TNJN Radio, Car Nuts & test drives

It sure has been a while since I've posted here. This semester has turned out to be massively crazy and busy. I'm co-editor of TNJN Radio, the internet radio podcasting section of the Tennessee Journalist. We've got six shows covering everything from news, travel, and opinions, to music, sports, and automotive topics.

Three times a week, TNJN Radio broadcasts 10-15 minute news segments covering local, regional and national news. It seems to be going really well and the students participating are enjoying the experience.

As for myself, I produce all the shows by establishing the live stream via TalkShoe.com and later uploading a higher quality podcast version of each show. I'm also a co-host of Car Nuts on Campus. Us four guys talk about industry news, events, new product releases, product reviews, and tech tips on anything automotive. To give the show a little 'street cred,' ASE-certified mechanic Justin Moore serves as our in-house expert.

Test drives are becoming a weekly part of the 'duties' we perform at Car Nuts. We've gone to a handful of dealerships around Knoxville to get a feel of what's available to the college demographic. This week proved to be one of the more exciting testing days.

At Cat Nuts, we try to concentrate on vehicles in the price range of regular college students and the recent college grad. This week we trekked down to Grayson Hyundai to check out the Hyundai Accent, Elantra Touring, and the Genesis Coupe.

Because I showed up a little late, I didn't get to drive the Accent, but drove the Elantra Touring and (most importantly) the Genesis Coupe. All the guys were very impressed with the strides in quality Hyundai has made in the past few years. The fit and finish of the cars is on par with the current American offerings from Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet.

The list of standard features for each car was quite long, especially considering the sticker prices. The base Elantra Touring sells for around $18,000. For that, you get bluetooth, iPod connectivity, voice activated controls, steering wheel controls - along with a host of other goodies.

Of course, the guys of Car Nuts was most interested in the Genesis Coupe. Bathed in a loud lime green, our tester was a 2.0T with the optional automatic transmission. The car first grabs your attention with its swooping, hand carved body lines and proper coupe styling that looks like nothing on the road today (looking past the paint color, of course).

Even with the little seat time I got, I was very impressed with the power output of the 2.0T, the handling and braking of the Genesis Coupe. Hyundai did their homework with this one and you can feel it the moment you set in the car.

The seats are heavily bolstered and form-fitting; the center stack is a no-nonsense cluster of buttons and useful information; and the quality of materials are much improved over Hyundais of yesteryear. Driving the car was an inspiring experience that made me want to own a racetrack...or at least have access to a twisty backroad. However, even on the short loop around town, we were able to find interstate on-ramps that were quite fun.

Acceleration was surprisingly strong for having 4 medium sided adults in the car. I'm not going to say how quickly it accelerates, or how easy it is to get a tire loose, or how easily it surpasses the triple-digit mark on the speedo - but I will say the Genesis Coupe is a fine example of an inexpensive sports car. I'll leave the rest up to your imagination as you watch this video.

Also on today's wish list was the 2010 Ford SVT Raptor. Unfortunately, we didn't get to drive the truck but just sitting behind the two tone leather-wrapped steering wheel while looking over the massive expanse of hood was enough to spark visions of tearing through the desert at 80 mph.

We were also impressed with Ford's Sync system. The salesman showing us around was using the system with a thick southern accent filled with 'umms' and missing 'g's. It never failed to guess what he wanted. Pretty sweet.

And so, this week ends on a couple positive notes thanks to Hyundai and Ford. Hopefully, we'll get behind the wheel of a Raptor and a Genesis Coupe 3.8, but until then, I can be satisfied with today's happenings.

Infographic Galore!

Here's an interesting poster I ran across and thought I'd share.

Created by The Car Connection

An Exciting Weekend...

A long week at work was followed by a really short weekend. However, the weekend was packed with good times.

Starting off on Friday night, I showed the wedding pictures I had taken a few weeks ago to the Bride's parents - the ones who hired me. Anyway, they really enjoyed looking at my shots and were very pleased that everything turned out well. The mom said she will tell everyone she shows the pictures to just who took them. I guess I'm getting my name out there...


