TV can be educational - I'm a witness

Last week a delegation of five TV & Film Bureau directors arrived in Louisville from our Sister City of Jiujiang, China. It was a flying visit; as part of what seemed to be a whirlwind tour of the USA and Canada....so the pressure was on to make Louisville stand out as the best city on their trip! I had been told by the Jiujiang Foreign Affairs Office to organize anything that was convenient but that's not the way we like to do things at Sister Cities....

After a lovely dinner at Yachings on the first night - where the waitress seemed puzzled by our request to eat 'Chinese style' and share several dishes, we let them rest up for the evening. The next day I had organized a tour of FOX 41 studios - I thought this might be of interest to them given their career area but I never expected for it to be such a hit. The tour itself was great, the control room and behind the scenes was far more interesting that I had expected but we were fortunate enough to bump into the Programming Director who invited the group back to his office. What ensued was a 45 minute discussion about American television, production, ownership and cable networks. Never have I personally learned so much during a delegation’s visit. The group fired question after question eager to learn more about how things are done in the U.S - a small quarrel broke out (I can only assume this was the case not being able to understand the language however the intonation indicated some disagreement) over disbelief that the Cable companies pay the networks for their programs and not the other way around. Once cleared up they had more questions. Harry Beam, the FOX41 director honestly seemed to enjoy sharing his knowledge with the group and even went so far as to color code that days TV schedule to indicate the variety of programs; such as news, syndicated programs and FOX shows. I really can't thank him enough for the time he dedicated to the group. Afterwards we were given the privilege of viewing a live news production in the studio and before that the lead up to it in the control room.

After lunch across the river, looking back on our lovely skyline we embarked on a tour of downtown, hitting all the places you would expect. Everything was a delight to the group, with requests to stop for photos opportunities at every location.....with one exception.....the world’s largest baseball bat. I realized that I did not have a group of baseball fans in tow, as they waved us on indicating they would not need a photo. They made a last minute request to visit a cinema and so we headed to Baxter Avenue - all the way there I contemplated how I was going to blag our way in free of charge. It seems having a group of five Chinese individuals in suits standing behind me was enough to validate my request and in we went. I'm not sure how long we spent looking inside the various screens but I am certain that we took a photo of everything inside - from the seating, to the signage, to the concession stand, to each and every poster. I came to learn that Jiujiang might be building a new cinema complex - so watch this space for a Baxter clone!

We just had time to grab their luggage from the hotel before heading back to the airport. Before they left I insisted that they all return so we can show them more of what Louisville has to offer - I found myself disappointed that we weren't able to extend the trip, this truly was such a fun group. I hope I can track them down if I'm ever in Jiujiang!

Thank you to Sean Zhang and Momo Wang who interpreted for me and without either of which the visit could not have been a success.

On a side note, it is these types of exchanges that have lead to a trust and respect between Louisville and Jiujiang. It is directly because of these interactions and the relationship that have been created between our cities that we have been able to establish the Young Scholars Program. This fall eight degree seeking students will enroll in Bellarmine and Hanover colleges for four year degrees. Next year we expect to increase that number and also expand to include other local colleges in Louisville. Over the next four years this will generate over $1.8 Million dollars in tuition fees for our area and until now that money has gone to California - who have recruited the top students throughout China. Now we are able to go into the high schools ourselves and bring that talent to Louisville. This has been made possible through tireless efforts by Sister Cities volunteers who have nurtured the relationship since its beginning. You know who you are, thank you for all that you do for our City.