Bring on the new year

Happy Christmas to all

Utility Rate Merry go round

Every few year’s utilities take a look at their financials and realize it is costing more to do business than it used to.  So, they go through the laborious and very expensive task of determining what revenues are necessary to stay afloat in the years ahead.

And, by stay afloat – I don’t mean, necessarily, how much cash should be paid the stockholders in the case of investor owned utilities, or consumers in the case of public and cooperative power – I mean stay afloat in terms of operating a utility – and keeping the kilowatts flowing to our refrigerators, freezers, wine coolers, latte machines, water heaters, pumps, and yes, even lights.

The electric utility that delivers the spark to your house or business is part of a very complicated system. Electricity can’t be stored in massive amounts for any long period of time.  So, it’s generated as it is needed.

When you flip the switch in the living room, or turn on the oven, or call for heat from your furnace, or turn on your computer, the utility needs to provide the power.  Somewhere along the line a generator is working just a little bit harder.  

A utility like the Public Service Company of New Mexico, one of the smallest in the country, is still so big that flipping a light switch at home doesn’t show up…but I’m told when the lights come on at UNM’s football stadium, or at Isotopes Park, or at community ball fields – in fact there is a “blip” on a screen somewhere that says – make power electricity – now!

In order to do that, the infrastructure needs to be in place.  Wires, poles, insulators, switches, breakers, transformers, and even generators need to be working – all the time 24/7.   If there is a defective part – the power doesn’t get delivered and it is hell to pay.

To alleviate those little inconveniences like no electricity, systems are in place to re-route power from one location to another – in almost every case it is done automatically – and we don’t even know.  In major cases, someone somewhere in a control room issues a command and opens switches allowing power to flow from the generator to the customer over a different path.

And – there had better damn well be electricity, all the time.

That’s why utility rate increases are necessary – to provide the infrastructure to get the spark to your house, business, or mountain cabin.

The real challenges in rate design these days must be – how do we design a system that provides power to the end user – when it is needed?

End users have installed wind mills, solar units, or in some cases built little hydro generation systems along a creek – to help protect the environment, to take advantage of tax breaks, or just because it seemed like the right thing to do. 

Everything is fine and dandy as long as those little generators are working.  But, if something happens and the little generator can’t produce power – what happens?  That customer still wants to run the TV, or a computer, or the furnace  and the power needs to come from a central station provider – the utility.

So, the rub.

How does a utility build a system that allows the end consumer to generate his own power, thus allowing the huge generating plants to spew less stuff in the air or consume coal, uranium, oil or gas – unless something goes wrong and the power goes out –leaving the house or factory dark and cold?

Developing the econometric model that answers those questions is not perfect, so the utilities make their best educated guess at what rate the customer can accept that will keep the power on.

We should be glad they do.   

And, my experience is, the utility will ask for more – because the regulators aren’t going to issue an automatic yes.  The regulators will take the utility work, do their own studies, and then agree the utility needs more money to keep the lights on…but just not quite as much as they asked for.

You can take that to the bank!

Discovery Lies and the Loya Christmas Lights

So, Discovery Channel did a lot of hyping about some show that was going to feature some fellow getting eaten by an anaconda snake. 

There were preview stories about the search for the snake, the outfit the fellow was going to wear so he could slide down the snake’s throat, closed circuit TV of the travel inside the creature, etc.

Well – they lied. 

This fellow didn’t get eaten by a snake.  The giant snake did what it knows how to do, twist and turn and squeeze until the fellow hollered “uncle” and the staff came to rescue him.

 About 1:50 of “drama” and 2 minutes of eating – glad I didn’t watch the whole thing, just clicked in occasionally to see what was happening.

Discovery lied!   The media didn’t tell the truth! 

Now, hopefully the truth!

With little hype, The Great Christmas Light Fight is on ABC for a second season.

One of the featured stories was from El Paso where Fred Loya (of insurance fame) has, for 10 years or so, put together a notorious –in a good way- Christmas light display.

Wow!

It is a synchronized show that only operates on weekends – and thousands and thousands of people go by.  The Loyas even provide hot chocolate and cookies after every show and “selfie” photos are encouraged with Santa and the elves.

Mr. Loya came across as a genuine nice guy, appreciative of the lifestyle he can now live – thanks to thousands and thousands of insurance customers who choose his company.

El Paso should be proud – he has brought unselfish recognition to a community – and even announced that the $50,000 his display won in the competition will be distributed amongst the community charities.

That seems like a lot of good to go around.  I only open the Loya story, as shown on TV, is true.

