2000
Catherine Hughes, managing editor
WVNY, ABC22 News


Hughes joined WVNY last year to help launch the station’s most expansive coverage in its 30-year history: half-hour newscasts at 6 and 11 p.m., seven days a week. Hughes served as WCAX’s Rutland Bureau Chief for 15 years prior to being enlisted at ABC22.

VMD: How would you describe Channel 22’s approach to covering news compared to the rest of the TV stations in the market?

CH: We want to be fair, objective and complete. We seek the relevance in every story. We solicit viewer response to our stories and those concerns have impact on what we cover.

VMD: What does your job at Channel 22 entail?

CH: I’m the managing editor, so I manage. I also find stories, try to keep track of what’s going on in the state and talk to the public. The reporters come up with stories too. Then, between my boss and I, we figure out what we want to cover and how we are going to do that.

VMD: What’s your own philosophy behind the best way to cover news?

CH: Obviously to get the facts of the story and cover it from all angles. It’s our job to present the viewers with the information and let them decide where they stand on an issue. It’s the basic, traditional approach to news. You want to make sure the people featured in the story are telling their stories.

VMD: What makes a good TV news story?

CH: A good story, in general, is one that affects the lives of the audience. The primary difference between TV and other media is that in TV, you should always think visually. That can work to our advantage because we have the ability of capturing people’s words and emotions on camera for the viewer.

VMD: How does that translate to you being pitched with a story idea?

CH: I try to treat each event on its own merit. I’ve gotten some good ideas from people who do public relations once in a while. In a story, we want to see people whose lives are affected by whatever the event is based on, and those people need to be made available to us. That means we want to hear from northern New Yorkers and Vermonters. Plus, we want something visual to go along with it.

VMD: What’s your take on press conferences?

CH: News conferences by themselves are not as helpful to an audience as they could be. You need a "real person" element that you’re usually not going to get from a news conference alone. Again, you need to get people into the story whose lives are affected by what’s going on.

VMD: The topic of same-sex marriage is obviously going to be news story that’s heavily covered this legislative session. What else do you think will be the hot topics in Montpelier this session?

CH: I think we’re going to see some other issues than same-sex marriage, including the availability of healthcare and the cost of prescription drugs. I also think education will be an issue, along with electric rates and transportation, like big trucks.

VMD: What sort of lead-time do you need for a story?

CH: One to two weeks before the event is plenty of time. Some people have sent information the morning of the event, which is usually too late.

VMD: What’s the time to contact you about a news story?

CH: I’m here all day, but the later part of the afternoon isn’t great because it’s crunch-time. But I talk to people all day long. I like talking to people. That’s one of the reasons I like my job.

VMD: What about the best way to contact you?

CH: Faxes and the phone are O.K. E-mail is O.K. too, but I usually end up printing it out anyway. People need to pay attention to what they’re sending. I need to be able to read the fax, first of all. I want to see the date of the event put at the top somewhere. Sometimes I get faxes that don’t have a date on them. If I have to call a person up and ask them when something is, it’s a drag and an extra step I don’t have to take. Keep the press releases simple: the who, what, when, where and why. You don’t want too much information, nor do you want one sentence so that I have no idea what the event is about.

VMD: Thank you.

Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted in winter 1999/00. The names and organizations mentioned were current as of that time.