Tag: KTVZ

Riding the news tide: Crimes covered, or not

We get all sorts of news tips and comments, as you can imagine. Some, well truly deserve no reply, not even a thanks. Rudeness can know no bounds, as you might expect. But I’m thrilled in little ways when I can provide an answer, a direction to an answer, offer up what someone needs, shed a little light.

“I just completed grand jury duty and I am wondering why you report on certain cases and don’t report on others,” a lady recently asked.

Oh man, that could fill a book or 3. Maybe one day it will. But in the meantime, we had a nice, non-confrontational exchange – and toward the end, I wrote that maybe I should blog about it, and she said, yes, I should – ‘it is so interesting.”

Well, I think so too. Some times I really do think the anger or frustration people feel about institutions such as, say, government or the media come from a lack of knowledge or understanding. Not always, of course, and I sure don’t want to talk down to or call folks’ ignorant. But some just crave some insight – a peek behind the curtain, you might say.

So here’s some expanded thoughts on what I had to say to that really good, thankfully nicely put, curious, non-accusatory question;-)

There are a host of factors that go into what stories get covered or don’t — sometimes ‘equal’ crimes or crashes or fires or the daily grist of breaking news make it into a broadcast or onto the Website or not simply because we do or don’t know about them. Again, for a variety of reasons – it may seem someone asks us every time they hear a siren or see a police car speeding somewhere, but some times those trees just fall in a part of the News Forest where they don’t make a sound, and people assume/presume we know when we don’t. (Then there are those who think we know everything and are upset when we don’t. Sorry, folks – we’re human too.)

The first in a string of judgment calls involves whether police put out a news release. And they may or may not put one out on, say, a minor or non-injury crash, depending on the circumstances of that crash, fire or what have you — or because they are so busy moving on to the next first-responder incident they never get around to it.

But I also noted that some crimes — abuse comes to mind – are not always reported due to policies ranging from federal privacy rules to not wanting to cause added woes when it involves a family member, for example. When police are turning to the public for any other potential victims – or the case is particularly high-profile (a gymnastics coach, a teacher etc.) or severe/disturbing –again, all judgment calls that might be different from one day to the next, depending in part on how many other things are going on that day.

Oh, I should throw in here one response from my kind correspondent, who said that after serving on the grand jury, she “learned so much about the law and, sadly, about our community, living in Bend, seeing the news was the only crime I knew about, but it appears there is quite a bit more going on here than I ever could have imagined.”

A rude awakening, indeed, and bound to change your perspective on your community. Hopefully not to raise the fear level, but a real eye-opener.

I told her I was sure it was “a window into a sad, very troubling part of our community.”

And she said – in what I took as an honest misunderstanding — “I guess I just thought that if an arrest was made you were allowed to report on it. Interesting that you need permission to do that from the police department or the DA. … I am just trying to figure out how all this works.”

My journalistic senses bristled and I answered – fast — ‘No, no, I never said ALLOWED. It’s more like … well, look at the court dockets of dozens of cases a single day. We don’t ONLY report the ones police do news releases on, but those are the bigger ones – robberies, break-ins, murders etc.”

And my reply also included a long-standing line I use that can sound like a cop-out but is just the basic truth: “For every story (crime or otherwise) we get to, there are hundreds, if not thousands we don’t. There are investigative reasons police or prosecutors might not release some information before trial. And lots of other factors come into play.”

I … we should never ever assume people know all that. As for whether you/they believe it – that we don’t choose which stories to do based on who we know and are trying to hurt or curry favor with, as opposed to what’s the most interesting to any given reporter on any given day — well, we can only control what we report, not how it’s received. I often say I take 100 percent credit (or blame) for what’s on the lines I write. What people read between them often has far more to do with what views and other “baggage” they bring to a story than what we write or say.

The grand juror got what I was saying, adding that she’d always watched our news “and I feel better knowing that you all are ethical in your reporting. I hope that will continue.”

“And I also want to say that I was very impressed with the officers and the DA’s office. They are very professional and human and do a wonderful job in our community.”

And thus the exchange ended. And I was reminded that some times, folks just need a bit of explanation about how things work to overcome misconceptions, assumptions or just working in a knowledge vacuum that can lead to all sorts of negative things.

