Wilkes Coach Promoted; Assistant Takes Reins Of Team

Anna Simonitis 
Jan. 22, 1996 
Anna Simonitis Of The Dan Flood Towers, Wilkes-barre, Died Monday At The 
Wilkes-barre General Hospital.

Wednesday, January 24, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1C 





Editor's note: This marks the debut column of Times Leader entertainment
writer Van Rose. Rose will write about local television every other week. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It was anything but a normal day. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Penny Lindgren felt like Dr. Zhivago. Pete Yaksick was nervous. Susan
Houseman was afraid she was going to miss out on the excitement. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Those kind of things happen to people during a monster snow storm.
Especially on Jan. 8, when The Blizzard of '96 nearly crippled the Wyoming
Valley. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lindgren, who anchors the noon news on WYOU-TV, Channel 22, wasn't
intimidated by the weather. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'm from Chicago, so I'm used to tough winters," said Lindgren, who moved
here nine years ago. "Whenever I hear there's a big storm coming, I bring a
change of clothes. As a matter of fact, I keep snow pants and snow boots under
my desk," she added. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lindgren admits, however, that she was fortunate to even get to work on the
day of the blizzard. Her car was buried in snow. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I called the station at 7 a.m. and asked if someone could come and get
me," Lindgren said. "One of our photographers, Joe Butash, came by in a
4-wheel drive truck that has 140,000 miles on it." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There was one slight problem. Butash could only get within a block of
Lindgren's house. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He was way up the street, so I felt like Dr. Zhivago as I was walking
through the snow trying to reach the truck," Lindgren said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lindgren put in a long day at work. By necessity, she wound up anchoring
three other newscasts besides her regular noon slot. Jennifer Watson was off,
Debbie Dunleavy was snowbound at home and Rich Everett left due to illness
after the 6 p.m. newscast. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For Lindgren, the worst part of the day was being inside. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I used to be out in the field as a reporter," she said. "I covered the '93
blizzard. It's pretty exciting being out in one." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yaksick co-anchored the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts with Dawn Timmeney on
WBRE-TV, Channel 28 on the day of the blizzard. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It was one of his greatest challenges, said Yaksick, a reporter who serves
as a backup anchor. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I was very excited and to a big extent I was nervous because this is the
first time I've anchored before a captive audience," Yaksick said, referring
to snowbound viewers. "It was monumental for me because I'm not a main
anchor." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yaksick said both newscasts went smoothly, but most of the credit should go
to the reporters and cameramen who covered the storm. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I felt for those reporters, because I've been through it," Yaksick said.
"It's tough when you're out there in the cold. The ability to just talk is
tough. You have to stand out there for at least five minutes waiting for a
live shot." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yaksick said it's equally difficult for the cameramen. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Reporters can keep their gloves on, but the cameramen have to keep one
hand bare to operate the camera with. That's got to be extremely painful for
them." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yaksick said television thrives on storms. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Weather has become so important on TV news that everyone's trying to
outshine one another," he said. "That's because we bring it right into your
home." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Houseman, who co-anchors the 11 p.m. news on WNEP-TV, Channel 16, said her
only fear was not getting in on the action. Houseman works the night shift.
She was at home during the day, keeping track of the storm by watching
television. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Actually, sitting at home watching all the news coverage made me anxious
to come in and report on it myself," Houseman said. "It was frustrating
watching a big story going on and not being part of it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I was determined to get in." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Houseman really had no choice. Co-anchor Nolan Johannes was snowbound. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Houseman arrived about 7:15 p.m., and things at work went pretty smooth.
Until she went on the air, that is. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Then, all of the sudden, the normally cool newscaster started to feel the
heat. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The heating vents on the roof got blocked by the snow, so it was 92
degrees in the studio under those hot lights," Houseman said. "I had on a
sweater and I was sweating on the set. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I fanned myself with scripts during commercial breaks." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Houseman didn't complain. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She wouldn't have traded places with anyone. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Van Rose is a Times Leader entertainment writer. His television column
appears every other Wednesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

'96 Blizzard Was Hot Story For Newscasters