The Sunrise Lowdown

Talk about racking up frequent flier miles!!

DOES MATT LAUER HAVE THE BEST JOB OR WHAT? If you haven’t seen the Today show this week, Matt Lauer is on his annual “Where in the world is Matt Lauer.”  It’s basically an excuse for him to get a lot of free trips and save us viewers some money too by showing us exotic locales across the globe.  Monday Matt was in Argentina and then moved onto Amsterdam on Tuesday.  One thing I want to ask, hey Matt, if you need an assistant…I”ll go!  

A QUICK IN AND OUT CAN’T BE THE SAME THOUGH?: While it has to be fun for Matt to check out all these neat places, think about it, he gets just a few hours in each town before they jet him off to somewhere else.  He can’t exactly hit the town’s nightclubs or visit the local art museums or simply hang out in a park for a few hours. 

KENNY MANIA GETS A LITTLE (fortunately not a lot) OUT OF HAND: check out the previous blog entry in the comments section and you’ll see a viewer who gave us a first-hand account of a drunken fan who got a little out of and and somehow got into a fight with the viewer’s mother of all people!  How can this happen at a concert of all things?  It’s not like a football game where people root for and against each other.  Wasn’t everyone at the concert all supposed to be on the same Kenny team?  Insiders tell me there appeared to be far more intoxicated people at the concert than a typical USC game. But the good news, there weren’t any major problems with fans getting out of hand.  And let’s give a tip of the WIS cap to Kenny, who performed without a break despite injuring his foot in the opening.

A PERSON TO COUNT ON EXTRA: Wednesday during our 5:30pm newscast we featured Bert Baker.  He sculpted a 7 foot statue of Jesus for the Red Bank Baptist Church in addition to making 12 matching murals.  Bert also has a band that performs vocal Christian music.  Because of the time constraints of TV, we're taking to the blog to give you more info on Bert and his group, called Voice.  Check out his website,  http://www.myspace.com/echovoice1 to learn more about this WIS Person To Count On, Bert Baker.  The site also lets you sample some of their music!!

PERSON TO COUNT ON, ADDITIONAL INFO: I did a "Person To Count On" interview during our Wednesday news that featured a woman Kay Spann-Byrd.  She vounteers visiting folks at Palmetto Richland Hospital and also has a ministry and magazine.  For more info on her magazine, you can email her at womenministries@yahoo.com

MORE PERSON TO ON EXTRA INFO: During our Thursday 5;30pm news, we profiled Karen Basso, a voluneer with Sistercare, who has given her time for more than 20 years now.  The Sistercare group helps out women with a crisis line, emergency shelter and assists with education and jobs.  Sistercare is one of the primary groups that helps abused women in the Midlands.  You may be astounded to know Sistercare helped 527 battered women with housing in just one year and had 5,598 calls to its crisis line.    If you want more information about Sistercare including volunteering or donation information, you can call 926-0505 in the Columbia area, or 1-800-637-7606 outside Columbia

 

LET'S DUPLICATE THIS TAILGATE SCENE FRIDAY FOR THE COLUMBIA INFERNO!!:

 

A loyal Columbia Inferno fan sent me some pictures of a tailgate party from this past Sunday in Charleston.  The team won its playoff series against the best team in the league, Texas, last week.  Now they’re in the middle of a series with Charleston. Unfortunately the Inferno lost game 1 of the series 2-1, despite a section full of loud and reportedly rowdy Inferno fans.  Game 2 is in Charleston, with games 3 and 4 (if necessary) on Friday and Saturday night, respectively at the Carolina Coliseum.  There could be a massive tailgate party in the parking lot on Friday and perhaps Saturday, email me if you want details.

Hopefully the Inferno keep winning, but if they don’t you could see history right before your eyes, the last sporting event possibly in the Coliseum.  The Inferno are planning on taking next season off to secure a new, far more modern, facility in Irmo.  So let's cherish the memories of the old Coliseum while we can!

WHERE IN THE MIDLANDS IS LUCAS?: Ok, we admit, NBC has a little more cash to throw around to send Matt Lauer to exotic locales.  But we’re doing our part, taking Lucas McFadden to different parts of the state this week on Sunrise.  Where do you think Lucas should go to do a report?  And points will be awarded for creativity, remember, Lucas will try almost anything!

Dancing Ben & Injured Kenny

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH BEN DANCING? I get this question sometimes from viewers on a semi-regular basis.  Moreover, folks tell me how much they love seeing our weather-pal Ben show off some moves or two.  Well if somehow you missed it, Friday’s Sunrise featured a discussion started by our Lucas McFadden about the Chicken Dance.  Well, discussing a silly dance with Ben in a room is kind of like chatting about an all you can eat buffet around competitive eating champ Kobiashi! 