Saturday held even more activities and adventures. That morning, dad and I went to the annual First Baptist Church 'Cruise-in' at the church. The parking lot was full of cars and people having a good time. Dad took his Corvette as well. My Cousin Daniel and his kids were there too. They enjoyed looking around and seeing all the neat cars.



After the car show, my parents and I headed to Huntsville Alabama to visit my brother and his family. We got there around 6:30 and hung out for a bit. The growing trend for my brother, dad and I seems to be going to the movies while visiting. So, this trip's movie of choice was Terminator Salvation - a 'shoot-em-up' flick that turned out to be kinda fun. It's nice seeing the references and continuing plot from the first three movies.

The reason for the trip was to see Abby, my brother's oldest, get baptized Sunday morning. Everyone including the in-laws were in attendance for the service. Everything was really nice.



I have come to realize one thing though...I need a bigger zoom lens for my camera.
My 18-55mm lens just doesn't reach far enough. I was having a hard time getting a good shot of Abby in the baptistery. The only question - what to buy... 70-300 maybe? Who knows...

Leaving the church, we all gathered at Michael's house for some lunch. We left there, starting our 3 hour trek back to Lenoir City. That evening at home, we said our good-byes to Daniel and his family who had been visiting for 3 weeks. They currently live in Japan but are soon moving to Hawaii. (Dan's in the Air Force)

So ended a pretty good weekend, justifying a post on blogger. ha!

Experiences of a Summer Intern

Well, the summer is continuing to be an awesome experience. I've done and learned a lot since starting on May 11. My last post was about my second day at the Knoxville News Sentinel and the adventure I was pulled into. I must say, the rest of that week didn't disappoint. On Wednesday, I went with Erin Chapin and Adam Brimer to the Knoxville Police Department to cover the busting of a prostitution ring. The officer in charge of the operation gave us the low down on what they were doing to stop the illegal activities.

He showed us video tapes from hidden cameras in hotel rooms where they held sting operations to bust prostitutes. It was so funny to see the look on these girls' faces when 10 cops bust through the door!

Thursday held more coverage of the prostitute-busting action. We went back to gather more info and to shoot photos. The cop told us about one night of 'hoe-busting' they lovingly call "Two Tons of Fun." He showed us video of the rather large ladies they had arrested - and all their weight combined...you guessed it, two tons. Wow, I can't believe people actually paid these girls! ewww.

On Friday, I went with Talid to the "Blue Plate Special," an event that brings artists in from all over. They cram themselves on stage with a huge crowd, and jam out. That week's bands were of the bluegrass genre. I never really had a true appreciation for that type of music until then. I felt like I was tearin' down a dirt road in an orange, 1969 Dodge Charger - running from Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. YEEHAWW!! haha.

The past few weeks have been a little more confined to the newsroom. I've been uploading YouTube videos, posting stories, making SoundSlides, and editing video and audio. It's been fun and educational at the same time - I guess a good combination for an internship.

Check out my staff profile page at knoxnews.com

Experiences of a Summer Intern

So, the summer has gotten off to a great start. I am now the official intern of the online department at the Knoxville News Sentinel. When starting my second day at knoxnews, I was asked to tag along on an assignment by Lauren Spuhler and Morgan Simmons, an online producer and outdoors reporter, respectively. I had no idea what I was getting into or what to expect. Exciting.

The three of us piled into Morgan's extended cab Toyota Tacoma and headed for a small town called Coker Creek. This little outpost in southeastern Tennessee, about half way between Knoxville and Georgia, was an interesting place. Our mission: to capture still shots and video of an artist named Bob Hardin who makes all sorts of knives, carvings, paintings, and wood burnings.

We showed up at this guy's house and found a myriad of objects covering the walls and table tops - each one hand-made with the greatest of care. His friend Cathrine(?), who was Morgan's contact for the story, was also there to document us for her local newsletter that she produces.

As Lauren shot video and took stills, Morgan asked the questions. He had interviewed Bob before and knew what kind of questions to ask. Apparently, in their last interview, Morgan uncovered that Bob had once worked as a hit man in Montana. uhmm. This now grey-haired, frail-looking man standing in front of me now enjoys a life of art. Carving, burning, painting, and forging metal.

