NBC News correspondent Mark Potter, whose Katrina sculptures segment has been bumped from the “Nightly News” nearly a half-dozen times since January, says the two-minute segment may finally reach a national television audience this afternoon.
Potter, who filed several national stories from Biloxi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, returned to the city three months ago to film a story about the city’s Katrina sculptures and sculptor Marlin Miller.
However, the story has been bumped each time from weekend newscasts because of late-running golf tournaments.
“They tell me there’s no golf or other sports threats today, so I think the chances are really good,” Potter told the mayor’s office this afternoon. “It’s scheduled to run at the end of the newcast, and it’s a great way to end it. It’s a really sweet piece.”
The NBC “Nightly News” can be seen locally on WDSU-TV 6 this afternoon at 5:30.
In the segment, which will air to a “Nightly News” national audience numbering about 10 million, Potter interviewed sculptor Marlin Miller as he completed work on his 16th sculpture in Biloxi’s overall collection of 21 waterfront sculptures created from standing dead trees.
“We’re certainly pleased that NBC has chosen to bring national attention to this project,” said Mayor A.J. Holloway, who also was interviewed. “We began with five sculptures, and then Marlin came along and the project really took off. It’s a great story all the way around.”
See more online
— Although NBC’s national TV audience has not seen the sculptures story, NBC posted nearly three minutes of bonus footage from the Katrina sculptures on msnbc.com. The web-only segment, part of NBC News’s continuing “In their own words” feature, can be seen by clicking here.
— To see photos from Mark Potter’s visit to the Biloxi sculpture site, click here.
— For background on the overall sculpture project, click here.
