Birmingham Weekly’s new site design for 2010.
(Click image for larger version.)
Less than a year after completely revamping the website, Birmingham Weekly is set to roll out a new online design Thursday.
Incoming editor Sam George mentioned the redesign in an earlier interview. He added by e-mail that the new site will be done in collaboration with Wisconsin-based Wehaa, a Web company specializing in content management systems for print publications.
The previous design had debuted in April 2009.
Birmingham Weekly’s website front page from 2009 to 2010.
(Click image for larger version.)
George described the upcoming changes:
“Readers should expect a site that is much easier to navigate, a slick interface with bells and whistles that actually enhance the browsing experience, rather than distract from it, and a comprehensive city directory and event calendar. For the first time ever, many sections of the paper that were overlooked on the website will be available online as well.”
“On our end, the process of getting our content online has been streamlined, largely thanks to the new digital edition of the paper which will be available every Thursday along with the print edition. The digital edition is processed from the same PDFs we send to our printer, and getting the individual articles plugged in is a snap.
“Also, the online events calendar allows us to reverse publish everything, including user-submitted events, making it easier for us to provide a calendar in the print paper that is concise, comprehensive and easy to use.
“These are just a few of the many new features I am excited about. You’ll just have to browse on over to the site on Thursday to check out the rest.”
Media of Birmingham has learned that Birmingham Weekly staff writer Sam George will become the alternative newspaper’s editor, starting with the July 8 issue. He succeeds interim editor Jesse Chambers, who served since Glenny Brock’s departure in March.
George, left, has been a staff writer since May. He also works as a freelance graphic designer and lead singer for Birmingham-based rock band Bright Henry. Previously, George was editor and lead designer of local music site, Bham.fm.
Chambers, right, said via e-mail that George is a “smart, talented, passionate, hard-working guy with enormous enthusiasm for making a great paper and website. He has my complete confidence and support.” Chambers said he had wanted to fill in until a permanent replacement was hired. He will continue as staff writer, including editing the Green Space section.
• • •
Update June 26: Sam George shared more answers to our questions via e-mail …
Will you still continue to write and edit for Bham.fm?
Unfortunately, I will no longer have time to continue Bham.fm. I spoke with Whitney Sides (Mitchell), my co-editor there, and we both agree that the site has been suffering from lack of attention lately and that the best thing to do would be to shut it down. I plan to post an announcement saying as much there this weekend. (Note: Bham.fm started publishing in November 2008.)
It’s been a great pleasure covering the local music scene, and I hope to continue doing so with equal passion at the Weekly, including continuing my regular post “The Daily Dose,” though I plan to expand its scope beyond music. We will also have plenty of support for local bands on the new website we are launching.
Why did you decide to become editor?
I had approached (publisher) Chuck Leishman about writing a regular music column, and he offered me the managing editor gig instead. I decided to take the job because it combines a number of interests I have in one spot. It allows me to continue to cover local music and appeals to my design and photography side while expanding the scope of what I am able to accomplish for the city as a whole.
Also, it’s much better than slinging coffee, which is what I had been doing in the daylight hours.
What are your plans for the Weekly?
The first order of business is to launch our new website. I’ve been spending most of my energy here designing and implementing a brand new site for the Weekly that is really in a different stratum of excellence than the one we have now. It looks great, is easy to navigate, increases the functionality and scope of our site and integrates it further with social media. It also has a really cool digital interactive version of the paper.
I’ve put a lot of love and elbow grease into this thing, and I’m pretty excited to hear what Birmingham thinks about it when we launch, which should be Thursday, provided we can iron out the last wrinkles.
As for the paper itself, I’m still learning what it takes run the thing. I believe that Birmingham has the wealth of culture necessary to become a vibrant and modern metropolis with a strong urban center, and I would like to focus the Weekly on celebrating the things that can lead us towards that goal.
• • •
Update June 27: Whitney Mitchell clarified Bham.fm’s future via e-mail …
“The band is staying together (somewhat). It’s been hard for much of anyone to concentrate on writing with losing jobs (two-thirds of our writers), being full-time students and having “real” jobs. When I started it back in ’08, I had much more time to dedicate to organizing show schedules and attending three to four concerts a week.
“While the site won’t be the detailed info mecca it was, it is definitely staying alive and restarting as Birmingham’s only kickass music site. (We mean that … it would suck to see it die, y’know?)
