Go get 'em, Rich

CONGRATS TO RICH Cain, who starts doing the weather at KHQA Thursday after many years with WGEM.

Rich is one of the good guys around here. His daughter, Audra, is one of my favorite guitar students - we laugh almost as much as we learn and play. So I claim no balance or unbiased feelings on this one.

I always got along with my fellow media brethren when I worked at The Whig, but I never worried about what they were doing unless I was told to worry by my boss. There is fierce competition out there, but a small market tends to have less hostility and the whole "We are better than you" thing. Of course, for TV guys it's all about "We have the story and you heard it here first." That was particularly prevalent during the Curtis Lovelace trial and one station in particular went a little bit over the top with all of that crap. I didn't watch it, just saw a lot of annoying "Aren't We Great?" commercials.

Now it will get interesting as the two TV stations vie for viewers. Rich got literally thousands of responses when he left WGEM and when he announced he was coming back to KHQA to do the weather. How will that translate when it comes to people watching the news?

I don't know. I don't care. I don't watch the news, anyway. We are never home for the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts, and I'm usually passed out by 10. But Quincy is a traditional town and the majority of people who live here are creatures of habit - they watch the news.

I take a peak at the local media websites when I have the time. Last week WGEM came by to do a story about the bridge being closed and did a very good job. I did a short interview and I'm always glad to appear on camera to talk about downtown Quincy issues and life itself.

But now, if I'm still awake after 10 p.m., I might have to check out this Rich Cain guy doing the weather.