Channel 4 tour
We had the pleasure of getting to tour the Channel 4 building as well as the “Prensa Libre” set with its host, and our guest speaker Rosa Maria Palacios. Mrs,. Palacios is according to polls the most important TV political journalist and interviewer currently in Peru. Channel 4 is the oldest private owned station in the country since 1958 and has the distinction of holding the best rating as of now. On our tour we got to see the different news rooms (which were smaller than one might expect) as well as the master control room. The best part of the morning in my opinion, was the sit-down we had with Rosa Maria Palacios. Her being so passionate about her work made her lecture fun to listen to and such an amazing opportunity. She is revered as the most trusted TV journalist in Peru. She is a formal lawyer that strives to deliver comprehensive information about national politics to her audience. “Prensa Libre” airs at 11:00 following the 10:00 news (that’s the primetime news in Lima) and typically features three stories and one main interview. Unlike anchors in the United States Rosa is very hands-on in the production of her show and has a crew of fourteen that is responsible for pulling everything together. I found it almost astonishing how humble Ms. Palacios was and how she’s able to switch from a loving mother of five to an aggressive journalist and interviewer. She is very stern in going after the straight-forward answer from the people being interviewed regardless of their rank, which is something rarely if ever seen in the U.S.. There is an unshaken determination to get the pieces she covers right rather than first which is to be commended.
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Very good psot Stef. I really enjoyed touring the Channel 4 news studio. I have never been on a tour of a TV station before so this was a great experience for me. I thought it was so cool to see the control room, the news sets, and getting to see how everything runs at a TV station. I enjoyed talking with Rosa Maria Palacios. She is such an accomplished journalist and I agree that she was very humble. I don’t know how she has so much energy to be a mother, have a radio show, and a nightly show. I also think its very refreshing to see someone so determined as she was; Someone that isn’t afraid to ask the politicians the tough questions.
Well, unfortunately I was unable to make the tour and interview due to eating something that didn’t agree with my stomach. But with the help of your discussion, Stef, I have a pretty good idea what you guys got to experience and I am quite jealous. I think that it’s great that Rosa Maria is so driven to get information that the people of Peru need to know. I feel as if she is very important in knowing the truth behind politics today. I really wish that I could have made it!
I absolutely agree with Stef’s assertion as to how humble, down-to-earth and outgoing Ms. Palacios’ demeanor was throughout the time we had with her. As was the case with the entire TV station, making her acquaintance had kind of a surreal tone to it. The TV station, although boasting plenty of modern gadgetry, left me with the impression of a backyard endeavor, making it hard to believe nationwide television broadcasts make it out of there and onto the airwaves of Peru. Similarly, Ms. Palacios’ accessible personality made it equally hard for me to see her as this tough, investigative journalist with celebrity status, and feared among the powerful of the country. That changed that same night, when I turned on Channel 4 in the hotel room and got a glimpse at her souped up on-screen persona: elegant, professional… and, yeah, tough. That was a great experience, after having met her in person just hours before! Now I just need to run into Jon Stewart on the street, and my life’s complete… for now…
Does anyone know what media outlet owns this station? According to the Peruvian media article on Wikipedia, there was a controversy involving one producer having his citizenship stripped because of the station’s editorial stance. I don’t know if this is the same station.
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