ETV aired the first episode of a new weekly public affairs show "This Week in South Carolina" hosted by Charles Bierbauer, Dean of the College of Information and Communication and former correspondent for CNN and ABC News. The premiere of the thirty-minute informal show aimed at having a conversation about what’s going on within the state featured S.C. Gov., and President Donald Trump’s nomination for Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley as its first guest.
Bierbauer, who has worked with ETV since he came to USC in 2002, was approached by the network to host the show that airs Fridays at 7:30 pm on SCETV.
“They said they wanted to revive a weekly public affairs show largely focusing on the legislator sessions and asked if I would host it and I said well I can do that for a while but I really want to engage students in the process and I really want to do the show from our studios,” Bierbauer said.
The studios he’s referring to are the newly opened greenhouse studios. They’re located two blocks from the legislator and two blocks from the Statehouse and are complete with a broadcast studio, office, control room and dressing room.
Bierbauer was able to achieve his other objective of engaging students by recruiting broadcast journalism students to help with production and research for interviews.
“To be quite honest, it was more important to accomplish those two things than for me to get back on television. I’ve had my day,” Bierbauer said.
In what could be Nikki Haley’s last interview as governor, she reflected on the accomplishments she’s made in the last six years including strides toward restructuring government with appointed positions and areas she felt the state could have improved given more time — most notably education. The timing of her appearance on the show, the same day as President Trump’s inauguration, was perfect because she went through confirmation hearings last week to join his cabinet as Ambassador to the UN. Haley’s rise to prominence is good visibility for the state as well as the fact that she is one of very few women and minorities in Trump’s cabinet.
“It’s good for the state. It raises the profile. I think she’ll be fine; she’s grown in office, I think she’s grown and matured and has a better understanding for how government functions at all levels having been in an executive branch,” Bierbauer said.
It’s rumored the confirmation announcement will occur Wednesday and she’ll be sworn in very shortly after according to Bierbauer who said, “Trump doesn’t like to wait around to get things done.”
Future episodes will focus heavily on the legislature and they hope to bring in S.C. Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster after he likely becomes governor.