Not always, of course. Many people are dead-set in their bunker mentalities of the us vs. them, and believe everyone has an angle to make someone look good or bad, that we focus on the bad side of news to make a buck rather than it just being … the news (1,000 kids crossing a street safely isn’t news. One who doesn’t, is;-/ Or that we don’t do any(!) good news stories (oh man, stats to show otherwise apparently will never change some minds on that one, because the tragedies/problems are so … sticky and heavy, while the good news often feels like a lighter-than-air will o’ the wisp… fluttering off in the breeze.)

I hope this all came across as more of an explanation than a defense. And wasn’t an eye-rolling exercise in “oh, who doesn’t know all THAT.” Because I really believe there are many who don’t know, and won’t automatically distrust the answers because they come from the Big Bad Media in Cahoots with Big Bad Government.

I sure hope/pray so.

And your question about what we do/don’t do and why is? (And the tone of your question will no doubt play a role in whether I answer and how. Civility meets civility and all that;-)

Judging the judgmental: A moderator’s lament

Some days I really wonder why I ever volunteered to moderate 100s, even 1,000s of comments on our Website all the time. (I know why, of course – because a news Website without comments seems cold and sterile and one-way to me. So either you have no comments allowed, you let them say just about anything that’s not obscene or threatening – or you have someone like Yours Truly who gets to draw the line and redefine ‘offensive’ all the day and night, etc.;-)

Two recent stories prompt this little venting session — both of which I knew darn well would prompt the kind of judgmental comments that they have — after years of this, you get pretty good at know what will spark debate and where the debate is likely to go.

One is a piece on a local panhandling couple. The other is on a Redmond family’s reaction to a cut in their food stamp benefits.

I often post the first comment now, to spark discussion and to plead, even beg for civil comments. Knowing full well I likely won’t get my wish.

Indeed, I ask you to review the comments and see where things have gone. It’s often not pretty, but oh so predictable.

We’re always wanting to, and often asked to please put “real people” in our stories. Many such people are reluctant to appear on camera – and considering the caustic state of our social media-driven online dialogue, who can blame them? Why would anyone voluntarily subject themselves to such scrutiny from the digital purveyors of all that’s right and wrong?

I do understand, especially in the food stamp story – we all pay for them, and so many folks seem to have witnessed so much abuse. Maybe I’m blind when I go to the grocery store – I don’t see it all that often. Or maybe it doesn’t register/ignite upset and rage as it does with some.

But in these kinds of stories, I have to bite my tongue harder than ever to not fire back – a dangerous thing for me, and I do fall victim to getting into the fray at times. But while I’m not much of a religious person – much to the dismay of older brother Rick — I do know the lines, “Let he who is without sin …” and “Judge not …” Some seem to know but not live it day to day, or at least, not in what they say in comments online, anonymous or not. And one only needs to visit Facebook for a brief period to see it’s NOT all about people hiding behind screen names – it’s AMAZING what some folks will say with their names attached — apparently without shame or regret.

Yes, it’s all part of that thing I refer to as today’s Blame Society – it’s always been that way, I suppose, but never so toxic, caustic and in your face. Maybe it was all better when it was whispers behind one’s back rather than shouts in your face while the whole world’s watching. I don’t know. And maybe it has something to do with a certain segment of teens turning off Facebook — well, some — because anything shared online can be scorned, scrutinized and make you wish you never opened your digital mouth.

I sure do know that so many of us are only a paycheck or two away from needing our own Oregon Trail card. And maybe we’d only buy bread, milk and fresh fruits and vegetables, and be ashamed when we get in line and pull out the card. But wow … the judgmental nature of those who get to check a person’s shopping list on their fridge or whatever … it’s simply amazing, and depressing.

Don’t get me wrong – there are some insightful comments amid the nasty ones. And on some stories, people are supportive, kind and understanding. But it seems things like this bring out the worst in some people, oh so predictably.

I often hope that the people who regularly post aren’t who they appear to be by their posting – that it’s an alter-ego, perhaps, or a venting of sorts that allows them to be more kind, respectful, etc. in real life to those they encounter, or their families or co-workers. Naive? Perhaps.

Then there are those who have fired back, calling the critics hypocrites. And some comments I’ve wanted to stand up and applaud – but as moderator, I NEVER a) ‘like’ or upvote/downvote  a comment or b) post under a pseudonym. It’d be far too dangerous and slippery a slope for me.

But I do have this blog, where at least it can be clear I’m reacting to and venting about the comments in general and not about a specific commenter, which causes grief in so many ways.

