I realized today that I didn’t mention another of my roles. Along with mom, wife and struggling writer, I am a TV host. I know, it seems an odd thing to forget, but it only a half hour show once a month, so it isn’t that big a deal. In addition, the job is a volunteer one and airs at 10 am on Saturday and Sunday mornings on a local cable network, so it is an even smaller deal. I have no salary, no budget, no make-up person. It is a current affairs sort of thing about the local Jewish community.
I took it on very reluctantly, when the last host quit suddenly and J. was stuck with finding a replacement in mere days. I did major in TV journalism for my journalism degree, but I liked being behind the camera and hadn’t done any TV for about 12 years, at that point. He talked me into it by pointing out that virtually no one watches.
I was really, really awkward for a while. I read the teleprompter with absolutely no emotion. My goal, when I started, was to find events to cover so I could appear in front of the camera a little as possible. Now that I’m more comfortable, I have a more even mix of interviewing people in the studio, and covering outside events.
This month is heavy on taped pieces. Yesterday I went to someone’s home for a tea welcoming new women to the community. It was the 50th anniversary of this event, which seemed noteworthy. Fifty years ago a Jewish woman decided that she needed a way to introduce newcomer women to the city’s Jewish community, and decided on a tea. It takes quite a different form now, but is still going strong.
This is a middling-sized Jewish community and for quite some time, it was a small one. It has a reputation of being a closed community, a tough one in which to become accepted, and yet it is the only one in Canada, as far as I know, to have such an institution as this Tea. So much for unwelcoming.
It is always bizarre for me to show up in places like this with my camera. Yesterday, the event started before my camera showed up and I muttered, mostly to myself, “I wish my camera would show.” A lovely lady beside me said, “You can borrow mine if you like,” and offered over her quite fancy digital camera. But when I say ‘my camera,’ I mean a cameraman carting a full-sized television camera. He’s conspicuous to have following me around.
Because no one watches the show, they don’t know I host it. I am friendly, although not really friends, with many of the women who were at the tea. Even though they don’t watch and it is just a little cable show, there is something about a television camera that causes people to become somewhat star struck. They are usually wildly impressed and willing to do pretty much anything I ask. As far as I can tell, print journalists cannot have much of an effect on an event, but television journalists can frequently control the entire thing, merely with the presence of a camera.
My other taped piece will be a speech by Bill Clinton. He’s coming to town to give the keynote speech at a dinner honouring a local Jewish volunteer. I have no idea if he’s going to say anything particularly noteworthy about any Jewish issues, but he’s speaking to a room full of Jews at an event honouring a prominent Jew, so that’s enough of an excuse for me to stick him on my show. Someone asked me if I was going to interview him. I laughed. The idea of me interviewing Bill Clinton is ludicrous. What would I ask him that would fit on my little local community affairs show – “So, do you like Jews?” Of course, he’s not giving interviews, so the point is moot.
This time I’m a little star struck, I must admit. It’ll be kind of cool to see Bill Clinton up close.
That’s awesome! Will you at least get to shake his hand?
I would be a drooling idiot if I got to meet Bill Clinton. In spite of all his, um, transgressions, I really really like him.