The Sunrise Lowdown

WHAT A BIG FEW DAYS COMING UP: if you like football or just really hyped TV commercials than you’re in luck, the Super Bowl is this coming Sunday.  If you like politics or overly hyped TV commentators who tell you stuff you already know, then Super Tuesday is here for you too!  And if all this stuff makes you want to enjoy a kingcake and adult beverage you’re in luck, Tuesday also happens to be Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday)

LET’S FIRST BREAK DOWN THE SUPER BOWL: This is a tough one, because both of these east coast teams are from big markets who can overspend to get any athlete they want (New York and Boston)  I really don’t have a favorite in this one, maybe the NY Giants since their coach, Tom Coughlin, is a grumpy old-school kind of guy who always looks angry on the sidelines.  Actually for that matter, the Pats coach Bill Belicheck always seems mad too. 

THE NFL HAS YOU HOOKED: Think about it, what other organization can put on an event that has a big percentage of the population just watch because of the TV commercials? Isn’t the game what we’re supposed to watch?  Aren’t we supposed to hate commercials?  (oh wait, commercials keep the lights on at TV stations, they pay our salaries too)  Ok, my brain has finally kicked in.  Commercials are really a good thing, I love commercials!  If we didn’t have Super Bowl commercials, would we ever have heard about Spuds McKenzie, the Bud Bowl, pizza with cheese even in the crust, clear Pepsi (yeah, remember that) and even numerous celebrities pitching products they probably don’t even use.

THIS WILL MAKE YOUR DAY:  It’s the 1985 video of the Chicago Bears doing the Super Bowl Shuffle!  It’s complete with cheesy dancing by the players!  Even if you’re not a football fan you gotta watch this!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJNC3dgreaU

MY SUPER BOWL PICK: right now the Patriots are favored by 12 1/2 points.  I think the Pats will beat the Giants, but NY will keep it close and won't get beat by more than 2 touchdowns.

I LOVE GOOD SPORTS ANNOUNCERS: Is there anything better than watching an old college football and hearing Keith Jackson doing play by play?  Isn’t a baseball game with Vin Scully a wonderful thing? 

As for NFL football, some of the best announcers today aren’t even doing Sunday’s game.  Former NBC play by play man Dick Enberg is incredible at football, yet he’s on the #3 crew for CBS. Engberg has done a ton of Super Bowls for NBC should be on some more, it’s insane to put such a great talent not on a #1 crew.  NBC should have brought him back for their Sunday Night Football package.  Some other great NFL football announcers of all time in my view are Tom Hammond (highly under-rated by NBC, also should have been put on Sunday Night Football), Dick Stockton, Don Criqui, Frank Gifford and Marv Albert.

BUT MY FAVORITE NFL FOOTBALL ANNOUNCER OF ALL TIME: This is an easy one, it’s Pat Summerall.  The former NFL kicker went onto announce more NFC Championship games than anyone else in the business.  He was The Voice of NFL football during the 80’s and 90’s and is a big reason why John Madden became so popular.  Summerall was great because he let the game tell the story and didn’t shout over the action.  He didn't need to scream and shout when there was a touchdown or great play, thus allowing the crowd noise and video tell the story.  Summerall was also a great set-up man to Madden, the straight man you would say.  NFL football on FOX became a success because they were smart enough in 1993 to bring on Summerall and Madden as their #1 crew.  Football isn't the same since that combo disappeared.

Here are some great examples of Summerall’s voice which simply puts you in a football mood listening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6P39ezPKyA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHaf6xEi190

Pat Summerall & John Madden’s farewell on “another network” when it lost football in 1993.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPhp5Ni1C3o&feature=related

NOW YOUR TURN, TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE NFL FOOTBALL ANNOUNCER: click the comments link below.  Since college football is king here, if you can’t think of a NFL announcer but love a great college announcer, that’s fine too.

