Thanks David Pogue, I needed this!

Over? Did you say over? Nothing is over until we decide it is...

When the news hits too close to home

Wednesday morning was one just like most others.  Wake up, turn on the morning news, make coffee, read the newspaper.  Our morning team was dealing with breaking news that day.  A wrong-way crash hurt three people.  I-435 had been closed for hours and was still closed at 6am.  Bummer for commuters.

That afternoon, I was on a conference call and idly clicked on to my Facebook page.  A message?  How fun!  I clicked it.

"The girls in the wrong way crash are Ken and Diane's daughters," my cousin messaged.  "They are headed to KC right now."

Ken (Kendall) Wiechmann is my cousin.  Our grandfathers were brothers so we aren't first cousins. Second?  Third?  Whatever.  We went to school together, starting in the one-room school house through 12th Grade.  We had the same last name so we walked one after the other at graduation in May, 1975.  I went off to college and he started his own career.  We hadn't seen each other in years.

When we were children, Kendall was always just a little bigger and a little stronger than I was.  We had a typical "cousins" relationship.  Our farms were a mile apart.  He had a sister who was Pam's age and a brother who was Paula's age.  We played together.  We swam in the creek together.  We poured water down gopher holes together.

"You're ugly," I would say to him.

"You're dumb," he would counter.

And we would throw dirt clods at each other.  (A common childhood  activity in South Dakota.  Dirt clods look like rocks but aren't as dense and turn into dust upon contact.)

Back to Wednesday afternoon.  I was frozen.  I raced to the assignment desk where Killer pulled the accident report. KrissaMarie (age 22) and Kayla Wiechmann (age 26), both of Nashville (formerly of South Dakota), were driving home to see their family.

Rory Liberty, a guy with a relatively clean record, apparently driving under the influence, crashed into their car.

I didn't know these girls but my heart ached for their worried parents.  Thursday I waited for the driver to be charged so I could tell their parents.  I looked at the girls' pictures on Facebook and wondered at their lives.

Another cousin told me about the driver who was right behind them when they collided with Rory Liberty's car.  He put out the fire that started and stayed with them until the ambulances came.

That truck mechanic saved them from further injury and possibly worse.

My family is grateful to Richard Jewell.

KSHB-TV Post-Olympics Coverage 1996

Words defined in real life

Schadenfreude

It's good to be first but better to be right

I've waited a few days to post about the DEBACLE at the "networks" of CNN and FOX.  Shame.

Read more here.

Learn.

Never make the mistakes they made.

Flashback: Styx Fooling Yourself

I was helping read scripts today and came across one about a proposal to reduce possession of small amounts of marijuana to a non-felony.  I remarked (out loud) that when I was in college in the 70s, marijuana was decriminalized in South Dakota.  Less than an ounce = a $200 fine.

Everybody I knew smoked a little weed in the late 70s, I said.  Me too.

But then I said I didn't graduate from college.

There was a bit of silence for a minute or two and then we all went on with our day.

Bottoms Up! I'm a news director! Or am I....

On the way home tonight, for some reason, I was navel-gazing considering my job title.

News director.

And just at that moment the newest Sonic radio commercial played on the Royals pre-game show.  (The displayed Sonic commercial has nothing to do with this post, by the way.  I just like it because it starts with a Kansas City reference.)

The Sonic radio commercial I heard was a somewhat amusing riff on oxymorons.  Jean jacket, relaxing fuel, etc.

My job title is a contradiction of terms.  News director.  Bah!  I don't direct the news.  I have no control over the news.

I'm a news responder.

Most days, I feel like all I've done is respond (and react) to news.

(Everyone knows that if you make a plan for severe weather, it will by-pass us to the north or south.  But the second we don't have a plan, tornado warnings will strike without notice.  Floods, frogs, plague.  A certainty the one time you don't have a plan.)

How I love it!

Flashback: Grass Roots - Let's Live For Today

Ignore the over-modulated audio and appreciate this song for the message.  Plus it includes the fabulous Jimmy Durante who sings, as well.

What Is Newsworthy?

Although I am trying hard not to be a shill for HBO, I can't resist sharing the trailers/teasers they release about their upcoming series that starts later this month.

This is an interesting question that is not answered in this video.

For me, newsworthy means it affects a lot of people, may or may not include conflict although conflict is preferred or has a "holy shit" factor that cannot be predicted.  For me, most celebrity information is not newsworthy.  Most of the news releases emailed, faxed and mailed to the assignment desk as not newsworthy.  Most of the email tips we get from viewers are not newsworthy.

But.

We have to process each one.  And try not to make decisions based on our cynical views.

