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January 07, 2009
Two Years Into My Sleep Apnea Treatment
It was two years ago this month that the doctor who diagnosed my sleep apnea gave me a very blunt warning.
“If you don’t do something about this, it will kill you.“
Words like that get your attention.
December 30, 2008
My Foggy, Mountainous, Hollywild Christmas
Many of us have Christmas adventures, and I had a few during Christmas 2008 that I’d like to share with you.
My wife and I decided to take in as many Christmas events (lights, etc.) as we could this holiday.
Our first trip was to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, and it was a great choice. The lights scattered in the trees were beautiful, as was the giant wreath on the silo next to the barn-shaped building that is the actual library. We also took the library tour. The BGL is a peaceful, inspiring place to visit; you come away with new appreciation of the lifetime of work Billy Graham has performed in the name of God.
December 17, 2008
Wipers + Headlights = The Law
I don’t want any of us to be in a traffic accident, and I hope that’s not what it takes to get more of us to obey a basic but important law of our roads.
I’ve written about this before, but it needs to be said again.
It’s the law in South Carolina that if your windshield wipers are running, your headlights must be on as well.
As I drove to the News Channel 7 studios on a rainy day this week, I noticed many drivers were not obeying the law, so I kept count briefly.
December 12, 2008
A Proper Mix of the Bad and the Good in the News
With more than 33 years in radio and television, you would think I’ve seen it all.
But something happened this week that I believe is a “first” in my career.
We had a discussion in the news department about the need to find and report more “good” news, not just the crime, economic woe and politics that dominate news reports these days.
During an editorial meeting this week for our late-night news, it seemed all the story ideas involved a crime or controversy of some kind or more people having the misfortune of losing their jobs.
Weather Bulletins Interrupt Favorite Shows But Can Save Lives
“We interrupt this program to bring you a special news bulletin!“
You hear announcements like this from time to time as you watch television.
After the announcement is made, the announcer voice returns to say, “We now return to your regular program, already in progress.“
Viewers don’t like for their favorite programs to be interrupted.
December 01, 2008
Dabo Knows Who to Thank
Dabo Swinney has been promoted today to head coach of the football team at Clemson University, one of the toughest jobs in college sports
A tough job because of Clemson’s winning tradition and demanding fans.
I would’ve been terribly surprised if the 39-year-old interim head coach had not been named head coach.
Saturday, as I watched the South Carolina-Clemson football game, I saw the video of the stands that we’ve since run numerous times on News Channel 7.
November 28, 2008
See You at Prime Outlets 11/30 and 12/21
I hope to see you at Prime Outlets in Gaffney for some music this Sunday 11/30 and again Sunday 12/21.
My band, “Rock and Roll Reunion,“ will be performing 1 - 3 p.m. on both dates.
We’ll be inside the food court 11/30 due to the threat of rain.
Weather permitting, we’ll be outside 12/21. If you don’t see us playing outside the food court 12/21, look for us inside.
My Thanksgiving 2008 Road Trip
Over the river… through the woods…
And up Interstate 85.
My family hit the road this Thanksgiving for the first time in many years. We were invited to my nephew’s home in Haw River, North Carolina (near Burlington) to have Thanksgiving lunch with his wife and two sons, his dad (my older brother), my parents and my niece’s parents and grandmother. It would be a house full of folks. Fortunately my nephew had built a new home big enough for this Crabtree crowd.
I had the feeling it would be an adventure.
November 25, 2008
Remembering Bataan Death March Survivor Ralph Knox
Ralph M. Knox of Williamston lived to tell a story of American bravery in the face of amazing horror.
Knox was a survivor of the Bataan Death March in World War Two.
Last night, Knox fell victim to another horror. He died in the wet and near-freezing cold.
Knox had gone to the store, and before he could get into his home, he apparently fell and was unable to get up. He was wearing only a light windbreaker.
Neighbors thought they heard someone calling for help, but they couldn’t see anything.
