Announcer: FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS.

THANK YOU.

[♪♪] Female narrator: NEWSPAPER COLUMNS... - A COLUMN IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO WRITE ANY DARN THING THAT YOU WANT.

Narrator: TALK SHOWS... - WE'RE GOING TO TALK TO TWO PEOPLE WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SCHOOL BOARD'S PLAN.

Narrator: PHOTOGRAPHS... - WHEN MOST PEOPLE PICK UP A NEWSPAPER OR A MAGAZINE, I THINK THE FIRST THING THEIR EYES GO TO IS PHOTOGRAPH.

Narrator: AND SOCIAL MEDIA.

Alex Simmons: I'VE ACCUMULATED 81,051 TWEETS... TO DATE.

Narrator: THESE ARE SUCCESSFUL MEN WORKING IN THE MEDIA TODAY AND DOING SO MUCH MORE.

THEY'RE BROADENING PERSPECTIVES.

- I CAN WRITE BLACK, I CAN BE BLACK, AND I CAN MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS WHO ARE READING IT, AT LEAST FOR THE FEW MINUTES THEY'RE READING MY COLUMN, UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE BLACK EXPERIENCE.

Narrator: SPOTLIGHTING THE POSITIVE... Alex: THERE WAS A LOT OF JUST NEGATIVITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN GENERAL NOWADAYS.

SO ALWAYS BEEN POSITIVE MY WHOLE LIFE.

SO I JUST STARTED WITH THAT AND EVERYTHING JUST SORT OF SNOWBALLED.

Narrator: WHILE MENTORING NEW TALENT.

Chris Moore: I TELL THEM, "YOU HAVE TO PREPARE YOURSELF.

YOU HAVE TO READ EVERYTHING IN SIGHT."

Narrator: TONY NORMAN... ALEX SIMMONS... CHRIS MOORE... AND SIDNEY DAVIS.

THESE ARE THE STORIES ABOUT THEIR CAREERS AND LIVES AS "MEDIA MEN."

HIS EDITORIALS ARE READ BY THOUSANDS.

TONY NORMAN'S COLUMN IN "THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE" RUNS EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY.

- I WRITE THEM ON MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS.

GENERALLY RIGHT UP UNTIL DEADLINE.

Narrator: NORMAN'S BEEN MEETING THOSE DEADLINES NOW FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES, AND HE'S COME A LONG WAY SINCE LANDING THIS JOB AT THE PRESTIGIOUS "P-G." Tony Norman: IT'S GREAT.

Narrator: BORN AND RAISED IN WEST PHILADELPHIA, NORMAN WENT TO CALVIN COLLEGE IN MICHIGAN WHERE HE FIRST STUDIED ART THEN SWITCHED TO POLITICAL SCIENCE.

HE WAS ALSO A GOOD WRITER AND WORKED ON THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER.

HE STARTED AT "THE POST-GAZETTE" IN 1988 AND SPENT HIS EARLY YEARS LEARNING THE ROPES.

Interviewer: SO 25-YEARS AGO, YOU START AS-- Tony: AS A CLERK.

I WANTED TO BE A REPORTER.

I OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH EXPERIENCE.

I WAS OFFERED A JOB AS SOMEONE IN THE TYPING POOL.

Interviewer: YOU WOULD TYPE UP THE ARTICLES?

- LETTERS TO THE EDITORS.

YOU WOULD TAKE DICTATION FROM REPORTERS IN THE FIELD.

ANSWERED THE PHONES, OF COURSE.

INPUT WEATHER INFORMATION AND ALL SORTS OF STUFF.

Interviewer: SO YOU'RE THE CLERK BY DAY, AND THEN BY NIGHT-- - AT NIGHT, BECAUSE WE HAD NO POP MUSIC/POP CULTURE WRITER, I WAS THE POP CULTURE GUY.

SO I WOULD GO OUT ON THE TOWN AND COVER CONCERTS AND COME BACK AND FILE MY STORIES AND THEN STAGGER HOME TO BED.

Narrator: BY THEN, NORMAN WAS MARRIED TO ANN AND HAD STARTED A FAMILY.

HE REMAINED THE POP CULTURE WRITER FOR SIX YEARS UNTIL THE NIGHT HE WAS COVERING A ROCK CONCERT AND KNEW IT WAS TIME FOR ANOTHER BEAT.

- WE WERE SURROUNDED ON BOTH SIDES BY DRUNK AND UNRULY PEOPLE, AND I FEEL THIS SPATTERING ON THE BACK OF MY PANTS, AND I TURN AROUND AND I SEE THAT THERE'S A GUY VOMITING ALL OVER MY SEAT.

AND I JUST HAD HAD ENOUGH.

I LOBBIED FOR A COLUMN.

Narrator: WHICH HE EVENTUALLY GOT, BUT IT WASN'T AN EASY SELL.

Tony: THERE WAS SOME INITIAL SKEPTICISM.

