Saundra Thomas
Biography
Saundra Thomas is the Vice President of Community Engagement at WABC in New York City. She has held this position for a little over 14 years. She attended Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey- New Brunswick and received her BA in Journalism in 1984. She then got her MA at New School University in Media Studies in 1987. After this, she was both a writer and producer for WABC- TV for almost 5 years where she then moved on to her role as VP of Community Engagement. Her role as VP of Community Engagements requires her to establish ties within the community, making public service announcements, donations and contributions. She also works with non-profits to establish partnerships between them and WABC. She says her job requires her to listen to the people and their concerns and then to help them establish these concerns on air In addition to this, Saundra ran for the New York City Council in 2013, however she was unsuccessful.
Background/History of Guest’s Employer
WABC- TV is the channel 7 news station in New York City. This station was founded in April 1947 and its first air date was on August 10th, 1948. It is owned by the ABC-Disney Television group. Their slogan is “Number One in New York”. It is a flagship station for ABC and it is located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan very close to ABC's corporate headquarters. This specific station is known for their Eyewitness Accounts and their morning talk show. The station's transmitter was destroyed during the 9/11 attacks and was later relocated to the Empire State Building. The station also suffered major damage during a 2007 fire that was caused by a spotlight coming into contact with a curtain. In addition to the news, WABC produces Live with Kelly and Michael which is a morning talk show airing at 9 am every morning. This show has been hosted by actress Kelly Ripa and former professional football player Michael Strahan since 2012. Before Strahan, Ripa co-hosted with Regis Philbin who hosted from 1985-2011. During the week, WABC-TV produces 6 ½ hours for news a day, and 5 ½ during the weekends. They also cooperate with the Philadelphia station for New Jersey political debates, where they pool together reporters and resources. They also work together to cover the New Jersey news. In 2013, both the New York and Philadelphia stations began offering live streaming of broadcasts through mobile apps for subscribers. This allowed many people to catch the news at any time, and any place.
Current Issues/Current Health/Recent News About the Employer
WABC-TV is Most Watched in New York and the Nation in 2015
'Affluenza' Teen's Mom to Be Arraigned in Texas
10 Qualitative Questions For the Guest
1. What prompted you to start your work in community engagement?
2. Why did you make the switch from being a writer/ producer to community engagement?
3. Was the switch difficult?
4. What is the most rewarding part about working in community engagement?
5. How to you work to get the community's voice heard on the air?
6. What is your ultimate goal for yourself as VP of community engagement?
7. What prompted you to run for New York City council?
8. If you had been elected, what would you have worked to do/change?
9. After graduating college and before starting work at WABC, what kind of work did you do?
10. You have won quite a few awards, including: McDonalds Black Media Legend Award and Black Achievers in Industry- Harlem YMCA. How/do you think being African American has affected your career? (ex: job opportunities)
Biography
Saundra Thomas is the Vice President of Community Engagement at WABC in New York City. She has held this position for a little over 14 years. She attended Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey- New Brunswick and received her BA in Journalism in 1984. She then got her MA at New School University in Media Studies in 1987. After this, she was both a writer and producer for WABC- TV for almost 5 years where she then moved on to her role as VP of Community Engagement. Her role as VP of Community Engagements requires her to establish ties within the community, making public service announcements, donations and contributions. She also works with non-profits to establish partnerships between them and WABC. She says her job requires her to listen to the people and their concerns and then to help them establish these concerns on air In addition to this, Saundra ran for the New York City Council in 2013, however she was unsuccessful.
Background/History of Guest’s Employer
WABC- TV is the channel 7 news station in New York City. This station was founded in April 1947 and its first air date was on August 10th, 1948. It is owned by the ABC-Disney Television group. Their slogan is “Number One in New York”. It is a flagship station for ABC and it is located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan very close to ABC's corporate headquarters. This specific station is known for their Eyewitness Accounts and their morning talk show. The station's transmitter was destroyed during the 9/11 attacks and was later relocated to the Empire State Building. The station also suffered major damage during a 2007 fire that was caused by a spotlight coming into contact with a curtain. In addition to the news, WABC produces Live with Kelly and Michael which is a morning talk show airing at 9 am every morning. This show has been hosted by actress Kelly Ripa and former professional football player Michael Strahan since 2012. Before Strahan, Ripa co-hosted with Regis Philbin who hosted from 1985-2011. During the week, WABC-TV produces 6 ½ hours for news a day, and 5 ½ during the weekends. They also cooperate with the Philadelphia station for New Jersey political debates, where they pool together reporters and resources. They also work together to cover the New Jersey news. In 2013, both the New York and Philadelphia stations began offering live streaming of broadcasts through mobile apps for subscribers. This allowed many people to catch the news at any time, and any place.
