Giselle Fernandez, local and national network news anchor for more than four decades and current anchor at Spectrum News 1 in Southern California, made a plea for telling "stories that inspire" and "transcend the noise" in order to win back viewers and help the country.
"The intersection of media and politics is more weaponized than it has ever been," Fernandez said in accepting the as a "Woman of Influence" at the Wonder Women of Los Angeles ceremony on June 20. "And you know, those algorithms on those competing social media microsites, they play to that rage and that hate, and it's good for business even if it's tearing our country apart. But I can tell you from my experience of late, and it's been a hard time for all of us, stories that inspire, allow you to see the best in each other [are] also good for business. People are craving stories that inspire, give you hope, uplift and remind us we are good too. That we are more alike than we are different. I know firsthand this because our viewers tell us every single day."
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Fernandez anchors Your Morning on Spectrum News 1 and hosts L.A. Stories With Giselle Fernandez, the interview program she said enabled her to be doing "the most fulfilling work of my career in my sixth decade."
Fernandez said her mother, who once recorded oral histories in Mexico as part of a PhD project, taught her that "every human being, no matter who they are, where they come from, has a story to tell. And those stories tell us all a lot about who we are, where we're going."
Fernandez, who earlier in her career worked for both CBS News and NBC News, said she always wanted to be a reporter. And as a reporter she has seen the good, the bad and the ugly of humanity. But her experience lately has left her with hope for a unifying effect from sharing experiences through storytelling.
"People are craving stories that inspire, give you hope, uplift and remind us we are good, too," she said. "That we are more alike than we are different. I know firsthand this because our viewers tell us every single day. Getting this award made me think a lot about not only how I use my influence with the stories that we share, but the people I interview also have this immense power to influence by sharing their most intimate life stories of redemption, innovation, transformation, how they survive horrors and turn tragedy into triumph. How they've changed their lives, that of their communities. These stories move people, they inspire and remind us of the possible. And this is where I so believe we tap into our shared humanity. That's where real influence lies. Especially today. I feel so blessed because I'm given the time, the platform thanks to Spectrum, which is so rare these days to have a long-form interview show where we can really listen to where someone's coming from."
She continued: "It's about being more human than we've ever been and seeing, as my mom said early on, there is dignity in every being. If there was ever a time for all of us to share stories that open hearts, widen the aperture to different views, find common ground, the time for that is now."
Fernandez said she felt lucky to be in position to help shape a news broadcast after having been away from a TV newsroom for a long time before Spectrum News 1 launched in Southern California in 2018.
"I had been out of the news business for about 15 years and I was told by mostly men running networks and studios that I was past my prime," she recalled. "The business had changed. It just takes one person to believe in you. And that person is here today. Her name is Cater Lee [V.P., Original Programming and On-Air Talent Development, Spectrum Networks Southern California]. She's the titan force that built Spectrum News 1 from scratch. Understanding the trust in hyper-local coverage, that relationship and bond with viewer matters, that trust matters. Good solid journalism matters. When she called and asked if I wanted to come back to news, I literally was like, 'Do you know I'm 57?' " Lee's response was: I certainly do. When can you come in?
"That was five years ago," Fernandez said. "Because of her, I get to do the most fulfilling work of my career in my sixth decade."
