A few minutes before the 10pm newscast started on a night in January I answered the phone and found myself talking to a woman threatening suicide.

The call didn’t start out that way. The caller wanted to leave a tip about a story we had tried to work in November. I could tell she was very upset and her story sounded…well, honestly, crazy. I have taken many conspiracy theory calls, calls from people claiming to have been implanted with a microchip by the government, and yes, even calls fr...
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“I’m in Longmont. Have you received any calls on lights in the sky?  My wife and I and two or three others saw this light that looked like a shooting start until it split into two and then crisscrossed each other until the lights faded out!” 

The caller went on to explain more about the lights.  He said Longmont Police had said the lights were from pyrotechnic skydivers but that he didn’t believe it.  I told him that I couldn’t confirm that but there was a group of pyrotechnic sky...

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“CBS4 News this is Misty.”

“I don’t understand why you media won’t ask Obama the hard questions on why we’re still in Afghanistan.  No one wants to be there.  I want you to ask…” The caller went on with question after question.  I tried to interrupt a couple of times, but wasn’t heard. 

Finally he took a breath.  “Sir, I can’t ask these questions for you.  I…”

He cut me off, “Don’t sass me young lady.  I was talking.  I know what you can do.  You’re the med...

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I found myself explaining to a woman over the phone how to share a link on her facebook page tonight.  Then I found myself kicking myself for the internal sigh I had when the woman asked me to her.  The conversation ended with her crying and with me holding back my own tears.

The woman called to ask if there was a way to get a copy of a story that the station aired.  She was watching it on her computer and wanted a copy for her and her mom.  I started to explain that the newsroom administrat...

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I must share the craziness that I heard today because it’s all so random and on my mind.  I must share to make it a self-therapy of sorts.  If I have to deal with it, then you, who read this, can share and get a peek into the craziness I hear day in and day out.

 

As I walked onto the news desk this afternoon I heard from one of the scanner, Aurora I think but can’t be sure since I was just stepping onto the desk, “Reported vandalism of a car.  Caller says a man is hitting a car with a ...

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I’ve been called many things and accused of many things by those who call the newsroom to share their complaints, frustration, and anger.  I’ve been accused of being an instigator by encouraging and rallying for reaction from the public.  I was thrown back a little the other day when a caller accused me and the media in general of NOT inciting the public.

 

When I answered the phone the caller immediately launched into his tale without pausing for breath.  He rambled about September 25^th ...

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Me: "CBS4 News this is Misty"

Caller:  "This is John Doe and you don't know me from hell cause I've kept it that way but I just have to do something to help Michael.  You see I was a child actor and under contract with Disney at 18.  Then I went on to be a producer at Liberty UA.  I worked with Dick Clark to create the American Music Awards."

(I didn't interrupt, but I knew I was in for a long call if I let it go on, but it was quiet in the newsroom and he wasn't being irate or belligerent.  I ...

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I was accused of not believing in the freedom of information by an upset caller today.  I wasn’t surprised by his outburst because he started off the conversation very abrasive.  This was a new accusation though.  I’ve been called many things over the phone while on the news desk, but my belief in freedom of information has never been questioned before today.

 

Me: CBS4 News this is Misty

 

Caller:  Yes, I’d like to know why I can’t find the phone numbers of all the stations in Denver...

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I’ve been off the news desk for two weeks due to medical leave.  It’s always daunting to go back to work after just a few days off of work.  News never stops.  The job never stops.  Often hours off the desk leave you running around trying to catch up on all that has happened and all of what you need to do to continue the news coverage.  Just earlier this summer when I returned from speaking at a conference it felt like I had walked into the middle of a dance and had no rhythm.

 

Today (so...

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Yesterday I took a call from a woman so upset I knew she was shaking from head to toe to yell at me. She and a man in the background were furious that the newscast used a statement from a local abortion doctor, Dr. Warren Hern, and his picture. The statement was released to the media by the local doctor himself on his reaction to the fatal shooting of Kansas abortion doctor, Dr. George Tiller.

