00:00:08
Raquel Baldelomar
Hi, I'm Raquel Baldelomar, and welcome to the Mega Podcast where I speak with influential and noteworthy people on how they achieve their professional dreams while maintaining balance throughout their lives. Today I am with Chris Cristi. Chris is the evening Air reporter for ABC Eyewitness News. Since moving to Los Angeles in 2014, Chris has enjoyed a bird's eye view of Southern California while reporting breaking news. In addition to weather and traffic, he has included police chases, wildfires ,and, shootings in his reporting. In 2016, Chris received a radio and television News Association award for his live coverage reporting over the K on pass brush fire, which consumed an entire stretch of freeway traffic, born and raised in Florida. Chris graduated from the University of Central Florida and worked for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center, following his work during the tragic Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster.
In 2003, Chris went on to launch his helicopter reporting career at Fox in Orlando, and later at WS v n in Miami in 2005, as Hurricane Rita ravaged the Texas coastline, Chris flew on special assignment for CBS News and Chronicle the Hurricane as an airborne photojournalist. In the years since Chris has traveled the world and interviewed newsmakers and celebrities for various entertainment outlets, before living in L.A., Chris spent several years reporting for Fox five in New York City, where he covered historic moments such as the 2005 MTA Subways Strike, and the US Airways Flight 1549 Miracle on the Hudson. Chris is married and has an 18-month-old daughter he loves reading Disney books too.
00:01:51
Raquel Baldelomar
Welcome to the Mega podcast.
Thank you so much. It's great to be here.
00:01:54
Raquel Baldelomar
Here. It's great to have you here. So my first question is, how did you get to become a helicopter reporter? That is a dream job for most young, young boys, especially. So many of my brothers thought it was so cool to be a helicopter
Reporter. It is a dream job. It is. And yeah, I always, even as a young child, knew I wanted to be in television, knew I was fascinated by the news, and wanted to be a reporter at a very early age.
00:02:19
Raquel Baldelomar
How, like, how did that happen? Was it just watching the TV news?
It, it was, you know, I mean, I watched my fair share of sitcoms and cartoons, uh, but I, I would say by 10 years old, really, I was pretty glued.
00:02:30
Raquel Baldelomar
You knew, you knew at 10 years old you had that calling local
News, but then there was like the Gulf War and the OJ Chase, which was very influential. Yeah. I mean, I followed the OJ trial minute by minute at 14, 15 years old . Yeah. I was sneaking, you know, sneaking updates wherever I can on the radio in class, and it was just, it was an obsession. At one point, who
00:02:52
Raquel Baldelomar
Were your favorite news reporters, would you say? I mean, when you were young? We were, I mean, I remember following like Barbara Walters and Mike Wallace and Diane Sawyer. I mean those, all of us. I mean, you know, there was always an element of like trust that I, I felt they all had. I mean, would you, who would you say were your like, favorite reporters?
And you know, it's changed so much, but back then it was these few that Peter Jennings, the Barbara Walters, like you said, um, Katie Krick, Mattau, all of these guys. I mean, there were these dapper personalities mm-hmm.
who had this amazing career with a front row seat to history mm-hmm. and they saw it all and traveling the world. And I love traveling. Yeah. Um, and I love meeting interesting people. I mean, you're meeting the most interesting mm-hmm. people in the world and most interesting news makers in the world, whether it's, you know, uh, a politician or a celebrity or whatever the case may be. I, at a very early age, in high school still, which is where I had my first job, my first two weeks on the job, I interviewed Donald Trump,
00:03:54
Raquel Baldelomar
OJ Simpson. No way. Hold on a second. How old were you when you interviewed Donald Trimino Simpson?
About a senior in high school, so roughly 18 years old. Wow.
00:04:05
Raquel Baldelomar
Yeah.
Wow. And just happenstance, I mean, Donald Trump was on a red carpet Right. Had just started dating Melania. Wow. Um, OJ Simpson had just started house hunting in Miami. I was working for the NBC affiliate in Miami and uh, got
00:04:19
Raquel Baldelomar
So you were like a news reporter for I
Was even a reporter. Yeah. You were just a young assignment desk assistant. Oh, wow. Yeah. I was actually started behind the camera as a camera operator, uhhuh, and would hang out at the assignment desk and they would send me on stories.
00:04:33
Raquel Baldelomar
And this for like a news station that you were
DC in Miami? Yeah. So it was like
00:04:37
Raquel Baldelomar
At 18 years
Old. Yeah. I would literally Wow. Get outta school and then shoot, that was shoot down to Miami. Wow. And do studio camera for the 11 o'clock news.
00:04:45
Raquel Baldelomar
Really? Yeah. So that's kind of how you got into the, just the whole field of reporting. Yeah. And then how did, like, get into the helicopter? Cuz I'm sure there's such a difference. I mean, to be not just a reporter, but then getting into helicopter. Yeah.
That came a little bit later on. I was in college doing traffic on the radio Uhhuh at first Uhhuh. And then one day, or the company that I was working for Metro Traffic, they had a helicopter that they would lease to the different different TV stations. Um, so they would use the picture from the helicopter and I would do the traffic from the helicopter. Yeah. At one point my boss said, how would you like to learn how to shoot, you know, operate the camera from the helicopter? Which at that time, and still in many positions today, it's a multitasking job of reporting and shooting at the same time. Right, right. Um, and so I started doing that and one day, actually the space shuttle Columbia, the day of the space shuttle, Columbia disaster, uh, I was sent out to the airport to get in the helicopter. Wow. And they threw me on television. Wow. So that was kind of a, a big break.
00:05:46
Raquel Baldelomar
And you had to like, I'm, I mean, not only just learn the, I'll ever think about reporting, but then learning a helicopter, I did realize how
I didn't fly it. Okay. But it was, you know, you're still navigating. At that time there was no gps. So you have like, it wasn't just a camera, it was a stack of map books. Wow. That's incredible. Like this high. Yeah. And you're helping the pilot navigate. I knew I was fascinated by aviation uhhuh even earlier, but never dreamed of combining reporting and, and, and flying. Wow. I mean, I had, you know, been to my first air show at 15 years old in, in Fort Lauderdale on the beach. And, you know, I would watch these, you know, Thunderbirds and Blue Angels and I'm like, man, maybe, maybe I don't wanna go into tv. Maybe I'd rather go into the Navy. You know. Um, that lasted for like a split second. I also didn't have the 2020 vision at that time that you needed to be a pilot. But lo and behold, I would end up doing both. Getting to fly and report. So in that way it really is a dream
00:06:43
Raquel Baldelomar
Job. That is, I mean, it really is. And what do you think it requires to be a really good reporter? Not even like just a helicopter reporter. Cause I'm sure there's different skill sets that you need for that, but to be a good reporter nowadays, what do you think is critical and is it different than what it was during, like the Peter Jennings sort of days?
It's changed, but the principles are the same. I mean, you have to be obsessed with facts. Mm-hmm.
, you have to be grounded in the facts. And unfortunately mm-hmm. , so many journalists and journalistic institutions have strayed from that core principle. Many try and most of the mainstream media organizations really are at their core, you know, filled with good journalists. Mm-hmm. , you know, who have been trained and, you know, wanna inform the public. I mean, that's what it is. It's a public service at the end of the day. Yeah. And forming the audience storytelling, but grounded in fact. And so, as long as you're grounded, in fact, and I think you have to have a mastery of the English language to be able to communicate. Right. Um, I think those are the two most important things. I mean, I,
00:07:50
Raquel Baldelomar
And I also think trust, like being able to just, you know, maintain your credibility and your reputation
And maintaining that trust Yeah. Yeah's but building that trust with the audience and maintaining it. Yeah. Because it doesn't take much for that trust to evaporate. Right. If you get caught, you know, delivering a story that maybe, you know, was lacking, in fact.
