Newsroom Xtra

Like a Centipede with Sore Feet

2011-12-29T05:46:00.000-08:00

I have a strange tickle in my throat. I feel OK, but my voice sounds funny today. There is not much strength, and I have to concentrate even more than usual to speak clearly. It's not good. I have to be able to read the newscast and sound at least somewhat cogent when I banter with Monica.

Reading a 90-minute newscast takes a voice. You can't hide it for that long. Hot coffee helps, but people who listen closely can probably hear a little difference.

A TV news reporter without a strong voice is like a giraffe with a sore throat or a centipede with sore feet. It affects how we do the job.

It's a sad story.

2011-12-05T14:08:00.000-08:00

The story of the man who died last week in the alley in North Abilene is particularly sad. He apparently died alone and cold. The autopsy showed it was a matter of heart disease.

It was his 60th birthday. You have to wonder about the man. We know very little about him. That may be the way he wanted it.

We all have stories. Most don't crowd out the other vitally important information of the day in our limited time and space for news. I hope and pray that God will give peace and comfort to Paul Dunn's family and friends.

No Tears for JoePa

2011-11-09T23:34:00.000-08:00

I love to brag to my friends, family, co-workers, and basically any passerby that I got to go to Super Bowl XLV in Arlington to work earlier this year. It was the experience of a lifetime, and I'll never forget it. I worked with sports directors from New York and central Pennsylvania. One of the guys I worked with was the sports director at WTAJ-TV in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Just a short while ago, I saw a van with that station's logo emblazoned on the side being flipped over by a group of rioting Penn State students, following the firing of legendary football coach Joe Paterno. I thought about the anger they felt tonight, and as both a member of the media and a human being with a heart and conscience, I can't help but be irritated about their misplaced rage.

Coach Paterno is nothing less than a saint in central Pennsylvania (and beyond), and deserves all the accolades afforded him as major college football's winningest coach. But no one man is bigger than the tragedy that the nation has learned about within the last week.

A grand jury report lists eight young boys as victims of sexual abuse by former Penn St. assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. We now know that more victims not named in that report have come forward, saying Sandusky abused them as children. The scope of this man's (alleged) villainy may never be known. What is known is that the area of Pennsylvania occupied by this university prioritizes the Nittany Lions football program above almost everything else.

As I watch the coverage of Paterno's ousting, and watch the students infuriated by the news, I realize how much that football program is deified. And that's when I start thinking about the facts of this case. Imagine you're one of Sandusky's victims. You're a young boy, and an avid sports fan. Now, to me, being a sports fan means loving the Rangers, Cowboys, and Mavericks, but to someone from State College, Pennsylvania, it means Nittany Lions football (I highly recommend this article from grantland.com, written by a man who grew up surrounded by the culture of Penn State football, and the Paterno family itself). Many of the known victims were taken in by Jerry Sandusky, a major figure in that program, and given plenty of attention before being exposed to unspeakable acts. This is not a random criminal, or a stranger; the parents of these children didn't warn them to avoid people like Jerry Sandusky.

God only knows how many children have grown into young adults with the stigma of having been sexually assaulted by this man. I fear it's highly possible some may have taken their own lives, having never told anyone what they were subjected to. Those who lived on likely kept quiet because they have lived their whole lives knowing that everyone they've ever met unconditionally loves the Penn State football team, and that, quite frankly, the football team is bigger than them. Growing up with that mentality, it makes sense that they would keep quiet, fearing that coming forward would make them appear to be the troublemaker. My heart breaks for the victims, not for anyone involved in the football program. Even as this scandal began to break nationwide, it appeared that Paterno could not grasp the scope of Sandusky's alleged crimes; that having been immersed in a program as revered as Penn State football is, it is almost impossible to see anything else as being as important, no matter how sordid the details. Even when he announced his decision to retire early Wednesday afternoon, he appeared slightly aloof, saying that the Penn State board of trustees shouldn't spend time considering his job status. That, of course, is not his call. Paterno is named in the Sandusky grand jury report, and while I don't believe he committed a crime, the fact that he had knowledge of the scandal beforehand, no matter how little, ensures that his job status is not something he has the power to control.

It is truly sad that a man as revered as Joe Paterno had to lose his job over this scandal. But your heart shouldn't break for JoePa, or anyone else who loses their job at Penn State because of this scandal. It should break for the victims, and only the victims.

-Mark Moseley

It's a Shame

2011-10-28T06:48:00.000-07:00

WOW! That was fun.

We got home late from a football game late Thursday night. I scheduled my last vacation day of the year today because I knew we would too late to answer the 2:30 alarm clock bell to get to work. I scheduled it weeks before the Rangers and Cardinals even got into the Major League Baseball playoffs.

I turned on the TV when we got home to see how game six of the World Series was going. I think it was four-to-four. The game was ugly with the fielders making big mis-adventures out of routine pop-ups and ground balls.

But, I'm a baseball fan, so I kept watching and trying to stay awake. I kept watching as it got later, and the Rangers got down to the last out, even the last strike of beating my favorite team....twice.

I'm a Josh Hamilton fan. His story of over-coming drug and alcohol addiction and claiming the spot of one of the best left-handed hitters in the game with his natural talent is inspiring. His homerun would have been a fitting game-winning hit for a memorable World Series.

I'm a Rangers fan. Their first title ever would be a great thing for the team and the game.

I'm also a Cardinals fan...have been for decades. Their refusal to quit was inspiring. There were no called third-strikes for those guys in the last few innings. Swing and see what happens. They did. What happened was exciting.

I'm a David Freese fan. He has his own story of overcoming alcohol and injury problems. His home-run is kind of like what little-leaguers dream about. Usually, your team is down by three, but the bases are loaded when you pop a grand slam to win it. Freese is from St. Louis. That makes it even better for him.

David Freese is a hero today. But, you can't win today's ball-game with yesterday's homerun. That's why I came up with the title of this post. It's a shame that one of these teams will lose tonight. Game six was one probably one of the best World Series games ever. Tonight, we will have game seven. The team that wins tonight is the world champion. The team that loses is just the team that lost. Go Rangers, Go Cards.

Divided Loyalty

2011-10-19T03:47:00.000-07:00

My parents are from a small town in the Missouri Ozarks. I remember driving across the country several times from our home in Washington state to visit our grandmothers, aunts, unclues and cousins. The radio was part of the trip. The St. Louis Cardinals have a huge radio network. We listened to a lot of the games on the way. I also remember watching the 1968 World Series between the Cards and the Detroit Tigers. I skipped school to watch game seven on TV. The Tigers won four-one. Curt Flood mis-played a fly ball. Mike Shannon hit a home-run, but that was their only score. Disappointing day, but I've been a St. Louis Cardinals fan since the fourth grade.

Now, the Cards are against The Texas Rangers in the World Series. I never thought we'd see this, but I've been a fan since Dal Maxville and Julian Javier was the double-play combination. I watched the Lou Brock's chase of Maury Wills' stolen base record, the botched call and Juaquin Andujar's meltdown that cost the Cards the 1985 series against the Kansas City Royals and Mark McGuire's chase of Roger Maris' home run record.

I can't stop now even though I would be strongly behind the Rangers against ANY other National League team. I'm for the guy's who wear "The Birds on the Bat." Go Cards!!

Sometimes I Wonder

2011-10-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

We make time available for live interviews for non-profit organizations promoting their events. We're happy to do it, and it's part of the responsibility of a TV station licensed by the Federal Communication Commission. We are obligated to broadcast in the public "interest, convenience and necessity." That means whatever the FCC says it means.

Our guests come in early for the opportunity to publicise their special events. They get here before six. They get about two-minutes of free air-time to tell us and the viewers about their projects. Two minutes on TV is valuable for their organizations.

There is a lot riding on your appearance on TV. It's a matter of respect for the viewers and for the industry. We learned in television 101 that we need to spend a minute making sure that the hair and smile look OK. It's imortant for men. It seems to be even more important for women.

We don't have a dress code for our studio guests. I know it's just a few minutes for them to spread their message, but I'm a little bit surprised at the casual ease that some have for being on TV.

Talented Seniors

2011-09-05T05:07:00.000-07:00

I felt silly acting as a judge for The Senior Talent Show Saturday afternoon at the Abilene Civic Center. It was an honor to be there. All of those people were inspiring. One contestant recited Bible passages...and got emotionally affected by the meaning of the words. Another sang a song he performed for his daughter's wedding. A group of women sang America, The Beautiful. The most senior of the senior citizens did a harmonica tribute to America's military service men and and women. All of the contestants are inspiring. They all entertained the people there, and they all have messages worthy of our honor and respect.

The criteria on the judges' paper made the choices for the talent show clear, and the top three finishers were very deserving. But, the choices for the judges was very difficult.

I was humbled to be sitting there with the score-cards. They are all inspirational people.

You Don't See Most of Us

2011-08-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

We're getting a new technical director for our Daybreak and Noontab news reports this week. That means we will also have a new person to operate our news graphics computer...and a new camera operator for the studio camera.
Franklin Hughes is leaving. He's the guy who has been primarily responsible for the technical side of our reports. Franklin has been a very good partner for our reports. He replaced Jake Templeton, another good director. The next director will be Sharon Henley. She is very young and talented. I'm sure that she is going to be excellent. Our news reports go quickly, by design. It's time to get ready and roll. It requires quick thinking and quick action.
Monica and I work hard on our reports, but we can't do it without the people you don't see. I appreciate the talents and the dedication of the people who set and focus the cameras, operate the audio controls and punch all of the buttons on the control panel to actually put our reports on the air. It's very much the same for the news reports later in the day.

Decision Made to Stop Airing Video of Ballpark Accident

2011-07-08T04:55:00.001-07:00

There was quite a response via social media late Thursday from people asking us to stop airing/running video of the Rangers Ballpark accident involving Brownwood Firefighter Shannon Stone.

Video was shown during 10 p.m. broadcasts on Thursday and posted online before the extent of the injuries were known. It was during the newscast that we learned Mr. Stone has died.

Shortly thereafter, we learned more about the incident and continued to update bigcountryhomepage.com, Facebook, and Twitter. It was at that time that folks started asking us to take down the video of the accident.

I'll be honest: my initial reaction was to continue using the video. Out of respect for the situation, I don't want to dissect the reasons why. However, I initially felt it was still newsworthy.

A lengthy discussion ensued in both the KTAB and KRBC newsrooms about what they wanted to do. In the end, both stations decided not to run the video for various reasons. In some cases, the decision making process and debate lasted for hours.

Here's some of the reasoning they shared in memos to their respective staffs:

"Out of respect to the family, KTAB has chosen not to show video of the accident at the Ballpark At Arlington which claimed the life of Brownwood fireman Shannon Stone," wrote KTAB managing editor Bob Bartlett. " If video comes down showing the ambulance or paramedics at work, that would be okay. However, the video of the fall should not be used, nor anything that shows Stone before or after the accident."

"KRBC will not air the video that shows the firefighter in the stands," wrote KRBC Executive Producer Mark Moseley in a memo to his newsroom staff. "I have sat here for the last two hours contemplating this. The deciding factor for me is the fact that Mr. Stone's young son can be seen in this shot."

I'm very proud of both newsrooms for giving this situation the deep thought and respect it deserves. I fully support their respective decisions and am glad both chose the high road -- especially when their boss' gut decision leaned otherwise.

I hope you take pride in their decision as well.

A Bittersweet Transition

2011-06-24T05:39:00.000-07:00

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

Police Scanners

2011-06-02T07:10:00.000-07:00

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.

Covering the President

2011-05-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

Some members of our Big Country Homepage Staff have an exciting assignment today. Lane Stone, Brittany Pelletz and photographer Mark Gustafson are traveling to Austin to cover the appearance there of President Obama. Its going to be a busy day. It's also an interesting day for Abilene reporters. We don't get to cover a president very often. It's a little different than covering our local elected officials or even the members of the Texas Legislature or U.S. Congress.
Security is a lot tighter. It has to be. There will be many other news crews there. Some of them are not familiar with our Texas way of doing things. They will be in a bigger hurry and won't likely care much about the feelings of the crews from smaller cities.
There is an interesting feeling you get when you hear "Hail to the Chief." The office requires respect. I hope they have a great time. I look forward to seeing the reports.

All That Racquet

2011-04-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Don't call it a comeback!

I think I'm finally ready to do athletic things again. As of this writing, it's been 2 years, 8 months, and 2 days since I had surgery to repair damaged cartilage in my left knee (pre-op photo attached). Now, I'm not saying I had athletic prowess before the injury, but I was fairly active. That may have been my downfall; it was during a game of baseball that I suffered the injury.

Since the surgery, I've put very little stress on the bum knee. No basketball, no baseball, no tennis... one company game of kickball stands out, but that's a bunch of reporters playing, so how much stress could it really be?

Today, I stepped out on the tennis court for the first time in years to take on John Nolan-- at his own game, no less-- and put that knee to the test.

Surprisingly, it passed! Now all I need to do is remember how to serve and volley, and I'll be golden.

Next up, basketball? Anyone?

Props to Nance from a Viewer

2011-04-29T05:49:00.001-07:00

We received this very nice e-mail from a viewer that I wanted to pass along. It's the type of note that's sure to make Nance's day!

I am a HUGE Fan your news station... In fact you are the only news station i am willing to watch!! I was a little disapointed the other morning when everyone gave Sam Nichols all the credit for Easter Sundays Weather Forecast when the storms came thru the Big Country. When in fact Nance Burgin was there in the studio when it all started. She was amazing!!! You could understand every bit of her on what, when, where and why the weather was so random and crazy. She was great with the graphics zooming in and out without getting nauseous, her drawings where big enough and able to follow easily. At one point she was getting many updates with in seconds and was great at receiving them and informing the public. She was wonderful during the hole hour and a half she had stopped one time to get something to drink which she deserved and apologized for it. My family and I thought it was funny of her to apologize because she deserved a drink by then because she was so busy relaying all of the updates. Its not that we don't love and appreciate Sam Nichols because we do. We just thought that Nance Burgin did indeed deserve a big thanks and a big high five for what she had did for the public that day!!! She did an amazing job and i would like for her to get a little credit for being the one who started the weather announcements on Easter Sunday when the crazy storm formed out of nowhere, after all she was there and stayed on top of it like a pro!!! Way to Go Nance Burgin!!!

Big Fan of KTAB

To the viewer who sent this, thanks for sharing! We'll give her that hi-five on your behalf :)

Honoring the Veterans

2011-04-12T05:52:00.000-07:00

This story of the World War Two veterans going to Washington, DC stirs some great personal memories. I was the Washington State representative for a national speech contest sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars back in 1976. The veterans paid for one high school student from each state to fly to Washington, stay in a nice hotel, eat heartily as teenagers do and visit the Memorials on the National Mall, The White House, The Capitol and other tourist and historical sites there. The old soldiers honored us. I was too young and immature to appreciate the irony. I was a high school student who had done nothing significant and they were honoring me for writing a three-minute speech and sending it in. The veterans had served in horribly difficult places like Normandy, Guadalcanal, North Africa and Meat Loaf Hill. And yet, they were honoring us. Now that I'm about the age they were then, I understand a little bit better. They just wanted to know that someone from the next generation would appreciate the freedoms they fought for. It's a sobering thought. Thank you veterans.

R.U.D.E.

2011-03-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

I have to preface this email with a little confession – I love Fort Worth and tend to feel more at home there than I do in Abilene. Not because I don't love Abilene too, I just have a lot of family and friends and memories in Fort Worth.

That being said...

Meanest. Drivers. Ever.

I was there last Monday and found myself on the west edge of downtown, picking up my brother at his job at Radio Shack headquarters for a lunch date. I've driven in Fort Worth a bunch of times, but not on those particular streets any more than once or twice.

On our way to the restaurant, I braked and started to turn from Montgomery on to Lancaster, as my brother warned me that I actually needed to take the next turn on to Camp Bowie. I can't imagine my slight mistake made any real difference to the car behind me, but that did not stop him or her from laying on the horn. I'm talking a solid 15 seconds of blasting me for no valid reason! I may or may not have honked back in a very ugly way... for which I am sorry. But still, geez!

After dropping my brother back at work, I failed at trying to navigate a fork in the road. The traffic was really heavy in this area, and I ended up having to sit in the little median wedge for a sec before zipping into the correct lane. Yes, I was cutting it close, but the car that was actually affected didn't seem to care. The MASSIVE pickup truck behind that, however, was peeeeeeved. Commence another ridiculously long horn honk! But this one actually lasted a good 30 seconds, and the driver followed me around, keeping up the honking! I waved, nodded, waved, shrugged, waved...

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK.

Seriously? Your life is that stressful that you need to blow a horn for that long?

Instantly, I was grateful for the polite, laid-back attitude of Abilene drivers and the lack of traffic. Now I know that Abilene had a deadly road rage incident recently, but I'm not taking that into consideration right now. I just want to commend the 99.9% of drivers here who wave to let others through, wait their turns, and forgive honest mistakes like mine.

The Alarm Clock is not a Demon

2011-03-17T05:51:00.000-07:00

I took off work for the first three days of this week to spend time with my family for Spring Break. It was great to spend time goofing off together and enjoy our opportunities to relax together and laugh and play. I needed a few days without the alarm clock going off at still dark-30.

It was not all just playing and goofing off. We had a tree in the front yard die, and when my grown son and his wife left to go back to the Metroplex, my teenaged son, my mother-in-law and I got out there to cut it down. We should have rented, borrowed or bought a chain saw. Cutting down a tree is hard work. We all took turns with the lops, ax and the hand saws. I thought I was in pretty good shape, but I found some muscles that haven't seen much exertion in a long, long time.

It was a good reminder for me that the hardest physical part of my job is answering the middle of the night bell. After that, the only physical exertion is carrying the laptop back and forth between the newsroom and the studio. It's about 20-yards. A tip of the cap to all of you who do the physical work that has to get done. My respect for your skills, talents and strength have been reinforced again.

Billie Dunn Backs Out of Web Chat

2011-03-01T05:06:00.000-08:00

There was no web chat with the mother of Hailey Dunn Monday evening as previously advertised. Thirty minutes before the web chat was set to begin, Billie Dunn backed out.

