Scenes from Broadcasts Past

In a most inexplicable use of internet technology, the good folks at Eastern North Carolina DTV have posted a small treasure trove of images from some TV stations of my past. They may be the broadcast equivalent of faded news clippings, but for me they're reminders of adventures long forgotten. Hey, there's my buddy Thomas Cormier riding atop the live truck. Good ole Thomas taught me how to first power up a camera. I'm not sure whether I should thank him or drop kick him in the stomach.

And here's Harris Faulkner during her brief heyday as noon anchor at WNCT. Harris hasn't done too bad for herself since, going on to anchor at powerhouse KSTP, where she bagged her share of Emmy's and assorted other tokens of acclaim. Most recently she's signed on to be a correspondent for the nationally syndicated re-launch of "A Current Affair". Go Harris!

After completing my undergraduate work at WNCT, I enrolled at the Chocowinity Institute of Pain and Television, WITN. Here, a scene from WITN's 6:00 News Opening shows a nameless technician cueing a wall of monitors. Why anyone would wave at a row of inanimate objects is beyond me, but it made for an iconic image that no one watching ever thought to question.

Geez, where do I start? Back in the early nineties, Andy Cordan was the ballsiest practitioner of street-level TV journalism Eastern North Carolina ever witnessed. Andy perfected the art of one-man-banding, approaching every assignment like a SWAT Team Cop on truck stop speed. He looks pretty sedate here, but The Great Cordan was a whirling dervish of talent and attitude who taught me more than he's willing to admit. Last I heard he was kickin' arse in Nashville, terrorizing all in his path and enriching the lives of his viewers along the way. I still remain in awe.

Last but not least, we have the Dean of Downeast News, the late Jim Woods. For 31 years, Mr. Woods was a steady presence in living rooms from Raleigh to the coast. When I first sauntered in to WNCT back in 1989, the first on-air person I recognized was Jim Woods. Until then I knew him only as the gravely-voiced, avuncular noon anchor who brought me the news with grace and authority. I grew to know him as a true pro with high standards, a twinkle in his eye, and a huge heart. I count myself lucky to have worked under him - he was a paragon of old-school broadcast virtue, the kind of television journalist who never bought into the hype and dazzle that so distracts many of today's talking heads. Rest in Peace, Jim and thanks to Eastern North Carolina DTV for the memories!