SPJ Press Notes

Violence, jail, threats force journalists into exile

Committee to Protect Journalists — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:01:18 +0000

CPJ launches 2012-2013 Journalists in Exile special report

New York, June 19, 2013--Fifty-five journalists from 21 countries fled their homes due to violence, imprisonment, and death threats in the past year, according to a new report from the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The annual survey, marking World Refugee Day on June 20, spotlights the plight of journalists who have been forced into exile from some of the world's most repressive nations and received assistance from CPJ over the last 12 months. The top countries driving out journalists were Iran and Somalia, followed by Ethiopia, Syria, and Eritrea, among others.

Journalists in exile 2013

Committee to Protect Journalists — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:25 +0000

Somalis, Syrians flee violence; Iran crackdown deepens

Fifty-five journalists fled their homes in the past year with help from the Committee to Protect Journalists. The most common reason to go into exile was the threat of violence, such as in Somalia and Syria, two of the most deadly countries in the world for the profession. Others fled the threat of prison, especially in Iran, where the government deepened its crackdown ahead of elections. A CPJ special report by Nicole Schilit

Blog: Family murdered, Veracruz journalist seeks asylum in US

Mike O’Connor/CPJ Mexico Representative — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:20 +0000

A fellow newspaper photographer phoned him and said he had to get right over to his parents' home because something very bad had happened. When Miguel Angel López remembers seeing when he got there was "just blood. You can't understand that much hatred." He was talking about the murders of his mother, his father--a senior editor at the state's most important newspaper--and his brother, a photographer at the paper. The killings turned out to be the beginning of a war on journalists.

Blog: Exiled journalists in risky places need helping hand

Zerihun Tesfaye/CPJ Guest Blogger — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:18 +0000

It was well past mid-day in Eastleigh, a shanty district on the east side of Nairobi, Kenya. The billows of dust rising from the rock-scarred road showed a government that had long lost interest in the neighborhood. A young man, struggling with horribly dry conditions, was fighting with his patrons. "Welahi, today's khat is so small. I need more," a Somali customer was complaining. "Pole, hakuna unvua" ("Sorry, no rain"). "Khat is getting expensive in these days," the young man tried to convince him in Kiswahili and English. Few knew that the young peddler was once a journalist in Ethiopia. They cared neither about his profession nor the reasons he had fled his home country. For them, he was just a dealer of khat, the mildly addictive green leaf that is chewed in East Africa. It was as simple as that.

Audio: Exiled Somali journalist Abdiaziz Abdinuur

Committee to Protect Journalists — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:17 +0000

In our special report, "Journalists in Exile," CPJ examines the issues facing journalists who are forced to flee their countries due to intimidation, threats, or fear of imprisonment.

Abdiaziz, 26, a Somali journalist exiled in Uganda, contributed to local and international media outlets before being arrested in January 2013. He was accused under Article 269 of the Somali penal code for insulting the government and spreading false evidence. His crime was interviewing the victim of an alleged rape. After the charges were thrown out and he was released from prison, he fled the country, under harassment and fearing for his safety.

Listen to the podcast on the player above, or right click here to download an MP3. (3:41)

Read CPJ's special report, "Journalists in Exile."

Blog: For one Brazilian journalist, harsh reality after exile

Mauri König/CPJ Guest Blogger — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:15 +0000

I have always been convinced that journalism is an instrument that transforms people and realities. I believe in this profession as a means of change, even if this implies some risk. I've been beaten almost to death and at another time have had to move to another city because I went to the limit of my possibilities in search of the truth in which I believe. But nothing is sadder than the psychological terror imposed by an omniscient and omnipresent enemy. An invisible enemy that hides in anonymity and is able to take away the ability to live with one's family and freedom of movement.

Audio: Exiled Afghan journalist Barat Ali Batoor

Committee to Protect Journalists — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:05 +0000

In our special report, "Journalists in Exile," CPJ examines the issues facing journalists who are forced to flee their countries due to intimidation, threats, or fear of imprisonment.

Batoor, 29, an Afghan photojournalist, began receiving threats soon after a photo essay he worked on, "The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan," was published in The Washington Post. The photographer would spend time in Pakistan and Indonesia, survive a journey in a boat that capsized, and escape from a detention center before receiving asylum in Australia.

Listen to the podcast on the player above, or right click here to download an MP3. (4:15)

Read CPJ's special report, "Journalists in Exile."

Michael Hastings, The Runaway General journalist, dies in car crash

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:51:17 +0000

Report by Rolling Stone reporter brought down Stanley McChrystal, who was the top US general in Afghanistan

The award-winning journalist and war correspondent Michael Hastings – who wrote a Rolling Stone story that brought down a top US general – has died in a car accident in Los Angeles.

Hastings won a Polk award for magazine reporting for his Rolling Stone cover report The Runaway General. The story was credited with ending General Stanley McChrystal's career after it revealed the military leader's candid criticisms of the Obama administration. Hastings also wrote for BuzzFeed.

Rolling Stone ran a report late on Tuesday confirming Hastings had died in a car crash that morning and praising him as a "fearless journalist".

McChrystal was the top US general in Afghanistan when Hastings documented the general making remarks like: "Are you asking about Vice-President Biden? Who's that?" and, along with his aides, criticising the Obama administration's handling of the war and their civilian commanders in the White House.

Barack Obama, announcing McChrystal's removal in light of the story, said: "The conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be met by – set by a commanding general. It undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system."

Rolling Stone said that in all his work Hastings had refused to "cosy up to power".

"While other embedded reporters were charmed by McChrystal's bad-boy bravado and might have excused his insubordination as a joke, Hastings was determined to expose the recklessness of a man leading what Hastings believed to be a reckless war."

Matt Farwell, who worked with Hastings on some of his recent pieces, told Rolling Stone: "As a journalist he specialised in speaking truth to power and laying it all out there. He was irascible in his reporting and sometimes/often/always infuriating in his writing: he lit a bright lamp for those who wanted to follow his example … He always sought out the hard stories, pushed for the truth, let it all hang out on the page."

Hastings is survived by his wife, the writer Elise Jordan.

Hoffa mystery still fascinates after 4 decades

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:24:21 +0000

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- The latest possible resting place of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa is an overgrown farm field where the normal calm of chirping crickets is being drowned out by a beeping backhoe, the chop of an overhead news helicopter and the bustle of reporters and onlookers....

Award-Winning Journalist Michael Hastings Dies

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:56:35 +0000

Award-winning journalist and war correspondent Michael Hastings died early Tuesday in a car accident in Los Angeles, his employer and family said.

Brazil protests catch authorities on the back foot

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:09:57 +0000

New generation radicalised as protests sparked by fury at bus fare hike mushroom into vast rallies against failing public services and cost of World Cup

Brazilians woke up with a mix of euphoria, fear and confusion after the country's biggest night of protest in more than 20 years radicalised a new generation and left the established political class wondering how to react.

Vast demonstrations, in some cases of more than a 100,000 people, swept through at least a dozen major cities on Monday night, with protesters calling for better public services and an end to corruption.

With organisers now planning further protests, the authorities appear to be uncertain what to do next. Although police in some regions cracked down hard, President Dilma Rousseff praised the marchers.

"Brazil woke up stronger today," Rousseff said in a televised speech on Tuesday. "The size of yesterday's demonstrations shows the energy of our democracy, the strength of the voice of the streets and the civility of our population."

The scale is still being assessed. There are estimates of more than 100,000 in Rio, 50,000 in São Paulo and Belo Horizone, as well as many thousands elsewhere. Although these figures are contested, the combined total is likely to be bigger than any demonstration since former president Fernando Collor de Mello was forced from office in 1992.

An increase in bus fares was the spark last week that ignited much of the country, but the huge protests on Monday night were about far more than transport costs. "Far more than the rise in bus fares, this was a mostly peaceful demonstration against a broken transport system, insecurity and heavy investments being made in preparation for the mega sports events that are not mirrored by improvements of our precarious infrastructure," said Paula Paiva Paulo, one of the groups behind the demonstrations.

Many participants said they joined after seeing images of the police violence against protesters in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia last week.

Bruna Rodriguez was one of many students who joined a rally of tens of thousands in Belo Horizonte, which led to violent clashes with police when the protesters attempted to enter the football stadium where a Confederations Cup match was taking place between Nigeria and Tahiti.

"The police were brutal. Although we were chanting 'no violence', they shot people with rubber bullets and punched and beat them. The vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful, even though the Brazilian media are trying to show we were all vandals. That's not true," she said.

She is now planning to join the next march on Thursday. "It's important to fight for our rights. Brazil is a mess. We spend billions on new stadiums, but don't have good hospitals or schools even though we pay some of the highest taxes in the world."

Marcos Barros joined the protests after learning that his friend, Sergio Silva, had lost the sight of one eye after being shot with a rubber bullet during protests in São Paulo last week.

"He was a photojournalist just doing his job," he said. "It is outrageous that police, who are only supposed to target the legs and then under extreme circumstances, would shoot anyone in the eye, let alone a photographer." Others expressed relief and excitement about being able to express their frustration and desire for a better Brazil.