Current Issues/Current Health/Recent News About the Employer
WABC-TV is Most Watched in New York and the Nation in 2015
- WABC-TV is the most watched station and has an average quarter-hour audience of 287,000 viewers all year long.
- The station also has more Facebook likes and Twitter followers than any other local broadcast pages. Their Facebook has 1.2 million likes, and 270,000 followers on Twitter.
- They continued to cover news with public safety in mind, reporting on the Paris and California attacks, killing of NYPD officers, and the jet that skid off off the runway at LaGuardia.
- Live with Kelly and Michael also brought in 2x as many viewers as their competitors.
- NYFD is celebrating its 150th anniversary and Bill Ritter is hosting the campaign for Operation 7: Save a Life this year.
- Through this operation, they give out smoke and carbon monoxide alarms free to people who wouldn't have been able to afford them otherwise.
- They will also be having a half hour special on January 24th at 7:30 pm which will give very important information on what to do if there is a fire and how to prepare for one.
- Slogan: “One death from fire, is one too many.”
- http://abc7ny.com/health/bill-ritter-on-operation-7-save-a-life/468491/
- WABC- TV partnered with the NYC Service for the Youth Voice Counts Forum for a town hall meeting in Brooklyn
- The event was held at St. Francis College
- During this event, members of the Youth Leadership Council discussed why they want to be heard about practices and policies that have any effect on them.
- http://abc7ny.com/society/wabc-tv-takes-part-in-town-hall-meeting-with-citys-youth/1097122/
'Affluenza' Teen's Mom to Be Arraigned in Texas
- The mother of the affluenza teen, Tonya Couch, arrived back in Texas after being extradited in California.
- Many people are upset about the amount of money this has cost and that her son was not jailed after his drunk driving accident.
- After a 2013 drunk driving accident that left four people dead, her son was placed on probation.
- When the son went to court, his psychologist told the court that he was a product of “affluenza” which meant that his affluent upbringing prevented him from knowing right from wrong.
- http://abc7ny.com/news/affluenza-teens-mom-to-be-arraigned-in-texas-/1150169/
- The officer, Brian Encinia, who arrested Sandra Bland is being chargedwith Perjury.
- Three days after she was arrested, Bland was found hanging in her jail cell. Her death was ruled a suicide.
- Encina was seeing saying he was going to “lit her up” about Bland, and was carrying a stun gun.
- Bland was pulled over for what seemed to be a routine traffic stop.
- 5 officers at Rikers were injured by inmates last week.
- Two inmates began the attacks on two officers, and once it began to get out of control, other inmates jumped into and started attacking them.
- The inmates used chemical spray, stomped on the officers, and even slammed an officers hand between a gate.
- Correctional officers blame these attacks on a new policy that was a “recipe for disaster” according to the union boss.
- The policy change was due to the amount of money to city has paid in recent years to Rikers inmates who were beaten by officers.
- http://abc7ny.com/news/5-rikers-island-correction-officers-beaten-and-injured-by-teen-inmates/1149336/
- In Lansing, New York 17 minors were stuck for over 10 hours in one of the world's deepest salt mines. The cause of the issue was a malfunctioning elevator.
- The mine was deep enough to stack two Empire State Buildings (2,300 ft) and the elevator got stuck at around 900 ft.
- Mining will shut down for a week while the company investigates why the elevator malfunctions.
- The elevator temperatures were in the teens, but none of the miners were injured.
- http://abc7ny.com/news/all-17-miners-stuck-in-new-york-salt-mine-rescued/1149695/
10 Qualitative Questions For the Guest
1. What prompted you to start your work in community engagement?
2. Why did you make the switch from being a writer/ producer to community engagement?
3. Was the switch difficult?
4. What is the most rewarding part about working in community engagement?
5. How to you work to get the community's voice heard on the air?
6. What is your ultimate goal for yourself as VP of community engagement?
7. What prompted you to run for New York City council?
8. If you had been elected, what would you have worked to do/change?
9. After graduating college and before starting work at WABC, what kind of work did you do?
10. You have won quite a few awards, including: McDonalds Black Media Legend Award and Black Achievers in Industry- Harlem YMCA. How/do you think being African American has affected your career? (ex: job opportunities)
Alex Blumberg: Co- Founder and CEO of Gimlet Media
Biography
Alex Blumberg is the co-founder and CEO of Gimlet Media which is a podcasting business. Blumberg attended Oberlin College and graduated with a BA in Political Science and Government in 1989. After graduation he had a few jobs before Gimlet media including being a science teacher for two years. In 2007 he began work as the executive producer of This American Life television series on Showtime. The show was very successful and won four Emmy awards. In addition to This American Life TV series, he also served as a producer of This American Life Radio for 15 years which is arguably the most popular podcast in the country. In 2009 he co-founded Planet Money and also served as a , editor and host. Planet money focused on economic journalism through podcasts, blogs, documentaries, and radio stories. Most recently, he founded Gimlet media in August of 2014. Aside from this, Blumberg is also a professor for journalism at Columbia University in New York.
