KFYR-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader

Alan Miller
amiller@kfyrtv.com

How Big Can It Get?
4-1-08

Every year, I find myself a bit unprepared. It happens just before the weather really warms up, and I don`t get much of an opportunity to ride my bike. The Great American Bike Race rolls around, and I have 25 minutes to go all out. As sore as my legs get, I`m proud to say I`ve always exceeded ten miles, except last year (which is another story for another day).

This year`s event is coming up on April 12th, and it won`t be the same old thing. This event has grown astronomically. In 2006, it was held at the Women`s Health Center, with 59 teams raising $117,000 for families of children with cerebral palsy. In 2007, it had be moved to the Armory at BSC, where 89 teams raised $180,000. This year, there are more than 100 teams, and who knows how much they will raise? Race director Bruce Klootwyk acknowledges that GABR will soon reach its peak. After all, organizers are already using every single stationary bike available in the community. And he says there are so many other worthy charities in need as well.

But there`s something about this event that has taken on a life of its own. All you have to do is come and watch. Everyone there has a great time encouraging and supporting other competitors. And the children whose families benefit mingle with the crowd and bring a smile to so many faces. It`s hard not to feel the excitement there. And it`s also fun to compete with Governor Hoeven. We ride on the same team every year and I refuse to lose to him. I doubt I`ll ever exceed my personal record of 11.2 miles, but since the governor is running for another four years in office, I`ll have someone chasing me.

Our Apologies to the Lt. Governor
2-14-08

Have you ever had a dream where you were framed for a serious crime and were convicted? I have. I try to race through my mind figuring out a way to use some kind of technology to prove my innocence. But sometimes, that`s what gets you in trouble. It happened to one of our reporters recently.

Retha Colclasure went to the State Heritage Center to do a story on graduation ceremonies for the latest class of Highway Patrol troopers. Once it was finished, she and the photographer gathered up the equipment, Retha slung her coat over her arm, and they returned to the TV station.

I`m not sure how long later, our producer, Julie Skaret, received a phone call from the Heritage Center. I heard her say, "Oh, no! I`m sure it was an accident. She would never do such a thing. I`ll look into it."

After she hung up, Julie explained that the person who called said that there was surveillance video of Retha entering the Heritage Center without a jacket. When she left, however, she had a jacket. A jacket that belonged to Lieutenant Governor Jack Dalrymple. The caller added, "The Lieutenant Governor is not happy."

Julie tracked down Retha and asked if she had the missing jacket. Retha lifted up the jacket on the wall of her cubicle and then noticed a second, similar-looking jacket also hanging there. A look of embarrassment flashed across her face. She quickly called the Heritage Center to apologize and immediately took the jacket back to Mr. Dalrymple. They both had a good laugh. And so did everyone in the newsroom.

A Word to the Wise?
2-14-08

We ran a story a few weeks ago about a court case involving a man arrested for incriminating evidence found in a car. Police stopped the driver for not having the registration sticker in the upper right corner of the license plate. The driver contended that there was no legal reason for him to be pulled over. The Supreme Court disagreed.

Which brings me to my point. Every time I see a license plates with years worth of stickers scattered all over, I scratch my head. What is he or she thinking? Why do we need to see all the previous stickers? Now there`s legal precedent on my side. Just place the new sticker on top of the old one, people.

And while I`m at it, I have another suggestion for guys out there when summer rolls around. Never wear shorts and dark socks. Not even your wife thinks that`s attractive. And when you`re wearing sandals, don`t you dare go to the sock drawer.

Do You Have the Day Off Today?
11-27-07

I`ll never forget the shock of my young life. I went grocery shopping with my mother when I saw an unbelievable sight. My schoolteacher was at the supermarket! It hadn`t occurred to me that she didn`t live at school and that she was a normal person living a normal life.

And so it is with me. Almost everywhere I go, any day of the week, someone might ask me, "So, you`ve got the day off, eh?" Why? Just because I`m not at work at the moment? It`s fine with me if someone wants to think I work so hard that I can never leave the TV station. But it`s far from the truth.

Working from about 2:00-11:00pm has its challenges, however. The biggest problems are school-related activities. I have to strategize and time my break from work. I can make it to most concerts and parent-teacher conferences, but I might have to skip dinner. I felt bad leaving a recent jazz choir and band performance recently before the band played.

If you see me with a suit on (sometimes seven days a week), I`m either on my way to or from work or church. If I`m in jeans and wearing a baseball cap and glasses, it doesn`t necessarily mean I have the day off. It might mean I`m trying to avoid being noticed so I don`t have to answer any questions.

