AlinaCho's Big Stars,BigGiving on CNN showsa sideof celebritiesthat sometimesgets lostin the spotlight. ByJulie Jacobs

NN national correspondent Alina Cho has in- biggest coups. Cho, who contributes to CNN's American terviewed Ben Stiller, , Madonna, Moming, turned to hosting in 2009 wlth Big Stars, Big Giv- , and Halle Berry-but the conversations tng,now an annual special dedicated to celebrityphilan- havent focused on their latest projects or even their ro- thropy. mances. Rathetr.Cho is interested in learning about the On a Tuesday afternoon in early spring, she recounts charitable causesnear and dear to their hearts. \A/hile the how she came up with the big idea for her show: "It was veteran journalist has reported on a range of headline- born of just talking to people in the midst of the recent making subjects,from Hurricane Katrina and North Korea recession,when every time you turned on the television, to Fashion Week and President Obama'sInauguration Day, there was bad news about the economy. One night at din- getting 's major players to open up is among her ner, friends said to me, 'We know the news is bad out there,

116 LTFESTyLESMAGAzTNEsuMMER2011 PROFITE Alina Cho

but you can t tell us it's allbad.' So,I started to think about exchange students in the 1960s and met and married finding a series of stories that would be both uplifting and in the United States-Cho knew in high school that she sexy-and, bythe way, fun for me to do! wanted to pursue a career in journalism. She earned her "Id gone to numerous charity events and seen a lot of undergraduate degree in communications from Boston celebrities lend their time, and wondered how many of College and received a master's degreein journalism from them were really walking the walk and talking the talk. the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern Univer- I thought, 'Why not take a closer look at celebrities who sity. Her first professional gig right out ofgrad school kept giveback?'I ve sincefound that there are manybig names her in Chicago as a weekend morning reporter for CLTV who are really committed and involved in causes.Maybe the city's 24-hour local cable news channel. Her first day they pick one, but that's all you need." on the job sent her to the hospital to provide live updates Big Stars,Big Givingbesan as a five-part series that de- on the then-governor's quadruple bypass surgery. At the btfted on American Moming and eventually segued into a end ofthe day, she reviewed her videotape at the station special on Christmas Eve 2010.Cho admits that her big- and while she was pleasedwith her reporting, she was less gestchallenge has not been deciding whoto interview but than happywith her on-camera appearance. rather how to interview-to chat with Halle Berry, for in- "Everything went smoothly, but for the veins popping stance, Cho and her crew flew out to Los Angeles, stayed out of my neck!" she recalls with a hearty laugh. "I must for 20 hours, then returned home. Such hustle and bustle have been so nervous. But I think practice makes perfect is well worth it, she sayi, becauseit allows viewers to wit- and the more you do it, the more relaxedyou becomei' nessthe personalside ofgiving. Berry,for instance,is con- Cho left CLTV for \,&aFTS,the ABC affiliate in Tampa, nectedto the JenesseCenter, the oldest domesticviolence Florida, where she won a regional Emmy for her coverage intervention program in South Los Angeles, as a result of ofthe 1996St. Petersburg riots. Shelaterjoined CNBCbe- witnessing, as a young girl, her father physically abuse her fore moving to ABC News, where she regular$ substituted mother. Cho counts her meeting with Berry-made espe- at the desk for WorldNews Now andWorld News ThisMorn- cially memorable by the actress'ssincerity and frankness- ing. In 2O04,Cho was hired at CNN, and since then she's as her most moving interview to date. amasseda Peabody,another Emmy, and an honorary doc- Still, the question lingers: Can celebrities really raise torate of humane letters from Old Dominion University. awarenessand make a difference, no matter how obscure \A/hilepraise has been consistent,her scheduleis any- the cause? 'Absolutely, without a doubtj' Cho insists. "I thing but. "There is no typical day because of the nature think celebrities have a megaphone that the averageper- of what I dol' she says."Sometimes I'm up at three in the son unfortunately does not. Take Nicole Kidman, who is morning if I'm hosting the morning show,and other times deeply committed to the United Nations and its outreach I maybe on assignment on location until midnight. It real- to women [through UNWomen]. I spokewith the director ly dependson the newsl'But in her new role, Cho is never of that organization, who had traveled with Nicole to Ko- at a loss for inspiration. "Part of the reason why I was so sovo and Haiti, and [she]told me that shedbeen speaking intrigued by the idea ofdoing a show on giving is becauseI about violence against women for decades,but that it took had reached a certain level of accomplishment in my own someone like Nicole Kidman to bring it worldwide atten- career and was happyprofessionally and personally.\A/hat tion.' I had was a bit of an epiphany-that it was time to give Cho'sown ability to score her viewers'attention has led back] to an enviable body of reporting work; it is one that she's She did just that and today is actively involved with a proud of, and also thankful for. "It certainlynever gets bor- hand{Ll of charitable endeavors,mostlyfocused on the arts ingi' she says."I'm so thrilled to have these opportunities and children and families. For the past five years, she has where I can travel to Communist North Korea, cover Fash- donated her time and fundraising talent to both NewYork- ion Week and liurricane Katrina, and be luclcy enough to ers for Children and the Late Nite Committee of the Pub- be in Grant Park the night President Obama was elected. Iic Theater.NYFC, founded in 1996,supports child welfare That is the gift that is CNNI' and the approximately 17,000children in the Big Apple's Born and raised just outside Portland, Oregon-her foster care system. The organization develops scholar- parents immigrated from Seoul, South Korea, as college ship, tutoring, job training, and networking programs that

