WTVJ NBC 6 Anchor Jackie Nespral

MIRAMAR, FLORIDA-In the hustle and bustle of the makeup room, Jackie Nespral was getting her hair blow-dried and makeup put on her face just before the 4PM Newscast.

Her story begins at the Calle Ocho festival in Little Havana. At one of the booths, a poll was going one. She went up to the booth and when they asked who she would interview from around the world, she said she would interview Barbara Walters. Many years later, she would meet Barbara Walters on the TODAY Show. Jackie went to the University of Miami majoring in Psychology. While there, her mom put her in the Orangeville Pageant and she won. From there she would get countless interviews and appear on David Letterman, and this is when she knew she wanted to go into news. After that, she continued to study Phycology, but this time minoring in communication. By the time she graduated, she went to get her masters in journalism and then two years of post-graduate in journalism. 

Channel 23, the Telemundo station based in Miami, was looking for a meteorologist. Jackie went to audition, but she was told that her Spanish wasn’t good enough. So then she went to intensive Spanish lessons with Olympia Rosada. She would come over to her house twice a week. Once she completed her Spanish lessons, she went back to the station and from there, she was given the position. A year later from working at Channel 23, Jackie got a call from NBC who asked her if she wanted to audition for the spot of an anchor for the Weekend Today Show. She flew to New York, auditioned, was offered the job and became the first Hispanic women to anchor a network newscast. Working there for three years, Jackie missed Miami and her family, so she went to tell her boss that as soon as her contract expires she wants to move back to Miami. The General Manager of WTVJ NBC 6 wanted her there, and ever since then, she has become the lead anchor for NBC 6 South Florida. 

For someone as important to South Florida as Jackie Nespral, she says that if you work hard you can achieve greatness. Jackie recalls back when she started at NBC 6 South Florida she was able to interview the President of the United States at the time and saw that as a major achievement for her. Some other major stories she reported that she sees as an achievement include the transition of power in Cuba, the Pope visiting Cuba, hurricanes, and championships. Another thing she says is that although we have personal opinions, in this industry, they must be taken out and the only thing needed is just to report the news because people will trust you because they know that you are always going to know what’s best. 

Being born and raised in South Florida, Jackie says that her background has played a role in contributing ideas towards the table. She says he can understand the community through the many years of growth and apply it towards everyday reporting. The evolution of cultural and population change in Miami has shifted over time when NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX were the only TV channels around. Now with the Internet, there are a variety of sources for the people to read. When Jackie first started the market was basically comprised of African Americans and Cuban Americans, and now the Miami area has grown to become a major melting pot. 

                The experience Jackie has gained working at two major Spanish speaking networks has allowed her to marry her experience on what people who watch these networks want while using it toward an important local TV station in South Florida. In addition, with the knowledge of working at NBC News and bringing it to a localized form at NBC 6, it has helped Jackie bring a worldly experience from all her days anchoring and reporting to deliver accurate information to local South Florida viewers. Back when she anchored Weekend Today, she went to Cuba to report on Pope John Paul II’s visit. This story had an impact on her career on a political, religious and cultural level. It also impacted her personally due to her parents being from Cuba. 

Some advice Jackie would give to future journalists would be that no matter what, people are going to look at you and they’re going to know if you have the talent and passion. But you must have determination to work hard to achieve great success. She says that you can achieve your dreams in this industry or any industry. Jackie also says to never take any shortcuts because at some point it’ll come back to bite you. Finally, she says that you must have education on what is going on in the world to be able to write and report stories with a place of knowledge and experience

WPLG Local 10 News Evening News Anchor Laurie Jennings

   Our interview took place in the studio's makeup room

Pembroke Park, FL- In the quiet news studio at WPLG, I had the special opportunity to interview Laurie Jennings in the makeup room about her life, her career, and her future. 

Laurie was born and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. She would always get the lead role in every play she auditioned for. Because of this, her teachers pushed her to go to Juilliard but she instead attended Cornell University, majoring in Government and later attended Northwestern University for her Masters in Journalism, 

As we were about halfway through our interview, her Co-Anchor Calvin Hughes came in to also get ready and to say hello to us. 

