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EYE ON THE MEDIA: JANET DAVIES
by David R. Guarino
2001-01-24

This article shared 10051 times since Wed Jan 24, 2001
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"I have only one bias, and I'm proud to admit it. I don't like people who treat other people poorly. I don't care who you are or what you are. If you don't treat other people with respect, then I have a bias against you." — Janet Davies

Janet Davies, host of WLS Channel 7's popular entertainment/lifestyle show "190 North," has graciously invited Windy City Times to attend a taping of the show. Janet welcomed me into the studio and ushered me into the "Green Room," which in this case was painted beige, and introduced me to her guests. I was honored to meet legendary actor Theodore Bikel, who was in town to star yet again in Fiddler On The Roof. Besides meeting Bikel and his entourage, I met well-known psychic Sidney Greenfield, who made some very interesting predictions for the upcoming second year of the new millennium.

"190 North" refers to the address of WLS-Channel 7 on Chicago's State Street, and the entertaining show has high ratings and strong appeal, no doubt attributable to the show's effervescent and highly creative host, Janet Davies. During the tapings, I became very familiar with camera angles, tags, and retakes. Janet was joking with the crew and me as the producers huddled with the star at regular intervals. Davies deftly maneuvered her way through wardrobe changes, memorization, and the intricacies of interviewing a major star of the theater followed by a psychic with professionalism and her trademark good humor and engaging style.

Janet Davies is no stranger to television, Chicago television, in particular.

For the past 16 years, the charismatic Davies has graced the Midwest airwaves with an unbeatable combination of knowledge and congeniality. As a WLS Channel 7 segment reporter, fill-in co-anchor, talkshow host and celebrity interviewer par none, Davies delivers a presentation that is every bit as informative as it is entertaining. Whether guiding female viewers through the potential perils of "High Heel Hell," or delivering the truth about how to go about investigating matters of public record in a segment called "When In Doubt, Check Them Out," Davies enlightens and empowers, but always with a personal touch that is uniquely her own. Her persona is at once engaging and familiar. But make no mistake; Davies is an accomplished and highly respected journalist. Perhaps that is why she has earned seven Emmy awards and has been nominated an amazing 34 times for that highest of television honors. Davies has just about done it all, written, produced, directed, anchored, hosted, and interviewed. But she manages to do all with grace, humor, style and wit. She calls herself, 'perky,' and that was an accurate description of her mood the day before the tapings, when she had sat down with me for an interesting and delightful interview:

WCT: WLS Channel 7 has the highest rated nightly news broadcast, and it's got this wonderful lifestyle/entertainment program, 190 North, and it's fun to watch.

JD: Channel 7's the best. And I've got friends at other stations. What I would say is that there is a warmth that comes across from the people at Channel 7, there's a connection. Not to say that there's not a connection and warmth with the other stations, but I think overall for years and years—17 years I think, we've been No. 1. We connect with viewers, we just do. In terms of longevity, look at the number of people at Channel 7 who have been here over 20 years. I'm still considered a kid ( at the station ) , and I'm in my 17th year! When I hit 20 years, maybe they'll let me sit where I want to; my mailbox might be a bit higher … . ( We both laugh )

WCT: Don't you think that it's important to have a news broadcast that features not only headline and breaking news stories, but interesting features and some lighthearted spots as well?

JD: That's what a newscast should be. I mean, we're a headline service anyway. We can't be as comprehensive as the newspaper; we don't have the time. We have 22 minutes in a half-hour, and the rest is commercial time. We get socked in the print press a lot for maybe being too light or promoting features, but if you look at the front page of the Sun-Times or the Tribune you're going to see features promoted on their front page along with their serious news. And they want you to turn to their "Tempo" section or their "Showcase" section and read what's there. You've got to have a mix of everything, or you wouldn't be covering what's happening in your town, or what's of interest to people, or news you can use.

WCT: You have done anchoring and reporting, you've done producing, writing. And you've won seven Emmys. And you have been nominated 34 times for various things: writing, producing, and directing. Which would you say is easier, being a talkshow host doing entertainment shows or being a straight news reporter/anchor?

JD: Oh, it's all difficult and it's all different. I've really had the extreme luck of doing so much in this field from the time I began my career. I've done reporting. I've done weather, news anchoring back in Cincinnati. I've been a general assignment person going out and covering fires and fender benders and new zoo babies. And I've done live talk shows. It's all different and it's all wonderful. And it just kind of adds to the whole sum of parts which becomes me and what I do for a living. I'll tell you one of the most wonderful learning experiences in my career was the time I spent in Philadelphia doing an AM show when AM shows were very popular during the '80s—late '70s early '80s. We're talking about a live, daily show for one hour in front of a studio audience where you had to be on your feet. I mean, you had to think on your feet. It just summoned up every bit of your talent. And it separated the men from the boys and the girls from the women. And I learned so much that carried on into news reporting and anchoring and doing 190 ( North ) . It's just the best experience I've ever had.

