OPERATION: OVERSEAS

Pulse Extra quickly gained popularity with viewers and actually raised the ratings of the Pulse news block. Three years into Pulse Extra, a compelling story came to Bob's attention. It was a tale that took the series to new heights. "Pulse Extra's finest moment and the one I'm most proud of is the El Salvador series," claims Bob.

Pulse Extra reporter Don Harris on location
in El Salvador.

"We went there to help generate interest in our viewers to build some schools in a place that was far behind the times," explains Bob. "We showed the need for education in El Salvador by traveling all through the country filming people who lived in grass houses, on primitive farms that still operated as they had for hundreds of years, and all the poor health conditions. The stories ran for a week on Pulse Extra and also as a half-hour special. The program asked for contributions from the Tampa Bay viewers to fund the building of schools. Our generous viewers made it possible and eventually 28 schools were built with help from the Peace Corps."

Photographer Jack Cosgrove (pictured above),
producer Bob Gilbert, and reporter Don Harris efforts
helped improve the lives of the people of El Salvador.

The trip to El Salvador went smoothly compared with a life-threatening situation that preceded it. "Before we went to El Salvador, Mr. Dodson routed us through Costa Rica to film a volcano. An active volcano. He wanted a story and we drove up to the volcano in a battered old taxi. While Don and Jack were shooting around the volcano's lipit erupted! Poof! Poof!! Rocks and boulders started landing around us. I dove under the taxi while Jack and Don ran to join us. The boulders were hitting the car and we were very nervous."