00:08:13
Raquel Baldelomar
Yeah. So tell me a little bit about your journey to la. I mean, you, you've, you've, I mean, done so you've worked with nasa, you know, to New York and you've covered some incredible events in like new, just New York, like just Yeah, very. What, you know, how has your journey like to LA kind of shaped you as a reporter?
It's been a winding road. Uhhuh. Um, I grew up in South Florida, so I went to school in Orlando. Yeah. Ended up moving to my Miami and then, uh, had a big opportunity during the subway strike in 2005. Uh,
00:08:46
Raquel Baldelomar
And that was in New York,
Right? That was in New York, yeah. Got a call, uh, the Fox station in New York was in a pinch. So about 24, 48 hours later, I found myself on Good Day New York. And that turned into a, a big break. Yeah. And that was exciting.
00:09:00
Raquel Baldelomar
And it's, it's interesting too, like it's these little moments, like I've always said that like, the doors of your future can be as unassuming as they are unexpected. And it's, it's about like capitalizing on these little moments and like, that you're not exactly prepared for. You don't know it's gonna come, but then it's like, it comes and then you're like, that gives you your big break. I mean, I've, and speaking with so many people, I see that over and over again. But it, it's timing, but it's, it's a bit of luck. But then it's also, it's like learning to do something with that luck that comes your way.
Having the ability to take advantage Yeah. Of the opportunities. Yeah. When they come and not everybody gets those opportunities. That's the problem is that you could be really qualified and really smart and a fabulous reporter or at whatever you do. And if you're not at the right place at the right time sometimes Yeah. You know, those opportunities can go missed and you have to be ready for those.
00:09:49
Raquel Baldelomar
Yeah. No, I, Elon Musk said that luck is the, uh, biggest superpower , you know, if you can have luck, but then it's knowing what to do with that luck. Exactly. It doesn't happen very often. I mean, many times it doesn't happen, but when it does, I mean, I think that I've seen just in just reading your bio and just reading about you, I feel like how do you like all those little lucky breaks that you got? Like, you actually, like, you leveraged it and you really try to just make funny
Story about that. You know, I had a full-time job reporting the traffic for Fox and Miami Uhhuh at the time that Hurricane Rita was heading towards Houston at the time, and it was right after Katrina. Yeah. And there was this thought that it would be the next Katrina maybe worse cuz Houston's such a big city. They started evacuating the entire city of Houston. Okay. And I got this call to see if I wanted to take this opportunity and fly out to Texas and freelance for cbs. So I had to make a decision mm-hmm.
a split second decision really to virtually quit my full-time day job at 25 years old, which was already a pretty good job. Yeah. To take this national opportunity that may or may not pan, you know, pan out, who knows if the hurricane changes directions. I mean, it's a temporary assignment. It was a full-time job leaving that for a temporary assignment on a hope and a prayer that it would turn into something even bigger. Mm-hmm. and I came back from Houston with no job and it would, it was, but it was directly related to some of the opportunities that I, that came along just within weeks and months after that. But still, it was a
00:11:24
Raquel Baldelomar
Big But you, so you chose Yeah. So you chose to go down to Houston to actually cover this, right. This, this event that may or may not have would happen because it's was a weather related. Yeah. It was, you know, and then when you came back you're like, I I have no job. I mean, that's a big
Risk. And I had no job. Yeah. At that time it was like 25, no job. You know, I have, you know, and, and in this business you don't know where the next job is gonna be because it's a, it's a fickle industry. I mean, at that time, I wasn't under any kind of contract or anything. Um, and the hurricane did change directions. It ended up steering away from Houston in the Gulf, still into like the Louisiana, Texas
00:12:00
Raquel Baldelomar
Border. Were you able to cover it? Covered
It, and it was, it was a fantastic experience. Um, but it was shortlived. I mean, I think I was there for a couple weeks and, uh,
00:12:10
Raquel Baldelomar
It's, yeah. But it's making that split second decision and then that can change the whole direction of your career.
Yeah. It was a gamble. Yeah. Yeah. But it was a leap of faith too.
00:12:19
Raquel Baldelomar
Yeah. Well, I think so right now that gamble seemed to have paid off. It's paid off. It doesn't always pay off. It
Doesn't always pay off. But it was just weeks later that I would have that opportunity in New York, which is the number one market in the country. And my, you know, big market dreams as a, you know, a young kid in Miami,
00:12:37
Raquel Baldelomar
You need to be in the big markets came
True. Yeah. You know, and even though New York is number one demographically mm-hmm.
when it comes to what, what I do, breaking news, spot news, helicopter news coverage. Mm-hmm. , there really is nothing like LA to answer your question. I mean, LA was always kind of, this
00:12:56
Raquel Baldelomar
Really,
You know, it had this, uh, you know, maybe it was based on my obsession with the OJ trial and the OJ side guy. Is that,
00:13:03
Raquel Baldelomar
How would you describe the difference between New York, like reporting in LA reporting?
Well, you know, growing up in my growing up in the nineties, LA was always in the news. Mm-hmm.
, I mean, for, you know, for whatever, whatever it was. LA was just consistently in the national spotlight mm-hmm. . And so I had always been enamored with LA and la you know, it's the geography, it's the fires, it's the earthquakes, it's the celebrity Hollywood. Yeah. I mean, you know, police chases, we have an obsession in the city. Me too. We really police chases not only Denver City, but people now with streaming Uhhuh will stream from all over the world just to stay up on a Friday night and watch a police chase. Yeah. There's nothing like that in New York or anywhere else in the world. Yeah. No, it's, it's very, very unique. That's
00:13:45
Raquel Baldelomar
Interesting. Yeah. That's so, I mean, I love this city. I mean, I've been here for 12 years, but it, I never really thought about it from kind of like the reporting side of it, how it has its own sort of just dynamic as just that. Absolutely. That is so interesting. Yeah. You know, one of the things that it dawned on me as I was preparing for this was the, like, you get such an extreme adrenaline rush and what you do, like your work life is literally just filled with just these extreme adrenaline rushes. I mean, from like, car chases shootings. I mean, some of it is morbid, but some of it's also exciting. So how does, like, like, can you just talk about some of those, like reporting, like events that, like, where you're like, like goosebumps, you know, you had that, that just like made you that adrenaline rush.
It's an adrenaline rush. It really is. But the adrenaline is more of a byproduct of my function, right? Mm-hmm.
, like I, I am so in the moment, I am so focused on collecting the facts mm-hmm. gathering the information mm-hmm. relaying the information act. So
00:14:51
Raquel Baldelomar
You have to be really calm and measured. I have to. And when you're in that, it's like in zone extreme. Like extreme.
Absolutely. And I'm navigating with the pilot. I'm talking to my photographer. Yeah. I'm talking to the assignment desk. I'm on social media, I'm on Twitter. I'm gathering information all kinds of different ways. Um, and I'm looking out the window. I'm looking into a video monitor, painting a picture for the viewer of what's happening in real time. Yeah. There's no script, there's no notes. Very few notes. So it's a matter of, you know, being able to, you know, tell a story on the fly, no pun
00:15:22
Raquel Baldelomar
Intended. So to like, to to our viewers who, um, are just getting to know you. Like describe an event that, that you were reporting and what it's like to ex just, you know, that really gave you that adrenaline rush and how you had to like, go through and be really calm and measured and collected while you're dealing with it's extreme Yeah. Event. Yeah.
