Viewers Say The Darndest Things...

 

It’s a part of the job that can be heartwarming, uplifting, hilarious, discouraging and even hurtful.  So what…you might ask…can evoke all of these emotions?  Viewer letters.  From the trivial, to the funny and the rude to the insane-I’ve seen and read a lot during the past six years in this business.  This blog was inspired by my most recent piece of mail (yes, it came through old fashion snail mail). 

I received it late last week and I knew who it was from the second I saw the immaculate cursive on the envelope--a fellow named Stanley who’s been writing me since I first began at KXLY more than three years ago.  Stanley writes every single time I wear a piece of green clothing on the news.  No joke.  And, he is GOOD.  I cannot get one green outfit past this man.  In Spokane, I checked my station mailbox about three days after I donned a green blazer or shirt, and you better believe I had a letter from Stanley.  The first line of his letters are always the same, “Thank you for wearing my absolutely positively fab fav color outfit.”  So you’re probably wondering how Stanley knew I was wearing green here in Portland (he lives in Montana)-well that’s an excellent question.  Who knows-but I’ve got to tell you it was a lot of fun hearing from my old Spokane pen pal!

While this was the first handwritten letter I’ve received in Portland, I’ve had several emails.  A mixed bag of everything.  A few weeks back one man wrote,

“Sally,

You look too thin, like a smile attached to a stick. Do you have an eating disorder, maybe anorexia?”

The answer:  heck no!  I eat right along with the best of them. 

Then there was the adorable couple from Idaho who sent me an email and told me they think of me like their daughter.  There was even a picture attached so I could see what they look like!  I loved that one. 

A few weeks ago several anchors and producers got an email about me in the form of a checklist-a checklist of things this particular person doesn’t like about me.  Here goes:

1)  too high pitched voice
2)  too irritating voice
3)  too nasal voice
4)  too monotone voice
5)  too much teeth
6)  too much smile
7)  too much enthusiasm
8)  too much - period

Although it stings to hear from a critical viewer-it makes me tougher and in some cases their critiques have made me better.  (In this case, I don’t think I’ll be toning down the smile-but I appreciate the input:) )

So there’s a tiny little glimpse into my inbox.  I love hearing from viewers, it really helps me imagine who I’m talking to when I give a forecast or report on a particular story.  Keep them coming!