About two months ago, Deacon Greg Kandra of the Diocese of Brooklyn, who blogs at the Deacon’s Bench, left CBS News to work for NET television, a media apostolate associate with the Diocese.
This week, the station has made news – from a link on Drudge to a story on CNN – with its new advertising campaign, featuring a guy with horns begging people not to watch the station. Congrats on the exposure and what seems to be a fresh, vigorous and faithful approach to using the media in the service of the Gospel.
The Tablet’s interview with Greg:

He brings with him a 27-year experience of writing for such CBS journalists as Douglas Edwards, Charles Osgood, Charles Kuralt, Dan Rather, Ed Bradley and Katie Couric. His work has gained credits on 60 Minutes II, Sunday Morning, Street Stories, 48 Hours, and the CBS Evening News.

Kandra says that things are much simpler now that he is working with a smaller staff.

“Everyone here is open to any idea you have. You don’t have to go through a whole hierarchy of people. If you have an idea for something and they like it, you can do it and it will get done,” he explains. “This feels more like a family. It’s refreshing. It doesn’t feel like you’re going to work in the morning. This is a lot more manageable. And I still have time for my ministry.”

A member of the pastoral team at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs parish, Forest Hills, he was ordained a deacon by Bishop DiMarzio in June, 2007. In the parish, he assists with RCIA classes, baptismal preparation, preaching, coordinating Eucharistic ministers and writing a column for the bulletin. He also is the creator and editor of The Deacon’s Bench, a popular blog site that attracts 50,000 hits a month.

He is married to his wife Siobhain, whom he describes as “incredibly supportive.”

While The Net’s news show is still in the planning stages, it is scheduled to contain news about the Church from the world. But the emphasis will be on the local diocesan happenings.

Two-yet-to-be-hired anchors – a man and a woman – will report the news from the new state-of-the-art studio currently being completed in the former administrative offices of The Prayer Channel in Park Slope.

Local news will be gathered by “predators,” one-person who will act as a combination writer and producer.
“One of the big reasons that this show is possible is because the technology is finally there,” says Kandra. The Tablet and Net staffs will work in cooperation to supply each other with stories.

The show also will contain an interview segment with people related to the news of the day and “interesting profiles” of local church people.

The news will be taped at 5 p.m. and shown at 7 or 7:30 p.m. with a repeat at 10 p.m. Prior to going live, The Net plans a couple of weeks of dry runs of the news which will not be broadcast.

“One of the things that really isn’t well served right now in the media is stories about religion, stories about faith,” says Kandra. “Interesting things that are happening at home, that are going in the parishes aren’t really being reported right now.”

The NET TV website
Flexibility andboldness, folks. It’s what’s missing from so much of Catholic media of all sorts. Even those that are not controlled by episcopal boards and diocesan structures find it almost impossible to move quickly, with an intuitive sense of both proactivism and responsiveness, to really nurture creativity. Everyone is enslaved to agenda, fearful of appalled and aghast  letters from 72-year old ladies, who may either be Legion of Mary or Call to Action – doesn’t matter, you get the same “How could you” from either side, fearful of lost donations or lost sales.