Mike Boettcher’s New Tour of Duty

Blogging from the 2008 NAB-RTNDA conference in Las Vegas.

TVNewser caught up with former CNN and NBC News correspondent Mike Boettcher late this afternoon as he tries to drum up support for his new mission.

In an effort called NoIgnoring.com, Boettcher has arranged with the U.S. military to begin a 15-month embed with soldiers fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan. His reports will be in the forms of blogs and vlogs and he’s offering the content free to the Web sites of local stations around the country. He’ll pay for it through advertising on his own site.

But he’s not doing it alone, his 21-year-old son Carlos, a senior at George Washington University has asked to go along with him. Boettcher tells us the 15-month embed will only allow for 18 days home, “same as the soldiers who are fighting,” he says.

In a pamphlet he is handing out to the nation’s news directors, gathered in Las Vegas this week, Boettcher writes, “NBC News has granted my request to release me from my contact early. So now I will embark on my new journey.”

Mike and Carlos Boettcher are set to leave in a month. Before that, Mike has meetings in Silicon Valley to finalize online plans and partnerships.

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