♪ MUSIC ♪ >>GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES.

FROM OUR HOME STUDIOS, I'M DAVID DUMKE.

>>AND I'M KATIE CORONADO.

WELCOME.

TODAY, WE HAVE THE HONOR OF HAVING WITH US ANZIO WILLIAMS, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION FOR NBC UNIVERSAL OWNED TV STATIONS.

ANZIO WELCOME.

>>THANK YOU.

IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON.

>>ANZIO YOU AND I WORKED TOGETHER MANY, MANY MOONS AGO, AND I FOLLOWED YOUR TRAJECTORY IN THIS INDUSTRY, IN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY.

YOU KNOW WE'RE A SHOW THAT FOCUSES ON GLOBAL TOPICS, INTERNATIONAL TOPICS, AND YOU ARE DEFINITELY AN EXPERT WHEN IT COMES TO THIS MEDIA INDUSTRY AND HOW THESE INTERNATIONAL TOPICS AFFECTS US HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.

SO I WANTED JUST TO START OFF BY INTRODUCING THE AUDIENCE TO YOUR BACKGROUND.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THIS BUSINESS?

YOU HAVE THIS HUGE POSITION AND RESPONSIBILITY WHEN IT COMES TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION NOW IN OUR COUNTRY AND MEDIA.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ANZIO?

>>ABSOLUTELY.

SO I'M A CONTENT GUY.

I STARTED OUT IN CONTENT.

I'M STILL VERY MUCH HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE CONTENT, WHETHER IT IS ON OUR BROADCAST PROGRAMS, OR OUR DIGITAL PROGRAMS, OR OUR STREAMS.

I AM PRETTY MUCH A PRODUCER.

I STARTED OUT AS A WRITER AT A TELEVISION STATION WHILE I WAS IN COLLEGE IN GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA.

BEFORE I GRADUATED, I HAD PRODUCED EVERY SHOW IN THE SHOP.

SO I WAS KIND OF KNOWN AS THIS LITTLE WIZ KID.

THIS WAS 30 PLUS YEARS AGO AND WAS PRODUCING BEFORE I EVEN GOT OUT OF SCHOOL.

MY FIRST JOB OUT OF SCHOOL WAS IN MIAMI, FLORIDA PRODUCING AT A STATION IN MIAMI.

BUT QUICKLY WORKED MY WAY UP TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR IN A COUPLE OF MARKETS.

THEN LEADING MY FIRST SHOP THAT I WAS ABLE TO LEAD WAS THE NBC STATION IN NEW ORLEANS AND WENT FROM THERE TO THE NBC STATION IN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

I CAME WITH MY FIRST JOB AT NBC UNIVERSAL, WAS WITH THE TELEVISION STATION IN PHILADELPHIA, THE NBC STATION IN PHILADELPHIA.

WHERE IN PHILADELPHIA WAS MY FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO START A SPANISH LANGUAGE TELEVISION STATION.

SO I WAS ACTUALLY ABLE TO START A NEWSROOM IN OUR TELEMUNDO STATION.

SO FOR OUR COMPANY, I WAS THE FIRST NON-SPANISH SPEAKING PERSON TO ACTUALLY OVERSEE THE STARTUP OF A SPANISH LANGUAGE TELEVISION STATION.

WHICH WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR ME AND REALLY TAUGHT ME A LOT ABOUT DOING NEWS FOR A PARTICULAR AUDIENCE.

IT WAS NEVER OUR GOAL TO TAKE WHAT WE WERE DOING IN ENGLISH AND JUST TRANSLATE IT INTO SPANISH.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WAS AUTHENTIC TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE WERE SERVING.

THEN ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO, I WAS TAPPED TO LEAD OUR DEI EFFORTS INSIDE OF OUR TELEVISION STATIONS.

SO THE DEI EFFORTS A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY, "HEY, WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR TRAINING FROM, FROM DEI?

WE THOUGHT THAT YOU WERE A PRODUCER.

WE THOUGHT YOU WAS A NEWS DIRECTOR.

YOU WERE A JOURNALIST."

WHAT I LIKE TO SAY IS THAT THEY CHOSE ME BECAUSE I HAVE THE INSIGHTS ON HOW WE WORK.

I'M NOT GOING TO ASK A NEWS LEADER TO DO SOMETHING THAT CAN'T BE DONE OR SOMETHING THAT'S OUT OF THE WINDOW OF POSSIBILITIES.

THEY SAID, "BUT WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR DEI TRAINING?"

I SAID, "I GOT MY DEI TRAINING FROM ESTHER."

