Me, Her, the Boy and a Dog
Also, I founded the GoFightWinVT Tumblr, so if you're a Hokie, give it a follow. And, feel free to check out my Project 365 Tumblr.
GPOYW: More than 11 years ago, I made my TV anchoring debut on WSLS in Roanoke. I had been a reporter before, but this was my first anchoring gig.
WDBJ7, the CBS affiliate in Roanoke, did a live shot from outside of my office building yesterday afternoon. All because of that little bear that made its way onto the pedestrian bridge that leads from the parking garage to the building.
This is just one of the many reasons I chose to get out of the local news business. At one time in my career, I was the guy behind the camera. I got so sick of doing these non stories. C’mon, this was nothing. It was a kicker story — the last story of a broadcast. You know, the fluff piece you see at the end to make everyone smile?
Yeah, no. This was in their A-block, the first segment of news. THEY DID A LIVE SHOT. I concede that this is somewhat newsworthy, but it’s not like it was a big black bear that could have ripped people to shreds. It was a bear cub.
I love living in Southwest Virginia. The pace is slower compared to Northern Virginia (which is were I was) and I love living in the mountains. But the local news down here is awful. And I hate saying that because I still know a lot of the people at WSLS and WDBJ and I know they work hard. But it’s just being in this part of the state where almost every day is a slow news day.
On the other hand, at least we’re getting bear cub stories instead of double and triple murder stories on the nightly newscast like you do in D.C. or New York. No thanks. I’ll take the “Bear Cub Terrorizes Workaholics on a Sunday” as a lead story any day of the week.