I mean, you know, there's one, one chase actually that comes to mind right away. It's one of these, you know, once in a, I don't wanna say once in a lifetime, but once, you know, every few years you get a chase, like we had a few years ago, which was a stolen rv. Um, a woman driving crazily through the San Fernando Valley. She had two dogs, two huge dogs in her lap. And she just paved a path of destruction, crashing into things, really wiping out other, you know, running red lights, wiping out other cars. She ended up crashing. One of the dogs jumps out of the RV in the middle of the chase. It was one of these wild, unpredictable wow chases. People were glued. And it was about as exciting as a chase gets. Yeah. Um, I don't even think about the adrenaline until at the end of the day when I go to recap, you know, everything that just happened, Uhhuh, that I really kind of, you know, absorb it. Because in the moment, like I said, the adrenaline's pumping, but that's kind of what's giving you the ability to keep calm, cool, and collected. Right. And not like, you know. Right. You have to find the words in real time Exactly. To tell this story because people are hanging on your words in addition to the pictures. Yeah. So it's a, it's a, it's a, um, it's a reward. It's rewarding in that respect, but the adrenaline doesn't really start to level off until after it's all over. You
00:17:12
Raquel Baldelomar
Don't even realize it, you don't even realize it until, until the, and then like, that's when you're trying to, when you're trying to go home. Let's say you go home after the end of the workday where you're reporting on something like this and uh, like what do you, like, how do you find that balance between just, you just reported this incredible car chase scene. Yeah. And then you're going home now, and just like, how is your, you know, tell me about your day. You know, you know your, your lovely wife. Yeah. And just, you know, how do you balance that, the ordinary life against this backdrop of this extreme adrenaline rush of just the shootings, wildfires, car chases that you have to do. And then, you know, there's regular reporting too, but it is, it is quite a difference.
You know, there's days where, like we just talked about, I will recap it and replay it and I'll, I'll critique myself. Yeah. I'll, I'll rewatch it. Some nights I'll go home and actually rewatch. And either I'll be really proud of myself or I'll be really like hard on myself. There's other nights where I can't remember what I've done all day. I may have flown over. Yeah. A crash, a fire or a police chase. Yeah. And 10 other things. And I can't even remember because I'm not even thinking about it. I go into a completely different zone where I just pour a drink and relax. Yeah. You know, or watch TV and, you know, you
00:18:37
Raquel Baldelomar
Have to do something. Like you have to do something. That's the antithesis of that. Is that what you do? You just like, basically vege out a bit, sit in front of the tv, just kind of like Absolutely. I know, I, I,
The pressure is on when I'm on television, but when I get home, the beauty of the job is I get to leave work.
00:18:54
Raquel Baldelomar
Well, you have a different kind of pressure. I, I wanna get to that, I wanna get to that. But it is a different kind of pressure and responsibility,
But I don't have to bring it home, which
00:19:01
Raquel Baldelomar
Is Yes, you do. And that's a really, and that's a skill of like, how, how not to bring. But I, I wanna get into that actually, because like, you know, uh, you, you covered just the, the challenger, the, the Columbia. Exactly. The Columbia blow up. I mean, so many of these just, I mean, shootings, terrorist attacks mm-hmm.
, how do you, in a way, I sometimes think it's almost like a war veteran, you know, going and seeing like going to war zone and then coming back home and then trying to adjust to civilian life
From that. Yeah. I would, I would never compare it to, to a war fighter, especially what I do. Because in a sense, you're safe. And I've done some ground reporting and I've seen some of the blood and the, you know, really depressing stuff up close. Um, and that's a bit different. See, the reporters on the ground are in a little bit of a different position side by side with first responders many times seeing all of that up close. So there is some safety being in that bubble up in the sky. But oftentimes we fly in, helicopter in mm-hmm.
cover the story, inform the viewer, and then fly away mm-hmm. . And so there's something that's a little bit detached Yeah. In that kind of reporting. Yeah. So I'm not gonna say I never have nightmares. I don't have any kind of post-traumatic stress. But it's definitely something that, I mean, we see, you know, horrible things on a regular basis. You know, whether it's dead bodies or whatever the
00:20:33
Raquel Baldelomar
Case may be. Yeah. And how do you try to find just the po maintain posi, you know, the, the positivity in yourself and, and your outlook in life? Cuz it is something that I've, I've seen is you're reporting, I mean, that's just just being news. You have to report on a lot of negative stuff.
I take the good with the bad. Okay. Because at the end of the day, collectively, I a, I love what I do. Mm-hmm.
, that's important. On top of that, I work hard, but I also play hard. So that's good. I'm all about going home and having the best time with my wife and my daughter. And we have the most amazing weekends and we go on fabulous vacations. And that's really what kind of keeps me sane.
00:21:18
Raquel Baldelomar
, that's important. Well, I wanna, let's talk about that. So let's talk about your family and what you have you, how long have you been married?
Been married for 12 years this month.
00:21:27
Raquel Baldelomar
Congratulations. Thank you. It's, what are you guys gonna do for your anniversary?
We have a nice date. Night plan.
00:21:31
Raquel Baldelomar
Nice. Yeah. How often do you guys do date night?
Pretty regularly. Really?
00:21:35
Raquel Baldelomar
That's so important. Oh, extremely important. That's so important. I love hearing that. Yeah. I love hearing that. So you have 12 years and you have an 18 month old daughter. Yeah.
00:21:45
Raquel Baldelomar
Amazing. What's her name? Aspen. Aspen, yeah. Oh, I love that name. Yeah. And just what has it been like to just be a father? I mean, just, I'm, are you sleeping at nights are
Pretty lucky in the sleep department, but it has changed everything.
really. I mean, it really has. And you know, with my schedule, I work evenings like you mentioned mm-hmm. . So I make the most of my time with her in the morning. Mm-hmm. , that's where I find, you know.
00:22:11
Raquel Baldelomar
So you spend time with her in the morning. Well you would say that's kind of the time that you
Are. Yep, yep. She's daddy's girl in the morning. So we go to the beach and we take walks and she loves getting on the bike. Nice. You know, she's got the bike seat and she just loves it. So that's, you know, we're watching cartoons or on the bike. It's quality time.
00:22:31
Raquel Baldelomar
So before that, how, um, like before you had her, let's just talk, you know, you, you, what would you and your wife do? Like how would you spend your time? Um, you know, with family, I mean, and using family time. This is family time and then this is work time. You talk about vacations, you have date nights. Yep. Like what's,
We're big foodie. So we love Oh, that's great. We love whether it's a new burger joint or a nice new restaurant. We, we love sampling. Especially here in LA where we have such great food out. Yeah. We love, we love eating out. We love spending time with our friends. That's important. Spending time with family wherever we get the chance. Uh, most of our family back East Uhhuh, but we try to get back east as often as we can too. So That's great. You know, I mean it's, it's, it's, that's, those are the things that really help me balance. That's important. The
00:23:15
Raquel Baldelomar
Stress. How, what, so being married 12 years, what would you say is like the secret to a happy relationship?
Those date nights are pretty important. Really?
00:23:25
Raquel Baldelomar
.