To judge others is human nature, I suppose. But I just hope and pray that we don’t have to hand out a ‘Here’s How to Sanitize Your Life to Avoid Ruing an Interview’ sheets to every ‘real person’ we talk to. Police, govt. officials — they sign up for the barbs and brickbats that come their way. But “everyday people” shouldn’t have to be perfect to go through a media encounter unscathed. Should they?

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: The only people I really hate are those who seem to be people full of hate and judgment. And if that makes ME judgmental … well, so be it. I can live with that, knowing what the world of nasty online comments has brought us to, or is pushing us toward – unless we take control of the discussion and drown out the nastiness with … dare I say … compassion, civil debate and respectful dialogue.

Care to join me?

The new news symbiosis (no blackout when it comes to info-sharing)

I started hearing about power outages this evening near Sunriver and La Pine.

I asked about it on our Facebook page. In minutes, dozens of reports – well before I got hold of the Midstate Electric Co-op representative to start providing reports.

I used the Facebook friends’ info to help tell the story – the neighborhoods and roads in the affected area.

Soon, I had official info to weave in – not just official info, but also from the most sought after thing in the news world – real people.

Put the two together, and you have magic. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it does happen a lot. It’s grown every year in the past several.

The questions are simple and obvious, in this case: No political messes, no angles or subtext.

How big is this outage? How long will it last? Phone lines can melt down, and … people want to know.

People hear sirens, see a bunch of police cars, and they ask … me, us. Often on Facebook, where they hang out. I appreciate their trust in us, and try to answer when I can.

We’ve found out about plenty of things on Facebook from people who wouldn’t e-mail or pick up a phone, but feel comfortable weighing in there. (Do I wish they’d comment on our Website instead? Yes, for a host of reasons, and I’m trying to spark conversations. But people are where they are, and like what they like. We can only affect that so much.) Just about every day, a reporter suggest we seek out some folks willing to help in a story — and sometimes, like last week, they end up on the air.

It’s a wonderful symbiosis — they help us, we help them. Information is shared, news is gathered, from new sources and not-so-new.

When it comes to the Future of News and Is Everyone a Journalist Now? Great themes for hand-wringing and crystal ball-gazing — pontificators can pontificate, consultants can consult, advisers can advise.

Meanwhile, I… we are … just doing it. Day by day, post by post.

And it’s pretty darn cool. A 2-way social media avenue that benefits both parties.

No money changes hands, and that worries a lot of people who justifiably need to find how to pay for things of value that we provide.

It’s like my old T-shirt slogan idea: Information wants to be free! (But I want a raise). Cognitive dissonance that doesn’t help directly pay the bills — but return on reputation IS worth something, right?

Those questions need answers, and one way or another, they will come.

But in the meantime, in between time… ain’t we got fun?

As always, to our Facebook friends: Thanks for the help, folks.

Of the Fitbit, Evernote and turning over new (fall) leaves

I am writing this at work.

(Why care? Let me explain.)

This blog craves attention I don’t give it. By forcing myself to do it at work, even when busy (ask anyone, I’m always busy) — maybe I can be more consistent. Otherwise, why link to it at KTVZ.COM – the place I/we strive to make sure has fresh content as 24/7 as possible?

So the past month has been satisfying on several fronts (except for my wife’s uncertain work situation, but … let’s not go there, just have to keep the faith.)

My employer, News Press & Gazette, was kind enough to provide us a free Fitbit Flex – a wristband-worn activity tracker — AND a tasty incentive to use it — half off our monthly insurance premiums!

I’d been waiting for a “good excuse” to treat my body better, and this fit the bill. Couple it with what my wife and others say is a much better food logger — My Fitness Pal — and the two sync nicely. (Free, too!)

So at least twice a day, I’ve been taking walks through the neighborhood — and it’s been good, in many ways. Time to think, to breathe deep, to wonder why one neighbor always has the water running (?) and to just … take a break.

I’ve also finally dealt with the mindless eating I’ve grown accustomed to — I bought the book “Mindless Eating” a few years back, but as usual, never finished it — attention span of a gnat, dontcha know. But having to (forcing myself to!) stop and enter the food items can slow one down and get one thinking. The database is pretty darn good, and it has a bar code scanner to help track that way (even if my phone doesn’t always do well focus-wise, it’s almost like a video game to get the thing to beep and recognize it;-) The other night, I was proud of myself because rather than just polish off a Shari’s panini sandwich (side of salad not fries! Wow!) — I stopped myself after one half and brought the other half to work for lunch the next day. Seeing it had 800 calories! — don’t even ask about the sodium! — gave me pause, so… half at a time, good deal.

