Simi Sara News Anchor and Host, CityTV Vancouver Written by Neera Ajeet

Confident, charismatic and utterly honest – Simi Sara can walk into a room and illuminate it with her warm smile and infectious laughter. Co-host of CityPulse, City TV Vancouver’s flagship 6o’clock newscast, host of “City Cooks”, a popular culinary show and of course, the station’s leading poster girl, Simi’s list of accomplishments is an exhaustive one.

Simi cannot remember ever having even an iota of doubt about her desire to be a journalist. She started pursuing the field at an age most girls are busy discovering the wonders of lip-gloss, among other things. “From the time that I was in junior high, I worked on the school paper,” says Simi. She took a print journalism program at Vancouver’s Langara College and started off her career working as a reporter for a local newspaper. She believed at the time that print media would remain her mainstay.

TV just seemed to happen to her. One day over a decade ago, Simi decided in a nonchalant way to explore television while still pursuing her academic program. It was in 1993 that she visited City TV for the first time as a student attempting to unravel the mystery of television. Her practicum landed Simi some part time work with the station’s newsroom. Eleven years later, she is still very much with the station – except now she guides others rather than seek guidance herself.

So what qualities make a successful journalist? Simi believes that an unquenchable thirst for knowledge is key. “You must have a real interest in news. You have to love current affairs…you have to love to know about what’s going on around you. Too often, you meet people who want to be on TV just for the sake of being on TV. You have to be prepared to demonstrate that you are actually interested in news and that you are prepared to learn as many aspects of the industry as you can. An aspiring journalist simply can’t commit the mistake of being too narrow,” says Simi with a look of conviction taking over her face. She also advises aspiring journalists not to shy away from gaining initial experience working in smaller markets. She believes that industry experience will go a long way in ensuring one’s success, regardless of where you gain it.

Simi views her South Asian heritage as being advantageous to her career, but disagrees with those who allege that people are hired and promoted purely on the basis of their ethnic background. She admits, however, that it may have had “some role in getting the foot in the door,” and adds, “… but it’s not going to open the door for you. People may take a second look at you, but they are not going to hire you unless, of course, you can do the job. It might, however, help you get that first look!”

How does a successful public figure view all the attention surrounding them? She reminisces about a time last summer when she had taken her daughter and her friends to Vancouver’s Science World that has a train station in its backdrop. All of a sudden, Simi noticed excitement taking over the children as they all started to turn and stare in one direction. Suddenly her daughter retorted with glee, “Hey Mummy! Look!” To Simi’s sheer surprise, every single train passing through the station displayed larger than life images of her and her CityPulse co-host Roger Petersen. “I have to admit, it is very strange to have all that happen to you, but it is definitely a wonderful feeling. It also reflects the station’s confidence in you, which is satisfying. Her honesty shines through when she adds with a chuckle, “Quite frankly, you do want this attention. You don’t want to be working in television and not have people know about you…because that would be bad!”

Simi admits it is can be quite challenging to find balance between life and work and sometimes the only available resort is telephone. “I find myself exchanging a lot of phone calls with my kids through the day. I want to find out about their day at school, their homework and just catching up with them – finding out about things that I don’t get to do with them as much as I’d like to. Luckily I get help from other people.” She admits that she has to fight herself not to feel guilty and overcompensate for the time that she is not able to spend with them. She cherishes the fact that her children are proud of her work and that they feel excited every time they spot her on the screen.

Over and above any other perk her career offers Simi, what she enjoys the most is to be the first one to know when anything happens. “I am learning about things that people do not know yet and I become the first one to inform them about those things. I find that to be the greatest thing about my job!” says Simi.

Neera Ajeet is a freelance writer and broadcaster based in Vancouver. She can be reached at neera100@hotmail.com.