The Storyteller Behind "Hatteberg's People"

KAKE-TV's Larry Hatteberg.

Ever since I began my internship at KAKE-TV, I have looked forward to working with one of the best journalists in the Midwest: Larry Hatteberg.

As a child, I loved watching his program "Hatteberg's People" on the Sunday evening news.

He told stories, and he showed them. Through the camera lens, you could see the uniqueness of Kansas and its people.

His success and the success of the entire station was the primary reason I wanted to intern for them in the first place.

And, today, I got a chance to work with this amazing storyteller.

As you can imagine, I was so excited when I went to bed last night, I could hardly sleep. When I did, I had dreams that I was driving around in a storm, running late, forgetting things -- afraid that Larry would leave me behind.

Fortunately, none of those dreams came true. I got to the station on time (actually a little bit early), and was more than ready to go when we hopped into the pale green Chevy Tahoe and took off down the highway toward Sun City, Kansas.

On the drive down we talked about all sorts of things: TV, movies, books, radio, and of course -- news.

I asked him questions about his career as a photojournalist and some of the people that he had interviewed for "Hatteberg's People."





It's no surprise to say that journalists (and Larry Hatteberg, especially) have the best stories -- stories about crazy people, humble people, unusual people, nice people, and the down-right amazing people of the world.

As the red hills rolled beside us along K-42 and Highway 160 -- driving through Harper, Attica, and Medicine Lodge -- the time just seemed to fly by! When two journalists get together, it's a lot of question-asking and story-swapping. But, it was fun.

When we starting driving through the Gypsum Hills, Larry pulled over and got video of the surrounding landscape. He said he wanted to give his story setting, so that the audience could visualize where exactly Sun City was.

Driving into Sun City, there wasn't much to see: a few houses here and there, an old post office, a nice white church complete with a steeple and bell, and -- of course -- Buster's.

As I found out doing research and talking to the people there, Buster's was a restaurant that once was owned by Buster Hathaway --  and Larry had done a story on him several year ago.

Buster, as many people said, was an old curmudgeon who never liked to make more than one trip to the kitchen. If your order wasn't right, didn't matter. He wasn't making a second trip just for you.

Buster and his wife Alma took over the place back in the 1940's after they got married, and (as I heard it) Alma kept her husband in line. And, legend has it, Buster's was the first place in Kansas to serve ice-cold beer on tap.

Now, Buster and Alma passed away a few years ago, and for a while, Buster's restaurant was unoccupied... until recently.

Last year, a Florida couple took over the restaurant and adopted it as their new home.

"(Sun City) has gotten to be home to where we look forward to coming back," Sally Goldman said, as she sat alongside her co-manager and husband Gary Goldman during Larry's interview.

Odd as it was, they left their home in Florida to manage Buster's restaurant, having never lived in Kansas and only visiting it on the occasional hunting trip. They expanded the restaurant and made several renovations (including some indoor restrooms), but Buster's still continues to be the sanctuary for the weary traveller or tired cowboy or hungry oil-field worker that it always was.

"We might be a younger generation of Buster and Alma," Sally said.

From the moment we stepped in the door, the Goldmans were all politeness and hospitality. They graciously showed us around, pointing out all of the remodeling that they had done. They told us of the stories that they had heard of Buster, Alma, and Sun City.

And of course what would Buster's be without a little barbecue? After they pulled it out of the smoker, we got the chance to sample some of the famous brisket that keeps people coming in for miles around.

I was captivated not only by the Goldman's story, but by the story of the town itself. Yet, what interested me the most was the way that Larry seemed to direct it.

Already, he said, he had a vision of what he wanted it to be like. He picked out his shots very precisely. He knew exactly what he wanted to be seen and heard in the story.

As he sat Sally and Gary down to interview them, he positioned them just as he wanted. He had the light fixtures already set up. Now, all he needed was their story... how they heard about Buster's, why they decided to move from Florida to Kansas (of all places!), how the business was going so far, what was their favorite part about managing Buster's, etc.

We talked to patrons who had been coming there for many years, and they told us stories of Buster. One man even remembered the last time Larry had been in Sun City, when he interviewed Buster all those years ago.

The whole time we were there, the ambiance of the place never faded. In fact, as more and more people came in for lunch (but there weren't too many), it made the place come alive even more so. People sat down at the bar, enjoying their ice-cold beer and smoked brisket, and simply shared stories. The walls were decorated with hunting trophies -- bear, deer, bobcat, cougar, and turkey -- cowboy paintings and photographs, and neon signs displaying different brands of beer.

On the outside, it didn't look like much; but inside, it was a treasure trove of country wisdom and small-town atmosphere... all in all, good food and good company.

Saying our goodbyes and thank yous, I felt as though we had spent the whole day there (and not merely 3.5 hours) because so much had gone on.

As we drove back to Wichita, Larry and I talked about our experiences at Buster's and all that I had learned (most notably was learning what a "dead cat" was). I asked him more about "Hatteberg's People" and his career at KAKE.

