TWR Listeners Lounge - Karen Minton

The Wilder Ride

In this episode, hosts Alan and Walt get a chance to talk with former meterologist, Karen Minton, of WSB-TV. Karen's career didn't start with a focus on television or meteorology. After getting her degree in the biological sciences, she was working for Dairy Queen corporate offices. She really thought she was going to be heading down that path. A chance encounter with a news director helped shape the course of her future. Starting on the West coast as a weather reporter, she eventually received a call from The Weather Channel. She isn't sure how they found out about her, but she took the job and relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. After a time, she thought she would be taking a new role in Florida. However, the station had just been sold and the news director said most people were bailing. The pause eventually led to being part of the WSB-TV team on channel 2.

As her career grew, she knew she needed to get her American Meteorological Society certification. As a divorced mother of two, she juggled work, raising her daughters, going to school and getting her certification. She spent the rest of her career as a news and weather anchor for WSB-TV, retiring just a couple years ago. Though she has hung up her Doppler Radar, she is eyeing a possible future as a patient advocate. However, before that, she has a few trips she'd like to go on and some fun to be had.

Following the interivew, Karen hung out as Walt began his review of another horrible movie he was forced to watch. Next, Alan and Walt each shared a pair of crazy news items. And, as always, they all wrapped up with the entertainment segment, letting us know what they have been watching, reading and listening to.

WATCHING

Walt began re-watching Arrested Development and binged all of season one. He really enjoyed the start of the series, Life After People on Hulu. Finally, he began watching, The Queens Gambit, and loved the first episode. Alan introduced his visiting Father-in-Law to the reboot of, Star Trek, directed by JJ Abrams. He re-watched, A Fish Called Wanda, Dave, Pale Rider and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Each of those movies is highly recommended. Alan continues to watch the weekly drops of, Loki, and has not yet been disappointed. As to the YouTube channels, he watched Ashleigh Burton react to Thor, Casablanca, A League of Their Own, Snatch and Ferris Beuller's Day Off. The Channel, Popcorn in Bed, reacted to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Pulp Fiction, Independence Day, Arrival and Top Gun. Finally, he always catches The Daily Doug. Karen loved the series, Chuck. She also his hooked on British shows and suggests, Victoria, The Crown, Endeavor, Shetland, Midummer Murders, Outlander, The Durrells of Corfu, Grantchester and Zen.

READING

Walt and Alan and both trying to finish the Star Trek behind-the-scenes book they both have. Karen just finished, "The Art of Power," by John Meacham, a book about Thomas Jefferson. She's also big into Ken Follet and the Century Trilogy, which cosists of, "Fall of Giants," "Winter of the World," and "Edge of Eternity." The other series is the Pillars of Earth, consisting of, "The Pillars of Earth," "World Without End," "A Column of Fire," and, "The Evening and the Morning." She also suggests, "The Splended and the Vile," by Erik Larson and "Grant" by Ron Chernow.

LISTENING

Walt continues to pour his way through Camp Hell: Anneewakee podcast. He also likes the sports podcast, Holy Crap It's Sports with Pete Davis. Alan continues to listen to the 2002 album, "Hummingbird," as well as random songs by them via his Alexa. As for podcasts, this week he listened to the latest episodes of, Measuring the Score, 60MW Podcast (doing a throw-back watch and review of Condorman) and Radiolabyrinth. Karen, says she plans to start diving into The WIlder Ride podcast.

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