People think hosting television shows is easy. I hear people in
line at the grocery store, reading the magazines, saying
”
Can you believe that Katie Couric got X millions of dollars in
her contract? How hard can asking people a few questions and
reading a script be? It’s not like she’s got to memorize
everything.
”
People think hosting television shows is easy. I hear people in line at the grocery store, reading the magazines, saying “Can you believe that Katie Couric got X millions of dollars in her contract? How hard can asking people a few questions and reading a script be? It’s not like she’s got to memorize everything.”
I beg to differ. Hosting takes great talent, confidence, and being quick on your feet.
Case in point. Many moons ago, yours truly had a studio talk show called “Suzy’s Cue.” (Don’t laugh – I was 21 or something.) Part of this episode involved me singing an a cappella song in the studio.
There I was, in my element, belting out some gospel music, and all of a sudden, I hear my director screaming at someone in the control room.
“Get it!! Get it, Lauren! Catch it!”
Now – when you’re playing “the vulnerable artist” trying to give a meaningful performance, hearing “Catch it!!” screamed at the top of your director’s lungs does not instill a feeling of security. As a trained thespian, I continued to sing, having all the faith in my floor manager Lauren Etcheverry, to deal with the problem quickly.
The studio monitor caught my eye, and I noticed that there was an extreme close up on me, so as to not get the rest of the studio set on camera. Next thing you know, Lauren is diving to catch a cable that had fallen from the lighting grid, and apparently had been swinging like a pendulum behind my head.
Lauren prevented it from hitting me, and kept the show going. Good floor managers can really save one’s behind, I’ve always said.
The point here is, hosting is no easy task. It takes a comfortable person who can be at ease on camera. For CMAP, it also takes someone who knows the content of the show, and knows the community. That could be YOU!
Our staff producer, W. Clay, will be the producer of this year’s and Hollister Independence Rally and Garlic Festival coverage on Channel 20. We are in pre-production for both events, and are looking for hosts to conduct our live, on-the-street coverage.
Let me reassure you that you don’t have to be a Katie Couric to get the gig (god knows you won’t be getting her pay – but you will be compensated with lunch. I know from personal experience that we feed our crews well).
You simply need to be comfortable interviewing people, talking to a camera lens, and must possess the ever so valuable skill of ad libbing. Interested? Contact W. Clay at CMAP: (408) 846-4983, ext. 3.
FYI: CMAP has a viewer feedback line, and we would all love to hear from you! If you’ve been watching our Channels 18, 19, 20, and Channel 17 in Hollister (only available on Charter Cable, of course), and you’ve got something to say about the content, we’d like to hear from you! Call our viewer feedback line at (408) 846-4983 ext. 8, or (831) 636-4397.
