Tampa Bay Media

IABC’s Bronze Quill Award Ceremony Set For Nov. 17 at Stetson

2010-11-09T11:21:00.002-05:00

Gulfport, FL — Top communication professionals in the Tampa Bay area will be honored at an awards ceremony hosted by the local chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) on Wednesday, Nov. 17, in the Great Hall at the Stetson University College of Law.

“The Bronze Quill Award is IABC Tampa Bay’s most prestigious award,” organizers said. “Given annually, the award recognizes the best of the best in communications in several categories, including Writing, Design, Electronic Delivery, Employee Publications and more.”

The featured speaker at the event will be Stetson professor Clark Furlow. His topic is “Business Ethics for Communications Professionals.”

Cost is $50 per person, if pre-registered by Nov. 10, and $60 at the door. Admission includes a reception, two drink tickets and dinner. Tables of eight are available at $500 each. There is a registration link at www.iabctampabay.com.

Dress is business attire, organizers said. Parking is available on the south side of campus, adjacent to the tennis courts. Reception and cocktails will start at 6:30 p.m. Speaker and dinner is scheduled for 7 p.m., followed by the Bronze Quill Awards Ceremony, which is expected to end about 8:30 p.m.

“The Bronze Quill annual competition is an opportunity to recognize excellence in communications throughout Southwest Florida,” a spokesperson said. “Through the Bronze Quill competition, area communicators showcase their talents and compete for Awards of Excellence, Merit and Honorable Mention in a variety of categories.”

The Stetson University College of Law is located at 1401 61st Street South in Gulfport. According to organizers, Stetson’s Executive Director of Communications Frank Klim, will host a campus tour for those who are interested in seeing more of the University’s historic halls.

For more information about the Tampa Bay Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators, visit www.iabctampabay.com.

ABOUT IABC: Founded in 1970, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) provides a professional network of more than 14,794 business communication professionals in more than 70 countries, operating more than 100 chapters around the world, in every industry, within both the public and nonprofit sectors.

Nov. 20 Fun Runs in Hyde Park Village to Benefit Children With Cancer

2010-11-04T15:20:00.002-04:00

SUMMARY: An event called “Heel to Heal” that will take place on Saturday, Nov. 20, is designed to raise funds to benefit the Children’s Cancer Center and the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. “Heel to Heal” will feature a 5k Fun Run/Walk and a 1-mile Family Fun Run/Walk and Dog Walk as well as a variety of family festivities.

TAMPA — A morning of fun, runs and festivities is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 20, in Hyde Park Village in Tampa. The event, dubbed “Heel to Heal,” will benefit the Children’s Cancer Center and the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

“Heel to Heal is family friendly, and pets are welcome,” organizers said. “There will be complimentary food by Panera Bread, Indigo Coffee, Coca-Cola, Smoothie King and Klondike.”

Admission for adults is $25 per person. For youngsters age 6-12, the cost is $15 each. There is no charge for children age 5 and under. Registration can be completed online at www.pcfusa.org/special_events.htm or on the day of the event at 6:45 a.m.

The 5k Fun Run/Walk is scheduled for 8 a.m. The 1-mile Family Fun Run/Walk and Dog Walk will start at 8:30 a.m.

“In addition, we will host activities in and around the village circle from 9 a.m. to noon,” a spokesperson said.

For more information about “Heel to Heal,” call Tyler Freriks, Marketing & Fundraising Coordinator for the Children’s Cancer Center, at (813) 367-5437 ext. 5 or visit www.ChildrensCancerCenter.org.

ABOUT: The Children’s Cancer Center is a non-profit 501c (3) organization that helps children who have cancer or chronic blood disorders. The Center also helps their families with immediate emotional, financial and educational support necessary to cope with their life threatening illnesses. The Pediatric Cancer Foundation exists to raise money to fund pediatric cancer research. The Foundation’s focus is to fund research to find less toxic, more targeted treatments that will lead to the elimination of pediatric cancer worldwide.

Florida Trend Focuses on 'Style & Design 2010'

2010-10-28T19:17:00.002-04:00

St. Petersburg, FL — The cover story for the November edition of Florida Trend is "Style & Design 2010." Among the featured designs is the Tampa Museum of Art in downtown Tampa, which is described as "a sort of metal jewel box atop a glass pedestal."

Other style and design highlights include:

- Lighthouse Point house, designed by architect Jeffrey Silbertstein.

- 1450 Brickell office tower, designed by architect Bruce Brosch of Nichols, Brosch, Wurst, Wolfe & Associates in Coral Gables.

- Captiva Island house, designed by architect James Lucia of Winter Park.

- Burke Hogue Mills offices for and by architecture firm Burke Hogue Mills in Lake Mary.

For details about these and other stories, Click Here.

HDNet to Provide Live Coverage of Shuttle Discovery's Final Launch

2010-10-28T17:57:00.006-04:00

ALERT: The launch of Discovery has been postponed. Check www.NASA.gov for updates.

Kennedy Space Center, FL — HDNet will provide extensive coverage of the final flight of Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-133) beginning at 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 1, at the Kennedy Space Center.

Discovery has been moved to Launch Pad 39A in preparation for its 39th mission, the most of any NASA shuttle. The planned 11-day trip features a visit to the International Space Station. Crew members will deliver additional parts to the Station, providing storage capacity to the orbiting complex. Discovery will also transport Robonaut 2, which will become the first humanoid robot in space.

The crew for STS-133 is an all-veteran team led by Commander Steve Lindsey (Colonel, USAF, Retired), in addition to Pilot Eric Boe (Colonel, USAF), Mission Specialists Timothy Kopra (Colonel, U.S. Army), Dr. Michael Barratt, Nicole Stott and Alvin Drew (Colonel, USAF Retired).

SOURCE: HDNet

JOY-FM Targets 10,000 Turkeys for Bay Area Families

2010-10-26T18:38:00.010-04:00

Sarastoa, FL — The JOY-FM has set a goal of collecting 10,000 frozen turkeys to distribute to families in the Tampa Bay area.

The station, which features contemporary Christian music, has been serving North, Central and Southwest Florida for more than 20 years.

"We are listener supported and appreciate the generous donations of our listeners, churches and business underwriters," a spokesperson said. "Last year 9,472 turkeys were donated. This year, more families than ever need our help. That’s why our goal this year is to collect 10,000 frozen turkeys."

The donated turkeys will go to freezers of local food banks and homeless shelters, organizers said, adding that, "From there they will be turned into food boxes, holiday meal plates, and the warmth of hope and God’s love for the unfortunate in our community, many of whom are children."

Each individual donor of a turkey will receive a Joy-FM T-shirt.

For a list of participating Publix Supermarkets, Click Here.

"Come out and trade a frozen turkey for a JOY FM T-shirt," a spokesperson said, adding that, "Yes, we’ll accept 'paper turkeys' at $10."

NOTE: For times and dates, check out this Turkey Stop Schedule.

Bright House Presents Northeast Exchange Club’s Ribfest Nov. 12-14

2010-10-26T11:18:00.006-04:00

St. Petersburg, FL — Bright House Networks presents Ribfest 2010 Nov. 12-14 at Vinoy Park on the downtown waterfront with ribs, music and a family fun zone.

Ribfest marks its 21st year of helping a variety of youth-oriented causes “one rib at a time," organizers said. The three-day charity fund-raiser features "the best barbeque ribs in the world," national touring artists playing classic and southern rock and country hits.

Northeast Exchange Club of St. Petersburg has signed national recording bands and entertainment to its line-up for Ribfest 2010. Among the bands taking the stage are Dave Mason, Lee Brice, The Doobie Brothers, Phil Vassar, Rick Springfield, Eric Church and Grand Funk Railroad.

In addition, Hell on Wheels, the nation's leading BMX action stunt show, will be performing throughout the weekend. On Saturday, there will be a Classic Car and Truck Show, presented by Tires Plus, and on Sunday a Motorcycle Show, presented byFull Throttle Magazine.

Advance ticket are available in October at Rally Food Stores and online at www.RibFest.org.

Through the years Ribfest proceeds have contributed $3.2 million to local causes including:
• All Children’s Hospital and the construction of its new hospital
• Child abuse prevention – Help-A-Child. and Family Resources
• Northeast Exchange Club service projects with Youth and Community Service
• Promoting Americanism by installing Freedom Shrines at local schools

"Ribfest is the community’s way to help these youth focused causes by simply coming out and sampling the best ribs in the world," a spokesperson said.

For more information, visit www.RibFest.org

Ukulele Getaway Set for Nov. 5-7 at Lake Tarpon Resort

2010-10-25T19:52:00.002-04:00

Palm Harbor, FL — Ukulele lovers rejoice! An event scheduled for the first weekend in November will give your beloved musical instrument all the attention it deserves.

The Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway will take place Nov. 5-7 at the Lake Tarpon Resort, 37611 US Highway 19 North, in Palm Harbor. Featured artists include Jim and Liz Beloff, Victoria Vox, Gerald Ross, Craig Robertson, The Barnkickers and Haole Kats.

There is no charge for the Friday session, which starts with a “Ukulele for Beginners” workshop at 6:30 p.m. That is followed at 7 p.m. by a screening of the film "Mighty Uke" and live music at 8:30 p.m.

Admission for the Saturday session is $50 and runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., followed by a freestyle jam. Activities include registration, vendors, workshops, performances, lunch, swap meet, Q&A, dinner and a concert.

Sunday’s activities start at 10 a.m. and include registration, performances, raffle drawings and a Luau. Cost is $35. Visitors who plan to attend both days can save $10 by purchasing a weekend pass.

Sponsors for the three-day event include Augustino LoPrinzi Guitars & Ukuleles, Suncoast Hospice, Kala Brand Ukulele and Stevie B's Total Guitar. Proceeds go to the American Asperger's Association, a non-profit group that provides treatment and support for children with autism.

Details about the Getaway can be found at www.TampaBayUkulele.com.

Here are profiles of the scheduled performers:

Jim and Liz Beloff: Jim is the author of “The Ukulele – A Visual History” as well as a series of ukulele songbooks. Jim, along with his wife Liz, owns Flea Market Music, Inc., a company dedicated to the ukulele.

Victoria Vox: Victoria graduated from The Berklee College of Music with a degree in songwriting. Her debut ukulele album, “Victoria Vox and Her Jumping Flea,” was released in 2006. Her latest, “Exact Change,” was released in May.

Gerald Ross: Gerald is known for his work with the ukulele and Hawaiian lap steel guitar. He has recorded five solo CDs and appeared a number of times on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.”

Craig Robertson: Craig, who has released six CDs of original music, performs the cabaret-style Ukulele Noir and writes for the Ukulelia blog. He will be accompanied on bass by his daughter Zoe.

The Barnkickers: Steve Boisen and his daughter Amanda make up this popular group. In 2008 they had the number one featured video on YouTube. In 2009 they released “Up Before Noon,” their debut CD of original music.

Haole Kats: T.J. Weger, Josh Gibson and Joe Martin make up this group. They are known for playing a style of Hawaiian music known as Hapa-Haole (Half-Foreign). Other styles include as jazz, swing, bossa nova and surf classics from the 1960s.

For more information about The Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway, visit www.TampaBayUkulele.com.

Former Fox 13 Consumer Watchdog Opens Law Firm

2010-10-25T13:12:00.004-04:00

Former Fox 13 consumer lawyer Eric Seidel has opened Eric Seidel Law, a litigation-based law firm. In order to start his practice, Seidel left WTVT a few weeks ago following an award-winning 19-year career.

“After exposing unscrupulous businesses and scam artists with a camera and a microphone on television, it was time to fight them with my legal training in the courtroom,” Seidel said.

Seidel has partnered with Kendall Almerico, a board-certified civil trial attorney with 22 years of civil trial experience, to form the boutique litigation practice primarily aimed at helping consumers who have been injured by corrupt businesses as well as those injured through the fault of others.

“Having a seasoned trial attorney like Kendall gives us a one-two punch that will keep scammers and unfair insurance companies against the ropes,” Seidel said.

