<\/a>Alan Krashesky (1980s)<\/p><\/div>\n
A.<\/strong> I was incredibly self-conscious about my age. Hired at 21 years old, I didn\u2019t want anyone to know, out of concern that I would lose credibility. I actually asked Jerry Taft not to tell anyone my age. \u00a0I can still remember the first time I saw the Chicago skyline, riding in a taxi from O\u2019Hare down the Kennedy, heading to ABC 7 for the first time. I was awestruck.<\/p>\nOver the years, of course, I\u2019ve managed to cover stories in practically every neighborhood of the city and every suburb. To this day, when I see that skyline, as I\u2019m heading into work, I\u2019m still impressed by the magnificence of Chicago \u2014 and humbled that I get to call it \u201chome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Q. <\/strong>When you succeeded Ron Magers, you also stepped up in newsroom leadership. What is the importance of that role to you?<\/em><\/p>\nA.<\/strong> It\u2019s been a very natural \u201csuccession,\u201d if you will. I\u2019m keenly aware that what I do is a \u201cteam sport,\u201d and I enjoy working closely with our producers and managers in structuring and writing the elements of our evening and nighttime newscasts. I like the vibe in the newsroom and often work there between the 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts. We all bring our voices to the table \u2014 and I feel that\u2019s an important part of the process. I simply want us to be the best at what we do.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s not a solo act. Likewise, my co-anchors, Kathy Brock at 6 and 10 p.m. and Cheryl Burton at 5 p.m., are partners in that process and our eventual success.<\/p>\n
Q. <\/strong>Do you know any young people who watch local TV news? I don\u2019t.<\/em><\/p>\nA.<\/strong> Well, they may not be traditional linear TV viewers, that's true. I recently helped my youngest adult daughter move to Seattle and tried to understand when she told me she wouldn't need a TV set. She streams what she wants, when she wants it, on her laptop and\u00a0mobile devices. It's an industry-wide challenge. That's precisely why we've made such a strong\u00a0digital move at ABC 7 to position our local news and other content on multiple platforms other than conventional broadcast TV.<\/p>\nThe mobile platforms in particular lend themselves to shorter local news stories, which viewers can chose to watch as they wish. A viewer may first find out about a breaking story on a mobile phone, which may then cause them to turn to TV for the latest information or a more in-depth report. So we know we need to be available on all these electronic devices\u00a0simultaneously \u2014 and adapt quickly to new technologies consumers may embrace.<\/p>\n
I feel what we do best on TV is provide the latest local news for the Chicago area, especially in live breaking news situations or dangerous weather. Broadcast TV also includes a relationship component between anchors\/reporters and the viewer which you don't find on other platforms. \u00a0If we're talking solely about broadcast TV news, I\u2019ll move my definition of \u201cyoung people\u201d to the 25-54 demographic. If we win those folks, I\u2019m pretty happy.<\/p>\n
Q.<\/strong> Considering President Trump\u2019s assaults on \u201cfake news\u201d and press freedom, what do you wish viewers understood better about the media?<\/em><\/p>\nA.<\/strong> It\u2019s not monolithic. Yes, there are news programs or print publications which may lean right or left \u2013 and there are some which deliberately position themselves to appeal to a political niche \u2013 but I think it\u2019s problematic to lump them all together for the purpose of hitting a big target.<\/p>\nWe also now live in a time where the coverage of events \u2014 through social media \u2014 spreads with an immediacy we haven\u2019t experienced before. This is when source credibility is crucial and when a discerning public is essential. Likewise, it\u2019s the responsibility of working press to ask the tough questions of our elected officials and to hold them accountable to the public they serve.<\/p>\n
Our greatest asset is trust, earned not merely in a moment of coverage, but over years. We take that seriously \u2013 and we should.<\/p>\n
Q.<\/strong> In a business thought to be as cynical as journalism, how have you managed to live your life as a person of faith? Has that informed your signature coverage of the Catholic Archdiocese and the Vatican?<\/em><\/p>\nA.<\/strong> You\u2019re asking me this as we\u2019ve just witnessed the horror of the massacre in Las Vegas and the prolonged suffering of those victimized by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the earthquake in Mexico . . .<\/p>\nIt pains me personally \u2013 as does the violence we report on the streets of Chicago, or the stories involving the mistreatment of individuals or children. It should trouble anyone with a human heart.\u00a0 Perhaps I relate to it on a personal level, as my own life was impacted by violence \u2013 when my father was murdered in a robbery. At times, these problems can seem unsurmountable, and often defy reason. \u00a0Yet, I remain convinced that the goodness within us is always greater than the evil we encounter. We\u2019ve seen that again and again when people come together to help one another or to fight for what is just. My faith doesn't give me the ability to know all the answers, but it allows me to trust in One who does.<\/p>\n
Regarding covering the Roman Catholic Church, it\u2019s certainly a highlight of my career. I\u2019ve been privileged to witness the progression of three Popes and three Chicago Cardinals. Two of my favorite stories would be the car ride I took with Cardinal Cupich from Spokane to Pasco, Washington, just before he became Chicago's Archbishop, and Cardinal Bernardin's final trip to visit his family in the Italian Alps, before he\u00a0succumbed to cancer. Those were opportunities to see the personal sides of those men. I've\u00a0also\u00a0witnessed the process of papal selection, a papal resignation and a papal funeral.<\/p>\n
I love watching history unfold before my eyes. Along with all that, however, came the shocking reality of the sexual abuse crisis and our coverage of the response and eventual reforms. Hopefully those reforms are helping to restore the trust parishioners placed in their spiritual leadership.<\/p>\n
Q. <\/strong>You\u2019ve traveled all over the world for ABC 7. What\u2019s your most lasting impression of those experiences?<\/em><\/p>\nA.<\/strong> Our individual hopes are universal. No matter where we live, no matter where we pray, no matter how much money we have in our pockets, we all desire food on our table, a roof over our heads, a safe place to call home, love from one another, laughter from our children, and the belief that somehow, our kids will be better off than we are.<\/p>\nQ. <\/strong>You seem to be such an easygoing, nice guy. Have you ever done anything to make Kathy Brock really mad?<\/em><\/p>\nA.<\/strong> Hmm . . . no . . . except not sharing my wife\u2019s carrot cake recipe. You really don\u2019t want to make Kathy mad. We joke that the success of our 27-year \u201cTV anchor marriage\u201d is that we only<\/em> spend one hour of each weekday near each other.<\/p>\nQ. <\/strong>If you weren\u2019t in TV news, what job do you think you would have now?<\/em><\/p>\nA.<\/strong> I\u2019d love to travel around the world, with my camera in tow, and capture the fascinating stories of people I\u2019d meet along the way. Of course, there\u2019s always the matter of making a living . . .<\/p>\nQ. <\/strong>How long are you going to keep doing this?<\/em><\/p>\nA.<\/strong> Until somebody pays me to travel around the world, with my camera in tow . . .<\/p>\n