PHOTO BY DANNA BERTEL Johanna Torres, NSU alumna and reporter for NBC 6 South Florida Today, discusses her experience in the news industry with communication practicum students.
Johanna Torres, news, traffic, lifestyle and sports reporter for NBC 6 South Florida Today, graduated from NSU in 2006 as a business administration major and communication minor. During her time at NSU, Torres was the assistant station manager and a DJ at Radio X at the time, now Mako Radio.
“I’ve always enjoyed telling stories and interviewing people and being part of my community. I think at a young age I was exposed to that and I found it interes
Since July 2023, Torres has worked in NBC 6’s Morning Show, covering stories related to traffic, lifestyle and sports. Torres also covers other stories featured on the Morning Show and sometimes hosts South Florida TODAY at 12:30 p.m.
“I arrive anywhere between 3:30 to 4 a.m., and then our first show starts off at 5 a.m. So from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., we are live on TV and I’m doing normal cut-ins and different story pieces as well,” Torres said. “Then after that, we do cut-ins in between the Today Show. So between 7 a.m. to about 9 a.m., we’re doing cut-ins every 25 minutes.”
Paulina Riojas, content producer at NBC 6 and former general manager of Mako TV, graduated from NSU in 2023. Riojas works with Torres every morning on the traffic reports. Torres started working at NBC 6 shortly after Riojas.
“I felt like I was the new kid on the block, but then she came in and she was a new traffic anchor, so it was nice to know that I had someone who was new as well starting the morning shift with me,” Riojas said. “She’s always really good and awesome at explaining different parts of not just traffic, but entertainment, sports. She has so many incredible talents in her hat that it’s insane to me and I really look up to her.”
One of Torres’ favorite stories for NBC 6 was interviewing Kingsley Ben-Adir, the lead actor in “Bob Marley: One Love.”
“I know that Bob Marley is such a huge icon, so being able to sit down with the family, sit down with the main actor and put that story together, I think was a lot of fun and a very memorable moment for me,” Torres said.
Before NBC 6, Torres worked at WSVN 7 News and WPLG Local 10. She also worked in Georgia as a multimedia journalist and anchor.
For students looking to get into journalism, Torres said it is important to know how to produce, shoot, and edit your stories because a lot of big markets require that now.
To get that experience, Torres encourages them to apply for internships, have a set goal in mind and learn from their mistakes.
“If you mess up, just get right back up and know that your next shot is a new opportunity to shine again instead of letting it get to you,” Torres said.
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