I think we’d all admit the move isn’t exactly shocking. It may be a little disappointing – but not entirely all that surprising.

When we originally planned this concept, we thought it would be a great way for many of the Dunn case followers from across the nation to conveniently get their questions answered by Hailey’s mother. The idea had harmless intentions.

Just a few days after announcing the chat, Mitchell County Sheriff Patrick Toombs released the information that child pornography and images depicting bestiality were found in the Dunn home. Billie accepted our request for an interview that day regarding the discovery. At the time, she discussed Monday’s web chat and seemed to indicate she was looking forward to it.

Hours later, she turned down HLN’s Nancy Grace – something that she’s never done before.

At some point thereafter, we found out was no longer appearing at Sunday’s rally in Mansfield.

It didn’t look like Billie Dunn was going to be the open book she once was….

However, she confirmed to KTAB’s Priscilla Luong on Monday afternoon that she was still on board for the web chat. Priscilla described her as tentative if not scared. Still, Priscilla reminded her that we had promoted the event and people were counting on it to happen.

Hours before the event was set to take place, hundreds of people were already in the chat room asking questions and throwing around theories. Admittedly, there were things in there that a grieving mother didn’t need to see. I took a call from a woman who asked how we planned to moderate the room. I told her we’d be removing comments and deleting users that didn’t remain respectful of the situation. Her response: so you’re going to kick everyone out?

At that point, we decided Billie didn’t need to look at the chat room during the course of the event. Maria Oliver, who you might remember from KRBC, would view all the questions and ask the relevant ones. Maria is very familiar with the case and would’ve done a good job. But, we wouldn’t get that far…

Maria stopped by the Dunn homes shortly after 4 p.m. to go over some ground rules for the chat and discuss exactly how things would take place. She tells me Billie came to the door and said she wasn’t going to take part in the chat. Billie said she was going out of town with relatives and she didn’t want them to have to wait on her. Billie quickly closed the door and went back inside the home.

Maria returned shortly thereafter in an attempt to get Billie to explain, on camera, why she pulled out of the event. This time, Billie didn’t come to the door.

I know people have already read into this – what does it mean? why did she really back out? what is she hiding? I can’t really blame her for backing out. If I were in her shoes, I might have done the same thing. However, I don’t think I would’ve agreed to it in the first place.

In the end, this doesn’t hold any significance in the much bigger picture of safely bringing Hailey home. You can label it another small surprise in what has been a case loaded with twists, turns, and sometimes stunning developments.

To those of you hoping to take part, our apologies for the inconvenience.

Pain in the Axle

2011-02-22T06:05:00.000-08:00

I got into my car the other day and felt a strange tug as I started to back up. There was also a strange noise. I raised the hood and noticed that the power steering fluid tank was empty...bone-dry. I poured in a $3.79 bottle of the stuff and tried it out. No more tug and no more noise.

I forgot all about it, but then it happened again about two-days later. A mechanic friend checked it and told me that there is CV boot torn on the axle. He checked a little deeper and found that a little valve on the rack and pinion steering mechanism was leaking. He said it may be a casualty of the February Freeze. Those big chunks of ice may have torn the rubber boot and allowed the dirty snow, ice and slush to damage the little valve.

Nobody fixes the little valve. They replace the whole thing. Bottom line...about $600 bucks. That's not really how I wanted to spend $600 bucks, but my car is paid for...so it will have to be done. I guess it could have been worse. I could have wrapped it around a telephone pole or something.

Tragic Shooting Hits Close to Home

2011-02-20T18:01:00.000-08:00

If you’ve followed coverage of the Sayles Boulevard shooting, then you’ve likely seen or read reports that the victim’s mother works for KTAB-KRBC. Sari David, mother of Austin David, is a longtime employee of the stations.

In some ways, you could call Sari an unofficial member of the newsroom. Though she works in sales, it’s not uncommon for her to stop by to give a news tip, suggest an angle for a story, or mention something she thinks would add to our coverage. Like many of us, you could call Sari a newshound.

As you can imagine, it was quite difficult for our reporters and photographers to do their jobs on the afternoon of February 9 while watching a co-worker break down after driving up on the scene of her son’s death. I admire their professionalism throughout the process. The same goes for everyone back at the station who had to organize the breaking information while struggling with what had happened to one of their peers. While our hearts our heavy for a mother who lost her son, it’s our obligation to threat this situation just as we would any other story.

It’s our job not to have an opinion; it’s our job to relay information. As journalists, we allow law enforcement, jurors, and judges to make decisions on who is wrong and right. Some have noted that we couldn’t possibly be unbiased in our reporting on this case. I can understand why someone would say that. However, I can assure you everyone that we’ve gone out of our way to be as fair and balanced as possible. We did everything possible to treat this as any other story.

That being said, I think we could all agree this is a tragic situation for our community. No matter the circumstances, no one wants an argument in broad daylight to end in gunfire….no one wants a mother to lose her son….no one wants two young children to lose their father.

A number of us from the station attended Austin’s memorial service Saturday to show our support for Sari and the David family. While the service was full of emotional and touching tributes to the 21-year-old father, there’s one stirring moment that stuck out to me.

During a portion of the service where friends and family were invited to share stories and memories of Austin, an older gentleman walked up to the podium. He was a complete stranger to everyone in the room. The man told a story about a recent flat tire that he was struggling to change by himself in a grocery store parking lot. He watched as car after car drove by. One person, Austin David, pulled up and offered a hand. “You’re too young to be jacking up that car by yourself,” he said as he offered to do the job for the stranger.

After hearing of the shooting and recognizing Austin, the older man said he wanted to attend the funeral as a way of saying “thank you” to the young man who was the only person to “love his neighbor as himself” that day. He encouraged everyone there to do the same.

After the service, the man went up to the David family and apologized just in case he intruded. Not hardly, Sari said. It turned out to be a beautiful tribute.

As I reflect on the moment, it certainly raises some questions for me. Have I gone out of my way to help a neighbor in need? Would a complete stranger come to my funeral?

Ochocinco Hearts Me: The Super Bowl Experience

2011-02-07T23:27:00.000-08:00

Even though they've been preparing for it their whole lives, the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers didn't learn they'd be going to Super Bowl XLV until just over 2 weeks ago. I, on the other hand, have decidedly not been preparing for such an occurrence my whole life. However, I learned well in advance that I'd be going to the big game.

I was asked to accompany a crew from other Nexstar stations across the country for team coverage of north Texas' first (and last?) Super Bowl. What would I be doing? Who cares... it's the Super Bowl. I said yes.

So even as the week of the game got closer, and the prospect of the region's worst winter storm in a decade and a half loomed, it was still the Super Bowl, and I was going. But whatever vision I had of a Super Bowl experience was erased very quickly, and replaced by a series of strange events.

I left Abilene the Monday before the game, which was one night before Media Day, which has become the biggest circus this side of Barnum & Bailey. I was especially looking forward to this, because the freaks are out in full force, and it just keeps getting weirder every year. Needless to say, it's my scene.

It was not to be.

My plan was to stop over for the night at my best friend's apartment in Denton, about 30ish miles from JerryWorld. Thanks to the aforementioned snowpocalypse, that brief stopover became a 2 and a half day stay. With roads looking and feeling more like ice rinks, and a wind chill in the negative teens, my goal was not to get to the Super Bowl, but to avoid becoming an icicle. My days consisted of coordinating with dozens of Nexstar stations, getting in touch with the crews already at the game, and playing video games. What else was I gonna do??

After the roads FINALLY became safe-ish for travel on Thursday, and after getting my car unstuck from a parking lot, it was off to the Sheraton Dallas for credential pickup and then straight to Cowboys Stadium. Though I would get my chance to witness the glitz and glamour of Super Bowl week later, the night was all about standing in the freezing cold and wind with the live crew from WROC in Rochester, New York. Sports Director John Kucko did nearly 20 live shots, including one with yours truly. This was to be our routine for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and post-game Sunday. And although it did start to warm up a tiny bit on Saturday, it was still the coldest I've EVER been, and ever hope to be.

But Friday made up for all that.

Radio Row is the place to be for celebrity gazing at the Super Bowl. In addition to all the big national media figures, for radio, TV, and print, the place was crawling with NFL players past and present, as well as celebrities. Name dropping would be stupid, because I am not cool enough to get to "meet" any of the famous people, but I got to be in their presence, which is plenty for me (You can see my experience here). Oh, and Chad Ochocinco said "I love you" to me. Still don't know how to feel about that.

Gameday was an entirely different experience; security was tighter, walks were longer, crowds were enormous-er, and EVERYBODY was wearing either green and gold or black and yellow. But aside from running into Owen Wilson in the stairwell under the stadium (NAME DROP), my experience was probably not much different than yours; I ate a hot dog and watched the game on TV. Perhaps there was one difference: my room was across the hall from the Steelers' locker room.

I may never return to the Super Bowl. If I don't, that's more than okay. I had plenty of awesome experiences just being near the game (I'm sure I'm leaving tons out), and I did my best to soak it all in. I probably made everyone I know sick to death of hearing about it...

But who cares. It's the Super Bowl.

Big Game Allows Student to Mingle with A-Listers

2011-02-05T14:21:00.001-08:00

The following blog was submitted by Chris Kellerman at the request of his brother Austin Kellerman, KTAB-KRBC News Director. On Friday, February 4, he ended up at a Super Bowl party with A-Listers. Here's how it all went down:

Dallas has turned into party central with the Super Bowl in town, and for a couple hours Friday night, I got the unlikely chance to experience it. A friend of mine, who happens to be a Catholic priest, invited me to join him at the Audi Forum cocktail party at the Rachofsky House in Dallas. His parents won the invitation in a silent auction and gave it to him—so we were not only lucky to be there, but totally out of our league!

After parking valet (fancy!), we stepped into the house and took glasses of champagne as Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore walked by. The DJ was playing great music, the food was great, and the venue was beautiful. We chatted briefly with “Glee” star Chord Overstreet and teen sensation Nick Jonas before getting to meet one of my all-time favorite pop stars—Justin Timberlake. We apologized for the bad weather in Dallas and told him we were rooting for “The Social Network” at the Oscars!

After talking to Justin, we turned around and, lo and behold, there was ex-Ranger (and yes, current New York Yankee) Mark Teixeira. Though all I wanted to ask him was how he felt after we whooped their butts in the ALCS, I managed to be polite. He told us, “Good luck this season.” You too, Mark. You’re going to need it.

A few minutes later, another “Glee” star—Matthew Morrison—strolled into the room with Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and his fiancée, Candice Crawford. Candice’s brother, “Gossip Girl” star Chace Crawford, accompanied them. We talked to all of them, and told Tony we couldn’t wait to see him back on the field.

After all the celebrities had left, we headed back to the valet and spotted Heisman winner Cam Newton along the way. We also heard that actor Hugh Jackman and supermodel Marisa Miller were in attendance, though we didn’t see them.

It was a pretty weird feeling to be drinking champagne with A-list stars and athletes. Heck, I’m just a grad student! I can’t imagine it being something I’ll experience again. But I’m glad I did.

Really, though? Did Teixeira have to be there?

Oh well. At least it wasn’t A-Rod.

Submitted by Chris Kellerman

End Times: Are We in Them & Can We Predict When It Will Happen?

2011-02-03T16:38:00.000-08:00

Tonight (Thursday) there is a story focusing on "The End Times" aka "Judgement Day."

I have my personal beliefs, which I will decline to share at this time, but I sought out many perspectives for this story.

We've become familiar with predictions ranging from the end of the winter solstice (The Mayan Calendar Theory), to Nostradamus, even the predictions from local sect leader, Yisrayl Hawkins.

This is a topic that consumes many minds, and many people have different beliefs based on religious texts and prophecies by many others. This web site, breaks down many different theories, some that have come and gone, others that are still ahead.

Without starting a religious war, here, leave your thoughts, and please be respectful of others opinions.. Ready, Set, Comment!

RAW Video: KRBC's Tim Johnston on Ice

2011-02-02T07:15:00.001-08:00

You've heard of "Disney on Ice" and "The Ice Capades," now, brace yourselves for "Tim Johnston on Ice!"

He gave a preview LIVE on KRBC's Abilene Today, and now he goes further for your enjoyment.
Beware, he's not on skates, oh and it was FREEZING, so the iPhone camera work was a little shaky.. consider it shivering.

ENJOY!

Not Too Old

2011-01-24T06:37:00.000-08:00

We had a flag football game after church Sunday afternoon. I refuse to accept that I'm too old to play. I found my old tennis shoes and bundled up against the cold wind and went out on the field. It was a lot of fun. I caught a few passes and dropped a few more. I pulled a couple of flags and missed several others. We really didn't keep score. We just counted off and went out to play. We had children and teenagers seperated to make it more fun. I don't ever remember being able to run as fast as those kids can go. I must have been moving around quite a bit. My legs and back feel like some muscles that haven't moved around much in the last year or so got a workout. I operate the Teleprompter with a foot pedal, and that little step on the pedal sent a definite protest to the pain receptor corners of somewhere. If you see me grimace, it's probably from that pain...and not from the news.

I'm not too old. I was just born too many years ago. Those kids who only know about Apollo Eleven and Neil Armstrong's giant leap for mankind on the moon. Stepping down the single step from the news desk seems like a giant leap for me today.

One Year and Many Memories Later: A Look Back to Haiti

2011-01-12T15:37:00.000-08:00

Hey all, it's Tim, and it's hard for me to believe it's been one year since I went with Dyess crews to Haiti.

WHOA!

Even more, it's hard to believe that country is still digging up remains and rubble from that massive quake.

Yes, it was bad. Yes, the country has it's "problems."

But when you think of a year's time passing, you think things would be closer to "normal."

My heart breaks just thinking that people in need one year ago, still need help.

At the same time, my heart rejoices knowing that several friends of mine just returned from their trip to Haiti to do just that, help those who haven't been helped.

But back to the start of this blog, I really enjoyed my time as an embedded reporter with the Dyess crews. They were kind to accommodate a few local journalists, but even beyond that they were extremely flexible.

One of the bigger frustrations for us as the traveling media was the uncertainty of our trip. One hour we'd be given the green light, the next hour we'd be told it was called off.

It's hard to handle when the deadlines to produce content don't change! Plus, three days of the "go-no go" roller coaster ride wears on you physically and emotionally, especially when we just wanted to be in Haiti where the action was at!

After finally "getting there," (which I say in quotes because we never left the airports tarmac) it was humbling to see the destruction from the air, and even more to see the people leaving everything behind.

I recall sitting on a crowded C-130, with refugees all around, many sat expressionless and idle. I thought to myself, "Where's the relief, where's the joy to get out of such destruction?"

Then I looked at the back of the cargo, for the 50 or so refugees, there were maybe 20 pieces of luggage.

It hit me. They were leaving everything! There's no way all of their clothes and possessions packed up in just a suitcase. On top of that, you know this wasn't a scenario where you lock your front door and hope you turned off the coffee maker.

There was rioting. There was looting. There was no way their homes or lives would ever be the same!

Another observation I continue to carry with me from the plane ride was the sight of the little children. On the flight, we passed out bottles of water to everyone, with many more to spare.

Yet, I watched kids cherish these bottles of water, one even hid his bottle it under a blanket.

My heart sank. Here was something we had a full supply of and yet this was something he didn't know if it would last long enough. Now, I have stopped and considered maybe he wasn't thirsty, but studying his body language you could see he was protecting the bottle.

The last and biggest memory I carry with me from that plane flight, was the sight of our media contact, a sergeant in the Air Force ride for two hours from Haiti to Miami on the floor of the plane holding a man who was physically unstable.

He held his hand and consoled him, he helped him stay propped up during the flight, he even helped clean up after the man "spit up."

It was the single greatest act of kindness and love you could imagine, and a true testament as to why these men and women were making these aide missions.

When we landed in Miami, in one voice the men and women turned to everyone and thanked them saying, "Thank you to the United States Air Force."

I cannot even begin to imagine what life would've been like outside our C-130, in the streets, with rubble all around, but I know in our own "little world" there were many victories and moments that stand out, even one year later.

Warm Newsroom

2011-01-11T09:07:00.000-08:00

I worked as a reporter here at KTAB back in the 80's and 90's. It was often fun and exciting to cover the events as they were going on. I enjoyed the job...except those days when I had to wear a necktie when the thermometer topped the century mark...or when we had to concentrate to feel our fingers because of the cold. I'm now confined to the news desk most of the day producing and then delivering the news. It's not quite as exciting. But, it's a lot more comfortable. One of our photographers was leaving the building the building as I was coming in this morning. He was bundled up with a hat, gloves and a thick layer of jackets. He was smiling, but he was obviously cold. I saw Victor Sotelo and Priscilla Luong filing their reports from Colorado City. Their reports are vitally important, but they were obviously cold. Thank you guys for your hard work. Thanks to all of you who have outside jobs on days like today. There are construction crews, farmers, emergency service providers and others who have service to provide regardless of the temperatures. We appreciate your toughness. Thanks

Christmas News

2010-12-21T07:22:00.000-08:00

It's a strange time of year for TV news. Like it is at your house, we are obsessed with all of the last-minute details of Christmas. Many have out of town visitors, or we're planning to be out of town ourselves. As many of the members of our staff as possible are gone. It's hard to concentrate on the job. But, we still have a job to do. We hear of the sadness and despair that seem to be magnified at this time of year. We hear of burglars and thieves who want to take advantage of the hectic pace of our days. We hear of the accidents that can happen when people get too busy to pay attention to the regular events of the day. We still need to know. We still need to be reminded. It would be great to be able to concentrate solely on the charitable giving, Christmas programs, toy and candy-making and the good things going on, but reality doesn't really allow it.

Bossier The Christmas Dog

2010-12-19T17:32:00.000-08:00

If you're a pet owner, you know dogs can cost you a lot of money.

While we're forking over big bucks for their food, health care, grooming, boarding and toys, what are they doing to contribute to the family income and pay their part?

Absolutely nothing.

They won't do the dishes, never seem to help with laundry, and refuse to get a paper route.

This weekend, it was fun to see my dog finally contribute -- and to charity, at that!

