Sadly, I am probably a better journalist...

Great journalist or great manager: Who would you prefer for a boss? | Poynter.

Cost of a drone < Cost of a chopper

"Newsgathering is not a 'business purpose': It is a First Amendment right
Newsgathering Video Drones Taking Off

Five feet away...

David Beckham was in the newsroom Wednesday.

We all knew he was coming but still, the energy was palpable as the time for his arrival advanced.

Some of us on the assignment desk debated his status in the "World's Most Popular Sports Figure" category but all agree he is in the top five.

The man knows how to win the room.  He was gracious. Smiling. Patient. And never wavered even when a twenty-foot line of adults immediately formed, post interview, for photos.  

Thankfully, it became a big group shot and although I was not among them I witnessed the most touching thing after the photos were taken.  

Our morning director had brought his young son in and Beckham immediately gravitated to the lad and gave him a few one-on-one tidbits on soccer that I am sure will never be forgotten.  You can see more pictures on this blog by my beautiful and clever co-worker Lauren.

It was a sweet moment.

I don't know if David Beckham will get the soccer stadium built where he wants it.  It's an unpopular choice with many powerful south Floridians.

I do know that I've never experienced such raw charisma since I saw Bill Clinton at the 1992 Democratic convention.

I love days like this.

At one point, David Beckham was five feet away from me.  It was a thrill.

Twenty-seven reasons!

Twenty-seven years ago today we promised we'd stay together. For richer, for poorer. In good times and bad.

There have been trials! But my annual accounting is never difficult.

1. I love that you (we!) figured out to watch Netflix on our fancy TV without Charlie writing down each step. (Push the power button on the black remote....)
2. I love your devotion to home decor--making sure every square inch of wall in our condo has something on it.
3. I love going to Key West with you. We could go this weekend but I'm on call...
4. I love tricking you into eating at Hibachi grills which I enjoy but you, not so much...until the food arrives.
5. I love picking the trotters with you at the Pompano track.
6. I love how you enjoy feeding squirrels who live in the trees outside our condo.
7. I love it when you ask me if 70-degrees is cold enough weather for chili. It's not but we can turn up the AC and make it anyway.
8. I love getting up first, making coffee, reading "your" paper (the Sun-Sentinel) until I don't hear you snoring anymore. That silence means it's time for me to start reading "my" paper (the Miami Herald).
9. I love grocery shopping at Publix with you to see your eyes roll in mock disgust at the slowness of the elderly.
10. I love how proud you are of down-sizing our storage to a manageable amount of stuff.
11. I love our Friday night dinners at Rotelli's
12. I love walking on the beach and picking up shells.
13. I love when you take the shells we picked up on Sanibel, and plant them on the beach on our side of Florida and watch tourists pounce on them like treasure. 
14. I love how you try to humanely trap the lizards on our deck so they don't get into the house.
15. I love how you complain about getting up early for Dolphins tailgate gatherings but still manage to have fun anyway.
16. I love that you insisted I spend New Year's Eve and Day with my family in Rochester, MN when Paula and Bob had the transplant surgery. You knew I wanted to go but that I was worried about the cost.
17. I love that you will eat a meatless meal every once in awhile, without complaining.
18. I love how irritated you get at the snowbirds.
19. I love how you always answer your cell phone when my brother calls.
20. I love how you keep trying to win the Powerball jackpot so I can retire. 
21. I am amused by (and thus love) your aversion to sitting at a red light for a few minutes and your goofy detours to avoid that fate.
22. I love that you bought us both bikes for Christmas which has led to delightful rides on Saturday and Sunday.
23. Subsequently, I love that you tricked out my bicycle with a bell, cellphone holder, water bottle grip and a place for my keys.  Ding, ding! Here I come!
24. I love how you drunkenly tried to write a message on a napkin at Irish Kevin's regarding your role in "Walk the Line."  And how you stayed in bed for most of the next day, recovering for the hangover.
25. I love how you talk  r e a l l y  s l o w l y  to our South American neighbor who does not understand a word of English as if that will make it easier. Just smile and wave!
26. Person of Interest! Blacklist ! House of Cards! I love watching certain TV shows with you!
27. I love that you love sushi. Let's celebrate this anniversary with spicy, crunchy tuna. 

