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.

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.

Just because they may be thin, doesn’t mean the hats aren’t mighty

Nikki Newbrough, KWWL - TV Waterloo.

Thank goodness winter is here. We needed the snow to help bring out the hats.

We had one crop already this season. This would be the second round of lids.

We begin with Wartburg grad and now KWWL reporter Nikki Newbrough. She is the morning reporter for the NBC affiliate. Translation: She can be silly when needed.

Nikki's live shot on earth.

Earlier in the day, Nikki was at the University of Northern Iowa campus asking students about the cold and snow. Her interview almost stole the show. He was in a NASA-type space suit.

Earth to UNI dude, nice hat.

You can see in this picture, Nikki put the space helmet on her head for this still frame.

Brian Boesen, KWQC - HD, live on Brady Street Hill in Davenport.

Brian Boesen is reporting on Brady Street Hill in Davenport. I’ve done that shot a few times in my career.

The KWQC reporter and I met backstage at the Girl Scouts Night on Broadway a couple of months back.

I also met the clubhouse leader for hats in 2012, Megan Ottier that night in Bettendorf. More on her in a moment.

Back to Brian… I did ask him if he was related to the Des Moines Boesen’s. Specifically, former Dowling Catholic TE Ben Boesen who is now playing football at Iowa State. No relation between the two. Yes, I was that guy who asked.

Angie Hunt, KCCI - TV Des Moines.

Back to Central Iowa and an ‘ole favorite for hats here at PP&M and that would be Angie Hunt.

The Ames bureau reporter has been captured with many great lids on her head the last few years. She gets the plum assignments in all corners of the viewing area, many northern points, so wearing a good head topper is vital to her good health.

Thank you to Angie.

Krystle Kacner , WHO - HD Des Moines

Newly hired reporter Krystle Kacner of WHO-HD is now getting into the hat game. She’s new to the area and to the station.

But her hat is one of veteran caliber.

As she settles in, we’ll get her to tweet a couple of pictures of herself wearing a hat.

Chris Earl, KCRG Cedar Rapids

And back to eastern Iowa and KCRG reporter/anchor Chris Earl.

Mr. Earl deserves special attention for this furry wonder on his head.

Would you call that Cousin Eddy’s hat from Christmas Vacation? Or is that more Daniel Boone?

Now back to the hat that I received the most in my inbox.

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

Megan’s hat is spectacular. But some question if the hat is for show or if she’s serious about wearing the hat. Better yet, is she serious while wearing that hat?

I know many reporters were looking forward to getting out in the elements this weekend to talk about the ice and snow, but it looks like those pictures will have to wait, as the next winter death storm is staying to the west.

So Lauren Squires, bring us your hats from the Omaha market.

If you know of a hat to share, send the pic to IPTVPaul@gmail.com .

2 more deaths involving former staffers at KIMT and KSO

Don Harman, FOX4KC.com image

This blog has turned into the obituary page of the internet.

Earlier this week we learned former WHO and WOI TV anchor Bobbi Bergman Silvernail Brunscheon died.

Then it was Tom Bedore, or as he was known on KSO-AM, Tom Collins.

Now word is former KIMT meteorologist Don Harman has passed.

This Pitch.com story was posted this morning about Harman. (It has since been pulled or is missing from the site and now moved to here.)

The note below was posted on the Fox4 Facebook page this morning:

Good morning.
We know many of you have questions.
We appreciate your concern, and we consider you our friends.
But please remember that family comes first.
We’re honoring that right now, and we ask that you join us in that.
Please bear with us for a little while longer.
-Loren & Mark

As of 930, there’s been no official word on the station website, but former co-workers have posted status updates asking for prayers and support for the family. The Facebook post has generated a large amount of traffic.

Harman was at KIMT in Mason City in the mid-90′s, including the time when Jodi Huisentruit disappeared.

Don worked in West Virginia at two different stations during his career before going to Kansas City to work at Fox 4 where he worked on the morning show.

From the station bio:

Throughout his years in television, Don has played an active role in the communities in which he worked. He has a passion for educating children about science and enjoys teaching them about weather with his Doppler Don segments. In 2001, he was nominated for an Emmy and was a Missouri Broadcast Award winner for his educational childrens’ reports as Doppler Don. The best part of teaching weather for Don is seeing the kids’ eyes light up when they realize science can be fun.

