Kathy-Quinn's Blog

 Many of you have been concerned and wondered where I've been for the last two weeks---I appreciate your concern, but I'm back now---thankfully!

My family spent Christmas---or should I say---tried to spend Christmas with in-laws in Ireland, Arklow, County Wicklow, to be exact.   But it didn't work out quite the way we had hoped.

After reporting on a busy travel season and canceled flights over the holidays at KCI, I never thought I'd become personally involved.  Our "ADVENTURE" as I nicknamed it began at KCI with a 12 hour delay of our first flight to Newark.  By the time we arrived in Newark, we'd missed our connection and had to figure out another route, but there's not much you can do at 3am.   By the time the next shift arrived at the Continental Airline courtesy center, it was 7am.   By the time we made it to the front of the line, the clock said 10am and by the time we figured out another flight, it was noon.

I have to say that I never imagined spending Christmas Eve at a Howard Johnson's but that's what we did.   But there was a highlight to staying in Newark---a quick  cab trip to Target to purchase underwear, socks and a new outfit, since we didn't have our luggage.  And, oh yes, we splurged and ordered room service which consisted of me pointing to the items on the menu for the waiter who didn't understand English, and picking up and delivering myself!

After three days in airports we were glad to arrive in Dublin, Ireland on the day after Christmas...but everything was going to be fine now---I mean, could anything else go wrong?   Well, since "Murphy's Law" is named after an Irishman, I guess there is a possiblity....and on our first night as we sat in front of the t-v, news anchors were warning people to stay indoors because of an outbreak of the worst flu in years!!!   Needless to say, we all caught it..but there is a bright side to all of this---next year, we'll head to somewhere warmer and closer, like Mexico!!!     Feliz Navidad!

(There's no place like home!)

       For years I've reported on students at local high schools who spend the night outdoors to help raise awareness about the homeless.   On Tuesday I was assigned to Notre Dame de Sion high school at 106th & Wornall, for the "Food for Thought" canned goods drive.  I  more or less knew what to expect, cold temperatures, cardboard boxes and piles of canned goods...along with tired girls.

       When I pulled into the school parking lot it was 4:30am and 33 degrees outside.   I really didn't want to get out of the car and couldn't fathom how these girls had slept outside with little more than a box and blanket.   But duty called and I stepped out onto the front lawn where I saw four clusters of cardboard structures slapped together with duct tape. 

        These girls were freshman through seniors and were collecting cans for a local food pantry, kicking it off with this sleepover.  To prepare for their night out the girls would not be allowed to eat after lunch the day before and would not be allowed any sort of heat except the fire provided in the metal trash can in the middle of the camp.   After all they endured, I would imagine interviewing some really grumpy girls. (I know what I feel like after not eating!)

         I was pleasantly surprised during one of my five live shots with the students and their Social Studies teacher, Chris.   As I was interviewing two of the girls on live television, two other heads popped up from the middle of the senior cluster unexpectedly.   They both were wrapped up with head bands and hats and scarves but they also had the most incredible smiles on their faces! They were also waving and laughing.   This really made an impression on me and I couldn't stop thinking about it all day---really!

         Would I be that cheerful if I had slept on the ground, not eaten for 24 hours and couldn't feel my toes?   I don't think so....but they were and it made my day.   It showed me that no matter how awful a situation seems, it's what you make of it and these girls were making a difference with a smile!

         Rock on Sion students!   With all the sad and serious news I report on a regular basis, I was proud to show what wonderful young people we have here in Kansas City!  

       

 

     

        Not since I was 9 years old and my mother marched 4 of her daughters into a barber shop at 85th & Wornall, have I had such short hair!  Nick, the barber, cut my hair that was down to my waist in no time and shaved it into a "pixie" cut. 

     The reason for the cut, we were going to a family wedding in Mexico and my mother didn't want to deal with brushing 4 heads of tangled hair every day.  

     At the time, my sisters and I were really embarrassed---imagine being a young girl walking into a barber shop?   Only boys got their hair cut by barbers!  But Nick's Barber shop was conveniently located next to our mexican restaurant in the Santa Fe Village shopping center.

     Looking back at pictures of the wedding my mom made a pretty good decision because all she had to do was put a bow on the top of my head.   (I swore back then that I would never, ever cut my hair as short again.)

     During high school there was one blip on the radar screen.   An over zealous and hard-headed male stylist decided I needed a "Farrah Fawcett"...the bad thing about a style like that...it looked fine in the salon but where was the stylist when I needed to fix it at home?  

      I know if you're a woman and you've had a "hair shock" like that you know what comes naturally---crying!!!  And did I ball my eyes out at the salon...The stylist told me I was a cry baby...but for most of us, our hair is like "feathers to a peacock" and the longer the better.

     Fast forward now to 2007.   Stacy Beck of Crestwood Salons understands the love affair of the hair.   For months I kept trying to get into see her because I loved how she fixed her sisters hair, former Fox 4 anchor, Kristi Widmar. 

