non linear approach

I'm planning on using the template that you have provided. The two stories I plan on expanding on are one on a transfer quarterback that has visited Towson. His name is Justin Roper and he is a quarterback from the University of Oregon. I've confimed with the head coach that he has visited, though he said he may not comment just yet (in a few days he said he would when it's official). But I'm going above coach Rob Ambrose and going straight to Roper for comment, hopefully soon. I know how to get at him, just have to have him on the record. I'm waiting to hear back if he's willing. The second story I have decided on is the Mike Hermann situation. I have spoken with Dr. Spaulding and Dr. Haller on how to go about obtaining his contract status and with the help of the state's Public Information Act, I'm going to President Caret's office to obtain the records. I got redirected many times throughout the day and have confirmed that Caret has the contract on file. Once I've seen the contract, I will then go to Hermann for comment as to whether he is in negotiations to return or get a comment for Caret about his plans. Maybe both, who knows. That's the plan.

recent news story: beat

http://www.towsontigers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=21300&ATCLID=3753094

This fits in perfectly with me because I have covered the women's lacrosse team ever since I've been at Towson. I know they love hosting the event and do a great job with it. In a recent meeting I sat in on, it was disclosed that nearly thirty thousand fans attended the three games of the Final Four. That's a huge number. I know the team has high aspirations for next year and expects to be one of those final teams playing in the last few games in front of the home fans. Thhe team finished ranked in the top 15 at the end of the year, so their expectations aren't ridiculous by any stretch. Can't wait to see how they do.

slideshow

For my slideshow, I've chosen to do Eric Rhew, who works in athletic media relations at Towson. I'm also told that he's had Professor Atwater for broadcast journalism, but I have yet to hear how that turned out haha. The job of someone in media relations and being a sports information director is thankless, honestly, and a lot of what they do goes on behind the scenes. But to sports journalists me, guys like Eric are a godsend and it's best to get on their good side. Eric and I have a solid relationship and while he is usually the one publicizing the happenings of Towson sports, I'm about to return the favor and give him some well deserved recognition of his own.

video/show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sbt3Z7Alxs

This isn't the particular episode that was today. However, the editing techniques we used (or tried to, haha) and were shown can easily be seen with this clip. You can see the different angles and cutting back and forth between the panelists and this is a real skill to have. Obviously, I'm nowhere near that. But I like to think I'm at the very least getting better.

audio update: part 2

So the link is broken. Found out that I didnt save my work. Had to do it all over again, though still on Hanley. Updated link as soon as it's on the H drive forthcoming....

audio update

Ryan Hanley isn't a star, but he may be the embodiment of the new attitude head coach Rob Ambrose is trying to impart in his first season as head coach. Hanley lost 45 pounds and made a position switch from offensive guard to fullback with the help of John Donatelli, the offensive line coach for Towson. Hear why he did it and what those around him are saying by checking out the story....

http://tiger.towson.edu/~khess4/WWW/audio/hanley.wav

feature story link

http://tiger.towson.edu/~khess4/pages/yaky.html

see preceding posts for background....

Broadcast leads

Original Text: The Police Department ousted its top leadership yesterday in the Central District, a move that comes amid violent attacks in the downtown area and one day after The Baltimore Sunreported that officers had failed to properly handle the robbery of a nanny in Bolton Hill.

Maj. John Bailey, a 35-year veteran, and his second in command, Deputy Maj. Avon Mackell, a 21-year veteran, were stripped of their command positions after what sources described as a particularly heated exchange with department leadership after a woman was choked and robbed of an iPod while she walked with a baby Monday afternoon.

Broadcast: The police department has shaken up its command positions after a heated exchange with higher-ups. Two top commanders were stripped of their positions.

Original:The nation's breathtaking pace of job loss slowed significantly in May, bolstering hopes that the worst of the current recession is over, but millions of Americans and their families face continued economic pain with the unemployment rate jumping to 9.4 percent. And wages remained essentially flat, the government reported.

Broadcast: The unemployment rate has jumped to 9.4 percent, leaving millions of Americans facing economic hardships.

Original:Baltimore City police released composite sketches Friday of two suspects in the fatal shooting of Joseph Woah-Tee at a Pen Lucy community center over the weekend.

Woah-Tee, 60, was shot during an attempted robbery about 3:40 a.m. Sunday at Gaimei Nangbn Multi-Purpose Neighborhood Center in the 4300 block of York Road. The center, which Woah-Tee founded in 1990, offered GED classes and other activities.