WCT: Anyone who has followed your career knows you've interviewed many, many celebrities. Which male celebrity made the greatest impression on you?

JD: It's an eclectic bunch. Billy Graham was one of the most charismatic and easiest interviews. And when I say easiest, you felt very comfortable in his presence. Not so much that you were wrapped up in any of the theology, but this is a man who has consulted with so many presidents, who was a spiritual leader of the Christian faith and it was fascinating to interview him. Fascinating and intimidating because I was quite young at the time. I think I'd been in this business only two years. Red Skelton. I loved Red Skelton. ( He was ) another person who made me feel ( as I was interviewing him ) like he'd never been interviewed before. I was absolutely enthralled with his stories. I also had the pleasure of interviewing Paul McCartney. I loved him because he was so funny. And he was impish. ( He ) made me feel at ease. And when they make you feel at ease—especially when you're young, they stay in your mind forever. He was everything I hoped he was.

WCT: In terms of female celebrities, who comes to mind?

JD: I love Julie Harris. I absolutely adore that woman. She is one of those people I lean forward to, I think she's such a fabulous actress. So was Helen Hayes. So was Mary Martin. It's something about theater. I love the Grand Dames of the theater. Those three really pop into my mind as truly memorable. These are women who have such a sense of history and had such a sense of themselves. They are people who liked to sit down and talk. They were very sharing people.

WCT: What other jobs have you had besides in news and TV?

JD: Holy-moley! ( She laughs ) Well, I worked at an ad agency. I started out as their receptionist and wound up their billing clerk. I was also pursuing theater; my degree is in theater, from Miami University in Ohio. I did some acting up in Canada. I also did some lighting design. Actually I designed for a gay/lesbian theater company called The Red Light Theater. This was in Toronto. I always wondered why they called it The Red Light…. One of my loves at Miami University was lighting, besides acting and directing. It was difficult to get acting jobs in Canada with an American accent, as it was very nationalistic at the time. I couldn't get my equity card or anything, but I could get jobs as a lighting designer. I've done some acting down here ( in Chicago ) . I've done some acting for charity, and then I did a play over at Chicago Dramatists' Workshop a couple of years ago. They do a new playwrights' festival and they do three or four one-acts, and I was in one of the one-acts. I played kind of a capital 'B' as the head of a coffee company and I was driving my research team crazy—it was a comedy. That was really the last acting thing I have done. I think it was in 1995. I had a ball! When I was younger, I wanted to be a ballerina. I studied and studied, but I wasn't very good. The old Chicago Ballet used to do a performance of Cinderella every Christmas and one year one of the PR agencies who used to work for us decided to get five personalities here in town to play the part of The Wicked Stepmother, and I was one of them! It was a big role. We each got to do a performance, and I was able to dance as well.

WCT: On a more serious note. Janet, in your opinion, do you feel at this point in time that gays and lesbians are treated fairly by the media?

JD: No, David, I don't. I do think that the media tries to be objective on issues concerning the gay and lesbian community, but I think that people who write still aren't as enlightened as they should be. There are forums given to those who have opinions that I think are detrimental to the community, and yes, this is a free-speech society, but I think they're ill-informed sometimes and I think free speech is best exercised when you are well-informed. So, no, I think the gay and lesbian community, like a lot of other communities, is still not necessarily treated fairly. But I think we're improving. Oh my gosh, I think we're much better than we were ten years ago, five years ago, even a year ago. There's still a lot of prejudice out there and a lot of misinformation. And people who just believe dogma that isn't true. I'm really lucky to have had parents who brought me up in a very open and loving mind set. There were no prejudices. And a lot of my family is from the South. I was brought up to not think any less of somebody because they might be different from me. They might be racially different, ethnically different, gender different or sexually different. I have only one bias, and I'm proud to admit it. I don't like people who treat other people poorly. I don't like those people. I don't care who you are or what you are, if you don't treat people with respect, then I have a bias against you.

WCT: I think it's important for the community as a whole to know that there are people out there who are not biased.

