Wednesday, January 02, 2008

A Naked Feeling. A Lost Sense Of Faith.

A recent overseas vacation has left me with a naked feeling.

The airline carrier lost my luggage and everything I had packed, and now 10 days later I am still separated from my clothes. This is the first time this has ever happened to me but the whole ordeal has shattered my faith in the airline industry and got me thinking….

A reputation is something that takes a long time to earn…sometimes years and yet it can be wiped away in a matter of mere seconds. As a frequent traveler, I became so accustomed to always walking off the plane and getting my bags that when ever I heard my bags were M-I-A, I just couldn’t believe it. As I was stewing over my lost bags, I started wondering if this theory is the same for TV news viewers. Does one bad experience with a TV news organization shatter your trust in all main stream media? What is it that would make that happen?

Heck…Today there was a Greyhound Bus that overturned on a local highway. I wonder if this one bad situation will shatter people’s faith about the safety of motor coach transportation despite whatever past positive experiences they may have had on motor coaches.

Let me know your thoughts….Meanwhile, I’m going looking for my bags

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Stranger in a Strange Land

As the newest kid on the block (I guess on the blog, too) here at NBC-17, I’ve got a lot to learn. Not only am I learning to adapt to new coworkers, a new newsroom, and new responsibilities I’ve got a new area to learn as well.

I was born in New Jersey, but raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
(I can almost hear the Billy Joel fans singing “Allentown”. Did you know that song was actually written about Bethlehem? It’s apparently easier to rhyme words with Allentown than Bethlehem.)
Any visitor’s guide can tell you to visit the Allentown Art Museum, Dorney Park, The Crayola Factory, and the historic district of downtown Bethlehem.  Only a local – like myself- can tell you where to get a good cheese steak, the diner with the best late night service, and how to avoid traffic around mall during the holidays.
There are some great suggestions in the Greater Raleigh Visitor’s Bureau , but it’s too impersonal for me. The people who live, work, and play in this area know what makes it unique. Send me an email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and tell me what places and/or people really capture the flavor of your neighborhood.

Donna Wentzel
Multimedia Content Coordinator
WNCN - NBC17
1205 Front Street
Raleigh, NC 27609
(W) 919.835.6318
(F) 919.836.1687
(E) .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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Check out my blog: Inside the Core