Recovering from Politics & A little NHL Hockey Too

WE’RE STILL RECOVERING FROM THE PRIMARIES: Spreading out 2 presidential primaries over two weekends sure can get a newsroom hopping.  It seemed strange to do the news and not read a story about where in South Carolina one of the candidates is appearing today.  Yes, our time in the spotlight has ended until four years from now.  It was nice to see such a buzz of activity in the capital city this past weekend.  The Vista was hopping and even the Columbia Inferno had a line outside the arena for their Saturday game with nearly 4,000 fans showing up.  That fan support provided a great atmosphere for those of us who were all burned out of politics.  I saw a fair amount of USC students at the game, so a big thanks to them for showing their support, hope y'all can come out again!

HOW ABOUT SC NATIVE JOHN EDWARDS? Wow, talk about a tough Saturday night for former NC Senator John Edwards.  The Seneca, SC native won the 2004 SC primary, but was a non-factor on Saturday with just 18% of the vote.  I covered Edwards during the 2004 election when I was in Raleigh, NC.  I was also with him when he announced his campaign a few days after Christmas on 2007.  Edwards was in New Orleans for that campaign kick-off and something just didn’t feel right back then.  Usually a candidate will be with their family and friends in a grand announcement.  Instead, Edwards was in the back yard of a home that was being fixed up by volunteers.  The only people Edwards had around him were a group of kids from that neighborhood.  Bad news for Edwards, I can’t recall the specific event, (tried a google search, couldn’t find it) but there was definitely something that pushed Edwards off the front pages. 

PERHAPS THE MOST TROUBLING STAT FOR EDWARDS: is his support among black voters in SC.  Many of his campaign messages have been aimed at lower income minorities, but it did not sell in South Carolina.  A CNN exit poll shows Edwards got only 2 to 4% of the black vote, depending on what age category you look at.  Here’s a link to the entire poll for both Democrats and Republicans in South Carolina  http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#SC

HERE’S WHAT MAY HAVE SUNK THE EDWARDS CAMPAIGN: Last year when the news about his $400 haircut in California and his recently purchased 29,000 square foot North Carolina mansion surfaced, it sure didn’t strike many voters like he’s a champion of the poor.  The 29,000 square foot mansion story was a big one in my former TV market of Raleigh, NC. 

 

LET’S CHANGE GEARS, I spent Sunday in Atlanta for the NHL All Star Game.  The brand of hockey didn’t exactly appeal to me; no checking and no fights.  But it was nice to see so many hockey fans in a southern city.  Here are a few snapshots of the event.

Warm Ups, before the game & over the top introductions...

A packed out concourse at Philips arena, and a shot of one side inside the arena which is all luxury boxes.  A unique design, it sure seperates the "high rent" customers from us lowly folks who can only pop for regular seats!

The fellow pictured to the left is the very classy Ron MacLean of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.  I met him at the 02 and 06 Stanley Cup Finals and he was very generous with his time to chat about hockey and do an on-camera interview.  (MacLean is Canada's version of Bob Costas, he's on everything) The fellow looking at the camera is Kelly Hrudey, a former NHL goalie who is the CBC's west coast game host. 

NOW BACK TO POLITICS, HOW LONG SHOULD JOHN EDWARDS STAY IN THE RACE? Click the comments tab below and let us know.  It sure seems like there’s a craving for a Clinton-Obama, one on one match-up, but I want to hear what y'all have to say.

My guide to a fun & cheap time in Vegas, Part 2

COLUMBIA INFERNO PLAY THIS SATURDAY, 7PM AT THE CAROLINA COLISEUM. There, it's my obligatory hockey plug.  Get out and support the home team which has only lost a couple home games all season!

WE ALL LIKE PICTURES AND SAVING MONEY TOO: so why not combine them?  My previous posting has some good tips to save some cash in Vegas, a place I spent some time in last weekend.  Well, here are some fun pictures too. (Click the pix to make it bigger)

The Downtown Fremont Street Experience in the day, not too impressive since the canopy isn't lit up.  As you'll see by the picture below, Vegas is way better at night. 

