Acclaimed interviewer and broadcast journalist
Charlie Rose, former anchor of the CBS News program Nightwatch,
engages America’s best thinkers, writers, politicians, athletes,
entertainers, business leaders,
scientists and other newsmakers in one-on-one interviews and
roundtable discussions five nights a week at 12:30 a.m. on PBS
45 & 49.
Eavesdropping Heaven
Charlie Rose is an eavesdropper’s
heaven. For those of us who love to listen to other people’s
conversations, we couldn’t ask for a better set-up. The quiet
of late-night television. No persistent ambient noise or visual din
to muffle words
or distract the eye. No guilty restaurant theatrics to prove that
we are NOT listening to the people at the next table. No friends
or family to whom we must explain over and over again our sociological and intellectual interest in other people’s chatter.
Nope, it’s
just us, Charlie,
his wooden table, the void of that black background, and guests
talking away about the most interesting stuff. We cannot be accused,
technically, of eavesdropping;
this is broadcast television, after all. But the viewing experience
is so intimate and the conversation so natural and spontaneous
that it sometimes feels like we’ve stumbled upon a lively
private exchange.
From athletes to zoologists, Charlie can talk to anyone.
His passion
for knowledge must be insatiable. I often marvel over how he
manages to know enough to have meaningful conversations with hundreds
of
different people from Lord knows how many different disciplines.
He’s a walking illustration of that old piece of wisdom, “The
more you learn, the more you can learn.”
I am, in short,
Charlie Rose’s unconditional fan. Oh, that doesn’t
stop me from muttering an exasperated “Shut up, Charlie” when
he gets too gabby or an eye-rolling “Yes, Charlie, you’re
really smart” when he gets a little show-boaty. But that
would never stop a die-hard Charlie Rose fan
from coming back the next night.
It’s all easily forgiven, because the guy can deliver.
As
journalist Morley Safer once said, Charlie Rose is “the
last refuge of intelligent conversation on television.” Amen.
If
you can’t always watch the show, check out his amazing
Web site, where the most recent shows
as well
as years and years and years of conversation are stored for free
on-demand viewing. Fantastic!
Lisa Martinez, PBS 45 & 49’s Vice
President of Marketing & Development
As vice president of marketing and development, I oversee
private sector fund-raising, including membership, underwriting
and
grants; external communications including publications, the
Web site, community outreach, public relations and press
relations; and promotional and fund-raising events.
I’ve
been with PBS
45 & 49 for over 20 years, joining the
station in 1985 as an intern. I worked in communications for
the first 18 years and was then promoted to my current position
in 2004. I'm a member of the North Central Ohio Chapter of
the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and my civic
involvement
includes volunteer work for the Main Street Kent revitalization
project and the Portage County Board of Elections.
I grew up
in Canton, Ohio, graduated from GlenOak High School, went
to The Ohio State University for a week and returned home
because my dorm room was shaped like a piece of pie. (Who can
live like that?) So I enrolled at Kent State, where I declared
many majors, from advertising to secondary education, all the
while taking the literature courses I really loved. Eventually
I admitted I was an English major and earned both a B.A. and
M.A. from KSU. I taught Freshman English as a part-timer
at KSU over the years, until it dawned on me that grading papers
is among my least favorite things to do. But I'm still in love
with Kent after all these years. It's a unique place — small
enough to be a town (a very non-suburban one) but big enough
to allow for a bit of city anonymity.
