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Brian Stevens, M.D., Ph.D., center, operates on an Omaha teen-ager awaiting a kidney transplant from his mother. |
Bill Cunningham certainly looked the part of a doctor.
Wearing green scrubs and a surgical mask, the producer of ABC’s Good Morning America walked into NHS University Hospital Operating Room 6 to check on an Omaha teen-ager awaiting a kidney transplant.
With a camera alongside, Cunningham spent several hours on the UNMC/NHS campus last month gathering video for Good Morning America’s “50 States, One Nation, One Year” project. The series, which highlights remarkable medical, family and tourism stories from each of the 50 states, began April 29 in North Carolina.
The segments on Nebraska – including one on UNMC/NHS – is scheduled to air Sept. 2. Good Morning America, anchored by Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson, airs weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m. on KETV Channel 7.
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Mele Mason mans the video camera while Bill Cunningham looks on. |
“We got nearly two dozen medical stories and ideas pitched to us (for the Nebraska segment),” said ABC producer Bill Cunningham. “It’s really tough to meet the standards to be a medical story on Good Morning America. We’re looking for something remarkable, intriguing, cutting edge in the medical world and that has character to it.”
After weeks of research and calls to major hospitals, newspapers, television medical reporters and Chambers of Commerce, ABC landed its medical feature at UNMC/NHS.
The three-minute segment will highlight the UNMC/NHS Lied Transplant Center and the husband-and-wife transplant surgeon team of Lucile Wrenshall, M.D., Ph.D., and Brian Stevens, M.D., Ph.D. Nancy Snyderman, M.D., a health reporter on Good Morning America and a 1977 graduate of the UNMC College of Medicine, will narrate the segment.
“This story stood out for several reasons,” said Cunningham, who has been at ABC’s Los Angeles bureau for the past 13 years. “The husband and wife transplant surgeon team are sharp, nice people with kids who moved here just to work here. It’s a true partnership.”
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Matt Mason, Mele Mason and Bill Cunningham spend hours at UNMC/NHS to gather video for the Good Morning America segment. |
In July, Cunningham spent more than 12 hours at UNMC, shooting about 90 minutes of video for the three-minute broadcast. Omaha freelancers Mele and Matt Mason were hired to do the video and sound work, respectively. National television networks frequently hire the brother and sister duo, which operate Mason Video. The Masons have done work for ABC, NBC, CNN and local corporations and cable companies.
Visit the Good Morning America Web site to read about states already profiled.