I LOVE DOUGHNUTS: and the best place to get doughnuts in Vegas is at a Chinese restaurant of all places.  Yes, I'm not kidding, All Star Doughnuts serves gigantic doughnuts by day, and they also dish up Chinese food at all other hours.  It's located a couple of blocks north of the Stratosphere Tower on Las Vegas Boulevard at Wyoming Street.  Trust me, you gotta go to this place, it will slam "Dunk" those "Crispy" national chains !

HOW ABOUT A TASTY HOT DOG FOR A BUCK? You can find one at Slots A Fun on the north end of the strip, next to Circus Circus.  I was not brave enough to consume one this visit, but I have in the past.  Here's visual documentation of what one looks like!

  Slots A Fun is probably the cheapest casino on the strip too, with 1, $1 blackjack table and $1.25 16-ounce tap beers.

WE END ON A SAD NOTE: One of my favorite old-school signs on The Strip, and it's accompanying casino, The New Frontier are no more.  The building was imploded in December to make way for yet another mega-resort.  The sign was a landmark because it had the old light bulbs and giant letters on the marquee.  Not anymore though.  At night the once glowing sign just sat, dark and sad.  Vegas changes darn near on a yearly basis, but sometimes bigger isn't always better.  Good bye old sign!

HEY, LET'S HAVE A WIS SUNRISE VEGAS TRIP? We have very loyal WIS Sunrise viewers, would you like to do a chartered trip out of Columbia to Vegas along with the WIS Sunrise team?  It's just a crazy idea, but why not see what y'all think.  Anyone wanna go?  Click on the comments link!

Hey Travelers, It's My Guide To A Cheap Vegas Getaway

I ALMOST CALLED LAS VEGAS HOME: Several years ago, I almost landed a reporting job in Las Vegas and am thankful that things did not work out.  Could you imagine living in a city where slot machines are in every grocery store and large casinos are the highlights of the city’s landscape?  There is no place in America like Vegas for all it’s good and bad points.  Perhaps it is such uniqueness that draws me to the city to vacation, but NOT to live.  For the past few years, I’ve taken a yearly trip to Vegas.  There’s not many places you can mostly lose yourself from reality than spending a few days in Vegas.  I stress a few days: anytime longer is just asking for trouble.

I ADMIT, I’M CHEAP: really, what’s wrong with trying to save a buck or two?  It’s human nature right?  Look at the day after Thanksgiving, people stand in long lines outside of stores in the early morning just to save a couple of bucks on some TV or towels or clothes.  So there’s nothing wrong with trying to have a vacation but not drain the bank account in my view.

VEGAS ISN’T THAT CHEAP ANYMORE BABY!: Don’t be fooled by the people who say Las Vegas is a cheap place to vacation.  The days of free food and free hotel rooms only happens when you drop a lot of cash at the casinos, something I try not to do.

I DO HAVE SOME TIPS TO DO VEGAS AND NOT GO BROKE THOUGH: (Legal disclaimer, these tips are mine and are by no means an endorsement by WIS-TV, it’s management or any other connected folks)

Go in the winter.  Vegas is darn expensive to stay in the spring and early fall. But in December (excluding New Year’s eve) and January, Vegas hotels are a whole lot cheaper. 

Stay Downtown:  Downtown Las Vegas features some of the older hotels and some of the classic Vegas names like the “Golden Nugget” and “Binions Horseshoe”  The new and fancy hotels are all on the “Strip” which is just a couple miles to the south.  The “Strip” is much larger and actually not nearly as pedestrian friendly and requires a whole lot more walking. 

Try to stay on more weeknights: Like most anywhere else, weekends in hotels are more expensive.  I paid a measly $30 a night to stay downtown last week on Wednesday and Thursday.  For the weekends, the price doubled to $60.

Gamble Downtown too: If you are inclined to spend a little time at a blackjack table or a slot machine, the prices are a lot better downtown too.  A typical blackjack table on “The Strip” will run you a $25 a hand minium on a busy Friday or Saturday night.  But downtown, you can find several $5 dollar tables.

Look for coupons: Yeah, this is a no-brainer, but coupons can save you big bucks.  We found a Las Vegas guide magazine downtown that had a coupon to redeem for several buy 1, get 1 free buffets downtown.  So for around $15.00, we got dinner for 2 at a downtown buffet.  Yummy!

