2015 Atlantic Journalism Awards Finalists
Attachments
| Slug/Label | Ron Hynes Tribute |
|---|---|
| Date Aired or Published | Nov. 20, 2015 |
| Media outlet where first aired or published: | CBC NL |
| Name of Program: | The St. John's Morning Show |
| If co-produced, list partner: | |
| Location: | St. John's, NL |
| List awards, grants: | |
| Running time (TV/Radio): | 3.5 hours - Radio |
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Short explanation of the story and how it developed: Early in the evening on November 19th, 2015, word quickly spread across the province of Newfoundland and Labrador that beloved singer/songwriter Ron Hynes had died. By this time, the behind-the-scenes crew for the St. John's Morning Show had put the next day's show to bed, with the last person having just left the building and headed home. When the news of Hynes' death was confirmed there was a flurry of phone calls between the Executive Producer, the Producer and the Host as to how to best treat his passing the next morning. The exec suggested we 'own this moment with city and the province,' - the moment being the death of 'Newfoundland's Bob Dylan,' as Hynes was known locally. At some risk, the decision was made to abandon political coverage during a campaign and all other bookings, including a live musical band of teenagers who were practising for days to make their first ever appearance on the radio show, so we could make a commitment to the audience: That we would remember, reflect, and mourn Ron Hynes' passing together - something the intimacy of morning radio can achieve, like no other medium. Once the decision was made to go with a tribute show in which there would be live interviews, the music of Ron Hynes and listener's memories, the show's Associate Producer Amy Joy was called back to work. She booked interviews, wrote scripts and selected songs to be played, while show Producer Rod Etheridge wrote scripts and lined up the show from home. The end result was the St. John's Morning Show presented a radio show less than 12 hours after word of Ron Hynes' death that brought a city together in its grief, with many people commenting on social media and on the radio that they were compelled to sit in their kitchens sipping coffee while listening intently as a province remembered one of its most loved sons. For this to work, we had a team that could handle fluidity, could go with the flow and was willing to take risks and have the current affairs editorial courage to put an election campaign on hold and say that one man's death is ALL that matters for that one morning. |
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Resources of the newsroom (money and time) available to complete the story: The story broke after regular working hours. An Associate Producer returned to work to make phone calls, book interviews and prepare songs, while the Producer worked from home doing much the same; writing scripts, booking interviews and selecting songs to be played. |
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