Last Day

What an amazing journey it has been! I feel truly grateful to have been given the opportunity to cover the Pope. I have met so many interesting people, seen old friends, watched veteran journalists and of course seen the Holy Father and the President! I feel very blessed. It's stories like these that allow me to be on the front lines of history and that's why I got into this business in the first place. Thank you all for reading and watching and thank you for your emails. I traveled with a great crew. My photographer Justin Burrows was truly a godsend. His work ethic, diligence, personality and meticulousness truly made me shine. To Eric Bishop who operated our truck and made all our shots visible to the folks back home...he had a lot to carry on his shoulders working with our affiliate NY-1 and it all came off without a hitch. See you back home in the Tar Heel State! Lisa

Day 4 - The Papal Mass

We did not have credentials to get inside the Papal Mass but we were allowed to stand somewhat near the stadium (We were not close at all, if you are in Charlotte we were basically standing near the convention center...relate that distance to BofA stadium and thousands of people and street vendors, it was all roped off, so we only had a small block we could get access to). Security was everywhere...I just wanted to get near the doors at least so I can catch some of our group going in, but no luck. Members of the Raleigh Diocese were great, they were able to allot tickets for us, but we couldn't get by with the camera equipment. I literally stood on a street corner near the stadium with a sign that read "North Carolina". With thousands passing by, only a few stopped, some were UNC grads and finally we found a few natives. I knew people inside, but that was the problem, they were all inside. After the Mass...they were on one side, we were stuck on another and security was not giving us any leniency at all, which is understandable. It probably didn't help that we were an out of town station, if they were familiar with us and our station, maybe they would've let it slide. I did speak to several people on the phone to get a feel for what they thought of the Mass. Unfortunately many were heading home immediately following the Mass and we are on our way back to the Basilica of the National Shrine. See you at 5pm!

Day 3 - The White House

Yesterday was a crazy day! We began early, departing for the White House at 7:15am. When we got there, we waited...and waited...for nearly 2 hours! We went through security and walked to the press briefing room, which was a lot smaller than I thought. I saw Matt Lauer (NBC) hauling some chairs. I saw Tim Russert (NBC) talking to a Bishop and Chris Cuomo (ABC) filling a backpack. We also met a priest from Spain who was traveling with one of the international stations. He said he was tired of being asked the same question focusing on the sex abuse scandal within the church. Once on the South Lawn, I was completely in awe of the beauty. My photographer was on a riser and I was in a pit with journalists from around the world. One European journalist observing the seating arrangements said, "Only in America would you seat Cardinals with members of other religions." Seeing the President, Pope and First Lady was amazing...a moment I will remember for the rest of my life.

Day 2 - The Arrival

Even though we have credentials, it doesn't allow us access to the venues. It alerts security that we are a legitimate media outlet covering the Pope. Therefore, we were not positioned at Andrews Air Force Base when he arrived. We were, however, right outside of the Vatican Embassy, where he will be staying. Hundreds of people lined the streets there. Many of them Hispanics from San Antonio, Dallas, California and Minneapolis. They held signs, waved flags and sang. They brought drums, tambourines and guitars. They chanted "Benedicto". And then...there were the protesters. The signs denouncing the Bible and those yelling about priests and pedophiles. But, there were more supporters out there than opponents. When he arrived there was a motorcade of Metro police, I couldn't see the Pope at all because there were huge tour buses in the way and tons of people. He arrived moments before our 5 o'clock live shot. We were sharing time with our sister station NY-1 and they wanted to get on live as soon as possible, but it was finally our turn. I met a woman who grew up in Greensboro who lives across the street from the Embassy and she was just so excited to watch. Then was also a guy from Charlotte. He wasn't Catholic but he wanted to try and see the Pope because as he called it, "He's a famous guy, he's a celebrity." I heard on a local station here that Pope Benedict XVI didn't want a large crowd or a big deal surrounding his trip because it was more about faith than him. Too late...one of the gift shops is selling Pope bobble heads.