The first TV Station that she worked in after college would be in Youngstown, Ohio. Her job required her to do everything between writing scripts and running the teleprompter. She then moved to Cleveland where she spent five and a half years as Morning Anchor and working in special projects. After Cleveland, and a short time in WHDH Boston, Bill Pohovey, President of WHDH at the time, asked Laurie to come to Miami. Once there, she anchored with WSVN 7 News’ Craig Stevens and Rick Sanchez. She would then move to New York for a short time to work with MSNBC as their fill-in Anchor and Weekend Anchor for the Today Show. While she was in New York, Bill Pohovey moved to WPLG and offered her the main anchor position in Miami. She worked alongside Dwight Lauderdale, now retired, and since then with her current Co-Anchor Calvin Hughes. 

One story that impacted her was when she was in Boston’s WHDH station. Bill Pohovey, her boss at WHDH at the time, wanted her to go to Ireland to report on Ted Kennedy regarding the relaunch on the peace process with Northern Ireland since the Anchor originally booked was pregnant and couldn’t go. She had to pack, get on a plane and read everything there was about it. She covered many of the events there was such as the opposition deep in the woods, following whatever Kennedy did and stayed in a Dublin hotel that was bombed multiple times. When she came back, she took a weekend vacation to recuperate and then that is when Bill Pohovey called her to see if she wanted to work at WSVN 7 News as a main Anchor. She accepted the position and moved to South Florida.

When I asked Laurie what she feels are the benefits and disadvantages of working as a Journalist, she answered that she likes the use of Social Media. She finds that since she and Calvin use it often before broadcast, they would enjoy engaging with their audience. The downside, however, is that she would have to miss many birthdays and other life events. Laurie brought up an example of when she was celebrating her husband’s birthday with a weekend filled with plans when the Pulse Nightclub shooting happened. The studio called her the next day and told her she must go to Orlando to cover the tragic shooting. 

Another instance where it became hard to balance work and personal life was when her twin sons were born. She was in bed rest for a month. When they were born, they were the size of coke cans weighing a pound and a half each and they had to stay in the hospital for four and a half months. Whenever she could, Laurie would rush to the station but never had enough time to read the scripts so her co-Anchor at the time, Dwight Lauderdale, help edit them before going on air. 

What many people may not know about the iconic Journalist is that she used to play tennis, participated in swimming and other sports. She wants her children to do it all as well. While at Cornell, she was the lead rower in her crew team. She is also very catchy and happy when not on the air. 

Some advice Laurie would give to future journalists is to: Go for it because the industry is hiring younger, more tech-oriented individuals. When she was in acting class, she asked her teacher what she would do best and her teacher told her that if it makes her happy then, go for it but hoping a more concrete response.

Laurie sees herself in the next ten years continuing to work at Local 10 News in the city she calls vibrant, all while covering the most important stories impacting South Florida and the world.

   At the news desk with Laurie Jennings 

   With her Laurie's co-anchor Calvin Hughes. An interview with him will be coming soon.

Village of Pinecrest Councilmember Anna Hochkammer

Pinecrest, FL- From PTA to the Pinecrest Council Chamber. Anna Hochkammer has worked her way up to become a well-known name within the Village Of Pinecrest.

Born and raised in Michigan and attended Northwestern University. Upon graduating, Hochkammer moved to Ecuador and met her husband there. She has lived in Ecuador for 15 years to connect with the culture of the country while raising her three daughters there. In 2009, Hochkammer’s husband decided to move his headquarters to Miami. When it came to deciding where to live, Hochkammer and her family based their criteria on the following: living forty-five minutes from the airport, a nice backyard and having her children attend public school. These requirements led to one result: Pinecrest.

When she first came to Pinecrest, she didn’t know anyone. Later on, she would become PTSA President for Miami Palmetto Senior High School. Within her time as PTSA President, she pushed for working to connect with legislators and even attended many council meetings. Bob Ross term ended his District 1 seat resulting in Hockammer in running for that seat. From them on, she knocked on hundreds of doors and worked many hours to end up winning the election for her seat.

