Friday, June 24, 2011

A Bittersweet Transition

This is the day. June 24th has been marked on the calendar here since afternoons were cool and the sun was down before Wheel of Fortune was over. My friend and partner Nance Burgin is packing up her thermometers, barometers, relative humidity devices and other tools and moving on. That makes it a bad day. The US Air Force needs Nance's husband for another job. I met the captain a few times. He's the kind of guy you want behind the controls of our military service planes. I appreciate all that he does, except perhaps today.

Nance is a hard-working meteorologist...serious about getting the forecast right every day. She's also a lot of fun. Most of the young people her age just roll their eyes at my corny jokes. Nance actually laughs. I think I remind her of her dad. That's an honor.

It has been a privilege to work with Nance. I was just thinking about the last few years. I have had a great privilege of working with a lot of good meteorologists. Sonya Stevens, Kira Miner, Kailey Franz and now Nance. They are all very bright, professional and conscientious. They were all delightful partners for the Daybreak and Noontab news broadcasts. I grew to appreciate all of them and considered them as friends. I stay in touch with a couple of them.

Now we have a new meteorologist for the morning and noon newscasts. Monica Tassoni has been working here for the last few days to learn about the computer programs and graphics we use and the little nuances of KTAB in general and this old newsman in particular. I'm sure that we will have a great time, too. She's from Philadelphia. The only problem I can see from here could be two Monday mornings in the Fall...if the Eagles beat the Cowboys. Welcome Monica. I know the mornings start early, but we'll have fun as we do this job.

Nance, I'm going to miss you partner. May God Bless you and your hero husband as you soar off into the wild blue yonder. Ron

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Police Scanners

Police scanners are constant companions for news reporters. There are times in the early morning hours that that's about the only sound I hear in the newsroom except for the tapping of my fingers on the keyboards. The scanners get to be routine. The calls range from routine traffic stops and cattle out on the roadways to officers reporting that they have finished their shifts and they're going home. We occasionally hear things on the scanners that get our attention. It may a different excitement level in the voices of the officers and radio dispatchers. It may just be different ten-code numbers. Those of the kinds of calls we listen closely to hear. We then decide if we need to send a reporter to get the details. That happened this morning with a death investigation. It turned out to be a man with medical problem. It's always a tragic event for the family...but usually not something for the news. I guess we learn to listen even when don't realize that we are.