Eric Seidel Law is headquartered on the top floor at 500 North Westshore Boulevard, Suite 1015, in Tampa.

“Just because people are not seeing me in the same news segment every night doesn’t mean they are losing me as a resource and an advocate," Seidel said. "Anyone can go to my Web site, www.EricCanHelp.com and see a new One Minute Tip video nearly every day to stay on top of the latest consumer issues."

For more information, contact Eric Seidel at Eric Seidel Law, (813) 712-3742.

The (Ron) Reason Behind The Trib's New Look

2010-10-25T11:10:00.005-04:00

Back on Oct. 12, The Tampa Tribune launched a re-design. The effort was executed by Designer-Consultant Ron Reason, who was hired by the Trib's parent company, Media General, back in May.

With newspaper circulation in the U.S. dropping (the Audit Bureau of Circulations show average daily circulation fell 5 percent in the April-period) one wonders about the long-term effect of a re-do.

Reason offers his reasons behind the "new and improved" look:

"Tampa is the first of Media General’s three metro newspapers to adopt a refined new look that will share many (but not all) elements, in advance of the creation of two consolidated editing and design centers," Reason wrote in his blog at RonReason.com. "In December, those centers will go live, and the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch and Winston-Salem (NC) Journal will adopt many elements of the new format."

The biggest challenge Reason faced: "Getting three sets of editors and publishers from the three different papers, in three different states, to agree on a new look to be shared by all."

For more about the Trib's re-design, Click Here.

Meeting Eric Deggans — “The Man” Behind “The Brand”

2010-10-21T12:02:00.005-04:00

“Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the brand image.” — David Ogilvy

On Wednesday, Oct. 20, I met Eric Deggans, "The Man." It was a great experience. I've followed Eric's newspaper career during his time here in the Tampa Bay area. He's a fine writer. Over the years, we'd e-mailed back and forth a handful of times. And, occasionally, I've even added comments to his blog at the St Petersburg Times Web site.

But this was different. This was face-to-face. Mano a mano. (Except, of course, for the other 20-plus people in the room.)

Eric had consented to be part of a panel discussion for the Tampa Bay Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) at the Tampa Club in downtown Tampa. The topic was “Media Relations Unwired."

One comment Eric made during his presentation changed my perception of him. He talked about Eric Deggans, "The Brand."

I told Eric after the discussion that I'd never considered him a "Brand." But I added that I did consider him a part of my "Media Sphere," a phrase he seemed to like. What I meant by the comment is that, as far as I was concerned, Eric was as much a part of my life as Cheerios, Twinkies and Publix, my local supermarket.

So, I guess, in a way, Eric is a "Brand."

I'd read him in the Times. Watched him on PBS. Seen him on CNN. I think I’ve even heard him on the radio a time or two.

Eric is everywhere. Like “Where’s Waldo.” And, now, he was here, in front of me. Flesh and blood. A "real person." That he had the savvy at some point in his career to realize that he was a "Brand" was (and is) brilliant. It means that Eric consciously stepped into that Media Sphere, like Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey and Bill O'Reilly. Eric is more than just a name. More than just a face. He’s a commodity.

And, I might add, one that I can reasonably endorse.

Why? Because, when I read something by Eric, he fulfills a certain expectation. In that good way. Like a great cup of coffee.

I can think of few things more satisfying. And many things less . . .

The lesson is that, in this age of the Instant and the Ubiquitous, each of us (in one way or another) is a Brand. And the sooner we accept and nurture that, the better off we are. So the next time you Twitter. Or type in a comment on FaceBook. Or update LinkedIn. Remember to connect the dots: You aren't just "you." You are a "Brand." And that's something worth projecting — and protecting.

IABC's Oct. 20 Luncheon Features Veteran Bay Area Journalists

2010-10-05T13:14:00.001-04:00

SUMMARY: Three veteran Bay Area Journalists — Janet Coats, Eric Deggans and Mike Connelly — will be featured at a panel discussion hosted by the Tampa Bay Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators on Oct. 20 at The Tampa Club in downtown Tampa.

TAMPA — The Tampa Bay Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) will host a luncheon/panel discussion on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at The Tampa Club, 101 E. Kennedy Blvd., Suite 4200, in the Bank of America Building in Tampa.

The topic is “Media Relations Unwired” and features a panel of three veteran journalists. They are:

- Janet Coats, former executive editor of The Tampa Tribune and Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and currently the New Media Journalism Initiative manager for the Patterson Foundation, an independent charitable grant-making organization based in Sarasota.

- Eric Deggans, media analyst for the St. Petersburg Times, who has been a music and TV critic with the paper since 1995.

- Mike Connelly, executive editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and former reporter with The Wall Street Journal, regional editor at the Baltimore Sun and vice president at Congressional Quarterly.

Registration and networking takes place 11:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. The panel discussion and lunch are scheduled for 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Cost for IABC members is $27. Non-members are welcome. Cost is $32.

To register for the Oct. 20 luncheon, visit www.iabcTampaBay.com. For information about The Tampa Club, call (813) 229-6028

ABOUT IABC: The International Association of Business Communicators is a non-profit network of professionals committed to improving the effectiveness of organizations through strategic, interactive and integrated business communication management.

Trib Online Only? No, Shouts Full-Page Ad

2008-12-13T14:05:00.003-05:00

So, was anyone besides me puzzled by the full-page ad in The Tampa Tribune that shouted:

“THE TAMPA TRIBUNE IS HERE TO STAY.”

Hmmmmmmmmmm . . .

It seems the house ad was designed to quell a rumor that Mother Trib was going “online only” in January—at least that’s what www.medialifemagazine.com claims.

Apparently the ruckus was caused by Gerald Ensley who wrote recently in the Tallahassee Democrat that, “The Christian Science Monitor quit being a newspaper: It will publish online only. Reportedly, the Tampa Tribune will follow suit in January.”

Aw, come on Gerald, were you poking MT in the eye or do you really know something?

Regardless, The Trib’s punch line for the full-page ad is “The presses are running.”

Too bad they’re not printing moola.

TRIBUNE UPDATE: FIGHTING BACK

In an impassioned rebuttal to rumors and innuendos, Executive Editor Janet Coats and President/Publisher Denise Palmer made plain that “This Newspaper Is Fighting Back.”

That headline appeared on the cover of the VIEWS section of The Tampa Tribune on Sunday, Dec. 14.

“It's time to set the record straight,” they wrote, and their stabs and jabs included a few choice pops at that newspaper across the Bay, the St. Petersburg Times.

Among the comments: “Subscription solicitation crews, working for the St. Petersburg Times, spread rumors that the Tribune is closing in January. We have asked the Times to stop the solicitors from spreading this lie.”

The two executives also offered a detailed comparison between the Tribune and Times re: story counts and coverage, noting that the Trib was holding its own generally and excelling in a number of areas, including news coverage of its home county of Hillsborough.

They also made plain that some people wrongly assumed that when the Chicago-based Tribune Company declared bankruptcy, it meant The Tampa Tribune.

Not so, Coats and Palmer wrote: “For the record, we are not. We are owned by Richmond, Va.-based Media General; our company is not seeking protection in the bankruptcy courts.”

The two did admit, however, that, “These are difficult times for the newspaper business.”

To read the full text from Coats and Palmer, go to:

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/dec/14/newspaper-fighting-back

Media MadMan’s Radical Revolution

2008-12-03T10:15:00.005-05:00

He is part media guru and part bomb thrower.

His advice about television stations is straightforward: “Burn them to the ground” . . . then hire his firm to rebuild anew. Newspapers? Drop the paper (too expensive) then go online only. And, of course, hire him as a consultant. Boards of Directors at Big Media firms? Die, and let the young Turks take over. (Don’t want to die? Hire his firm to re-invent yourselves.)

Who is this Media MadMan?

Michael Rosenblum.

(To sip a sample from his flashy fount of visdom — as in video wisdom —v isit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6E4fxHc33M& and watch him rant.)

Mr. Guru believes in Mojo—Mobile Journalists—though he doesn’t necessarily use that phrase. He also believes in revolution not evolution, and he is prepared to put your money where his mouth is — literally.

How?

Here’s the short version: Why pay somebody like Katie Couric $14 million to read the news for 22 minutes? Take that money and—at a hundred thousand a pop—hire a herd of mobile journalists, equip them with computers and digital video cameras and set them loose to forage for stories. If a third of the assignments are throw-aways, who cares . . . you’ll have more than you need to feed the beast, and then some.

Is anybody listening to Rosenblum’s railings?

Yup. Al Gore for one. Rosenblum was involved in Current TV, Gore’s audience-produced cable channel. He also transformed the BBC’s national network to his video-journalism paradigm and implemented V-J at Time-Warner’s New York One as well as Channel One in London.

Here’s what Rosenblum says about himself: “For the past 20 years I have been experimenting with different, new and sometimes radical ways of both producing and delivering television news and programming.”

The implications are clear: The next generation of reporters will be self-contained units who write, take video, edit and submit stories on-the-go, then move on to the next assignment. And more than that: Point-and-shoot digital video cameras will be handed out to receptionists, sales people, carriers and even publishers—to click away at whatever they come across going to and fro: Shopping. Picking up clothes at the dry cleaners. Having lunch at the Columbia Restaurant. Walking along Franklin Street or at the Pier. Driving over the Skyway. Watching sunsets on Longboat Key. Everywhere.

Will journalism be better for the effort? I don’t think so, but it will be different. The larger question is will it be financially sustainable. One can only hope.

More bad news news: Newspaper advertising revenue in the U.S. dropped by nearly $2 billion, or 18 percent, in the third quarter, according to the Newspaper Association of America, an industry group. Even online ad revenue dropped for the second quarter in a row. The decline is the worst since the NAA began keeping records.

TBM Returns – for Now

2008-11-21T10:58:00.005-05:00

Over my bowl of steaming oatmeal, dotted with plump Sun-Maid raisins, splashed with Coffee-mate and sprinkled with Splenda, these additives:

It’s a barrel-full of bad karma for media folk. AP reportedly plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce, about 400. Lay-offs are in the forecast for The Weather Channel. And, closer to home, Tampa Tribune columnist Daniel Ruth was just the latest causality in a long list of Bay area journalists who have lost their jobs. (In an attempt to remain transparent, my position as News Editor was recently eliminated at a local weekly paper, but that’s a story for another day.)

Why the bloodbath? Simple economics: The housing downturn was a loud warning bell for an industry already in trouble. Flocks of full-page real estate ads are long gone, drying a vital financial stream that provided much-needed capital. Reverberations in the auto industry cut off another key advertising lifeline. Competition from the Internet—often a self-inflicted wound—provided content for readers, but without a healthy enough ad stack to compensate for what was lost in the print side of the business.

Politics offered a cruel twist as well: That intermittent gusher of ads that crops up every two years—and explodes in presidential campaigns—shuts down quickly after election day and leaves a dry river bed of reality. The party’s over . . .

But there is something akin to good news: This massive media shakeup could (ultimately) create opportunities, if somebody either gets smart or lucky. (By this I do not mean reporters or editors, but those on the publishing side who can devise business models that sync up with the needs of the communities—large and small—for which they serve.)

On the other hand, if they do not adapt, they will die.

Is there a precedent for hope? Yes. AM radio was dead when FM took over. (Old-timers will recall that, way back when, FM appeared stillborn. AM licensees were forced to take up FM stations as a part of a package to jump-start this weak sibling. But, when FM finally took off, it left AM twisting slowly in its wake.) What revived AM? Talk radio. That genre became a cash cow for AM’ers.

Can newspapers find a formula that will permit them to rise Phoenix-like from the ashes?

One hopes.

Personally, I’m keeping an eye on that free and flashy tab from the St. Pete Times, tbt* . . .
Do I like little t? Not particularly, but if it succeeds, it could provide enough profit to help keep the Times stable. And Mother Trib? I don’t know. Their recent re-design was disastrous. I’m told that the phone system at the paper couldn’t handle the volume of calls from irate readers and that thousands of people canceled their subscriptions. (I would have canceled mine, but I enjoyed coverage of the Rays World Series run and look forward to the Bucs having home field advantage in the Super Bowl.)

