Q’s Hats in Review, Prepping for Rocky

The complaining about how much snow we “didn’t” get is taking up too much room in cyberspace. It is time to just enjoy TV reporters and the hats they are wearing out on the elements.

The last post had some doozies. Thanks for the submissions. If you have a photo to submit, send them in an email to me at IPTVPaul@gmail.com or just put them on Twitter @paulyeager.

Taylor Umland, KWQC, Davenport.

But one of the best ones came directly onto my Facebook wall. Here is the bar for today. A Wartburg College hat being worn on my old TV station, KWQC in Davenport. Taylor Umland was rocking the orange and black during his morning reports in the QC.

One of my former co-workers at KWQC was Matt Davis. Mr. Matt was a nightside reporter when I started and we would do liveshots without a hat. A certain morning radio duo named Dwyer and Michael’s would razz him on-air about not wearing a hat and looking cold on his evening live reports.

The radio guys decided to send a gift to Matt of a hat, which he would sometimes wear and other times it was just sitting on his desk, ready for the call of duty.

Bailey Dietz, KWQC, Davenport.

Sticking at KWQC, we bring in Bailey Dietz from her nightside live shot Thursday.

Former TV6 intern and now reporter at WGBA in Green Bay, WI, Jonathan Gregg is in on the action.

Jonathon Gregg

Jon is a former board member of the Iowa Broadcast News Association. I’m sure he’s already made plans to attend this year’s convention on April 20 in Johnston at the Stoney Creek Inn.

Now to some of the morning crew.

Arielle Nixon was wondering why she had to take a picture of herself wearing earmuffs. She wasn’t sure what the request was all about, but thanks to Pat Dix for this.

Pat’s Tweet.

Thanks for playing along.

Arielle Nixon, WHO, Des Moines.

Thanks to the MW ESPN bureau for this submission of KARE photojournalist Nate Anderson.

Nate Anderson, KARE, Minneapolis.

Jason Rantala, WOI, West Des Moines.

Kim St. Onge, KCCI, Des Moines.

My little reporter, Levi. That’s a hat OVER his hooded sweatshirt.

Megan Ruether is always a good sport about trying new hats and thanks to Travis Jungling for lighting up Megan Friday morning for this picture.

Megan Reuther, WHO, Des Moines.

But it was Megan’s former station that wins the day. You may remember Nikki Newbrough from last year with the space cadet interview subject.

This year she’s gone above and beyond with a sombrero and a friend, Danielle Wagner. I think Danielle is the Ice Princess? Did I get that correct?

Danielle Wagner and Nikki Newbrough of KWWL, Waterloo.

Thanks again for the submissions. We’re only a couple of days away from doing it again with Winter Storm Rocky approaching.

The Q-Tiful Hats

Winter Storm Q, at least the name The Weather Channel has given it, is alive and well.

It is also putting reporters out in the field to tell you to be careful, be safe and if you don’t have to, not travel.

I did start a Tumblr blog that is just the reporters and their hats. Check it out sometime.

This blog will still post pictures of reporters wearing hats while out standing in their field.

Megan Salois, WHO, Des Moines.

Jill Kasparie, KCRG, Cedar Rapids.

Kevin Phelps, KWQC, Davenport.

Now to the Omaha/Council Bluffs market and Cheryl Lemke.

Cheryl Lemke WOWT, Omaha.

Wait a minute, where is Becca’s hat?

Becca Habegger of KWWL, Waterloo.

Arielle Nixon, WHO.

Chris Conoan, WOI, West Des Moines.

Thanks for taking time to read the blog.

Patrick Bell, KCCI.

Phil Prazen, WOI, West Des Moines.

Vanessa Peng, KCCI.

Jessica Daley, WOI, West Des Moines.

And finally, WHO’s new reporter is setting the standard we haven’t seen in quite some time. Enjoy the photo of Jodi Whitworth. A big thanks to Lee Rouse for the snapshot. He’s a legend and he did it again.

Jodi Whitworth, WHO, Des Moines.

