The Stern Opportunity

Stephanie Stern Riding in the Berkshires

Though life is a perpetual celebration of women in business for the ladies of Outside the Lines, the 18th annual SWIB conference has us particularly excited about our passionate and fearless female alumni. Stephanie Stern, MBA '92, is the perfect example of everything we love about Stern women. From leveraging her award winning journalism career to build successful corporate communication firm Stern&Co to becoming a seasoned equestrian as an adult for the fun of it, Ms. Stern's experiences continuously prove that women really can have it all, all at once. We were captivated as she shared her refreshingly candid thoughts on the news, career choices, and general business-womanhood. And yes, she has the coolest last name ever.

L&L: How did you start your career in the news business?

SS: I was on the Michigan Daily.[as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan] I think it had the latest morning deadline in that part of the state so we would often beat the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News when we broke a story. Every year the Detroit Free Press would judge our stories and I won first in features.

L&L: What was it like to be an assignment editor?

SS: I was the first woman to be an assignment editor in New York City news. An assignment editor is the guts of a news operation. You get in and "read down." You decide what should be covered. The two years I did that we (WNBC) won the Emmy for the best news coverage in the city.

L&L: What do you think about the quality of news media that you see today?

SS: Cronkite was a wonderful news man. He understood what he was saying and he was extremely committed to being ethical about news. He wasn't making stuff up and he was going for the center of the story and how it related to you and me and everyone else out there. Liz Trotta was the first woman reporter in Vietnam. They were in Vietnam, shooting in Vietnam and you really don't see them doing anything in Iraq.

L&L: You see it on HBO specials,things like that

SS: Right but you really don't see it day by day. They've cut bureaus around the world so they don't have a whole lot of people. It's all become cable news. You don't see much footage from the actual scene.

L&L: The first time I've seen a lot of that recently is in the Haiti coverage. What do you think of someone like Anderson Cooper?

SS: I love him. I think he's great. The credibility comes right through him. He's not affected. He's a great example of what it should be.

L&L: How do you feel about the influence of marketing in news?

SS: My experience with that really was a turning point for me. When they started having focus groups to see what people want to see in the news, this is something that if you are a halfway advanced journalist, you don't want anybody telling you what news is. They are not sitting there in the middle of what's going on. How the hell would they know?

L&L:How can people going into jobs in media strategy be a part of the solution?

SS: I would always emphasize that the best strategy is to cover with depth, stories about where the country is headed, that kind of stuff. One thing I think that has been really missing is an incredible day-by-day accounting of mainstream America. I know there has been some but this is a big story. Can you imagine losing your house in foreclosure? Can you imagine not being able to bring food into your house?

L&L: How do you get them to change that if they are still making money?

SS:Well now you are at the root question-it's corporate media.

L&L: What are some of the things that you think women in business now should be thinking about?

SS: I came up in a time where I was taking advantage of the fact that there were no women. I think you always have to look for your edge. What that is right now I'm not sure. It was working against me in a big sense but it was also working for me. I was the first woman in the Newark Bureau of the UPI. Everyone would say: you're a woman and you're holding your own there, I'll hire you. There is still an awful lot of glass ceiling stuff left.

L&L: You brought up an interesting question. What is your edge? How can Stern women evaluate how we can break through whatever those glass ceilings are now?

SS: You've got to listen to your gut. What do you really want to do? If you're doing something you really don't give a damn about doing it's going to show. Look at all the opportunities out there. What is it that really pulls you in? Do you want to be a trader? Do you want to go to Goldman and get up at 6 every morning? One of the questions really now is where is the country going. One of the best things to do is see what really SHOULD be happening, like alternative energy, and making it happen. Like stem- cell. What is happening with stem cell? I'm sure there are going to be a lot of little stem cell companies but snoop around and find out where there's a good one. If it's an emerging company, it is always in the hands of the people who are making it happen and generally they are not financial management types. They don't know how to manage a company. They are involved in the concept of what is going on. That's what's so smart about Google; they got the company in the hands of people who know how to run one. Don't forget to look for an operation that's entrepreneurial. I don't think you should all be applying to the big firms. NBC will put you over to some place where you really don't have much to do with what they are known for which is news. There's nothing worse than being an outsider in a big firm like that.

L&L: What are the skills that people who want to go into production should focus on?

SS: You better know what a good story is. In '76 I did women on Wall Street. For the first time women were coming out of the top business schools. I would take pictures of them trading. You have to be creative. Better you have a little talent too, that would be nice.

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