Between the actual story and the travel time to and fro, I feel like I approach journalism with a different vision now.

As Larry was telling me, he chooses stories based on what he thinks will be visually interesting. Now, I hope to see the story through the lens the way he does... But, I'm still learning.

I hope to go out on a "Hatteberg's People" story with Larry again this summer, but only time will tell.

Until then, I will be content to watch the 10 o'clock news on Sunday night and see how our "Hatteberg's People" story about Buster's, the Goldmans, and Sun City turned out....

Just as I have for most of my life... and just as I plan to do for years to come...


Larry asked to borrow my still camera. This is the picture he took.

**For more "Hatteberg's People" stories, check out http://www.kansaspeople.com/ or http://www.kake.com/hattebergpeople
And tune in to KAKE-TV (Channel 10 in Wichita) on Sunday night's 10 p.m. newscast to see this week's "Hatteberg's People" story. It will be featured during the second segment, after the first commercial break.

And check out this video-slideshow of some of the pictures I took on our trip!

Rivalry: "Life of the Trade, Death of the Trader"

(Writer's note: The first portion of this blog, including its stories, were written on Tuesday. Its conclusion was written this evening. My apologies for not putting it up sooner.)

As I accompanied the KAKE photographers today, I got to see firsthand how the relationships between the Wichita stations stand.

While covering a sentencing at the Federal Courthouse, all of the news stations were standing outside, since cameras were not allowed in the building. As we were waiting, the photographer and I began chatting with one of the other station's reporters. He told us about his new business that he was trying to start up, and how he was only working part-time for the TV station now.

After a while, the reporters who were there (both from our station and from theirs) had to leave to go to a press conference, leaving only one photographer from each station at the courthouse. The way the courthouse is set up, there are two exits. No one was sure which exit the defendant would come out.

So, the stations agreed that each photographer would cover a different door, and which ever station got the footage would simply send it to the other -- thus, splitting the coverage.

Almost as soon as our reporters left, the defendant came out of the courthouse -- at the end opposite the one KAKE was covering. Fortunately, one of the other news station's photographers got the shot of him walking out of the courthouse; and they did end up sharing the video with us.

When we got back to the station, and I was talking to the news director about it, he said that they often did that whenever coverage was overlapped: shared helicopter rides over blocked off areas, shared video, shared stories, shared sources. Granted, it wasn't on a day-to-day basis, but perhaps every once in a while, he said, the Wichita TV stations would join their forces together for the sake of efficiency, decency, or (perhaps) simplicity.

Then, on our way back from a different assignment, which we were not giving too much attention to (since there weren't too many updates), we ran into a different news station on their way to the same story. Both the photographer and I were interested as to why they had decided to cover the story so in-depth since there weren't many changes in the story.

But, I suppose that -- at the end of the day -- competition can make the news better, or it can make it worse. Ultimately, if one station isn't getting people the information they need, then another station always has that opportunity.

Competition is better for the people and better for the industry, as a whole. Competition allows people more choices, more access to the latest technology, updates, etc. If the news industry were monopolized (especially by the government), there is good chance that the owners/directors/"big cats" would "brain wash" their audience into believing whatever they wanted them to. When you only hear certain stories, or certain sides of the story, or certain voices in a vast crowd, is that news? Monopolized news industries are sure to have their bias, and without any competition to keep them in check, they will persuade their audience into their manner of thinking.

Nevertheless, just as the quote in the title says: "Rivalry is the life of the trade, and the death of the trader."

Be All You Can Be

"It's time to get this show on the road."

As I was going up to the production room during tonight's 5:00 p.m. broadcast, I thought about the wording of that common phrase.

"Ha! We really are working on a show!"

The last two days of interning at KAKE-TV have encouraged me to really get my head in the game about the broadcasting business.

So what if the package isn't always perfect? So what if you get scooped by a competing station? So what if the background sound ruins your soundbite? So what if the board-runners mess up the order of the supers? (Supers are the little labels at the bottom of the screen.)

Things happen. Problems arise.

But, for every road under construction, there is a detour. For every door, there is a window. For every obstacle that comes your way, there's a way around it, or over it, or under it... most of the time.

Talking to some of the anchors, reporters, and producers, I have found out that there are so many things to this business.

Things aren't always perfect, but that can't be said in any job, really.

There is a lot of investigation. There is a lot of interacting with people, interviewing them about their reactions. There are so many opportunities to get to know the community, the state, the nation, and the international community so much better. (And maybe the space community, if you're into NASA news?)

There is some kind of a label that people carry around when they work at a TV station (especially the reporters and anchors). People recognize them at the grocery store. Organizers ask them to judge their events. Even police officers sometimes remember them, as one photographer told me, when they get pulled over for speeding.

But, even more so, they get the opportunity to -- in some cases -- change people's lives... to inspire people with others' stories of courage, honor... to inform people with stories of their neighborhood's dealings (whether good or bad)... to interact with people and hear out their stories.

