36 - Sunday, June 10, 1990 — North Shore News AFFLUENCE ay 2INFLUENCE Miore than a pretty face HARD WORK HAS MADE PAMELA MARTIN ONE OF B.C.’S BEST NEWSMEN PAMELA MARTIN smiles, repeats the question to herself in a hushed voice and pauses to reflect on the an- swer. News Reporter The veteran BCTV news anchor and reporter has just been asked what her most embarrassing mo- ment on air has been. “H's funny you know, I should remember embarrassing moments. I think f must repress these mo- ments or something because I've been asked that before and I've had a hard time thinking about it.” While she is hard-pressed to recall her most embarrassing mo- ment, Martin easily recalls her “most frightening incident’’ in which she was saved on-air by BCTV sportscaster John McKeachie. “The most traumatic moment was one that happened very carly on when I had just been anchoring for a very short time. At that time i was anchoring a newscast with John McKeachie doing the sports. “After the sports we had a five-minute news package and the story that was supposed to run,..something happened there, the equipment broke down and all of a sudden we were told we had five minutes to fill,’’ says Martin. “People don’t realize how long 30 seconds is when it’s just you talk- ing to a camera...it’s a lifetime. NEWS phote Stuen Davis BCTV'S PAMELA Martin: Content is a key ingredient to u successful news operation. It’s hard to ad fib about news because it's mostly so serious. “Fortunately John McKcachie sat down and he really taught me a lesson on how to talk for five minutes and not say anything because he’s very good at chatting and that's what we did for five minutes.” Martin, a West Vancouver resi- dent, is a fixture on most TV screens in 8.C., anchoring BCTV’s Weekend News Hour and also working as a general assignment reporter. She is separated from her hus- band and has two children, a five-year-old boy and a_ three- year-old girl. Born in Detroit, Mich., the 40- year-old Martin moved to Victoria with her husband in 1974, a move she doesn’t regret. SOCCER SOCCER SOCCER 1990-1991 REGISTRATION all boys ages 6-17 (Born 1973-1984) and living between the Capilano River and Grand Boulevard are invited to register for the new season (September tnrough March) Saturday, June 16, 10am-2pm DELBROOK RECREATION CENTRE, 660 WEST QUEENS RD. FEES: 1st CHILD — $45.00 2nd CHILD — $35.00 (additional free) Further information at registration or cali Stephen Cale 986-6942 The Lions Gate Soccer Association depends on parent volunteers “| married a Canadian and he told me about this fabulous place called Britisn Columbia. After we got married we did some extended travelling around Mexico and the United States and eventually ended up in Victoria,’ says Martin. ‘*He was right. I couldn't believe how featuring salmon and sole Capilano Seafood Plate fresh tiger prawns, red snapper, baby shrimp, wonderful it was.’’ Martin, who has an art history degree from the University of Michigan, landed her first broad- casting job at BCTV's sister sta- tion in Victoria, CHEK-TV. It was a job she had hoped to land some time in the future. DINNER at the BRIDGE HOUSE back by popular demand Rack of Lamb the traditional favourite served with a fresh mint sauce and garden vegetables the BRIDGE HOUSE Restaurant 3650 capilano road, north vancouver “CHEK-TV offered me a job hosting a morning program. That's what [ was noping to do in about five years...that was my five-year plan.”’ A year Ister she left Victoria to work as e reporter for CKNW radio in New Westminster before moving on to BCTV six months later in 1976. Martin says TV journalism should not only inform, but also educate, the public. And while most journalists strive to maintain objectivity when reporting « story, Martin says there are times when a reporter in- evitably empathizes with a story’s subject. She mentions, for example, a recent two-part series she did on babies who are addicted to drugs in the womb. “tt was really moving to work on it because it's such a personal area to gu into. For the mothers, the fathers, the babies, the people who work with the mothers, you can’t help but to become emo- tionally involved with them and feel for them."" says Martin. “To get so close to that subject is just not something that would be a normal part of my life. 1 opened my eyes to realize women who ave hooked on methadone are very much victims and want so much to change their lives and have healthy babies."* Rock star Don Henley criticized See Martin Page 37 en Se’ 987- 3388