You know the voices, and you know the stories. But behind every story on WGLT is a person who calls this community home just like you do.
The Meet the Newsroom series pulls back the curtain to introduce you to the team that makes WGLT possible. The series continues with WGLT’s Cindy Alcazar, who has covered all kinds of stories for WGLT as a part-time reporter (aka correspondent).
“Journalism came into my life by accident, but I fell in love quickly when I realized that stories were all around me and that that skill really tapped into my sense of creativity and curiosity,” Alcazar said.
Cindy, your job title here is “correspondent.” Can you tell me what that means and what you do every day?
Cindy: Being a correspondent means that I work on stories as my editor assigns them to me, on a part-time basis. It just means that I report as needed.
And why do you work in journalism, and what do you like about it?
Journalism came into my life by accident, but I fell in love quickly when I realized that stories were all around me and that that skill really tapped into my sense of creativity and curiosity.
Is there a specific interaction that you've had with a listener that reminded you why public media matters?
Speaking with asylum seekers and asylees in McLean County and how the Trump administration's changes to the legal pathway of remaining in the country was affecting them – that reminded me that national news will almost always have a local ripple effect. Public media helps people make informed decisions, and so that applies to our local asylum seekers.
If you could force everyone in Bloomington-Normal to listen to or read just one story that we've produced this year, which one would it be?
It’s the stories about Unit 5’s handling of the Chiddix teachers under investigation. I think parents need transparency, and I'm very proud that we were able to shed some light on some of those issues.
What's one thing about your daily job that would most surprise a reader or listener who only hears the finished product?
The amount of work that it takes to produce one broadcast piece. It sounds so simple when you're listening to it on the radio. Before I worked here, I didn't realize just how many hours it takes to materialize a story.
And this is WGLT's 60th anniversary. So let's do a prediction: What do you think news media will look like in 60 years? In the year 2086.
When I was a journalism student 20 years ago, their prediction was that newspapers would be obsolete in 10 to 15 years. And obviously the industry doesn't look the same, but they're still here, and I think that rings true for radio as well. I think people are making these predictions that it's going to be gone in a few years, but I think we're a resilient industry, and I think we'll adapt. And so I can't tell you what it's going to look like, but I think it's still going to be here.
When you aren't at the station, where are we most likely to find you, and what are you doing to unplug?
I love to walk the trail with my friends. I love to drink coffee at Coffeehouse in Uptown. I really enjoy taking a trip with my family, but I would say that to unplug. I'll read a newspaper.
Let's wrap it up with a speed round to get to know you just a little better. So what's the last good book you've read?
The last good book that I read was They Called Us Exceptional by Prachi Gupta. And I read that book when I was preparing to interview the founder of an RSO at Illinois Wesleyan that was providing translation services for the community.
What's the movie that you've seen the most?
I don't watch movies. I am most definitely a documentary girl through and through. So you will always find me binging on one of those.
Who's your favorite NPR host or reporter?
I think she's a former NPR reporter. Her name is Stephanie Foo. She worked on This American Life, and she wrote a really great book on complex PTSD called What These Bones Know.
Let's say you've got out-of-town relatives coming to visit you in Bloomington-Normal. You've got one day to show them around. Where do you take them to show off the town?
Uptown. I love all the shops, especially the Garlic Press. And we would probably head over to Pizza Payaa for some food.
