Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Lots going on...
First, I heard my dear friend Kelley Mitchell, former 7News anchor, is in rough shape at Jackson Memorial Hospital. As many of you know, Kelley had a very public bout with breast cancer. From what I understand, she's in Ryder Trauma with massive health problems. I called her long time boyfriend Kirk Wade in Miami tonight and told him I'm thinking about them. Kelley is a fighter. I'm hoping she pulls through.

Next, what a day!
I spent all morning at the Davivienda Branch in Chico trying to sort out a wire transfer from the US. You would think it would be easier. NOPE. Not only do you have to have the transfer number, but a fax from your bank to prove you made the transfer, then you have to wait 24 hours for it to clear. It was a real pain in the ass. After 2 hours at the bank, I got into work. Things went OK. We had a great show and got a lot done. I also signed the paperwork for one of our new hires. We will welcome Natasha Cheij from Barranquilla to the News in English staff starting next week. In the meantime, I'm still looking for a second producer.

After the show, RCN had me run over to a production company to cut the audio for an english-language video for Banco de Bogota. That took about 20 minutes in Chapinero Alto. Then, my producer and I went to look at cars. I was going to get a Chevy Spark Go from Los Coches, however, I decided I wanted to go look at VW's. They were really expensive. Like 43 milliones for a VW GOL. So, we jumped in a cab and went to a used car place down near Niza. I saw a 2004 GOL I liked. I was told it could be mine for 20 milliones. I wasn't sold.

Next, I got a call to be at RCN Commercials on the 100 to do a corporate sales video. I thought I was cutting audio. No, it was an on camera part. Since we had about 30 minutes before taping, we saw an auto dealership across the street and decided to check it out. I looked at the Spark and then I looked at the Chevy Sedan. They guy told me he'd make me a deal on the spot if I'd take it. So, I got a better deal than the one at Los Coches. I am now the proud owner of a Chevy Sedan, automatic, with air, and power windows. I think I got a good deal. It was 26 milliones for everything, including the tag and the title. I pick it up on Friday. Tomorrow, my dear friend Jason Franco is going with me to the bank to make the transfer and drop off the paperwork at the dealer. Only issue: Pico y Placa. The car I am buying has a tag that ends in 4. That means I can't drive it on Fridays or Mondays for 2 months. Starting in June, my Pico y Placa days move and I can drive the car to my hearts content on Fridays and Mondays. Anyway, it will be ready for pickup on Friday night. Look out Melgar and Giradot... here I come!

Finally, I got home about 9 after dinner. I got a call from Piedad at INHOUSe. Apparently I screwed up a line in the corporate video. So, they want me to go back to RCN Commericals at 10pm tonight and re-shoot my part. Not a problem. Im a pro.
Posted by Brian Andrews at 9:23 PM Links to this post
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Have I really been here that long already?
As I drove out of Bogota, looking at the hills of Soacha, I wondered to myself, "Have I really been here more than a year?" My life has changed so much since I came here from Miami in December of 2007. I've learned to speak better spanish, I understand the culture, I've learned patience, I know how to get around, where the worst potholes are, etc. I've been blessed to pioneer Colombia's first english language news website and newscast for the biggest network in the country. I've got a great team and wonderful friends. When the Tamale lady starts yelling at 6:00am, I still smile.

I know in my heart that Colombia is where I want to be. With all of its complications and weirdness, it's an amazing place to live. Never a dull moment. Always something new to learn or experience. Definately the change I needed from the mundane.

I've started doing something new. I get out of the city of the weekends. Last week, I went to Melgar for the weekend. They call it "La Costa Cachaca." It's a cool little town in the mountains of Tolima. The sun is always shining and its hot, like Cartagena. I found a place called the Hotel Manantial that I really like. Basically, I park my butt by the pool all day, reading, relaxing, listening to my ipod. I have weekend road trips planned to Villavicencio and to Paipa. Every weekend is a new adventure.

Im thinking about buying a car. Actually, Im not thinking, I'm going to do it. Im just not sure how Im going to be able to afford it at the moment. Cars are much more expensive here in Colombia than they are in the US. I think I want to get a Chevy Spark. I also wanted to get a Twingo. I think I can find one for about $10,000 US. Then, I have to get the insurance and the license sticker.

