Thursday, August 31, 2006

They're watching us

Without getting too political, I thought this Washington Post story would fit in well with the recent comments made by Rumsfeld.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/30/AR2006083003011.html

"U.S. military leaders in Baghdad have put out for bid a two-year, $20 million public relations contract that calls for extensive monitoring of U.S. and Middle Eastern media in an effort to promote more positive coverage of news from Iraq.

"The contract calls for assembling a database of selected news stories and assessing their tone as part of a program to provide "public relations products" that would improve coverage of the military command's performance, according to a statement of work attached to the proposal.

"The proposal calls for monitoring "Iraqi, pan-Arabic, international and U.S. national and regional markets media in both Arabic and English." That includes broadcast and cable television outlets, the Pentagon channel, two wire services and three major U.S. newspapers: The Washington Post, New York Times and Los Angeles Times."

Beat Kids

This is exactly how I feel sometimes when I'm out on my beat. I only wish I was half as charismatic as this young reporter. It's definitely worth watching this "person on the street" with a bunch of Wall Street traders.




"Kids on the beat... kids on the street... Beat kids! Beat kids!"

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Introductory Haiku


Rain all goddamn week
Already quite sleep-deprived
When's happy hour?

Update this Blog!

All M.S./M.A. students in the Columbia J-school are invited to update this blog. We'd like to have as many people involved as possible.If you'd like to have the ability to post here, e-mail David Ressel at dlr2113[at]columbia.edu or Rubina Madan at rm2507[at]columbia.edu.

Being a member does NOT mean you have to post daily soliloquies here. We're very informal and there's no pressure to post. If you are a member, here are examples of things you could put here:

1. articles that are relevant to the media
2. articles that are fun and/or interesting
3. haikus
4. parties, Happy Hours and other social events
5. two-line stream-of-consciousness posts
6. campus or NYC events unrelated to the J-school
7. complaints about the weather
8. your original screenplay (though I can't promise we'll read it)

Interested? Again, please send an e-mail to dlr2113[at]columbia.edu or rm2507[at]columbia.edu to get posting access. We hope we can get enough people to make it as successful as last year's class blog: The Ten Month Beat. Thanks!

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Beat stuff

Sree is putting together the beat database. This is a great tool. Last year, we created our own contact lists, and all the folks who had a beat ( I was Long Island City) from different classes met and coordinated visits to the key folks. For example, the District Manager for the Community Board does not want to meet 10 columbians individual to give the same talk about issues. But,if you can get together, it makes a nice entree with folks you may want a lot from later.

Also some folks became "beat friends" ( not like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg)

called each other on later nights.... hung out at the same place...

Same goes for police, and some other civic leaders. There are tons of local associations.

Also some folks became "beat friends" ( not like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg)

called each other on later nights.... hung out at the same place...

Last year, doing my beat note,I did run into some columbized folks. A member of a local B.I.D. said, "If you are from Columbia, I will NOT talk to you. You folks show up and take our time and nothing." Later he almost relented, if I would show him some clips. I finally found a different person in the office to interview. You have heard this before, but bears repeating.Some folks hate you already. Niceness might help. Some folks are dying to talk to you. Just have to find the right ones, and hope they are not too crazy. I ended up spending an long afternoon with an ok source. At the end he told me how much he enjoys Columbians coming to talk to him every year.

First Day on the Beat

Today is the first day RWI students will do any real reporting from our respective beats. Our assignment is to write a "Person on the Street" story based on interviews with six to 10 residents of our neighborhoods. We have to assess how New Yorkers feel about 9/11 and terrorism almost five years after the attacks.

That would be all fine and good. The problem is that the weather has been comically bad all day. Observe:


That's right. It's been raining all morning, with no sign of letting up. I wonder if this is some extension of Murphy's Law for RWI: "When you have to go out and do a lot of interviews, it will pour all over New York." I can't wait until it's December and we have blizzards while we're working on final projects.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Tonight's Extracurricular meeting/ mentor session

there was a pretty good turn-out in the lecture hall. Irena Choi Stern and Tami Luhby spoke about the mentor program. Last year's SPJ president Rebecca Castillo and this reporter (I usually hate when the Times does that)...ok, Rebecca and ME, that sounds better. Anyhoo, we spoke about SPJ. Just some plain facts and some references to last year just for comparison. Extracurricular j-school stuff is all pretty grass roots at CSJ, and this a chance to plant the seeds. SPJ is just the formal way to get things done and act as a student government. Official officers elections will be held by the end of September. Anyone who runs, or shows up at the start is automatically a member of the board, and people can join. The key is to get a critical mass of people along with some key officers to get the ball rolling for activities like happy hours, the yearbook, some pro-social work, student life, academic affairs,and raise money to do more of the same etc.