I’m less informed about rumblings from within the radio/TV empires in the Bay area—but would love to hear from anyone with insight.

PS-1: Faithful readers from days gone by will notice TBM has not posted for the past three years. Why? Life intervened. But with my most recent run at a journalism career ended—cut short by the economic reaper about which I have just discussed—it seemed appropriate to return, for a time.

PS-2: It’s good to see that Walt Belcher and Eric Deggans are still pluggin’ away. They are two of my favorites. And, of course, Steve Otto.

Whatever happened to John Coffeen?

TBM Bids Farewell – for Now

2005-11-11T12:50:00.001-05:00

Farewell – & thanks, especially to David, Michael, Janet, Mark & Lynx. TBM was an effort to cover the Tampa Bay Media, a task I’ve compared to a gnat chasing a herd of elephants. The goal was an honorable one, but business demands and family needs forced a reality check – in doing so, TBM has determined to sign off, at least for now. Appreciation to those who’ve sent encouragements (you know who you are). Maybe after the holidays, TBM can plug back in. If not, it’s been fun.

PS-1: "Good Night, and Good Luck" to TampaBLAB & The One.

PS-2: Still interested in Tampa Bay Media? Then tune in to “Tampa Bay Media Talk” Thursdays, 6-7 p.m., on WTAN 1340, 1350 and WZHR 1400 or watch “live” online at http://www.tampabaymediatalk.com – the show is hosted by Michael Piotrowski and Janet Sherer.

Whatever happened to Joe Registrato?

Ruth vs. O’Reilly, Round Two

2005-11-06T18:59:00.000-05:00

The Tampa Tribune printed a three-score, plus-four, word correction correcting columnist Dan Ruth’s assertion that Fox anchor Bill O’Reilly was/is a “serial sexual harasser.”

The column was Ruth’s reaction to O’Reilly’s take on the Hillsborough County School Board holiday controversy: The Board had OK'd an '06-07 calendar, minus holidays for Yom Kippur, Good Friday or the Muslim holiday Eid Al-Fitr.

O'Reilly loves to give national visibility to such local brouhahas. Ruth is a bit of a ruckus-lover himself. (It was a marriage made in media heaven.) Ding-ding-ding! Let the fight begin. It went well . . . except for that apparent, below-the-belt, “serial sexual harasser” thingy.

Since TBM printed Ruth’s original accusation verbatim, it seems only fair & balanced to pass along the Trib’s correction, so here goes:

Correction: “A column by Daniel Ruth that appeared Nov. 2 incorrectly characterized Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly as a serial sexual harasser. While O’Reilly was accused of harassment in a single lawsuit filed by a former associate producer for the news channel, that lawsuit was settled out of court in October 2004, and no court ruling was ever made on the merits of the case.” End correction

To read Ruth’s barb-filled, anti-O’Reilly column con correction, click here.

Two other bay area columnists jumped into the holiday fray, without generating quite the national controversy that Ruth did. Both are worthwhile reads:

Howard Troxler’s “Hillsborough holiday fuss is a lesson in disrespect” contains his typical wit. For Howard’s column, click here.

Steve Otto takes an oblique approach with “Hey, Turkeys -- This Holiday Slipped By You” and sparkles with his Otto-matic humor. For Steve’s column, click here.

Ruth’s more Samurai-jugular twist no doubt fits his carefully cultivated print persona, which recalls a remark made some years back by a former colleague, George Meyer, after Ruth had triple-bypass surgery:

“A couple of people called and wanted to know if they actually found a heart," Meyer is said to have said.

Btw, TBM is out of town this coming week. We’ll be checking back in with you all upon returning. If O’Reilly-Ruth moves to Round Three, please release a flare.

O'Reilly vs. The Trib – Round One

2005-11-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

In the red, white & blue trunks, “No Spin Zone" Factor fighter Bill O'Reilly; in the black, white & read all over thong: our own Daniel Ruth of The Tampa Tribune. The issue: a vote by the Hillsborough County School Board that dropped school holidays for Yom Kippur, Good Friday and the Muslim holiday Eid Al-Fitr.

For the story that sparked the fight club, click here.

It’s a natural. A Ruthian stand-off. A field of (bad) dreams. A major league . . . well, you get the metaphors.

To summarize, "A school board cannot recognize a religious holiday for the sole purpose of recognizing a religious holiday," sez School Board Attorney Tom Gonzalez.

Huh?

Then let’s all work Christmas, aye?

But TBM doesn’t have a dog in this fight. Ruth does. For what he said, in a story headlined “Bill O'Reilly's Lies, Lies, Lies Strike Again!” click here.

For those with limited time, or attention span, a few Ruthian tid-bits re: in & of O'Reilly:

* “Claptrap puffery”
* “Toxic waste dump of demagoguery.”
* “Serial sexual harasser.”
* “To whom a cell phone is an X-rated sex toy.”
* “When it comes to fascism, O'Reilly is an expert witness.”

Ah, come on, Dan. Don’t hold back. Tell us what ya reilly think.

And O'Reilly? Did we expect him to be a wallflower? Nope. Came on like gang-busters tonight (Wednesday, Nov. 2) with none other than Hillsborough County Commissioner Rhonda Storms. Now, note, that Storms is not on the School Board, but she knows which way the PR wind blows. (Pun intended.) Invited to attend was Hillsborough School Board member Jennifer Faliero, who was the Lone Ranger vote against the religious holiday ban – she declined.

Wrote Ruth: “Faliero just may have a prosperous career as an elected public servant, having figured out pretty quickly to avoid appearing on claptrap puffery like Bill O'Reilly's toxic waste dump of demagoguery.”

Gil Thelen, the Trib’s  President and Publisher , was mentioned by O'Reilly (oh, really?) as was parent company Media General. Ruth (as near as TBM could tell) was not. Come on Dan. Storms said you are not on the intellectual scale of O'Reilly. Sounds like a challenge to me. (Would Judy Hamilton agree?) Give Bill a call. Let’s see if you can knock one out of the park. Don’t let him out-Fox you.

PS-1: Does anybody think this story is goin' away?

PS-2: Any bets on whether the vote gets reversed?

Short Stack: Brits, a Lion, Pets & H2GO

2005-11-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

If you’re a fan of British humor (“Nudge, nudge; wink, wink; know what I mean?”) scrounge up your quid and crown until you have the equivalent of $25 US and head on over to WEDU for a night of British comedy celebration on Friday, Jan. 20, 7 p.m., at the EDU Studios, 1300 North Boulevard, Tampa. Julius Cain of the BBC and Mike Seymour of the Programming Service for Public Television will host this “pub party.” The Moon Under Water British Tavern will supply the stew and brew. (Fawlty Towers apparently not invited to cater.) Fo’ mo’ info, call 1-800-354-9338 ext. 2241 or 813-739-2913.
Brit Wit Pub Party - A Backstage Event!

C.S. Lewis fans take note: The first 400 people who make a $30 per month commitment to the Spirit FM (90.5 FM on your radio dial) will receive up to four tickets to attend a Dec. 10th viewing of “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” Lewis' fabled tale of adventure and mysticism. The ticket distribution is part of the station’s Shareathon 2005.
SpiritFM

"Here, kitty, kitty." Call over Red Rover. Rub some tuna fish on your keyboard for ol’ Kit-Kat. TBO.com has a pet-oriented page for pets and their pals. The link includes “John Winter's Pet Personals.” (For the early bird uninitiated, Winter is part of the WFLA, Channel 8 morning team. He does the weather, but with a name like Winter, what would you expect.)
Pet Personals

And speaking of babies: WFLA’s Gayle Guyardo, early morning partner in humor and news to the aforementioned John Winter, had her third child Thursday, Oct. 27. (TBM notes that his brother Doug shares the same birthday.) Alena Kathleen Guyardo was born 7 pounds, 13 ounces, at 11:25 p.m. No word yet on whether or not Alena is prepared to do the weather for FLA. (Winter, you’re a marked man.)

It’s a gas – sort of . . . Even with prices at the pump dipping below $2.50, the incentive to nurture, find, create and cultivate alternative fuels may finally have hit Americans between the eyes and in the wallet enough to actually do something about it. That said, Florida Trend’s “Future Fuel” cover story is timely, punctuated as it is with a dead-on rearview shot of a school bus yellow Lamborghini sporting a license plate that says H2GO, a clever allusion to hydrogen, “the fuel of the future.” Still not convinced it’s time for a switch? Then check out TampaGasPrices.com for the per gallon rate re: this precious, non-bodily fluid.
Future Fuel

. . . and this additive . . . If you wondered how The Miami Herald managed to get its papers printed despite Wilma’s Cat one-two punch, wonder no more: It electronically transmitted its pages to The Tampa Tribune which printed up 250,000 copies of the Herald that were then trucked down to south Florida. Btw, it’s not usual for newspapers (even those who fiercely compete) to have emergency reciprocal arrangements for just such circumstances.

What ever happened to Greg Tozian?

Update: Robyn E. Blumner’s Oct. 16th Keep Web rude, real (referred to in TBM’s Oct. 22 Short Stack) is now available online with the rest of her columns. Special thanks to Steve Spears for the addition and notification.
www.sptimes.com/columns/blumner

Bias in the Media? Yes, No & Maybe

2005-10-31T11:01:00.000-05:00

Next to religion, politics and the BCS standings, the best way to provoke a hyperventilated rant is to bring up the topic of bias in the media. Eric Deggans (St. Pete Times) did just that in an Oct. 30th piece headlined Media Bias In the Eye of the Beholder on his Media in the Mirror blog.

TBM shares what it feels are Deggans’ pivotal paragraphs:

“I think people are confusing the (Main Stream Media’s) focus on pursuing social justice, which is an important part of our journalism DNA, with rampant liberalism.

“We focus on social justice issues in our work, which means reporting on civil rights issues, worker's rights issues, government waste issues, government effectiveness issues, poverty, crime, police brutality and much more. John Roberts, CBS correspondent and weekend anchor, described it to me simply: standing up for the little guy.

“But to an anti-affirmative action, pro-business, anti-welfare, law and order conservative, that kind of reporting might feel an awful lot like liberal bias.”

That may be part of it, but TBM suspects there is more.

For one thing, other than news junkies, few people understand the complexity or subtlety of the pecking order and division of labor within a modern media outlet.

A simplistic example: Reporters don’t write headlines.

A reporter may do a fine job telling a story and then fall prey to a distracted, sloppy or lazy editor who slaps on a headline that does not accurately reflect the story, but it’s the reporter – not the nameless editor – who gets the grief.
See “Sober & Similar: Journalists a Political Monolith,” TBM, Oct. 2.

Another example: Reporters, columnists, editorial writers and editors are not all the same thing.

Some people at newspapers are paid to have an opinion; some are not: Eric Deggans is, as is Walt Belcher of The Tampa Tribune. Both are media critics. Both have a wide latitude as to what they can say. They are not, however, the “voice” of the paper. That task falls to the editorial department. When each paper endorses political candidates, each editorial board makes that assessment, independent of its respective newsroom. (They might agree; they might not.)

Do such assessments constitute a “bias” per se? No, they represent a viewpoint; though, human nature being what it is, a bias or two can certainly enter the mix.

Finally, individuals and groups within a free society can feel slighted, get upset, and generally be agitated, outraged or aggravated for any and all reasons.

The media can be a target. So can the government. As can political parties, celebrities, talk show hosts and even bloggers.

Free speech is for everybody – and, sometimes, it's a free-for-all.

Here's what the First Amendment says:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Note that the phrase “the press” falls about in the middle of the amendment, almost as an aside.

So, is there “Bias in the Media”? There is if you say there is. It’s your opinion. Now, about those BCS standings . . .

Al Lopez: 1908-2005

2005-10-31T00:52:00.000-05:00

AP puts it this way: "Al Lopez, a Hall of Fame catcher and manager who led the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox to American League pennants in the 1950s, died Sunday at 97."

There is more – much, much more – to the story, but . . .