00:23:26
Raquel Baldelomar
Everyone that's married after like five years, I know a lot of people, like, they start to let that go. No, you cannot. You know? So have date nights crucial. Was it one night? Two nights a week is
At least every other week. But I mean, not all. I mean, she's off. I mean, you know, we, we, she, you know, Aspen will join us, you know. Good. And we, we have, have we,
00:23:45
Raquel Baldelomar
And now there's Aspen. Join,
Join. Yeah. Absolutely. Sometimes,
00:23:48
Raquel Baldelomar
I mean, and what's your wife's name?
00:23:50
Raquel Baldelomar
Marissa. Okay. Yeah. So Aspen joins you and Marissa.
Yep. And we have family nights and we have date nights where it's just the two. Just the two of us. That's great. And you know, like I said, you know, Saturday comes and we make the most of the
00:24:01
Raquel Baldelomar
Weekends. And when it's just the date night, do you have like a nanny or a babysitter? Babysitter. Babysitter. Take care of you guys. Okay. That's good.
Which is hard because we don't have family here.
00:24:10
Raquel Baldelomar
Right. That's, I mean, and that is a we're lucky to have. I know. And just, that's a big thing. I mean, I've been in a, I've been in LA for 12 years and it's just like, one of the things I've seen is so many people are transients. I mean, they, they're not from here and they don't have family here. So it's, yeah. It's tough. It, it's, it's a lot tougher to have a family and then do these things like having date nights and just like having a babysitter and, and taking time for each other. And just yourself. Yeah. You know, when, when it's, it's just a, you know, you don't have the, the support system that it takes effort. It does. Yeah. It really does. Um, so what is your sleep and exercise routine now, would you say?
00:24:49
Raquel Baldelomar
It's changed. Okay. So what was it like before? Cause you seem like very fit. You have to be
. Well, I, I, I try. It's, it's, it's, it's always, it's work in progress. But I try and drink a lot of water. I try and, I mean, living near the beach, you know, come from the East coast. Eight years ago has been life changing. I love whether it's biking on the beach, walking the beach, that's my morning routine really. I will get my coffee, throw on a podcast and get to the beach to find peace. So
00:25:20
Raquel Baldelomar
That's kind of your
Alone time to move and stay active and Yeah.
00:25:24
Raquel Baldelomar
How often would you say you do that?
Try to do it every day. Almost every
00:25:27
Raquel Baldelomar
Day. Yeah. That's wonderful. So you wake up in the morning since you get, so, so you do your evening, you know, so, so you do your mornings, you take this like morning time right? For yourself? You'll go to the beach
00:25:38
Raquel Baldelomar
Have a podcast. Yep. And then just like, usually
Try and squeeze in some lunch with my wife before work Uhhuh. Nice. I'll get Aspen, a daycare care mm-hmm.
, and then off we go. That's great. Yep. They're asleep when I get home, so I have quiet time when, when I
00:25:52
Raquel Baldelomar
Get home. What time? Like, so what
Time? Once you get home around
00:25:54
Raquel Baldelomar
Midnight. Okay. You get around midnight and then what time do you go to work?
Which is, and I go in around around one
00:25:58
Raquel Baldelomar
O'clock. Around one o'clock. So one. So it's literally almost like a 12 hour. Yeah. It's a 12 hour. So it's a very intense work day. And when you're on, like, you have to be super on sharp.
Yeah. Yeah. There's no such thing as like Right. You know, mailing it in on tv, you know, you really have to be on
00:26:14
Raquel Baldelomar
Point. What happens when there's not like a heavy news day? Like if it's, I mean, I think I always think about the big, you know, events, but then there's always like, there's just not a big
Heavy news day. You know, some of the slower news days or some of our busiest days is because you still have to fill a newscast. Uhhuh. And so the best way to get those, even if they're not big stories, there are a lot of little stories that you can only get to by helicopters. Mm-hmm.
. So those turns out to be sometimes be busy days and some days we don't fly that much. I mean, it's really unpredictable. I never know what I'm facing when I go into work. I could be, could be flying seven hours today Yeah. When I get in. Or I might fly for an hour.
00:26:48
Raquel Baldelomar
And I think that is why like, having that morning routine of going to the beach and just kind of just clearing your head is so important so that you can be prepared for anything. Yeah. Like that's, I, for me it's meditation. Like I, I want to, I like to start my morning, you know, with my a cup of coffee and I just try to meditate and I go through this prayer that I do and it always means something, you know, different every day based on, based on just what's going on in my life. And it prepares me for whatever the world is throwing at me, you know, sets the tone. Yeah. It really does. Yeah. And if, if I feel like I had a good meditation session, I could just, I, I can be superwoman, I can take anything. And I think with you do, it's, it's like you have to do that as well because it's like if you, whether you're flying an hour or seven hours or you're reporting something really big or some, I mean, you have to be prepared for anything. And there's an element of just having to be so ready for that.
Every day is different. I don't always wake up in a great mood. Yeah. I mean, you know, I might wake up on the wrong side of the bed one day, I might not feel that. Well, I might be, you know, whatever the case may be. Yeah. And getting that time, especially here in southern California where we have such great weather and just getting outside for fresh air Right. Will completely straighten me out.
00:28:04
Raquel Baldelomar
But even, even like the boundaries and knowing when to say, Hey, I need to basically take a break. Like, we were supposed to do this interview, I mean, almost like, you know, a month ago. Yeah. But you had, like, you were under the weather and you said like, you know, I need to just basic, I need to take care of time for me. Mm-hmm.
for me, how do you, you know, that's a great example, but just talk about how you try to set boundaries with other, you know, responsibilities, other things so that you can actually be really focused when you're, you know, because not every day you're great waking up with in the best mood, or you're sick or you're, you know, you're, maybe you're feeling a little low. Mm-hmm. . So what do you do when on those days that are, is you're not, at the time
It's a, it's, it's a, it's a constant effort, right? Mm-hmm.
, I mean, is time management, but when you have an odd schedule, yeah. It's even that much more challenging. But I really have to get in the zone regardless of what's happening at work. When I'm home, work is at work cuz the news is mm-hmm. over and I'm focused on whatever I'm doing with, whether it's with the family or by myself mm-hmm. and vice versa. When I get to work, I really have to let go of everything else unless there's an emergency. Obviously I am, you know, especially in the helicopter, I'm in a bubble. Yeah. So I'm literally and figuratively in a zone. Yeah. Where I just am in full concentration mode.
00:29:22
Raquel Baldelomar
And do you think that is kind of what you're, like how you balance your work and your personal life is like when you, when you are in your, you know, when it's family time, like it's family time, you're not thinking about work, you're not really focused. Are you watching news or, and when you're like focused on work, I mean you can't really have your, I mean, unless for emergencies, you really can't be really
Focusing. I also consume a lot of news. Don't get me wrong. Okay. My, my wi my my wife will, uh, tell you stories about that. I mean, I watch a lot of news, not a lot of news even at home. Um, but it's, it's obviously it's different. It's more of out of enjoyment. Mm-hmm.
, because I You love that. I love it. Right. Yeah. So I am very lucky that I love what I do, but part of what I do mm-hmm. , whether it's at work or at home, is stay informed about what's going on in the world. That's where I find instead of meditation, I actually,
00:30:13
Raquel Baldelomar
You like to absorb.
I absorb. That's interesting. It's, it's, it's constant intake of That's so interesting. Whatever's going on in the world.
00:30:20
Raquel Baldelomar
Yeah. That's, and how do you think that, is it just something that's innate in you? Because like, I have found that for me, like I kind of have to keep a low information diet.
