A Word From the Wize(ned)

Today I went to Spanish Harlem to get reactions from Latinos to last night’s speech by Hillary Rodham Clinton at the Democratic National Convention. While there, I decided to go into a senior's center where it looked like a group of people were gathered. Most of the elders were Puerto Rican, many of them residents in the US mainland for decades. Most are staunch Democrats, and practically all had voted for Hillary during the primary season. This is no surprise since Hillary is New York’s Senator, and most of the residents here have lived in New York for a long time.

The reactions were mixed. I asked them a few questions: Now that Hillary has asked her supporters to vote for Obama, how will you vote come November? Where you disappointed she was not selected for Vice President? Some told me they were true to their party, and would vote for the Democratic nominee. Others said that they were convinced by Hillary to fully support Obama and would work heart and soul on Barack’s campaign, and still others were unconvinced, and while none said they’d vote for McCain (perhaps the Democratic party's biggest fear), one told me she even contemplated “throwing away her vote” on election day.

From the reactions of that small test population however, it seems that Hillary did her job in getting most of those who supported her, including Latinos, to join ranks with the Obama camp to help elect the first African American president in US History.

Perhaps it’s their age, or perhaps it’s the fact that Puerto Ricans have been in the city for a few more generations than other Latino groups in New York or that immigrants from Puerto Rico enjoy instant citizenship status, but it was incredible how absolutely informed and passionate this group of seniors are about US politics. They knew the candidates, what was at stake, and perhaps most of all, they are all regular and frequent voters. This is a stark difference from other neighborhoods I’ve covered, like Washington Heights, where it is hard to find people who’d admit (on camera at least) their political views or people who are passionate about US politics vs. politics from their home country. I was able to get terrific and intelligent interviews for my story. It is always a toss up trying to get reactions from people in the streets. Many times they just don’t know or don’t care about the subject matter. Others will tell me something brilliant but as soon as the camera is turned on, they either run away or forget everything they just said. So it was great being able to get exactly what I needed from such an unlikely source- our senior citizens… Abuela apparently has more to say than we give her credit for ☺

If you can make it there...

I am the bureau manager for Mega TV, a Spanish Broadcasting System affiliate. The headquarters of Mega are in Miami FL, like Univision and Telemundo. Miami is the center of Spanish language programming in the US.

I of course live in the capital of the world New York City, and just a few blocks from me are the studios of ABC, FOX and NBC. The Spanish language affiliates of Univision and Telemundo are actually off in New Jersey. So my little operation is nestled right in the middle of the “big boys.” This poses both benefits and a few challenges for me. Being close to the other studios makes it easier for guests to stop by my studio for interviews and quick live satellite connections with our Miami shows. However, sometimes I’m expected to compete with some of these networks who seem to have unlimited resources and can be everywhere at once. I have a crew of well, one.

But, Mega TV is growing fast. They just expanded to Puerto Rico to local station WSJU Channel 30 and will soon be adding additional cities. I just finished recording “saludos” to Puerto Ricans on the island from their families in New York. Those saludos will be running during the inaugural week of the new channel.

I’m excited about the prospect of Mega TV expanding the New York operation. Right now, most people who see Mega TV in the New York area do so via satellite on channel 405, using the Direct TV Mas package. What’s interesting about New York is that most buildings don’t allow satellite dishes on the sides of buildings, and the cable companies have monopolies on various individual neighborhoods. This is a big difference than Miami, where most viewers can see my work on their local channel 22. There, the channel is 3rd in ratings and the 11 o’clock news is quickly gaining on the better-known competitors in that time slot. My mother in law who lives in Homestead, FL, can see my segments whenever they are on, and has the shows set up on DVR.

We have a ways to go here in New York, but if we make it, there is a large population of Latinos looking for more choices for their news and programming. The English language networks have taken advantage of the programming vacuum by offering their own Latino programming and they are finding success. But watch out world, when Mega TV goes local in NY, you’ll be seeing a bit more of me. Then maybe I can prove to my parents that I’m actually on TV…;-)

On Both Sides of The Camera

So Tuesday was a weird day. I was coming up the exit stairway on the 53rd street and 7th ave subway station on my way to work when in a moment, my eyes began to sting, my throat began to burn and then constrict. I looked around and saw other people having the same reaction to what we quickly realized was some type of toxic fume coming out of the subway. At one point I could no longer keep my eyes open, the fumes stung so badly. I held my breath and with the other passengers, quickly scurried up the remaining stairs toward the street for some fresh air.