One of Hochkammer’s biggest things she advocates for is Equal pay. Hochkammer says that since the law was passed in the 1970s, very little effort has been made to make it a reality. Hockammer says that she has talked to many people who work in various departments in the village to understand the significant issue of gender gap pay and equal pay. Once elected, she worked with the village to create a workplace environment to shrink the gender pay gap. As soon as her resolution was passed, other municipalities such as Palmetto Bay started to follow along and later the village started to push for the county to make equal pay countywide.

What many people don’t know about Hockammer is that she is a terrible liar, played sousaphone, a king of tuba, in a marching band, enjoys traveling a lot to places like Madagascar, Egypt, most of Asia and Africa and beyond.

All and all, Hockammer says that as an individual Council member, she must connect with the people and those who disagree with her and be able to help out. For the entire village, there has been a push for the infrastructure to be upgraded since its major issue in the village as well as 800 homes under well wall that haven’t connected with city water. Before this interview, the village opened a newly renovated Coral Pine Park and recently invested to renovate the town center. Many of the projects such as schools and roads that Hockammer and her council pay come from bonds. This, all with her life, and her impact on the council has shaped to change the dynamic of Pinecrest.

WSVN 7 News Craig Stevens

     At the newsdesk with Craig Stevens and Co-Anchor Belkesy Nerey

North Bay Village, Fla.-From the wicked cold beaches of Cape Cod to the tall palm trees of Miami, Craig Stevens, an anchor with more than 25 years of experience in the industry, has climbed his way up the journalism ladder to become lead anchor at WSVN 7 News in North Bay Village, Florida. He currently anchors with Belkeys Nerey and they have become the longest standing anchor duo in South Florida history.

Stevens became interested as a teenager in journalism when he began watching and reading current events and visiting news stations. Years later, he would end up working at the NBC News mailroom in New York City. He soon was transferred to work for the NBC affiliate in Fort Myers as a reporter. From there, he went to Miami in 1992, then to WHDH, WSVN’s sister station in Boston and then back to Miami at WSVN. 

All the years of anchoring and reporting many stories have impacted him. One was back in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida. He was jaw dropped by the damage done by the hurricane’s destruction. Not only did Hurricane Andrew impact him but also 9/11 had an impact on him because not only because of the scale of it all but because he had just started as an anchor at WSVN that same year. 

By working at WSVN for more than a decade, Stevens says his station is very successful due to its large audience share along with many faces who have worked there for a long period of time and the mission it follows has not changed. Part of what makes WSVN unique is that it’s not a corporate-owned station, in fact, it’s a station owned and run by Real Estate Mogul Ed Ansin.

He balances a high demand job, even while working as a professor at the University of Miami School of Communications. As a professor, he is always very organized and project driven. As a journalist though, his job has resulted in him missing major events in his life.

What many don’t know about Craig Stevens is that he is a huge country music fan, learns guitar lessons by watching videos on YouTube but ironically can’t read music.

Some advice Stevens would give to future journalists would be to always be prepared to be the best on TV, have a strong determination, accept everything and never say no to an opportunity even if it comes with sacrifice.

Wakodahatchee Wetlands

Delray Beach, Florida- A few days ago, I went to the Wakodatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach and encountered some wild birds, an alligator, iguanas, squirrels, Mash Rabbits a Basilisk aka the Jesus Christ Lizard and more.  Here are some photos of my adventure:

Wood Storks

Great White Egret

Tri-Color Heron

Basilisk

A Wood Stork trying to keep cool on a hot and humid day

Alligator

White Wood Stork and Black Anhinga

Little Blue Heron with chicks 

Great White Egret chicks 

Iguana 

Brightline has arrived to Miami!

Brightline train at the West Palm Beach Brightline Station

West Palm Beach, Florida -  On May 19th, Brightline began operations at the new transportation complex MiamiCentral Station servicing routes between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and soon to be Orlando, Florida. On May 22nd, I had the chance to ride Brightline during its opening week. Here are some photos from my experience at the MiamiCentral station and the train:

#305 sign at the entrance of the MiamiCentral transportation complex.

