Archive for the 'Carolina Traveler' Category
June 10th, 2009 by Mike Redding
Got a call the other night from a neighbor inviting me to speak to the local Rotary group today at noon. I have spoken to numerous Rotary organizations over the years. This is my first time as an unemployed drifter. (Like how I threw in “drifter”?)
Not sure what I’ll say today. ”Hi folks! I’m Mike Redding, the uh… um, hmmm… the guy who used to be the Carolina Traveler.” It’ll be strange. I usually tell people about my job and how I become Carolina Traveler. I honestly don’t have any idea what I’ll say today.
Check back this afternoon. I’ll tell you whether I flopped or landed on my feet.
Peace… The Drifter
June 1st, 2009 by Mike Redding
The exact spot I met Anna in February 2005!
I know you all think Friday was my last day at WCNC. It was… sort of. But Sunday morning I went, with my wife and baby, to finish packing my desk. While we were there meteorologist John Wendel snapped this photo of us in the exact spot where Anna and I first met on her interview in February, 2005.
I pretty much knew way back then she was in love with me. What’s not to love? Average charm, dull wit, functional hair, off-white teeth, a decent paying job… who knew that just four years later I’d be an unemployed bum?
Packing up all my story scripts.
I saved every news or human interest story script I ever wrote at WCNC. I have handwritten files that date back to June of 1998. But I only packed up the Carolina Traveler scripts. I plan on writing a book someday and I’ll need them for reference.
Notice how excited my son is to be in the studio during a live broadcast... Zzzzzzzz.
During commercial breaks I talked with Alex Reid, Maria Kotula and John Wendel about the background of my last story which aired that morning. We seriously shot enough video for a documentary and only aired 3 minutes and 45 seconds of it. It was a damn good story though. I was proud to go out on that one. It’s still posted on the CT site at www.wcnc.com/traveler if you want to watch.
We happened to be in the studio as my last story rolled. It felt a little strange standing there… watching and knowing… that this is it. It’s over.
- Me watching on a studio monitor as my last CT story “58 Crosses” airs.
I was glad Anna and Crowley were there. It’s hard to stay in a funk too long with them around. They bring me so much joy.
I live a charmed life.
Okay, I’m smelling a cold beer and some sleep… MR
May 31st, 2009 by Mike Redding
Before I get to the Charlotte or no Charlotte conversation, here’s how the magical life of a TV dude goes… Unemployment Day 1 (UD1) spent painting the dining room to meet the real estate stager’s expectation. Unemployment Day 2 or UD2 (today… Sunday) starts at 6AM with my wife sweetly calling to me, “Michael, can you please help me?” I sit straight up in bed, hit the floor running and as I enter the baby’s room my wife is holding my son in the air away from her body and she is covered in dukie. There’s been a horrible wardrobe malfunction with his new diapers.
Yesterday we went from the size #1 diapers to size #2. It has something to do with his weight and the fact that the “size #1” diapers were starting to fit him like “Angel Flight” disco pants from 1978 (If you’re under 40, ask someone my age what “Angel Flight” means). Anyway she showered. I bathed him and we have secured the perimeter… of baby boy’s clean diaper. Onward and upward…
The oddest thing about my job is the “non-compete.”
It’s a clause in my contract that says if I leave my job for any reason: quit, get fired, contract non-renewal, retirement, death, wait… forget that last one… anyway, I can’t walk across the street and work on air at a competing station.
I can’t get a job on TV in Charlotte for one year. It seems unfair… but my signature is on the contract. I agreed to those terms. Everyone on television news in Charlotte has the same clause in his or her contract. Basically it protects TV stations from investing money in building someone’s image and then having a competing station outbid them for their services.
It makes sense if you’re the boss. If you’re a reporter who has been around a while it’s the “I thought it would never come up” part of the job.
It’s why you rarely see a reporter or anchor on the air for two different stations in one town… ever. It happens. But it’s rare. We’ve had a few at our station come from competing stations but they sat out a full year first.
The only way it could happen is if I were to appear on a state-wide or national broadcast.
I’m not complaining about it. I knew the rules. No one held a gun to my head. It’s just an oddity I wanted to explain.
The likelihood of me staying in Charlotte is somewhere around 20%. Maybe 15. Maybe less.
For that reason, I got home Friday after my last day at WCNC, I cut the grass, emceed a fundraiser, went to bed, woke up bright and early Saturday and started prepping my house to put on the market.
Today I’ll finish the dining room and get to work on the master bath. Isn’t my life glamorous? Oh lord. My wife is calling for me again.
Trying NOT to smell anyone this time… MR
PS. Get excited people. UD3 (Monday) means the Unemployment Office! Woo. Wonder what those folks smell like?
May 30th, 2009 by Mike Redding
There’s an article in today’s Charlotte Observer about the end of Carolina Traveler and why I’m leaving WCNC NewsChannel 36. I think it’s today. To be honest, I’m a wee bit vague on that. I never actually thought to ask. But “Saturday” sticks out to me. So either he said it’s appearing in the paper today or any number of 200 people in the last week have said something important is happening today and I’ve simply confused myself.
Humor me. It’s today.
The Charlotte Observer’s Television reporter is Mark Washburn. (He’s way more than that… but that’s technically his job. If you’re new or missed them or don’t live around here, he also wrote a great series from the second Gulf War or “W’s War” or whatever you want to call our toppling of Saddam. Mark was in Iraq in the early days of that war and did some amazing journalism. For a paycheck, though, he has to interview the likes of me. Say a prayer for Mark.)