THEY WAS HOPING I WAS GOING TO SAY SOMETHING UNIVERSITY.

I WAS LIKE, "NAH, ESTHER IS MY GRANDMOTHER WHO TAUGHT ME HOW TO TREAT PEOPLE THE RIGHT WAY."

SHE TAUGHT ME HOW TO RESPECT PEOPLE.

SHE TAUGHT ME HOW TO HAVE, DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS AND STILL PRESERVE THE RELATIONSHIP WITH FOLKS.

SHE TAUGHT ME HOW TO RESPECT PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T LOOK LIKE ME, BROUGHT A DIFFERENT IDEA FROM ME, AND HOW TO RESPECT THOSE OPINIONS, AND HOW DO WE WORK TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE SOME COMMON GROUND.

SO THAT'S WHERE I GOT MY DEI TRAINING FROM.

OBVIOUSLY, SINCE I'VE BEEN IN THIS SPACE NOW, I CONTINUE TO EDUCATE MYSELF.

>>WE'RE GOING THROUGH A TIME IN THE UNITED STATES WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF POLARIZATION.

THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT RACE RELATIONS.

THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT DIVERSITY.

SO I'D LIKE YOU TO EXPLAIN A LITTLE WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE DIVERSITY IN A NEWSROOM AND WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON SOCIETY?

>>ABSOLUTELY.

IT'S IMPORTANT FOR NEWSROOMS FOR SEVERAL REASONS.

ONE, I SAY THAT IN ORDER TO HAVE A GREAT JOURNALISTICALLY NEWSCAST THAT IS CONSIDERING ALL SIDES.

IT'S BETTER WHEN YOU HAVE DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT IN THE ROOM, AND DIVERSITY IN THE ROOM WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO DECIDE HOW TO DO STORIES AND HOW TO FRAME THOSE STORIES.

IT'S GREAT WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE IN THE FRONT END OF THE CONVERSATION.

WE HAVE FOLKS AT THE FRONT END OF THE CONVERSATION, YOUR DECISION MAKING SHOULD BE BETTER VETTED.

IT SHOULD BE MORE CHALLENGED.

IT SHOULD BE MORE THOUGHT OUT AND BETTER TESTED.

EVEN WHEN YOU LACK THE DIVERSITY, I ALWAYS SAY YOU CAN ACHIEVE INCLUSION.

SO IF WE'RE HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT A LGBTQ ISSUE AND WE'RE LOOKING AROUND THE ROOM AND THERE'S NO LGBTQ PERSON AT THE TABLE, SO THAT MEANS WE'RE LACKING THE DIVERSITY AT THAT MOMENT.

BUT AT THAT MOMENT WE COULD INVITE SOMEBODY ELSE INTO THE ROOM.

WE CAN CALL SOMEBODY THAT WE KNOW THAT CAN HAVE A THOUGHT AND OPINION THAT MAYBE WE HAVE NOT ADDRESSED IN THAT MOMENT.

SO DIVERSITY IS CERTAINLY IMPORTANT.

BUT INCLUSION CAN ALWAYS HAPPEN AND IN THE MOMENT, SO I'M CONSTANTLY REMINDING PEOPLE OF THAT.

SO I SAY IT IS GOOD BUSINESS, IT IS GOOD BUSINESS FOR US.

I USUALLY SAY THAT TO THE BUSINESS MINDED FOLKS, GENERAL MANAGERS OR SALES PEOPLE.

BUT WHAT I TELL NEWS PEOPLE IS THAT ONE, DIVERSITY HAS TO BE IN YOUR HEART OR ON YOUR MIND.

ONE OR THE OTHER.

IF IT'S NOT IN YOUR HEART AND ON YOUR MIND THAT YOU'RE CONSTANTLY THINKING ABOUT OTHERS, THEN IT'S GOING TO COST YOU IN YOUR WALLET.

IT'S GOING TO COST JUNIOR WALLET BECAUSE YOUR PRODUCT IS NOT GOING TO BE AS GOOD AS IT SHOULD BE.

THAT HAS BEEN PROVEN, ALONG THIS LINE THERE ARE PLENTY OF STUDIES WHERE COMPANIES THAT LACK DIVERSITY, OR DO NOT DO AS WELL BUSINESS-WISE COMPARED TO THEIR COMPETITORS.

>>ANZIO, THANK YOU FOR THAT.

TRANSITIONING INTO HAVING YOUR AUDIENCE'S BEST INTERESTS AT HEART.

HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO DO THAT WHEN YOU STARTED IN PENNSYLVANIA, THE TELEMUNDO STATION?

I KNOW THAT YOU SAID THAT THAT WAS YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE, STARTING A NEWSROOM IN SPANISH.

I'D LIKE TO HEAR HOW THAT WORKS AND HOW YOU WERE ABLE TO BRING THOSE INTERNATIONAL TOPICS TO THAT LOCAL AUDIENCE WHEN YOU PROBABLY... AND, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, HAD TO START LEARNING THAT AUDIENCE AS WELL?

>>YEAH.

SO, I'VE WORKED IN 10 DIFFERENT MARKETS, 14 TELEVISION STATIONS OVERALL.

I LEARNED VERY EARLY ON IS THAT I'M A ONLY AS GOOD AS THE PEOPLE I SURROUND MYSELF WITH.

SO IT REALLY IS ABOUT HIRING GREAT PEOPLE, EMPOWERING THEM, BELIEVING IN THEM, TRUSTING THEM, AND LISTENING TO THEM.

SO IT WAS MY ROLE IN THE TELEMUNDO STATIONS.

SO NOW ALL OF OUR MARKETS WHERE WE OWN A NBC STATION, WE HAVE AN ACCOMPANIED TELEMUNDO STATION.

MANY OF THOSE MARKETS TELEMUNDO IS THE MOST WATCHED, SO WE KNEW THAT THERE WAS AN AUDIENCE THAT NEEDED TO BE SERVED.

WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE THOSE AUDIENCES BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAD AN INFRASTRUCTURE BY THE NBC STATION.

WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE THOSE TELEMUNDO STATIONS AND WHETHER WE STARTED THEM FROM SCRATCH OR WHETHER WE BOUGHT THEM AND THEY HAD A NEWSROOM AND SAY, "OKAY, HOW DO WE NOW GIVE THIS TELEMUNDO STATION THE SAME RESOURCES THAT THE NBC STATION HAS?"

SO TELEMUNDO STATIONS WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO AFFORD A HELICOPTER FLY.

WE PAY CLOSE TO $130,000 A MONTH TO LEASE A HELICOPTER IN THESE MARKETS, WHERE THAT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FEASIBLE FOR A TELEMUNDO STATION.

BUT GUESS WHAT?

THE HELICOPTER'S IN THE AIR FLYING FOR NBC IS FLYING FOR TELEMUNDO.

SO THE SHARED RESOURCES IS REALLY WHAT MAKES THIS POSSIBLE.

WHAT WE REALLY GOT OUT OF IT IS THE FACT THAT THERE ARE STORIES THAT THE TELEMUNDO TEAM WILL BRING TO THE TABLE, AND SOMETIMES THE NBC TEAM WOULD HAVE NO IDEA THAT THAT WAS HAPPENING.

WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE LATINO, SPANISH SPEAKING PEOPLE THAT ARE ALSO WATCHING US ON OUR ENGLISH LANGUAGE STATIONS.

SO WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER AS TEAMS IN OUR MARKETS.

WE BELIEVE THAT IT GIVES US A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE TO HAVE TELEMUNDO JOURNALISTS AND NBC JOURNALISTS SITTING SIDE BY SIDE IN OUR NEWSROOMS.

>>SO YOU SAID WHEN YOU STARTED WORKING ON STARTING A TELEMUNDO STATION, WERE YOU A SPANISH SPEAKER FIRST OF ALL?

SECOND OF ALL THAT'S JUST ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, BUT ON A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL WE'VE SEEN A GROWTH.

I KNOW KATIE IS ACTUALLY AN EXPERT IN THIS.

IN HISPANIC MEDIA, IN THE UNITED STATES THAT IS SPANISH SPEAKING CONTENT.

DO YOU SEE THAT TREND CONTINUING?

>>ABSOLUTELY.

WE'LL START OFF ONE, HOLA AND I STOP WITH THAT.

INTENTIONALLY.

EVERYBODY'S LIKE, "WOW, YOU'VE BEEN DOING TELEMUNDO NOW SINCE 2013.

WHY HAVEN'T YOU LEARNED SPANISH?"

I SAY, "YOU KNOW WHAT?

BECAUSE IT'S NOT MY GOAL TO RUN THE TELEVISION STATION ON A DAILY BASIS."

I LEAVE THAT TO THE EXPERT.

AGAIN, MY GOAL IS TO HELP MAKE SURE I'M PROVIDING THE RESOURCES, THAT I'M HIRING THE RIGHT PEOPLE.

