不良研究所

The intensity and relentless nature of news radio led one team to make mental health a daily priority鈥攐n and off the air.

For 1010 WINS (WINS-FM), mental health became a top daily priority in the wake of the September 11th attacks in 2001. Since then, Vice President of News Programming Ben Mevorach has led a deliberate and deeply personal effort to support the emotional well-being of his newsroom team鈥攑eople who report on some of the most challenging stories in the city every day.

鈥淲hen I was a reporter, I covered some of the worst tragedies of our lifetime,鈥� said Mevorach. 鈥淚t deeply impacted me. There is no way to describe the sadness you feel when covering horrific events, but I also witnessed the incredible resilience, bravery, and humanity people are capable of during those times.鈥�

Since then, supporting mental health has evolved from a necessary reaction to a foundational value woven into the culture of WINS.

鈥淚 watched my staff trying every day to cope with the loss and stress of what happened, but also noticed that most of them couldn’t talk about it. I made their mental health my #1 priority immediately.鈥�

Telling Uplifting Stories That Matter

One of the ways WINS has strengthened its team鈥檚 mental health is by focusing on community-driven, uplifting content.

鈥淚 am always engaging our station and our people in telling the stories that better the communities we serve and are uplifting鈥攚hether it’s our City Workers, City Heroes feature, our partnerships with City Harvest and Ronald McDonald House, or our weekly Difference Makers profiles.鈥�

One standout example came during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid the fear and uncertainty, the station aired a live backyard wedding for a frontline ER nurse and her fianc茅.

鈥淭he entire city was struggling. It gave our listeners鈥攁nd our staff鈥攁 morale boost when we desperately needed it,鈥� said Mevorach.

Five years later, he says listeners and staffers still come up to him, thanking the station for giving the entire city a morale boost when it needed it most.

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Creative Boosts to Morale

WINS team members also make mental health a daily focus鈥攏ot something to deal with after work or on days off.

鈥淣ews people are cynical by nature, and it can be a challenge to lighten the mood, but it is critically important,鈥� said Mevorach. 鈥淓very Tuesday morning, for example, is Dance Tuesday. One person in the newsroom picks the song, I blast it on the newsroom speakers, and we dance.”

Almost every afternoon, Editor Sweetina Kakar leads a newsroom stretch.

鈥淲hen one of my colleagues and I realized we couldn’t touch our toes as easily anymore鈥攕itting at a desk for 8鈥�9 hours a day can do that鈥攖hat’s what gave me the idea to have the ‘7th inning stretch,鈥欌�� said Kakar.

She said others were excited to join and their excitement fueled the daily moment of zen. It’s something any team can start doing to provide a brief respite from a difficult day.

鈥淚t’s a moment to break away from the heaviness that the news can be,” said Kakar. 鈥淚t also allows us to connect outside of work-related conversations. There hasn’t been a stretch that hasn’t brought the much-needed lightness to the room鈥攕omeone always smiles or laughs during it.”

Mevorach says even the newsroom d茅cor reflects the station鈥檚 culture shift:

鈥淲e tore down our traditional wall of pictures of news events and newsmakers and replaced it with posters of TV shows, movies, books, documentaries, and songs that mention 1010 WINS.鈥�

He recently added a 65″ TV which plays video clips of those pop culture moments, along with staff birthdays, appearances at events, welcome messages for visiting guests and staff photos鈥攁ll designed to keep morale high.

But sometimes, it’s the simplest gestures that mean the most.

鈥淥ne day, I noticed everyone was buried in their screens. So I took photos of just their foreheads and made a game of matching them to the faces. Some people didn’t even know which one was their own. It was a lot of fun for everyone.鈥�

When News Hits Home

Some of the most powerful moments have come when team members shared their own stories of struggle. One reporter’s son spoke openly on the air about his suicide attempt, while popular afternoon drive anchor Larry Mullins publicly shared his battle with depression. Both were met with overwhelming support鈥攁nd helped destigmatize mental health conversations.

But the work is ongoing.

鈥淭aking the time to exhale is one of the biggest challenges. People can tune out the world if they are having a bad day鈥� we cannot. It is like standing on a beach and being hit by waves. You barely have enough time to catch your breath before you are hit by another one. We don’t overcome it, but I do try very hard to balance it.鈥�

Creating a Safe Space鈥擜nd Leading By Example

Mevorach credits the team itself as the best measure of success. He says they know that he has their backs and that they have an absolute safe space in his office. But perhaps one of the best indicators came during an exit interview.

鈥淪he said that when she came in for her initial interview, what struck her most was the amount of chatter and laughter in the newsroom. She said she knew at that moment that she wanted to work here.鈥�

Simple and Clear Advice

To managers, Mevorach offers this advice:

鈥淚t starts by understanding that people don’t leave 鈥榯heir personal problems at the door when they come to work.鈥� Companies spend a lot of time and money training managers on the business side of the ledger, but too often forget that the success of that business relies on the people side of the ledger. We need to spend enough time encouraging and training managers on how to handle those types of issues.鈥�

Mevorach is grateful that 不良研究所 is deeply invested in mental health awareness on such a large scale and hopes other companies will join the effort:

鈥淔ortunately, there are a lot of places to get help, and that is vital. But too many companies are still of the sole mindset of 鈥榟ey, we are over here, so come to us if you need help,鈥� when the better opportunity is to find ways to go to them and be present early on. That is what I am trying to do every day.鈥