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After 30 years of meeting daily news deadlines, Charles Bierbauer was ready for a change.
But when the former CNN Washington correspondent assumed the deanship of USC's College of Mass Communications and Information Studies last July, he had hardly unpacked before being offered another job in TV, this one hosting S.C. ETV's weekly public affairs program, "Stateline."
Bierbauer considered the offer momentarily and then accepted.
"I didn't want to do daily journalism any more, that's one reason why I left CNN," he said. "But a weekly show that gives you a half hour of uninterrupted air time where you get to do some in-depth discussions was very appealing."
Appearing on the program since September has helped him learn about issues that are important to South Carolina.
"It has helped with my visibility," he said. "People see me and make the association with the University. That's the point I'd like to emphasize, that it's not about me, but about elevating the visibility of the University.
"Every time I'm on, I'm identified with the college, and the broadcast has also been a way to showcase our programs. We did a segment on Newsplex (USC's new prototype, futuristic newsroom) and we'll do other topics that relate to the University in the future."
"Stateline" segments have focused on South Carolina politics, agriculture, drought, the state Department of Motor Vehicles, economic development, gubernatorial candidates, and conversations with the state's Democratic Congressional leadership, among others.
"There is always a South Carolina hook to the program, even though the subject may extend beyond the state," said Bierbauer, who usually tapes the program on Thursday morning or afternoon for rebroadcast at 7:30 that night and two reruns, one on Sunday and another on Tuesday during "insomniac hours."
Taking on "Stateline" just as he was getting settled in as dean meant Bierbauer has been extra busy during his first six months on the job.
"It's my sense that any job such as this ought to be busy," he said. "If you walk in and you've got time to put your feet on the desk, you either miscalculated or something is amiss. There has been no foot on the desk time, I can assure you. It's challenging and it's rewarding and, I would venture, even fun, and it should be all of those things."
The part of his new job that hasn't been fun, Bierbauer said, has been dealing with budget cuts, though he sees that as part of the juggling act of learning the faculty's interests and the needs of students.
Bierbauer was drawn to higher education because of a long association with college students, both at Penn State where he received his master's degree in journalism and bachelor's degrees in journalism and Russian, and at George Washington University, where he served on the National Council of Media and Public Affairs.
At Penn State he also served on the Board of Visitors and was an adjunct faculty member. While covering the Supreme Court for CNN, Bierbauer was on the Advisory Council of the Washington Center for Politics and Journalism and every semester made it a point of working with a student intern.
"The work with interns gave me insight into the interests of a younger generation, which is certainly an audience that a broadcaster is trying to reach. I felt that by having them there I had the benefit of their perspectives on the stories I was doing, plus, I enjoyed their company," he said.
"I've always tried to work extensively with the intern program and teaching is an extension of that. I enjoyed the teaching, and I have spent enough time engaged with other universities to get a sense of what I felt a school of journalism should be about."
Bierbauer is not teaching now but hopes to teach a short course during May Session on media and government. It would be a South Carolina version of earlier courses he's taught in Washington and elsewhere that would include a week in the nation's capital to expose students to intersections of media and government.
He's looking forward to the course, he said, "because I enjoy teaching, and I feel there's something I can impart to students in the classroom."
01/03
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