Get to Know a WPR Staffer!
by Susannah Michaels

Lisa Bu is originally from Changsha, China. Changsha is a city of over six million people in Hunan Province in south central China. She first came to the United States in 1995 to get her master’s degree in journalism at the UW-Madison. Through the School of Journalism’s mentoring program, she got involved as a volunteer at WPR, working on Jean Feraca’s program. She volunteered for several years, during her master’s degree and subsequent MBA degree work, but took several years off when she worked full-time as a computer programmer after graduation. When Jean created her current program, Here on Earth, in 2003, Lisa rejoined WPR and has been working part-time on the program ever since. For the past two years, she has also been back in school, this time for a PhD in journalism and mass communication. Her official role at WPR is as web producer for Here on Earth. Nicknamed “Speedy Gonzales” by her colleagues, Lisa is a key player in the small team responsible for creating and maintaining the website, the podcast, the blog, and the Facebook profile for the program. Lisa is a big fan of public broadcasting, so when she took a trip to London several years ago, she made a point of contacting the BBC. She ended up spending an entire day there. Now Lisa is the de facto Here on Earth BBC contact, and is responsible for getting BBC guests for the program, such as Matt Frei and Peter Day. And she also helps book guests on topics where she has some expertise, like Chinese cuisine.

RadioWaves: How did you become interested in public radio?

Lisa Bu: Growing up in mainland China, I started listening to the BBC on shortwave radio to learn English when I was in college. With BBC's broadcast being jammed, it was often a hide-and-seek game to get a clear signal. On June 4, 1989, I was on a ship going upward on the Yangtze River to return home for summer recess when I heard from my shortwave radio what happened to the demonstrating students on the Tiananmen Square. I always remember that day well because BBC's signal was so clear on the river but the news so chilling. Soon after I got home, my brother and I got into a heated argument about whether the government should crack down on the demonstrating students. It’s eye-opening for me to realize the power of media: even though we had a similar background, my brother and I could have totally opposite views just because different media had fed us different information.

After graduation from college, I worked as the executive secretary to the CEO of a big company in Shenzhen. The job paid well, but I became restless after a year. There must be more in life than just working to earn a living. I yearned to explore the world, to have a job that could make a difference in other people's lives as the BBC did for me. So I decided to go to the United States to study journalism and pursue a career in public broadcasting. It is the best decision I've ever made in my life.

RW: You’re now working on your PhD in journalism. What is the subject of your dissertation? How do you research that?

LB: I don’t have a specific subject yet. My overall research interest is to explore the integration between new media technologies and mass media, especially public broadcasting. Depending on specific research questions, I have a variety of tools to do my study – public opinion surveys, experiments, focus groups, etc. Traditional media such as newspapers, radio and television stations are going through an expensive “pain” (financial loss) right now in search of a new “body form” (business model) that can survive and thrive in the Internet age. Some of them won’t make it before the pain kills them off. Witnessing this breathtaking yet painful transition from old to new media, I have many burning questions. For example, what will the new body form look like? How will it be decided and by what forces? What will happen to public broadcasting? How will the new media affect the society and democracy?

RW: You’ve lived in the US for many years, but you go back to China for visits. What changes have you seen in China in the years that you’ve been away?

LB: The most striking change is how much better off people are economically. Most of my family and friends have bought their own apartments, and even cars. I can no longer find my way in my hometown because new construction has given the city a totally new face. My parents told me not to buy stuff for them in the U.S. because it’s no longer necessary – “We have a Wal-Mart here now,” they said. Last year my mother took me to see the Wal-Mart for the first time. We grabbed a cab and told the driver to go to Wal-Mart. He turned his head and asked: “Which one?” Which one! Even my mother was shocked. It turned out that there are five Wal-Marts in my hometown now.

But one price Chinese are paying for the economic boom is the pollution. I was in Beijing and my hometown Changsha last summer. In both cities, blue sky was a rare sight and grayish fog always hung in the air, rain or shine. Because tap water is not safe for drinking, bottled water became my new security blanket – can’t go anywhere without it.

I also found a few small but positive signs of political change. For example, local newspapers now regularly publish a list of government officials’ office phone numbers. I even came across a call for public comments on some newly appointed officials on one newspaper.

RW: You’re a PhD student and also have two part-time jobs. Do you still manage to have some fun on the side?

LB: Yes, I take mini mental health breaks daily by talking to friends and family, playing piano, and a bit of exercising. On weekends, for a total escape from work and study, I often go watch a non-educational, purely entertaining movie with a good friend, and enjoy its “sugar high” thoroughly and shamelessly for two hours. Every year I also pick a destination that’s at least 100 miles away from Madison to have a change of scenery.

RW: What do you miss about China when you’re here? What do you miss about the U.S. when you’re in China?

LB: I wish there were a really good, authentic Chinese restaurant in Madison. There are three things I would miss if staying in China for a long time: public radio, public television, and the public library. My visits to China are usually short, my returns to Madison are usually in the evening. Passing through the quiet streets, breathing in the fresh crisp air, and seeing the clear evening sky with twinkling stars, I always feel a great sense of peace and delight to see Madison again – “I’m home.”