Other communities should be so lucky!

In the Albuquerque TV market, the Fred Loya Insurance Company ran commercials adjacent to the show. That’s marketing and promotion.

Oh, did I mention that Mr.Loya and his wife moved to the USA from Mexico 40+ years ago?

Welcome!  

And, from far away Albuquerque, thanks for making the holiday season in El Paso so special!  

Anybody seen anything like that in our neighborhoods?

Morning Television Throwback

Here's a newspaper ad for a program I once hosted on KOAT-TV.

40+ years ago.

We didn't have many studio guests, but took live phone call-ins.

That was fun!

Yikes!  

Things Change at Nebraska

Remember a few weeks ago when I posted pictures of the University of Nebraska football stadium...

Well, they have a 9-3 season...and what happened today (Sunday)...

Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini has been fired effective immediately.  Terms of Pelini's contract call for a buyout of $7.65 million. 

XL Pipeline

All the hoopla over the Keystone XL Pipeline.

As I've said before, I'll say again

Just build it!

Jobs

Jobs

Jobs

Veteran's Day

Sam Beimer

Camp Adair

or 

Fort Leonard Wood

1944

Throwback Thursday Election Returns

 They don't wear jackets like this on TV any more.

In those days we wrote in the number of votes on the yellow pad below the candidates name.

It was more fun!

(This was a primary election night broadcast on KOAT-TV)

Election Results

Vox populi

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be

Political Fund Raising

Throwback Thursday

Covering Politicians

There was a time when wire services, newspaper and tv stations in New Mexico actually covered political campaigns.

Associated Press Santa Fe Correspondent Bill Feather or Albuquerque Bureau Chief Howard Graves would leave their cramped offices for about a month before election day and travel the state with the candidates.  They’d file reports for their member papers and stations from places like Encino, Loving, Glenwood, Chama, Mora and yes, even Claunch.

I did the same while working for KOAT-TV.

Traveling with the candidates we would ride in the same car, fly in the same plane, eat at the same restaurant, stay in the same motel, get invited to a home cooked meal at a supporter’s home,  or sometimes, like a trip during a Dave Cargo campaign – we stayed in the same ranch house.

On more than one occasion a campaign would call and ask if I’d like to tag along on the evening trip.  We’d fly to Farmington or Socorro in the campaign plane, the candidate would make a speech, and then we’d all pack up, squeeze into the plane seats and head back.

I even took a brief trip when Morris Udall was running for President of the United States in 1976.  I flew in the plane from Albuquerque to Silver City and back.  I don’t think the station paid for the seat on the plane, and I got to meet Bill Plante, the veteran CBS correspondent who now covers The White House.  What a funny and clever guy Udall was, as is Plante. 

The candidates benefitted from the exposure – and the reporters got a story.  A fair trade – perhaps a bit more fair to the candidate, but nonetheless it worked.

All of us got to know one another.  We didn’t print or broadcast everything we saw – because in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t matter.

I recall another trip, to Las Cruces on a Labor Day holiday.  I was going to cover a “rally” that a candidate was giving – it was part of the profile I was putting together of his campaign, personality, electability, etc.  From Las Cruces we were to travel to Alamogordo for another “rally”. 

At the rally in Las Cruces, there were about 7 people – including me and the candidate.   Sadly, his campaign was going nowhere – I knew it and he knew it.  Instead of going along for the next leg of the trip to Alamogordo I had them drop me by the bus station and I rode Greyhound back to Albuquerque.

Then came the purification of the media. Conflicts of interest, reporters are taking free rides, etc. Reporters started having to pay for their seats on airplanes or in cars, paying for hamburgers at the drive-in along the way – and when that happened…within a couple years we all went away.

We covered campaigns – instead of covering campaign commercials.

I think, as a people we were all the better for it.

But, times have changed.

Now we have breaking news crawls across the bottom of a TV screen that block the video we’re supposed to be watching!  And the breaking news occurred 2 days ago!

Duh!

TV News Throwback Thursday

One gets a closet full of stories coming out of spending countless hours in New Mexico’s legislative-executive building either covering the news or attempting to persuade politicians to cast a vote in favor of “the little people.” 

Here’s my TV News throwback story for this Thursday.

The TV camera had been all set up to film an interview with a legislator.  I won’t name the lawmaker because he’s still serving.

The legislator came into the interview room and quickly took his a seat in front of a typewriter.

This is a typewriter:

  

The reporter (not me, and who I won’t identify because he’s still reporting) started  the camera.

