Goodbye to a great lady

[Jim Pemberton]

Perhaps only cleaners from Pittsburgh and nearby knew who Yvonne Zanos was, and if you are from this area, you probablyh already know that she passed away yesterday after a nearly three year battle with ovarian cancer. (She was told in 2007 that she had 2-6 months to live).

Who was she? She was a television consumer affairs reporter who was fair minded and interested in the truth rather than sensationalism and headlines.

I leaned this first hand we when she contacted me in 1990 for an expose on bait and switch carpet cleaning. She allowed me and another local cleaner to give the "good side of carpet cleaning" to balance all of the typical hidden camera sensationalism that we are sometimes entertained by, but that also give a bad impression of our industry.

She had us clean a room of her carpet, explain each step, and then spent more time interviewing us on the right way to clean carpet and how to chose a good cleaner than the bad parts. The funniest part of my "15 minutes of fame" on TV was the amount of nasty calls that I got from local "bad guy cleaners" and my first threatening letter from Chemdry about some of the things I said about cleaning methods and protector on the program. They do seem to like to send such letters, and I kept mine for years as a keepsake and regret that I lost it recently.

Since that time I could count on friendly calls from her regarding new consumer carpet cleaning spotters and machines and what I thought of them. She was a zealous consumer advocate who never lost her sense of perspective and had a willingness to see both sides of the issue.

She just turned 60 last Wednesday. I'll miss her as a broadcaster and as someone who I didn't know as well as I wished, but still felt was my friend, as all her viewers did.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10009/1026826-67.stm

 

[hogjowl]

Thanks for sharing that with us, Jim.

I wish I knew a reporter like that.

Of course, she'd probably just be asking me about pork.

 

[truckmount girl]

I'm sorry to hear this Jim. Isn't it a shame that the good ones don't get to stick around any longer than the bad ones? Sounds like she left a great legacy though, and that is all we can hope for and work toward in the end. Did we leave the world a little better than we found it.

Take care,
Lisa

 

[Jim Pemberton]

You'd have liked her Lisa. She had your sense of justice balanced with your sense of compassion.

She was also down to earth enough to tell people where to kiss if they gave her a hard time.

 

[Jimmy L]

.

 

[harryhides]

I'd like to share my experience on this subject.
While we did not have a local television consumer affairs reporter as such, I was able to accomplish a lot by being a "regular" ( 2-3 times per year ) for several years on the largest local radio station's talk show which had a consumer affairs format. This ended when they changed that format.

Over the years, many local carpet cleaners asked me how the heck I managed to pull that off.
I suspect that many carpet cleaners think that it would be quite difficult but in fact it was easy - I simply called up the station and offered to do this - most of them are always looking for new angles and new subjects to discuss. Also did one show with another local radio station and one TV. Just ask - nothing ventured, nothing gained.

One big mistake would be to promote this idea as a way to promote your own Company. I never did though the host did when introducing me.
The gal at the switchboard knew my tel # off by heart as she got so many calls asking for it. She said that she thought that it was because I never once mentioned my Company or tel number like so many other guests did.
One time a local Chem Dry dude challenged the host of the show for not allowing a different point of view and was invited to come down - he showed up ten minutes later! He was given 10 mins to give his version of "proper" cleaning. I remained in the studio but was silent while he completely destroyed his own credibility by his incessant self promotion. I know this from comments made by the Host ( who was turned off ) and by listeners that called in after he left. It was usually a one or two hour format.

Pick a subject that you know well - spot and stain removal, IAQ, Rug care, How to buy a Rug or carpeting, Mold, whatever and approach them on the basis of providing a valuable service to the community. I took a binder of several pages of "before" and "after" pictures to convince the show's host that I knew what I was talking about and that was it. One time we cleaned his house with both a TM and a Rug Doctor and built a show around that.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

...and you have a face for radio Tony!

 

[Guest]

I bet they had ya on cause you tawk funny....

 

[Desk Jockey]

You were very fortunate to cross paths with her, she sounded like a great women.

Sorry to hear of her passing, people like that are not replaceable.

 

[Mikey P]

How would she have handled Crazy George spilling a gallon of pain on her carpet?

 

[Jim Pemberton]

I can't answer that question Mike. Well, I can, but I won't.

She'd been on the TV for local charity drives and you'd not have known how sick she was except that she had gone public about it.

She was a little less than charitable when we pointed out that what the previous cleaner she had hired called "filtration soil" would ( and did )vacuum right up with a crevice tool.

 

[Mikey P]

Well if it makes you feel any worse I went to only my second funeral today.


My best retailer and good friend passed on xmas day from a heart attack at 62.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Sorry Mike. Way, way too young.