00:30:30
Raquel Baldelomar
People like that. It's just so, it's too much stuff. Too much stimulation. Yeah. And do you think, I mean, I think that's probably, cuz I'm also kind of an introvert,
. Yeah. You know, but it's very common really. And I have this news bug, like a lot of people that I work with that I, if, if you were to put me on a deserted island without my phone, that's a problem. I cannot relax that. Yeah.
00:30:53
Raquel Baldelomar
Right. That's so, and is that just based on like our, you know, our personality Do think, so you think it comes down to that? Would you say you're an introvert or an extrovert?
I'm probably more introverted than I am an extrovert uhhuh. But I mean, I, I I love socializing. Yeah. But at the
00:31:05
Raquel Baldelomar
Same time. But you love that out. You love that.
The older I get, the more I really enjoy my alone time. .
00:31:10
Raquel Baldelomar
Yeah. Yeah. Uh, how are you, like how do you spend your alone time other than just your, your, um, the box? Do you do other things? Do you, are you into exercise?
Do you I I like to exercise. What do you do? I will, I, I mean I love running, I love biking. I mean, especially down in the South Bay, we just have the best views down there. So I love biking. I have a
00:31:33
Raquel Baldelomar
Is that where you live? Where you where Okay. In the South Bay. Nice. Yeah.
00:31:37
Raquel Baldelomar
There's some great bikes there. Like the only bike biking trail I know of is the strand, basically, which is a beautiful biking
Trail, which is great. And there's so many places where I can also catch up with friends. Yeah. Which is also important. Try, you know, spin easy. Yeah. You know, when you get wrapped up in a career and you obviously have your family life Yeah. It's easy to lose that contact with your friends and how you really make a contact having that's really
00:32:00
Raquel Baldelomar
Important too. Yes. As well. That's really important too. It's part of balance it'ss not just like, it's not just your significant other and your child, but like it's also
Your, all of your relationships.
00:32:10
Raquel Baldelomar
Do you feel like you've maintain a good relationships with your friends? Absolutely. Can you talk about like, what you do with your friends? Is it biking? Kind of biking?
Oh, we talk about, you know, we catch up on life. I mean, you know, some, some friends I see more than others and, and some friends are back east. So I, I, you know, I have to make time on the phone with them. Yeah. And, and, and, you know, build that into my schedule as well. Or either whether it's during my commute or, you know, finding time at night even though it's different time zones obviously. But, you know, that's important too.
00:32:41
Raquel Baldelomar
Yeah. No, I definitely think that having, uh, just relationships with your friends is, uh, is really, really important. It's
00:32:50
Raquel Baldelomar
Yeah. No. Um, I wanna focus a little bit on like, the importance of good news. Like, one of the things I've been reading a lot about now is just, what's this term called? Trauma porn. And, uh, and yeah. And it's just like people, I know so many people who are into just, you know, negative news. They want to see it. And in fact, a lot of like, news organizations are really like, you know, push that. Cuz that's what, that's the, that's what
Gets the clicks. Especially online.
00:33:22
Raquel Baldelomar
Yeah. Right. Exactly. So what do you, like, where do you see good news fitting into a news story? And is that news? I mean, it goes back to the definition of like, what is news? Sure. What should be considered news and how do you know? I I I see about like these wildfires, you know, that should be news. But then I hear like of a community story of like, kids planting 500 trees in South LA and I'm thinking, is that, should that be news, is know the antithesis of just the, the wildfires and, but it goes back to is that news and is that going, I mean, or news organizations, there's, you know, they have a job too. They're mm-hmm.
, you know, it's, it's a profit. It's about, you know, they have, they wanna get the views and the clicks. So where do you feel like good news that's maybe not as exciting, but it's also, I don't know. I just think that it's, it's, it's part of what makes just, it's the balance of just humanity. Humanity isn't all about all these like negative extreme car chases and
Shootings. It's not all bad news. There's a lot of good news out there. And that balance, which is important mm-hmm.
. And unfortunately it's found more in local news than it is in our national news diet because the national news is so politically driven. And so, I mean, there's a lot of tragedy that needs to be covered. Mm-hmm. So you don't hear about as much good news on na on, on a national stage, uh, as much as you do on the local news where mm-hmm. , uh, is much more common. And whether it's, you know, it, it's all, it's all, um, it's all part of a balanced news diet. Mm. You know, you have to kind of take it all in. What
00:35:03
Raquel Baldelomar
Is a balanced news diet?
Well, I think a balanced news diet includes not just the weather, not just the traffic, not just the bad news, but also the good news, the community stories that you're talking about, the entertainment news, you know, it's all news. It is news. And that's, you know, some people focus on just, you know, espn if you want to, you know, take in sports news or just e entertainment if you want to take in, um, entertainment news. But it's important I think, I think, and especially in a, you know, a world of podcasts mm-hmm.
to have a balanced diet of podcasts or, you know, news viewing habits or books or magazines.
00:35:47
Raquel Baldelomar
What would you say has been like your most memorable good news story to report in your career as a, as a
Helicopter? Well, you know, you mentioned the miracle on the Hudson. Mm-hmm.
00:35:58
Raquel Baldelomar
, well, for people who don't know. Yeah. The miracle on Hudson. Describe that.
So the miracle on the Hudson was a, um, United, a US Airways plane that landed in the Hudson River. Mm-hmm.
, uh, on a cold January day. I think we're going back to 2009. 2009. Yep. And, uh, captain Sully Sullenberger miraculously landed the plane in the river with 155 people on board, and everybody survived. Wow. Uh, it was truly a miracle, but in that moment, we did not know that how it was gonna end. We just saw a lot of people standing, standing on this plane in frigid temperatures. Mm-hmm. , uh, you know, miraculously the plane did not sink. It did not, you know, tip over it. Mm-hmm. was, it floated the way it was designed, but everybody survived. And so at the end of this, what could have been a complete disaster or a crash, uh, ended up being this amazingly great day where everybody, I don't even think there were any major injuries. Wow. It was truly, you know, a happy ending. Yeah. Which is very rare in a, a world where we're constantly covering, you know, tragic news.
00:37:18
Raquel Baldelomar
And do you think that's, is there more opportunities like that to cover good news? Maybe that, or like, even maybe that's not even so, you know, as dramatic as that, but something that's a little bit more like middle of the road? Or is it just, it's a not as possible, you think?
I mean, we don't make the news. We just tell the news. Right.
00:37:40
Raquel Baldelomar
Do you think that's true? I mean, do you really, because I do think there's an element of, like, you, there's a power you have as a news maker. Mm-hmm.
, I mean, I don't consider us news makers. I think we
00:37:51
Raquel Baldelomar
Medium, I mean
Yeah. We, we we give attention to news makers.
00:37:56
Raquel Baldelomar
It's where you're focusing your energies on.
Exactly. Exactly. So I mean, you know, I I, I think if you really look at the overall now it, you know, there's a lot to be said for the order that news is presented. Yeah. And you can get a whole nother discussion about, you know, where does good news rank in terms of like, you know, most importance and you know, what deserves to be the top story or what deserves to be on the front page. You know, that's a whole other thing. Yeah.
But it all ends up out there, whether it's on the website, whether it's on our streaming channels, whether it's on television mm-hmm.
