Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Implosion Week

Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of "The Great Implosion."  A series of buildings on Lackawanna Avenue in downtown Scranton were imploded on a Sunday morning to make way for the Mall at Steamtown.

While WNEP did a nice job covering the events of that morning, I was working down the street, so I'll be writing about my friends and co-workers "back in the day."

I took this picture in our control room, in 415 Lackawanna Avenue that morning, and these are just some of the people who made the broadcast happen.  While they all did a great job, two need to be singled out.

Randy Williams is at the far left.  He was our production manager-- the guy who assembled the crew and equipment for the broadcast.  He paid great attention to detail and he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty.

The gentleman in the green shirt, seated in the middle of the photo is director Jack Kearney-- the one who selected the shots, pushed the right buttons, and got everything on the air.  I always say panic is contagious.  If someone is freaking out because of problems (and we had more than a few that day), it affects the rest of the crew.  Jack never panicked.  He had your back, and knowing he was in front of the switcher put everyone at ease.

Both Jack and Randy have left the TV business, and I was fortunate to have worked with them.

By the way, several people wore blue hard hats with the station's logo on implosion day.  I still have mine.  I wish I could tell you who came up with the idea, but I honestly do not remember.