THERE HAD NEVER BEEN A BLACK COLUMNIST IN THE HISTORY OF "THE POST-GAZETTE," SO I JUST HAD TO SHOW THEM THAT THOUGH I AM CONCERNED ABOUT BLACK ISSUES, YOU KNOW, I'M MORE THAN JUST A BLACK WRITER.

I'M A JOURNALIST WHO HAS AN INSIGHT ON THESE ISSUES.

SO I CAN WRITE BLACK.

I CAN BE BLACK, AND I CAN MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS WHO ARE READING IT UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE BLACK EXPERIENCE.

Narrator: WHATEVER THE SUBJECT, NORMAN DOESN'T SHY AWAY FROM CONTROVERSY OR HOLD BACK SAYING WHAT'S ON HIS MIND.

Interviewer: HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO WRITE ABOUT?

Tony: WHATEVER THE HOT ISSUES ARE OF THE DAY.

THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT'S BUGGING ME PERSONALLY THAT I WRITE ABOUT.

FOR THE LAST YEAR OR SO, I SPENT A LOT OF TIME WRITING ABOUT POLITICS-- THE ELECTION.

PEOPLE MIGHT SAY THAT I SPENT A LOT OF TIME WRITING ABOUT RICK SANTORUM AND DOGGING MITT ROMNEY AND THESE FOLKS.

GUILTY.

I FEEL VERY PASSIONATELY ABOUT POLITICAL ISSUES AND SO, MY COLUMN WILL OFTEN REFLECT THAT INTEREST.

Narrator: BUT TONY NORMAN ALSO TAKES SWIPES AT TOP DEMOCRATS.

Tony: PEOPLE ALSO NOTICE THAT THE TONE OF MY COLUMN, WHICH IS OSTENSIBLY PRO-OBAMA, TOOK A MORE CRITICAL SHIFT AFTER THE ELECTION 'CAUSE, YEAH, HE GOT IN.

NOW WE CAN GO BACK TO THE BUSINESS OF CRITICIZING THE THINGS THAT HE DOES WRONG.

Narrator: WHETHER YOU AGREE WITH HIM OR NOT, NORMAN ALWAYS LIKES HEARING FROM READERS.

Tony: I'M THRILLED TO SEE COMMENTS.

I'M PARANOID WHEN I DON'T SEE COMMENTS.

LIKE, WHAT DID I DO WRONG?

SO I LIKE WALKING DOWN THE STREET AND PEOPLE SAY, "HEY, LOVE YOUR COLUMN."

"HEY, THAT WAS GREAT," OR "YOU'RE AN IDIOT."

YOU WROTE THAT THE OTHER DAY.

Narrator: NORMAN HAS WON REGIONAL AND NATIONAL AWARDS FOR HIS COLUMNS WHICH HAVE ALSO MADE HIM A VALUABLE PART OF THE P-G STAFF.

DAVID SHRIBMAN IS EXECUTIVE EDITOR.

David Shribman: WELL, TONY, AS EVERYBODY KNOWS, HAS A GREAT VOICE, BUT WHAT PEOPLE DON'T RECOGNIZE ABOUT TONY IS THAT HE HAS GREAT EARS TOO, AND AS AN EDITOR, YOU WANT PEOPLE ON YOUR PAPER WHO HAVE GREAT VOICES AND GREAT EARS, AND HE HEARS SOUNDS OTHERS IN OUR NEWSROOM DON'T HEAR.

IT'S VERY VALUABLE TO US TO HAVE HIM OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, LISTENING AND HEARING WHAT SOME OF US DON'T HEAR, BUT NOT ONLY THE BLACK COMMUNITY.

HE IS A VERY, VERY INFLUENTIAL VOICE AND A MIND REALLY IN THE INTELLECTUAL COMMUNITY OF PITTSBURGH.

Narrator: IN ADDITION TO BEING A COLUMNIST, NORMAN IS ALSO THE PAPER'S BOOK EDITOR AND A MEMBER OF THE P-G'S EDITORIAL BOARD.

Tony: WE MEET EVERYDAY WITH THE PUBLISHER, AND WE'LL WRITE ABOUT ISSUES LIKE THE MIDDLE EAST OR THE CITY'S FINANCES OR WHATEVER IT IS THAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT AND WE HAMMER OUT POSITIONS.

[to class] WHEN YOU GUYS ARE DOING NEWS STORIES, COMPLETELY ELIMINATE "I."

Narrator: AND NORMAN HAS TAKEN HIS LOVE OF JOURNALISM TO THE CLASSROOM.

Interviewer: AND YOU TEACH AS WELL?

Tony: YES, AT CHATHAM UNIVERSITY.

I'VE BEEN THERE FOR 12 YEARS NOW.

I TEACH INTRODUCTORY JOURNALISM COURSES, AND IT'S GREAT.

I'D NEVER THOUGHT THAT I WOULD ENJOY ACADEMIA.