After getting all the stills and video we needed, we stopped by the Coker Creek gift shop and post office. There we found nick-nacks, canned jams, books, maps, and keep-sakes. It was a quaint place that looked like it belonged in a movie. Cathrine(?), Bob's friend runs the place and gave us the grand tour of the one-room show.

We made it back to the News Sentinel at around 3:30. What could I possible do that would top a 6 hour road trip with the cool folks from KNS? - Input restaurant data onto the server. ha! At this moment, Jigsha, my boss, has me transferring the information about local eateries from Knoxville magazine onto Knoxnews.com. It's not a horrible task but does get old after 20 entries or so. A quick stop by one of the many break rooms for a drink, and it's back to work.

I think this summer should prove to be a fun and exiting time where I'll learn some pretty valuable things about journalism and working in the "real world."

I'm planning on updating about my adventures fairly often. That way, when it's time to write that paper summarizing my time with KNS for JEM credit, I'll be able to. Having a bad memory sucks.

The end of another semester

Well, it's that time of year again - Summer. Looking back, this has been one of the best semesters I've had, especially at UT. I got to experience some really interesting stuff, take interesting trips, and meet really fun people. I'm truly thankful for the people who've come into my life this semester.

Right now, I'm about to start moving out of my apartment here on campus. I'll update this post later with more detail.

A random road trip

My parents aren't the spontaneous type, but a few days ago, they decided to take a random road trip. Having nowhere to be at that particular time, I tagged along. We drove into the Great Smokey Mountains located here in East Tennessee - not a long drive, but scenic nonetheless.

Most people who live in East Tennessee probably wouldn't consider this a road trip, but we haven't lived in the area long enough or been to the mountains enough times to think otherwise. Being the camera addict that I am, I took lots of pictures. Here's one I took on the banks of the river we stopped to look at. Just figured that I would give a quick, little update.

The Eyes on LaFollette - Continued...

It’s been a busy week and I’ve been putting this off so I’m making myself post the continuation of my last entry – finally.

After a rough night of sleeping on the floor, I got up around 9. I took a quick shower and after packing my things, I headed to the continental breakfast at the hotel at the bottom of the hill. There I found a group of classmates eating a meal before the day's events. We enjoyed pleasant conversation over cereal, donuts, fruit and of course, coffee.

Once we were all prepared for another day of shooting, we returned to the hunt for the perfect picture. I decided to the visit the local park. Cove Lake State Park included a network of roads linking tennis courts to campgrounds, lakes and boat docks to swimming pools and even an amphitheater. I drove around looking for any kind of action: people pitching tents, cookouts, or fishermen standing on the banks. As I turned around from a dead end section of road, I saw an all-too familiar black Nissan Maxima coming towards me. It was Ben Moser looking for the same photo opportunities I was. We decided to team up and look for interesting people doing interesting things.

We drove over to the lake and found a couple walking down a paved path, fishermen casting off the bank and boaters paddling around. Ben made use of his 55-300mm lens and audio recorder by taking photos of the boaters and sound from a flock of geese swimming around. We then headed over to the campgrounds. We bravely decided to approach a family cooking breakfast beside their fifth-wheel camper. The family was interesting to say the least. The theme song Dueling Banjos from the movie Deliverance faded from our minds as we walked back to our cars.
At that point, Ben had to return to Knoxville for work. I left the lake and continued on my adventure. Once back into the populated area of LaFollette, I spotted a petting zoo in the mall parking lot. It seemed like a great opportunity to find people petting animals - which can sometimes make for good pictures. There was a family there that had a little boy who was having the greatest time. I shot a few pictures, got their names, and when things got boring, left.

Charlie - the baby Camel

My next destination was back at the gun store. When I arrived, a couple cars were outside so I was hoping for some customers guying guns. Nope. One guy was inside and was pretty much shootin’ the breeze with the owner about black powder rifles. I some picture just to say I did. At this point, I was wondering if staying for Saturday was worth it.

Continuing on, I found Jordan Vest taking pictures at a skate park beside a massive rummage sale. I took at least one great shot of a skater’s mid-air tick before exploring the rummage sale.


Not finding anything of interest there, Jordan and I went to lunch. We enjoyed talking cars and cameras over Wendy’s before heading back to Knoxville.