Reporter :           Senator, thank you for joining me today for this interview.

Senator:              It’s been a long time since I’ve been on TV.

Reporter:            Regarding the bill up for discussion, will you support it?

Senator:              I have no comment at this time!

At which time the senator pushed away from the desk and left.

I swear to The Almighty it happened!

Call Saul

Breaking Bad News about Saul

Actually, it's good news  -

The producers of Better Call Saul, the AMC apparent comedy that will come out in February of next year based in Albuquerque in the years before Walter White...have released a video.

Great!

HERE'S THE VIDEO

Fair Disappointment

Imagine the disappointment ... I was so close to seeing this... and then...

Very clever marketing message ... just a sample of how well run things are at the Los Angeles County Fair.   On the day of my visit, more than 70,000 folks from the inland empire were there, a record attendance day...on a Thursday. 

My Ryder Cup Throwback

For the non-golfers out there, this probably means little.  To my pals, friends, family and others who might casually pay attention to golf...this is the week!

But, I wander for a second.   When growing up in Taos I started playing golf at the Taos Country Club - a privately owned club that operated on a shoe string - and the proceeds from special parties and the bar.  Mind you, I wasn't old enough to drink - but I had access to the place.

A friend of the family, Ed Lineberry, the husband of Duane Van Vechten, a prominent and very wealthy person of Taos, used to chide me and others who played golf - saying it was nothing more than "cow pasture pool".

In Scotland, maybe.  At Taos Country Club - there was no pasture and not any cows that wandered around the course.

Anyway...this is Ryder Cup weekend.   It is truly one of the great sporting events in the world.

I've been lucky enough to attend 3 of the competitions.  The first at Oakland Hills near Detroit in 2004, The Americans were soundly defeated.  The Euro's took the trophy back across the pond.

Then 4 years later at Valhalla near Louisville where I took these pictures - the USA won:

Sergio Garcia during a practice round.

Two years ago I went to Medinah near Chicago...this is a collage of that visit.

      Olay Olay Olay                                                                                            U S A   U S A   U S A

American's lost that one, too.

Looking forward to the matches this weekend - even though they'll be going on in the wee hours of our morning.   NBC and NBC Golf Channel providing live coverage.

And really looking forward to the Ryder Cup's return to the US of A in 2 years - to a course in Chaska, Minnesota.

Albuquerque "U"

Here's a throwback.

This photograph of the state fairgrounds racetrack was taken about 1940.  The track is still in the same place.  The line through the center of the picture is Louisiana Boulevard as it runs between Central (Rte 66) and Lomas.   On the side of the hill, the "U" that was placed and painted there by students from the University of New Mexico.    About the only thing today that is the same, the racetrack and the infield which is still used for parking.  The rest is infilled with housing and development - all the way to the "U" which is, present day, really hard to find - if at all.  

The canyon to the right of the photo is Tijeras Canyon - still used today by I-40 - one of the primary cross country highways in the US of A.

A throwback to the good ol' days. 

New Mexico State Fair History

New Mexico State Fair Throwback Thursday

It's New Mexico State Fairtime ... the trees are turning ... this morning there was a feeling of fall on the way ... and folks from around the state are headed for the fairgrounds in Albuquerque.

For a number of years my journalistic "beat" was covering the state fair.  It seems that things were bigger then, but things were also simpler.

For instance, I came across a photograph of my interviewing a rooster.  This rooster was a participant in a crowing contest.  Losers headed for the cooking pot. Winners headed for a life of fame and fortune.  I think it was about 1975 or so.

The hat was compliments of a local merchant.  I had to have a cowboy hat if I was covering the fair.

The photographer, Tom McCullough, would become a physician.

That camera, incidentally, was feeding a video tape recorder that weighed about 25 pounds.

Throwback Thursday

Ahh...a fun slide (that never aired) from back in the good ol' days.

Airplane Seats

There's a lot of comment these days on the relativity of reclining airplane seats.

As a guy who is nearly six-and-a-half feet tall...let me tell you:

AIRPLANE SEATS SHOULD NOT RECLINE, EVER!

Airlines should just ban seats that recline those precious few inches (except for first class where there's room).

Or, the airlines could up-charge for those seats - and corral them into a specific area of the plane.

I've learned to be accustomed to the cheap, smaller seats and just scrunch up next to a window and hope the misery of the airplane trip is over quickly.

Throwback Thursday

Teddy's Day

It's National Dog Day.

Here's Teddy

R U Ready for Some Football?

Are you ready for some Football?