TBM submits that Bay area media will do a first-rate job re: the passing of this sports icon, whose roots run Earth-Mother deep into Tampa's sandy soil. Tune in, flip on and open up (pages) mañana to read the various obits and tributes. If a guava-stained tear could be drawn here, it would . . . Big Al will be missed. TBM is happy that he saw his White Sox win the Series before his departure.

Consider this quote, from The Man, himself:

"Do what you love to do and give it your very best. Whether it's business or baseball, or the theater, or any field. If you don't love what you're doing and you can't give it your best, get out of it. Life is too short. You'll be an old man before you know it."

And this:

"Go with the best you've got."

He did, and we are the better for it . . .

I Read, Therefore I Am – Festive

2005-10-27T10:19:00.000-04:00

Readers of the world unite . . . and visit St. Petersburg this weekend.

The 13th Annual St. Petersburg Times “Festival of Reading” takes place this Saturday, October 29, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, 140 Seventh Avenue South - Bayboro Harbor, Downtown St. Petersburg.

Authors include Bob Andelman, Raymond Arsenault, Carl Hiaasen, Sue Ellen Cooper, R.L. Stine, Candace Bushnell, Jeff Klinkenberg , Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jim Lehrer – and many, many, more. For a complete list of authors, click here.

Festival events include:
* Author talks & book signings
* Themed panels, featuring authors, book critics and journalists
* Children's “StoryLand” featuring story-telling, entertainment, arts & crafts
* Music, poetry and theater presented on open-air stages
* Marketplace with booksellers and exhibitors
* Food court

Note to Lightning Lovers: Bring a new children’s book and drop it off at the Publix Books 4 Kids Donation Tent and receive two ticket vouchers for the Lightning vs. Hurricanes game on Dec. 26 courtesy, of the St. Petersburg Times. All books benefit Community Pride Child Care, Inc. and the YWCA Family Village. Limit two ticket vouchers per person only while supplies last.
www.festivalofreading.com

BN9, Times Create 'Connections'

2005-10-23T15:27:00.000-04:00

The St. Petersburg Times and Bay News 9 are joining forces for a joint venture called Political Connections. The program will air Sundays at 11 a.m., starting Oct. 30. That’s one day before Halloween, which leads TBM to wonder: Will the program be a Trick or a Treat?

Gov. Jeb Bush may find out. Reason: He’s scheduled to be the first guest on this new public affairs gig. (Suspected question out of the gate: “Will you be running for Prez, Gov?”)

Hosting the inaugural PC (no pun) will be long-time Bay area news anchor Al Ruechel of Bay News 9 and Times political editor Adam C. Smith. (Sidebar: Smith had an excellent 1-A piece Sunday, Oct. 23, in which he shared what it's like to be a victim of identity theft. Definitely a “must read.”) In subsequent episodes, other Times team members will join the BN9 anchor to interview various newsmakers.

With industrial-strength heavyweights Ruechel and Smith, PC starts out with a good pedigree. TBM hopes it can deliver. The Bay area deserves programs of substance, especially when it comes to politics.

Btw, Tampa Bay has a tradition of mixing and matching media – something broadly called “convergence” in “the industry,” though the BN9-Times connection would seem to fall somewhat outside that more formal word-umbrella.

TBM is no expert in (or out of) the convergence field, and so shares, with little comment, some summaries from The Media Center, “a nonprofit think tank committed to building a better-informed society in a connected world.”

Bay area “Convergence Activities” noted by TMC:

Tribune, WFLA-TV (NBC), TBO
Tampa, FL
News, Advertising, Promotion
Partnership Description: One of most converged. Helped greatly by new, common facility and extremely committed leadership (locally and corporate). Strong cross-selling success. Still not satisfied with progress.

Herald-Tribune, Six News Now (SNN), HeraldTribune.com
Sarasota, FL
News, Advertising, Promotion
Partnership Description: Could well be the "most converged," thanks to committed leadership, one manager over all media, common newsroom, paper's ownership of cable news operation.
Related Links: http://www.heraldtribune.com http://www.snn6.com

St. Petersburg Times, WTSP-TV (CBS), St. Petersburg Times Online
St. Petersburg FL, Tampa/St. Petersburg FL
News, Advertising
Partnership Description: Cross promotion, occasional converged sharing.
SOURCE: The Media Center

Such cooperation amongst and within the media matrix can be, as Martha Stewart says, “a good thing” if it adds to larger public discussion geometrically – which is to say that a cross-pollination takes place that produces a true hybrid. For example, television was not merely radio with images, though some early transitional figures treated it so, such as the anchored “news-reader” John Cameron Swayze.

Conversely, witness the success of the dynamic and intense Edward R. Murrow who, when hiring correspondents, sought out print people who could really write, and whose emergence in the golden era of television can be attributed as much to his commitment to substance as to his strict, staccato delivery.

In summary, not everyone will be lasered to the screen when Smith and Ruechel launch Political Connections, but enough eyeballs of consequence will be. TBM wishes the duo well, and hopes they set a standard of substance and style high enough to warrant a buzz that will elevate the discussion on a variety of key issues from race relations to education to evacuation.

Here’s lookin’ at you, kids.

NOTE: Bay News 9 is only available on Bright House Networks.

Short Stack: Robyn, ‘Tennie,’ FUNd & Fillers

2005-10-22T13:31:00.000-04:00

TBM doesn’t always agree with Robyn E. Blumner (St. Pete Times), but almost always enjoys her writing. Robyn's Oct. 16th Keep Web rude, real was dead-on. Suffice to say, her assessment is that the Wild Wild Web ought to stay that way, despite what she terms some posters' “intemperate, exaggerated and obscenity-laced diatribes that seem to flow directly from their overheated brains to their typing fingers without any civilizing filter.” She also diagnoses that, “When people are cloaked by pseudonymous screen names, nastiness runs amok…” But she punch-lines her column by noting that, “Few things have been as democratizing as giving everyone with a connection to the Internet the ability to publish thoughts to a world audience."
Amen, Sister!
www.sptimes.com/columns/blumner

Image-lovers, especially fans of what was once called “candid photography,” should plan a pilgrimage to the Tampa Gallery of Photographic Arts, 1628 W. Snow Circle in Tampa. The reason: One Shot Harris: The Photographs of Charles “Tennie” Harris. The Oct. 12-18 Weekly Planet (Page 27) has an excellent write-up on this exhibit, so TBM recommends that reading for an overall on both the photographer and his work. These WP sentences perhaps sum it up: “One Shot Harris showed the world real faces of black America – pictures startling in the normalcy of the everyday life they captured. He also documented the realities of prejudice, poverty and the struggles for desegregation and justice that characterized the time.” That "time," btw, was the 1940s-1960s in Pittsburgh, just up the road from where TBM grew up in Western PA. One Shot Harris runs through Jan. 8, 2006. Call 813-251-1800 for details.
www.tgpa.org

The 13th Annual "An Evening with the Authors" will take place Nov.18 at the Clearwater Main Library, 100 Osceola Ave., Clearwater, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Cost is $30 for a patron donation or $15 for an individual donation. Proceeds will benefit the Clearwater Library Foundation. Featured authors include (but are not limited to) Roger Bansemer, Bruce Hunt, Lee Irby and Dr. Ruth Peters. (TBM does not personally know any of these authors but is a sucker for doing anything to help libraries.) Call 727-799-3734 for mo info.
www.clearwatercwc.org

WMNF’s Fall FUNd Drive is on and runs through Oct. 28. Tune in to 88.5 FM and join in the FUNd. (Where else can you get an “ALL NATURAL, COMMERCIAL FREE t-shirt short sleeve” for 75 bucks?) MNF bills itself as “Community Radio,” and rightly so. TBM particularly likes the bluegrass and folk programming on Saturday morning. “Plinka-plinka. Strum, strum.”
www.wmnf.org

“Record low unemployment goes even lower” reads the headline in the Tampa Bay Business Journal online. The lead graf states: “Unemployment rates in Florida and the Tampa Bay area continued to decline slightly through September.” The magic number: 3.5 percent. TBM mentions this as he ponders a rhetorical question: “Does anybody realize what an incredibly low number that is?” Sidebar: having lived in South Tampa and then moving (circa 1977-1989) TBM was not prepared for the Yuppi-dom he and Mrs. TBM encountered when they visited Old Hyde Park Village this past week. Fortunately, the TBM’ers were NOT carded, and the fifth generation Cracker (Wife) and former Ditch Digger (TBM) were allowed to quietly leave without incident – and, now, this parting thought: Somebody, somewhere must be makin’ a whole lotta pasta (i.e. moolah, cabbage, boodle, greenback, gravy, gold, lucre, wad, lettuce, wampum, skin, sugar, chips, mazuma, jack or the like) to have transformed Swann – from the Ugly Duck it once was.
tampabay.bizjournals.com

Whatever happened to Hubert Mizell?

‘Good Night, and Good Luck’: See It Now

2005-10-20T23:48:00.000-04:00

If you like news, history and television, TBM can highly recommend George Clooney’s new movie “Good Night, and Good Luck,” a black and white semi-docu-drama that spotlights the 1950’s showdown between CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow and the Junior Senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy.

But the movie isn’t for everyone; witness the six or so people who walked out during the special screening Thursday night in South Tampa.

Perhaps they were expecting “Ocean’s 11.” (In the interest of full disclosure, Clooney directs the movie and plays the key role of CBS producer Fred Friendly, but David Strathairn, as Murrow, is without question the star here – think Oscar performance.)

Randy Myers  of Contra Costa Times notes that "Good Night, and Good Luck" expects its audience to arrive at the movie theater “smart.” He is right. Though there are a few light moments, GN&GL by and large expects its audience to be engaged rather than entertained as it chronicles a sort of 20th Century Gunfight at the OK Corral – but with the weapons of choice being rhetoric rather than bullets.

Whoever said, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me" wasn’t around during the McCarthy era when being called Red (or even “Pink”) could end a career.

Still, the movie isn’t perfect: It doesn’t make the case that Communism was the threat it was during that period, which is what made the anti-Communist frenzy possible. And it neglects to show that ol’ Tail-gunner Joe was a popular figure in many circles. (He was, for example, the Godfather to one of Bobby Kennedy’s children.)

However, for those who have a passion for history and substance, it’s a must see.

PS-1: TBM recommends reading Alexander Kendrick's “Prime-Time: The Life of Edward R. Murrow,” an excellent book that puts "Good Night, and Good Luck" into the larger perspective of the newsman’s rich and full life, particularly his years as a war correspondent.

PS-2: One almost walks away from the movie feeling that to be a good journalist in the 1950’s it was necessary to be a chain-smoker – talk about smoke-filled rooms . . .

Free Tickets: ‘Good Night, & Good Luck’

2005-10-19T20:50:00.000-04:00

Mr. & Mrs. TBM have a handful of extra tickets to George Clooney’s new flick “Good Night, and Good Luck,” and we are offering them exclusively to fellow TampaBLAB bloggers.

This special screening takes place 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct 20, at SunriseCinemas, Old Hyde Park Village, 1609 West Swann Ave., in Tampa.

The New York Times says, “George Clooney's film about the CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow is a passionate, thoughtful essay on power, truth-telling and responsibility.”

The Hollywood Reporter calls it, "Gripping slice-of-life docudrama.”

GuideLive puts it this way, “Cigarette smoke, fear and the weight of principle hang in the air throughout Good Night, and Good Luck.”

TBM only goes to one movie a year; this year, “Good Night, and Good Luck” is that movie.

E-mail jimlamb@journalist.com 2-nite (Wednesday, Oct. 19) for coordination details – or, if you’re a risk-taker, show up at the theater and look for an attractive woman standing with a guy wearing eye-glasses who looks like he has the head of Sonny Bono transplanted on the body of SNL’s Chris Farley. (We’ll be in front of the theater between 7 and 7:15 p.m.)

First come, first serve.

Still not sure? View the trailer, by clicking here

NOTE: If you are reading this after 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, I will not be able to check my e-mail prior to the movie. As of RIGHT NOW, there are still tickets available.

