Bloggerization

LOVE this blog stuff...please give me some topics you want to talk about. Thanks. Marc

Or contact me directly mmoraniec@ktvq.com

Life is too Important...

Most people think that because we report the news, we don't think about the people behind the stories.

THAT is the farthest from the truth!!

This past week and a half has been tragic for so many families in our viewing area. Probably the worst news i have had to report since i have been in Billings.

A lot of times we complain about how slow our days can be....but I can't wait for the morning I will be able to walk into the newsroom and not have to report on a child dying, a community affected and/or a family grieving.

The worst part about my job is hearing these stories, being on the scene and reporting what I am seeing.
The grief in the families eyes as they watched their homes burn on Prickett Lane was intense.

Finding out that the family that already lost their home also lost their son in an swimming pool accident meant to keep their minds off the fire.

Then we reported on a 27 year old woman on her way to work, who was killed tragically after someone trying to run from authorities slammed into her vehicle.

School bus riding should be a normal occurence for most school age children, but for a Huntley Project 7 year old and her family, a school bus will never be the same.

Then today, we find out from the Montana Highway Patrol that a 6 month old was killed last night in a horrific accident that also injured three other children (two four year olds and a five year old). The worst part is that we also found out alcohol was involved and the children were not wearing seatbelts.

That is always hard to hear no matter what you do, who you are and where you live!

In light of the tragic events, I had the chance to speak with Cheyrl Bohnet from the Billings Clinic this morning. It was awesome to hear her passion for something some people may not want to talk about, think about or discuss with others.... DONATING ORGANS.

I have always been a registererd donor, so it was great to hear about how easy it is to do something as small as check a box when renewing your drivers license, signing up online, or calling a telephone number to help someone else live after you pass.

• 1 ORGAN, EYE & TISSUE DONOR CAN ENHANCE THE LIVES OF 50 PEOPLE


• NEARLY 100,000 ARE WAITING FOR AN ORGAN TRANSPLANT


• 18 PEOPLE DIE EACH DAY WWAITING FOR AN ORGAN TRANSPLANT
  
• 70 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE US ARE REGISTERED DONORS


• 34.65% OF DRIVERS LICENSE HOLDERS IN MONTANA ARE REGISTERED DONORS

IF YOU WANT TO SAVE A LIFE....

YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE TO SIGN UP...

CALL 1-877-275-5269

& REMEMBER TO TELL YOUR FAMILY!

EARTH DAY EVERYDAY!!??!!

Today is Earth Day and it seems like everyone keeps saying..."Celebrate Earth Day Everyday!" I have never been against recycling, but I never thought I could get together enough "stuff" that would make an impact or benefit the planet.

One of my best friends, Q2's Courtney Hanson, has inspired me to recycle a little more than I used to. My family grew up recycling barrels full of cans, stacks and stacks of newspapers and lots of other plastic and cardboard....but I never thought I had enough to set aside.

BUT.....Although it takes up a lot of space in my tiny apartment and looks like a corner full of garbage... I have started to recycle my aluminum cans, newspapers and plastic sacks from the grocery store. Once my pile gets big enough... I am going to bring my cans to the station and we will recycle them and get the profit to donate to our Relay for Life team fund. I will bring my newspapers to one of those big bins... and my used grocery sacks to the Montana Rescue Mission so they can use them to bag up there goods.

As I was researching Earth Day information for the morning show last night, I realized that most recycling venues in Billings accept recycling AND PAY YOU FOR IT! Although I know I would never even get enough to pay for a gallon of gas (I would have to save newspapers for a year and a half to get $3.50!!!)

I think the key is to start recycling somewhere where lots of recyclables could accumulate. We tried to recyle our used computer paper at Q2... but that lasted for about a week... until the box was brimming with old scripts... and no one wanted to take it down to the recycling place (and let me tell you.... Between Rob and I in the mornings... we probably kill a small baby spruce printing off our scripts for the morning show!)

Last year Americans received more than $500 million for recycled aluminum alone! YOU can spread the word and make recycling part of your daily life: (adapted from the Billings onlie Public Works Website)

The following is a list of household items easily recyclable in Billings (and most recyclers will pay you for them):

Aluminum Cans:
Aluminum cans are one of the most popular items recycled by consumers today. They recycle most aluminum cans into more aluminum cans. Recycling centers will buy them, crushed or uncrushed.

Newspapers (ONP):
Newspapers should not be sunburned, wet or mildewed. The colored sections and slick advertising insert materials that come in your newspaper CAN be kept inside the newspaper and recycled. They recommend that you box, bag or tie your newspapers when transporting them. If you want payment for your ONP, magazines, junk mail, phone books, etc. CANNOT be mixed in with your newspapers.

Old Corrugated Containers (OCC):
These are grocery store-type boxes. You may also recycle flour sacks, brown paper grocery sacks and sugar sacks with OCC since they are made of the same material. Cereal boxes, shoe boxes, etc. are different, and you should not mix them with your OCC. They recycle OCC back into corrugated boxes right here in Montana.