As for work, I have new hours. Im working from 8-4 Monday through Friday. Now that we have more people on the project, I can keep a more normal day. We cover 2 shows and breaking news on this shift. Gary Parkosewich, our new anchor, comes in with his team at 3pm and sails the ship through 11pm. In a few weeks, we will be getting a new design for our website. It will have more options and a better video player.

So, it's back to the pool. Time to reapply the spf 30. I learned the hard way last week that SPF6 just wont cut it here. :)
Posted by Brian Andrews at 8:31 AM Links to this post
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Bogota v. Palm Beach
Driving on 95 in Palm Beach is so different from taking a taxi up la 30 in Bogota.

While Palm Beach doesnt have the huecos we have in Bogota, we do have the traffic! And it seemed like every little old lady who couldn't see over the steering wheel was driving their lincoln continental up the I this afternoon. People were honking and trying to pull around them. In Bogota, we might just run them off the road. Lead, follow, or get out of the way is the rule of the road in Colombia. Also, in Colombia, you NEVER pump your own gas. I did it today at a Shell station off Okeechobee Road. It was a blast. In Colombia, there's a lot of disorder on the roadways. No one stays in their lane, people cut in front of you, take left hand turns from the right lane. Not here.

It's been nice being home for a few days. It was great to see my family and catch up with old friends. I fly back to Bogota via Ft. Lauderdale on Thursday. I miss my mountains, the cool temps, and my wonderful friends. Being in Palm Beach reminded me that I need to make sure I run away to Cartagena more often to enjoy the sunshine.


While I've been away in the states, you may have seen a new group of faces on the RCN News in English. RCN's Monica Fonseca helped to anchor our 7pm show this week. RCN's Efrain Arce did our 7am News. We also had help from RCN's Francisco Santos. Frank works behind the scenes at the Channel's Novelas. This was his first time being a news presenter in English. He did a great job for it being his maiden voyage!

So, tomorrow morning, I'm going up to the beach for a few hours. Then, Im running over to City Place to Macy's to buy a few things to take back to Bogota. I went to Office Depot today to get notepads and pens. I also picked up a new small laptop computer.

South Florida was a great break from the action for a few days... but now its time to get back to work!
Posted by Brian Andrews at 10:04 PM Links to this post
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Off to NY
What a great week it's been here in Bogota. As you may have seen on our newscast this week, we had special interview with Former Hostage Alan Jara. He and his wife Claudia are really nice people. The logistics of getting the interview were a little nutty. Over the last weekend, we got word Jara was going to be on an overnight Caracol Radio program. So, I sent Oliver Diglesias and Ana Maria Hernandez to the Radio Station to convince him to come on our show. Anita and Oliver waited until 1 in the morning to speak with him. He said yes. So, we set the interview for Monday. Then, they had to cancel. It was moved to Tuesday. We were to go to their apartment in the North of Bogota to do the interview. As we were all in the car heading over, they cancelled again. Mrs. Jara said they had to go to the Plaza Bolivar for a meeting with the Mayor. So, I told the crew that we should head downtown and just wait. We did... for 5 hours. But, when the Jara's finally came out of their meeting, they were willing to do the interview. There was a gaggle of other reporters there wanting the same thing. The Jara's were very gracious to give us a 10 minutes before they headed off to a Doctor's appointment. Our interview with them ran on rcnnews.tv and on the miamiherald.com.

This weekend, I am heading to New York City. I have been invited to take part in a panel chat on the changing Colombia for the PorColombia Student Organization. I will be giving my presentation on Saturday morning at 9am. If you are in the city and would like to attend, you can find the details at www.porcolombia.net. After NY, I will be heading back to Bogota, via Miami and will try to spend a day or two with my family.

Brian
Posted by Brian Andrews at 4:33 PM Links to this post
Monday, February 9, 2009
Technical Difficulty... please stand by!
11:30am update. We are up and running again! Thanks for standing by!

