My upcoming launch to NBC 4

When astronauts once dreamed of going to the moon, when they were children they undoubtedly looked up at sky and wondered if they would ever get there. In a similar way, I looked to NBC 4 in Washington and asked the same question. Always having an interest in news and media, always wanting to be in the know and on the scene in the Nation’s Capital, I always wanted to work for Channel 4. Beginning next week I will set foot on the moon.

In my role of writing for the station’s website, NBCWashington.com, and working on the Assignment Desk for News 4, a dream of mine will become reality, furthering a burgeoning journalism career that began when I was still in high school. While I got my start in video and TV, many know I also was given the opportunity to become a news reporter at News & Messenger in Prince William, Virginia. I covered my hometown, and through my insight and experience was able to connect to stories in ways others couldn’t. Thankfully, someone at Channel 4 took notice and decided they wanted to me come work there.

When John F. Kennedy made his case to go to the moon, uttering the words “we choose to go to the moon in this decade, and do the other things not because they are easy but because they are hard...,” it set the tone that forced the space program within 10 years to break the bounds of earth for a journey to another world. My journey, thus far, has taken a decade. Through trials and tribulations, joyful gains and heart-breaking loss – some of which I brought on myself, and the others, like most, happened unexpectedly. But it was the tough moments and hard times that made me push on, to never let go of the dream and to never forget where I came from. I owe many for helping me along this journey still in transit. They are the ones I can’t forget when I finally arrive at my destination. 

The rocket is now on the launch pad the countdown clock is ticking. I hope you will come along with me during my adventure at NBC 4. I’ll be working to bring you all the news alongside many of the same faces in the business that I have long admired. But as usual I’ll bring my own style and my own newsgathering tools, especially Twitter and Facebook, so you and we can keep the conversation going. This is one takeoff I sure don’t want to miss.

Hanging up the daily reporter's hat

It’s time for a change.


Beginning Sept. 20, I’ll hang up my News & Messenger reporter hat for a job developing websites and producing video for businesses.

I am very excited about my new endeavor, and it will be a new and welcomed challenge for me much different from chasing the news each day.

For the past four years I have worked at the offices of News & Messenger, starting when it was still the Manassas Journal Messenger. I worked in the advertising department, helping businesses market themselves to the community they served.

From there I took an unusual turn, accepting a smaller paycheck and following my passion back into the news business - where I had started in TV many years before - to a weekly paper in Stafford County affiliated with News & Messenger, the Stafford County Sun.

It was there, and after my transition to the Potomac News in Woodbridge, that I quickly learned how to paint a picture with words, and how to ask specific questions to tell the story – unlike my days in TV where we often asked “how does this make you feel?”

While at News & Messenger, I have been privileged to cover so many different people who care about the community in which they live and serve.

That community is the same place that I call home.

During my time at News & Messenger, I've written bad stories, good ones, stories that you think and ones that made you want to help others during a time when so many people these days need some kind of help.

I’ve also been honored to work with some of the most passionate people in the business, all dedicated to not only getting the news of the day but looking for the local angle of each story, explaining why and how the story affects the reader.
More than a learning experience, it has been an adventure that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

I’ll be around from time to time, keeping a presence on the Web, writing about what matters to our community and featuring the voices that make it whole.

I’m a journalist at heart, and there will always be a story to tell.

Don’t threaten reporters, don’t trust all bloggers

If you want to pitch a story to a reporter don’t threaten to call the police on his photographer.

A staff photographer from my paper this morning shot a photo of a woman standing on a pubic sidewalk protesting a Manassas, Va. abortion clinic. She happened to be standing and praying next to the only pro-choice counter protester at the rally when the photo was shot.

She apparently was embarrassed when she

realized the photo could put her at odds with her pro-life companions, and then told a rally organizer what happened. He quickly approached us and threatened to call police if we used the photo.

A local blogger the day before posted a story about the upcoming protest, detailing a counter protest to be staged by Planned Parenthood, an organization that supports a woman’s right to choose. Planned Parenthood never showed up.

