News anchor – WERC (960 AM)

Posted on May 18, 2009 by | 1 comment

Our pal Paul passed this along:

werc-960-logoNews Radio 960 WERC is in search of our next great news anchor. Candidate must have experience in radio news and have a keen awareness of news, current events and pop culture.

The right candidate

  • is a powerful communicator who can stamp a personal imprint on the news product;
  • is relatable and likable while projecting a sense of authority and command of the content;
  • thrives in a deadline intensive environment;
  • writes creatively;
  • able to ad-lib well in breaking news situations:
  • and can immerse themselves in the community and the Alabama political landscape.

Must be able to work weekends and off-hours.

Rush your resume and a sound file (less than 5MB) to jobs@960werc.com.

Or mail to:

WERC Opening
600 Beacon Pkwy W.
4th Floor
Birmingham, AL 35209

No phone calls please. Clear Channel Radio is an equal opportunity employer.

• • •

Need a job? Check our job board.
Have a job to fill? Contact The MOB for your free listing.

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Freelancers unite for Vulcan Media Team

Posted on May 14, 2009 by | Leave a comment

vulcan-media-teamWhat is Vulcan Media Team? A group of freelancers working in public relations, marketing and video production, founded by Scott Mauldin, who was laid off in March from NBC 13 (EXCLUSIVE: NBC 13 cuts another 11 positions).

Mauldin told the Birmingham Business Journal:

“I realized what talent they had and what trouble they faced finding full time work in this economy. It all started with a simple word-of-mouth idea.”

You can hear more from Mauldin in an interview from Local TV Now. (His segment starts at 18:46.)

What are other media refugees doing for their next careers? Let us know.

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Hoffman Media launches ‘Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade’ magazine

Posted on May 14, 2009 by | Leave a comment

While many Birmingham media outlets are cutting back, Hoffman Media is growing. The publisher launched a new magazine, “Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade,” in February.

sandra-lee-semi-homemade-cover

“It was an easy, fluid fit,” Lee says of teaming with Phyllis Hoffman and her sons, Brian and Eric. “She ‘got’ the brand, as did her sons. Semi-homemade has to be something you feel in your tummy and your heart and you know in your head.”

The Birmingham News tagged along during Lee’s photo shoot at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

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May event: Redmont Rooftop Roundup

Posted on May 7, 2009 by | 3 comments

Redmont Hotel

  • May mixer: Redmont Rooftop Roundup
  • Tuesday, May 19
  • 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
  • Redmont Hotel, 2101 Fifth Ave. N., downtown [map]
  • $3 (see note)

We have a special rooftop celebration for May.

Join us downtown at the Redmont Hotel at the newly renovated Rooftop Bar. We’ll have great specials for our MOB friends:

  • Free appetizer for the first hour
  • $3 domestic beers
  • $5 wine
  • $5 mixed drinks

Special thanks to the Redmont Hotel for sponsoring this event.

Join us any time between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. 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. Then, bring your ticket for $3 off your drinks.

Please RSVP by Friday, May 15, 4 p.m.

Reserve your spot

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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Magazine ad sales: Southern Progress slumps, Hoffman gains

Posted on April 28, 2009 by | 2 comments

cooking with paula deen cover

Magazines at Birmingham-based Southern Progress Corporation saw big drops in ad sales comparing the first quarter of 2008 and 2009:

  • -28.9 percent: Southern Accents
  • -26.9 percent: Southern Living
  • -11.4 percent: Cooking Light

But Hoffman Media saw an increase in ad sales during the same quarter for one magazine:

  • +14.7 percent: Cooking With Paula Deen

U.S. magazines lost 20.6 percent in ad sales overall during the first quarter.

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Next career: public relations

Posted on April 27, 2009 by | 2 comments

Birmingham journalists are facing tough times in the industry. Some are already out of work, while others are working harder than ever while facing budget and job cuts.

One option: public relations.

Washington blogger Lori Russo shares her ideas in a post called “Helping Reporters Out … In a Different Way” on her All Thoughts Considered blog. Russo worked previously as an assignment editor and sports producer at a Baltimore TV station. Now, she serves as vice president of Stanton Communications, a PR firm.

