Back In The Saddle Again!

    I was in a Amtrak station in Maryland this
past March when I got the email message
asking if I'd like to be part of a television
special honoring WYOU and WBRE as they
celebrated their Diamond Anniversaries!
    I think it took all of about 3 seconds to
send my "Yes!" answer!
    I spent the bulk of my 50 plus years in
broadcasting on WYOU TV. starting out
there when it was still WDAU.
    And I wore two hats during the last
few years before my retirement, reporting
for both WYOU and WBRE.
    Yesterday I went back into the studios
to record my parts for the special. Wow,
how things have changed!
     All of my on camera parts were
photographed with a camera that looked
like something not much bigger than a
tourist would carry around on vacation!
      When I started at Ch22 we were still
shooting most of our news stories on
film which had to be developed and
edited before going on the air. That meant
running the film through a chemical
processor and then editing, that is
physically cutting the film, for the
parts to be used on the air.
     Sometimes the film broke in the
processor. The section that had already
been developed was fine. The section
stuck in the middle was over developed
while the film at the beginning of the
reel usually turned out under developed
or too light.
     Now they just take a chip out of the
camera and put it in their computers to
be edited.
     The video today is also all "High
Definition."  Given all my wrinkles
I had hoped they could switch back to
Low Definition for my scenes!
     Then again we're taking about two
stations on the air for 60 years. Maybe
my "aging features" will enhance all
that history!
      My thanks to Becky Stitzer who
has been breaking her back to put this
special together and Chris O'Neal who
had the impossible task of trying to make
me look good! David Copperfield would
be proud of the magic produced by this
duo!
     The special is scheduled to air on
WYOU on June 7th at 7:30PM.
      Hope you'll tune in....and that all
your NEWS is good!