So also, I’ve been trying to force myself to stop working at home and get in the newsroom earlier. Some days more successful than others, just like anything. (I don’t call the work I do “the Vortex” for nothing;-) It was my call — my great bosses have been exceedingly kind about the flexibility today’s “work anywhere” technology allows, but … being IN the newsroom more has its host of benefits. From answering the phone to helping reporters with questions and just being more … useful. (I’ve never been great at office politics, I just hope being here more averts more problems with ‘Babblin’ Barn’s Big Mouth’ than it creates:-)

I was going to promote a favorite new free reading experience on my Nook — Engadget’s weekly magazine, Distro – but alas, they’ve decided to shelve it, just a few weeks after I discovered it. Oh well, I still have Flipboard, another favorite collection of things fun to read (though my HTC One’s Flipboard is still the king of fun reading).

So instead, I’ll give a shoutout to Evernote — a note-taker that has more bells and whistles than I’ll ever use, BUT has the great advantage of syncing to all devices. I use the Windows client on my work and home PCs for a few extra features, but there’s also a Web sign-in version and apps for the phones. So I can keep all my notes in “one place” — the cloud (mostly) — and not lose them.

So it’s fall — a time of shortening days and crisp (ooh boy, that wind in the face) air and … new things. We’re about to launch our new one-hour 10pm Fox news, have had one of our every-few-years Tsunamis of Change in the newsroom, and another Sweeps period is just ahead, in November.

And I’m back to blogging. I hope you find it enjoyable. Anything you’d like me to weigh in on – journalism-wise, government (oy, the Blame Society at its zenith right now!) or how/why we do what we do at NewsChannel 21 — drop me a note, or a comment here. I’m never short of words or shy of using them;-)

Investing in the future (from tech to desks)

We got new desks in the newsroom this week.

Big whoop you say? Well, they are a grand step up from what we had, let me tell ya.

We’ve had one of our periodic waves of staff turnover this year in the newsroom — not unusual for small-market TV stations. But it also scrubs the “institutional memory” of just how far we’ve come in a few short years.

When I started at KTVZ back in early 2005, we had a half-hour 6pm news. The newsroom was cramped and in dire need of updating. We had a few cameras, a few cars, a few reporters and no full-time photographers.

That was early in News-Press and Gazette Co.’s ownership of the station, just after we moved on from Z-21 (boy does that stick) to NewsChannel 21.

We have come a long, long way. I wish my somewhat aging home computer was as good as the newer all-in-one now on my new desk at work. We have 2 full-time photographers, a brand-new master control system, a brand-new editing system, a really full-of-fine-folks newsroom and much to be proud of.

Of course, much of the behind-the-scenes stuff isn’t noticed — or is only noticed during the inevitable hiccups that happen with any big technical upgrade these days. Many companies wrestle behind the scenes with such matters. Ours is just more … public than others.

We’ve had fleets of engineers and techs flown in from afar, working to do what so many companies face challenges with – getting stuff from different vendors to work together as well as they should. (Heck, sometimes it’s hard enough to get one company’s products working right with each other.)

So… all of this came to mind today as I read Bulletin Editor-in-Chief John Costa’s column on changes happening at the paper and more to come to deal with its struggle in today’s economy — and with the changing tastes of readers and viewers. For example, I’m reading more great, fun, interesting magazines than ever – but all on my Nook Tablet. Change happens, and we all struggle mightily to keep up.

Newspapers, like other media,were blessed with the traditional every 2 (or 4) year bump in political advertising (like it or, well…). But those kinds of fairly dependable things (like the Olympics) are factored into corporate budgets. What we really all need is a sustained recovery, and, one must hope, some leadership among our leaders to actually get tough problems solved and give businesses a reason to confidently invest in the future.

I’ve never been prouder of where I work or the people I work with. We’ve seen some great people move on to bigger and better things (one of the more visible – Chris Warren on The Weather Channel! Now owned by NBC, who’da thunk. And what’s with TWC deciding that all big storms need names? Sheesh. But I digress, as usual.;-)

As we await a whole new graphics look on the station and more improvements (and more getting stuff to work right — THANKS for the many long days and nights, to our stalwart engineers!) – I just wanted to offer a reminder that much happens behind the scenes – and when it works right, you’ll never notice the improvements that will, for example, make more of our syndicated shows come to you in crisp, clear HD.