FOR INSTANCE, I'M SITTING HERE IN BOSTON RIGHT NOW AT ONE OF OUR STATIONS, AND THE PERSON WHO IS THE NEWS DIRECTOR IS TRULY BILINGUAL.

SHE KIND OF OVERSEES BOTH THE NBC SIDE AND THE TELEMUNDO SIDE.

THE PERSON THAT WE HIRED TO REPLACE ME WHEN I LEFT PHILADELPHIA IS LATINO, WHO IS TRULY BILINGUAL.

I BELIEVE SHE'S BETTER SUITED TO RUN BOTH SIDES THAN WHAT I WAS.

BUT I KNEW THAT MY ROLE WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT I SHARED THOSE RESOURCES APPROPRIATELY, THAT TELEMUNDO WAS NOT LEFT BEHIND.

AND THAT BY US DOING THAT, IT ACTUALLY HELPED US SERVE BOTH AUDIENCES, IF YOU WILL.

NOW AS IT RELATES TO THE GROWTH OF SPANISH JOURNALISM, ALL OF OUR MARKETS THAT WE SERVE IN THE UNITED STATES... AND WE SAW THE CENSUS, WE SAW DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH IN OUR HISPANIC MARKETS IN EVERY COUNTY THAT WE SERVE IN THOSE MARKETS.

NOT JUST IN THE MARKET AT WHOLE, BUT IN EVERY COUNTY WE SAW DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH.

SO WE KNEW EARLY ON EVEN IN 2013...

I'D LIKE TO GIVE OUR PRESIDENT VAL STAAB, I LIKE TO GIVE VALARIE ALL THE PRAISE IN THE WORLD TO HAVE THE VISION, TO WANT TO BE IN THE SPANISH LANGUAGE JOURNALISM MARKET.

SO WHAT WE'RE SEEING NOW IS THAT NOT ONLY WILL THEY WATCH US ON TELEMUNDO, THEY WILL MOVE OVER TO NBC WHEN WE TELL THEM ABOUT PRODUCTS.

>>EVEN WHEN WE'RE ON NBC, WE JUST TALKED ABOUT IT YESTERDAY HERE, WE HAD THE WORLD CUP COMING UP ON TELEMUNDO.

WHICH IS WE OWN THE TELEMUNDO, BUT IN ENGLISH THE WORLD CUP IS ON FOX.

SO IMAGINE ON THE NBC SIDE, WHEN WE TELL PEOPLE, "WE WANT YOU TO WATCH THE WORLD CUP ON TELEMUNDO, IT'S GOING TO BE THE BEST EXPERIENCE FOR YOU TO WATCH IT IN SPANISH."

WE'RE HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT.

SO COLLECTIVELY, WE KNOW THAT SPANISH SPEAKING AUDIENCES WILL WATCH ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWS SOMETIMES TO PERFECT THEIR ENGLISH.

WE'RE HAPPY TO BE A PART OF THAT.

>>ANZIO YOU MAKE SOME REALLY GOOD POINTS ABOUT THE AUDIENCES DOING CROSS...

I GUESS, MOVING OVER FROM ONE CHANNEL TO THE OTHER, AND YOU DOING CROSS PROMOTION BETWEEN YOUR STATIONS.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC?

I'VE SPOKEN WITH SOME EXPERTS IN THE PAST ABOUT SUBTITLING IN SPANISH WHEN YOU HAVE CONTENT IN ENGLISH.

SO FOR EXAMPLE, YOU HAVE A TV STATION IN A MARKET WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE A TELEMUNDO STATION.

SO YOU HAVE AN NBC STATION, BUT YOU ALSO KNOW THAT YOU HAVE SOME SPANISH SPEAKERS.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SUBTITLING ABOUT HAVING THAT SOUND IN SPANISH AND THEN HAVING THAT SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH?

YOU TALK ABOUT INCLUSIVE CULTURE, IS THAT ACCEPTABLE?

OR DO YOU THINK THAT TURNS AWAY YOUR ENGLISH SPEAKING, AUDIENCE MEMBERS?

>>ONE, I DON'T THINK IT TURNS AWAY.

WE'VE BEEN DOING SAP NOW FOR A LONG TIME.

IN ALL OUR PRODUCT YOU CAN GET SOMEWHERE IN SPANISH.

WE HAVE LIVE CAPTIONING AT OUR TELEVISION STATIONS.

WHEN I WAS IN PHILADELPHIA, I PROBABLY BROKE A RECORD FOR HIRING TRULY BILINGUAL PEOPLE TO WORK ON BOTH STATIONS.