, we now have more opportunities than ever to tell more, you know, to give that audience that diverse news diet. Yeah. And we do, and we, we have, I mean, amazing programming on our streaming channel, for example, where we have, uh, a program called Localish that runs throughout the day. And we get to tell stories about community events and new restaurants and new businesses that are popping up around town and all kinds of, you know, great happy stories that we didn't use to have the opportunity to tell in a limited, you know, linear
00:39:08
Raquel Baldelomar
Television environment. When you're coming up with a, just the how you're gonna present news and when you're working with your production team, do you actually, do they think about like, what's the balanced news diet today? Is that how, what's the process of how they determine what gets top stories versus like, this is gonna go down?
So that's a little above my pay grade, but when we go on assignment uhhuh, it's whatever's happening. Okay. I mean, and we don't, no, it could be, I mean, there's plenty of good news that we cover every day and sometimes, you know, you don't, again, you don't know how the story is gonna end. You don't, A lot of the stories that we're covering are breaking, they're literally happening before our eyes. Even a police chase, you know, a police chase might look like a terrifying thing on television, but if it ends with the bad guy going to jail and the child who was kidnapped back in his mother's arms mm-hmm.
, that's a good news story at the end of the,
00:40:03
Raquel Baldelomar
The
Day. You know, and we see that all the time. Stories like that. Yeah. It looks like the house is burning down, but the firefighters went in and saved a whole family and the dog is tragic that they lost their house. But at the end of the day, it was a good news story. They don't all end up with happy endings, but that's not up to us. We're just covering what's
00:40:24
Raquel Baldelomar
Happening. Do you ever get told, I wanna, you know, do you get told I wanna cover this event, but there's another event that somebody else is covering or something, you can't cover that event for a certain reason? Does that happen often?
It occasionally does, but really, uh, we're very fortunate. We have three helicopters at ABC centers. Nice. So that allows us with our little to
00:40:47
Raquel Baldelomar
Do Air force Okay.
To cover, you know, pretty much everything wherever we need to be. Yeah. We figure out a way to, especially in a big market like Los Angeles, we figure out a way to cover it, which
00:40:57
Raquel Baldelomar
Is, and are there favorite things you try to cover versus, or are there other news reporters that's that kind of, they have like certain beat
I, I like to cover what's happening now.
00:41:07
Raquel Baldelomar
Now, okay. The live breaking,
The other reporters can come in later and figure out, you know, what happened Uhhuh
while we were up in the air, kind of delivering the breaking details to the public. Yeah. But I like being where the news is actually happening at
00:41:24
Raquel Baldelomar
Right there. And just, what is it like to be on, like up in the air reporting? It's a different experience that you talked about the ground, like the ground reporters. Yeah. I mean, they have a different perspective mm-hmm.
just, but how is that different from like being up in the air, reporting up in the air?
Well, you know, you get a different vantage point, right. It's a different perspective. Yeah. And sometimes, you know, a lot of details that, you know, I'm, a lot of the story that I'm telling has a lot of blanks in it. Mm. And so it's important that we get there on the ground to fill in those blanks mm-hmm.
. But the viewpoint that we have is important because that's the first view that people are gonna have of that event. Mm-hmm. is that, you know, cuz we can get there before anybody else. We're gonna deliver the first pictures of that plane in the river with people standing on the wing being rescued or you know, a house, you know, going up in flames and a fire encroaching on a whole neighborhood, you know, where people have to evacuate. And we have to get that information out really rapidly. And a lot of times it's life saving information. Yeah. You know, so that's, you know, all part of the job. But from the air you could do that almost more efficiently with more accuracy, especially with the tools that we have at our disposal. Yeah. And technology, you know, we are able to do things that we weren't able to do just a few years ago. Um, in that
00:42:54
Raquel Baldelomar
Respect, and I'm even sure you've seen just what you're reporting is different. I mean, I'm sure like with, I mean we've, we've had so many, uh, wildfires mm-hmm.
in the recent years mm-hmm. . So you are actually, I'm sure you're seeing a shift in the kind of news you're reporting. Yeah. And how, what has been your perspective of just climate change from your vantage point Yeah. And having to now report wildfires after wildfires and it's becoming a lot more frequent.
Yeah. We, we see it in real time and I grew up with hurricanes in Florida. Yeah. Um, and, and out here it's wildfires. I mean, that is the, the scary thing about living, you know, for folks that do live, you know, near the forest or you know, near any kind of brush. Um, you know, we cover the Woolsey fire in Malibu a couple years ago. That was really frightening. Uh, we've had countless fires since then and they are becoming more frequent and more unpredictable for firefighters than, you know, than in the past Really? So they have to devote more resources and that, you know, gives us the opportunity again to tell that story and show, you know, it's not like it used to be when there's a fire now, especially in Los Angeles, there are a dozen helicopters and airplanes over it within minutes mm-hmm.
, you know mm-hmm. . So that's how they're battling, you know, now compared to a few years ago where you didn't have as many resources needed.
00:44:19
Raquel Baldelomar
When did you notice that? We see a lot of that. Like when did you notice? I was like, wow. Like I'm covering a lot more wildfires than I ever have before. I mean, I'm sure that was always, you know, covering natural disasters has always been something you've had to do to do, you know, when working in Florida. But I'm sure you, there was a point where you realized that, that there was like, this is happening a lot more common
Now. It has definitely in the last 10 years. It, the numbers have, have skyrocketed in the last couple years, you know, ironically mm-hmm.
because of climate change. Mm-hmm. , the fire seasons are more unpredictable, you know, for the last two seasons we've had below average fires because look at, we're on October now and it's like June gloom. Yeah. Where normally this would be the heart of fire season. So it takes, firefighters themselves are having a harder time predicting when fire season is, how to equip, how to, you know, schedule their manpower. So they have to be on guard 24 7 all year long. And, you know, yet they're investing in more equipment, uh, more helicopters in the air, more technology to map the fires. Um, it's a big business. Um, but it's life saving stuff that we, we get to see from the helicopter. Mm-hmm.
00:45:31
Raquel Baldelomar
, what do you think us Angelos can do? I mean, is there anything we can do?
Uh, I mean, it's not much you can do when Mother Nature is, is uh, you know, opposing that kind of a threat. But at, as the years go by, I think we're gonna see less people living in those vulnerable spots. Mm-hmm.
, um, less insurance companies covering those properties. Yeah. It's gonna be harder to get a mortgage near those danger zones. So it's, it's gonna have long term economic consequences for decades
00:46:00
Raquel Baldelomar
To come. And as a father, you know, you look at, you know, 20, 25 years your daughter and like what this world will be like for her. How do you think about that for
I think about it all the time. Do you really? I think that's one of the things that stresses because of what I do. Yeah. I think about that all the time, really. And all I can do is arm her with the knowledge, you know, as she rose up to be, you know, the best human being she could be to, you know, be ready for that new world.
00:46:27
Raquel Baldelomar
Like what do you think, what knowledge do you wanna impart on her?
I just want her to be a strong individual woman who, you know, is able to, I, you know, it's really important to me, uh, especially, you know, the young gen, younger generations growing up now and her generation to be able to be media savvy Mm. In terms of where they get their information. Mm-hmm.
, what, how do you determine what's truth and what's not? You know, where are your facts coming from? Because that's the only way we're gonna survive as a species is if we all are operating on the same set of facts.
