, Author at Rettew Creative

A loading dock of our own…

Did anyone ever think it would take five trucks to put on a month long show on the road? I mean we travel like no other; we have a satellite/production truck, back-up microwave truck, a lighting truck, an F-150 full on engineering paraphernalia, and a HUGE RV. I mean…an RV, just so we can meet, eat, and fill up three parking spaces! Well, most stops when the 6 News crew shows up on location, there is always that one person or security guard that didn’t know we are supposed to be there. You know, that one person that hasn’t had their ego petted lately and the MEDIA shows up in all its glory. And it takes three acts of congress, and enough time for me to play the slowest game of Sunday morning golf, to actually get in position to begin set-up.

But on Wednesday, the Carolina Place Mall gave us THE WHOLE LOADING DOCK to ourselves. I couldn’t believe my ears. We even had security guards waiting to accommodate our entourage! Allison, our trusty leader could have even parked her Monster Truck of an SUV in the spare space. Her Chevy must have forty-eight inch tires with a six inch lift; she will be premiering in the Monster Truck competition later on this month! The point of this is…the staff at Carolina Place Mall had their ducks in a row.

A brief tangent…where did that little get your ducks in a row idiom come from? I referred to the definition of the idiom on www.dictionary.com and found the following:
– Complete one’s preparations, become efficient and well organized, as in I’m trying to get my ducks in a row before I go to Europe. This synonym for get one’s act together probably alludes to lining up target ducks in a shooting gallery.

That’s weird, comparing organization to shooting fake ducks! I guess the next time I want to get all my ducks in a row…I will just line up the random things in the office I am trying to organize and shoot them with my grandfather’s, single action .357. More like disintegration than organization.

Anyways, now that I have cleared that up…Oh what fun it is to ride in five truck caravan, hey! And our caravan found the newly renovated Carolina Place Mall Food Court ready for our three thousand feet of cable, three cameras, six wireless microphones, two dozen lights, and four festive anchors (Chris, Terri, Mike, and Chuck). I am just surprised we didn’t trip any young children with all the cable we pulled! We used so much tape to secure the cable to the floor; we had to call in reinforcements…the Carolina Place Mall support staff. Yep, they made sure those mats – covering the cable for all the cameras – were so secure that it took almost the same amount of time to play another eighteen holes of golf to rip the tape back up! No one was going to trip on their watch!

There was a lot to do at the mall. From Mike trying to take us on a “Behind the Scenes” tour of Victoria Secret – Mike remembered it was a family show –, to Santa making an early appearance, and of course….food! Yep, a taste-test of some really good turkey…Chris is still nibbling.

But the highlight of the night was the fashion show. I am not sure if the WCNC-TV Engineering staff was more excited about the fashion show or the parents of the models because they were on live television! Both were taking pictures…and not of each other! And there was a chance to check out some new gadgets from Radio Shack. Terri and Chuck got so carried away with all the radio controlled toys…that the frequency from the controller messed up the frequency of their microphones. I guess no one was really listening, they were watching Chuck trying to run everyone over with the radio controlled hovercraft! Boys and their toys??? Actually my grandfather told me that “he who dies with the most gadgets, WINS!”

Speaking of men and their toys…we are off to the Convention Center in Uptown Charlotte for the 2005 International Car Show. I hope they have the new Mini Cooper! The Road Trip roles on…ZOOM ZOOM!

Bobby

Originally posted: http://www.beloblog.com/WCNC_Blogs/blogger/archives/2005/11/a_loading_dock.html

Snakes, Parrots, and T-REX…

You think Mariano was scared of T-Rex…even the snakes made him quezzy. Direct quote from Mariano, “Whenever I see a snake in the road, I will cross ten lanes of traffic to hit it, then stop, back-up, and run over it again!” Man, what a barbaric guy…and he has two kids! Let’s just say we kept him isolated to the production truck! Enough of giving Mariano a hard time…let’s move on to more important topics.

One of the highlights was Mike Redding and his weird phobia not wanting strange animals to crawl all over him! Let’s just say he was attacked by a Kinkajou. BLESS YOU! No, that is not a French sounding sneeze; it is a monkey looking animal that is about is hyper as the Tasmanian Devil on a mixture of crack and chocolate! Can Tasmanian Devils eat chocolate??? Are they like dogs and die from a single dose???

