Author Archives: Media of Birmingham

Birmingham AAF luncheon event, Sept. 19

Posted on September 15, 2008 | Leave a comment

Tim Brunelle

The Birmingham chapter of the American Advertising Federation will tackle the future of advertising with guest speaker Tim Brunelle on Friday.

What is the future of advertising?

Perhaps the better question today is, “What is advertising?” In less than 10 years we’ve witnessed never-before-seen mutation in the marketing and advertising industries. Technology, consumer empowerment and media fragmentation are helping redefine the rules and methods of what defines an ad, how they’re made, who makes them and what kinds of impact we can expect to achieve.

Tim Brunelle thinks this state of affairs is wonderful and hopes to convince you it is, too. His presentation mashes up management consulting, philosophy, copywriting, design, interaction, strategy, media negotiations and, most important, the primacy of ideas, to help you evolve your work in this new age.

View an outline of Tim’s presentation and send him your comments, questions and feedback on his site, Useful Lunacy.

  • Who: Tim Brunelle, CEO, Hello Viking
  • What: AAF-Birmingham Luncheon
  • When: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday
  • Where: Alagasco Midtown Business Center, 20 S. 20th St. [map]
  • Cost: $10, free for members
  • RSVP: E-mail bhamad@mindspring.com.

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September event: The Freelancers Forum

Posted on September 8, 2008 | 1 comment

Update: See photos from this event.

It’s tough times for publishing — maybe it’s time to think about the next step.

If you’ve considered freelancing, but don’t know where to begin, we’ve got the panel for you.

Donna FrancavillaDonna Francavilla, freelance broadcast reporter/consultant

  • Owner, Frankly Speaking Communications LLC, providing consulting services, voice work, writing, ad placement. Besides reporting on some of Birmingham’s most prominent news stories, Donna is a radio and television consultant. donnafrancavilla.com

Julie KeithJulie Keith, editor-in-chief, Thicket Magazine

  • Thicket magazine functions in equal measures as an educational and entertainment piece, a journalistic road map of the state. Julie previously worked at Portico and Alabama magazines.

Jean McLeanJean M. McLean, freelance writer/editor

  • Freelance writer/editor specializing in corporate, construction, real estate, medical, travel, home and Christian interests. Regular contributor to Birmingham News, Portico, Southern Breeze, Samford University’s Seasons, Birmingham Home and Garden, Birmingham Parent and Birmingham Medical News, among others.

You told us you wanted more in-depth discussions and training, so join the discussion on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at the Wine Loft downtown [map].

  • 5:30 p.m. — meet and greet
  • 6-7 — panel discussion

E-mail your questions in advance to us. The event is free and open to everyone.

Anyone in media, advertising, PR and Web should stop by — please tell your colleagues, friends and enemies to join us. Complete details are available on the Evite.

Questions? Contact us or leave a comment.

P.S. Please join our free mailing list for all the updates straight to your In box.

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Connecting journos and sources

Posted on August 14, 2008 | Leave a comment

Our pal Atticus has created a new site called SourceBarn, sourcebarn.com. Like ProfNet, this free service connects journalists with sources and experts. Unlike ProfNet, it’s focused on Alabama-based professionals.

I wanted to let you know about a great local website for Alabama reporters and publicists. It’s called SourceBarn, and it’s FREE. Reporters, editors and authors looking for sources can post queries on the site. Those queries are shared with PR folks, marketing types and others who can help track down great interviews. This a way for reporters to make their stories sing, and for publicists to get their clients/organizations some great ink!

You can check it out at SourceBarn.com. Remember, the more people use it, the better it works, so please forward this on to as many people as you can think of.

Thanks!

Reporters: The next time you’re on deadline, give it a try by sending your query to Atticus, who’ll distribute it via e-mail.

PR pros: Sign up for his e-mail list to get the queries from state journalists.

The more you use the site, the more it will grow.

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August event: Til Tuesday

Posted on August 7, 2008 | Leave a comment

Voices Carry

Time for a change — a big change.

You told us when to meet, and from now on, we’ll gather on Tuesdays!

The MOB meets on Tuesday, Aug. 19, for our monthly mixer. Head over to Matthew’s Bar and Grill on Morris Avenue [map] for a summer closeout blowout. Join us anytime from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Anyone in media, advertising, PR and Web should stop by — please tell your colleagues, friends and enemies to join us. Complete details are available on the Evite.

Questions? Contact us or leave a comment.

P.S. Please join our free mailing list for all the updates straight to your In box.

We’re so happy the MOB’s doing well, after the jump …

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Birmingham News cutting back

Posted on August 4, 2008 | 2 comments
Birmingham News

Birmingham News

Also: Newhouse shutting down wire service

Some are calling 2008 the worst year ever for newspapers, citing declines in ad revenues.

Like many newspapers this year, the Birmingham News is trimming its operations by offering buyouts and early retirement to employees:

The Birmingham News Co. is offering voluntary buyouts or early retirement to a limited number of employees, Publisher Victor Hanson III said Friday. The issue is revenue, not readership, Hanson stressed. “Our readership is as high as it has been since 2004, and our online home at al.com is the most-visited local Web site in Alabama,” he said. The number of buyouts will depend on how many employees accept the offer, he said, but it will be limited by department and job category to protect the essential missions of the newspaper to inform and serve the community.

