NBC lets down its fans

For weeks now, we Moorpark College nursing students have been collaborating with NBC to have us attend their taping of a new revamped show. The agreement was that they would send two buses to the school on Dec. 8 at 1 p.m. to pick us up and they would pay us $10 a head to fill their audience seats for the taping of their new show "American Gladiators." Since we desperately needed money for our general nursing school fund and 40 people would make us $400, we were up for it.

So today we assembled at the school in parking lot "S" around 1 p.m. We were excited, having heard the possibility of an appearance by Hulk Hogan. Plus, we haven't seen this show since the 1990s. We waited anxiously in the cold December air and joked about the exciting battle that was about to unfold before us.

But by 1:30 p.m. the buses still had not arrived. Our instructor, Carol, was in cahoots with the woman at NBC organizing the pick-up, so she called the station to see where the buses were.

Unfortunately, that particular NBC employee had suddenly "quit" this week and no one was aware that we were in need of transportation. In fact, they had no clue we were even waiting for them or that we had even been told about the buses coming to get us.

They then apologized and told us there was nothing they could do except to bring us in on Monday for another taping. We told them we had our exam that day. Then they apologized again and hung up the phone.

We wasted one hour in the parking lot and weeks of our time organizing this event for our fundraiser. We feel that they should at least donate the money they had promised. Forty people had arrived at that parking lot today. That's $400. What a horrible way for NBC to screw the community. Jhonna H. Porter Moorpark