If that sounds like puffy corporate-PR-speak, oh well, please forgive a bit of chest-thumping. Just wanted you to know.

Sandy’s tentacles reach far and wide

You may have noticed fewer videos on KTVZ.COM this week. (Then again, maybe not.)

Our video service provider, Syndicaster, is located in a data center in lower Manhattan, so … power was cut off there as floodwaters rushed in.

Their (Critical Mention is the co.) gear is upstairs and all fine, they say – but without power, they had to wait until the water was pumped out below so they could get going again.

We’ve been using workarounds to get video on the Web – but considering we’re still rasslin’ with a recent major change to a new video editing system, well … the Perfect Storm hit us, too.

It just goes to show you that all this “save it in the cloud” folderol is … a bit overblown. Nothing gets saved up there in the sky. It’s all down here, and all the precautions and backups in the world aren’t going to prevent occasionally getting snakebit.

There is NO comparison, of course, to our tech hassles and the misery those in the Northeast are facing. But this interconnected world of ours does bite back once in a while.

It’s good we’re so connected, most of the time. But we can go well beyond Bill Clinton’s “I feel your pain” line when you literally depend on those a continent away for the things you take for granted, day in and day out – until they aren’t working.

And then, you remember, and realize just how thin the veneer of ‘everything’s OK, just rollin’ along’ really is in today’s tech-dependent society.

Sorry about that, KOHD. And I mean it.

“You’re the best person I’ve ever had to lay off.”

Ouch.

In the fall of 1990, I got to hear those nice, in a way, but lousy in most others and not very unexpected words, over the phone, from a United Press International colleague in Los Angeles, directed to me, the last UPI (wire service) reporter in Portland, and next to last in the state.

I had stuck with them through thick, thin and one bankruptcy (there were more later), always enjoying the thrill of competing with the mighty (far bigger, and as a non-profit ‘cooperative,’ far more profitable) Associated Press – and winning our share of those important journalistic battles.

And so, I – like so many these troubled times – have a commiserating feeling what the folks at KOHD are going through, having given it their best shot, ever since their oh-so-badly timed debut in the fall of 2007 – just as the bubble began to burst – to today’s announcement that they won’t be doing full newscasts any more – at least for now.

But after five years at KTVZ, I knew what the reaction would be from my colleagues – not of glee or joy for a vanquished foe. No way. Instead, a sadness that one might feel in the Olympics, for example, when a worthy competitor isn’t able to finish the race. This isn’t “winning,” it’s … not losing, and they are definitely not the same.

Anyone who spends any time around me knows that when it comes to the news, I’m a very competitive guy. And KOHD has given us great competition, and that’s something not to dismiss lightly.

Good competition makes you stronger, keeps you on your toes, your ear to the scanner, fingers to the keyboard, wanting to out-tweet, out-write, do better than the other folks. Work the sources, double-check the scripts, get it first but get it right. (A favorite saying from my UPI days.) Savoring the wins, fretting over the losses, but also pleased when we can say, ‘Yeah, they had THAT, but we had THIS!”  Trying to make sure we gave as good as we got.

I ran into Matt McDonald at Freddie’s a week or two ago, and told him what I’ll tell you: They did a great job, and deserved better ratings than they got. Sure, I grrrrrit my teeth over those who today don’t just mourn their loss, but use it as another excuse to trash us as ‘not local enough,’ or worse yet, inaccurate – ‘dems fighting words,’ to me! I know that’s not true, but if the online world and all those amazing anonymous comments from our ‘guests’ have taught me anything, it’s that one has to have a far thicker skin to deal with those who seemingly live to vent and trash.

But seriously, we had to hustle like hell not to have our heads handed to us on a platter by the guys and gals up the street. Their writing, video, and of course brand-new technology were top-notch.

If this area (and the nation, for that matter) had kept growing with a boom, as we did for years before, their other biggest problem – folks’  habits, and resistance to change – would have been less of a problem, as the region’s turnover kept the influx going. But word of actual school enrollment decreases – unheard of for many a year – shows that the growth, if not stopped, has definitely plateaued. Making it even harder to gather new viewers.

So as we watch them hang on with cut-ins and mini-newscasts, I’m not naive enough to think that means we have the road ahead to ourselves. The economy WILL get better, and this area will have more than one TV station with full newscasts – if not tomorrow, then soon. I hope.