Background/ History of Guest's Employer
Gimlet media was founded in 2014 by Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber, and it is a for-profit network working to produce high quality narrative podcasts. Blumberg decided to start the company after spending many years in the public radio business. It was originally called American Podcasting Corporation, but the name was later changed to Gimlet Media. Gimlet is stationed in downtown Brooklyn in NYC but Blumberg is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. This company is very new to the tech world, yet it has had some great triumphs in it's little time. The first podcast series produced was called Startup, and it chronicled Alex Blumberg's struggles of launching a podcasting network, Gimlet. This podcast became so successful because it provided real, insightful business reporting following the everyday life at the company's office. Their second podcast titled Reply All is focused on the internet and all it has to offer. Continuing on, Gimlet has launched 3 more podcast series with more in the works. The company is growing quickly and is now employing over 25 people who work as hosts, producers, editors, and many more. The companies overall success comes from their honest approach to producing for their audience. They have received much of their funding from crowd-funding campaigns. Gimlet's podcasts are free, however they do offer a paid membership option for fans. This decision both adds revenue for the company, and gives early access to podcasts for the members.
Current Issues/ Current Health/ Recent News About the Employer
The World's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies of 2015 in Media
Podcasting Blossoms, but in Slow Motion
Gimlet Media and Mouth Foods Each Raise $5m+
Alex Blumberg: the Microphone is Always on at Gimlet Media
Recent Work By the Guest
Surprisingly Awesome- Podcast
Reply All- Podcast
Startup- Podcast
10 Qualitative Questions For the Guest
1. Podcasts are so different from television because you aren't being seen on a screen. What do you think you do differently to keep your listeners engaged?
2. How does your company chose topics for podcasts that you think will gain interest? Ex: In Startup why did you chose the company Dating Ring?
3. What pushed you to move from public radio to starting Gimlet?
4. What is your limit for posting on the podcast? How far would you go? You mention in your article with Cincinnati Magazine that some things just can't be shared on air, like firing someone.
5. You raised 1.5 million in funding and a large sum of it ($200,000) was from crowd-funding. Where else did you look to raise money from?
6. A biography online says you're a journalism teacher at Colombia. How do you balance Gimlet as well as a teaching career?
7. Is Gimlet Media a more profitable business than NPR?
8. How did you find your co-founder Matt Lieber?
9. What made you want to work with him?
10. What qualities do you look for when hiring employees?
Biography
Alex Blumberg is the co-founder and CEO of Gimlet Media which is a podcasting business. Blumberg attended Oberlin College and graduated with a BA in Political Science and Government in 1989. After graduation he had a few jobs before Gimlet media including being a science teacher for two years. In 2007 he began work as the executive producer of This American Life television series on Showtime. The show was very successful and won four Emmy awards. In addition to This American Life TV series, he also served as a producer of This American Life Radio for 15 years which is arguably the most popular podcast in the country. In 2009 he co-founded Planet Money and also served as a , editor and host. Planet money focused on economic journalism through podcasts, blogs, documentaries, and radio stories. Most recently, he founded Gimlet media in August of 2014. Aside from this, Blumberg is also a professor for journalism at Columbia University in New York.
Background/ History of Guest's Employer
Gimlet media was founded in 2014 by Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber, and it is a for-profit network working to produce high quality narrative podcasts. Blumberg decided to start the company after spending many years in the public radio business. It was originally called American Podcasting Corporation, but the name was later changed to Gimlet Media. Gimlet is stationed in downtown Brooklyn in NYC but Blumberg is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. This company is very new to the tech world, yet it has had some great triumphs in it's little time. The first podcast series produced was called Startup, and it chronicled Alex Blumberg's struggles of launching a podcasting network, Gimlet. This podcast became so successful because it provided real, insightful business reporting following the everyday life at the company's office. Their second podcast titled Reply All is focused on the internet and all it has to offer. Continuing on, Gimlet has launched 3 more podcast series with more in the works. The company is growing quickly and is now employing over 25 people who work as hosts, producers, editors, and many more. The companies overall success comes from their honest approach to producing for their audience. They have received much of their funding from crowd-funding campaigns. Gimlet's podcasts are free, however they do offer a paid membership option for fans. This decision both adds revenue for the company, and gives early access to podcasts for the members.