She lists attributes that journalists possess that would make them good PR practitioners:

  • Blinding Flash of the Obvious – You Know the Media
  • You Know the Anatomy of an Interview
  • You Know How to Sell an Idea

And she writes:

For journalists (or soon-to-be former journalists) looking to launch new careers, the field of public relations is a logical place to begin. Having made the transition from television to PR 10 years ago, I can confirm that there is a great deal of cross-over between the two industries and that a journalist’s skills translate very nicely into PR. We’re all storytellers – we just happen to be on different sides of the curtain.

If you’ve made the jump from journalism to public relations, let us know how it’s gone for you.

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Video from Recycle This Event!

Posted on April 22, 2009 by | Leave a comment

Thanks to everyone who came out for our April event at the Barking Kudu.

Be sure to check out the video, and if you’re in it, let us know! (Or tag yourself in the Facebook version, if we can ever get it to upload.)

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SPJ Town Hall in Montgomery

Posted on April 22, 2009 by | 3 comments

Society of Professional Journalist - Town Hall meeting

The Society of Professional Journalists wants to restore the public’s faith in the press by equipping the public with tools to evaluate all forms of journalism and we want to increase the dialogue between the public and the press. SPJ feels that the more the public understands how and why journalists do their jobs, the more likely they are to understand the valuable role the press plays in democracy.

Montgomery is one of 12 U.S. cities holding this event.

  • Date: Tuesday, April 28
  • Time: 6-8 p.m.
  • Place: Huntingdon College, Recital Hall, Smith Music Building, 1500 E. Fairview Ave., Montgomery.
    Google map | campus map (PDF)
  • Cost: free
  • Moderator: Kevin Smith, President-Elect, SPJ; assistant professor of journalism, Fairmont State University
  • Program contact: Jenn Rowell, president, SPJ-Alabama, rowell83[at]gmail.com
  • Town Hall event site

Note: Wade Kwon will be on the panel and welcomes any Birmingham MOB members to tag along. We’ll leave at 4 p.m. and return around 11 p.m. Contact him for ride details.

Also, please note that SPJ is offering a six-month dues waiver for current members laid off from their full-time positions. Fill out this waiver (PDF) to apply.

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April event: Recycle This Event!

Posted on April 16, 2009 by | Leave a comment

Update: See video from this event.

Barking Kudu

  • April mixer: Recycle This Event!
  • Tuesday, April 21 (Earth Day Eve)
  • 5:30 to 7 p.m.
  • Barking Kudu, 2929 7th Ave. S., Lakeview [map]
  • Free (drinks: pay your own way)

It’s Earth Day Eve. Carols, presents, cards, stockings, but let us not forget the true meaning of Earth Day with these simple rules:

  1. Please reuse all banter and small talk.
  2. Save your beer bottles for funky vases.
  3. Keep the hot air to a minimum.

It’s the Media of Birmingham April networking mixer at the Barking Kudu in Lakeview. Enjoy Happy Hour prices and specials, whatever they may be.

Join the MOB any time between 5:30 and 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 EventBrite invitation.

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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EXCLUSIVE: NBC 13 cuts another 11 positions

Posted on March 31, 2009 by | 6 comments

scott mauldin NBC 13Media of Birmingham has learned in this exclusive report that NBC 13 eliminated 11 positions across various departments this week, including senior reporter Scott Mauldin (top left) and reporter Havonnah Johnson (bottom left). Vice president and general manager Gene Kirkconnell cited the economy as the reason behind the latest round of cuts.

havonnah johnson NBC 13Monday, Media General, which owns NBC 13, cut 130 positions total nationwide, after suspending 401(k) matching contributions and mandating two-week furloughs.

NBC 13

NBC 13 laid off 10 people in January, while ABC 33/40 laid off 15 people and Fox 6 laid off 10 in February.

Kirkconnell would not say how many employees NBC 13 has, and referred questions about further cuts from Media General to the company’s representatives. Media General has not responded to e-mail requests.

He said that NBC 13’s employees were doing a good job working with limited resources and that the station’s March ratings were looking good. NBC’s local news programs in the morning and at 5 and 6 p.m. showed increases in household ratings over the same time in 2008.

Update: Birmingham Business Journal story profiles Mauldin’s new company, Vulcan Media Team.

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