Miami is HOT, HOT HOT!

Local News Competition Heats Up In Miami

Don't worry....be happy

WPLG-Channel 10 sold to Berkshire Hathaway - Business - MiamiHerald.com

Demand Rising For Enterprise TV Reporting

Read more here about a big reliance — particularly in the morning — on personality and credibility.

Demand Rising For Enterprise TV Reporting

From the WayBack Machine...a blog post from March 29, 2004

This was written a day after Carly and her boyfriend were robbed by gun-toting fools near the University of Memphis campus.  

we've changed our locks

One day after my child was robbed at gunpoint, we've changed our locks. And in spite of my dip into crime stats last night, what happened to us is not a story. Here's what we found out when we questioned crime patterns around the U of M:According to Michael Keidingfield, president of the the Shelby County Crime Commission...a study of all of the crime in the neighborhoods AROUND the U of M found that most common crimes were property related... And that crimes against persons were rare. 

More importantly, he says any recent incidents are "not part of continuing significant issue around campus." 

So...my bad for stating that I wish the U of M neighborhood was safer. 

The bad guy got her license (with our home address), her checkbook (also with our home address), her bank card, her keys and the aforementioned New Kids tape. He also messed with OUR sense of security once we realized Carly's house key was stolen. The strangest thing is that her bank card was used three times in the short hour between the crime and her conversation with First Tennessee. Small amounts, probably gas, at three different convenience stores. Shows that the perps were professionals, not newbies, at bank card theft. 

Whatever. It's a diversion, not a life changing experience, right? 

We'll see. 

The Griz are in the playoffs! I was distracted by the robbery last night and although I waited up until the Jazz lost, it was too late for the blog. Wahoo! May I gently remind you that I used the p-word way back on January 5? I'm just saying, is all.That said, tonight's game with Atlanta was get-the-lipstick-for-the-pig ugly. I know the Grizzlies HAVE NEVER won in Hotlanta but jeez, haven't they beat every other Eastern Conference team? Two overtimes, it took. My favorite Griz continues to be James Posey. Mike Miller is from the home state but he gets hurt too much. And I hope Pau Gasol suffered only a minor injury tonight. 

Let's go to Cleveland! I was there to look at editing systems and newsroom layout. We have spacial (not special) questions about our floor plan. But I also have basketball needs.. 

Bill Applegate, my former boss and mentor, treated me to courtside seats for last Saturday's Cleveland/Jersey game. My first opportunity to see LeBron in person. (His newsworthy website is worth a quick visit) LBJ did not disappoint. In fact, I'm convinced he's truly The Real Deal. He scored a career high 41 points and had the intensity and passion that was amazing to see. I was in awe. Still am. I tried to verbalize it but could not. Nor can I, in writing. There are plenty of places where you can read more about LBJ...you don't need to find that here. 

Cleveland...reminds me of a poor Chicago in many ways. There are too many panhandlers downtown. I gave a way a lot of money because that's just my nature but it made my walks uncomfortable. I like the architecture. All the buildings have character, all the houses look different. I had fun though because I got to spend time with my former GSM Lynda Nichols and my former GM, Bill Applegate. 

I miss them sometimes. Their questions made me better.

Fabiola got it right...we in media may say we hate the story. But we really don't

Fabiola Santiago: Bieber’s follies an only-in-Miami act - Fabiola Santiago - MiamiHerald.com

Suggestion to LEOs...

Dear Police Departments.
Please follow the lead of the Miami Beach PD and also, learn how to set up a YouTube channel ala the Kansas City PD so you can easily and instantly distribute videos.

Where were you?

This photo is courtesy of the Florida Democrats who tweeted it our earlier.  On another platform, I shared an op-ed from Jack Shafer of Reuters regarding the Kennedy assassination.  Probably the most shocking thing in his piece was that only 20% of Americans remember the day.  In our morning editorial meeting today there were only two who did.  Michael Putney, who was in college, and me.