Current Issues/ Current Health/ Recent News About the Employer
The World's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies of 2015 in Media
- In this ranking, Gimlet Media takes number nine, for “setting the standard for great podcast content”.
- The article commends the great quality of the podcasts and their ability to hone in on viewer's interests, such as launching a successful company.
- They direct attention to the two most well-known Gimlet podcasts: Startup and ReplyAll.
- The writer acredits the success of the Startup to Blumberg using his personal stories and struggles of starting his first podcasting network, which was later named Gimlet.
Podcasting Blossoms, but in Slow Motion
- This article talks about how podcasts have been around for almost 10 years, and they often hit peaks and lows.
- Serial was a peak for podcasting and gained a lot of interest in the public, and they wanted to know where to get more.
- They then highlight Gimlet for their success in fundraising and gaining over 4 million listeners.
- Podcast ads are also proving to be very successful because they cannot be skipped and are often read by the hosts themselves.
Gimlet Media and Mouth Foods Each Raise $5m+
- This article is written in the “Month in Money” section where the site reports on funding for companies in Brooklyn.
- As heard on Startup, Gimlet Media has raised $5.4 million this year, bringing them to a total of $6.3 million since they started last year.
- The company became well known when they were one of the only Brooklyn based companies to take advantage of crowd-funding.
- http://technical.ly/brooklyn/2015/12/23/month-money-gimlet-media-mouth-foods-raise-5-million/
Alex Blumberg: the Microphone is Always on at Gimlet Media
- This article is written by CBC and talks about how Gimlet employees are used to always being recorded, because it is a part of Startup.
- Blumberg records his days at the office, as well as when he goes home at night to his wife. However, they do filter out small arguments and confidential business.
- Blumberg says that the microphone does make him think more about what he says, but he also thinks being honest will make things more real for the listeners.
- “What makes it good is when you go directly at the stuff that's the most complicated and painful and anxiety producing. That's what makes the best episodes."- Blumberg
- http://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastplaylist/alex-blumberg-the-microphone-is-always-on-at-gimlet-media-1.3355821
Recent Work By the Guest
Surprisingly Awesome- Podcast
- Just like the name, the two hosts of this show work to discover that many seemingly boring things are actually surprisingly awesome! The show is hosted by Adam Davidson and Adam McKay. Davidson is a New York Times Magazine economic columnist and also co-founded Planet Money with Alex Blumberg. McKay is a former writer for Saturday Night Live and has also worked to write, direct, and produce famous films such as Stepbrothers and Anchorman. They work together to discover fascinating things such as the history of mold, which may seem boring, but is actually important for medicinal purposes and is more closely related to humans than plants!
Reply All- Podcast
- This is a radio show about how the internet affects people and how people affect the internet. It is co-hosted by PJ Vogt and Alex Goodman, and there are currently 49 episodes. It focuses on the internet world and talks about things from ordering in-person messages to be delivered on the internet, to hearing from the guy who invented the pop-up adds. The internet it a big place, and this show talks about many of the different parts and people who are on it.
Startup- Podcast
- This is a series that talks about how to get a business up and running. Alex Blumberg talks about his own experience starting Gimlet Media which is followed in Season 1. Season two follows a completely different company called Dating Ring. This season also follows the startup of this company and identifies its struggles such as fundraising and sexism they faced in Silicon Valley.
- https://gimletmedia.com/show/startup/
10 Qualitative Questions For the Guest
1. Podcasts are so different from television because you aren't being seen on a screen. What do you think you do differently to keep your listeners engaged?
2. How does your company chose topics for podcasts that you think will gain interest? Ex: In Startup why did you chose the company Dating Ring?
3. What pushed you to move from public radio to starting Gimlet?
4. What is your limit for posting on the podcast? How far would you go? You mention in your article with Cincinnati Magazine that some things just can't be shared on air, like firing someone.
5. You raised 1.5 million in funding and a large sum of it ($200,000) was from crowd-funding. Where else did you look to raise money from?
6. A biography online says you're a journalism teacher at Colombia. How do you balance Gimlet as well as a teaching career?
7. Is Gimlet Media a more profitable business than NPR?
8. How did you find your co-founder Matt Lieber?
9. What made you want to work with him?
10. What qualities do you look for when hiring employees?