I'VE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH AN ACCENT AT ALL.

WE SEE IT AS A BUSINESS PLAN.

WE SEE IT AS A BUSINESS PLAN THAT WE HIRE TRULY BILINGUAL PEOPLE ON THE NBC SIDE THAT CAN SUPPORT BOTH SIDES.

LISTEN, TECHNOLOGY CONTINUES TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US, BUT THE IDEA THAT WE ARE...

WHEN WE'RE OWNING ON NBC AND ENGLISH, JUST ABOUT WE'RE ALMOST ALWAYS OWNING IN TELEMUNDO...

ESPECIALLY, WHEN IT IS URGENT INFORMATION.

WHEN IT'S URGENT INFORMATION, WEATHER WARNINGS.

IF WE'RE ON, ON ONE, WE BETTER BE ON, ON THE OTHER.

I'M SITTING HERE LOOKING AT OUR TWO STATIONS, I DON'T CARE, WHICH ONE OF THEM IS FIRST.

I JUST NEED ONE OF THEM TO BE FIRST.

WE WANT TO BE FIRST IN SERVING PEOPLE.

SO THAT GOES ON BOTH SIDES AND WE CAN'T TAKE SHORTCUTS JUST BECAUSE IT'S A SPANISH SPEAKING AUDIENCE.

SOMETIMES WHAT WE KNOW IN THIS EQUITY PLAY, ESPECIALLY WITH WEATHER...

SOMETIMES BROWN AND BLACK PEOPLE ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE DURING WEATHER SITUATIONS.

SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ON OUR A GAME WHEN IT COMES TO SERVING THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES.

>>YOU'RE MENTIONING DIVERSITY AS GOOD FOR BUSINESS.

OF COURSE THE MEDIA RELIES HEAVILY ON ADVERTISING FOR PART OF THAT BUSINESS.

SO I'M WONDERING IF BUSINESSES HAVE BOUGHT INTO THE DIVERSITY MESSAGE AND ARE THEY ADVERTISING... HOW DO THEY DECIDE WHETHER TO ADVERTISE ON TELEMUNDO OR NBC?

>>GOODNESS, I CAN TELL YOU THAT IN SOME OF OUR MARKETS OUR TELEMUNDO STATIONS ARE THE MOST WATCHED TELEVISION STATION, REGARDLESS OF LANGUAGE.

WE ARE WORKING HARD TO GET THE REVENUE OF THOSE STATIONS AT THE LEVEL OF THE NBC STATIONS.

SO, LISTEN, IT IS TRYING TO GET FOLKS TO SPEND MONEY.

GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES ARE CERTAINLY STARTING TO DO THAT.

ESPECIALLY DURING COVID WHERE THEY KNOW THEY HAVE TO GET A MESSAGE OUT IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH.

POLITICIANS, ARE CERTAINLY STARTING TO DO IT.

I ALWAYS LAUGH WHEN IT COME DOWN TO CAR DEALERS, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE'S BUYING POWER IN OUR LATINO COMMUNITY.

SO WE WANT THEM ADVERTISING AS WELL TOO.

BUT I THINK THAT'S COMING ALONG.

TIMES ARE CHANGING AND THEY'RE CHANGING PRETTY FAST AND WE FEEL VERY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THAT.

>>WHEN WE TALK ABOUT AUDIENCES AND CONTENT, WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF IT IS RESEARCH DRIVEN, RIGHT?

SO YOU HAVE SOMETHING HAPPEN IN LATIN AMERICA FOR EXAMPLE, AND THEN YOU WANT TO TRY TO LOCALIZE IT.

WHICH STATION DO YOU PLACE IT ON?

DO YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT THE AUDIENCE BEING INTERESTED IN SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

HOW DO YOU KNOW ANZIO, IF YOU SHOULD COVER SOMETHING THAT IS HAPPENING IN LATIN AMERICA, AND IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD WORK IN SPECIFIC MARKETS?

>>YEAH.

WE TRUST THE JOURNALISTS THAT WE HAVE RIGHT IN THE ROOM WITH US.

I FORGOT WHICH MEXICAN ARTISTS THAT PASSED AWAY AND DIED.

I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT, BUT I COULD HEAR HOW TELEMUNDO, THEY WAS TALKING ABOUT IT, THEY WAS ACTUALLY LISTENING TO IT.

SO WE WERE AT THE EDITORIAL TABLE TOGETHER, IT NEVER WOULD'VE PROBABLY COME UP ON THE NBC SIDE, BUT IT DID.

