Dwight Lauderdale | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | television news anchor, commentator |
Dwight Lauderdale started out as South Florida's first black TV news anchor and wound up as one of it's most watched and
longest running anchors [1]
Early Life
editDwight Lauderdale was born and raised in a working-class suburb of Columbus, Ohio [2]
He describes his parents as "hardworking". "My parents" he says " were strict disciplinarians, and while I thought it was unfair back then, I'm glad they were that way because it kept me out of trouble " His father, in particular, taught him the importance of being himself.
"My father" he says " taught me to never allow anyone to define who I am, that I am the only one who can do that. He taught me to not think of myself as a victim " [2]
He took this lesson to heart and started on a path that would include entering and winning many oratorical (speech) contests that eventually led to him being publically recognized in local newspaper articles. One such article would lead to a phone call that would set him on the path to become South Florida's first black anchor.
In the News
editAt 17 years of old, young Dwight Lauderdale would be called into the principal's office to return a phone call from the news director at WTVN-TV (ABC) [2] [3] in Columbus. He'd read an article about Dwight's winning an oratorical contest and made him an offer to learn the news business from the bottom up. He accepted the job and started work in November, 1968, part-time at night, processing film. [3] (Note: Some sources claim it was WSYX-TV [3] It wasn't terribly exciting, according to Lauderdale. but " I was able to do my homework while the film was in the processor" , [4] and it did hook him on the business. He did everything from processing the film, to news writing, to producing, even substiuting for on-air talent. He even found time to complete his education by attending Ohio University, majoring in Communications and graduating cum laude (with honors) in 1973 [2]
Dwight moves to South Florida
editIn 1974, Dwight moved down to South Florida. " I decided" , he said " I wanted to live somewhere where I would never again have to scrape ice off my windshield. " [4] </ref> That and a reporting opportunity at Channel 7 (WCKT-TV, at the time) was available, which Lauderdale took and got. When I got here in 1974 [ to work at WCKT, which channel 7 was known as at the time] there was usually one black reporter at each station, then it grew to one man and one woman" [1] Two years later, WPLG (chanel 10) offerd him a three-year contract as a reporter / weekend anchor, and he accepted the job. He quickly established himself as a prolific street reporter, working half a dozen stories per day, including the Miami River Cops Case, to the Mariel Boatlift. He also managed to score the first one-on-one interview of President Clinton's presidency. More than anything, he remembers the rigid ground rules, " Seven minutes only, and they were standing there with a stopwatch" [1]. He was bumped up to the weeknight anchor desk in June 1985 on an interm basis, which was made permanent the following January. [4] His first anchor partner was the legendary Ann Bishop, who told him, "I need you and you need me. Let's make this work" [4] He's since shared anchor duties with Diane Magnum, Kristi Krueger and Laurie Jennings. Charles Perez has been tapped to be Jenning's new partner. [4]
On Camera
editDwight Lauderdale was known, among many things, for his sense of style. He always wore sleek suits and had impeccable diction on air. One of his producers was asked for footage of a messily attired Lauerdale for a blooper reel, to which he replied icily " There's no such thing. That would be like the sun rising in Key West" [1] His hair, described by former WPLG producer, Steve Wasserman as " a full 70's Afro and bushy mustache" [1] became a more conventional high and tight hair cut, the mustache left about a decade ago. " I got tired" Lauderdale says " of having to have it dyed. The station's consultants always told us " A little bit of gray on your head looks okay, but under your nose, it looks like snot '" [1] "I anchored with Dwight for about a decade. He IS Local 10 News. Dwight is an incredible journalist, a professional, a compassionate communicator, and a great friend " says Channel 10 news anchor Kristi Krueger. " Dwight and I have co-anchored together for two-and-a-half years now. He makes my job *so* much easier -- I can't imagine what life will be like at work when he retires next year [this already happened] I say that because Dwight is always the consummate professional." said friend and colleague Laurie Jennings.
"Dwight Lauderdale is a leader in our newsroom" says Vice President and General Manager Dave Boylan His experience allows him to put news events into a context that very few other news people have in this market. He is professional in his approach and always works hard to see that we get the story right" . [1] This passion to "get the story right" led him to issue an on-the-air reprimand to a local news station for rushing to beat the competition to get a story on the air. The story was proven to be false.
