mike_lewis's Blog

Friends:

 We here in the Special Projects Unit can use your help again. We're looking for 4 families or individuals who are making big-time lifestyle changes in order to save money. We plan to profile the people with the best ideas in a story later this year. If you think you've done some serious penny pinching and don't mind being on TV, let me know! You can also click on our "business" tab and find a handy dandy form to fill out.

Thanks!

Mike Lewis

Special Projects Manager

WDAF TV

Hey Gang:

Once again, I just wanted to keep you up to date on some of the stories we are airing, since your calls and tips have helped develop some of them.

Tonight (Monday) Meryl Lin McKean has a story that is just shocking and sad all at once. It's about a woman who found a lump in her breast but through a series of mistakes, it wasn't treated until a year later.

Tuesday night John Holt has a story anyone looking for day care for their kids should see. A viewer called to ask how a day care could stay in business with so many complaints against it.. John found out.

And Wednesday..a little lighter fare: we catch up with David Cook who is on the road with the American Idol tour. He talks about how life has changed since he was bartending in Oklahoma.

Thanks!

Mike Lewis

Special Projects Manager

WDAF TV

Hey Bloggers:

You've helped me out on some stories so I thought you would be interested in how we have put your info to work.

We've got a great story tonight on how the military is working to help its people make their marriages stronger.  Leslie Carto follows 3 couples through the classes.

Many of you have already commented on the Immigration Test. Glad it generated some interest!

We've got a story Monday on how the latest study says kids under 2 years old shouldn't watch any tv at all...not even kids' stuff.

And the story on finding hidden treasure in your attic or garage is coming up after that.

So thanks for the help, and always feel free to suggest stories to us.

Thanks for Watching!

Mike Lewis

Special Projects Manager

WDAF TV

Hey Friends...

I could use your help again. We here at Fox 4 are trying to do a story on "hidden treasures".  That is, stuff you found in your attic, garage or basement which you thought was worthless, but turned out to be worth good money.

If you have a hidden treasure story to tell, drop me a line at

mike.lewis2@foxtv.com

Thanks!

Mike Lewis

Hey Gang:

I could use your help on a story we're trying to pull together, on addiction.

Specifically, video game addiction.

If you are, or have been addicted to video gaming, and don't mind talking about it, please give me a holler at mike.lewis2@foxtv.com.

If a family member or loved one had a similar addiction, we'd be interested in speaking to you as well.

We'll protect your identity if we need to.

Thanks!

Mike Lewis

WDAF TV

Hey Friends,  you really came through for me when we were looking for someone who had more than 200,000 miles on their car.

Well, I need your help again.

We're working on a story about finances and divorce. Specifically, the fact that you have to be very sure that your soon-to-be ex can't mess up your credit once the divorce is final. This happens when there is a debt under both names and one or the other of the parties quits paying. Then the bank comes after whoever they can find, and it might be the partner who thought the ex was taking care of the bill!

We want to find some people who have had this happen to them, and would be willing to share their hard lesson on tv.

Again...these would be situations where you found yourself liable for a debt your ex had agreed to pay, or incurred after the divorce without your knowledge.

You can shoot me a note at mike.lewis2@foxtv.com 

Thanks!

Mike Lewis

Special Projects Manager

WDAF TV

Hey gang, a little help here...

I'm the Special Projects Honcho here at Fox 4 and we are trying to do a story on how you can get 200,000 miles out of your car. 

If you've got more than 200,000 on the old beast and wouldn't mind sharing your secrets for automotive long life on TV, let me know!

Mike Lewis

We were wondering: is it just us, or are there more and more parents out there who are over-indulging their kids?   (Did you see the story about the mom who helped her daughter fake an essay in order to win Hannah Montana tix?-She claimed her dad had been wounded in Iraq).

Not that taking the kid to a concert once in a while is a big deal, but combine that with designer clothes, a cell phone, unlimited texting, an ipod, etc. etc. and it seems like there are going to be a lot of spoiled brats out there.

