Financial Adjustment?

That’s what we were told about 4 weeks ago. Like having a bad back, we just needed an adjustment.

Then we needed $700 billion. Then politics has gotten in the way.

Where do we go from here?

On a national stage, we have to wait and see.

On a local front, let’s be proactive.

Have any financial tips to share? What are you doing at home to save money?

Share your ideas here.

Digital TV Transition On The Way

You have from now until Feb. 17, 2009, to find a solution if you failed our Digital Transition test at 5:10 p.m. today.

Here are some resources if you missed the test:

The national help line is (888) 388-2009  

Read more about the Digital TV Transition here

Did You Pass The Digital Test?

Is your TV ready for the Digital switch?

WISN-TV Channel 12 and other TV stations held a digital television test at 5:10 p.m.

The actual change will happen on Feb. 17, 2009.

If you need help, call the local help line until 8 p.m. tonight:

   (414) 476-2400   

español    (414) 443-2087  

After 8 p.m. tonight, the national help line is:   (888) 388-2009  

Read more about the Digital TV Transition here

Is your TV ready? Tune into Channel 12 at 5:10 p.m. Monday

On Feb. 17, 2009, TV as we all know it will change.

The original signals that stations around here will stop. In fact, the U.S. government has told all broadcast TV stations to stop using the analog signal.

Is your TV ready for the new digital signal?

Listen Now: WISN’s Dean Maytag and Steve Kabelowsky talk about the Digital TV Test

We, and many of the other stations in the area are running a test.

At 5:10 p.m. Monday, have all of your TVs on. Then check Channel 12 for the test. If you see us, you are fine. If you see a different message, you are not ready.

If you are on satellite or cable, you should be fine. If you get your signal from on the antenna on the TV or on your roof, you may not be ready.

Get more answers here

Does anyone know there’s an election today?

Fall primaries in a presidential year get missed.

It’s been that way through the presidential elections I remembered covering. This is the one that gets missed.

Why? Because, for the most part, nothing is decided. It is a primary that sets up the general election on Nov. 4.

Besides the referendums, nothing here is finished, it just narrows the choices.

So, if you went out and voted today, kudos to you.

If you missed it, I can understand as most of the political headlines are dominated by McCain, Obama, Palin and Biden.

You’ll Hear A Lot From Don LaFontaine

He was, afterall, a voice actor.

The man with the voice, we all know that voice, from all of those wonderful movie trailers.

LaFontaine passed on this last weekend, and in the media, we’ll hear some of his work - more than 5,000 movie trailers and commericals and TV spots.

What you may not hear are some of those side stories. Like the people LaFontaine reached out to though e-mail or his Facebook page. If asked, Don was known to record voicemail welcome messages. He helped out high school and college students making videos. He listed to constant clips made by others and shared feedback on their chances to make it in the business.

One of my favorite clips came from “Frank TV” on TBS. Wisconsin comic Frank Caliendo invited comic Pablo Francisco and LaFontaine to do a skit of based on the “Three Tennors.” Frank and Bablo follow LaFontaine’s lead with the voice.

In the TV business, we use voice actors too. And we’ve had some wonderful ones come and go here at WISN. I appreciate their work. They are not announcers, they are voice artists. They are actors who have a love of language and believe the delivery is everything.

Video blogger and musician Sam Harris, I feel, put it best when he said that Don is no longer “In a world …”

 

Don LaFontaine, you’ll be missed.

Digital Journalism

If you can tell me who has the definition of ”digital journalism,” please let me know.

I’ve been in the digital world, along with thousands of others, for a little while now. In this more than a decade of blogging, writing and multimedia building, I’m still learning what works and what doesn’t. No one has defined this new world, but we all take our best stab at making the technological advances work to our advantage.

Take political coverage for instance. The Barack Obama campaign blazed a trail into the unknown with a text message and e-mail alert for the VP pick. CNN is on record with breaking the story before the message, but I have to give credit to the campaign for trying something new.

I have to give credit to ABC’s Charlie Gibson, he’s doing something new too:

Check out his blog here

Candidates Want Harley-Davidson Riders

Barack Obama and John McCain, they both want their votes.

I can hear the rumble now on election day.

Harely-Davidson marks its 105th Anniversary over Labor Day Weekend here in Milwaukee. And it will be interesting to see how many are politically motivated.

Leading Up To The Conventions

Commitment 2008 coverage ramps up this week as the nation heads into the Democratic and Republican Conventions.

See the first report Monday at 10 p.m.

Sometimes The Small Things Mean More

I was watching UPFRONT with Mike Gousha on Sunday morning, and one of the guests was a representative of Google.

Google is growing across the globe, and it attracts some of the best and brightest minds. Randy Knaflic, a Milwaukee native, now recruits for the company.

He says the small things go a long way. Flexible work schedules, free meals … they are ways to keep the brightest minds working at our local companies.

See an extended interview here 

Or watch it here: