So there I was innocently paging through the Idaho Statesman this morning when there it was staring me right in the face in big, bold print with a photo no less.
Best Local TV Personality in the Treasure Valley: Don Nelson
Well that's just greeeaaaatttt! As if all the Idaho Press Club Awards and all the Idaho State Broadcaster's Association Awards and all the Emmys weren't enough, now Don Nelson has been named Best TV Personality in Boise ... for the second straight year! The Statesman goes on to write, "He is professional without being cold and brings insight and curiosity to the news desk every day."
Those kinds of accolades strike terror into the hearts of newsroom managers. What if it goes to Don's head? An anchor's ego suddenly veering out of control. Soon, he might start demanding things! This can go way beyond a special parking space or a bigger clothing allowance. What if he insists on a name change ... like being called 'The Donald?' (No, that's taken). Or maybe he'll follow in the footsteps of some celebrities and demand to be known by a single name only. "Your watching Idaho's Most Award-Winning Newscast with Michelle Edmonds, The Weather Expert Scott Dorval, Sports Director Joe Hughes, and DON!" Of course that wouldn't work because with all this attention, Don would demand top billing! I suppose he could even go the music rapper route. How does 'D Nelly' strike you? Oh Lord!
But of course, I really need not worry. Don has never been one of the egomaniac TV News anchors, and I'm going to share with you a story that tells you all you really need to know about Don Nelson. I don't think even Don knows about this, and I'll probably get in trouble for blogging about it, but it is so telling I feel compelled to share.
One thing Don enjoys doing is m.c.-ing the annual Treasure Valley United Way kick-off breakfast. It's a tough gig because of the early hour for an evening news anchor, but Don's a very energetic host and does a great job. This year, he and Michelle Edmonds also videotaped a short TV clip for the United Way to show to potential donors. It was scripted in part by KIVI, but Don was uncomfortable with one of the lines. It went like this.
Michelle tells Don that a United Way contributor has a chance "to win a flat screen plasma TV." Don was supposed to reply "I love watching myself on one of those!" but asked the producer on scene if he could change it to "I love watching the news on one of those!" Later, I learned the change didn't sit too well with a couple of people back here at the ranch. It was supposed to be a joke and the feeling was Don's change took the 'punch' out of the punch line.
I sided with Don. He's just one of those people who doesn't want anyone to believe for a second that he thinks the news is about him. Joke or not, Don Nelson saying he likes to watch himself on TV just isn't Don Nelson. He's quite humble, amicable, personable and as approachable in real life as on television. That friendliness you see between Don and Michelle on set is very real. They sit across from each other in the newsroom and continue with the same rapport you see on-air.
Don once told me if he hadn't become a TV news anchor, he would have become a radio talk show host instead, but not one like Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly. Don's ideal would be to invite guests, ask some questions, then sit back and listen to what they have to say. That's what truly interests him. He enjoys listening to your stories as much as reading them from an anchor desk. To Don, the news is really all about you.
So if you voted for Don Nelson in the Idaho Statesman's 'The Best of the Treasure Valley' section, then you should know you voted for a true professional, a family man and a great person ... who I'm pretty sure won't let this honor go to his head.
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