I was recently talking to a friend of mine who worked with me at our local television station, about 13 years ago, and she asked if I had any stories from the ‘dime’ as we called it. (Short for TV 10) Absolutely! How about this one just for starters, my first weekend working there was when I was 21 and I began training on audio and cameras. It was right around Memorial Day. It was the weekend of their annual Geisinger Children’s Miracle Network Telethon. I was such an emotional wreck after seeing all these wonderful poster kids. I remember giving my first paycheck to the cause, or at least a big portion of it.  Cried like a baby.

I was also learning how to work the new computers as a graphic artist. That was my major at the Art Institute, Graphic Design and Visual Communications. My very first night, going solo was just a few weeks later. It was a pretty calm, cool and collect day. It was my brother’s birthday and it was getting to be about 8pm, and as I was starting downstairs, heading for the doors, I passed the director’s booth. 

There were about 10 workers all standing around watching all of these monitors of a White Bronco being chased by cops and choppers. I peeked in the room, and I quietly said to one of my co-workers, “what’s going on?” He told me, that they thought OJ Simpson was in that Bronco. I said, “what the hell for?” Just then, the director and producer turned to me, and both said, “Cory, old buddy, you are in for a night of overtime.” So, that was my very first night. I will never forget it. Remember, midnight our time was only 9pm on the west coast. Oh, what a night!

Fast forward to my last night there. I have a hundred stories that happened in between. That summer and fall was packed with funny stories, but it was about the time that winter was coming into play where my last night unfolds. I loved this job! The artist, who I filled in for that whole summer, had several nervous breakdowns due to fear of computer-generated graphics and young, fresh punk artists who he thought was muddling into his department. That was far from the truth. I really liked this legendary artist, I tried helping him and I really looked up to him, but found out that he was a total whack job.

I was only there 6 months, and about 2 months into the job, they sold the station to a new outfit who came in and liquidated almost everyone who was on the team that hired me and worked with me. I new I was soon to get the boot, cause I was the new kid on the block. But, to my surprise, they had to keep me because I was the only artist and only one who could work this new computer system. (Remember, internet was just being born about this time.)

So, from July through November, these corporate A.H.'s kept telling me, “oh, you’ll get full time here. Just wait a little longer.” B.S.! They just kept me part time, but milked me as much as they could, without having to pay me benefits. I was just a kid, what the hell did I know. Gosh, I loved that job! After so much time of them yanking my chain, I decided ‘I’d show them', and took a full time graphic artist job at Accu-weather in State College. Pfft! They didn’t flinch. The nut job artist came back, from about a 5 month sick in the head leave, so they were going to can me anyways.  Guess what happens next?

PART 2 COMING SOON

YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED ON MY VERY LAST NIGHT WORKING AT THE TV STATION....