Two black Philadelphia journalists met for the first time and interviewed each other, creating a magical moment for black journalism history.
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I’ll admit, I was a bit star struck last year when I met Ms. Trudy Haynes, a lively, elderly woman who in 1965 made history for breaking the color barrier and becoming the first Black television news reporter in the Philadelphia market.
Two years prior, in 1963, she had become the nation’s first African-American TV weather reporter for WXYZ-TV in Detroit, Michigan.
Ms. Haynes, who lives in Center City Philadelphia, retired from CBS3 in 1999, though she keeps her face in front a camera by producing public access media at PhillyCam studios off 7th & Market Streets.
After producing Drum Duel, a drum competition where the winner was decided by the ballot – unique voter outreach, suggested CBS 3 Philly in their media coverage of the event which was hosted in the courtyard of City Hall – I was invited to appear on her show, “Let’s Talk About It,” which was airing on Comcast and Verizon, channels 66 and 29, respectively.
Joining us for civic dialogue was Ms. Nicole Allen, co-founder of the Pattison Leader Ball, an event that celebrates young, politically-minded people in Philadelphia.
The show, which ran on cable television throughout the month of October in 2014, was described by Mr. Isaiah Thomas, a former millennial candidate for Philadelphia City Council At-large, as one of the most engaging conversations about voting ever produced in the local market.
There was certainly magic on screen, but there was equal chemistry behind the scenes. The most memorable happening on the day of filming, which was late September, was when Ms. Haynes, under my direction, took her first selfie.
She held her AARP flip phone steady, and with the press of her finger, a great Philadelphia image was created. Then, after that, a great Philadelphia moment was created, as Ms. Haynes granted me, then age 27, the opportunity to interview her about her long career, which included being Ms. Joan Crawford’s first television interviewer.
Ms. Haynes’ novelty, being the only black woman on Philadelphia television, lasted only a short time because in 1966, WCAU-TV hired Ms. Eddie Huggins. Ms. Haynes said she never met Ms. Huggins, as their roads of travel were different in the market.
Ms. Haynes was covering the school board for a long time, and also the “Push on Poverty,” with Mr. Sam Evans, then a black political power broker.
As expected, Ms. Haynes experienced racism while performing her job, though she said it came more from her colleagues than viewers.
“The crew didn’t care to work with me, they’d do little things to make it uncomfortable,” she said.
She was once approached about writing a book, but Ms. Haynes said she didn’t have any juicy stories to tell, or any dirt to dish.
The biggest regret Ms. Haynes has about her career was not pushing herself to go national, though she interviewed many national figures, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Ms. Haynes was Ms. Joan Crawford’s first live television interviewer, and she was my first cable television interviewer.
In my last conversation with Ms. Haynes, who, fifty years after her first newscast is consulting on a media startup, she said to me outside her home: “You got moxie, kid.”
And I said back to her, “You still got it.”
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Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™