The caller truly believed our phones were "ringing off the hook" with furious complaint calls like he...
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I have the Nuggets playoff game on the TV to my right and I actually have the volume up just enough so I can make out what is being said, but it's no louder than any one of the 11 scanners that surround me. This is rare. I have so much else to pay attention to I rarely pay any attention to the TVs. Same goes for the producers and writers doing their job to get ready for the newscasts. Unless we're watching another station's news lead or breaking news coverage, the TVs get little attention.

Ju...
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In less than an hour I took three calls where with a sigh I just said, "Thank you, I'll pass on your comment."

The first was from a viewer who claimed no news media until today had EVER done a story on waterboarding and the government use of it. At first I was going to interrupt to tell him of the multitude of stories the station has aired on both the national and local levels. I couldn't because the caller was on a rant and I couldn't get a word in anywhere. At one point I wondered, "Has he t...
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Yesterday the jury in the Ward Churchill lawsuit against University of Colorado decided the verdict. I listened on the phone (no live feed from the courtroom) to the reporter who repeated the judges words as the verdict was read. I shouted out what the reporter told me and I Tweeted it at the same time. I shout a lot in the newsroom when I need to get out information or move crews! It had been hectic leading up to the verdict because we only got a 15-minute warning before it was read. We had ...
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Yesterday I was on the phone helping a viewer when I hear my coworker say into the phone, "If you're a saint, why don't you ask God?" Pause. "What do you mean, what do I mean? You say you're a saint, so ask God."

It took all that I had in me to hold my laughter as I helped the kind, sane viewer on the phone with me.

It's been quite a while since I have talked to a someone like that on the phone. For a while there, especially after 9/11 there were tons of these callers. These people called so of...
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I understand hot button issues. I expect to receive calls on issues that people really care about. But, PLLEEEAASSSE, please, I implore you, keep your temper in check and just talk to me. I am a reasonable human being. I will discuss your concerns with the story with you. I will pass on your complaints to the reporter, producer, and even the news director.

I just hung up the phone on a woman extremely upset with how a reporter did a story on a bill in legislature regarding in-state tuition for...
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I received two calls today from the same gentleman who desperately wanted to know if I could tell him if a company was legit or not. At first he couldn't remember the correct name of the company. I used what he had to do an archive search to see if I could find any story that may have been on the company. While I'm doing the search he tells me how he left a message on the CBS4 News investigation tip line earlier and wanted to know if we'd found out anything on the company yet.

The search ende...
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We are just human & humans make mistakes. It is unfortunate when misspellings and typos show up in the news. Several eyes look over the scripts and graphics to check for errors and to make corrections. Sometimes, the mistakes just get by us and end up on the air. My recent favorite was in a story listing the symptoms of e-coli where the graphic said STOMACH CRAPS instead of STOMACH CRAMPS. (Seriously. I couldn't make that up.)

I expect people to call to correct us. Some people do it out of wan...
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A race for high definition. Sony XDCAM vs Panasonic P2. Final Cut Pro vs Avid. You Report vs I Report. TV news is a whole world of advancing technology.

So why is it callers are surprised the station has caller I.D., which has been a staple of households since the 90's? That's right our phones, like most home and cell phones, have caller I.D.

This means when you want to take out your frustrations on the person who answers the phone, usually me, I have your phone number, and even your name.

Toni...
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4:55pm
I'm listening to Denver police conduct some kind of undercover bust. I've already moved Copter4. I've asked Doug to track down a photographer to go on the ground. I've told the producers what I'm hearing.

We're on alert for a homicide suspect that has been wanted since Wednesday night when he allegedly forced his girlfriend off the road, walked up to her car, and shot her. I can tell the officer on the scanner is tense as he moves other officers into location to move in on a suspect. Cou...
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