Consider Vegas Public Transportation:  Driving around Vegas is one giant hassle.  Traffic on the strip is awful.  It can take a half an hour just to drive mile on the strip during an evening.  For just $5 bucks a day, you can buy an all you can ride bus pass that features a double decker bus that takes you from the strip to downtown.  There’s another bus that can take you from the airport to downtown for just $1.25.  That’s way cheaper than a cab ride!

Fly the red-eye back home: You can literally save a night on the hotel bill by flying on a plane that leaves around midnight Vegas time and gets back to SC around 8 or 9am.  I left on Sat around midnight so I still got the Vegas weekend experience but only had to pay for 1 night at the higher weekend rate. Also the lines at the airport are really small since only losers like me leave Vegas on a Saturday night!

Vegas shows Aren't Cheap:  They’re darn expensive, many more expensive than even New York Broadway shows.  Most tickets are $100-plus!  There are a few ½ price ticket stands around the city, so if you have to do a Vegas show, check out that stand.  Several downtown shows offer cheap afternoon shows.  I saw “Viva Las Vegas” at the Plaza downtown and found a free 2 ticket coupon in the booklet I found downtown.  (See item # 4, coupons)

Adult beverages are free if you’re gambling:  How’s this for a concept, the casino brings you free beer if you’re playing at the blackjack table!  For those of you responsible adults, this is a way to enjoy your time and have a tasty brew! Oh, non-alcoholic drinks are free too. (I recommend you tip your drink server, no need looking too cheap!)

Spend afternoons looking around, not gambling: There are plenty of people-watching and sightseeing to do on the strip. The mega-hotels all have ridiculously fancy places to gaze at, including the Ballagio’s water show, the Mirage Valcano and Treasure Island’s hourly pirate show.  These are all located out front of the mega-properties and are all free!

Free downtown Light Show:  Since I like downtown as a cheap hangout, there's a free light show on famous Fremont Street.  Four blocks of the street have this giant canopy which transform into a big light and sound show hourly.  Here's the link to the official website: http://www.vegasexperience.com/indexflash.html

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE: If the above tips are too tough to digest, here’s a condensed guide with specific names. (Again, the lawyers remind you this is a personal list, and does not constitute an endorsement by WIS-TV)

CHEAP DOWNTOWN HOTELS: most all of them, just do a simple search on any travel search engine.

CHEAP EATS: Downtown is again your best bet.  Also look for restaurants located off the strip in regular neighborhoods (if you have a rental car)  those places don’t cater as much to tourists and thus keep prices in check.

A COUPLE OF CHEAP PLACES ON THE STRIP STILL LEFT:  Yes, there are a couple of cheap places on the strip, (also known as Las Vegas Boulevard, which is south of downtown)  but the cheap places are disappearing.  Slots of Fun is perhaps the best place for cheapies like me.  For $1.25, you can get a tap beer.  The place has a few $3 minimum blackjack tables and even one $1 minimum table.  They also feature a .99 cent ½ pound hot dog.  Yes, a half pound hot dog, eat at your own risk! 

A couple of other cheap places on the strip to gamble are O’Sheas and Bills Gambling Hall (all located in the middle of the strip, near the Flamingo and Caesers Palace.  Also a couple of blocks to the east of the strip is a place called Ellis Island, a casino next to a Super 8.  Ellis Island features low minimums and a micro brewery which serves free full pint glasses if you’re gambling!

Hope these tips help out your next trip.  I'll post some pictures when there's time.  Click on the comments link to add any ideas to this list, and I'd love to hear about your favorite Vegas memory!

We're Political Central

ARE THESE EXCITING TIMES OR WHAT: to live in South Carolina.  The palmetto state will be in the national political focus over the next week and a half as we host the first in the south primaries. How much power do we have here, well consider the 44 other states that won’t have a voice in the presidential selection process.  If you lived just north of us in that “other” Carolina state, folks in the Tar Heel state won’t have their primary until May 6.  By that time the candidates may already be determined.  So consider yourself lucky, we get a big say in what will happen in this very crazy election process.  Even better, we get to see the candidates in person, eating BBQ with us, hearing them claim they like NASCAR, and then getting some good political answers on who’s better, South Carolina or Clemson!  But one good thing, all this media attention and candidate trips here has gotta help our economy .  The management at Hudson’s Smokehouse in Lexington tell me most all of the Republican candidates have stopped in (Mike Huckabee will be there tonight, Jan 15)  and those folks pack out the place.

