Broadcaster tells black journalism students not to 'sell out'

By Staff

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The State 
 
“If you're a first-time reader of this annual assessment of our business I welcome you with open arms. If you're familiar with my musings on our outlook then you will welcome this broader conclusion of what you should be doing to be relevant and staying in media. 
 The journalist I started out to be has turned on its head. As a television journalist I witness several transformations and marvel at it's delivery via multiple systems. As a radio journalist I am no longer tied to a central studio because it exists on the device I'm typing on at this moment. As a print journalist the fear of having my job eliminated or even worst taken over by a 20-something should get me/you to thinking. As a purveyor of online journalism I will be less defined, but what I say will have broader impact. 
 This past year I was privileged to participate in cutting-edge technologies (webinars and online talk shows via talk cast). I hope and even pray those who are trying to push the envelope on journalism will continue to call and invite me to be a part of this ongoing experiment in media.  
 I tell all my brethren in the business, do not let the medium you work in define you. If you're a print reporter, talk to those who work in radio, television, and online; and if you work in the later mediums talk to the other mediums. Get out of this territorial crap. The disdain you have for a particular medium will leave you jobless. 
 As a media educator, the job of learning does not stop after you've been in the business for five or say ten years. Get back in the classroom, sign up for seminars, online courses and other extracurricular activities that will make you an asset rather than a liability. Don't be the butt of that infamous joke, "You can't teach an old dog any new tricks." 
 If you have what I call "the gift" (and maybe a buyout) prove you can build the better mouse trap. The media entrepreneurs of today are those who've proven their worth and [are] cashing in on their expertise. Making a profit from your expertise should not be thought of as a sin, but rather a blessing (more on this later). 
 So let's get down to what most of us fear…loss of a job. If you're in media it's a fear we live with everyday, except some of us have gotten very comfortable. Early on in my career a sage told me to prepare for that day, stash away at least six months salary (trust me the figure is close to a year’s worth). 
 If by chance you're in this predicament do not huddle alone. Let everyone you can think of know you're entertaining job offers.  The demise of job is not the end, but rather an opportunity. If it's your first time entering this domain look to see if this is really what you want to do. If you say yes, then tap into every potential web group, database, job search engine and organization, like NABJ. Any job you normally see advertised has already been filled. 
  
Print 
 
 Now let's talk about industries. I want to start with print because it is undergoing the most radical change and putting pressures on how we perform. Recently, a long-time friend at an established media company took a buyout. I asked about his rational for making this decision. Essentially he said, he looked around saw several of his colleagues being laid off, the handwriting was on the wall. I now recommend if given the opportunity to take a buyout seriously consider it. Know the safety net you've enjoyed will be missing. The "hustle" of working for yourself and getting clients to take your content is liberating. Additionally, it may allow you to explore directions that you hadn't considered. 
 For those of you continuing in this new environment, look at yourself as a supplier of content across platforms. Learn the nuances of being on camera, carry a digital recorder to every interview, and use existing technologies (i.e. cell phone camera's) to capture things. This will place you in a unique position to enhance what you currently call print content. 
 From where I sit and observe, things will continue to get worst before they get better. Those of you with institutional memory need to take that next leap and try your hand at management. Avoid the pitfall of thinking this industry will revert back to that so call "golden era"-- it isn't coming back. The dictatorial process of you determining what is news will have to be measured by what the marketplace wants, needs, and importantly demands. Don't be so tied to breaking the story in print. Consider using enterprise reporting that maybe starts on the web. The content that normally ended up on the cutting room floor should be repurposed to other media. 
 Lastly, if you are the editor and you are looking to break out the pack mentality (Currently, this consists of the editor demanding the need for reporters to blog), here are a few things to think about. Most people in their 30s now don't subscribe to newspapers and never will. Consider plugging into their world, especially where they vibe, i.e. portable communication devices, coffee shops, and eclectic events that will allow you to be on their radar screen.  
 Here's an exercise I give in a college course I teach. "Tell me what content goes on a device whose name hasn't been invented?" Challenging, but the answers I receive are some of the most fascinating and potentially profitable models for our business. 
 