When I reached the surface, there were fire trucks and police cars everywhere. Firefighters in gas masks were running into the station. There was lots of confusion and a bit of panic as people’s minds raced- Subway fire? Toxic Spill? Terrorist Attack? Thoughts of the Japanese subway sarin attack of 1995 and September 11th were on everyone’s minds. The first thing people did as they exited the subway and were able to breath again, was pull out cellphones to call loved ones. I did the same.

The police on site asked me to stay and wait for medics who were on their way to check those who experienced the fumes. Soon I was waiting my turn near the back of an ambulance for them to check my pressure and breathing. Then an interesting thing happened. I found myself surrounded by news cameras with eager local reporters asking for details of what happened. I recognized a few, from NY local channels NBC 4 and Fox 5, ABC 7. I knew what they were looking for because I’d be looking for it too- a quick, clear description from a witness about what he/she saw, felt and thought. So I helped them out and told them what I experienced.

Over my mini shock and the weird feeling of being the subject of news as opposed to reporting it, I called my own cameraman to the scene to get B-roll (background video) for use in our news program later that day. I walked around and interviewed the fire chief, people on the scene, and other witnesses.

That afternoon, I sat in front of our studio camera connected live to the Miami broadcast. Interestingly enough, I found it difficult to flip from reporting the event to describing how I experienced it. There is a level of disconnect that a reporter has that allows him/her to narrate the events of the day, and add emphasis and importance in a way that will connect with viewers. However, when one experiences something first hand, it changes the narration because different things become emphasized. At one point I had to take a 5 second breather as I searched for the right word to use during the live Q&A.

Everything is ok of course. It turns out the fumes were caused by a burnt escalator motor, and no one was injured. Later that day, I received emails from friends who saw me being interviewed on the different channels. So ironically, today I went from subway commuter, to witness, to reporter, all before breakfast….

One Awkward Question Leads to Another

Last week I worked on a story involving a pretty unique way to combat the spread of HIV and other STDs. It is called the STFREE license which is, literally, a card whose holders have committed to regular STD testing and allows them to divulge the results of these tests to potential sex partners via a simple phone call. The information on the card includes a phone number and a personal, confidential ID number created by the holder. When the potential partner dials the phone number and enters the ID, a recording tells them the last time the holder was tested and the results of this test. The program does not guarantee that the cardholder is disease free, but its goal is to encourage regular testing and promote sexual responsibility.

At first glance, one may be dubious. I imagine the conversations may get awkward. “Hey babe, how about my place…here’s my STD Free Card, go check it out…” Or worse, in the heat of passion, one of the paramours pulls away saying, “Wait…I haven’t checked your STD Card yet…” But in reality, if one is considering a new sexual partner, the “have you been tested” conversation should be had, and the card could actually make the introduction and verification of that conversation a lot less awkward than say “Are you sure you’re tested? Are you lying to me?” Talk about a buzz killer!

The founder of the program, Eli Dancy, is a great guy and told me that he has over 15,000 cardholders participating in his program globally. Great start! But I wondered what it would take for that number to grow dramatically. The card is of course voluntary, and is only of real value to those who want to prove they are disease free. I suspect if the test comes back positive, the person would stop providing the card. Hopefully, they would also stop their risky behavior.

But, under what circumstances would it become compulsory to have a card? At first I couldn’t see one, but Eli did tell me that he is working with the adult film industry to provide cards to their “talent.” This struck me as the perfect place to begin. Whatever your opinion of those in the sex industry, they know that healthy talent is vital, and being in this type of program would make perfect sense. But, how about dating/escort services? Or singles clubs? Requiring these cards may help these establishments protect their patrons while maintaining their privacy. Hmm... All in all, I think the card is an interesting idea.

As I pondered all the possible uses for this card, the time came to send my story and video to the folks in Miami. The "safe sex license" of course, inspired great conversation within my team. One of the editors pointed out that the card has a magnetic strip on the back. I hadn’t noticed this and since it is a call-in service, the feature seems unnecessary, which lead him to ask, “So, where are you supposed to swipe that thing?”