I don’t know, it just sounded funny right there, maybe not! Anyways…that poor little Kinkajou was fixated on trying to get down Mike’s shirt. Now ladies…don’t get jealous; Mike put a good fight. I think he was actually scared of the harmless little guy! Now that I think about it, the little Kinkajou actually reminded me of a mixture between a little monkey and a cat. It had a cute little face and long tail like a cat, and the hands and feet like a small little monkey. And yes, the demeanor of a Tasmanian Devil on a mixture of crack and chocolate! Newsflash…straight from the Allison Andrews news ticker update – “This just in…Mike Redding was just attacked by a Kinkajou where the only injury sustained was the mangled earpiece ripped from his ear. Let’s hear from Mike ‘I’m just glad he didn’t eat my ear. Allison could have assigned me to hold the snake.” I think the Kinkajou has been taking lessons from Mike Tyson!

Now on to the animals that give most of us the creepy, crawlies – including Mariano – PYTHONS. Yep, as promised…the Schiele Museum of Natural History has a python and is about as fat around as my arm! Chuck, Chris, and Emmy Award Winning Photojournalist Steve Reynolds received a first hand Show & Tell session of our slimy friend. I am glad I was at least ten feet away…you know, the length of the python. As Steve was shooting the python, I could hear Mariano screeching over the headset.

I would be willing to bet that a snake that size could knock the alignment out of his car! Maybe the cost benefit analysis would be worth it in his mind…one more snack, off the streets! Mariano secretly works for animal control, undercover snake apprehension officer Poor Mariano…I have been fixated on his trepidation of snakes, all in good humor!

Well, I just want to give a shout out to the peeps of the Scheile Museum of Natural History! You have basically made four grown men want to crawl back to their mamas! Way to go…we hope to see you next time! And to Paige Herman – Marketing Director – you now have a new marketing campaign: They Came, They Saw, and They Left…Plum SCARED! The Road Trip roles on to another chapter in this month long quest of public relations!

Bobby

Originall posted: http://www.beloblog.com/WCNC_Blogs/blogger/archives/2005/11/snakes_parrots.html

So is it Christmas?

I’m sitting here and pondering a song that makes me think of my favorite time of the year…yep, Christmas. I am thinking of the first line…”So it is Christmas” and I can’t even think of the artist. I know it is either John Lennon or Paul McCartney. I just finished asking the Road Trip crew who is that famous artist…and no one knows! My faithful Director – Mariano Archdeacon – is now on the phone trying to help my deficient ability to recall names of artists. Survey says…it is John Lennon and the title of the song is Happy Christmas, The War is Over. I guess I think of that song during Christmas time because my father was huge Beatles fan and would blast this song all over the house to drown out the “cheesy” Christmas music my mother was trying to play.

I guess the purpose of this story is the fact we were at the Southern Christmas Show in the Charlotte Merchandise Mart on Monday. I can’t believe it’s that time of the year already…or is it? I mean, Thanksgiving isn’t until next week. I can’t even think past this weekend’s Clemson/USC game in Columbia…GO TIGERS! By the way…I am the only, lonely Clemson fan on this Road Trip crew. Chuck Howard is a faithful Gamecock…even though his Alma Mater is from somewhere in New York. And, Rick Grinstead – Engineer Extraordinaire – is also a Gamecock…and is a graduate. If he was only exposed to the true force – ORANGE – maybe we can show him the light. Enough of that tangent…Monday was all about sugar plums, ornaments, Santa, and all the holiday décor you could possibly imagine.

The Merchandise Mart was a winding maze of everything you could possibly ever want to decorate your home for Christmas. And along the edges of the walkways in that winding maze, you will find all the husbands who had their arms twisted to come along and help their spouses. Yep, they were flat on their hides waiting for their wives to re-emerge from the plethora of holiday cheer…hoping that the Christmas budget wasn’t shot in one stop! Some were even drooling because their heads have been planted against the wall for so long; they have fallen into REM sleep.