" Now it is part of our job to bring you the news as soon as we can. But it is our responsibility to make sure that information is right... breaking into a regularly scheduled program with a fictious story does nothing but erode the credibility of professional journalism everywhere " said Lauderdale. [2]
Dwight on Dwight
editDwight Lauderdale's road to success has had it's fair share of bumps and obstacles, but according to him, the biggest obstacle he faces regulary is himself. "My biggest struggle" he says " has been with myself. I tend to be a perfectionist and expect to be perfect every day on live television" . He confessed to watching tapes, repeatedly, in which he made errors during a newscast to figure out what went wrong and why. "As I look back on it now, that was stupid. No one is perfect. Why should I expect to be ? I was putting unecesary pressure on myself " [2]
Dwight and Lasik
editIn July 2004, Dwight Lauderdale briefly went from delivering the news to making the news by televising his Lasik surgery. Lauderdale, who was farsighted, learned that he might be a candidate for corrective eye surgery after viewing a news story about this surgery on his own station. Lauderdale sought a consultation when he realized just how critical the surgery was to his job performance. He never had a problem reading the telepromter, which was 20 feet away from him. He would, however, have a problem if he had to read from a script without his glasses. It happened only once in what he refers to has his worse case scenario. "Something happened to the teleprompter" he said "and I had the script in my hand (with no glasses) , and I could not read it. Fortunately, I was able to remember enough about the story that I could tell the viewers what the story was about. It was the most uncomfortable feeling in the world; all this was happening while I was live on the air. At that point I realized that I had to do something " Lauderdale was treated by monovision and modified monovision (two strategies to treat each eye, one for reading and one for distance). " I was on and off the table in less than 10 minutes. It's actually more agonizing for the people watching it because it looks like you should feel something and you feel nothing - your eyes are numb. You feel someone touching you, and that's it. I was suprised at how easy it is - this is the most fascinating aspect of it. The preparation time was more than the actual proceedure." says Lauderdale. Just minutes after the surgery, he was able to read his watch. An hour after the surgery he was able to read a resteraunt menu without glasses, for the first time in seven years. "I wish I had done it sooner" he says. [5]
Dwight retires
editIn February 25, 2008, Dwight Lauderdale announced that he would be retiring in May of that same year. "Every time I tried to tell anyone, including my bosses, they all had the same reaction, 'You'll change your mind '" said Lauderdale. He didn't. [4] "I told everyone that all along, but nobody believed me. A few months back, [WPLG manger] Dave Boylan even showed me the plans for the new building the station will move into next year and pointed out where my office will be. ' I'll be sure to give it a look when I visit' I told him " he continues. [1] " Since I was 17 years old, I've been punching the time clock of TV news. I want to have some choices. I'll work at my own pace, and you better believe it won't be at night. Forty years of working nights takes a toll on your body." he says. [2]
Awards,Scholarships and Community Involvement
editAmong Dwight Lauderdale's many awards are the N.A.T.A.S Silver Circle Award, The Ohio State Award and two Florida Emmy's as well as a readers award in Sun-Sentinel (in 1998 ) as the number one Anchor in the market and South Florida Magazine named him best news anchor in 1990. [3] . Additionally, Dwight Lauderdale has a scholarship in his name (The Dwight Lauderdale Scholarship) at Barry University which is awarded to students in broadcast communiucations each seminar. [6] In addition, he considers reaching out to the community to be a big part ofd his career, like telling aspiring students about the work it takes to get to where he is and the endurance it takes to get there. [2] Sometimes, it's just for the fun of it, like when he judged a Jamaican Jerk Festival at Markham Park [Sunrise, Florida] on Sep 24. " I love Jamaican foods, and particularly jerk" he says.
Things you may not know about Dwight Lauderdale
edit* He and his wife, Minnie enjoy playing tennis and traveling (as often as they can) [3]
* He is a collector of old music -- progressive jazz and 40-year old rythm and blue are his favorites. [3]
* His reading preferences include anything he can learn something from, like autobiographies and texts dealing with sociology [3]
* Growing up, he thought he'd become a lawyer! [3]
* He does NOT relish attention and DOESN'T accept compliments easily. [3]
* He's had the chance to interview every president since Richard Nixon [4]
* Yes, Lauderdale is REALLY his last name, "It goes back to General Lauderdale", he says " It was common for slaves to be given the name of the slave masters. General Lauderdale had some sons who 'spread themselves out,' if you know what I mean". [4]
* At one time, Channel 10 had Frank Forte (silent "e", pronounced as "Fort"), Dwight Lauderdale & Jill Beach, literally, Fort(e) Lauderdale Beach (a real location in Fort Lauderdale!) [4]
* When Dwight Lauderdale signed off for the final time, he left with his 11 PM newscast leading the ratings for the past year and was expected to win the Nielsen ratings sweeps at the end of that week, [1]
References
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