UPDATE - CHARGES DISMISSED IN THIS CASE
According to the High Point Enterprise and High Point Police Public records local TV Reporter (named removed by request) was charged with assault on a female after an altercation before an 11pm Newscast Liveshot.
Apparantly he was planning to do a live shot in front of a house with a For Sale sign to illustrate a story about Guilford County School Redistricting and parent planning to sell and move.
The homeowner of the house with the for sale sign took out the warrant after she says he grabbed her and tried to pull her to the ground. She was trying to remove the sign from her front yard before the Live report.
The Enterprise says that the reporter got in his car and left the scene when the woman went to call the police, leaving his photographer at the scene, presumably with the live truck.
He turned himself in to the magistate's office after the warrant for misdemeanor assault was issued.
According to his bio on the station Website he has been there since April of 2005 as the station's local school's reporter.
The bio says he has 10 years of news experience(since he was 18?) and he is quoted on it saying, "I walk away from each story with a different perspective on my life and the people around me.”
The bio also says, "In his spare time, (he) spends a lot of time at the gym lifting weights..."
He was released on a written promise to appear.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Friday, February 24, 2006
Flight Path
Big Plane
I took these pictures recently on the north end of Greensboro. This Fed Ex MD-11 flew over and my eyes got big and I couldn't find my camera. I was bummed. I had missed the shot. But soon I realized that, either they were doing touch and go's, landing and taking off over and over, or there were multiple Heavies landing at the airport. I think the former is the case.
I got the picture...a couple of times.
That MD-11 looked huge as it flew the low approach to PTI. It looked especially large for 2 reasons.....most of the planes landing at PTI are relatively small comared to this DC-10s younger, more electronically advanced cousin.
The other thing was the forced perspective of this jumbo jet flying over the shopping center as if it was setting down in the loading zone.
It was a truely impressive site.
I don't get what those homeowners in the flight path of the airport are complaining about. I could watch planes land all day. ;)
I got the picture...a couple of times.
That MD-11 looked huge as it flew the low approach to PTI. It looked especially large for 2 reasons.....most of the planes landing at PTI are relatively small comared to this DC-10s younger, more electronically advanced cousin.
The other thing was the forced perspective of this jumbo jet flying over the shopping center as if it was setting down in the loading zone.
It was a truely impressive site.
I don't get what those homeowners in the flight path of the airport are complaining about. I could watch planes land all day. ;)
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Just Pictures
Where I've been
Guilford County Board of Education Building in the background of where my camera sets on the tripod.
The Towering Tripod
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
BREAKING
Heidi does Denver
KUSA
===
Update:
- Here is a video link to one of here stories that I'm pretty sure she had a photog on. It's a sweeps piece about vanity license plates.
- Another story, fully self produced, about Mardi Gras.
- A Credit Score Story
===
Backpack Journalist Heidi McGuire is making the jump from WFMY in Greensboro take a job at one of the best Photography driven shops there is, KUSA in Denver, both of which are owned by Gannett.
Last year I showed you the pictures of Heidi while she was out and about as a BackPack Journalist, shooting her own video and doing her own reports. She has apparently mastered the task of shooting, interviewing, writing and reporting the news without any help from a camera toting cohort.
According to The Denver Post Heidi will be doing the same solo work at KUSA.
The Photography Staff at KUSA has brought home the NPPA Station of the Year Award in 1984, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1997, 1998 and 2000.
I always thought Heidi did a great job here in Greensboro running the streets wielding her own weapon of Mass Production, but I never would have figured that she'd continue doing it, especially in that market at that station!
But it kind of makes sense. Part of what makes Denver and KUSA such a strong Photographry driven Market is the fact that Photojournalists there have always been willing and able to produce their own work, whether producing photo essays or using their station's professional voices to read their stories.
I wish Heidi the best of luck in her new endeavor!
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Snow Days
Frozen Fingers
and Food Lion
I just read another one of Stewart "Lenslinger" Pittman's great little anecdotes about TV Photogin' and it sparked my mind back in time to the Winter of 1996. I was working in my own little TV Photog world in Goldsboro, NC, I was a 3 year veteran and I just knew the day had come (again) when I was going to be fired from my first TV Job.