In the meantime, I just wanted to publicly thank all of the KOHD gang, past, present and future, for giving us the tough race to tell each day’s news the best that the viewers deserved, and for giving Central Oregonians a choice that was worthy of their time and interest. As someone who no doubt has watched them perhaps more than they watch themselves – to make sure we weren’t getting scooped – I wish all of them the very best in their future endeavors, and salute them as worthy competitors, and comrades in the very tough, challenging business of small-market TV news.

Not a bad stay-cation

Fridays aren’t as fun when they are the end of a week semi-off.

Oh well, at least nothing big blew up during my week away from the newsroom, and I was able to sort of compose my day rather than rush to the station, etc.

Tonight my darlin wife Deb and I celebrated a) our 25th wedding anniversary and b) her — birthday (hey, ya don’t stay married a quarter-century by blabbing THAT particular number;-)

She’s put up with a lot, and while this is only a semi-personal (and quasi-corporate;-) blog, I think expressing my undying love for my wife here isn’t going to violate any protocols.

Now if only she could find a job in this town. Heh.

Anyway, for any of you who will be AFK (away from keyboard) as the weather turns Wonderful (finally!) and summer finally arrives, one thing I learned this week via my Motorola Q is that our news articles on the mobile side now include our photos, too! Super nifty! Check it out some time.

Into our living rooms, losses of pain (or ‘Less Stay, More Cation’)

Wow, check this out: http://echuck.newsvine.com/_news/2008/06/13/1571290-in-memoriam-nbc-newsman-tim-russert – such wonderfully written, heartfelt comments on the passing of someone many of us felt we knew, and liked, even though we’d never met him.

I was in Master Control, prepping to record tonight’s ‘Leave it to Barney” (darn that lint roller!;-) when the golf gave way to an NBC News Special Report slide. Then,Tom Brokaw. Then the sad news of Tim Russert’s passing. It was a shock, I’m guessing, to everyone when they heard the news. Surely at our network, in our profession, and to middle-aged males across America who work too hard, get too much stress and too little sleep, and fear the pain that takes us to the Next Stage.

Tonight also marks the start of time away from the newsroom, a whole week, to mark my 25th wedding anniversary to darling Deb. It’s, to use the new term, a ‘Staycation’ – because until my wife finds a job;-/ we can’t afford to go far, much less to the dreamed-of Hawaii. Plus, there’s this beast called KTVZ.COM that always needs feeding, and the folks in the newsroom only know so much about how to do that. My fault, I suppose. I care too much about every word, want to beat back every typo, so…  I can’t let go.

Former station manager Jim DeChant, the Wise Buddha of NewsChannel 21, taught me some good lessons when I arrived a few years back, with only high school and college TV experience. He (and others to be sure), talk of the special power of television to bring people into our living rooms, day and night, to the point where we truly feel we know them (and like them, hopefully), so when we lose them, it’s like a loss in the family.

Those Newsvine tributes show just how true it is. They are almost more tear-inducing than the loss itself. People who don’t know each other and actually never knew Tim Russert, felt they knew him, and with his passing, we shed collective tears. The Internet has that power. So does television. May we use it wisely, and try never to abuse it. It’s too important.

And I’ll do my best to make it less “stay” and more “cation” over the next week. If that means a few less updates of the Website – well, my apologies. Get away from the keyboard, now that the High Desert has finally warmed up. Read a book in Drake Park. Get on that bike. Hug those spouses and kids.

Life’s too short. Who needs another reminder?;-)

Tech joy (or, ‘Clear your cache’)

Why oh why can’t we make computers that just work?

If I had a nickel for every blog post worldwide that had such a thought, I probably could afford a top-of-the-line computer – and want to bet it too would be balky and aggravating?

And then there’s the harmonic convergence of tech woes, when our 10-Fox news had a full weather forecast, followed by silent NW Cable News, our news audio with black screen and finally, our full package – in time for sports.

It’s enough to curse the Gods of Technology.

I was having a problem too geeky to describe in detail with our Website’s CMS (content management system). I still haven’t seen the updated version of a story show. The East Coast tech, calling before 11 (thankfully), suggested I clear my cache. I said I could, but what do I tell our many Website visitors – they have to clear their cache to see updated stories?

They’ll just go to another site – who can blame them? Plenty of news fish in the cyber-sea.

Oh well. Hopefully our freeze warning (it’s June!) won’t freeze out Balloons Over Bend again in the AM (actually it was the wind, and it sure was blowing this evening. Summer will arrive by July 4, right? Ah, Central Oregon;-)