What a Day

In this post: police shooting, salary.com

Today was a day of news in Hville. The police were serving a warrent (as part of this huge drug ring arrest that they did today). They went to this one guys house and saw this guy in bed apparently starteled and grabbed gun (though police officially only say that he resisted arrest) and got 4 bullet holes in him. He was the uncle of the guy they wanted. So needless to say wow. But at the same time you are the police trying to make an arrest and you see this guy point a gun at you. Niether were fully right or fuly wrong..just a sticky situation.

I mostly did VOB patrol today (save for setting up the live shot for that story)
Huntsville is in the news again for being the best place to live money wise. Apparently on average people make more compared to out cost of living average that any other city in the country...not as true in news...but hey..that's all the rocket scientists factoring in I guess....becasue COL is as low as anywhere else in AL, not like CA or NY.

That's part of why I continue to love Huntsville..Its a little big city..or a big little city...indecisive (like me) but really just right!

Great Day, bad ending

Sunday was AMAZING. Sat night they closed the Madison Mall early due to fights. Justin decided he would combine that with several stories of this past month (kids shooting pellet guns at car windows, 3 teens involved with a $70K theft spree, a teen killed in a car accident when she was joy riding with several friends-one who borrowed the car without permission) and made a, kids out of school getting into trouble story on it.
We NAILED it.
We first went to the city skate park downtown (al a me finding it) and got good video and some good sound there, of teens filling thier time to not be bored
Then to Madison Mall got more good video AND saw these teens walking in the now closed for the day (norm is 6PM on Sun) parking lot. Talked to them and got better word of what happened...seriously 10 plus fights in the parking lot (no suits would talk to us about it, nor were they even in office on Sun).
So great job getting, a great job writting it, and then I'm really satisfied at the editing.
We go back down the mountain to get the live shot and run into some trouble. It was multiple little things that led to not being able to do the shot. I think if we would have had ONE break we'd have been golden...BUT I guess we used up all the goodness earlier in the day...so needless to say there was much disappointment not being able to front the package, easily THE best one we've done on a Sunday so far.

Scottsboro trip 3!!

So yep, back to Scottsboro Wednesday. The grand jury suggested more security for the couthouse and we got a judge to speak to us about it...he was awesome.

I hated that I didn't have enough time to do with what I wanted as far as editing this story. I lable it as the worst one I've done sofar with 31...only because of time too. But they can't all be winners I suppose...that's part of live news.

We'll see what's on the agenda for Thursday here in just a couple of minutes and once done with that another weekend in Tuscaloosa.

Chattanooga Update

Chattanooga...a fun little town..and it's not really that big either..but wow the things they have.

Craig and I started off at the Aquarium...I haven't been to one in so long..nice! We basically took the highlight tour..the here's this and this and this and nothing else really matters...well with our limited time anyway...so 2 hours there

then to Rock City where we saw 7 states off of Lookout Mountain



I wanted to hanglide but there wasn't enough time, we declined the hotel room from the boss b/c we both wanted to get back into town, me so I could leave again to Atlanta for Atlanta Fest, which was amazing by the way! and Craig was planning on visiting his son in Nashville TN for his first 2 day weekend in 6 months...now that Mikelyn is officially the newest anchor, taking over the Sunday.


We ate dinner/lunch at this great Italian place with a fantastic view and just chilled there for over an hour before driving back to HSV...another couple pictures of neat things that cought my eye

outside a coffe shop we stopped at after eating

a nice view of the TN River...honestly, the Tennessee River Valley is almost as striking as the Rhine River Valley


this was so funny I had to get a pic!!

A Day Off? But First, Chattanooga Here I Come

In this post: Chattanooga, day off, Atlanta Fest

Today was a VERY boring day...wow. I went out and shot a scholarship signing (other crew did smoking ban)...and then edited this nat pak that I'm leaving for the producer since I'll be gone on thursday BUUUUTTT...

I walked in today and it was like "you wanna go to Chattanooga?" um sure. So I guess tomorrow will be a trip to Tenn before I take a day off for a 3 day weekend in Atlanta for ATLFest!!!! I'm excited...

But we, Craig and I, I guess will be doing a story..stories..a series maybe? on the tourism there or something...I know that we'll be hitting up the aquarium and that's about all I know..hey I just shoot the video..tell me where to go and I do just that...tell me what's going on and..well, I'll know what's going on...if not I'll find out.

So um..another run-in, with a former news director...it's amazing what connection can do...probably more on this later..right now...it's just wait and see what happens

Long Day = Dead Batteries

True I pretty much went through all three batteries today! My last one was on it's last leg during the liveshot that Justin went out to with Craig while I edited...and he took my keys with so I'm still at the station...because we had a basketball game (ABC) and so went in late...so more to come...

My 1st Live Shot!!!!

