2022 WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB
NEWS MEDIA GAIL MILLER BISHER
2. Were there any new surprises? Did you miss the company of this year’s BIS judge, Dr. Donald Sturz? The telecast was again special because of the event’s location in Tarrytown. It is a garden party that feels elegant and cel- ebratory. In the broadcast booth on Tues- day and Wednesday evenings, Jason Hoke and I were excited that Don would be judg- ing Best in Show but we needed to focus on the beautiful winners in front of us. I was thrilled to have Jason next to me, and we felt very comfortable talking dogs after be- ing apart for a few years. (Jason has been part of the live daytime programming with Kim Meredith for the past several years.) It was easy to get back into the rhythm. Un- fortunately, we only have about :15 to :20 seconds per dog to speak, and sometimes the producer is in your ear telling you to stop talking because they have other video elements to include, etc. We know how much work has gone into getting these dogs to this point, so we try to get as much infor- mation as possible into this fast-paced, live television format. Watching Don in the ring was awesome be- cause we knew how excited he was for the assignment, and it was amazing to see all the love and support his friends and family had shown him in advance of his walking onto the green carpet. The other telecast firsts were Remy Lew- is-Smith filling in for Jason Hoke on the daytime programming and Johan Becer- ra-Hernandez serving as an analyst on our first FOX Deportes simulcast. Hav- ing these fanciers represent WKC and the sport on live television was exciting. Live TV is a very different experience, even for the media-savvy. I had complete confidence in these two representatives as they stepped into the role and shared their dog experi- ences and knowledge with our audience.
© J. Grassa for WKC
1. How was this year’s News Media coverage of Westminster, given it was held at the Lyndhurst Estate again. How was it the second time around? For the News Media this year, we tried to connect our Manhattan his- tory with our Westchester adventure. We decided to hold our Press Preview on Thursday, June 16, at Hudson Yards in Manhattan. It was very well-attended by national news, NYC media, and the primary wire services. I want to thank the owners who helped us with the Press Pre- view by bringing their dogs into Manhattan for this event, highlighting the new breeds, four “Hidden Gem” breeds, and Agility and Obedience demonstrations. Thank you to Missy Bisesti, Laurie Bowen, Lori Brady, Linda Brennan, Jeanine Dell’Orfano, Winona Fuller, Cheryl Kerr-Duff, Lisa Miller, Michael Pesare, Christina Potter, and Chris Stoddard. In Tarrytown, significant national news and local news outlets joined us in person. We never tire of telling the purpose-bred dog story to the News Media and want to take full advantage of the opportunity when the spotlight is on our show, and we have so many exhibitors available for interviews. For the Best in Show Media Tour, we were back in NYC, hitting the ma- jor morning shows, including Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, and Today Show. Then we held a press conference at our Champion’s Lunch hosted by Tavern On The Green. This event gave the News Me- dia that couldn’t attend the show a chance to meet Heather and Trum- pet and ask about this historic win by a Bloodhound. There was a photo opportunity at the top of the Empire State Building and a quick stop at the AKC headquarters to share the excitement and joy that only Trum- pet can bring.
36 • T op N otch T oys , J uly 2022
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