The question before Channel 13's Dave Ricklin is this:
Once you've reported on zit horror stories, dressed up like a member of "The Love Boat," and swiped a handful of jelly beans on the air, what do you do for an encore?
To him, the answer seems obvious. With Valentine's Day near, you go to Loyola College, troll for tales of first kisses, and, when all else fails, engineer a peck on the cheek between two students who are complete strangers.
This is Dave's World, and welcome to it.
As WJZ-TV's new twentysomething reporter, he's bringing Jiffy Lube-style journalism to the 5 o'clock news, playing a smart-aleck and stand-up comedian during his Monday segments. He brashly asks questions no right-minded veteran would (Did your first kiss have a lasting impact?), ad-libs his way through interviews and rewards his sources with gifts including Hershey's kisses, duct tape and dollar bills.
These antics are captured with stylish camera work -- quick cuts, odd angles, disorienting close-ups -- and set against a soundtrack that includes Nirvana, R.E.M. and Counting Crows.
But, rest assured, Mr. Ricklin -- a Columbia native who resembles a beefier Tom Cruise -- is the star. In his flannel shirt, blue jeans and Gap work shoes, he's practically a poster boy for his generation.
"I'm not trying to solve the common cold with my stories," explains Mr. Ricklin, who will turn 26 tomorrow. "I'm just trying to show that twentysomethings have a very fun, light side and a mind of their own."
His own mind focuses on advancing a TV career. A former page for NBC in New York, he gave studio tours (most notably to Chelsea Clinton) and worked as an usher on "Late Night with David Letterman" and "Saturday Night Live." He was hired four months ago as a part-time, free-lance reporter for Channel 13.
As the media struggle to attract younger audiences -- most often drawn to cable channels such as MTV -- twentysomething reporters may represent the future.
"What WJZ is doing is new and different for local television," says Doug Wills, spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters in Washington. "It's a savvy move to recognize the reality of the marketplace. . . . This is the audience that advertisers want."
The trend to hire these reporters began about three years ago. But only a dozen or so of the 1,100 stations nationwide have a full-time reporter covering this beat, he says.
WJZ News Director Gail Bending, who recruited Mr. Ricklin, says she was drawn to his enthusiasm and ideas.
"It's like his mind never turns off," she says. "And he's not intimidating. He's warm. When he interviews other guys and women in their 20s, they open up to him."
His audition tape -- a feature about how college students cope with blemishes and breakouts -- not only got him the job but was aired shortly after he was hired.
Around the station, though, it met with mixed reviews.
"A large group of us thought it was gut-busting hilarious," says Ms. Bending. "Some were thinking: 'a story on zits in the newscast?' "
Several staffers say privately that some segments have embarrassed the station. They question whether someone with no experience (other than two internships at Washington stations) is ready to be on the air and credit sophisticated camera work and editing -- most often by photographer Joel Eagle -- with carrying the pieces.
Although Mr. Ricklin says he's felt welcomed at the station, he understands that not everyone will relate to his work.
"Of course, I hope to be loved by everybody, but that's my wildest dream. It will never happen," he says. "Not everybody has had a zit, not everybody can relate to a messy dorm room. . . . I'm not doing these pieces to offend anybody. These are the kind of pieces that hopefully as kickers will leave a smile on your face."
Since he was a child, he's tried to leave audiences smiling. He got into acting in elementary school and also did radio commercials. By middle school, he had graduated to comedy. But when the teen-age years hit, he temporarily abandoned performing.
"If you're on stage doing comedy and your joke bombs, you get booed or heckled. In school, you become a target for teasing. That definitely happened," he says.
He majored in radio, TV and film at the University of Maryland College Park, where he became "Mike Man" -- a tuxedo-clad cheerleader for football games.
That reinforced how fickle an audience can be. When the Terps (( won, he was a hero. When they lost, he was pelted with ice.
After graduating in 1991, he landed a job as an NBC page, thanks in part to a friend at the network who helped him make contacts. While there, he rubbed shoulders with many celebrities.
David Letterman? "I was told not to speak to him unless spoken to. We exchanged hellos, but he said the first one."
Madonna? "Maybe I caught her eye for a second. She had her own agenda, and I didn't want to get in her way."
Chelsea Clinton? "She came with 10 friends, two Secret Service agents and two adults."
His page days over, he joined the production crew for the soap opera "Another World."
Even though he enjoyed behind-the-scenes work, he knew his goal was to be in front of the camera. He sent out 100 videotapes to stations around the country and heard back from three. One happened to be WJZ-TV.
"I was ready to go to Sioux City, Iowa. Who knew I would be coming back to where I grew up?" asks Mr. Ricklin, who has moved back home with his mother, father and 16-year-old sister for the time being.
He realizes he's now in a delicate position, reporting about a generation that often feels mistreated and misunderstood by the press.
"I feel like a liaison," says Mr. Ricklin, who will have a segment on the 5 p.m. news tonight, and his Valentine's Day spot on tomorrow's show. "I'm on both sides. I'm trying to convey to my co-workers and the people at home that these are good people. And I'm trying to convey to the people I meet that we don't bite."
Ultimately he dreams of having his own "chat show." But for now, he's content with his work and the occasional compliment from a viewer.
Last week, he was at the Rotunda eating yogurt when a man came over and slapped him on the shoulder. "He said, 'Love your stuff. Don't lose your momentum,' " he recalls. It was the first time anyone had recognized Dave Ricklin, WJZ-TV's twentysomething reporter.
"I was like, 'Wow, that was exciting.' "