From Out There … To On-Air: A Bluegrass Prodigy
Last week, we took a look at how Sandra Hughes' story on geo-caching made its way to the "Evening News." Today we've got a look at the story behind a story from correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, which aired on last week's broadcast. You can read about it here or click on the video player below to watch Alfonsi's story on 11-year-old fiddle prodigy Ruby Jane Smith.
Video: So how did Alfonsi find Ruby Jane? She explained the back story in an e-mail:
"I went to school in Mississippi (you can probably tell by the accent) and am always looking for any excuse to go south. Last year, producer Amy Birnbaum and I were working on a story about 'Project Alabama.' It's a high-end fashion house run out of Alabama by an amazing southern designer named Natalie Chanin. Anyway, Natalie told us about Ruby Jane. She had modeled and played the fiddle at one of her fashion shows. Amy and I looked her up, listened to her CD and couldn't believe what we were hearing!"With that, they contacted Ruby Jane's mother (and manager), who was "very receptive to letting us come down and shoot the story," said Alfonsi.
"You know how there are 'soccer moms' who have a mini-van filled with soccer balls, extra Gatorade and Band-aids? Well, JoBelle is a 'music mom.' The back of her car is packed with cases of Ruby Jane's' instruments that she hauls back and forth to gigs. She also has boxes of Ruby Jane's CDs, homemade pancake mix, and homemade relish that she sells to help support her daughter's music career."Indeed, two minutes of television can't always include details like that. What else didn't we see in the segment?:
"Ahh …There was so much! I really wanted to be sure the audience understood that while Ruby Jane is talented well beyond her years -- she is still just 11. She has an entire section of her room dedicated to Johnny Depp. We watched her ride ATV's with her friend McGill. I wish we could have shown more of that. They were equal parts adorable and fearless.Does Alfonsi think there's more of an emphasis at the "Evening News" for stories like this one?The thing that blew me away is that she really enjoys the company of her teacher, Jim Brock just as much. He didn't have a grandchild; she wanted a grandfather -- so they just adopted each other. You know how they say you can't pick your family? Well, Ruby Jane did. She just does stuff her way. She has an amazing spirit and razor focus."
"I think there has always been an emphasis on storytelling at CBS News. I think it's what makes our network unique and why I love to work here. I'd love to see more stories like Ruby Jane's on the air but the reality is -- there isn't that much time in the newscast. On any given night, we have 22 minutes to try and tell the day's news. Spending two and a half minutes on features or profiles is a luxury. I love that we get to do it once in a while and if I get to go south to do it, I'm even happier!"