Macon Magazine

Station Manager/Community Development Specialist GPB Radio Macon & Middle Georgia JOSEPHINE BENNETT You started out in radio, correct? Yes, my life has come full circle. While I was a student at Brigham Young University in Utah I worked at the school's public radio station. Later an internship led to a position as a morning drive producer and reporter at a Salt Lake radio station. After we moved to Connecticut, I worked in the television industry. Then in 1991 our family moved to Macon, and I stayed home with my daughter while freelancing for the Viacom networks including Nick Jr., Nickelodeon and TV Land. In 2006 I found out that Macon would be getting its own public radio station. I applied for the position of Morning Edition Host and Reporter. As part of my interview at Georgia Public Broadcasting's headquarters in Atlanta I was put in a studio and asked to write a sample newscast and deliver it. A few weeks later I was hired. What topics did you cover in your years as a reporter? I covered several issues important to Middle Georgia including agriculture, business, education, poverty, politics and Robins Air Force Base. I also had the chance to report regularly for NPR. Tell us about your new position as Station Manager/ Community Development Specialist. In 2011 GPB was awarded a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to increase local news coverage and community engagement. In 2012 Adam Ragusea came from WBUR in Boston and joined us as the new Morning Edition Host and news bureau chief. Leah Fleming came several months later from WLRN in Miami as a reporter and host of All Things Considered. My responsibilities now include working to increase GPB's visibility in Middle Georgia, creating community partnerships, and securing financial support to cover the increased staffing. This is not difficult because I am passionate about public broadcasting and the mission of GPB Macon. I want to see us build on the last seven years, and become an integral part of the community as we cover local issues and engage the public in meaningful conversation to make this a better place to live. GPB Macon is also a partner in The Center for Collaborative Journalism. Yes. The joint project between GPB, Mercer University, and The Telegraph is to train the next generation of journalists. 1337 Linden Avenue I Macon I 478-301-5763 www.gpb.org 92 l MACON MAGAZINE JUNE/JULY 2013 Coordinator Macon/Bibb Citizen Advocacy KATINA CLAY How did you get started in your work with Macon Bibb Citizen Advocacy? I was having dinner at a packed Red Lobster. We all talked about our "jobs," and I mentioned I would really like to give back to the community by helping others. Someone said you should meet Connie Flair, coordinator of Macon Bibb Citizen Advocacy; she's having dinner here tonight. We were introduced and set up a meeting. Our first meeting opened my eyes and touched my heart as she shared what people who have developmental disabilities have experienced: isolation, abuse, neglect, and social exclusion. The rest is history. I started work on March 15, 2006. What do you feel the public doesn't understand about your work? The public probably doesn't know we've been in Macon for 35 years. We are a community-based, non-profit organization with a commitment to provide protection and advocacy for people with disabilities through a one-to-one "unpaid" relationship. We believe all members of the community deserve opportunities to be included. My job is to find advocates and match them with the right people who need their help. Through their volunteer citizen participation, citizen advocates are able to confront negative stereotypes, pull down barriers and become a bridge of inclusion for someone who has lived separate from community. Local citizens provide powerful protection and advocacy for their neighbors who live with developmental disabilities. What do you feel is most important about what you do? Finding people with developmental disabilities who need an advocate is the most important part of what I do. Sometimes we get referrals from other agencies that know who we are and what we do, but for the most part it is essential to look for people who live here and would benefit from having someone in their lives to speak up on their behalf. What is the most rewarding part of your job? The most rewarding part of my work is "Making the right match!" Citizen advocacy relationships can save lives for people who have developmental disabilities and can change the lives for those who become citizen advocates. One of the greatest gifts to both the citizen advocate and the person who has a disability is the potential gift of a long lasting relationship. 613 Cherry Street I Macon, Ga. I 478-743-1521 A D V E R T I S E M E N T

• Cover