Tatyana Cardoso, a 32-year-old medical assistant in São Paulo, said she had never taken part in a major protest before. After seeing the violence at first hand last week, she felt obliged to participate.

"I think our police, unfortunately, are not prepared to deal with this kind of situation," she said. "I joined because I'm tired of the corruption in Brazil. There's so many wrong things and nobody does anything. We will host the World Cup, but we don't have a decent public transport, for example. Now I'm feeling extremely happy because I think the citizens discovered that something can be done."The demonstrations coincide with the Confederations Cup – a test event for six of the 12 new or expensively renovated stadiums for next year's World Cup. While football is almost a religion in Brazil, the World Cup has focused resentment on a range of issues, as people question why such huge sums are being spent on stadiums for an international event when the country still lacks basic healthcare and education for millions of its citizens.

Hackers from the Anonymous group disrupted the government's official World Cup site and changed the home pages of government websites to call on citizens to take to the streets.

During the protests, placards, graffiti and chants focused on social inequality, a shortage of doctors and teachers, shoddy public infrastructure, corruption, evictions for the World Cup and Olympics, overspends on stadiums and widespread frustration that – 28 years after the dictatorship and 10 years since the Workers' party took power – Brazil is still being run on behalf of an elite.

The marches started peacefully and remained that way for the vast majority. One demonstrator joined the protest in São Paulo bearing a banner reading: "I'm 82. I haven't come here to play." But there were also numerous clashes, as well as fires lit, windows smashed and fighting at the legislative assembly in Rio. State security officials reported 20 officers and nine protesters were injured there, according to O Globo newspaper.

Most of the targets were political: government buildings, regional assemblies and official residences. But there was also evident frustration towards the wider establishment. Windows were smashed at banks and notary offices. The mainstream media, particularly the dominant Globo news group, have also been criticised for their links to those in power, control over football broadcasting schedules and coverage of earlier unrest. Some Globo reporters appear to have removed the icon cubes from their microphones after online calls to target the station.

From their organisation via social networks to their size, the demonstrations bore a resemblance to mass demonstration in other nations. But the comparison with Turkey or the Arab Spring only goes so far, according to historian Marco Antonio Villa. "We live under a system of broad democratic freedoms. Unlike Turkey, we don't have regions involved in a political struggle. Unlike the Arab Spring, there is no theocratic dictatorship to fight against," he said. "In each city here, there is a different cause. But there is a general feeling of exhaustion, of anger, of being fed up with the incompetence, corruption of those in power who had turned their back on the nation."

Some local governments are now offering concessions to the protesters. Officials in the southern city of Porto Alegre and Recife in the north-east have announced plans to lower bus fares.

For Rousseff, the demonstrations should be a wake-up call. Although her ratings are still high at 57%, according to the latest Datafolha poll, they have slipped for the first time since she took office in 2011. The economy is moribund and inflation has pushed prices up by more than 15% over the past 20 months. "My government hears the voices clamouring for change, my government is committed to social transformation," Rousseff said. "Those who took to the streets yesterday sent a clear message to all of society, above all to political leaders at all levels of government."

Additional research by Marcela Bial

Jonathan Watts

BuzzFeed reporter Hastings dead

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:38:28 +0000

Journalist Michael Hastings, known for his 2010 profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal that led to the officer's abrupt retirement, died in a car accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Selma Blair Leaving 'Anger Management' After Fight With Charlie Sheen

The Huffington Post News Editors — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:20:37 +0000

Selma Blair is officially leaving "Anger Management" following a fight with co-star Charlie Sheen, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Per TMZ, the drama began when Blair allegedly told "Anger Management" executives that Sheen was always late to set and had a bad work ethic. When Sheen heard about Blair's criticism, he reportedly fired the actress and issued an ultimatum -- if Blair showed up to set on Monday, Sheen would quit.

Apparently, Sheen's threats were enough to spook "Anger Management's" producers, because production company Lionsgate confirmed Blair's exit on Tuesday afternoon in a statement: "We are confirming that Selma Blair will not be returning to 'Anger Management' and we wish her the very best.”

BuzzFeed: Michael Hastings has died

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:30:49 +0000

The reporter died in a car accident on Tuesday in Los Angeles, the news outlet reports.

Journalist Michael Hastings Killed in Car Accident at 33

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:14:00 +0000

BuzzFeed reporter and Rolling Stone contributing editor Michael Hastings died in a car accident early Tuesday morning in Los Angeles. He was 33. Perhaps best known for his 2010 Rolling Stone profile of General McChrystal, which cost McChrystal his job, Hastings was also the author of two books, including last year's The Operators.

NSA chief cites 50 foiled plots in defense of spying programs

Carlo Muñoz — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:10:00 +0000

The plots included a previously undisclosed plan to blow up the New York Stock Exchange, Gen. Keith Alexander said.

NSA director says plot against Wall Street foiled

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:16:20 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. foiled a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange because of the sweeping surveillance programs at the heart of a debate over national security and personal privacy, officials said Tuesday at a rare open hearing on intelligence led by lawmakers sympathetic to the spying....

NSA director says plot against Wall Street foiled

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:16:20 +0000

Rupert Murdoch splits empire but keeps faith in tomorrow's newspapers

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:15:23 +0000

Mogul to hive off entertainment and publishing assets but believes newspaper businesses will emerge stronger than ever

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation will be split in half on Wednesday as the mogul hopes to build two new empires out of his vast portfolio of assets. It is likely to prove the octogenarian's final major corporate move, and once again he is betting he has seen an opportunity others have missed.

The profitable entertainment assets – including the 20th Century Fox movie studio and the Fox broadcast network in the US – will form 21st Century Fox.

The company's publishing assets, including HarperCollins and its troubled newspaper division, will trade under the old News Corp name.

Shareholders have long pressed for a split, disenchanted with the returns from publishing, particularly newspapers, as the shift to digital readership eats into profits. Murdoch resisted but caved in after the phone-hacking scandal shook his company to its foundations, leading to the arrest of senior executives and the closure of the News of the World.

Now he argues that the future for newspapers is bright. The collapse of print advertising, he believes, is a bump on the road to a digital future from which his assets, including Dow Jones, the Wall Street Journal and the Times newspapers, will emerge stronger than ever.

Technically, both companies will be listed on New York's Nasdaq stock market, but shares will not start trading properly until 1 July, when Murdoch's decision will face its true test.

Analysts and shareholders are overwhelmingly in support of the split because it delivers a standalone 21st Century Fox, home to The Simpsons, Avatar and the X-Men film franchise. In the quarter ended 31 March, News Corp reported operating income of $1.36bn (£871m), nearly all of it from 21st Century Fox assets.

Cable television generated $993m in operating income, up 17% on the same period a year earlier. Filmed entertainment pulled in operating income of $289m thanks to films including Life of Pi and Ice Age: Continental Drift. Broadcast TV suffered as American Idol's ratings collapsed but operating income of $196m represented a 14.6% rise on the same period last year.

In publishing, the tale of woe continued. Operating income collapsed nearly 35% to $85m (£54m) and News Corp spent another $42m dealing with the ongoing legacy of the hacking scandal. That bill is only likely to increase as the company works to settle a US justice department investigation under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The new News Corp will start with $2.6bn in cash but the expected FCPA fine will wipe out a substantial portion of that.

"Rupert has a very bullish view of newspapers. He says he's ready to do it all again," said Rich Greenfield, analyst at BTIG. "He's got a lot to prove."

Other analysts predicted a sharp selloff for the new News Corp when shares start trading. "It's the bit no one wants anyway, and it faces considerable legal uncertainty in an industry in secular decline," said one. Rival newspaper groups such as the New York Times have been slimming down their assets.

Others such as Gannett have been diversifying away from publishing by buying other media assets. News Corp is making a bold bet that it can go it alone as a dedicated publishing company.

Not all analysts are negative. In a note to investors, Bernstein's Todd Juenger was "bullish" about the near-term. Murdoch had struck an "unsurprisingly optimistic tone, declaring that 'knowledge is the most valuable commodity in the world'". He noted that Robert Thomson, the spin-off company's chief executive officer, had promised a "permanent start-up mentality" and saw "opportunity everywhere".

But Juenger was most struck by the interest in the split from investors and analysts at a presentation in New York. "Standing room only in a huge ballroom. It was a clear sign many investors are seriously considering holding (or adding to) their New News shares," he wrote.

Whatever happens, from today Murdoch is back to his roots as the chairman of a business he loves, and gambling – perhaps for the last time – that his vision can beat the naysayers.

Dominic Rushe

NewsWatch: How to trade the Federal Reserve decision

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:00:08 +0000

The main question hanging over financial markets right now is when and how the Federal Open Market Committee may change its monetary policy in coming months. That’s why Wednesday is shaping up to be a big markets day and MarketWatch reporters analyzed how various asset classes may react depending on the message the Fed sends to the financial markets.

Iraqi government detains two journalists without charge

Committee to Protect Journalists — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:46:19 +0000

New York, June 18, 2013--The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the detention of two Iraqi journalists who have been held for two weeks without formal charge or access to a lawyer in connection with the alleged theft of a senior official's notebook.