Day 1

We left for Washington at 5am. It was a fairly quick trip, we arrived around 11am. The hotel was once a Holiday Inn but now it's very contemporary. We dropped off our gear, picked up credentials and headed to the USCCB. They were hosting a media tour of all the sites. It was a reunion of sorts as I saw former co workers waiting the lobby. We boarded a bus for the Basilica of the National Shrine, it was an amazing church. We interviewed a spokesperson from the Secret Service and the Rector of the church. He was excited about giving the Holy Father a tour of the shrine and also said he was nervous. He said it was an honor to be his tour guide, but hoped he didn't fall on the steps! At the National Mall, we put together our stories...I have to admit it was pretty cool standing in front of the Capital reporting for News 14. It was at that moment I realized how lucky we are to be a part of this historic trip. All the planning and finally...the week is here. Tomorrow he arrives.

First leg - Raleigh

Today I am anchoring from our newsroom in Raleigh. It makes it easier since we are leaving so early Monday morning, although it only shaves about 3 hours from the trip. We are estimating about 5 or 6 hours. Hopefully it will be smooth drive. I am doing some research today about the last Papal visit to DC. From what I could find it was October 1979. I compared the itinerary and Pope Benedict XVI will be visiting a lot of the same sights Pope John Paul II did. The two may not mirror each other in attitude or behavior but the message is similar.

The White House!

We just got word today that we will be on the front lawn of the White House with Pope Benedict XVI, The First Lady and the President! I am very excited because not every media outlet has access to this event. There are two Carolinians that I have been in contact with that will also be there, hopefully we can touch base with them as well. It is going to be a crazy day but well worth it. I spoke with the Press Affairs person today and she told me it will be a "nightmare"; a lot of waiting around, a lot of security...but completely understandable. I will be driving to Raleigh today and anchoring there this weekend. On Monday we depart at 5am for DC!

Charlotte Catholic High School

Today I spoke with students at Charlotte Catholic High School to gage their interest on the Papal Visit. They have been discussing it in class this week, but many say they feel disconnected. Many young people are not familiar with the man formerly known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. One young man said Pope John Paul II was like a grandfather and when Pope Benedict XVI began his Pontificate it was like gaining a stepfather. It was a very eloquent and profound analogy. The teacher, Mrs. Burns, suggested reading a book Pope Benedict XVI wrote entitled, Jesus of Nazareth. The first book written during his Pontificate, it was published last May. For more information on the book, click here.

Coming together

When we arrive Monday afternoon, we will park at the National Mall. I have only been there once, so I am excited to see it and have it for our background for live shots. I spoke with several people today who are going up to DC so hopefully I'll be able to connect with them while there. It's definitely not like the NCAA where the Carolina fans are dressed in blue! Looks like most of the ticket holders from here will all be in the same section at Nationals Park for the Mass, so that's helpful. Less than a week away...

Three million dollars!

Washington, DC is footing a three million dollar bill to host the Pope. There will be an elaborate church set at Nationals Park where the Mass will be held on Thursday, April 17th. Placido Domingo will be singing. Still searching for people who may be going from the Triad and Triangle. My email address is on our website.

Sunday

Sunday is supposed to be the day of rest but the countdown continues. Eight days until he arrives! Today, I looked over his itinerary. I remember back in 2005, being camped out in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Charlotte as the health of Pope John Paul II was failing. He was the only Pope I had ever really known and I learned so much about the conclave of Cardinals and the selection process of a new Pope during that time. I was reading today online, someone had written that Pope John Paul II was probably the most charismatic and active Pope. The article talked about how thousands flocked to the Vatican to see Pope John Paul II but today just as many or even more visit the Vatican to hear Pope Benedict XVI, to listen to his teachings. I wonder what his legacy will be, what impact he will leave on Americans during this visit. He celebrates his 81st birthday on April 16th, some say because of his age, this may be his only trip to the U.S.

Questions to ask

As more people find out about the trip, many ask me how close will I get to the Holy Father. Probably not close at all. There are about five thousand media coming from all over the world to cover this historic event. My news director, Jim Newman calls it, "...a Superbowl for one person."There will be tight security and thousands of people. Luckily, we have media partners like CNN and NY-1 that can help us with video of the actual events, like the Pope's arrival. Some people have also asked if I will be interviewing the Pope. Not likely. When he's not traveling in the Popemobile, he'll be surrounded by an entourage of security. He has his own Secret Service detail. If I did have the chance to sit down with him there's so much I would ask, I could probably be there for hours. If you could ask the Pope one question, what would it be?

