Some people ask me where I get the ideas for stories. You never know where an idea might come from. I will confess some of these stories I pitched while working in tv news. For whatever reason they never got past the editorial meetings. The meetings were usually with the reporters and producers. They would pitch story ideas, then there would be a discussion on what stories people would watch. Within an hour, stories were assigned, and reporters were on their way out the door to shoot, write, and edit a story for the late newscasts. I always loved stories about Wichita history and art. I know there are a ton of stories that I pitched over the years, that got shot down, and I wish I could remember more of them, because they would be great stories for the website.
On the show I produced, The Fox News at Nine, I had a bump going to the commercial break called “Did You Know?” They were interesting factoids. Mostly Wichita or Kansas related, others were just totally weird facts. I would find them in newspaper articles, kansaspedia, museums, and inspiration from anywhere. First and foremost they have to be stories that interest me. I guess you could say I am the target audience. Turns out there are people like me that have an interest in those factoids too. If you are a returning reader. Thanks for stopping by. If you are new, take some time to look at the stories from the past. Jeremy and I were particularly proud of our park visits. My favorite story so far was the love letter to my parents. “An Usher and A Gentleman.” I continue to do research and I’m always on the hunt for interesting stories. Two of my favorite pitches that made it to air turned out to be big viral hits. A story on the KKK taking on the negro league team in Wichita, and another one on aviation markers that guided pilots before navigation systems. Both of these stories were done by the very talented Carly Willis. Check out those two stories. They are fantastic. I can’t say for sure on the KKK story, but I know Carly did all the work on the aviation markers. Research, interview, shot video, wrote the story, edited it, and presented it on air. They call them one man bands. One person literally doing the work of at least three people.