I was called on the carpet for something that I didn't even do.(at this particular junction in time anyhow)
My NewsDirector/Anchor/Reporter(just one man) and I had gotten permission to shoot the bread and milk at a grocery chain during the onset of the first winter snow. My buddy, the assisstant manager of the store, had allowed me in before for this type of coverage and he obliged again. But soon after I commenced gathering some bread and a little milk onto my Beta SP my friend brought me some less than pleasing news. We had to leave, so says the district manager.
I raised my arm to summons my TV Talking Cohort to the camera and told him the deal and we quitely left, though displeased with the setback.
On the way back to the office we got a call from our bosses asking what had happened at the Grocery store. I could tell in the voice over the phone that something was askew. I gave my version as I have laid out for you here and I was confronted with accusations of Flying the Bird in the Grocery Store. It didn't help that they were a large revenue source for our small time news operation. I pleaded my case in a lengthy meeting at the office, trying to even reckon how they thought I had flown the bird.
I was called on the carpet for something that I didn't even do.(at this particular junction in time anyhow)
My NewsDirector/Anchor/Reporter(just one man) and I had gotten permission to shoot the bread and milk at a grocery chain during the onset of the first winter snow. My buddy, the assisstant manager of the store, had allowed me in before for this type of coverage and he obliged again. But soon after I commenced gathering some bread and a little milk onto my Beta SP my friend brought me some less than pleasing news. We had to leave, so says the district manager.
I raised my arm to summons my TV Talking Cohort to the camera and told him the deal and we quitely left, though displeased with the setback.
On the way back to the office we got a call from our bosses asking what had happened at the Grocery store. I could tell in the voice over the phone that something was askew. I gave my version as I have laid out for you here and I was confronted with accusations of Flying the Bird in the Grocery Store. It didn't help that they were a large revenue source for our small time news operation. I pleaded my case in a lengthy meeting at the office, trying to even reckon how they thought I had flown the bird.
Apparantly it runs in the family...My sister telling me off.
After some question asking of my own I figured out that some other girl working at the grocery store had seen my arm fly into the air from a distance and my left after she knew I'd been told to leave. She interpreted that as the F-You then and told the district manager who promptly called my bosses.
I told my theory to them, but I had to call my friend at the store to clear things up. The uproar was settled, but I don't know that they ever really believed my. My NewsDirector/Anchor/Reporter(just one man) knew it was a crock but it was still tense for a couple of days.
After some question asking of my own I figured out that some other girl working at the grocery store had seen my arm fly into the air from a distance and my left after she knew I'd been told to leave. She interpreted that as the F-You then and told the district manager who promptly called my bosses.
I told my theory to them, but I had to call my friend at the store to clear things up. The uproar was settled, but I don't know that they ever really believed my. My NewsDirector/Anchor/Reporter(just one man) knew it was a crock but it was still tense for a couple of days.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Memphis vs. Greensboro
Intracity Blogsquables
Greensboro is the Blogtropolitan of the east coast, Blogsboro as dubbed by the LA Times but it's another major Blogicipality, just east of the Mississippi, Memphis Tennessee that's in the middle of what could be an interesting blog-squable.
It involves major media players of Memphis, much like the New and Record Vs. WFMY spat over alleged plagerism.
In Memphis it's WMC News Director Peggy Phillips' Blog vs....well....they prefer to remain annonymous, but it's clear that they work at the other TV Stations there. The 4 writers of the new blog, PeggyBlues, is an attempt to rebut some of the things that WMC News Director Peggy Phillips writes on her blog about the other Newsmakers, Shakers and Movers of Memphis, Tennessee.
I read Peggy's blog a couple of times a week but it was through the blog of Jamey Tucker, another (on the way out of)Memphis blogger, that I first saw the PeggyBlues Story. Jamey writes that he's surprised it took this long for anyone to rebut Peggy's strong willed and heavily opinionated writing.
The writers of PeggyBlues say after 2 years, enough is enough. The writers sent an open letter to Peggy on February 2nd writing that she's "gone to far" and that she's in for "the ride of your life".
Peggy links back to them 10 days later with a quick post of her own, taunting them, trying to help them have more than just the 4 "anonymous" authors as the site's readers.
I don't profess to know all of the politics of the Memphis TV scene, but this looks like it could produce some good entertainment.
In the meantime, here are some interesting comparisons between other areas of life in Greensboro and Memphis.
