My Mays memory and more

A trip to California that started with Micheal Jackson's death ended with another "celebrity" death....tv pitchman Billy Mays.
I met Billy once in 1998 while I was on a job interview at HSN. I remembered how nice he was, and how our chat calmed my nerves before my audition. He came across as a genuinely fun person, the sort of guy who you meet once and consider a friend.
I was happy to see that he had created a show about the art of pitching on tv, not a whole lot of home shopping personalities get the chance to "cross-over".
Speaking of crossing over I am watching the BET awards at the moment. It's a good show, with a lot of fun music, and tributes to MJ.
Anybody who knows me well, knows my love of Jackson 5 music. Back in my morning show days the best way to pick up my energy was to bump me to break with one of those songs.
saying "Still more news to come for the rest of Northeast Wisconsin" was a lot more fun with "ABC " or "I want you back" under it.

The age of information

While air travel can be a trial these days, I still enjoy the peaceful feeling of being in the skies. I try to take the time to read, to think, and to clean out my inbox.
If something huge happened, or a big playoff game was going on, the captain might play news anchor and break in with an announcement or a score.
Those days are over.
Yesterday's news of Michael Jackson's death came while I was on American Airlines flight 117 from NY to LA...which was equipped with wifi.
My husband, king of breaking news, got to do the informing this time, letting the captain and crew in on what he learned from the control room he created with my laptop and his I-Phone.
Putting aside the fact that airline seats don't really give you enough elbow room to use a computer, it was a watershed moment in media history.
While as a broadcast journalist, I should have been happy to have the chance to see how a big story was being covered, as a person who always enjoyed the isolation of the air, it made me a little sad.

flying the flag

My husband, Ethan Harp, loves mic flags. He owns a lot of them. A whole lot.
At first I thought this was a pretty nerdy hobby, until he explained why he loves them. That they make him think of all the stories they were at and the journalists who used them.
So to my sweet hubby, I offer this photo courtesy of City Hall, in which my mike former flag is center stage.

All we have is the news

Speaking with crime victims or their survivors is a typical part of the job for reporters, and I actually find it satisfying...usually there is something to be learned from their story and how they cope.
The other day I was speaking to a mom who found herself in what appeared to be a terrible situation, and she said something I have been thinking about.
"All we have is the news"
Of course that is not strictly true, there are law enforcement agencies and other charities that can help, but the bottom line is the press is a safety net of sorts, although not a perfect one.
Still, it was nice to hear, so much of the talk about the media these days deals with the recession and the sea change in how information is being delivered.
Yes, it's true, the traditional business model is in peril, and only time will tell if we are entering the dark ages or a renaissance....but all that aside, to this woman, on this day, we reporters were a life preserver.

a small world

Photo courtesy Newsday

You never know where a story will go or where it will end up!
Last week I was covering a story in Mastic Beach when I made a "quick stop" at William Floyd Elementary school to cover a reunion between some veterans and their school age pen pals.
I was preoccupied with my other "bigger" story, but I ended up being quite pleased with the script for my story about one of the soldiers and her pen pal.
As a CNN affiliate we can place stories on the feed("Pathfire") for other affiliates...I've done this a few other times. While that does not mean the story is on CNN, it is likely used by other local stations with newscasts to fill.
However much to my surprise, a staffer at CNN chose it as one of their highlights of the day, and a short version of it appeared on Headline News on Saturday.
Technically this was my "network news" debut!

strawberry shortcake

I don't get a lot of photos of myself in the field, so when I get one it's a treat. This was a fun day, I got to ask a lot of pro athletes about their golf tips and got some funny answers. I know basketball a whole lot better than baseball, so I was really excited to see John Starks.
I don't know how excited he was to see me, but he gave me a nice smile and wave as he rolled away on his golf cart.