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Corporate Citizen Of The Year - Broadcast News
Even as it makes its way in the image business, WTNH-TV works to remain grounded in the realities of its hometown
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Business New Haven
1/20/2003
By: Melissa Nicefaro
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It's hard to imagine a snowstorm without envisioning weatherman Geoff Fox's face or seeing a News Channel 8 reporter reporting from the local supermarket or hardware store, checking on the Ice Melt and battery supply.
They're more than just pretty faces. They're also more than a run-of-the-mill news organization.
Keeping us up-to-date on the happenings of the area and the world is only part of the important job of those who work for New Haven's ABC television affiliate, WTNH-TV.
The station made its home here over 54 years ago. It contemplated moving into a larger space around the corner from its home at the foot of Elm Street once, according to WTNH president and CEO Jon Hitchcock, but its home is here in New Haven and - it's here to stay.
"The New Haven community is an important fabric of the station's culture, what we do and what we deliver," Hitchcock says. And likewise, WTNH anchors such as Keith Kountz, Ann Nyberg, Kristen Cusato and Darren Kramer have added to the fabric of New Haven.
While WTNH's news programming is clearly New Haven-based, its reach goes far beyond the confines of the greater New Haven area.
"Naturally we're located here in New Haven, so there's an affinity to New Haven from a customer standpoint," Hitchcock explains. "We're not only dealing with issues in our immediate community, but also things that are relative to the entire state."
Along those lines, earlier this month the station announced a new deal with the New London Day newspaper to set up a satellite studio in the newspaper's newsroom.
"We're re-chartering a course that was once there," Hitchcock explains. "We had a newsroom in the New London Day that had gone away. It's been on hiatus for a couple of years."
Hitchcock says that "Since the southeastern part of Connecticut is the fastest-growing part of the state, we wanted to allocate some dedicated resources out there and include stories that are relevant to the people there, but equally to the entire state."
Last September, the station launched a new weekend newscast, airing from 7 to 9 a.m., to take the place of paid or syndicated programming.
News aside, local network stations have a sort of requirement to dig their feet into where they "live" and make it better. In WTNH's case, it is New Haven. In the past year, the station has teamed with the Red Cross, United Way and the state for its community efforts. Hitchcock acknowledges that the shock waves of 9-11 impacted every news organization throughout the entire country.
"In relevance to our day-in and day-out reporting, there's the element of 'life moves forward,' which we do showcase," he says. "What we did on 9-11 of this past year [2002] to honor that anniversary to those who had lost their lives and were impacted by that, we opted to go commercial-free on that day. We partnered with a variety of civic organizations and used our break structure [air time that otherwise would be filled with advertising spots] to help promote those organizations."
Work with non-profit organizations is an important element of 'TNH's public face. Although life does move forward, oftentimes it's not without assistance from News Channel 8.
One of the station's most successful features, called Wednesday's Child, showcases children in need of foster homes and hoping to soon be adopted.
WTNH partners with the state's Department of Children & Families (DCF) to find adoptive homes for children who have suffered abuse or neglect and are waiting and hoping for a loving family to call their own.
Hitchcock says it's a privilege to focus on children in need, to draw attention to the perspective adoptees and see some good come from it.
Darren Kramer, co-host of 'TNH's news shows from 5-7 a.m. and midday weekdays, hosts the Wednesday's Child segments, which air every other week.
He acknowledges that the selection process is complex and is handled by DCF.
"There is a process that a child who comes through that kind of turmoil has to go through before he or she is ready to publicly look for someone to adopt them," Kramer explains.
"DCF has a very careful and meticulous process that they go through, evaluating kids who are in the process of going from, in some cases, being rescued from bad homes to becoming stable and with a foster family, and then being ready to say 'Yes, I am looking for a new permanent family.'
"The folks at DCF can recommend to us on a regular basis, kids who they think are good candidates, or are ready for a public push for adoption. We're just not equipped to make that decision," Kramer explains.
"At first blush, you'd think, 'Gosh all these kids waiting to be adopted - let's just go!' But it's an emotional, difficult process for these kids who are going through things that you and I can't even imagine."
So DCF staff evaluate the children and decide when is the right time for placement, which is usually after the child is in a foster home situation and becomes stabilized and gains some confidence. DCF makes that recommendation and then Kramer and WTNH provide the public access of getting the kids out there to be seen by countless Channel 8 viewers.
Once a child is chosen, Kramer will meet with him or her and a social worker. "We'll hang out and get the kid to talk. It's been hard, but over the years we've become pretty good at getting them to relax and forget about the TV cameras. We get to show a glimmer of their personality and get them on the air and hopefully the right eyes are on the television when the kids are on."
Though it is a gratifying piece for Kramer to do, it can also be difficult, depending on what the children have been through and the disabilities they may have.
"Some kids are very shy and some have learning disabilities, but once you can set a kid at ease, joke and goof around a little bit, we can usually get them to relax. Sometimes the video we take is candid so we don't have to stick the camera in their face and there's a little bit of an art to getting these kids to relax.
"These kids have been through so much," Kramer adds.
Another community service program, Making the Grade, highlights education issues across the state.
Segment host Kristen Cusato says the education stories are meant to raise a reaction. "What I really like to do with my stories is to try to get you to do something - even if it is just a reactionary, 'Oh, my gosh!'"
Station officials regard the segment as a multimedia commitment that combines the power of television and the Internet to help raise the level of area educational systems.
The goal is to build awareness of issues surrounding education, provide ways that parents can be empowered to be involved, encourage children to stay in school and provide quality educational information.
Cusato, who says she is passionate about education, sees Making the Grade as more than just a news outlet.
Topics range from how an elementary school in West Haven deals with a diverse classroom, to a piece on teachers who are military reservists and getting ready to leave for duty overseas.
"I did one on kids collecting things to put in backpacks to send to kids in Afghanistan," Cusato says. "Oh, and I also did a story about a little girl who lost her mom and her aunt within four months and she is still a peer mediator and gets straight As. She's a fabulous kid."
Cusato would like to bring a more issue-oriented focus on Making the Grade in addition to the features.
"About a month ago I did a story on Milford and how they've got this brand new air-quality system in place," she explains. "They've hired a full-time air quality guy. This is one of the districts that has had a lot of dealings with mold, sick kids, sick schools. This guy's got this book, he comes in and signs in, goes over his checklist. Whenever somebody's sick and it can have to do with an air quality issue, he puts it in his log," Cusato says. "I'm very interested in how [school] districts are beginning to be proactive."
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