I also put in a plug for other extracurricular groups.. NABJ. NAHJ, CUPID (international development).. human rights.. more

I guess I could on and on about this. some folks have been asking me questions about it.
I don't mind at all. One of the odd things about the J-school is that in the past there has been little to no continuity. Eighty-five percent of the student graduate after 10 months and have no connection to the next class. As a part of the 15% (us part-timers), I have a chance to fill in some of the blanks. Although, it's not too self-deprecating to say, but I guess I am more involved to most in those times when the freelancing/other work world is not doing so well by me! For me it's the same as my reporting. just finding ways for people to learn and get together. Kumbaya


This year IS a new shake of the dice, and it is up to us to define what is we'll do.

Daily Show writers get raises

The folks at The Daily Show might be getting a raise, making every writer's dream job just that much more appealing. They've finally gotten a union contract with the Writers' Guild of America. This is great news just one day after winning an Emmy for the show. Here's the full release, via FishbowlNY:

COMEDY CENTRAL'S DAILY SHOW GETS WRITERS GUILD CONTRACT

NEW YORK CITY — The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) reached agreement today with Hello Doggie, Inc., producer of Comedy Central's Daily Show With Jon Stewart, for the show’s writers to become Writers Guild members. Hello Doggie will sign the Guild's "Minimum Basic Agreement," which will cover the 14 writers on the show who are becoming WGAE members.

Under the agreement, which is expected to be approved formally by the WGAE's Council and the show's writers, the writers will see major gains in their compensation, bringing it into line with writers working on other late night comedy-variety shows. Under special provisions, the writers will now be paid residuals for additional runs beyond the first telecast of the show and for its foreign broadcast and other exploitations of the show.

"We negotiated in good faith with Comedy Central for ten months, and I am proud to say that both sides acted fairly and professionally," says Chris Albers, president of the Writers Guild of America, East. "I am thrilled that the writers of The Daily Show have finally achieved a union contract. They have received critical acclaim for years and now they finally have the same protections and advantages their colleagues have on similar shows. I would also like to thank Jon Stewart who stood by his writers and insisted they be properly compensated and treated fairly. We could not be happier to welcome The Daily Show writers into our union."

"Congratulations to the writers and producers of The Daily Show," says Patric M. Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America, west. "At a time when networks and production companies are looking for new ways to keep writers from getting Guild benefits, it is wonderful to be able to welcome this show and these writers into the fold. I expect it to be a sign of things to come."

"Not only is this contract good for the writers, but these writers are good for the Writers Guild," says Mona Mangan, executive director of the Writers Guild of America, East. "e are very proud to welcome 14 very talented and committed new members into the Guild."

Also as part of the agreement, Hello Doggie will now contribute to he Producer-Writers Guild of America Pension Plan. The writers previously had no pension benefits. Although they had company health benefits, as WGAE members, the writers will now receive coverage by the multi-employer Writers Guild-Industry Health Fund.

The agreement was negotiated by a committee comprised of Daily Show writers Rich Blomquist, Steve Bodow, Tim Carvell, Jason Reich and Jason Ross, WGAE President Chris Albers, WGAE Executive Director Mona Mangan, and Assistant Executive Director James Kaye. Alexander P. Rosenberg and Joella West were the attorneys representing The Daily Show.

The Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, west are labor unions representing writers in motion picture, broadcast, cable, and news media industries in both entertainment and news. The Writers Guilds are active in legislative activities on the state, federal, and international levels with a special focus on globalization, labor, communications, and copyrights. They also conduct a number of programs, seminars, and events on issues of interest to, and on behalf of writers.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Anderson Cooper. .. Neal Gable in Salon pretty much gets it right

Last year working on the speaker's committee, I got a yes from a visit from Anderson Cooper, but it just never worked, out.. Now he's probably too big, but I will try again.
Also, this time I know a student (aleks) will be interning with him this fall.. so maybe some extra oomph.... there...

the one thing about AC, that a lot of people don't mention is.. the most important thing in tv news, alas, ratings.. heres an article from media week from a while ago..and i remember reading he pulls in about 410,000 viewers, i think about the same as Olberman on MSNBC. Plus his q-scores are not that great. How does the P.R. machine chug to make a star? I am reminded of Gretchen Mol, Julia Ormond and a few others. the machine gets them on Vanity Fair cover, and then off the radar screen. Mol is trying to make.. it.. and a decent actress (I saw her off-broadway in "Shape of Things") but not a start to match her push...

Marilyn Got a Job! Sure it's Market #120, but it's news!

I would like to keep this general interest....but let's celebrate!

Marilyn was in my intro TV reporting class..and we did our first two assignments together.

maybe there's hope for me

ok.. back in business..but maybe newspapers won't be.

the economist weighs in on the demise of papers. Another one joins the fray.

well i let this blog fall away for a while. not that many people around during the summer, plus i was swamped...
I still have to finish my law final, and then.. next semester.

i spoke w/ sree about beats, last year we had a nifty database to put folk from the same beat in different classes together. He says he has an online solutions this year. That was key last year. getting together at community boards.

ok. i am going to send out some invites to join this blog, and I will re-start my own posting...