A tag cloud of Media of Birmingham news headlines in 2009
Birmingham’s mainstream media professionals had a brutal 2009. Whether at newspapers, magazines or TV or radio stations, the news was overwhelmingly negative.
Nearly two dozen of our stories posted on Media of Birmingham regurgitated the alarming trends: cuts, layoffs, freezes, buyouts, slumps and terminations. Three magazines — Lipstick, Skirt and Southern Accents — folded in the past 12 months.
At least 100 people at these organizations lost their jobs. Even more frightening are the jobs that disappeared without a whisper, either by news outlets or this site. Who knows how bad it really is?
And that is the odd state of media in Birmingham in 2009. Sometimes, a blog for a professional networking group, or a whisper on Twitter or Facebook, is the only indication that a company is about to implode.
For those continuing to look for work within their current field, we can only wish you the best of luck. And for those working on Plan B for their careers, we offer our encouragement and our ideas.
Not all of you will stay in media, whether it’s advertising, marketing, journalism or whatever. The jobs are going away, and many are not coming back.
That doesn’t mean creative, smart professionals can’t carve out a new career. But it will take luck, talent and hard work, the tripod of success. Career transformation can be done, and it’s happening every day in Birmingham.
Media of Birmingham will continue to bring the news and information that matters to our audience, whether on this site or in our monthly events. We serve you, the city’s professional media community.
And we ask that you pitch in. Your ideas, your energy and your willingness to help keep this group thriving, even in a challenging year like this one.
The headlines may continue to be negative for some time. Only you can rewrite your own story.
Along with the familiar Red Kettles, the Angel Tree program is one of The Salvation Army’s highest profile Christmas efforts. Angel Tree was created by The Salvation Army in 1979 by Majors Charles and Shirley White when they worked with a Lynchburg, Va., shopping mall to provide clothing and toys for children at Christmas time.
The program got its name because the Whites identified the wishes of local children by writing their gift needs on Hallmark greeting cards featuring pictures of angels and placing them on a Christmas tree at the mall. Thanks to the Whites, who were assigned by the Salvation Army to the Lynchburg area at the time, more than 700 children had a brighter Christmas that first year.
Three years later, when the Whites were transferred to Nashville, Angel Tree was launched during the 1982 Christmas season. WSM radio, which airs the Grand Ol’ Opry, came on board that year as the first Angel Tree co-sponsor in the United States.
Because of the on-air promotion on WSM in Nashville, as well as national publicity on CNN and the “Larry King Show,” news of Angel Tree spread across the country like wildfire. Since that time, the program has grown to include Angel Trees in throughout the Birmingham area.
In 2007, The Salvation Army partnered with Fox 6 Gifts for Kids, a program designed to give foster children in the Birmingham metro area Christmas gifts. With this partnership, 7,113 children were helped.
Melissa Fierstine at Hands on Birmingham says that the Salvation Army anticipates helping more than 10,000 Angels in Jefferson and Shelby Counties this year. The Angels register in September and October to receive assistance.
Daytime event: Holiday Helpers, a volunteer project
Tuesday, Dec. 15
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Salvation Army warehouse, 3500 Sixth Ave. S., Southside [map]
Free, but you must RSVP (else, $10 late fee for charity)
Give back in December! For our daylong volunteer event, we’re working with Hands on Birmingham to help children in need. It’s the Salvation Army Angel Tree project. We will sort, arrange and bag gifts and toys for children in preparation for distribution.
Here’s how to help:
Register for one or more 90-minute shifts to work on Dec. 15.
Dress for the warehouse: You might get dirty or chilly. And comfortable shoes will feel great on concrete!
Please show up 15 minutes early for your shift.
Note: You must RSVP for this event. Late registration is $10 plus service charge.
Please RSVP by Monday, Dec. 14, noon.
Evening event: Holiday Jollies, our monthly mixer
Tuesday, Dec. 15
6-8 p.m.
