Alhart
(“al-heart;” as in the name “Al.”)
I finally read the paean to local TV news reporter Don Alhart in the Messenger by Linda Quinlan.
I never met Linda Quinlan during my employ at the Messenger, but Linda was essentially the Irondequoit (“ear-RON-dee-quoit”) Post.
The Irondequoit Post was one of publisher Andy Wolfe’s many Post newspapers, acquired by the Messenger when Andy retired.
Others worked at the Irondequoit Post, but Linda was the reporter. Or at least seemed to be involved in everything.
The Irondequoit Post was a class act, a shining star the Messenger bought into when it acquired the Post newspapers.
Of course, all the Post newspapers were pretty classy, as was the Messenger — still is.
Linda’s husband was Tim Quinlan, a radio-dispatcher at my previous employer, Regional Transit.
For 16&1/2 years I drove bus for Regional Transit Service.
For years I didn’t realize they were related, even though they shared the same last name.
This was despite meeting Tim at an MPN picnic long ago at SeaBreeze.
Alhart is about all the TV we watch, just Alhart and the ABC national news.
It’s always interesting to see what news they play; not as much as what gets on CNN.
The Messenger used to do that.
A blizzard of Associated Press stories came over the wire (actually satellite), and the page-editors had to pore over them to find what they publish.
“All the news that fits,” they used to say.
That was the rule somewhat. But a story could be cut to fit.
A page-editor ran what appealed, and what he/she thought would appeal to readers.
The Messenger also ran a lot of locally-written stories — still does.
The other stuff was filler, more-or-less; what page-editors felt would appeal to readers.
Alhart is our age, born in 1944, making him 66 like us.
That’s probably the main reason we watch him.
He’s been through all the same revolutions as us.
Namely:
-A) The revolution in music, whereby rock-‘n’-roll became the norm.
-B) The replacing of automobiles by personal computers as the playtoys of the proletariate.
He was in college, like us, when the Beatles hit in 1964, revolutionizing rock-’n’-roll.
He should know the importance of Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard.
A few years ago those inclinations spilled out in a news broadcast.
Their weatherman was describing the fizzling of Hurricane Earl.
Alhart noted “Duke of Earl.”
I e-mailed him a link to that music.
“Duke of Earl” was a rock-’n’-roll hit we pounded the dashboard to as we listened on the car-radio in the ‘60s.
It blew him away.
I got a response back the next day thanking me for that link.
One time he mentioned “Topsy Part II” on his broadcast.
He got it wrong, so I sent a link to that.
I got back a CD with “Topsy Part II” on it.
At age-66, Alhart will soon retire.
Ending the era we lived with so many years.
Not too long ago Charlie Gibson retired, as did Simon Pontin of WXXI.
Charlie Gibson replaced Peter Jennings when he died, but Charlie Gibson was one of us.
So is Don Alhart.
Not too long ago George Ewing (“you-wing”) Sr. died.
Senior was the one that hired me at the Messenger, and that was shortly after my stroke.
Best job I ever had.
• “The Messenger” is the Canandaigua Daily-Messenger newspaper, from where I retired over four years ago. (“Canandaigua” [“cannon-DAY-gwuh”] is a small city nearby where we live in Western NY. The city is also within a rural town called “Canandaigua.” The name is Indian, and means “Chosen Spot.” —It’s about 15 miles away.)
• Post Publications were small weekly newspapers in the suburbs of Rochester. They were founded by Andy Wolfe. The Messenger acquired them when he retired, becoming Messenger-Post Newspapers (MPN).
• “Irondequoit” is a large old suburb northeast of Rochester. (It’s the indian name for a large bay adjacent to its east.)
• “Regional Transit Service” is the transit-bus operator in Rochester, NY, a public employer, the supplier of local bus-service to Rochester and environs.
• “SeaBreeze” is Seabreeze Amusement Park, northeast of Rochester.
• “Us” is me and my wife of 42+ years, “Linda.”
• “WXXI”-FM, 91.5, is the classical-music radio-station in Rochester we listen to, publicly supported. For years its morning man was Simon Pontin, an English expatriate.