IN A PREVIOUS BLOG: I chasized the natinonal media talking heads for rushing to judgement on the presidential election campaign, pointing out that NBC's Tim Russert said Mitt Romney was on "life support," despite leading in the delegate count.  Well, let's give credit where credit is due.  Russert is the best political interviewer on TV, as his interview with Hillary Clinton this past Sunday proved.  He's the politicians version of a dark alley, they don't want to go there.  Russert is both tough and fair.  As for his analysis about Romney, we'll have to wait and see. 

HANNAH’S OFF TO MOBILE, ALABAMA: this week with a delegation of government and business leaders to see how a program aimed at under-performing schools works.  Here’s an interesting tid-bit that both Hannah and I have in common, we have both lived in Mobile.  I worked in Mobile from 2000 to 2002.  It’s calle the City of Six Flags (named that because of the 6 flags that have once flown above the city by the respective national governments, the most recent being the confederate flag)  Here’s something else you may not know about Mobile, it’s claim to fame is the birthplace of Mardi Gras in the US, not New Orleans.  Mobile’s Mardi Gras is a big deal, although a little more family friendly than New Orelans.

SPEAKING OF OTHER CITIES, LET’S TAKE YOU TO NBC IN NEW YORK: a viewer snapped a couple of pictures of himself and his daughter, enjoying themselves at the ice rink at NBC’s Rockefeller Plaza in NYC.  Apparently you have to wait in a big line just to get a reservation for a time to skate on the famous rink.  Here’s Dan  Lisznyai and his daughter Katelyn giving us a big NBC hello from the Big Apple!

 

   THE BLOG WILL TAKING A FEW DAYS OFF: to do a little research at this weekend’s Nevada Caucus in Las Vegas.  Yeah, that’s the ticket, I’ll be there covering the event??  No chance of me even stepping foot in a casino or seeing a show.  Hard at work I’ll be, trust me!  So give Kara Gormley some love this Thursday and Friday on Sunrise.  (Hannah’s gone too in Mobile, AL)  I’ll share some pictures of the nation’s fastest growing city next week.  So if you don’t’ see me on TV the following week, then you’ll know 1 of 2 cenarios: 1) I struck it rich in Vegas, 2) I’m in trouble in Vegas.  Here’s hoping cenario #1 is the big winner!

Pucks, Pasta and Politics!

I HOPE TO SEE YOU THIS SUNDAY: at the “Pasta and Pucks” benefit dinner.  You don’t need to be a hockey fan to understand that helping out a children’s shelter is a good idea.  Well, my friends at the Columbia Inferno Booster Club along with the players are teaming to help out a good cause.  This Sunday from 5pm to 6:30, the Inferno players will be serving up a spaghetti dinner at the Our Lady of the Hills Catholic Church in Columbia (120 Marydale Ln, just off Bush River Rd). 

Admission is $13.00 for non-booster club members and you get a dinner plus help out the Nancy K. Perry Children’s shelter.  I challenge all Gamecock football fans, support your local sports team and a worthy cause all in one night.  Plus, you can feel free to harass me about the merits of hockey in Columbia and why it is important, in my view, to have a vibrant sports community in the Midlands.

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH NATIONAL POLITICAL PUNDITS?: I am a big fan of politics and it’s been a major part of my 10+ years of doing TV news.  Lately thought, I have been left scratching my head at some of the national TV talkers and their analysis on the Presidential race.  Just this morning on the Today Show, NBC’s Tim Russert said Mitt Romney is on “life support” after his second place finish in New Hampshire.  While he is entitled to his opinion, Russert failed to point out that Romney is a big time millionaire who has also raised more money than most of his opponents.  In addition, Romney is leading when it comes to the total number of delegates (the folks who nominate a person president at the convention)  Another crazy example, the analysts on the Fox News Channel said Mike Huckabee had a “strong performance” in New Hampshire, despite getting only 11% of the vote. 

