New Genesis: A Talk with CBS2/KCAL 9 News Reporter, Kandiss Crone

Welcome to New Genesis, I’m your host, Nia Cross. New Genesis is an audio series about the black women reporter experience. My primary focus for this series is to spotlight black women reporters and I also will spotlight executives in the media and entertainment industry. We will discuss how each guest got to where they are today. So let’s hop straight into what I call, “New Genesis” - which is the beginning of each individual’s story.

Kandiss Crone: Yeah, well, you have to check your emotions and at the door because the story is about something bigger than you.

That’s Kandiss Crone. She is a reporter for CBS2/KCAL 9 News and a Video Coach for students at USC Annenberg. Today we will talk with her about why she wanted to pursue a career in journalism, and then how do you cover an event like the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, and the importance of representation on TV,

We’ll also hear the special meaning of Beyonce’s Cuff it in Kandiss’s life at the moment. Since this is New Genesis, all about beginnings, let’s start with how Kandiss’s story began.

Crone: Growing up, we watched a lot of news in my house. It was always on, especially dinnertime. So it would be, you know, the TV would be on the local news or the evening news national. And so it was just sort of a conversation piece. You know, it was about current events and what’s going on in not only the neighborhood but in the world was a very important focus of my family. So and just being surrounded by it, that’s how I knew I wanted to do something important. I wanted to be able to tell stories and to give information to the public that was needed. That was important. And so that responsibility I sort of gravitated to.

I’m thinking of the late, great PBS journalist Gwen Ifill…. She covered history and made history.. Gwen once said… when asked about other little brown girls watching her on TV… that it always stopped her in her tracks…. because as long as she could remember, there was someone on the other side of the camera.. Who was watching her… with expectation… and Gwen Ifill knew that this experience could shape what they do next.. So she said… “I have to take what I do seriously every single day.” And her statement reminds me of all black women reporters. I asked Kandiss has she had a similar experience?

Crone: to that point, representation is important, right? It’s important to see people that look like you, that come from a similar background or experience that are relatable because it gives you hope, it gives you drive and and sort of an example to look forward to and to have that inspiration and motivation. So that’s very important. And that also with that comes a responsibility for myself. I don’t take it lightly that there are other little brown girls, you know, just like me who want to be a reporter or who have dreams or who, you know, watching me. That gives them inspiration or encouragement. And so I certainly don’t take that lightly and look at that as a duty to do my best, to be my best, to set an example, to give back, to mentor and to help guide the next generation of journalists, you know, that’s our future.

Speaking of the future, remember when I said that this song holds a lot of meaning to Kandiss. She’s getting married in roughly two weeks. So, the song “Cuff It” is her current mood because she’s falling in love. We love to see it! Huge congrats to Kandiss and her fiancé.

That’s a wrap for our first episode. Stay tuned in for more of New Genesis!

For Annenberg Media, I’m Nia Cross.