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AI: It's November 5, 2001. We're continuing with Frank Yamasaki. And Frank, I wanted to go back again to the 1950s and a time when you made a career move. And this was at a time when television was first starting here in Seattle. And could you tell me how you got into this business?

FY: Well, I wasn't an experienced artist in television, but television was a new media. And there was a station called Channel 7, KIRO-TV in Seattle, that was starting up. And they were hiring people, directors and producers. And it was a whole new station, so you could imagine. So they needed an art director. So I said to myself, "What have I got to lose in trying?" By then, I was very cocky about being very positive. So I applied. I, I was slightly dishonest or exaggerated about the kind of work I'd done. And prior to that, I'd worked for a film company, and we did make commercials and we did, that was also very new. So we had accounts that were nationally, not only in the United States but also in Canada. We had, did the production for a Canadian station, for a Canadian agency, advertising agency. My part in that was very small, but nonetheless, I put those down as my experience.

Well, apparently, I had the best background, and I was hired as an art director for Channel 7. It didn't take long for me to realize that it was not necessarily the kind of work I wanted to do because it was -- well, let's say it wasn't the kind of work. So I went down to resign, and at that time, the station manager says, "Frank, you realize that your job is far more secure than mine as a station manager?" Now, he -- when he explained all this -- because he says his job depends on the numbers. And I didn't understand that either. This is, everything that went on was brand-new. Well, it didn't take long for me to realize that, and I stayed on. They gave me a raise. I stayed on, and I realized what they meant and that the program they put on air was determined by the appeal of the mass public. They call that "numbers." The more numbers you have, the greater revenue you can get from the advertisers. So what it comes down to is to please or be accommodating to the advertiser was more important than the content of the show. Well, gee, that didn't sound good to me at all.

But anyway, long story short, I did get stuck with it. And I was there, and I did learn about advertising, marketing, and the media, television media. It's something that was completely new to me. I realized how the public are coerced or brainwashed, let's say, in thinking or forming opinions. To update this now, the current situation with the November 11 --

AI: Oh, excuse me. September 11th?

FY: September -- excuse me. September 11th tragedy in New York, the bombing of the -- or the crashing of the twin towers. It's very tragic, of course. But I feel something that's even more tragic, and that is the media coercing the public to become angry, pointing their finger -- this is tragic. The media should be sensible enough to not create a panic situation in the country. I feel this strongly because we, as a Nisei, our life was completely upturned because Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Yes, my parent came from Japan. There were Germans that came from Germany. Italians came from Italy. But this, this was the beauty of America, that it was a melting pot. But we, ourself, as an Asian, was denied this. People should think in this term and the kind of intimidation that the Muslim and the Arabs are going through. I think it's tragic. It's very bad.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2001 Densho. All Rights Reserved.