Wilma on the Way

2005-10-19T08:11:00.000-04:00

Over the next few days, newsrooms in the Bay area will shift to Hurricane mode as Wilma – for now, a Cat 5 storm – appears to be have the West Coast of Florida in its cross-hairs. TBM has asked before, theoretically, re: your hurricane coverage partner of choice. With Wilma on the way, the question is now for real. Who will you turn to?

tbt* 3 – Feminism 0

2005-10-18T13:28:00.000-04:00

TBM grew up as a baby journalist at a time when if you said “girl” at a staff meeting, you’d be chastised; if you opened a door for a woman, you’d hear something like, “Do think I’m crippled,” and mere mention of the word “Ms.” could provoke a discussion that would disrupt an entire j-class at USF.

So, it was with an odd combination of horror and humor that TBM scanned the Oct. 12-18 issue of *Tampa Bay Times (affectionately known as tbt*) and pondered how things have changed in three decades.

To wit:

Page 9

HEADLINE:
We Shouldn’t Care About Her Looks (But We Do)

This un-bylined Associated Press article about Supreme Court nominee Harriet Meirs contains the following nugget from Christina Kelly, editor of ELLEgirl:

“You can be smart, accomplished and successful, but if your appearance is deemed less than perfect, you’re basically worthless in the eyes of the public.”

Huh?

Somebody want to toss that quote over to Pulitzer-Prize winner Lucy Ware Morgan (St. Pete Times) and watch her pop it out of the park?

But that’s not the most “shallow” tbt* tid-bit. No, that would be found on:

Page 29

HEADLINE:
Why treat beauty as something ugly?

“Glamor (do’s and don’ts)” columnist Carol Brundage writes:

“My life is all about beauty. I write about it, I think about it and, like most women, I work at it. Shallow? Some people may think so, and frankly, I take offense. After all, beauty is serious business.”

No comment . . . except to share the article’s punch-line:

“Beauty really is more than skin deep. That said, grab a martini and meet me in the closet, ladies. We’ve got some primping to do.”

But wait, there’s more . . .

Page 54

HEADLINE:
Gloria Steinem just keeled over

This Associated Press piece is an article written by a woman who works at a men’s magazine. She is searching for just the right “fresh words” to use in an article titled “And God Created Woman.”

The lead graf:

“Sultry eyes? Good. Southern sexpot? Really good. And what about mamacita?”

Our unnamed heroine (why she is not named, I do not know) is wrestling with “writing scintillatingly short and sweet bios for each goddess” – you know, the usual suspects: Angelina, Jennifer, Sophie, et al.

Ms. Un-Named admits she’s hung up on the word “hot” but wants to push the literary envelop. (That’s the one with all the words on it.)

She comes up with: “Sultry. Smoldering. Stunning. Exotic. Gorgeous. Bombshell. Temptress. Doe-eyed.”

And, later, “bee-stung” (?), then “naughty, arousing and ingénue, saucy and senorita.”

After-which, our word-weary writer begins synthesizing, rhetorically: “Smoldering temptress? Sultry senorita? Bee-stung bombshell?”

There’s more . . . but it is too painful to re-count, for, as our editorial adventurer admits, first, “I started to think like a man” and then “I began to view women as commodities.”

“Commodities”? Oh, the womanity!

Susan B. Anthony, we hardly knew ya.

But, what does TBM know, anyways. He’s a guy, and an old one at that, whose “appearance is deemed less than perfect,” and, therefore, “basically worthless in the eyes of the public.”

However, here’s a thought: Feminism isn’t dead; it’s just in the closet havin’ a martini – and possibly “primping.” In case it comes back before quittin’ time, here’s a link it might want to check out:

Feminist Majority Foundation

PS-1: Jay Cridlin can thank me later for not mentioning the “scintillatingly” semi-sexist Victoria’s Secret? She’s no dummy on Page 8. (Talk about viewing women as “commodities” – or should I say, “window-dressing.”)

PS-2: Tampa NOW meets at 6:15 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Perkins Restaurant and Bakery, located at 408 East Bearrs Avenue, Tampa. Maybe someone from tbt* should pay them a visit.

WEDU Scores with an ‘Extraordinary’ Life

2005-10-16T19:06:00.000-04:00

WEDU describes “Extraordinary Grace: The Reverend A. Leon Lowry” as “a tribute to one of the Tampa Bay Area’s leaders in equality, opportunity, and education.” It is that. But it something more: It is yet another example of what EDU can do when it puts its mind – and money – to the task at hand.
(See TBM’s “Putting the ‘Journal’ Back Into Journalism,” Sept. 25.)

There is not time or space here to recap Dr. Lowry’s “extraordinary” life; for that, TBM suggests you read the well-written obituary, published August 21, 2005, in the St. Petersburg Times.

Suffice to say, as the Associated Press did via MSNBC: “The Rev. A. Leon Lowry, a prominent local civil rights leader who once taught Martin Luther King Jr. and led the desegregation of public facilities in Tampa, has died at 92.”

He taught Dr. King; he helped changed Tampa.

What a life . . .

Amen!

But this is not so much about Dr. Lowry, as it is about EDU.

That said, the Rev. Dr. Lowry was pastor of Beulah Baptist Institutional Church, headed the local chapter of NAACP, helped found Tampa's first biracial bank, became the first black member of the Hillsborough County School Board and served on the WEDU Board of Directors – all milestones that took place after he taught theology at Morehouse College, where his students included a young man named Martin Luther King Jr.

The Florida Sentinel Bulletin (rightly) notes “Lowry's life story is almost a history of race relations – not only in Tampa.”

Education officials in Hillsborough County at least – if not the Bay area as a whole – should consider taking “Extraordinary Grace: The Reverend A. Leon Lowry” into classrooms next February during Black History Month.

But, let’s go one better: Perhaps WEDU can re-broadcast the entire episode and coordinate a discussion of race relations in the community at large, marshaling the full force of its considerable talents. Provoking editorials. Planning round-table discussions. And even more . . . Messages from the pulpit. Marches. Meditations. Now that would be an example of Public Television at work.

Why wait until there is blood in the streets before community leaders (media, included) pipe up, and say, “Let’s talk”?

It would be a fitting tribute to Rev. Lowry, and his slain student, Dr. King, if influential community leaders (amongst them, those in the media) got together and brought visibility to an issue that is all too often forgotten – or (conveniently) ignored.

* * *
And, now, this additive, production quality of “Extraordinary Grace: The Reverend A. Leon Lowry” – already high in editing, photography and writing – was taken to the next level by the addition of voice-over artist Ezra Knight. You may not know Knight, but you’ve probably heard his voice, featured, as it has been, in so many places, including MTV, the Today Show, Food TV and the Tomb Raiders 2 trailer. Still not sure? Then click here for a sampler of Knight's work.

Short Stack: Pix, Shticks, Ferrets & Hiaasen

2005-10-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

Over your breakfast plate of two eggs over easy, extra crispy bacon, one slice of lightly buttered, whole-wheat toast – all washed down with a mug of hot black coffee . . . these additives:

Picture-takers should take advantage of an online invitation from TBO.com to “share views of life in the Bay area through your digital camera or cell phone.” The TBO Team does ask that, “you keep 'em clean.” As a wise man once observed, it is their “dime.”
tbo.com/life/photos

Headline kudos to the nameless 1-A editor at the Trib who came up with this gem on today’s front page (below the fold) to alert readers that autumn is (finally) upon us:

"Fall’s Here – How Cool Is That?"

TBM reacts, appropriately: How cool is that?

The “Cledus T. Hometown Handshake Tour with Chad, Steve and Rita!” ends with a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on 6 a.m.-10 a.m. at two Dunkin' Donuts locations: Monday, Oct., 17, 13013 – 66th Street No., and Tuesday, Oct. 18, 4325 Hillsborough Plaza, Tampa. For sophisti-cats livin’ in South Tampa, Cledus is the “Weird Al Yankovic” of Country Music – and now a Big-Time Bay area radio personality. (TBM’s favorite CT tune: “I Love Nascar.”)
www.wqyk.com

And speaking of weird, Al . . . if you did not hear the ferret segment on “The Schnitt Show” this week (3-6 p.m., 970 AM, WFLA) you may have missed one of the milestone mad moments in Bay area talk radio. Schnitt reacted to an AP story, the lead graf of which notes: “A student has filed an Americans With Disabilities Act complaint against a university because it won't let her keep her pet ferret at her dormitory.” Schnitt (a local lad who can run with the Big Boys when it comes to discussing national issues) knows a Loony Tune topic when he sees one, took his rant to the splinter-edge of absurdity, and never looked back. (Somebody, please, buy this guy a wombat.)
www.schnittshow.com

Talk about a flap, Bay area airwaves and newsprint were a-buzz and a-flap this week over W.’s tele-call with troops that was variously dubbed “staged,” “choreographed” and “rehearsed.” AP put it this way: “It was billed as a conversation with U.S. troops, but the questions President Bush asked on a teleconference call Thursday were choreographed to match his goals for the war . . .”

That’s “choreographed” as in “Kabuki.”

Sgt. Ron Long was one of the soldiers who participated in the tele-call. He gives his take on the flap – and, it’s created quite a buzz of its own. Read it for yourself (see link to his blog below) and then decide. TBM’s take? Let’s see . . . should I believe the high-paid “spin doctors,” sittin’ in cozy, air-conditioned offices who have their own agendas, or the medic in Iraq who is puttin’ his life on the line? Hmmmmm . . . tough call – NOT.
278medic.blogspot.com

. . . and, finally . . . the 13th Annual St. Petersburg Times “Festival of Reading” takes place Saturday, October 29, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, 140 Seventh Avenue South - Bayboro Harbor, Downtown St. Petersburg. This is a quality event, attended by TBM just once, and still fondly remembered. Industrial-strength authors include (but certainly not limited to): Carl Hiaasen, Sue Ellen Cooper, R.L. Stine, Candace Bushnell and Doris Kearns Goodwin. (There is a pricey, but probably worth it, “Preview Party” the night before.)
www.festivalofreading.com

Media Shift: Survival of the Fittest

2005-10-14T08:29:00.000-04:00

PR WEEK has an article headlined “10 media trends to watch” that is a must-read for every media type and hype in the Bay area – as well as anyone and everyone with even a passing interest in such things, but especially bloggers.

The sea change taking place in BIG media this past year – witness the passing of the dinosaur/anchorman: Brokaw, Rather, Jennings – is a benchmark in time to which historians will point, though the full impact (like the aftermath of a meteor hit) is yet to be determined.

Suffice to say, what emerges will be different – probably faster, better, cheaper. It has to be. One possibility is a synergy between the “real” media and the emerging media – that is: blogging, the as yet embryonic promise of the so-called “Citizen Journalist."
(See TBM’s " 'It's Your Times' . . . Use It, NOW!!!", Oct. 13)

Jon Friedman, Media Web columnist for Market Watch, put it this way:

“The internet is playing a very large and influential role in forming public tastes. The public likes what it gets on the internet: the convenience, the speed, hopefully the reliability of the news and commentary. And now you have blogs entering the picture in a forceful way, changing everything. Now anyone can be a publisher or journalist. As a result, these pretty stodgy magazines and newspapers that have relied for a century on the same formula have to hit themselves in the backside and get it together and adapt.”

And adapt, they must, for only the fittest will survive. Those who slumber will end up food, fodder – or both.

But, that’s just TBM’s opinion. That and a quarter will get you on the Suncoast Parkway – but not necessarily off. Read the article; decide for yourself . . .
LINK: 10 media trends to watch

'It's Your Times' . . . Use It, NOW!!!

2005-10-13T23:02:00.000-04:00

“From each according to her knowledge
To each according to his curiosity”

OK, it’s a start . . .

“Big Media” invites the “little people” to get involved. Not perfect, but, hey – who’s perfect?

First, the “rules” (a.k.a. “What Not To Say”):

“Please be sure your comment is appropriate before submitting it.

