Latina Lista: News from the Latinx perspective > Media > One Blogger’s On-Air Experience with CNN Leaves A Cynical Impression

One Blogger’s On-Air Experience with CNN Leaves A Cynical Impression

LatinaLista — I’ve tossed and turned all night about whether or not I should write about what happened to me. It’s something that I would rather forget. I also realize that through this post that I am giving publicity to something that probably was missed by a majority of Latina Lista readers and is not even on the radar of very many people otherwise. Yet, being a writer, I feel compelled to share this experience and if it helps in warning, in any small way, another blogger who finds her/himself on the receiving end of an invitation to appear live on CNN, then it’s worth it.
The invitation appeared randomly in my inbox last week: CNN Interview Request.

To be honest, such requests are not uncommon from media outlets. Usually, they just want to get your perspective on issues they know you write about. So, I answered with “How can I help you?”
Little did I know that my response would open the door to a night that totally misrepresented their claims to me and leave me looking really bad.


The request came from a likable woman named Nicole who was in charge of booking guests. We exchanged phone numbers and soon I was on the phone with her.
She had seen Latina Lista and was contacting me to appear on a show on Sunday night with a host named Tony Harris in a segment called “Blog Buzz.”
“We get a liberal and conservative blogger to tell Tony what’s happening in the blogosphere,” Nicole innocently explained.
“Hmm, this isn’t where you pit one against another, is it?” I asked half-jokingly.
“No, no,” she replied quickly laughing. “We’re not looking for knockdown, drag-out fights. Just tell Tony what you see that’s being said in the blogosphere.”
How hard can that be? I mean I do that everyday. Though I had my reservations about my appearance being live, I feel way more comfortable with tapings, I agreed but not before first asking one more important question: “How long will I be on-air?”
Because of a static connection, I thought at first she said 30 minutes. “Whaaat? I asked.
“Three minutes,” Nicole repeated.
“Oh, ok. Good,” I replied. Though I knew, three minutes can seem like 30 minutes, and in some cases 30 days, I thought that should be easy enough.
“Great,” said Nicole. “The show airs live at 9 p.m. on Sunday EST. Your segment will go on at 9:30 p.m. The studio where you’ll be taping is in downtown Dallas. If you don’t know where it is, we can send a car for you.”
Seeing that it was a 30-minute drive into downtown for me on a Sunday night and I wasn’t getting any kind of compensation for my time (and little did I know humiliation), I opted for the car.
Because I just never know how I’ll do on such interview shows, I don’t really tell family and friends about it. Something in my gut told me this was one of those times where I should probably keep quiet. Aside from telling my immediate family, I told no one.
Besides, I didn’t have much time to dwell on it with other projects I had going for Latina Lista.
Well, Sunday finally arrived. The car, or should say, limousine got to my home at exactly 8:30 p.m. The chauffeur, in full uniform and hat, stepped out, opened the door and ushered me into the subdued lit leather backseat.
“Help yourself to the water bottles,” Barry, the certified professional chauffeur, told me. “I’ve got a whole case in the trunk. I’d say listen to the satellite radio but someone already broke the knob off the radio dial and the car is only a few weeks old.”
“Amazing how people treat things when they know it’s not theirs,” I replied trying to keep the conversation going.
“Yeah, oh by the way, you can control the climate in the car. The settings are in the middle console next to you,” said Barry as he eased onto the highway.
The next 28 minutes was a smooth ride to the downtown studio. Barry let me out and a girl unlocked the front door of a nondescript building in the heart of a warehouse district.
I was the only one there, besides the camerawoman and her husband, whose actually going into the grocery business but came along to keep her company.
The girl, I think her name was Andrea — this is where I think my mind is kicking into self-preservation and making my memories a little hazy — outfitted a small spiral-shaped rubber earpiece into my ear, duct taped the lapel mic onto my jacket and had me sit under a bright white light.
