News

WCNY’s “Vista” Tells Painful Story of Relationship Violence

by Rouhollah Goudarzi

May 16, 2012

In July 2010, Katie Stager (Jayson) was stabbed 31 times and kicked in the head by her estranged husband, who had told her, “I’m going to kill you.”

Miraculously, Stager survived that attack and will tell her story on “Pain Runs Deep: Relationship Violence,” the second installment of “Vista,” WCNY-TV’s four-part public affairs series that examines Central New York’s most important issues.

“Pain Runs Deep: Relationship Violence” will air Monday, May 7, at 9 p.m. on WCNY channel 24.1 and repeat Sunday, May 13, at 2 p.m. on 24.1.

The hour-long program features a town hall meeting before a live audience hosted by Susan Arbetter, WCNY’s News and Public Affairs Director. Arbetter interviews Stager, authorities and experts about the growing problem of relationship violence among high school and college students.

The panelists explain how young women can identify signs of impending abuse and describe what parents should do when they recognize their daughter is in an abusive relationship. Stager’s story is a shocking example of how seemingly harmless behavior escalates, over time, into abuse and life-threatening violence.

“Love is not painful, physically or mentally,’’ Stager says during the program. “It shouldn’t hurt to love somebody.”

The panel also includes William Fitzpatrick, Onondaga County District Attorney; Amy Barasch, Executive Director of the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence; and Tiffany Braley, Mentors in Violence Prevention educator from Vera House in Syracuse.

Others interviewed during the town hall meeting are Elaina Marra, Executive Director of the Victims Assistance Center of Jefferson County; Susan Hartman Brenizer, licensed marriage and family therapist from DeWitt; Dawn Schrader, research psychologist from Cornell University; and Tim Bates, Detective Commander of the Rome Police Department.

Arbetter is the award-winning host of “The Capitol Pressroom” on radio and “The Capital Report” on TV from WCNY’s Albany bureau.

“Vista” premiered Feb. 6 with “Groundswell: Hydrofracking in New York State,” which recently won a national Bronze Telly Award. “Vista” will continue later this year with two more programs: “Audible: Lessons from the High School Gridiron” (Sept. 3), and “Roadkill: Reclaiming Urban Assets” (Nov. 12).

For more information on “Vista” and to watch episodes after they air on WCNY, visitwww.wcny.org/television/vista.