I LIKE ACADEMIA FROM THIS SIDE OF ACADEMIA AS OPPOSED TO BEING THE STUDENT.

IF MY STUDENTS ONLY KNEW WHAT KIND OF A STUDENT I WAS, THEY MIGHT LAUGH AND GASP IN HORROR THAT I'VE BEEN PUT IN CHARGE OF THEIR EDUCATION.

Narrator: JOKING ASIDE, NORMAN IS SERIOUS ABOUT TEACHING AND ENCOURAGES YOUNG PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED WITH THE MEDIA.

Tony: BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE THE MOST HONEST JOURNALISM WHEN YOU'RE NOT WRITING ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOU'RE WRITING ABOUT OTHERS.

I LOVE ALSO INTRODUCING YOUNG PEOPLE TO THIS BUSINESS-- PEOPLE WHO SHADOW ME DURING THE DAY, TALKING TO KIDS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES OF WORKING AT A PLACE LIKE "THE POST-GAZETTE."

I LOVE THAT.

I LOVE THE REACTION...

THE GOOD REACTION TO A COLUMN.

I LOVE THAT WHEN PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT I WAS GETTING AT EVEN WHEN I THINK THAT I DIDN'T EXPRESS IT VERY WELL.

I LIKE IT ALL.

IT BEATS THE ALTERNATIVE, WHICH IS WORKING A REAL JOB.

Interviewer: VERY GOOD.

[♪♪] Narrator: IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD, HE'S KNOWN AS "AVERAGE BLACK MAN."

Alex: I ALWAYS LOOK AT MYSELF AS ME JUST BEING AN AVERAGE PERSON.

THERE'S NOTHING SPECIAL ABOUT ME.

Narrator: THAT MAY BE TRUE, BUT ALEX SIMMONS HAS A TWITTER FOLLOWING OF MORE THAN 80,000.

Alex: I ACTUALLY STARTED TWEETING IT SAYS HERE 09/24/2009.

SINCE THEN I'VE ACCUMULATED 81,051 TWEETS.

Narrator: HE TWEETS ALL DAY.

EVEN CELEBRITIES AND ATHLETES FOLLOW HIM.

Alex: LL COOL J FOLLOWS ME.

A BUNCH OF FOOTBALL PLAYERS.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS-- A COUPLE-- RYAN CLARK.

IT'S NORMALLY SINGERS AND ATHLETES.

Narrator: AND THEY'RE ALL FOLLOWING HIS POSITIVE, INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGES.

Alex: LIFE HAS TAKEN A POSITIVE TURN EVER SINCE I STARTED GETTING CLOSER TO GOD.

HE REALLY IS LIFE AND LOVE.

STAY FOCUSED AND POSITIVE.

DON'T WASTE YOUR WHOLE DAY TALKING ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES.

FOCUS ON WAYS TO BETTER YOUR OWN LIFE.

THE TWEETS JUST SORT OF CAME.

I STARTED READING EVERYBODY ELSE'S PAGES.

AND THERE WAS A LOT OF JUST NEGATIVITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN GENERAL NOWADAYS, ARGUING AND, YOU KNOW, JUST THEIR PERSONAL LIVES.

SO I JUST TRY-- DECIDED TO TRY USING SOMETHING DIFFERENT, AND I STARTED WITH THE POSITIVE.

Narrator: SIMMONS' OWN LIFE IS FULL OF THE POSITIVE.

THIS 27-YEAR-OLD FATHER OF ONE GREW UP IN THE SUBURBS NORTH OF PITTSBURGH.

HE WENT TO PINE-RICHLAND HIGH SCHOOL WHERE HE PLAYED FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL, AND LETTERED IN TRACK ALL FOUR YEARS.

BUT AFTER TWO YEARS AT GENEVA COLLEGE, HE LEFT TO PURSUE A CAREER IN FOOTBALL.

Alex: OUT OF COLLEGE, I PLAYED WITH THE PITTSBURGH COLTS.

IT'S WHO I'M CURRENTLY WITH.

I ALSO PLAY WITH THE WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA WAR HAWKS, THE NEW CASTLE THUNDER, THE ERIE RIVER RATS.

I'VE BEEN ALL OVER THE PLACE.

Narrator: BUT FOR THE PAST YEAR, SIMMONS HAS BEEN SIDELINED WITH A SHOULDER AND ARM INJURY.

Alex: AND I WAS UNFORTUNATELY NOT ALLOWED TO PLAY FOOTBALL THIS SEASON.

SO THIS IS THE FIRST SEASON I TOOK OFF SINCE 2006.

- PUSH YOUR HIPS UP.

PUSH YOUR HIPS UP.

Narrator: BUT TRUE TO HIS POSITIVE NATURE, HE'S BACK IN THE GYM TRAINING IN HOPES OF GETTING BACK INTO THE GAME.

- THERE'S A REWARD FOR GREATNESS, MAN.

LET'S GO.