I WAS LIKE, "HEY GUYS, IS THIS SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE DOING ON NBC TOO?"

THEY WAS LIKE, "ABSOLUTELY.

YEAH, THIS GUY'S BIG.

THIS IS DA, DA, DA, DA, DA."

SO WE DID IT.

THEN I REMEMBER SOME OF THE NBC FOLKS LIKE, "OKAY, PLAY ONE OF HIS SONGS AGAIN."

THEN EVERYONE'S LIKE, "OH YEAH, THAT'S HIM."

SO THAT'S WHY I ALWAYS SAY WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER.

WE'LL LISTEN TO THOSE WHO ARE AROUND THE TABLE, HELP EDUCATE US.

BUT THAT'S NO DIFFERENT FROM A JOURNALIST.

>>I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A YOUNG PRODUCER, AND I'LL NEVER FORGET IT WAS A WEEKEND AND ONE OF THE ANCHORS SAID, "OH MY GOSH, I CAN'T BELIEVE BURL IVES DIED."

NOW THIS WAS BEFORE GOOGLE.

I DIDN'T KNOW WHO BURL IVES WAS.

I WAS LIKE, "WHAT AM I WANT TO DO WITH THIS?"

SO I HAD TO FOLLOW THE SOURCE LIKE, "HEY, HELP ME HERE."

HE WAS LIKE, "YOU DON'T KNOW THIS?

BURL IVES IS THE VOICE OF FROSTY THE SNOWMAN."

SO I WAS LIKE, "OKAY, GREAT.

I'M GOING TO PUT THIS DOWN IN THE NEXT BLOCK, AFTER THE COMMERCIAL BREAK AND YOU CAN WRITE THIS STORY FOR ME."

SO HE DID, HE WROTE THE STORY AND SOMEBODY ELSE WROTE THE TEASE.

THEN THE TEASE, I REMEMBER THE TEASE SAYING "TONIGHT, AFTER THE BREAK, WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THE LOSS OF BURL IVES."

THEN I CHANGED THAT TEASE TO, "TONIGHT AFTER THE BREAK, THE VOICE OF FROSTY THE SNOWMAN IS SILENCED."

BECAUSE YOU LISTEN TO PEOPLE AROUND YOU, YOU'RE ABLE TO LEAN ON OTHERS.

AS MY GRANDMOTHER TELLS ME, "RELY NOT ON YOUR OWN WISDOM."

SO THAT'S WHY I THINK THE DIVERSITY AT PLAY AND HAVING DIFFERENT PEOPLE WORKING ON YOUR PROGRAMS, AND HAVING GOOD CONVERSATIONS ON THE FRONT END.

BEING ABLE TO HAVE GOOD, HONEST CONVERSATIONS WHILE PRESERVING THE RELATIONSHIP, THAT'S WHAT I MEANT.

IS THAT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT STUFF ON THE FRONT END, IT SHOULD HOPEFULLY PREVENT HAVING A CONVERSATION ON THE BACK END.

A LOT OF TIMES IN JOURNALISM, WE LIKE TO HAVE WHAT THEY CALL POSTMORTEMS AND WE MEET ABOUT AFTER THE NEWSCAST.

I DON'T LIKE THAT BECAUSE IT'S NOT A LOT I COULD DO ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR NEWSCAST.

I PREFER THAT WE DO A LOT AND MAJORITY OF OUR COMMUNICATING ON THE FRONT END.

WHEN WE'RE DOING PROPER COMMUNICATIONS ON THE FRONT END, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THINGS AND VETTING THINGS ON THE FRONT END, THEN WE'RE CELEBRATING ON THE BACK END.

WE'RE CELEBRATING.

ANOTHER ANALOGY ON THAT IS IF YOU FIND A COACH THAT'S DOING A LOT OF TALKING IN THE LOCKER ROOM AFTERWARDS, THEY LOST.

I TELL THE TEAM ALL THE TIME HERE I SAY, "WE DON'T WANT TO TALK IN THE LOCKER ROOM AFTERWARDS.

WE WANT TO POP BOTTLES OF CHAMPAGNE.

THAT MEANS WE DID SOME THINGS, RIGHT."

>>ANZIO, YOU WERE IN NEW ORLEANS OF COURSE, WHEN HURRICANE KATRINA HIT.

A VERY OBVIOUSLY TRAUMATIC STORY THAT INVOLVED DEATHS OF MANY, MANY PEOPLE AND ENORMOUS PROPERTY LOSS AND DEVASTATION.

I WANT TO ASK YOU A LITTLE ABOUT COVERING THAT STORY.

