THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 23, 1994 TAG: 9406230020
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LARRY BONKO
DATELINE: 940623 LENGTH: Medium
So, you get a little wet. But, hey, it's how you win awards - When their bosses at WAVY sent reporter Doug Aronson and photographer Will Glynn to North Carolina's Outer Banks to report live on the arrival of Hurricane Emily last year, they had to improvise because the storm made it impossible to beam pictures from Buxton, N.C., to the studios in Portsmouth.
{REST} Aronson filed his story on a cellular phone. When the storm subsided, Glynn rushed the pictures to Portsmouth. You saw them. America saw them. Some of the images ended up on NBC's nightly newscast anchored by Tom Brokaw.
The Washington, D.C., chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences acknowledged Aronson's enterprise in reporting the hurricane by awarding him an Emmy. In the spot-news category, he beat out 21 other nominees from stations in Washington, Baltimore and Virginia.
The Emmy makes a terrific doorstop, Doug.
Two other regional Emmys were awarded to talent in this market. ``Buz TV,'' a locally produced WTKR half-hour was judged the best of seven entertainment programs nominated for an Emmy. Host Robert James and producers Sarah Robertson and Steve Landreth were honored.
``It makes working 80 to 90 hours a week worth it,'' James said. He plans to show the Emmy off on camera soon on ``Buz TV.''
At WVEC, they're popping champagne corks for production manager Duane Bryan who won an Emmy for his spot promoting the station's 6 p.m. newscast. These local folks competed against 827 other entries.
Don't call us, we'll call you - Colby Dick of Virginia Beach, who is 18, intended to give his mom a terrific present for Mother's Day. He heard that talk-show host Montel Williams wanted to do something nice for teachers - bring them to his show and have them made over by beauty experts.
Dick submitted his mother's name to Wlliams' producers. Linda Truitt teaches a class of 23 at Rosemont Elementary. Dick was floored when the producers called to say his mother would be invited to the Grand Teachers' Makeover.
We'll call you back to nail down a day and time, said Williams' people.
Trouble is, nobody ever called back. The show about giving teachers a makeover was aired without Dick's mother. I called Williams in an attempt to find out what wrong here. Like Dick, I'm still waiting for somebody from the show to call me and explain.
The brushoff deserves a great big Bonko boo.
Say, didn't you used to have a moustache? - Now you see him. Now you don't.
Brian Hill has been popping up on local TV in the last five years ago, reporting the weather for a while, and then disappearing again.
He came and went on WTKR, and, by gosh, he's back on the air, doing the weather for WVEC. Now you see him minus a moustache and the contacts. WVEC news director David Cassidy acknowledged that Hill is among the candidates to succeed Chris Castleman as Channel 13's weather guy on the early-morning show.
Castleman resigned because of health problems. Who could do the job better than Hill? He's a pro. He's smooth. On a weather map, he knows the difference between the Outer Banks and the Eastern Shore. Give him the job.
Short takes - Carol Novotny, who does the early-morning weather for WTKR, recently took a shot at reading the news during the cable newsbreaks on Channel 26 (Cox Cable), and she's darn good at it. Darn good. . . . In answer to a question from a Portsmouth reader, there are no TV shows being shot in Virginia at the moment. The Virginia Film Office says a feature-length movie starring Damon Wyans is in production west of Richmond. No calls for local extras. by CNB