Finding the People

Today I spent most of the day on the phone and sending out e-mails. I have only been to DC once and finding North Carolinians will not be easy among the crowds! The Charlotte Diocese has been so helpful in providing me with names of people who are attending the Mass on Thursday, April 17th. I spoke with a few of them today and one woman is bringing her children. I can't imagine what an experience that will be for them. Yesterday, I met a man who is the main distributor for the gifts that will be sold at the Mass. He happens to be from Charlotte. The Queen City is definitely going to be making their mark...now, if only I can find people from Raleigh or Greensboro. Anyone have any leads here? Thanks!!

Interviewing Bishop Jugis

I interviewed Bishop Jugis today. I met him a few years ago, when I first started here in Charlotte. My assignment at the time was to get a comment from him and I had no idea what he looked like. My photographer and I were in a church parking lot and I was scouring the area until I saw him get out of his car. I approached him, unsure if it was him, but asked anyway. He confirmed who he was and knew who I was, as he had been watching News 14 Carolina all morning! From that initial meeting, he always remembered my name. A soft spoken man, full of faith, he is always willing to give an interview and he is very approachable. I've interiewed him several times, on several topics. Today he shared thoughts with me about the Holy Father. He met him twice in 2005 and said he had "great spiritual depth". He also reminded me about what a historic trip this is. Pope Benedict XVI will be celebrating his 81st birthday while in the U.S. and also the 3rd anniversary of his election to the Pontificate. He told me how grateful he is that the Pope chose this special time to share with American Catholics. Please check out the story online and feel free to send your thoughts, comments and reflections.

Countdown to Pope Benedict's Visit!

Hello and welcome to our special blog detailing the latest information on our coverage of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI! He will be coming to the United States for the first time on April 15th, landing at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington DC. I will be there along with a crew from our Raleigh and Greensboro newsrooms and a team from our affiliate in NY. I am really excited to connect with some of you who may be heading up there and I am anxious to hear your thoughts about his visit. Please feel free to comment and I will keep all of you in the loop. Thanks for reading along and thanks for watching News 14 Carolina! See you in DC! Lisa

PS: There is a link on this blog to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, they are the organization hosting the Pope. You can also check out his itinerary for his trip and we'll let you know where we will be during this historic event.

No Waiting Lines

I think one of the most interesting things about covering the NCAA tournament is the lack of lines for the women's restrooms. Finally! I'm not sure what it's like in the arena for the fans watching the game, but I have yet to wait in line for a restroom in the media area since I've gotten here.

Aside from that, Duke fans are out in force today. Other teams have a bevy of supporters as well...I'm sure you can see the sea of colors while you're watching the game. News crews are also a bit more stressed out today because there are a lot of restrictions to what we can shoot inside the arena when the games are playing. Plus, the video feeds to our equipment aren't also the best, so there are a lot of worries about video and audio glitches. But, all in all, everyone is very excited about the first round games.

Open Practice Day

I got up early to get on the media shuttle and head to the Verizon Center to pick up my media credentials. But, the shuttle never came. So, today basically consisted of several trips via Metro to haul all of the equipment to the media center. At least I don't have to go to the gym this week.

Duke didn't start their open practice until after 4 p.m. By then, the seats were filled with a good number of Duke fans. The team practices are free and open to the public, which means it's a great chance for fans to see their favorite players and coaches up close. The cost of a ticket to an actual NCAA game is $237, according to the box office personnel. One family I spoke with spent $700 for the three of them to watch the games over the next few days.

One thing I did notice is that many of the Duke fans live near Washington, DC and have no affiliation with the school except for being a fan of the basketball team. The other thing I noticed is that the basketball players are a LOT taller than me, so I was very thankful that the locker room interviews are conducted sitting down…that actually puts them at my height level.

The television news crews are stationed in a room located right next to the arena, but the lighting in there is terrible. It feels like we're on the set of a horror movie, but I suppose it's better editing in dimmer settings.

The game tips off Thursday evening at 7:10 p.m. and I look forward to watching my first live NCAA game.