“Chris (Mitchell, photo editor) is pretty psyched about revamping the site, so stay tuned for a new layout and daily (still music and regional-focused) postings.”
The company, founded in 1997, owns 86 daily newspapers, 46 nondaily papers and four TV stations. In Alabama, it owns the News Courier in Athens and the Cullman Times.
RSA helps fund CNHI. According to the story, “The company will bring 70 high-paying jobs with salaries averaging $75,000 to the area.” Another report says that current employees will be offered the chance to move from Birmingham to Montgomery, and that replacements will be found for those not making the move.
Josh: My experience was initially good, but then, every time I clicked a Web link, I would be taken out of the app making for a poor experience.
Brian: My overall experience was mixed, but mostly positive. The app was laid out well and easy to navigate, but it didn’t have enough content.
Do you get the sense that this is a custom app, or a “skinned” app for various sister outlets?
Josh: This custom app was created using a third-party library called Titanium. [Note from developer: The latest version was built as a native app in Objective-C.]
Brian: I believe this was a custom app.
Attractions list (left); details on McWane Science Center.
As a news consumer, what did you like? What would you add?
Josh: It contains a lot of valuable information for first-time visitors of Birmingham. I’d add videos to the Top 10 attractions to enhance the user experience.
Brian: I thought the photos were the best part of the app. Although I understand that it is a Top 10 app, I believe it should have more categories.
As an app developer, what did you like? How would you improve it?
Josh: I initially liked the app, but after using it for a while, I noticed that it is just a link app. A lot of the information has to be accessed outside of the application, and so my experience suffered. [Note: Latest version opens links within app. See additional note at end of review.] I’d improve this app by opening links within the app and by adding an e-mail contact tab for feedback. Another helpful feature would be a map that would allow users to see the locations of the top Birmingham attractions.
Brian: I liked the navigation of the app. However, I would add more categories such as restaurants, nightlife and family. I would also improve the look of the information screens. The look could be improved by using images and a custom background. [Note: Latest version has different color scheme and backgrounds.]
Since it’s a free app, would you pay money for it? How much? Why or why not?
Josh: I would not pay money for this app. It does not contain enough information.
Brian: No, I would not pay for the app. The main reason is that it doesn’t offer enough functionality.
Note: Reviewers used the previous version of this app. Updated version changed look of certain pages, but navigation and functionality remained the same. Screenshots are from the latest version.
Josh Grenon (@joshgrenon) is a .Net developer by day and an iPhone developer by night. He started developing iPhone applications — such as Bham iCamp — in early 2009. Josh is also executive producer of Inspirageek, a casual yet informative video blog for geeks, and founder of user group Birmingham Mobile Tech.
Brian Cauble (@briancauble) is the co-owner of Appsolute Genius, an iPhone application development company in Birmingham. His other interests include promoting local entrepreneurship through Birmingham Entrepreneur, participating in social media and a huge attachment to college football.
Pavo Magazine, a Birmingham-based arts and culture online publication, will shut down Saturday.
In an e-mail sent this afternoon, marketing director Lauren Lippeatt wrote:
Dear Pavo Supporters,
Pavo began with a dream of uniting communities and spreading the wealth of inspiration that exists in Birmingham. Janet Elizabeth Simpson and Lauren Lippeatt are the two halves of Pavo, each balancing each other and the publication in their own dynamic ways. In the last few months, we have being heading towards a crossroads that is now taking our Lauren in a different direction. Pavo just isn’t Pavo without both of its equal halves. To that end, it is with extreme gratitude that we now conclude this adventure.
We at Pavo Magazine wish to thank you for your amazing support and for believing in our dream for Birmingham. It is with some sadness that we close this chapter of our lives, but we eagerly look forward to what opportunities lie ahead. On May 15, we will publish our public farewell. We will continue to support and promote your events during the next few weeks through our calendar. In our remaining days, please let us know how we can best support you.
Warmest Regards,
Lauren Lippeatt and Janet Elizabeth Simpson
The magazine’s 9-month run started in September.
Update May 15: Pavo closes out with three essays. Post 1 | post 2 | post 3.
A new Christian online magazine, The Sword, made its debut last week. Marie Sutton, a freelance writer and public relations consultant, is behind the publication.
She discussed her new venture with us by e-mail.
MOB: How long has the Sword been in the works? Why online? Will there be a print version?