On Saturday, I decided to head out to the Southwest Drive Walmart and help out with the bell ringing battle. I figured if a handful of employees were going to be there volunteering their time, I probably should too. Last year, we brought our dog for a little while and dressed him in a Santa outfit that he absolutely despises. However, people seemed to like it. And if they liked it, they were more likely to drop money in the red kettle to benefit the Salvation Army.

I couldn't decide whether to bring Bossier this year. As soon as I pulled out the red suit, he cowered and tried to hide. However, my wife talked him out of his fit.

"Bossier, if you refuse to get a job and do any chores around here," she said in a scolding and forceful manner, "The least you could do is help charity!"

So, Bossier reluctantly put on his Santa suit and trotted off to the car.

When we got to Walmart, the KRBC side was pretty well staffed, but Victor Sotelo stood alone on Team KTAB. It was clear Bossier would be Vic's donation wing man.

It didn't take long for the kids (and adults!) to start gathering around him -- and with the attention came donations.

Bossier eventually came out of his comotose state of depression caused by the costume and became a somewhat playful version of himself. You might say this was a job he enjoyed.

In the end, Team KTAB won. Team KRBC's Chris Whited pointed to one reason for the defeat: Bossier the Christmas dog.

Maybe Bossier helped push them over the top, maybe not...

Either way, I'm proud of Bossier the Christmas dog. It's about time he did something to contribute to society!

It's not spoused to be funny!

2010-12-08T10:46:00.000-08:00

If we haven't mentioned it yet on this here blog, or if you haven't figured it out by the matching surnames, Austin Kellerman (news director) and I (web manager) are married.

Brownwood, July 2010

That makes for a very interesting dynamic here at work. It can be quite stressful at times, and boundaries can get a little murky, but mostly it's just fun.

Like yesterday when my computer crashed and I couldn't record the Web Watch segment on my web camera, so I had to have Austin come help me record it on my iPhone.

Screen shot of the bloopers :)

I really dislike being on camera (contrary to popular belief) and I get very nervous doing any type of on-air stuff in front of people, including my husband. So yesterday, I could not ignore the huge grin on Austin's face as I was trying to talk. Watch what happens!

The last clip is the one that I finally got through without laughing, so I had to just keep going even when I messed up! Ah, the joys of editing :)

She's a Trooper

2010-11-30T06:35:00.000-08:00

My partner is playing hurt. Nance' Burgin showed up for work this morning in spite of a bad cold. She said she hated to call in sick at 2:00 in the morning. She says she doesn't fee too bad, but you can tell that she's not in full voice. Voice is pretty important for a morning weather person. Her job includes about a dozen forecasts and several more brief appearances. Nance' is a delightful girl and a good meteorologist who knows her job. I didn't know that she's so tough until I saw her battle through her cold this morning to do the job. I'm impressed.

Abilene Says Goodbye to the Sims Era

2010-11-28T17:41:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, Abilene football had its own trail of tears. It stretched from Arlington to Abilene along Interstate 20.

Cooper and Abilene fans traveled the two-and-half hour long trek on along trail. On most Saturday nights, I-20 would be virtually empty from the Metroplex to West Texas. On November 27, there were red lights as far as the eyes could see. Some vehicles sported red shoe polish that said “Go Coogs”; others sported Abilene High stickers. Inside those cars were fans sad to say goodbye to another season.

With my wife asleep during most of the drive, I had the radio off and time to reflect. I looked back on two great seasons – and I reflected on the end of an era: the Sims era.

Herschel and Ronnell Sims helped put Abilene back on the national map. Sure, they couldn’t and didn’t do it alone. But let’s be honest: they were key instruments that brought West Texas football and Abilene to a place it hadn’t been in half a century.

Because of their skills, football in Abilene experienced a state championship, two games on ESPN networks, a new relationship with Nike, and a one-hour feature on MTV. Let’s not forget we’re talking about a high school football team. That’s pretty darn impressive.

Over the last two years, we’ve watched Ronnell Sims find ways to win in games the Warbirds should’ve lost. We’re watched Herschel Sims run for 200 yards plus in games where the opposing defense knew he’d be running – yet couldn’t stop him. We’ve watched the guys get battered by the opposition and continue playing when most people would’ve sat on the sidelines.

The Sims cousins are winners. And Abilene will miss them.

I look forward to rooting for them over the next four years as they move on to the next stage of their careers. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the both of them. No matter where each ends up, I’ll be cheering for them. I know I’m not alone.

In closing, I say simply say thanks. I thank you for giving of yourselves. I thank you for helping take Big Country football to the next level. I thank you for being good citizens and inspiring others who will come after you.

Abilene won’t be the same without you.

Goodbye, Stephanie

2010-11-23T23:09:00.001-08:00

As I've had to do several times during my 22 months here at KRBC, I have the unenviable task of saying goodbye to one of my best friends once again. As you all now know, KRBC co-anchor Stephanie Harris' last day is Wednesday. As big a loss as this is on air, it's a bigger loss to me personally.

Perhaps it's only appropriate that Stephanie's last day on air is the day before Thanksgiving. It helps remind me to be eternally grateful for the time we had together here in Abilene. When I became the Executive Producer for KRBC, I felt a little lost and confused. Stephanie helped me figure things out, and we developed a great working relationship, and friendship. The same goes for her husband, the inimitable Robert Mooring. I was not happy when I learned they'd be moving off to Malibu. But it didn't take me long to realize how happy they'll be together, and what a great life they have ahead of them.

I've been trying not to count down the days, but I knew the last day was coming, and have tried to prepare myself for it. It hasn't worked. But I know that when the sun rises on Thanksgiving morning, when Stephanie moves on and the rest of us stay behind, I'll still have all the memories we have together (And speaking of memories of Stephanie, I'd tune in Wednesday night at 10 if I were you... expect some surprises!). Not to mention, you leave behind a great successor waiting in the wings (Who is it?!? Stay tuned!)

As I was reminded earlier this week, we don't say "goodbye" in the news business; it's "see you later". So, Stephanie, until we see each other again, enjoy life on the beautiful California coast. We love you, we'll miss you, and we'll never forget all the good times we had together.

Coach Spradlin Takes the Cooper High Road

2010-11-21T17:52:00.001-08:00

Sometimes in life, we have to make hard decisions.

We’ve all had to do it…

For a parent, it might be disciplining a child knowing you’re going to have to watch them cry. For a boss, it might be letting a good person go because they’re underperforming in the workplace. For another person, it might be ending a relationship knowing it’s going to break the heart of someone you care about. For a coach, it might be letting three talented players go because they don’t meet your team’s expectations.

They all sting a little – but you make the hard decision because it’s the right thing to do.

I want to applaud Cooper High School Head Coach Mike Spradlin and his staff for making a tough decision on Friday night by removing three players from the team indefinitely. It would’ve been easy for the coaches to turn a blind eye to what was happening. That would’ve been the easy thing to do. Instead, they made a decision that could potentially cost them their opportunity at a state title.

I also applaud Spradlin and AISD Superintendent Heath Burns for their transparency. It would’ve been easy to try and cover this up or deny it; I’ve seen other districts do it. Instead, they were forthcoming about the situation without compromising the privacy of their students.

Who were the players and what did they do? At the end of the day, it’s really not that important. We all made mistakes in our teenage years. Sure, some of our mistakes were worse than others. But at the end of the day, these guys are just kids. Yes, they play on a popular football team in a town where high school football is everything. But as kids, they deserve privacy…and they deserve second chances.

Win or lose this Saturday, we should all take pride in the fact that Cooper High and Mike Spradlin chose the high road. In a day and age where teams look past players’ poor attitudes and actions, Cooper refused to do that.

As a head coach, Mike Spradlin is naturally in a position to for people to look up to him. On this occasion, Spradlin showed us what being a role model is all about.

Funny Movie

2010-11-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

My wife and I went to see a silly new date movie over the weekend. Morning Glory is one of those romantic comedies that are usually very forgettable. This one was a little different for me. First, Harrison Ford is in it. Second, it was set is a morning TV news broadcast. It was pure, escapist fiction...but there were several scenes that made me laugh out loud, and I was the only one the theater laughing. The alarm going off in the middle of the night was all too recognizable. The anchor waking up just in time to pretend to be alertly reading the teleprompter script and the youthful exuberance about the importance of the job were certainly close to reality. The deadline of the clock and the concern about the stories in the stack are real. Both led to some funny and recognizable scenes. The problems with individual egos were exaggerated, but certainly part of the business. It was set in New York, and the concerns about tenths of a rating point and the concerns about the most minute of details remind me of why we stay here in Abilene. My wife enjoyed it for different reasons. She was probably laughing more at me than at the screen.

Election Day + 22 Years

2010-11-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

Here we go with another election day. We are planning extensive coverage of all of the important races and issues on the ballot. Election days are big deals in TV news. There is a lot of real-life drama waiting for the results and hearing from the winners and losers. The people we choose in these elections have authority to levy property taxes and then decide how local, state and federal government organizations should spend that money for the services they provide. It takes a lot of work, and it's a big job to get the information, make sure it's right and then pass it on. It's one of the reasons why many reporters decide on this business.
Election coverage is at best tiring and trying. At worst, it's exhausting and frustrating.
I remember election day, 1988 vividly. I started early...before six that morning for our regular Daybreak cut-ins back when KTAB was in the old building. I was finished with my morning shift and the preliminary election work about 3:00 in the afternoon. I was going to go home to rest and see my family before coming back up about 6:45 for the election coverage that evening. It was a presidential election. That year, it was between George Bush, the 41st President and Democrat Michael Dukakis. There were also a lot of important elections in Texas and across the Big Country.
My friend and co-worker Ned Austin came running out with a camera as I was getting in the car. He said there was a call on the scanner of a B-One Bomber with an in-flight emergency and he was going to see if he could get video of it. In-flight emergencies are not uncommon. It's usually a minor problem and they land just fine. But not this time. We saw the big, beautiful plane flying over with an obvious problem. A bright red flame trailed along under the wing at least twice the length of the big plane. Ned got the video that later proved to be important for the accident investigators.
The plane was still a relatively new weapons system, and some of the problems had not been fixed. This one had a problem with the fuel line...and the escaping jet fuel was burning.
The crew fought to keep control of the big plane and bring it back in. The pilot decided that wasn't possible...so he and the other officers aimed it to a remote area just Northwest of the city...away from all of the homes and businesses. The pilot ordered the co-pilot and the offensive and defensive systems officers to bail-out. Then he pointed the nose down and pulled his escape hatch. All four men got out safely. The big beautiful bomber crashed into the vacant field. It was destroyed, but there were no injuries and no other significant loss of property. His heroism prevented a possible bigger disaster.
The crash made a challenging day for news reporters a day that really makes us realize why we ever wanted to do TV news. When the day was over and we had given our reports of the crash and the election results, we felt like we had finished a marathon. Exhausted, elated, delighted and proud of the way we covered the news and especially thankful for the brave men who kept that big fuel-laden plane away from people and homes.
I hope the election is the biggest story of this day.

Uncharted Territory

2010-10-12T22:10:00.001-07:00

Just a few thoughts following the Rangers' historic first round victory, clinched late Tuesday night:

First, my sincere apologies to my co-workers for the several high pitched screams during the course of ALDS Game 5. There were about a half-dozen moments that had me jumping up and down like a little kid. When Ian Kinsler slammed the door shut with a home run in the 9th, I absolutely lost it. My thanks especially to David Robinett for putting up with a temporary noisy neighbor, and Manny Diaz, whose desk I sat at for all 3 Rangers victories.

Second, I would like to thank everyone I work with for indulging me, or at the very least, not treating me like an absolute lunatic, for my loud outward expressions of rabid Rangers fandom. I have worn the same shirt, my brand new Rangers AL West Championship t-shirt, to work on every game day thus far, and will continue to do so until this magic ride ends. Guys, I promise not to let it get smelly. And let it be known that I am in fact getting work done during these games. No, I'm not nearly as engaged as I normally am. But the newscast can't be sacrificed, no matter how important the game is, and I appreciate Stephanie Harris, Randy Turner, and associate producer Stetson Samuel for getting the job done. And to Austin Kellerman for not firing me.

Third, this still hasn't sunk in. Maybe it never will. This is special. We Rangers fans are in uncharted territory. After the Game 4 loss, I walked around like the season was already over, because I've come to expect this team to come up short. Maybe the Rangers will get killed in the next round. Or maybe they'll make it to the World Series. Who knows.

Fourth, BRING ON THE YANKEES.

Fifth, ~~The Texas Rangers are the only team never to have won a postseason series~~.

Sixth and finally, IT'S TIME!!!! GOOOOOOOO RANGERS!!!!!!!!!!!

Hairy Problem

2010-10-12T05:48:00.000-07:00

I try to take a quick check of the mirror before the camera comes on at 5:30 for KTAB Daybreak. I have a comb and can tackle an unruly waft of hair pointed inappropriately in, out or sideways. I have a problem commonly called a "widow's peak." It's genetically recessive. It's always been a problem. When I was little, it gave me something in common with Eddie Munster. The "widow's peak" often sneaks out from under the rest of my hair on my forehead. It's worse if I try too hard to fix it. But, I noticed it on a recent promotional spot we recorded about the Ready, Set, Home segment. A newsman's hair should be like a football referee. It's there to do a job...but it should never call attention to itself.

Nude? Who Knew?

2010-10-11T07:04:00.000-07:00

I'm heading to the Abilene Public Library at lunch time to check out some books on photography. I've already scouted them out on my computer, read the summaries, and know which ones I want. I head downstairs, grab my three books, and take them home.

I grab a snack, sit in front of the TV and begin to browse. I start with The Complete Guide to Light. It has a sunset, building, and angelic child on the cover. How lovely.

After looking at the first several pages, I realize the pictures in it aren't all that great. So I begin to thumb through quickly, and land on a complete full-frontal nude woman. With her head cropped out, of course. I freak out and close the book and drop it on the coffee table.

What the heck? There is nothing on the front or back cover, or in the summary online, that indicates there are nude photos inside. There is a flower girl on the cover. I assume there are more naked photos, because the book kind of shows several of the same type of photos demonstrating different kinds of lighting. I don't know that there are more than one, because I'm not about to find out.

A man here at the station informs me that this is nothing new. Growing up pre-Internet, he used to go to the library and look at nude photos all the time.

I suppose some sort of warning label would just draw attention to the bad pictures inside, but you would think there would be something to alert innocent eyes that they're about to see something completely inappropriate. I am sure that if there were a website with that picture on it, it would be blocked by the library computers.

And for the record, I don't buy the "it's just art" argument. It's a naked woman posing for the camera.

Employee Gets Doc's Note from Chuck Greenberg

2010-10-06T04:48:00.000-07:00

We've all done it. We make a silly joke or say something we probably shouldn't have and immediately reply with the phrase, "just kidding!"

Although, the truth is we were just kind of kidding. Actually, we meant it.

That's the way I look at this strange note I received via Facebook today:

I've had employees have their significant others call them in sick. I've had workers send text messages. But, sumbitting a fake doctor's note via Facebook?

Sure, Mark Moseley was joking when he "tagged" me in this post. Deep down, though, he was also hoping I'd post a comment saying, "how funny! Why don't you take a much deserved day off and enjoy the ballgame." Well, too bad buddy!

The difference between Mark and some folks is that he'll still show up for work. He'll physically be there. We can't count on his mind (poor Randy, Stephanie and Brittany).

Nevertheless, it'll be interesting to see how many Big Country workers make that sick call, sit back, grab some popcorn, and enjoy a little Rangers baseball. Something tells me Chuck Greenberg may have a stack full of doctors notes to sign at the end of the day...

Magic.

2010-09-20T23:14:00.000-07:00

I was among the 50,000 or so in attendance at The Ballpark in Arlington on October 9th, 1999, when the Rangers played, to date, their last ever playoff game. I remember it clearly: Derek Jeter tripled in the first inning, followed shortly by a homer by Darryl Strawberry (DARRRRRRRYL). That was all the offense the hated Yankees needed; Roger Clemens, no doubt fresh off a gigantic shot of steroids, shut the Rangers down, didn't give up a run, in comes Mariano Rivera, and for the third time in four years, Texas was promptly dispatched by the eventual world champions.

For 11 years now, I've waited to see my beloved team back in the postseason. Ever since then, in times good (a few) and bad (a whole freaking lot), I've stayed behind the wheel of the unofficial Rangers' Bandwagon. And now, barring an epic collapse, it's gonna happen. As the slogan reads: It's Time.

The purpose of this blog is not to wax poetic about the Rangers' string of awful seasons the last week or so, or to recap the spectacular, memorable season they've given me in 2010. No, this entry is an open invitation for all you sports fans: jump on the bandwagon now. I'm driving this sucker, and I've saved room for all of you.

Unless the Cowboys turn it around quickly, and somehow overcome their overwhelming schedule from here on out, Dallas games are going to revert to what they were a few years ago, which was basically akin to taking medicine: you knew it was gonna be bad, but you had to suffer through it.

Now, finally, there may be an alternative, if only for a short while. The Rangers' Magic Number (combined wins + losses by 2nd place Oakland) is at 6. Again I say, barring an epic collapse, it's. gonna. happen.

Hop on.

Anchor Down

2010-09-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

Written by Tim C., KTAB producer

Anchors are more than pretty faces for the TV...and Bob and Lane will be the first to let you know.

Seriously though as much grief as I like to give them Bob and Lane are more than just anchors. They produce, write, coordinate, and share in just about every responsibility in the newsroom. Which makes it a lot less fun when they are out of the office for many reasons.

As many of you have probably noticed Lane has been out, and will be for another week or so, and my boss let me know that dropping the 5 pm show was not an option so that means a few extra hours up at the office.

When people are gone from the workplace you really realize just how much work they do...all that time I thought Lane was just goofing off. So all this to say that anchors should not be allowed to take time off from work, mostly because its inconvenient for me.

