An Interview with Daryn Kagan
After 20 years, the veteran TV reporter has turned her focus to building a Web site that focuses on news to show the world what is possible.
After nearly 20 years as a television reporter—the last 12 with CNN—the spiritual void in the stories Daryn Kagan delivered from day to day had become almost palpable. Kagan decided she’d been the bearer of enough bad news, and on September 1 of this year she said farewell to CNN Live Today to focus on darynkagan.com. The website promises simply, “One woman, one radical idea: The world is a good place,” and will offer an invigorating mix of information and inspiration through stories that stir optimists and cynics alike to live, give and believe in the potential of the world around them. As of November 13, 2006, hope springs eternal from darynkagan.com.
Was there a specific event or moment that planted the seed for your good-news website?
It was kind of an evolution of a personal journey through the kinds of stories that resonate with me. I feel lucky to be at this time in media history, seeing websites with streaming video and thinking, “Hey, I want one of those.” It makes me realize I can produce my own show. I believe in creating what you seek. I was seeking inspiration, so I created an inspiring thing.
Will darynkagan.com be a comprehensive news source?
I don’t consider it a news site, and it’s not as simple as a “good news” site—it’s more of a thematic space. The themes are “The world is a good place” and “Show the world what is possible.” Another important aspect in the format of the website is stories. It’s not about preaching or religion; I find that stories are a very unifying force. When you just tell a story without putting a label on it, people from many different walks of life can come to that place and take what they’re meant to take from it. The website is a community. I’ll be doing a daily webcast, and I’ll also be accepting stories from contributors. I want people to feel free to suggest stories or submit their own in video, audio or text.
Who is your target audience, and what are they looking for?
I’ve been fascinated by the response and who’s attracted to it already. It’s bigger than I could have imagined. A lot more men than I could have predicted—about 50/50. Men are as hungry for this format as women are. It runs across political and religious spectrums. I can’t put it into a little nugget of age or gender. My idea the entire time was like the movie Field of Dreams: Build it and they will come.
What about the site will surprise visitors? What will keep them coming back?
They will be surprised that a place like this can exist. For some people there’s a belief that good news doesn’t sell, that fear sells. But I think there’s room for something like this. They’ll be surprised and delighted that there’s room for this now, and the feeling they get when they visit will keep them coming back. If you read a story about what’s possible, it puts a little zing in your heart and helps you get through your day or even go out and do something. Some people are inspired to change and create when they hear about bad things in the world, but others are inspired when they hear about what’s possible.
Launching a website is no small feat. Have you encountered any snags along the road to darynkagan.com?
Just a huge learning curve. It’s one thing to work for a huge corporation, but I’m working for myself now, a small-business owner going into a new medium, so I’m working it out on my own.
What was the role of Judaism during your upbringing in Southern California?
None of the kids in my family were bar or bat mitzvahed. It was more cultural. Growing up in Beverly Hills, I think 90 percent of the kids were Jewish, so we just assumed everyone was. Judaism was important to my maternal grandparents; they did all the holidays and Friday night dinners. I consider myself Jewish. I go to temple with my cousins here in Atlanta on the High Holidays. I light candles on Chanukah.