Appliances:
Old appliances and other lightweight scrap steel, such as stoves, furnaces, car body parts, etc. are recyclable. Disposing of refrigerators or air conditioners without first recovering the refrigerant is now illegal.

Computer Print Out (CPO):
Computer print out paper is easily recyclable. However, you cannot recycle computer print out paper with carbon paper in it.

Office Ledger Paper:
If you want payment for office ledger paper, save only white and pastel colored office stationery and envelopes, copy machine paper, fax paper, Post-itâ notes, and NCR (no carbon required) paper. You should recycle any other papers as "mixed paper."


The following items are also recyclable, but they will probably not pay you for them:

Mixed Paper:
You can recycle any paper that tears. This includes cereal boxes, shoe boxes, junk mail and greeting cards. The only restrictions are carbon paper, plastic coated papers, and kitchen and bathroom waste (plates, towels, tissues, etc.)

Glass Jars and Bottles:
Glass jars and bottles are recyclable. They make jars back into more glass jars. You need to rinse them out, remove the lids and sort them according to color (clear, green or brown). The labels can remain on. Window glass, drinking glasses, etc. are NOT recyclable.
Plastic Pop BottlesThey recycle plastic pop bottles into carpeting or fill material for pillows or "down" vests. Drain them and take the lids off. Again, the labels can remain on.

Plastic Milk Jugs:
milk jugs and distilled water jugs are recyclable, but keep them separate from your plastic pop bottles. They make these into plastic lumber, landfill liners and sometimes even toys. Rinse them out and take the lids off.

Steel Cans:
or more commonly known as "tin" cans and found in our kitchens, are recyclable. They make them into structural steel products. Rinse them before taking them to a recycling center (you can leave the labels on).

Magazines:
Magazines are again recyclable in Billings. Please make sure there are no phone books, brochures, junk mail or thick catalogs mixed in with your magazines.


Where to take your recyclables:

Billings RecycleNOW458 Charles Street406.252.5721

Pacific Recycling777 - 4th Avenue North406.245.3133

Golden Recycling & Salvage1100 - 6th Avenue North406.252.8080

TELEVISION "LINGO"

• Behind the scenes we use a lot of lingo people that are not in the business have a hard time figuring out... like what's a vo/sot, a flash frame and why its so important if there is an "STD" or a Non-Standard Out cue"! One of My Best Friends, Q2's Richie Melby had one of those moments where "real life" and "TV Life" mixed on air... (he's pretty embarrassed about it... I, on the other hand, think it's pretty funny... if anyone remembers when I first started anchoring when I "tossed" to Jake's Package... literally!! :) ) Take a Look at Richie's big "mistake" and his awesome recovery:
  
  I HAVE A VOSOT COMING UP....
  
  

Here are some of the terms we use on a daily basis to get you familiar with our business... just in case we confuse you while your watching!! :)

• VO- Video Only – with available natural sound
• SOT- Sound on Tape, interview or lengthy sound bite
• PKG- Package, material edited together with VO, SOTS and reporter narration
• NATS- Natural Sound
• FILE VO- previous aired material (needs to be searched through AP)
• GFX- Full Screen Graphic
• MAP- Full Screen Graphic
• PHON- Telephone interview with full screen graphic
• V/S/V- Vo-Sot-Vo edited to one tape with timed VO
• RDR- reader, anchor on cam
• WXCENTER- Weather Center Set
• RPTR- Reporter Board Set
• LIN- Live in the Newsroom. Newsroom Camera
• LOS- Live on Set, Main Set
• INTER- Interview Set
• REM- Remote (Live Shot)
• LIVE- Live Shot
• PAINT- Weather Graphic Computer
• ODET- Commercial Break Server

Jennifer on the Job goes to the circus!

So by now most of you have had the chance to see the Jennifer on the Job at the Circus.... and it's true... it was the scariest "job" yet! Why? Because with every other job, safety devices, liablity waivers and precautions are taken to keep my photographer and I safe.... for this JOTJ, we were in a little barn with an elephant (I kept thinking.."when elephants attack" would be the headline on my youtube video when we were rushed) and I was in a cage with three motorcyclists.... Need I say more?

Guest Blog- New Jennifer On The Job

Hello to all you blog readers out there. Q2's Richie Melby here with your guest blog on this Monday night. Hope everyone had a good weekend, maybe laying around watching the NCAA Tournament. Speaking of the Tourney, I must say that it's too bad Jennifer and Nikki's Washington State team fell big to North Carolina last Thursday. It was a close game thru the first half but North Carolina was just too tough down the stretch. Jennifer, Nikki, you have nothing to be ashamed of, your team made it farther than a lot of people expected them to.
Anyways, for those of you that haven't already checked it out there's a new Jennifer on the Job out there. This time Jennifer tried her hand at dentistry, which is kind of scary because I have a dentist appointment coming up. She really does a good job as a dental assistant though. If you haven't seen it make sure to check it out on the Jennifer on the Job page. Also, Courtney Hanson has a fun new story where her and photographer Jesse Kester go on a ride along with a local police officer for the night. Her story is all about the health risks that go along with working nights. Make sure to check that out as well, it's on the KTVQ homepage right now.
That's all for me for now. I'll "see" all of you this Friday on Montana This Morning. Have a good week.
-Richie Melby
Q2 Sports

I Love Washington State Mens Basketball!