Voir Dire

2010-09-14T06:02:00.000-07:00

I went to the mailbox a few days ago and found a big green postcard from the district clerk. I checked the front and there was my full legal name, Ronald Wayne Rosseau. Jury Duty. I don't have time for jury duty...almost no one has time for jury duty. I thought about the disqualifications and the possible exemptions. My kids are all too big. There is no one invalid in my house. I'm still a ways from the exemption for being at least 70. I thought about the sound mind exemption. The judge might buy it. My alarm clock goes off at at time when the chickens would slap the silly thing off and tuck their head under the other wing. I finally dropped the idea and showed up. Surely, the lawyers wouldn't want someone like me for the jury. Hundreds of people were already in the jury assembly room when I got there. Hundreds more came in later. My chances for early dismissal looked pretty good, and after the clerk named a hundred or more people and directed them to different jury panels, she told the rest of us that we wouldn't be needed. The exhales of relief was audible and palpable. One of the biggest and loudest came from my chest. I came back to work, but the phone rang. There was a mistake and I had to come back for another jury panel. After sitting there and waiting for the wheels of justice to grind on our nerves, the judge invited all of us up to the fourth floor for the voir dire. I know just enough French to know that it shouldn't be pronounced "voy-dire," but that's how we say it here in West Texas. It means "to say truth." I had already raised my hand and promised to tell the truth. I would anyway. After the attorneys explained the importance of what the process for the defendant and for the Texas legal system, my thoughts began to change. I was secretly hoping that the lawyers would want me on the jury. I was number 25 of about 40. They needed twelve. The judge started calling out the names that the lawyers wanted for the case. The only took four or five from each of the first two rows. There was still a chance...but then they skipped me and called the last two-or three jurors seated down the line. The rest of us were free to go with the thanks and appreciation of the court. It was an interesting process. I don't know which attorney didn't want me. It really doesn't matter. I hope that the dread will be a little less the next time I open the mailbox and find one of those big green postcards with my full legal name on it.

Horrible News

2010-08-24T05:15:00.000-07:00

We often have to report bad news. Unusual events in our community and world affects our viewers. Sometimes the news affects us individually and sometimes very deeply. That happened this morning in our MoneyWatch Report. One of the items in the 75-second report is horrible...potentially devastating. It's winter in the Southern Hemisphere. One of the most important commodities in the world is grown in places like Columbia, Argentina and Brazil, and it's been an unseasonably cold winter. That means this year's coffee harvest is less than normal. Reduced supplies and continued strong demand means that the coffee prices are going up. That's awful! Those of you who know me personally know that my coffee cup is always close by, and never empty for very long. Someone asked me how many cups of coffee I drink every day. I can't answer that. I don't count. If I did, it wouldn't be measured in cups. Pots maybe. Quarts would be a more manageable unit. Let's pray that the harvest is better than they expect.

Gossip Girl, Signing Off...

2010-08-20T03:38:00.000-07:00

Katherine gave us the following blog entry to post before she left town Thursday. We wish her the best! You can leave your comments below:

As some of you may know, Thursday was sadly my last day in the Big Country. Tonight, I will drive East on I-20 towards Dallas, where I am beginning the next chapter in my life.

I came to KTAB two weeks after I graduated from TCU. What a change it was! All the sudden, my mom pulled out of my driveway and I was a full-blown adult on my way to my first reporting job.

I was told in the beginning that time would fly, and there were some days I didn't believe it. But, as I sit at my desk one last time, I can honestly say, it did.

I have been so lucky to work with such an incredible team at KTAB/KRBC. Each one of you has been a partner and a friend. I will never forget this place.

I wanted to take the time to thank ALL of you whose path I have crossed since coming here in May 2008.

Every person I've encounted has made a huge impact on my life. There has never been a moment I felt out of place, for that I am eternally grateful.

I would like to especially thank my family and friends in Albany for inviting me into your amazing community and making me one of your own. I grew up spending most of my free time in Albany and always wanted to get a taste of what it would be like to live here. I am SO lucky to have chosen such a unique profession to give me that opportunity.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Bon Voyage Big Country!

Katherine

Stamford Situation Brings Back Bad Memories

2010-08-10T04:34:00.000-07:00

The following blog post was written by KRBC Executive Producer Mark Moseley:

It's absolutely unbelievable. Shocking, really, that in 2010, you could imagine anyone spouting something like it.

That was how I reacted to the racist "Song of the South" recording that our newsroom received Monday afternoon. An excerpt:

Cotton on the roadside
Cotton in the ditch
Pick that cotton, you black son of a b****

Pretty shameful. And the fact that it was attributed to a school district superintendent made it all the more shocking. It's no wonder that residents of Stamford are angry at this. Residents are saying it's not the first incident of alleged racism in that city. Either way, a lot of people are upset, and it's clear that a conversation needs to be had on race relations in that city. But before that happens, this song business should be cleared up. And that can be done with a simple Google search.

Look up "song of the south racist version ringtone". The very first result is the exact same song that you heard on our news Monday. It's no different. It's pretty obvious that it's been on the internet for a long time. And unless Stamford's superintendent goes by the profile name "michael_54", it's pretty clear that this isn't him in the recording.

I grew up in Greenville, Texas, about 50 miles east of Dallas. Just about everyone who grew up there knows the two things Greenville is famous for: the sign, and the church burnings. For the better part of four decades, a sign hung over downtown Greenville, which read "Greenville Welcome: The Blackest Land, The Whitest People". (Image here) That sign has been gone for more than 40 years, but the stigma lives on today. It certainly did in the summer of 1996, when an arsonist burned two predominantly black churches to the ground. The KKK and Black Panthers gathered at our courthouse simultaneously. It was an ugly time, and even though I was only 10, I knew something was horribly wrong in my hometown.

I bring this up not because I believe the same thing will happen in Stamford, but because I know how quickly things like this can escalate. And they become much, much worse when garbage like this ringtone comes into play.

I've never been to Stamford. I don't know anyone from Stamford. I've never met the superintendent, or anyone who may be an enemy of his. I don't know why someone would say that's him on the recording, or that there's the possibility that it's him, or that would lie and say it's him to discredit him. And I hope that residents there can get to the real root of what's bothering them. But as long as wild accusations like this ringtone are being thrown around, that just can't happen.

A Day of Comebacks, On and Off the Field

2010-08-05T21:48:00.001-07:00

As a proud lifelong fan of the Texas Rangers, I know that Wednesday, August 4, 2010 will go down as a red-letter day in franchise history. Even though the two most important events of the day technically happened in the wee hours of the 5th.

It was a day for comebacks. Victory in the face of defeat. The Rangers were in the Pacific Northwest, but the story begins over 2,000 miles away, in a Fort Worth courtroom.

For months, the Rangers have been mired in desperate times, thanks to owner Tom Hicks’ gradual descent into financial ruin. You see, Mr. Hicks and his ownership group became stuffed to the gills with debt. Millions upon millions of dollars owed to creditors, including a handful of former players who haven’t put on a uniform in more than a decade.

The debt situation had become so bad that even when Hicks decided to throw in the towel and sell his Rangers, it just wasn’t feasible because of the sheer number of people owed money. That led to months of wrangling, while the Texas front office remained hamstrung by a lack of cash.

As we fans have witnesses in recent weeks, the Rangers’ wunderkind of a GM, Jon Daniels, has spun some magnificent trades, convincing other teams to not only trade Texas good players, but cash needed to pay them as well. His moves have given the Rangers, among other things, the ace this team has needed for decades to make a bona fide playoff run.

Meanwhile, team management (and of course, the most faithful of fans) counted down the days until Wednesday, when the team would go up for auction like a prized blue-ribbon pig. Two groups were ready to bid on that pig: a pre-approved group led by Rangers legend Nolan Ryan (and dapper Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg), and a late addition to the proceedings, led by Mr. Moneybags himself, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Cubes had both the cash and the cojones to keep jacking up the price for the Rangers, setting off a tumultuous day in federal bankruptcy court that continued well into the night and following morning. Don’t get me wrong; I think having Mark Cuban as the Rangers owner would be spectacular. He’s passionate, he wants to win, and he’s got the cash (“Steinbrenner money” as my buddy called it) to go out and overpay for elite talent.

But my support was firmly behind Team Ryan/Greenberg. They’ve already been approved by MLB’s owners (the key to ownership in this league), and they are virtually assured to keep the front office as it is, which has turned the Rangers from a joke into a juggernaut. And finally, at about 12:45 am, Team Cuban conceded. The long nightmare was over. The Rangers would have a pair of fresh, friendly faces at the top.

But the drama wasn’t limited to the courtroom that night. Having lost 3 of their last 4 games, the Rangers’ offense had been sputtering, and the team desperately needed a jolt. Thanks to a little disrespect, the team got just that. Backup outfielder David Murphy came up with the go-ahead run on base, which had been put on intentionally so that the Mariners could pitch to Murph. David responded by blasting a home run deep into right field, then staring at it a la Ken Griffey, Jr. From there, the runs kept coming, and the Rangers ended up scoring 11 times. Then after the game was over, the players learned, along with the rest of the world, that the ownership situation had been resolved.

It’s a new day for the Rangers and their fans. The talent is there, from the top of the organization, all the way to the rookie leagues. The front office is talented, and brilliant, and they finally have ownership that will support them financially. This is an exciting time to be a fan. Playoff fever is in the air, and the team is playing as well as any team named “Rangers” ever has. The future, both immediate and long-term, looks amazing.

And who knows, maybe in the next couple of months, the Boys of Summer will knock the Dallas Cowboys off the front pages.

Preview of the News

2010-07-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

There was a problem with the closed-captioning device on KTAB Daybreak this morning. That meant that you could see the words on the teleprompter as I rolled it. We have a goal of looking about six words ahead of what we are saying. It's a skill we try to develop over the years to keep from getting surprised at what we see as we deliver the news. That also meant that you could see the stories coming up before we actually got there. The words on the screen didn't always match the words you heard coming out of my mouth...or the video showing up on the screen. Another thing it meant was that you could see the TV style I use to write the news. For example, 3:30 PM looks like THREE-30 IN THE AFTERNOON on the scripts. We use all-caps for TV scripts. I know it looks like screaming on E-Mail, but we were writing in all-caps before E-Mail was a glimmer in anyone's eyes.
Closed-captioning is a great tool for people who have trouble hearing the TV broadcast, but it's a little bit disconcerting it you're not used to it. Our engineers are working to get it fixed...hopefully before Noon-Tab.

Is the iPhone a Symbol of American Materialism?

2010-06-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

Written by Nathan Hale, associate producer

First, I just want to get a couple things out of the way: 1) I believe in paying for quality goods. I like to spend my money of stuff that worth spending it on. 2) I am not an Apple hater. I have great deal of respect for the design ideals and innovation that comes from the company and its famous CEO. 3) I love cool gadgets. Seriously. That said, there are a number of things regarding the culture surrounding the iPhone--especially this latest version--that trouble me.

On a fundamental level, the sheer number of people who are willing to invest hours of their time camping out for a first-chance at grabbing an iPhone is nothing short of disturbing. I can understand waiting in long lines for rollercoasters (it's a relational, rare thrill-ride) and even some movies (again, there's a communal aspect that adds to our art culture). But a phone? A phone is just a tool. It may be well designed (I stop short of calling it art), and it may be a superior product compared other options on the market, but surely there better things to form large communities around.

When Apple was making niche products, this kind of behavior made more sense, but now Apple has been part of the mainstream years. Standing in long lines to get the latest iPhone seems to me to be less about being part of community and more about getting the latest-and-greatest gadget. The shiniest new toy. The next great thing to allow me be "social" 24/7. The thing that will impress all my friends. Sorry, but that's just shallow.

Virtually all those that stand in the lines to get the newest iPhone already have a perfectly capable older model. The upgrade is certainly significant, but it is worth the time and money? Does anyone (other than professionals) need to take HD video on their phone? What about the greater speed and high-resolution camera? Is it at all needed by most people making the upgrade?

I'm not saying the device isn't cool, or isn't worth buying. I'm not even saying you shouldn't buy the iPhone 4. If you want it and have the money, and consider it a good investment, then go for it! What I am saying is that we should all consider what's behind our buying decisions. I'm convinced that too many people (myself included) are buying the iPhone and other electronic devices out a desire to be defined by their things, rather than their actions and principles.

The emotional attachment people clearly feel, the compulsion they have to constantly have the most cutting-edge object, is more than just appreciating quality and wanting to buy a good product. I find the whole idea particularly troubling when I consider the question, what else could I do with 16 hours and 200 bucks?

Just a few things that come to mind:

· Add to my emergency fund

· Create a work of art

· Sponsor a child for 8 months

· Volunteer 2 hours a week for 2 months

That's just off the top of my head. I know there are more and probably even better options--but we have to be willing to view ourselves as people prior to finding our identities as consumers.

How do you view yourself?

Tye has fireworks why can’t we?

2010-06-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

I’m a little sad that the city of Abilene isn’t having a 4th of July fireworks show.
For those who don’t know the history, Kenneth Musgrave who has paid for Abilene’s fireworks display for past several years has decided not to put on a show this year.
It’s because Mr. Musgrave and the city had a spat at last year’s show over wind conditions which ended with the show being postponed for a night. Needless to say there are still some hard feelings……which translates to no show for Abilene.
I know Tye is hosting a festival with all kinds of fun things for the family but it’s just not the same.
And yes, I know the city is having budget issues and is doing its best to overcome the loss in sales tax revenue but come on. Squeeze out a little money for a fireworks show….
Every other city in the big country has fireworks why can’t we? I sound like a whiney child. Oh well I like fireworks.
If you live in Abilene and are looking for something to do this Independence Day weekend get on our website and go to our community calendar and look at everyone else’s events.

Production Crew Terrorizes Kailey

2010-06-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile, the production crew decides to have some fun at the expense of the on-air folks. On Thursday morning, Justin Snow had a little fun that Kailey Franz won't soon forget!

Umbrella Joke

2010-06-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

My friend and partner Kailey Franz often teases me about needing an umbrella. I made a mistake when she first started by telling her that I have never owned and umbrella and I wouldn't carry one if I had it. It has become a running inside joke...and you should probably be in on it. I grew up in the desert part of Washington State...where the average annual precipitation was about seven-inches. Most of that was in a single January snow storm. I grew up playing baseball, and I don't ever remember having a game rained out. Men and boys just didn't carry umbrellas. We didn't need them. We wouldn't have walked under one if someone next to us had one. It was like carrying a purse or wearing perfume. It just wasn't done. I remember the first time I drove into Texas to go to ACU in September of 1978. It was raining so hard that I really needed my windshield wipers. I thought those were just for pushing the water away after going through a car wash. You can get soaked here in the rain, and I can certainly see the need for having an umbrella...for some people, just not for me. I'll just plod through the rain...unless it's raining hard. Then, I'll dart through the weather as fast as these worn-out old knees will allow until I get to the safety of the car or the building. But, it will always be without an umbrella.

In the Crapper No More!

2010-06-10T08:18:00.001-07:00

This is the story of how I got my iPhone to work after an unfortunate swim in the porcelain pool.

For the short version of the story, read the blue text. Because if you dropped your phone in the loo, you do not have time to read this.

I feel the need to take a moment and defend my irresponsible behavior. One June 1, my sweet husband came and woke me up with a kiss and subsequently turned off my alarm. He assumed the personal attention should have been enough, right? Wrong. I am a three-snooze kind of girl. So I went back to sleep looking forward to that extra 27 minutes in bed. Which turned into an hour. When I finally woke up four minutes before I was supposed to leave, I raced around, attempting to multi-task my way out the door.

Insert iPhone in toilet.

After only a nanosecond of hesitation I stuck my hand in there, fished it out, and ran it over to the sink. I knew it was a bad idea, but I just had to attempt to sanitize it.

The phone was still glowing at the bottom of the bowl, but after several seconds under the faucet it went dark.

I shook out as much water as I could into a towel and tried to turn it on a couple of times, but nothing.

I somehow had the idea to stick it in rice to absorb some of the water, but we generally make Uncle Ben's 90-second Ready Rice. (Aside: If you have never tried this, you must. It tastes JUST as good as regular rice and, HELLO, 90 seconds!) I fished and fished and finally found a package of uncooked brown rice that I had gotten in a goodie bag at a 5K I ran... back in 2007.

I stuck the phone and the rice in a ziplock and raced out the door.

I left the phone in the rice most of the day and periodically took it out to see if it would come on. Everything I read online said whatever you do, DON'T plug it in. You probably shouldn't try to turn it on either, but I'd like to meet someone with that kind of patience. I also discovered the rice was getting stuck down in the headphone jack and plug connector slot area (technical term).

I read that silica gel packets that come with electronics work great. You should place them in an air tight container with the phone and don't touch it for a few days. After work I went to Hobby Lobby and bought silica gels in the floral department. The smallest bag was still way more than I needed, but $5.99 plus my 40% coupon was a small price to pay. (Aside: Why would you ever pay full price for anything at Hobby Lobby? If it's not 50% off it will be next week. And if you HAVE to have something, there's always a 40% coupon on the website for full-priced items.)

Since the silica gels I bought did not come in packets, and are the size of Malt-o-Meal grains, I wrapped the phone in cheese cloth before dropping it in the Tupperware. In the photo you can see they turn pink when saturated and go back to blue when you dry them out in the oven. I actually poured water on them here. There was no real sign of pink gels when I took my phone up.

The phone stayed out of sight (but never, ever out of mind) until June 4. That's three 1/2 days.

It turned on a little bit, but you could barely see anything on the screen and said it needed to be connected to iTunes. I plugged it in and iTunes asked me to restore the phone. I did, and had to hit the road for a trip, so I plugged it back into iTunes at my parents' house and restored it again.

Commence three straight days of the phone deciding whether it wanted to work or not. Sometimes the screen would be dark, sometimes it would be perfectly normal. On day 6 the phone came back to life but the home button thought it was pressed, and it just sat there sliding back and forth between the home screen and search screen. If I opened any program it would return to the home screen. Other times the home button wouldn't work at all. So if I wanted to flip between my email and maps (and why, on vacation in another state in which I was the designated navigator, would I ever need to access my email or maps?) I had to turn my phone on and off.

Then, on day 8, it worked again. Completely back to normal. It must have heard me talk about performing a sim card transplant on an old Blackberry. Or maybe it was jealous when EVERYBODY and their mom started talking about its younger, hotter sister, "4."

Now, I still don't have any contacts or anything because I never backed it up, but the phone is back in business.

What's the moral of the story kids? Back up your phone as often as possible and don't check your email in the john!