Sutton: Actually, I left the Birmingham News to start the print version in 2003. It was a glossy mag and was well received, but I had to put it to bed after running out of money. I tell people, “I had the vision, but not the provision.”
I have been wanting to bring the book back and found the web would be more cost-effective. I do ultimately plan a print version, but it won’t be for at least a year.
MOB: What is the mission of the publication?
Sutton: The mission is to inform, instruct and inspire Birmingham’s Body of Christ. Our goal is to be the source for Birmingham’s Christian news and views.
MOB: Why did you decide to launch it?
Sutton: I decided to launch it because I feel there is a hole when it comes to Christian news and views. There is not one central source for calendar items, stories, etc. about Birmingham’s Body of Christ.
Also, I have a passion for sharing stories that will inspire but also rebuke, if necessary, my fellow believers so that we can be everything God wants us to be.
A new Birmingham-focused news and comedy show debuted in April called “View of the City.” Hosted by comedian and artist Christopher Davis, the weekly half-hour satirical program features interviews, reports and miscellaneous segments on current events, newsmakers and oddities.
The program airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on Charter Cable channel 21 and online on the official site. But you can watch the first two episodes below.
Former Birmingham Weekly columnist unveils political news site today
Kyle Whitmire, former Birmingham Weekly columnist, has started blogging for his own news site, The Second Front. He plans to cover political news and public policy as part of Weld, a yet-to-be launched local news site.
Whitmire talked about his new operation via e-mail earlier today.
MOB: What is Second Front?
Whitmire: It’s a niche-specific blog covering political culture and public affairs important to Birmingham.
MOB: How does it relate to Weld?
Whitmire: Back in the day, Southern Progress used to have test kitchens. I was always kind of jealous of that. I suppose you can say it’s a sort of test kitchen where I get to cook and hopefully not make too big of a mess.
Already some tech-savvy friends have figured out what platform The Second Front is built on, so that will be out there soon. But that’s as good a hint as you’re going to get.
There’s something behind Door No. 3, but I can’t tell you what it is yet.
MOB: What can readers expect?
Whitmire: The focus of The Second Front is politics and public policy.
As a journalism model, The Second Front will follow the lead of The Daily Beast, Slate and many other new media startups. The site will have original content, both reporting and analysis. It will have a great deal of curation, links to pertinent stories from around the web. It will provide context when it can. And it will leverage social media to reach the largest possible audience in ways that are most useful to individual users. [The Second Front on Twitter / Facebook]
I’ve committed myself to waking up a 6 a.m. every day to compile the Frontlines, links to today’s most important stories. I’m not a morning person, so that’s not going to be a lot of fun.
I’m going to spend a lot of time in public meetings, sifting through public documents and nosing around other people’s business. All of this is much the same as I did at Birmingham Weekly, only I want to explore the blog as a new form. I don’t have to fit whatever I’m writing into a 1,000-word hole anymore.
MOB: Will it be free? Subscription? Ad supported? Something else?
Whitmire: I’ll have to dive deep into some jargon and minutia, but I think it’s important to understand the nature of the problems first.
The CPM [cost-per-thousand impressions] advertising model will not support local public affairs journalism.
To make matters worse, users are adopting “ad blindness.” Either they use ad-blocking plugins in their browsers, or they just ignore the ads altogether. As a consequence, online display advertising has a lousy ROI for the advertisers.
The other fallback option has been a subscription model, but subscription-based services do only one thing well: Prevent mass reader migrations away from print. It’s a good way to mitigate the problem, but it doesn’t solve the problem. What’s more, it goes to the Clay Shirky Principle: “Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution.” If your job is to distribute news, you can’t do that by keeping it away from people.
What are the answers?
For the moment, I’ll have to neglect the specifics. Sorry, but that has to stay behind Door No. 3. I can share a few basic principles:
The digital marking solution should enhance the user’s experience, not disrupt it.
Users should be able to distinguish online marketing from other content, but the medium must not treat that message as if it’s radioactive or otherwise marginalize the sponsor.
Digital marketing should be clearly labeled but be treated as an equal citizen in the medium’s space.
Finally, digital marketing should be native to the Internet, and not simply an appropriation of print or broadcast forms, which we have now.
There is hope on the horizon in the form of geotagging and location-aware ads. Other kinds of micro-targeting will soon be practical. In the meantime, there are some low-tech methods to achieve the same ends, and I hope everyone will get to see them soon at The Second Front.
Why did you decide to do this site?