Yes, I love political spin, 89% of people vote against a guy and he can have a “strong performance.”  Let me tell you one thing, if 89% of TV households chose NOT to watch WIS Sunrise, you can darn well bet Hannah Horne and myself would be having “strong performances” in the unemployment line! 

SAME GOES FOR ANALYSIS FOR THE DEMOCRATS: Weren’t those national TV news types also telling us that Hillary Clinton was in big trouble and might even drop out of the race? 

IF POLITICAL ANALYSTS DID SPORTS, can you imagine what that would be like?  After Ohio State was up 10 to 0 over LSU in the first quarter of Monday night’s BCS Championship game, would Tim Russert crown Ohio State national champs?  How about the Gamecocks’s strong start of the football season, maybe we should have just given them the championship and stopped the season? 

THIS IS THE TOUGH PART OF LOCAL NEWS: we have little time to try to tell folks what’s going on both locally and at times, nationally and even globally.  The challenge of our job is to tell you the information in a straight-forward, non-biased way and simply arm you with the facts.  So, here are the facts as we know them, 3 out of 50 states have participated in caucuses or primaries.  No doubt South Carolina will play a major role in what happens in this race, it’s one we can’t wait to cover.  But much a football game, this presidential thing has just kicked off, so let’s not get too excited until we’re in the fourth quarter.

HOW ABOUT THOSE POLITICAL ADS? My question remains, do TV ads from politicians really influence you?  Click on the comments link below and sound off!

Hey Presidential Candidates, Let's Have A Palmetto Party!

THE POLITICAL SUPER BOWL IS COMING: to South Carolina later this month.  The Republican Presidential primary is set for Jan. 19 and the Democrats get their shot on a day of their own the following Saturday, Jan 26. 

BRING ON MORE POLITICAL ADS: It’s become clear that the race is tight on both sides and this sure means you’ll be seeing more of the politicians on the tube. CNN reports that more than $40-million dollars was spent by the candidates in Iowa alone!  That is more than three times the amount of cash spent on ads in Iowa in 2004 (part of that can be explained by the fact that George W. Bush did not have a challenger in the GOP in 2004, while 2008 is wide open on both sides of the aisle)  So, if you haven’t seen enough of John Edwards telling us that his dad worked in a mill, or Mitt Romney saynig he's a successful businessman, you’ll be swamped after the New Hampshire primary wraps up on Tuesday.  For the record, Barak Obama spent the most cash in TV ads in Iowa, with $9 million spent.  Mitt Romney was the top Republican ad spender at nearly $7 million dollars.

I WAS IN IOWA LAST WEEK FOR THE IOWA CAUCUSES: “on assignment” as we’d say in the TV business doing some work for the station that did not appear on TV.  It was interesting to see how the event is such a big deal to the state of Iowa.  There sure seemed to be a “buzz” in the air and a lot of folks were out and about wearing their political buttons and there were more than enough political lawn signs and bumper stickers to go around.  The neat thing about the process we’re going through is the access you can have to the candidates.  I spent 10 days in Iowa in 1996 covering the caucus while in college.  If you truly want to hear what the candidates have to say I would recommend attending one of their many rallies here in South Carolina.  We simply admit there’s not enough TV time to air lengthy speeches from every candidate on the news, but seeing them and the accompanying political show in person is a great experience.  Although the thing you learn about covering these folks is they pretty much say the same message in each speech.  If you saw Barak Obama or Mike Huckabee last week, chances are they’ll say the same thing this week, along with the rest of the candidates.  It’s all about staying on message and the politicians who are good seem to stick to the script. 

DO POLITICAL ADS SWAY YOU? That’s what I’m curious about.  Jump into the fray and click on the comments link below to let your voice be heard.  Oh, least we forget, I’m Brian DeRoy and I have approved this message!