Get to Know a WPR Staffer!
by Susannah Michaels

Carmen Jackson will retire from Wisconsin Public Radio at the end of December. She first joined us in 1974, as a volunteer reader for the Spanish-language program La Voz de la Raza, for which she ultimately became the host and producer. In 1978, Carmen was hired as director of ethnic programming for WPR. During her time in this role she co-produced and co-hosted a national radio magazine in Spanish, Panorama Hispano. The program featured interviews with Latino writers, historians, and musicians from the United States and Latin America. In 1988, Carmen began producing Jean Feraca's morning talk program. Though she started as a producer for one show, Carmen soon had a hand in every WPR talk show.

Carmen is originally from Lima, Peru. She came to the United States in 1971. Before working at WPR she worked at the Department of Public Instruction. Now, as she prepares for her retirement, she is looking forward to spending time with her new granddaughter, volunteering in her community, and traveling with her husband.

RadioWaves: Why did you come to the United States from Peru?

Carmen Jackson: I first came to the United States, to New York, with my husband Don, in December of 1968. I met Don when he was in Lima as a Peace Corps volunteer. We got married by the Catholic Church in Peru, on Halloween of that year (we didn't know it was Halloween!). His parents lived in Long Island, so we came to New York to get married a second time by a Community Church. We stayed with my husband's family until May of 1969, then my husband got a job in El Salvador, in Central America, where we lived for several years. Then we arrived in Wisconsin on January 30, 1971, so that my husband could pursue his Master's degree. I'll never forget the day I arrived in Wisconsin. It was so cold! I hadn't ever felt that cold in my life! It was snowy! I told my husband: "How can people live here? One year, and we leave!" He got his degree in one year! However, we fell in love with Wisconsin and its people, and we decided to stay for his Ph.D. He got his degree, and we are still here! We love Wisconsin! We've raised our children, Kimberly and Kyle, here. This is our home.

RW: You have been involved with so many of our talk shows for so many years. How did you think of so many show topics?

CJ: I like to talk. Well, you know that [editor's note: yes, I can vouch that Carmen likes to talk]. And I'm also very curious. I have always liked to read books, magazines, newspapers, and now of course we have the Internet. Although I'm old-fashioned and I prefer to read newspapers, magazines, and books, having the "feel" of them. I also get my ideas from talking with people and watching TV. Producers and hosts are always working. Our minds don't ever stop. I even carry a little notebook with me where I write down the title of a book, an idea, or the name of an interesting person I saw on TV. I really use a wide variety of sources for our shows. I have been very lucky, because I love what I do.

RW: What is your favorite part about being a talk-show producer?

CJ: So many things! Every day is different; there isn't a routine at all. I like the contact I have with the publicists, the guests, the public relations people, and the callers. I used to answer phones during the programs, so I got to know a lot of our callers, and I made very nice phone friendships. There's also an exciting challenge that I truly welcome, and that's to get that special guest that everybody wants to hear but is so difficult to get. However, my favorite part of all is when the host really enjoys the program and the callers also think it's a good program. That's when I say, "I did a good job."

RW: Your involvement at WPR began in the mid-1970s. What are some of the major changes you’ve seen here, in the atmosphere, sound, programs?

CJ: When I came here, there were a lot of volunteers and students to do many of the jobs. The "regular" staff was a lot smaller. There weren't as many talk shows either. We only had Tom Clark, Larry Meiller, and Margaret Andreasen on the Ideas Network. We took the calls from the callers and wrote their comments on pieces of paper, and then the producers had to run to take them to the hosts in the studio. There weren't any computers, or intercoms between hosts and producers. We had to communicate through the glass windows of the studio with signs. The hosts didn't have anything to do with the technical stuff, because we had engineers who did everything related to sound. [Editor's note: now the hosts run their own sound boards, bringing on callers, cueing up music or recorded messages, switching to news clips, etc.]

Little by little the station started to change. We have a much bigger staff, the programs have become more sophisticated. We now have computers; editing "tape" is done digitally instead of manually. What has not changed is the good atmosphere and the friendliness among the staff.

RW: What’s your favorite part about being a grandmother?

CJ: My son Kyle and his wife Laura gave us the privilege of being grandparents almost four months ago. I never thought I would enjoy being a grandmother so much! My little Finley Marie proved me wrong! She is so sweet and loving. She knows who I am! She recognizes me! Do you think that it might be the accent? As soon as she sees me and hears my voice, she smiles! I have always enjoyed being a mom, and now I'm really enjoying being a grandma! I'm planning on spending as much time as I can with her during my retirement.

I know I'll miss my job and my colleagues, but I'll keep in touch!