brain power , you can avoid a lot of potential trouble just by exercising proper judgment .
Sherman : Did you ever have aspirations of going national ?
Gray : I ’ m probably the one person who worked in local TV that never did . I looked at it realistically . I had a lot of friends that made the jump to bigger markets . That sort of rat race just never appealed to me . Some of the people who made that type of transition told me that it was no different than local news , just the same job with more pressure . I love where I live and work here in the capital region . I love Vermont , too . I ’ m grateful to be where I am .
Sherman : How have you carved your niche within the world of TV journalism ?
Gray : I ’ ve carved my niche by being honest and direct . After you spend years covering accidents , fires , and other tragic occurrences , you can certainly get burnt-out . I certainly would prefer to just do fun feature stories , but the nature of the work isn ’ t always like that . You have to do it all when you ’ re an anchor . It ’ s important to connect to every story that you cover . There ’ s a prevalent illusion that when you work as an anchor , you have to be distant
and detached from your emotions . That ’ s not really the way it is for me . I like to think that if I ’ m telling you about a tragic event , you should see the tragedy in my eyes and you should hear it my voice . It ’ s not because it ’ s acting , it ’ s because I ’ m experiencing it the same way that you are . I always try to be an honest anchor . One of my role models was Walter Cronkite , who was the face of American news for many years .
Sherman : Speaking of Walter Cronkite , I ’ ve heard that you got to meet him face-toface . What was that like ?
Gray : When I was anchoring at Channel 13 , a local girl from the Albany area got cast as the lead in Annie on Broadway . Her name is Brittany Kissinger . She was originally cast as the understudy for the lead part , but she was chosen to replace the girl who originally played the lead at the last second . It was a big controversy down on Broadway . They sent me down to Broadway to interview the girl and her parents on opening night . I was right there on the red carpet where all of these celebrities were coming in . Security told us that they would throw us out if I walked past the rope , but I was happy to oblige . We had pretty good press access for a local news team from Albany . Suddenly , I see Walter
Cronkite walking down the carpet . I knew I had to seize the opportunity , so I ran across the rope and I approached him . I said , “ Mr . Cronkite , what do you think of Annie ?” He knew about the controversy , and he had an incredibly witty response . He said , “ I love Annie , and any old Annie will do .” I loved it . It was classic Walter Cronkite . He was so nice and gracious about it .
Sherman : I ’ ve heard that you ’ re a big Broadway fan ! Do you have a favorite Broadway show ?
Gray : I just love Broadway . My favorite show is Rent . I ’ ve seen it about 14 or 15 times , both with the original cast and the different casts that have performed it since then . When an actor named Jim Beaver – who has acted in shows like Deadwood , Supernatural , and Justified – came up and did a play in Berkshire County , I interviewed him for a newspaper column . During the interview , I asked him , “ What is it about theatre that speaks to people ?” He looked at me and said , “ I know what it is . Whenever you ’ re sitting in a theatre , whether you ’ re in the first row or the last row , what you ’ re seeing only happens once . Every performance is a unique experience just for you and the other people that are there .” I think that ’ s what I love
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