News with a Difference: Chicago's Karen Meyer

By Joan Leotta

[photo of Karen Meyer]

When viewers in the Chicago area turn on the local news, their choices are many. But WLS, Chicago's local ABC affiliate, offers something a little extra. The Channel 7 news not only covers topics of interest to various ethnic groups but, twice weekly, WLS airs two-minute news segments on items of interest to viewers with disabilities during the 11:30 am news on Thursdays and the 8:00 am news on Sundays. These cover happenings in the Chicago metro area and parts of Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Karen Meyer, ABC 7 Chicago's feature reporter on disability issues, brings these segments before the public.

Meyer, who has been profoundly deaf since birth, ensures that her segments focus on the achievements of persons with disabilities or on news items that would be of interest to people with disabilities. For example, Meyer has interviewed a deaf student who is training to be a chef and has profiled an award-winning cab driver who specializes in transporting people with mobility disabilities at rates less than the area's medical transport service. In a recent segment, Meyer reported on a class project that students with special needs were doing to support troops in Iraq.

Says Meyer, "I try to provide useful information. I assume that people with and without disabilities will watch and enjoy my segments." She notes that her ratings are good and estimates her audience to total a half million viewers or more. "I don't partner with any particular disability group," Meyer notes. "I work with all disabilities. Many of them keep contacting me with story ideas."

Finding a Niche

How did Chicago's Channel 7 become the only US network television station to offer regular news features on persons with disabilities? In 1991 Karen Meyer made a presentation on disability issues to top management and show producers at the ABC station. Says Meyer, "After that meeting, a decision was made to start weekly reports on issues pertaining to people with disabilities, and they hired me as a reporter. Thanks to the support of the current and wonderful general manager and president Emily Barr, and also our news director Jennifer Graves, this is my 12th year."

Choosing Meyer as the reporter for the segment raised some eyebrows at first. "While having a deaf reporter [might seem] highly unlikely because of the nature of the disability," says Meyer, "the station liked me and felt that I would be the best person to do this kind of reporting. I think they liked the way I presented the issue and felt there was a market for these kinds of reports."

Development of the News Segments

The production of the disability-focused segments has evolved over time. Always a team effort, the segment now provides interns with an opportunity to become involved with the news process.

When she first started working on the news segments, Meyer would search for story ideas and set up interviews, then have a producer/writer help her write the segments. The producer/writer, along with a camera operator and an interpreter, would accompany Meyer on all the shoots and work with her on editing and performing other technical tasks. Now, Meyer writes, tracks, reports live, and edits footage for the segments herself, using an intern as her "staff". "I have three to four interns a year--one at a time," she relates. "I truly enjoy doing as much as I can independently." The only accommodation Meyer uses now is her TTY. "Since I have been working with the various crew members, producers, and talents for almost 12 years, they are all aware of my needs and they help out whenever. I am lucky."

Meyer notes that while there are other employees with disabilities in off-camera jobs in television stations, she is the only broadcaster with a disability in Chicago. She hopes that more persons with disabilities will consider a career in broadcast journalism. Says Meyer, "My advice to anyone who wants to get into broadcast journalism is to go for it. Don't be afraid. Take criticism and learn from it. This is the only way you can improve. The biggest challenge for you is to know how you can do your job. You cannot expect the station to figure out your accommodations. Be willing to work as a team and, most important, show appreciation for all members of your team."

Jennifer Graves, the station's news director says, "Karen is a true inspiration. I've known her for 11 years and have watched her seize her opportunity and run with it. Each week she contributes worthwhile, informative stories that are largely ignored by other broadcast media. We are proud to have Karen on our team."

Other Accomplishments

To accompany the good ratings and continued longevity her work has earned, Meyer has also received many other recognitions. "I have won three EDI Media awards (in 1999, 1994, and 1992) from the National Easter Seals Society," Meyer relates. She was recognized in 1988 and again in 1993 as "One of the 100 Women Who are Making a Difference in Chicago" by Today's Chicago Woman, and in 2000, she received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Eastern Illinois University. Also, ABC has received a number of awards from Chicago area disability organizations and media-related groups for Meyer's news coverage.

In addition to her work at ABC, Meyer, who has an MA from Loyola University, owns her own consulting agency, Karen Meyer Associates, a consulting firm that provides various types of training to companies on disability issues and laws. She has recently begun teaching a course on disability in the Sociology Department at De Paul University, where she is also DePaul's Coordinator of the Office of Students with Disabilities.

Says Meyer, "I provide training on disabilities and speak on many disability-related topics. I believe by having a full plate, it keeps me on my toes. I am always researching and learning. This keeps ideas fresh and updated. Being able to give back by educating people both with and without disabilities will help make a better world for the 54 million Americans with disabilities."