So in case you missed it, here are some of the still shot highlights of this dance routine.  (yes, much like pro boxing pay per view events, don't the still shots make it look more dramatic!!)This features our production assistant Katherine and our intern Jessica.  Making this even better, it was Jessica’s last day as our intern.  What a great thing to put on your resume, doing the Chicken Dance on live TV with Ben Tanner.  Hey big shot employers if  you’re reading this, Jessica needs a good paying summer job, so give us a call!

WHAT SONG WOULD YOU LIKE BEN TANNER TO DANCE TO? Let us know and I’ll see if we can make it happen. 

KENNY MANIA TAKES OVER COLUMBIA: I bet a lot of people are a little slow at work Monday, still recovering from the big Kenny Chesney concert.  Apparently Kenny is recovering too, from injuring his foot from a harness tied to his foot while making a dramatic stage entrance.  A schedule conflict prevented me from attending, but I'm curious what you thought of the big show?  Think of it, very few acts are big enough to do stadium shows (Rolling Stones, U2) So congrats Kenny for attracting a big crowd!

Dog Takes Over WIS Sunrise

WIS SUNRISE HAD A DOG RUNNING LOOSE TUESDAY.

Yes, this is Blaze, the lovable fire-dog mascot of the Columbia Inferno hockey team.  Blaze appeared with Ben Tanner during our Tuesday 6am news.  As you can see, Blaze and Ben made sure to do tehir morning exercies. 

Blaze’s team, the Columbia Inferno won it’s first round playoff series against Florida and is now locked in battle with the Texas Wildcatters.  If Columbia can win 2 games in a row at home, they’ll win the series.  Games are Tuesday and Wednesday at 7pm at the Carolina Coliseum.  Rumor has it that Wednesday is $1 beverage night (hockey fans, you know what kind of beverage I’m referring to)  If you’ve never been to a hockey game, playoff hockey is intense and you’ll be glad to have checked it out. 

Hey, Anyone got a Spare 747 our Troops Could Use?

TALK ABOUT A DELAY AT THE AIRPORT: The next time you’re in line and get delayed for your flight, before you throw a fit, think about our members of the 218^th Army National Guard.  Because ATA Airlines www.ata.com

(a low-cost carrier based out of Indianapolis) filed for bankruptcy, the airline stopped all of its flights.  This is important because ATA had a contract with the military to transport troops to and from the mid-east. As a result, hundreds of 218^th members are stuck because somehow the military has to round up a plane to get them back to the US.

HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN? Let’s think about this, the US military probably owns a few planes and has a few pilots on staff. Can’t the military round up a plane to get our troops out of potential harm’s way, since the troops have faithfully served their tour of duty.  Do you think when members of Congress take trips to Iraq or other overseas places, they have any problems rounding up an aircraft?  I bet if Nancy Pelosi or John McCain is overseas, they get a plane whenever they want.  Seems like the little guy, in this case, military families, are stuck waiting needlessly.  Hey SC Congressional delegation, how about rounding up a plane for these hard working troops?

IF DELTA OR NORTHWEST FAT CATS ARE READING THIS: how about helping out our troops with an extra airplane?  The two airlines announced this week they intend to merge, despite some opposition from Northwest’s pilots union and many Minnesota political leaders (Minnesota stands to lose thousands of jobs since NW is based there and the plan is for the new airline to be run out of Atlanta)  Anyway, perhaps the airline could get in some good graces by sending over a 747 or 767 to bail our troops out?  My colleague Lucas McFadden informs me his private 747 is in the shop otherwise he’d be more than willing to help out. (apparently he’s getting the on-board hot tub worked on)

POPE PERFORMS MASS AT NATIONAL’S BASEBALL STADIUM: The Today show had coverage previewing Pope Benedict IVI’s mass at the Washington National’s baseball stadium.  If anyone reading this was at the mass, I’m wondering if the stadium sells concessions during such an event?  Are there Pope souiveners available?  This is a serious question because I had the pleasure to visit Rome a couple of years ago and see the Pope during his Wednesday morning address in St. Peter’s square.  Just outside the gates of the Vatican, there are numerous gift shops and even street vendors selling yes, Pope merchandise.  There are Pope calendars, Pope postcards, Pope key chains…you name it!  As previously mentioned on the blog, the Vatican serves tap beer!  Yes, in a lunch counter in the shadow of the Sistine Chapel, you can grab a piece of pizza and a Peroni beer on tap. 

