An Amazing Afternoon

Yesterday's class can only be described as simply amazing and a touch unreal. I learned so much from three very different people, in three different areas, all under the umbrella of broadcast. I think what I really took away from Thursday is that you can be in different areas of broadcast, at different levels of fame, and still make an impact and be successful. I am not going to lie, I had that feeling of anticipation you get as a 6 year old waiting for Santa Claus through the entire time Herb Weisbaum and Dave Cohen were talking just wait for Bob Costas, but what Herb said really had an impact on me. The fact the bean counters and sales people are taking over the news room and public service is falling farther and farther behind as profit pushes to the forefront. When he talked about having the power to change things as a reporter and the importance of the job to inform people it made me realize how much I wanted to do that. It also made me realize that if we are going to bring back broadcast to public service it is going to have to be our generation of journalists who do it.
I think Dave Cohen gave the best glimpse into what a tough business broadcast can be. All the up and downs that are inevitable, but ultimately if you love what you do you'll find a way to continue doing it.
Bob Costas pretty much blew me away. After hearing all the great things Professor Nicholson, Mr. Weisbaum, and Mr. Cohen had said about him before he came in I almost expected a let down. Nope. He was so real, down to earth, and charismatic. What really impressed me was how smart he was, even though they'd been saying it all day. He knew so many facts, words, and other tid bits of knowledge right off the top off his head yet he never delivered it in a way that made you feel stupid for not knowing it too or that he was rubbing in how smart he was. I think this is probably one of the reasons hes so likable as a broadcaster. Overall it was an amazing afternoon.