The best part of this whole image of holiday joy is the fact that the Christmas Holidays don’t even kick off until the day after Thanksgiving. Those men better start building up their tolerance, especially if they are already down for the count after one day of shopping. I am speaking from experience. The first few days of shopping…I grin and bear it. Because I know that it is only the beginning until all the family members’ lists are complete and the all the Angel’s from the Angel Tree have gifts. Thank God for the conception and invention of the internet and e-commerce. I personally like LL Bean, free shipping baby! I just know that the more shopping that I take part in as a collaborative part of our family, the more college football bowls I get to watch. Once again…GO TIGERS!

So I guess it is Christmas…no matter how you look at it! I guess it was good to have this stop early in our month, to get my shopping tolerance ready. I just know for the next few nights, after getting home from the Road Trip – pulling cable & running with a camera – I will be crawling through the attic looking for all the Christmas boxes! I love how every year when I go into the attic, a new box emerges…another box of decorations that depleted our holiday budget! I am just looking forward to A Christmas Story marathon (you know…Ralphie and his imagination) and the yearly rental of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

Bobby

Originally posted: http://www.beloblog.com/WCNC_Blogs/blogger/archives/2005/11/so_is_it_christ.html

Why take a Road Trip?

So I bet you are wondering, why do we at WCNC-TV broadcast a Road Trip only certain times of the year? Why is it not a part of our regular newscasts year round? And what is up with this Road Trip Extra starting a 4:30pm…thirty minutes before our regularly scheduled newscasts? All good questions, and hopefully I can shed some light on these posing questions. All questions that even we as employees ask ourselves in an attempt to re-affirm our commitment – or goals – when it comes to this major production.

So let us start with the first question…why broadcast the Road Trip on certain times of the year? Get ready for the million dollar answer to the multimillion dollar question, so buckle up! November is one of our four ratings period during the year – February, May, July, and November to be exact. We are in the business to bring content to our viewers in the hopes to gain a big enough audience to convince advertisers to pay us for ad time. But that is just the small picture, or the short term investment perspective.

I am a journalist not an MBA. The long term, bigger picture answer is simply this…we know that every television station in the market is promoting their television product in the hopes to also gain viewers. Even the biggest primetime shows are promoting to gain viewers during these monthly time periods. So, we are hoping to capitalize on those viewers clicking the remote to see something new and different, to gain someone that is willing to invest in a long term relationship with a quality news product. And now the bigger picture, we are on the biggest PR campaign a station can put together. We are out on the streets trying to meet our viewers, hoping that a one-on-one relationship will be yielded by some good ole fashion grass roots, city-to-city campaign.

So this leads me to the next question…why not put on the Road Trip year round??? Well, I go back to one of my earlier blog entries. We pull resources from many parts of WCNC-TV – from Special Projects, News, Production, Engineering, and Creative Services. We spend months getting ready for a month of broadcasts by planning and getting our regular jobs ahead so when we pull ourselves from our daily commitments, our station doesn’t fall apart! Our managers spend months and months budgeting, forecasting, promoting, and planning just to get ready for these month long campaigns. Logistically we would have to hire a staff to put this on every month of the year, so if you like the Road Show…you could email Belo Corporation to increase our budget for a staff to put this show on for your viewing pleasure!

And this leads to the final question, what is up with the Road Trip Extra starting at 4:30pm. Well, about a month ago…our regular 4:30pm show – A Current Affair – folded and went off the air. So we wanted to find a replacement that would be a good transition into our 5pm newscasts. So, we had already planned to do bring you the Road Trip for the month of November, well our brilliant minds decided to expand the Road Trip into a thirty minute show that would give you a better taste of each stop along the way.

So the point of this little thesis discussion is this…we want to find every opportunity to get out into the public to meet you – our audience. This is done in the hopes that we can forge more relationships while meeting our faithful viewers. This little discussion also provided perspective for our faithful crew…the reason why we are here, on the road. It isn’t about departmental territory, the ever present lighting discussion, or even who is working the hardest; it is about you the viewer! If we as the crew are creating a place where you as the viewer can enjoy a few minutes of fun, thought provoking content…then we have met our goal. See you tomorrow at 4:30pm…the Road Trip rolls on to the Merchandise Mart!

