Welcome to another edition of "8 Questions with...." an ongoing interview series with the fun folks who are here on my MySpace page. Its just my way of getting to know the folks behind the faces.
I hope you enjoy this series and encourage you to subscribe to my blog to see who gets interviewed next!
I see Stephen Clark every day...at 6 and 11 pm each weekday. He is the anchorman for WXYZ Channel 7 Action News here in Detroit. Channel 7 pretty much rules the local roost as far as TV News goes and except for a blip here or there,they have the best staff as well. The news is fairly broadcast and indepth. A lot of local broadcasters are leery about stepping on toes,WXYZ isn't one of them. Steve Wilson is the best reporter in the area,Bill Spencer is very active in the community helping the downtrodden. But to make a local newscast great lies in who is telling you the news. And Stephen Clark is the best here in Detroit(I know he'll disagree with that statement but I stand on my POV).
Now even journalists have a off the camera life and Stephen is no different. I have known for years he has been a country singer and has played many shows in the area. While I curious about how he sounded,I never had heard him sing,that is until I saw his MySpace page. I admit,I was wary when I saw this,I thought it was a fake page but quickly learned it was indeed our local anchorman. I took a peek at his music page and I have to say,I was very impressed with Stephen's vocals...the man can really sing.
I asked him for a interview and he agreed. Reading his answers really has made me aware of exactly how expensive the freedom of the press really is. I have even more respect for Stephen and it makes it even more clear just how important us bloggers can be in reporting facts and encouraging free debate and speech.
So,take a read....pass this interview around,repost it...and then come express your view about your own local news,both pro and con.
And now.....8 Questions with journalist Stephen Clark of WXYZ Channel 7 Action News
1. How did you get interested in broadcast journalism?
In college I was introduced to a journalism professor whose brother was a disc jockey. He played some tapes of his brother and it sounded like fun so I signed up for some communications classes. Since I liked the professor I also signed up for a journalism class. Pretty soon, I discovered I liked both fields…broadcast journalism was the logical next step.
2. Why do anchors report a terrible story in one breath,yet get all happy the next minute when seguing into the weather or sports the next? Do you feel it takes away from the hard new's impact?
Your question is flawed. Rarely ever do we report a terrible story in one breath, then transition to happy chat about the weather. Although it occasionally happens, producers are very careful to transition from bad news to happy news, sports or weather. In the rare instance that it happens its up to the anchor to make a transition that makes himself and the audience comfortable.
*editor's note: see part two of this question below
3. As a seasoned journalist,in your opinion...do you think our standing government was capable of causing the 9/11 attacks?
As a seasoned journalist it is not my job to express my opinions. The facts show the standing government wasn't in office when the 9/11 attacks were planned.
4. Which do you perfer doing,being a anchor or a in the field reporter? (Explain your position)
I've done nearly ever job in television including anchoring, reporting and producing. My favorite job was as a photojournalist. I enjoy the artistic control over shooting events and interviews then editing them into a meaningful report. Reporting is my next favorite job for many of the same reasons. Anchoring has always been my least favorite job on a day to day basis. However, being the station's primary anchor affords me the option of reporting and producing the kinds of stories I enjoy without the daily grind of deadlines.
5. What has been the biggest difference in covering the news in Detroit and for WCBS in New York City?
New York City sees itself as a microcosm of the world, therefore any story in the world is, in effect "local" news. On a practical level, getting around NYC, especially around the evening news time, is nearly impossible because of traffic. So there was much less "live" news coverage with the exception of helicopter live shots.
6. What has been your proudest moment as a journalist?
In the early 90's I went to Bosnia/Herzegovina to report on a medical supply mission. While there I helped reunite a Bosnian refugee family with an American trying to find his distant family. I also found a local man donating millions to an orphanage. The hour long special, which I wrote and produced, won an Emmy for documentary reporting.
