Scandal via Satellite
Being a relative “newbie” to the space/satellite beat, I was surprised to see something I actually recognized as I continued my sojourn across the exhibit floor at Satellite2006. As a denizen of D.C., living and working downtown for about 10 years, I’m often alerted to breaking scandals by spotting satellite news vans parked outside of various buildings on my way to or from work. That was my cue to check the news once I arrived at my destination, to see who’d just been indicted, etc.
So, it was pretty cool to turn a corner and saw the Frontline news truck parked on the exhibit hall floor, even tho’ there wasn’t an actual indictment. (At least not at the conference. We are in D.C., after all.) I know enough to recognize a satellite dish when I see one, but it wasn’t until I talked to the Frontline rep. that I learned there’s also microwave involved. I admit, I did peek inside to see if there was a microwave in there. But apparently it’s that long skinny pole across from the dish, and the rep explained that it’s used mostly for short haul uplinks to station antennas, which explains why I see poles up and the dishes down on the news vans I spot as I wander around D.C.
There wasn’t anything actually in the van at Satellite2006. I guess the buyers put in the guts. But I still bet that at least some of the vans I see have microwaves inside. After all, news crews gotta eat too.
