When It Rains, It Rains A Lot...

This day was a bad day to be a photog. It was constant rain overnight and it's still continuing as I type this. Rain is the great morale breaker. You can wake up with a great attitude and can't wait to get into work only to find the weather has turned against you. It changes your mindset. You go into defense mode. It's all about keeping yourself as dry as possible as well as your gear.

It seemed like my day was set for me. Just live beauty shots of a foggy downtown Cleveland landscape which would have made for a mostly dry morning by keeping me inside the live truck for the most part. I should have known it wouldn't have lasted.

My phone rang about 5:10 a.m. after my first second live picture. Russ, our desk guy, informs me that there is a working fire at a Beachwood apartment complex and they're calling a MABIS, basically a mutual aid broadcast, for surrounding communities to send equipment.

I broke down my live shot and punched the address into my GPS and took off for the fire. I fought my way through very heavy rain to make it there first. I was delayed a little because the apartment complex is gated and I needed to wait to get the o.k. from him. When I did, the Beachwood police were waiting to escort myself and the other stations to a staging area. I have to give the Beachwood P.D. major thanks for working with us instead of against us. They could have made it a real pain to do our jobs but they really cooperated with us this morning.

We did have to walk to the scene of the fire but we could get pretty good b-roll from the distance we were away. It was a three story apartment complex that was missing most of it's third floor. It was a quick moving fire, and the fire departments were doing a pretty good job keeping the flames down and localized.

I guess I automatically switch into "auto-pilot" when I'm on a big scene like this because I didn't really notice the rain. It was just shoot, shoot, shoot...get back to the truck...establish the signal....feed video back....run cables....set up camera...go live.

When Derek and Obie joined me after leaving their own live shot, I guess the adrenaline wore off a little and I noticed for the first time, "Damn...I'm soaked!!" My wireless receiver got wet and it proceeded to give out a static filled signal. There was so much rain, the a/v dongle that we plug into got wet and proceeded to put a bad hum in the audio which needed troubleshooting. After fixing that, I realized that I was really, really really soaked. The down into your underwear, uncomfortable kind of soaked. It's the worst feeling especially when it's cold and you're that wet.

What was the topper of the morning? Thanks for asking. It was when the Beachwood fire chief held a quick presser. My reporter Obie was holding an umbrella and as I was shooting, the runoff from the umbrella made an arc directly down in between my rain jacket and shirt. I nudged Obie over a little which helped until he adjusted the umbrella and started a Niagara-esque waterfall right between my glasses and into my eyes. It was like trying to shoot underwater without a scuba mask. All I could do was try to hold as still as possible while the chief was talking.

It was a cold and miserable drive back to the station because of slow traffic and equally as bad of a drive home. The hot shower I took when I got home was the best part of the day. That time I didn't mind getting wet.

Saying Goodbye To A Friend

John Anderson was our morning show anchor for seven years. He became a very good friend to me and most of our morning show staff. You couldn't but like the guy (no matter how hard I tried...kidding, just kidding). His personality was just as warm as his smile. His wife Kristin, also a reporter at our station, was just as loved, if not more. I worked with Kristin only a few times as she worked nights but you couldn't help but like her. These are two wonderful people to know and work with.

Well, John went and found himself a new job at a different station and a bigger market (I know...how DARE he!!!). He'll be anchoring at WTXF-TV Channel 29, Philadelphia's FOX affiliate. They're getting a good man for their morning anchor. John will add to the character of their newscast and the reputation of their station for sure. I hope that WTXF will also add Kristin on to their staff as well. But if not right away, she'll have more time to tend to their beautiful twins.

I remember the first story I went out on with John. It was an anti-abortion protest across from one of our local colleges here in Cleveland. We clicked almost immediately and were in sync when it came to knowing what each other wanted and needed for the story.

From John's long overnights to his love of biking, hockey and raising money to fight Leukemia, to the final show where he got a whipped cream pie in the face which was done with love. He made the mornings special for those who worked with him and for Northeastern Ohio.

John, Kristin and family, you will be missed. God bless you all. Have a wonderful life and continued success in Philadelphia.

Just don't forget to boo Santa Claus so you can get into the Philadelphia holiday spirit.

"Auto" Erotica?? Sweetest Day??

Ever wanted to lick a Jeep? Never? Yeah, me either. But you might have wanted to if you were selected to be a finalist in a Sweetest Day contest. To win, you needed to lick the chocolate off the front off of a new Jeep, exposing pre-placed stars. The chocolate was then meticulously spray painted on the whole Jeep. There were a total of six Jeeps, one for each contestant.







Then the two top lickers would need to find the car keys that were placed somewhere under 26,000 pieces of candy, inside the Jeep they were trying to win.





The contestants, three men and three women, were watched over by the "Candy Cops" to make sure that there was no biting or using of the hands in the licking segment of the contest.



All I have to say is that there were some interesting techniques during the licking phase. It prompted one of our anchors to quip off air, "I didn't realize we were televising soft porn.."