Dutch Funeral-Insurance Company Dela Snares Top Media Lion at Cannes

lwentz@adage.com (Laurel Wentz) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:30:01 +0000

The media Grand Prix was awarded to a small Dutch funeral-insurance company that encouraged people to say something wonderful about the people they care about while they're still around to hear it.

The campaign was done by media agency MediaValue and Ogilvy & Mather, Amsterdam, giving the Ogilvy network three Grand Prix in the eight competitions judged so far this week at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. (Ogilvy Brazil won the promo and activation Grand Prix with an organ-donor campaign for a soccer team, and Ogilvy France and IBM took the top outdoor prize).

What it is: Drawing on its insights from being in the funeral-insurance business, Dela knew that a huge regret among the bereaved is often not spending time and talking more with a loved one. That led to the campaign “Why wait until it’s too late? Say something wonderful today.” Dela gave people the chance to share their thoughts and feelings on websites. Those stories were made into TV commercials and online documentaries and posted on billboards. Newspapers ads appeared with the single word “Dear ...” to inspire people to fill in the rest. Dela took over a TV channel for an evening to broadcast the stories.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Zimbabwean journalists targeted amid pre-election tension

Committee to Protect Journalists — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:19:43 +0000

Cape Town, South Africa, June 18, 2013--All parties in Zimbabwe's government of national unity must respect the responsibility of journalists to document events and report the views of citizens, especially in the run-up to the country's elections in July, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In four different cases this month, reporters have been attacked apparently in connection with their coverage of the country's two major political parties.

In Sudan, journalist harassed for reporting on military

Committee to Protect Journalists — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:53:09 +0000

New York, June 18, 2013--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the official harassment of Sudanese reporter Khalid Ahmed who was detained for three days this month and then interrogated three times since on broad allegations that he "harmed the morale of the armed forces" and denigrated its leaders.

Iceland approached by 'middleman' over Edward Snowden asylum

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:21:53 +0000

Journalist says he was asked by unnamed intermediary to notify Icelandic government that Snowden may want to seek asylum

Iceland has received an informal approach from an intermediary who claims Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who exposed the US government's secret surveillance programs, wants to seek asylum there.

Snowden, the former employee of contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, who worked in an NSA facility in Hawaii, made world headlines after providing details of the program to the Guardian and Washington Post and then fleeing to Hong Kong.

In a column in the Icelandic daily Frettabladid, WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson claimed that a middleman had approached him on behalf of Snowden.

"On 12 June, I received a message from Edward Snowden where he asked me to notify the Icelandic government that he wanted to seek asylum in Iceland," Hrafnsson, who is also an investigative journalist in Iceland, told Reuters.

The Icelandic government, which has refused to say whether it would grant asylum to Snowden, confirmed it had received the message from Hrafnsson.

"Kristinn Hrafnsson has contacted two ministries in an informal way but not the ministers. There has been no formal approach in this matter," a government spokesman said.

Hrafnsson declined to name the go-between to Reuters.

Snowden has mentioned Iceland as a possible refuge. Iceland has a reputation for promoting internet freedoms, but Snowden has said he did not travel there immediately from the United States as he feared Iceland could be pressured by Washington.

"Iceland could be pushed harder, quicker, before the public could have a chance to make their feelings known, and I would not put that past the current US administration," Snowden said in an online forum in the Guardian on Monday.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning over allegations of sex crimes, visited Iceland several times in the run-up to some of the website's major releases. Assange denies any wrongdoing.

WikiLeaks won a ruling this year in Iceland's supreme court against MasterCard's local partner. The court upheld a lower court's ruling that the payment card firm had illegally ended its contract with the website. Wikileaks' funding had been squeezed without the ability to accept card payments.

NSA director says plot against Wall Street foiled

DONNA CASSATA — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:23:00 +0000

The U.S. foiled a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange because of the sweeping surveillance programs at the heart of a debate over national security and personal privacy, officials said Tuesday at a rare open hearing on intelligence led by lawmakers sympathetic to the spying.

Fortune: Tribune Co. could owe IRS more than half a billion

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:25:14 +0000

Fortune

Allan Sloan found something “Buried in the tax footnotes” of the financial results Tribune Co. released Monday: The IRS and other authorities are seeking nearly $300 million in taxes and penalties from former owner Sam Zell’s 2008 deal … Read more

Chinese city dogged by criticism over dog-meat festival

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:50:12 +0000

People of Yulin, Guangxi province, cherish summer solstice tradition but animal rights groups denounce event as inhumane

Residents of a small city in southern China plan to hold an annual dog-meat festival on Friday amid intense criticism from animal rights groups, which have denounced the one-day event as unsafe and inhumane.

Residents of Yulin in Guangxi province consider the festival an ancient summer solstice tradition. Many cherish their city's dog-meat culture, which involves the mass consumption of dog-meat hotpot served with lychees and strong grain liquor.

Animal rights groups say 10,000 dogs are slaughtered during the festival each year, and that many are electrocuted, burned and skinned alive. Pictures posted online show flayed dogs, dogs hanging from meat hooks, and piles of dog corpses on the side of the road. In China dog meat is prized as a nutritious wintertime dish that doctors can prescribe to treat maladies such as impotence and poor circulation.

Activists have tried to block the event on numerous occasions through open letters and street protests. Some have implored the UK and US governments to interfere with the festival via online petitions. "Please help us stop the Yulin Festival of eating dogs in Guangxi province. It is bloody and disregards life," a petition on the US White House website was titled.

"They use knives to kill the dogs which are alive," it said, according to the South China Morning Post. "Then people would like to burn the dogs, which are conscious, so they can eat them." The petition was recently taken down because it failed to meet the 100,000 signature threshold required to elicit a response from the Obama administration.

According to an open letter by the Hong Kong-based NGO Animals Asia, many of the dogs consumed during the festival are strays and abductees. Some are transported to the city on filthy, overcrowded trucks, significantly increasing the risk that they carry rabies and other contagious diseases. Yulin officials claim that the dogs are raised by local farmers.

"Stolen dogs without quarantine certificates are cruelly slaughtered and sold to restaurants at very low prices," Master Huici, assistant director of the Hebei Buddhism Charity Foundation, told the state-run Global Times newspaper.

Yulin officials did not pick up the phone on Tuesday afternoon, outside of working hours.

Last month Chinese border officials seized 213 bear paws – an expensive ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine – and arrested two Russian citizens for trying to smuggle them into the country in vehicle tyres.

Jonathan Kaiman

Celeb chef hubby talks to cops

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:31:08 +0000

Lawson's husband says he voluntarily talked to police after newspapers published photos showing him with his hand on her throat. FULL STORY

Politico’s balanced critique of Nate Silver

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:07:48 +0000

Isaac Chotiner’s Q&A with Politico honchos John Harris and Jim VandeHei has plenty of fun moments, but my favorite part is when Harris and VandeHei discuss Nate Silver, who is not a fan of their news organization.

Especially fascinating: … Read more

Nigella Lawson

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:51:11 +0000

Charles Saatchi told a London newspaper Tuesday that he went to police voluntarily over an incident in which he grabbed his wife, celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, by the throat to avoid it "hanging over all of us for months."

Journalism schools have to go where the puck will be - Globe and Mail

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:34:35 +0000

Journalism schools have to go where the puck will be
Globe and Mail
But ask media managers what they want from journalism schools, and you don't get a clear vision. The Internet is seen by both broadcasters and publishers as necessary, but not entirely trustworthy. As both the villain and the saviour of media, the Web ...

and more »

Gallup: Only 23% of Americans trust newspapers, TV news

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:28:30 +0000

Gallup

The bad news: Just 23 percent of Americans told Gallup they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in newspapers, the same percentage who said they trust TV news. The good news: Both are still … Read more

Huppke: I'm tweeting my life story, no time to worry about NSA privacy case

By Rex W. Huppke — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Hi, my name is Rex Huppke. You might remember me from the hundreds of times my name has appeared in this large, metropolitan newspaper and on its website, or from the thousands of posts I've made on my Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Tumblr pages.

Journalists detained, beaten, obstructed in Istanbul

Committee to Protect Journalists — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:15:45 +0000

Istanbul, June 17, 2013--Anti-press violence intensified in Istanbul on Sunday as police aggressively sought to obstruct reporters covering demonstrations against the government, according to news reports and CPJ interviews. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities to halt their harassment of the press.

Security officials arrest Burundian TV journalist

Committee to Protect Journalists — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:51:40 +0000

Nairobi, June 17, 2013--Authorities in Burundi have been holding a journalist since Thursday on broad allegations of breaching national security, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the detention of Lucien Rukevya and calls on authorities to disclose its reasons for holding him.

Tribune files post-bankruptcy financial results

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:31:27 +0000

Tribune Co. | The Chicago Tribune

Tribune Co. on Monday filed financial results for 2012, its last year in bankruptcy. In its publishing division, advertising revenues were down 6.7 percent over 2011, and circulation revenues rose 8.75 percent, “driven … Read more

Award-winning reporter barred from leaving Azerbaijan

Committee to Protect Journalists — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:26:14 +0000

New York, June 17, 2013--Authorities in Azerbaijan should lift the travel ban imposed against journalist Mehman Huseynov and allow him to travel freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Why don’t women’s magazines earn more National Magazine Awards?