When he’s not forecasting the weather or working with children, Don enjoys spending time outdoors. His favorite activities include hiking, camping, and skiing. Don, his wife, Monica, and their daughter, Avery, live in Kansas City, Mo.

Harman had a good sense of humor and his former co-workers I’ve worked with, always had great Don stories to share.

Another passing happened over the weekend. This one involving former 1460 KSO DJ Tom Collins, who died Saturday in Appleton, Wisconsin. Collins was part of the Tom and Jerry Show in Des Moines.

Bedore had been doing voice work and field production for radio and TV commercials.  His career also took him to New York, California, Iowa and eventually Wisconsin.

Part of Thomas’ obit is below, the full story is here:

Tom is survived by his parents, John and Dolores, Appleton; three brothers, John Jr. (Sue Swamer) Bedore, Timothy (Karen) Bedore, and James (Carrie) Bedore; and a nephew, Ben, and nieces, Annie and Claire.

A memorial mass for Tom will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 3, 2011 at ST. BERNARD CATHOLIC CHURCH, 1617 W. Pine St., Appleton, with Fr. Dennis Ryan officiating. Friends may call on Saturday at church from 11:30 a.m. until the time of the mass. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Tom’s name may be made to Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Memorial Contributions, One Waterfowl Way, Memphis, TN, 38120. The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of the caregivers with ThedaCare Hospice for your loving and good-humored care. Tom loved you all.

Please let this be the last of the death notices for media members for awhile.

Snow Day

11p Monday night

Ok, all that talk of snow coverage got me going on a little snow reporting today.

How about a little play-by-play of the snow storm? I was planning on shooting video of Harrison Barnes and the Ames Cyclones playing at West Des Moines Dowling Catholic for a feature on the Iowa Journal. That will have to wait until January 23rd, 2010 as the game was snowed out tonight.

I’ll post a few pics of the storm as I deal with it.

The first picture is from 11p Monday night. The snow started falling shortly after that. At 4a when I got up to feed Levi, about an inch had fallen.

7a Tuesday

By 7a Tuesday, the view from my house showed snow on the ground and my two neighbors on either side had already been out and ran their snow blowers and shovels.

1015a Tuesday - before the snowblower

The drive to Noah’s school was nice and slow. He’s excited because he’s getting to wear boots.

After a morning of appointments, it was time to snow blow. I had a hair cut scheduled and only person had cancelled by the time I left at 830a.

At my dentist appointment, a few people had shuffled. Noah was to see the ENT again about his tonsils, just to make sure they weren’t there anymore and that appointment got moved up as the office was going to close. Amy isn’t the biggest fan of snow, but she made it and just took it slow.

Now, back to the snow blower. I’ve had one the last couple of years and its been great. My friend Mike gets to use his new snowblower today. To say he’s excited, is an understatement.

1040a Tuesday - after the first pass, with the Ankeny Public Works truck driving down our street.

It only took a few minutes to get the two inches off the driveway.

By the time I was done, the Ankeny Public works department had a truck going down our street. I call that good service.

I did catch the noon news today, a few hats were in force. That’s always good to see. Here’s a link to my post yesterday about what’s happening in the newsrooms as the storm is approaching.

I am working on a story about the Iowa Wine Industry. Quite fun to think of warm days in the vineyard while watching it snow.

For the record, my view from my home office is quite nice. I can see it snow and hear Noah not take a nap. Fun times.

235p Tuesday - Mail arrives. Thanks USPS!

2:45 UPDATE: The United States Postal Service does deliver. The mail carrier, more like mail driver, just stopped by the house with our mail. Amy was working on getting more of our Christmas cards/picture out. This year it features the boys. That’s still weird for me to say that we’ve got two of those crazy boys.

Soon, Noah and I will head out and do our part to put a dent in the snow that’s piled up since 1030a.

BTW, I have been updating the Iowa Journal twitter stream today with videos you can watch during the snow storm. As long as you’ve got the internet, this will be a chance to catch up on our back episodes. You can follow those Iowa Journal tweets here.

