Meet Kristin: Engineer Extraordinaire
2:37 pm: The technical side of TV news is largely a man’s world. I know only a couple camerawomen. Kristin is the first female satellite truck operator I have ever met, and one of the finest.
She was set up and ready to go live when I arrived at Massachusetts General Hospital to cover Sen Ted Kennedy’s condition after seizuring yesterday. Kristin was bright eyed and bushy tailed. A good attitude goes a long way, especially at 6 in the morning.
Kristin lives outside Boston and takes special care of her satellite truck, nicknamed “Baked Beanz.” Though cramped quarters, Kristin has given “Beanz” a woman’s touch other trucks certainly lack. She has vanilla ice cream scented air freshener at the ready, a candy dish, and three different packets of gum fastened to the carpeted wall. “Gotta love velcro,” she told me. She also keeps her cherry chapstick stuck to the wall, too.
Kristin clearly loves her job. At one point today, I caught her reading a text book. Thinking she was taking a class, I asked her what she was studying. She held up a book entitled Satellite Communications. “I want to understand the math behind my trade. I want to know exactly what’s happening when I point my satellite up in the sky.” You go, girl!
8:35 am: I was supposed to attend a bachelorette party for one of my best friends last night. Instead, I’m camped outside Massachusetts General Hospital awaiting word on Ted Kennedy’s condition. The Senator was hospitalized yesterday after suffering two seizures.
My plane from NY to Boston was filled with journalists as everyone feared the worst. But last we heard, Kennedy was watching the Red Sox game and eating some take-out from Legal Seafood, a popular Boston restaurant. David Lee Miller and I tried to get a table there last night, but couldn’t. Maybe we should have ordered delivery too.
FNC Correspondent Laura Ingle is on hospital watch — CLICK OVER to read her ‘On the Scene’ blog!
Kathleen Foster has been with FNC as a field producer since 1996. She
says she’s never had a dull day, with her job taking her all around the
world – from the New York bureau to the Middle East. 
[...] getting into place. Field Producer Kathleen Foster is in Boston with David Lee Miller — CLICK OVER to read her ‘On the Scene’ blog! I tried to talk to Ted Kennedy’s niece Caroline Kennedy as we were deplaning, but not [...]
I wonder if Kennedy is setting a good example for the rest of the country and sharing his take out seafood meal with all the other patients. Isn’t this the Democratic platform or did I miss something? By the way, how much energy was waisted in bringing the meal to him in comparision to food prepared on the hospital site? Should he be charged for carbon credits. My God, where is Al Gore?
Just a FYI, not a big deal Adam, but i think instead of “seizuring”, it’s said as “seizing”. although i’ve been known to be wrong a time or two.
That stinks you missed the party, what you doing going to a bachelorette party? *L* Thought that was the girls thing
Party Crasher! ?
Kristin, your awesome!!
Our semi local tv station has a camera woman! She get a great sense of humor!
The seafood i’ll bet is terrific! We love seafood, but not like its “fresh” when we get it …i’ve always wanted the “real” stuff!!! Crab legs and lobster till i founder!!! yummmmmmmm
ohhhh kathleen, I apologize!! Darn the new “on the sceen”…I thought this was Housley’s!!! DUH! Sorry!! At least now the bachelorette party makes sense! *LOL*
Kristin graduated from our program at Ithaca College a few years ago. We were proud of her accomplishments then and she just gets better and better. As you said, “You go girl”…