We started off this week with a visit to NBC Bay Area (KNTV) where we met up with good friend Mike Inouye and Robert Mayeda. Mike gave us a tour around the studio where we got a sense of what goes on at the station. It was amazing to see how much everyone does and their ability to multitask on so many levels. One of the highlights of the tour was that we actually got to sit in the studio for a front row live showing of their recording and even be on air for a few seconds!! While we were there, a boy scout troop was also visiting so we got the chance to listen to Mike, of course with his sense of humor, show the boys what he does on a day to day basis. What impresses me the most is how the crew manages to get to the studio so early in the morning, everyday!! Mike especially who juggles having two young kids and getting to work at 4am, still manages to stay involved the community!
We also had the chance to talk to Barbara Hiura who works at Wesley United Methodist Church. She used to be a freelance reporter with the Hokubei Mainichi before it became an online only news source. We learned how struggling the newspaper industry has been as times are turning to more of the technological advancements such as the Internet. Both Sami and I were unaware that the Hokubei no longer prints hard copies and I think that this is an issue that a lot of newspapers are going to be facing in the near future.
Tuesday we went over to KTVU Fox 2 and met with Robert Handa who talked to us about what he does there on a typical day. When he first started working with the news, he was one of the few Asian Americans in the field. He decided to take the opportunity as a challenge to be one of the first rather, than looking at the negative side that they all failed. Robert also gave us advice on life skills that he learned through his experiences, like being able to work on our weaknesses in order to become an all around better person. He also talked about finding a way to get your foot in the door, to stand out so that you have something to offer that others don’t have.
Also on Tuesday we visited CreaTV, which is a local access station here in San Jose. Sarah, one of their interns gave us a tour of their studio and explained to us what kinds of things go on there. CreaTV offers different film and media classes for their members as well as gives them access to their equipment so they can do public service announcements and film their own shows and programs. After visiting there, we went to DeBug Community Center where Adrian showed us around. At DeBug they have space for video production, photography, painting, and silk screening. Their biggest project is probably the production of their bimonthly, bilingual magazine. They focus on stories with minority issuesor with those who aren’t recognized in the larger scope of the media. At DeBug, they use artwork, writing, and video to collectively portray their experiences through their own point of view. It was really interesting to visit their center because there really is nothing like it, and I think that it’s something that is much needed in the community.
Wednesday we focused our interviews and tours on the San Jose Mercury News. First we talked with Michelle Lew who is the president of AACI and also the community representative for the editorial board of the Mercury. She works to advise them on certain issues or stories that she thinks may be prevalent to write about. We also met with another familiar face, Dennis Akizuki who is an editor at the Mercury News. Mr. Akizuki gave us a tour of their facilities including the huge printing press rooms and the library clip files. He also talked about the challenges that the newspaper is having with the changing times and everything being online nowadays. Because of economic reasons the company went from having around 400 employees to only a little over 100. Even their work and office space is now only half the size of what it used to be. Although they are struggling, news and the San Jose Mercury in particular are something that probably will never face elimination altogether, however I think that they will have to adapt to what the world wants to see and how they want to read it.
No comments:
Post a Comment