  "Inappropriate posts include content that:

* Is defamatory or libelous
* Is abusive, harassing, or threatening
* Is obscene, vulgar, or profane
* Is racially, ethnically or religiously offensive
* Is illegal or encourages criminal acts
* Is known to be inaccurate or contains a false attribution
* Infringes copyrights, trademarks, publicity or any other rights of others
* Impersonates anyone (actual or fictitious)
* Is off-topic or spam
* Solicits funds, goods or services”

Yeah, OK . . . we get it: “It’s not the dub dub dub.” It’s not FREEEEEEEEE speech. But, for a corporate entity, I’m impressed.

It’s www.itsyourtimes.com

I keyboard – therefore, I am . . .

. . . and, then, the “SITE POLICY”:

“Welcome to It's Your Times, the community issue blog from the St. Petersburg Times. This is a free and open space for citizen journalism and community discussion, but there is a code of conduct.

“You will be the reporter and contributor on these pages. You will be able to introduce information and ideas that you may feel have not gotten the attention they deserve. Everyone's postings will have the same status and will rise or fall on the basis of their quality. Everyone's contributions will be saved. This will be like the perfect town hall meeting where anyone can speak at any time and everyone's input will be equally respected.

“Respect is an important aspect of this community blog. Ideas are what will prevail, not personalities and not attacks. If people post inappropriate material, it will be removed. If the poster feels the removal is incorrect, that person may appeal, but they will probably be required to rewrite their comments in a respectful manner. We will not edit any posts. We want a discussion, even an argument, but not insult.

“We will summarize comments on a regular basis so new visitors will not have to read every posting to learn what is new and interesting. All accepted comments will be available, but the summary will serve as a gateway to them. The summary also will be a place where we will ask questions or introduce ideas we've run across. We're part of the community, too.

“You will need to register with us in order to participate. Here's why

“We've invited pertinent elected officials and other prominent members of the community to join the fray. We hope they will use this opportunity to speak directly to the public in the precise context they intend.

“We think this will be an excellent place for the community to address ideas that can't fully fit into a newspaper but need thorough discussion just the same. This will be an interesting opportunity to take journalism to a new place. It's Your Times.”

. . . and, as they say, these are the “Times” that try men’s lives . . . but I’m OK with that. Coz’ at least they’re tryin’.

So, sign up blogsville. Don’t let this opportunity pass. A “Big-Time” Media Entity is invitin’ you to participate. DO NOT LET IT PASS.

To quote ALL the Adam Sadler movies:

“You Can DO It!”

And by doin’ it, you can make life better. More bearable. Livable. Likeable. Loveable. “Red and yellow, black and white.” Conservative AND Liberal. Even you moderate, middle of the roaders. Get involved. Use that First Amendment. Use it NOW! You do NOT have to be right. What you have to be is available. The best ability in America, right now, is avail-ability. Use your VOICE. And the world will be a better place. I promise. Or double your money back.

Because It's That Important . . .

2005-10-12T22:52:00.000-04:00

The First Amendment

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Freedom of speech has no limits – except, maybe, yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. Ponder that, for a moment or two. And consider that this freedom is crucial for citizens in the Bay area. Use it, or lose it – now, and forever. Think of it as a (sort of) positronic haiku:

"Congress shall
make no law
respecting an establishment
of religion,
or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof;

or abridging
the freedom
of speech,

or
of the press;

or
the right of the people
peaceably
to assemble,

and

to petition
the government
for a redress
of grievances."

We should use any, and all, the options, thereof . . .

Short Stack: Turn On, Tune In, Drop In

2005-10-11T07:37:00.000-04:00

"Tampa Bay's Media Talk" (no relation to TBM, except cosmically) bills itself as “a weekly entertainment and educational radio program dedicated to serving the needs of the Tampa Bay area's creative community.” The one-hour show airs “live” Thursdays 6 p.m. on WTAN 1340, 1350 and WZHR 1400.

For those with a high-speed Internet connection, the show can be viewed in real time at http://www.tampabaymediatalk.com/live.php via “streaming video.” Show hosts are Janet Sherer and Michael Piotrowski. Call-in’s are welcome at 1-866-826-1340, toll-free.

PS-1: Sherer was interviewed last summer for an article by Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times. That article (headlined “Isolating Our Points of Viewing”) can be found at http://mediachannel.org/blog/node/422.

PS-2: "Tampa Bay's Media Talk" typically has high-quality guests of local, regional and even national stature, though rumor has it that a blogger snuck in recently, after-which two cups of high-quality coffee and five bright, shiny peanut M&M’s were missing from a glass jar at the front desk. (What some people won’t do for a little caffeine and chocolate.)

Short Stack: For Those Who Think 'Young'

2005-10-10T13:49:00.000-04:00

Have just a thin stick of info on what sounds to be a worthy event, with the topic: “Helping Young Artists Stay in Tampa Bay.”

Sponsored by the Weekly Planet, this “FREE” interactive “Twist on a Live Political Talk Show” is scheduled to take place Monday, Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m., at the Jobsite Theater, Shimberg Playhouse, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 N. W.C. MacInnes Place in Tampa. (Park at Poe Garage, Ashley Street, between Cass and Gasparilla.)

Guests include actor Jack Holloway, David Jenkins of the Jobsite Theater, Carrie Mackin of the Covivant Gallery, Margaret Murray of The Arts Center in St. Pete, and a TBM favorite, Paul Wilborn, Creative Industries Manager for the City of Tampa. Weekly Planet Editor David Warner will host.

Be there or be square. (That’s “m-c square” for science students.) For more information, call the Planet at 813-739-4854. (For those with particularly good karma: Sit quietly, meditate, breath, feel the vibes, exhale, then call.)

PS-1: This seems a good example of the kind of proactive involvement/investment media outlets should make in the communities in which they live – and from which they profit. Kudos.

PS-2: TBM plans to be there – if he can get a dog-sitter.

When TV Stations Go Dub Dub Dud

2005-10-08T20:59:00.000-04:00

Herbert McLuhan once said, “The medium is the message.” He didn’t add that the message is sometimes mediocre, but he might have.

McLuhan (better known as “Marshall”) died in Toronto, Dec. 31, 1980, long after the first four nodes on the ARPANET were set up in 1968, but well before dub dub dub unleashed the Niagara of packets and bytes on and through the Information Superhighway. It would be instructive to resurrect this media maven to entertain his Internet insight, but perhaps we can extrapolate from the elegant epigrams he left behind:

sent.

And, perhaps most insightful . . .

“Mud sometimes gives the illusion of depth.”
. . . which is to say: Any Bay area TV/Cable entity that doesn’t carefully cultivate an identity on the Internet is missing an opportunity to leverage a medium that could exponentially expand its reach – as well as its bottom line.

. . . but then, McLuhan was Canadian (aye?) so can we really believe all that heady stuff he spewed? (Remember, this was a fella who once said: “I may be wrong, but I’m never in doubt.”)

Oh, well, pass the cold case of Labatt Blue longnecks, click on the McKenzie brothers’ “Great White North” DVD, and let’s see what our video cousins do when they try to transfer their talents to the dub-dub-dub – scored, as it were, on a substantially subjective scale of One to Five “Dubs.”

Bay News 9
BN9 boasts a content-rich site, well-branded with its video companion. Navigation is straightforward, fonts consistent. Color, graphics and design enhance rather than distract from its mission. County-by-county news breakdown a plus. Overall, a solid, competent effort. Criticism? Just a tad elementary at times.
Four Dubs

WEDU-TV
Attractive, professional, clean. Background color changes as primary navigation buttons are clicked, which at first is startling, but does reinforce transition. Strong programming content, but lack of an attempt to create a sense of community is a missed opportunity, which should be a priority for a station that relies heavily on fund-raising.
Two Dubs

WFLA-TV
A good effort considering station must share online real estate with TBO.Com and The Tampa Tribune. Some visitors will no doubt like the resulting trinity; TBM feels it artificially limits FLA’s online options. Still, sufficient branding with the station to be a plus, that and mega-multiple content trails will keep most news junkies happy.
Three Dubs

WFTS-TV
Perhaps the strongest online effort for a television station in the Bay area. Clean, crisp, design. Content rich. Good mix. Lots of links, yet doesn’t seem cluttered. Excellent use of color and graphics. Only question: How do you know its WFTS from the home page? Oops.
Four and a half Dubs

WTOG-TV
Comes off strictly as a “promo” site — which is OK if all you want to do is tell people about what programs are on your station. TBM understands that 44 bills itself as “Tampa Bay’s #1 Entertainment Station,” but the lack of a human touch undermines 44’s ability to create “Chatter” and promote community.
One and a half Dubs

WTSP-TV
Overall good effort, though tweaks could kick it up a notch. Graphics a bit heavy-handed. Advertising navigation on right overpowers site, giving the impression of schizophrenic design. Bold headline links coupled with heavy reverse bars “shout” too much. Something should "whisper." Still, a content-rich, nicely branded site.
Three and a half Dubs

WTTA-TV
Weakest online effort of any station in the Bay area. Where to start? Best thing on the site is the Chick-fil-A ad. Who to blame? (Sinclair Broadcasting?) Hard to say. Should give it a “Dud” instead of a “Dub.” Can’t believe somebody at station doesn’t have time to dress this thing up a bit or a byte. No theme. No design. No personality.
Half a Dub

WTVT-TV
A wonderfully content-rich site that is hampered by a clunky navigational interface and a design approach that is so . . . so . . . frustratingly 1999! TVT, which has a rich history of branding (remember “Big 13”), missed Salty Sol's boat here. Note to Mr. 13: Sell a few more ads, hire a “Big”-time Web designer and set the standard for the Bay area – yeah, that’s the ticket.
Two and a half Dubs

WUSF-TV
Much as EDU, this is “Attractive, professional, clean,” as well as, “Strong programming content, but lack of an attempt to create a sense of community is a missed opportunity . . .” Not to sound like a broken record (a metaphor baby bloggers will miss) but creating community is on option online. A Web site is not a monologue but an invitation to a dialogue.
Two Dubs

IN SUMMARY, the Internet is like a shower: billions of bits and bytes blasting from everywhere and anywhere in real time and asynchronously. TV/Cable entities – already sending their senders into viewer’s homes – should be advertising their online business identities at every turn. In turn, those dub dub dubs should be deeply branded, content-rich and user-friendly – as well as current, always current. Plus, in addition to cross-advertising their Cable/TV counterparts, the dub dub dubs should be creating and cultivating a sense of community, a nurturing neighborhood on the new frontier.

Clear as mud? It was never in doubt.

Short Stack: Yada, Yada; Blah, Blah; BLAB!

2005-10-07T09:04:00.000-04:00

TampaBLAB (http://www.tampablab.com/), which bills itself as "your one-stop shop for blogs in the greater Tampa Bay area," was recently spotlighted on the St. Petersburg Times Online BLOGS page (http://www.sptimes.com/blogs/). In the interest of full disclosure, TBM notes that it is listed at both virtual locations and visits both sites regularly. Why? Because sometimes ya just gotta know where to go to find out what's happenin' in blogsville . . .

PS-1: A recent e-mail from a colleague reminded TBM that it is "blogsville as opposed to printsville,” and that “it's more important to just get an idea out there." The response? Attempts to sprinkle in some smaller snacks amongst the longer editorial entrees, hence "Short Stack.”

PS-2: Special thanks to Michael & Janet for reasons that will not be elaborated upon at this time . . . except to say that the coffee and M&M's were hmmm, hmmm, good.

'Voices' Part One: Otto & Troxler

2005-10-04T15:16:00.000-04:00

Every newspaper has a “voice.” (If it doesn’t, it should buy, cultivate, create or steal one.) Often the “voice” emanates from the editorial section of the paper, but not always. The St. Petersburg Times and The Tampa Tribune have multiple voices, and a talented bunch they are.

But, editorially, they lack something --- hmmmmmmmm, warmth, maybe? Passion? Humanity? Perhaps it’s the curse of editorial departments that they speak from "on high" with a detached and antiseptic manner at best – and at worst?

Well, the Trib sometimes seems tentative, like it’s looking over its shoulder at “Mother” Media General in Virginia; and with the Times, you feel like . . . well, you feel like you’re being lectured to by “the smartest kid in class.” (“West Wing” fans, take note.)

