Date: Fri 09-Jan-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

Joanne-Nesti-newscaster

Full Text:

Newscaster Critiques The State Of Her Art

BY MICHELE HOGAN

In a lively discussion, Joanne Nesti, anchorwoman for 15 years at Channel 30

news, gave Newtown High School students studying journalism and video

production a feel for the life and times of a newscaster.

Ms Nesti and Kerry Hrabstock, video production teacher at Newtown High School,

worked together at Channel 30 before Mrs Hrabstock accepted the teaching

position at the high school.

Ms Nesti described trends in television newscasting, how TV stations will try

to tease viewers at TV rating times, and related the sometimes-harrowing

nature of live on-air broadcasting.

Ms Nesti explained that she was going to be a French teacher, but did some

substitute teaching and then decided to retrain for broadcasting.

She attributes getting her first job as a newscaster for a Hartford radio

station on a decision by the station manager to "add female voices, because at

that time most of the voices on radio were guys."

She continued, tongue in cheek, "only a guy could give news in an

authoritative tone. If a woman read it, it was, I don't know, like she was

reading a bedtime story.

"I wasn't a female newscaster, a male newscaster. I was a newscaster. I did

the news. Male or female doesn't matter. Do you know what news is? Do you have

a philosophy? Can you write? That's what you need to do the news."

Ms Nesti said that all aspects of television production have opened up to

women, partly through improved technology.

Camera and audio equipment that used to weigh around 160 pounds now fits in a

lightweight shoulder pack that anyone can use.

She told the students to "get out and use camera and video equipment, write

for a school newspaper, create a local radio station, because it doesn't

really matter what the story is about. The process is the same. If you want to

be an anchorperson, start doing it."

Ms Nesti encouraged students to write in their own voice. She told them that

news is not simply a "fact sheet," because anybody can do that. She likes to

see a touch of irreverence in the news.

With a wry smile, she continued, "Some of you may want to be anchor people and

end up being a French teacher, and that's not a bad thing either."

She cautioned students that "there are not that many jobs out there for all

the people who want them."

If her boss looks at a job applicant's video tape for a newscasting position

for ten full seconds, "I would be surprised."

"Looks do count," she continued, "but, also, can you string words together to

form a coherent thought? Are you good live?"

Emphatically, she said in any news position "spelling counts! If you can't

spell `superintendent' right, then, did you get the story right?"

TV Ratings

With a penetrating argument, Ms Nesti went on to criticize the television

rating system. She said that "ratings don't tell you what is good on TV, but

rather, who did the best job of teasing viewers into watching."

She said that "rating time is in November, and that is when you see all the

good movies, the titillating stories, like the old standby `Sex on the

Internet,' or exotic dancers."

Ms Nesti said that people will watch anything, the question that ratings

answer is simply "who did the best job of manipulating the audience to watch

that night."

Ms Nesti said that she thought the best thing they had covered on their local

newscast was their "story about when EAI, a private company, took over the

public schools in Hartford and started running the schools for profit."

She had hoped that issues like "What should we spend our tax dollars on?"

would be brought into newcasts on the Six Flags Amusement Park search for

funding.

"These are the kind of stories we are not doing, but I thought we were trying.

TV loves twisted metal. It's easy to get shots of crashes," she said.

On The Air,

On The Edge

She said that local news repeatedly features fires, accidents and murders, and

after years of the same thing, she said "everything is funny -- death, murder,

you name it. I know it sounds terrible, maybe it is a defense mechanism. I'm

not a psychologist.

"I have never laughed on the air, but you are sitting there, authoritative,

and I am waiting for the day when I break up.

"Once my co-anchor had a difficult name to pronounce, and he had known ahead

of time and was trying it. Well, we were on the air, and he said it right! I

have the next story. I see him get up and bow to the crew, and I almost

cracked up. I was doing a murder story. The day could come anytime that I lose

it on-the-air, so keep watching!"

Students On Air

Mrs Hrabstok is "still working out of a closet," but she has plans to let

students prepare TV shows for Channel 17 as soon as the construction of the

Newtown High School TV studio is done.

She wants students to get hands-on experience, even though her current

facilities at the high school fall far below her standards.

Mrs Hrabstok said that against all odds, her classes are working to prepare

videos on the AIDS quilt, Diane Dutchik (NHS art teacher who recently moved

from the middle school), and are even doing some first attempts at both comedy

and drama.

These shows should be aired later this spring.