The king of Twin Cities media, Jason DeRusha, wanted everyone to know how he, and others like him, are taken advantage of periodically by event organizers who recruit the likes of DeRusha to emcee their big event.
DeRusha, the male morning mouthpiece for the local CBS affiliate, wanted everyone to know his list of gripes when it comes to his good deeds. And without going back to read them, my memory is that he had legitimate gripes. I'm not going to stop to read it again, but you can.
DeRusha is among those who are called upon to emcee events periodically. More on that in a minute. His gripes included not being compensated for the cost of parking, not being purchased a glass of wine for his effort, being asked to show up two-and-a-half hours before his duties begin, having his name mispronounced, being expected to help generate media coverage of the event and being expected to put asses in the seats. There were a couple I'm not remembering.
His gripes were legit, and explained thoroughly. I enjoyed the piece. I had no idea that TV people were being taken advantage of by organizations looking for an emcee.
But it made me wonder, why is it that society idolizes broadcasters every time an organization is holding an event?
I get it, you need somebody to emcee a program about the organization, be it a charity raising cash or a foundation passing out awards. You need somebody who speaks clearly, succinctly and isn't afraid to speak in front of a crowd. Some of our local news anchors and reporters, on TV or radio, fit that description. So they get asked to do so. But why?
The obvious answer is that we treat them like celebrities because they are public figures. The two are not one in the same. But when we treat them like celebrities, we think it's precious and special when they appear in the flesh, and somehow we have been conditioned to think that an awards presentation is more important because Alix Kendall is reading the introductions.
In some cases the "celebrity" emcee is actually involved with the organization, so it's not such a stretch to have him or her emcee an event. If you're not lucky enough to have Don Shelby or Joe Schmit on your organization's board, then you try to get Frank and Amelia or Paul Douglas to emcee, as that somehow makes your gala or program more important.
Does anyone really buy a $75 ticket to an organization's fundraiser because Diana Pierce is the emcee? Does Belinda Jensen really put asses in the seats? I doubt it.
There are plenty of people – probably more than one affiliated with every nonprofit organization and charity in the metro – with the skill set necessary to emcee a gala. Yet the Twin Cities needs DeRusha to emcee 10 of them this month. (He made sure to let us know how in demand he is.)
I get why broadcasters are quick to jump on these invitations. I suspect there are several reasons, and any one or more of them are in play each time an invitation is extended. But seriously, is our world better because the annual fundraiser we attended was emceed by Rena Sarigianopoulos?
I wish this world would do DeRusha a favor and stop sticking him with the tab for parking. I think our charities would be just fine without him.
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