November 20, 2008
DTV - Apply, Buy, Try
I gave a DTV speech today to a seniors group at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Spartanburg.
During the speech, I passed around a DTV converter box. It converts a digital TV signal to analog so your older TV can still receive a picture when the DTV conversion happens February 17th, 2009.
I asked how many of the seniors had purchased and hooked up a DTV converter box and are using it currently. Several people raised their hands.
One gentleman told me he’d bought a converter box but hadn’t installed it yet.
November 19, 2008
DTV - The Basics You Need to Know
1. On Tuesday, February 17th, 2009, precisely at midnight, News Channel 7 (and all other full-power TV stations) will stop broadcasting its analog signal and will broadcast in digital only.
2. For several years, we’ve broadcast in analog on Channel 7… and digital on Channel 53, a UHF channel. When the transition happens 2/17, we will transfer our digital signal to Channel 7 and discontinue use of Channel 53.
3. Why is the DTV transition important? If you‘re a cable or satellite customer, you’re set, and you don’t need to worry about it at all. But if you get “free” TV… in other words, you receive your TV signal via an antenna and don’t pay anyone for TV service… you are at risk of not receiving a TV signal anymore after 2/17. 250,000 households in South Carolina (including 98,000 in the Upstate) are “free” TV households and will be affected by the DTV transition.
November 14, 2008
DTV: You’ll Need an Antenna That Handles UHF and VHF
When you think DTV, don’t forget about your TV antenna.
It’s a critical piece of equipment you’ll need to enjoy the improved picture and sound quality digital television brings.
If yours is among the 250,000 households in South Carolina (100,000 Upstate) that watch over-the-air TV, likely you already have an antenna. It may be the same one you’ve had for decades.
But you -may- need a new one for DTV.
November 13, 2008
DTV: Order Your Converter Box Coupons Pronto
Making a list… and checking it twice…
This isn’t about Santa Claus coming to town.
It’s about the things you need to do to be ready for the DTV conversion, now just 96 days away (as of 11/13/08).
At midnight on Tuesday, February 17, 2009, News Channel 7 and the other television stations across the country will stop broadcasting an analog signal and will broadcast in digital only.
November 06, 2008
Saturday at GSP FedEx: News Channel 7 Versus a 727!
I haven’t participated in a tug-of-war since the mid/late 1960’s when I was at field day in junior high.
This Saturday (11/8/08) I pick up the rope again as part of a team from News Channel 7.
And on the other end of the rope will be a FedEx 727!
November 03, 2008
Election Day: the Great Equalizer
What memory will you carry of this Election 2008?
Will you remember it for the historic candidacies of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton? Will you remember former Vietnam POW John McCain getting the GOP nomination when only months earlier his campaign had been declared dead?
I will remember this election for the outstanding voter turnout.
My Special Delivery Ballot for Election 2008
I wasn’t home early Saturday evening (11/1), but my family told me I had a visitor.
It was an employee of the Spartanburg County Voter Registration and Elections Office, hand-delivering my absentee ballot to my home.
I was floored… -pleasantly-... when I found out.
October 23, 2008
John Hughes, Senior: “One of Spartanburg’s Greatest Citizens”
I wish I had known John Hughes.
John Patrick Hughes, Senior.
Usually, if I write an article (or “blog,” in this case) about someone, I knew them and have memories or mutual adventures to share.
That’s not the case with John Hughes.
October 09, 2008
Burn Your Headlights, Wear Your Seatbelt
While driving to work during the rain Wednesday (10/8/08), I noticed many motorists were not burning their headlights as they ran their windshield wipers.
I decided to keep count for a few miles.
I counted 12 cars and trucks on Interstate 26 not running their headlights and two more on Fairforest Road near the Highway Patrol station.
October 06, 2008
A Young Veteran Trades One Battlefield for Another
A young man I know from the Upstate who served with the U.S. Marine Corps survived a tour of duty in the Middle East.
He survived being wounded during a firefight in Afghanistan.
What happens when he returns home to the country whose freedom he spent years defending?