Although Memphis itself it larger city on its own, both cities are the center of a similarly sized Metro Area.
Memphis Boasts the National Civil Right's Museum. Greensboro is building the International Civil Right's Museum.
Memphis is home to the King of Rock, Elvis Pressley. Greensboro can claim the King of NASCAR, Richard Petty, if you make the trip 10 miles out of the city limits and into Randolph County.
Memphis has the International BBQ Cooking Contest. Greensboro's Neighbor, Lexington, just 20 miles to the south has the BBQ Festival and is the BBQ Capital of the World.(NO CONTEST NEEDED!)
It involves major media players of Memphis, much like the New and Record Vs. WFMY spat over alleged plagerism.
In Memphis it's WMC News Director Peggy Phillips' Blog vs....well....they prefer to remain annonymous, but it's clear that they work at the other TV Stations there. The 4 writers of the new blog, PeggyBlues, is an attempt to rebut some of the things that WMC News Director Peggy Phillips writes on her blog about the other Newsmakers, Shakers and Movers of Memphis, Tennessee.
I read Peggy's blog a couple of times a week but it was through the blog of Jamey Tucker, another (on the way out of)Memphis blogger, that I first saw the PeggyBlues Story. Jamey writes that he's surprised it took this long for anyone to rebut Peggy's strong willed and heavily opinionated writing.
The writers of PeggyBlues say after 2 years, enough is enough. The writers sent an open letter to Peggy on February 2nd writing that she's "gone to far" and that she's in for "the ride of your life".
Peggy links back to them 10 days later with a quick post of her own, taunting them, trying to help them have more than just the 4 "anonymous" authors as the site's readers.
I don't profess to know all of the politics of the Memphis TV scene, but this looks like it could produce some good entertainment.
In the meantime, here are some interesting comparisons between other areas of life in Greensboro and Memphis.
Although Memphis itself it larger city on its own, both cities are the center of a similarly sized Metro Area.
Memphis Boasts the National Civil Right's Museum. Greensboro is building the International Civil Right's Museum.
Memphis is home to the King of Rock, Elvis Pressley. Greensboro can claim the King of NASCAR, Richard Petty, if you make the trip 10 miles out of the city limits and into Randolph County.
Memphis has the International BBQ Cooking Contest. Greensboro's Neighbor, Lexington, just 20 miles to the south has the BBQ Festival and is the BBQ Capital of the World.(NO CONTEST NEEDED!)
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Busy
I haven't been shooting a lot of pix lately and the ones I have shot I haven't downloaded on a timely basis. I think this is basically because during the 4 months of the year we in TV call 'SWEEPS' our lives are put into Fast Forward. We are either working on a story for that day and are definately going to be live or we are deeply immersed in special project stories that we try to take our time making sure they are extraordinarily great.
I have not been out on as many Live shot's lately because of shooting and editing sweeps pieces. I took these two pictures when I ran into Caron and Joe sitting in Thomasville almost two weeks ago.
They were busy editing a package for 5 and I was headed back to the station after a shoot.
Then this past week Caron and I worked together, getting a late start for a story on an event that didn't even start until 4:30.
We did get a couple of interviews between 3 and 4 and we were able to sling a minute and a half story together for 5. (It was even pretty good.)
And now, Monday morning's almost here. I have a sweeps piece that airs at 10 on Monday. It's half finished. It's 4 minutes long. It's gonna be great!
I have not been out on as many Live shot's lately because of shooting and editing sweeps pieces. I took these two pictures when I ran into Caron and Joe sitting in Thomasville almost two weeks ago.
They were busy editing a package for 5 and I was headed back to the station after a shoot.
Then this past week Caron and I worked together, getting a late start for a story on an event that didn't even start until 4:30.
We did get a couple of interviews between 3 and 4 and we were able to sling a minute and a half story together for 5. (It was even pretty good.)
And now, Monday morning's almost here. I have a sweeps piece that airs at 10 on Monday. It's half finished. It's 4 minutes long. It's gonna be great!
Happy Birthday MeMa
My Mom's Mom, who I have always called MeMa, turned 80 this past Saturday. My mom and sister planned a surprise birthday party for her that involved my wife, our 5 kids and I being in her house when she and my mom and sister arrived. I wasn't so sure that kind of surprise would be great on an 80 year old heart, but it all worked out.
