...Something that should have gone better.
Let’s peel back the curtain to give you a look at the morning news process.
Thomas, our producer, drives the bus and makes the decisions. Tom and Mindi check in by phone, very early in the morning, to learn what’s going on and to offer input.
My fate is generally decided by the time I walk in the door at 2:30 AM, but I can, and do, offer suggestions.
Let’s take you back to Monday morning. Weather in general, and snow in particular, is big around here. People who worked in other cities say we are among the most weather conscious areas in the country. I suspect it’s because we’ve had just about everything bad at one time or another—flood, drought, snow storms, and even the occasional tornado. Putting me out in the Monday morning snow was the logical decision.
We debated location. Meteorologists said the most snow would be south of Interstate 80, and east of Interstate 81. “Top of the 80’s” was high on the list, but I really hate that shot. You’re in a parking lot next to a dark interstate highway. You don’t see much, and it’s even worse now that the sun rises later. On top of that, interstates get plowed and salted first. I’d rather be on a state or local road, one where there are lights and activity.
We then settled on downtown Stroudsburg. It was south of Interstate 80, and east of Interstate 81. It’s well lit. There’s always plenty of activity. WNEP’s Pocono Newsroom is on Main Street—so there was a bathroom available (see last week’s blog).
Perfect.
But, there was one problem. It didn’t snow.
We kept checking the radar. Blue splotches were approaching. We really thought we’d have something to show during our morning broadcast. About three flakes fell around 6:00 AM, and that was it.
What to do? Well, I think we have one of the most transparent broadcasts around, mainly due to the Snedeker influence. We show you when things go well. We show you when they don’t. I measured non existent snow with my ruler, we looked at little green plants pushing through the frozen soil, and a street sweeper going down the road—not a snow plow.
I heard the ruler bit was discussed on a radio station. Sorry, I didn’t catch it. Any publicity is good publicity. Thanks.
The above photo was taken from an Interstate 380 overpass near Gouldsboro. Yes, we hit snow on the way back to home base in Moosic.
Wait ‘til next year!
