I'm not sure if this is good or not

We got an email at the station saying that someone had made a JibJab video featuring some of my co-workers and me. I'm not sure why its maker chose me, but perhaps I should just count my blessings that I got more of a speaking role than our morning show anchor Don Brennan.

Rising from the Ashes

The official One World Trade Center time-lapse shows the progress of the skyscraper that rose in place of the Twin Towers felled on 9.11.2001.

I Still Blog

Not as much as I used to, but I still blog. My job restricts what I can write here, and Facebook and Twitter have made it more convenient to share in shorter bursts (i.e. with less thought), and with fewer spam comments to filter.

But Time magazine says that blogs have not gone out of style, and it cheered me to see on Twitter a link to Time's 25 Best Bloggers, 2013 Edition. It gave me some new reading material, and inspiration to write more of my own.

Fear not. I still believe the maxim that, "if you don't have anything to say, don't say it," so I will write only when I have something that I think you'll find informative, or at least amusing. And, failing that, when I have something that *I* find informative or amusing.

That means that — for now — I'll do most of my writing for my day job.

One Man Band

On the News

Excerpt of last night's newscast:

Viewer mail from an actual viewer

OK, former viewer, apparently. This comes, the author claims, from a minister. Ready?

Larrry

Dear WTVT:

I cannot understand why you would replace Wheel and Jeopardy (7 & 7:30 PM weeknights) with Millionaire. No sane person would even consider such a thing. I am so angry at WTVT because I really thought you cared about your viewers. Obviously I was wrong, you have no concern for who has been loyal to your station since WTVT 40 was on.

My wife and I, along with SEVERAL other families we know will no longer be watching WTVT 7. When your viewership drops like a rock and your annual renewal comes along for your license, it will be NO surprise how many people will file complaints against you.

May you all burn in Hell.

Rev. LRSmith

Note: This once loyal viewer apparently never noticed that WTVT are not our call letters.

Amazing? Ha!

All the anchors at my station had to do stories about a most awkward subject for the May ratings period — ourselves! The station dubbed them "The Amazing Men/Women of ABC7."

So, of course, I had to tell my story ironically.



I shot and edited the piece with my own cameras and editing equipment.

Parrot Heads

That title refers not to Jimmy Buffet fans, but to actual birds. I took some shots at Sarasota Jungle Gardens last week. My apologies if they're too large to view on your screen. My photo blog has more, and better, shots that are landscape oriented (wider than they are tall) and may also fit your screen better.

That's not her nose itching

I'm not sure that this woman who faces charges for practicing medicine without a license did herself any good when she noticed our station's camera focused on her during her first appearance before a judge Friday.

Blast from the past: WFLA

Wow. My website's stat counter tells me that someone found JohnMcQuiston.com by Google searching "john mcquiston wfla." It takes a long memory for someone to remember my two-year tenure at Tampa's NBC affiliate. I left that station 14 years ago.

I much more hair then. And fewer pounds.

Double Duty

Some recent changes at our station include our sports guy moving to co-host the morning show. Since he used to do sports on our weekend newscasts, which I anchor, that leaves me to carry the ball, if you will, on sports, too.

I spent the first dozen years or so of my career doing sports, so it's not difficult. The challenge now is writing and editing the sports segment AND still writing much of the newscast, too.

I'm not complaining. Although the double duty divides my attention and leaves me less time to polish the news scripts, once the stress of getting it all finished has passed, I have fun reading the sports on the air.



And if I am lucky enough that you enjoy my work on ABC7, you are lucky enough that I just signed a new contract to stay there.