Sonia Owchariw

Cable News Network was leading with news ratings in Jan. 1991 during the 24-hour Gulf War coverage. I just started my Showbiz Entertainment internship at 5 Penn Plaza in New York City where Bill Tush and Liz Wickersham hosted as co-anchors. The commute was so simple from Linden, New Jersey especially when I parked my 1966 Mustang where there was free parking.

When the war started, CNN shows went "black" in Manhattan. The Gulf War on cable news was 24-hour coverage. As an intern, it was quite fascinating to watch CNN swing into action sending news crews to Jerusalem.

In 1997, I visited the former CNN bureau in Jerusalem on Washington Street via bus from my hotel where I was traveling with a church group to see the Holy Land. I was interested in visiting the former CNN Jerusalem news bureau. It was just an ordinary office, but in 1991 Bernard Shaw reported from that location. And reporters, Christiane Amanpour and Peter Arnett reported from in the field with scud missiles flying overhead. The coverage of the war was instant and changed how war was viewed on the media.

Can I technically say I "manned" the desk during a war?

It was a star-studded year too, because the Grammys were in town at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Montclair State College, Broadcasting department, was invited to work with the Pierre Cossette productions. I met such musical talents as Aretha Franklin; Quincey Jones; Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash; Phil Collins; The Judds; Vince Gill; Amy Grant; Chaka Kahn; and Clarence Clemmons. I worked as a talent assistant for the Grammys, the Grammy Legends, International Rock Awards, HBO Comic Relief, Arista Awards and even tickled the ivories playing "Tommy Dorsey's Boogie Woogie Blues" at one of the "After Grammy" party.

My print journalism started at The Westfield Leader in Westfield, New Jersey in 1998. Westfield is located in Union County nestled among the towns of Garwood, Scotch Plains, Berkeley Heights, Mountainside...the hub of suburbia; but close enough to hop on a train to Manhattan. Covering stories from state, county and local story telling is why I enjoy writing. I can also edit, shoot, write breaking news, live shots and general news.

Working at WGHT 1500 AM in Pompton Lakes during Hurricane Floyd where most of Passaic county was flooded from the Passaic River, I was fortunate that I heeded the State of Emergency warning and got out of Wayne with my personal belongings in tow.

I worked with great on-air personalities and news team at WGHT. The radio station went dark in 2017.

My prized moment was reporting from the IFP/Gotham Independent film awards at Cipriani's in Wall Street New York where I interviewed on the red carpet actor, Christopher Plummer, who was nominated for an Oscar, Best Supporting Actor in "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo."

My favorite musical is "Sounds of Music," I wish I could have sang a duet with Plummer on the red carpet. I probably would have selected, "Climb Every Mountain" having a Soprano voice-range.

Now, I freelance for hyperlocal news at TAPinto.net LLC as a reporter. As Peter Jennings once said about covering local news and its importance, "News is about what's happening locally and what matters most to people." I met Jennings working for news operations at ABC Inc. in New York. ABC Inc. had great holiday parties at The Tavern on the Green.

And lastly, a huge fan of actor, Jack Palance. I met him once in July at a festival in upstate New York. The conversation was short but memorable. I got to chit-chat and tell him what a fan I was and how much I enjoyed his "one-armed push up."