If you have a hat to share with others, send me a photo to IPTVPaul@gmail.com

A Blizzard of Hats

This storm is serious for many people. If you have power, internet, food, and no place to go, you didn’t think this was a problem.

For others in the dark, stuck on the interstate, or working, this was a tough day.

Many our TV friends were in the elements. And, they were wearing hats.

These are the Hats That Saved Christmas. Brett McIntyre starts off this batch.

Brett McIntyre of WHO-HD

Kevin Phelps stands in the place I did several times for KWQC-TV in Davenport. Gotta love the Brady Street Reports.

Kevin Phelps, KWQC-TV

WOI-TV’s Jason Rantala was out early Thursday morning, ready for duty.

Jason Rantala, WOI-TV.

Megan Reuther is no stranger to the hat blog. She let me know she had a new hat for the season. Good work, Megan.

Megan Reuther of WHO-HD.

Another KWQC entry comes from Erica Cervantes.

Erica Cervantes, KWQC-TV

Jackie Schmillen tells us the traffic for KCCI, but she was in the warm, dare I say, hot, studio. No hat, but the snow season is young.

Jackie Schmillen, KCCI-TV

This is Amber O’Brien’s first time on the blog in our hat parade. Welcome.

Amber O’Brien, KWQC-TV

This was not Amanda Lewis’ first winter storm. She was out in the cold wind for KCCI.

Amanda Lewis, KCCI-TV

And our last KWQC entry comes from my longtime friend, Elizabeth Goodsitt. The weekend anchor is always in full fashion.

Elizabeth Goodsitt, KWQC-TV

Arielle Nixon was not in a full hat out front of WHO-HD.

Arielle Nixon, WHO-HD.

And a returning entry comes from Mark Tauscheck of KCCI. That black stocking cap is classic, but always works.

Mark Tauscheck, KCCI-TV

Thank you for checking out the hats. As you can see, I’m a little light in the Waterloo/Cedar Rapids market. Send me any entries to IPTVPaul@gmail.com and we’ll get them in the mix.

The Hats That Saved Christmas

KCRG/SMG’s Chris Earl is ready.

The entries are coming in and are impressive so far.

This is a rough looking start to the contest as it is being done on a mobile device. There are more important things than cable or Internet.

Be safe out there friends.

Stephanie Moore was on night patrol Tuesday night.

Stephanie Moore, WHO-TV.

Someone needs to inform Ron Marasco of WOI that he needs a hat.

Ron Marasco, WOI-TV.

See, Phil Prazen gets it. He’s in his standard stocking cap.

Phil Prazen, WOI-TV

Noelle Smith was on the ‘side of the road’ report location.

Noelle Smith, KCCI-TV

Patrick Bell had multiple hits Wednesday night.

Patrick Bell, KCCI-TV

Kera Mashek’s entry was from Tuesday night, but still a good one.

Kera Mashek, KWWL-TV

The Hats That May Save Christmas

Nikki’s live shot on earth. (KWWL in early 2012)

The first winter storm brings a lot of things.

New forecasting models, snowplows strategies, gloves, and my personal favorite, hats.

We had a limited hat choice on local TV reporters in 2012. Can the last 12 Days of the Year Finally Give to me, a new crop of hats on my TV?

Let us see.

Please submit any entries on your local TV station to iptvpaul@gmail.com

BTW, we do have media movements to get to as well. Chris Hassel to ESPN, John Campbell retires, Angie Hunt goes to ISU and the return of Scott Sanborn to TV on KGAN. Another day, another blog post.

But first, the hats of Draco.

What has happened?

I have no excuses. I’m not going to claim an active lifestyle on my lack of blogging.

I guess I’ve cashed in on the nice string of weather. For one thing, days on end of 80 degrees in March have finally come to an end. And that’s only because we are now in April.

Thank goodness.

I was getting tired of always being outside, drawing on the sidewalk, playing baseball or soccer in the backyard, going to the park and not wearing a jacket.

Seriously, what has happened?

Well, to sum it up easily, life happened.

Amy returned from Europe earlier in the month.

We played outside.

I mowed my lawn 3 times in the month of March.