Bobby

Originally posted: http://www.beloblog.com/WCNC_Blogs/blogger/archives/2005/11/why_take_a_road.html

Round-and-Round in Shelby…

Well, it was train rides and carrousels in the lovely town of Shelby so the merry-go-round continued as the second week of Road Trip was coming to a close. Before I begin, I would like to throw a little shout-out to the peeps of Shelby, the Road Trip loves some Shelby.

Let me tell you…when we showed up, – once again – they showed us why we continue to make an appearance in Shelby. The lunch they had waiting was phenomenal!!! We had salad with chicken and tangerines with this homemade vinaigrette dressing and the desserts were enough to make you slap your grandma they were so good! My mouth is still watering, because I am still fixated on the carrot cake, cheesecake topped with apples, and the chocolate cake that just melted in your mouth. I know we are supposed to be at Providence High School Friday, but the RV might be headed back to Shelby for some more good eats! Oh yeah, I am still driving the RV, they forgot how much they missed me navigating the Queen Empress! She is a lovely ship!

With all the fun and good food in Shelby, a true testament to our ability to function as a team was ever so present! Our faithful director, Mariano Archdeacon stormed out of Shelby just thirty minutes before the show. He received a phone call that every parent dreads…your child is sick and your spouse is on the way to the hospital with their loved one! Now, I do not normally like to talk about personal situations, but today I felt it was appropriate. Mariano’s little boy is okay, and they kept him overnight for observation. But this merry-go-round of a Road Trip is more than just a bunch of stops in different towns, it is family.

This crew has been working together ever since we started putting together these shows back in May of 2004. We laugh, cry, and fight together…but we are more than a team! We spend close to ten hours a day together, we all know how what makes the others tick. And if you take one of us out of the mix, it is like your best friend has gone on a trip without you! Our hearts were with Mariano as he raced back to Charlotte to be with his family. Mariano, this family was thinking of you and yours!

Many companies pair groups together for many reasons! They evaluate strengths, weaknesses, personalities, and experience…this Road Trip crew was crafted together because we have what it takes to put on a live broadcast for a month from close to twenty different locations. But, we mesh together and know how to jump in during crisis mode to help when one is pulled from the mix. Our audio expert jumped in to direct (punch the show), our engineering supervisor jumped in to run audio for the sixteen different microphones and the station provided broadcast support to make the show clean and fun! We missed you Mariano and our prayers were with you and your family when you left unexpectedly yesterday!

Our fun little merry-go-round continues at Providence High School Friday where we will be showcasing high school football playoffs. See you at 4:30pm “as the Road Trip Extra rolls on”…I stole that line from Chuck Howard!

Bobby

Originally posted: http://www.beloblog.com/WCNC_Blogs/blogger/archives/2005/11/round-and-round.html

Introducing the Tray Cam…

PRESS RELEASE
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
November 9, 2005

Charlotte, NC – WCNC-TV and Belo Corporation would like to inform the public of their newest piece of technology, “Tray Cam”. “Tray Cam” was used for the first time in front of a live audience in Rock Hill, SC at the site of Ebenezer Grill.

It was used as a part of five camera, live television show entitled Road Show Extra. A wireless, lipstick size camera was attached to a serving tray (that was holding tasty fries and a chili dog), and was seen live when one of the hosts of the show delivered a plate of food to the other hosts. The most notable use of “Tray Cam” came when Mike Redding held “Tray Cam” in such a way that we could see Chris Justice remove fries from the red tray right into his mouth. This made for a picturesque view that brought the audience one step closer into the dimension of live television, almost to the point of scratch-and-sniff television.

“Tray Cam” was designed and developed by WCNC-TV’s Emmy Award winning Engineering Department. “When we were doing the sight survey at Ebenezer’s Grill, I was walking through the restaurant wondering how we could bring the audience closer to the action. Then I saw a lady delivering some fries and hot dog to a customer, and it cam to mind, let’s put a camera on a tray…’Tray Cam’”, stated Rick Grinstead – WCNC-TV Engineer. It is a tiny lipstick size camera attached to a wireless transmitter. This allows “Tray Cam” to wander anywhere – within a fifty foot range – and deliver hot tasty fries with a chili dog to a hungry customer and catch it live on television.

