THINKing

8 Things You Didn’t Know About Me

I’m now “it” thanks to Jason Falls. This meme – 8 things you didn’t know about me – has been making the rounds for a while and Jason has challenged me to tell you my 8. Here you go, Jason:

#1. I’m probably too old to blog.

Yep, this old guy (55) has always been an early adopter of technology, and it’s no different with social media. Good PR people should always figure out how to hold conversations with their constituencies. Analog or digital – it doesn’t matter how the dialogue happens.

#2. I got paid to talk.

I did a daily, one-hour current events talk show called Carolina Roundtable on WAYS, an AM radio station in Charlotte, NC. I also was the managing editor of the radio news team and a media critic for the newspaper.

#3. I got paid to watch basketball games.

I did radio color commentary for UNCC basketball games, and got paid for doing it. Now, if we could have been drinking beer at the same time, that would have been the ultimate job.

#4. I can tune up an airplane.

I was in the NC Air National Guard as an aircraft mechanic. I have worked on 28-cylinder reciprocating engines and on turboprops. Also, I can taxi one of the big fellows like a C-124 or C-130.

#5. I’m armed and dangerous.

I won a marksman ribbon in Air Force basic training, hitting 100 of 100 rounds in the kill zone with an M16. I also can fire a pistol accurately with either hand. I’m usually pretty mellow but I thought you ought to have fair warning.

#6. I was almost killed in a thunderstorm.

One hot summer night, while broadcasting a semi-pro football game from a stadium in Meridian, Mississippi, we moved the equipment out of the booth because it was so hot. The only place to move was atop the booth. A thunderstorm whipped up late in the fourth quarter and lightning crackled all around us. Luckily, the game was completed and we were able to pack up before the center of the storm arrived.

7. I’ve seen dead people.

On July 4, 1978 I was working as a reporter on the police beat. Our usual cops reporter had the day off. We got a call about a multiple homicide and I was the first reporter on the scene. I walked into the house, which was the home of a motorcycle gang, where several of them had been gunned down during the night. The bodies were still there. This case has never been solved.

#8. I’ve been threatened by a sheriff.

As a police reporter I discovered the Mecklenburg County Sheriff was involved in a lot of unsavory activities. I reported on these. One day prior to a County Commissioner’s meeting, the Sheriff and two of his deputies circled around me and began making threats. I had the presence of mind to turn on the tape recorder. I used this tape in radio news stories. I made it my mission to ensure that this Sheriff would serve only one term. Mission accomplished.

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• Links for 5-1-2007