View from the waiting room before boarding the Brightline train

Brightline ticket and safety guidebook. 

Inside one of the coaches of a Brightline train

CBS 4 News Anchor Eliott Rodriguez

Interview date: August 15th, 2017

Doral, Fla.- For almost forty years, Eliott Rodriguez, the noon, five and six o’clock News Anchor at CBS4 News in Miami, has reported on the some of the most important stories impacting South Florida, throughout the United States, Europe, and Latin America. A son of Cuban parents, he was born in New York City and lived there until he was 12 years old When his family moved to Miami.  He attended La Salle High School in Coconut Grove.  After graduation, he was on to Miami Dade College and The University of Miami, where he earned a degree in Communications. But Eliott’s Journalism career happened quite by accident. His goal was to be a Graphic Artist, but a professor at Miami-Dade College steered him toward news reporting. Over time, he became more involved with the college newspaper and spent less tome in the art studio. Eliott says he loved how journalism allowed him to tell stories and share important information with his readers.

Eliott is an incredibly dedicated and hardworking Journalist. He learned his work habits from his parents.  They came to this country as immigrants and he watched them work hard all of their lives.  His father left Cuba and moved to New York, alone with no money when he was only 21 years old.  It was in New York where his parents met and married.  His father worked at a grocery story and eventually became the owner.  His work ethic comes from watching his parents work hard and never letting anything get in their way.  Eliott is very grateful for the support he always received from them. They always encouraged him to pursue whatever he wanted to do and they were nothing but supportive when he told his parents that he wanted to become a Journalist.   

Eliott has covered many important stories throughout his career, but one was particularly special to him. When he was part of WPLG Local 10 News in the 1990s, he traveled to Cuba on assignment. While he was there, he traveled to Regla, a small town outside of Havana, where he had the opportunity to meet some of his family members that he never knew existed, as he always thought his family was small. He learned that his father was one of eight children. He said that this is one of the greatest experiences of his life as a Journalist.  

Eliott has managed to balance his professional and personal life over the course of a multi-decade career. He has worked weekends, holidays and even early morning shifts which have resulted in him having to miss important events at his daughters’ schools as well as holidays . Even through everything he has gone through, family has always been his number one priority every step of the way.

Something most viewers may not know about the CBS4 News Anchor is that he is a huge animal lover. He currently has a Facebook page, called Operation Find Freddy, that helps pet owners find their lost pets. He started it three years ago after his silky terrier named Freddy went missing, only to be found one week later. Since then, he receives daily calls, texts and emails from people asking for helping find their lost pets. Elliot and his daughter Erica post the information on his site and they have had many happy endings.

For those who want to become a Journalist, Eliott says it's important to be able to multitask.  The world of Journalism is very different now then when he started his career.  He says that now you have to be a reporter who writes the story, shoots the story, edits the story, writes the web script, posts on social media, takes still photos and promotes the story as well. He says that the young generation just has to be trained and focused in a different way.  New challenges for a new generation.  

NBC 6 in the Mix Host Roxanne Vargas

July 2017 

Miramar, Fla- While visiting the NBC 6 Studios, I had the opportunity to meet NBC 6 In The Mix Lifestyle & Entertainment Host Roxanne Vargas.  She has been working at NBC 6 since 2007. Since working at NBC 6, she has received 5 Emmy nominations for reporting and hosting serveral features and was voted "Best TV Host" by the Miami New Times in 2012.  She went to Florida International University majoring in Journalism.

Meeting Bryan Norcross

Coral Gables, Fla- On July 20, 2017  I attended a book signing event at Books and Books in Coral Gables for Bryan Norcorss's new book My Hurricane Andrew Story.  He talked about his career, his experience up to, during, and after 1992's Hurricane Andrew. His story is fascinating and even brought many audience members, who lived through the storm, to tears.   Many, listened to Bryan's words on the radio, the only means for news updates during those very intense hours of the storm. His unique voice brought comfort to so many considering the situation.  He ended up damaging his vocal cords from the endless hours of speaking from the studio.

In remembrance of the 25th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew,  Brian Norcross has collaborated with HistoryMiami on an exhibition featuring everything related to the hurricane.  This coming Thursday, August 24th, from 10am - 5pm, the museum will be offering free admission to everyone who lives in Miami-Dade County.  For more information call (305) 375-1492.

The Freemasons interview

Boston, Ma.- Ever since 1717, the Freemasons have grown into not only the world’s oldest fraternity, but one of the most fascinating organizations around. In an exclusive interview with three members of the Freemasons who work at the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts located on the corner of Bolyston and Tremont Street, these members talked about how the founding fathers, including Paul Revere, played a role in the formation of the United States, the structure of the Freemasons, and how they have evolved in the digital world.

            James Orgettas, who has been a member for 20 years and works as the assistant to the Grand Master, says that the Masons “were very instrumental in influencing a lot of the Founding Fathers.” He says how Joseph Warren who was a general in the Commonwealth is also a Grand Master, the head of the Grand Lodge. Orgetta says, “You find that most structures of American history, the creation of the government and the creation of the country was formed here in New England, which was very strongly influenced by the Masons.” Similarly, David Abbott, a member since 2009, who works for the Scottish Rite, one of the key bodies of the Freemasons, says, “We can take a lot of correlations from the teachings or lessons of Freemasonry's and how they shaped those individuals and their view.” Similar to the latter, Robert Huke, a mason for 23 years and Director of Communications and Development for the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, says, “I think that what you see in terms is the influence that Freemasonry had on the thinking that went into a lot of the documents and the rights…..the documents being again the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution, and also again our rights as individuals, things like Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion.  Really just the equality of all men. Those were and are Masonic concepts.  They are concepts and thinking that the fraternity had been practicing before the establishment of the United States, so I think that that's where we again find the influence of the fraternity in the foundation of the country.”

            All three of the members each talked about the very notable members of the fraternity and how they have contributed to them and to society. Orgetta said that throughout the halls of the Grand Lodge, one can find Samuel Lawrence, a philanthropist who has donated to various libraries and hospitals. The city of Lawrence is named after him. Other notable members of the division include Alijia Crane, a South Shore native who was a large merchant, Comedian Norm Crosby as well as The Welch, The Briggs, the Strattons and The Gillete families, and even members of the New England Patriots, such Ron Bertan and John Hanna, who was a past Grand Master of his lodge. Another well-known athlete who is also a member is Shaquille O’Neal, who is a Prince Hall Mason, an independent organization very similar to the Freemasons.  

            Orgetta compares the structure of the Grand Lodge to an umbrella. Orgetta says, “They support Masonrys, they support their communities whether it's with blood drives or ham and bean suppers or raising money for some significant group within the community.” Orgetta also says they have tenets for the profession and each of them have social norms such as like-minded men, businessmen, and churchgoers. In addition, Orgetta also ended by saying that the fraternity is all about “supporting and helping one another” and used the example that if someone needs something like a will, banking, or mortgage, they can contact the people that they know. Similar to Orgetta, Abet says that “A lodge is simply a group of individuals, a group of Freemasons and they meet locally in cities and towns all across.” Abet adds on saying that, using Massachusetts as an example, they would all report to the Grand Lodge similar to how city/town governments report to the state who in turn report to the federal government.  Finally, Huke adds how all the members of the fraternity “experience and went through the same and learned the same lessons in the Lodge together.” Huke also said they deal with the big issues affecting the world. He said we would need what Freemasonry can offer such as the lessons of tolerance and respect for one another.  Huke ended his statement by saying that “we have more in common with each other and we shouldn’t be quick to demonize each other.”

            Even though the Freemasons date back to 1717, they have evolved and joined into the digital world. With Social Media, according to all three of the members, it has helped take away the negative association they used to deal with in the past. With the power of Social Media, it has shown people what goes on inside. They have posted pictures that have shown awards ceremonies and they have even shown who their members are, which could be their neighbors and friends. All of this has benefited into recruiting millennials into the organization.  Huke said, “We do want to try to hit people where they are the most comfortable getting their information and consuming media and information. “

James Orgettas 

Robert Huke 

David Abbott