'Hidden Columbia'--My new reporting series?

I begin my sweeps shooting tomorrow (sweeps are the months where networks set their advertising rates, so local news tries to put on in depth stories to gain viewers so ratings for the month will be higher and can in turn charge more for advertising. Because of some history stories I did in Charleston, I was told to do a series of three stories called "Hidden Columbia."

The idea is to find things about the city that even locals wouldn't know about. The first is the story of the old State Theater, later renamed the Fox Theater, on Main Street. If you went to it today, you would actually be going into 'Solid Gold', an African-American wig shop. I met up with the director of the Nickelodeon Theater, which bought the store in 2005 to revive the theater. After walking through the store, he took me through a door on the back wall. Once we were through the door, an old 1930's art deco theater opens up--run down, trashed, dark, but amazing nonetheless. Upstairs, an even bigger theater. Can't wait to do that story.

Second, I'm telling the story Underground Columbia. Modeled after Atlanta's Underground, it only existed for two years in the early 1970's, but shut down when the flight to the suburbs killed downtown. Nevertheless, the old underground, with restaurants and shops, still exists, also on Main street.

I'm supposed to find one more story, and am working a few different angles, including:
the tunnels underneath the statehouse and the history of the Ms. Venus pageant, sponsored by Sigma Nu during Derby Days. The pageant ran from 1947 through about 1970, and featured woman in high heels, short shorts, a tight shirt, and a bag over their head. Didn't see that coming, did you? Neither did I, so went to the archives at USC, and sure enough, in the yearbooks from those years, pictures of the pageant. It was judged by the president of the university and the dean of women students. I'm looking for a former winner to interview. Would be too funny. If you find my blog, give me some more ideas. thx.

s.c. budget crisis hearings

Today I covered another round of budget meetings at the state house. Like many states, South Carolina’s revenues will fall far short of the budget as currently in place—about $450 million short. So where to cut? Last week, Governor Sanford met with all 60 state agency heads for a powwow meeting. When he opened the floor to their ideas on how to cut money, dead silence in the room—the cricket chirping kind. At the end of the meeting, he handed out note cards, asked them to write down their ideas, and give them back to him by the end of the week. Today he told me those note cards gave him about $350 million in specific ideas on where to cut. He said he’s having a report written up to give to the legislature when it comes together next week for an ‘emergency session’ to deal with the crisis.

That’s the background. Today I covered a meeting with and agency heads from Commerce; Parks, Recreation, and Tourism; Insurance; Labor, Licensing and OSHA; and DOT. I reported mostly on Sanford’s push, yet again, for restructuring the government away from the legislature toward the executive—the idea being the executive can be more efficient with handling state money than can a state house and senate, with all their local biases. (You can see the story at www.abccolumbia.com.) In fact, South Carolina’s governor is one of the weakest in the country (check out www.stateline.org to see a comparison of governor power compiled by a Univ. of North Carolina political science professor---South Carolina has the 8th weakest governor). My plan is to do a sit down interview the professor about his methodology, ask how a more powerful governor would change South Carolina politics, then have a sit down with Sanford to compare notes—I would like to see his reaction to the survey. If you got this far reading, tell me what you think about more executive power, or about good/bad budget cuts. Thx for reading,
-Andy

My first blog, my first post...WELCOME

my first blog following my first solo anchor night...big night because we are an abc affiliate, so the news followed Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. And I also had my first Ron Burgundy moment. Coming out of sports, we chatted a bit. The sports guy (Tim Hill) gives me a state capital quiz every Sunday. This Sunday it was Mississippi (do you know the capital?) I answered correct then went on with the next story. But it said something about Martinsville and Nascar. So i just looked straight at it and said, "Is that my read? Well, why not." What I read was the tag out of a Nascar story that had been killed. Hey, at least every body knows next week's race is in Martinsville.

In addition to anchoring, I went out in downtown Columbia (the Vista area) to ask people if they knew what the governments' financial bailout plan is, and if they knew what the $700 billion was going to be used for. Three of seven knew the bailout plan was to infuse money in troubled banks. Only knew how the $700 billion was going to be spent (or at least the plan on how it is to be spent). I won't answer here. Maybe get your feedback on if you know, if it's a fair question, if it even matters.

It was interesting to here why people said they didn't know. All of them--that is, the 6 out 7 who didn't know what the money was going to be used for, said they didn't bother to find out the details because there was nothing they could do about it anyway. Goes to show, if people don't have direct control over a situation, they tend not follow it.

So for my first post, I'll end my thoughts there. Now for a quick biography. My name is Andy Burns (full name is Samuel Anderson Burns). I go by Andy socially, Anderson on the air. I am an weekend anchor at WOLO in Columbia, SC. after spending two years as a reporter and fill-in anchor at WCIV in Charleston, SC. Not sure what the deal is with South Carolina, but there it is. I'm way over educated, and have the debt to prove it. Undergrad in Chapel Hill. A short time in Atlanta, then three years in NYC, then I headed to Seminary (Union Theological Seminary in NYC at Columbia U.). I'll explain why I went in a later post. Following seminary, off to Chicago for journalism grad school at Northwestern. The end of that put me Charleston. My hope with this blog is to discuss stories I report or that are dominating the newswires. Hopefully some cool discussions can develop which will help me fine tune my reporting, give me story ideas, and maybe help readers better understand stories or issues they care about. You can watch my stories at abccolumbia.com. I'll link the website as soon I figure all this out. Say hello if you happened to stumble across me. Thx.
-Andy