In This Post: Live Shots, Space and Rocket Center, Saturn V Rocket

So today finally got to set up my first solo with the live truck!!! yep yep. Mikelyn and I did a story on the new museum (basically) that they are building for the real Saturn v (the one that's sitting layed out in the backyard of the Space Center), since they just restored it so as to keep it out of the elements. The replica (the one that's standing up, that you can see from I565) in this pic:

















will have not be illuminated while they are building the new building, only becuase they will get in the way of construction. They were actually supposed to be off as of this morning but they were on again tonight when we did a live shot at 10.

It just amazes me how you can send a signal through a tiny waves back to a receiver that can decode it into an audio and video signal!! And we use it everywhere..with live shots to send signal via satellites, cell phones, wireless internet...the list goes on!

Aparently the guy we talked to, the PR guy, Al Whittikar?

Election Primaries!!!

In this post: elections, Decatur, Morgan County Sheriff, ABC 33/40 WBMA, Chris Tatum, Jason Gaston

yea for elections!! not really

So Justin and I took one of the live trucks (just in case), a beta camera from promotions (because they use beta sx over at the Decatur bureau) and headed down the road. First stop was in Hartselle because that's where one of our morgan county sheriff candidates was holding party, then to Decatur, where the other was. Put it together at the Decatur news room and fed it back. Due to some miscommunication we didn't actually go live at 5...I was told to turn the transmitter off so that they could get another feed and never got the word (and phones were busy) to turn back on...we killed the 6 though and went back out to both places for updates and killed the 10 (or actually the 9:40 to 10:45 is what it amounted to).

While putting together and while waiting for our live shot we were watching different coverages (mostly us and 33/40, because we could actually get them on rabbit ears on the TV in decatur!) Well at one point in time we were on a shot of Riley and none other than Chris Tatum jumps in front of the camera and gives a thunbs up (to hearing IFB??) before we take the shot down (that was also during the 5)...wow, yeah 5 had a few bumps but killed it at 6 and 10. And to do everything we did with 1/3 of the staff of the other Huntsville stations was amazing...Seriously we looked really good. I loved the intro election coverage bump that Jason in promotions made too...really nice.

The other funny thing of the night...while watching 33/40 Jason Gaston was doing a live shot at Riley's party and in the middle..in the right middle of sentance he goes, "there's Riley, Hey Mr. Riley would you come over here"..and he actually got an interview LIVE that way...wow good stuff

Fun night glad it's over though

Another Slow Monday

In this post: dead dog, nothing, election coverage

Got in and went and did a story with Craig. He actually made a pretty good package out of what would have otherwise not really been much. This lady had two dogs, a mom and a son, both went missing. The son returned yesterday with a bullet through it and later died, the mom is still missing and she say's it must be dead too. Filed an animal cruelty report. I can't say that I'd have been less sad or angry if I found my dogs dead, shot by someone.
We talked with two neighbors who said those were the nicest dogs, never did cause any problems.

The rest of the day was...nothin. There wasn't actually a reporter even for nightside tonight, but it didn't matter. About the only thing new was Guy Hunt in the hospital here in Huntsville.

Election coverage tomorrow..weeee. It's funny to see how nervous some are, how excited others are, and how apathetic others are. I am a member of the latter category. I don't particularly care for it, but it doesn't worry me either. Justin and I will be in Decatur covering the Sherrif race for Morgan County. It'll be my first time over to that bureau. Apparently a County Commissioner who has been in tiffs with the current Sheriff is running against him..so it should be interesting at least.

It looks like Live Star will be covering the Roy party with 33/40 talent. We'll also have access to a CNN satellite truck, an ABC 33/40 sat. truck, and a live truck of ours(micro) that will feed to a 2nd 33/40 sat. truck that will all be feeding back to us in Huntsville, them in Birmingham, and I assume them at CNN. One's in Montgomery (Riley), Birmingham (Don), not sure where Lucy or Roy will be, but a sat truck for each place basically. It's cool that we are all working together, I just wish that I was in a yonder city working with them and not in Decatur, BUT at least I'll be getting home quicker than either of our people out and about!

Scottsboro Round III

In this post: Harry Wong, Scottsboro, Meth, Nuclear Plant, TVA,

First thing we get is actually a little story about a teacher conference. This Huntsville 501(3)c non-profit org aparently puts one on every year. This coming week about 1/3 of Huntsville area teachers will learn techniques on how to teach better...and there will be a lecture by (no joke people...serious) a Mr. Harry Wong...apparently THE stuff when it comes to helping teachers...hasn't made a new video in 10 years they tell us but will bring in cameras and the whole 9 to Huntsville! WOW big stuff! He's used in someodd many countrys and all across the US.