Honoring the "Barron" of Cash

2010-05-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

Tragic news from abroad: the inventor of the first cash machine has passed away.

According to BBC News, John Shepherd-Barron, 84, passed on following a short illness. Quoting BBC:

"Mr Shepherd-Barron came up with the idea for a cash machine while in the bath. The first ATM machine was installed at a bank in London in 1967."

Perhaps it was no illness at all, but great shame that fell this great innovator. Shame at the prospect of his great inventions being stolen with reckless abandon by brazen thieves in this area.

Let us all hope and pray that police either here or in Wichita Falls stop these thieves in their tracks, and soon. Not just for the handful of people whose vehicles have been stolen and used to commit crime. Or for the store owners, managers, and employees who have to clean up the messes left behind. But also for John Shepherd-Barron, whose greatest invention is meant to be used only for good.

As we reported Wednesday night, Abilene police got a little jump on these guys after their latest attempt. We're ready for justice, gentlemen.

Do it for John.

Related Links:

Inventor of cash machine, John Shepherd-Barron, dies
Chain Gang Strikes Again...Leaves Evidence Behind

Mayor, Here's Your 15 Minutes of Fame

2010-05-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

If you see a message or tweet that "the mayor is checking out city hall for additional burglaries," you're going to check it out. Right?

I came across a tweet from an employee of First Baptist Church in Snyder today saying just that. In my head, I figured the church must have been broken into...and for some reason, the mayor of Snyder was checking to see if the same bandits broke into city hall.

Yikes....not so....

The dispatcher told us the twitter user in question was Jim Drake. Drake apparently takes part in a "game" of sorts on foursquare.com (this is the first I've heard of that site). On first glance, it looks like a social media version of "The Sims." Anyway, he's the mayor and his city hall is the church.

Confused? So was I!!!!

I would've kept this strange turn of event to myself, but then Drake decided to blog about it. Apparently, someone at the police station called to tell him about our message....and probably asked him to quit calling himself the mayor (and speaking in third person!).

I thought I'd share his blog post so you can see things from his side as well: http://jimdrake.blogspot.com/2010/05/mayor-will-see-you-now.html

The Next One-Tank Trip

2010-05-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

As a producer you don't get to get away from the desk much. Most of our time is spent rewriting, editing, putting stories in order, and sifting through news stories. This weekend I went out with one of our reporters, Michelle Ashworth, and our meteorologist, Kailey Franz as they shot one of their upcoming stories.

They are doing a series on 'One Tank Trips' that are fun economical ways to get away, without going to far. I thought this was a great idea for many reasons...one being it is a way to see parts of Texas that many drive right past as they head out of state for a vacation destination. This trip was to Monahans Sandhills State Park, about 3 hours west of Abilene. I won't get into the details of the story, because then you wouldn't have a reason to tune in and check out what they have put together. I will say however that if you have not been to this place...it is amazing. Tune in to see a reporter and weather person sliding down sand dunes on boards, and getting into the camping spirit.

For me it was a great opportunity to see what the reporters do when they leave the station, and the hard work they put into that minute and a half we see on the newscast. I did some assignments in college covering stories, as well as during my internship, but it is always nice to be reminded of just what everyone else you work with really puts into the finished product.

Kailey and Michelle's story on Monahans Sandhills State Park will air Tuesday May 11th....and before that you can check out their 'One Tank Trip' stories from Glen Rose and Great Wolf Lodge HERE.

Brandi's Babble

2010-05-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

The Other Side Of My Job
First off, let me tell you that I wanted to blog about the "Backyardigans." I know, I know, but hear me out! I am the mother to two wonderful children, Jackie (3) and Wyatt (9 mos) the third one in this picture is Canon (2) my nephew. When I'm not at work, I am just a mom... But what many of you may not know is that I'm also "Mom" to about 25 anchors, reporters, producers, etc. I am the KTAB/KRBC Assignments Editor, which means I answer all of your calls, take messages, and most importantly, handle the days assignments.
My days start off with a big cup of coffee and a long to-do list. I dole out assignments to all of our reporters, inform anchors and producers about what they're shows will look like, and field phone calls from viewers and from our reporters about how they're assignments are panning out. I can frequently be heard sighing "I love life," which is usually when something big has fallen through and I'm responsible for breaking the news to those who are expecting that bit of news to be in their rundowns.
Aside from my job responsibilities listed above, I am also a support to anyone who needs it. Most often, our reporters are here in Abilene, far away from home, hoping to start a long career in the news business. That being said, sometimes they need a little motherly advice or a big hug on a hard day. I remember birthdays, ask how doctors appointments went, and am always making sure everyone is ok.
I have been known to cry about their hardships, and laugh at a funny story from their day. I get great joy from my job, because when I leave the one I love most (being Jackie and Wyatt's mom,) I get to come to work to be a surrogate to those who need one.

No, I don't have pot in the trunk!

2010-05-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

I've been pulled over before. But twice in one day??? Twice in 10 minutes?! Unheard of!

On my way to North Texas yesterday for a doctor's appointment I passed several state troopers that had pulled over big rigs on I-20. And when I say several, I mean several!

I was highly annoyed (at myself) when, in Palo Pinto County, I saw flashing lights in my rear view mirror. I was fiddling with the A/C which had just decided to crap out on a 90-degree day and wasn't paying attention to my speed.

Trooper Beverage asked me to get out of my car and talk to him on the shoulder. He told me I was going 74. I get it, that's speeding, but really? 74? He asked where I was headed and then proceeded to ask me about my doctor's visit which made me very uncomfortable, because it was so personal. But he was nice. He then told me he was going to do a cursory check of my vehicle and poked around the outside for a time.

I have a little 15-pound Jack Russell Terrier, and the trooper greeted him. He then came back and asked if I was carrying any suspicious materials in my car, then rattled off a list: "Weapons, bladed, non-bladed, illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, marijuana in the vehicle, cocaine, anything in the trunk, vicious animals..."

I started giggling and said, "Yes, I have a vicious animal in the car."

We laughed and he told me to be careful and let me go with a warning. I started to crumple up the warning and toss it into my little garbage bag but something told me to put it in the glove box with my insurance.

I don't know about you, but the first thing I do when I get pulled over is drive safely. Within just a few miles I got in the left lane to get around a few big rigs and as I came down a hill I spotted an unmarked car that looked like law enforcement. Of course I immediately slowed down, even though I wasn't really even speeding other than to pass the 18-wheelers. I watched my rear view mirror for a while, saw him enter the highway, and after a while I was certain he was following me and then saw the hidden lights start flashing.

I started laughing. Never, have I ever laughed when pulled over! I told him right away that I had just been stopped and he asked to see the warning ticket. Thank God I saved it! This trooper -- whose name escapes me but he said he's head of DPS in the Denton County headquarters -- told me I was being stopped for lingering in the left-hand lane which is reserved for passing only. Seriously?! He let me stay in the car, but did another check around the vehicle! When he asked me if I had a trunk full of marijuana I couldn't help but to dissolve into giggles.

He said they were working a drug operation along the interstate, although I don't remember exactly how he worded it. He was also a fan of my dog and asked why I didn't have him restrained. Normally I probably would have stammered out an excuse but I was still giggling at the bizarre situation I was in and just told him that Bossier wouldn't like it.

Good job, DPS! I really hope they busted some pot smugglers because they were sure putting a lot of effort into it.

On a more somber note, I spent the rest of my there-and-back trip driving so carefully and defensively, having been reminded these past two weeks about how dangerous and tragic unsafe driving can be.

Rodney Holder

2010-05-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

Officer Rodney Holder was a friend. I was a one-year veteran reporter at KTAB when Rodney entered the police academy in 1982. He was one of the young, fresh-faced kids signing up for the job of protecting and serving the community. I was assigned the story of this new academy. My first story was about the young men in the academy and specifically about a young woman who wanted to be an Abilene Police Officer. Sandy Mayberry was a pretty girl going through the rigorous training with Holder and the other hairy-legged men working to earn their commissions. I put the emphasis on the woman for that first report, partly because she was one of the first in the APD, and partly because she was prettier than they were. I had several occasions of dealing with Rodney Holder over the years of covering the police beat. Some cops don't like nosy news reporters very much. Rodney seemed to understand the importance of this job, and he was always gracious and easy to talk to. Rodney Holder seemed to like me. His easy-going smile made it easy to approach him at accident scenes and criminal investigations. I have always understood the importance of his job, and I tried to treat him with the respect he earned with the badge. He seemed happiest at parades where he and the other motorcycle cops led the procession. I knew him well enough to speak when we were both in our jeans and tee-shirts away from the job. It's always a shock when someone you know and respect dies...especially someone so genuine, gracious and committed. The jobs of police officer and a news reporter can be adversarial at times, but neither of us let that happen. I will miss him.

It's Been Real, Abilene!

2010-04-30T15:59:00.001-07:00

To set the mood, you should probably be playing "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey in the background.

Ready? Alrighty then...

Most of you don't know me because I work behind the scenes of KTAB, so will you truly care about this blog? Highly unlikely. Either way, I'll start by saying that my name is Hope and I'm from Baltimore (that's a pretty busy city up north somewhere). My family moved to Texas in my teen years, so I lived in the Dallas area for a while (kind of a slower pace of life than Baltimore).

When I graduated, I moved out to Abilene to start my career as a TV producer. I had NO IDEA where this city was until I had an interview here, so I was not expecting very much when I moved here. (It also didn't help that I was a city girl moving out to the country).

In my several months in Abilene, I must say this city has proved me wrong. Who knew Abilene had a mall and a Wal-mart? But the most memorable thing about this city is how nice everyone is. It's not that "well bless your heart" mess that bigger southern cities practice. It's a genuine "I'm nice because I dont' know how else to act."

Everywhere I went, someone would spark up a conversation or want to help me out. I could never go to a store to "grab something real quick" because the cashier would always hold me up to give a personal product review of whatever I was buying. Even when I went to the movies, another moviegoer asked if I wanted something from the concession stand because she was headed that way. Are you serious? In Baltimore, I'd be lucky if that lady gave me eye contact.

So as nice as this place has been to me, I must be moving on to the next city. I'm headed out to start another producing position in Waco. I guess that means I'm moving to a slightly bigger place, but that doesn't mean I could ever forget about Abilene. It wasn't home, but it was still good to me.

The people, the coworkers, the tranquility...couldn't ask for a better place to make my start. Now that I'm leaving, I just want to say thanks for the stay and welcoming me so warmly.

So farewell, all! And who knows....this may not be the last you hear of me ;)

Why Apple?

2010-04-24T15:38:00.000-07:00

I really don't understand what the big deal is about Apple. Their products aren't that great and they're way overpriced. Take a look at the new iPad. What's really new about it? The touch screen has been around for 70 years. Yes, its improved a lot and yes you can do a lot more with it, but what's the point. What does multi-touch really do for you? Does it really do anything to improve efficiency. Are you going to work faster because you have multi-touch technology? All the stupid little things that Apple says to sound amazing and innovative (like multi-touch) aren't very useful, While the copy and paste features that's been around forever, was just added to the iPhone operating system. A large reason Apple does so well, is due to their "Fan Boy" base.

All I ask, is that you do a little research before you buy. Companies like Apple thrive off people buying their products without looking at other options. You can get a lot more, for a lot less, if you shop around and research.

Don't Double-Cross the Double-J!

2010-04-22T00:56:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this picture. That monster of a building is Cowboys Stadium. I've stood before it, albeit only from the outside. It's intimidating. And it cost $1.3 billion (give or take a few hundred mil) to build.

My question to you is this: would you mess with the guy who had it built? The guy who, as has been explained to stadium tourists, has his own private pod high above the field, so he can watch the game with his brain-trust without being seen by TV cameras? A guy who could, y'know, probably buy and sell you and everyone you've ever met?

That's exactly what an anonymous person recently did, in the form of a cell phone at a bar. And in doing so, that brave(/drunken?) American opened up several cans of ethically-questionable worms.

Let's set the scene: our unnamed friend is hanging at a bar when, lo and behold, Jerry Jones pops up in front of him. He just spent a long, grueling day counting his money, and wants to kick back with an adult beverage or three. More power to 'em. This is America! You should be able to kick back, have a drink, and do an embarrassing karaoke version of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" (What, you've never done that? Well... neither have I. And you can't prove otherwise).

But if you're the Double-J, the rules of engagement are different, like it or not. So our friend whips out the video phone and catches Jerry talking a little smack on some easy targets in the football world: former 'Boys coach Bill "The Tuna" Parcells, and Heisman winning quarterback/Focus on the Family spokesman Tim Tebow. The Tebow stuff was mostly fluff, but the Parcells bit had Jones basically admitting that he used the Tuna to barter for a new stadium. And as the above photo demonstrates, that worked, and then some.

Big deal, right? Right! The last time I checked, this is 2010. Something called the internet (which you're reading right now!) rules the information world. And, like it or not, websites exist to disseminate stuff exactly like Jerry's drunken spiel. So our cell phone toting friend tries to sell the video, only to find that it ain't that impressive. So, dude gives it to Deadspin.com, a sports blog notorious for edgy/offensive sports coverage (sample headline: "Target Field's Urinal Problem"). And even now, you can go to Deadspin and watch Jerry Jones say Coach Tuna helped get his team a new stadium, and isn't worth a s---, and that Tebow would never get on the field for Dallas, and yada yada yada. But it's what happens next that makes this whole sordid tale really interesting.

We've established that Mr. Jones has enormous clout, especially in the Dallas/Ft. Worth region. Virtually everyone knows him, and could pick him out of a crowd. Suffice to say, dude's pretty powerful. Now, put yourself in the position of the big, bad DFW news stations. You've got this video. It's out there. Everyone with a computer can watch it. Do you run it on TV? It's a tough question. You have to consider how powerful Jones is. Would running the video hack him off so much that he would have his organization cut your station off? What if you're KTVT, the "Official Station of the Dallas Cowboys"? Not such an easy decision, is it? Of the four major stations in the area, two ran it, two (including KTVT) did not.

One of th stations that ran it, WFAA, has a legendary, tenured, fairly old-fashioned, and extremely outspoken sportscaster. That man is Dale Hansen. And he did NOT like that his station ran the video. So, after some wrangling with station brass, he took to the airwaves and TRASHED his station's management, and the site that posted the video in the first place (which, by the way, is a separate blog in and of itself... Mr. Hansen used the tired line about bloggers being Cheeto-eating nerds in their moms' basements, failing to mention that Deadspin is owned by Gawker Media, just like WFAA is owned by Belo, a company whose aim is to make money. But hey, don't let that get in the way of trashing those low-life bloggers!)

All this got the newsroom (read: me) thinking: would a similar situation play out like this in Abilene? If we got, say, a city councilperson, superintendent, or business owner drunk, then taped them saying outrageous things about their own institution, would we use it? Should we? Would you want to David Robinett get on Bigcountryhomepage Sports and rant about our decision to run it? Would you watch, especially if we said on KRBC News at 6, "Stay tuned, because coming up at 10, our sports guy is gonna tear this station's management a new one" (which, by the way, is more or less what WFAA did).

What would I do? Honestly, I don't know. We don't get many submissions from viewers who record city leaders while they're drunk and giddy-- much less billionaires who own the most valuable sports franchise in the United States. Gulp.

Basketball Days

2010-03-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

CBS coverage of the NCAA Basketball tournament preempts KTAB Noontab two days each year. It's strange for the news department. It means two short work days and an easy week here in this third week of March. That's a welcome little break. Some of us haven't taken any time off since the Christmas holidays. Naps are great! On the other hand, we do news. We get paid to do news. We like to do news. It's important for us to do news. It's a little bit frustrating and confusing to be ready to do the news and not to have our usual access to the TV station to put on the news. As I write this, my day has actually been over for almost an hour, but I'm still here...looking for newsworthy information that I would be producing if we had a noon newscast today. I'm also a sports fan, and the first day of this year's tournament had a lot of upsets and big surprises. I guess I'll just go home and watch basketball with many of the rest of you.

How I got on Wheel of Fortune

2010-03-02T13:42:00.000-08:00

Category is... Headline:
Wheel of Fortune is holding open auditions this weekend in Dallas and Fort Worth! This blog has all the information you'll need if you're planning on hitting up the Dallas Convention Center on Saturday or Billy Bob's Texas on Sunday. Make sure you click that link, because it has really important information.

So, yes, 10 years ago I was a contestant on Wheel of Fortune. I don't really go around talking about it a lot because it makes for very fun trivia or an upper hand in ice breaker games where you have to say something unique about yourself. BUT, I'm armed with quite a bit of knowledge on the audition process, so I'll go ahead and share.

Be prepared to be blended in among the several thousand other people who will be there. The only people who actually get to audition in a speed-up round are those whose names are drawn via raffle. If you do get selected, they want people who first and foremost are good at the game. Practice playing hangman or find an online version of the game. Secondly, they really want people who will react loudly to winning. Clap, jump, yell, celebrate... But remember, it's not the Price is Right. They also want people with big personalities who aren't shy and won't clam up. Here's how it happened for me:

Category is... People
My college roommate and I had just met each other one month prior to the Best Friends Week Dallas audition at the University of North Texas, and she convinced me that we could sell ourselves as "best friends." I was more than excited about a shot at Big Money Big Money, because the group I was in had ambitiously pledged $100,000 to help build an infectious diseases clinic in Cameroon, and fundraising efforts weren't going so well. So, why not give a game show a shot?

I woke up early and stood in line outside the auditorium, while Best Friend Michelle took her time waking up, then lazily wandered to the center of campus and walked in to the auditorium. Thank God! She met one of the show's big wigs, Lisa Dee, and talked to her about what they were looking for in a contestant. Armed with this insider information, we were sure we had a shot.

Category is... Event
So we were shuffled into the auditorium, a few hundred people at a time, to watch the auditions. Before the lucky auditioners were selected, they asked the audience a few trivia questions and handed out prizes. Michelle and I knew one of the answers, grabbed each other's hand to form a big W, and got it right. We won hats, tshirts, a fanny pack (eek!) and a computer game, which came in handy for practice later. They did not choose us out of the big raffle basket, so we watched the auditions, but were happy that they had noticed us in the audience. While we were watching, we drew a picture of ourselves doing a victory dance with Lisa Dee calling us to tell us we had been selected. We wrote down every single possible piece of contact information, and Michelle ran up at the end to hand Lisa the paper. We felt like SUCH cheaters, but just knew it would pay off!