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:47:36 +0000

New Republic | Maynard Institute | Gawker

The front cover of the British magazine Port’s 10th issue captured a lot of attention because it featured six white men under an assertion that we live in a “new golden age” of … Read more

Blog: In London, echoes of Pakistan's deadly press policies

Gypsy Guillén Kaiser/CPJ Director of Advocacy and Communications — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:32:50 +0000

Among the more 200,000 Pakistanis living in London is Altaf Hussain, leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. This powerful political party is widely thought to be behind the murder of reporter Wali Khan Babar, a rising star at Geo TV who was shot dead in Karachi in 2011. His coverage focused on politically sensitive topics such as extortion, targeted killings, electricity thefts, land-grabbing, and riots.

Landlord charged with battery after grabbing microphone from reporter

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:34:45 +0000

WPEC-TV | Mediaite

Florida landlord Nabil Kashik grabbed a microphone from WPEC-TV reporter Lynn Gordon when she tried to interview him about reports that feces was backing up in bathtubs and on the ground on property he rents. Police arrested … Read more

CBS Reporter’s Computer Hacked

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:51:17 +0000

The danger of journalism that moves too quickly beyond fact - Poynter.org

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:40:19 +0000

The danger of journalism that moves too quickly beyond fact
Poynter.org
In a Nieman Journalism Lab post, Jonathan Stray made the case recently for moving beyond facts, or what might be called The Displacement Theory of Journalism. “The Internet has solved the basic distribution of event-based facts in a variety of ways; no ...

Ohio Could Ban Reporters from Seeing Gun Records

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:21:36 +0000

Does Being a Journalist on the Internet Mean Never Having to Say You're Sorry? - The Reality-Based Community

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 06:53:36 +0000

Does Being a Journalist on the Internet Mean Never Having to Say You're Sorry?
The Reality-Based Community
Since the NSA surveillance story broke, a number of journalists (e.g., at Mother Jones and Nation) have noted that the original reporting by Glenn Greenwald/The Guardian and Barton Gellman/Washington Post was flawed, perhaps profoundly so. Greenwald ...

Chris Cuomo Is About to Get Mad as Hell on CNN

Sam Thielman — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 02:04:22 +0000

Specs
Age 42
New gig Co-host of CNN’s New Day
Old gig Co-anchor of ABC’s 20/20

So, your father is Mario Cuomo, your brother is Andrew Cuomo—why go into news and not politics?
The biggest reason for it is the name you left out—it’s Matilda Cuomo. What mom teaches all of us is that it’s about helping other people. She does advocacy, she does teaching, she does cancer [serving on the board of multiple cancer advocacy organizations]. I was never looking to be popular, I was never looking to be famous. I grew up around that examination of personality, and it’s not something I seek out. The trade-off for me in seeking other people’s opinions is the potential to help that you get in the media. And we don’t always do that, but when we do, it’s a beautiful thing. To be able to connect people to tragedy so they help is good. That’s what drew me to this business. It wasn’t necessarily about an easier or better life for me, but it was about being more useful to people.

That’s very noble.
Don’t take what I’m saying as self-righteous, because it isn’t. I’m completely divorced from ideology. Politics are important, but beautiful moments that show the triumph of the human spirit are just as important as how the IRS thing is going to shake out. You wake up in the morning; what do you want to know? You want to know what happened overnight. You want to know if you’re safe. You want to know if you’re family’s safe. You can’t just talk politics all the time—it’s boring.

How did you make the call to leave ABC for CNN?
Tough decision. Loved ABC, loved the people there, had a gig I was lucky to have. The opportunity to be a part of making something better and get back into the mix and be relevant … was very tempting to me.

How do you feel about the new responsibilities?
I think the biggest difference is that it’s not easy to be on TV a lot. We in the network world are used to having time constraints and saying only what you have already thought through 150 times, because you don’t have that much expansive opportunity. On cable, you’re on TV for huge blocks of time, because there’s a stamina issue, there’s a rhythm issue, and there’s a reporting issue about how often you get to verify things, how confident you are, because cable evolves the story. The network is generally coming in after the fact. They’re late to the game.

What will the new show look like?
We take our jobs very seriously here at New Day, but we do not take ourselves very seriously. If it matters to people, it matters to us. The boundary that we may cross, in an unusual way, is that there may be a tendency for me to advocate more than people are used to on television. I believe that advocacy journalism is not an oxymoron. If that means that I’m going to disrupt the cable, partisan fracas of obsession over what this means from left and right, then so be it. I will be disruptive of it. People don’t put their politicians into office to see these internecine disputes between left and right.

Give me an example of how you’d play out that philosophy.
Fiscal cliff—how did it play out in the news media? Will it happen? When will it happen? To me, it was an outrage. You were sent there to cut a deal, and you didn’t cut a deal, and so you’re going to punish me, the taxpayer? It was an outrage and a disgrace, and it should have been treated that way. I would have done those interviews by asking, “Are you kidding me? You’re telling me people won’t give you what you want, and so your constituents are out of a job?”

Photo: Elizabeth Lippman

Blog: Chinese diplomats harass France 24 reporter

Sumit Galhotra/CPJ Asia Research Associate — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:55:44 +0000

Diplomats are charged with promoting cordial and constructive ties between nations. But Chinese embassy officials in France and Thailand appear bent on fostering fear and disgust with recent efforts to harass and intimidate France 24 reporter Cyril Payen.

Family Guy Pleads for an Emmy With Racy Spoof of HBO's Girls

David Kiefaber — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:25:52 +0000

Fox's Family Guy has a new "For Your Consideration" ad for this year's Emmy Awards, because Seth MacFarlane's unfunny Rat Pack schtick hasn't ruined enough award shows yet. The latest ad references an episode of HBO's Girls in which someone received a pearl necklace. Hence the Family Guy headline: "Here's a load of comedy to shoot on your chest." Groan. It's better than the lazy Jew-baiting that MacFarlane and company have been relying on lately, but that Girls episode was beaten to death long before they got to it. But that's to be expected from a show that hasn't been funny since I was in college.

Ample Freelance Opportunities at The Root

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Writers with journalistic chops are in demand at this news site for the black community.

How To Pitch: The Root

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Gannett to Buy Broadcaster Belo for $2.2 Billion

Emma Bazilian — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:58:04 +0000

The TV broadcasting business has just gotten a major vote of confidence from Gannett, the No. 1 U.S. newspaper company. This morning, Gannett announced that it agreed to buy regional television company Belo in a $2.2 billion dollar deal, creating what it calls a broadcast “Super Group” and nearly doubling the size of its TV holdings.

According to a statement from the companies, Gannett will pay around $2.2 billion, which includes $1.5 billion in Belo shares and another $715 million in existing debt. The deal has already been passed by both companies’ boards and is expected to close at the end of this year, subject to approval by the FCC.

When the deal closes, Gannett’s TV holdings will increase from 23 to 43 stations, making Gannett the country’s fourth-largest owner of major network affiliates, and reaching nearly a third of all U.S. households. With the addition of Belo’s Dallas and Houston affiliates, Gannett will have a total of four stations in top 10 markets (it already owns affiliates in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.) and will become the No. 1 CBS affiliate group and No. 4 ABC affiliate group while expanding its position as the No. 1 NBC affiliate group.

"Scale really matters. We had a unique opportunity to put two great franchises together that have a dedication to local journalism," Gracia Martore, president and CEO of Gannett, said during a conference call with investors today. "We think this is a terrific business."

The deal also will decrease Gannett's reliance on its traditional print media operations, which are struggling like the rest of the newspaper industry. More than half of the combined group's operating profitability will come from broadcast after the acquisition, with two-thirds coming from broadcast and digital. "It's a significant shift in our business mix," Martore said.

Though the FCC will need to approve the deal, Gannett's Martore wasn't worried. There are minimal overlaps between the two group station portfolios, with only five market overlaps, including Phoenix, where the combined group would own three top-rated stations. The FCC is likely to require a divestiture to come into compliance with FCC duopoly rules. Gannett told investors during the conference call that it intends to restructure ownership in those five markets and cut joint sales and shared service agreements. The move could raise some eyebrows from critics of media consolidation who are pushing the FCC to count such deals towards the current ownership rules, however.

Belo owns 20 local TV stations—including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the CW affiliates—in 15 markets across the U.S. Belo spun off its newspapers in 2007, forming a separate Dallas-based media company called the A.H. Belo Corp.

—With Katy Bachman contributing

DBJ wins journalism awards including top Web site in Ohio - Dayton Business Journal

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:54:43 +0000

DBJ wins journalism awards including top Web site in Ohio
Dayton Business Journal
The Dayton Business Journal has picked up several journalism awards from the Press Club of Cleveland, including the top prize for best Web site in the state of Ohio. DBJ Staff. The Dayton Business Journal has picked up several journalism awards from ...

TV Everywhere Hits Snags

Maura McGowan — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:22:59 +0000

Faced with competition from Netflix and Hulu, cable companies have pegged TV Everywhere as a major strategic tool in the fight to retain influence. Yet the concept of TV Everywhere—cable packages that allow customers to access channels from any screen—is hindered by rights deals and advertiser disinterest, executives told The Hollywood Reporter.