Do you know someon who is spoiling their kids? Are you stuck in a cycle of giving your kids anything they ask for...and want to change that?

We are interested in talking to you for a story we are working on.

Give me a call at 816 932 9123....no obligation, as they say on TV.

Mike Lewis

Special Projects Manager

WDAF TV

Hey!

If you've ever participated in medical testing for cash...we're interested in talking to you.  We are putting together a story on people who participate in tests for money, and we would love to talk to you if you have taken part in such a test recently.

Give me a call at 816 932 9123 or email me at mike.lewis2@foxtv.com if you're interested!

Mike Lewis

Special Projects Manager

WDAF TV

If you keep thinking you are going to use that old tube amplifier, or might play that old Cat Stevens LP (once you find a needle for your turntable)...it may be time to face reality and get rid of it all.  Here's a good way to do it.

Kansas Audio Reader is an organization which provides reading services for the visually impaired. That is...you can subscribe to listen to books, magazines, newspapers, live plays, etc....as read or described by volunteers.

Their big fund raiser is something called "For Your Ears Only", which is a monster garage sale of all sorts of audio equipment and recordings, from 8-tracks to mp3 players; turntables to boom boxes.

Anyway, they are having a big donation drive on Thursday, July 19th  at KU"s Edwards Campus, at 12600 Quivera Road. It will be in the Parking lot of Jayhawk Central, and run from 3-7pm. They will accept CDs, CD players, records, stereos, speakers, iPods, DVD/VHS videos, musical instruments, etc.

So if you are in a clean out mood, they are a good bunch and could use the support.

All the stuff they collect will go on sale September 21 & 22, and I think that sale is in Lawrence.

You can check them out at

http://reader.ku.edu/

Mike

A group of U.S. Senators today called for a full review of the Personality Disorder Discharge process used by the Armed Forces. The senators include Kit Bond. Bond's office says the use of a personality discharge can result in a loss of disability benefits and medical care from the VA, and can even lead to service members having to repay thousands of dollars in re-enlistment bonuses.

Sounds like a story to me. If you are, or know someone who got a personality disorder discharge...please give me a call!

Mike Lewis

WDAF TV Special Projects Manager

816 932 9123

I've been checking out a new service available on Sprint phones called Mobile Faker. I guess you can pay to have the service call you when you think you'll want to get out of a sticky situation (long meeting; annoying guy at a bar, whatever).

If you subscribe to the service and would like to share your thoughts on it with our audience, please drop me a line or give me a call!

Mike Lewis

Special Projects Manager

WDAF TV

816 932 9201

As my profile says, I'm the Special Projects Manager at Fox4. That means I work on stories which run during the so-called "sweeps" periods in May, November, and February.

One of the great things about this job is getting learn something new every day (while you're dealing with the same old stuff in between).

One of the most interesting things I have learned about recently is the web site Prosper.com.  Think  "Craig's List meets First National Bank of Whatever".   Essentially, folks who need money go on line to solicit loans. People with money to lend offer money at reduced interest rates. It's like that guy in India (or was it Pakistan) who won the nobel prize by lending small amounts of money to the utterly poor-except it's not in India, and the borrowers aren't usually at the New Dehli-Slum level of poverty. They are just folks trying to get over a financial hump.

Anyway, we're trying to pull together a story on area folks who might have used Prosper.com.   So if you have ever used the site to borrow or lend money, and don't mind being on tv to talk about it, let me know!

Mike Lewis

mike.lewis2@foxtv.com

We wrapped up St. Pat's day by going to the Elders' concert at the Uptown. Really enjoyed it, as always. I'm wondering if anyone else was surprised when they did "Message in a Bottle" for their encore. I've been to maybee 4 Elders' performances, and never heard them do anyone else's stuff, let alone an 80's (or was it the 70's) mainstream rock hit. 

I got a kick out of it.. it was a pleasant surprise.

I also wonder if the band thought it was a little bit out there to hit their audience with something a little out of character.

How about it, Irish Rock fans?