Jordan Vest behind me on our way to lunch

The Eyes on LaFollette project

These past few days have been quite busy for me. On top of schoolwork and orchestra performances, my advanced photography class has been working on its annual Eyes on LaFollette project.

Every year, Robert Heller's photography class makes the trek to LaFollette, Tennessee to take part in a joint project with the local newspaper, the LaFollette Press. The Press is kind enough to give us free reign on photographs and page layouts on a 14 or 15 page spread consisting of pictures capturing life in and around town.

Starting bright and early on April 3, 2009, our class hit the road north. Driving as many cars as possible, our class arrived at the LaFollette Press around 9am for a short briefing with the newspaper staff and a group photo in front of their building. We soon went our separate directions in search of story ideas and picture possibilities.

Having all my story ideas and leads fall though during the week, I was left at square one - reading the newspaper. As I sat on the floor in the newsroom skimming the paper with three or four other classmates, I saw an article that caught my eye. The clip showcased a man named John Edwards and how he opened a gun store in his basement. "How awesome!" I though. "This combines two interests into an awesome story." Armed with an upbringing that included guns, I figured I could talk my way into this guy's gun store. As it turns out, Mr. Edwards wasn't camera shy at all.

After spending around an hour talking about, looking at, and admiring his collection, I left. I didn't spend much time shooting because his basement didn't offer the scenery I was looking for. (Florescent lights don't lend themselves to good photography.)

Now back at the newsroom, I gathered a few more ideas and after a quick break, I hit trail. My next story idea led me to Ace Hardware. I took some pretty good pictures of people, both shopping and working. While there, I got a phone call inviting me to lunch. A bunch of classmates were heading to the popular eatery appropriately named 'The Dinner." I wasn't feeling the "photo vibe" from Ace anyway, so I left, making no plans to return.


Lunch turned out to be a good chance to see what others were working on and get a scope of what I needed to do next. Julian had been at the local radio station all morning; Danielle, Jennifer and Rebecca had been at a few hair salons; and Ashley hadn't shot anything so far. Lunch itself was pretty good. For me, it consisted of a giant, greasy burger and fries chased by sweet tea.

After lunch, I decided to drive around for ideas. I had driven nearly into the next town to the north when I saw a fire station. "Humm, that could be a good story," I said to my self as I pulled into a parking spot out front. I walked slowly up to the front door, hoping not to intrude. When I approached the door, I saw two guys sitting in recliners watching TV. They graciously invited me in as I explained why I was there.

I quickly realized this small fire station was cramped, dark and non-conducive for photography. The fire fighters of Station 3 recommended I try Station 1, the main station in the downtown area. So I did. As I walked up the stairs towards the front door of Station 1, I felt the same feeling of intrusion. Again, I found the fire fighters kicking back in recliners watching TV. By that time, I had my spiel perfected. They agreed to show me around the station and answer any question I might have had.

The longer I stayed at the station, the more open the men became. They took out their equipment from the truck and showed me how it worked. I got a few good shots of them in action pulling that stuff out. They even fitted me with an oxygen tank and mask, letting me get the feeling of what they wear in the field. As I was removing the tank, one of the men asked, "Hey, wanna go for a ride?" Of course I said yes.

I stood outside as the men piled into the fire truck and pulled it out of the bay. I jumped in the front seat and away we went. We drove around town for a few minutes as I was squeezing off every possible shot I saw. Being out of their station gave the men a good reason to visit their friends over at Station 2.


At Station 2, all the men congregated out front and conversed as I shot their pictures from different angles. We spent about 20 minutes with the men of Station 2 before we headed back to Station 1 in town. I kept telling the guys on the way back how appreciative I was they allowed me to shadow them.

So I left the firemen and headed back to the newsroom. There I found Julian, Ben and Professor Heller taking a break. I had told them that I just did a ride-a-long with the fire department when Professor Heller said he's had students actually go up in airplanes at the airport before. Julian, Ben and I looked at each other with the same idea - we're going to the airport.

