By Kenia Cabahug
Staff Writer
Cal State Dominguez Hills’ students newspaper, The Bulletin, gained a new addition this fall: The Bulletin TV.
The print edition has been present on campus for years now but with technology advancing and social media rapidly growing, the visual component came about.
Bulletin TV has given students the opportunity to have hands-on practice with news gathering, editing, social media, production and much more.
The show started at the beginning of fall 2017, and the staff is preparing for its final video of the semester.
The Bulletin newspaper had the opportunity to sit down for a question-and-answer session with Kalie Calder, social media director and web coordinator for The Bulletin newspaper and now director/producer of The Bulletin TV. The biweekly video installments of the newspaper, which feature news anchors and reporters, began with an idea from Calder.
The Bulletin: Where did the idea of The Bulletin TV start for you?
Kalie: This spring will be my fourth semester as the social media director and web coordinator for The Bulletin newspaper at CSUDH. Every semester, I try to make the newspaper more relevant. Over the summer, [I had the idea] the idea that a digital media component was what The Bulletin needed, and I set to work on making that dream come alive.
There were a lot of meetings with professors, and the chair of Communications, Nancy Cheever. I honestly couldn’t have done it without her guidance and Professor Paul Fornelli, who inspired me during my first semester at CSUDH in his digital production class to learn the ways of audio editing and visual storytelling.
The Bulletin: Tell me about a time where you needed to change your producer-style to accommodate a team or team member.
Kalie: It is always changing. Every episode we improve and change the style to make it better and better. The greatest thing about The Bulletin TV is that it’s a learning experience for everyone, including me.
Also, every anchor is different. The conversations I have with my behind-the-scene crew and conversations I have with my sports anchor are different. Sometimes I have to be more engaged with my anchors, have them stand up and shake out the nerves, and other times they will say, “Kalie, I got this, let’s just roll.” And off we go with that scene.
The Bulletin: What is the best piece of advice you’ve heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
Kalie: I know it sounds like a cliché, but the best piece of advice I got is to learn from my mistakes. I’m not a professional yet, and sometimes I don’t always make the right call. I don’t get down on myself or feel like a failure, I just learn and move on.
The Bulletin: How does your most recent project compare to your previous work? How does it feel different?
Kalie: Previously, I was just working on growing the social media content within the print aspect of The Bulletin.
This project is more challenging due to the responsibilities I have. Before I would oversee one, maybe two interns who were interested in social media. I am now in charge of 14 students who are volunteering their time to make The Bulletin TV a dream come true. I am quite lucky. Stressed, but lucky.
The Bulletin: What are some opportunities and challenges being a woman in the industry? Do you think women have as many opportunities as their male counterparts?
Kalie: I’ll start with the second question, because yes, I absolutely believe that women have the same opportunities as our male counterparts.
My dad always taught me to be brave and smart. I don’t think any man is better than me or has more opportunity than me. If I want something, I am going to go for it 120% or more. It’s about drive and hustle. If you have those two things, nothing can stop you.
Some opportunities that I see being a woman in the industry is due to the recent climate in the industry. I’m more aware that people are watching what I’m doing.
I think that women are having a real significant, historical moment right now in the media industry, and we are taking advantage to showcase our creativity, our minds and our work. I was watching a show, and an actress commented on media industry right now and said, “The door has been opened, and by God we have our foot in the crack to keep it opened.” I thought that was very powerful.
I’m a strong woman who doesn’t mind sharing my opinions. So, for challenges, I don’t have any. If I don’t make something happen one way, well that just means going back to the drawing boards and figuring out a different approach.