After the half hour licking phase ended, two women...excuse me...two chocolate covered women were the finalists. On the count of three, the women opened the doors to the Jeep Liberty and out poured a flood of bite-sized candy bars and the search began for the elusive keys. The winner was an 32 year old ultra-marathon runner from Chicago who only got her license last year and has never owned a car before.

It made for some hilarious moments on and off air I really have to admit. Made for a very interesting morning live shot too.

The Director's Cut

I'd like to direct your attention to one of my co-worker's blog, The Director's Cut. It's a behind the scenes look at what goes on at our station and it is written very well by one of our best directors, Frank Macek.

He puts a lot of work into it and has some fascinating information to pass along about WKYC-TV and it's history.

Please feel free to check it out.

Ok, I Caved

I'm not a huge fan of futuristic shooting genre games. But I guess I had to see for myself what the hype about Halo 3 is about. I have to say, it's a great game but for the life of me, I'm stumped.

I have no idea of what I'm doing. I'm still in the jungle and I have no idea of what I'm supposed to do. I guess it would have helped if I'd played Halo 1 & 2 but, like I said, I'm not a fan of that genre of game.

I'll keep on plugging along though. I'm not experienced enough to try multi-player online..yet. I don't want to help pad anyone's stats if I can help it.

What Happens When It Falls In Your Lap

Since I was at home and asleep (since I work overnights) when the Success Tech shooting happened right across the street from our station, one of our finest directors, Frank Macek took pictures and posted them on his blog. It's a fascinating read. I invite you to visit it and read his posts..

Director's Cut

School Shooting

There was a shooting at a Cleveland Municipal School today. A 14 year old student who was suspended yesterday came back to school today and shot four people including himself. He is the lone fatality.

What makes this so stunning is the school, Success Tech, is right across the street from my station. Only 50 feet across the street from us.

I was asleep at home as I work overnights and my wife called and woke me up to tell me about this.

Watch streaming live coverage from WKYC.com

Genlock..Genlock...Ummm.

This morning I was outside of Jacobs Field for our AM shows, after the Indians whipped the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS. We had two reporters and my fellow photog, Derek, asked if we could use both our cameras and switch between them in the truck. I thought it was a great idea.

And then I blanked.

It's been over twelve years that I've had to genlock cameras. And I completely forgot how to do it for close to 15 minutes. Yeah, my mind went to static... ok, it pixelated (hey, we're in the HD era..) as I grabbed the reeler out of the second truck and tried to remember something that is very basic to do.

I finally figured out the Mount Everest of a challenge with about 10 minutes to spare. It wasn't really necessary to have a second camera but it made the show so much smoother and it looked fantastic on the air.

Then I figured out why I blanked. I turned 39 on Tuesday so that explains why I had a brain fart. I'm getting old. I could easily blame the RF that has rattled my brain but age is getting the better of me.

It's like the joke...A man goes to the doctor's office and the doctor tells the man, "I have very bad news. You have cancer and you also have Alzheimer's Disease."

The patient sighs in relief, "Whew!! At least I don't have cancer !!"

How Many Times Have You....

Wanted to do this to your reporter? A nice pie in the face? It was all planned and all in good fun but sometimes those professional mascots get to have all the fun...

Pie In The Face Video

Awww, Damn.

Why? Just, why? What pushes people to do such awful things to such young children? Their own children? I've not personally covered this story but anyone who has children has to feel a cold ball of ice form in the pit of their stomach.

When TV Goes Horribly Wrong

This happens...

Gravy Days Are Over

I've had the past two weeks off and as much as I'd like to say I did really exciting things on my vacation but I can't. I spent a lot of time taking care of the kids while my wife recovered from many stays at the hospital. She's doing well and is feeling a lot better.

I did get a chance to go to Pittsburgh and visit my friends Nancy and Jeff. I can't tell you just how much their friendship means to me. The family and I got away for a couple of days to the Kalahari Water Resort. We went there a few years ago and liked it enough to head there again. This time the kids were a little bit older and they seemed to appreciate it a little more this time.


I'll hopefully be back to posting regularly. Things are always bound to happen overnights.

A Face From My Childhood Has Passed

Ray Tannehill, a news anchor from KDKA in Pittsburgh has passed away from a heart attack at the age of 73. He was retired and lived in New Mexico at the time of his death.

I remember watching him anchor the WIIC (now WPXI) and KDKA news as I grew up. I met him once when I worked in Pittsburgh and he was just as warm and genial in person as he was when he was on the TV screen. I remember my father saying that he thought Ray was the most honest man on television. That in the time of Walter Cronkite.

My deepest condolences go out to Mr. Tannehill's family,his friends, the city of Pittsburgh and his co-workers at KDKA and WPXI.

Here are a couple of links to his video obituaries from KDKA and WPXI.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Tannehill.

Well, So Much For That Idea...

My plans to blog and catch up while on my vacation have gone down the toilet. My wife is back in the hospital yet again for the third time in two weeks.

I hope they find what is wrong and fix it fast. She can't take much more of this and neither can my kids or myself.