So who, really, is a better “voice” choice, someone with real heart and soul who embodies the best each paper has to offer.

TBM’s response: Steve Otto and Howard Troxler.

Otto works for the Trib; Troxler, for the Times. Each is a columnist, respectively, for their newspaper’s “metro” section. Otto is a good ol’ boy, chili-eatin’ Cracker about town; Troxler is a cherubic intellectual, bow-tied imp o’ the world, whose recent full beard makes him look older than age 30 for the first time in his life.

Otto was a columnist for The Tampa Times (no relation to the St. Pete Times) – the “sister” afternoon paper to The Tampa Tribune. The two papers merged circa 1982, having shared a building and presses, though little else. The Trib’s features department (named Part IV, then Tampa Bay Today, and now called BayLife, which was the name of The Tampa Times features department, prior to it folding) absorbed Otto (no mean feat) before he was transferred to the metro section, where he is now.

Ironically, Troxler used to be a metro reporter for the Trib, before (eventually) crossing the Bay to write for the St. Pete Times. (Howard was probably the first reporter in the area to own a Macintosh, including carrying case, back when those computers were the size of a microwave . . . talk about “hip.”)

These two columnists are existentially essential examples of their craft and their papers.

TBM suggests you go to the library (or online) and scan the work of these two veteran scribes. You’ll note that Steve tends to ramble (blame his editors); that Howard sometimes thinks he’s as smart as he sounds (blame Howard), but, by and large, you’ll hear “voice” – something true readers savor, like fine wine.

Btw, Daniel Ruth (Trib) used to be the best writer in the area – before he went to Chicago, and returned “urbane.” Too bad. He was that good. (“What's wrong, Superman? Got your cape caught in a typewriter, did ya?”)

* * *
If you’re new to Tampa Bay, you missed two great sports icons; giants, really: Tom McEwen (Trib) and Hubert Mizell (Times). In TBM’s opinion, they were the true baritone “voices” of the Bay, great and respected, giving us a national presence before we deserved it – but let’s save that discussion for another day.

Sober & Similar: Journalists a Political Monolith

2005-10-02T21:38:00.000-04:00

Dumb headline, aye? What if you found out it was based on talking to just a handful of journalists. Even dumber, right? So, explain to TBM why an article written by a sitcom writer would get an above the fold, half-page display in “Florida’s Best Newspaper” with just about as much attribution – the author talking to a handful of people (two of whom couldn't speak English) including “two young women dressed in practically nothing” (St. Petersburg Times, Sunday, October 2, 2005, Perspective, Page 8P).

Here’s the actual headline and sub-head:

“Drunk but diverse"
“Beyond their shared love of beer, NASCAR crowds aren’t a political monolith.”

It’s a joke, right? Yeee hah! Would that it were true. TBM hopes the writer of the headline was sloppy, lazy, drunk or all three – meaning that he/she either didn’t read the story, didn’t understand it or was so drunk … well, you get the picture.

The story is a nice piece, actually. Well-written. Funny, with a great punch-line. (TBM won’t give it away.) It was your classic “fish out of water” scenario. You could almost hear it come up at a brain-storming sesssion: “Hey, Jack Burditt has never been to a stock car race, and he doesn’t drink beer. He’d be a great one to send to the Sony HD 500 at Fontana for a nice fluff piece about NASCAR Dads.”

Yeah, that’s probably how it happened – at the Los Angeles Times. And it would have worked, too – except that by the time the article got to the St. Petersburg Times, somebody didn’t get the joke, certainly not the headline writer:

“Drunk but diverse”

That could be said about most pro sports fans – football, basketball, baseball:

“Beyond their shared love of beer, NFL crowds aren’t a political monolith.”

“Beyond their shared love of beer, NBA crowds aren’t a political monolith.”

“Beyond their shared love of beer, MLB crowds aren’t a political monolith.”

Yep. True. True. True. Check. Check. Check.

So, what’s the point? Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out. I suppose the headline writer was using a subtle sense of humor so stealth that only really sophisticated Perspective readers got it. TBM apparently didn't . . .

Do you think NASCAR guys will get upset for being stereotyped? Nah. They’re drunk, remember? And besides, those rednecks prob-lee keent ev’n reed, henny-wayz.

Planet of the Apes Gone Wild

2005-09-30T15:25:00.000-04:00

Gonzo journalism is alive and well in the Bay area thanks to the Weekly Planet. Hunter S. Thompson would be proud – may he rest in peace, or pieces, as the case may be.

The best example of this journalistic genre is – what else? – WP’s recent “BEST OF THE BAY 2005” issue, a publication that should be rated PG-13 up-front and R (plus or minus) in back.

“Best ‘Best-Of’ Issue Since Last Year!” boasts WP’s Sept. 21-27 cover. No self-promotion there, aye?

TBM accepts WP doesn’t take itself too seriously. How else to explain the colorful, cut-and-paste, “running gag,” tabloid-'omage pages sprinkled through-out, the best of which displays a Terminator-style, cyber-borg Congresswoman Katherine Harris, with a close second featuring a slick, black-clad, St. Pete Mayor Rick Baker as Frank Zappa. (There are some lame visual gags as well, which will be mercifully ignored here.)

And yet, garbanzo gonzo as it is, a patient reader can dig amongst the more outlandish offerings and uncover some real gems, such as John F. Sugg’s thoughtful piece on former St. Petersburg Times columnist, Bill Maxwell (a TBM favorite before he left the Bay to teach at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa). That Maxwell left the Times because of what Sugg calls “the newspaper’s increasingly rightward tilt” seems extreme, but otherwise his column adds insight to the untimely exodus of Maxwell, a solid writer many loyal readers enjoyed, regardless of political leanings.

But, of course, WP isn’t perfect. (Why should it be?) One almost wearies from the unsubtle, left-leaning, lock-step, correctness framing its political worldview. (Yeah, we get it: “Bush bad; GOP evil.” Pass the Kool-aid; let’s move on.) Still, ya gotta love a publication that creates a “Best Job” category as a way to highlight Paul Wilborn’s luscious sweetheart of a deal as Creative Industries Manager for the City of Tampa. ($90,000-plus dollars? Whoa, Nelly! Gotta get me summa that.)

Besides, anybody can tell you about the Best Bagel (St. Pete Bagel Company) or Best Chain Pizza (Westshore Pizza) or Best Gyro (Athenian Garden). But who takes the time to point out the “Best Place to Slip on Vomit”? (Answer: Guavaween.)

That last category/answer sounds made-up – it isn’t. And therein TBM identifies the Kryptonite that ultimately reveals the Weekly’s weakness. Too many categories do sound made-up, which makes one wonder whether there was a sober adult (read "editor") in the room when the categories were created.

But, if advertisers don’t mind and readers (probably) don’t care, TBM suspects such comments will be met by WP staffers with a thud, a dud (a "dude!") or a “duh?". (One can only hope Weekly readers have other news sources when election season rolls around or somebody like Che Guevara will end up being Tampa’s mayor.)

WP’s “Best of the Bay 2005” boasts more than 100 pages (172 to be exact) with many of them full-page ads. The Trib’s Friday Extra and the Times’ Weekend would no doubt love those numbers. (One can almost hear the drools emanating from the ad managers’ offices.)

What does it all mean? TBM suspects it means there’s an import beer-swilling, tattoo-sporting, green-alien lovin', sub-sub culture that finds its outside-the-box entertainment needs met within WP’s hip, mind-teasingly colorful, (sometimes) humor-tainted, almost always information-filled, pages.

What happens when/if these readers grow up? Who knows . . . Maybe, by then, they’ll be reading AAWP. Stay tuned.

Putting the ‘Journal’ Back Into Journalism

2005-09-25T13:39:00.000-04:00

Jack Perkins’ biography is so good, it looks made up: correspondent, commentator and anchorman at NBC News; covered the (Winter) Olympics, Vietnam and exclusively interviewed Sirhan Sirhan. And speaking of “Biography,” he used to host it. (Did I mention his seven Emmys?) All that, and he gets the moniker of "America's most literate correspondent" from the Associated Press. Those are just highlights, of course.

If Perkins did nothing else in his career, he’s made his mark. He could simply wander off and indulge himself in photography and poetry – but he hasn’t, and we are the beneficiaries.

Perkins hosts “A Gulf Coast Journal” on WEDU. His monthly shows show that quality, in-the-field programming can be produced at the local PBS level, something that EDU has not shown a proclivity to do in the past. But “Journal” isn’t just good “Public Television.” It is good journalism – and may be the finest example of consistent story-telling by a broadcast or cable entity in the Bay area. Perkins certainly deserves the Lion’s share of credit for that, but the pride in his collegial pride no doubt goes deeper – and wide.

Yet, consider this: Many of his “Journal” entries have been waiting (perhaps even yearning) to be told well, long before falling within his journalistic crosshairs. Take, for example, his Sarasota Scullers segment, a tale of teens and teamwork. From a technical standpoint, there seemed not a single aspect of that story that could not potentially have been handled by an able cameraperson at any Bay area ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox affiliate. (Let’s toss SNN6 and Bay News 9 into that mix as well.)

The editing for the Sarasota Scullers was first-rate, but TBM suspects that skill-set is available in abundance around town. The writing? Well, writing is a significant factor, but let’s say it’s at least possible.

Perkins’ voice? Gold, it’s true. But every major Bay area outlet has at least one golden throat. (Bob Hite and John Wilson spring to mind.)

No, TBM thinks the difference is a combination of patience and attitude.

TBM submits for your approval this thoughtful, qualitative judgment: that broadcast journalists can get into such a deadline groove that they (or perhaps their higher-ups) forget that occasionally everybody needs to take a deep breath and give “the story” a little extra thought, care and time.

All other things being equal, there’s no reason why Bay area viewers ought not to get more programming on the level of “A Gulf Coast Journal.”

TBM understands the pressure of deadlines and competition, but there are many stories that deserve to be simmered and sautéed before being served rather than microwaved and slapped on a dish – or cable.

Let’s all jot that down in our journals . . . courtesy of Smilin’ Jack.

As Easy As Uno, Dos, Tres

2005-09-21T13:23:00.000-04:00

Perhaps long overdo, but right on the money, comes ENTRO Mi Diario, a new Spanish-language newspaper serving the Tampa Bay area. The weekly publication will launch late next month and comes on the heels of CENTROtampa.com, which went online Sept. 15. The two will become three when Centro Cápsulas, a media partnership with radio and TV providers, starts up later this year.

This eventual trifecta will fall under the umbrella of the Florida Communications Group, which oversees The Tampa Tribune, WFLA News Channel 8 and TBO.com. All are owned by Media General Inc., a Virginia-based firm that describes itself as “an independent, publicly owned communications company situated primarily in the Southeast with interests in newspapers, television stations and interactive media.”

That said, TBM hopes this newly minted media brand – aptly dubbed CENTRO Grupo De Comunicación – turns out to more than an excuse to mint money. Not that corporations can take risks without expecting a reward (and any new communication venture is definitely a risk) but there is a substantial opportunity here. Will this trio turn out to be the media equivalent of a fast-food place, like Taco Bell, or will it be more of a Columbia Restaurant? (You can guess TBM’s preference.)

Here’s why this is an important question: Pull out a globe. Study the strategic geographic location of Tampa Bay. Let your eyes follow the curve around the Gulf of Mexico, and amble south. Then ponder this: Tampa could one day be the “Gateway to the Americas,” an International City where trade and commerce flourish, and whose Hispanic heritage helps facilitate this transformation.

The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "Let us not underestimate the privileges of the mediocre. As one climbs higher, life becomes ever harder; the coldness increases, responsibility increases."

Media General could make a lot of money with a mediocre effort as a result of its historic Hispanic initiative. TBM hopes they climb a little higher, where the air is cold, and possibly a different kind of reward awaits. The result will be just as profitable . . . maybe more so.