COME ON.

Alex: FOOTBALL IS SORT OF LIKE LIFE.

IT'S A DIFFERENT PLAY EACH TIME.

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

YOU JUST HOPE FOR THE BEST AND MAYBE YOU GET CALLED FOR A PENALTY, BUT THAT'S NOT A SETBACK BECAUSE YOU STILL HAVE ANOTHER DOWN TO PROGRESS.

SO IT'S ALL ABOUT PROGRESSION AND ABOUT STAYING POSITIVE.

Narrator: SIMMONS HAS USED THOSE POSITIVE MESSAGES IN HIS TWEETS, AND THEY'RE READ BY PEOPLE AS FAR AWAY AS SOUTH AFRICA.

Alex: I SEE A LOT OF JOHANNESBURG PEOPLE TWEET ME.

BUT THEY'RE ALL OVER.

BRITAIN, SPAIN.

YOU NAME IT.

I HAVE A FOLLOWER IN PROBABLY EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

Narrator: BUT MOST OF HIS FANS ARE FROM RIGHT HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.

Alex: I'D PROBABLY SAY IT'S PROBABLY 60-40-- 60% BEING AFRICAN-AMERICAN, I WOULD SAY.

MOSTLY THERE'S A LOT OF WOMEN THAT FOLLOW ME.

THE AVERAGE AGE IS PROBABLY THE 20s.

20s AND 30s.

Narrator: HE TWEETS AND RE-TWEETS ABOUT 50 TIMES A DAY FROM HIS iPHONE.

Alex: NO COMPUTER.

I HAVE A PROGRAM ON HERE WHERE I CAN WRITE A TWEET, AND I CAN SEND IT TO FACEBOOK AND MY FAN PAGE AND TWITTER, AT THE SAME TIME.

SO I CAN UPDATE THREE SOCIAL NETWORKS AT ONE TIME.

Narrator: SIMMONS HOPES HIS TWEETS ARE CHANGING NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN MEN.

Alex: THAT IS A PART OF IT, WHY I DO IT.

THE MAIN REASON IS I JUST DO IT BECAUSE THE RESPONSES THAT I GET FROM PEOPLE SAYING THAT I SAID OR TWEETED SOMETHING THAT HELPED THEM GET THROUGH A SITUATION IN THEIR LIFE IS WHAT-- IS REALLY WHY I CONTINUE TO DO IT.

JUST TO HEAR THESE RESPONSES.

LIFE ISN'T THAT BAD, AND IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT WE WANT TO MAKE OUT OF OUR LIVES, AND THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEONE THAT'S WORSE OFF THAN YOU.

Narrator: THE SUCCESS OF AVERAGE BLACK MAN TWEETS HAS LED SIMMONS TO FIND OTHER WAYS TO GET HIS WORDS OF INSPIRATION TO THE PUBLIC.

SOMEDAY, HE HOPES TO PUBLISH A BOOK AND MARKET A LINE OF CLOTHING.

Alex: IT'S BASICALLY MY TWEETS ON A SHIRT.

REAL SHORT.

PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO READ A LOT.

THIS OTHER SHIRT I HAVE HERE SAYS, "AVERAGE BLACK MAN" ON THE FRONT AND ON THE BACK, IT SAYS ONE OF MY SAYINGS THAT I SAY DAILY-- "STAY UP, STAY BLESSED, STAY POSITIVE."

Narrator: AND SENDING OUT ALL OF THAT POSITIVE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA WORKS TWO WAYS.

ALEX SIMMONS IS HELPING OTHERS AND GETTING SOMETHING BACK IN RETURN.

Alex: I'VE MET PEOPLE I WOULD HAVE NEVER MET BEFORE IN MY LIFE FROM TWITTER AND FROM FACEBOOK, AND I PROBABLY WOULD NOT BE SITTING HERE TODAY IN THIS INTERVIEW WITHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA.

IT'S BEEN A BLESSING.

Narrator: CHRIS MOORE IS ONE OF THE BUSIEST MEN IN BROADCASTING.

- YOU FIND ANYTHING FOR THE SECOND HALF?

- YEAH.

Narrator: SIX DAYS A WEEK, YOU'LL FIND HIM EITHER ON TV-- Chris: ALL RIGHT, OUR NUMBER'S 412-333-PCNC.

FIRST, WE TURN OUR ATTENTION TO GUN CONTROL.

Narrator: --OR IN A RADIO STUDIO.

- WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.

IT'S THE MORE PITTSBURGH.

CHRIS MOORE ON THE RADIO WITH YOU.

Narrator: HIS CAREER SPANS FOUR DECADES AND HE'S EARNED MANY AWARDS FOR THE PROGRAMS AND DOCUMENTARIES HE'S HOSTED AND PRODUCED.

Chris: ALL YOU HEARD WERE HELICOPTERS.

POP, POP, POP.

Narrator: BUT EVEN AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS, HE STILL LOVES THE BUSINESS, AND A GOOD STORY.

