KSL Blog

newsroom sickness

You name it, someone here has it. Sickness is stricking the KSL news team! If it's not one of us, it's a member of our family. We are a little short-staffed this week because of it. The morning editor, Suzanne, has been out. Chris Kaye was back today but gone off and on this week. So was the noon editor, Paul Nelson. Jon Dunn was out last week. So was Ben Winslow. I feel it coming for me! I have hand sanitizer sitting in the newsroom and use it often.

I filled in for Suzanne this morning. On my way in at 3 AM I saw tons of flashing lights and police cruisers rushing south on I-15. I thought, "I wonder if we know about that." Then I saw a TV live truck rush by too. Good, I thought. Turns out an officer was in trouble. He's ok this morning, but was involved in a fight after trying to break up a loud party.

It was a happening morning on the news. You know it's a bad traffic and weather day when even the traffic hits at 5 AM are full of accidents and slide-offs. Usually Chris doesn't have much to talk about during that hour. But the roads up Parley's Canyon are clean and clear. Nice driving for Sundance festival-goers. Welcome to Utah, celebrities!

Stories this week

I just love the stories I'm working on this week. My closer running tomorrow really touched me. I spoke with Janine Chandler, a Holladay resident who had breast cancer. She kept working through cancer treatment. She cried during the interview and I got teary-eyed too, as she talked about how her life has changed, and how supportive her co-workers have been.

This job is so interesting. I go from an interview like that, to talking to legislators about what's coming up in this year's session. Lots of talk about tax cuts and toll roads. I reported live from the Capitol this morning on Utah's Morning News. It was still dark when I got there, but I got a parking space! We do have a limited number of media spaces, but they are on the East side, and the Legislature meets in the West Building. So I did my live shot at 7:04 AM, then stepped out of the car, walked carefully in my cute-but-not-sensible-shoes across the slick sidewalks to the other building to find anyone there early. Not much luck. I got back to the car at 7:21 AM, cutting it close but just in time to check sound and make sure I was good to go live at 7:30. It's funny, our radio hits are about 35-40 seconds long, so it gives us a different perspective. I'll get in the car with two minutes before I have to go live and not a thing written down. You think you can do it because two minutes is an eternity in radio, but it still makes your heart pound when you hear them toss to you and you are still scribbling out your last line! For that reason I try not to do it too much.

I just got back from Orem, where I spoke with the people at Halestorm Entertainment, as well as the guy behind the LDS Film Festival. They run that festival the same week as Sundance so that hopefully more people will come see one of their films while they are in town. The guys at Halestorm are tons of fun. They have some films in the works that look interesting, "Suits on the Loose" and "Take a Chance." Everyone in the office was dressed down -- some sweats, some T-shirts. I don't know if it's because it's a holiday, or if they are just that relaxed in that office.

I guess I'm old...

I didn't really feel that old until today.  I had an appointment at my daughter's middle school about what she wants to be when she grows up.  The guidance counsellor made sure to remind her about the fact that next year's 9th grade classes will go on her permanent record and she needs to keep a high GPA.  NINTH GRADE!!  Do you realize that's just a couple years before driving age??!!   He's talking to her about the college level classes she should take and I'm thinking:  Hey, it hasn't been that long since I was in college....right?? 

The days of innocence are fading.  Soon I'll have to worry about boys calling and "hanging out" around our refrigerator and our daughter.  Soon we'll have to add a teenager on the car insurance.  Soon we'll have to find a clunker for the teenager to drive (it ain't gonna be my car!).  With high school will come the football games, the homework that's really hard and -- Oh My-- PROM NIGHT!!!!

She told the counsellor she wants to go into interior design, but I think we'll find a nunnery instead.

New Year, New Bug...

Happy New Year, everybody!

I'm finally feeling well enough to crawl back to a keyboard after being sick for several days.  It seems whatever bug was going around finally caught up with me.  Everyone here at KSL has been dropping like flies with some malady or another.  Flu, colds, you name it, we've got it.  This place is one big petri-dish.

I've been trying everything to keep myself healthy.  NyQuil, DayQuil, Alka Seltzer, echinacea, green tea, but nothing seems to work fast enough.  Finally, after more than a week, I've got my appetite back.

Interestingly enough, I recently interviewed some elementary school teachers who have developed immunities to most germs that kids bring to school.  They were laughing that the first few years of teaching, they'd catch everything.  Then, as the years go by, they develop resistance to the germs kids bring in.  Definitely something to think about...