PERHAPS YOU COULD ADD WHY DIVERSITY CONSIDERATIONS WERE IMPORTANT, IN SHOWING ALL ASPECTS OF THE STORY.

NOT JUST A STORY ABOUT NUMBERS OF PEOPLE, BUT ABOUT REAL LIVES.

>>KATRINA IS ALWAYS TOUGH FOR ME BECAUSE I KNOW THAT ACTIONS OR THE INACTION'S OF SOME JOURNALISTS COST LIVES.

I KNOW THIS FOR A FACT.

SO I KNOW THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE'RE GOING TO DO AS JOURNALISTS IS MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GIVING OUT CRITICAL LIFE SAVING INFORMATION IN A TIMELY FASHION.

SO HOW DO WE AS JOURNALISTS PUT OURSELVES IN PLACE TO CONTINUE TO GIVE GOOD INFORMATION WHILE ALSO STAYING SAFE?

SO I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT LEADERSHIP DURING THOSE TIMES.

NOT ONLY WERE WE RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING GOOD INFORMATION OUT, BUT I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR LOVED ONES, AND PEOPLE THAT I LOVED WHO WORKED WITH US.

SO I HOPE YOU CAN APPRECIATE WE SEND PEOPLE OUT, BUT YOU NEVER THINK WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE GOING TO COME BACK?

OR IN THE MOMENT YOU HAVE THIS GUT FEELING LIKE, "OH, WOW, THIS PLACE IS FLOODED.

OKAY.

A HELICOPTER JUST FLEW OVER THERE.

WE DON'T SEE THAT BUILDING.

AND I KNOW THAT THE BUILDING IS THERE, THAT IT'S UNDERWATER, AND I SENT SIX PEOPLE THERE."

SO, YOU GO THROUGH MOMENTS LIKE THAT AND YOU CHANGE FAIRLY QUICKLY.

I CHANGED AS A LEADER.

AT THE TIME I STILL CONSIDERED MYSELF A KID AS A LEADER, BUT I WAS SENDING PEOPLE...

I WAS A HARD CHARGE NEWS DIRECTOR.

EVERYBODY KNEW IT.

I WAS LIKE, "LET'S GET AT IT.

LET'S WORK HARD.

LET'S PLAY HARD.

LET'S GO, GO, GO."

AT SOME POINT, LITERALLY RIGHT BEFORE, IT HIT ME LIKE, "OKAY, DO RIGHT BY THESE FOLKS."

SO WE WAS MAKING DECISIONS TO SEND PEOPLE OUT IN TEAMS OF SIX OR EIGHT.

SO AGAIN, WITH THAT IDEA THAT THEY'RE BETTER TO TOGETHER.

WE WERE TRYING TO SEND THEM TO PLACES THAT WERE DEEMED SAFE.

THE SUPERDOME WAS CALLED THE SAFEST PLACE IN SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA.

SO I HAD ABOUT 15 PEOPLE THERE.

I HAD FOUR DIFFERENT TEAMS OF PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT HOSPITALS, WHICH ALL FLOODED, LOST POWER, AND I LOST ALL COMMUNICATIONS WITH THEM.

SO THERE WERE SEVERAL DAYS THERE THAT WENT BY WHEN I DID NOT KNOW THAT EVERYBODY... WHAT THEIR SITUATION WAS.

ULTIMATELY, ALL OF OUR PEOPLE SURVIVED, WHETHER THEY WERE ON ROOFTOPS FOR DAYS OR HAD BEEN AIRLIFTED TO OTHER CITIES, BUT WE DID GET ALL OUR PEOPLE.

IN TERMS OF THE DIVERSITY PLAY, I COULD NOT SEE WHAT WAS HAPPENING NATIONAL NEWS, BUT I COULD FEEL IT THAT NO HELP WAS COMING.

I COULD FEEL IT THAT NO HELP WAS COMING.

WE DIDN'T SHOW BODIES AT THE TIME.

WE DIDN'T SHOW BODIES.

SO I WAS CONSTANTLY TELLING OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS, WE COULD SEE BODIES FLOATING.

WHEN I WOULD GET OUT AND ABOUT, WE COULD SEE DEATH, WE COULD SEE PEOPLE IN STREETS DEAD.

I SAID, "THEY GOT TO SEE THIS."

I STARTED THINKING THAT, "OKAY, MAYBE WE'RE KIND OF SWEEPING IT UNDER THE RUG, OR WE'RE SANITIZING IT TOO MUCH."

SO WE DID START SENDING THOSE IMAGES OUT.