Taziki’s Greek Fare, 301 18th St. S., Southside [map]
Free, but you must RSVP (else, $10 late fee for charity)
Don’t let the year end without wishing your MOB friends Merry Christmas. We’re celebrating at Taziki’s Greek Fare on Southside.
$1 domestic beers!
specials on appetizers!
Note: You must RSVP for this event. Late registration is $10 plus service charge.
It’s our first morning meeting, and it’s going to be an eye opener.
Matt Cuthbert and Dennis Pillion of AL.com will show you how they shoot, upload and promote videos, and how you can, too. Ever wonder how you can use video to tell a story or promote a brand on your site? Learn how in our Nov. 17 workshop at Shift Workspace downtown.
Matt is the senior editorial producer and has been with AL.com for 11 years. He oversees the site’s entertainment and living sections, acts as a liaison with the state’s three largest newspapers, manages the community blogs and writes a couple of his own.
Dennis is a sports producer and has been with AL.com since 2007.
7-7:30 a.m. – networking
7:30-8:30 a.m. – presentation
Invite your friends and colleagues in media (print, broadcast, online, etc.), public relations, advertising and marketing.
Note: You must RSVP for this event. Admission is $10, which includes coffee and pastries
Birmingham-based magazines continued their ad sales slump when comparing their third quarters of 2008 and 2009. The most surprising drop came from Hoffman Media’s Cooking With Paula Deen, which fell 14.1 percent according to figures from the Magazine Publishers of America. The magazine had increased 3.2 percent between the first half of 2008 and 2009.
Meanwhile, with layoffs imminent at Southern Progress, the decline in ad sales continued among the five remaining titles. Coastal Living saw the biggest slump, dropping 13.6 percent, while Health Sunset remained nearly steady with a 0.3 percent drop. Southern Progress magazines saw a 6.9 percent drop overall.
U.S. magazines lost 18.6 percent average in ad sales from 2008 to 2009 during the third quarter.
$3 (which entitles you to “$3 off coupon” at the door)
Ready to Mellow out?
It’s the Media of Birmingham October networking mixer at Mellow Mushroom, in Five Points South. Grab a beer or other beverage, and jump into a conversation. It’s 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20.
Drink specials:
$2.50 Pints
$4 Jaeger
$4 Gran Marnier
Invite your friends and colleagues in media (print, broadcast, online, etc.), public relations, advertising and marketing.
Note: You must RSVP for this event. Admission is a paltry $3. Registered guests will receive a “$3 off coupon” at the door upon sign-in.
O Kafés, 2901 Second Ave S., Pepper Place, Lakeview[map]
Free
What’s wrong with your industry? And more importantly, if you were the boss, how would you fix it?
Now it’s up to you.
We’ll have four-person table discussions on how you would fix problems in your industry, whether it’s marketing, print journalism, TV news or anything else. Share, learn and take away some ideas for your boss.
Our Sept. 15 MOB event will be “If You Were in Their Shoes.” We’ll have four-person table discussions on how you would fix problems in your industry, whether it’s marketing, print journalism, TV news or anything else.
To help us get ready, please take a short survey and let us know how to make the event worth your time.
We’ll post more details shortly. Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Mellow Mushroom, Inverness Corners, U.S. 280 and Valleydale Road, Hoover [map]
Free
Short notice, but big fun. Come on down to Hoover for Tuesday’s Summer Mellow Mixer. We’ll be at Mellow Mushroom upstairs in the party room, because, well, that’s where the party is.
Note: We’ll be in Inverness, not the Five Points South location.
Join us downtown any time between 5:30 and 7 p.m. Invite your friends and colleagues in media (print, broadcast, online, etc.), public relations, advertising and marketing. Our thanks to the folks at Mellow Mushroom for helping set up this event.
Welcome to Media of Birmingham, a networking group in Alabama. We meet on the third Tuesday of every month, and we welcome professionals in journalism, advertising, public relations, new media and marketing. Membership is free.
On Dec. 15, Media of Birmingham is 