This is my entire direct family on my Mom's side. Other than my MeMa brothers and sisters and their siblings, this is it.
MeMa reminded me of our gathering when she turned 70 and I was 22. My oldest son was 18 months.
That seems like yesterday!
I got to thinking about that in terms of the next ten years. When she makes it to 90 my two boys will be 21 and 17. My step-youngins will be 21, 19 and 16.
This is my entire direct family on my Mom's side. Other than my MeMa brothers and sisters and their siblings, this is it.
MeMa reminded me of our gathering when she turned 70 and I was 22. My oldest son was 18 months.
That seems like yesterday!
I got to thinking about that in terms of the next ten years. When she makes it to 90 my two boys will be 21 and 17. My step-youngins will be 21, 19 and 16.
Friday, February 03, 2006
Big Links....
I have to post 2 Big Links this week. I was out of town last week and forgot to post it.
This weeks Big Link is the Big Link authority himself... the man who stopped by to say hey and chat and take my picture while I was on assignment today in Greensboro and then blog about it(Thanks! Love it!)... the man who needs no introduction... Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you this week's Big Link.......Billy the Blogging Poet. (applause)
And now, from last week... a week that I spent out of town trying to bring back the big prize... Last week's Big Link... Greensboring dot com.
This weeks Big Link is the Big Link authority himself... the man who stopped by to say hey and chat and take my picture while I was on assignment today in Greensboro and then blog about it(Thanks! Love it!)... the man who needs no introduction... Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you this week's Big Link.......Billy the Blogging Poet. (applause)
And now, from last week... a week that I spent out of town trying to bring back the big prize... Last week's Big Link... Greensboring dot com.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Everybody Loves Cheerleaders
I drew long straw this morning and didn't even know it.
After a 10am series shoot with Ms. Julie Luck, I went to lunch.(It was noon after all)
After lunch(actually got an hour today) I picked up my next assignment...a one hour drive to Pine Hall (which isn't really even on the map)to pick up a quick VoSot(if you consider a 2 hour round trip quick) at Rockingham county's largest employer, which is looking to hire about 40 more of the county's finest.
An hour drive back to High Point and I am faced with my next assignment set to start at 5. With just enough time on the clock to finish up a series edit and teases for 10 I was off to the Greensboro coliseum to meet up with these ladies.
Today was the day....tryout day for the cheerleaders of Greensboro's new Arena Football, The Greensboro Revolution. Lots of young ladies turned out for the tryouts, warming up and dancing around well before the judges arrived.
I had to get in and out pretty quickly to have it on air by 6, so I didn't see the girls when they were in front of the judges. But it should have been an impressive tryout, considering the cheering background these girls all have.
They did a quick warm up with a mix-CD that gave me the footage I needed for 6, I did a quick interview and I was gone.
Good Luck Girls. I'm sure I'll see you at a game.
After a 10am series shoot with Ms. Julie Luck, I went to lunch.(It was noon after all)
After lunch(actually got an hour today) I picked up my next assignment...a one hour drive to Pine Hall (which isn't really even on the map)to pick up a quick VoSot(if you consider a 2 hour round trip quick) at Rockingham county's largest employer, which is looking to hire about 40 more of the county's finest.
An hour drive back to High Point and I am faced with my next assignment set to start at 5. With just enough time on the clock to finish up a series edit and teases for 10 I was off to the Greensboro coliseum to meet up with these ladies.
Today was the day....tryout day for the cheerleaders of Greensboro's new Arena Football, The Greensboro Revolution. Lots of young ladies turned out for the tryouts, warming up and dancing around well before the judges arrived.
I had to get in and out pretty quickly to have it on air by 6, so I didn't see the girls when they were in front of the judges. But it should have been an impressive tryout, considering the cheering background these girls all have.
They did a quick warm up with a mix-CD that gave me the footage I needed for 6, I did a quick interview and I was gone.
Good Luck Girls. I'm sure I'll see you at a game.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Alert 2 - PTI...Really!
It's a weekly occurrence, sometimes twice. The scanners on the Assignment Desk come alive with the sound tones followed by the voice of a Guilford County 911 dispatcher who dispatches Fire and EMS units to PTI airport.
Sometimes it's an Alert 1, sometimes Alert 2 but you can bet that whenever this particular scanner action happens that some lucky photog from our shop will hit the highway awaiting further instruction while enroute.