A call to their national office in Washington confirmed there was no such counter protest planned today in Manassas.

The one counter protester said “I’m sick and tired of these people walking around outside of this clinic and I wish they would just go home.” He was a nearby resident and did not identify himself with a pro-choice group.

While the sight of about 60 protesters lining the sidewalk near the clinic was impressive, drivers who regularly pass that spot throughout the week are often treated to protesters holding signs. And because there was only one man countering their effort Saturday, there was little if any story.

My photographer and I were in the process of the leaving when the rally organizer made the threat. I explained to him our paper would not run a story about his protest, thus the photo would not be used.

The man acquiesced and then urged us to write a story anyway. I declined and wished him good day.

Two lessons to take away from this experience: Hang out along the roadside if you don’t want people to see or possibly snap a photo of you.

Secondly, don’t trust every blogger. It’s hard to hold them accountable for the inaccuracies they write.

The stylish secretary speaks

One of the best shows on television is coming back for its third season this month and many in its cult following, including myself, are anxiously awaiting the return of hero ad man Don Draper.

Mad Men, the freakishly stylish drama about ad executives working on Madison Avenue in the 1960’s – a time when newsprint was king and television was still finding its place - returns to AMC on August 23. I think it will be just in time for True Blood to end its second season on HBO.

I was reading an interview forwarded to me from a good friend of mine on Twitter, between a writer for Esquire magazine and Christina Hendricks, the 34-year-old actress who plays seductive office secretary Joan Halloway on the show, and she said she and her husband watch the show and then have sex at the end of each episode.

My girlfriend and I don’t read articles that I have written that day and then retreat to the sheets. Perhaps I need to sell ads again. Maybe it’s because I’m just not as sexy as Christina Hendricks.

And the winner is?

Rocky is that classic film shot on a shoestring budget that brought us such famous lines as Stallone’s “Adrian” and Burgess Meredith’s “He’s a bum!” I watched it for the first time on Thursday.

While it was a good movie filled with some awesome scenes, why did they, in the middle of the second fight between Apollo Creed and Rocky, did they cut to the first fight between the two? That was the fight we never saw because the sequences are not in chronological order in the film.

The first fight between the two was a draw, but what was the outcome of the second fight? The film makers didn’t show us.

Kind of disappointing after the famous, uplifting scene shot on the streets of Philadelphia where a handful of children chase Stallone as if they were looking for their father.

Any Rocky fans out there that can help and with the answer?

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien

It’s probably safe to say that last night Jimmy Fallon enjoyed his biggest audience since taking over Late Night three months ago.

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien drew more viewers Monday night than The Late Show with David Letterman and Nightline, combined.

O’Brien proudly took the reins of the half-century-old franchise after Jay Leno admirably bowed out Friday.

The transition had been planned since 2004, and as part of the deal, Leno will get a nightly 10 p.m. show on NBC where he will continue dispensing his topical monologues.

The change also brings some logistical changes for the show.

No longer is the Tonight Show taped at NBC’s Burbank, Ca. studio where Leno worked for 17 years.

And O’Brien is no longer confined to his smaller New York City studio at Rockefeller Plaza. He now sits on an immaculate stage on the Universal Studios Hollywood lot.

When the curtain opened

The change in the venue and in the host was apparent during the first show. A more reserved, less gutsy version of Conan O’Brien appeared on stage.

He chose not to fly in from the audience on a zip line or hang from the rafters, stunts he has been known to do on his former Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

The audience was treated only to a portion of his famed “string dance” before be began his monologue.

But the audience applauded and cheered as if they were welcoming back an old friend - and as they did on his old show - yelled out phrases like “Conan rocks” and “We love you Conan.”

Then, for Leno’s loyal viewers, it was time to get to know Conan O’Brien. The first thing they learned: Conan is no stand up comedian, but rather a smart and witty writer.

Sure O’Brien has nightly zingers the usual pop culture jabs about current events, but O’Brien lacks the comedy club appeal Leno has enjoyed most of his career.