Category is... Before and After
We waited on pins and needles for the callback. They gave us a window of time, but I don't recall how long after the initial audition that was. Then it happened. The contestant coordinator called and invited us to the callback audition! We practiced our victory dance, played hangman and our new computer game during every piece of free time, and showed up at the final audition. There were about 35 sets of friends there. We were briefed on ALL the strict rules and regulations, then given a test. Both partners had to pass the test in order to move on. This part made me nervous, because Michelle was the one with the personality, but I was the one with the Super Puzzle-Solving Skills. But, she passed. Everyone who passed played a mock game, complete with a little wheel and interviews about who you are, where you're from, and why you're best friends.

We must have done well because a few days later, Michelle's extra-large cell phone rang. We were headed to Dallas for the show.

So, here's the video. You may wonder why I'm alone, and that's definitely not a Dallas background. But this blog is about the audition process, not the twists and turns and drama that came after that :)

To tip or not to tip

2010-02-26T07:19:00.000-08:00

"Gratuity" is a nice word. It means you're grateful. But how much does a thank you cost?

Grocery stores - I've never noticed people tipping the bag carriers until recently. Are you supposed to? I know at some grocery stores they'll tell you they're not allowed to accept tips. And at some stores, they'll insist on taking your groceries out because they have to be the ones to return the carts. I don't want to seem rude for never having done it before, but I guess I was never told to!

Restaurants - What if you get bad service? I waited tables for about 5 years and definitely feel compelled to tip at least 15%, even if service isn't good, because I know what kind of crud they have to deal with.

Starbucks, Cold Stone, etc - I never tip at these places either. Should I? I don't hand money to friends and acquaintances who treat me nicely. What's the protocol for tipping here?

Sonic - What about car hops? One of my good friends put herself through college and financed two different cars while working at Sonic. She made about $7 an hour (which was WAY more than minimum wage at the time) and would go home with $60-$100 on a good night.

Buffets - I have no idea how much to tip at, say, Zookini's or one of those places where you do have a waiter but pretty much do all of the "work" yourself. Thoughts?

How NOT to get a job

2010-02-18T08:14:00.000-08:00

Everybody knows that in this job market, you have to stay competitive.

Recently, several members of the newsroom attended a broadcast seminar with various workshops that helped us get ideas and tools to better ourselves. The day ended with a workshop on How Not to Get a Job.

We all sat in the back of the classroom. Don't judge us. All of us except for Hope, who took the notes that helped me write this blog. Yup, she's a note-taking, front row kind of girl.

Here are 10 tips on how to (and how NOT to) land the job you want. It's written for people looking for jobs in the broadcast industry, but these really apply to people in many professional fields.

Write a custom cover letter. Using a template shows lack of creativity, and it can often lead to an error if you forgot to fill in the blank somewhere. I suppose here we should talk about SPELLING the hiring manager's name correctly! During his last semester of college, my husband accidentally added an extra letter to a news director's last name, and she told him that she very well may have considered him for the job... if it weren't for that dang T.

Use a professional e-mail address. I'm glad this was included in the workshop. What boss wants to see an email from hugsnkisses99@bigdaddy.com? YourName@domain.com is probably not that hard to claim. And don't send an email from your current work address! They don't want someone who obviously uses company time and resources to look for a different job.

Follow instructions in the ad. If it says no calls, don't call. However, if you are applying for a reporter job, it could show that you're aggressive and a go-getter. The panelists seemed split on this one. It's always a good idea to get in contact with someone who works at the station/company to find out what the boss is like and what they will and will not tolerate from candidates.

Be honest about who you are and what you can do. I'll be up-front with an employer and tell them what my challenges are and what I'd have to work on if I were ever asked to move into a different position. (Like how I worded that? Challenges? I'm good.) Also, you could ruin your reputation if you fib in the interview about your strengths and fail to deliver in the job.

Be careful about what you say, and know your audience. I don't know about your business, but this one we're in is TINY. There are probably only 2-3 degrees of separation in the local news business, and you never know what will get repeated or compared among former (or future) colleagues. And joke cracking might not be a good idea, especially if you're prone to sarcasm like me.

No gimmicks, no gifts. Translation: confetti=bad. While I totally agree with this one, I did include a fortune cookie message with a cover letter one time. I got the job. Maybe in spite of my gimmick. I should ask about that. (I just asked, and my old boss said he thought it was odd. And then he made a comment about my hiring date being one of the darker days in station history. See "know your audience" above.)

Google yourself! Hm... I hope I don't have any spelling errors in this blog. Anyway, assume news directors will do their own research. The first step could be to privatize your Facebook. Sometimes my husband (the cute guy in the glasses) will add a potential candidate as his Facebook friend to see what they are like and who they know in common. So even if you do have it set to private, be ready to have it seen. Also, if you have your very first experience in front of the camera posted on YouTube, take it down! How is anyone supposed to know whether or not you've improved since then?

Dress like a professional and dress appropriately for the job you’re applying for. 'Nuff said.

Do NOT trash current or former employers. A few of us took an interview candidate to lunch last year and she complained about her old job the whole time. I was slightly tempted to egg her on just to see how unprofessional she would get, but that would not have been gracious. She did not get the job. If you're mindful of your words, you can spin your experiences in a positive way, even if you are coming from the worst job in the world. And some of you probably are.

Ask good questions in your interview. You are interviewing the company, too! Come prepared. Have a list of questions on paper. It makes you look like you're more engaged and more eager to get started.

Any more questions? I've gone through the job search process in this business four times, and I'm married to the guy who does the hiring, so I can probably help you out. Just comment, or email sweetcheeks@... Just kidding. Lkellerman@ktab.tv.

School Closings 101

2010-02-12T05:57:00.000-08:00

I figure I'll take the opportunity to explain how our school closings alert system works, brag on it a little bit, and rant a little bit.

(My rant is about the incessant callers who are too impatient. More on that later.)

School districts must give us their assigned pin number before we report the schedule change. It's very secure.

(Aside: a couple years ago, a Dallas station got a phone call that DISD was closing. The call apparently had DISD on caller ID. It was fake. Half the kids stayed home. Epic fail.)

We enter the information directly into the tickers that you see at the bottom of the screen and the tickers automatically populate our website. That gives you three ways to find out about school closings: instantly on the web (don't have to wait for alphabetical order) or flip back and forth between KTAB and KRBC and one of them will be closer to your school than the other. Less waiting time.

(Speaking of waiting, this is the most adorable video ever!)

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcdfw.com/video.

Anyway, we are extremely proud of our efficiency and accuracy of our school closings systems.

Now to my rant.

On days like today, from about 5:30 to 6:30 a.m., the phone rings off the hook. Schools, day cares, businesses, organizations... everyone calls to let us know what their plans are for the day and asks us to announce them. Awesome. That's why we are here. BUT our phone is constantly tied up by people who are too impatient to wait for the news. So we repeat over and over and over, "Hello? No, AISD has not yet informed us of their decision." "Hello? No, AISD has not yet informed us of their decision."

Then AISD calls. Within 90 seconds we have it online, on the tickers, and the anchors on both stations are saying it out loud exactly every 5 minutes. We then spend the next 30 minutes saying, "Hello? Yes, AISD has delayed two hours." "Hello? Yes, AISD has delayed two hours."

In the time it took you to look up our phone number, call, go through the automated line to get to us, we've probably said it it on air and run it across the ticker. Patience, people! The fact that they're calling us means they know who we are. We are a television station. TURN ON YOUR TV!

(That's my rant. I'm not really mad. Just trying to be funny. Sort of.)

Enjoy your shortened Friday!

Computer Problems

2010-02-02T06:43:00.000-08:00

I started back in the dark ages. I was doing radio news in the late 1970's..more than 30-years ago. We used notebooks, tape-recorders and telephones. NASA had computers. The military had computers. The closest we had were clocks that flashed the red numbers instead of the big round circles. I got here this morning, and the computer didn't work like it usually does. For young reporters, that's not a big deal. They just right-click this and left-click that and get it working. For me, that's a big problem. If it doesn't work the old way, I'm about as lost as last-year's Easter Egg. I'm here almost by myself with a long newscast to prepare, and it's all on that computer. I'm sure that the morning doubled the strands of gray hair. I guess that's the good part. Computers are only good if they work right. By the way, thanks Chris for showing me a way around that problem and helping me get the newscast on TV. It's great to have the help of these young people.

It's Nice to Have Fans...But Wow!

2010-02-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

So as I often do, I try to connect with the people I meet on stories...After all, they're more than a story, they're people. Plus, who am I?

Anyway, I am often humbled when I meet others on the street, and on Monday it went to a whole new level.

To tell this story I have to back up to a cold night, on January 6th. The year was 2010, and Connan O'Brien was the host of The Late Show...remember that time? Wow..what memories..Alright, back to the point, a family had been held at gun point inside their own home that night. It was a breaking news story, I met with the victims, and they shared their story. A masked man tried to bust through their door waving a gun, the mom quickly and bravely pushed the door closed on the bad guy before her husband chased him off. (See that story here: http://bigcountryhomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=207151)

So that night I tell their story, as best as I can, and return for a live shot at 10. After wrapping the shot, I thank them for their time and share my relief that no one was hurt. At that time the mom asks me how old I am, (I get this a lot, because well I'm young) I answer 23. She then says, "I notice you don't have a ring on your finger, are you single?" Knowing that this question and more was coming, I braced myself and answered her. She then quickly turns to her 21 year old daughter and says, "Have you met my daughter?"

Don't get me wrong, I was flattered, but what am I supposed to do? I politely wave, thank her for her time, and say I better leave.

Fast forward to the present.

The same family gets targeted again, this time having four shots fired at their home. Everyone is okay, but scarred. So I return, to get the story. (See that story here: http://bigcountryhomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=214952)

This time in the small talk, they tell me they've been following me ever since I first came out to their house. Wow! I'm honored. I don't always think of myself as having a following beyond my Mom and a few people at church. The mom then tells me they have a running joke at their home, when I come on, the 21 year old says "Is that my boyfriend on TV?" and the younger daughter asks, "Is that the cute one, reporting?"

I had no clue, but I had become the target of fan-dom affection. I now have reached the once unattainable level with Brad Pitt, George Clooney, now Tim Johnston...RIGHT? (stop making fun of me) Okay, I know I'm not with them, but close.

So, again, I blush and thank them for the compliments and then laugh it off and leave. I was honored, humbled, and even shocked to learn I had "adoring" fans...but seriously what was I supposed to do?

By the way, a thank you goes out to this family, they really did impress me with the nice thoughts. I'm not trying to mock or embarrass anyone, I just found this all too funny and wanted to share it.

My Bout With Jack Frost (but he hasn't seen the last of me...)

2010-01-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

While most of you guys are at home sleeping and waiting to see if your school/business is closed or delayed, there's a group of people that go to work before sunrise to make sure you stay in the know. That's where I come in. Or at least...where I'm supposed to.

My job this morning was to make sure you see the lovely KTAB reporters that freeze their tails off to give you a live report on the weather and road conditions. Little did I know that I would be the one left to freeze...with no lights or cameras. (By the way, while I was writing this blog, the power in my apartment suddenly shut off, so I know this day is off to a great start.)

I got a call from my boss saying I needed to be in around 6 o' clock. Sure!

I hopped out of bed, got ready, headed out the door, unlocked my car with a press of a button, started to pull the door handle, but the door wouldn't budge! No biggie. I'll just go back in my apartment and get some water and an ice scraper.

Take two: Armed with my water bottle and a scraper, I started to tackle my ice problems again. I watered down my door and chipped off some ice, but still no progress. You can't beat me, Jack Frost, I'll just open up one of the other three doors and slide my way to the driver's seat. But first, I needed to retreat back into my apartment because the bitter cold plus my wet hands and clothes equaled what felt like a frost bite.

Take three: With my gloves in tow and a fresh batch of water, I started to water down all of my doors. Scrape, scrape, chip, chip...STILL NOTHING?!?? At that point, I felt a bit perturbed because I've already seen three other people go to their cars, get in with ease, and drive off into the darkness. (Mind you, because of where I parked, each driver had to blast their headlights at me while I tried to avoid looking foolish). Mr. Frost was making a joke out of me, so I had to regroup and run back into my apartment. Plus, I couldn't feel my fingers or toes again.

Take four: About 25 minutes had passed since my first try. I called my boss to let her know why I was running late (which I'm sure sounded more like "my doggie ate my homework"). When I hung up the phone, my de-icing routine turned into 'Operation Open Up.' Ice scraper? check! More water? check! Let's do this!

My original "scrape, scrape, chip, chip" turned into "scrape, chip, kick, hit, kick, scream!"

With numb fingertips, a possible bruised hip, and a slightly damaged paint job, I got a call from my boss.

"Hello? Umm...yeah....still can't get in. No, I'm still outside of my apartment. Alright." ::click:: She told me to give it up and go back inside.

Oh the shame! I'm not that worker who calls in! I usually pull off any situation, but the ice on my car today was no joke (and what's crazy is that the roads around my area had no serious ice issues). Oh well, I guess there's always a lesson with each passing day.

Prior to this incident, I'd hear about freezing temperatures and think everyone was just overreacting. "What's a few hours of cold weather gonna do?" Now I'm starting to think the weather people actually know what they're talking about.

Just wish I didn't have to learn it this way....

What an Assignment

2010-01-19T06:07:00.000-08:00

Katherine Lane and Tim Johnston's trip to cover the devastating earthquake is an amazing assignment. It's what starry-eyed college journalism students dream of when they declare a major.
They are going to the site of one of the biggest events in the world. This is likely one of the most significant world events for all of 2010. Their reports will help all of us understand the horror and the heroism. Many of us had to choke those green-eyed monsters when we learned that our colleagues were on the way to document the work of the Dyess Airmen helping with the relief efforts. This is the kind of story that transforms a young reporter into a veteran. The things they are seeing, hearing and smelling will change them just as certainly as the event is changing Haiti. We are anxious to see and hear what they see and hear...and to feel something of what they feel because of the tragedy and relief work.

A New Day, A New Delay

2010-01-18T15:07:00.001-08:00

By: Katherine Lane

So far, the trip can be summed up with one word: Delayed. I have to say, the stress of these delays has been a little much, but every time I get worried about making it to Haiti at all, I remember we're being delayed for the greater good of the Haitian people.

In the time spent between delays, I've had a BLAST. Every time I've felt like we were not going to be able to eat or get to Haiti at all, someone in the Air Force has come through for us! When we were told today at the hotel that the nearest food establishment was a 2 mile walk away, a car miraculously appeared from the Base Commanders office to take us to the BX (like a food court + Dillards + Wal-Mart and all Duty-Free!)

Right now, I am sitting in a Florida Starbucks, uploading video and establishing a game plan for the rest of the day. We are so fortunate to have found a ride with a sweet Air Force Inn employee who brought us straight here! Another fine example of how well we've been treated!

Currently, our plan is to hang out in the Inn's lobby until we get picked up at 1:30 am to be taken to the Flight Line where we will board a C-130 and head to Haiti around 4am.

I hope this plan will stick, I'm anxious to see our Airmen at work doing something they are all so ready and prepared to do. Sweet dreams, everyone! Hopefully while you are sleeping soundly, we will be Haiti-bound!

Getting Bumped is Hard to Do...But It's for a Good Cause

2010-01-18T07:48:00.000-08:00

If you've seen the Twitter updates (which I'm still learning to make), you've no doubt seen the back and forth emotions and plans we've gone through. It's been a wild ride, but I'm seeing the best of these men and women as they re-group and readjust to follow the orders given.

While it's been tough to stay on edge since Thursday, when we learned this trip was possible, I'm learning to be flexible. I touched on that in my first post...it's even more true, now. Although, I'm also learning to see the greater good being served, each time we get scratched from a flight.

Recap: We've been scheduled and rescheduled on 8 different flights now... Kinda tough to see the whole number there...But it's important that you know why we've been bumped from each of these flights: The crew, and the supplies.

For several flights, the plans have changed because of crew rest and health. That's fair, they work so hard, they need their rest. I'm in no position to grant that, but I certainly support it.

However, on two flights now we've been scratched simply because the plane was too full, and that is a good thing!! Each flight has been packed full of supplies and trucks to use by the military to get the goods to the people in need.

Sure it's a challenge trying to keep up with the latest plans, but when I weigh out the good that can and will be done with simply one C-130 fully loaded with supplies, I can take the heartache.

It's so cool to see the planes being stocked from front to back with palettes of water and medical supplies. Don't worry we taped the whole process, and courtesy the wifi at Starbucks you should be able to see that video on the news tonight. (crossing fingers)

Anyway, that has been one of the many conversations we (the media crew and Dyess PAs) have had as we analyze the many ups and downs of this trip. Still, the relief is coming, and THAT is encouraging.

I've never been more proud of my country

2010-01-18T07:02:00.000-08:00

Needless to say, I am INCREDIBLY thankful to be here! It's been a wild trip so far and I've already learned a lot. Here's a short rundown of my most memorable life lessons thus far:

1. MRE's are NOT that bad! I tried a delicious "Spicy Penne Pasta with Vegetable and Sausage" and LOVED it.

2. You don't get much warning when traveling with the Air Force. As you may have noticed, our plans have changed about every hour since we arrived at 6 am on Saturday morning. I can't even begin to count the number of times I've packed and repacked my small backpack.

3. It's wonderful traveling with all men. They have extra room in their suitcases for the things I couldn't fit in mine, I always get to be first in line, and they are most definitely entertaining!

4. The Air Force is beyond a well-oiled machine. I have never been more proud of my country and truly understand the sacrifices these men and women make everyday. They do it simply because they love their country. I think everyone should be able to have this opportunity, their pride is contagious.

5. I will forever appreciate any airline, even sketchy ones. Not that I haven't enjoyed my transportation, but a C-130 is all about function, not comfort. When I asked where the womens restroom was, I was pointed in the direction of a curtain and a bucket. No joke.