Well, they're getting ready in the midwest.  As the summer days shorten and the mornings become a bit more crisp, dreams of championships are everywhere.

In Lincoln, Nebraska at a place called Memorial Stadium, which according to Wikipedia has been the host to 333 consecutive sellout crowds, attendance at one game last year was said to be 91,000 - even though the stadium official seating capacity isn't that high. When they're playing football here, it is the third largest community in the entire state.   Oh, they're the Cornhuskers.  It's been a while since they played their absolute best, 17 years since they won the big one (Tom Osborne was the coach then)...but they're ready to give it another go.  The maintenance folks were making sure the sign is ready to light up the sky...and they're hoping to add another year to the bottom of the sign, but it may not be 2014.

Nonetheless the fans are ready for some football! University folks from all across the country attended a recent meeting and signed a plastic corn husk and presented it to the genial host, Matt Hammons of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He wore it proudly!  It is more appealing than a razorback or a hunk of cheese!

Now, on to another kind of football.  A canceled plane and forced overnight allowed us to visit the training camp of the Kansas City Chiefs!

Under the watchful eye of Coach Andy Reid (who we could hear from the sidelines when he wasn't pleased) the big boys go about their business...hoping the boss will keep them.  Cuts are a comin'.

Quarterback Alex Smith was going through the paces, as 3 hopefuls watched and waited for their turn. Smith is in contract negotiations this year.  There are some sports observers saying he's a "franchise quarterback." We'll see...

I think the yellow jerseys on the quarterbacks mean  -  hands off - no touchie, to tacklie!

Make no doubt about it, these guys are serious - the coaches and the players.  There's a lot at stake, and they practice like they mean it.  And, as Connie shows, it is easier to tell the players when you have a program with pictures.

It'll be fun to watch (on TV) this winter and see these same guys bundling up and playing at Arrowhead Stadium on a cold blustery snowy winter day - dreaming of the drizzly days in St. Joe!

UPDATE --- Here is a link to the Kansas City Chiefs latest news--- Ouch!

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/article1283800.html

Summer in the midwest

Another travel blog --

This will come in installments because there was so much to see and cover during a recent trip to the breadbasket of America.

Let me begin by posting a couple pictures of contrasting capitols---

This is the State Capitol in Des Moines - Iowa, not New Mexico.  

All of Des Moines, New Mexico would fit in this building.   

There's gold in them thar roofs  ---

This is the State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska.   

Use a little imagination...it's a giant cornstalk ---

And this is me, at the Cass County Fair near Weeping Water, Nebraska.   

This tractor, and the attachments that allow the gentleman farmers to bring in the crops, costs about $450,000.  This green monster happens to be a John Deere -- which reminds me of a joke told by my 5th grade teacher in Taos,New Mexico.   Celestino Romero, who would go on to serve in the state legislature was the teacher.

Teacher Romero:  "Do you know what the tractor said to the plow?"

Students:   "No Mr. Romero, what did the tractor say to the plow?"

Teacher Romero:  "Hold me closer, John Deere!"

Drum roll, please!

And, this is how Weeping Water, Nebraska got it's name:

On the road, again, Connie & I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be outstanding in a field - of corn!

(A few sunflowers snook into the picture along the ditchbank!)  

Across the street were soybean fields!

Dick Knipfing Retires

In Albuquerque it is big news that THE ANCHORMAN, Dick Knipfing, has done his last regular newscast.  It was in the same building where he started in the tv biz 51 years ago.

Anyway, some of the best of times in my life were while covering the news and working with Ricardo at KOAT.  We worked in studios on University Boulevard.  The building has been torn down, but the memories live on!

Here ... a memory jog.

From election central with our party experts, Fabian Chavez and Jack Eastham

And from the front page of a weekly throwaway TV schedule then available at your local grocery store.

Senior Citizens of KOAT-TV   -  Huh?   That was back in about 1973...


Those were the best of times!

Route 66 High Sights

During a recent trip along I-40, the following were up in the air

The famous Cadillac garden started by the late Amarillo eccentric Stanley Marsh 3.  From the days of a cemetery of shiny glistening Cadillacs it has grown to an area of self expression.

This could have been my car.

1960 Coupe de Ville?

Remnants from spray paint "artists".

The leaning water tower of Britten

Drillin' Drillin' Drillin'

Oklahoma City TV tower.

There are no mountains, so they've got to build'em tall.

Cell tower, so we can be connected!

Around Amarillo - hundreds of these creatures marching across the panhandle.

Help us all!