Charley and I spoke a few weeks ago with Chet Curtis about the news and a career spent covering Massachusetts politics. Curtis was a Boston TV anchor for many years and is presently host of the Chet Curtis report, a nightly news and interview show that airs from 8:00 to 8:30 every night on NECN.
The veteran was charming, and filled with great stories. He had a few choice words about Bill O’Reilly, who was a colleague early on and, apparently, unnaturally aggressive. Who would have imagined. Curtis applauded the rise of blogs. He recommended that we try to cover selected stories in more depth, rather than just commenting on the day’s headlines. He bemoaned the “tragic limitations of public discourse,” and expressed hope that the internet will help to restore a measure of decent discussion to the process. I’d say the dozens of comments virtually every Gubernatorial post pulls in — not to mention that perennial BMG favorite, the LG race — is testimony that that is happening to some degree.
Finally, fascinatingly, Curtis said he might consider a run for public office someday. He certainly would know the players. He has a good TV manner. And based on the pleasure I had in our conversation, I’d say he’d connect well with the average BMG reader — and thus, of course, every discerning Massachusetts voter.
According to NECN, the Chet Curtis Report offers a unique mix of high-profile, in-depth and exclusive interviews. “Some of the newsmakers who’ve appeared for one-on-one interviews include: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, Senator Edward Kennedy, U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congressman John Murtha, and Red Sox principal owner John Henry.”
let people finish their sentences and say what they want to say, so the viewer gets a real idea who the interviewee is. Issues get a decent discussion, not just sound bites. Usually the guest is not pushed (ambushed) to talk about the hot button issues, like all the tv hosts who try to catch Al Gore admitting to political ambition, and treat his concern about global warming as if it were just a political ploy.
…Jim Braude is WAY worse than Chet Curtis!
on following stories. It might not be a bad idea to keep some regular tabs on the major issues – you already seem to do that instinctively, though.