Ok so then the producer wants Justin an I to head to Scottsboro again and beat this dead horse (we both agree that it, like so many other stories before it, is verging on soap opera-ish, but there seriously isn't anything going on on Sundays at all)..we got a Harry Wong and a 4 day old ATTEMPTED murder scene, and that's about it

but actually when we got out there they were doing what they call first monday. they set up tables, basically a little flea market around the court house the first monday of each month and the weekend before..been doing it for over 100 years!! wow..and so the angle was that this on Wed didn't effect them at all...

Then we had to find the alleged shooter's ex-wife's house (seriously its a messed up story, she treatened a judge and so is being held on terrorist charges...I know rediculous, has a higher bond than her former husband who SHOT 2 people, what up justice system?)

To get her mugshot we go to the Jackson County Jail where I find this sitting in the parking lot:



this is the first one I've ever seen...you know you got meth problems when you have a roving meth lab buster..wow they say it's bad in the rural areas around here, I now believe them!

Also in finding her house we passed by the TVA's "nucular" plant :)
one of two in Alabama, actually..there's farley's near Dothan as well generating together about 24% of Alabama's total power needs..still coal get 50+..dang polluting like crazy will coal. Nevertheless As of January 1, 2005, Alabama ranked 5th among the 31 States with nuclear capacity. so that's pretty good at least

here's a shot I took and a link to it on the official TVA site
...which makes me wonder which tree or cow the 3rd not currently in use reactor is hiding under...speaking of cow, wow those cows give it a hugeness perspective! and talk about irradiated beef! ok I'm stopping this post before anymore bad jokes come out!

Clouds from the Rain Today

When it started raining heavy today, I checked things on my back porch and this just struck me...

Here is a shot that I took at 3 in the afternoon with the clouds all rolled in...behind the clouds is Monte Sano...



So about 4 hours later the clouds are somewhat moving out and I took these...




L-R the towers are (big red/white) WHNT's main tower; (white speck at bottom of that, their weather radar; (white speck about 1/2 in the middle) our Doppler radar tower; (big red) WAAY's main tower.
There is actually a smaller red/white HNT tower that you can't see in this reduced size version about 2/3 the way to AAY's doppler and also
right next to our doppler another red tower; about 1/4 the way to our big tower is another small red/white tower

I don't really know what the smaller towers do. I know that next to the towers are satellite dishes that collect programming from the affiliates which the main towers send as a radio signals to antena TV's and cable/satellite providers. It also receives signals from liveshots (except ones from the satellite truck) as well as signals from the bureaus in Decatur, Guntersville and elsewhere where ever all the bureaus are or used to be.

I couldn't resist the close-up of the towers again. Especially after I had a dream last night that 48's main tower fell...not that I would want that, I have several friends that work there, but I think it came from a mixture of thinking about our reppeater tower falling near Scottsboro those 2 years ago and the other day a coworker talking about the Saturn V rocket being hollow, surprised that it hasn't fallen, and another saying that would be his dream liveshot, standing on a piece of the Saturn V shattered across the interstate! In my dream 48s tower fell across the interstate, which it isn't even near (it's on the other side of Monte Sano from HNT and AAYs towers).

My first REAL dayside

I don't count that time that I rode with Riley...that was a shift extension

Mikelyn got an ok to work dayside so that she could leave out of town earlier, but she needed a photg, me! So I went in at about 9:30 in the am for a change..that after being out in Scottsboro last night with Live Star!

Ok so it went well. We were origionally going to go to Decatur for a follow-up type courthouse securtiy story with them, but the guys who say so (exec producer and assignment manager) said she's going to go back to Scottsboro to do a follow-up there..how do people at the courthouse feel, have they implemented any new security, which they have NOT. The metal detectors are sitting in the basement (where they have sat since purchase, 6-8 years) b/c they don't have enough money to hire manpower to run them (though one lady said they have enough money to renovate the gazeebo and other such more frivolous projects as they see it, i tend to think that security would come first myself).
One thing that I did think about though, the Tuscaloosa County courthouse actually has noone watching the doors fulltime either, and there are three entrances as well. So if it's not implemented in a much bigger city...though they do at least have scanning before the courtrooms.

And after I edited that story, we put together what we shot yesterday for the new defense law...we already had an interview and I basically just pulled file of guns and houses. Not the best looking thing, but at least we didn't leave Amber (the 10pm producer) totally hanging.

I think I did my editing on both at right at 40 minutes each (including looking up file), so I suppose that means that I'm getting back in my groove.

I still don't know what to do with the rest of my time today...this is wierd, I think I do actually like nightside better..I don't really have anything to come home to, I can actually take care of business in the morning. Also for the most part there is a little more downtime at night. There's only one show to really work on, the 10, and usually doing something small for the 5 or 6. In the morning its go, get back and edit like crazy for the 4, 5, and 6.

Star Link

So a friend of mine from another station actually made me aware of a photo, so to show off



It could have a better paint job, honestly, but isn't that just awesome! HUGE