Suzanne Black

CBS 42 News Director

“Don't stop…thinking about tomorrow”. Not only was that a great line from a great song by Fleetwood Mac, but it's also the stuff presidential campaigns are made of, and come to think of it, it’s what television is going through as well. What we as broadcasters and journalists put on TV news at 5, 6 and 10 is all about today, but our job as broadcasters is to be thinking about tomorrow. What will television be like tomorrow?

Certainly no one watching television in the 1950's could even image a modern color TV. In the same way, no one in the early 70s could image pointing a clicker at the set and having the channels magically change through literally dozens of choices. Today, our jobs are to imagine what TV will be like after this digital revolution.

So what does this mean for local news? Well, it means we have to learn how to see pictures through a wider lens....more like what we see ourselves everyday with the use of our own eyes. It means new cameras, new editing systems, new lighting systems, and a whole lot of training and experimentation. You should see the hallways of our building. It’s hilarious. It's like a maze of boxes of every shape and size – beautiful, beautiful boxes of equipment - all the equipment that will take us into this next phase of television.

Digital TV also means we have to rethink the way we look. Our customers, those fantastic viewers that make us their choice for news, expect our people to look good. It’s that simple. Gone are the days of thick, putty make-up and sticky hairspray. Now, it's all about looking natural. If you ask me, it’s a welcome change, and not a moment too soon.

So if you feel a little behind the curve on this big change, don't worry. We have you covered. We're thinking about tomorrow. Stick with CBS 42 as we blaze new trails and lead Austin into the next phase of television history.