00:47:05
Raquel Baldelomar
So what is,
Like how, and that that is important,
00:47:06
Raquel Baldelomar
How do we determine what's truth? I, because there is like any, any company can now say I'm a new source. I mean, how do you determine what is truth And versus
You have to do your homework. And most people don't have the time to do their homework. They barely have time to, you know, click on a story on Twitter to read the full article, let alone do their homework on who wrote the article and where that information is coming from and where those sources sourced out. I mean, that's what takes extra energy. I think that's what this next generation is gonna start to figure out. I would love to see, you know, media training start much earlier in grade school. You know, really, I, I think that's gonna be an important part of the curriculum in the coming years.
00:47:45
Raquel Baldelomar
What is media training would you say? Exactly?
Being able to decipher truth in from lives and from Yeah. I mean there's just so many sources. We are inundated, we are with information all day long. Yeah. From all different angles. I mean, you know, and it's a lot of, it's coming in the palm of your hand and it's very different than it the way it used to be. It's harder to determine, you know, a New York Times article from a, you know, an offshoot that is pretending to be a, a valid news source. Right. Right. They all look the same when you're scrolling. And so it's, it, it's something that needs to be addressed, I think.
00:48:25
Raquel Baldelomar
Yeah. No, it's, it's, it's making sure you understand the sources too, of where people are getting
These news. You used to have three networks. Now there's a balkanization of media sources
00:48:36
Raquel Baldelomar
That I also think there is this, you know, this lack of ability to take long form news and just kind of get a little bit more deeper. Cuz that's when you can really see whether there is truth in someone's reporting versus just propaganda. A big part of it Yeah. Is, is, um, but I'm also seeing it's, it's a lot of people's attention span is very short. They don't really want to read the thousand word article that reports on something. They just want the highlights video. Yes. Yeah. Yes. And do you see that, and do you think that's a problem with like, just, I mean
It is, but hopefully the crowdsourcing will take care of some of that. Right. I mean, I think there's, there's ways to get the right, um, publications mm-hmm.
and news outlets. Mm-hmm. , you know, at the top in front of the most people. And I think over time I hope that viewers and audiences will be able to determine those, you know, the difference
00:49:41
Raquel Baldelomar
So that you talk about
It. But it's a hope. I mean, you know, we have to make an effort as a society to like, you know, care and enough to, to do it because as it is, there's less people getting into journalism for various reasons as it is. Why is,
00:49:53
Raquel Baldelomar
Do you think it's because it's,
It's a, it's a, uh, it's, it's a business and it is not the, you know, the days of the, you know, the million dollar news anchor have gone away. I mean, it's just, it's just a different, it's taking a different form, but there's so many opportunity, whether you're a podcaster Yeah. Or a, um, you know, a blogger. I mean, there's just, there's so many different ways to reach the audience.
00:50:22
Raquel Baldelomar
I think in a way it's, you
Know, which makes it less profitable.
00:50:25
Raquel Baldelomar
That's true. I mean, it's, it news making has demo. It's been, it's almost been more democratized. Yes. But it's also, it's like you have, if you have an iPhone and you're near a scene, like you can, you can be, you know, cover that breaking story for a day. But it's also, you know, just, there's not a real strong like, chain of just hierarchy, like what you, you know, and how you've your
Career. And there's a confusion over what a journalist is like. You know, people like to use the term citizen journalist, you know, for somebody that whips out their phone and, uh, you know, starts recording video. That's not a journalist. I mean, that's somebody telling a story, but that's not a journalist. A journalist, as we talked about, really requires a certain degree of training and fact-based, you know, research. And that takes, you know, it's not as easy as just taking out your phone and typing away or taking,
00:51:21
Raquel Baldelomar
So to our viewers here who are watching this, who basically want to follow into your footsteps 20 years from now and become a helicopter reporter for ABC News, like what steps would you tell them to take? Now if they're like a young, let's just say, you know, I mean, let's just, are people watching this? I mean, they're, you know, they're, they're young. 20, 20 year old person wants
To get, the best thing a young journalist can do today is consume everything.
00:51:50
Raquel Baldelomar
Really
Consume everything. Cuz if you consume a lot, okay, then it becomes much easier really
00:51:55
Raquel Baldelomar
To decide. So you don't think, it's almost like you're gonna be overwhelming to consume everything. Cuz I mean,
That's you, that's what you want to do. It's not for everybody. Okay. But if that's the career path you want to take, you have to take in everything and decide for yourself, you know, what your passion is. Cause this all, we talked about all kinds of journalists now, all kinds of reporting. I think we're gonna go back to more beat reporting. I mean, I think that's something that's been lost over the years where, you know, general assignment reporters are thrown from, you know, one, uh, genre to another story. And it's just, it's, it's harder to really build those sources and get knee deep in the details when you don't have a real mastery of that specific field or topic or beat. Uh, I think you're seeing a lot more beat reporters now.
00:52:44
Raquel Baldelomar
So focus focused on a beat. So too is also what is a beat that you really, that you're really interested in and
Because then you can build a brand. Yeah. You know, I'm a, you know, reputable sports reporter. I'm a, you know, reputable entertainer reporter. I'm a reputable political
00:52:59
Raquel Baldelomar
Reporter. And how important is it now to have a media platform that, to attach yourself to? Because I think that's where a lot of, I mean, you know, New York Times, wall Street Journal, Fox, abc, I mean, these are all very reputable platforms, but I also think that's like, you know, those are the, if if you're a trusted journalist, you're going either, either you're gonna wanna maybe gravitate towards that. But then there's also journalists who basically wanna be like, I wanna have, like, for example, myself, my own podcast mm-hmm.
, I mean, so, so what's, if someone wants to go towards a, a platform that's just a big name platform, what do they need to do?
Be prepared. Okay. Especially if you're not affiliated with an institutional outlet that has a strong editorial process, then individual journalists that have to be prepared to, you know, spell out their sourcing. It can't just be, you know, X, y, Z. It's gotta be, here's where XYZ came from. Here's where this information was developed, here's how we know this to be true. Mm-hmm.
. Um, because somewhere along the line, there has to be an editorial process that the audience can trust. Not just one person, you know, talking on a, on a, on the radio or a podcast or mm-hmm. on a, on a subst.
00:54:25
Raquel Baldelomar
So it's basically developing your sources and then just making sure that if you're gonna be working with like a major news outlet, you
Have, I mean, the major news outlets have that built into the process. Right? You have a newsroom with hundreds of people. You have editors, managing editors, lawyers looking at everything before it goes out. Mm-hmm.
into the wild. It's a machine. It's a machine. And it's built to, you know, it's built to, to, to stand the test of scrutiny. You know, when, when facts are contested, which more they are being contested more than ever before, uh, it's much harder the smaller the outlet or especially for an individual.
00:55:03
Raquel Baldelomar
So is it possible for an individual, a photo journalist, a journalist, let's, uh, you know, let's say my goal is to become a, a helicopter journalist mm-hmm.
, is it easier to now get into that machine
Of harder than ever? It's really, no, I think it's harder than ever. I mean, for a helicopter journalist, I think we, you know, it's yet to be determined what the future of helicopter journalism is. And I do consider it a form of journalism. Mm-hmm.
, some people don't, but I do. Um, but it's something that's very expensive. Yeah. That the main news, you know, the main TV stations and news outlets can afford.