“Rick has been working for me for over ten years and I knew that his training and apprenticeship would pay off! I am about as proud as a boss and mentor could ever possibly imagine”, stated Steve Kiser – WCNC-TV Engineering Supervisor. Allison Andrews – Special Projects Manager – was excited with the new invention and knew it would play a tremendous role in the live production of Road Trip Extra, “When Rick came to me and said that he came up with ‘Tray Cam’, I was so excited…I couldn’t wait to add it to the show! It just made sense!”

WCNC-TV and its Emmy Award winning Engineering staff have been the authors of implementing new technology. This past May during the month long Road Trip Show, a new wireless transmitter was unveiled, COFDM. This piece of technology allowed for moving, – broadcast quality – live pictures and sound to be transmitted from distance of up to a couple of miles. It was first unveiled during a stop at Tweetsie Railroad. Chris Justice opened the show live while riding on the engine of the train as it was moving around the mountain. “WCNC-TV prides itself with coming up with new ways for our audiences to watch the news”, stated Jim Alvarez – WCNC-TV Operations Manager.

”Tray Cam” and all the many technological breakthroughs can be seen daily during the month of November on WCNC-TV’s Road Show Extra starting at 4:30pm.
See the amazing “Tray Cam” in action.

Originally posted: http://www.beloblog.com/WCNC_Blogs/blogger/archives/2005/11/introducing_the.html

Tour of the new arena – Bobcat Style

So let me tell you, man did I sleep good Wednesday night. I think I was in bed around 9:30 p.m., and for good reason. Our stop at Bobcats Arena was a doozy, that place is huge! Like any major sports arena, it took close to two hours just to get clearance to get inside the place to do the show! Our contact, Jamie ???? – I’m sorry I can’t remember your last name- had everything set-up and ready to go. But, you know how it is when each security guard needs to flex their muscles and justify their salary.

I think we moved our transmission truck at-least four times to suit the likes of Allied Security. And when we finally got access, we were having trouble getting power to our production truck. It is always that one connector you think you have, but hope you never forget… well, it was a simple power turn around connector that was creating a sense of stress. Thanks to the Bobcats’ Operations Staff, we were able to bring you full access to the arena.

The arena was absolutely awesome! The people who designed this place thought of everything when it comes to a modern venue to enjoy professional athletics. Where do I begin… well, the main entrance I suppose. When you walk in the front door, you immediately feel some sense of tradition in place that has not experienced professional athletics for an extended period of time. There is artwork covering all the walls featuring local and state athletes. Towering pieces that keep your neck bent while coming up the main escalator. And when you get to the main lobby – on the main level – you notice the floor has these interesting designs that make no sense what-so-ever.

Well, until you put your mind into a basketball mode. Yep, leave all your worries and stresses at the door, because what you are looking at is a bouncing pattern as if someone was bouncing a basketball across the floor. As you follow the bounces around the concourse and make your way to your seat, you notice…every seat in the place is great. You feel like you are actually are on top of the floor. There are seats that are set-up like a bar where you can sit, eat, and watch a LCD monitor of the game or any other sporting event.

If you venture up to the top, there is a place for parents and kids to hang-out. Dads, imagine a place where you can take your kids to watch a basketball game while they hang in a “kids area”. You can get a drink at the bar, let the kids play, and watch the game…”Honey, can I take the kids out again tonight???” And here is my favorite part, let’s just hope I can describe this technological luxury appropriately, there is an antennae that was built around the circumference of the arena that can provide data to watch video on your PDA or cell phone. You can even rent bandwidth on this antenna to provide data and information to people. Pretty cool… I wish I understood all the details.

And let us not forget that there are actual sit-down restaurants in the arena. This section of the arena is called the 333. It is not just your burgers, hotdogs, and pretzel type of place; it’s a full scale restaurant to enjoy some great delicacies before the big game. Man, I could talk about food all day! Not enough time because we are off to Rock Hill today, Ebenezer’s Grill. From restaurant to restaurant, the Road Trip has got you covered. It is going to be fun to get all of our equipment into this tiny restaurant. We have to be there early so that we can have everything complete before the lunch crowd arrives. See you there!

