The medium is magic that if it catches up to you, there is no escape, says Tatjana Stojanovska, who has been our most recognizable TV presenter for 30 years. After winning the title of Miss Macedonia in 1992, otherwise the first one after the country’s independence, she started training with her mentors, and later her colleagues at MTV, to master the techniques of speech, ortoephy intonation, diction and performance in front of the camera. She started her career as the host of the morning program “Good Morning Macedonia” on MTV, and after 3.5 years she received an offer to be a news presenter.

– Of course I was nervous and I was learning how to overcome it, because nervousness is inevitable when appearing in front of a camera and performing in public. But the skill in our profession is to learn how to overcome it or hide it. I didn’t have any desire, I accidentally ran into the media work and started learning and getting more and more involved in hosting and presenting. I also started moderating events and here I am for 30 years. That’s why I often say that everything is destiny, but we also shape our own destiny, don’t we – says Tatjana.

She has received awards for TV personality of the year in the category of TV presenters of the newspaper “Vecher” for 1997 and 1998, as well as the recognition “Zlatna Bubamara” of popularity for TV presenter. Tatjana currently works as a presenter of the news program on “Kanal 5” television. According to her rough calculation, she has run approximately 13,500 news stories over the past 25 years.

– Even today, I sometimes have that little nerve tick, creative energy, which keeps you focused on work. I would say that this trepidation now turns into a kind of responsibility, which occurs in this profession, and in every public profession where one performs in front of an audience – adds Tatjana.

Her first hosting engagement was as an eighth-grader at the school patronage celebration

Ever since the early school years at OU “Kiril Pejcinovik” Tatjana had a talent for speech and ortoephy, who was also recognized by her Macedonian language teacher. In that way, as a student, she was constantly engaged in the preparation of recitals, monologues and performances at school events.

– My first hosting engagement was at the school patronage celebration when I was in eight grade. I wasn’t even aware that it will later become my profession, but some things happen to us for a reason. My wish as a kid was to be a professor, but after I enrolled in the high school of economics, my plan was to work in that field. At times I told myself that I would graduate from the Faculty of Economics and be able to be a teacher of some economic subject, which means that the desire to be a teacher did not pass me by even when I decided on economics.

Not to show bias or impose your own opinion

After training at MTV, Tatjana began to appear live in front of the camera, and her more serious engagement was the morning program where she hosted shows and recorded contributions. After three and a half years, she received an offer from her fellow news hosts to work in the news department of MTV in the hosting department, and after a short training, she started to host news.

– Of course I learned from my colleagues, they constantly guided me through the process, pointed out my mistakes, I learned and improved. And I’m still learning because we learn through work, and every performance is a new challenge for me. What I think is very important and what I learned from them is not to show bias or impose your own opinion when interpreting the news. Not to dominate with intonation or gesticulation, but to convey the news in a neutral and strictly informative manner so that the viewer receives it without suggesting and imposing an opinion. It is also very important not to impose yourself with your appearance and not to show assertiveness or arrogance because this can very easily distance you from the viewer and become repulsive to them. In order to last and keep the attention of viewers for many years, you must not create a distance with them – says Tatjana.

It is very important that the viewer understands what you are telling him

Correct pronunciation, pleasant voice and appearance are some of the main predispositions that, according to Tatjana, a successful TV presenter should have. Here, of course, it is very important to know the standard language very well, to respect the rules for accentuation, to master the correct intonation, to have the correct diction when reading.

– As for any profession, you need to have desire and motivation for mine as well. Of course, reading training should also be done. It is very important how the news will be presented, and if we want to achieve quality and viewership, then attention must be paid to professionalism. It is very important that the viewer understands what you are telling him. That’s why it is important that the news is presented with pleasant speech, with properly pronounced vowels, with clear vocals, with a moderate pace of speech to reach the ear of every viewer. That’s why I think that presenting is a special profession and should be separated from the journalistic-editorial part of news preparation. Kudos to those who have the qualities of both a presenter and an editor/journalist – adds Tatjana.

I had an offer to work in a bank, but I stayed on TV

After graduating from the Faculty of Economics in the Department of Banking and Finance, Tatjana had the opportunity to change her profession and leave TV presenting to work in a bank. However, she did not decide on that step.

– While I was studying, I simultaneously started working part-time at MTV as the host of the morning program, and then as a news presenter. And so I thought that it was a passing phase and that after that I would work as an economist in a bank, or maybe a professor in an economics school, but fate had another plan for me. 10 years ago I also completed a master’s degree in human resource management and entrepreneurship. I’m still in the media, but you never know where the road will take you. Investing in knowledge and the opportunity for retraining and learning should never be dismissed. I had an offer 25 years ago, after finishing college, to work in a bank, but at that moment I chose to stay in television – concludes Tatjana.

Prepared by: Nikola Petrovski