Grambo!

Wow, I feel so hip! My first blogging experience! What a thrill.

When asked to write for this blog, a moment shared between my 94-year-old grandmother and I kept coming to mind. When I started this job about a year and a half ago, everyone was thrilled for me. My parents would tell people they had a “daughter in TV.” Well, that’s partially true, but I am not on TV, nor do I produce, edit or work on the shows. I work elsewhere, but that’s not the point. People were excited to have a friend, sister and daughter working for a local public television station. And no, I was not going to be seen “on air,” but eventually they got over that.

This is where “Grambo” comes in. Grambo is the loving nickname I bestowed on my grandmother a few years ago when she fell and broke her arm. This petite, amazing woman (under 5 feet tall) proceeded to carry on her daily tasks like Rambo and “take it like a man.” Hence, Grambo was born. (For those of you who don’t know who Rambo is, trust me, he was a physical stud.) A month or two after starting my job, I went to visit Grambo and she asked about my new job in TV. Before I could get out an answer, she flooded me with compliments about MPT’s programming, on-air talent and gushed about an episode of a “touchy-feely” spiritual program that really tickled her fancy. Could it be that Grambo’s soft side was slowly seeping through? Keep in mind, she only watched “other” public TV stations until she had a “granddaughter in television.”

Her satisfaction that day, combined with my pride for what I do, made for a lovely little chat about my job. Purpose, passion and pride are words that come to mind when I think about my work here and the station as a whole. Nothing has really changed in a year. The coffee here is still average, the fish pond is still beautiful and Grambo still raves about MPT programs every time I see her. She even bought a flat screen TV to enhance her viewing experience. Her not-so-hip granddaughter, on the other hand, has yet to buy a flat screen. She’s one step ahead, as usual. Meaningful, fun work never gets old. The same can be said about Grambo—age seems to evade her.


Leslie Adler
Marketing Manager, Education Projects