He’s so good at his job you don’t know when the interview is starting or ending. And I interview people for a living… so take that into consideration. I say none of this as a way to butter him up. His article has been put to bed already. (I think. I haven’t seen it yet.) I’m saying all this so you know he’s not just the TV beat guy. He’s way deeper. Though he would argue that point.
I once did a story on “The 24-Hours of Making a Newspaper” and Mark was one of my central characters. I picked him because I knew he wasn’t full of it. He would tell me like it is. And he did.
Our lunch Wednesday was great. Burgers in downtown Charlotte. We met in the Observer lobby and walked to lunch. If you’ve never been to the Observer, allow me to paint you a picture: dreary, drab, lightless. That about sums it up. The building is one of the darkest, most lifeless pieces of architecture I have ever seen. It’s a miracle of boringness. The architect should be slapped repeatedly. God bless everyone who has to walk into that building every day of his or her working lives.
It felt odd to be on the other side of this interview. I’ve been interviewed a lot before but it was always about the show or my writing or winning awards… something specific. This was about me. And those who know me best know I’m sarcastic, never take myself seriously, and say inappropriate things far too often. That’s a bad mix for a story. So this could be interesting. And by interesting I mean I won’t let my mom read it.
I don’t know what he’ll write. Starting today I’m unemployed. So far… I don’t have a job beginning soon to tell him about. I’m sort of in limbo… looking. I wasn’t able to give him anything useful. No target to focus his words on. Now that I think about it my answers to his questions were just like the Observer building, massively boring.
Well, whenever it hits the paper I’m sure it’ll drive up business for local coffee houses.
Okay, I have to get going. The first day of unemployment awaits! Get excited! Woo.
Maybe Monday I’ll take you with me to the unemployment office… hmmm… that could be very funny.
Are you smelling me? Don’t. I haven’t showered yet. Later… MR
May 29th, 2009 by Mike Redding
I knew when I got choked up as I walked into the building this morning today was going to suck. I walked back out of WCNC for the last time at 1:30, got in my car and just sat there for I don’t know how long.
I don’t have much to say right now.
I need some people to smell… MR
May 28th, 2009 by Mike Redding
Someone just asked me if they can call in on tonight’s live radio show and my answer was, “I think so.” Seriously. I have issues. I need to be better prepared than that… I think so? Listen and call in if you have a question for me.
Tonight at 6:30 I’ll be on WBT News Talk Radio 1110. John Hancock has had me on the air there probably a dozen times over the years.
When he e-mailed me a month or so ago and asked me to come on his show he didn’t know Carolina Traveler was ending. I knew. I’ve kind of known for a year that it was ending. I wasn’t totally certain. But I could sense I was in the midst of a change.
And I’m not totally thick. The economy has not been subtle in its attempts to get our attention.
So tonight we’ll talk about why I’m leaving WCNC and where I’m heading next. Listen to us and check out how NOT funny I am! I only appear funny on TV. On radio I turn into a total nincompoop. I’m very awkward on radio. It’s partly because my sense of humor doesn’t translate well unless you’re looking at me (that’s my excuse anyway). But that won’t stop me! I go right on with my NOT FUNNY ideas!
On a side note: John was a big fan of the Carolina Traveler show and I’m a fan of his (because he doesn’t SHOUT! He talks and he listens. He does something thoughtful people do: he’ll change his mind on something as he learns more about a subject. What a concept?)
John even used to have me on way back when my TV show competed with his radio show! That ought to tell you something about John Hancock.
Tomorrow (Friday) is my last day at WCNC.
I’m so screwed. It’s going to be emotional for me. I can tell. A bunch of people at the station want to throw me a going away party and I’ve asked them not to. It’s hard enough to say goodbye to your friends after so many years together. I don’t want to be a big crybaby at a party. It’ll just wear me out.
I guess I’ll start tomorrow off right here first thing in the morning giving you my gut feeling on how my last day will go… packing up my desk… saying goodbye… blah, blah, blah blaAAAAAAH! Maybe I’ll call in sick.
Don’t forget to stop and smell someone today, MR
May 24th, 2009 by Mike Redding
Journal Entry 303
Yes, it’s me. Your trusty TV storytelling journalista, friend and dude.
I’m officially starting life over… professionally speaking. Though, in my personal life, with an 11-week-old at home, I’m starting over there too. I guess I needed to change everything in my life at once. Absolute chaos seems like a wonderful strategy, don’t you think?
For those of you who followed my 7-year romp through North & South Carolina as the “Carolina Traveler” on WCNC-TV, I set up this website so we can maintain this thing we have going. For you newbies just finding me, where’ve you been? You have some explaining to do.
My last day “on air” for WCNC is Friday, May 29, 2009. I’ll post my last “Travel Journal” as the Carolina Traveler Tuesday, May 26. I’ve written more than 300 journals for WCNC. I resisted (and by resisted I mean I hated) calling it a blog. Not sure what that’s about. Some deep emotional fracture from my youth, I’m sure. I blame my father… or anyone else who ever crossed my path. Anywho, Travel Journal #302 is and was my last at WCNC. I’ll pick up here where I left off there… I’ll likely write more often than once a week NOW. Maybe daily. Perhaps bidaily or quadraweekly or decamonthly (okay I’m just making up words now). We’ll see how it goes.
I’ll go more into where I’m heading next in upcoming posts.
Peace,
MR
To be continued… (check back tomorrow morning)
