Insight: Roger Black

Story & Photo by Jessica McCafferty

Occupation: Communications Professional - Retired

Hometown: Mt. Temper, NY

Education: BA, Syracuse University

Community Involvement: Sunrise Rotary Club Plattsburgh; Town of Plattsburgh Zoning Board of Appeals, Clinton County Historical Museum

Family: Wife Bonnie; two grown daughters and two granddaughters

Roger Black spent his early years on Long Island until his father’s new job with IBM brought the family to the isolated hamlet of Mt. Tremper in the Catskills. Black’s father, who had grown up in an urban area, found the idea of isolated rural living appealing. Roger and his older brother, Gordon, found rural living — and the lack of television reception — something that set them apart from others their age. Black credits this lack of media at home during his formative years as what drove his passion for a life in radio and beyond.

In 1965, Black entered Syracuse University to major in Broadcasting (Radio/TV) with concentrations in Journalism, Marketing, Advertising Copy Writing and Political Science.

When he graduated four years later, he found a part time ad copy writing position with a fledgling radio station, WKDR-AM, in Plattsburgh. He spent 18 years growing with the station, working his way up to General Manager. From there he moved to television, spending four years at WPTZ as Assistant News Director and then finished out his media career with 21 years at the Press Republican overseeing Special Publications. As technology advanced and news moved to the internet, this self-proclaimed “geeky guy” found himself as Internet Director for the Press. That is as well rounded a career in communications as one person could get.

Once in retirement In the early 2000s Black found a new love — old glass negatives and historical research. Motivated by curiosity about Cliff Haven — formerly the Catholic Summer School of America located just south of Plattsburgh — he set out to learn all he could. That lead him to organize and catalog thousands of centuries old glass negatives belonging to the Clinton County Historical Museum and then turn them into digital photos and a database of old photo portraits. From there he developed presentations on a variety of topics for local history buffs. In recognition of his thousands of hours of painstaking work, Black has become a hero to history enthusiasts.

I recently met Roger Black at Chapter One in downtown Plattsburgh for coffee and conversation. The following are excerpts from our conversation.

What important lessons did you learn early in your career?

My first five years in radio were crucial. Getting the initial job was difficult due to the Vietnam War draft and the industry’s nature, where the first job is the hardest to secure. Additionally, WKDR Radio was a struggling, year-old station. The key early lessons I learned were identifying and solving business problems, coupled with learning rapidly on the job.

What advice would you give to young people starting out in their careers?

Learning how to learn was a key takeaway. I initially valued career-specific courses, but after graduation, I found liberal arts courses — outside my field — essential for developing my learning ability. Also, mastering written communication is fundamentally important everywhere.

What was your favorite part of working in the media?

Radio was a fun business, and the staff was a close family. We prioritized the station over individuals. My favorite time was the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. I created a national network of small market radio stations; each connected to an Olympic athlete. We provided reports on their progress. It was exhausting, but very satisfying.

How do you work with others in difficult situations?

I admit I didn’t always handle difficult situations optimally. There are past actions I would change. Over 40+ years in business, I separated myself personally from coworkers. My problem-solving approach, which involved identifying the issue and then examining options, often lacked sufficient personal empathy. Balancing practical solutions with empathy remains a challenge.

What are you most proud of professionally?

In the news business you sometimes hear about the hat trick, referring to having worked in radio, television and print. That was something I had accomplished by the mid-1990s. Then the internet came along, which didn’t exist when I was in college, so having experienced a hat trick plus one was cool.

What was the most memorable story you covered in your career?

The saga of serial killer Robert Garrow. That story just seemed to keep going and going. From the incident, to the man hunt, to the injured hospital stay, the trial, his stay at Dannemora prison, to his transfer to Green Haven, his subsequent escape, second manhunt, and his eventual death, the story spanned several years and really shook me up in a way.

What inspires you?

A tough one to answer. I haven’t talked much about writing. It’s a craft I started developing in college and continue to feel more comfortable with it as the years passed. When I have a clear goal for a writing task, a challenging one, and then have accomplished it, it’s very satisfying.

What is something no one would guess about you?

I’ve been an avid Formula One auto racing fan since around 1963. That’s a long time in a sport where drivers can have careers that include winning, reigning supreme and retiring or dying within a five-year span before the next great driver comes along. That and I take strange pleasure in feeding my backyard birds.

What do you do with your free time?

I’m retired so I have a lot of free time. I spend quite a bit of it working on Rotary stuff where I’m secretary of the Sunrise Rotary Club. I find it interesting moving the club from how it used to operate to how the members now want it to operate.

If you could have dinner and spend an evening with someone well known, who would you choose?

I’ve been fascinated by Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain since my fifth-grade teacher introduced our class to him. I wouldn’t want to engage in any table talk with him. That would be too intimidating, but I would love to be a silent witness to his conversation.

What do you think the North Country needs to ensure future prosperity?

Big, big question. Over the long term (40+ years), I have no idea and I doubt if anyone does. Too many unanticipated major changes can take place. Over the medium term (20-40 years), we need to have leaders with wisdom and foresight recognize that change is taking place and have a plan for the region to adapt. Over the short term (0-20 years), we need leaders who will focus on moving the region forward and not on returning it to its past, no matter how attractive that may seem.