After getting lost in a graveyard trying to find the airport entrance, we arrived to find an empty tarmac. We made our way inside where we found some men shooting the breeze. One of those guys was the airport manager who agreed to show us around. He told me to pull my car around to the entrance gate for the tarmac. Punching in the code to the electronic gate, I pulled my Trailblazer though and waited for all to jump in. We made our way to the end of the runway. We got out and took pictures of the beautiful valley and the expansive blacktop that disappeared in the distance.

Ben shoots Julian and I as we shoot back. Sounds like a gun fight...

We then made our way to the hangar where we must have taken 200 pictures of a Beechcraft Bonanza "V-Tail." Ben crawled inside and took pictures of the interior as Julian and I stayed outside to capture the details of the exterior.

I then turned to the airport manager and asked if we could drive down the runway. "Sure," he said. We piled back into the Trailblazer and headed toward the end the runway. As I turned the car around, I prepared myself and the Chevy for making a high-speed run. "A/C off - check; windows up - check; oil pressure, temperature, fuel - check, check and check. Lets go."

As soon as I buried the hammer, my leg cramped up. "I can't stop now!" I thought to myself as I pushed through the pain. All my senses heightened except for my sight. I developed tunnel vision as I notice the transmission should be shifting. I looked down to see my tachometer at nearly 6,000 RPM. Once the shift finally came, our momentum grew more rapidly. I looked down again to notice the speedometer reading almost 70 mph. The end of the runway looked miles away so I kept pouring on the power.

Julian was in the passenger seat snapping pictures of my gauge cluster as our speed reached nearly 100 mph. "Ok, this is when you should be applying brakes" came from the airport manager in the back seat. I slowly backed off the throttle and squeezing the brakes, my leg still throbbing in pain. I slowed to a near stop as I turned around to repeat the run in the opposite direction. We completed the second run and exited the runway. We thanked the airport manager graciously and headed back to the newsroom. I kept the fact that my leg was cramping until all but Julian was out of the car. (I didn't want to tarnish my manly facade I just built!)


Once at the newsroom, Julian picked up his car and we were off to our overnight accommodations. We were to stay in a lodge located on a hill behind the hotel that owned it. We parked in the grass out front and moved our stuff inside. We waited a short while on pizza delivered by a journalist from the LaFollette Press. That was followed by a informal class meeting discussing what we had encountered that day. Professor Heller then showed an old film form the 1930s. I believe the title was The Picture Snatcher and involved a story about a jailbird turned photojournalist. As we bedded down for the night, we all thought about our photo possibilities for Saturday. Sleep, at least for me, didn't come easily. The hard, cold floor and the excitement of the day keeping both mind and body occupied.


This is my account of Friday, April 3rd's trip to LaFollette, Tennessee. Check back shortly for the "rest of the story" concerning Saturday's events.

Versa offers versatility at bottom dollar

I just thought I'd post a recent story of mine from the Tennessee Journalist.

photo by Rob Baldus

These days, everyone is looking to stretch every cent they have - especially college students. With the economy in shambles and the potential job market bleak, what’s a college student to do about transportation?

Nissan has a solution. The 2009 Nissan Versa combines value with reliability and safety, all wrapped in a somewhat stylish exterior.

Available in four-door sedan or five-door hatchback, the Versa is a handy little car. The short test drive we had reviled an adequate amount of power coming from its 107 horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. A quick downshift of its five-speed manual transmission, launching the tachometer close to the 6,500-rpm redline, made us quickly forget we were in an “econo-box.”

Fuel economy is an amazing 26 city, 34 highway with the 1.6-liter. And with a 13.2-gallon fuel tank, the Versa has an estimated highway range of 400 miles.

Nissan has really done their homework in the reliability department. They claim that the Versa doesn’t need a tune-up for 105,000 miles, and every new Nissan is covered by a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty.

Pricing for the Versa is the best part of this sweet package. The 1.6-liter “base” Versa starts at a meager $9,990. However, those wanting amenities like a radio and air conditioning will have to spend more. Air conditioning is a $1,000 option and a radio isn’t even an option on 1.6-liter - although Nissan was kind enough to pre-wire the car and include four speakers.

Upgrading to the 1.8-liter four-cylinder would get you a radio and air conditioning, not to mention a more powerful engine that makes 122 horsepower. The 1.8-liter is offered in both the sedan and hatchback versions. However, the 1.6-liter is only offered in the sedan flavor.