As someone once told me, "Every person has a story. News is not just about telling their story... it's about showing it, too."

So, in the meantime, as I continue to dive more and more into this crazy business of broadcast and journalism in general, I will keep things like a "one-man-band," "storyteller," and "the people you invite into your living room every night at 6 o'clock" in mind.

Until then, I will just borrow a line from that famous U.S. Army slogan -- "Be All You Can Be... A Journalist."

The Ballot Box vs. The TV Box

(***Writer's note: My apologies for not writing an entry for Tuesday, but I'm glad I waited. The last two days' assignments have been very similar***)

I can only assume, and I have already seen this in action, that journalists work very closely with elected, government officials and police officers.

If it's not an election, a fire, a traffic accident, or an important trial (or some sort of scandal), there's hardly anything left on the news.

And, as I've seen these last two days at KAKE-TV, politicians have a great tendency to draw a crowd of attention wherever they go, no matter how small or local they are.

Of course, depending upon how controversial their policies or initiatives are, or how many supporters they have in a particular area, some draw more attention than others.

Also, depending on the type of news day that's taking place, some officials might be more newsworthy than others.

If the President visited Wichita today, the majority of the news would focus on his visit; if the governor visited (depending upon why) Wichita, it would get decent coverage; but, if it's the state's SRS secretary... not so much... if any.

That doesn't mean that he's not important -- in fact, his policies might more directly effect some people than the President's.

But, ultimately, it all comes down to TIPCUP -- a journalist's best friend in determining which stories are newsworthy.

• Timely
• Impact
• Proximity
• Conflict
• Unusual
• Prominence

 Elected officials have a little bit of prominence over the average citizen. They're (local) celebrities with recognizable last names or faces whose decisions impact those whom they represent.

But, is there any conflict?

If a congressman wants to visit a wheat harvest to talk to farmers about different government policies that are effecting their production costs, is there any harm in talking about it on the evening news?

Is it even newsworthy?

The standard in journalism, as far as I've learned, is that if the story has at least two or three elements of TIPCUP, it's probably newsworthy.

But, the thing about TV broadcasting is that there is only a limited amount of time. If there are other stories that are more newsworthy, then some stories not might make on air -- perhaps, they will make it onto the web.

Yet, then again, showing the folks at home what elected officials are saying as they go out and meet the people and hear their concerns might be helpful and interesting.

Of course, politicians have an agenda, but if they see a need somewhere, they would obviously want to address it and to let the public (everyone, whether present or not) know what they're going to do about meeting the need.

So, whether its harvesting farmers near Wellington, citizens filing claims at the SRS office, or residents of a small town who need a new fire/EMS station, public officials were elected or appointed to help those whom they represent -- to see that their needs are met and to tell them how those needs will and can be met.

And, if the best way people hear that information is the nightly news, that's perfectly fine with me... so long as the ballot box doesn't cross over into the TV box.

The Great Divorce

Generally speaking, whenever I first introduce myself to a journalism professor, the first question is: "What is your major?" And when I reply "Journalism and English," they always ask me, "Are you Strat-Comm (strategic communication) or News & Info?"

While there is a noticeable difference between the two, there are also similarities.

One of my journalism professors, who tends to teach more on the Strat-Comm side, always said that a well-written press release could almost be re-printed as a news story (with a few touch-ups).

And, today, I got to see where the line between those two realms of marketing and reporting becomes blurred.

Each of the three stories I followed today seemed to "promote" an event or a product.

I even noticed that the information sheets, which we were given for the details on the locations and contact people for our stories, were actually press releases.

The first story I followed was a new exhibit that I had heard advertised on the radio the past few days.

As we were driving to this story, I was talking to the photographer about the coolest things he had ever done while working for KAKE. He was telling me how ABC paid for him to fly out to L.A. and film some "behind-the-scenes" packages to promote "Dancing with the Stars."

"Honestly, it took them maybe $2,000 dollars to fly me out there and back," he said. "It would cost way less than that for them to buy advertising for their show. And we ran about five packages with all of the film that I got."

As interesting as the story was, it only got a little bit of air time, and I wondered if it was really worth it. For the station, perhaps. It wasn't the most newsworthy story of the day, but I'm sure that some people appreciated seeing it. After all, hearing it advertised on the radio can only do so much -- seeing video of it and hearing more details makes it more tangible.

But, for the exhibit organizers, it was definitely beneficial -- perhaps, even, free advertising?

It could certainly seem so, since, as I saw, the person who had sent us the memo about the exhibit was the marketing director.

The other two stories I followed were slightly more newsworthy, but also seemed to be "promoting" things.

So, as I continue in my second week of internship, I grow wary of this blurred line between advertisement and news. Which is which? Is there really a difference?

Of course, just as there is a difference in motives, there is a difference between "persuasive" speech and "informative" speech.

I don't think KAKE is trying to do any free advertising.

However, when my news stories and advertisements start sounding very similar, I think there will be a cause for concern.

Until that day comes, I think I'll stick with News & Information as my journalism emphasis.