Traveling around DC

Just a quick note before all the March Madness begins:
City blocks in Washington DC are much bigger than the ones in New York City. I tried walking from the media hotel to the Verizon Center this afternoon when I got in. It's about 8 blocks on the map, which I thought would take me about 10 minutes. But, it definitely took longer than that. I'm hoping they have some sort of media shuttle because lugging all that camera gear up and down the Metro won't be fun. And, I don't plan on trying to walk it either.

Media have already started to arrive because I'm seeing camera crews going up and down the elevators with me. Plus, there are a few live trucks set up outside the Verizon Center already. All the fun starts tomorrow morning when we file in to get our credentials and figure out how to operate for the next few days.

I'm also keeping my eyes peeled for any Duke fans walking around the city. I haven't seen anyone wearing the sweatshirts or caps yet, but I'm sure they'll be out in full force tomorrow.

More to come...

Saturday 1/26/08 We Shall Overcome

Despite an old fashion backyard wompin' stompin' thumpin', John Edwards vows to carry on. You know it's not going to be a good night when a minute after the polls close, the networks declare your opponent the winner.

We rolled into Jillians (Edwards HQ) around noon. Setup wouldn't happened until 2pm but the satellite trucks were already circling. There's two things most important with live coverage. Prime riser location and a short cable run. We got one out of two. In fact, none of the Raleigh tv stations was assigned riser space. It's bad enough when you forget one of us. We're usually pretty good about working each other in, but when you forget all four of us, that's fightin' words.

There were always two comments on my report cards. Short attention span and doesn't always play well with others. You can't expect much if you show up at the end of the campaign trail, but by god we've been here for two weeks. And you know I made sure they knew it. Eventually everything was worked out, but the me and the girl coordinating riser space exchanged the "evil eye" all night long.

Overall, the night went exceptionally well. Usually when you are set and ready to go two hours before the event kicks off, Murphy's Law creeps in and ruins the night. Not tonight. Everything went smoothly. In fact, we even had time to drop Tim's news vehicle off at Goodyear and have his brakes serviced. We were turning heads during the week as we grind to stops throughout the capitol city. Brake pads and two rotors later, he's back in business.

Edwards came out around 9:30p with his concession speech. He pledged to carry on. How long is the big question. Some believe he can still pull enough delegates to influence the national convention. That's worth a cabinet position.

As for us, we're headed home Sunday. Tim's voice is all but gone. He has the next week off. His vocal cords need it. I'll take Monday then it's back to the old grind. That's the one disappointment about covering a story this big. After it's over, you're back on general assignment, covering city council, crime and the drought.

See ya in 2012.

MB

Friday 1/25/08 Edwards' Last Stand

We're in the home stretch and talk on the street is John Edwards' campaign is as well. So what keeps him going? Another VP nomination? Cabinet position? Maybe in Obama's White House, doubtful in Hillary's. I applaud his conviction, but it's not cheap running a campaign and there are other avenues to spend money to make an impact on society and the government.

Edwards addressed a crowd of about 100 at the Columbia convention center. This was supposed to be a "get out the youth vote" event, but almost half the folks were over fifty. Edwards reused his line about being the grown up candidate in regards to Monday's debate. Everyone had already heard it so it fell somewhat flat on the crowd. There was nothing new or dynamic to inspire young adults to "rock" the vote. Hard to believe he took this state four years ago with 40 percent of the vote and now he's trailing Obama by double digits. Probably says more about what SC felt about John Kerry than John Edwards.

It's been a great two weeks, but I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. We haven't been eating high on the hog, but we've eaten well. My body fat index is starting to show it.
My hotel bathroom has a three way mirror. Why I do not know, but I'm hear to tell you, there are certain parts of my anatomy I really didn't need to see. I won't mention the chia pet growing on my back. I can grow hair on my neck, back, shoulders and ears, but not on the top of my head. That is a follicle free zone.

Tim's voice still sounds like an old man's who smoked 3 packs a day for 30 years. Our travels together have always been interesting. First time was the ACC tournament in Washington DC. I ended up with pneumonia. I was transported from the MCI Center via ambulance to George Washington University Hospital with my right lung full of fluid. By the way, my worst experience with the American health care system. Fitting it would happen in the nation's capitol. Two years later Tim and I are returning from Camp Lejeune when the engine blows a spark plug. I mean blasted it right out of the engine. We left the truck in Kinston. And now two more years later here we are expected to be live every 30 minutes from John Edwards' watch party and Tim has no voice. We're taking a crash course in sign language.