"Guilty as charged. We haven’t made it as easy as we need to. There’s a lot of effort around that,” said Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts. “It’s a matter of focus and commitment to it. We’re now heading in a good direction. We’ve got more TV Everywhere usage, and a year from today we will have more than we have today.”

The top 10 ad-supported, paid TV networks offer mobile viewing to only 4 in 10 subscribers, according to data from research firm The Diffusion Group. Premium networks like HBO, Starz and Showtime offer mobile viewing to 7 in 10 subscribers. ABC, NBC and CBS offer mobile viewing to people without subscriptions, but only certain shows, and in the case of live TV, only certain cities.

Currently, most network shows that are available on mobile devices are only available inside the home via the user's WiFi connection.

“In a TNT application within the home you’re accessing TV Everywhere, but in an Xfinity application it could be [just the cable company's] VOD” programming," Jeremy Legg, vp of Time Warner Inc.'s Turner Broadcasting, told Deadline.

"Explain to a consumer why they can get TNT in the home and they can watch a basketball game but they can't get it out of the home," Legg added.

Another major hurdle for TV Everywhere initiatives is advertising. Citing unreliable ratings standards for mobile viewing, advertisers are reluctant to pay for commercials on smartphones and tablets. TV executives voiced concern over online audience measurement during a panel at industry summit The Cable Show.

“We either don’t get any credit at all, or if we do get credit, it’s at a fraction of what we would have gotten if they first watched it live on the TV,” said Ron Lamprecht, NBCUniversal’s evp for digital distribution.

This dearth of advertising revenue leaves TV providers with little incentive to buy the rights to broadcast shows online. Faced with scant choices on network sites, viewers rely on Netflix with its array of content and availability on multiple devices.

New York Times brings magazine experience to the web - Journalism.co.uk

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:55:50 +0000

Journalism.co.uk

New York Times brings magazine experience to the web
Journalism.co.uk
The Sunday supplement has been re-imagined for the web and an online version of this month's 'innovations issue' went live on Friday, featuring 48 pages of responsive magazine content, complete with responsive advertising, built through HTML5.

The Marketer’s Guide to Reaching Millennials

Craig Atkinson — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 02:45:19 +0000

Much public hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth have been made of late on the subject of brand marketers targeting millennials and their appetite for the use of digital channels to connect with the demo.

Recently, former Condé Nast editor Bonnie Fuller, who now presides over an original content webloid called Hollywood Life, wrote an op-ed titled “Baby Boomer Marketers Misreading Millennials” in which she made a plea for marketers to fully embrace digital as the holy grail to “own” millennials, because “millennials spend a huge amount of their time online.” In related news, water is wet.

However obvious (and self-serving) Fuller’s observations are, the bigger issue is that her single-channel solution completely fails to take into account the defining media-behavioral characteristic of millennials: interconnectivity.

To “own” millennials, marketers will need to understand how they link with each other, with brands, with influencers, with media platforms and their devices. That starts with understanding millennials on a far deeper level than quoting Forrester stats on the time they spend on smartphones, tablets and laptops. Unraveling the complexity inherent in millennial behavior for our clients was the impetus for PHD’s Creative Collective, a partnership with the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication that allows us frequent and deep insight into the evolving behavior of millennials.

Now in its third annual cycle, establishing a direct and ongoing connection to this group has afforded us a nuance in our understanding of millennial media behaviors not discernible in third- party research or industry reports. As the results of our most recent deep dive into the millennial media mind-set demonstrate, the group can’t be defined by any single medium, In fact, with an insatiable need to be connected and continually validated for their level of “insider” status, millennials are their own medium.

Consider the way they interact with celebrity spokespeople as one example. Our research showed that while millennials get starstruck like the rest of us, a celebrity endorsement that can truly influence their brand perception often involves nontraditional tastemakers like Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert—a concept that the Creative Collective dubbed “The Appeal of Similar Strangers.” These media figures stand out from simply “famous people” primarily because of their everyman relatability.

We saw also that millennials have distinct relationships with each of their devices. Here again, amount of time is less interesting than the role of each piece. Millennials see their laptops as retail portal and catalog, their toolbox, information curator and also their preferred device for viewing TV shows; their tablets as a luxury that falls somewhere between a downsized entertainment center and an iPhone on steroids; and their smartphones as a fifth limb and fail-safe antidote to FOMO (fear of missing out).

However, nothing proves the fallacy of the single-channel approach more than what we learned about millennials’ attitudes toward reading magazines and watching TV.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, the Creative Collective saw magazines reemerging among this group as the preferred “screen” for beauty categories and a luxury/reward. Similarly, the assumption that millennials don’t watch TV fails to take into account the fact that while marathoning/bingeing is big and getting bigger, Gen FOMO is drawn like a moth to the TV flame by big events, sports, premieres and finales— proving once again there’s no such thing as “conventional wisdom” when targeting millennials.

Marketers are unlikely to score points with millennials by just shifting budgets to digital on their flowcharts. Rather, they need to view marketing to millennials more in terms of a symphonic orchestra, with themselves as the conductors.

If not, they’ll quickly be tuned out.

Craig Atkinson is chief digital officer, COO of PHD U.S., a unit of Omnicom Media Group.

Illustration: Dale Edwin Murray

Senators Urge Nick to Stop Airing Junk Food Ads to Kids

Katy Bachman — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:13:17 +0000

Nickelodeon is in the cross-hairs of food and nutrition advocates again, who have convinced four Democratic Senators to fire off a letter to the Viacom-owned net urging it to stop airing junk food ads.

Healthier-eating advocates like the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the Berkeley Media Studies Group, Prevention Institute and others have been on a relentless campaign to single out the kid and tween-targeted network as one of the reasons kids are too fat. More than 80 health and nutrition groups tried a letter at the end of last year—when that didn't work, they took out an ad in The Hollywood Reporter (Adweek's sister publication) in March that paints Nick as public enemy no. 1 when it comes to running junk-food ads.

But maybe four Senators will have better luck convincing Nickelodeon to adopt nutrition-advertising policies such as Ion and Disney.

The Senators—Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Tom Harkin (Iowa) and Dick Durbin (Ill.)—cite a 2006 Institute of Medicine study that found that TV ads influenced children's food and beverage preferences and the requests they make to their parents. They also refer to a 2010 study from Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity showing that Nick airs one quarter of the food ads that are viewed by kids under 12.

The CSPI has been tracking the ads airing on the net and found that seven out of 10 food ads Nick carries are for junk foods, which it says includes Cocoa Puff and Chuck E. Cheese's restaurants.

In response to the ongoing attack campaign, Nick has been touting its anti-obesity program and work with a number of organizations including First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move program, The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and a marketing partnership with Birdseye that encourages kids to eat their veggies. But that hasn't been enough for the nutrition and health groups.

"Given Nickelodeon's commitment to fighting childhood obesity and responsibility to the youth that comprise your audience, we ask that the company promptly take similar action to implement strong nutrition standards for all of its marketing to children," the Senators wrote.

Nickelodeon is sticking to its guns, arguing that as an entertainment company, its first responsibility is to make high quality content. "We leave the science of nutrition to the experts," the company said in a statement. The company also noted that less than 20 percent of its advertising comes from the food category. "No entertainment brand has worked as comprehensively and with more organizations dedicated to fighting childhood obesity over the past decade than Nickelodeon."

NPPA Encourages Members To Support The Free Flow Of Information Act 2013

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 14:10:29 +0000

DURHAM, NC (June 10, 2013) The National Press Photographers Association encourages you to write to your U.S. legislators asking them to support the Free Flow of Information Act 2013. In the wake of the seizure of Associated Press phone records and the investigation of journalists regarding leaks, it has become even more evident that we need a federal shield law.

FCC Puts Cross-Ownership Study Up for Comment

Katy Bachman — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 21:43:56 +0000

Acting Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Mignon Clyburn may be keeping the seat warm for nominee Tom Wheeler, but she isn't sitting on her hands. Over the weekend, Clyburn put a study on the impact of cross-media ownership on minorities and women up for comment.

The highly anticipated study has been one of the things holding up a proposal to loosen media ownership rules, a proceeding that has been plagued and delayed two years by court cases and controversy.

Comments are due July 22, with reply comments due Aug. 6.

Clyburn, who was named the agency's first chairwoman last month, was the reason the study was conducted in the first place, which delayed the commission's action on former FCC chairman Julius Genachowski's draft proposal on the rules circulated last fall.

One of the main points of controversy in Genachowski's draft was lifting the ban on owning a newspaper and radio station in the same market.

The study going out for comment was commissioned by the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council, which submitted the study at the end of last month.

Like the media ownership rules, the study itself has been criticized both for the fact that it was conducted by BIAKelsey, a broadcast research firm, and for responses from an inconclusive sample of 14 broadcast owners. Based on those interviews, the study concluded that cross-ownership of media had no material impact on minorities or women.

Age of the Web brings both promise , peril for journalism - China Post

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:42:57 +0000

Age of the Web brings both promise , peril for journalism
China Post
In the closing session, held jointly with the World Editors Forum and the World Advertising Forum, the redoubtable Steve Crocker spoke boldly and candidly about that which he had helped develop: the Internet. But first he spoke jokingly. Asked if in ...

