Hail storm excitment on a Saturday

It looked like winter for a few minutes this afternoon. What a crazy Spring Saturday. Did you get hail at your house?

Peeling back the curtain online

We talk alot about peeling back the curtain in television news, letting our viewers into the room to understand how we do what we do.



One of the interesting discoveries of CW Live Chat's impact, is just that. We're peeling back the curtain to reveal how we put a show together.



As the anchor, I chat live with viewers who log into the CW Live Chat room on our website, while they watch the news.



I log in early, at least 10 minutes before the start of the show. So I'm already interacting with the chatting viewers before the show hits air.



That creates all kinds of opportunities to tell them the top story is still being edited, we're waiting for video to be fed in from the scene, we're just learning some new details about our top story, etc.



In commercial breaks I can give them a heads up on a breaking story, that we'll cover coming out of the break.



And it's not just me chatting anymore. My colleagues are all intrigued. My producer logs in every night, and sometimes so does our photo journalist, our reporter and our meteorologist.



They've used the live chat to get a total time to the producer fast, or feed in a last minute nugget.



Viewers can get quick questions to me for the nugget of info they were looking for in a story that wasn't there. And I can give them answers.


When they ask for my political opinions they learn about journalism and the need for someone like me to stay impartial.



It's instant, it is live and it is extremely engaging and revealing. I'm really enjoying the view with those curtains wide open in CW Live chat at Ten!

Texting in comments to Your CW News at Ten

Twitter. Love the name. You can twitter... be twittered... be twittering. It's a whole new world.

I am just beginning to explore, and have created a Twitter for CW Live Chat and one for my friends where I can follow folks I enjoy.

I've also got a secured twitter for my family, so that in a crisis we can communicate. Heck the crisis most days is that everyone is busy and headed in 15 different directions!

Twitter is a text messaging service at its heart. That means folks who can't join CW Live Chat because they don't have a computer, can now join in on the conversation during Your CW News at Ten, through Twitter.

On Twitter you can also use instant messaging, and the web to stay in touch.

If you want to be up to date on the CW Live Chat topics and what I'm up to during the day, and text in comments during your CW News at Ten, just sign up for Twitter and search CW Chat and then click the follow button!

If you don't have a computer then send a text message to this number 40404 and type in the words -- follow cwchat

It's easy!

Blogger Debut

It's great to be on Blogger. Hope you will try LIVE CHAT on my CW Show at Ten. It's a blast.

I am always left smiling by the amusing comments our viewers share with me during the show, depending on the topic of course. You people are funny!

Our viewers who join us online in the Chat Room during the show, add important perspective to our coverage, giving the CW News at Ten a real world feel, that reflects what people in the community think about the news.

I always appreciate the honest feedback. The good, the bad and the ugly.

The crowd is growing and we want you to be part of the only news where you can gather with new friends and talk about kids driving with cell phones, the Pope's visit, crime trends, pickle popsickles, Christy's baby and more!

You decide the important topics. You tell us what you care about. You drive the chat. That's the way it should be!