TOUGH JOB: Something you didn’t see on TV but would have enjoyed happened Wednesday night.  One of our reporters was doing what we in TV call a “stand-up” (the portion where you see a reporter on camera talking)  Well, this one reporter, who I will not name so not to embarrass him or her, ripped their pants while walking and talking.  This happened because the microphone and cable was attached to their pants and somehow the cable got stepped on.  The things our reporters won’t do to report the news…even giving of their pants!

We’re in the midst of the NHL playoffs, and as promised, here’s another picture from my collection when the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006. Bad timing for NHL hockey this Saturday, the 1pm game on WIS between Washington and Philadelphia is right when USC has its spring game. Sunday the action starts at 3pm with Detroit and Nashville in game 6 of their series.  That game will be live from the hockey hotbed of Nashville.

Fast Food Junkies Take Note

MMMM, I'M HUNGRY FOR SOME FRIES Did you know on this day in 1955 -- McDonalds got it's start. The very first franchised mcdonald's restaurant opened under the now-famous golden arches in Illinois. McDonalds has served more than 100 billion hamburgers in it's 53 years, and they sell more than one third of all the french fries sold in US restaurants. Plus, nearly one and eight workers in the US have worked at McDonalds.

SINCE I CAN'T ENDORSE PRODUCTS, NOW IT'S YOUR TURN! Tell us what your favorite fast food is. Admit it, we all eat it from time to time.  Who has the best fries, burgers, shakes, fish and chicken sandwiches? This is all stuff we need to know! Thanks,

Gas Saving, 218th Homecoming & State Spending

HERE’S HOW TO SAVE 4-8 MILES A GALLON: No big surprise here, slow down.  We reported this morning that if you’re currently driving 80 miles an hour on the freeway, if you were to slow down to 60, you could save anywhere from 4 to 8 miles a gallon.  Then again, time is money if you factor that driving to Atlanta and going 80 instead of 60 will cut your drive time down about 50 minutes.  (That is if you don’t get busted for speeding, and then you’ll have to pay for a ticket and get less gas milage since the limit on most of the drive from Columbia to Atlanta is 70)

BIG WEEKEND EVENT, SHORT DRIVE: If you're in Columbia this Saturday, check out the Historic Elmwood Park  Home & Gardens tour.  It will feature century old homes and also local artists and even some horse and carriage rides.  Who knows, you might even run into your morning anchor pal too!  Here's a link to all the fun  http://www.historicelmwoodpark.org/tour/index.shtml

WELCOME BACK 218^TH: Monday on Sunrise we were the only Midlands TV station to have live reports showing some members of the 218^th Army National Guard returning to US soil, at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina.  Close to 200 members came back Monday and up to 1,000 more are due to return by the end of May. 

MILITARY HOMECOMINGS=GREAT TV: I spent the past 6 years working in Raleigh, NC and our coverage area included several military bases.  Thus, I have covered numerous military deployments and homecomings throughout 10+ years in TV news. Simply put, military homecomings are some of my favorite stories to do.  You can’t help but get wrapped up in the emotion when you see family members and friends, holding signs and flags there to welcome home a military member who has served abroad.  Best of all, it’s what we in the business call “great TV.”  Note for all you journalism students wanting my job eventually, the best way to cover a military homecoming is simply put a wireless mic on a family member awaiting a return and then just follow them up to that emotional scene when they reunite for the first time.  Yes, it’s great TV and hopefully WIS will continue to cover these homecomings of the 218^th. 

NHL PLAYOFFS START TONIGHT: Ok, chances are most of you aren't going crazy about this, but I know some of you out there who are hockey fans. This weekend the NHL on NBC will be on both Saturday and Sunday afternoon here on WIS. 

Also, the Columbia Inferno host their first playoff game this Saturday night.  Now to get you into the spirit, I had the pleasure of covering the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals with the Carolina Hurricanes.

   

From now until Stanley Cup Finals time, I'll share some of my exclusive photos during that Cup run!   (Me and Kid Rock at a party immediately after the Hurricanes won the Cup...Kid Rock is pals with the Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos.  Notice Mr. Rock has not one but 2 adult beverages in his hand!!)

BUDGET DEFICIT, NO PROBLEM FOR SOME LAWMAKERS? I noticed this item during our morning newscast and thought it deserved a second look, since occupied around :30 seconds of broadcast time.  The SC House of Reps decided to vote themselves a 2% raise in their pension.  Meanwhile, the state senate finance committee decided to eliminate pay raises for state workers.  That same committee also decided to also scrap plans to buy new school buses. 