7. If you had 30 minutes to interview anyone,who would it be and what would the first three questions you would ask?
The person I'd like to interview most changes from day to day, depending on the story. I also rarely plan a sequence of questions. I like to ask the first question and see what the answer is before I ask the next question. Today I'd like the opportunity to sit down with Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. The first question would be "why"? Then we'd take it from there.
8. You are also a very well known local musican,how did you develop your love for music?
I started playing guitar in 3rd grade…then clarinet in the school band in 4th grade. I wasn't a particularly good student (I probably would have been diagnosed as ADD if the diagnosis had been around in those days!) and music kept me focused. My musical abilities got me into college when my grades wouldn't have. Journalism served a similar purpose after I discovered that. I am very much a "left-brained" person…I write and create constantly….news, music, literature. If I could make a living at it, I'd probably be a full-time musician. But these days there's little call for live music and most professionals will admit it's a hard road.
9. How much of your songwriting is affected by your day job?
I often treat songwriting (and fiction literature) as an extension of journalism. Just like journalism, I tell a story. Songwriting is a bit more difficult than newswriting because the story has to have a tighter structure, rhythm and rhyme.
10. What 3 musicians that you have shared the stage with impressed you the most? (please don't say Sugarland- *L*)
I opened a show for Willy Nelson a few years ago an ended up sitting on his bus with just him and Leon Russell. I was impressed at how "normal" Willy is…chatty about things other than music.
I did a show with Chris LeDoux some time back. I was in awe of his rodeo accomplishments and how he turned one successful career into another.
I hung out backstage with Tracy Byrd before a show…he was funny, self deprecating and gracious.
11. What's the weirdest reaction you have recieved once folks equate Stephen Clark the singer with Stephen Clark the journalist?
I had someone once accuse of impersonating the TV guy just to get people to come to the show. He said I didn't even look like Stephen Clark!
12. Should Kwame Kilpatrick resign as Mayor of Detroit?
As a journalist it is not my place to offer such an opinion. It's my job to make sure I have the fact straights and avoid the hysteria. That said: as long as he is Mayor, local media has no shortage of news to cover.
13. Who is the best pure reporter,print or electronic,that you have ever worked with?
I got to know Dan Rather well at CBS in New York. I never knew anyone who worked so hard to get facts precisely right. That is why I was so surprised at the 60 Minutes scandal that resulted in his departure from CBS. Peter Jennings was probably the smartest and smoothest journalist I ever encountered.
14. How did you come to join MySpace? (I think its rather cool myself that you did.)
I joined MySpace primarily to keep track of my teenaged daughters. But I find it very useful and finding and maintaining contacts in the song-writing world. If you check my friends list you'll find most of them have a music or Nashville connection.
After the interview was sent back,we swapped this exchange,I added it because I think Stephen's point needed to be heard.
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for the great interview answers,very honest and refreshing. While I don't agree with you on question 2,I do agree I could have asked it better.
RE: Question 2
I'm always amused when watching movies or TV shows when they have a scene of people watching the TV news.. the anchor is reporting on the gruesome double murder... then suddenly smiles and turns to the weather guy and starts joking around. In my experience, double murders usually play a lot higher in the newscast than weather... unless the weather is also a big story--in which case you would toss to the weather man in a much more serious manner.
The point is, in 30 years on TV I can count on one hand the number of times an inexperienced producer has put me in the position of having to transition from a horrible story to weather... or even a light, feature story for that matter... and not a single time have I ever made that turn by making "happy talk" with the weather guy. I would be more likely to say. "We'll have more on that story tonight...in the meantime, here's Jerry with the weather"... then Jerry, being the consummate professional, would just start in on his forecast without levity and jokes.
When I say your question is flawed its because, based on my experiences, you prefaced your question with an incorrect example (unless, of course, you're talking about the portrayal of anchors in movies).
I urge all serious writers/music lovers to add Stephen as a friend:
myspace.com/stephenroyclark
