RIAS alumni share memories, look to future at meeting at RTDNA

More than 50 alumni and friends of the RIAS Berlin Commission came to the annual U.S. alumni meeting at the RTDNA Excellence in Journalism (EIJ17) convention in Anaheim on Thursday, September 7. Coming from far and wide across the United States, the RIAS alumni from program years as far back as 1995 shared happy memories of their life-changing experiences in Germany and talked enthusiastically about how to help the exchange program grow and prosper in the future.

Many spoke glowingly of the unforgettable times they also had hosting German RIAS fellows over the years as well as other American journalists they had recommended to take part in the exchange programs.

Lee Anderson, the News Director at KTVZ/KFXO in Bend, Oregon, talked about how hosting seven German fellows over the years had been an enrichment for his whole news room and how he had helped seven other U.S. journalists get into the program for the exchange in Germany.

And Frank Mottek, the Senior Money Anchor on CBS all-news station KNX 1070, recalled his exchange to Germany and the German fellows his station has hosted over the years for their station weeks.

RIAS Berlin Commission executive director Erik Kirschbaum paid tribute to RTDNA executive director Mike Cavender, who is retiring at the end of the EIJ after leading the organization for the last six years. The RTDNA has been the RIAS Berlin Commission’s partner in the United States and Cavender has worked tirelessly to raise the awareness of the RIAS exchange programs.

Here are some more pictures from the alumni meeting:

in Fellows > In the USA > 2017 (pics Slider)