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10 Questions with ... Danielle Bina
March 6, 2007
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NAME:Danielle BinaTITLE:News Director, Midwest Communications Northeast GroupMARKET:Northeastern Wisconsin (Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh)COMPANY:Midwest CommunicationsBORN:ChicagoRAISED:Milwaukee
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
20 years in Television and Radio news beginning in Minnesota television as a reporter. Worked at the CBS and NBC affiliates in Green Bay as anchor/reporter. Currently the News Director for Midwest Communications Northeast Wisconsin Radio Group based at WTAQ. Has served as a consultant for area corporations, political campaigns and the State of Wisconsin.
1. You decided, after a long time as a TV anchor/reporter and a family hiatus, to go into radio news- why? What appealed to you the most about doing radio?
Radio is a journalist's dream. It's storytelling for the mind's eye; freedom from visual aesthetics. I was looking at several options when this position presented itself. Midwest Communications wanted to get back into the news business. It was an interesting challenge. My TV background was actually a plus. I had no attachment to radio news methods that weren't working for them so I was able to take a different approach to product development. Our newsroom is a philosophical hybrid of TV and radio based on a simple premise: News is News.
2. About what are you most passionate?
My family. (Husband Michael and sons Joey and Mick, ages 15 and 12. Abby the Golden Retriever should get a mention, too, as she thinks she runs the house!)
3. Over the last decade, many radio stations have cut back or outsourced local news. What would you say to managers who have forsaken local news? What part can local news play as radio stations become more multimedia with Web sites and podcasts?
The words outsource and local in the same sentence should scare every programmer in America. The only way Radio will thrive in the future is with local programming, including a strong news presence. I believe every market should have a local news staff. News is often an afterthought for Music Programmers. Listeners can get music anywhere, but they want and need information and a connection to community. As the technology continues to evolve, Radio has to adjust. If your information is coming via newsreaders in a clearinghouse two states away you've lost your local connection. Where will they turn when there's a threat to the community? Staffing a newsroom with three full-time employees or more is the only way to keep it local, to build trust and give listeners a connection. Think about the competition. Can you imagine Television or Newspaper newsrooms covering a community's events with only one or two people? Not in today's world of internet and podcasts. Even print journalists are turning out stand ups and video blogs on their sites. Radio has to update its thinking if it's going to compete. I am fortunate that Midwest Communications understands and commits the resources to a local news product.
4. You've been around Green Bay for a long time, and you know that outsiders' image of the area is pretty much limited to the Packers and Lambeau Field. What would surprise people from elsewhere about Green Bay?
Green Bay has baseball and hockey, too, and a thriving cultural community. Our schools have tremendous music and theatre programs along with solid academics. Green Bay is very family friendly. That said? Go Pack go!
5. What's the most important story you've covered (in radio or TV) since coming to Green Bay?
That's a difficult question after 20 years in news. I've flown with the Blue Angels, covered National Political Conventions, countless trials, tornadoes, you name it. Most experienced journalists can name stories that touched their hearts and souls. But they weren't always the top stories of the day. The human interest stories: people facing illness, loss, struggles are the best, and there've been many of those. The Teresa Halbach murder case touched me personally because she took my professional photos the year before she was murdered. You rarely have that connection as a reporter.
6. Who are your influences, inspirations, and/or mentors?
My Father has influenced me greatly. He fostered my love for history and culture. It has served me well in the news profession. As a teenager I toured the Civil War battlefields and enjoyed every minute of it. We took many "historical" vacations over the years. My Dad is a retired Physician and a true believer in Family medicine.
7. What makes a good radio reporter- what qualities and skills would you look for in an ideal staffer?
A great radio reporter has an understanding love of community and an ear for good stories outside court or meeting rooms. News is news, and a good broadcast reporter can adapt to any medium. I look for an eclectic, well-read mind, an eagerness to learn and compassion. I listen for story telling in the human experience, which makes it compelling. Then I listen for the voice and delivery. Lastly, reporters need a life outside the newsroom if they're to contribute to the product. I discourage large amounts of overtime, and it pays huge dividends in productivity. Happy people are fabulous workers. Sadly, this is often overlooked in the news business.
8. What do you do for fun?
My family is busy, and my fun revolves around my sons' Basketball, Baseball and Football games, the Show Choir and Musical performances and the smiles and hugs. I love the water, am always ready to travel, see a play, a game and enjoy tending my vegetable gardens. I enjoy the History Channel, classic movies, and a good book is a joy.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _____________.
...a cup of English Breakfast Tea with honey and milk and one kind word or deed.
10. What's the best advice you've ever gotten? The worst?
The best advice? Be kind to the young, the old, the sick, the poor, and the weak. We are all one in our human experience and no one will escape all of these conditions in their lives. Ultimately we humans are one in death. That simple truth reins me in when I'm feeling self-important.
The worst advice? Get ahead at any price.
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