WNNJ, handed her a newspaper and police reports and instructed her to write a three- minute story. Afterwards, she was brought into the studio and immediately told to “do the noon”- a term for reporting live on air at noon. She told students about how she couldn’t even hear herself speak because her heart was pounding so loud through the entire broadcast.

Not long after, Jay Edwards, the director of WSUS radio in Sussex County, gave her a paying job for four years before they sold the network.

Estey was recommended by her former boss to apply to WRNJ because they wanted someone who could report local news. 

She has been doing the news at WRNJ for 28 years and is on-air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., hosts a local impact show the first Wednesday of every month from 10 to 11 a.m., and “Educationally Speaking” on the third Wednesday of every month from 10 to 11 a.m., as reads WRNJ’s website. 

Final Remarks

In closing, Estey shared, with the student- journalists, her personal motto, “take the challenge and make it a good day.”

Stay tuned for more stories about the Introduction to Journalism’s guest speaker series. Upcoming events are with Annette Smith, the assistant director of The Counseling Center, and Amy Bridge, the editor and publisher of The Journal, a lifestyle magazine.