- WELL, I TRY TO PUT MYSELF IN THE SHOES OF A VIEWER WHO MIGHT LOOK AT SOMETHING AND GO, "WOW, LOOK AT THAT."

SO ANYTHING THAT I LOOK AT AND I GO, "WOW, LOOK AT THAT" IS A STORY THAT I WANT TO TELL.

Narrator: CHRIS' OWN LIFE IS ALSO A STORY WORTH TELLING.

HE GREW UP IN LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, AND AS A TEENAGER, HE LOVED ATTENTION.

HE STILL REMEMBERS THE ADVICE OF HIS TEACHERS.

- AND BOTH MISS PARR AND MISS HEGWOOD TOLD ME, "MOORE, IF YOU GONNA BE A CLASS CLOWN, FIND A WAY TO GET PAID TO DO IT."

Narrator: AT THE TIME, A JOB IN BROADCASTING WAS FAR FROM CHRIS' MIND.

BUT HE DID ENJOY CURRENT EVENTS.

Chris: MY FATHER WAS AN AVID NEWSPAPER READER, A CROSSWORD PUZZLER.

HE DID ALL OF THAT STUFF, AND I SORT OF FOLLOWED IN HIS FOOTSTEPS.

I WAS ALWAYS BEST IN HISTORY CLASSES AND CIVIC CLASS.

Narrator: IT WASN'T HISTORY THOUGH THAT CHRIS STUDIED AT GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY IN LOUISIANA.

Chris: AND SOMEHOW I GOT INTO THE THEATER DEPARTMENT AND STARTED ACTING, BUT AFTER TWO YEARS IN COLLEGE, I JOINED THE SERVICE AND WENT TO VIETNAM, IN THE ARMY, CAME HOME... Narrator: AND HE RE-ENROLLED IN GRAMBLING, THIS TIME MAJORING IN MASS COMMUNICATIONS.

HIS FATHER WASN'T THRILLED.

Chris: HE SAID, "THERE AIN'T NO BLACK PEOPLE ON TV."

BUT PARENTS GIVE YOU THEIR ADVICE BASED ON THEIR LOVE FOR YOU AND THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE.

AND IN THE MID-1960s IN LITTLE ROCK, THERE WERE NO BLACK PEOPLE ON TV, AND HE DIDN'T WANT TO SEE ME GET HURT.

AND YEARS LATER, HE'D SEE ME ON TV AND SAY, "THAT'S MY BOY.

HE'S ON TV."

Narrator: AFTER GRADUATION, WITH THE HELP OF HIS FUTURE WIFE, JOYCE MEGGERSON, CHRIS GOT A JOB AT ARKANSAS EDUCATIONAL TV AS BOTH CAMERAMAN AND HOST OF A MINORITY AFFAIRS PROGRAM.

Chris: I WOULD BRING A SUIT TO WORK THE DAY WE RECORD THAT-- CLIMB LADDERS, HANG THE LIGHTS, ALL THAT OTHER STUFF.

COME PUT UP THE SET.

GO CHANGE INTO MY SUIT, PICK OUT MY AFRO, AND I'D SIT DOWN AND DO THE SHOW THEN I'D GO CHANGE BACK INTO MY BLUE JEANS AND DO THAT.

OH, HI.

MY NAME IS OG, 2000 BC.

Narrator: FROM THERE, HE FOUND WORK AT ANOTHER PUBLIC TELEVISION STATION IN MISSOURI.

- "THE CHRIS MOORE SHOW."

- HI, I'M CHRIS MOORE.

I WORKED THERE FOR FIVE YEARS, I APPLIED FOR A JOB HERE AT WQED AND CAME HERE IN 1980, AND I'VE BEEN HERE EVER SINCE.

Narrator: AT WQED, CHRIS BECAME THE HOST OF WHAT WAS TO BECOME THE LONGEST RUNNING MINORITY AFFAIRS PROGRAM ON PUBLIC TELEVISION.

Chris: "BLACK HORIZONS" WAS AIMED AT THE BLACK COMMUNITY.

LOCALLY, IT FEATURED ALMOST ANYTHING YOU COULD THINK OF WHETHER IT WAS ARTS, DANCING, POETRY, SERIOUS ISSUES LIKE BLACK INFANT MORTALITY, CRIME RATES, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, YOU NAME IT, WE COVERED THAT WATERFRONT.

Narrator: "BLACK HORIZONS" RAN FOR 41 YEARS BEFORE EVOLVING INTO A NEW PROGRAM WITH A SIMILAR NAME, REPORTING ON PITTSBURGH'S GROWING DIVERSITY.

- MY GUEST TONIGHT IS DR. ANDREA FOX.

SHE IS THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF THE SQUIRREL HILL HEALTH CENTER.

- THIS ISN'T THE ONLY PLACE YOU ARE.

PCNC, TELL ME ABOUT THAT SHOW.

