Monthly Archives: December 2009

Birmingham media in 2009: nasty, brutish and long

Posted on December 31, 2009 by | Leave a comment

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.

• • •

Media of Birmingham headlines from 2009

The bad news …

The not-so-bad news …

• • •

Read more Birmingham media updates.

Have a news tip? Let us know!

Leave a comment

Posted in In the news

Tagged , , , , , ,

Birmingham Works magazine celebrates 1-year anniversary

Posted on December 23, 2009 by | Leave a comment

birmingham works fall 2009 coverBirmingham Works magazine reached its 1-year anniversary with the publication of its fall issue.

The business publication by Vertical Solutions Media will move from a quarterly to a bimonthly schedule in 2010, and the January/February issue will be available at Books-A-Million/Joe Muggs stores.

The current issue, available online, features an interview with Michael Newsome of Hibbett Sports, making your business greener and a look at volunteer organization Hands on Birmingham.

• • •

Read more Birmingham media updates.

Have a news tip? Let us know!

Leave a comment

Posted in In the news

Tagged , , , , ,

Investigative reporting workshop, Jan. 23-24 at UAB

Posted on December 22, 2009 by | Leave a comment

Investigative Reporters and Editors is holding a series of Watchdog Workshops across the country to train journalists. Birmingham is one of only six cities scheduled to play host for the two-day seminar.

Seminar topics are:

  • Effective use of the Internet
  • Breaking down the walls
  • Paper and database trails
  • The art of the interview
  • FOI/Open Records
  • Managing and juggling your time to do watchdog stories
  • Bulletproofing a story
  • Computer-Assisted Reporting

Expected speakers are:

  • John Archibald, The Birmingham News
  • Rosalind Bentley, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  • Mark Horvit, IRE/NICAR (National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting)
  • James Pewitt, Johnston Barton Proctor and Rose LLP, Birmingham
  • Alison Young, USA Today
  • Scott Zamost, CNN

The Birmingham Association of Black Journalists is a sponsor.

  • Who: Investigative Reporters and Editors along with the Birmingham Association of Black Journalists
  • When: Jan. 23-24
  • Where: UAB’s Heritage Hall, 1401 University Blvd. [map]
  • Cost: $50 for professional journalists: $35 for BABJ members; $25 for students. Fees include a 1-year IRE membership. Optional: computer-assisted reporting workshop on Jan. 24 is $30.
  • To reserve your spot: Register online.

Leave a comment

Posted in Local events

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

UAB professor Minabere Ibelema wins Sigma Delta Chi Award from SPJ

Posted on December 18, 2009 by | 3 comments

Minabere IbelemaMinabere Ibelema, associate professor of communication studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, won the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Research. He was the sole winner from Alabama and also serves as undergraduate journalism director.

He won the award from the Society of Professional Journalists for research on his book, “The African Press, Civic Cynicism, and Democracy.”

• • •

Read more Birmingham media updates.

Have a news tip? Let us know!

3 Comments

Posted in In the news

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

WordCamp Atlanta coming Jan. 8-9

Posted on December 17, 2009 by | Leave a comment

For those interested in blogging and WordPress in particular, startup conference WordCamp Atlanta will be among the first WordCamps of 2010.

It’s an opportunity for beginners and advanced users to network and learn more about using WordPress for Web site creation, blogging, content management and more. For example, the Media of Birmingham site runs on WordPress.

The two-day event takes place Jan. 8-9 on the Georgia Tech campus, with short lightning-round talks on the first evening and sessions throughout the second day. Registration is $45.

(MOBster Wade Kwon will be one of the featured speakers.)

Leave a comment

Posted in Local events

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Citadel prepares to file for bankruptcy

Posted on December 16, 2009 by | Leave a comment

The nation’s third-largest radio company is headed for Chapter 11.

Citadel Broadcasting is expected to file for bankruptcy by Dec. 31, according to a report last week in the Wall Street Journal. The company would swap $2 billion in debt to lenders for an equal stake in a reorganized operation.