In addition to telling jokes on television, Leno also travels the country touring both small clubs and large venues. He recently held a free two-night show for people who had recently lost their jobs. Those shows, and his blue-collar appeal, make Leno a favorite of the middle American viewer.

Where O’Brien lacked in jokes during his debut night he made up with a series of videos designed sell himself to the 11:30 p.m. crowd.

The show opened with him running across the county, bound for Los Angeles. Another, in an attempt to show O’Brien is never afraid to make himself the butt of the joke, he took a ride in his green 1992 Ford Taurus and toured LA. The same car was used during a sketch on Late Night in 2004.

Then to show that he still had the knack for annoying unsuspecting people and getting tons of laughs in the process, he boarded a Universal Studios tourist tram and took the passengers to a 99-cent store, where he bought small and randomly ridiculous items for them.

The guests came to play

Will Farrell made a grand entrance to the show riding a sedan chariot. The moment and will most likely go down into the annals of late night talk moments – like Bill Murray spray painting David Letterman’s desk with “Dave” and Hugh Grant making a 1995 appearance on The Tonight Show hours after being caught with a prostitute.

Grant’s outlandish appearance, and a redesign of Leno’s set, helped him for the first time reach the number one spot in late night television. He held the spot until he left the show last week.

O’Brien’s musical guest, Pearl Jam, gave the weak performance anyone would expect from a band who’s latest hit is song they wrote during the last decade.

Network execs and show producers are are now learning that musical guests can bring the show down, and even worse, force viewers to tune out. Leno’s new show, which premiers in Sept., will reportedly have musical acts perform during the middle of the show to avoid loosing viewers.

The Tonight Show also beacons a higher caliber of musical guest to the show. Gone are the days when O’Brien could pluck obscure musical groups, like the “Naked Trucker and T-Bones” and “And They Will Know Us From the Trail of the Dead,” and put them on stage expect them to resonate.

The band played on

The Max Weinberg Seven, which has long been considered the best band in late night television, has now been renamed Tonight Show Band.

While drummer Weinberg still serves as the front man, missing Monday night was any interaction between Weinberg and O’Brien. The long stares or awkward silences between the two worked as funny bits on Late Night, but anything other than a quick acknowledgement from O’Brien to the band was missing during the debut.

The return of the sidekick
The relationship forged between O’Brien and his band happened after Late Night’s long time sidekick Andy Richter left the show in 2000. Richter made his return to the show and made his presence known immediately.

His laughter could be heard prominently during many of O’Brien’s jokes; especially the ones Richter seemed to think didn’t get enough response from the crowd.

Richter also stood at a podium for the show, where he now serves as the show’s announcer. He no longer has a place on the couch like he did on Late Night, or like Ed McMahon did when Johnny Carson hosted the Tonight Show.

Ready on the set

O’Brien’s new set is reminiscent of the set Leno debuted on in 1992. It’s stylish, large, colorful, and cold. Watching from home the crowd no longer seems as if they are part of the show, as they were on Leno’s set.

In 1995 Leno redesigned his set to resemble more of a comedy club, where he would come shake hands with audience at the start of each show.

Viewers may never see O’Brien canvass his audience and shake hands with everyone in the front row, but that doesn’t mean he is a bad guy.

From his college days as President of the Harvard Lampoon and later working as a writer on The Simpsons, O’Brien has long showed that his brand of humor is a smart-witted, absurdly funny and that he is likeable kind of guy.

Now he must sell the caring side of Conan to a new batch of viewers – the ones who fell asleep before Late Night comes on at 12:30 p.m., and those who are learning for the first time who the man with the big red hair is.

It’s a mounting task and will not be completed overnight.

The only question: will the masturbating bear make an appearance?

Making mistakes

If you really want something all you have to do is ask.

I was just thinking to myself on my way into work today that it’s been a while since someone called to complain about something in one of my stories.

And where I don’t get those calls everyday, I do get them.

I make it a point to call the person back, and if need be, write a correction.

