Surae Chinn, Award-Winning TV9 Reporter

By Jennie L. Ilustre

Surae Chinn once wrote for Asian Fortune. “It was my first job out of college,” she said. “I wrote about events in the community.” That was late in 1996 until 1997.

Well, look at her now. She’s an award-winning reporter for WUSA-TV9. She also fills in as anchor on occasions. In 2004, she won the prestigious regional Edward R. Murrow Award for her special coverage and a 30-minute newscast on the National Guards in Guantanamo Bay. The Associated Press also gave her an honorary award for Best Documentary.

She’s also in demand in community activities. On April 5, she will emcee the Asian American Chamber of Commerce event. She said she loves “being out in the community, specially the Asian American community.”

In phone and email interviews, Surae described the award as very exciting and fulfilling. She recalled: “My cameraman Jeff Myers and I worked so hard while at Guantanamo. We were proud of our work. We covered the soldiers day in and day out. It was a miracle that we pulled it off in the first place, doing a satellite shot from Gitmo (Guantanamo) and coordinating everything back to home studio. It was an amazing experience.”

Broadcast journalism is her first love. At age 9, she told her dad she wanted to be a TV journalist. She didn’t imagine technology would transform the field in a big way and make it more exciting: “Everything is now 24-7, and because of social media, Facebook and Twitter, people want their news instantly.”

Actually, hers was not an overnight success. Like many success stories, she paid her dues. The Virginia Tech graduate worked as a production assistant for NBC-4. Her first on-camera job was at a local cable station in Montgomery County. She went to Dubuque, Iowa “for my first commercial reporting job and first time away from home.” In Lynchburg, Virginia, she was the weekend evening anchor at WSET.

Next stop, before coming full circle: Kansas City, Missouri. She spent four years there as a KCTV5 weekend morning anchor. She covered breaking news. She also covered weather and met Mr. Weatherman and Mr. Right, meteorologist Devon Lucie. Devon does the weather report and updates for NewsChannel8, ABC-7’s local news station.

The two are now proud parents of 13-month-old Graham Oak Yalong Lucie. (Yalong means second dragon.) Graham was born last year, in the Year of the Dragon. His dad is the first dragon. The first time mom’s pet names for their son? “Grahmmy Graham and Lovebug,” replied Surae, adding, “I never thought I’d enjoy motherhood so much.”

In an email interview, her husband proudly noted their son’s timing. “His birthday is February 4, the day before National Weatherperson’s Day! It’s a nice tropical climate most of the time now that Ya Long’s here. Mostly sunny and warm, with bouts of thunderstorms or a rain squall here and there.”

Comfort Zone
Surae is happy to be back. Born in Hawaii, she spent some time there before her family moved to D.C. Her mom, now a government retiree, and her dad, who worked at Delta Airlines, taught her the values she holds dear–“Family first” and “Work hard and you’ll find success.” They are very supportive of Surae and her sister.

Remarked Surae: “They have always been my biggest cheerleaders. I remember acting in plays in high school. One year I was Cinderella. I also played Juliet in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and my mother went to every single play. My mom is one of my role models. She has the warmest heart I know.”

Surae likewise cherishes her other family at WUSA9. “It can be like working with your friends one moment and the next, a dysfunctional family–I mean that in the nicest way! The tight deadlines make it exciting, tense and stressful. But at the end of the day, it usually all works out.”

She recalled: “I was doing a live shot one day, with two minutes before air. The control room is talking to me in my ear: ‘We don’t have a picture. We hear you, but we don’t see you.’ A second goes by as my cameraman tries to figure out the problem. Then, ‘We see you, but we don’t hear you.” This must have gone back and forth for a minute and a half. Finally, I hear, ‘You’re live!’ We have crazy days like that and people at home have no idea.”

“Surae has always been one of the best reporters I’ve ever known,” said her husband. “She has the unique ability to connect with those she’s interviewing, along with being able to convey not only the message in a concise fashion, but also being able to capture the emotion of the story.”

They understand the unique demands of their profession, he said. “There’s always the prospect of extended work hours for breaking stories or weather coverage. Also, May and November ratings sweeps require schedule adjustments, too.”

True Professional
Marlene Davenport, NBC-4 producer in Chicago and Surae’s friend, described her as a “true professional, unflappable, with a great sense of humor and deeply passionate about her job.” She worked with Surae at KCTV5 in Kansas City.

In a phone interview, she said, “Surae is one of the most amazing, giving persons I know, always thinking of others. I met her in 2007. I didn’t know anyone in town. It was Christmas, and she was so friendly and warm, and made me feel so welcome and so at home.”

“Surae was born to be a mom–she’s so loving and has a big heart,” Marlene added. She said Surae is also good at “balancing her life as a working mom,” something that made Surae giggle when told about it. Remarked Surae: “Oh, I do my best. These days with a one-year old son, I’m busy trying to strategize how much I can fit in one day. It’s juggling family time and trying to see how many errands I can do in an hour.”

In her pre-baby life, Surae’s hobbies included traveling, yoga, walks with pet dog Melvin and going out to eat. Melvin and Mei Li, the two rescue pets, have adapted to her son’s birth. Melvin was jealous at first. “But he has since enjoyed being near the baby because he has first dibs on Grahmmy Graham’s scraps,” Surae said, laughing. “Melvin and Mei Li, although playing second fiddles now, are very dear to our hearts. We’re a family.”

Q & A
How do you see yourself five years from now?

I see myself continuing to tell stories in the Greater Metro Washington D.C. area. I love reporting in my hometown and I hope it doesn’t change!

How do you like working in the nation’s capital?

This is the place to be–there’s so much action and interesting things going on. Last Friday (March 22), I covered the homecoming of USS Arlington, honoring 9-11 victims and the first responders came, and they all saluted the ship. It was very exciting.

Who is your favorite newscaster and why?

Peter Jennings. He was such a natural and unassuming. I remember reading about him. He said he didn’t think he was very smart. Yet he was smarter and more worldly-wise than most.

How has winning the Ed Murrow Award changed you?

It’s an affirmation and an inspiration to keep doing great stories day in and day out.