Cablefax The Magazine October 2022 - 28

Marva Johnson
GVP, State Government Affairs
Charter Communications
THE WHY? Johnson and her team achieved many accomplishments this
past year, including securing more than $100 million in broadband grants for
construction in underserved communities. She's also worked with lawmakers
in Kentucky and North Carolina to set up pole replacement programs to allow
providers to more quickly deploy service. She's a past recipient of the Minority
Media and Telecommunications Council's Champion for Digital Equity award
and is the immediate past chair of the Global Board for WICT.
SHE SAYS... " I think my coworkers would describe me as dynamic, tireless
and passionate when it comes to my work and the issues I care most about. "
ORGANIZATION YOU'RE PROUD TO SUPPORT? Pace Center for
Girls-the work they do to support and empower girls and young women is
amazing.
D&I CHAMPION
Escobar made the transition in his career
from chasing the story to working
behind the scenes to train and identify
the next generation of reporters, and
he's made it a personal mission to find
journalists from all backgrounds. Back
in his days at NBC, he was the only
senior executive of color and also the
youngest VP and News Director NBC
News had ever had.
That experience taught him some
key things in his approach to scouting
and coaching talent today.
" First,
the importance of having mentors in
your life who care about you so much
they are willing to tell you the things
you don't want to hear. Second, look
at people deeply and completely, " he
says. " Life experiences and diversity
at times are far more important than
experience or college degrees from
an Ivy League school. Attributes like
resilience, overcoming life challenges
and emotional intelligence can be far
better indicators of a person's ability
to handle the volatility, uncertainty,
complexity and ambiguity of the news
and media profession. "
At CNN, Escobar has discovered, developed
and mentored some of the
most respected journalists in the field.
Escobar and his team have made
strides in increasing diversity of talent
at CNN, cultivating a group of diverse
up-and-coming stars. In some
ways, finding the next generation of
anchors, producers and leaders isn't
that different from chasing the story.
" I find the best scouts and recruiters
held the jobs they are now recruiting.
On my great team at CNN, everyone
has done the jobs, " he says. " This has
Ramón Escobar
SVP, Talent
Recruitment &
Development
CNN Worldwide
28
October 2022
allowed us to change the face of CNN
in front of and behind the camera resulting
the in the most diverse correspondent
corps in all of TV news. We
also have created the gold standard in
journalism workshops in the industry
resulting in the hiring of 15 correspondents
from these workshops alone. "
Mentorship goes hand-in-hand with
Escobar's job title, but he doesn't confine
that role to CNN. He's taught several
classes as a visiting faculty member
at the Poynter Institute for Media
Studies, as well as teaching classes at
Harvard and Florida International University.
Escobar recognizes that journalism
has changed since his days as
an undergrad at the University of Missouri's
School of Journalism. " I find we
need to prepare students for a world
that is far more complicated, polarized
yet more connected than before, " he
says.
Escobar's advice for reporters just
starting out includes cultivating a
broad, diverse knowledge base across
the news spectrum, honing critical
thinking skills and being flexible/willing
to take risks. Lastly, he preaches
the importance of resilience. " Journalism
and media are highly competitive
professions filled with unusual pressure,
big egos and work/life balance
issues, " he says. " It's critical students
understand and learn coping mechanisms
and healthy approaches to insure
mental, physical and emotional
well-being in the long term. "
CablefaxDiversity.com
DIVERSITY
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Cablefax The Magazine October 2022

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