• I had a stroke October 26, 1993, and started at the Messenger in January of 1996. George Ewing Sr. was the head-honcho at that time.
 |
| Don Alhart |
I never met Linda Quinlan during my employ at the Messenger, but Linda was essentially the Irondequoit (“ear-RON-dee-quoit”) Post.
The Irondequoit Post was one of publisher Andy Wolfe’s many Post newspapers, acquired by the Messenger when Andy retired.
Others worked at the Irondequoit Post, but Linda was the reporter. Or at least seemed to be involved in everything.
The Irondequoit Post was a class act, a shining star the Messenger bought into when it acquired the Post newspapers.
Of course, all the Post newspapers were pretty classy, as was the Messenger — still is.
Linda’s husband was Tim Quinlan, a radio-dispatcher at my previous employer, Regional Transit.
For 16&1/2 years I drove bus for Regional Transit Service.
For years I didn’t realize they were related, even though they shared the same last name.
This was despite meeting Tim at an MPN picnic long ago at SeaBreeze.
Alhart is about all the TV we watch, just Alhart and the ABC national news.
It’s always interesting to see what news they play; not as much as what gets on CNN.
The Messenger used to do that.
A blizzard of Associated Press stories came over the wire (actually satellite), and the page-editors had to pore over them to find what they publish.
“All the news that fits,” they used to say.
That was the rule somewhat. But a story could be cut to fit.
A page-editor ran what appealed, and what he/she thought would appeal to readers.
The Messenger also ran a lot of locally-written stories — still does.
The other stuff was filler, more-or-less; what page-editors felt would appeal to readers.
Alhart is our age, born in 1944, making him 66 like us.
That’s probably the main reason we watch him.
He’s been through all the same revolutions as us.
Namely:
-A) The revolution in music, whereby rock-‘n’-roll became the norm.
-B) The replacing of automobiles by personal computers as the playtoys of the proletariate.
He was in college, like us, when the Beatles hit in 1964, revolutionizing rock-’n’-roll.
He should know the importance of Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard.
A few years ago those inclinations spilled out in a news broadcast.
Their weatherman was describing the fizzling of Hurricane Earl.
Alhart noted “Duke of Earl.”
I e-mailed him a link to that music.
“Duke of Earl” was a rock-’n’-roll hit we pounded the dashboard to as we listened on the car-radio in the ‘60s.
It blew him away.
I got a response back the next day thanking me for that link.
One time he mentioned “Topsy Part II” on his broadcast.
He got it wrong, so I sent a link to that.
I got back a CD with “Topsy Part II” on it.
At age-66, Alhart will soon retire.
Ending the era we lived with so many years.
Not too long ago Charlie Gibson retired, as did Simon Pontin of WXXI.
Charlie Gibson replaced Peter Jennings when he died, but Charlie Gibson was one of us.
So is Don Alhart.
Not too long ago George Ewing (“you-wing”) Sr. died.
Senior was the one that hired me at the Messenger, and that was shortly after my stroke.
Best job I ever had.
• “The Messenger” is the Canandaigua Daily-Messenger newspaper, from where I retired over four years ago. (“Canandaigua” [“cannon-DAY-gwuh”] is a small city nearby where we live in Western NY. The city is also within a rural town called “Canandaigua.” The name is Indian, and means “Chosen Spot.” —It’s about 15 miles away.)
• Post Publications were small weekly newspapers in the suburbs of Rochester. They were founded by Andy Wolfe. The Messenger acquired them when he retired, becoming Messenger-Post Newspapers (MPN).
• “Irondequoit” is a large old suburb northeast of Rochester. (It’s the indian name for a large bay adjacent to its east.)
• “Regional Transit Service” is the transit-bus operator in Rochester, NY, a public employer, the supplier of local bus-service to Rochester and environs.
• “SeaBreeze” is Seabreeze Amusement Park, northeast of Rochester.
• “Us” is me and my wife of 42+ years, “Linda.”
• “WXXI”-FM, 91.5, is the classical-music radio-station in Rochester we listen to, publicly supported. For years its morning man was Simon Pontin, an English expatriate.
• I had a stroke October 26, 1993, and started at the Messenger in January of 1996. George Ewing Sr. was the head-honcho at that time.
posted by BobbaLew at 1:42 PM
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