My name is Dean Gutheil. I'm a Television Journalist with CBC TV. I've been at CBC since 1990 (early part). Before that I was at CKTV for three years. Before then I was a Sports Writer and a Radio Announcer. So I've sort of gone from print to radio to TV. I don't know if it's a natural progression but that's the way it's gone.

[Typical Work Day:]

Every day is different but normally we would start off in a story meeting where you basically bring ideas to the table. Sometimes the ideas are brought to you on the table or on a sheet and sometimes they're assigned to you. At the meeting we decide who's going to do a story. From there we usually get on the phone. Sometimes you get on the phone or you go to a news conference. You know, they'll say there's a news conference at ten o'clock so you go to that.

Sometimes they're sort of self-generating stories where you think you have an idea of a story. You might call a guy up and sort of pick his brain for five or ten minutes and realize, "Hey, there's something here." So every day is very different and that’s the joy of the job.

You're not pigeonholed into a routine of every day is going to be the same. Every day you're talking to new people about different things and your day is never the same. The only consistency is probably the meeting in the morning at nine o'clock and beyond that your day takes off and you go wherever news is happening.

[Hours Of Work:]

Your shift is supposed to be 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, or 9:00 am to 5:30 pm but many times you're working nights. Many times you're coming in at 4:00 am to go on an out-of-town shoot. So it can be all hours of the night sometimes. I've been called out of bed at 1:00 am or 2:00 am in the old days and there's something going on. There's a shooting or a fire breaking out or you're on call that particular night - you can be called at all hours of the night.

Generally speaking I'd say it's a 9:00 am to 5:00 pm job; but I've worked weekends, night shifts, a 168 hours a week - every hour of that week at one point in my life.

[Most Challenging Aspects:]

I think the most challenging is probably just making a deadline. Every day you're basically asked to do up a story, an item every day, a news story every day. So getting all your ducks lined up and getting all the people you want in that story is the most challenging aspect.

Also trying to be fair. Trying to hear both sides of the story. Your job is basically to find the truth.

Sometimes people aren't home or aren't answering their phone. People don't want to talk. The toughest job is just to get all those players on camera to talk. A lot of times people will talk to you on the phone. On radio they'll do a clip for you and they'll talk to you if you're in print. But if you're on TV, something about that television camera really intimidates people because they're not used to having a camera in their face. Even though (in this video age) people own video and camcorders, a lot of people just aren't comfortable with a camera in their face. They don't want to talk to you so you have to (sometimes I say, "I'm just a glorified used car salesman") convince people to go on camera.

[One Thing That You Would Change In This Occupation:]

The one thing I would change about the job is perhaps to change people's perception about the media. I think a lot of times people have sort of a negative feeling towards the media. They think we have an agenda or they pigeonhole you, "You're from the CBC so you have a left-wing agenda or you're this or you're that." So I would just change people's attitudes about the media.

I think people have a negative attitude toward the media and some of that was brought upon ourselves I'll admit, because there are some pushy journalists, some sensationalism, and tabloid culture out there now. And then the Diana situation with the paparazzi - I think that gave the media even a worse name. I would try to change people's perception of the media.

[Most Satisfying Aspects:]

I think the most satisfying is when the tape's been dubbed over, the story is finished and it goes to air and you see it and think, "Yeah, that was a good item considering the time constraints I was under and the difficulty getting the stories." There’s a lot of job satisfaction when it finally sees the light of day and it's seen by the hundreds of viewers out there.

I love my job so I get satisfied. Some days you're working on dog stories. They're not the greatest of stories but on a day when you're working on a good, tough story and it took a lot of digging to get it and you get it, that's really satisfying.

[Education & Training:]

Obviously, you go to school but I don't know if that's a prerequisite. I think we can point to Peter Mansbridge as a fellow who I think probably has a Grade 12 education. I think your life experiences prepare you for this job.

I went to the University of Regina for a year, I believe, before they had the Journalism program. So I took Arts and Science, all my electives...realizing that there'd be no Journalism program for several years. As it turned out, there wasn't. I transferred my credits to Mount Royal College in Calgary and took Broadcasting and Journalism there.

I think beyond the schooling, your life experiences help you in your job - probably more so than school. Obviously school prepares you for the basics, but I think just living your life and experiencing many things gives you a good base to do your job because your job is about reporting what happens in life. So the more you live, the more you experience and the more you can offer to the viewers.

[Skills Needed:]

I think being a good listener is key because basically you're taking information from someone else and trying to relay it to the viewer. So you have to be a good listener.

[Teamwork Skills:]

Teamwork is pivotal. There are so many links in the chain here. You've got an Editor, a Camera Person, an Assignment Desk - you've got so many links in the chain and every link in that chain has to be operating pretty well or the link breaks and the chain breaks and disaster happens.

Teamwork is very important and sometimes it's tough when you've got artistic, creative people. You always have a difference of opinion about what's news and the treatment of that news. You’ve always got conflicts so it's really important that you work together and come to a consensus even though you may agree to disagree. Because at the end of the day, you've got to get that story on the air and there has to be some consensus.

[Advice For Someone Entering This Field Of Work:]

The first advice I would give them is to read as much as possible. Learn as much about everything as possible. Don't just watch TV. Read the papers, good Canadian magazines, Saturday Night or MacLeans. Read anything you can get your hands on that you think is good. Read about the legal system or politics. Read about anything but always stay informed.

If you go to journalism school or broadcasting school, or even if you're a history major or political science major who has a leaning toward journalism, don't think you're going to start in a major market. Don't think you're going to start in Toronto or Ottawa or Vancouver. For the most part you have to pay your dues. I was in Melfort, Saskatchewan and Medicine Hat, Alberta. Those are great places but it's not New York City. You have to pay your dues and that's where you learn to do a lot of things because you have to.

Now the new reality is that you are doing lots of things in bigger markets. But I would say, take small steps and you'll get to where you want to go. You can go as far as you want to go but you have to start somewhere - sort of "walk before you run."