Broadcast: Police have released sketches of two suspects they believe shot a 60-year-old man at a local community center. 

Beat: stealing?

http://www.thetowerlight.com/sports/tigers-snag-ex-top-100-recruit-from-terps-1.1752425

I hereby give myself permission to steal from...myself? Yeah, okay. Sounds good to me. This is a story that I wrote that just happened to get published. Imagine that. 

Anyway, it appears Dupree was just a little too short to play center in the ACC. Not so in the CAA, if he is able to keep his weight down. And that's a big if. Tony Durant was supposed to be good and then he turned into a blimp.

The only thing I wasn't able to do was get more quotes on this story. Just one, albeit from the head coach, but still. Nobody picks up their phones. That's my biggest pet peeve as a journalist. Whatever. I would add more quotes. I would also mention that he won't have an immediate impact. He isn't eligible to play this season. Only the season following. He doesn't just come here and play automatically, that's against NCAA rules. Should've made that clearer in the story. That's all for now.

audio story

I'm a little angry about the way this piece came about, but happy now that I can finally use it. I've had this idea in the back of my head but never really got to use it...until now. Ryan Hanley is a junior on the football team. He was an offensive lineman, until Rob Ambrose arrived. His O-line coach, John Donatelli, suggested that because of the depth on the line that he switch positions. Ryan Hanley was a 315 pound offensive lineman. Ryan Hanley is now a 270 pound fullback after intense workouts. Classic story. Can't wait to tell you more :)

Beat: Hermann on way out?

This is a pretty complex story that I'll try to condense as much as possible. Mike Hermann, the current Towson athletic director, no longer has a contract. It expired May 31. But he's still on campus and still doing his job. Well, trying. You see, when new head football coach Rob Ambrose was hired, it was not his final decision. Bob Caret did that. Bob Caret also wanted Gordy Combs fired, a move that was made so Ambrose could be brought in. Hermann wanted Combs to stay. Gordy himself will tell you that. My point is, Hermann is losing authority within the department and everyone knows it.

According to a source I spoke with within the department who did not want to be named until a final decision on Hermann was made, the fazing out of Hermann began months ago, and the search for a new AD is in full swing. The way Hermann's contract is characterized right now is "month to month", the source said. Meaning, in simpler terms, he's here until Caret hires a new one. The source even went so far as to say the new AD will be hired only on an interim basis, not a full time one. This because as he says "other coaches are on their way out" meaning the new AD will be the one firing the coaches, then himself be fired so a new, permanent AD can bring in his own coaches. 

 

The weird thing is, everyone I talked to about this (and the list is large) doesn't want to go on record about this. If Hermann gets a new contract, as small as that chance is, they don't want to be on record and then have their relationship with their own boss severed. Fair enough. But for journalists like me, it just makes my job harder. At least I have a blog like this where I can tell you guys all this. Am I right?

WSJ style

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.ravens03jun03,0,3559893.story

Here's the WSJ formula story I've selected. Good symmetry. Starts with how he's getting adjusted, ends with where he wants to go, why he wants to do well. Recap in the middle. Pretty straight forward stuff. I don't even like the Ravens, but this was a pretty good read. Hensley knows what he's talking about. It's basically a story of how Beck is becoming more accustomed to his surroundings. Ties back with a quote at the end, that's the key thing. Starts with Beck, finishes with Beck. If you don't have the same starting and ending point, it's just not WSJ style. This is, and it, to me, is a great example.

Feature ideas

I'm pretty much set on this one. Yaky Ibia, a junior defensive tackle for the football team here at TU, was born in Nigeria and lived in England before coming state side. Now, he'll be entering his third year as a starter in new head coach's Rob Ambrose's first year. It's a really good story. I lived with Yaky my freshman year in Scarborough Hall. He lived down the hall from me and we've stayed in contact throughout our time here. Super nice guy and really driven. Don't want to give too much away before the feature, but I'll think everyone will like it.

articles

http://www.sybase.com/detail?id=1063872

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/03/jaguars/white-text.html

Summary vs. Feature leads

In a summary lead, it is what it says. You have all the information you need in the first paragraph, and if you were to stop reading the article, you'd already know what happened and what the story was about.

Feature leads are different. The goal here is to keep the reader reading. Give them something that they can relate to or find interesting. You can use the delay of imformation when appropriate. Asking a revelant question, when used in moderation, may also be key. You just need that hook in a feature. Keep the reader wanting more. Summarize later; don't give them everything at once.

Examples of these feature leads coming soon....