What’s that nonsense about old dogs and new tricks?
David Delozier of KUSA last week was named the National Press Photographers Association’s first Solo Video Journalist of the Year. The 34-year videography veteran, a five-time NPPA Regional Photographer of the Year, epitomizes the idea of career reinvention in the wake of deep cuts throughout the media.
After the drastic belt tightening of 2008, Delozier recast himself as a full-time solo video journalist. His in-depth story about a dog diagnosed with cancer, “Jake’s Journey,” took top honors. The NPPA noted, “Dave has set the standard for one-man-bands in local television news.”
His change to a solo act echoes his early career work in Wichita and Phoenix, Delozier said. “It’s new in that it’s being done on a wider scale. I feel I’m getting back to my roots, not pioneering anything.”
Thanks to technological progress and his own experience, the results look better. At 55, he says it’s all about the attitude.
“The folks hesitating to embrace it are failing to see they can have an advantage. Once I changed my attitude, then I fell in love with it. As he told the NPPA conference, “At the start of the day, I only have to motivate one person.”
Change is inevitable, so “either lead it or get mowed over by it,” he said. His personal rule: Come up with three story ideas each morning before the news meeting.
Nat Geo Wild.
Changes on the Comcast lineup this month mean an end to Fox Reality and the launch of National Geographic Wild. The new, high-def Nat Geo Wild will be on Channel 159 effective March 29. The new network, a rival to Animal Planet, is co-owned by National Geographic and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
Iwo Jima visits.
Two local journalistic efforts have made the trip to Iwo Jima to mark the 65th anniversary of the allies’ victory.
Steffan Tubbs, co-host of 850 KOA’s “Colorado’s Morning News,” visited Iwo Jima with a group of a dozen World War II veterans. They made it after being stranded in Okinawa, Japan, when the charter plane company that volunteered to take the group canceled.
“Thanks to some media pressure and very diligent work by Congressman Ed Perlmutter’s staff, things went from stagnant to fast-forward,” Tubbs said.
Channel 7’s Dayle Cedars and videographer Mike LeClaire also traveled to Iwo Jima and are preparing a documentary to air Memorial Day.
HDNet documentary.
A documentary “Ray Johnston Band: Road Diaries” premieres April 25 on Denver-based HDNet. The film follows bandleader and former Dallas Mavericks point guard Ray Johnston as he travels the country, working to make it in the music business while still battling a rare form of leukemia. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban also owns HDNet.
Harry’s turn.
CBS “Early Show” co-anchor Harry Smith will undergo an on-air colonoscopy Wednesday. Colleague and colonoscopy veteran Katie Couric will be with him as he preps for and undergoes the procedure at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
After Couric’s on-air colonoscopy on NBC’s “Today” in 2000, University of Michigan researchers documented a 20 percent increase in the number of colonoscop- ies performed nationally, dubbing it “The Couric Effect.”
Oscar numbers.
Apparently, while not many people saw “The Hurt Locker,” 41.3 million saw it win the award for best picture. Sunday’s Oscar telecast drew 5 million more viewers than watched “Slumdog Millionaire” win last year. The total marked a 13 percent improvement over 2009’s ratings and the best in five years, Nielsen reported. Doubling the number of nominees did what the producers had hoped in terms of drawing viewers to the event.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