So our last horrah is tomorrow night at Jillian's in the downtown district. Tim tells me it was jam packed in '04. Obama will be a block away at the convention center. Hillary will be in Tennessee. At least dinner won't come from KFC. I may have to settle for soup and salad. Don't want those love handles becoming pistol grips.

MB

Thursday 1/24/08 Former First Lady

In my last email I never answered the question as to whether I felt Mrs. Obama would make a good first lady. No doubt she would and I'm a registered republican. She's smart, articulate, gracious and well grounded. Which is in contrast with her husband's main opposition. I'm not bashing Hilary, it's just hard to see the conviction behind the presentation.

Today was going to be a long one. We were in eastern Columbia and Mrs. Clinton was to speak at 11am in Greenville (western SC). In addition to covering her speech, we needed to drive back to Columbia (2 hours each way), file our story by 5pm and light and shoot the ins and outs for our half "Political Connections" show. The temperature dipped into the forties which made shooting stand ups outside the state capitol lots of fun. NOT!

The surprise of the day was security or lack of it considering this is a former First Lady. Don't get me wrong, the last thing I want to do is get poked and prodded with 50 pounds of gear on my back. We showed our media credentials and we were in. Fantastic considering Tim misjudged the driving time and we almost missed the media cutoff point. Once again the photog gods were smiling on us. We arrived with 10 minutes to spare and found a spot on the front riser. GOLDEN!

If there is one word to describe Mrs. Clinton, it's "machine". It doesn't matter how she presents her agenda, in the end it feels like a machine. Just churning it out. I don't doubt she believes in what she is preaching, but I'm sure she hasn't been to the local Wal Mart in quite awhile.

It was nice meeting the former First Lady, even if it was through a camera lens from 100 feet away. She looked great. ABC news approached us afterwards to see if we got another exclusive interview. We didn't even think about asking due to what we believed would be heavy security.

We hustled back to Columbia, uplinked the package and began lighting the capitol. I'm sure a number of people were wondering what the heck this forty year old man was doing running extension cords across the capitol steps to light two palm trees on the front lawn. I think a couple of network boys thought I was nuts as well.

Much like the candidates, Tim's voice is all but gone. A mixture of flu like symptoms and stress from the daily grind of voicing multiple stories. Scratchy as it was he muscled through the ins and outs. We wrapped at 1op, got a late bite at the local IHOP and called it a night. Hard to believe it , but in the last two weeks I've been on the road with the next President of the United States.

This is why I got into the business. Every day is different.

MB

Wednesday 1/23/08 First Lady Michelle Obama?

Tim and I have rolled onto USC's campus around 4pm. Michelle Obama is scheduled to address a group of students and supports around 5 in the Russell House Building. It's a nice setup, good size room, they've provided an audio feed, but where are the lights? You can't hold a press conference with ambient house lights. So I truck back down to the satellite truck for a light kit. After lighting the room I start shooting b-roll for our package. The one thing you learn early in this business is the mark your spot on the media riser. I did. So imagine my surprise when I went back into the room to discover an attractive young woman standing in my spot. As I began to set up my tripod, she said "you aren't really going to set up right in front of my are you?" She quickly informed me she was with MTV and I needed to move. Maybe if I hadn't been in the business for 16 plus years I would have been intimidated. I wasn't. She called me an "A" hole. Of course it's this A hole who set up the lights that allowed her to capture images on the cheap camera MTV provided her. She would later use this A hole's lights to interview people. So MTV hated us tonight, but ABC News loved us.

Tim and I got an exclusive interview with Mrs. Obama. Apparently ABC has been attempting to get her for months. A case of right place at the right time. I think setting up the lights helped as well. Once the network realized what we had and what they didn't, the bartering began. Of course decisions to share material are made at much higher levels. Like most industries this is a very small business. You never know when you are going to need a tape, battery or dub of an interview. So we've got an IOU from ABC and KMA for MTV.

