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AAPRC Weekly: Cathy Black

Cathy Black
Music Booker and Producer
CBS News' The Early Show and The Saturday Early Show
NYC


Cathy Black grew up in a house filled with music, her parents encouraging Black and her brother and sister to listen to a variety of genres. Black's days are still filled with music. As the music booker and entertainment producer for CBS News' The Early Show and The Saturday Early Show, Black books musical guests for the programs' outdoor concert series and produces music and entertainment features and hard news segments. She has worked with artists such as Prince, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Celine Dion, Beyonce and many others.

"I keep track of all the artists who have new albums coming out and book the current pop stars––the top people in the industry," Black explains. "I also produce the segments that I book as well…develop the questions, the videotape, do the entire segment from start to finish. I also cover all of the musical awards shows––the Grammys, the Soul Train Awards, MTV Awards, VH-1."

Suffice it to say, Black spends a lot of time on the road. In addition to award show coverage, Black produces series and features. The Early Show series "Week of Wishes" often has Black travelling the country, making CBS viewers' wishes come true by hooking them up with their favorite celebrities. This spring she produced a Mother's Day series featuring the mothers of Beyonce Knowles, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aikens. "We showcased the women behind the scenes who are helping their children have these dynamic musical careers," says Black. "You never really hear about them but they're involved in their fan clubs, designing their clothes. We traveled across the country, went to their homes, spent some time with them."

Black, who has been with CBS for nearly 14 years, hails from Lexington, Kentucky, where her path to network news began. She began interning at local television stations in Lexington and Washington, DC while she worked on her degree in telecommunications at the University of Kentucky. "I realized during my internship that I really loved the job," Black recalled. "I moved to New York because of the CBS offer. I just kind of started at the bottom and worked my way up."

Black joined the venerable network's news operation in 1990 as a news clerk and later became the assistant to CBS This Morning anchor Harry Smith. She served in that position for six months before becoming an associate producer. Black realized, though, that she didn't want to work in hard news. "After covering so many air crashes and talking to grieving families, I realized that I really wanted to be on the entertainment side," Black recalls.

She was promoted to entertainment producer in 1997.

"The great part about this job is that it taught me to expand who I am," Black says. "I have to listen to country music and rap music and pop music and rock music--things I may have never picked up. I have to be aware of everything that's going on. I really enjoy it."

Black is close to her siblings––her sister is a Louisville, Kentucky-based attorney and her brother is an aspiring actor based in New York––and enjoys holiday gatherings family in Lexington. In her spare time she enjoys shopping, traveling and attending church services. She also tutors and mentors young people throughout New York City.

What does a typical day look like for you?

On days when I have a live concert or performance on The Early Show, I’m at our studio location (at 59th Street & Fifth Avenue) as early as 3:00 a.m. overseeing the technical setup of the band. The artist(s) performing LIVE on our broadcast generally arrive around 5:30 a.m. for a 6:00 a.m. rehearsal and they’re on the air live during our 8:00 a.m. hour. Between 7:00 – 8:00 a.m. I’m busy preparing the artist for the interview, preparing our anchor for the interview, and double checking fonts, graphics, intros, tape, etc. Concert days and live performance days can be quite hectic and long. Once the show is over, I head across town to my office (at 57th Street & 10th Avenue) for the remainder of the day. Once there, I continue to book musical guests, work on segments for the next day, and often edit down concert and performance segments for air later in the week. I also have meetings scheduled throughout the day with record companies, etc., and in the evenings I often attend record release parties, showcases, etc. A typical day for me ends around 11:00 p.m. each night.

You book some of the biggest names in music for “The Early Show’s” summer concert series. How do you decide which artists are right for the show?

For The Early Show, I concentrate on booking the hottest artists of the moment. They can be top artists in Pop, Rap, Rock, R&B, or Country genres. They must be signed to a record label and they generally have to have a Top 10 hit on the charts. Booking The Saturday Early Show offers me a little more flexibility. That show’s format is a little more relaxed, and gives me the opportunity to showcase the music of new artists. They may not be huge now, or have a top 10 hit now, but they’re on the road to a successful musical career.

Are there any projects in the works that you're particularly excited about?

I am particularly proud of our Summer Concert series. This is our fourth year, and they’ve been a huge success for us. We’ve really had some amazing artists performing outside on our plaza. I think our largest crowd topped 5,000 when Beyonce stopped by to perform…the size of that crowd actually stopped the flow of traffic on Fifth Avenue, but the fans had so much fun. I’m currently preparing for this year’s summer concerts, and I’m about to do a series of performances around the Tony Awards. I love Broadway so I’m really looking forward to that. I’m also excited about our CBS entertainment special with Madonna and I hope to do some fun things with Prince this year as well.

One imagines your position calls for a lot of interaction with publicists. For you, what are the elements of a successful encounter with publicity staffers? What are your pet peeves?

I’m finding while the entertainment industry is big, it’s still really very small in that I generally work with the same publicists on a daily basis. Because we’re in touch with each other on a daily basis, they generally know what I’m looking for and I generally know what projects they have coming up. For me, the most important thing is that a publicist be completely honest with me when it comes to booking a guest. Honor commitments you make with me…even if things change. Keep your word no matter what…even if it costs you in the end. As my mother says, “your word is your bond.” I live by that, and I hope publicists I deal with live by that too.

What's the most challenging aspect of the job?

Because I deal with musical superstars, they generally have a day or two filled with press…whether it’s television, radio, newspapers, magazines. As a producer, I find my biggest challenge is making my segment with the superstar different from all the other appearances they may be making. I never want to repeat what some other show is doing with an artist. I want to find that one special thing that will set my interview/performance apart from all the rest. As a booker, I constantly try to find that new artist that no one else has discovered. I also want to book the hottest act of the day or book that exclusive interview with the artist of the hour. I think that’s the biggest challenge for me and that’s what I enjoy most.

Is there a part of your daily routine that you see as critical to your success?

Knowing “everything” that’s going on in the music industry is the most critical part of this job. It’s not only about who has the hottest music, but it’s about who everyone’s talking about at the moment. There are so many singers in the news these days…not necessarily for their music, but because of things going on in their lives, i.e. Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, etc. It’s important for me to secure a way for us to tell these “news” stories as well.

In terms of your career, what are you most proud of?

I’m probably most proud of the exclusive bookings we’ve enjoyed on the show. Most recently I’ve been working on the Michael Jackson case, and was able to secure several “Early Show Exclusive” interviews with Jermaine Jackson, Marlon Jackson, and Jackson family advisors. I’m also proud of exclusive interviews and performances I’ve done with Prince, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Celine Dion and Beyonce, among others.

Your job is extremely demanding. What keeps you going?

I have a passion for what I do, so it really isn’t work, it’s fun.

What's your best advice for African-Americans building careers not just in journalism, but in any media field?

It’s a very competitive and time-consuming field. Be determined, and let nothing stand in your way. People will try to discourage you and tell you what you can’t do. Learn to turn negatives into positives…lemons into lemonade. And if you really want a job in the industry, believe in yourself and let no one steal your dreams.

Tell us one thing people might be surprised to know about you.

I am the daughter of a Baptist preacher. I grew up on a farm in Lexington, Kentucky and love to ride horses.

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