I KNOW THERE WAS A DIVERSITY PLAY IN THAT.

I ALSO KNOW THERE WAS AN EQUITY PLAY THAT THE CITY DID NOT CALL FOR A MANDATORY EVACUATION UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE.

THAT IS A MARKET WHERE 60% OF THE FOLKS THAT LIVE IN NEW ORLEANS WORK IN SERVICE ORIENTED BUSINESSES, THEY DON'T DRIVE, THEY DIDN'T HAVE A WAY OUT.

SO TO SEE THE PARKING LOT OF BUSES THAT FLOODED, YOU KNEW THERE WAS AN EQUITY PLAY THERE, THEY COULD NOT PHYSICALLY GET OUT.

THEY NEEDED THE WARNINGS, THE PROPER WARNINGS EARLY ENOUGH, NOT ONLY FROM THE ADMINISTRATION BUT I WILL SAY THAT WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER... AND WE HAVE PERFECTED IT NOW AS JOURNALISTS, HOW MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT OVER-HYPING SOMETHING UNNECESSARILY, AND THEN WHEN THE BIG STUFF IS HAPPENING, WE'RE GIVEN THE PROPER ATTENTION TO IT.

>>ANZIO WE HAVE ONLY A FEW MINUTES LEFT, BUT I WANT TO BRING UP THE SUBJECT OF ADVOCACY VERSUS ONLY, JOURNALISM.

I KNOW THAT, AS A HISPANIC JOURNALIST MINORITY JOURNALIST, AND WITH DIVERSITY TOPICS YOUR HEART IS MORE INTO THESE STORIES.

LIKE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT NEW ORLEANS.

IS IT DIFFICULT TO SEPARATE THAT?

WHAT DO YOU TELL YOUR REPORTERS?

BECAUSE FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN SOMEBODY IN YOUR TELEMUNDO STATIONS COVERS IMMIGRATION, HOW DO YOU TALK TO THOSE REPORTERS FROM AN EXPERT PERSPECTIVE?

>>NO, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE REMEMBER THE PRINCIPLES OF JOURNALISM.

IT'S A WAY THAT WE CAN CHECK OURSELVES AND CHECK OUR BIASES.

IT'S A WAY THAT WE CAN DO THAT.

WE CAN CHECK EACH OTHER.

THE PRINCIPLE OF JOURNALISM DON'T CHANGE, JUST BECAUSE THAT WE ARE COVERING SOMETHING THAT WE'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT, OR WE'RE COVERING SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT.

THAT'S WHY, DIVERSITY IS IMPORTANT SO THAT WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER AS TEAMS.

I LOVE TAKING ONE AND KNOWING THAT, "HEY, YOU ARE GOING OUT TO COVER A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE RALLY BUT, I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU MAY BE A DEMOCRAT."

I WANT TO KNOW.

SO THEN MAYBE I PUT ANOTHER PRODUCER WITH YOU, AND MAYBE I PUT ANOTHER PHOTOGRAPHER WHO THINKS DIFFERENT FROM YOU.

SO COLLECTIVELY YOU GUYS CAN MAKE SURE THAT THIS STORY IS FAIR, BALANCED, AND IS AS STRAIGHTFORWARD AS POSSIBLE AND PRESENTING OF ALL SIDES.

SO THE PRINCIPLES OF JOURNALISM WE RELY HEAVILY ON.

THE PRINCIPLES ARE THE FOUNDATION OF WHAT WE DO.

I ALWAYS SAY THAT OUR FOUNDATION SHOULDN'T BE SHOOK BY ANY STORY, OR ANY POLITICIAN, PRESIDENT CANDIDATE, OR PRESIDENT... WHATEVER TERMS THEY WANT TO USE TO CALL US, WHEN WE'RE DOING THINGS IS THE RIGHT WAY.

I THINK THAT JOURNALISM IS SOLID AND ON AND ON SOLID GROUND.

I THINK EVEN NOW WHEN SOMEONE SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT, "FAKE NEWS", THAT'S A WAY FOR US TO REINFORCE THAT WE SHOULD BE GREAT AT WHAT WE DO.

WE SHOULD HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE SO THAT IT KEEPS OUR PROFESSION INTACT.

>>ANZIO WILLIAMS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY.

IT'S BEEN A VERY INTERESTING CONVERSATION AND WE HOPE TO HAVE YOU BACK SOMETIME SOON.

>>THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME AND EVERYBODY, WISHING YOU HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

>>THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT WEEK ON ANOTHER EPISODE OF GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES.