The summer of '77 ended, and at the age of 19 so did my time in television. Larry and the gang liked my work and my work ethic, and there was even talk about sending me up to Dallas for more formal training at WFAA, our sister station there. However, that idea was quietly dropped when it became obvious that my plan was to go to college instead. Sometimes I wonder where I would have ended up if I'd stayed in the business, but don't regret the decisions I've made.
Many have asked, With the experience you had, why didn't you major in communications when you went to college? That was for two reasons, one being ego and the other being the nature of the business: One) I'd heard that at UT Austin, the number one school for mass media-related careers in the US and the one I would have chosen if I'd gone that route, students weren't allowed to even touch any equipment until their junior year. With the experience I'd gained, following such a course would have been like a demotion; The other) after having seen my older friends bounce around from one station to the other I saw the business as being inherently unstable, and wanted to pursue a steadier course into adulthood.
So the value we're left with is a little pride in having held my own doing what I did, even for a short time, and a few good stories now and then...
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