Thanks to the many of you who emailed over the weekend to let us know about the problem with our rcnnews.tv and canalrcn.com/newsinenglish pages. Yes, we seem to be having a rather large technical problem with the way our page is updated. Our technical team is working on a solution.

In the meantime, you can still view the latest RCN News in English from Colombia by visiting www.dailymotion.com/rcnnews. We are also available as a podcast if you subscibe via itunes. Just search itunes for RCN News in English and you'll find us. Plus, we can also been seen on TV Colombia weekdays at 11:30am and 6pm ET.

Thanks again for all of your support!
Posted by Brian Andrews at 9:56 AM Links to this post
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Not a dry eye in the newsroom...
video

It was just after 2pm. The Int´l Red Cross helicopter had just landed in Villavicencio. Every TV in the newsroom was on the feed... and every person in the newsroom was standing, in silence, watching the first images of Former Hostage Alan Jara in freedom.

Then, we all watched as Jara´s son and wife rushed up to the helicotper... and the family was reunited with big hugs and tears of joy. It was such a beautiful moment. And as I looked around the Newsroom here at RCN, I could see just about everyone was touched. Even the veterans in the Newsroom were wiping away a tear.
Then, as the Jara family walked toward the crowds, with Alan sporting a huge grin, there was a round of applause in the RCN Newsroom. For journalists, the story unfolding had tremendous emotion and a movie-like script. For Colombians, it was a proud moment to see a hostage go free and to know their country was becoming a safer place.
Posted by Brian Andrews at 8:52 PM Links to this post
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
My first Bogota Bomb





It was just about 9pm and I was sitting at my computer when I heard a massive explosion. At first I thought it was thunder from a big storm over downtown. 2 minutes later, I realized it was a bomb. Someone set off a 5 kil bomb at a blockbuster video. The first reports were crazy. I heard Caracol Radio reporting it was the Club Colombia restaurant that was hit. Then, they reported it was the Blockbuster Video. First reports said 20 people were hurt and 2 dead. My phone started ringing. My awsome staff put the emergency plan in motion. I jumped in a taxi and headed to the scene. My producers Camilo and Ana Maria raced there as well. Cami was already in bed when he heard the news. He jumped out in his pijamas, got dressed, and drove over with his digital camera. Ana Maria was awsome. She lives close by and ran out the door with her blackberry and a notepad. At RCN, my Producers Alejo and Oliver were on it. Alejo called me to let me know he was sending a camera and discs to record on. Oliver went to the edit supervisor and got additional time for us to put together breaking news.

WHen I arrived on the scene, it was chaos. People were everywhere. Nearby apartment buildings had their glass windows blown out. Police officers were stringing yellow tape for miles. I finally found Ana Maria and the crew. They were shooting great tape. Camilo came up from the other side of the crime scene with video on his digital camera. We met in the middle of a mob of people and formed a plan. Then, all of the officials showed up. Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia's Minister of Defense was there... along with Bogota Mayor Samuel Moreno. Both were very gracious to give interviews to us in English. I also met Council woman Clara Lopez who gave a great interview. Then, we went off with our crew to find some witnesses. The crew was fantastic. They didnt speak english... and had no idea what I was saying.. but they got my spanglish and gave us great shots.

Meantime, back at RCN, Oliver and Alejo were getting everything ready for my feed. As soon as the Network was done with their live shot, it was our turn to feed tape to contributiones. I got in front of the camera, said what I knew as fact, and tossed to some soundbytes. Alejo was taking the feed while Oliver was in editing.
With the help of Freddy and Narcicso, our expert editors, Oliver was able to turn around a special report in 10 minutes. Im so proud of my team. Everything worked the way it should have worked. All of them did a great job in helping us get the news online as quickly as possible.

We all left the scene about 12am. Ana and Cami have to be in at 7am to produce the morning news. Alejo and Oliver will be back at 12pm.

Way to go RCN News in English... You did a great job getting our first Bogota Bomb on the air!
Posted by Brian Andrews at 1:05 AM Links to this post
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Going to New York....
I'm heading back to the states for Valentine's Day Weekend! I've been invited by PorColombia.net to be part of a panel discussion on Colombia's changing International image. If you are in the tri-state area and want to come, check out www.porcolombia.net for details.