Whitmire: I love journalism and probably couldn’t do anything else. It has given me a front row seat to history.
The day Eric Robert Rudolph bombed the clinic on Southside, I got to get as close as the police would allow. The day they brought him back to Birmingham, I was there for that as well. I got to sit close enough in the courtroom that I could hear the chains between his feet and see his collarbone protruding against his skin.
I was there the day Richard Scrushy was acquitted and I was there the day he was convicted.
And then, of course, there was Langford. I got to cover Langford for one paper or another for nearly 10 years. It’s incredibly interesting work.
But it’s also very important work. I believe there is a reason the right to do what I do is codified in the First Amendment of the Constitution. Good journalism is a prerequisite for a healthy society. And that’s what troubles me.
While I’ve been a professional witness to history, I’ve also seen what’s happening to the media. When covering Rudolph or Scrushy, I had to fight and scrap with other reporters for stories. In contrast, all it took to prove Langford was not a legal resident of Birmingham was to pull his homestead exemption at the tax assessor’s office. No one else did that.
I’m proud of the work we did at the Weekly, but some of those scoops we got were just too easy. This never would have been the case were the (Birmingham) Post-Herald still alive.
I’m doing this because I love journalism and I love the adventure it allows me. But I’m also trying to save the Fourth Estate.
Compared to waking up at 6 a.m., that part should be easy.
Station puts anchorman on temporary leave, hides bio on website
Roy Hobbs, ABC 33/40’s weekend anchorman, is on temporary leave. The reason? A run-in with the law. Twice.
His first encounter, date unknown, was when a Birmingham police officer found him in Woodlawn with a prostitute, suspended driver’s license and no proof of insurance. Hobbs was let off with a warning.
The second encounter, Friday night, ended with an arrest. Police say they found Hobbs with crack and a crack pipe. He was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. The arrest report also indicates he was under the influence of drugs at the time.
He was released Saturday morning on $800 bond.
Hobbs’ court date is May 10.
The station’s website removed him from the Talent Bios page, but has not removed his actual bio page. (Update: It has now been removed.)
Here’s his bio:
Roy Hobbs brings a wealth of experience to the weekend anchor desk at ABC 33/40. He is a veteran who has covered stories ranging from the Challenger disaster to the O.J. Simpson trial.
While Roy comes to Birmingham after a year as the morning anchor at the NBC affiliate in Kansas City, he has spent much of his career in the South and was eager to move to Birmingham. He previously anchored the No. 1 morning newscast during his three years in Nashville and he spent six years as the 5:00 anchor at the Fox affiliate in Atlanta. During that tenure, his newscast was one of the highest rated in the country.
Roy has received five Emmy Awards and numerous nominations. He is a longtime member of the National Association of Black Journalists and helped found the Houston chapter. He has also served as Vice President of the Nashville chapter and President of the Atlanta chapter.
In 2001 he joined a group of Black Journalists on a mission to Kenya to discuss freedom of the press at the invitation of East African Black Journalists and the Kenyan government.
Roy loves to be involved in the community by speaking to students at area schools as well as churches and other community groups. He has a large collection of comic books and records, enjoys movies and, of course, covering the news of the day.
His most recent column appeared Wednesday, but his Friday and Sunday columns didn’t run in their scheduled slots.
Is he on vacation? Did he take a buyout?
We asked Archibald and editor Tom Scarritt for comment; we received no reply.
Instead, MOBster Kyle Whitmire was kind enough to share a copy of Archibald’s most recent column, one that apparently will never run in the News. The column focuses on newsroom staffers who took buyouts and the recent economic troubles that plague most daily newspapers. Archibald notes that more than 500 years of reporting experience have walked out the door in just 2 years.
And the last time anyone saw Archibald in public? He was on a panel last Tuesday night at the Birmingham News for a Society of Professional Journalists event. The topic of discussion?
Journalism and ethics.
• • •
John Archibald: You have a right to know about News buyouts
It’s hard to look at Ginny MacDonald today and not hear the Neville Brothers in my head, singing their version of that old hymn, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”
Undertaker, undertaker,
Won’t you please drive real slow?
That Miss Crazy, that you carry,
I sure hate to see her go.
I hate to see her go.
Plus, I want to see the bumper snicker on her hearse. What does it say?
Reports of her death have been greatly exacerbated.
No. Ginny Mac — Birmingham News transportation diva and Driver’s Side columnist — is not exactly dead. Not to you, anyway.