I did just that today for a story about a burglary that happened this week in Lake Ridge.

I misinterpreted some information on the press release and then offered to correct my story for tomorrow’s paper.

I wrote the correction and then sent it to her to make sure that I had gotten the story right the second time around.

She read it, and then after everything, she told me not to bother and to leave the correction out of the paper.

So I did.

But now I ask myself: Was I correct in doing what she wanted?

And then: If the source doesn’t want a correction, was the information in my story so inaccurate in the first place?

This is one of those questions that journalists face on a daily basis.

At least until they get good enough not to make mistakes.

Epic Star Trek trailer music

There are at least 100 other things I should be doing right now other than sitting here listening to the trailer music from the new Star Trek movie.

But since I am generating excitement in my head about the Friday’s release of the new film, I thought I would share the music with you.

The third trailer for the film, which can be found on www.startrekmovie.com, is one of the best I have ever seen.

It is the most epic since Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

My old roommate would remember my love for that trailer as I watched it over and over again.

And this one is no different.

The music for the trailer was commissioned by Two Steps from Hell – a company that specializes in motion picture marketing.

It’s worth a listen. And listen fast before they pull it down from the Web!

Joss and I had a good time this weekend attending my old friend’s wedding on Saturday and catching a bite to eat over a football game Sunday night.

Abbi Williams, the girl who my brother considers was my first girlfriend, was married at the Montclair Country Club to some guy named Trevor. He seemed like a nice enough guy even though we didn’t speak at all.

The food was good and the dancing was nice. I pulled Joss onto the dance floor when Elivs’ “Can’t help falling in love…” came on. I think that is a classic song.

I didn’t speak to my parents much, who sat at the table across the room from Joss, Aaron, Ashley and baby Daniel. I haven’t spoken with my father since he told me to get out of his house on Christmas.

I heard he cheered when Ashley caught the bouquet, though.

Watching Mark and Shelia dance was a misty-eyed moment. Knowing that she is fighting what could be terminal cancer, and was brave enough to dawn a doo-rag and dance at her daughter’s wedding was enough to jerk at anyone’s heart strings.

Mark was proud to give his daughter away. When I walked into the country club I didn’t even recognize him, his hair now so short and gray.

Sunday night Joss and I went out to Hard Times for dinner, something we haven’t done in many months.

The Vikings were playing the Eagles in the playoffs and I was rooting hard against them. They won, so I ordered a hot dog.

Fred came up and bought us a pitcher of beer and we sat and chatted while the table behind us smoked cigars.

He made it clear he wanted to move out of his house and in with us, providing she and I move in together soon. Joss pointed out that Fred seemed bummed about his roommate situation, and noted it was unusual to see Fred complain.

He likes his new job, after being fired from Media General back in Nov. The man is resilient when it comes to finding work. I guess a good personality will do that for you.

Tomorrow is the real beginning of the New Year. Now there are no holidays coming up, no half days and no closing the office early. Everything will go back to normal.

But seeing that I worked over 10 hours on Friday and filed at least three stories this weekend during “my days off,” everything already seems back to normal.

After 85 deaths, Rappahannock is not safe

What started out as a simple news conference about the installation of new safety signs along the banks of the Rappahannock turned into a big story, as we learned Stafford County could have prevented the drowning death of a 17-year-old Maryland teenager.

The teen was swimming with his church group June 8 at the Falmouth Waterfront Park, in Stafford County, when he went under the water and never resurfaced. Fredericksburg Fire and

Rescue officials discovered his body in the river the next morning.

Stafford provides lifeguards for its other riverfront park, Aquia Landing, at a cost of nearly $9000 per year. They do not provide it at the Falmouth park; a park that is regularly advertised as a destination spot to tourists, and has seen more than 75 drowning deaths at the park since 1972.

The new signs have large pictures on them warning river swimmers of the possible dangers in the water.

Stafford officials said strong currents, deep holes in the river bottom, and floating debris like large trees, may have contributed to the teens death.

Lunchtime graduates

I have no idea what part high school graduates are going to at noon on a weekday, but I’m sure they will find one.

