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)
Send News tips to: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Check out my blog: Inside the Core

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Pardon Our Dust—New Digs Coming

Well, the era of the new NBC-17 newsroom is almost here.  I am sitting here in the newsroom, behind the battle-scarred desk that has been here since I don’t know when.  The desk is worn—tape covers the bottom edges where the wood has been chipped and worn away with age.  The carpet here should have a groove from my desk over to the bank of scanners on the other side, since I slide over there to hear radio calls sometimes.  I can see the future—just by looking across the room, where our new desks will be, as well as the opening for the studio.

The new NBC-17 News set looks awesome…LCD screens just about everywhere, with splashes of color abound.  With this many screens, that studio would be great for football season!!  All we’d need is a set of easy chairs we could roll in there, and Studio A could be the place to be for football season.  Oh, well….wishful thinking on my part.  Anyway, back to the newsroom…we’ll have a nice new assignment desk with plenty of room, as well as the Satellite News Center right there behind us.  I’m sure all of this is hard to imagine, but once it hits air, it will look great!!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Taking Chances

Can you possible plan ahead too far?

I’ve recently noticed my job as a Planning Editor is slowly spilling over to my personal life. What people don’t realize is, when you spend countless hours planning ahead, you hardly ever just let things happen, and live in the now. I’ve been the laughing stalk of the newsroom since Monday at 10:05am. Why you may ask, because I just bought concert tickets for get this….JANUARY 20, 2009, YES 2009.

The biggest-selling female artist of ALL time will be in town on that night, and I can hardly wait! On December 15th, 2007 Celine Dion will take her final bow in Las Vegas and end her record breaking show A NEW DAY. A few months later she will begin her Taking Chances World Tour with stops in Africa, Asia, and Canada and of course North America. I had the pleasure of seeing her show in Las Vegas a few years back and it was worth every penny.

Now the question to you is, is there any artist you would buy a ticket for the moment it comes out, even if it’s over a year away? Please tell me I’m not the only one.

Although I don’t know what my future holds, or where this life may take me, I do know where I hope to be on January 20, 2009. Enjoying the amazing sounds of Celine Dion in section 1 on the main floor, being thankful I planned ahead!

Best,
Dominique

Thursday, November 22, 2007

The News Never Stops

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