Sunday, January 22, 2006

‘Lets Raise Some Hell’ A mix tape by Chip Kinney

I talked to WFMY News 2’s Rachel Peterson this morning and I got the opportunity to ask her a question.

And as it turned out, what I thought to be my answer was incredibly correct with the general population.

I was driving home last night thereabouts 11 O’clock. While sitting at the stoplight where you can find Hugo’s on Lawndale, I noticed the WFMY News 2 broadcast van. The van’s tower thingie was sticking up and pointed at its receiver for a LIVE BROADcast.

Immediately, my brain went into action. I could park across the lot from them, near the other exit. Rick Pizzo (or… perhaps someone else…) was making a few run-throughs with his notes. I’m running down the list of people that I can call to get the broadcast on tape or DVR. I’m eliminating who would be sleeping, who would be working, who would be out on the town, and those whose wife would kill me if I woke the sleeping kids. I came up empty. There was no one that I could call that would let me do a stupid thing like that and just chalk it up as “Eugene”. The well was painfully dry.

Here’s what I’m proposing…

Whenever you see a live television broadcast whether it’s the big boy networks or the local affiliate, give ‘em some horn baby! Just give them a beep and keep driving on. Go to where your going and take pride in the fact that you had a hand in live television.

If you go to the Panthers Games (or whatever team you follow) and you’re sitting near the broadcast booth, use one of those air horns. But only use it once a quarter when nothing is happening and in a short burst. With blasts only long enough to get a surprised reaction. Pick your spots.

And, as the answer came from Rachel’s pretty lips, over cellular phone lines, and bounced off my left eardrum… It’s true. Television people hate that and it’s a very “jerky” thing to do.

Do you ever watch the morning and afternoon broadcasts with WFMY News 2?

They take shots from the tower either overlooking Highway 29 or Summit Avenue. I’ve always wanted to fill up the back of my truck with people waving their asses off as we drive through their camera shot. We can monitor the broadcast with a portable television to see when we’re on live. It’s purely a hit or miss type of situation that doesn’t quite have the juice to make it to fruition.

I’d like to do “Gorilla Theatre” around town. We all get together and rehearse a short scene from a play, movie, or television show. Then he hit the town in a van. We pull over to the curb, the doors fly open, and we burst out putting up our “Gorilla Theatre” sign on an easel. We all find our places and act out the scene for the folks gathered to watch. When we wrap up, we grab our stuff, and get back into the van for another showing somewhere else around the town. Thusly, bringing theatre to the peeps, man!

But, people may give the wrong reaction if we “bust” the hell out of the van so; perhaps the slow and easy approach would work better. Maybe showing up from different points of origin… That could work.

Remember the El Nino winter we had back in the 90’s? The southeastern states had snow and ice that year… Is it coming back to you?

I reached a point where I was getting sick of it and I wanted to stage a protest at the National Weather Service Bureau here in Greensboro. I tried to get a few people on board. We would carry signs with “Hey! Ho! El Nino’s got to go!” and “El Nino El Stinko” (that was Brad’s) wrote on them or whatever you could think of. I would try to get on the news for doing something completely stupid. For some reason, I thought it would be funny. And when they chat with the leader of the small coalition, I would give answers like… “The National Weather Service Bureau knows how to control the weather… Why do WE have to put up with it?”… “Does it feel cold to you? Do you like the snow and ice? What are THEY (arm pointing out NWSB office) going to do about it?”

Again, those are things are never going to happen. That is, of course, until I can find a sponsor.

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:36 PM

    Ask Chris Kelly about crashing live shots back in the 90's. As a young sidekick of another show, he was famous for getting into several live shots.

    Don Moore

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  2. Anonymous2:27 PM

    You can always sidle into shots with a comb and offer to do the news personality's hair. I'm sure he/she will appreciate the gesture.

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  3. Anonymous3:58 PM

    I’ve always wanted to fill up the back of my truck with people waving their asses off as we drive through their camera shot.

    It would be funnier if everyone were MOONING their asses off.

    Several years ago, I was watching the late news on Channel 2 after a particularly satisfying Duke-Carolina basketball game (Duke won). The game was in Chapel Hill, I believe, and the sports dude was doing a live broadcast outside of the arena. Some fan got into the shot right behind the sportscaster and pointed at his shirt. Which said "Fuck Duke". He stood there for quite some time, and though I didn't agree with the sentiment of the shirt, I laughed my ass off.

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  4. Anonymous1:21 AM

    Gorilla Theater? Guerilla theater? Whatever it is, it sounds like the greatest idea ever... a true mark-out concept. Let me know if that ever gets off the ground.

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  5. Kim... You busted me for the idiot that I am. Thank you. I don't know why I used "Gorilla" when I meant "Guerilla".

    I remember when I was a kid and the news would cover guerilla war somewhere and I thought to myself, "Why would anyone care if gorillas are fighting?"

    Now you know my true ignorance... But it may be fun to act out scenes from movies and television in gorilla suits... Puts a different spin on things.

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