R.I.P. Alison and Adam

I am praying for the families and loved ones of Alison Parker and Adam Ward, and the entire WDBJ-TV news organization today. This morning’s unthinkable tragedy that happened on live television was simply awful and completely heartbreaking.

Prayers up that God will bring comfort and peace to everyone there. Kudos to the entire WDBJ organization for carrying on today, delivering broadcasts and information despite the incredibly painful circumstances.

Meanwhile, a note to all broadcasters and journalists during this difficult time: Be strong. Be brave. Don’t let evil win.

Rest in peace, Alison and Adam.

Hurricane Charley – Ten Years Later

As ‘Throwback Thursdays’ go, this one has a lot of meaning for me. I’m taking you back 10 years to August 14, 2004 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina…

Yes that’s me, reporting as Hurricane Charley came ashore that day. It was the highlight of my television news career and a day I’ll never forget.

Here’s some more footage from our day-long live broadcast on WPDE NewsChannel 15.

Have a great day everyone.

What to Believe

‘We believe what people tell us. But we can trust what God says even more.’
-1 John 5:9a

I read this today and it stuck with me.

There are a lot of voices out there. Ours, the many other people in our various circles, near and far. Voices on television, the internet – so many people saying things.

Whether it is people we know or people who aren’t talking directly to us at all, we have so many voices in our ear all the time. So out of all of this information and opinion, what do we believe?

Some of what is said to us is what we consider good. Some of it isn’t. It’s a lot to process, and a lot to think about sometimes.

But in the end, as the verse above states…regardless of what we’re hearing, we can believe and trust in what God says about us above everything else.

It’s so important to do that. I don’t do the best job of it, I’ll be the first to admit it. That’s putting it lightly. But seeking approval and affirmation from God above all the other voices is where true peace will be found. It’s where we will find our real answers.

So while it’s ok to listen to all of the voices that are there, trust what God says about you the most and go with that. You’ll never go wrong if you do.

Have a great day!

National Spelling…er…Vocabulary and Spelling Bee

Some of you may already know that I was a participant in the Scripps National Spelling Bee as an 8th grader. It was a real thrill.

A rule change will have a major impact on the competition this year and as an alum of this event, I feel compelled to offer a few comments.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/28/us/spelling-bee/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

From the article:

This is the first time in its 86 years that the competition has introduced a vocabulary component.

It will count for 50% of a speller’s overall score and will help determine which competitors take part in the semifinal and championship rounds.

Spelling tests, both computer-based and onstage, will make up the other half of their scores.

“It doesn’t make sense,” said Sanat Mishra, who last year made it to the finals of the South Asian Spelling Bee, but is not competing at the National Spelling Bee. “I don’t get the rule.”

You’re right, Sanat. It doesn’t make sense. It’s the National Spelling Bee, not the National Vocabulary and Spelling Bee.

But the people who run it feel differently, and thus the kids who are in this year’s event and no doubt those in the future will be participating in a completely different contest than what it was designed to be.

Sure, kids could stand to learn all kinds of things in addition to spelling but you’re missing the point with what you’re doing to this competition. You don’t change the Super Bowl to a football game combined with a 5K because you want the players to get more exercise.

My thoughts of course mean very little and in the big picture of life, this is quite trivial. However it is very frustrating to see an event I considered hallowed ground back in my time get watered down as years have gone by due to television broadcast needs, and now completely altered to further serve that purpose of whittling away participants in the interest of time.

I feel bad for the kids who may never get to participate in this event as it used to be – a bunch of really hard words that you had to practice for and then spell correctly in front of a microphone, not in a written exam…and not in addition to a vocabulary test.

I am d-i-s-a-p-p-o-i-n-t-e-d in this change but am o-p-t-i-m-i-s-t-i-c it will be overturned sometime soon.

Regardless of the rules, good luck to all of this year’s participants. Do your best and know you’re already a winner for making it there. More than anything else, just have fun!

State of the Media Industry Panel at Bradley University

If you’re a member of the media, if you have an interest in how media affects you…heck, if you consume media in any form you should consider attending this event:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=251366394894033

Bradley University’s Department of Communications is sponsoring a panel discussion about the media industry. With the current state of things in the world of media, this should be quite a conversation and one you won’t want to miss.

Click this link for bios of the moderator and four panelists who will be present at the event.

You can follow #stateofthemedia on Twitter if you can’t make it in person.

I hope you’ll check this out!

Thursday, October 13th
7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Caterpillar Global Communications Center
Horowitz Auditorium
(Bradley University campus)