Little did I know, that should have been my cue to go into the light!
The minutes ticked by slowly. Watching a small monitor tuned to CNN, I finally saw Tony Harris. Nice looking, affable kind of guy. The show opened with the news of Nancy Reagan’s hospitalization. It quickly went to other topics: the vote in Palestine, the terrible weather and line of tornadoes somewhere in the US. A commercial break highlighted an upcoming segment on “Hispanic Harassment.”
I started to get a knot in my stomach. Could it be possible that they had misled me and were actually going to question me on this topic? Not that I didn’t have plenty to say but given CNN’s track record when it came to Hispanic issues, I was beginning to feel a little leery.
Yet, the segment aired and I soon heard a small voice in my ear from far away say, “12 minutes.” A commercial came on and suddenly I heard a familiar voice — “Madeeeesa Treviññño. How are you? Meet Amanda.”
It was Tony Harris. We exchanged pleasantries. Amanda was the conservative blogger Nicole had gotten. Amanda blogs at Townhouse and the next thing I knew I heard a voice say “3 minutes.”
From here, the next few minutes, though I could have sworn it was at least a full 30 minutes, run all together.
It started out with me answering if the Republicans had a chance with Latino voters after which I hear Amanda’s voice vomiting out a response that included somewhere that Latinos got offended by Republicans because we didn’t like the music they played or the shirts they wore.
Since, I can’t see anyone’s faces and I’m just hearing these voices float towards me like I’m having an out-of-body experience, I just kind of freeze. What Amanda just said sounded like fighting words to me but I was told this wasn’t supposed to happen.
The rest of the show continued with Tony deferring way too much airtime to Amanda to make her case for Republicans. It was obvious that she was very comfortable there and he with her. I got the distinct impression that she was a regular.
The thought crossed my mind to challenge Amanda on her comments and just when I was ready to do so, Tony would go off on another tangent.
Tony did throw it to me a few times trying to press me into saying who would win the Latino vote. I’m not ready yet to say that and if I can be proud of anything, it’s the fact that I didn’t cave in and say who I thought would win — just what the polls were saying.
Needless to say, I’m not the kind of “political pundit” they envisioned I would be.
If things couldn’t get any worse, in trying to explain that the Texas Latino vote was split down the middle with endorsements from such groups as the Tejano Democrats and the Mexican American Democrats each one endorsing a different candidate, I couldn’t get it out — my apologies to both groups.
When the end came, Tony and Amanda were cheery with Tony saying something like “Well, she didn’t do so bad. We’ll have to have her back, what do you say Amanda?”
I’m thinking I feel like a deer whose been run over once by a car and then hit again when the car backed up.
Aside from feeling rather stupid and knowing that I sucked big time, I truly felt blindsided that the exchange was something I was not prepared to do nor the kind I wanted to be a part of.
Unfortunately, it’s indicative of what broadcast media attempts to do all the time to create a story — pit sides against one another, not for an even exchange but for an entertaining one.
Anyone who reads Latina Lista knows that I’m not one to attack others unnecessarily or resort to demeaning anyone. My firm belief is that solutions must be reached and an honest dialogue can’t even begin when such tactics are undertaken. I believe in being fair and that’s not a quality that translates well onto a show that wants the mental equivalent of a Las Vegas fight.
I’m not sharing this experience to evoke sympathy or ridicule but as a reminder to myself that my forte isn’t in verbal sparring on live TV. Was I naive to think I could appear and talk about issues that are important to me without being an unwilling participant in a mud wrestling match, yes. But as the saying goes — Live and Learn.
Somehow, I know my legs were connected to my body because I made it outside and a smiling Barry was there holding the car door open for me.
As I fell into the backseat and he eased onto the highway, I reached for the water and just had to ask, “Don’t you have anything stronger, Barry?”