But today is her last day as a full-timer in the newsroom. She’ll keep writing a weekly column on Mondays, but no more front page stories from her about bridge collapses, speed traps or trooper madness.
Why do I tell you this? Because you buy the paper, most of you, and you know Ginny. You have a right to know that she, like so many experienced and trusted news gatherers, has taken a company buyout.
Today is a dark day at The News. It marks the last day not only for Ginny, but for health writer Anna Velasco. By May veteran political writer Tom Gordon — with more stored memory than an iPad — will be gone. So will young Erin Stock.
It’s not just a News thing, it’s a news thing. They tell us, in fact, that our readership is good and ad revenue is rebounding. But technology and economics have worn on profitability in all news operations. Ours is no exception.
But it hurts. In all, since buyouts were offered in 2008, The News has lost more than 500 years of reporting experience. Decorated reporter Dave Parks — who pretty much discovered “Gulf War Syndrome” — went. State editor Glenn Stephens, who could pilot a newsroom through a storm with an even keel, is gone. Food writer Jo Ellen O’Hara left us, as did outdoors writer Mike Bolton.
We’ve lost 32 people in the newsroom. Twenty were reporters, the real workhorses.
That may look small next to losses at the Raleigh News and Observer, which has seen its news staff fall from 250 to 115, or the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which cut 93 news staffers in one chunk last year. But it hurts.
If there is good news, it is that The News still has 125 people working to gather the news in Alabama’s largest newsroom.
Still, we mourn the losses to the News family. We mourn the loss to readers, to this community, to the republic.
As legendary editor Gene Roberts told a group of journalists last week in New York, journalism job cuts are more than economic news. They’re a matter of public interest.
“This not just a problem for journalism, this is a problem for democracy,” he said. “What a democratic society does not know, it cannot act upon.”
He is right. You need to know. Think of what you know of your government, and try to separate it from the news. Alabama’s most notable corruptions — Don Siegelman, Guy Hunt, Larry Langford, Jeff Germany, the 2-year college system — all started with reporters on the ground. Issues such as the county’s bond debt and crime in neighborhoods bubble to light in the press.
Those of us left in the newsroom will keep digging. For readers. For the republic. For ourselves, for Ginny and Dave and Anna.
We believe there will always be a need, and a market, for news.
There better be. News, as Roberts put it, is “democracy’s food.”
“If we are going to come up with solutions, then democratic society has to understand that there is a problem,” he said.
Occam’s RazR: “Is Birmingham Ready for an Online Newspaper?”
Capstone Report: “The News today is more interested in hiding the truth than reporting it.”
The Ben Franklin Follies: “I don’t believe a news enterprise committed to investigative reporting and quality journalism can produce profit margins that will satisfy Wall Street, hedge funds or institutional investors.”
• • •
Update: The Birmingham News did run Archibald’s status in the print edition. However, you can judge the progressive wording.
April 16: “John Archibald is taking a break.
His column will resume Wednesday.”
April 18: “John Archibald’s column will return soon.”
“I told them at that time that I’d try to make it work, and if not, I’d walk away from it. … I had been here for 11 hours and just couldn’t do it. I was angry.
“I don’t think it (not publishing the column) was a good call, but I understand the pressures (Scarritt is) under.”
Scarritt said,
“I believe strongly in the future of newspapers and the vital role they will play in our communities going forward. I believe there are ways to talk about our current challenges that recognize we do have a future.”
Welcome to Media of Birmingham, a news and information site about journalism, advertising, public relations, new media and marketing based in Birmingham, Ala. The site went online in 2006, and the group behind it was founded in 2003.
George, left, has been a staff writer since May. He also works as a freelance graphic designer and lead singer for Birmingham-based rock band 
Chambers, right, said via e-mail that George is a “smart, talented, passionate, hard-working guy with enormous enthusiasm for making a great paper and website. He has my complete confidence and support.” Chambers said he had wanted to fill in until a permanent replacement was hired. He will continue as staff writer, including editing the Green Space section.
The company, founded in 1997, owns 86 daily newspapers, 46 nondaily papers and four TV stations. In Alabama, it owns the News Courier in Athens and the Cullman Times.
Brian Cauble (@
Pavo Magazine
A new Christian online magazine, 
He 
Roy Hobbs, ABC 33/40’s weekend anchorman, is on temporary leave. The reason? A 
Sort of.
Media of Birmingham 