FX Shuffles Deck as It Prepares Spinoff Launch

Anthony Crupi — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:35:37 +0000

As FX Networks prepares to launch a new standalone comedy channel, CEO John Landgraf has elevated three of his lieutenants to the rank of president.

FX veterans Nick Grad and Eric Schrier were each appointed president, original programming for FX Networks and the in-house studio arm, FX Productions, while evp Chuck Saftler was upped to president of program strategy and chief operating officer.

Grad previously served as evp of original programming and development for FX, while Schrier was evp of FX productions and head of series development for FX. Their résumés are frankly astonishing—among the hits they’ve developed for the network are the dramas Sons of Anarchy, Justified, The Americans and American Horror Story, as well as the comedies Archer, Louie and The League.

Grad and Schrier also developed the upcoming FX original series The Bridge. The Demián Bichir-Diane Kruger border drama bows Wednesday, July 10.

In their new roles, Grad and Schrier will oversee all original programming for FX, the nascent comedy spinoff FXX and FXM, the channel formerly known as FX Movie Network. They will also spearhead all business and entertainment operations for FX Productions.

Saftler has the longest tenure of any FX employee, having joined the network in December 1993 as director of scheduling, seven months prior to the launch of FX. (When FX bowed on June 1, 1994, its signature series was the live morning chat show Breakfast Time. Based on the popular British show The Big Breakfast, the FX daily was hosted by Tom Bergeron and a puppet named "Bob.")

Saftler assembled FX’s movie library and is in charge of off-net acquisitions (Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly). He also assembled the first-run/syndication deal that brought Charlie Sheen back to television (Anger Management) and oversaw FX’s interests in the UFC.

“Nick, Eric and Chuck have been involved in every facet of FX’s success over the past decade,” Landgraf said. “It is only appropriate to see them each take on more responsibility as we pursue an ambitious expansion of our channels, programming and distribution platforms.”

After serving as president and general manager of FX for the past nine years, Landgraf on Wednesday was promoted to chief executive officer of the entire operation. “While it is hard at times to step back from some of the day to day creative dialogues I love so much, it makes it easier when trusted colleagues and long-time partners are stepping up,” Landgraf said. “It is my honor to work with them.”

FXX will target the 18-34 demo, while the flagship net will continue super-serving the 18-49 set. On Thursday, Landgraf announced that FXX had made its first original series pickup, ordering the Danny McBride-produced animated strip Chozen.

“This is the perfect first series order for FXX,” said Grad. “Chozen is an outrageous and ballsy comedy, but it’s also a very smart examination of the rap culture.” As the network describes it, Chozen is a comedy about a gay white rapper recently released from prison who uses his newly-developed survival skills in his quest for redemption.

FXX will launch on Sept. 2.

FX closed out the first quarter of 2013 ranked fifth among the dollar demo, boasting a nightly draw of 913,000 viewers 18-49. That marked an improvement of 16 percent versus the year-ago period.

Under Landgraf, FX has produced some of the most critically acclaimed original cable series of all time. At the same time, the network has become a veritable cash cow. Per SNL Kagan estimates, FX last year generated some $503.2 million in ad revenue, making it the fourth biggest earner in its competitive set and growing 87 percent since 2006.

In that same span, FX’s affiliate revenue has jumped from 35 cents per subscriber per month to 48 cents—nearly double the industry average. With some 98.2 million subscribers, the network last year took in around $565.6 million in carriage fees.

Sun-Times Photographers, Supporters, Picket Newspaper's Office

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:27:24 +0000

Some of the photographers laid off last week from the Chicago Sun-Times were joined early this morning by supporters and friends and fellow members of the Chicago Newspaper Guild as they picketed outside the Sun-Times building downtown.

NBC's Revolution Goes Out on a High Note

Anthony Crupi — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 18:27:49 +0000

Monday night was all about transitions, as NBC put its top-rated drama series to rest for the summer, while ABC introduced its newest scripted effort.

Per Nielsen fast affiliate ratings, the season finale of freshman drama Revolution delivered 6.28 million viewers and a 2.0 in the adults 18-49 demo. Should those numbers hold up, Revolution will have tied Fox’s The Following as the top-rated new series of 2012-13.

Both shows averaged a 2.6 in the dollar demo, topping CBS’ Elementary by one-tenth of a ratings point, per live-plus-same-day data.

UPDATE: According to the final live-plus-same-day data, Revolution indeed has tied The Following for the No. 1 slot. Among the two top-rated newcomers, The Following won out in the race for total deliveries, drawing 7.95 million viewers to Revolution’s 7.21 million.

Of the 34 new scripted series that were launched during the past season, only a handful averaged so much as a 2.0 in the demo. Along with the aforementioned Revolution, The Following and Elementary, the canceled CBS comedy Partners and the now-defunct NBC sitcom Go On both drew a 2.1 rating.

Revolution next season will lose its cushy post-Voice time slot (Mondays at 10 p.m.), ceding it to the much-anticipated new drama The Blacklist. In September, the post-apocalyptic adventure series will take over the Wednesday 8 p.m. slot formerly occupied by the shuttered sitcoms Animal Practice and Guys With Kids.

Going head-to-head with the Revolution finale was ABC’s new nighttime soap, Mistresses. ABC’s third official scripted launch of the summer, the BBC remake put up underwhelming opening numbers (4.40 million viewers/1.2 in the demo).

While broadcasters this summer are leaning heavily on scripted content, the early returns suggest that they may have to retrain viewers who have grown used to flipping over to cable during the sultry months. ABC’s Motive bowed May 20 to 6.52 million viewers and a 1.3 in the demo, while Season 4 of the Canadian import Rookie Blue drew 5.99 million viewers and a 1.2 on May 23. Fox’s comedy burnoff, The Goodwin Games, is averaging just 1.49 million viewers and a 0.6 in the demo on Monday nights, while the Anne Heche comedy Save Me is delivering 2.86 million viewers and a 0.7 on NBC’s Thursday night schedule.

Even the established reality programs have been unstable. ABC’s The Bachelorette last night scored a series low 1.7 in the demo and through its first two episodes is down 28 percent from the same time a year ago. Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance is down 20 percent (2.0 versus 2.5) through its first four episodes, while MasterChef is flat with a 2.3 rating.

The real game-changer could be CBS’ big-budget ($40 million) sci-fi series Under the Dome, which debuts Monday, June 24. Produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television and CBS Television Studios and based on Stephen King’s doorstop of a novel, Under the Dome may well prove to be the biggest thing to hit the summertime airwaves since Survivor bowed in 2000.

Other high-profile summer drama launches include NBC’s Crossing Lines (Sunday, June 23), Siberia (Monday, July 1) and Camp (Wednesday, July 10). CBS also returns its reincarnated procedural Unforgettable for a 13-episode second season, beginning Sunday, July 28. Starring Poppy Montgomery and Dylan Walsh, Unforgettable averaged 11.3 million viewers and a 2.2 in the 18-49 demo over the course of its 2011-12 run.

Inside Forbes: 9 Trends Journalists Must Know About To Keep Their Careers ... - Forbes

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:23:39 +0000

Inside Forbes: 9 Trends Journalists Must Know About To Keep Their Careers ...
Forbes
Circa, from Cheezburger Network, does the same using human beings, then provides mobile updates without the traditional journalistic “write-through” of an article. 5) Shareable content: Lite fare travels at light speed across the social Web, way faster ...

and more »

Photo Journal: Double Exposure

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 08:28:34 +0000

Of the many online photography blogs published by newspapers today, “Shooting from the Hip,” by Scott Strazzante and “Assignment Chicago” by Alex Garcia are among the best.

Ethics Matters: Chicago Sun-Times Lays Off Entire Photo Staff

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 20:52:22 +0000

This past week, the NPPA Ethics Committee had been deeply involved in discussing whether the June 2013 National Geographic cover photograph of explorer James Cameron was a violation of accepted journalistic ethics and values. However, what has taken precedence in our discussions is the firing of the entire photographic staff of the Chicago Sun-Times, including a Pulitzer Prize-winner, replacing them with reporters carrying iPhones.

Tom Felle: Journalism is under threat unless web leeches start to pay - Irish Independent

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:01:27 +0000

Tom Felle: Journalism is under threat unless web leeches start to pay
Irish Independent
In the days before the internet, there was a pretty straightforward model that newspapers could rely on to pay for themselves – circulation and advertising. Readers bought a paper for far less than the cost of production, but advertising made up the ...