    Stacy also had my vote because her salon was decorated in pink and black and animal print.   So I felt comfortable sitting in her chair and after a brief consult Stacy said, "Let's try something different" and with a snip of the scissors I watched, in slow motion, five inches of my hair fall to the floor.  

     Stacy asked me if I felt like crying....I admit I wanted to but I held it in.    For the next 2 hours Stacy cut, colored and washed out the old me.  And when I finally saw myself in the mirror my first thought was, "well, my husband does think Posh Spice is nice looking, and then I thought, well, it's better than Sporty Spice."

     After collecting my thoughts, I decided I do like my new hair style.  But little did I realize that so many viewers did too...in one day I received nearly 40 emails!!!  (My chihuahua is another story...he didn't recognize me!)

    

    

    

  

 

    

 

One thing I never complain about is the hot and humid weather of Kansas City. In fact, I love it when the thermometer climbs to 95, 96 and 98 degrees....the closer to 100 the better. I figure that I take after my mother's side of the family because they're from Mexico. I know it can't be my father's side because Ireland is always cold, damp and raining.

Back to why I don't complain about the heat. I am a reporter on the morning show. We work like the post office, in rain or sleet or snow, and I should probably add, in below freezing temperatures. While school kids hope for a snow day, so they won't have to go to school, I hope there isn't snow because we know we'll be right in the thick of it.

Almost every time I meet a viewer they comment on my liveshot locations. They tell me they feel sorry for me because I'm out in all kinds of weather. (not half as sorry as I feel myself!)

Up to now, I've tried getting winter weather tips from the experts, the guys who are always out in it. Kansas City police officer, Rich Lockhart, told me the secret to keeping warm is in the boots. Lockhart even sent me the name of a company the police use. Firefighters I've asked say it's in their specialized bibs and coats. And photographer Jim Montleone says if you keep your kidneys warm, the rest of your body will stay warm. My mother told me to ask the boss to keep me in-studio on cold days---yeah right!

I've been reporting on morning shows in Kansas City for 10 years now and love it but if I could find out the secret to keeping warm in the winter...that would be great.

My winter weather arsenal this year includes battery operated socks for $12, the socks shorted out. I just paid $70 for new sporto boots, they're not warm and water leaks into them.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions..if not, I'll have to move to Cabo!!!!

Annetta Washington, better known as “Cotton Candy” has been singing the blues in Kansas City for more than 40 years. I had heard about this K-C legend but until last summer I had never met her.

And believe me, once you meet Mama Cotton you’ll never forget her. She has an infectious personality. No matter what age you are, this 75 year old bundle of energy instantly becomes your friend and it makes you wonder what you did when you didn’t know her.

My son Kian has been into music since BEFORE he was even born. I recall that he used to kick like crazy every time his father’s band would play “My Sherona” or “Radar Love”. So it’s not surprising that he is a drummer, along with violinist, guitarist, bass player, etc…need I have to say more? But it wasn’t until he joined “Cotton Candy & So Many Men” that he realized he liked playing the blues…but, as I said before, why wouldn’t he after meeting Miss Cotton Candy?

On Red Friday, Mama Cotton’s band was on Fox 4’s morning show. It’s a tradition, they’re on every year. Willie was on keyboards, Kian on drums and Mike played bass. Mike usually drives Cotton to her gigs, many of those she plays for charity. Mike mentioned that it was getting harder to get her places because she doesn’t have a wheelchair ramp. So, we at Fox 4, decided to try and help out a woman who has helped so many with her music.

Fox 4 contacted Lockton Companies and Christmas in October and as of last week, Miss Cotton Candy will have no more trouble getting to her gigs. She now has an access ramp built onto her front porch.
And that’s good news for Kansas City, her band and me.

I’m now the newest fan of the blues all because of “Miss Cotton Candy & So Many Men” or as my husband likes to call the band, ever since our son joined, “Cotton Candy & So Many Men & A Boy”.

Friday Live Shot: Concrete Poured on 127th Street Overpass

It's 4 a.m. and I'm driving into the Fox 4 parking lot on Friday morning. Tommy Sifuentes is waiting in the live truck for me. He's been with the station for 30 years. By the time I pull in, he's already loaded up the van with his gear, including his camera, tripod and two-way radio.

As Tommy waits, I walk into the newsroom with curlers in my hair and my rolling backpack. First I check with the four morning producers, get my story, research it, write my scripts, print them and head out the door. (I also put on my make-up and do my hair at the same time.)

Sound exhausting? That's nothing...wait until you hear about what goes on behind the camera...now, back to Tommy.

In the van we go over our location for today, 127th Street & I-35 in Olathe. The city is pouring concrete on the overpass, traffic will be affected.

Time now is 4:20. The station to Olathe will be tight, at least 30 minutes. We also don't know if the highway crew will let us get close to the overpass.

On our second try to find the overpass we turn on Ridgeview Road which leads us straight there. Time now is 4:50, show starts in less than 10 minutes.