118 LIFESTYLESMAGAZINE SUMMER 2011 PROFILE Alina Cho

benefit underservedyouth. Cho is passionateabout NYFC and joined its Friends Committee after attending past ga- Ias.She now co-chairsNYFC's Development Committee. Cho is just as ardent about her role with the Public The- ater, which provides free entry for performances of new ffi and classic works and is perhaps best known for Shake- spearein the Park.As a Late Nite Committeemember, she helps coordinate events and initiatives that enable the ii,,,,:l,iatX **.i,t::a *" Public Theaterto continue to bring theater to the masses. Her engagementwith artistry extends as well to SaveVen- rt; ii: $] ice,a nonprofit aimed at restoringthe architecture,monu- 3't*&-&r*i,*i: ments,and art damagedby flooding in 1966.SV has raised more than $20 million and counts hundreds of refurbish-

;. "Venice i,". i-i '; . ing projectson its current roster. is so beautiful,so "-","t, . : uniquei' remarks Cho, who first visited when she was an tii g:: exchangestudent during college."What SaveVenice does it;*,:d'* {:* f'? is try to keep the city looking the way it should and teach people about its rich historyi' Recently,Cho joined the board of directors of Literacy Partners,the only nationally accreditedliteracyproject in . Thousands of adults, considered function- ally illiterate, have benefited from the 35-year-oldpro- gram'sefforts to teach basic reading skills, free of charge- which in turn aids in ameliorating such social problems as crime, pover$ and welfare dependency.Chos election to the board followed a site visit at the request of a friend and now fellow board member. "I saw the work they're do- ingi' Cho recalls,"and was so moved that I was honored to become a part of it. I've quickly come to love Literacy Partnersl' Still another charity close to Cho'sheart is the nationally recognizedHale House,'dedicated to building better fu- tures for children and families in need" through education and support. This June, she will receive a special honor from the organization."IfI were to venture a guess[as to the reasonI am being honored],I think the kind people of Hale Housethink I can spreadtheir message;that's exactly what I plan to do. "Thereare so many great causesout there that I have a tough time sa)'lngnoj' Cho reasonswhen askedhow she fits it all into an alreadyjam-packed schedule."Some of my girlfriends say to me, 'I dort know how you do itl And the reality is I'm tired all the timel The challenge is whittling it down to the few that you really care about. It's so clich6d, but I think there's a lot of reward in giving back. I don t need to change hundreds or thousands of lives. If I can help changejust one,that to me is the greatestgifti' lM

PHOTOBY LIZ O, BAYLEN/THE NEW YORKTIIMES