He’s jumped by a gang of thugs.
September 18, 2008
Having Trouble With Your DTV Signal? You Need a UHF Antenna
DTV arrives in less than five months.
Are you ready?
February 17, 2009 is when News Channel 7 and the nation’s other full-power television stations all convert from an analog TV signal to a digital signal. We call it DTV, and you’ll enjoy picture and sound that are dramatically better.
As you make preparations for the change, don’t forget your antenna.
September 12, 2008
Tight Supplies, High Prices for Gasoline: This Too Shall Pass
Don’t panic over gasoline.
I hope you heard that message amidst our reports tonight (9/11/08) on concerns over Hurricane Ike causing some local gas stations to run dry and prices topping $5.00 a gallon.
I plan to top off my tank as normal, but I see no need to horde gas. I expect it to be ridiculously high for awhile, then it’ll fall back down.
September 11, 2008
The Seventh Anniversary of 9-11
It is a piece of our nation’s history that will endure forever… vividly and tragically.
Today marks the seventh anniversary of the 9-11 attacks.
September 11, 2001 became one of the worst days in our nation’s history. Its horror played out on live television.
September 09, 2008
Join Me on the Radio Thursday, in Downtown Woodruff Saturday
Many of you are fans of my classic rock band “Rock and Roll Reunion.“ I appreciate seeing you when we perform, and I’d like to invite you to be part of two special events.
We’ll be performing Saturday night 9/13 at the “A Taste of Woodruff” festival from 5 - 7 pm. The stage is near Georgia Street in downtown.
September 08, 2008
TV History in the Carolinas: DTV is Here
As of 12 noon on Monday, September 8th, 2008, families in the Wilmington, North Carolina television market are part of television history.
Their community has gone digital.
Television stations in Wilmington volunteered to have their market become the nation’s first to convert their broadcasts from analog to digital, ahead of the national conversion date, which is February 17th, 2009.
Wilmington is the nation’s guinea pig, so to say.
September 04, 2008
Plan to Vote? You’ve Got One Month to Register
You’ve got one month.
One month… to make sure you’re eligible to vote in one of the most important elections of our time.
The deadline is October 4th. The election is November 4th.
August 29, 2008
Prayers for Families at the Gulf Coast
In your prayers this weekend, I ask you to remember Kim and Jack Williams of Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Three years ago, their dream home was destroyed… leveled… by Hurricane Katrina. They lost nearly all their possessions. You may remember the special report photojournalist Jason Parker and I did, as we followed Linda and Jim Brown of Inman taking a vanload of supplies to their friends, the Williams. The destruction we witnessed was amazing, and we never got to see the worst of it in the New Orleans area.
Labor Day 2008: Workers of America, We Thank You
Now more than ever, a good job is a precious thing to have.
Especially a good job… with benefits.
This Labor Day 2008, I know several people looking for a stable job with a solid future.
They’re having a tough time finding that perfect job.
The “Other Side” Grabs the Headlines in the Race for President
Barack Obama’s nomination for the presidency by the Democratic Party didn’t surprise me.
His selection of fellow U.S. Senator Joe Biden as running mate was a mild shocker.
But I wasn’t prepared at all for today’s announcement by Senator John McCain, who will officially become the Republican Party’s nominee for president at next week’s convention.
August 28, 2008
I Like My Apples with a little Rock and Roll
One of the great Labor Day traditions of our area is the North Carolina Apple Festival in Hendersonville, Friday through Monday, August 29-September 1.
It’s where more than 200 growers produce 65% of the apples grown in the Tar Heel state.
I’m giving you a personal invitation to join me there and enjoy everything apple, plus rock and roll!
August 27, 2008
A Historic Night for Obama and Our Nation
There is no attempt on my part in this item to tell you who to vote for… or vote against.
You’ll decide that for yourself when you step into the voting booth this November 4th.
It’s my personal reflection on a huge event in American history that’s happened this night in Denver, Colorado at the Democratic National Convention.