A Journalistic Mecca in Our Own Backyard

2005-09-16T09:05:00.000-04:00

In truth, TBM is a guy with an iMac drinking coffee in his backroom. (Four dogs barking in the background; Vivaldi wafting through the house.) Who should be taking “a look at the stations and publications that cover Tampa Bay”? Why, the Poynter Institute, of course. PI is the New York Yankees of media magnets in terms of attracting talent to an academically altruistic “dream team.” So, why don’t they do it? Well, PI is an example of the best of Times and the worst of Times – literally. Namely because it was set up in 1975 by Nelson Poynter, then chairman of the St. Petersburg Times. The best? Journalists from all over the world arrive (sometimes starry-eyed) to ponder the finer points of their craft – and they do so with panache. To be accepted at PI as student or staff is heady stuff. The quality cross-pollination that takes place assures a high standard of education and helps give PI’s imprimatur on journalism the aura of a higher calling. Kudos. The worst? In effect, PI owns the St. Pete Times, which for years has oozed a sort of “ivory tower” éclat as it relates to the great unwashed masses clustered within its circulation base. The tendency toward isolation produced within the cocoon of a journalistic think tank only adds to the insulation of "Florida's Best Newspaper," which sometimes gives the impression it doesn’t wish to get its manicured fingernails dirty. Still, when it comes to the Poynter Institute, the Bay area is fortunate to have this journalistic jewel in its crown. TBM challenges PI to step outside its tower within a tower and produce an objective, lively, insightful look at the media in the Bay area. Then maybe TBM can get back to walkin’ the dogs. (And that would make TBM’s wife very happy.)

Latest Florida Trend: Wiki Mania

2005-09-14T11:04:00.000-04:00

If Jimmy Wales is the new Bill Gates, does that make St. Petersburg the new Redmond? (If so, maybe green benches will be the new Starbucks.) Decide for yourself by reading the September issue of Florida Trend magazine. That may sound like an advertisement, but TBM gets no cut. On the contrary, TBM wants to be on the cutting edge. That's why the editorial "we" give you a strong "buy" signal for this entertaining (though still business-like) look at Wiki Mania. In its on-line lead-in summary, FT describes Wales as "the brain behind Wikipedia, a free internet encyclopedia that’s become a cult phenomenon." FT then asks the question: "Can he expand the brand into a money-making enterprise?" Of course, true Wikipedia believers (guilty as charged) understand that Wiki's "open source" approach makes it (philosophically) a kissin’ cousin to Linux, which easily explains the cult-like aspect of what makes it attractive. (Are you listening Bill? It’s not always about the money.) But decide for yourself: Visit www.wikipedia.org or prep by reading Florida Trend’s cover story titled “Dot-Com Phenom.”

Katrina Hype Can Help Wake Us Up

2005-09-02T11:04:00.000-04:00

Bay area news outlets have done an exceptional job covering the tragedy in New Orleans and with good reason – it CAN happen here. Kudos. We’ve seen powerful images, good reporting and gripping headlines, like today’s CHAOS on the A-section of The Tampa Tribune and CITY OF SORROW on the front page of Thursday’s edition of the St. Petersburg Times. TBM's favorite piece is from the Trib's Steve Otto in a column headlined “A Sorrowful Warning From The Big Easy” in today's Metro section. (The super-sized columnist is better known for being a humorist/curmudgeon – as well as inspiring chili and guava lovers everywhere, but he showed his serious side here.) Otto painted a fair (meaning balanced) word picture of what happened (and didn’t) re: the disaster in New Orleans, but without the addled shrillness displayed by some of his colleagues. Plus, and more importantly, in his folksy, conversational way, he related The Big Easy's unfolding tragedy to our own highways and waterways. Otto closed with this warning:

“ … if we don't learn from this, if we don't make realistic decisions about housing and transportation in the event of another Katrina ... well, just look at the images in our newspaper and on television.”

TBM hopes those compelling images provoke an alliance of government and corporations (including Bay area media), as well as independent agencies such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army, into meeting NOW and re-assessing evacuation plans, especially as we move into the peak of hurricane season. Typing and griping isn't enough. Katrina coverage shouldn't be just about hype – it must be a wake-up call ...

A Devil of a Time With Those Winning Rays

2005-08-30T16:50:00.000-04:00

Now that the Devil Rays are winning, reporters are turning out some decent stories. Fair weather friends, I guess. When the D-Rays were losing, Bay area media types flailed them unmercifully. Understandably, that’s what SOME of them (notably sports columnists) get paid to do. But reporters, well, aren’t they supposed to “report”? If TBM had a dollar every time someone wrote or said, “The Devil Rays found yet another way to lose,” the editorial "we" could afford the good seats. If the Rays have a bad game, tell us what they did (or did not do) specifically, instead of non-specific, inane, play-with-your-food, ramblings. Some of us did NOT get to see the game, and would like to know what actually happened -- BEFORE the eighth or ninth paragraph. (Where's that famous "inverted pyramid" they used to teach reporters?)

PS-1: Let’s hope the Bucs do well this year, or we’ll be seeing a lot of hacked-up, re-cycled “Chucky” comments that weren’t funny the second, third and fourth time we heard them.

PS-2: The season has yet to begin, and it appears that all the good Cadillac clichés are taken.

Rush to Judgment: Waiting for Goudreau

2005-08-17T17:22:00.000-04:00

Our own Rosemary Goudreau, editorial page editor of The Tampa Tribune, popped up on the Rush Limbaugh Show this week -- so to speak. Limbaugh relayed that Goudreau has received the same e-mail message a dozen times over the last year, that says:

“Did you know that 47 countries have re-established their embassies in Iraq? Did you know that 3,100 schools have been renovated? Of course we didn’t know!” the anonymous e-mailer concludes, “Our media doesn’t tell us!”

Goudreau forwarded the e-mail to Mike Silverman, managing editor of the Associated Press, and asked if there was a way to check the assertions and put them in context.

The New York Times notes: "Ms. Goudreau’s query prompted a discussion last month in New York at a regular meeting of editors whose newspapers are members of The Associated Press. Some editors expressed concern that a kind of bunker mentality was preventing reporters in Iraq from getting out and explaining the bigger picture beyond the daily death tolls."

Goudreau observes: “The bottom-line question was, people wanted to know if we’re making progress in Iraq,” adding “ ... there’s a perception that we’re not telling the whole story.”

A Clear and Present Signal: To Infinity & Beyond

2005-08-02T08:44:00.000-04:00

Infinity Broadcasting and Clear Channel are huge media entities. Between them, they own hundreds of radio stations across the US, including more than a dozen in the Bay area. From the “Smooth Jazz” sounds of WSJT to the “Cracker Jack” antics of Jack Harris at 970, WFLA, chances are you are an Infinity/Clear listener at some point during the week. But should that much power be vested in the hands of just two companies? Or are they doing such a great job it doesn’t matter? Or maybe, in a land of pod-casts, in-dash CD’s, and satellite radio, people feel too empowered to care ... Still, to have the influence and control of a powerful mass communication device like radio held hostage by a handful of corporate centers of gravity (however benign) cannot help but ultimately make subservient the wishes of the many to the whims of the few.

Hurricane Coverage: Who Do You Trust?

2005-07-09T10:54:00.000-04:00

When there's a hurricane coming up the coast, what station do you turn to for up-to-the-minute updates? And when the damage is done, what newspaper do you view for coverage? In the Bay Area, as you well know, it’s NOT a theoretical question …

Who's Your Favorite Bay Area Personality?

2005-06-30T12:06:00.000-04:00

As that Italian crooner Dean Martin said so many years ago, "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." And as George Thorogood & the Destroyers sang some years later, "Who Do You Love?" It's a fair question. My wife and I wake up every morning with Gayle Guyardo on WFLA. (We've been watching her since way back when she was with a little, itty, bitty UHF station in Sarasota -- Channel 66, I think it was.) We get a kick out of how she, Bill Ratliff and John Winter get along. But then, hey, that's just us. What about you? Who is YOUR favorite Bay Area Personality & Why? Please share your thoughts. Provoke some of your fellow Bay Area viewers and readers to agree or disagree with you. It’s a free country. Let’s use some of that freedom, OK?

MNF Faces Towering Challenge

2005-06-29T20:39:00.000-04:00

WMNF, the popular among its grass-roots listeners, non-commercial community radio station, is looking for new tower space for its broadcast antenna. Its leased-for-20-years space on a tower in Riverview suddenly became "unavailable," much to their surprise, so while their signal is not scrambled, their plans certainly are. The unplanned, unscheduled and (we might add) unbudgeted antenna move will cost about $100,000 (that's 100 "Large" in some circles) so if you win the Fla. lottery this weekend, please give the good people at MNF a call at 813-238-8001 – and tell ‘em TBM sent ya.

Has Howard Gone CSI?

2005-06-29T19:36:00.000-04:00

Some weeks back, I picked up the Metro & State section of the St. Pete Times and tried to figure out how Gil Grissom (a.k.a. William L. Petersen) ended up on the cover. But, hey, wait! It wasn't Gil after all. It was Howard Troxler! "Hey honey," I yelled to my wife. "Doesn't Howard look like Gil Grissom from CSI!" To which she said, in her early morning mumble, "Grishfsfilsom cmn Smpete?" "No, hon, Gil's not in St. Pete. Never mind." Anyway, am I out of my mind, or what, on this? Your thoughts, please, TBM fans ...

BN-9's Video on Demand

2005-06-29T19:01:00.000-04:00

There's a nifty "on demand" service that Bay News 9 fans might find worth investigating. I was visiting www.baynews9.com and saw a graphical promo for an interview with my old college buddy Dean R. Koontz, the horror writer. "Drat, I've missed it," I thought … Not to worry. All I had to do was switch my BrightHouse over to Channel 340, and after a few clicks of my trusty remote, there I was watching the Shippensburg State alum chatting with Bay News 9 on-air personality, Jen Holloway, about his new novel “Life Expectancy.” This virtually instant digital access is part of BN-9's “Tampa Bay on Demand,” and is definitely a handy little “time-shifting” option to have available.

Sign the Mason Dixon Card

2005-06-29T18:35:00.000-04:00

What is being billed as the world's largest "Get Well Soon Card" is making the rounds for legendary DJ Mason Dixon of WRBQ (Oldies 104.7) who suffered a collapsed lung, two broken ribs and a ruptured spleen in a recent car accident. A timetable has not been set for Dixon's return.

For the location of M-D's card, go to this link:
http://www.oldies1047.com/kids_day.html

PSA's are a Joy-FM

2005-06-29T18:06:00.000-04:00

The Joy-FM, a network of Christian stations covering the Bay Area, offers airtime at no charge to churches and non-profits. Call the studio nearest you for an appointment:

Sarasota -- (941) 753-0401
Port Richey -- (727) 848-9150
Ocala -- (352) 351-8810
Gainesville -- (352)373-9553

NOTE: Bring a copy of your script on your organization’s letterhead and a copy of your 501(c) determination letter from the IRS if you are not a church. You may record up to four announcements, each of which must be 28 to 30 seconds in length.

PS: I’ve done this before, and it pays to practice ahead of time.

NiE Good 'ole Summer 'Times'

2005-06-29T17:44:00.000-04:00

The St. Petersburg Times has done a nice job trying to keep youngsters' minds from turning to slushy mush during the summer with "Sizzlin’ Summer Reads." It's all part of its Newspaper in Education series. For parents and/or teachers not familiar with NiE, the link is below. There's not a more cost-effective, brain-stimulating, current-event providing program on the planet.

http://www.sptimes.com/nie/summer04/

FYI: The Tampa Tribune also participates in the NiE Program.

http://tampatrib.com/nie/

Big 13 -- DejaView

2005-06-29T17:26:00.000-04:00

From 1955 to 1994, WTVT was the Bay Area's CBS affiliate. During that time, it was known as "Big 13." You can go back in time and visit the station's Tiffany years at http://www.big13.net ... By the way, the Big 1-3 is the big 5-0 this year. If you want to send them a "Golden Anniversary" card, the address is:

WTVT-TV FOX13
P.O. Box 31113
Tampa, FL 33631-3113

BTW, I guess they don't suffer from Triskaidekaphobia over there ...

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2005-05-30T10:38:00.000-04:00

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