Tales from a Weathered Man

This is a story from early in my television career., one that I am not particularly proud of. (Oh, the things we did to get the job done)

I always tried to say "yes" to my kids whenever possible, but in hindsight there have been a few times where a "no" answer would have saved me some anxiety.

Wouldn't it be a "hoot" to start talking in outdated slang all the time? I think it's a sure way to get a laugh. Hopefully you'll get a few out of this podcast.

Our recurring dreams seem to change over the years. Are they a reflection of how our lives and circumstances change? In this podcast I contrast my early recurring dreams with those now, including the good, the scary and the hilarious.

TV news is supposed to have pictures, right? This is the story of the newscast I did (by accident) that contained not a single picture. Thank heavens Youtube wasn't around then.

We are all proud of our kids' high school accomplishments. But each school activity is its own "world," and unless you are in that "world," you might not get it.

Do you ever wonder what life would have been like if you had pursued your initial career goals? Would it have been great, or a disaster? What if your career goal was to become a rock star? (I'm not kidding).

As a young TV news reporter in the late 70s I made plenty of embarrassing mistakes. Here are a few of them that I can't seem to forget.

After decades of reporting the major the storms in our recent history, I finally had the opportunity to serve on a hurricane cleanup crew. This is the story of what I saw, what I felt, and how things are different now.

Much of my adolescence was spent glued to the radio, not only listening to my music, but trying to win an elusive prize on a radio contest. This is the story of those wins and losses.

It takes more than a window seat on an airliner to see what's really important.

In the 1970s my local TV station didn't have digital, satellite or microwave technology. So how did we beat the competition? We did it with the crudest and most laughable methods imaginable.

Thanks to the genealogical work of my stepfather, I discovered some priceless information about my ancestors. And there was a big surprise too.

The time the tables were turned and I got a taste of my own medicine, s victim of the unexpected question, live on network television

After decades of marriage my wife and I have developed a system to rate our complaints against one another. It diffuses a lot of hurt and anger. This is our way of sharing it with couples world-wide.

I discovered an old recording my father had made when I was four years old. Even though he had been gone several years, he passed on an important message about the type of legacy he left.

Working in small-town radio is an adventure, and can often lead to the most unusual encounters. This is one I'll never forget.

I knew my poor memory for names would get me into trouble someday. And it did, and right in front of a judge where you can't fake it.

A joyous memory from my younger days when, for about 40 minutes, I stood on the same stage with a real rock star.

I know some of the great chefs are men. So why can't I seem to master that role?

Public people need a thick skin. Social media gives anyone the power to voice their criticism and disapproval directly to any visible person, and sometimes that criticism gets out of hand.

Okay, maybe it wasn't real journalism, but it was the only job I could get as a teenager because no one else would hire a kid with "long hair." And it set the stage for what was later to become a career.

I was minutes away from an evening broadcast when I got a dreaded phone call: "Your son is in the hospital." This is the story of his accident and all its repercussions and rewards.

Getting into broadcasting has never been easy, but in the podcast, I talk about how I managed to be in the right place at the right time to start my lifelong career. I just had to work in a small town at a small station for a small salary.

I have been in the communication profession for more than forty years. So you’d think I’d do a pretty decent job of communicating at home, right? In today’s blog post from “Tales from a Weathered Man” I bring you up-close and personal look into how my wife and I have managed to communicate (or not).

Being turned down for a job you want is always tough. This podcast describes how rejection 38 years ago reached into the future to teach me a lesson about myself.

Will public gatherings ever be free from countless interruptions by ringing cell phones? Here's a look at how the problem has escalated, and at least one suggested solution.

Sometimes a career can take an unexpected turn, and often that turn is surprisingly for the better.