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Show The Thunderbird Monday October 14, 1985 Page 3 Writing began for lack of TV Jane Ciabattari, & , 'v"1 4 :f i . wv V ' KBREs Kent Johnson: reporting the news This SUSC student finds calling in the realm of broadcast journalism and flipping BY KRIS JOHNSON As dawn cracks the sky in the early morning hours, most sane people are in bed sound asleep. Within seconds radio aicum clocks will be sounding off all over the city... suddenly heard from nowhere is Mick Jaggers loud and obnoxious, I caant get nooo... -- Kent Johnsons day begins at precisely a.m. every day. Johnson is the person who is responsible for flicking the switch that turns on Cedar Citys FM 95 and KBRE every morning. The same switch that channels Jaggers voice into the radio alarm clocks, waking the city every morning. If it werent for Johnsons flick of a switch, half of Cedar City might still be in bed sound asleep. I guess thats my purpose in life to get up at 6 in the morning and turn on FM 95 and KBRE, he laughs. Johnson, who is news director for both stations, is also responsible for reporting and delivering the stations news and information programs. At 8 a.m. Johnson reports the news for both stations. Just before he goes on live for KBRE, he makes a recorded version of the news for FM 95, and both reports go on the air simultaneously. Johnson has grown accustomed to this morning routine, yet it might confuse some people if they happen to hear him at the same time on both stations. has been the news The director since 1981. His first start in communications was when he was a junior in high school, and hes been involved ever since. Radio isnt his only bag. Hes had a lot of experience with print journalism and television broadcasting. In 1982-8- 3 he was the editor of The Thunderbird. During his term the newspaper took the 6 in Presidents Award at the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Press Association conference, which is the most prestigious award offered at the conference. He was also chosen as the most professional journalist at The Thunderbird for the year he was editor. Last year he was the student manager of SUSCs channel 9 on cable television and was the host for a show on that channel called Southwest Journal. He was also one of the anchor persons for the channel 9 news. News is worthwhile, he says. Its not the same old stuff its something different every day. Thats the kind of person I am. I get bored very easily and thats why I probably ended up in news and stayed there. He has had to make many sacrifices in his life because his job is so demanding. Johnson says that being involved with the news media requires a person to be constantly aware of what is going on in his environment. You have to live it 24 hours a day, he says. You have to be aware 24 hours a day, and youre always looking for things happening around you. Reporting the news isnt the easiest job in the world, especially when attending school and working full time, as Johnson does. Reporters, like Johnson, are faced with numerous pressures every day: meeting deadlines, being accurate in their reports and having to be objective at the same time. On top of this, professional reporters have to deal with threats and criticism from the general public while trying to do their jobs. Johnson talked of one experience in which a motorcycle gang member threatened to kill him because Johnson wanted to report a story about a (continued on page 7) writer and editor of newspaper. Ciabattari is known for her short fiction, and is the former assistant editor of Redbook magazine. Low is a respected poet, writing teacher and lecturer. We realize that although our lives have been very different in many wonderful ways, our similarities have also been equally marked, said Low. The role of a poet is to be a digester of experience, she said. Ciabattari writes about her own adjustments to new surroundings to help ease the transitions that occur w'hen a person moves to a new city. She writes mostly short stories. She read parts of two of her publications in Thursdays Convocation. Jane Ciabattari (left) and Denise Low, two sisters who have each become well - known writers, spoke at Thursdays Convocation. his a Dial magazine, said she began writing at an early age because we didnt have a television until I was 17. Ciabattari and her sister, Denise Low, who is also a writer, spoke Thursday at the SUSC Convocation series. The siatcis, who were born and raised in Kansas, said they got their start writing high school articles for a local is never dull those magical switches KBRE newsman Kent Johnson, who is also a communications major at reporting the news is worthwhile because it offers variety. SUSC, says |