My new bucket list

50 Things Everyone Should Know

Reflections on a Career

John and I watched this movie the other day and this passage (part of the above clip) spoke to me:

I wouldn't have had it any other way. But there are times when suddenly you realize you're nearer the end than the beginning. And you wonder, you ask yourself, what the sum total of your life represents. What difference your being there at any time made to anything. Hardly made any difference at all, really, particularly in comparison with other...careers.

Leadership lessons in "Bridge on the River Kwai" are everywhere.  I wonder how many times my boss has watched this movie.  He loves movies and leadership and although I don't think he loves conflict, he definitely understands and appreciates Lt. Col. Nicholson's desire to build a great bridge and how conflicted he was, at the end.

We are building a bridge.  We want it to be the best bridge we can build.

But we can't be afraid to blow it up, if necessary.

Rushmore Mascots Hit the Road - Their American Journey

A fun thing happened at work today.  Four South Dakotans came to visit!  The Mt. Rushmore presidential mascots will be in KC all weekend.  Not surprisingly, the Secretary of Tourism knows my brother-in-law, Bob Drake.  Small world!

Welcome to KC, Len Jennings

Are you Larry's replacement?

Len Jennings Day at NBC2 - NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples, Florida

Juking the stats...as the May book winds down

"Shocking admissions"  "Big Announcements"  "Exclusive details."

Bleah.

Short term strategy doesn't equal long term gain.

Viewers cannot/will not be fooled more than once so avoid creating false anticipation.  Re-titling newscasts, producing 15 minutes of content when customers expect more will only work for a short time.

Only quality wins.  Quality equals investigative stories, memorable storytelling and never, ever making a mistake.

Not easy but it's the only true path to success.

Flashback: The Carpenters A Song For You

If iPods had been invented in the early 70s, the first 99-cents I would have spent on iTunes would have been The Carpenters.  I still miss this voice.  Gone too soon.

Random thoughts that keep me up at night.

Tip of the hat to DerpinaDurr

• Just read this week's issue of Sports Illustrated on Eric Hosmer.  We were at the K for five of his 0-for-7 at bats Wednesday night.  Time to send him to Omaha to get his head back on straight before he is completely demolished emotionally.
• Finally over the collapse of the Memphis Grizzlies AT HOME in GAME SEVEN against the Clippers.  Sorta.
• Feeling positive about our (41 Action News) chances to regain 2nd place at 5pm.  One week to go in the May book.  Ahhhh.
• Haven't watched any hockey since Charlie left and that's okay.
• I'm a judge for National Murrows and that will consume this weekend.
• Wondering when John and I will get a trip to South Dakota in.  I miss my family.
• Pulled a knife out of it's home in the wooden block too quickly tonight, lost the grip.  It flipped and  slightly sliced my wrist.  Wonder if that's a sign.  Ha!
• Seven of my 21-pack of Royals tickets have been used.  None of those games have been winners.
• Looking forward to the Chiefs season.  I get a jersey with any name, any number on it.  But they only allow for nine spaces/letters.  Awaiting permission from the front office to add two spaces to my "free" jersey as a season ticket holder.  I want the number to be 41 and the name to be Action News.  That could help me behave at the games.  Could.
• Got a message to call my doctor on Monday.  Four days later, I'm still trying to remember to do this during business hours.
• Not missing Charlie as much as I thought I would.  I'm very happy that he's so happy.
• My "farm" is growing nicely.  I've already harvested leaf lettuce.  Garlic, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, all in pots, are thriving.
• Thinking about Carly's upcoming we're-just-friends weekend with her former-boyfriend-Dusty-who-I-still-like.  Sorry Bebob, that's an overshare.
• Hope the Clippers lose in four to the Spurs.
• Playing five games at once of Words With Friends is awesome.
• Glad my Ford 500 is finally paid off.
• Sad I still smoke three cigarettes per day.
• Wish I could beat John at Gin Rummy more often.  He gloats.  Wish I could play the most formidable opponent ever, John's dad, even more.  We lost Bill almost a decade ago and I miss him.  He didn't gloat.
• Thrilled about my management team at work which is finally fully staffed.
• Still want a dog.
• Wish the Twins were better.
• It's been one year since we moved to South Kansas City and I love living here.
• John organized my side of the closet and did a really good job.  I still haven't thanked him.  I need to.
• Glad the Yankees aren't very good.
• Need more sleep.

Wisdom about any major life change (found on Pinterest)

Source: Uploaded by user via Aditi on Pinterest

Flashback: Hullabaloo

In our afternoon editorial meeting Thursday, Managing Editor Brooke Givens quoted a woman regarding this week's Time magazine cover photo.
"Oh my, that will cause a real hullabaloo..."
And I had a flashback to the NBC variety show I watched as a kid,.

Getting old is easier when all of my memories can be dredged up on YouTube.

I love this.

Meaning of Wiechmann Last Name - Surname - Family Name Wiechmann

Thanks Dad.  That's a good name.  I'll try not to mess it up.