430p Tuesday - Noah sees how high the snow piles are

UPDATE: 430p Tuesday
Noah decided he wanted to come outside and see the snow in person. He also wanted to see if the snow was good enough to build a snowman. Not quite. But you can see the piles were starting to mount. He helped shovel for a bit.

He’s doing better in the snow this year, than other years. Just a year makes a big difference in his tolerance of cold and snow. Plus, its a new thing again right now. We’ll see what he does in a couple of months when we have snow over the house.

Hopefully by then, we can build at least one snow man. That seems to be his goal this winter. I’ll do what I can to help that one out.

430p Tuesday - Noah helps shovel the front steps

Noah did some damage outside our front door. But a big thanks to our neighbors for helping clear our driveway this afternoon.

The snow is now falling so fast, you can hardly tell where you shovelled in 3 minutes. Then, the snow covered up your work.

I think the snow blower will stay in the garage tonight. We’ll start it back up Wednesday morning.

6p Tuesday - Another snow plow goes by our street

UPDATE: 630p Another Ankeny snow plow made the rounds after we got done eating supper. This is the second time a plow has gone through our street. This was one of those front end loader types. Normally, they come through our street in the middle of the night, to clear us all out. Tonight, it was only a drive path.

The snow did stop around 830p and it will likely begin again soon. Quite the night and the wind is blowing already. Can’t imagine what it will be like when the real wind strikes.

926p Update: Remember my friend Mike’s snow blower excitement? Of course he’s got video of it to share for the world. Enjoy.

RT @michaelgraham: And so it begins…  http://twitvid.com/13424

Wed 5p Update: In all my years of covering winter storms, I learned something today. Our furnace did not kick on at 5p like scheduled. Called for service. Was told it would be 4-5 hours. 72 Degrees in Ankeny suggested I check my exhaust and intakes on the exterior of the house. After a little digging, I got them cleared and we have heat. Thanks for the help 72 Degrees of Ankeny.

Snow Prep in a newsroom

Today is one of those days that are kind of fun in a newsroom.

It is the day after a significant snowfall where snow plows and tow trucks were involved.
It is also the day before a significant snow fall is due to hit the area.

Both of these points are fun for the first big fall. Maybe the second one if you get a foot of snow its fun, but after that, its old hat and you want nothing to do with that.

However, the above clip is from a late winter storm in 2007 when I was running the desk at WHO-TV. Lee Rouse and Jon Cahill were out getting some video when they captured this huge explosion behind the Urbandale fire fighter’s head. Lee’s done lots of interviews about that day. I remember when Cahill called back to say what happened. Cahill said it was amazing video and it still undersold it.

Today you will see stories of people rushing the grocery store, hardware store and what public works crews are doing to prepare.

You’ll see graphics with phone numbers on who to call for road conditions, what site to check for road conditions and winter survival tips and how our news team will beat the other news team and have people everywhere for all shows as we bring you DeathWatch 2009 Storm to End All Storm Coverage.”

It will be all hands on deck to get out there so you don’t have to be out there.

I never minded sitting in a snow bank doing live shots to say, “yup, still snowing out here, back to you.” They were fun. I remember my first winter in Davenport at KWQC when that December set a record for snow fall for a month named December. I was on the Lincoln Street overpass 3 times with Bob Palmer and another 2 times along a turnaround spot along I74 and 23rd Ave. Good times.

But, when you are in the building and don’t leave, you have to answer the phone to respond to someone’s request to crawl their business or school closing. Most school closings are called into a computer now, but you still get Aunt Edina’s birthday party is cancelled, or the Boy Scouts Troop 128 acorn pie supper is PPD until Dec. 19. I don’t miss that part.

Also, I want you to be looking for the best storm hat. This would be a reporter who is wearing a good hat, like a parka with fur, or something trendy, or if you were me, a Jesup J-Hawks hat. Hat attire in a storm is also something to view.

Storms are good for the media business. TV and radio mostly. People are more tuned in to the details of the storm. There is a lot of repetitive information, but its vital to those who HAVE to be out in it.

Take your time, no need to rush, give yourself plenty of distance and don’t go out if you don’t have to.

It sounds like I’m ready for my life shot. Anne, where do you want me at noon?