Radio 
 
 This was first medium I ever worked in and got paid. It has intrigued me and continues to evolve. To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of my death are premature. Applying this concept to various radio frequencies and satellite transmissions and you will get my drift.  
 Radio consolidation is its curse and savior. The consolidation has put more local programming out the reach for both consumers and those who practice the craft (reporters, DJs, and show hosts). This has been a windfall for the owners, but has been woeful in producing substantive programming that speaks when a community needs a voice.  
 Another friend, who at the time was taking graduate courses at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communication, was working on her thesis that looked at what devices or technology consumers are using. This was five years ago at the beginning of internet radio and satellite radio. Her initial findings showed that the African-American community wasn't embracing either the internet radio or satellite, but that is changing.   
 I am a recent convert. One day while playing golf a friend suggested I check out a website www.pandora.com. It is known as the music genome project. Essentially, I put in the name of artist or song, and it programs music in this vein. It has become the quintessential radio website for me (I understand there is a way to have this programmed for portability, my MP3 player and in my car).  I never thought there would be a time where a Radio DJ would become passé. Satellite Radio is also exploiting this genre. 
 Some may wonder why a DJ would fall under the concept of a journalist. I know as youth who came of age during the turmoil of the ’60s and ’70s they caught the pulse of communities before traditional media even had a clue. This was clearly illustrated with the release of the movie "Talk to Me." The movie chronicled the life of Petey Greene.  Greene parlayed the Black talk genre, allowing for less "booty shaking" and intense dialogue at a time when the African-American community needed a calming voice and an outlet for its anger. 
 Fast forward to now and I recognize the impact of national syndicators like Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, Russ Parr, and Michael Baisden. Each of these individuals has allowed for collective voices to reach the masses of the African-American community. I continue to be fearful that when a local issue doesn't rise to stature of being national it will get short shrift.  
 Radio journalists will continue to compete in the general market rather than in the niche African-American market. Reporting or even exploring the subtle nuances of the Black community is being lost. The good news is that those who are thriving in this arena are pushing the envelope beyond my wildest expectations. I want to point to two national programs that have broken the mold and now are the standard by which to measure radio programming and reporting, News and Notes and Tell Me More on National Public Radio.   
 The potential consolidation of XM and Sirrus, the two satellite carriers, is bad for those who work in this new genre. These carriers are still trying to figure out how to attract an African-American audience. Attempts to capitalize on popular musical artists (Snoop Dogg and Ludacris) stations are just a few and allowing them to program a channel will run its course. I'm reminded that radio programming is an art and not formulaic. The fact that Radio One pulled out of its relationship with XM was telling. According to an inside source, "Radio One saw it as competition for their terrestrial stations (what a caveman perspective!!) and no immediate potential for profit." It's clear to me the owners of XM and Sirrus are clueless on how to reach, program, and pull in an audience…and they want to merge? 
 Here's some good news. With digital radio (some are calling it HD Radio) try and think about alternate forms of programming. Just like television stations, radio stations will have more than one channel. Many of you record interviews with artists, news makers etc… Think about approaching the powers- that- be to let you program and repurpose this material to these new channels. Link them to your website and create a new fan base for this programming. 
 
Television 
 
 I am a part of what is being called the "graying of television." I've always known that TV was fixated on young talent. In markets across the country a number of us have risen to top anchor spots, correspondents, go-to talent etc… What concerns me is what we see behind us.   
 The producers, the assignment editors, and even the editors are more than likely people of the majority community (white) with little to no experience in dealing with people of color. I am neither amused nor am I impressed when someone who doesn't live in a given community can assess what's going on in "the hood." I refer to these types as "drive-by white people." 
 At one time our efforts were solely focused on people in front of the camera. Now more than ever we need more people behind the camera among the producer ranks. We need to encourage young talent that this is where the real power is concentrated in newsrooms. It's grunt work, it ain't pretty and the hours stink, but in this world you control your own destiny. If you're any good you won't stay where you are because someone will always need producers. 
 As a male reporter I am frighten. There are far too few Brothers taking up the cause of being reporters. The few I get a chance to talk with rattle off the challenges, "this work is tough and the pay sucks; you want me to go where; nobody respects me; and you know what they think about Brothers." I have heard this before and it came from me. Journalism is a calling not a profession. I know this well. I've been hired and fired, I've been belittled, and "called everything but a child of God." I was fortunate to have a mentor who gave me this little adage that sticks with me today, "Charles, not everyone is going to like what you do. What you have to do is find people who get you and tell everyone else to kiss it." He was right.  
 I tell you this because there is a young man or woman in your own operation who needs encouragement. They are frightened, nervous, and see you as what they want to be. Befriend these individuals, give them encouragement, and challenge them not to think about now but tomorrow. 
 So what should you be doing? Learning! This means getting back in the classroom. Talk to the kid who's putting your stuff up on the web site. Take the digital camera you got as a gift and shoot video. Ask a 14-year-old to let you see their Facebook page and MySpace page. Learn the language of texting. Get someone to show you how to edit DVD images on your computer. Get out of your comfort zone. 
 
