Why I love my job...

I’m sure there are many reasons why people feel really good about a job they love. For me one of the biggest draws in radio has been the distinct advantage it gives you – the almost unbelievable access - to ask people questions and learn about their lives.

It’s not the nosiness factor that interests me; it's whatever makes many people feel passionate – in joy or sorrow. The striving for something more that really lights them up.

Years ago I interviewed a spelunker who spoke about the excitement he felt in an uncharted cave - not knowing what would happen around the next corner. It sounds trite when you write about it, but when you hear the expression in his voice, you just know why he’s taken huge chances. Radio is such an intimate medium.

Since I started hosting and producing Prime Time Focus a few months ago, I’ve had the renewed privilege of getting to interview people. I’ve talked with pianist Emil Pandolphi, whose love of a lyrical tune and how he can re-score it brings deep joy to his life. He delights in being on stage to share it with others. Interviewing him made me want to play the piano again, to listen to music with a finer-tuned ear, to think more about what composers and arrangers ponder. It’s a gift Emil left with me long after I finished the piece. Listen!

On the flip side, some interviews are so gut wrenching you can’t hear more. Years ago I edited a documentary on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I can still hear a Vietnam vet describing someone being tortured – it’s a memory I wish I could get rid of. I cannot.

Similarly the pain that Mr. Brewer feels in the piece I did for Prime Time Focus on the serious problems people have experienced with some pre-need funeral policies was very hard to hear. He trusted those people and with an income of just $600 a month, had few options when his wife suddenly died. Such stories make you want to be the very best reporter you can be and to tell a story with compassion. How could you violate such trust? (coming in December - we'll post a link here to the story)

I think people who work in radio will tell you that if you play a piece of audio they gathered a long time ago they’ll still remember who spoke the words, and the larger story they told. Alone with headphones on, the ears tune in to something beyond the words.

I feel so very fortunate to have found something I love to do so much. I hope you enjoy my work and it’s a pleasure to share my thoughts about it.

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Alyne Ellis

Bringing Home the Story

This year, I got to attend AARP’s annual member event for the first time. This year it was in Boston. (That's me with a friendly robot!)

It was a good thing I took the train because a plane would never have gotten off the ground with all the stuff I lugged home. There were hundreds of exhibitors there – everything from vitamin and pear people to travel booths where you could sign up for a barge trip. But most of the 100 pounds of extra weight that I crammed into my huge suitcase was paper, stuff about all the cool things boomers should know, will care about, and want reports on.

My suitcase was so heavy it took two of us to drag it across the wide gap on the train platform. A policeman even asked me if I had a body in there. I couldn’t blame him. It was a lot of dead weight.

It took six trips out to the car to unload that thing. There was no way I was going to try to wheel it up my front steps.

Now I’ve got to sort it all out…

I’m glad I went. I got to see a lot of interesting things including a simulated driving test for seniors, a talking bear that may one day show up in nursing homes and a rack for my kitchen that will help me get to the top shelf without reaching up on a ladder.

Next time I’m hoping I won’t be lugging quite so much. I like my heavy lifting to be a little microphone.

Rosie (by Prime Time Focus Host Alyne Ellis)

I grew up with a cocker. Her name was Teetza and ever since then those drooping ears and eyes that pool with warmth and love have drawn me in like a magnet. Rosie is our fourth cocker, the others were American. She’s our first English cocker. She’s a dog with total devotion and a dog with a mind to do her own thing which she does with relish. Somehow she manages both opposites quite well, probably because she has trained us to behave.

One non-negotiable item as far as Rosie is concerned is food. I’m sure, and I don’t need an x-ray to prove it to me, that inside this little dog is a big pig. She’s got the human head motions down to demand what she wants – a jerk to the right; that means ”go get it.” We do. But when occasionally that doesn’t work, she has a mini whiny bark kind of thing she does to express displeasure. We always get going THEN and her sheltered life remains complete.

Some say cockers act like cats and Rosie definitely does. She sits on radiators, looks out windows, and climbs on the backs of sofas for a better view. We are undisciplined dog owners. What can I say, with Rosie and her buddy Tobie, a golden retriever, there’s lots of activity and you can always count on a warm greeting at any time, even when the kitchen is definitely closed for the night.

I'll be talking more about Rosie on Prime Time Focus soon. Do you have a special dog you'd like to tell me about?