Today it was my turn, again. I had been editing a sweeps piece, but had just hit the road to Greensboro for another sweeps shoot that ended up being cancelled. Just as I started to turn around and head back to the edit bay my mobile scanners came alive with the sounds of an Alert 2.
A plane was inbound with a landing gear malfunction. It's right landing gear was stuck halfway up (or down depending on how you look at it). It was 30 miles out and inbound to runway 23.
As soon as I heard the call I made the turn North on 311 to make the, not as easy as it should be, trip to the airport. It wasn't long after that my pager buzzed from the desk with instructions for me to head that way. I grabbed my phone and relayed my status drove on with an ear to the scanner for the words that so often follow the Alerts.
"All units responding to Alert at PTI, cancel, plane has landed safely."
But not this time. I didn't hear much in the time frame that I thought the plane should have landed. I checked and double checked my frequencies as I neared the airport thinking I may get to the airport in time to see the plane land. I was just arriving at the airport when the desk called me telling me to cancel, but I told them I hadn't heard the airport cancel the emergency crews, only that some units were being released from the scene.
In fact the plane had landed and I only missed it by a few minutes. It touched down on the runway with it's right gear still not deployed as it should be and the plane skidded off the right side of the runway and into the grass before coming to a stop.
There were 4 people on the plane and no one was hurt.
The main runway to the airport was closed down and all flights in and out of the airport was sent down to the shorter runway runs parallel to Market Street.
Sometimes it's an Alert 1, sometimes Alert 2 but you can bet that whenever this particular scanner action happens that some lucky photog from our shop will hit the highway awaiting further instruction while enroute.
Today it was my turn, again. I had been editing a sweeps piece, but had just hit the road to Greensboro for another sweeps shoot that ended up being cancelled. Just as I started to turn around and head back to the edit bay my mobile scanners came alive with the sounds of an Alert 2.
A plane was inbound with a landing gear malfunction. It's right landing gear was stuck halfway up (or down depending on how you look at it). It was 30 miles out and inbound to runway 23.
As soon as I heard the call I made the turn North on 311 to make the, not as easy as it should be, trip to the airport. It wasn't long after that my pager buzzed from the desk with instructions for me to head that way. I grabbed my phone and relayed my status drove on with an ear to the scanner for the words that so often follow the Alerts.
"All units responding to Alert at PTI, cancel, plane has landed safely."
But not this time. I didn't hear much in the time frame that I thought the plane should have landed. I checked and double checked my frequencies as I neared the airport thinking I may get to the airport in time to see the plane land. I was just arriving at the airport when the desk called me telling me to cancel, but I told them I hadn't heard the airport cancel the emergency crews, only that some units were being released from the scene.
In fact the plane had landed and I only missed it by a few minutes. It touched down on the runway with it's right gear still not deployed as it should be and the plane skidded off the right side of the runway and into the grass before coming to a stop.
There were 4 people on the plane and no one was hurt.
The main runway to the airport was closed down and all flights in and out of the airport was sent down to the shorter runway runs parallel to Market Street.
Local Emmy Winner
Even though it's been fairly well documented that my two Emmy nominations didn't result in a win, I would like to congratulate photojournalist Austin Gwin from WFMY for bringing home the Triad's only Emmy this year.
Austin won the Emmy in the Editor / News Category for a story called 'The Big Bang' that was a compalation of all the camera angles that he had at his disposal from the May 2005 Burlington Industries Implosion.
Austin didn't make the trip out to Nashville and was watching on TV at home when he saw that he won.
I took this picture of Austin Monday at an impromptu press conference about the passing of Corretta Scott King.
Expect to see Austin with the Emmy in hand in the near future, instead of a light stand. And expect him to consider heading to Nasvhille the next time he's nominated for an Emmy!!!
Austin won the Emmy in the Editor / News Category for a story called 'The Big Bang' that was a compalation of all the camera angles that he had at his disposal from the May 2005 Burlington Industries Implosion.
Austin didn't make the trip out to Nashville and was watching on TV at home when he saw that he won.
I took this picture of Austin Monday at an impromptu press conference about the passing of Corretta Scott King.
Expect to see Austin with the Emmy in hand in the near future, instead of a light stand. And expect him to consider heading to Nasvhille the next time he's nominated for an Emmy!!!
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