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10 Questions with ... Tim Scheld
August 26, 2008
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NAME:Tim ScheldTITLE:Director of News and ProgrammingSTATION:WCBS Newsradio 880MARKET:New YorkCOMPANY:CBS RadioBORN:Born, raised, and still reside in Northern New Jersey
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
20 years+ Reporting: Reporter, WOR Radio; Reporter, WCBS Newsradio; National Correspondent, ABC News Radio.
4 years in Radio News Management: News Director, WCBS Newsradio (since Sept 2004); Director of News and Programming, WCBS Newsradio (since Feb 2008)
1. How did you get your start in radio? Why radio and why journalism?
More than anything, I caught the radio "bug." I caught it from the legendary voices on WOR playing on the kitchen radio, the authoritative voices from Newsradio 88 coming from the car radio, and the friendly tones of the jocks on my own favorite, WNEW-FM. To me, those voices were magic. I went to college to be an FM jock and left a cub reporter. Music was fun but boring; news was hot and happening.
2. About what are you most passionate these days?
The power of journalism. The art of telling stories. A desire to get it right. Broadcast Journalism isn't dying, the way it's delivered is just changing.
What will never change is the need to get to the truth for the greater good. There will always be a thirst for compelling stories about people, places and things. What's changing is where people get these stories from and how they are delivered.
3. In a media universe that includes more choices for immediate information than ever, how do you keep all-news radio relevant and viable as a primary source of news? How are you keeping WCBS a leader in that competition for people's attention?
Being relevant is all about delivering relevant information. It's also delivering it to meet the needs of the consumer. Go find an AM radio at Best Buy today.
We can either panic or react. We choose to react. Along with continuing to deliver our product on 880am in New York, we delivering content on line, on cell phones, and PDAs. Staying relevant is also about quality control. We work hard every day to deliver a product on air and online that represents the brand we work for CBS.
4. You were a reporter for years, at WCBS and WOR locally and at ABC nationally. What about being on the street getting the story do you most, and least, miss, now that you've been a boss for a few years?
I miss being out on the front line where news is made. There's nothing like being the first to know and then having to deliver that news. I love politics - so I especially miss the day to day of the Presidential Election Campaign - the travel, the conventions, the crowds. I do not miss the travel, or the time away from my family.
5. You've interviewed presidents and covered virtually everything; of all the stories and events you've covered, both as a reporter and as a news director, of which are you most proud?
I am very proud of the work I did at ABC covering September 11th and the aftermath of the attacks on my hometown. I proudly display a copy of the 2001 Peabody that the ABC News team won for the coverage. As for my time at WCBS Newsradio, I'm proud to help guide a newsroom of young journalists who have the same passion and take the same pride in the call letter WCBS as some of the greatest broadcast journalists who've worked at 88.
6. What's the biggest change in the business from when you started to now?
The changes in technology are breathtaking. Just today I was listening to this radio station streaming LIVE on my brand new iPod Touch. Wow. It blows you away.
I hate to spend too much money on new gadgets because I'm afraid they'll be out of date in a matter of months. It's exciting.
7. Another question regarding changes in the media and technology: You've been involved in the past in programs for aspiring radio journalists. With all the options out there -- namely, blogging and Net video -- do you see young aspiring newspeople opting to do things other than radio? How can radio attract young talent to do the reporting?
I think we need to do a better job of making sure people consider the option of radio. We host aspiring journalists (high school or college) every chance we get. We visit colleges every time we are invited. Our message is always two fold, the broad reach of radio (the number of people who listen to radio in America is still enormous) and the art form of painting a picture and delivering a compelling story with words and sound. Television is less about telling the story and more about delivering great visuals. Radio is still theater of the mind. It's fun and challenging.
8. What do you do for fun?
I spend as much time with my family as I can. I've been married 16 years now, and we have a 10 year old daughter and 14 year old son. Nothing more fun than being a dad. But in my spare time, I enjoy playing basketball and ice hockey. I snowboard (no big air, please) in the winter and play guitar (not ready for prime time). I'm also a huge baseball fan (The New York Mets are my passion, though I actually have the title of Executive Producer of New York Yankees Baseball on WCBS).
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _____________.
...sticking my nose in the stories we are covering on WCBS.
10. What's the best advice you've ever gotten? The worst?
To borrow a line from my good friend and veteran WCBS Reporter Rich Lamb: Always have extra batteries, tapes, and pens. And never pass up a bathroom.
I can't remember the worst advice, which is a good thing. I suspect.
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