• Eurovision 2024: First semi-final (LIVE)

  The first semi-final of Eurivision 2024 has just started in Malmö. Today, out of 18 participating artists only 10 will make their ways to the final, which will take place on May 11...

• Rare photographs from The Beatles' 1963/64 US tour now displayed at Brooklyn Museum

  The Brooklyn Museum displays rare photographs of Paul McCartney from the 1963/64 US tour of The Beatles...

• India billionaire Sudha Reddy attends Met Gala, wearing diamonds weighing more than 200 carats

  Indian billionaire and philanthropist Sudha Reddy attended the Met Gala wearing a 180-carat Amore Eterno diamond necklace, which also features a 25-carat heart-shaped diamond and three other 20-carat heart-shaped diamonds. In addition, she had a 23-carat ring and a 20-carat diamond solitaire ring on her hands, both of which are said to be worth $20 million...

• Jeff Bezos' fiancée makes Met Gala debut, fulfilling Anna Wintour's condition

  Billionaire Jeff Bezos' fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, has made her Met Gala 2024 debut. The 54-year-old former Good Day LA co-host, who was invited to the event on one condition by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, had a great time at New York's biggest fashion night....

• Cardi B needs 9 helpers to ‘handle’ her dress at 2024 Met Gala

  The 31-year-old rapper wore a stunning black dress, but it was her monumental tulle skirt that stole the show. She needed as many as nine people to straighten the fabric. The unfolded skirt was so large that it seemed as if not a single star would be able to walk until it was lifted up....

• Zendaya's 2024 Met Gala look divides internet

  The blue and green bias cut dress featured a mermaid tail and grape embellishments in keeping with this year's garden theme. The star accessorized with a hat with a long black feather....

• Demi Moore makes bold fashion statement in sculptural ensemble from Harris Reed

  The black, sculptural dress hugged Demi’s figure and featured pink peony details embroidered onto the velvet fabric. The sleeves resembled butterfly wings and had similar floral details...

• Met Gala 2024: Elegant looks from Kylie, Kendall, Kris Jenner

  Kylie Jenner opted for an old Hollywood look. She hit the red carpet at the star-studded 2024 Met Gala wearing an Oscar de la Renta gown with a strapless bullet-bra style bodice and a voluminous train....

By Syune Arakelyan

More than once, we have referred to our compatriots who have "captured" American television. We can confidently add the name of Jason Takhtadjian on this list. Takhtadjian is an American-Armenian sports journalist from Iowa. Jason works at KCAU-TV in Sioux City, where in addition to commenting and presenting important sports events, he also speaks about the successes of Armenian athletes and Armenian issues. Journalism was not Jason's primary professional choice, but his love for sports made him "deviate" from the original path. Jason shared with all of this in an interview with NEWS.am STYLE for the column ArmenՅԱՆs/Armenians.

Jason was born in the United States in Glendale, California to two Armenian parents who immigrated to the US between the 1970’s-1980’s. Both his parents were born in Gyumri. However, the Takhtadjians have had no direct connection with television until Jason decided to become a sports journalist.

Jason, have you ever been to Armenia? 

I’ve never been to Armenia. I was supposed to visit for the first time in the summer of 2020 after graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) until the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Are there any Armenian traditions you follow?

I do my best to follow Armenian traditions on my own, like celebrating Christmas on January 6 along with December 25, Vardavar and Trndez. It’s difficult to continue some traditions like traditional foods while I’m in Iowa.

How did you get interested in sports and journalism? 

I was always interested in sports, more specifically, soccer (or football). As far as being a Journalist, I never thought I would become one. I ended up being accepted into UNLV as a Mechanical Engineer. After one semester, I realized I should be following my dreams instead of just the money. Soccer commentators and the way they would paint a picture for the games would fascinate me. Martin Tyler stands out as one of the play-by-play commentators that influenced me to pursue a career in media and ultimately sports.

Which were your first steps towards professional success? 

Once I switched my major in College, I immediately dove into any opportunity I could get my hands on to get experience. I began with my own radio show on the College’s online radio station. The show was named “Bylines and Baselines” which was solely focused on big headlines from the world of soccer (football) and basketball and aired weekly. I then got into the sports broadcast class one year earlier than I was allowed because I showed willingness to the professor to do work for the show “Rebel Report” while not actually enrolled in the class (I had to be a Junior in college to enter the class, but I was only a Sophomore). This then opened the floodgates for how much experience I would gain while in UNLV. From play-by-play commentary for the mens and womens basketball and soccer teams to covering the Vegas Golden Knights more than 25 times solo, I have a laundry list of experience that helped me land my current job. As I was applying for jobs, sports jobs became fewer and fewer due to the pandemic. I graduated in May of 2020 and struggled for the rest of the year to land a stable job. After sending my resume to over 200 stations, a station in Sioux City, Iowa wanted to hire me as a news reporter despite only having sports on my resume. It turned out that I went to UNLV with a woman that was already working at that station and she saw my last name in the pile of applicants and immediately recognized me. That led to me accepting this current job.

You’re also covering stories related to Armenia. As we notice a lot of media outlets prefer to be silent, when it comes to Armenian problems. How difficult it was to cover about war in Artsakh or such topics outside Armenia? 

It’s very difficult to cover issues pertaining to Armenia and Artsakh because I have to be mindful of the audience my station broadcasts so. The people that watch KCAU in the Sioux City area are predominantly white Americans and are not Armenian. I’ve yet to find a first generation Armenian-American besides myself in Sioux City. Therefore, I have to find a way to connect breaking news in Armenia to either the United States or local politicians so that the story comes off more natural and less subjective from an Armenian reporter. 

What are your favorite topics to cover and what do you consider to be the best story you have ever covered? 

I’m a sports reporter at heart. As much as I like covering local stories and stories related to Armenia, sports is where my passion is at. It’s the reason why I am in the position I am. As far as my favorite story, I have a few: however, a story I did with two brothers from South Dakota who went to Jerusalem, Petra and then the World Cup in Qatar to honor their father who died from cancer is up there with my most memorable stories.

What about your future plans and goals? 

My current goal is to jump back into the world of sports. As far as my career goals, I want to be a host, reporter and/or a commentator for club and international soccer. However, I can see myself enjoying any of those positions in most other sports. Personally, I aim to be a better version of myself everyday and trust in God.

Follow NEWS.am STYLE on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram