Last week I had a story called “As Seen On TV” run on KXLY 4 News. For the piece, I purchased several items you may have seen advertised on television. Among them, Zorbeez towels, The Hercules Hook, and the Electronic Bug Zapper. If you’d like to view the story and see how these products and others fared, go to this web location: http://www.kxly.com/index.php?story_id=11258

One of the items I “rush ordered” on the 17th of April just arrived (May 31st). And I’ve received e-mail notification that another “rush order” should be arriving in the next day or two.

Whatever.

My biggest issue now, is that I have a box full of As-Seen-On-TV junk that I’m sure we’ll never use, and I don’t feel like waiting for Volunteers of America to call and ask if we have reusable items to donate.

I do know someone who’s getting married in a few weeks, and maybe… No, they probably saw the story on the news, in which case I’d be labeled as something much worse than a re-gifter. I’d be an expense account gifter, and a cheap one at that.

There’s only one thing to do. Next week, I’m taking that big box of items, which are “not available in stores,” and I’m going to set it out in the KXLY newsroom. (Except the Bug Zapper—I’m keeping that). I’ll place it on the same table where people often place donuts in the morning. This is tantamount to saying, “Come and get it!”

They won’t last long.

So, if you’ve been thinking about ordering the Go Duster for $19.99, or The Dryer Balls for $9.99, you will have a chance to get these items much cheaper. Just wait until next spring when Mark Peterson or Melissa Luck holds a yard sale.

You’ll save shipping and handling charges too.

Posted by Rick Lukens at 07:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sunday May 20th is a morning I will remember for a long time.

My wife Teresa and I sat down at the KXLY anchor desk nearly two hours ealier than usual for Good Morning Northwest Sunday. With no scripts, and no idea what was going to happen, we went on the air. We had very little information about what had happened: A sniper had opened fire in downtown Moscow, Idaho, and people
--including police officers-- were hurt. it was 5:15 a.m.

We did not get up from that desk until 9:45 a.m. But as the new information continued to roll in, the time just flew by. When we finally wrapped up the broadcast and stood for the first time in four and a half hours, it was not a good feeling. Three people were confirmed dead--including a Moscow cop.

Teresa and I drove straight from work to church.---It's where we always are on a Sunday morning at 10:30.
As we walked to our car after mass, a few people asked us questions about the Moscow shootings. At that point, we had very few answers, and it's not something I really wanted to talk about. But one friend approached us saying her family had been watching. She said her ten year old son had pointed us out during mass and asked, “How do they do that?”

What he meant was, how do they show up on TV every Sunday, and then show up at church a short time later, like normal people... But on this particular Sunday, that question kept coming back to me with a much more profound meaning.

“How do they do that?”

I guess I answer that with another question:

How does anyone do it?

Posted by Rick Lukens at 07:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)