JD: Well, it's all the next generation. The generation after us is pretty much set in what they feel and what they think and what they consider to be true. What you have to do is raise the children ( like my son who is now aged three ) to be open, to be loving, to be accepting. To consider diversity the normal way of life, moving away from the fear and ignorance we all know so well. My son has a whole wide range of "Dutch uncles" and "Dutch aunts." He has Uncle Bruce and Uncle Scott ( not their real names ) . Uncle Bruce is actually my best friend from high school and he and Scott have been in a very loving relationship a lot longer than many marriages. Longer than my marriage. They are the best uncles to ( my son Jack ) . And Jack loves them. And as he grows older, he will come to understand their relationship and view it with total loving acceptance. It is not to be feared. It is not to be ridiculed. It is not to be ignored. It's important for me to have Jack grow up like I grew up. And maybe even better than I grew up.

WCT: What gay or lesbian person has made the greatest impression on you?

JD: I'm going to do woman and men. Well, I'll tell you, the man goes back to my dear, dear friend Bruce who still lives in Ohio. He and I have been very close since high school. He was my best friend, but to my mother—he was the son she never had. And it was very traumatic for us, my mother passed away this time last year. And I've watched Bruce go through the problems of being a gay man in a high-profile family. I watched the struggle. I watched him disappear for a couple of years. I watched him come back and enter a wonderful loving relationship. I watch how he treats my family. I watch how he treats others. I watch the career he went into which includes dealing mostly with Down's Syndrome children. He's probably, when you talk about gay men, he's just the epitome of a good, giving guy. And he's gone through a lot. He's a great guy. And I just love him so much! Now for women ... let me think. That will probably come under the celebrity category. I'd say Lily Tomlin. I've interviewed Lily. I admire her talent tremendously. Lily has moved the agenda gently, and with a certain finesse. It's so hard in this business. It's your career, and you just have to be so careful.

WCT: Of the hundreds of special investigative segments you've done, are there any that you are particularly proud of?

JD: First of all let me say that if you ( the viewer ) can learn one thing you did not know from one of my pieces, I've succeeded. The one I'm probably quite proud of was one of the first ones I ever did when we really started targeting sweeps and doing these kinds of series—it was called "When In Doubt, Check Them Out." And it was a two-part series on how people can find out information that is public record. How do you find out if someone is divorced? How do you find out if someone is bankrupt? How do you find out if someone has a criminal record? I was getting so many calls and letters ( from primarily female viewers, some men ) who were so happy they watched this series because they might not have found out that their boyfriend had a criminal record. Or he was really married. It made a big difference. They never knew that they could just go over to the Cook County Public Records and look this stuff up for free. And they didn't know how to do it. This series aired seven years ago, in 1993, and I was always so happy about that piece. All in all, people learn from consumer facts and information pieces, and I'm very happy when they do. That's why I do it.

WCT: Your show 190 North. Was that show your idea? Was it proposed to you?

JD: Well, I used to do a show on Saturday nights at six for seven years, it was first called WLS Presents. It wasn't a talkshow; it was a magazine show that I hosted. One subject, long form. Then we decided to make it more magazine segmented, and it was called Chicago Stories. Then in 1992 they took it off the air. Our ratings were good, but you could save a little money by having a syndicated show in that spot. I've always been pushing for something, coming up with ideas, hopefully not being too pushy. ( Janet grimaces and smiles. ) But Emily Barr who is our new General Manager and Fran Preston who's our Programming Director wanted to use the studio downstairs and use me. Fran really noodled the concept together and Emily gave her the green light. We've got some wonderful people who work with me on the producing end. The name of the show was hard to conceive, and then a former producer suggested that we follow the lead of shows like West 57th and "let's go by our address and call it 190 North." We wanted to make it a studio show and do some taped pieces with other people going out and doing the stories. Right now we've brought in Liza Cruzat and Lou Canellis, who are terrific, and they've really been helping out. I love the show. I'm heavily involved in it, because we have a very small staff. We're amazed at the caliber of guests that we get on this show. People like Bon Jovi, Adam Sandler, Boy George, Third Eye Blind, Harold Ramis; it just keeps going on and on, holy smokes! Originally over the summer three years ago, Jim Rose and I co-hosted eight pilot 190 North shows as a pure magazine show. Then it went away for a year, and we decided to bring it back as a studio show with me as the host.

_____

She's probably as familiar as your next-door neighbor or your friend or coworker. She's Janet Davies, reporter, anchor, director, producer, talk show host, multiple Emmy award winner, interviewer of the very famous and the not so famous. More importantly, she projects the aura of a compassionate, embracing and loving human being. Perhaps that is why her star shines a bit brighter and why her gentle message of acceptance and tolerance continues to change lives.

190 North is on WLS-Channel 7 Saturday evenings from 10:35- 11:05 p.m. and rebroadcast on Sunday mornings 10:30-11 a.m.

Profiles coming up in David Guarino's Eye On The Media include Warner Saunders and Robin Robinson.


This article shared 10051 times since Wed Jan 24, 2001
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