Bobby

Originally posted: http://www.beloblog.com/WCNC_Blogs/blogger/archives/2005/11/tour_of_the_new.html

How about an Apprentice or two for the Road Trip?

I was wondering what would happen if the next project for the Apprentice would be to put on a Road Trip Show for WCNC-TV. Could you imagine replacing our crew (outside of the talent – Chris, Sonya, Terri, Chuck, and Mike) with the Apprentice cast? The task would be specific, choose a location to put on the Road Show and the crew that has the most viewers wins! Haaaaa, they would SINK! It would be like last week’s episode where the group that put together a baseball display at Dick’s Sporting Goods and actually brought sales down by thirty-four percent. But the best part about this idea is that the process that would un-fold while preparing, directing, producing and actually shooting live television would make for some GREAT TV!

I can just see the debacle that would un-fold. One group would come-up with some lame idea for a stop that would sound good in the planning room but would be plain out boring television. I can see it now; they would choose a nature preserve with beautiful wildlife. A place where families and elementary schools come for an education experience…and no one shows up, and all they are left with is a room full of boring experts! In between the uhmmms and uhhs you could here the clicking of the remote control. CLICK, CLICK, CLICK.

The other group would probably choose a cool idea like a sporting event. This would actually be the best one for television, not because of the idea but because it would be a logistical nightmare! They would have ten different places to showcase and not enough cable to reach…only if the cable gods were with them that day! Oh…they would drag out the cable, but bust there butts trying to get from the interview of a coach on the floor to the interview with general manager in the suite. I can see that one camera, running with cable attached, up a huge flight of stairs and bust while running through the stands. Then you would see the project manager in the production truck screaming on their headset while Carolyn is in the background shaking her head, not trying to laugh. This could be great television.

And at the end of the day, they would go to the board room and the group that covered the sporting event would obtain a bigger audience, and the Donald would look at the other group and ask, “Whose idea was it to choose the Nature Preserve?” He would then say, “Even I know great TV, and that is not definitely great TV! YOU’RE ALL FIRED!!! As for the winning group, you all get one night stay in the lovely accommodations provided by Tom Johnson’s RV. You will be eating exquisite BBQ while sitting on leather chairs covered with purple lips, and have either moon-pies or oatmeal cream pies for desert. Go Enjoy!!!”

Well, let me tell you that last night was great TV at the Pep Rally in Matthews. Two sides with dueling bands and dueling cheerleaders! There was lots of action including two cheerleader teams trying to out acrobat each other. I was just waiting for one those girls to face plant into the asphalt. Well, apparently you – our viewers – thought it was great TV because a lot more of you tuned in to check out the spectacle! Well, tune in today at 4:30pm for Road Trip Extra as we head to the Furniture Mart in Hickory, and for those of you in Hickory…come on out for the largest furniture sale in North Carolina!

Bobby

Originally posted: http://www.beloblog.com/WCNC_Blogs/blogger/archives/2005/11/how_about_an_ap.html

What is up with these Renaissance people?

So we have only completed three Road Trip stops and my new running shoes have already taken some war wounds!

Allison Andrews (our leader and trusty producer) is getting the most for her money on this pair. I got these grey ASICS (with orange strips – of course) on sale for 40 bucks! They are just as comfortable as the $100 ones…and have orange! As you can tell I like the color orange. It stems from younger years growing up in Clemson. And to keep from stirring up the family gossip, I went to Clemson over Auburn. Well, it helps the decision when you have a scholarship and get to work in sports for your college career. My blood runneth orange!

Anyways, Wednesday night was quite the affair…from Terri pulling up her pant leg to get an ankle tattoo, to Mike starting a rope fire for some crazy dude to walk across. And don’t forget the “Tomato Justice” where everyone was throwing tomatoes at some wacky dude behind a wall. (Click here to watch the show) What is up with these Renaissance people and their pre-historic antics? We should have put Chris behind the wall for the “Tomato Justice”…renamed as “Chris’s Tomato Justice”. Then everyone could have belted him with a tomato for a little justice on Chris Justice. I didn’t tell that joke to well. I always screw up the punch line.

Click here for photos from the show.