AH aka MB

Tuesday Evening 1/22 Ushering in the Crowd

Who could resist seeing Chris Tucker (Rush Hour 1/2/3), Kerry Washington (Fantastic Four) and Usher. We couldn't, so we loaded up the satellite truck and headed 3 hours west to Orangeburg SC. Home of the South Carolina State Bulldogs. The line started forming at 4:30pm for an 8pm event. Little did they know it wouldn't kick off til almost 9. Everyone was excited to see Obama, but underneath we all knew Usher was the big draw. The crowd's reaction was much like the old films you've seen when Elvis or the Beatles took the stage. If Obama is smart, he'd name Usher is VP nominee. The stars were on stage for no more than 5 minutes then they were gone. Obama would speak for about 30 minutes. He's clearly exhausted. He attempted to recite parts of MLK's dream speak, got lost but quickly recovered. The unknown question of the night is will this star packed performance translate into votes. As students filed in, organizers asked the kids to fill out commitment sheets to show up on election day and to make sure their friends did as well. They were less than enthusiastic to do so. Usher can sell tickets, I'm not sure he can sell votes.

mb

Tuesday 1/22/08 The Morning After

It's the day after the debate and the buzz amongst Edwards supports is "he won the debate". We're in Conway SC, small thriving town west of Myrtle Beach. We're inside an old peanut warehouse. Not too many peanuts being shelled here anymore. Mostly this place serves wedding parties and such. Today there are about 150 die hard Edwards supporters and a couple of fence sitters. We actually found one disenfranchised republican. The highlight of Edwards' speech comes early when he tells the crowd he was the "grown up in the democratic debate".
Edwards would speak for about 45 minutes. We got word yesterday we would be granted a "coveted" one on one interview with John after the mass media briefing. We quickly realized this wasn't going to happen when we followed Edwards to his bus and the doors closed in our face. John, you just lost my vote.

mb

Saturday 1/19/08

Saturday 1/19/08

I've always said I'd rather work hard for 8 hours than have an easy 2 hour day. This was one of those easy unfullfilling days. It's primary day in Columbia SC and it's raining. The only thing worse than being wet is being cold and wet. We were supposed to get a mixture of sleet and snow. Neither materialized. Just rain. We hit a polling place around two, knocked out a couple of interviews with voters and uplinked our report. Our assignment tonight was GOP HQ. This was the worst place to be on election night. No one goes to GOP HQ except the media and the GOP Chair. In a word, BORING. McCain was in Charleston...Romney and R.Paul were in Nevada, Huckabee and Thompson were in Columbia and Hugh Cort went home to Alabama. Ten hours, 8 live shots and a package later we're looking forward to having Sunday off.

Sunday 1/13/08 Daddy where ya goin'?

My 6 year old daughter and I are settling in for bed with a best of three round of Uno. News 14 Carolina is on in the background. Gotta get the "bus stop" temperature for tomorrow morning. Jordan overhears a promo about our coverage in South Carolina to which she responds... there are two Carolinas? Okay, we're sending back the Wii and pulling out the atlas.
Yes darlin' there are two Carolinas and daddy is headin' south for the next two weeks to see who has what it takes to become the next president. Tim Boyum will be in front of the lens and I'll be behind it. Twelve hour days, a lot of fast food and two debates. Should be fun. "UNO'. exclaims Jordan. She wins the final round to take the series (obviously). Gotta instill that winning spirit just in case she plans to run for President some day.

MB


Monday 1/14/08 We're Off!

Hit the road at 7am with Pawley's Island, SC loaded in the GPS. 401 south out of Fuquay to 421 through Dunn then I-95 south to the second Carolina. John Edwards is speaking with a group of locals about the environment. He wouldn't want to know the satellite truck I'm driving, a Ford E-350 Superduty with a Triton V-10 engine, gets just 10 miles per gallon.
The rally goes off without a hitch. Mostly seniors who are sold on Edwards. Small press entourage. Not surprising with most of the attention on Michigan and Nevada. Things will pick up tomorrow with McCain and Huckabee rolling into SC.
It's always interesting to see the young people involved with the campaigns. The guy helping me with an audio feed could be the next assistant press secretary for the President. I'm not sure I was that passionate in my twenties. I'm a Generation Xer. I was interested in making money and living the good life, which doesn't explain my career path but that's another blog.
We dined in Mount Pleasant. The Water's Edge. A dozen raw oysters to start with bar-b-que salmon for the main course. I'll have to keep eating egg mcmuffins for breakfast if I expect the company to pick up the dinner check.
It's the night shift for Tuesday. Huckabee is hosting a watch party in Lexington for the Michigan results. Not on the coastline, but I'm sure the seafood is just as good.