The broadcaster’s stations in Birmingham are:

  • WAPI (1070 AM), news/talk
  • WJOX (94.5 FM), sports/talk
  • WSPZ (690
 AM), sports/talk
  • WUHT, Hot 107.7, R&B
  • WWMM, Live 100.5
, Adult Album Alternative
  • WZRR (99.5 FM), Classic Rock 99

Leave a comment

Posted in In the news

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Addy award submissions due Jan. 6

Posted on December 15, 2009 by | Leave a comment

The 52nd annual Addy Awards, recognizing the best among Birmingham’s advertising community, wants your entries.

The deadline is Jan. 6, just 3 weeks away. (Late entry deadline is Jan. 11.)

Entry fees range from $55 to $90. The entry drop-off location is Think Positive Advertising, 100 Grandview Pl., Ste. 110, Inverness [map].

Full details can be found on the Addy Awards site and the American Advertising Federation-Birmingham site.

For more information, contact Carrie Pearce at carrie@thinkpositive.tv or call 262-2832.

• • •

Read more Birmingham media updates.

Have a news tip? Let us know!

Leave a comment

Posted in In the news

Tagged , , , , , ,

SPJ Alabama selects Dennis Pillion as chapter president

Posted on December 14, 2009 by | Leave a comment

The Alabama Pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has selected new officers for 2010:

  • President: Dennis Pillion, sports producer, AL.com in Birmingham
  • President elect: David Joyner, executive news editor, Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. in Birmingham
  • Secretary: Meredith Cummings, director of the Alabama Scholastic Press Association, journalism instructor at the University of Alabama
  • Treasurer: Jill Nolin, city/county reporter, Montgomery Advertiser

From left, Pillion, Joyner, Cummings, Nolin

The other current board members are:

  • George Daniels, assistant professor of journalism, University of Alabama
  • Abigail Morrow, attorney, Taylor Ritter P.C. in Birmingham
  • Jenn Rowell (immediate past president), military reporter, Montgomery Advertiser
  • Matt Stanley, producer, “Today in Alabama,” WSFA-TV, Montgomery

• • •

Read more Birmingham media updates.

Have a news tip? Let us know!

Leave a comment

Posted in In the news

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Birmingham Entrepreneur on Tuesday

Posted on December 11, 2009 by | Leave a comment

Getting Noticed and Working with the Media

Atticus RomingerAtticus Rominger, a consultant with Rominger Media and MOBster, shares insights and tips on getting media coverage for your business. The former Fox 6 reporter will give insider’s view of how the newsroom really works and what will help you get noticed when working with the media.

Leave a comment

Posted in Local events

Tagged , , , , , ,

EXCLUSIVE: Bright House Networks ending public access channel

Posted on December 10, 2009 by | 4 comments

Bright House Channel 4“Dean and Company,” the quirky fixture of Birmingham cable, debuted its annual Christmas special earlier this week on Channel 4. That’s the Bright House public access channel.

But the channel itself is going off the air in 2010. On Jan. 1, Bright House Networks is moving public access programming to its “In Demand” channels for government, religion and sports. Those channels are in the digital tier.

Bright House NetworksWhen asked how many Bright House subscribers pay for basic cable vs. digital cable, a company official replied that he “didn’t know.” For comparison, competitor Time Warner Cable has 14.6 million basic cable subscribers and 8.8 million digital tier subscribers. Such a move could shrink the audience for public access programs by 60 percent or more.

The programming will continue to be available through the cable system’s “on demand” feature.

Among the programs affected are Birmingham city council meetings, “Birmingham Public Library Presents,” “Real Arts Birmingham,” “Moving Forward from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute” and “The Best of the Sidewalk Film Festival.”

Bright House is the sole cable operator for the City of Birmingham as well as other nearby cities.

Although cable companies are required by the federal government to carry public access channels, some markets have cut their channels because of low viewership or lax city requirements. Time Warner closed 12 Los Angeles public access studios providing programming for 11 channels in January.

• • •

Read more Birmingham media updates.

Have a news tip? Let us know!

4 Comments

Posted in In the news

Tagged , , , , , , ,