So, once again, the blog remains idle..

I'll get back to it when I'm able.

UPDATE: My wife is home and had better stay home...!!! Docs discovered an bleeding ulcer, which is healing itself so hopefully no more prods and poking and cutting in the foreseeable future.

An Update..

My wife is back in the hospital. She's been here since this past Sunday and it's been hell for me. Fortunately for me, my in-laws have been watching the kids and getting them off to school while I would go to work and see Elizabeth. Now it seems that she'll be coming home tomorrow.

Now I'm on vacation for two weeks now, so I can catch up on what's been happening while on the job. Not that a whole lot has been happening that is exciting.

Yeah, I know you're all waiting with bated breath.

Wife In The Hospital

My wife had to go into the hospital last night for something called an intussusception. Basically, her intestine telescoped in on itself and started bleeding. She had to have emergency surgery last night around 10:00p.m. She came through it better than the surgeon expected because she had symptoms for 3 days before the hospitalization. The surgeon thought he would find necrotic tissue, but everything was in excellent shape.

This usually occurs in children and is very rare in adults. Surgery is usually required in adults to rectify the problem. She's expected home in three days.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

UPDATE: Elizabeth came home on Thursday. She's sore and uncomfortable but she's getting better every day. Thanks for all your kind thoughts and prayers. It helped so much.

Not Much Has Happened Recently

I'm not one to really give to people who panhandle me. My basic deal is I rarely carry any cash on me because I work overnight and I go into some bad places when the situation calls. I've had homeless people, crack heads, drunks, hookers and junkies come up to me for money in my career working overnight but I've never had happen what transpired at a red light in downtown Cleveland a couple of nights ago.

I was headed to a fatal car accident as I left from my station. I came to a red light on Cleveland's main street, East 9th. I rolled up and stopped next to a blue BMW which looked brand new. The guy in the beemer looked kind of ragged. He backed up a little and rolled down his window. "Hey buddy, do you have any change on you? I just woke up and I can't find my wallet and I need to get gas."

Excuse me? I don't think I heard you right? You're driving a BMW, just woke up from presumably being drunk, lost your wallet and you're hitting me up for cash?

This I didn't say. I did tell him, "Sorry, I don't carry cash. I go into some bad areas working in TV and blah, blah, blah..." He nodded his head and drove off.

Look pal, be responsible. Man up, call the wife from your cell phone and let he know what happened. So you have glitter on your face and have stripper smell all over you.

Oh, wait, better yet...call a buddy.

What The...?

Ok, so I'm sitting here on my couch watching the Browns win a very boring football game. My Siamese cat Buckley is pawing at something by my right foot, underneath the couch.

I reach down and find something cold and rubbery, somewhat akin to rubber tubing, so I pull it and it snaps out of my hand. I think, "Eww, what was that?" So, I get a flashlight and check out under the sofa. Pushing my howling Siamese out of the way, I am shocked to find a snake stuck to a piece of duct tape that is holding the upholstery together underneath the sofa (It's an old sectional sofa that belonged to my in-laws and we got it because we didn't want the kids to destroy a totally new sofa, so, we're not rednecks, k?).

I grab the snake, a harmless garden snake, and rip it from the piece of duct tape. It's a pretty brown and green color and I think momentarily that I should keep it for my boys to look at.

Then I think of my wife and what my wife will do when she discovers a snake was in the house. The words quivering mass of jello would describe it nicely. So, sadly, out the door the snake went.

I think I know how the snake made it into the house. My youngest son left his baseball glove sitting in the front yard overnight. This is where I think the snake found a home until my son brought the glove in this afternoon. It crawled out and slithered it's way under my couch and onto the duct tape.

Now the question remains...should I tell my wife about it or let it be my little secret?

I Love My Job....But..

I have to endure two days of seeing my morning anchor, John, in bicycling shorts. Not a pretty sight but it's for a good cause. He's participating in a bike ride across Ohio. It's for the Hope Lodge here in Cleveland that helps cancer patients deal with their disease. Our live shot this morning was the start of the Pan Ohio Bike Ride.

Today was day one of the ride. I shudder in cold fear of what lies ahead for tonight...John in spandex. Ewwww..

Hey, It Works!!

Two cars headed north on E.95th street near Cedar avenue. The car in the rear is shooting at the car out in front. The driver of the front car is hit and crashes his car into a electric pole which causes the electrical wire to snap and fall into the street.

I asked for something to happen and viola!! Maybe I'm onto something here?

Bad thing though, in the darkness, I stepped onto a standpipe that was replacing the block's water supply for the fire hydrants in the area and slipped. I jammed my left leg which is really sore because of a strained hamstring that I suffered playing softball. I had just strained it more. I'm such a clumsy oaf.

I had tears come to my eyes because the pain was so bad. A female Cleveland officer, and not a bad looking one at that, saw me in pain and asked if I was okay. I told her what happened and she called a medic over. I begged off their offers to be checked out and thanked them profusely.

I need to be more careful and watch where I'm stepping in the total darkness.