It seems more and more area high schools, including all five in Stafford County, are holding their graduation ceremonies in the early hours of the day. Most of the ceremonies have been scheduled at 9 a.m.

When I was in high school the graduation ceremony was held at the high school football stadium in the late afternoon. It was a giant party with a football game-like atmosphere.

Everyone was celebrating sitting through 12-years of the public education system, and now we we’re actually getting out!

Immediately following the ceremony my friends and I went to a celebration called Grad Night. This was where we gathered to play games, hang out and sign the last few yearbooks, and see all of our friends for one last big hurrah.

We didn’t know at the time, but this was going to be one of the last times we would ever see so many familiar faces in the same room again.

For many, it was also the first time high school students turned official adults showed their teachers they smoked cigarettes. They were adults now. Who was going to stop them?

I look back on that challenging, but fun time in my life 8-years ago and remember having so many questions as to what I was going to do next? Who was I going to be? Where was I going to go? For the most part none of them have been answered yet. But I am working on them.

So weather you go home and watch soap operas immediately following the graduation ceremony, or you gear up the beach cruiser for a week in the sun, remember these times because they will never come again.

Congratulations Class of2008!

Weg-mania

Relationship experts say the produce section is one of the best places to meet your next date. If the saying is true hundreds of potential singles hooked up today as the Wegman’s grocery store opened in Woodbridge, Va.

Thousands in all turned out for the 7 a.m. store opening, snarling traffic on congested roads leading into the shopping center. Prince William County Police braved the nearly 100-degree heat and directed traffic throughout the parking lot.

In addition to its many eateries that offer freshly cooked seafood, sandwiches, pizza and Asian delicacies such as a fresh sushi bar to dine at; the 140,000-sqaure-foot store offers a full grocery store shopping experience.

The company is hoping to make the store a destination experience for local grocery shoppers throughout the area, offering the slogan “Food shopping will never be the same” on many of the printed materials handed out at the supermarket.

This is the company’s third store to open in Virginia, with another store planned to be built in Fredericksburg, and could open as early as 2009. In all the company operates 70 stores in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.

I had some pizza that was not bad. My girlfriend had some Indian food – she loved it.

Wild weather

This is just one of those days that make you want to stay inside. With temperatures in the high 90’s, and heat indices making it feel over 100 degrees outside, many in the Washington area are warning the extreme weather can kill.

It has been another week of extreme weather this week, as the second tornado to hit Stafford County this year touched down Wednesday night near the airport.

The F-1 tornado, with winds in excess of 112 mph, hit a mostly rural area but was blamed for some minor home damage in the area.

More than 10,000 customers were without power immediately following the storm.
Area roads were closed in separate stretches, and firefighters were dispatched to more than 15 reports of fallen trees on homes. One family was trapped under a tree but was freed when firefighters arrived.

There were no storm-related injuries reported.

Lessons from an armed man

On Wednesday a Stafford man abducted a Fairfax man who reportedly was involved with his wife. The man was abducted at gunpoint, and was brought the suspects Stafford residence.

The man escaped through the abductor’s garage and called the police to tell them what had happened. When police swarmed the residence, the suspect forced his wife into his car at gunpoint and escaped, leading police on a high-speed pursuit. Police boxed the suspect into a parking lot. There police got the woman out of the car, and learned the suspect was armed.
The man negotiated with police for nearly three hours yesterday. When it was all over, police used a taser gun to subdue the man.

During the ordeal, what looked to be someone related to the suspect arrived on the scene and was talking with police. When he was through, he walked back to his car and ignored many of the questions that I was asking him. Frustrated that I was being ignored, I asked him, “Can you tell me anything about what’s going on?” The man continued to ignore me and drove away.

When he unexpectedly returned, I again approached him. He immediately told me to stay away from him, and that he clearly was not going to speak to me. The man promptly went to the other reporter on the scene, from a competing publication, and gave him an exclusive interview.