We are here to report on the Dyess Airmen and women and I have to say, they make my job very easy. These men and women are unbelievable. When a job needs to be done, they do it. We have been treated like Kings and Queens and they make us feel so welcome. I will forever be indebted to Dyess for giving me the most incredible experience I've ever had. I look forward to sharing more insight into our adventure, but it's time to turn in for the night! We are Haiti-bound tomorrow, FINALLY! I am so unbelievably thankful for the opportunity to be going and I promise to bring as much back with me as I possibly can. Bon Voyage!

Check out more pics of our trip in a slideshow here: http://bigcountryhomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=209982

Katherine Lane (written Sunday at 11:22 p.m.)
_

And We're Off...Wait, Nevermind

2010-01-17T08:25:00.000-08:00

WOW! I've always heard stories about being ready in this ever-changing news world, but to be honest, nothing has been this wild. In the last 24 hours, I've gone from covering the Joe Rangel trial, to breaking news of a 14 year old boy getting burned by an exploded paint can (told he's doing better), to getting a call to leave with Dyess Airmen bound for Haiti.

[Deep Breath]

I was on the scene for a live shot, at ten o'clock, where I made the casual joke to KTAB's Katherine Lane about getting "the call" (we were told Thursday to standby for the call to go with Dyess). She laughed, we did our live shots...then BAM! "The call" came. So we broke away from the scene grabbed our gear and our pre-packed bags, all while frantically calling family, friends, and co-workers to tell them of the latest news.

[Exhale Deep Breath]

So here's, the life we've lived since. We arrived at Dyess at 11. Left after 1, still not knowing what we were going to do, and for how long (common theme, take note). Landed at base in Carolina, at 5:30 Am, and crashed in bed.

Now this trip wasn't that easy, the flight on a C-130 was no "easy" task, our Airmen might disagree. The flight consists of sitting on a makeshift canvas seat, equipped with seat belt, and midway through soon became our cots for sleeping. Not the easiest thing to do, needless to say, I tossed and turned and was tossed and turned by turbulence...

So we arrive, and are told we'd leave sometime later Saturday night. We rested, ate, and prepped for a late night departure.

Only the pilot came down ill...plans begin to shift....will we leave, tonight? Will we leave, at all?

Plans shift again.

We are now set, as I write this, to get a new Herc (AF slang for C-130, I'm picking up on what I can), with a new crew and are looking to set out for Haiti, later tonight (still Saturday, for those keeping score).

It's been wild, but these boys from Dyess are taking good care of us, and keep a positive attitude through this all. I guess, they just keep the mission in mind, and right now it's all about helping those in desperate need in Haiti.

***Okay, after writing this blog post on Saturday, and looking to post it, things changed AGAIN! Just so you know. We’re told TODAY is THE day…Fingers crossed.

It's apparent, you must be flexible because in a moment's notice you're either going on not. For now, we are. I'll update as soon as we can, maybe even with video, Wi-Fi isn't always readily available...

"This is what we train for"

2010-01-16T16:46:00.000-08:00

You could see the excitement in the eyes of Capt. Wesley Stark as we stood inside the 40th Airlift Squadron headquarters at 11:30 at night.

He was on a mission to help people.

"We'd much rather be doing this than flying our training missions, he said, trying to repress a grin. "Those get monotenous sometimes. This is the real-world mission that we're trained to do."

Right now, the Air Force is puppeteering 900 daily relief missions in and out of Haiti.

"We work for 16 to 18 hours. Then we'll get an hour of rest, and do it all over again until they tell us to quit."

I can imagine the uncertainty can be a thrilling part of the job.

"I'm very excited," Stark reiterated. "This is what we train for. It's pretty amazing that we can do these relief missions and fight the war at the same time. So I'm getting a break from that,

With so many people working in the relief mission, Stark said he's sure he's going to run into friends. He flew on a similar rescue mission following Hurricane Dean in 2007.

Stark allowed two of our reporters to go along on his C-130, and said he wants Americans to see what the Air Force does for relief on such a large scale.

I wish all of them luck!

I love Abilene

2010-01-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

So I am new to the area. I've been here 7 weeks now and I love it. It's not that cold, the snow doesn't stick around to long, and everyone is really friendly. I moved here from Pocatello Idaho. Anyone heard of it? I think it's about 30 degrees there and snowy. Don't get me wrong, I love the snow, but I hate driving in it. Also, I know a lot of you will disagree, but the shopping here nice. Pocatello has no Target, Best Buy, Macy's, Dillards, and the list goes on and on.

With that said, is there any place around here that I have to see? Is there something so cool about the big county.... that you take your out of state friends to see it when they come to town? If so, I want to see it.

Leno/Conan Update: "Coco" Takes the Gloves Off

2010-01-15T01:44:00.000-08:00

Since my last post, the Leno/Conan saga has become exponentially more fascinating. Now, we know that Leno will be back at 10:35 after the Olympics, and Conan has one foot out the door at NBC. And it's fascinating to see high-profile people take sides in this debacle.

Leno has the backing of the only people who matter: NBC executives. Jeff Zucker, whose reputation is that of an executive who fails upward, won't let go of Leno. Longtime NBC executive Dick Ebersol TRASHED Conan in the New York Times. Never mind that his reasoning was absurd and contradictory; he cited ratings as the reason why he's not sad to see Conan go. But for two years, Leno got crushed by David Letterman. A lucky break got Leno on track (a "hard-hitting" interview with Hugh Grant after he was caught with a hooker).

Now, Jay is quickly becoming reviled. Jimmy Kimmel did an incredible thing this week: he did his ENTIRE Tuesday night show dressed as Leno, and eviscerated him in the process. It was subversive and brilliant. And what does Leno do to respond? He has Kimmel on his show Thursday, where Kimmel eviscerates Leno to his face, and Leno plays dumb. And that's on the same day that Leno signs his brand new deal to take back the 10:35 spot. I watched the replay of the interview, and said out loud "Jay, WHAT ARE YOU DOING???" Bizarre stuff.

Meanwhile, Conan has become the darling of this generation, which I am dubbing "the Twitter generation", and has support he's never seen before. His days are numbered at NBC, and he probably only has six Tonight Shows left before he gets the ax. This may be unprecedented: a guy that knows he's getting dumped by his failing network is absolutely dumping all over it, and people are not only eating it up, but ravenously supporting him. The biggest Must-See show RIGHT NOW is The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. After next Friday, it may be a while before anyone sees him on television. It's not the same as guys who've decided to step down, and wrap up their shows with a long, slow Battan Death March to retirement, a la Johnny Carson. This is 2010, baby. It's going down quick and dirty, and quite literally, ANYTHING can happen on the Tonight Show next week. Those five shows should be packaged and sold as their own DVD Box Set.

Stay tuned. I know I will.

Houston is NOT that bad!

2010-01-14T20:53:00.000-08:00

I actually just moved to Abilene from the Houston area just a few months ago, and part of my job here is to help produce the evening newscasts.

Well, I couldn't help but noticing, just weeks after starting my job here, that NO good news ever comes out of Houston. I've been seeing that trend pretty much every day now.

Well I'm here to say, Houston is NOT that bad!! It's actually, in my opinion, the best city in the world!! You don't have to worry about getting shot going to the grocery store, or in your own driveway for that matter. I have spent about 80% of my life in Houston and I'm still alive....

I will say though, I went home last month in a plane, and as we approached the Houston area, there was like a black haze sitting right on top of the city. The skies were also like a blueish-grayish color. Sooo, the air quality in Houston is NOTHING like here in Abilene. :-)
I just love the deep blue skies here in the Big Country; simply gorgeous! And I haven't had ANY allergy problems so far....

But I hoped I have changed some minds about the image of Houston! Trust me, it's a fabulous city minus the air quality, lol.

Thanks for reading and watching :-)

The Snuggie?? Really?!?!?

2010-01-12T22:38:00.000-08:00

I'm definitely a night owl, and my work hours don't help. So it's only natural for me to watch more infomercials than television shows.

In my moments of dozing in and out on my couch, there's always a commerical I never seem to miss--the Snuggie.

Ahhh yes, the infamous Snuggie. I know people have written about this "blanket with a sleeve" before, but why is this thing still so popular?

I don't know about you guys, but my fingers get cold fast; and looking at the picture, this new blankie sure won't help me out. I guess there's a population suffering from cold arms that could benefit from this.

Even so, is it that difficult and painful to take your arms from under your blanket and change the channel or read a book? Seems like good ol' Snuggie's trying to make everyone even more lazy.

The funniest part of the commercial was how they advertised that you can wear it and go to outdoor gaming events to keep toasty. Ummm...I wouldn't wear this thing out of the house or I'm pretty sure people would ask me which cult I belonged to (or why I stole my church's choir robe).

I don't know. Call me crazy, but blankets are just fine for me.

Or maybe I really AM the crazy one because Sir Snuggie made a killing from this odd invention, and I'm stuck writing about it on a blog.

Makes me want to create my own frivolous invention that will have me blogging all the way to the bank. Patent Pending...

TV news without the teleprompter

2010-01-12T07:20:00.000-08:00

There was a little problem with our teleprompter Monday morning. There was nothing there. We had to do Daybreak the old-fashioned way...reading if from the paper in front of us. It was odd, and you may have noticed us looking down more than usual. There were no words on the screen, and we get used to reading the words flashed on the series of mirror images that appear at the lens. It made it a little more of a challenge, but we had the news and weather to present. The best we could hope for is that you didn't notice. If you did notice, we did our best. The teleprompter was working again this morning.

Leno Drama Leading to Big Changes?

2010-01-11T00:24:00.000-08:00

"Your local news starts right now!"

If you're like me, you hear those 6 words every single weeknight, right before KRBC News at Ten starts. It's the last thing Jay Leno says as his new show fades to black. And now, the world knows that the days of hearing that phrase are numbered. At least, in a way. But we'll revisit that in a little.

I've always had a little something of a fascination with Mr. Leno. I was never a regular Tonight Show viewer (I'm more of a Jon Stewart fan). But even when I was younger, I remember clipping a couple of headlines out of my hometown newspaper in east Texas and mailing them in to him, hoping they'd pop up on his show (to my knowledge, they never did).

Then in high school, I got my start in television because of another Leno bit. Through a scheduling error, I found myself in Media Technology class ("A/V Club" to some). It allowed me and some of my friends to roam around the halls of our school, filming whatever we could find that was interesting that was worthy of filming. Then one day, we had the brilliant idea of ripping off "Jaywalking". Although I'm a producer now, I was the on-camera guy for this job. We came up with some EASY questions, just to test our classmates. And sure enough, they couldn't answer.

Flash forward a few months: several installations of "Hallwalkin'" later, and I'm something of a campus celebrity. And in a good way, too! You'd be surprised how many people want to be on TV, even if it's just broadcast through the school, and even if they know they're going to look dumb if they can't answer easy questions.

Now, years later, Jay Leno's show comes on right before mine. But thanks to a series of questionable moves by the big guys at 30 Rock, that experiment appears to be ending soon, and Leno will be out of prime time. I didn't work for KRBC when The Jay Leno Show launched, but I remember the contention that went on before the show started. Affiliates around the country weren't happy about it. Case in point: The NBC station in Boston -- Leno's hometown, mind you -- initially refused to even run his show, and only did so because NBC, shall we say, talked them into it.

I'm not sure how I feel about this whole saga... I've heard it said that the late night drama is more interesting than the late night shows, so maybe this isn't such a terrible thing after all. But what's next? NBC has let it be well known that they don't want to lose Leno, even if it means making some Major-with-a-capital-M changes. What about Conan O'Brien, who was promised The Tonight Show years ago? Does he accept his show being pushed back a half-hour? Does he bail for another network? What about Jimmy Fallon and... that other guy that comes on after Jimmy Fallon?

And of course, what of KRBC in Abilene, Texas? We have no control over what shows the network picks to run before our newscast starts. We're just spectators, along with the rest of the country.

So, I want to know what you think. Are you on Team Jay? Team Conan? Do you think, like I do, that Randy Turner should be the new host of The Tonight Show? (He'd still be able to do news and weather for KRBC... the guy is just that good). Or do you think people should just turn off the TV and curl up with a good book... after watching the 10 o'clock news, of course.

Dapper Does the Rose Bowl

2010-01-02T06:23:00.000-08:00

While mosts sports fans in Abilene were at home watching the Rose Bowl, former KRBC sports director Michelle Dapper was on the sidelines taking in the action. Dapper now serves as the sports director for KEZI, the ABC affiliate in Eugene, Oregon.

As you can imagine, the Rose Bowl has been the top story in town for the last few weeks. However, the Ducks were left with disappointment when it was all said and done. Ohio State was able to defeat Oregon 26-17.

Michelle described the atmosphere in Pasadena as "amazing," and I'm sure it was. Check out her report from the Rose Bowl by clicking on this link: http://kezi.com/page/157580.

Randy Turner Nails AHS Score Prediction

2009-12-20T07:36:00.000-08:00

You hear sports personalities spouting out score predictions all the time. But how often do they get them right?

KRBC's Tyler Edwards and Rob Mooring weren't too far off on their AHS game predicitions. Tyler predicted a 20-14 win for AHS. Rob went with 35-17...which could've easily happened.

However, it was the man of many hats who came out on top in this contest. Anchor, chief meteorologist, and fortune teller Randy Turner correctly predicted a score of Abilene High 28, Katy 17.

It only took the humble Turner about 30 seconds to text me when the game ended to congratulate himself. In fact, that text may have arrived prior to the end of the game.

Either way, props have to go out to Randy for hitting the score right on the money!

Same song, second verse

2009-12-18T09:04:00.000-08:00

It happened again. Enough said.

Hey, I have that shirt...

2009-12-15T08:26:00.000-08:00

Did you see that episode of The Office, where Pam and Phyllis showed up wearing the same outfit?

That happens all the time around here. And let's face it, there are probably less shopping options in Abilene than there are in Scranton.

The other day, Brittany and I were wearing the same sweater.

If you look closely at a KRBC promotional commercial, you'll see Stephanie, Brittany and Maria wearing the same shirt in different colors. I think they also each own several colors of that shirt themselves.

Megan and I also own the same ruffly shirt in black and white. Stephanie and I each splurged on the exact same special occasion dress. She wore hers at the MDA telethon, I wore mine at Bob Bartlett's 30th anniversary party.

So how do you keep from pulling a Pam/Phyllis at the office? Any advice?

Icing disaster leads to happy hearts!

2009-12-14T12:13:00.000-08:00

The girls of the newsroom got together the weekend after Thanksgiving for the construction of what would be the biggest, baddest gingerbread village in the history of edible art.

Nance, Angela, Stephanie, Laura, Brittany
(not pictured: Brandi, Priscilla, Michelle, Morgan & Nora)

We had grand plans for our "Frontier Fabulous!" town, which included a hotel, farmers' market, shoe store, martini bar, coffee shop and decked out town square.

But, we quickly learned, we are not aces of cake. Or gingerbread.

The icing which would have served as glue was nowhere near sticky enough. The soggy lasagna noodles did not make for a cute ruffly roof as intended, and weren't possible to paint. We also ran out of dough... and patience.

But we refused to give up. After five hours of fighting gravity (and discovering Sixlets and Twizzlers stuck to the most inappropriate of places) somehow, our frontier became fabulous.

The "Martini Barn"

"Farmer's Market"

"Frontier Fabulous!"

It didn't look like anything Cake Boss would have made, but gosh darn it, we were proud. And who cares that our coffee shop ended up in the trash and our hotel never made it past the blueprint stage?

What more does a Fabulous Frontier need than a farmers market, a shoe store, a bar and a Christmas tree? We thought we might have a shot at the $500 grand prize, which we considered using for an office Christmas party... until we showed up and one woman had constructed a perfectly-scaled Honey I Shrunk the Kids church, with stained glass windows and everything.

1st place!

But we DID win 1st Prize in the group category. (We were the only ones.) So, we all decided to use the $100 Downtown Dollars to adopt an Angel.

(picture of Angel's new outfit deleted... just in case)

Our angel is 12. Apparently the older kids are much less likely to be adopted, so we were more than happy to shop for a pre-teen. We went to Under One Roof, where we made it out with four really cute gifts, plus two things to give for Be a Santa to a Senior.

Giving is the BEST gift for Christmas!

Today was the last day to drop off Angel gifts, and Santa to a Senior is wrapping up (literally) on Tuesday. If you're still looking to give, KTAB Santa's Helpers is in real need. We have more children than before, and donations are coming in more slowly. If you'd like Santa to bring you a happy heart for Christmas, please consider!

Local News Needs Credits!

2009-12-08T05:04:00.000-08:00

This is the second day this season that we've pulled ourselves straight out of bed and into the newsroom to keep you safe during icy weather conditions. And it's only early December!

Here's a picture of a few of us in our "no one is going to see me so no need to fix my hair" getup. Well, Tim Johnston jumped into the picture looking dapper. But he's on air.

I'm trying to count how many of us came in early this morning, in addition to the 12 or so people who are always here getting the morning shows on the air. I've counted 19.

We're shooting video, tracking accidents, editing video, going live, answering phones for school closings, answering phone calls from impatient people who want to know if schools have closed well before the schools have decided, updating the web site, updating the ticker, and coordinating it all.

So, a special thanks to the following people who came in early today --

Andrew Carlson - photographer
Kristi Drake - phones
Hope Ekwue - producer
Brandi Fordyce - phones, personnel coordinator
Marc "Goose" Gustafson - photographer
Stephanie Harris - anchor
Marchita Johnson - producer
Tim Johnston - reporter
Austin Kellerman - ticker, personnel coordinator
Laura Kellerman - website
Katherine Lane - reporter
Priscilla Luong - reporter
Mark Moseley - producer
Sam Nichols - meteorologist
Maria Oliver - reporter
Brittany Pelletz - reporter
Victor Sotelo - reporter
Angela Taylor - reporter
Randy Turner - meteorologist

Y'all are great! And expect to do it again soon. Blame it on El Nino!

(I also can't forget the people who work this shift every day -- and local news doesn't run credits!)

Chelsea Delz
Megan Dobbs
Kailey Franz
Joey Hardin
Pam Langford
Ron Rosseau
Richard Rushton
Jake Templeton
Chris Whited

Giving Tree for Zoo Animals?

