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- Elizabeth Sanchez, author of Watercooler: Behind the Scenes and Off the Record, the Untold Stories from Broadcasters Interviewed By Norm Goldman of Bookpleasures.com
Elizabeth Sanchez, author of Watercooler: Behind the Scenes and Off the Record, the Untold Stories from Broadcasters Interviewed By Norm Goldman of Bookpleasures.com
- By Norm Goldman
- Published December 14, 2009
- AUTHOR INTERVIEWS- CHECK THEM OUT
Norm Goldman
Reviewer & Author Interviewer, Norm Goldman. Norm is the Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com.
He has been reviewing books for the past twenty years after retiring from the legal profession.
To read more about Norm Follow Here
Editor: Elizabeth
Sanchez
Publisher:
AuthorHouse
ISBN:
978-1-4389-9012-5
Today, Bookpleasures.com is excited to have as our guest Elizabeth
Sanchez, author of Watercooler: Behind the Scenes and Off the
Record, the Untold Stories from Broadcasters is the host of
the PBS TV show A Place of Our Own. Sanchez has received
many Emmys for her investigative journalism work. She has
also received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists,
The Radio and Television News Association, The National Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences and is a recipient of a Golden Mike
Award for best newscast.
Good day Elizabeth and thanks for participating in our interview.
Norm:
What makes a good broadcast journalist?
Elizabeth:
A good broadcast journalist is a curious person, a good writer, objective, and can articulate on the air.
Norm:
How did you get started as a broadcast journalist? What keeps you going?
Elizabeth:
I have wanted to be a reporter since I was eleven years old. I started as an intern at KFI News/Talk radio in Los Angeles and knew if I wanted to get into television I would have to move to a small city to get my start. I started my TV career in Yuma, Arizona. Since Yuma is a military town there was always a lot of news to cover.
Norm:
What's your advice to achieve success as a broadcast journalist?
Elizabeth:
Investigate, seek answers, and be willing to learn new technology. The broadcast Journalism business is changing and we have to adapt, by using social media, learning to use a camera, and produce.
Norm:
If you had to pick 3 individuals whom you have not interviewed in the past, who would they be and why?
Elizabeth:
Oprah Winfrey because she has had a challenging and diverse life and she has interviewed everyone who is anyone. Tom Hanks because of his extraordinary career yet seems like an ordinary guy. And probably the current President because there’s always something to talk about concerning politics.
Norm:
As a broadcast journalist, what was the worst experience you have encountered and what was the most satisfying?
Elizabeth:
My worst experience covering news involved a kidnapping of two small children only to learn that their mother had killed them. I write about this in Watercooler. Not only was it a sad, tragic event to cover, but it changed the way I view things. My most satisfying stories have been those that made a difference. Some of the investigative work I’ve done has caused change for the better. Also, when a missing child is found, for example I covered the case of Elizabeth Smart and it was great to have come home alive. You never forget those stories.
Norm:
How did you decide you were ready to write and edit Watercooler: Behind the Scenes and Off the Record, the Untold Stories from Broadcasters?
Elizabeth:
I had wanted to do this for a long time. We’re always talking around the water cooler when we get back to the broadcast station and always telling each other the “behind the scene” stories. Even when I’m at the grocery store or picking up my daughters from school, I’m always asked “so what really happened at that story you were covering?” So, I asked several of my colleagues to participate. I thought if I got a variety of reporters to write about different events it would be a more interesting read.
Norm:
Do you have a specific writing and broadcasting style? If so, please elaborate.
Elizabeth:
With a diverse background in broadcasting, I have been taught to write short, simple sentences that the average person can enjoy. In broadcasting we only have 90 seconds to two minutes to report so I have learned to get to the point.
Norm:
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating Watercooler: Behind the Scenes and Off the Record, the Untold Stories from Broadcasters?
Elizabeth:
The number of journalists who have no problem telling other peoples’ stories but when it came to telling their own some couldn’t come through. Some journalists were concerned about bringing attention to themselves during these tough economic times. Even though Watercooler is not a tell all book, they didn’t want to give management an excuse not to renew their contract.
Norm:
Can you tell us how you found representation for your book? Did you pitch it to an agent, or query publishers who would most likely publish this type of book? Any rejections? Did you self-publish?
Elizabeth:
I self-published the book after trying to representation. I pitched ten agents and talked face to face with one who seemed very interested. However, because Watercooler is a collaboration from several journalists agents told me it would be more difficult to find a publisher. It took more than a hundred publishers being contacted before the Chicken Soup for the Soul series was ever published.
Norm:
What are you upcoming projects? Our readers would love to hear about them.
Elizabeth:
I am now working on a book dealing with balancing motherhood. As the host of a parenting show and mother of two small children, I constantly run into parents who struggle to find balance. I want to help moms searching to do it all.
Norm:
Where can our readers find out more about you and Watercooler: Behind the Scenes and Off the Record, the Untold Stories from Broadcasters?
Elizabeth:
Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.