Flip on any television in America and there’s agenda-driven programming: just ask the producers of Fox News and MSNBC.
And while some mainstream media networks continue to rake in the ratings — Fox News, for example, was up 13% in primetime network rankings for 2015, according to Nielsen — some viewers are hoping for a change of pace and change of content.
Enter the show Common Ground, the brainchild of Plant City resident and business owner Yvonne Fry. In a ratings-driven world where the media serves as the battleground between Democrats and Republicans, Fry hopes to find peace between the parties.
Meet the Hosts
Fry, who is the owner of Fryed Egg Productions, was working with 411 Communications president Chris Ingram on some strategies for his career when she came up with the idea for Common Ground. Fry wanted to put Ingram, a Republican who has worked for political candidates including Sen. Mel Martinez and Mayor Rudy Giuliani, in a more prominent role in television.
“He’s got such a platform and a voice,” Fry said.
With Ingram on board, Fry began thinking about political figures who would make a great co-host alongside Ingram. She reached out to Alex Sink, a Democrat and former CFO for the state of Florida.
“They did not know each other (at the time),” Fry said. “Alex is a great match.”
With her co-hosts signed on, Fry was able to make her dream a reality: a show where political figures talk with one another and experts about issues facing the nation and try to find areas where they could agree on the issues.
“Chris and Alex are not passive in this at all,” Fry said. “We’re not just laying it in front of them, they’re participating. It just naturally flows. That plays to the viewer, if they’re being authentic.”
The Show
Common Ground, which airs Sundays on Bay News 9’s “Political Connections,” was originally set to be an eight-minute segment that aired during the middle of “Political Connections.” However, all of the segments so far have been over eight minutes, with some being as long as 15 to 16 minutes.
“We do all the research,” Fry said. “We’re driving that content.”
The show is shot in thirds. Sink and Ingram discuss an issue, usually one that has garnered massive national attention, such as abortion, and try to find common ground Republicans and Democrats can agree on.
“We try to make sure we’re really appealing to both markets,” Fry said. “We’re looking at state and national issues.”
Each episode of the show features two guests, usually two experts on either side of the issue.
During a segment on abortion filmed in April, the guests were Anna Eskamani and Sabrina Schultz. Schultz is the director of life ministry for the Diocese of St. Petersburg, while Eskamani is the senior director of public affairs and field operations for Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando.
Sink and Ingram then do interviews with the guest of their party’s opposing side. In this case, Sink interviewed Schultz and Ingram interviewed Eskamani. Each of the guests are given equal air time. For the third part of the segment, Ingram and Sink get back together to discuss their views and if they’re able to find issues they agree on.
A lot of times, they are.
“It’s called thinking,” Ingram said. “And if you’re not talking to people with opposing views, you’re not learning, and you’re probably not thinking. I think people are starting to show their dissatisfaction with “gotcha” journalism … and are beginning to seek out (other) sources for information.”
The show continues to be a forum, with Fry and her team having much of the control over production.
“They (Bay News 9) have never done something where they’ve given the control to this degree to an outside individual,” Fry said. “I try to be inclusive with them so that we’re all on the same page. We love working with their team.”
She hopes as the show grows in viewership, open dialogue will occur off the screen too.
“This could be a catalyst for changing the conversation,” she said. “There are always things as humans we can connect on.”
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.