End of an Era in Chicago

As I watch the TV news industry -- and journalism in general -- crumble into dust, this article from Chicago http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/mcclurg.court.demolition.2.937072.html

brought back memories of "the good old days" when THE Ten O'Clock News at WBBM-TV in Chicago was arguably the best local TV newscast in the country. Those were the golden days of Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobsen at the anchor desk, with an all-star cast of reporters that included me from 1981 to 1984. I had signed on from WSB-TV in Atlanta, hoping to become their next female news anchor, once I had spent a couple of years paying my dues as a street reporter.

Now they are tearing down the building where Kennedy debated Nixon, and where Phil Donahue taped the show that paved the way for Oprah. It's also the building where I met my husband, won an Emmy and a Lisagor and earned the nickname "the Loomer." One day future CBS News president Eric Ober was walking through master control and one of my live shots was on a monitor. A tech overheard him commenting, "That girl really knows how to LOOM," and the nickname has followed me around ever since.

Every day, as I walked past the row of portraits in the entrance lobby at 630 McClurg Court, I counted myself lucky to be there. Legend has it that one former reporter learned of being fired by coming into work and seeing that his or her picture had been removed.

The building was a former ice rink, where investigative reporter Pam Zekman had once skated, and whenever they adjusted the lighting, we got a shower of snowflakes that were, in all liklihood, asbestos. However, the building had the advantage of being within a block or two of all our favorite watering holes.

And then there was the set, a plain desk plopped down in the middle of a working newsroom. It remains my favorite news set of all time because it was so real. The background was the assignment desk and if the feature reporter walked by showing the ladies and laddies what was under the kilt he was wearing (nothing!) it made for an interesting background. One day, as I banged out a script on an old typewriter, a giant rat ran across my foot and my scream served as punctuation for whatever story was being read on the air at the time. Underneath one of the desks, someone had taken the time to post a history of the reporters who had once sat there and moved on to the network. On slow nights, the great Bill Kurtis could be pursuaded to join in a game of "wadball," which involved a homemade sphere of gaffers tape and a large plastic trash bin.

Three news directors and a couple of general managers later, the promise of anchoring never materialized for me. Far from promoting someone who had paid her dues on Chicago streets, the management settled on a newcomer from Canada, telling me I was so valuable looming live that they couldn't put me on the desk. I often wonder "what if" I had swallowed my pride and continued looming on the streets of in Chicago, instead of moving on. But the experience I gained at 'BBM has proven invaluable, and I will treasure the lifelong friendships even more. I always hope my students will have the thrill of working for a news organization that shows up to kick butt and take names on every story like we did.

So here's a toast to 630 North McClurg Court and everything it stood for. Rest in Peace.

America's Talking: Back to the Future

A few days ago I joined a Facebook group for alumni of America's Talking. It has 58 members... and counting.

AT was a startup network in 1994 which grew out of the retransmission consent controversy. Networks wanted to charge the cable companies for carrying their signals. Instead of paying, cable operators cut a deal with NBC to carry a new channel, based in Fort Lee NJ. Under the leadership of Roger Ailes, the channel was launched on July 4, promising to be an interactive conversation about the hot topics of the day. Hard to believe now, but 14 years ago only a handful of people were capable of being on the internet and watching TV at the same time, so the interactivity was limited to phone calls and an occasional email read on the air. Our constant tagline, "Join the conversation at 1-800-988 TALK," is permanently tattooed on my brain.

Ailes had 24 hours of programming to fill on a low budget and he put some edgy ideas out there. "Pork" was a show devoted to exposing government pork barrel spending, "Bugged" invited viewers to tell what bugged them, and "Am I Nuts?" allowed you to get an answer to that question from a couple of real psychologists. They held a contest to pick one of the hosts and the winner, an advertising writer named Bill McCuddy, still covers entertainment for the Fox News network.

I hosted a two-hour Monday through Friday show from 4-6 p.m. EST with Chris Matthews. "In Depth" was a daily conversation about the top news stories. We covered a couple of big breaking stories like the Oklahoma City bombing and the OJ trials, but politics was the meat and potatoes of the show. I was honored with a national cable ace nomination as best newscaster, and this didn't sit well with Chris, who wanted his own show. When he got his wish, John Gibson joined me as the co-anchor, and I got my wish to anchor my half of the show from the Los Angeles.

AT quickly grew to 40 million households and became a victim of its own success. NBC combined with Microsoft to relaunch the channel as MSNBC in 1996, leaving Ailes to move over to Fox and start the Fox News channel. Some of AT's male hosts, such as Gibson, McCuddy, Steve Doocy and Mike Jerrick, also moved over to Fox. I've always thought it odd that none of the women from AT were given the same opportunity despite the fact that some, including Carol Martin and E. Jean Carroll, had extraordinary talent.

Looking over the list of AT group tembers on Facebook, it is also noteworthy that the little startup network launched the careers of dozens of people behind the scenes, people who are still influencing the national conversation every day. AT was an exhilerating place to work, fueled by the energy of young producers and bookers fresh out of college and more experienced show runners and talent. We all sensed that we were part of something way ahead of its time and it ended much too soon.

I was asked the other day if I would like to audition for a political talk show. Sign me up! At this critical time in history, I'd love to be part of the interactive conversation that is now possible with new internet tools. I still hear from AT fans who stumble across my blog or web site and ask me if I will be back on the air. Stay tuned.