Chris: ESSENTIALLY IT'S A CABLE TV SHOW THAT'S A RADIO SHOW ON TV.

IT'S ON DAILY AND IT'S INTERESTING.

WE HAD A FORMER FBI AGENT ON TALKING ABOUT GUN CONTROL.

WE ARE LOOKING TODAY WITH LARRY LYCAR.

AND I LOVE CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE, AND HE WAS VERY, VERY GOOD, AND THE PHONES LIT UP THE ENTIRE TIME HE WAS THERE.

Narrator: ANOTHER ONE OF HIS TV TALK SHOWS IS LIVE EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT.

IT'S CALLED "4802."

- HI, I'M CHRIS MOORE.

Narrator: WHICH IS WQED'S ADDRESS ON FIFTH AVENUE IN OAKLAND.

- THE ISSUE IS A TOTAL LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY.

Chris: THE THING I LIKE MOST ABOUT HOSTING "4802" IS YOU HAVE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT.

AND THAT WAY, YOU CAN JUST BE A TOUR GUIDE.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET IN.

YOU CAN ASK A POINTED QUESTION, BUT I DON'T HAVE TO TAKE SIDES.

ALL RIGHT, I WANT TO TALK MORE WITH YOU ABOUT PROHIBITION.

Narrator: YET ANOTHER JOB IS ON KDKA RADIO.

Chris: I'M ON SUNDAYS FROM 4:00 TO 9:00.

Narrator: CHRIS SAYS ANY SUCCESSFUL HOST HAS TO NOT ONLY TALK BUT LISTEN.

On Radio: WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NOW THE DEPRESSION IN THE 1930s.

THERE WAS BUDGET CUTTING.

THERE WAS BUDGET CUTBACKS AND THE NEWLY FORMED FEDERAL BUREAU OF NARCOTICS... Chris: I ACTUALLY TAKE TIME TO LISTEN TO PEOPLE.

GIVE THEM ENOUGH TIME TO SAY WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY.

AND THEN WILL RETORT, YOU KNOW, IF I WOULD AGREE OR DISAGREE.

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THIS PART OF IT?

Narrator: UNDERSTANDING "ALL" THE ISSUES REQUIRES CHRIS TO STAY UPDATED.

HE READS A LOT.

Chris: MENTORS TO ME LIKE FRANK BOLDEN-- ONE OF THE FORMER CITY EDITORS OF "THE COURIER"-- ALWAYS TOLD ME, "ARM YOURSELF AND BE DANGEROUS, BUT ONLY WITH THE FACTS."

I FIND THAT MOST PEOPLE CAN'T DEAL WITH THE FACTS.

IN FACT, I NOW BILL MYSELF AS THE ONLY TALK SHOW HOST IN THE WORLD WHERE THE CALLERS HANG UP ON ME BECAUSE I START THROWING FACTS AT THEM.

Narrator: BUT VIEWERS DON'T SEEM TO MIND.

THEY KEEP CALLING.

MARK BARASH IS THE STATION MANAGER FOR PCNC, THE PITTSBURGH CABLE NEWS CHANNEL.

Mark Barash: HE'S VERY WELL PREPARED.

WHEN HE COMES TO DO A SHOW, HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT.

HE KNOWS THE QUESTIONS HE'S GOING TO ASK, AND HE ALSO ROLLS WITH THE PUNCHES OF THE SHOW.

HE DOESN'T SIT THERE WITH A LIST OF QUESTIONS AND GO 1, 2, 3, 4.

HE DOES CALL YOU ON YOUR STUFF.

SO YOU'D BETTER BE PREPARED WHEN YOU'RE TALKING TO CHRIS.

- IF I KNOW BUTLER HAS ARMED SCHOOL GUARDS AND PITTSBURGH DOES NOT, WHY WOULD I GO TO BUTLER IF I'M GOING TO CAUSE A PROBLEM?

Narrator: AND BEING PREPARED IS SOMETHING CHRIS STRESSES TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE HE MENTORS.

THE PITTSBURGH MEDIA FEDERATION'S FRANK BOLDEN URBAN JOURNALISM WORKSHOP IS WHERE MANY GET THEIR FIRST TASTE OF WHAT IT'S REALLY LIKE TO WORK IN TV, RADIO AND PRINT.

Chris: BUT I TELL THEM, YOU HAVE TO PREPARE YOURSELF.

YOU HAVE TO READ EVERYTHING IN SIGHT.

YOU HAVE TO DEVELOP A SPECIAL INTEREST.

YOU COULD BECOME A LAWYER AND BECOME A LEGAL CORRESPONDENT.

TAKE DIFFERENT ANGLES TO GET INTO THE BUSINESS.

BUT YOU HAVE TO WANT IT, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO PURSUE IT WITH A VENGEANCE.

Narrator: MALIK VINCENT ATTENDED THE WORKSHOP IN 2005 AND 2006.

TODAY, HE'S A FREELANCE WRITER FOR "THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE" AND "THE NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER."

- CHRIS HAS A TREMENDOUS INFLUENCE ON A LOT OF OUR LIVES.

YOU KNOW, ONCE WE GO THROUGH THE WORKSHOP AND ONCE WE COME OUT, HE ALWAYS MAKES IT VERY PLAIN THAT HE IS GOING TO BE A PART OF THE PICTURE NO MATTER WHAT, YOU KNOW, WE DECIDE TO DO, CAREER-WISE, LIFE-WISE.

I KNOW THAT WE'RE ALL GRATEFUL FOR WHAT HE'S DONE.

Narrator: AND CHRIS IS GRATEFUL TO HIS STUDENTS, TOO, FOR ALLOWING HIM TO HAVE A HAND IN THEIR FUTURE.

Interviewer: IS THERE ANYTHING YOU HAVEN'T DONE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO?

- NO, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING THAT I HAVEN'T DONE THAT I'D LIKE TO DO.

I JUST WANT TO KEEP DOING WHAT I AM DOING.

BUT THERE'S STILL A LOT OF GOOD STORIES WITH WOW FACTORS OUT THERE TO TELL, AND I'M LOOKING FOR THE NEXT ONE RIGHT NOW.

- THIS IS WHAT THIS JOB IS, MOST OF THE TIME.

YOU KNOW, THIS IS LIKE RIDING AROUND.

Narrator: SIDNEY DAVIS NEVER KNOWS WHERE HE'S GOING TO BE FROM DAY TO DAY.

Sidney Davis: LIKE 150 MILES ON THIS CAR IN ONE DAY JUST DRIVING AROUND ALLEGHENY COUNTY.

Narrator: BUT THAT'S PART OF WHAT HE LIKES ABOUT BEING A GENERAL ASSIGNMENT PHOTOGRAPHER FOR "THE PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW."

- I GET TO DRIVE AROUND TO SO MANY DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES.

Narrator: AND HE ALSO LIKES MEETING PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE.

- I LOVE TO MEET PEOPLE AND GET TO KNOW PEOPLE AND TO JUST BE ABLE TALK TO ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE.

Narrator: IT'S THE VARIETY THAT DAVIS ENJOYS ABOUT BEING A PHOTOGRAPHER.

AND WHETHER HE'S ON THE SCENE OF A TRAGEDY-- Sidney: WOW, '04.

THIS IS A FIRE THAT HAPPENED IN A BUILDING IN WILKINSBURG.

Narrator: --OR AT A JOYFUL OCCASION.

WHATEVER HE'S SHOOTING-- Sidney: THIS IS ON NEVILLE ISLAND.

IT'S A LABOR PROTEST THERE.

Narrator: HE'S ALWAYS FOCUSED AND ENTHUSED BECAUSE PHOTOGRAPHY IS NOT JUST HIS JOB.

IT'S HIS PASSION, AND IT'S BEEN HIS PASSION FOR AS LONG AS HE CAN REMEMBER.

Sidney: WELL, I GUESS AS A KID, MY FATHER WAS INTO PHOTOGRAPHY, AND HE ALWAYS HAD CAMERAS AROUND THE HOUSE AND I DID TAKE PICTURES A LOT.

YOU KNOW, AS A KID, YOU ALWAYS HAVE THOSE LITTLE KID CAMERA AND INSTAMATICS.

Narrator: BUT WHAT EVENTUALLY GOT DAVIS INTO PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY WAS HIS LOVE OF HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

ONE DAY AT A GAME IN WILKINSBURG, HE MET ANOTHER PHOTOGRAPHER WHO SUGGESTED HE SELL HIS PHOTOS.

Sidney: HIS NAME WAS CHAZ PALLA, AND I WAS SHOOTING ALONGSIDE OF HIM, AND I GUESS LIKE PROBABLY DURING THE END OF THE GAME OR MAYBE HALFTIME, HE SAID, "YOU KNOW, WHY DON'T YOU TAKE SOME OF YOUR PICTURES AROUND TO SOME LOCAL NEWSPAPERS, AND MAYBE THEY'LL BUY THEM OFF YOU."

Narrator: DAVIS DID, AND HE GOT A JOB FREELANCING WITH "THE NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER."

FROM THERE, HE LANDED A FULL-TIME POSITION AT "THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW."

- AND WHAT MADE IT SO GOOD IS THAT I COULD HAVE THIS POSITION AND I COULD ACTUALLY DO THINGS THAT WOULD MAKE MY CHILDREN SAY, "HEY, LOOK, MY DAD WORKS THERE.

HEY, THIS IS WHAT MY DAD DOES."

- SEE IF YOU CAN FIND ANY-- IF THERE'S ANY WEATHER FOLLOW.

Interviewer: SO TELL ME ABOUT A TYPICAL DAY.

ARE YOU ASSIGNED THINGS?

