Cathy Cushing: Writer, Produce, Editor

First introduced in 2001, Library Life is written, produced, and edited by Cathy Cushing, the driving force behind the program’s success.  Cathy is a native Chicagoan who grew up on the city’s northwest side and graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.

Cathy began her broadcasting career at WLS-TV where she gained valuable journalistic experience working as a summer news writer.  She later obtained her television engineering license and was hired by WGN-TV as an ENG and studio engineer.  “The WGN position really increased my skills — I learned to edit video news segments and work under pressure,” Cathy said.

Cathy honed her on-air broadcasting skills as a television news reporter in South Bend, Indiana and Fresno, California.  She also began working in LA’s fledgling cable industry hosting nationally broadcast financial, travel, and family friendly talk shows as well as doing freelance reporting and producing for independent stations in Los Angeles.  “It was a fascinating time in broadcasting.  Cable was just starting and no one really knew where it would end up,” Cushing recalled.

Cathy ended up here in Mount Prospect coming full circle with Library Life.  After raising two children and serving on numerous school and organizational public relations committees, she’s back on cable TV and uses all the skills — producing, writing, editing — she developed during her years in the industry.

“Our goal is to make the program inherently ‘watchable’— we want people to enjoy viewing the various aspects of “Library Life” Cushing said.  Six years and more than 60 Library Life programs later, Cushing is still hard at work and dedicated to the Library program she has shepherded through its inception to its continuing award-winning level of excellence.

Behind the Scenes with Cathy Cushing Each monthly Library Life program is built around three feature segments and a studio interview.  Working a month or two in advance, the producer, Cathy Cushing, scours the list of upcoming Library events and programming.  She tries to select a mix of features with an eye to those that transfer well to a visual media.  From “Creepy Crawley Critters” in Youth Services to a one-woman Emily Dickinson presentation, Library Life brings the best of the Library’s programming events to those in the community who may not have been able to attend—or to those who did attend and want to see it again! Besides programming, Library Life also keeps the community informed on upcoming events and Library activities. Library policies and services as well as summer reading programs, teen activities, and upcoming author visits are all highlighted on the cable television show. Once the topics have been selected, Cathy contacts Library staff for detailed information on the segments and completes any other research needed for the program.  She then writes the program’s opening, the transitions between the segments, the closing, and determines the location within the Library where these segments will be taped.

Working with the Village of Mount Prospect’s cable TV station, MPTV, a taping schedule is set.  On “taping” days, Cushing can be seen roaming the Library with a camera manned by MPTV personnel, either Tom Wallace or Cable Production Coordinator, Howard Kleinstein.  “Howard and Tom are talented working companions,” Cathy said.  “I can always count on their technical tutoring and advice.” 

While some patrons — and staff — shy away from the camera, most have grown accustomed to it, and many are very interested in the process. The program uses one camera with Cathy determining the various interview segments and shots to be used as she writes and produces the program’s feature reports. Cathy’s skill in this area makes the program much more enjoyable than the typical “one-camera” event.

Cathy spends the final week editing the program, adding such features as her “Book Smart Quiz”—a multiple choice trivia question with the answer following a public service announcement break.  Library patrons may find themselves featured on the program as well during one of the “man-on-the-street” question and answer interviews.

The Library staff also gets in on the act—quite literally! One of the program’s most popular regular features is an on-camera book review by a library staff member.  Besides the featured book of the month, the staff member also prepares a short annotated booklist of related titles to further the viewers’ reading selections. The program even makes local celebrities out of Library staff!

“I’ve had people come up to me in the grocery store and say ‘Oh, I saw you on TV’” reports Readers Advisor Librarian Linda Burns.  “We know they’re watching!”

Library Life runs daily at 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on MPTV2, Comcast Channel 15 and WOW Channel 6 and can now be seen from the Library’s Web site.  “It’s another way to let people know about all the great things the Library has to offer,” said Executive Director Marilyn Genther.  “We’re very proud of the program.”