4F AUGUST 1996
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD
TV newscasters relive days at KU
*A couple of television news journalists say there's more to college than getting a degree.
BY JOHN WAKE
JOURNAL-WORLD WRITER
Although NBC news correspondent Bob Dotson only spent four years at Kansas University, his 21 years with NBC have given him a wealth of knowledge.
One thing he's learned is that students can accomplish any career goal.
"It's a marathon now and not a sprint," said Dotson, who now lives in Atlanta, Ga. "I did everything I could to learn all I could about everything."
"I've been in more motel rooms than the Gideon Bible. I've had more fun than any other job I can imagine."
— NBC news correspondent Bob Dotson
Dotson came to KU in 1964, but it was journalism that he fell in love with. For Dotson, telling a good story is the basic standard of the journalism craft.
"Do not get caught up in the technology so that
you loose sight of how to tell a story." Dotson advised. "The storytelling remains the standard."
It was Dotson's ability to tell a good story that led to his Emmy Award for a documentary focusing on the history of blacks in Oklahoma.
After seven years of working exclusively with the "Today Show" and NBC's "Dateline." Dotson still loves to tell the stories that may have been forgotten or never heard before. During this summer's Olympics, he worked for the "Today Show" and filed 11 stories, including the first segment about the city of Atlanta.
Dotson's career has taken him to various areas of the world, which he said has made for one of the most fun jobs a person could ever have
"I've been in more motel rooms than the Gideon Bible," Dotson laughed. "I've had more fun than any other job I can imagine."
Life-changing day
Dotson
Dotson, who turns 50 in October. has seen a lot during
Scillian
his career, and so has Detroit's WDIV-TV 4 news anchor Anchor Scillian.
Scillian, 33, graduated from KU in 1985 with a degree in journalism.
Last October, he won the "Best Anchor" Emmy for his KFOR-TV coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing. It was a day that changed his life and his career.
"I remember getting up for the award and the ambivalence that I was getting a reward for something that I just did without really thinking about it. ... I hadn't realized how intimate TV was until that day (of the bombing)." Scillian said.
"... It was so off the beat from almost anything I had experienced," Scillian said. "One minute you were so devastated, then you saw these wonderful acts of kindness happening. And your emotions were so off of scale.'
When Scillian got the offer to anchor the 11 p.m. news at WDIV-TV in Detroit, he was concerned about how people may have perceived his move.
"I was really concerned that everyone in Oklahoma City would think, 'Oh, he's just cashing in his chips from covering the bombing,'" Scillian said. "It was just the opposite. It made it harder for me to leave."
Having first started as a theater major at KU, Scillian said it is a wonder that he's in broadcast journalism today.
"I went to KU, because I wanted to get an ROTC scholarship. And then, when the theater scholarship came along, it was even better," Scillian said. "The theater people didn't know what to think. I was sort of the bastard child of both programs, I think."
One of the things Scillian said he received from his days in such theater productions as "Hair" was learning how to perform under pressure.
"You kind of get that (same pressure) with television," Scillian said. "But the script changes every day."
Alums talk about life after KU
- Some KU alums recall their days on the Hill.
BY JOHN WAKE
JOURNAL-WORLD WRITER
Of all of the formative years in a person's life, the college years could arguably be the best.
That was the case with Joyce Castle, Mike Finnigan, Phil Hahn and Paul Coker.
"I had a wonderful experience at KU. I was the first voice major here," Castle said.
Joyce Malicky Castle graduated from Kansas University
with a bachelor's of fine arts degree in voice and theater in 1961 and went on to take the stage as an opera singer.
Finnigan
Performing last year at the New York City Opera in the role of Katisha in "The Mikado" and at the Metropolitan as Orlosky in "Die Fleddermaus," Castle said her general philosophy is to lead a life of kindness.
"Life just unfolds, I think," Castle said. "My life is a journey and I'm still on it, hopefully. ... One act of kindness is a lot, and one act begets another."
Although Castle always knew her goal after graduating from KU,not all students went on to a profession that followed their studies.
Musician Mike Finnigan began his KU experience in the fall of 1963 with a full scholarship to play basketball for the lavihawks.
After two years of basketball, Finnigan passed up playing on the court to play on the stage.
"Music is kind of a passionate pursuit. ... If you are playing big-time basketball and if you are not 100 percent mentally, you're wasting your time," Finnigan said.
Currently, Finnigan lives in San Francisco and performs a variety of tasks in the music field, including producing records for other artists, station promotions for the Fox network and themes for television shows and commercials.
Another KU alum who has had extensive experience working for television is writer Phil Hahn.
Hahn earned an Emmy for his work as head writer for the '60s television show "Laugh In." He also wrote scripts for other comedies, including "Three's Company" and "M*A*S*H."
"I wasn't planning for it and I wasn't consciously training for it (in college)," Hahn said.
In 1955, Hahn got a job at
Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Mo., and started writing for the "Contemporary Cards" series.
"Up to graduating from college, I had no idea that I would make a living doing it (writing)," he said.
A friend and former coworker of Hahn's, Paul Coker Jr., was with Hahn and later worked with Hahn for MAD magazine.
After graduating from KU, Coker served in the Navy from 1951 to 1953 and worked drawing visual aids. He went on to work as an illustrator for Hallmark Cards.
"I have some other interests, but most of my life has revolved around cartooning," Coker said.
Some of Coker's more noticeable cartooning efforts are the Christmas season animated shows "Rudolph's Shiny New Year," "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," "Rudolph and Frosty the Winter Wonderland" and "The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold."
Although Coker didn't consider himself to be the most academic-minded student at KU, he had a great experience just the same.
"I had a good time at KU and I don't mean that in a raucous sense," Coker joked. "I was a cheerleader. ... I had a loud voice and jumped around a lot — that's about it."