Here’s a memorable Dateline for you. On Feb. 28, NBC News’ long-running newsmagazine officially welcomes its newest correspondent, Blayne Alexander. The Atlanta-based journalist made the move in October, and files her first report on Friday’s episode—a spooky look at a haunted farmhouse that became a murder scene.
Alexander’s Dateline debut arrives after nearly a decade spent in the NBCUniversal News Group family. She joined the NBC News Channel affiliate in 2017 after relocating from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. Two years later, she returned to her Southern hometown where she got her start as a general assignment local news reporter. And her homecoming included a new role as an NBC News correspondent.
Alexander joins Dateline as NBC News stalwart—and the newsmagazine’s principal anchor—Lester Holt also prepares to become a full-time member of the team. The Nightly News anchor recently announced that he’d be departing the chair in the summer, and will devote his time exclusively to Dateline going forward.
In the latest edition of TVNewser’s 5 Questions series, Alexander shares the ingredients to the ideal Dateline story, and reveals which Olympic sport she would have medaled in if history had played out a little differently.
1. You’re not only a Dateline correspondent—you’re also a Dateline fan. What are the three ingredients that make a great Dateline story?
There’s so much that goes into the secret Dateline sauce! If I have to boil it down to three:
1) Every good story has a good twist. A red herring where the audience thinks they know who is responsible – then gets an unbelievable curve ball at the end.
2) A memorable character, exchange, or moment. Something you’ll remember from that broadcast. And that can come from the people in the story or from the correspondents themselves. Something special about Dateline is that each correspondent puts their own distinctive mark on each story and it always enhances the storytelling.
3) And of course—Keith Morrison‘s voice. Perfection from the very first word.
2. You started off as a general assignment reporter as opposed to pursuing a specific beat right out of the gate. Do you still see yourself as a generalist or has your focus changed over the years?
In many ways, I believe covering the South can be a beat in itself. Understanding things like weather patterns (tornado and hurricane seasons seemed never-ending in our bureau), as well as the history, demographics, and cultural norms of some of the oldest communities in our country makes for stronger coverage, even on general assignment stories.
And I certainly developed a beat just living and reporting in Atlanta—there were periods when my only stories were Georgia politics or the indictment of President Donald Trump in Fulton County. So I would say I managed to get the best of both worlds: the variety of general assignment reporting while being able to carve my own beats out of major stories and topics I’m passionate about. And now in my new role with Dateline—I’d say my storytelling beat is pretty well defined!