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November 7, 2009

Journalist gains national exposure with Big Ten Network

New Albany graduate Larra Overton is pursuing career

By CHRIS MORRIS

Larra Overton doesn’t have psychic abilities. But she knew early on what she wanted to do with her life.

“I was pretty sure I wanted to go to IU and I wanted to be involved in journalism,” said Overton, a 2001 graduate of New Albany High School.

And it’s in TV broadcasting where Overton has found her niche. She is currently working for WTWO, Terre Haute’s NBC affiliate, where she serves as sports reporter and weekend anchor.

However, she gained national exposure earlier in the fall when she worked as a sideline reporter for the Big Ten Network. She worked four football games — two at Indiana and two at Purdue — and she is hoping for more opportunities during the basketball season.

“That was a lot of fun to go back to Bloomington as a reporter and cover games,” said Overton, a 2005 graduate of Indiana University. “I had never been to a game at Purdue and that was exciting.”She said WTWO has given her permission to freelance for the Big Ten Network, since she will already be in Bloomington covering IU basketball and football games. While she enjoys her new job in Terre Haute, she admits being a sideline reporter will “always be my passion.”

“I really like being in the middle of events. I like being on the field,” she said. “I like to come back and put it together. I like being a reporter, but I am getting use to being an anchor.”

Overton said it is a “great experience” to work at different levels of television. She also worked locally briefly for FOX 41 in Louisville.

“I like being able to cover the community where I am living,” Overton said. “It’s important to learn about the community where you live. The people here [WTWO] have been fantastic. They really take the time to help you out.”

Following her junior year at Indiana, Overton completed an internship at ESPN. She said that experience was “amazing.”

“I worked on ‘Baseball Tonight,’ ‘ESPN News’ and ‘Sports Center’ ... it was just a great experience,” she said. “I learned so much.”

Overton was an outstanding runner at New Albany High School, and continued her excellence at Indiana where she had a stellar career. She ran in the national championships in middle distance as a junior and senior.

She said her experience in athletics has helped her career in journalism.

“When you can have empathy for them ... when you know what they are going through as student athletes, I think that is a plus. I’ve been there,” she said. “You can talk to them differently than others.”

Overton was a nominee for the high school Heisman as a senior at New Albany. At the ceremony in New York she met a female reporter, Stacy Paetz, and the two struck up an instant friendship. Paetz currently works for the Indiana Pacers. At the time, Paetz was working for ESPN’s “Scholastic Sports America.”

“She’s been a great mentor. I’ve seen her have success and doors have definitely been opened for women in the field,” she said. “Her career has really gone well. We have become good friends.”

Overton said she is enjoying her broadcasting career, a career that was dreamed of years ago.

“I have been fortunate to get a taste at different levels of television,” she said.

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