Amy and I bought bicycles and actually tried to use them. I guess exercise is important to good health, who knew? Amy does, but I’m still getting used to it.

We actually used vacation days with the boys in a trip to the QC. As you can see in the picture, we just sit in hotels playing on the iPad and DS.

It was on that trip that I learned a good friend from my Girl Scouts Night on Broadway, died. Brian Nelson (tribute story by another great friend David Burke) was such a great person and talent. It was awesome to stand next to him to get my part. No one can replace that voice in the show and it makes my decision to return last December all the more meaningful, as that was my last time talking to the copy editor of the QC Argus/Dispatch before he passed on March 17.

We saw old friends in new places and entertained along the way.

Then there were trips to get frozen yogurt.

I suppose Call Committee at church took a little time. We are looking for a new pastor for care and discipleship.

We hosted two members of the Ritterchor from Wartburg College. Our guys were communication arts majors. They weren’t even at the house 10 hours, but we still managed to bore them to tears with tales of Castle Singers and KWAR. The group was well received at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. We hope they remember us in Ankeny the next time they drive by.

I did get to meet the new director, Lee Nelson. He’s an incredible talent and Wartburg is lucky to have him.

And now this week, baseball begins. The Iowa Cubs will open the 2012 season to some of the coolest weather we’ve had in weeks. The boys are summer are getting the same luck as last year, great weather in Des Moines when the team was on the road, but when at home, bring the cold, rain and snow.

We did have some family health issues with Grandpa Bob Lehmann attempting to play Superman and ending up in the hospital. Mom and Dad survived a month together in Florida and Kris was able to return with them, hitting every 3rd McDonald’s along the way back to Iowa.

And maybe I play Words With Friends a little bit….

But being a dad is what I love to do. Spending time with the clowns is the best medicine for any day. Amy gets attention, too. You have to keep the boss happy.

Maybe next time we’ll get back to the business at hand, telling you who is pregnant on what TV station and maybe dig up some old hat pictures to keep you entertained.

Until next time, good knight.

New Hats for the New Year of 2012

Morgan Ottier of KWQC opens the competition with a home run.

Welcome to 2012 and the return of TV reporters/photographers/producers wearing hats on the job.

You’ve all seen a reporter “braving the elements so you don’t have to.”

Sometimes they bring a hat to the liveshot to mix things up a bit.

This year we begin the look around the state and beyond with wonderful hats of winter. The winter that took forever to arrive.

We begin with Morgan Ottier of KWQC. The morning reporter hit a home run outside the Davenport studios this morning. I got to meet Morgan during my recent trip to the Quad Cities for the QC Media Night on Broadway Holiday Winter Spectacular Extravaganza.

Thanks to Joanne Phillips and Alan Campbell for pointing me in the direction of this hat. I know a couple of people are loyal readers of the blog, so thanks for the help. If you’ve seen a hat on your TV and get a screen grab, send it to me at IPTVPaul@Gmail.com.

Jill Kasparie, KCRG TV out in the snow.

Another entry comes from the best friend a guy can ever have in Michael Graham. Chef Mike sent this shot of KCRG reporter Jill Kasparie.

Jill has a twin in Iowa TV. Sister Kelly is a producer at WHO-TV.

I know that can’t be the only two hats out there today. Please consider your sisters and brothers outside your TV market who want to see the best in hats in 2012.

Again, send any pics to IPTVPaul@gmail.com
I can leave your name out of credit if you choose.

Stunning flood damage along the Missouri River begins to surface

I-29 north of Council Bluffs. (Photo from Iowa DOT)

Remember the floods of 2011? The ones that still have traffic re-routed on Interstate 29 for hundreds of miles?

If these pictures posted by the Iowa Department of Transportation are the tip of the iceberg, it will be long after the snow and cold are gone before you’re driving from Sioux City to Kansas City through Omaha/Council Bluffs on I-29.

I don’t have official information, but I do know you can’t work on a construction project of rebuilding a road when it is still under water.

Sandbags around the Blue Moon in Hamburg.

I went for Market To Market to the Missouri back in June. Then several roads were still passable.