Five New Gripping National Geographic Channel Series Explore Topics From the Battleground in Afghanistan and Wooded Bunkers to the American Mob and Underground Networks

Chuck Ross — Thu, 30 May 2013 19:15:39 +0000

Press release from National Geographic Channel:WASHINGTON, D.C., MAY 30, 2013 -- This isn’t beach TV … It’s better! National Geographic Channel (NGC) today announced its June to August slate, which includes the premiere of five new compelling series (Battleground Afghanistan, Eyewitness War, Inside: Secret America, Inside the American Mob and Doomsday Castle); the new season premiere of Taboo USA; more new episodes of Ultimate Survival Alaska and Life Below Zero; summer seasons of the hit series Diggers and Doomsday Preppers; and two Night of Exploration specials. NEW SERIES BATTLEGROUND AFGHANISTAN (Markus Vernon Davies)Premieres Monday, July 1, at 9 PM ET/PTFollowing the critically acclaimed series Inside Combat Rescue, NGC looks inside the latest chapter of the Afghan Conflict as seen by the American Marines in Afghanistan. Capt. Ben Middendorf and his men take the fight directly to the Taliban with a mission to locate, disrupt and destroy the enemy. EYEWITNESS WAR (Karga Seven Pictures)Premieres Monday, July 1, at 10 PM and 10:30 PM ET/PTFollow the men and women of the Army, Navy, Drug Enforcement Administration, Coast Guard and other forces through the chaos of battle with real-life, first-person footage. It’s their vision, their words, their war. INSIDE: SECRET AMERICA (National Geographic Television) Series Premieres Wednesday, July 10, at 10 PM ET/PT Investigative journalists Mariana van Zeller and Darren Foster take you inside the nation’s underground networks to the heart of America’s most controversial issues, from guns to drugs to the paranormal. INSIDE THE AMERICAN MOB (Left/Right)Series Premieres Sunday, July 28, at 10 PM ET/PTTake a look at the little-known but pivotal escapades, capers and cadavers that truly compose the history of the mob in America. DOOMSDAY CASTLE (Sharp Entertainment)Series Premieres in August With his 10 kids, American prepper Brent builds a castle deep in the South Carolina woods that will serve as a bunker in case an electromagnetic burst results in a massive power outage. RETURNING SERIES AND NEW EPISODES ULTIMATE SURVIVAL ALASKA (Brian Catalina Productions)Continues Sundays at 9 PM ET/PTEight men of a rare breed take the ultimate test of survival in Arctic conditions that only National Geographic could inspire. No tent, phone, watch or GPS. Three thousand miles across Alaska’s wild. LIFE BELOW ZERO (Adjacent Productions)Continues Sundays at 10 PM ET/PTFollow six people who live in the remote corners of Alaska as they battle for basic necessities and face whiteout snow storms, man-eating carnivores, frozen terrain and limited resources. TABOO USA (Beyond Entertainment)Premieres Tuesday, June 4, at 10 PM ET/PTExamines topics including obsessions, body modifications, physical oddities and strange relationships in closed worlds rarely seen in the United States. DIGGERS (Half Yard Productions)*Special summer seasonPremieres in AugustVocational metal detector enthusiasts and amateur historians George “KG” Wyant and Tim “Ringy” Saylor scour the United States for lost pieces of history in this special summer season, from bullets at historic battlegrounds to family heirloom rings and silver coins. DOOMSDAY PREPPERS (Sharp Entertainment)*Special summer seasonPremieres in AugustBeach season doesn’t stop preppers. The original series that started a prepping phenomenon focuses on the lives of otherwise ordinary Americans who are preparing for the end of the world, with experts who analyze the thoroughness of their preparations. SPECIALS CROSSING THE ICE (Quail Television)Premieres Friday, June 14, at 8 PM ET/PT during Night of ExplorationTwo young Australians take a perilous journey across the frozen wasteland of Antarctica to the South Pole and back — completely unassisted, without sled dogs or wind kites. TOUCHING THE DRAGON (NHU Africa by Foster Brothers Film Productions)Premieres Friday, July 19, at 8 PM ET/PT during Night of ExplorationThe remarkable bond formed between one man and a wild, 15-foot long crocodile that seems to defy the boundaries of the natural world and has never before been captured on camera.Please note: Airdates and titles are subject to change.

Chicago Sun-Times Wipes Out Photo Staff

Thu, 30 May 2013 17:09:09 +0000

The Chicago Sun-Times and its suburban sister newspapers today laid off its entire photography staff, and the management plans to use freelance photographers instead, the newspaper's editor said.

The Broadcast Television Journalists Association Announces Nominations for Third Annual Critics' Choice Television Awards

