Tuesday, April 11, 2006


J-Date


Saturday found me back at the placed that launched many thousands of words — UC Berkeley Journalism School (also known as j-school). The occasion was an alumni weekend seminar on radio magic.

With the room packed with radio reporters from around the country and the panels stacked with NPR heavyweights like Mandalit del Barco, Sandra Tsing Loh and
Robert Siegel, (we are not worthy!) I felt both inspired and intimidated.

The Kitchen Sisters paid tribute to Kathy McAnally who recently died. She taught me and many others long-form radio at the journalism school. She headed up Hot Soup and many other projects at KQED, and it felt right to be thinking of her that afternoon. Then we were transported into the Sisters' magical world of radio sounds and archived memories.

I met up with my journalism “boot camp” professor/mentor/drill sergeant Bill Drummond and had Alex Chadwick giving me props for surviving Drummond’s J-200 class. Even in professional circles his class is legendary: having us show up an hour earlier than scheduled, dressing in business attire, going out every day to cover whatever he dreams up. Could be asking college students about STDs or going to a Raiders game and asking about race issues. While we were miserable, tired, stressed and terrified, we certainly came out of that semester trained.

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