MB




Tuesday Night 1/15/08 B-B-Q Huckabee Style


Nothing worse than showing up to a local event and the national media has already taken over. There was a small riser set up for the media at Hudson's Steakhouse in Lexington SC. Mike Huckabee was to speak at 8pm. We rolled in at 4pm to find the boys at CBS News, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC had staked claim to the entire riser. Squeezing in was going to take the diplomacy of a Presidential candidate. This is where networking comes in. I worked with the photog from CNN back in Charlotte in the mid 90s. He knew the photog from Fox news and before I knew it, I was center stage. I love those national guys.

The place was packed by 7pm, Huckabee rolled in around 8. What impressed me most tonight didn't come from the podium, but from the crowd. We met the Ashcraft family from Lexington SC. Jeff (husband and dad) actually lived in Arkansas and was a member of Huckabee's church. When they heard Mike was going to be in town, Becky (wife and mom) finished work and headed straight for Hudsons. She quickly laid claim to a table for four. Jeff arrived an hour later with their two girls ages 5 and 3. They would wait almost 3 hours to see Mike. It was important for them to be there. For their girls to witness what they hope is history in the making. To get politically motivated and involved at an early age. They are blue collar Americana. Working hard to make ends meet, raising their girls in a christian based home and
doing whatever they can to put a man in the White House who will keep their middle class dreams alive. I've taken my youngest to the polls to vote, but that's the extent of our political activism. I admire people like the Ashcrafts. They are the backbone of this country and have the most to gain or lose in this election.


Wednesday 1/16/08 McCain in Spartanburg

This would be an interesting day. We need to be in Spartanburg by 3pm for John McCain, but a winter storm mix had management wanting our satellite truck in Charlotte. First thing you learn in broadcasting, weather is king. We arrived in Spartanburg a little after two to a small crowd of confederate flag waving McCain haters. These folks hadn't forgotten 2000 when McCain called for the flag to be removed from the state capitol. McCain and his wife Cindy arrived via the "Straight Talk Express" oblivious to the boos.
Once again the photog gods were on my side. A prime spot on the riser. This is a theme I hope carries through the next two weeks.
Senator Lindsey Graham got the crowd fired up.... Mrs. McCain mesmerized the crowd with her beauty and elegance, then John....well, was John. Let's just say public speaking isn't his strong point. He had a couple of nice one liners. He was happy to hear SC was suing NC over water. He remarked on AZ suing CA over water. He said AZ was so short of water the trees chase the dogs. LOL
A hour later, McCain and troop were back on the ST Express headed to Greenville.... Tim and I were bound for the queen city. A relatively easy day topped off with a nice dinner at Nikko's sushi bar. With breakfast at McDs and no lunch, we stayed within per diem.

MB



Thursday 1/17/08 Clemson University via Fort Mill

The winter mix brought a dusting of the white stuff in Charlotte. That would be good news for us. No live shots along icy roads. We loaded up and headed to Fort Mill. Ron Paul was to address a group of about.....20. Is it just me or is there something to Ron Paul and Ross Perot looking alike, both coming from Texas, having the same initials and the same following? Someone should get a DNA swab. One thing about covering the underdogs, they are always willing to give you the coveted "one on one" interview. A
2 1/2 minute interview, 5 minutes of "b-roll" with Ron and the (small) crowd and we were off to Clemson for Huckabee, Norris and Flair.
Okay, we were really there to see Chuck Norris and Rick Flair. We'd already seen Huckabee in Lexington. To everyone's disappointment, Mr. Flair did not WOOOOO, but most men in the crowd did when Mrs. Norris took the stage. Walker Texas Ranger introduced her proudly proclaiming...."not bad huh". The crowd ate it up. They also ate up Huckabee jamming with a local band to "Sweet Home Alabama".
It would all end around 4pm, but Tim and I would still have another 8 hours of work to do. An hour and a half to write, edit and uplink our package... a 2 1/2 hour drive back to Columbia... set up lights outside the capitol and shoot ins and outs for the "Political Connections" show airing Friday night...and finally marrying the ins and outs to all the primary packages shot over the past two weeks by our entire news staff. No steak or seafood tonight.




