Al's Morning Meeting

When my old friend Boyd Huppert at KARE 11-TV in Minneapolis says he has a story that I need to see, I watch. Huppert is widely thought of as one of the best local TV storytellers in the country.

Last week, Huppert did a "daily turn" story listening to senior citizens who have survived the Great Depression. The simple story, which doesn't have any fancy production, mines the wisdom of a generation that survived a worse economic downturn than we are living through today.

Take a look at the story and then read my e-mail conversation with Huppert about how the piece came together.



Tompkins: How did the story get pitched in the editorial meeting, and what was the reaction to the pitch?

Huppert: The night's lead story was obvious at the afternoon meeting. Target was announcing a worker reduction of 1,000 people, while Best Buy -- another Minnesota-headquartered company -- was giving notice of pending lay-offs as well. In the midst of the discussion of a second package, our 10 p.m. producer, Jennifer Young, mentioned an article she had read in a local paper giving the perspective of those who had lived through the Great Depression. Honestly, no one was particularly in love with the idea. The other night-side reporter passed and I said I'd take a crack at it. My expectations were so low I was already thinking about my back-up story when I left the meeting.

What did you learn from these senior citizens that surprised you?

Huppert: First of all, I was struck by the ease with which their memories of the Depression poured out. A helpful marketing person at the senior complex I called literally snatched these poor folks off a bus as they were returning from a field trip and sat them down with us. Without giving a thought to the topic in advance of our arrival, the stories just flowed.

A lot of people are scared right now, but clearly we haven't seen close to the likes of what they endured in their formative years. When an 85-year-old man became emotional talking about his mother not eating so there was food for the rest of the family, I knew this was special and so relevant.
What really surprised me is that no one in the group remembers being sad during the Depression; they remember the tightness of their families and how they pulled together with their neighbors to get through the worst of it. In fact, they credit the experience for giving them the values that carried them so well through the rest of their lives.

What worries them is us -- the younger generation. Most of us have never had to go through economic hardship, so they wonder if we'll be able to handle it. As 80-year-old Lee Vieburg put it, "Young people today think that if they have to give up cable or the Internet or something that life has ended."
Tell me there's not something for people of all ages to think about in that statement.

Seniors are some of our most loyal viewers. Why, then, do we often avoid talking with them?

Huppert: I suppose to a degree they don't fit our demographic. As an industry we're always looking for what's hip and trendsetting. Well, here's a case where the wisdom we now covet lives with our elders.

If I didn't believe that while leaving the afternoon meeting, I do now. Here's a sampling of the viewer e-mail I answered the next morning:

From Lisa in Minneapolis: "[Your story] was very heartwarming and included such a special message from people who have seen and experienced a far greater hardship than America is experiencing right now. It helps put so many things in perspective about how we are all Americans and we will survive just as they did so many years ago."

From Jodi in Sartell, Minn., recently laid-off from her own job: "I think EVERYBODY should hear what they have to say! I have always wondered why God doesn't make us "wise up" until we are over 30 years old. By the time 30 comes around, we start to realize just what kind of wonderful history lessons we have around us with our grandparents, but by then most of them are gone! ..."

There were many more.

Remember, this was a quick, daily turn -- shot in an hour -- without a fancy edit. As a journalist it's given me a lot to think about.