JUNE 1, 2012
Although the weather was pretty bleak, Mr. A and I made it through the rain to get to Rochester! When we reached the city, I was excited to see Frontier Field advertising the fireworks at the Rochester Red Wings game. Unfortunately, the game was rained out! (Check out the ad for the Red Wings fireworks as seen via WHEC, RF10, on July 21, 2010.)
Soon enough Mr. A and I were checking into the Rochester Plaza Hotel. Once inside our room, I couldn't resist getting out my portable Eviant digital TV and scanning for channels. I was finally able to see what WBGT-CA's digital signal on RF46 looks like, as it's the only Rochester DTV station I haven't been able to pick up from home!
WBGT-CA also had three subchannels all showing the same test pattern seen below. One sub is supposed to be This TV, but the other two are mysteries!
I was surprised to catch a signal that's pretty regular for me at home - Buffalo, NY's WGRZ (RF33)! Check out the Menace-ing programming on their Antenna TV subchannel below!
I caught a couple of minutes of WROC's First at 4 with Matt Molloy just before we left for our tour of the station!
All that rain couldn't dampen my enthusiasm for the tour we were about to experience!
As we drove up I snapped a pic of the outside of the WROC/WUHF building. The WROC studios handle operations for both themselves and sister station WUHF!
I was so excited, I almost tripped on the stairs leading up to this wonderful pair of station logos.
Once inside, I got to sit with Maureen McGuire and Kevin Doran before I'd even met them in person! This cool bench was created by artist Lawrence Seil for the "Benches On Parade" arts project!
I also adored this vintage WROC camera which was dedicated to John Coon, one of the station's original chief engineers who retired in 2002!
In the lobby, there was a great display of the station's personalities on the wall.
Speaking of personalities, Mr. A was decidedly off the wall with his impromptu audition for the Miss USA Pageant.
Soon, Scott Hetsko came out to meet us and began taking us through the building. I tried to appear calm and collected, though I was totally geeking out over meeting one of my favourite meteorologists! We stopped by the control room where a crew of talented folks direct the newscasts. (Check out the "sky eye" on the monitor in the middle!)
I had a blast talking to Scott about my DXing hobby and how it's related to weather and tropospheric ducting patterns! He was so impressed that I can pick up WROC from my neck of the woods that he took me to the station's chief engineer Eric Melenbacker to tell him about it! (Eric was surprised that I could get it at all due to the directional coverage pattern demanded by my country. Oh Canada...)
Scott knew right away that I would want a pic of the screens Eric uses to monitor WROC's transmitter!
Next up we were heading towards the newsroom, and I caught this amazing banner right before we went in! Scott was about to introduce us to all the folks who were hard at work on the upcoming newscasts.
Inside the newsroom we got to quickly shake hands with Matt Molloy, who gave us a big smile! We also met Kevin Doran, who gave Mr. A and I a really warm greeting! Scott went out of his way to give us a big introduction to everyone, and it was much appreciated! Before we left, I had to pose with the station logo used in the backdrop of their live reports!
We then headed into the main studio and I got to experience the Fox First At Ten set used for newscasts on sister station WUHF. (Compare with a pic from WUHF, RF28, as seen July 22, 2010.)
The news set has a whole section of seating that dates back to when the studios were used for radio and TV production after they opened in 1949! The seats are now used to accommodate tours from larger groups of people that visit the station.
It was a thrill to get a pic with Scott on the main WROC set! I love his quick quips, pop culture references, and infectious enthusiasm! (He even made reference to rocking out to Foo Fighters earlier that day!) Scott also took us to the room he uses to track weather conditions via computer models and other sources!
It was getting closer to the start of the 5pm broadcast, and I didn't stop to think about weather or not to capture Scott at his main work area! (Compare with a promo I caught on WROC, RF45, back on March 22, 2012!)
Luckily, I squeezed in a pic with Kevin Doran a few minutes before the news began! As I mentioned earlier, he was really enthusiastic about meeting us and I thought that was very cool!
It was surreal to be sitting there in person watching Scott get ready to do his Forecast First for the 5pm show! One thing I didn't know is that when Scott does the full weather report, he leaves the green screen as soon as the 7 day graphics go up and walks across the set to join the anchors when the newscast wraps up. He does all this without missing a beat when giving his forecast!
Across the way, you could see the newsroom bustling with activity! Look closely and you can spot reporter Mark Gruba in the middle!
Maureen McGuire joined Kevin Doran at the desk and they began the live newscast! (Compare with a pic from WROC as seen on May 23, 2012!)