So my question is why we didn’t we see Mike walk up the fiery rope. I mean, he put his life on the line the night before by being catapulted in the air by the crazy Russians at the big top of Cirque du Soleil. It took them two tries to throw him in the air and make him land on the platform. I think the Russians sabotaged the event by releasing him early and making him crash onto the side of the platform. They just didn’t want to get out done by a “Broadcaster.” Anyways, since Mike was eager enough to get thrown, why not try to walk up the rope of fire? I am sure he has great balance and it would make for great television…imagine the host of the Carolina Traveler walking the fiery rope. It’s like walking the plank. Come on Mike, step up to the plate…is that all you have to offer? I am sure Allison was thinking…what would it take to get Mike on the rope? Maybe Mike has a “no fiery rope walking” clause in his contract, WCNC needs to renegotiate.

Well, Thursday night I am sure we will deliver some good television. Just imagine, thousands of screaming, hormone induced high schoolers putting on a Pep Rally for television. I am going to wear my special swat gear just in case I get trampled, because all they want is TO BE ON TV! We will be in Matthews at the Town Hall for the Independence/Butler pep rally…the game is Friday night. Butler might just knock off the Mighty Independence??? Tune in for Chuck’s thoughts! I look forward to seeing everyone. I am glad we are confined to the asphalt parking lot of Town Hall, may be my new orange stripped ASICS might get a rest…nope, if Allison has anything to do with it!

Bobby

Originally posted: http://www.beloblog.com/WCNC_Blogs/blogger/archives/2005/11/what_is_up_with.html

When things go wrong…

So it just felt like when those final seconds ticked off the clock and sense of relief calms your nerves, a victory.

You wonder how a W in the win column happened after three interceptions, four fumbles, and negative rushing yards. I guess it falls on good ole fashion defense and gut check that allowed you to remember, your experience will take over. And it will be the overriding fundamental that keeps the administration and fans happy, the win…the one thing that makes the disgusting road to victory seem irrelevant. It’s just a win no matter how it happened.

Tuesday will be a day to remember. For our viewers, no one probably noticed the sense of panic and frustration that was the underlying irrelevance of a clean show. The fact of the matter is, well…we didn’t go to black, no one said an inappropriate line, and a camera didn’t crash to the ground. Mike was just as funny as always, Sonja’s calm demeanor was ever so present, Terri once again found a solution, and Chuck stretched his RV tour like a true sports anchor! As our leader and road mom, Allison Andrews felt the most stress as she could not communicate to her talent during the ‘pick your favorite microphone’ scenario continued until…until…well, until…ONE FINALLY WORKED! Good ole fashion wireless technology coupled with the same mind set when you forget where you set your keys, except this time the keys are actually microphones. Oh, by the way…we only have less than a second to get the right microphone so someone could talk, LIVE! Did I ever mention I love live TV!

And when the debacle was over, we still looked clean on air and the average viewer at home probably didn’t even know it happened. And if they did, they probably thought it was scripted and it made for great television. We walked away, wondering how we got the W…and still tried to figure out how the microphones got mixed up! We were quiet, no one blaming anyone but ourselves, wondering how we fueled this flame. And like a true head coach, our trusty leader took us into our own personal locker room (the RV) and proceeded to do what all great head coaches do…explain the night’s events and reassure us that we are a team, we worked well as a team, and we prevailed as a team…and when it comes down to it, the show must go on!

What was it that brought on the strange karma? Was it the purple lip sheets used to protect the leather in the RV? Was it the fact that the sun is setting differently, or was it that I haven’t even touched the Moon Pies yet and focused solely on the oatmeal cream pies? I think it was none of the above, the planets lined up perfectly Tuesday night to actually collide. And no matter how hard we worked, we couldn’t get the people Mike was trying interview – with the multiple microphones – to speak English. Cirque du Soleil is staffed with predominately French speaking people, since the show is based out of Canada.

The bottom line is this, a win is a win and the show went well! And only the staff of the Road Show will have stories to tell, but to the audience and the managers…it’s a good ole fashion victory. Wednesday’s kickoff is 4:30 pm at the Renaissance Festival, and the Road Show Extra show will begin a new day’s challenge!

Bobby

Originally posted: http://www.beloblog.com/WCNC_Blogs/blogger/archives/2005/11/when_things_go.html