A Lily for Morning Jill

KCRG news vehicle, getting ready to leave my house after interview with CR Biker.  Morning Jill is at the wheel and camera guy is sitting in back, ready to videotape me riding my bike up Brentwood Hill.  It went well, although I had to say, at one point, "step on it, Jill, I don't ride THAT slowly."

I’m used to seeing this young reporter for KCRG bundled up, in the early morning darkness, standing somewhere where something will happen when everyone wakes up and goes to work.

But here she was, KCRG morning Jill, with a camera guy, in my driveway at 10 a.m.  Jill Kasparie was doing a feature about RAGBRAI, and she had called me to ask if I was willing to be interviewed.

Well, as a former reporter, I know how hard it can be to get a source to speak, and so yes, I was (and usually am) willing.  Honestly, I don’t like seeing or hearing myself in the media, although video is not as bad as still pictures.  I feel that I look like an aging Stay Puft Marshmallow Man—oozing out in all the wrong areas.  I’m not quite New Gingrich, but I’m a universe away from Lance Armstrong.

Never mind—because I also know that being a “source” for local news benefits me, too.  A professor has a public persona, and I’m selling “professor Joe,” to some extent.

Anyway, Jill was very poised and nice.  Her cameraman was a polite young man who traded banter with me about bikes.  He shot, she questioned and I talked, and then they had me ride up Brentwood Drive hill.  I must have been nervous being on camera, because I accidentally ripped the whole end off of my water pack when I tried to take a drink, and it wasn’t until I was on the Boyson Road Trail taking a morning ride that I realized I totally forgot to put on my gloves.

Oh well, it was still fun.  I don’t know when, for sure, or if KCRG will use the story—Jill was a bit cagey when I asked.  But then again, I expected her to be—her answer began “barring any breaking news ….”  It was the standard journalist’s answer to the question:  “When will you use the story?”

She didn’t say it, but another complication beyond some spot news events cropping up is that a reporter is not the decider, in a TV station or newspaper, about when or how material is aired or printed.  She’s a foot soldier in the war for information, not a general.  Still, the odds are good than a pudgy, aging CR Biker might appear on Channel 9 soon.  Watch for me.

Anyway, there was a bit of a delay for the interview this morning.  While I was waiting, I killed time by shooting some flower photos.

Jill, it was nice to meet you.  I assume it was a good experience for you, too—although you had to interview the Stay Puft Biker, at least it was light and warm.  Hope you enjoy the flowers photos.