The camera crew was friendly and awesome as well. I was quite impressed with the way they whipped around setting up shots, moving set pieces and keeping the flow going smoothly!
I didn't get an actual photo of where Mr. A and I sat during the newscast, but this pic from WROC on April 30, 2012 captures it pretty well. (We were in the chairs where you see Kevin Doran and his guest!)
The crew quickly moved a TV monitor over for one of Maureen McGuire's segments during the show! It was neat to see her and Kevin work on their stories and witness their attention to detail. For example, Kevin saw a visual that he thought was effective in one of the reports and quickly communicated with the crew to use a specific shot for a later segment.
During a commercial break, I snagged a pic with Maureen and Scott! There was great banter between everyone on set, and Scott even tried to create some hilarious faux drama with Maureen so I'd have something juicy to write on my blog! Maureen also mentioned that she's enjoyed her visits to Toronto!
I tried to get a pic of Matt Molloy in the newsroom during his viral videos segment, unfortunately it turned out a bit blurry.
However, don't let anyone tell you that I don't have Matt's back on this blog!
Before the newscast was over, Scott presented Mr. A and I with some amazing WROC swag bags! The reusable bags included a mug, stickers, pens and lip balm all adorned with station logos! I think I actually squealed when he presented them to us!
After the newscast wrapped, we got this awesome group shot with Mr. A and I surrounded by the Team You Can Trust! From left to right are Thad Brown, Kevin Doran, Maureen McGuire and Scott Hetsko! Earlier when Thad Brown found out I watch from the Toronto area, he mentioned that he tries to include Toronto sports scores in his reports for viewers closer to the border! (Compare with a pic of WROC, RF45. as seen May 15, 2012!)
As we left, I couldn't resist taking a pic of the giant satellite dishes that are used to pick up programming for WROC and WUHF.
I noticed the logos on the side of the WROC building had changed since my impromptu visit to the station back in 2010!
As with all previous Rochester trips, Mr. A and I wanted to eat, drink and be Marys. So we headed over to Sticky Lips BBQ. (Heh...before we left WROC, there was a fierce debate over whether we should go to Dinosaur BBQ or Sticky Lips. Scott Hetsko recommended Dinosaur, but Kevin Doran said he preferred Sticky Lips!) We leaned towards Sticky Lips BBQ since I loved the ads on WROC that showcased their retro atmosphere!
I loved all of the nostalgia that covered the walls inside the eatery!
They even had vintage wartime Rochester and Syracuse newspapers on the walls!
Mr. A couldn't help wanting to take saucy pics while inside the restaurant!
The food was great and the portions were huge! We left with extremely full bellies that night!
The upstairs portion of the restaurant featured a neat vintage Rochester Red Wings program from 1958!
There was also a great Red Wings license plate, which also looked to be from the 1950s.
After hitting a liquor store and downing some 49% proof shots that tasted like turpentine, we headed out to Tilt Nightclub where I met some fabulous Divas!
My trip to Rochester definitely wasn't a drag!
I spotted some posters on the wall with three of my favourite things: Rochester, men, and puns! (Seriously...check out the buff dude with "I have a heart on" written on his body! Amazing!)
Since the day was so waterlogged it felt appropriate to see this fierce queen perform The Weather Girls' classic "It's Raining Men."
Soon, we left to check out a place we'd never been to before - 140 Alex Bar & Grill!
As soon as I saw this giant banner for RuPaul's Drag Race, I knew we were in a great establishment!
140 Alex Bar & Grill also had some fierce queens and cute DJs! I complimented the hostess below on her Wonder Woman-esque bracelets!
I definitely wasn't blue when I captured a pic of this fabulous Diva!
There was a cool mix of music videos played at the 140 Alex Bar & Grill including one of my personal faves, Madonna's "Girl Gone Wild." (They also played Mr. A's fave Mariah Carey with her hit "Emotions" and Salt N Pepa's "Shoop" made me squee for my pal Felix!) At one point Mr. A actually ran away as I howled along with the Etta James chorus in Flo Rida's "Good Feeling." I wasn't tipsy at all...
Some awesome Alex patrons were kind enough to call a cab for Mr. A & I, and we soon got back to our hotel. Of course, I couldn't resist turning on my mini Eviant portable TV. Buffalo, NY's WGRZ was still coming in, and I had the surreal experience of seeing a Canadian commercial for Rogers on a Buffalo channel being viewed in Rochester!
I also captured a great station ID for WGRZ, which is trumpeting their upcoming Olympic coverage!
