Public Eye Feature

Dan Hurley interviews Charlayne Hunter-Gault on the set of Channel 12’s Newsmakers. Photo By: Andy Houston

Exploring Where We’re Headed
Dan Hurley enjoys his perspective at the intersection of local politics and media

Interview by Kevin Osborne

Dan Hurley is glad that Brad Johansen’s first passion is sports.

When Johansen, then a news reporter for WKRC-TV (Channel 12), decided to begin covering sports for the station in the mid-1990s, it left an opening for host on the then-new Sunday morning public affairs show Newsmakers. At the same time that Johansen left, producer Kelly Leon also decided to leave for a job at Xavier University.

Hurley, a local historian who did occasional news stories for WKRC, was asked if he’d like to assume the hosting and producing duties for the fledgling political talk show.

“From the station’s point of view, having one person fill both jobs is very efficient. That can be read in a number of different ways,” Hurley says in his signature dry, good-humored tone that’s become familiar to viewers over the years.

Nearly 11 1/2 years later, Hurley has developed a reputation among politicians, business people, civic leaders, social activists and others as an incisive interviewer who asks the tough questions about major issues affecting the Tristate but does so in a respectful manner that makes his guests feel comfortable. More importantly, the region’s movers and shakers know that the 30-minute Newsmakers show is one of the few forums on local TV or radio that examines topics in-depth, where they can go beyond a quick sound bite and convey the complexities and nuances of subjects.

“When I do a story for a newscast, it’s usually a minute and 45 seconds, and I let viewers know what a person thinks,” Hurley says. “On Newsmakers, I let people know how someone thinks.”

The Newsmakers format is loose and informal. Sometimes the show will feature two 15-minute segments on different topics; if the subject warrants, the full half-hour will be devoted to a single topic.

Hurley often decides during the course of the show if he wants to extend a segment, based on how the conversation with his guests is progressing.

Typically, segments will feature two or three guests discussing opposing views of an issue. Occasionally, a single guest will be featured if the person is particularly compelling.

The conversation is free-flowing, because Hurley thinks the traditional debate format is stifling.

“I hate those things,” he says.

The program is a rarity in the post-’90s corporate-owned media world that’s fueled by sensationalism, conflict and yelling. Hurley’s show is an island of sanity and rational discourse in a world inhabited by Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly, and he likes it that way.

“It’s very different from talk radio,” he says. “There, the host is the star of the show and the guests are just the props for that day or that week. I don’t harass my guests. I ask them questions and give them all the time they need to respond.

“Any TV host that says they don’t have an ego is lying. That said, my job for any given week is to make the center of attention be the person who is sitting there in the guest’s chair. Some of the people I enjoy interviewing the most are people I disagree with. I want to hear what they have to say. It’s more fun that way.”

The best part of Hurley’s job is meeting people he wouldn’t encounter otherwise, he says. The worst is when a guest unexpectedly clams up, despite Hurley’s prompting and assistance.

“You put people on thinking they have something to say and it doesn’t go anywhere,” he explains.

One such a disaster happened on a recent Newsmakers show. Always interested in urban planning, he invited business leaders to appear who were involved with a regional economic development effort called Agenda 360. Looking back, Hurley thinks the process wasn’t far enough along and his guests were afraid to say too much.

“It all came across as so much bureaucratic yack,” he says. “I was bored to tears.”

An interesting situation that rears its head from time to time is when potential guests involved with opposing sides of an issue refuse to appear on the same stage with one another. Such a situation happened in 2006 when then-Hamilton County Commissioner Phil Heimlich refused to appear jointly with County Commissioner Pat DeWine, a fellow Republican who opposed a jail tax proposed by Heimlich. Another instance occurred recently when U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt wouldn’t appear with Tom Brinkman, her challenger in the GOP primary for Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District seat.

“When it happens, I try to make it clear who the obstacle is,” Hurley says. “I think the viewer deserves to know why. There have been a few times when I’ve put an empty chair on the set to get the point across.”

Several other public affairs shows have come and gone during Hurley’s tenure, like WCPO-TV’s late, lamented Hot Seat. A key to Newsmakers’ staying power is consistency, so viewers know where to look when they want to watch.

“Having it on at a good time and leaving it alone are the simple reasons,” Hurley says. “But the station has trusted me, and they haven’t tried to second guess me. It’s been absolutely essential. You can’t underestimate the station’s commitment to this show.”

Hurley believes Newsmakers fills an important niche.

“It’s important as a community that we explore, in these informal ways, where we’re headed,” he says. “As a historian, I don’t believe communities just become as they are. People make decisions or they choose not to make certain decisions and the community becomes as it is.”

Hurley appreciates the freedom and support that WKRC has given him and the show, a rare occurrence in the TV industry these days.

“It is the high point of my week,” he says, referring to the show’s Friday morning tapings. “It is the most important thing I’ve done in my career, and I absolutely love it.

“I’ve never had a contract with the station, everything’s been done on a handshake. I’m going to do this as long as I can and for as long as they’ll have me, but I know some day it will end. It’s been an incredible experience.” ©