But in all humbleness, we did a story about two Jewish cousins separated during the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. They figured their families long dead, but miraculously, they found each other and were reunited over 65 years later, in front of our camera. Well, that story just won a national Gabriel Award. It really is a nice honor and put smiles on our faces. As far as all the details, well, Mike will tell all in his Tuesday Journal! Brag away Mike!

For a small mortgage, this new HD system can be yours!

The other biggie is the Carolina Traveler is going Hi-Definition! Wow! It’s quite a task and I know Mike is thrilled. Hi-Def sounds exciting, but what exactly does that mean? Well, I’ve got a brand new camera, super-duper editing system and just one problem: I have no idea how to use it! When I heard hi-definition, my first thought was the REO Speedwagon album Hi-Infidelity from my youth, which I had on vinyl thank you!

The behind-the-scenes secret of the Carolina Traveler is that I’m responsible for most of the technical stuff. The only problem is I’m not much of a technical guy and don’t care for shoptalk. I’m good at composing pictures, making an interview cry, picking 80’s music for our stories and yelling out wisecracks to make Mike laugh. That’s it.

220, 221. Whatever it takes / Courtesy MGM.com

Have you seen the movie “Mr. Mom”? Remember when Michael Keaton’s character Jack is trying to impress his wife’s new boss, Ron. Jack opens up the door to the Ron at eight in the morning with a chainsaw in his hands, a real handyman. Jack then tells the Ron he’s decided to re-wire all the electrical work in the house. Ron asks, “You gonna make it all 220?” Jack replies, “220, 221, whatever it takes.” Well, that’s me in real life. I laughed when I saw the movie but it took me a few years to get the meaning of the joke.

I recently peeked into my new edit suite and saw our big station boss Stu with the engineer who installed the system. They were both proud, big smiles on their faces. Then they started talking shop. “So, this is 10-80 right?” “Yes, it’s much better than 7-20, Andy what do you think?” Instead of my obvious answer of “10-80, 10-81, whatever it takes”, I simply nodded like an idiot and agreed. Crisis averted temporarily, but the clock is ticking.

So, off into the hi-def world I march with my trusted leader Mike. I’m sure we’ll do fine. But along the way there will be a moment or two with us feeling like our grandparents did when we thought it would be great to introduce them to the Internet.

Oh, one last problem. When Carolina Traveler debuts in hi-def this fall, we won’t be able to see it, as neither Mike nor I own a hi-def television! So do us a favor and let us know how it looks. Or, if you’re more daring, how about inviting us to sit on your couch and watch? I’ll bring the chicken wings. I’m from Buffalo. I make a mean hot sauce.

So hi definition is here! I guess the best I can do is stop worrying and follow the advice from my friends from REO Speedwagon. Keep on rolling with the changes.

See you Saturdays at 7:30pm.
Andy Benton
Carolina Traveler Producer/Photo Boy