Sidney: WELL, WE HAVE ASSIGNMENTS.

WE CAN USUALLY PICK THEM A DAY OR SO BEFORE THAT BECAUSE WE GENERALLY NEVER KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING UNTIL AT LEAST THE DAY BEFORE.

IN BETWEEN OUR ASSIGNMENTS, WE KIND OF FIND WHAT WE CALL A FEATURE ART.

BUT THESE ARE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT DON'T HAVE A STORY THAT GO WITH THEM BECAUSE A PICTURE'S WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS AND A PHOTOGRAPH'S WHAT REALLY ATTRACTS PEOPLE TO A NEWSPAPER.

Car GPS: IN THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE, TURN LEFT ON 2, GLENN MITCHELL ROAD.

Narrator: ON THIS DAY, DAVIS' ASSIGNMENT IS AT THE FERN HOLLOW NATURE CENTER IN SEWICKLEY.

Sidney: THEY HAVE PLAY DATES FOR LIKE PRESCHOOL AGE AND YOUNGER CHILDREN.

Interviewer: HOW MANY PICTURES DO YOU TAKE?

Sidney: HUNDREDS, BECAUSE IT'S DIGITAL, AND THEN YOU HAVE CARDS THAT ARE 8 GIGS, 16 GIGS.

YOU COULD SHOOT THOUSANDS OF FRAMES.

- YOU'VE COVERED SO MANY EVENTS.

WHAT WAS YOUR MOST POIGNANT PICTURE?

Sidney: ONE THAT JUMPS OUT WAS A SITUATION WHERE A YOUNG MAN-- HE WAS KILLED, AND I GOT A SHOT OF THIS WOMAN AND THE VICTIM FELL IN FRONT OF A DOORWAY INTO A HOUSE IN EAST HILLS, AND IT WAS HER HOUSE, AND THAT WAS PRETTY POIGNANT, THAT WAS PRETTY SAD.

- OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM.

WHAT HAS BEEN MOST FUN TO SHOOT?

Sidney: LAST YEAR, WHEN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT WAS HERE IN TOWN, AND I SHOT BOTH DAYS OF THAT.

WHEN YOU HAD A LOT OF NATIONAL MEDIA HERE.

Narrator: BUT WHETHER THE STORY IS NATIONAL OR LOCAL, MANY NEWS PHOTOGRAPHERS SEE THEMSELVES NOT ONLY AS ARTISTS BUT AS JOURNALISTS AS WELL.

Interviewer: AND DO YOU THINK THAT YOU HAVE ANY INFLUENCE ON HOW PEOPLE ARE PORTRAYED?

- YOU MEAN AS FAR AS AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE PORTRAYED?

- YEAH.

- I'M ALWAYS CONSCIOUS OF THAT.

BUT BASICALLY, I HAVE TO DO WHAT THE JOB DICTATES.

I ALWAYS GO OUT OF MY WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M IMPARTIAL AND I'M JUST SHOOTING JUST FOR WHAT THE SUBJECT IS OR WHAT THE ASSIGNMENT IS, AND NOT TRYING TO INTERJECT ANY PERSONAL FEELINGS ON MY PART.

Narrator: DAVIS FOUND HIS LIFE WORK IN PHOTOGRAPHY AND HE ENCOURAGES FUTURE GENERATIONS TO ALSO FIND THEIR DREAM JOBS.

Sidney: I'M DOING WHAT I LOVE AND THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT IN LIFE IS TO DO SOMETHING THAT MATTERS AND SOMETHING THAT YOU LIKE.

Narrator: AND THAT'S THE COMMON THREAD FOR ALL OF THESE MEN.

ALEX SIMMONS FOUND SUCCESS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA.

Alex: SO I DO THINK I'M CALLED TO TWEET.

JUST TO GET MY MESSAGE OUT THERE AND USE WHO I AM TO SPREAD IT.

Narrator: TONY NORMAN, IN THE WORDS OF HIS COLUMNS.

Tony: THAT'S WHAT I ENJOY MOST, WHEN I CAN SIT DOWN AND JUST SORT OF WRITE AND GET LOST IN THE WORDS, I LOVE THAT.

Narrator: AND FOR CHRIS MOORE, CHANGING PERCEPTIONS AND FOSTERING THE TALENTS OF FUTURE MEDIA MEN AND WOMEN.

- IF YOU SET THAT BAR RIGHT HERE, THEY'LL CLEAR IT.

IF YOU SET IT RIGHT HERE, THEY'LL TRY IT.

IF YOU SET IT WAY UP THERE, THEY'LL TRY TO CLEAR IT.

IT JUST MAKES ME PROUD.

IT MAKES ME SMILE TO KNOW THAT IF YOU TAKE AN INTEREST IN THESE YOUNG FOLKS, THEY TAKE THAT INTEREST IN YOU, TOO, AND THEY TRY TO SUCCEED.

Announcer: FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS.

THANK YOU.