So the bottom line as proposed right now, your kids will be riding on an old school bus and if you work for a state agency you won’t be getting a pay raise.  But if you’re a state lawmaker you’ll be getting a pay raise eventually on a pension.  For the record, Governor Mark Sanford says he’s opposed to the idea of hiking lawmakers pensions, calling it a “sneaky way for lawmakers to raise their own pay.”  We’ll keep you updated.

THE STATE’S BUDGET DEFICIT IS UP TO AROUND $90 MILLION NOW, HOW SHOULD THE STATE SAVE MONEY?  Do you see government waste and want it cut, let us know, click on the comments section below.  Or on the flip side, what should the state be spending more money on?

What's worse, $3.20 gas or $5.19 for 12 pack of soda?

GAS PRICES ARE NOW AT AN ALL TIME HIGH IN SC. This morning we reported gas prices are as high as when Hurricane Katrina hit back in 2005.  The average price for regular unleaded in SC is $3.18, according to AAA.   Just one year ago the average price was $2.75. 

ARE WE WHINING ABOUT GAS PRICES TOO MUCH? Think about it, I was at the grocery store lately and saw a 12 pack of soda going for $5.19.  Yet I don't hear many stories about those big soda companies trying to gouge us?  Consider that gas is a product that has to be taken from the ground and refined before you can put it in your car.  Such can't be said for soda-pop.  Still, no one likes shelling out big bucks to gas up, you sure have to wonder how truckers can handle it when prices are $4.00 a gallon for diesel.    I say congress should also look into "Big Pop" let's find out how much the soda companies are doling out to pay celebrities to pitch their products!  Oh, and why is it that you can't find the generic store brand diet sodas in anything other than cola or their knock off of Dr. Pepper now?  Just some randon thoughts.  This is what happens when the alarm goes off at 3:20 every morning!

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO SAVE $$ WITH THESE HIGH GAS PRICES? Going out to eat less?  Perhaps trading in that big SUV?  Let me know and share your ideas on how to save us all some dough, click the comments tab below.

Elbowing A Cop & Grabbing a Sunday Longneck!

APPARENTLY IT’S OK TO RUN FROM THE COPS, JUST DON’T TOSS AN ELBOW:  Since we don’t do a “Daily Show” type format where anchors are allowed to give smart aleck comments on TV after we read a story, (and that’s probably a good thing)  the internet is our next best thing.  This morning we featured a soundbite from a woman whose son is accused of elbowing a female Columbia Police officer in the chops and then taking off running.  The officer, whose name has not been released, ran after the suspect, but then fell down a hill fracturing her jaw and nose.  Apparently realizing he’d have an angry mob of Columbia Police officers knocking at his door later on, the suspect, James Turner turned himself in.

MOM DENIES SON’S ELBOWING OF COP: In the sport of hockey, elbowing is a 2-minute penalty.  One would think it would be a more severe penalty if done to a cop.  Well, the suspect’s mom, spoke to WIS after the incident.  Her soundbite was quite a defense of her son:

“He's not going to hit no officer.  He's gonna run from them but ain't going to hit you, na,” said Sonita Turner.

INFERNO FINAL REGULAR SEASON HOME GAME FRIDAY 4/4: I had a chance to speak with the co-owner of the Columbia Inferno recently.  Dr. Ezra Riber tells me he is confident the team will get a new building constructed in Lexington County.  But here’s the problem, because the team doesn’t exactly have a ton of folks on staff, he has decided to all but cease operations next season and try to focus all efforts on the new facility.  There had been past rumors about USC not being very cooperative with the Inferno and their lease at the Carolina Coliseum, but Dr. Riber says such rumors are not true.  In fact, Dr. Riber says USC has been cooperative recently and he even hopes the University will allow the ice to remain at the coliseum next winter to allow more opportunities for youth and adult hockey.

FROM THE BAD TIMING DEPARTMENT: did you see on the same day that USC introduced new men’s basketball coach Darrin Horn, two USC women’s basketball players were arrested.  Jasmine Payne from Bay Springs, Mississippi, and freshman Ashlie Billingslea from Stone Mountain, Georgia are charged with marijuana possession with intent to distribute, financial transaction card theft, financial transaction card fraud and petty larceny.

BEER SALES & WINE SALES ON SUNDAY: Columbia voters by more than 70% approved beer and wine sales on Sunday.  Here’s something you might not know.  I traveled to Rome a couple of years ago and would you believe that at the Vatican, they have a snack bar which has tap beer!  Yes, you can be at the seat of the Catholic Church and they’re serving beer on tap.  So next time the Super Bowl rolls around, you don’t have to be disappointed. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BEER & WINE SALES ON SUNDAY?  Click on the comments tab below and sound off.