2009-11-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

I wasn't quite sure what to think when I received a press release Monday afternoon with the headline, "Giving Tree spreads holiday joy to Abilene Zoo’s animals." I've seen trees to benefit children in need and the elderly...but zoo animals? Really?

Let me begin by sounding a little hypocritical. I like animals. I have a dog that I probably treat way too well. Sadly, I'll give him his favorite toy for Christmas. It's a little pink pig that I probably give him twice a year. Every time he gets one, he rejoices...and three days later it's a pile of stuffing. So yes, I buy stuff for animals.

Back to the point at hand: When I think about giving trees, I think of something pretty sacred. I think about the poorest of poor children who won't otherwise see a Christmas. I think about elderly residents who won't get a Christmas gift because they've been abandoned by their family. With all due respect to Ryan the Rhino, the humans seem more deserving.

I think this highlights a bigger issue....humans versus animals. I can remember going on a trip with friends a few years back and driving to an intersection where a homeless person stood begging for donations. The driver quickly rolled up the window and everyone in the car acted disgusted. Moments later, we spotted a 3-legged dog stumbling through a parking lot and you would've thought they just saw Robert Pattinson. Why do we show more compassion for animals than we do human beings?

GMC DFW is currently running a poll to donate $20,000 to the most popular metroplex charity on Facebook. Users can pick between Big Brothers Big Sisters, the SPCA, and Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Guess which organization is currently in the lead? The SPCA.

I'm not saying the SPCA isn't a deserving group...but do its animals deserve money more than the children with birth defects and neurological disorders treated at Scottish Rite?

When we air stories about abused children in our community, no one calls. No one emails. When we air stories about abused animals, the phones ring off the hook with outraged people or people who want to do something to help

The Abilene Zoo's wish list for the Giving Tree is posted online. It contains more than 125 items. The items range from $8 Bath & Body Works body splashes to $795 scales: http://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/PUAR94KY4JNS/ref=cm_wl_sortbar_v_page_1?_encoding=UTF8&page=1

Again, I have no doubt the animals and trainers would love these things....but should they be part of a Giving Tree?

Same-Sex Homecoming Court

2009-11-23T08:32:00.000-08:00

Students at the University of North Texas, my alma mater, are deciding whether same sex couples should be allowed to run for homecoming court.

Voting ended Friday afternoon, and results are expected some time today.

The Student Association Guidelines currently state that a homecoming couple must be a male and female. After protests and heated discussions over the school's nearly 120-year old tradition, it was decided that students should vote on the issue.

A yes decision would make the University of North Texas one of the first schools to allow the crowning of a same sex couple.

In my opinion, tradition aside, let's talk about fairness. Homecoming kings and queens aren't couples to begin with. They do run as pairs, though. For instance, you don't pick your favorite man and your favorite woman, you have to vote on one pair. Let's say you have a man/man pair that wins, that's not fair because no woman gets to be represented that year.

What do you think about it? (Note: I will not tolerate any hateful comments.)

_

What is a Doe to Do?

2009-11-17T06:29:00.000-08:00

As football season approaches, our men get this certain wiggle. I think it's the only time that my husband and my dog resemble each other. Wiggling their little butts and panting... and then, once that bone comes, chomping down as hard as they can and severely growling at anyone who threatens to take it away.

I imagine it's the same for women during deer season. My husband doesn't really hunt, but other family members do. So, what is a doe to do during deer season?

Stephanie Harris brought this point up in the newsroom yesterday -- women have to find something to do when our bucks are away. Maybe it's girl time. Maybe it's time spent getting chores and projects done that can't be tackled while the men are around.

This year, my husband is participating in the annual hunting weekend held by the men on my side of the family. I strongly encouraged him to go along for two reasons. No. 1, I think he needs some male bonding time and I'd like to think that the men who share my flesh and blood are good guys to bond with. No. 2, I want my mom to come visit me for a girls' weekend! We've never spent a weekend alone, that I can remember. But, with dad, husband, brothers, uncles, cousins all holed up in a little ranch house for the weekend, we get to have our alone time! Can you tell I'm excited?

So what about you? Let me know what you get to do during deer season that you wouldn't otherwise be able to. Leave a comment here, or email me a picture at lkellerman@bigcountryhomepage.com and I'll post it!

Actually, I'll give a girly little prize to the most fun, creative or interesting submission. Can't wait!

Lamar Grad: Do I Root Against Abilene High?

2009-11-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

VFND - Viking Fight Never Dies...

It's one of the mottos of Lamar High School in Arlington, TX.

I grew up going to Lamar football games. It was the "it" thing to do on Friday nights in town. It was the place to be seen. It was the place to see girls. It was what you looked forward to all week.

I went on to play quarterback and lead the team that I once dreamed of being a part of as a kid in grade school.

Wait, that's not true at all...

However, I did root for the team from the comfort of the bleachers behind my bass drum. I'd scream and yell after every touchdown...wear far more yellow sweatshirts than any teenager should own...and I may have even shed a tear after we lost in the first round of the playoffs my senior year.

It's been more than a decade since those days. They're fond memories...but they're memories. They aren't right now. Now, I live in Abilene.

VFND - Viking Fight Never Dies...or does it?

I couldn't help but smile when I read that Abilene High would play Lamar at Cowboys Stadium. First, what an awesome opportunity for all the students of Abilene High to experience Cowboys Stadium. Secondly, AHS is battling my old school. Who am I supposed to root for?

I called home to tell my mother about it. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Hey mom, Abilene High is going to face Lamar in the playoffs!"
Mom: "Lamar made the playoffs? But they aren't any good."

The heart of my viking fight started to slow down a little....

When I told David Robinett I went to Lamar and briefly considered going to the game, he told me it wouldn't be any fun to watch my old school get destroyed.

My viking fight went on life support.

I've always been a bandwagon kind of guy...and I can admit it. When the Dallas Mavericks became a good team, I started to like them. When Michael Jackson died, I pulled out the old MJ albums. And when Abilene High battles Lamar, I can't help but root for....Abilene High. What can I say? I'm a fan of a good story. Abilene High winning and advancing the playoffs is the beginning of a great story.

My viking fight died. Time of death 5:57 p.m., November 9, 2009.

Cowboys Look Like a Real Team!

2009-10-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

I hope to see my first game in the new Cowboys stadium later this year. After the game against the Chiefs, I figured I’d wait a few more weeks before I tried to buy tickets. I presumed the team would lose a few games, and I could snag a pair of tickets on ebay for dirt cheap once the team’s playoff chances were crushed. Based on how the Cowboys had been playing, I was nearly sure it would happen.

Today, a different team showed up in Arlington to challenge a strong (4-1) Atlanta Falcons team. Those “dirt cheap” tickets may cost a little more.

After the game’s opening drive, I figured the defense didn’t show up. However, they got into a rhythm and looked just as good as I’ve seen all season. We were pressuring Falcon’s QB Matt Ryan all afternoon and forced him to throw a couple interceptions. Hopefully, the defense saw what it was capable of and gained some confidence.

With the exception of Roy Williams, the team’s offense looked great. Tony Romo was completing passes, Miles Austin was running all over the place, and Jason Garrett seemed to remember Jason Witten is the league’s best tight end and deserves to be involved in the game plan. Even Patrick Crayton, who spent most of the week complaining he’d be benched, got in the end zone twice! And, it was great to see our three-headed monster in the backfield together again. Today, the offense looked just about unstoppable.

Still, what’s up with all these penalties? Wade Phillips has to get his team focused. We could’ve score 50 points if it weren’t for the endless yellow flags being tossed out by the officials. Usually, it was for something as basic as a false start or encroachment. Pathetic….

As for Roy Williams? He needs to step it up and be a player. Right now, he’s nothing more than a distraction who might catch 4 balls for 60 yards on a good day. Is he capable of being great? Maybe. But right now, he isn’t. We either need to start looking for another receiver to compliment Austin and Witten or get some of our other players involved. Despite two touchdowns today, I don’t think Patrick Crayton is the answer. He’s just not consistent. I think we’d be better if we did more with Martellus Bennett. We finally got him the ball today and he seemed to do well with it. Tashard Choice also looked great running routes out of the backfield. However, we need another playmaking receiver. I just have a bad feeling that Williams and his health won’t last the season.

Next week, it’s the Seattle Seahawks. Should be easy, right? I guess that’s probably why it won’t be.

For at least one week, the Cowboys looked like a playoff team…and it was fun to watch!

Dan the Man Moves On

2009-09-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

Dan Edwards, KTAB's chief meteorologist, is moving on from Abilene, and today is his last day at the station.

Everyone in the newsroom will miss Dan's positive emergy and upbeat personality very much. He is a very driven person when it comes to the weather and always has a glass-half-full attitude.

I remember one night there were severe storms and tornadic activity in the area. I was trying to tape two debates with the Abilene City Council candidates in the KTAB studio. Right in the middle of a candidate answering a question, I see Dan getting antsy in the weather center. I went over to him and he said, "Can we stop the debate? I have to get on the air." So we interrupted the debate, which was perfectly fine with the candidates who agreed with Dan that the safety of residents comes first. It's just one example of his passion for meteorology.

And it's not just the viewers at home that Dan is concerned about. My inbox is often full of photos, forecasts, and warnings that Dan sends around to people in the building to make sure that we know what's going on as well.

Weather is king to Dan, but his family always comes first. That's why he's decided to move on from KTAB after three years. Dan will remain in the television meteorology business and we will all miss him very much!

Check back later this afternoon for Dan's personal goodbye, and you're welcome to leave comments for him here.

_

In Our Neck of the Woods

2009-09-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

It's not terribly often that "Today" takes its show on the road, so when they do, viewers know to expect something big. And something big they got!

Matt Lauer, Al Roker, and I'd say, oh, a few hundred of their co-workers from Today, NBC News and NBC Sports descended on Arlington last Friday and did the show live from Cowboys Stadium.

Old news.

Here's the new news.

I was lucky enough to be a part of the action, along with photojournalist Marc "Goose" Gustafson and the new Abilene Today team. You recognize one of them – Meteorologist Chris Whited. The other member of the team has yet to be announced. I'll give you a hint: it's a woman (just in case the skirt and heels didn't give it away).

When I heard rumblings of Today coming to Texas in one week (thank you, Facebook) I told the news director, who also happens to be my husband, that I wanted to take the new team to shoot some promotional commercials with Matt & Al. Well, maybe that part was his idea... Anyway, Team Kellerman (pictured at Texas Stadium) got the ball rolling, making arrangements for credentials, contacts, accommodations, writing, pre-producing, mapping and packing.

As prepared as I felt on Friday morning with my briefcase full of paperclipped scripts, stopwatch, still camera, laptop, cue cards and a coffee mug with Matt Lauer's face on it (don't ask) we knew that we'd be at the mercy of live television in a 3 million square foot venue. Oh yeah, and Goose had two cameras, four mics and about 100 yards of cables to tote around. (I exaggerate. I think.)

Basically, we were prepared to just be prepared.

At one minute, Matt would be on a platform over the end zone. At the next, he'd be standing in the end zone with Al suspended 90 feet in the air. All of a sudden, Matt is on a golf cart with Jerry Jones headed for the other end zone. Then he's in the locker room. Then the concourse. It was amazing to watch. Those producers did such a fantastic job. Side note: I wish I had time to write and entire blog dedicated to watching the engineers, production, PR and everyone else cranking out a flawless show. They never get the credit they deserve!

My team arrived at the stadium 5 a.m., with no food, and no water, and NO COFFEE in our systems. The Mystery Anchor was also extremely ill, which will make for a fantastic blog once she starts. We spent three hours hurrying up and waiting, trying to be ready at the drop of a hat to get our video with the Today show folks while trying to take advantage of the down time by shooting our own video and commercials.

Then, came the moment we'd all been waiting for. In between a segment about gourmet stadium food and a segment with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, we had an entire 90 seconds to shoot the six promos I had written. So, I picked my favorite two, grabbed the cue cards out of my bag (which made me feel like a TOTAL nerd) and started hurling out instructions. Matt and Al totally understood where I was going with the promos, added their own flare, and Goose captured it all beautifully.

Then, the birds started chirping, the Today show team headed for the airport, and we headed to Starbucks to caffienate ourselves and begin our long drive back to A-town.

Some fun facts: Chris, Goose and I accidentally showed up in one of the segments. Thank goodness Mystery Anchor managed to remain a mystery. You can read Chris's blog about it here.

We wanted to get some of the video we shot on the air that night, so in order to make it all make sense we interviewed Chris about his day while walking back to the car. Well, at least that's what we wanted it to look like. Watch the video here.

Someone fed us! I will be eternally grateful to a member of Blue Star Media who brought us boxes breakfast from some mythical food area. I'll keep him anonymous so he won't get in trouble for feeding four kiddos who should have thought to pack a breakfast the night before.

See some of the photos we took here. The photos with all of us in them were taken by the programming director at my old station, KXAS, who was also at the taping. I'm so grateful to him for snapping those!

What Really Happens on Friday Nights

2009-08-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a typical Friday night in the newsroom during football season. Keep in mind, most of us don't normally work at night, so our presence is half favor, half thrill of the game (news, not football).

I can't speak for what goes on outside of the newsroom, but I'd guess we have about 5-6 people shooting highlights from 15 or so games.

For the rest of us, it's all about the phone.

We usually go to dinner and come back to the station at 7:30 or 8:00. Sometimes we order pizza; sometimes we'll have a big barbecue out back. Often our family members come up and join us and sometimes they even help out.

The phone starts ringing at around 8:30 with half-time scores. There are a couple people who answer the phones and then write the scores on a big white board that's been all filled out with all the night's games.

Once we spot a new score on the board, one of us enters it into the news ticker. One of us enters it into the graphics for Friday Night Live and KTAB Football Xtreme. Another one or two of us go through and triple-check everything. You do NOT want to get the score wrong or you'll hear about it!

Then, it starts to get crazy. The scores are changing, it's getting late, and we're trying to get everything on the air. Keep in mind, we also have the news to get on!

Often, we'll look up at the big board at 9:30 and realize no one has called in with the scores of several games. So we start making calls. We have the phone numbers of some trusty people who we know will be there. Plus, this is West Texas, so almost everyone, especially in the smaller towns, knows who won. We'll call the convenience store or the Taco Bell near whatever stadium the game is at. We'll call friends who are teachers in the district and no doubt have been updated on the score.

Now, I'm completely forgetting our sports department. They're scrambling to edit video, grab highlights, comb through interviews, write scripts, put everything in order, and make sure their 60-ish hours of preparation that week will all play out on the air.

Then, someone's inevitably in overtime and we wait on the edge of our seats to get the final score. Then, finally, the board is all filled up, the shows are over, the ticker and web scores are finished, and we get the heck out of there and go to bed!

One Person Can Make a Difference

2009-07-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

In the news business, it's not uncommon for journalists to come across or cover stories about the less fortunate. In fact, it's probably the norm. After awhile, we can sadly become desenitized to those in need. We're so used to seeing stories like theirs that we no longer feel the emotions we should or once did. It's an unfortunate reality of our position...and one we should work to overcome.

It's also not uncommon for someone to return from a story and say something like, "man, they really need help" or "that was sad." What isn't common is someone actually doing something about it. It takes time, energy, leadership, and work you wouldn't otherwise have to do. Who has time for that? Katherine Lane does...

After covering a story about Abilene's homeless population trying to cope with triple digit heat, she decided we should do something about it. She marched into my office with a plan for a heat relief drive. My initial thought: that takes time, energy, and extra work. Do I really want to do that? Bottom line: that's extra work for a lot of people. I told Katherine to put her ideas on paper along with a timeline. I half hoped she'd forget. Thankfully, she didn't.

She did exactly what I asked...broken down by each day...and how we'd get each little thing done. Katherine took the initiative to rally other folks in the building to get behind the effort. She became the organizer and leader of this effort. Whether I wanted to give in our not, I didn't have a choice. Her energy and enthusiasm were contageous. KTAB was going to do a heat relief drive for the homeless.

Watching Katherine at work Wednesday was a pleasure. She saw a need in our community and she was doing something about it. Our newsroom makes me proud all the time. Sometimes it's landing the big story....other times it's helping out someone in the newsroom in a crunch....other times it's going above-and-beyond to make our broadcasts the best they can be. But today, I couldn't remember a time when I was more proud of a member of our team.

We all get caught up in life's daily grind and often forget to think about what's important in life. We could all use a reminder everyone once in awhile. Today, Katerine gave that to us.

Of course, it wasn't all Katherine. A special thanks to everyone who responded to her call and brought by items for Love and Care Ministries to distribute. You guys always come through!

Share Your Cronkite Memories

2009-07-18T04:55:00.000-07:00

The "most trusted man in America" is gone.

Walter Cronkite, who personified television journalism for more than a generation as anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News," has died. CBS vice president Linda Mason says Cronkite died at 7:42 p.m. Friday with his family by his side at his home in New York after a long illness. He was 92.

People across america are sharing their memories of the legendary newsman. We're inviting you to do the same by posting a comment below.

North Texas Reporter Dies

2009-07-12T11:09:00.000-07:00

A North Texas reporter whose stories ran numberous times on KRBC over the years died today from complications stemming from pancreatitis. Brett Johnson was only 48 years old. Click here to read more about his life and stories on the KXAS, NBC 5 website.

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcdfw.com/video.

Here are some links to recent Brett Johnson stories that ran on KRBC and bigcountryhomepage.com:

Texas Woman Strikes Big at Winstar

Mini-Cows: Eco-Friendly?

Parker County Peaches a Hot Commodity

McCartney Returns to Texas

2009-07-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

One of music's last great megastars will perform in Texas again. Paul McCartney is set for an August 19 concert at Cowboys stadium. Tickets go onsale July 20.

I was fortunate enough to attend a McCartney concert in 1999 (or something like that) at Reunion Arena. It was amazing. It was like experiencing a lesson in music history. To date, it's been the best concert I've attended.

I always hoped to go to a Michael Jackson concert one day. A Jackson concert might have been able to top McCartney. That never happened.

McCartney may now be music's biggest living legend. Just like we'll never see another Michael Jackson, we'll probably never see another Beatles. That's why this will be an unforgettable concert experience.