Tommy parks close to the cement mixers and I jump out. The supervisor says we should park further down the ramp and we do, about a block.

Time now is 4:54. No time to spare, I call the 5am producer to tell her Tommy is lining up the shot, but he has so much more to do before he gets to that point.

He starts the generator in the front of the live truck, jumps out to raise the mast, calls master control to line up the shot and in one try, Sifuentes does it, he gets a good signal.

It's now time to set up. Tommy pulls 300 feet of cable up to where the crews are pouring concrete. The t-v monitor, power pack, tripod, camera and microphone also have to be moved out of the van and into place. Tommy flies back to the live truck and tests the picture and audio...and after a check of the mic, he's back behind the camera and ready to roll.

With seconds left, the producer announces time cues and we're live.

The shot looks effortless from the other side of the television screen but I can tell you it's not. It's just that Tommy's experience and professionalism make the difference between a good or great shot.

What you don't see on t-v is Tommy Sifuentes shooting the live shot without a tripod. He allows the viewer to feel the experience personally by moving around with the camera on his shoulder. This sets Sifuentes apart. You can understand why Heather McMichael and I used to fight over Tommy, but now that Heather is gone, I told her I would take good care of him.

We reporters have to remember, if we didn't have photographers, like Tommy, we'd be radio.

(And I bet you'll never look at another live shot the same again.)

Here at Fox 4 my hours on most days are from 4 AM to 1 PM. Nine hours of non-stop running around trying to do interviews, shoot video and edit the stories by air-time.

Last Friday, the 22nd of September, wasn't any different. After finishing the morning show I was assigned a story for the noon show, but that quickly changed-- twice... And my final story, a police chase that started in Independence finally stuck.

Good story but bad timing.. By the time I got to the scene at 1-70 and Truman, it was 10:15; just under two hours to pull it together for the noon show. O-K, we did have video of the truck, police cars, a pregnant passenger in the suspect's truck; but no sound. That means no interviews on-camera.

An officer on the scene who was nearly run down by the suspect said he couldn't go on-camera. So photographer Jim Montleone and I made the decision to go to the Cop Shop in Independence. Dispatch told me on the way over that the Public Info Officer Tom Gentry had the day-off. This wasn't good news since we were getting close to air-time..

I walked into police headquarters and asked to speak to Gentry. The officer told me he was off, but to wait in the lobby. After about ten minutes the tinted glass door leading into the lobby opened and out walked Tom Gentry followed by three officers.

Gentry explained he had the day off but decided to come in after my phone call. I recognized one of the officers as Officer Warren who was nearly hit during the chase but I
didn't recognize the other two. Gentry said he knew I wanted to talk to Officer Warren but he definitely knew I would want to interview all three officers.

Why would I want to interview all three officers? Only one had nearly been hit during the chase...no, to my surprise, three officers were nearly run over during the 15 minute chase from Independence to Kansas City.

One officer was a good story but three officers changes this to a lead story! Especially since their interviews were exclusive!

What more could I ask for? And at the last minute too! We interviewed, logged the sound and sent the video back with less than fifteen minutes to air-time.

And the story not only lead at noon, it was the lead at 6pm and 9pm.

I was fast asleep on Tuesday night, around 10, when Executive Producer Al Carl left a message on my answering machine. Carl said I was the fill-in anchor for the morning because Mark Alford was sick.

What a great message for this reporter who had never filled-in on the morning show---it's just too bad I didn't hear it personally. I mean, I was in bed because my alarm clock goes off at 2:30am and I go into work at 3:30.

My husband and daughter were up playing cards when the call came in. Ian usually doesn't answer the telephone at home but he played the message back because it sounded important.

Ian woke me up around 10:15 because he knew how excited I would be to hear the news I would be sitting on the morning anchor desk. I thought I was dreaming...I couldn't believe it. Little did I realize that it would actually turn out to be a "dream come true" because I would be co-anchoring with one of my dearest friends, morning anchor, Heather McMichael.

Heather and I go way back to our college days at UMKC. We both graduated with a Communications degree and took every course that another former WDAF'er Dr Doug Moore taught.
Heather and I actually started our careers in television at American Cablevision where we co-hosted a restaurant review show---we did that so we could get free food!
(Heather has made me promise to never pull out those videos.)

Three years ago our career paths crossed here at Fox 4. In a business where reporters come and go so they can further their careers, Heather and I are each other's biggest fans.

I was sitting in the newsroom at 4:30am when Heather realized we'd be co-anchoring. She screamed and so did I. It was such a freaky coincidence---I had never filled in before and this was Heather's last week at Fox 4 after more than a decade...we both decided it was fate.

So how did it go? Like a dream. Me and my old buddy, Heather McMichael, on the desk together for four hours. I'll never forget it. And through the magic of video, I can rewind the tape and watch the show when I feel lonely from my old college pal. But you know, this is a funny business...we could work together again someday!