VIDEO: From TV Lover to TV Installer

Editor's Note:  ‘Fish Out of Water’ features Minnetonka Patch Local Editor Katelynn Metz (me) trying my hand at a new job somewhere in the west metro. New editions of Fish Out of Water will appear every Monday. In this second segment, I try my hand as a cable installer for Comcast in the Twin Cities west metro.

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I love television. All kinds. News. Cop dramas. Reality. Game shows. Infomercials. Soaps. Home shopping. Golf. I know the well-worn buttons of my TV remote by heart—able to switch between shows like a master channel flipper. It’s actually one of my most admired talents (so I'm told).

So it seemed a natural fit that for this week’s “Fish out of Water” segment, I do something television related. On this day I was a Comcast cable technician. 

As it turns out, however, cable installation is much more than just fiddling with cables and remotes. It’s actually quite physical—and dirty—and complicated. 

In the course of the hour-long installation, we shoveled dirt, dug in the mud, threaded cable under a sidewalk, stripped cable and, my personal favorite, we crimped cable.

Pro-installer, Steve Wittrock guided me through the process. Luckily. For the homeowner. 

In the end, success! And for a bona fide TV junkie like myself, there’s no feeling like seeing a new cable box light up. 

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UPDATE MAY 23: Steve Wittrock, the communication technician featured in this story, was honored with Comcast's "Circle of Success" award, a nationwide recognition program that honors employees who provide exemplary service to customers, take great care of their teams or demonstrate extraordinary dedication to their communities.

Wittrock was nominated for the award by one of his supervisors for his
outstanding service and commitment to customers and was honored by the
company's senior leadership during a reception at Comcast headquarters
in Philadelphia.  Only 17 Comcast employees out 100,000 received the
"Circle of Success" award this year.

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