The Inside Life : Delving Into The Work Of A Television News Presenter, Part 1
October 5, 2008 by krisdhingra
Filed under Exclusive Events, Specials
A DelhiPlanet Exclusive
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be a Doctor, an Engineer, an Architect or a Teacher. Hmm, not really, because these are some of the most common occupations in the world and most people more or less have an idea of what these people do. However wouldn’t it be exciting to get to know a Professional Dancer, a Musician, a Investigative Journalist, a Travel Writer, an Actor, an Archaeologist, a Disc Jockey, a TV Host etc. There are 100’s of occupations in the world and sometimes it’s just so fascinating to meet someone who’s work is very different from the normal run of the mill stuff, especially so when it involves interaction with the media, appearing on television, attending a lot of parties, traveling etc.
While from the outset it appears that such people have really great jobs and a terrific life, that’s mostly not the situation and it’s just another instance of the “the grass being greener on the other side“. But even the realization of this fact is not enough to satisfy human curiosity and to answer the question “why does this person get to a great job with so much money and fame while my life’s going nowhere“. To answer such questions we at DelhiPlanet decided to introduce a new theme of articles titled “The Inside Life“.
The Inside Life would take an in depth look at the lives of people in occupations that seem very creative and interesting from the outset. Here we would get to know these individuals through personal interviews and would find out more about their life and work in their professions. We start of this series by interviewing a Television News Presenter. A News presenter is someone people see everyday and someone they sub-consciously develop an attachment with. The news presenters bring information about the world to us and take us into the lives of other famous people. Their jobs involve hours of exposure to the television, frequent travel and recognition.
So what’s it like to be one, let’s find out in an exclusive interview with noted News Presenter for Televisa Monterrey (A Mexican News Channel), Miss Christine Waller.
DelhiPlanet (DP) : Hi Christine, A very warm welcome to you from the entire team at DelhiPlanet. Let’s start by getting to know you better, please tell us something about yourself.
Christine Waller( CW) : Hi, my name is Christine Waller and I’m originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the U.S. I have lived in Monterrey, Mexico for the past couple of years working full time for a company called CEMEX as part of their Corporate Communications team. I also work with a local TV station called Televisa, delivering a weekly report on live television about US - Mexico relations.
DP: What kind of News do you present and for how long are you infront of the Camera daily ?
CW: Every Monday morning I deliver my report on live television at 7:30am about a broad range of international topics covering such issues as the 2008 U.S. Primary and Presidential Elections, the 2008 Olympics, U.S. - Mexico Border Politics, etc. My report lasts for about 3 to 4 minutes, but approximately 5 hours of preparation are necessary for this seemingly short period of time.
DP: That’s an interesting fact Ms. Waller (shown below in action while delivering a report ), I’m sure not many people are aware about the preparation that goes in before delivering a report on live television.
DP: So tell us, Did you always love to be in front of the camera from an early age or did you start liking it at a later point of time.
CW: I think that I’ve always loved telling stories from an early age more than being in front of the camera. My mother says that ever since I could talk, I told stories to whoever would listen, and that ever since I could pick up a pencil I was writing stories for whoever would read them. My passion is much more about telling good stories, in my personal and professional life, than being center stage on camera.
In high school, I gained a bit of experience as a student reporter on our internal high school news channel which was broadcast throughout the community . Later in college, I published my stories through a variety of University Creative Writing Journals and other media channels. These expereinces were helpful in making me realize that the world of journalism was something that suited me well, but again, it’s always been more about telling good stories, whether in print or broadcast format, than anything else. .
DP: I see, “the ability to tell stories” that’s seems to be an important quality that should be inherently present in someone looking to be a journalist or a News Reporter. Now tell us something about your work as a TV Presenter, how rigorous are the schedules and how hard is it to be in front of the camera ?
CW: The most rigorous part about being a broadcast journalist is most certainly finding and developing an interesting story. Presenting the story on live television is just icing on the cake. The most difficult part is looking at the world through an angle not seen before, finding out why the story I want to tell is interesting, and what is the best way to tell it. Then it’s a challenge to organize the details of the story in such a way that a broad, general audience clearly understands what you are trying to communicate, how the story fits into their personal life, and why they should care about listening to the report.
Since I participate with the morning news program, it is a challenge to wake up at 5:30am to arrive to the station for them to do my hair and make-up before appearing live at 7:30am. It’s important to have plenty of coffee on hand. Another challenge about actually being in front of the camera is staying on your toes, and to be ready to answer any question they may throw your way.
Catch the rest of the interview here .
Note: The Inside Life and all content published as a part of Inside Life is owned by and exclusive to DelhiPlanet. Any reproduction without permission is prohibited.
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