Go Jacks!

Finally! Five years after going to Division I, my alma mater is making news for its athletic program, most notably the women's basketball team. I did manage to get to quite a few games in Frost Arena, so this is pretty cool to see.

ESPN - South Dakota State Jackrabbits ready to make a run toward NCAA tournament

Waving the Flag

Waving the Flag, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

Those logos on the microphones are called mic flags. Election night's always a good time to fly the flag high.

Shark Attack!

Shark Attack!, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

For more on sharks, enjoy this video :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBdIEMdHNR8

What's Palin have in common with Steven Curtis Chapman?

What does Sarah Palin have in common with Steven Curtis Chapman?

Thanks to Peter Chattaway for pointing this out, originally from 92Y blog.

Q: My final question is: Sarah Palin. Discuss.

A: Sarah Palin is "Becky." That's the industry term for the typical
Christian radio listener --the churchgoing working mom who doesn't want to
think too hard about anything. She wants programming that affirms what she
already believes and that's safe for the kids in the backseat. Nothing
makes it on to the airwaves if it's going to upset or confuse Becky.

Becky likes to say things like, "God has a plan for your life" and "God
doesn't give you more than you can handle." Usually I have no problem with
anyone who wants to believe that, because if it helps them keep going when
they lose their job or get a serious illness, more power to them. My
concern about Sarah Palin is that she really thinks God thinks she's ready
to be vice president, otherwise why would he have put that on John
McCain's heart (to use the Christianese). A more contemplative Christian
might have prayed about this situation and been forced to admit that she
wasn't really ready to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. When Becky
prays, she almost always hears the response she wanted in the first place.

I have always argued Christian radio is aimed squarely at 45-year-old white woman in red state America. They're the ones who listen to James Dobson's "Focus on the Family" and enjoy "safe and encouraging" music by the likes of MercyMe and Steven Curtis Chapman. Never dawned on me that Sarah Palin is that listener. Interesting.

Study: Media coverage has favored Obama campaign

Study: Media coverage has favored Obama campaign

Always interesting to see these reports. But it does reach the same conclusion I have, that ABC's World News Tonight has been the most balanced of the major newscasts.

PRE$$ PA$$

I'm in the end zone. The crowd erupts. TOUCHDOWN!!!

It's no fantasy. It's really happened. No, I wasn't the one with the ball, but the guy with the camera shooting highlights for the evening news.

One of the perks of being a TV reporter in Nebraska is the access to big time college football. Texas, Oklahoma, USC, and Virginia Tech are just a few of the schools I've seen.

It takes a press pass to get that kind of access. Of course, I'm not always the guy on the sideline or in the end zone. Sometimes I have to go to the photo box on top of the stadium. You have to take stairs up to the roof to get there.

Make no mistake about it, covering a game is work. I've put in 16 hour days, schlepping a camera for hours. You take a play off, and so does the defense. As soon as you turn the camera off, someone scores.

While we don't pay to get in, we do pay to get there, and pay to park.

Big time politics is the same way. From what I understand, it's not unusual for the TV folks to pay to park their satellite trucks. Those on the campaign press planes pay for their travel. Reporters at big campaign stops pay for internet access and phone lines.

But paying just to cover the event? I thought that was unheard of.

Until now.

This year the two presidential campaigns have what amount to a pay-for-play plans for election night.

No media get in free to John McCain's post-election party according to a columnist with the Chicago Sun-Times.

Barack Obama has a free option -- if you want to huddle into a tent watching a TV with other journalists. If you want a good seat, be ready to shill out $1000 or more. Main riser? Pay $1870. Don't believe me? Look at Obama's website.

Columnist Lynn Sweet said in this piece about Obama's plans, "This is an outrageous pay to play plan that caters to national elite outlets with deep pockets."

I agree.

Journalists are considered the fourth estate. They play an important role, that frankly shouldn't be restricted by who can afford to pay.

Yeah, it's not a problem for CNN, ABC, or the Washington Post. But is it limiting coverage by alternative voices or smaller market outlets?

Every journalist should be able to cover this historic election freely, unhindered by finances. I think this sets a dangerous precedent.

Even with the TV contracts in big time college football, members of the local media still get in free. But we're not talking sports, we're talking about the next president. Do you want to limit news coverage to those with the deepest pockets?

Snoop Does Cash: Johnny Cash Remixed

I don't know how to describe this. Snoop Dogg does a posthumous duet with Johnny Cash on "I Walk the Line."

Johnny Cash Remixed

Go to this site and listen to the remixes from various folks. Bizarre.

I like Johnny, and I like remixes. This, I'm not sure about.

Behind the War of the Worlds

I was in the newspaper today, because I'm one of several local broadcasters teaming up for a stage remake of the classic radio broadcast of War of the Worlds.

I'm officially Announcer #3, which means I have about 5 lines. But it'll still be fun!

A step back to ‘War’ - Grand Island, NE - Grand Island Independent

The show is next Thursday in Grand Island at the historic Grand Theatre. It's a fundraiser for the Grand.

President and the Media

Pres. George W. Bush, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

It's been nearly two years since President Bush visited Grand Island, and eight years since Pres. Clinton came to central Nebraska.

Each time I was fortunate to cover the event on the news.

Without fail, when a president, vice-president, or even a big time candidate comes to town, everyone wants to know if I got to meet them, and interview them.

It might surprise you that presidents, and those seeking the office don't give many interviews.

And when they do, they're with the likes of Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric, not Steve White of NTV News. Somehow the White House doesn't seem to understand the value of small market TV. Go figure ;)

In this campaign, I know Sarah Palin's done high profile interviews with the news anchors I listed previously. But did you know she's been more available to the press than McCain, Obama, or Biden?

That's what a CBS reporter on the campaign trail says.


For all Palin's jabs at the mainstream media, she's been as accessible as any one as of late. That surprises me. I haven't seen that reflected in the coverage. Could just be that her ticket's down in the polls. But I can tell you reporters following her appreciate it.

Getting back to the point that candidates don't give interviews very often, think about the soundbites you see on the evening news.

Most often they're lines taken from stump speeches. Reporters consider themselves lucky if the candidate stops at a coffee house or ice cream shop. Because then the horde of assembled journalists might be able to ask a couple of questions in a more informal setting.

So when the next president visits Grand Island (and I hope he does!) I'll be there. But don't expect me to score an interview. Even the press corps that follows day in and day out doesn't get that. Sure there's the occasional press conference, but mostly they fly on planes from one speech to the next.

Jesus is a friend of mine