Hidden History

     This Sunday on CBS-8 in Montgomery, an exclusive report on the historic treasures that have been uncovered in the old Municipal Auditorium inside City Hall.

       The space had been used as a records storage room for decades, but is now being renovated into an active meeting space for the City Council.

      Veteran Civil Rights attorney Fred Gray talks with us about the discovery, and Mayor Strange discussed an appropriate display. 5:30 and 10:00pm Sunday, only on CBS-8.

The Way Forward

     A two-part story I produced is airing and is online this week.

     It's called The Way Forward, and it examined where some of the out-of-office politicians might be headed next.

    Part two airs on CBS-8 in Montgomery at 6pm tonight and again tomorrow morning on CBS-8 This Morning. (A somewhat abbreviated version of Part 2 will air tonight at 10pm).

   Part one is online now here...part two will be added to the WAKA website overnight.

Before he becomes the 53rd Alabama Governor....

.....Robert Bentley went On The Record with us, exclusively at CBS-8, and y'all have two opportunities to see the interview.

This Sunday at 11:00am, and Monday at 5:30am,

just hours before the Inauguration.

He says he never saw the AEA Dues bill, or any of the ethics legislation, before the special session (and suggests that changes to those bills are possible once he's Governor)....that it would be hard for him to cut the Governor's office budget because it is expensive to hire good people...and that he expects proration of both state budgets in the next year.



By the way, Bentley is apparently the second M.D. to hold the office. The other was Alabama's first Governor, William Bibb.



(Governor-Elect Bentley holds a drawing by one of his grandchildren).

With The Governor Elect

(Photo: Krista Littlefield)

     With Governor-Elect Bentley in his transition offices this week, during a taping of an "On The Record" program that will air on Sunday January 16th at 5:30 at 11:00am and on Monday the 17th at 5:30am on CBS-8 in Montgomery. Lots of topics covered, budgets, of course, AEA, his inaugauration on the 17th and more.

Emory

     You may have watched the story we aired on CBS 8 in November about the claim by former Montgomery Mayor Emory Folmar that he shot a criminal suspect.

     It was not a story we expected to find when we scheduled the interview.

     This Sunday, the majority of that interview will air as the last On The Record of 2010.

     The Mayor talks about today's Republican politics, The Todd Road incident, his management style, racism, running for Governor and being trounced by George Wallace, and more.

                                                                                         



     Folmar is 80, and runs the $300 Million ABC Board as a Bob Riley appointee. So far, Governor-Elect Robert Bentley has not said if he'll reappoint the former Mayor to that position.



The On The Record episode airs on CBS 8 in Montgomery at 5:30 this Sunday afternoon 12/26/10

A GOP Sweep in Alabama

There more live campaign coverage on the air right now, at least through 10:30 and perhaps beyond...here are a couple of behind the scenes shots of tonight't CBS-8 coverage of the 2010 General Election... watch for complete coverage in the morning when you wake up...it starts at 5:30 on CBS 8!

Go to http://www.waka.com/ for complete coverage of today's election!

The (AEA-Friendly?) Country Doctor

     The Press-Register reports this morning that GOP nominee Robert Bentley's campaign urged AEA to attack Bradley Byrne in the final days of the election, perhaps leading to Bentley's GOP Primary runoff win.

     We have the (previously taped) interview with Bentley airing this afternoon at 5:30 on CBS 8 in Montogmery.

Four Racing toward November 2nd

     Labor Day is supposedly the "official" start of the sprint to election day. The marathon started 18 months ago, and many who started that race are now sitting wounded on the sidelines.

     Four of the survivors will be guests on coming Sunday "On The Record" programs on CBS-8...the nominees for Lt. Governor and for Governor...and that series begins tomorrow with the Democratic Incumbent Lt. Gov, Jim Folsom, Jr.

     There will be numerous preemptions of OTR in the coming weeks because of golf and football.

     While it is a joy to occupy the broadcast real-estate right before 60-Minutes, it's also a hugely preemptable spot this time of year. If you want to keep this list or just jot down the dates...here are the Sundays when there will be an OTR and who will be the guest:

• Sunday, September 5, Democratic nominee for Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom, Jr.


• Sunday, October 3,  Republican nominee for Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey


• Sunday, October 17, Republican nominee for Governor Robert Bentley


• Sunday, October 31, Democratic nominee for Governor Ron Sparks

Tuesday November 2nd, Election Day.

A Strange OTR this afternoon...

     ...strange as in Todd Strange, Montgomery's Mayor, that is. We discuss a variety of subjects of interest to Montgomery residents....economic development... like trying to do something with the vacant Montgomery Mall, the Federal stimulus money that's saved many a city and state, even though Alabama's entire Congressional Delegation has voted against spending the money, and the Mayor's plan to build combined police and fire stations.



     Watch On The Record this afternoon at 5:30, just before 60-Minutes, on CBS-8 in Montgomery.