Our overall impression of the Nissan was good. We enjoyed the spacious interior, although the lack of a radio and A/C would hinder the car’s livability on long trips. Fit and finish were very good for such an inexpensive car.

Visit Nissan online and build your own Versa or take a look at their other products.

A quick update...

Just thought I'd give a quick update about what's going on.

First, I got my camera back! I called Canon last Monday asking about the status and what was going on. At that time, they hadn't even started looking at it.

On Friday of that same week, I came home (Lenoir City) to find the camera in the mail. Included was a repair statement detailing the work done. Apparently, a internal part shorted out causing the error message. The problem was fixed under warranty. So happy...

So on Saturday, armed with my camera one again, I decided to get the jump on my photojournalism project. I went down to Wilburn's barbershop in downtown Lenoir City to capture the happenings of "hair" as my project required. I got off some awesome shots!

The barbershop is so authentic in its own antiquated way. I'll post my final project when finished. It will consist of a slide show, ambient noise and an interview with Wilburn himself. Should be really cool.

I'm also thinking about submitting the project to the local paper. Considering the size of the paper, it should get printed. (knock on wood)

Otherwise, school is going well. I'm getting ready to submit my application for a summer practicum at the Knoxville News Sentinel. It would give me some really great experience and something journalistic to do over the summer...for 40 hours a week.

In other news, I participated in my first radio show tonight. Five guys from the Tennessee Journalist crammed ourselves into the TNJN office for an hour of automotive discussion. "Car Nuts On Campus" got off to a slow start with some dead air time and awkward pauses but finished with some great conversation and enthusiasm. We even had two callers asking for advice on car trouble. Now that we sort of know what we're doing, next week should run fairly smoothly.

I would post a link to the podcast of our internet radio show however, due to inexperience with the entire radio process, our show was not saved. Our technical support left half way through the show and didn't return until we had already shut down the computers. Oh well. there's always next week's show...

So this has turned out to be more than a quick update but a needed update regardless.

Please - even if you don't know me - comment below! Give me your thoughts/feedback!

I just thought I would give a quick update to remind myself of this "responsibility" and to let anyone reading that I haven't forgotten you.

The past few weeks have seen a multitude of things happen. Most notably, my camera, a Canon Rebel XTi, decided to go on the fritz. During a very important/informal photo shoot - with a very willing subject who has allowed me to photograph him and his artwork - my camera started giving Error 99 messages on the view screen. I tried everything to revive my poor camera but to no avail.

After calling Canon, they determined the problem was in the camera body and the whole thing needed to be sent in for repair. Well that wouldn't normally be a big deal but I'm up to my neck in photojournalism 490 projects. AHHH!!!

In other news, I have submitted a new article to my editor at tnjn.com. However, he has decided that making spoof movies is a better use of time. (sorry Rob) Anyway, I hope the article will be posted shortly. No worries though as the story is fairly evergreen.

That's it for this edition of The Vol Bogger.

The beginning....again

So here I am, posting a new blog on blogger.com. The use of this blog will hopefully become more and more frequent as my studies in journalism and electronic media from The University of Tennessee progress.

I would like to preface myself by giving a short back story of who I am, what I'm doing and the things I hope to accomplish and become.

So, as stated before, I'm attending UT Knoxville and am majoring in journalism. Although the university lists me as a senior, I feel like I'm just getting started in journalism. I am a transfer student from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College where I graduated with an Associate degree.

At MGCCC, I got most of the "basics" out of the way and had fun at the same time. Band pretty much consumed my life. I was trombone section leader, band council - all that jazz. I had every intention of attending the University of Southern Mississippi, but plans change. So do locations. My family and I moved to Knoxville where I am continuing my education.

As for my future, my dream is to write for an automotive magazine or website. MotorTrend Magazine pretty much embodies everything that is awesome with this field. I like most automotive related things but the niche of "late-model production vehicles" is my passion. I love to see the next generation of car models roll off the assembly lines.

I plan to keep this blog fairly professional, posting stories I write for the Tennessee Journalist and any other material I produce. I plan to keep my personal life updated here as well.

So stay tuned! Watch for new and interesting updates.