KSTP Channel 5’s Joe Schmit
Talk With Access Press
by David Hadlich and Terri Ricci
It was as if you were talking to the guy next door over a cup of coffee
or a beer. He was relaxed, comfortable, yet professional and humble.
Everything one would expect from a good friend. The one exception is
that this guy has been in the middle of every major sports story in
the Twin Cities, and has witnessed most of the major sports stories
around the world for the past twenty years.
When I asked Joe Schmit of KSTP Channel 5 which stories had the biggest
impact on his life, he commented that they are stories that never made
the evening news. They are tales of both the tragedy and triumph of
the human spirit that change you forever. They are the kind of stories
you can sit and listen to someone tell again and again.
Joe Schmit came to the
Twin Cities by way of Wisconsin, but he’s
no cheesehead anymore. He has settled into Minnesota life for the past
twenty years or so, and has become part of our lives along the way.
He recently was promoted from sports anchor to the co-anchor alongside
Cyndy Brucato. It is a move that brings both good news and not so good
news for Joe. He will miss the sports’ beat, and the day-to-day
stories that uplift the human spirit. On the other hand, he will
have the opportunity to be home and watch his children grow up
since the road trips will decrease.
When asked what his
most memorable sports story is, he mentioned a coach at Northwestern
University who had cancer and was teaching his students not only
how to play sports with heart, but how to live and die with dignity.
It was a “Tuesday’s with Morrie” type
of heart-opening story that Joe says will stay with him forever.
We asked Joe if Access Press could be of assistance in helping cover
future news stories that have a focus on the disability community.
Joe is open to having us provide a voice for the way people with disabilities
are viewed in the news media. Although there are no guarantees that
this will happen, we hope, that by starting a dialogue, we will move
in that direction.
As you watch KSTP Channel 5 over the course of the next few months,
please give us your feedback about the media coverage for the disabled
community. Your comments will guide us in our discussions at the news
station.