As most of you know.... my beloved Alma Mater, Washington State University is in the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament!!

As a basketball fan and WSU fan ( PLUS! I combined my love for both by interviewing most of the players that are still on the team from the 2006 season) It is so exciting to see our team in the big dance for the second year in a row... and it is even better that they keep winning~!

Cougar spirit is something that is un-matched... and I am SO glad that my friend and co-corker Nikki Laurenzo (also a WSU Graduate) Feels the Coug spirit just as much as I do (sometimes were a little TOO spirited!)


Take at look at the pictures from the Winthrop game that we watched with friends and KTVQ co-workers:

Below: Anna Gibson (in mascot hat) is a Montana This Morning Newscast Assistant

Group Shot! Nikki, Josh ( Loyal Q2 Viewer), Jennifer, Anna Gibson (Montana this Morning Newscast Assistant), Richie Melby (Q2 Sports), Jose (Loyal Q2 Viewer)



WSU NCAA GAMES
WSU Vs. Winthrop 71-40
WSU Vs. Notre Dame 61-41



** Next Wazzu Game: Thursday March 27th Tip Off 5:27 PM on KTVQ **
Tune in Friday Morning on Montana this Morning as Richie Melby brings you WSU highlights along with other NCAA bracket upsets and successes and all of your local sports score and highlights! **

Intern Guest Blog-- COLT KIRKPATRICK!!

My name is Colt Kirkpatrick and I am an intern at ktvq. I actually go to high school in Lavina. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't know where that was. It's a little town about 45 miles away from Billings. Most high school classes in Billings have more students in them then the town of Lavina has residents. Through a program my school offers I have the opportunity to intern here (unpaid) for 16 weeks every Monday. So I thought I would take the time to tell you what goes on behind the show and my internship.

I get to the station at 8:30 a.m. by then the morning show has already aired. When I arrive the Jennifer Rohrer and Rob Monaco are usually just getting back from their morning fix of coffee or pop at the Holiday. Jennifer checks her e-mail and depending on what Monday it is she either looks for a Jeniffer on the Job or edits one. Around 9:00 a.m. Nikki Laurenzo and Courtney Hanson usually come in and their search for stories begin. By this time Jon Stepanek has already written on the board when there are scheduled shoots and who will be doing them. Lately I have been trying to come up with my own idea on what to do a story on, sounds easy enough, but it isn't. You have to take into consideration if the public will find it interesting, if there is enough video to capture to keep it interesting, or who you can interview to...keep it interesting. I have an idea (with the help from Jennifer Rohrer and Jay Kohn) but I still have to get it approve by Jon. If it gets approved then I will have to start putting it together and schedule interviews and gather information, the photographers ( Rob, Paul, or Jesse) will worry about the footage to correlate to the topic being discussed. I get out of here around 2:30 to 3:00 pm.

What I've enjoyed most so far is watching how the photographers get the shots they need, and how the reporters put it together to tell a story. Anyone who knows a little about editing know that at time it can be a little tedious at times, but they do it everyday with no difficulty( for the most part). There are days when the news is slow, but the way I look at it is a bad day here beats a good day at school.

St. Patty's Day guest blog

Hey all, Q2's Richie Melby here guest blogging for Jennifer Rohrer. She's been pretty busy lately so I get the honor of filling in on this blog in the wee hours of this Monday March 17th, St. Patty's Day. I hope Jennifer remembers to wear something green on Montana This Morning, because I'm guessing Marc and Jon both will.

Other than the holiday I can't say there's a whole lot going on. I would like to congratulate Q2 photographer Paul Humphrey and his wife Kama on the birth of their first child, Ryland Scott Humphrey. He sure is a cute little guy! Here's the link to see him if you haven't already: http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?s=7994503
Like the rest of you I'm anxiously awaiting the next Jennifer on the Job. Can't wait to see what it is and how she handles it. I have to say she has done some things that I wouldn't want to do. But that's what she gets paid for right?

Also being the middle of March, its time for us sports people to go "bracket crazy" filling out our college basketball brackets. You can sign up and fill out brackets to compete against myself, Scott Breen, and Casey Conlon. You have a chance to win free Papa John's pizza! All you have to do is go to our website and follow the link below: http://ktvq.collegebasketball.upickem.net/collegebasketball/registration/login.asp
Also tune into Montana This Morning this Friday to see our picks. Jennifer, Marc, Jon, Rob, and I will all weigh in on the tournament and present our picks for the NCAA Champs.

Until then so long, keep watching, and have a fun and safe St. Patrick's Day!

-Richie

Rud Busting!

Hey All!I have a new "Jennifer on the Job" on KTVQ! I try my gloved hand at tying rebar.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW JENNIFER "THE ROD BUSTER"