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Comment(13)

  • kyledeb
    February 18, 2008 at 8:03 am

    Marisa,
    I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as you’ve made it out to be, but it does sound like what they made you do was a little shady. I’m just glad this small circle of bloggers that I’ve known for so long is moving up, and getting the respect they deserve. I’m sure this experience is going to make you that much better next time, according to your own standards, because I’m sure according to everyone else’s you did wonderful.

  • Jax
    February 18, 2008 at 8:24 am

    I sympathize with you. I spent 48 years in Radio and TV in Upstate New York and I’ve rarely seen people isolated in a studio somewhere without better guidance that that given you. You were left in the dark in more ways than one.
    Having said that, I think it’s also fair to point out that you must have seen many TV interiews of the sort you experienced and perhaps you should have been more wary of what might happen. After all is said and done you must realize that 99% of these shows depend on conflict for their success. You really need to be prepared for verbal warfare in these situations.
    I’m sure you won’t let that happen again.

  • Maegan la Mala
    February 18, 2008 at 9:39 am

    I’ve done radio and print media but never tv media. Maybe it’s for the better. The thing is that I think it’s really hard for a Latino voice to get a fair shake, given the stereotypical way that they are portraying us, especially with respect to the elections.

  • laura
    February 18, 2008 at 12:51 pm

    Dear Marisa,
    don’t feel bad. You tried to do the right thing. It didn’t work well.
    You were on their turf. They had total control. It is no accident CNN has Lou Dobbs on – they want to lend him their power to spread his racist hate far and wide. So of course it was hostile territory for you.
    You tried to give a voice to the many of us who have no voice, and it didn’t work well. But you tried.
    Not knowing anything about TV, I don’t know the answer to how it could have been done better. Someone somewhere knows that answer.

  • Frank
    February 18, 2008 at 5:09 pm

    Lou Dobbs does not spread racist hate. Stop spinning the truth!

  • Jax
    February 18, 2008 at 6:31 pm

    Lou Dobbs does not spread “racist hate.” Mr. Dobbs expresses views tyat he is entitled to hold—and that millions of Americans agree with.

  • Horace
    February 18, 2008 at 8:17 pm

    “I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as you’ve made it out to be,…”
    I really hate the press, for this and for many reasons which I will not expound on in this forum. The feeling of humiliation is very subjective event, so Kyledeb really has no idea how it could have been, FOR YOU. Value your experience, as because of it you’ll know how to cope in the futre, and at times when it counts most. Just don’t let it make you averse to taking advantage of opportunites to expand your horizons.

  • Amanda Carpenter
    February 19, 2008 at 8:48 pm

    Sorry you didn’t enjoy the segment! -Amanda, Townhall

  • Marisa Treviño
    February 20, 2008 at 7:35 am

    Amanda, I don’t think anybody enjoys being made to look bad. Having said that, I blame only myself for not having a better exchange with you.
    You obviously are very comfortable on these kinds of shows and I can’t help but applaud your ease and your quick thinking — skills I have yet to obviously master.

  • Lee
    February 20, 2008 at 11:26 am

    Marisa, I’m really sorry I missed it as I almost always have CNN – or sometimes another news outlet – on. Having done TV and radio also as another poster mentioned, I agree. That seems unusual to have had you so blind and isolated but then again, having seen CNN and read other poster’s comments, I’m not totally surprised. Tony Harris is indeed an affable ‘bobble head’, and having been interviewed several times in local media, I’m well aware of that feeling of timing not being equally balanced. Alisa Valdez-Rodriguez was one of the first and she up against ‘el mero pendejo”, himself. Lou Dobbs. Alisa had a blog then called “La Queen Sucia” and now calls it Multiplicative Identity. She also felt she didn’t do very well – who would against Lou? – and similarly wrote somewhat apologetically. But in reality, everyone was very impressed. I know I sure was. I’m sure you did better than you felt. I just wished I would have seen it to cheer you on, Marisa. If you find a YouTube vid of your interview, I’m sure we’d all love to see it. Best to you!! Keep on writing your excellent blog!

  • Sudy
    February 21, 2008 at 1:32 pm

    Oh my goodness, that is a horrendous story, but you write it with strength.
    We’ve all been in those moments where other’s words are being spoken too fast and our thoughts can’t catch up. Most of us aren’t on TV, but the same lesson is given – we’re all stronger in the end.
    Best to you,
    Sudy

  • Tom
    February 21, 2008 at 2:00 pm

    No se preocupe, Marisa. It’s no big deal. First of all, no one’s going to remember this program a week from now, if that long. Second, how many people saw this? Look up CNN’s ratings for a Sunday night — if you hadn’t mentioned this incident, I wouldn’t have known it happened. 99% of the people in this country don’t know it happened, either. Third, who’s Amanda Carpenter? I had never heard of her before, and I’m a very avid reader of blogs on both sides of the political fence. Whatever she said to you ultimately doesn’t matter. You don’t have to judge or justify your own performance against that of some random TV blabberer full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

  • Jaango
    February 22, 2008 at 1:14 pm

    I am posting to encourage you to continue participating within the major news outlets.
    I can recall quite vividly from thirty years ago, my first time going on television, and in which I did “god-awful”.
    Today, I focus on three points of contention:
    1. Failure of a Declaration of War,
    2. Confused Conservatives, and
    3. Media consolidation
    And lastly, keep in mind that on a personal basis, we tend to be our worst critics. And knowing this, things always get better and thusly, there is no need to get down on your performance.
    Respectfully submitted.
    Jaango
    President
    Chicano Veterans Organizaton
    Phoenix, Arizona

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