My on the air “hick-up.”

poor georgie’s almanack 

I had to work my way through the U of Iowa Journalism School. 

All newscasts on school’s AM and FM stations were done by Radio-TV majors just for the experience.  But, the late night news shows paid a few precious dollars.  The neophyte broadcasters couldn't care less and the powers-that-be didn't care that I was not taking broadcasting courses.  They had air time to fill.

So, with no training, I suddenly was reading news on-air two or three times a week.  Alas, I quickly made two really big boo-boos.  One was relevant to today’s announcement that John Hickenlooper, the former Colorado Governor is running for President.  

I proved that you could take the boy out of the big city and put him into farm country, but you can’t take the big city out of the boy.  At that time, the senior US Senator from Iowa was named Bourke Hickenlooper.  

I was reading newswire copy and heard myself saying Hick Burkenlooper.  “HICK” in rural Iowa!  I figured I was toast.  

Apparently none of the real broadcasters were listening and I wasn’t canned. 

Then, a few nights later I read an item about a new space port at a Florida Cape that, unbelievably, I called “Can Of Venereal.”  Still no reactions from people who were supposed to be monitoring me.  

The news gig lasted for many months.  Maybe the on-the-job training worked.  More likely, the managers continued to be desperate.