Meanwhile, Newhouse News Service is shutting down after Election Day.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Newhouse News Service, a supplemental wire service founded in 1961, will close on Nov. 7, after the election.

The news service is also the Washington bureau of Advance Publications Inc. of New York, which owns 26 daily newspapers.

“The decision to close followed the direction of our clients, the editors of our papers,” said Linda Fibich, editor and Washington bureau chief. “They felt they could not afford to pay for a central Washington bureau at a time when they were steering all available resources to local coverage back at home.”

The news service has 24 employees. Of those, 11 are reporters who write for specific newspapers and “are being offered opportunities to join the staffs of those newspapers,” Fibich said. “Whether the individual papers maintain a presence in Washington is up to each individual paper.”

Advance Publications owns both the wire service and the Birmingham News. Fortunately, Washington correspondent Mary Orndorff will continue her beat for the News, even as NNS folds.

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Photos from Shades of Grey

Posted on July 23, 2008 | 2 comments

Thanks to all who came out in triple-digit temps for our July mixer at Grey House Grille. Check out these photos of our sojourn at SoHo.

More summer fun on the way from the MOB …

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July event: Shades of Grey

Posted on July 9, 2008 | Leave a comment

Update: See photos from this event.

gray

Take time out of your hazy summer for an evening with the MOB.

The fifth anniversary celebration continues with our monthly mixer. Come out July 21 to Grey House Grille in SoHo Square in Homewood [map | wine list] from 5:30 to 7 p.m. We’ll have happy hour specials (beers, martinis, and wine), a nice corner of the patio, and nametags galore.

Anyone in media, advertising, PR and Web should stop by — please tell your colleagues, friends and enemies to join us. Complete details are available on the Evite.

Questions? Contact us or leave a comment.

P.S. Please join our free mailing list for all the updates straight to your In box.

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Reduction in Force, a photo essay

Posted on July 3, 2008 | Leave a comment

‘Merc News’ Designer Who Illustrated Layoffs Now Joins Them

By Joe Strupp

Published: June 27, 2008 11:05 AM ET

NEW YORK — You could file it under “Ultimate Irony,” or just “More of the Same.”

But the announcement this week that the San Jose Mercury News would layoff nine employees today took on an extra feeling when word came down that one of those ousted would be Martin Gee.

Gee, a veteran designer and illustrator, drew industry-wide attention this spring when he created a poignant photo display of images from the Mercury News that represented the emptiness of the paper following recent cutbacks. He posted them on his Flickr page, which was eventually linked to by numerous other Web sites.

E&P reprinted many of the images in the June issue, with a story by Editor Greg Mitchell in which Gee stated: “I love this paper,” adding, “it’s the one I grew up with.” Gee told Mitchell at the time that he was not reprimanded for the display, but “our editor wrote a memo saying we should not dwell on the past.”

[full story | original Flickr slideshow]

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Society of Professional Journalists interest meeting

Posted on July 2, 2008 | Leave a comment

Society of Professional Journalists

From our pal Hilary, who says that Jennifer Rowell, military reporter at the Montgomery Advertiser, is working to start a Society of Professional Journalists chapter in Alabama:

Greetings! Ever feel the need to sharpen your journalism skills or network with other professional journalists? Here’s your chance!

The SPJ Alabama Pro Chapter will be hosting an interest meeting on July 16 at Speakeasy 1920, 1920 Third Ave. N. [map], from 5 to 7 p.m. Snacks will be provided.

In addition to professional development and networking opportunities, the Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry through the daily work of its nearly 10,000 members; works to inspire and educate current and future journalists through professional development; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press through its advocacy efforts. SPJ is a group for print and broadcast alike.

Come and find out more about the SPJ Alabama Professional Chapter opportunities coming soon to central Alabama!

Please RSVP to Jennifer Rowell at jrowell@gannett.com. Please feel free to forward to coworkers!

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Clarke Stallworth, longtime Alabama newspaperman, dies at 82

Posted on July 1, 2008 | 2 comments

[We feel fortunate to have known Clarke, to have worked with him, and to have been coached by him, and we miss him dearly. Also, be sure to see his Web site, clarkestallworth.com.]

Clarke Jackson Stallworth Jr.

Clarke Stallworth

STALLWORTH, CLARKE JACKSON, JR., age 82, of Birmingham, passed away on June 27, 2008. He was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy serving in the V-12 Program during World War II and in the Pacific on the U.S.S. Walker DDE during the Korean War.

He is survived his wife, Anne Nall Stallworth; daughter, Carole Anne Bennighof; son, Clarke Jackson Stallworth, III; three grandchildren, Alice Anne Bennighof, Henry Bennighof, and Anton Bennighof; sister, Madelynne Thomas of Thomaston, AL; and a host of nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Service will be held on July 2, 2008 at 11 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church followed by interment in Elmwood Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers will be Clarke Jackson Stallworth, III, W. Michael Atchison, Howell Raines, Gaines Thomas, Brooks Thomas, and Michael Bennighof. Ridout’s Southside Chapel is directing.

Published in The Birmingham News on 7/1/2008.

Longer tribute, after the jump …

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