Hurray for Women`s Way
9-28-07

In September, Women`s Way celebrated its tenth anniversary. While I`m not a woman, there are plenty of women in my life worth honoring and protecting. Women`s Way is a statewide program that pays for underinsured or uninsured women to have regular mammograms and pap smears. It helps make every woman accountable for her own health without concern about the cost.
We all know a woman who will do almost everything within her power to do something for someone in need and forget about her own needs. Then there are those who say if there`s something wrong, they would rather not know about it because nothing can be done. That`s not the case anymore. Early detection of breast or cervical cancer can save a life. Ignoring the problem can cost a life. I`m grateful that my wife and my mother get regular checkups.
And I don`t leave myself out of the equation when it comes to embarrassing or uncomfortable exams. My father died of prostate cancer at the age of 48. I`m now 46, and for the last several years, I`ve gone to the doctor and paid for the privilege of going through the routine. So far, so good. No one, man or woman, should fear a trip to the doctor. Indeed, what you don`t know can hurt you.

Dot Your I`s and Cross Your T`s
9-20-07

Until the advent of the internet, some broadcast journalists could successfully hide a glaring weakness. If they knew nothing about spelling or punctuation, no one would be the wiser because their writing wasn`t on display. Viewers with an astute ear, however, could still pick out grammatical errors.

A viewer called me to task some 15 years ago. I wrote a story about gunmen opening fire on nuns in Central America. I said the bandits woke up the nuns before attacking. When the newscast was over, a former English teacher called to scold me. She said the proper wording was "awakened", not "woke up". That message still sticks with me. Someone out there is listening to what I say, and I don`t want to sound foolish again.

Unfortunately, we now do as much on the web as we do on TV, and our words are there for all to see. I`m one of the last lines of defense before our stories are posted. And I`ve discovered that a college degree does not guarantee that a person has mastered the English language. For instance, I learned to differentiate between "it`s" and "its" in the second grade, if not earlier. Yet not a week goes by when I don`t see adults make the same mistakes over and over again. "The black widow spider kills it`s mate." Kills "it is" mate? Unfortunately, I`ve even seen school teachers struggle with this one. I suppose we can all forget the rules if we don`t keep practicing. And let`s not bring up the numerous spelling errors.

With all their instant messaging and text messaging, I`m afraid many young people don`t spend enough time using proper English. You can`t forget what you haven`t picked up in the first place. Now I`ll admit, I can`t tell the difference between a prepositional phrase and a dangling participle. I just know what sounds right.

Yes, the language is evolving and dictionaries include new words every year. Does that mean subject/verb agreement needs to go by the wayside? CU L8R may be shorter but can it really compare to "Parting is such sweet sorrow"? Not that I`d use either phrase. I`ve spent my career trying to take a complicated story and cut it down to 30 seconds. That doesn`t work in blogsville.

Another One Leaves the Nest
8-01-07

I`ve been through this once before. My wife and I sent a daughter off to college three years ago. The girl was so eager to start that new phase of her life a thousand miles from home, we could hardly get a hug goodbye.

Now comes daughter number two. The time is drawing near, and I don`t think she`s done any packing yet. I wonder how well we`ve prepared her. Has she had enough practice doing laundry, cooking and cleaning to survive without driving her roommates crazy? She`s looking forward to all the freedom. I`m looking forward to a little less drama around the house.

But then there are all those precious family moments that just won`t be the same.

I know plenty of parents who can`t stand the thought of sending their kids more than a hundred miles from home. I wouldn`t have it any other way. I left for a college about 1800 miles away in a state I`d never been in before. My step dad told my mom I`d be wanting to come home within a month. Instead, I had the time of my life, and other than summer breaks, I never lived at home again. There`s something thrilling about striking out on your own while facing all your fears head on. Somehow you make it and you find a whole new batch of friends.

I hope my baby girl has fun. There`s a big world out there for her to see. Hopefully, with her parents` guidance and North Dakota values, she can make us all proud.

Blog-world
7-22-07

It always takes me a little time to get up to speed. I can remember when the internet started to take off in the mid-to-late `90s and people were talking about how online shopping would become so popular. I was convinced that would never happen because I thought shoppers would want to see and touch something before they bought it. Boy, was I wrong. And even I have given in to the internet conspiracy and have purchased groceries by computer (without even closely inspecting the apples). However, I still think I could do my shopping in person faster than I could navigate my way through a supermarket`s website.

And the same thing goes with the news. In my twenty years in the business, I`ve never doubted that local TV coverage would always be here. I hope I`m right. But I only need notice what my kids and their friends are doing to wonder if I should feel secure in that. The old saying about news used to be: "If you want to find out about it tomorrow, read the paper. If you want to find out tonight, watch television. If you want to know now, listen to the radio." I suppose we should add, "If you want to know anything at any time, go online." It still takes someone to be there and update the information, but the news can now be informal and anonymous.

Which brings me to my beginnings in blog-world. I can now write private thoughts that come into my mind, as if I`m writing in a journal, also aware that someone can come along and read it. But I won`t surrender completely. I can remember visiting a message board several years ago when I received an instant message from someone who wanted to know who I was. I was so spooked by that, I couldn`t log off fast enough. I`ve still never had an online conversation. If you want to talk to me, there`s something called a telephone. That`s why you`ll never see me on Facebook or Myspace. I can only share so much.

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