Hats.

It’s strange, and a bit disconcerting, that viewers so often comment about the fact that I wear a hat on the programs. Someone sees me in a restaurant or walking down the dog food aisle in Publix and remarkson not recognizing me “without your hat.”

At first, hearing such comments, I didn’t understand. I don’t wear a hat on the program as a costume or wardrobe affectation but simply because outdoors I almost always wear hats.

Remember when Bobby Bowden had skin cancer some years ago and ever since he’s seen wearing a broad-brimmed hat in the attempt to forestall a recurrence? Well, I had a skin cancer surgically removed from my temple a few years ago (just five days before appearing on national TV hosting the Fourth of July fireworks concert of the Boston Pops -- the surgeon had done such a magnificent job – and the makeup gal did too -- no scarring showed at all.) And, like coach Bowden, I’ve been wearing hats ever since.

It’s not as though I could count on much protection from my hair. A couple years ago a dear friend, the artist Tom Cross whom we’ve profiled on the Journal, was about to begin chemotherapy and had a party at his Sarasota home. A barber was set up and eight of us male friends submitted to a buzz job on our own heads as a gesture of support for Tom.

Later, as his hair grew back in, curly and lush, most of the rest of us had decided to keep ours buzzed. It’s so much easier, simpler. It just doesn’t offer much protection.

Hence, the hats. Yes, plural. People who say they don’t recognize me “without your hat” underestimate the collection. There are baseball caps, of course. (Not neatly arrayed on the back shelf of the car forpeople following to admire, as is the Florida wont.) And western hats, cowboy hats, Stetson, Resistol. Florida straws, Australian bush hats. Tilley Endurables.

I never fancied collecting stamps or coins or barbed wire, but I do enjoy collecting a few serviceable hats. No three thousand dollar Monte Cristis. Until I find a way to put new hats on the expense account. (Wonder if WEDU would notice?)

PerkOut

On Blogging

OK. Here’s the problem with blogging.

You want to do it. You want to write entries for the blog. And with some regularity. Oth-erwise readers stop reading because after checking time and again and finding nothing new they no longer try.

I don’t blame them.

I don’t blame you if you are one of those. I’ve been doing this blog for -- what is it? A year now? -- and if I take time to count up all the entries I’ve made on the blog, I believe I would have to count all the way up to -- TWO!

Two. That’s all. That’s pathetic. That’s shameful.

As I said at the outset, the problem is that you want to do it. But each day there are so many things pop up that you not only want to do but have to do. Or that you simply want to do more than you want to think up something else to blog about.


My son, Eric, is a sportscaster at a TV station in the Twin Cities and he blogs. I talk to him about it. He has fun with his blogging and does a couple of entries a week. Oh, sure, sometimes he lacks that special idea for an entry but he has a fallback. When he doesn’t have a single idea, he makes a list. Maybe a list of his favorite sports memories. Maybe the notables he has found to be really good people. Maybe his favorite breakfast cereals. I’m not sure who cares but he makes them fun.


Which intimidates me a bit. I don’t eat breakfast cereals. So what do I do when I run dry one week. (And, yes, I do intend -- no promises -- to add a new entry every week.)

The principal purpose is to talk about our show: A Gulf Coast Journal. To give the reader a heads up on what to expect, what even to get excited about. There will be some of those, I trust.
We have a great deal of fun doing the program, meeting the people, seeing the places, having the experiences. I hope to make our enthusiasm contagious so you’ll catch it too. Check in often.

Now!

Now comes another great problem with blogging. How to sign off. Son Eric is known in Minnesota as Perk. His signoff, then, is a simple “Perkout.”When I was doing a family blog, the word “Popoff” worked pretty well -- two ways.

But here, I’m not your Pop, and can’t suddenly arrogate unto myself the nickname “Perk” so what to do? How to wrap? What to say in signing off?

Dunno.

A gentle, loving gripe

Let’s kick off this blog entry with a gripe. (Ah, yes, friends, I’m afraid that that kindly fellow you see hosting the Journal has a not completely hidden streak of the curmudgeon about him.)

We love to hear from viewers, whether by mail, e-mail, comments on the street, or, now, this electronic forum.

We love to hear from viewers and usually they are gratifyingly complimentary, so who wouldn’t love that.

But, also, often, they get the name of the program wrong. “We just love your West Coast Journal program,” they’ll say. Or “Left Coast Journal.” Or “Suncoast Journal.”

The name’s GULF COAST!!! A Gulf Coast Journal.

Actually, when it was still a glimmer in WEDU executives’ eyes, the working title for the program was --- ready for this? --- “Sarasota/Venice Today.” Doesn’t that make you want to rush to your set? To change channels?

Actually, though I’m glad to take credit for anything good about the broadcast, the fact is that I shouldn’t, because the producer and all the field producers and the camera crews and editors are the ones who do the work and have the vision. I get to stand up and pretend it’s mine. That’s the joy of hosting.

So I shouldn’t take credit for much about the show but I can take credit for the name. My idol in this business was always David Brinkley. I worked for him in my early years at NBC News, worked with him in years to follow, and to this day have never known a better writer for television than he was. Once, for a few years, he hosted a brilliant magazine program called “David Brinkley’s Journal.”

I flashed on that when sitting in an early WEDU meeting discussing our proposed broadcast and so urged the tentative name be changed. And it was. “A Gulf Coast Journal.” To which title the bosses asked if I’d mind if they added the phrase “with Jack Perkins.”

Well, not totally without vanity, I humbly acceded to their importunings.

Hence the title. So please: Gulf Coast, not West or Sun or Left but GULF. Although if you’re sending a compliment, call it whatever you want.

Cheers

ALL THIS … AND MORE!!!

Welcome. Here it is. The first entry in a new ‘blog.

We all know what a ‘blog is, right? (Actually, although the word is a contraction of the new-tech term Weblog, and thus the apostrophe, it has rapidly become common coin so henceforth I’ll omit the apostrophe, employing the more common blog.)

While this particular blog appears associated with the website of public broadcasting station WEDU it is – as a reader will quickly divine – not the formal pronouncement of that station. Or anyone else. Not a formal pronouncement, that is.

What it is and will be – claiming nothing more – is a collection of the random ruminations of the guy who’s privileged to host the broadcast called “A Gulf Coast Journal” which appears on WEDU most every week (unless pre-empted by begging – pardon – fund raising).

The blog will share some of my own insights into the stories we cover on AGCJ, some of the challenges and quirks of shooting the stories and putting them together. As they say at the beginning of some programs – “all this and more.”

As a warning, I need readers to know going in that this blog will be personal, idiosyncratic, at times dyspeptic and always unabashed. A blog, I figure, should never be abashed. WEDU’s Veep, when informed of the blogger’s intention to be candid replied: “I like the scary rides best.” Hang on.

Oh, and one more thing: You know how at the end of a voiced editorial on radio or television the commentator will often say “That’s our opinion; we welcome yours.”

My evil-half is tempted to tell you this blog won’t be saying that.

But my kindly half, dominant at the moment, reports that, yes, we ARE saying that. We hope you’ll offer your comments and suggestions. That’s what’ll make this thing work best for all of us.

The Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice which makes our program possible stresses not only the word but the concept of “community.” This blog is meant as our way to expand that sense of community to all.

So check in often. I’ll be here, rambling on.

jp