JUNE 2, 2012
The next morning, I also caught Buffalo, NY's WKBW (RF38.) I often wonder how easy it is for Buffalo and Rochester viewers to catch each other's stations.
Before we checked out, I had to get a shot of the hotel channel guide!
The Rochester Plaza Hotel is the official sponsor of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival. I frequently see coverage of the Fest on stations like WHAM and WXXI. Also take note of Norah Jones' TOTAL DIVA makeover in the poster below! Werk it Norah! (The second pic shows highlights from last year's event seen on WXXI, RF16, on May 13, 2012.)
After getting back on the road, I caught this great shot of downtown Rochester including the Blue Cross Arena (home of the Rochester Americans) and the Democrat & Chronicle newspaper! (Compare with a pic from CW-WHAM, RF13-2, seen on May 19, 2012.)
A Rochester police car made an arresting visual during our travels that day!
Speaking of cars, I noticed this amazingly decorated bumper with a sticker for Rochester's PBS station WXXI. I also enjoyed the "Co-Exist" sticker with many worldly symbols used to form the phrase!
Mr. A and I made our way to the Douglass-Anthony Bridge, which I've always wanted to get pics with since seeing it on TV! I'm a little embarrassed to admit that for years I've mistakenly referred to it as the "Ford Street Bridge" on my blog. I guess it's never too late to learn new things about the Roch-cha-cha! (Compare with a pic from WROC, RF45, seen on June 6, 2012.)
Here I am proudly standing with the Douglass-Anthony Bridge behind me!
Before leaving Rochester, I wanted to check out the Equal Grounds coffee shop. I LOVE their name!
The atmosphere was pretty cool and the walls were decorated with plenty of neat LGBT art! (There was even a reading area stocked with plenty of books.) We grabbed coffee and a blueberry-pomegranite smoothie before getting on the road again. I also picked up a neat tumbler with the coffee shop's name on it!
I can't forget my lesbian sisters! Equal Grounds had a great poster for the upcoming Dyke Picnic which coincidentally is on the same day as Toronto's Dyke March.
Back on the road, I was capturing pics of all kinds of places I've seen on TV! Here's Clover Home Leisure, which I saw on WROC back on April 30, 2012!
I squealed when we passed Hollywood Treasures because I HEART the ad that I saw on WUHF earlier this year! They really struck gold with that one, and I definitely treasured it! (Check it out on You Tube here!)
I love seeing CanCon In The US, so it was great to see Tim Hortons pop up as it did on WROC back on April 2, 2012!
We also drove by Pontillo's Pizza, which frequently advertises their delicious goods on WROC!
It just made cents to take a pic of Canandaigua National Bank & Trust, which I'd seen advertised on WHEC, RF10, back on May 27, 2012!
You can't apply a deep discount to my love of Irondequoit Liquor's ads, which I've enjoyed since 2009! I was glad we got to pass by on the way to House of Guitars! (The ad below is from WHEC, as seen August 19, 2011!)
After my last Rochester Road Trip, I knew I wanted to visit the amazing House of Guitars music shop again! This time I picked up music from Donna Summer, Whitney Houston, Chely Wright and a neat 80s Dance compilation! (Check out their ad from WUHF on August 29, 2011 where they sponsored a contest to send someone from Rochester to audition for American Idol!)
Salvatore's won a pizza my heart with their ad that shows people with Rochester landmarks projected behind them, as seen April 2, 2012 on CW-WHAM!
I was intoxicated at the sight of Marketview Liquor, which I'd seen advertised on WROC back on May 26, 2012!
As we made our way home, we passed through Buffalo and I spotted this giant Paddock Chevrolet golf dome! (Check out the Paddock ad seen December 21, 2011 on WKBW!)
Nothing gets my motor going like a man declaring "It's huuuuuge!" When we drove through Grand Island, NY I noticed the Fucillo Toyota dealership that was featured in an infomercial I saw on WGRZ back on April 28, 2012!
As with previous road trips, I had to compile a montage of my goodies when I got home! The pic below includes the awesome WROC swag bag, my House of Guitars music selections, TV Guide, Hamilton Spectator SpecTV, The Empty Closet, Equal Grounds tumbler, and a Rochester Democrat & Chronicle newspaper!
I have to give a HUGE thank you to Scott Hetsko for providing our tour and for being so friendly and fun throughout the experience! I also have to thank all the wonderful people at WROC who welcomed us, and let us observe their work that day! They're a great team of folks! As well, a big thank you to Mr. A for organizing our trip and helping make it happen! For my previous Rochester trips, check out my recaps for 2010 and 2011! Stay tuned to TV Garth for more adventures with Rochester!
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