00:55:41
Raquel Baldelomar
Do you think that drones are, is it a, would you consider drone reporting kind of competition? Or is it
? I don't consider competition. There's definitely a space for it, especially in smaller news markets, Uhhuh. Um, but here in LA I don't think that's really a viable way to cover the news, just because of the area, the size of the city, and the, you know, the nature of the, the news that we
00:56:01
Raquel Baldelomar
Cover. Exactly. It's all, you wanna up, you know, you wanna, people wanna see you, but
I wish every city had a few helicopters able to do what we do here. Yeah. And they just, as time goes on, it's becoming less affordable for a lot of TV stations to support. Right. So that's something that's a little bit, well,
00:56:19
Raquel Baldelomar
It all goes, got to money. I mean, it's like, I mean, the news stations, like, it, they, it's based on still advertising revenue mm-hmm.
and advertising revenues, like what people watch, and then what people wanna watch is the trauma porn. Yeah. And then how do you all balance like the, the, that, you know, all of that. That's right.
So it's, it's very complicated. It's not
00:56:38
Raquel Baldelomar
Easy. No, it's not easy. But you think it's harder now. So if you're like a young 25 year old, just graduated from like a journalism degree, from a top school, you wanna go work at ABC News. Mm-hmm.
, you had, you
Have, you have the opportunity to get in the helicopter, great. But it is not, it is not a, uh, not a thriving
00:56:59
Raquel Baldelomar
Business. So how would you, what, what advice would you have to like a young college graduate who wants to get into just journalism at one of these Fox or
Abc? Learn, learn the language, learn to write. Okay. And get yourself, you know, in front of the, the right people. It's all about networking and, you know, building that foundation of being able to determine fact from fiction. So having that ability to be resourceful and use sources to gather information and tell stories. That's, that's what it's all about at its core. And that's what it always has been. But it's more important than ever before because anybody could say they're a journalist. Mm-hmm.
. And that's not necessarily journalism.
00:57:43
Raquel Baldelomar
Did you have mentors throughout your career at these public, at these organizations that kind of helped you or gave you assignments that maybe you weren't quite ready for?
But Yeah, especially in local news for
00:57:55
Raquel Baldelomar
Sure. Really? Yeah. Really. Yeah. So that's another way to start at it. Local news before to get into like, LA markets, New York markets start at these. Absolutely. And then also is, I think when you have these gambles these opportunities to cover something that may or may not happen, I mean, be,
You have to be ready to take advantage of those opportunities when they come. Because like we said, the timing is literally, you know, a huge part of it. It's, it's obviously, you know, you have to have the skills and the training and the, the wherewithal, but putting yourself in the right place at the right time to take advantage of those opportunities is just as
00:58:32
Raquel Baldelomar
Important. I've always said timing and position is everything. Like, it's everything. . Okay. We're gonna end with a few fire, just a few top easy questions. Um, what would you say are your top three healthiest habits?
My healthiest habits. Uhhuh. Well, like I said, I've been drinking a lot more water. Oh, that's great. So that's important. Um, I, like I said, I try every day to get to the beach because that to me is, and I, you know, keeps me active. I love riding my bike and that is something that I did not do, you know, living back east. And that's something that I, I absolutely love. Okay. Um, and just spending as much time with my family, I just love that.
00:59:13
Raquel Baldelomar
Yeah. I think they
Love that. It's really healthy.
00:59:17
Raquel Baldelomar
So I have a principal that says part of balance is having healthy vices, things that are not necessarily healthy for you, but they bring you great joy. Like, mine is food and poker,
00:59:28
Raquel Baldelomar
Uh, I love it. But, you know, I gotta keep it as, you know, just manageable doses.
Yep. I hear that. Um, well, like I said, I'm a big foodie, so I'm with you on the food. Yeah. Big foodies in our house. Good. Um, so you understand. And so that's important. You know, like I said, I listen to a lot of podcasts. Sometimes too many. I just get so consumed. I, I have a list of podcasts. I get anxiety when I don't make it to all of 'em because, you know, like I said, I'm, I'm starving for all that intake of information. Um, but sometimes I need to just listen to music.
00:59:57
Raquel Baldelomar
I get it.
And it's like I have to remind myself just on some music. Yeah. You know,
01:00:01
Raquel Baldelomar
I think that's great. And sometimes, like, I actually like taking long road trips. Yeah. Like, I, I went to downtown LA last night from Santa Monica. Oh, I love that. And I just put, and I just put a podcast and I'm like, oh, I'm so excited. I'm taking a long road trip so that I could listen to a podcast. That's
Great. Yeah. Especially here in LA where the drives are so beautiful. Right.
01:00:19
Raquel Baldelomar
It really, yeah. Yeah. It's getting better. I love the drives.
I love driving. I'm one of the, yeah. I don't love sitting in traffic, but
01:00:27
Raquel Baldelomar
I think it's just one of the things about living in la like people like, you know, I know people, I live in Santa Monica and they're like, oh, I won't go, you know, east of the 4 0 5. I'm like, you don't understand, like, you, you don't get the beauty of la Right. If you aren't willing
To, you don't get your neighborhood.
01:00:43
Raquel Baldelomar
Yes. That's when you get really the joy, the, the beauty of LA and, um, it's, you know, I mean you, and that's also kind of cool. It's almost, it's just like traffic Biden is in town, so traffic has been really heavy in general. Yeah. But I'm kind of like the president, our president of the United States is in town. Of course traffic is gonna be heavier. So just, it's just, it's, there's just the, a joy of living in this city, but also recognizing that Yeah. There's a lot of other people who love it
Too. So it's a good week to be in the helicopter
01:01:12
Raquel Baldelomar
Though. I bet It's . What are you gonna be reporting? What would you say you're gonna be reporting?
Well, this is one of those times where we can't do much flying. When the president's in town, there's a flight restriction wherever he goes. Wow. So between the weather outside and the president in town, it's a time to catch up on other
01:01:28
Raquel Baldelomar
Stuff. Other stuff. Okay. Yeah. So what would you say are small things? You know, this, this whole podcast is about balance. Yeah. Like, what would you say you do are the small things you like to do every day to bring balance into your life? To prepare yourself for your family responsibilities, your work responsibility, your own, like personal health, mental health, physical health. Mm-hmm.
. What are the things you do? You, you mentioned the walk, just to get you to that state of just having equanimity.
Oh, that, I mean, that, that is a huge part of my day. Waking up, getting that coffee in me mm-hmm.
and catching up on the day's news early so I could take my walk, get outside, and then from there I'm ready. And that kind of sets the table for the rest of the day. That's lovely. Yeah.
01:02:10
Raquel Baldelomar
What does wealth mean to you?
Such a great question. Um, you know, I think the definition of wealth has changed as, as I've gotten older. Uh, it just, you know, you think of money when you, you first think of the word, but it's so much deeper than that. You know, it's, it's being healthy. It's, it's, I mean, health is wealth and it sounds like the cheekiest phrase and the older you get, the more you appreciate how accurate it is. Yeah. You know, having those bonds with those around you, the relationships, nurturing those relationships and being able to enjoy those relationships and in a, in a healthy way, that's wealth. I mean, that's, you know, cause it could all end tomorrow. That's true.
01:02:56
Raquel Baldelomar
Right. Tomorrow is not promised. That's
01:02:59
Raquel Baldelomar
Chris, thank you so much for being here.
It's exciting. Thank you for
01:03:02
Raquel Baldelomar
Having me. I'm so happy to have you here. What, um, is there anything you would like to leave our viewers with?
Uh, this is great. Thank you so much.
01:03:10
Raquel Baldelomar
Thank you so much. Where can people find you?
So you can find me at ABC seven, Chris Christie on Instagram and Twitter and on TikTok.
01:03:17
Raquel Baldelomar
Okay. Wonderful. Well, thank you so much. Thank you to my fans. Thank you for watching. I love you. I love you so much. Until next time.