My memory is this:

I was in the first grade at Kennedy #2, a one-room school house north of our farm.  In the afternoon of November 22, 1963, our teacher answered a telephone that rarely rang.  She turned away from us all and spoke quietly into the receiver.  Shortly after that, we were dismissed for the day.  Our teacher, Miss Uecker, told us that the president had been shot.

I walked home with my cousins who had a longer trek.  I remember that I was wearing red boots and that there were icy patches on the road.  I wasn't particularly sad about the president.  I loved school and was sadder about missing my afternoon geography.

When I got home, I was shocked to see my dad in the house  As a farmer's daughter, I was used to not seeing Dad until supper time, even in the winter, there were plenty of jobs outside to keep him busy.

This particular day was special for my dad.  It was his 30th birthday.  I think there was supposed to be a party but all I remember was my parents hushing us kids and watching TV.  For three days, the TV was on and they watched.  I did too but didn't really understand what I was seeing until the funeral.

Fast forward fifty years.  In the newsroom today, I didn't feel wise or special because I remember that day.  Only sad.  And old.  And grateful for the freedom we all have because despite our differences, this is still a great country.

This is the best thing you'll see all day.

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez reunites with his grandmother for the first time since leaving Cuba for the U.S. when he was 15 years old.

How to handle personal attacks on social media | Poynter.

Ha!  Remember www.peggyphillipblows.com ?  I could have used this advice then...

How to handle personal attacks on social media | Poynter.

A "banana spider"

How TV news can survive...

Topping Papers Using Web, Mobile, Apps

Summer in SoFla

The longest day of the year isn't too bad here.

Game 7 faces

My coworkers.

Memorial Day weekend project

A new study says....

Health care professionals and journalists say there are problems with the health coverage most of us get on our local stations. To avoid oversimplification and reporting heavily based on press releases, says physician and former broadcaster Tom Linden, TV reporters must be critical; "they have to know the language of medicine and science; and they have to have a good grasp of numbers and statistics."

Local TV Needs Rx For Its Health Coverage

My last "short Sunday"

This is my last weekend on the overnight shift.  Next Sunday, I can watch "Mad Men" when it first airs, if I want to.  I won't miss any more evening sporting events on TV, unless I choose to.  (Not seeing the Super Bowl and the NCAA Championship Game was painful!)  I got a change in assignment so for the next three days, I'm still the morning Executive Producer at Local 10 WPLG.

Next week, I move to a day shift and will be the Managing Editor.  Frankly, I'm thrilled.  The past five months have been both challenging and so much fun.  I've stretched brain cells that needed stretching.  

I've learned that I'm probably not ever going to be a great Executive Producer!

It's a REALLY hard job and I have such an appreciation for anyone who works overnights.  One of my talented co-workers, Constance Jones, told me early on that it changes you.  And it does.  

I found myself getting very anxious at around 4pm if I wasn't home so that I could get to bed by 6pm.  Sometimes, when John and I were house-hunting, we would find ourselves in Broward County, stuck in traffic, late in the day.  It really messed me up.  

In the beginning I relied too heavily on Zzzzzquil.  Followed by Monster or 5-Hour-Energy.  Don't even go to that Viet Nam. 

I made mistakes and most of the time, I learned from them.

News stories about how the lack-of-sleep effects always seemed to make it into the health segment of the newscast, probably the result of my own anxiety.

I experienced the AM/PM Freak Out--when you wake up from a nap and have no idea what day it is, let alone the time of day.  And you think you missed your shift and you wonder why nobody called.

But the one thing that I wanted to happen, never did.

I still haven't learned to look at a rundown and see much more than a grid with hieroglyphics that I struggle to understand while my younger co-workers read them like Dick, Jane and Sally.

So this is a good thing.  I'm looking forward to a new challenge.  And to spending evenings with my husband rather than drooling into a pillow while he tries to be quiet in another room.

Life is good.