Students 
 
 I have met some very bright people who want to be journalists. They are doing things that I never dreamed of doing. I applaud all of you getting the A's and B's, but to be candid, I'm not impressed. This business is about doing the work. Literally, the moment you step on campus find out where the student newspaper, radio station, and television station are located. Offer to volunteer to learn the nuances of this business. You must be tenacious, unrelenting, creative, inquisitive and uncompromising.   

      Take what your instructors say with a grain of salt. We've all had the curmudgeon instructor who tells his or her war stories about covering an event and/or personality. Listen, but take only what you need. If your instructor hasn't been in a newsroom in the last three years then they are teaching old technology. They don't get the evolution and are harking back to the "golden era." Our business is changing at lightening speed, but there are some things that will never change. Digging for facts, getting the facts right, checking and re-checking, taking nothing at face value, stop reading press releases, talking directly to those involved, and being the best at what you do.  
 I am appalled when I ask students if they have taken political science courses and they say no. I believe the journalist of the future will not have a degree in communications or journalism, but from fields far from communication.  
 I spoke with a woman this year who called to say she wanted a job in media. She told me she had finished graduate school and was working in a field other than media. When I asked her what she wanted to do she didn't have a clue. Finally she said, "I think I want to be video editor." I asked her had she ever done any editing. Her reply, "yes." What kind of system, Final Cut Pro.  
 This editing system is used primarily for independent film-makers. It's cheap and colleges and universities will buy it instead of using an AVID system which is the work horse for television stations and production houses. She was dumbfounded. I asked what her advisor told her. The answer was frightening; the advisor was a public relations specialist and didn't have a clue about what to tell her. Don't be caught in this situation. 
 Because of the fluidity of our business I suggest to some students that they try the non-traditional means of getting in our business. Become versed in the creating websites, become your own reporter on your MySpace and Facebook pages. Take the pulse of your friends and report. It's an audience that traditional media wants. So why not parlay that into a job.  
 Think synergy. You have a campus radio show/column, tell people to join you after the show/column at your MySpace page; move people from your MySpace to your blog; poll your audience and tell them to text message you. Tell them the results will be heard on your next show or in your column. Be provocative. They aren't teaching this in communication school. The rules have changed.  
 I was asked to address the SPJ Chapter at the University of Maryland regarding the Jena 6 and nooses on campuses. A question from the audience was, "What should we (students) do to expose ourselves to ideas that the majority of the media isn't covering?" My response was simple: when was the last time you invited a colleague who didn't look like you to join you for dinner with your parents. Secondly, consider attending a religious service other than your own (i.e. catholic baptism, a first Sunday at a Baptist church, high mass at a protestant church, Seder dinner, or a Ramadan feast). Religious services are sometimes the most segregated times in America. Get to know people beyond what you read in a book. 
 
New Media 
 
 I get your disdain for traditional media. We're inflexible, we're know-it-alls, we have a pack mentality, and our relevancy doesn't mesh with your lifestyle or social network. Guess what, you're right. Many of you would not call yourself journalists, but in reality you are. Just as the D-J of old had his finger on the pulse of the community, you continue in this tradition. Old fogies like us need you now more than ever. We need to understand what you do and we can teach you a few tricks.  
 Your voice is powerful. We know this from Jena 6. You are the future, but we can connect you with old media. There are far too few people of color percolating in your environment. How can we mobilize your voices to be heard in the chatter of a few?  
 I know you consider yourself a part of the Hip-Hop Generation, but you are grandchildren of this era. You are the Google/YouTube Generation. You are defined by what you do and it's nontraditional. Your causes range for Freedom for Tibet; Relief for Refugees in Darfur; and justice for the Jena 6. 
 So what should you be doing? Keep pushing the envelope. Don't be defined. Truly marry the worlds of old media with new media. Be entrepreneurial. Don't sell out. Remember the past and as you remake the future. Let the devices of the future be programmed by end-users, and exploit this to reap the true benefits of future media. 
 Wow, this is a lot to take in. Without a discussion of these issues you could find yourself wondering, "What happen and where did I go wrong?" 

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