Fast Wrap

In the TV business, a fast wrap is when the producer tells you to cut the chit chat, you’re bumping up on the end of the newscast.

I’m bumping up on the end of my final newscast here.   WECT News at 6 tonight is my final newscast here.  I’m headed to Charlottesville, Virginia to run the newsroom for a group of three stations there.

Thanks to all of you who have checked in with this blog since I started it a few months ago.  Hopefully another anchor here will pick it up and keep you informed about what’s going on in our newsroom.

Today..reporter Laura Sinacori is in Elizabethtown following up several leads on the murder of a teenager there.

Reporter Gavin Johnson is on his way to Burgaw to report on a manhunt for a Brunswick County man accused of sex crimes.

Reporter Max Winitz is on a bus, headed to Washington, D.C. for the inauguration with a group of high school students.  We’re looking for his first report this evening.

Stay warm and check out our newscasts in Charlottesville…WCAV, the CBS station is a good place to start.

And this has been a very good place for me and my family.

Thank you for your part in making that possible.

Jim

Robb Said So

Good morning,

Our new meteorologist, Robb Ellis, predicted this weather last night.   Wish he had been wrong, but I’ve been following his forecasts and he’s not wrong very often.

Reporter Gavin Johnson is heading right now to a small house fire in Wilmington.  He’s also working on a story about local residents going to Washington for Barack Obama’s inauguration one week from today.

Reporter Laura Sinacori is in Elizabethtown, covering the apparent murder of a teenager after a basketball game.   Look for the latest information on that on the news at noon.  I hear anchor Kim Ratcliff talking to Laura on the phone behind my desk.   Sounds like Laura has just confirmed the name of the victim.

WECT General Manager Gary McNair has commentary tonight on a stinky subject.  That airs on the news at 6.

Reporter Lynda Figueredo is working on a piece documenting what’s changed in the one year since the headline-grabbing murder one year ago of a pregnant Camp Lejeune Marine.   That also airs on the news tonight.

That’s a quick look at my last Tuesday on the job here.   Tooting my own horn now…but here’s a link to a story about that in today’s Star News…

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090112/ARTICLES/901120306/1177?Title=After_6_years_at_WECT__anchor_Jim_Hanchett_taking_his_family_to_Virginia

Drug Deal

Good morning,

My father-in-law is a diehard Carolina Panther and UNC Chapel Hill fan.  This is not a happy day for him.  Panthers lose.  Tarheels lose.   Yikes.

Busy start to our Monday here.  Reporter Lynda Figueredo is at a news conference held by District Attorney Ben David.  He’s talking about a story we first reported last week, the drug pipeline leading from the Houston area to Wilmington.  Much more on this story this evening from Lynda.

Reporter Gavin Johnson is on his way to Whiteville to work a couple stories there.  Columbus County may be small, but there seems never to be a dull day politically there.

Reporter Casey Roman is working on a real interesting story about the exercise machines in health clubs.  I saw the script last week and it’s got information I never knew before.  Something to think about as you try to work off the pounds gained watching football..and basketball.  My father-in-law has his own way of losing weight.  He just tears his hair out…

Jim

Good Eatin’

Good morning…save your appetite for tomorrow.

Reporter Max Winitz is preparing a preview story on a charity fundraiser tomorrow…that involves a wild game bbq.  Among the specialties on the menu, raccoon and beaver.   Where does the meat come from?  Inquiring minds in the newsroom want to know and so we look forward to Max’s report on the evening newscasts.

My wife’s birthday is coming up.  I can see it now: “Honey, I made you raccoon-k-bobs for dinner!”   Good chance I’d come face to face with the frying pan if that happened.

Photographer Ryan Koresko is one his way to Carolina Beach.  A new ABC store will soon be under construction there that should be quite a tourist draw so look for that report this evening.

The tip for that came from Mike Hoffer’s nifty little newsletter.  It’s snowscutmonthly.com

That should link out of this blog but beats me why it doesn’t…anyway, check it out.

Bob Bonner will have the latest from Panther camp as Carolina gets ready for tomorrow night’s playoff game.   Plus, Food for Thought…and hey, raccoon fritters?

Whiteville Bound

Good morning,

We’re awaiting an 11 a.m. speech by Barack Obama on the economy.  WECT will carry that live and then have a recap on the noon news.

Reporter Gavin Johnson is headed to Whiteville for several stories including follow ups to reports we did yesterday on the closing of Goody’s department store and a jail escapee who is now back in custody.

Reporter Max Winitz is shooting what should be a nifty little story about a Wilmington man who makes sure all those tiny hotel shampoos and soaps don’t go to waste.

Later today, anchor Jon Evans will be covering an event featuring local war veteran Joey Bozik who is going to receive a helper dog from the Carolina Canines organization.  Look for Jon’s reports live on the news at 5 and 6.

Sports anchor Bob Bonner will recap last night’s disappointing UNCW loss…and look forward to tonight’s national championship football game on our Fox station.  That’s if you don’t think Utah is number one.  Having covered the Utah football program many years ago, I’m happy to see them doing so well and undefeated.    Now if we can just get the Colorado State Rams going…then we’ll have glory days for Mountain West Conference football.

See you tonight…

Tie ‘em Down

Good morning on a windy Wednesday.

First Alert Meteorologist Colin Hackman is headed out to experience these gusty conditions first hand.  Reporter Gavin Johnson is checking into a report of a near-tragedy involving wind knocking over a construction scaffold.

We’re also looking into a report of a massive theft at a local pawn shop.  Entertainment reporter Heather Setzler is over in one of our edit bays working on a story about the new play, The Producers, that’s about to open in Wilmington.  Look for that on the news at 5.

Nationally, Barack Obama is holding a news conference right now and will meet later today with all the living former presidents.  We’re just getting word that the Senate plans to seat Illinois Democrat Roland Burris after all.

Sports Director Bob Bonner will be heading to Trask tonight as UNCW tries to reverse its losing ways.

And the TV show One Tree Hill is getting a distinction that puts it on top of Dawson’s Creek.  That story will be ready for air on the news at noon.

If you have a small pet or small child, keep a grip on them…there’s a zesty zephyr out there…

Digging up News

We dig for the news.  But today, it’s the SBI digging outside a home in Carolina Beach for evidence that might solve a mysterious disappearance some 70 years ago.  Check out reporter Max Winitz’s live report coming up on the noon news and he’ll stay on the story all day.

Reporter Lynda Figueredo is looking into a long running traffic delay in Wilmington where barrels block part of a street but no construction seems to be happening.

Reporter Gavin Johnson is working on a headline making story about one of the area’s most important tourist attractions.  Don’t know for sure if that story will turn today but it’s a good one.

And WECT General Manager Gary McNair offers commentary tonight, giving viewers a chance to respond to his thoughts on a proposed tax increase.

See you tonight…

Drug Investigation

A quiet morning in the newsroom is changing fast.  We just received word that the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office is holding a news conference this afternoon to talk about a “major” drug investigation.   Reporter Lynda Figueredo is working that story for us.

Reporter Gavin Johnson is going to a 1 p.m. news conference in Leland concerning the emergency services in that community.

Investigative reporter Casey Roman has a good story for the evening newscasts on one of those government-imposed fees that drive you nuts.  Where does the money go?  Turns out no one is quite sure.  It’s an interesting story that just may raise your blood pressure a bit.

We’ll also see the debut tonight of our new meteorologist, Robb Ellis.  He comes to us from a station in Greensboro.

See you tonight..

Jim