I learned that day that as a reporter the people who are going through emotional stress are not required to talk to me. I am there for them. If I had showed a little more compassion for the situation, and less angst about getting a great story, perhaps I would have gotten that interview.

Burning questions

Never before have I had so many representatives from the county call me at the same time to try and sway my story. While writing about ongoing developments in the Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department, the county spokeswoman and the fire dept. spokesperson asked me not to write anything about the controversial fire chief, the he was the headline of the story.

Volunteer firefighters are upset with the county’s first-ever fire chief as he aims to make sweeping changes. The volunteers do not like a new rule that requires at least three people in each station at all times, new recruiting and marketing practices, and the fact that they do not receive any type of retirement compensation.

When I asked to speak with the fire chief, I was told that he was unavailable and could not comment on the matter at all. The spokeswoman went on to say they would like to see the whole issue play out in county meetings and away from the media.
I’m not sure if Stafford is used to having someone ask controversial questions about polarizing issues within the county, but they should know that I am here and it’s my job to ask.

Some stayed home

I went to a local ice cream shop today and took a small survey. I asked a random three people if they had traveled anywhere for the Memorial Day holiday weekend?

Besides Thanksgiving, Memorial Day is supposed to be the most busy travel times of the year. AAA did estimate that the number of highway travelers would be down by one-percent over the number of travelers just a year ago.

They were probably right, because once I asked the question many more than just three people spoke up and said that the price of gas kept them at home this weekend.

The average price of gas in Washington, D.C. is $4.02, up from $3.20 one year ago, according to AAA.

Now in Face Book time

So I have taken a moment over this beautiful Memorial Day weekend to join the ranks of Face Book. Because I have no idea how much of it works, if anyone would like to add me and tell me what giving someone a cupcake means, that would be great!

Oh yeah, someone sent a “poke” to me. I don’t know what that means but I’m assuming that it is harmless fun. Do you think that we can set-up a ‘hater poke” for when you want to by down right nasty to someone?

A good press day

Wednesday’s are deadline day. All of our articles must be in and the newspaper laid out on the page. Running late on a story, I had to wake up at 6 a.m. and be at a high school to cover a teacher strike. Then my pants zipper broke this morning, so naturally I thought I was going to have a bad day.

But this week, as if someone was smiling down from above, everthing has worked out for the best. We made deadline sooner than ususal!

Now that I have some extra time, lets talk for a second about enjoying the work that you do. For years I went from job to job, working as a restaurant manager, a Cable Internet phone help guy, I even moved furniture for a few summers.

But now that I am doing what I have loved to do since high school, I am finally happy about my job – which sounds snotty because most cannot say that.

But how long will this feeling last?

I disagree with some of the intricacies of how our paper is produced each week, and the long overtime hours that for some reason are necessary to produce the product. Yet even that does not deter me from coming in each day and yearning for more.

I guess you could say I like the exposure. It is the best way that I know how to use my talents and help others.

Through my reporting I have been able to get VDOT to post new road safety signs on a dangerous curve in Stafford. I was able to help a tractor-trailer driver get his rig unstuck in a flood and get moving again.

I don’t know exactly what it is, but we all have our good days and our bad ones – I know I will have more. I guess you never know which one you are going to get.

If my pants had a hole in them though, that would have been another story.

I was just staying

While covering an event at one of the Stafford County Firehouse’s this week, where volunteer firefighters were airing grievances about their boss, the chief of the house said that he didn’t want me there. He claimed that it was a private meeting and the press had no business interfering.

Unfortunately for Mr. Chief, when you have three or more local government officials in one room, as it did, the county’s press secretary is required to notify the press. Then I usually show up.

According to the chief, the press declines to tell the whole story, or doesn’t fully take the time to understand what is going on. I asked him if he had bothered to communicate the story to us, or did he simply not want us there because he had something to hide?

Where there are journalists out there looking for the next juicy story, there are those of us who try to do our jobs the best we can.

If you have never been burned by me before, why not try to use me to get your story out there. I will then in-turn use you to tell a great story. See how it works here Mr. Chief?