Friday 1/18/08 the Ultimate Underdog

When you are in news, you are approached by all kinds. Case in point... Hugh Cort. It's 2:30 Friday morning and Tim and I were trying to check in to our hotel when we were approached by two men in long coats just in from New Jersey. The big, burly, crew cut guy in the black coat looked like he should speak with a Russian ascent. The portly, all smiles, wavy gray hair guy was Hugh Cort. A psychiatrist and self proclaimed terrorism expert from Alabama. He's dropped $35K just to get into the SC republican primary. That's a lot of palmetto trees. He's dead set on telling us about Osama's plan to detonate 10 nukes in NYC, WDC, CHI and 7 other major cities. We're dead set on getting to bed. A couple of handshakes later it's lights out. Little did we know Mr. Cort would take up most of our Friday.
When you're on the road, 6 hours of sleep is a lot. An early morning conference call informed us another winter storm would arrive over the weekend...we would serve as an uplink truck for our sister station "New York 1" out of NYC and we needed to feed in our 30 minute show ASAP. Breakfast would come late.
As we uplinked the show, Tim asked, what kind of guy spends $35 grand of his own money to join a race he has no chance of winning? Three phone calls later, we're in a local diner watching Hugh Cort court patrons for votes. The Lizard's Thicket is a quaint little place. Waitresses were buzzing with platters of eggs, bacon and grits and I was in the way with my 20 pound camera. I swear one of the old broads forearmed me. I'm not kiddin'.
Hugh is a God fearing, fiscal conservative republican who thinks Osama bin Ladin has 10 briefcase nukes in the US and positioned to strike. Most of the folks seem perplexed. I wasn't sure if it was his Armageddon theory or my camera getting up close and personal. That's what I love about working and living in the south. People here will put up with just about anything. An hour later we had got our ultimate underdog story and Hugh was on the road to Spartanburg to meet up with a Ron Paul rally. With Mr. Cort and his campaign manager (the guy in the long black coat) the crowd grew to 22.

MB

On the road in South Carolina

From Chief Photographer Mark Barger, who is in South Carolina with Sr. Political Reporter Tim Boyum:

Monday, January 14, 2008:

Hit the road at 7am with Pawley's Island, SC loaded in the GPS. 401 south out of Fuquay to 421 through Dunn then I-95 south to the second Carolina. John Edwards is speaking with a group of locals about the environment. He wouldn't want to know the satellite truck I'm driving, a Ford E-350 Superduty with a Triton V-10 engine, gets just 10 miles per gallon.

The rally goes off without a hitch. Mostly seniors who are sold on Edwards. Small press entourage. Not surprising with most of the attention on Michigan and Nevada. Things will pick up tomorrow with McCain and Huckabee rolling into SC.

It's always interesting to see the young people involved with the campaigns. The guy helping me with an audio feed could be the next assistant press secretary for the President. I'm not sure I was that passionate in my twenties. I'm a Generation Xer. I was interested in making money and living the good life, which doesn't explain my career path but that's another blog.

We dined in Mount Pleasant. The Water's Edge. A dozen raw oysters to start with bar-b-que salmon for the main course. I'll have to keep eating egg mcmuffins for breakfast if I expect the company to pick up the dinner check.

It's the nightshift for Tuesday. Huckabee is hosting a watch party in Columbia for the Michigan results. Not on the coastline, but I'm sure the seafood is just as good.

Sunday Evening, January 13, 2008:

My 6 year old daughter and I are settling in for bed with a best of three round of Uno. News 14 Carolina is on in the background. Gotta get the "bus stop" temperature for tomorrow morning. Jordan overhears a promo about our coverage in South Carolina to which she responds... there are two Carolinas? Okay, we're sending back the Wii and pulling out the atlas.

Yes darlin' there are two Carolinas and daddy is headin' south for the next two weeks to see who has what it takes to become the next president. Tim Boyum will be in front of the lens and I'll be behind it. Twelve hour days, a lot of fast food and two debates. Should be fun. "UNO'. exclaims Jordan. She wins the final round to take the series (obviously). Gotta instill that winning spirit just in case she plans to run for President some day.