“You are an extension of the Director, so be the Director of your position. Take ownership and don’t be afraid to lead. We all need that voice in our ear.” This was the final assessment of Associate Directors Katie Miller McGuire and Clara Yang during the Focus on Women Committee (FOWC) conversation, Real Time - The Most Important Voice in My Ear. The March 26 online discussion was moderated by FOWC Alternate Co-Chair Glenna Meeks and covered topics including the importance of having strong communication (the voice in the ear) in today’s control rooms.
Following a clip sharing audio from a control room, Yang broke down the process of what happens once they call for a commercial break, including how their roles as Associate Directors relate to the Director. She described herself as a key messenger in the communication process, “the voice in everyone’s ear” relaying the information from the other Associate Directors to the Director within seconds.
Miller McGuire further elaborated on the process of sharing information from different locations and discussed the multipart system for fixes — video, graphic, fonts — and explained the involvement from other DGA members in the control room. She noted the amount of detail that goes into a 4:20 commercial break and stated that the “voice in the ear” is a drumbeat during this chaotic process.
Both panelists shared how they started working at CBS, why they prefer working in News, and some keys to their success on set and in the control room.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
 Katie Miller McGuire
Miller McGuire has been the Control Room Associate Director for CBS Saturday Morning for the past seven years. Prior to this she worked for CBS News Radio, Newspath, CBS Evening News and eventually CBS Mornings where she discovered the DGA path. Miller McGuire has been a DGA member since 2013. |
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 Clara Yang
Yang is an Associate Director on the programs CBS Mornings and CBS Mornings Plus. She began her career in 2013 as an intern with CBS News, began working at CNN in 2014 and moved back to CBS News in 2015. Yang has been a DGA member since 2015. |
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 Glenna Meeks (moderator)
Meeks is an Associate Director in CBS’ Media Distribution Center. DGA member since 2007, Meeks serves as an Associate Member of the DGA National Board, as the Alternate Co-Chair of the FOWC, and has served multiple terms on the Eastern AD/SM/PA Council, holding the position of First Vice-Chair and Council Chair. |
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About the Committee:
Originally a sub-committee of the Eastern Directors Council, in 2020 the Focus on Women Committee (FOWC) was designated an official and permanent committee of the DGA National Board for women members residing in the Eastern Region. The Committee would like to remind members that while their events are designed with a special focus on women Directors, all DGA members are welcome to attend.