If you live abroad, I hope you will check out our new newscasts on RCN's TV Colombia! We air Monday through Friday at 11:30am and 6pm ET.
Posted by Brian Andrews at 5:11 PM Links to this post
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Bogota Saturday
It was a nice day off in Bogota today.
I went to the Park for my morning run. The sky was grey. The air was cool. I was happy. Next, I had lunch at this great little place up the 90 from my apartment. It was a soup and salad thing. Pretty good and cheap. Only $6 bucks!
Next, I came home and listening to the kid in the apartment building next to mind play the drums for 2 hours. It was over it by his 3rd set.
My landlord stopped by to put something in storage. What you ask? A Dental chair.
I know, kinda crazy. My landlord is a Dentist here in Bogota and heading up to Boston next week where he's studying at Harvard. He didnt want anyone to steal the chair from the office while he was gone. No Dar Papaya... even if its a 100 lb Dental chair.

I also spent some time today researching new revenue streams for the News in English. Im looking at reselling our unique content to other websites to increase our cash flow. Remember, News is a business!

Other than that, getting ready for Ciclovia tomorrow. I love when they shut down the city and I can ride my bike all over the place.

Have a great weekend!
Posted by Brian Andrews at 7:57 PM Links to this post
Sunday, January 11, 2009
The Trumpet Player
Every morning, I hear a Trumpet player in the park near my home. The poor guy must not have any other place to practice. And he's been practicing for 6 months near my apartment building. At first, I thought it was kind of cool, then I started to get annoyed. Now, I've accepted the noise as part of city life. The Trumpet player is some gruffy looking guy with long hair and a stay dog that follows him around. Im never quite sure what he is playing because his music never makes any sense. If they are songs, they are songs I dont know.

Tonight, as I was walking back from Dinner in the 93 Park, the Trumpet player was there again. This time, he was talking with a group of Police officers and not playing his Trumpet. I guess one of the neighbors finally called the cops. But, I bet he's back tomorrow at 9:30, playing again.

Since it is a long Holiday weekend here, I'm heading out to Chia. My friend Dora Glottman has a beautiful home on the side of the mountain. She's got a little lake and a couple of waterfalls. Every time you step outside her home, you hear the sound of running water and feel a cool breeze. It's a great escape for me... and no Trumpet player when I wake up in the morning.

On the business front, News in English is growing. We are seeking new partnerships with other news organizations to provide them with Colombian video news content that we produce. We are also on TV Colombia starting on January 15th. They havent told me what time, but they are going to be running our evening edition Colombian Newscast. If you live in the states, TV Colombia is a premium channel on most cable systems.

Im also hoping to get word from the Network Executives on growing our staff this week. I would like to get 3 more people to help produce the new NTN Latin American News we are doing and to report stories for News in English. Ive been asking for more staff for several months now and maybe this will be the week everything gets moving.

It's been a really nice long weekend here in Bogota. As many of you know, I live near one of the city's most beautiful parks: El Parque del Virrey. Saturday, I gtabbed by Ipod and some sunblock and spend several hours just hanging out with a notepad. I always come up with my best ideas when Im relaxed. I came up with a few ideas for the project... and got a sunburn.
Posted by Brian Andrews at 7:02 PM Links to this post
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Great to be back!
Bogota is great... when its empty!
Very little traffic... very few people... no lines... less polution.
It's a paradise in the mountains.
Posted by Brian Andrews at 9:46 PM Links to this post
Saturday, January 3, 2009
From Palm Beach
I will be returning to my beloved 2nd home (Colombia) on Sunday night. I've been in Palm Beach, Florida for the past few days spending time with my family. I havent seen them in 6 months! It is so great to be home. The weather is awsome too! I was down in Miami visiting friends today. Its a great time to be in South Florida... BUT... Im starting to miss Bogota! Anyway, Im on the 5:45pm American Airlines flight going back Sunday night. Looking forward to a REAL cup of Colombian Coffee and a pollo al curry at Crepes and Waffles when I get back!