My previous post is here which includes the trip from Sioux City to Hamburg.

That’s not the case anymore. Check out the dramatic images showing the power of water. Especially water that lasts for months like it is now.

I-29 north of Council Bluffs on 8/16/11 (Photo by Iowa DOT)

The gallery from the Iowa DOT is here.

It includes images from around the Council Bluffs area, even showing Highway 2 from Hamburg to Nebraska City. We were on that road in June when all the businesses just west of the interstate were surrounded by sandbags.

Is that irony when the weather radar is knocked out by a storm?

The lonesome WHO-HD radar tower.

Sorry for the delay in updating the site. Amy and I actually took a vacation. You may be subject to some of our travels to Napa Valley, San Francisco and AT&T Park.

We begin with the storm that no one knew was coming.

Early Monday morning, severe weather rolled through central into east-central Iowa.

One of the first things damaged was WHO-HD’s doppler radar located on a tower in Alleman, Iowa. Chief Meteorologist Ed Wilson posted this picture on his Twitter account Monday afternoon of the remaining tower section.

WHO-HD radar damaged. (WHOTV.com)

Here’s another photo from the story that WHO did on the damage in Story County.

The station will use National Weather Service Radar until repairs are made. The pieces of the radar did some damage to a nearby farm, but no one was hurt by the debris. Here’s a link to the story that aired in the 5p newscast of Channel 13.

Rival station KCCI did a story on the radar’s damage. You can watch it here.

Sarah Thompsen, WBAY photo

The storm continued east into Tama County doing widespread damage, especially the town of Garwin. One farm damaged was that of Wartburg Comm Arts alum Sarah Thomsen’s parents. Some may remember her at Miss Tama County, but now she’s your 4p News Anchor at WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Her mother was interviewed by Ch. 13. Sarah’s sister, Susan, was a reporter at KIMT-TV in Mason City a few years back. You can watch the story here.

More problems on the Mighty Mo

Downtown Omaha, NE from the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. Taken June 15, 2011.

I’m back from the trip to the Missouri River. We started in South Sioux City, NE, then to Sioux City, IA on Tuesday. A quick overview is found here.

Our crew made it to Council Bluffs Tuesday night. Our drive was eery along I-29 as the closer we got to Council Bluffs, the less traffic there was on the road. The interstate was shut down at Missouri Valley.

Looking east to Council Bluffs, Iowa. The white tarp is along a levee protecting the city. Photo taken June 15, 2011.

We did start at the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge between Omaha, NE and Council Bluffs, IA. This is a good place to see the wide the Missouri and not be in danger. You can see flooding along the Omaha side where a few back-ups of water are occurring in the parking lot of the new Ameritrade Park, home of the College World Series.

Crews rush to complete a secondary levee protecting Hamburg, Iowa. West and south of here, a levee broke Monday. Water has filled thousands of acres already. June 15, 2011.

We headed south on I-29 and got off the road at Nebraska City/Sidney exit. The 4-lane road into Nebraska City was reduced to a single lane in a couple of places as the water was on the road.

The businesses just off the interstate all had protective levees around them. That was the scene in many places south of the CoBlo/Omaha metro, lots of large machine-made levees. In Missouri Valley it was sandbags along the business district.

We made it to this lookout point in Hamburg. We could see the temporary work being done on the levee to help save the town. The major industries of town could be wiped out if this levee doesn’t hold.

Iowa National Guard commander arriving to view operations and flood patrol's base of operations. June 15, 2011.

The Iowa National Guard is patrolling the levees up and down the River. The Iowa National Guard Major General Tim Orr arrived in Hamburg Wednesday afternoon. He was flying the entire river to see what had changed in the week.

The Blue Moon is still open. The owner told us she’s willing to anyone her story and the community of Hamburg’s story. To say she was upset at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is an understatement.

One final note, this trip was almost 3 years to the day that Cedar River crested at Cedar Rapids. John Torpy and I were on that shoot as well. I wonder which river we’ll be on in 3 years from now.
We are working on a story for this week’s Market To Market program. Check your local listings.