Chuck Ross — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:50:49 +0000

Announcement from the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, May 22, 2013:The Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) today announced nominations for the 3rd annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards, which will be held the evening of Monday, June 10, 2013 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. For the first time the award show will be webcast live on UStream at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/critics-choice-television-awards.Fan favorite actress and stand-up comedian Retta, currently appearing as Donna Meagle on Parks and Recreation, will host. She has appeared in numerous films and television shows, and has performed on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend.HBO led the networks in most nominations with 21, followed closely by FX, which collected 19. Topping the list of nominated series are The Big Bang Theory (CBS) and American Horror Story: Asylum (FX) with six nominations each. Other series with multiple nominations include Parks and Recreation (NBC) and Top of the Lake (Sundance) with five each and The Americans (FX), Breaking Bad (AMC), Game of Thrones (HBO), The Good Wife (CBS), Louie (FX), New Girl (FOX) and Political Animals (USA) with four each.“This year’s nominations reflect the expanding definition of television, with nominated programs and performances representing new platforms as well as broadcast and cable,” said BTJA President Joey Berlin. “As evidenced by nominations for the third annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards, television continues to be a rich and diverse source of high quality entertainment.”BEST COMEDY SERIESThe Big Bang Theory -- CBSLouie -- FXThe Middle -- ABCNew Girl -- FOXParks and Recreation -- NBCVeep -- HBOBEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIESDon Cheadle (House of Lies) -- ShowtimeLouis C.K. (Louie) -- FXJake Johnson (New Girl) -- FOXJim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) -- CBSAdam Scott (Parks and Recreation) -- NBCJeremy Sisto (Suburgatory) -- ABCBEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES Laura Dern (Enlightened) -- HBOZooey Deschanel (New Girl) -- FOXLena Dunham (Girls) -- HBOSutton Foster (Bunheads) -- ABC FamilyJulia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) -- HBOAmy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) -- NBCBEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIESMax Greenfield (New Girl) -- FOXSimon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) -- CBSAlex Karpovsky (Girls) -- HBOAdam Pally (Happy Endings) -- ABCChris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) -- NBCDanny Pudi (Community) -- NBCBEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory) -- ABCKaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) -- CBSSarah Hyland (Modern Family) -- ABCMelissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory) -- CBSEden Sher (The Middle) -- ABCCasey Wilson (Happy Endings) -- ABCBEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A COMEDY SERIES Melissa Leo (Louie) -- FXDavid Lynch (Louie) -- FXBob Newhart (The Big Bang Theory) -- CBSPatton Oswalt (Parks and Recreation) -- NBCMolly Shannon (Enlightened) -- HBOPatrick Wilson (Girls) -- HBOBEST DRAMA SERIESThe Americans -- FXBreaking Bad -- AMCDownton Abbey -- PBSGame of Thrones -- HBOThe Good Wife -- CBSHomeland -- ShowtimeBEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIESBryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) -- AMCDamian Lewis (Homeland) -- ShowtimeAndrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead) -- AMCTimothy Olyphant (Justified) -- FXMatthew Rhys (The Americans) -- FXKevin Spacey (House of Cards) -- NetflixBEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIESClaire Danes (Homeland) -- ShowtimeVera Farmiga (Bates Motel) -- A&EJulianna Margulies (The Good Wife) -- CBSTatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) -- BBC AmericaElisabeth Moss (Mad Men) -- AMCKeri Russell (The Americans) -- FXBEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIESJonathan Banks (Breaking Bad) -- AMCNikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) -- HBOMichael Cudlitz (Southland) -- TNTNoah Emmerich (The Americans) -- FXWalton Goggins (Justified) -- FXCorey Stoll (House of Cards) -- NetflixBEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIESJennifer Carpenter (Dexter) -- ShowtimeEmilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) -- HBOAnna Gunn (Breaking Bad) -- AMCRegina King (Southland) -- TNTMonica Potter (Parenthood) -- NBCAbigail Spencer (Rectify) -- SundanceBEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A DRAMA SERIESJim Beaver (Justified) -- FXJane Fonda (The Newsroom) -- HBOMartha Plimpton (The Good Wife) -- CBSCarrie Preston (The Good Wife) -- CBSDiana Rigg (Game of Thrones) -- HBOJimmy Smits (Sons of Anarchy) -- FXBEST MOVIE OR MINI-SERIESAmerican Horror Story: Asylum -- FXBehind the Candelabra -- HBOThe Crimson Petal and the White -- EncoreThe Hour -- BBC AmericaPolitical Animals -- USATop of the Lake -- SundanceBEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIESBenedict Cumberbatch (Parade’s End) -- HBOMatt Damon (Behind the Candelabra) -- HBOMichael Douglas (Behind the Candelabra) -- HBOToby Jones (The Girl) -- HBOAl Pacino (Phil Spector) -- HBODominic West (The Hour) -- BBC AmericaBEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIESAngela Bassett (Betty & Coretta) -- LifetimeRomola Garai (The Hour) -- BBC AmericaRebecca Hall (Parade’s End) -- HBOJessica Lange (American Horror Story: Asylum) -- FXElisabeth Moss (Top of the Lake) -- SundanceSigourney Weaver (Political Animals) -- USABEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIESJames Cromwell (American Horror Story: Asylum) -- FXPeter Mullan (Top of the Lake) -- SundanceZachary Quinto (American Horror Story: Asylum) -- FXSebastian Stan (Political Animals) -- USADavid Wenham (Top of the Lake) -- SundanceThomas M. Wright (Top of the Lake) -- SundanceBEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIESEllen Burstyn (Political Animals) -- USASienna Miller (The Girl) -- HBOSarah Paulson (American Horror Story: Asylum) -- FXLily Rabe (American Horror Story: Asylum) -- FXImelda Staunton (The Girl) -- HBOAlfre Woodard (Steel Magnolias) -- LifetimeBEST REALITY SERIESDuck Dynasty -- A&EThe Moment -- USAPawn Stars -- History ChannelPush Girls -- SundanceSmall Town Security -- AMCWild Things with Dominic Monaghan -- BBC AmericaBEST REALITY SERIES -- COMPETITION Chopped -- Food NetworkFace Off -- SyfyShark Tank -- ABCSo You Think You Can Dance -- FOXSurvivor -- CBSThe Voice -- NBCBEST REALITY HOST Tom Bergeron (Dancing With the Stars) -- ABCCat Deeley (So You Think You Can Dance) -- FOXGordon Ramsay (Hell’s Kitchen/Masterchef) -- FOXRuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag Race) -- LogoRyan Seacrest (American Idol) -- FOXKurt Warner (The Moment) -- USABEST TALK SHOWConan -- TBSThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart -- Comedy CentralThe Ellen DeGeneres Show -- Warner Brothers Television DistributionJimmy Kimmel Live! -- ABCLate Night with Jimmy Fallon -- NBCMarie -- Hallmark ChannelBEST ANIMATED SERIESAdventure Time -- Cartoon NetworkArcher -- FXPhineas and Ferb -- Disney ChannelRegular Show -- Cartoon NetworkThe Simpsons -- FOXStar Wars: The Clone Wars -- Cartoon NetworkNOMINATIONS BY NETWORK, CHANNEL AND DISTRIBUTORHBO -- 21FX -- 19CBS -- 11ABC -- 10FOX -- 9NBC -- 9AMC -- 7Sundance -- 7USA -- 6BBC America -- 5Showtime -- 5Cartoon Network -- 3A&E -- 2Lifetime -- 2Netflix -- 2TNT -- 2ABC Family -- 1Comedy Central -- 1Disney Channel -- 1Encore -- 1Food Network -- 1History Channel -- 1Logo -- 1PBS -- 1Syfy -- 1TBS -- 1Warner Brothers Television Distribution -- 1NOMINATIONS BY SHOWAmerican Horror Story: Asylum -- FX -- 6The Big Bang Theory -- CBS -- 6Parks and Recreation -- NBC -- 5Top of the Lake -- Sundance -- 5The Americans -- FX -- 4Breaking Bad -- AMC -- 4Game of Thrones -- HBO -- 4The Good Wife -- CBS -- 4Louie -- FX -- 4New Girl -- FOX -- 4Political Animals -- USA -- 4Behind the Candelabra -- HBO -- 3The Girl -- HBO -- 3Girls -- HBO -- 3Homeland -- Showtime -- 3The Hour -- BBC America -- 3Justified -- FX -- 3Enlightened -- HBO -- 2Happy Endings -- ABC -- 2House of Cards -- Netflix -- 2The Middle -- ABC -- 2The Moment -- USA -- 2Parade’s End -- HBO -- 2Southland -- TNT -- 2So You Think You Can Dance -- ABC -- 2Suburgatory -- ABC -- 2Veep -- HBO -- 2Adventure Time -- Cartoon Network -- 1American Idol -- FOX -- 1Archer -- FX -- 1Bates Motel -- A&E -- 1Betty & Coretta -- Lifetime -- 1Bunheads -- ABC Family -- 1Chopped -- Food Network -- 1Community -- NBC -- 1Conan -- TBS -- 1The Crimson Petal and the White -- Encore -- 1The Daily Show with Jon Stewart -- Comedy Central -- 1Dancing With the Stars -- ABC -- 1Dexter -- Showtime -- 1Downton Abbey -- PBS -- 1Duck Dynasty -- A&E -- 1The Ellen DeGeneres Show -- Warner Brothers Television Distribution -- 1Face Off -- Syfy -- 1Hell’s Kitchen/Masterchef -- FOX -- 1House of Lies -- Showtime -- 1Jimmy Kimmel Live! -- ABC -- 1Late Night with Jimmy Fallon -- NBC -- 1Mad Men -- AMC -- 1Marie -- Hallmark Channel -- 1Modern Family -- ABC -- 1The Newsroom -- HBO -- 1Orphan Black -- BBC America -- 1Parenthood -- NBC -- 1Phil Spector -- HBO -- 1Pawn Stars -- History Channel -- 1Push Girls -- Sundance -- 1Rectify -- Sundance -- 1Regular Show -- Cartoon Network -- 1RuPaul’s Drag Race -- Logo -- 1Phineas and Ferb -- Disney Channel -- 1Shark Tank -- ABC -- 1The Simpsons -- FOX -- 1Small Town Security -- AMC -- 1Sons of Anarchy -- FX -- 1Star Wars: The Clone Wars -- Cartoon Network -- 1Steel Magnolias -- Lifetime -- 1Survivor -- CBS -- 1The Voice -- NBC -- 1The Walking Dead -- AMC -- 1Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan -- BBC America -- 1

*Online Web Editor / Author for International News sites - Journalism.co.uk

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:10:26 +0000

*Online Web Editor / Author for International News sites
Journalism.co.uk
The web editor / author is responsible for the content and images used on our websites. They will plan, research, write copy and edit the content of our websites. They will be managing and commissioning freelancers around the world. The successful ...

Deborah Turness Named President of NBC News

Chuck Ross — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:05:55 +0000

Press release from NBCUniversal News Group:NEW YORK -- May 20, 2013 -- Deborah Turness, former editor of ITV News, the United Kingdom’s most-watched commercial network news service, has been named President of NBC News. It was announced today by Pat Fili-Krushel, Chairman, NBCUniversal News Group.Turness joins CNBC President Mark Hoffman and MSNBC President Phil Griffin as part of the NBCUniversal News Group leadership team reporting to Fili-Krushel. She will be based at the NBC News headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza and begin her new role on August 5.As President, Turness will be responsible for all aspects of the NBC News division including the programs “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams,” “Today,” “Meet the Press,” and “Dateline” as well as its news bureaus around the world. She will also oversee all breaking news, investigative and enterprise reporting, along with the division’s digital properties including NBCNews.com. Additionally, she will have oversight of Peacock Productions, an award-winning in-house production company.“Deborah has built an outstanding reputation as both a journalist and business executive with a proven track record for innovation and collaboration,” said Fili-Krushel. “She is a leader with a global perspective, who is also very familiar with NBC News, having worked closely with us through our partnership with ITN. Her passion for the news business, combined with her creativity and vision, will be a tremendous asset to NBC News, and I’m very pleased to welcome her to the team.”Said Turness: "It is quite simply the greatest imaginable honor to be named as the next President of NBC News. I am hugely excited by the opportunities that lie ahead and look forward to working with the talented journalists and technicians who make it one of the great global news operations."As Editor of the ITN-produced ITV News since 2004, Turness has been responsible for overseeing all national news coverage and business operations for the network, ITV News London and the critically acclaimed website and livestream. She has also served as executive producer on ITV’s weekly current affairs show “The Tonight Programme,” as well as numerous documentaries, live specials, UK and US election night coverage and all live Royal event programming.Additionally, she was the first female editor of network news programming in Great Britain and the youngest editor in ITV News’ history. During her tenure, she has presided over a series of world exclusives including the arrest of the London bombers, the leaked report on the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, breaking news lines on the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal, and Prince William and Kate Middleton’s much-anticipated engagement interview.Under Turness’ leadership, ITV News has been recognized with some of the industry’s most prestigious awards including an International Emmy, three consecutive BAFTAs for coverage of the earthquakes in Haiti and China and the Cumbria murders, as well as a number of awards for journalistic excellence including the Royal Television Society Programme of the Year for ITV News at Ten. Personal accolades include the Women in Film and Television News and Factual Award.Corporately, Turness recently played a key role in winning back the Channel 5 News contract, reinstating ITN’s position as news provider for all of the UK’s commercial terrestrial channels. She was also instrumental in the launch of 5 News back in 1997.She joined ITV News as Deputy Editor in 2002, returning to ITN from Channel 4 where she served as Editor of the morning show “Rise.” Before that, Turness spent 13 years at ITN, joining as a freelancer in Paris while studying for a post-doctorate degree at the University of Bordeaux.During that time, she worked across foreign, home and planning desks, and also spent four years as the Washington Producer for ITN’s DC-based bureau, overseeing all content from North, South and Latin America, Canada and across the Caribbean. This period of time included President Clinton’s first White House term, the Oklahoma City bombings and the Atlanta Olympics.

PBS Fall Season Offers an Array of New Series, Specials and Returning Favorites -- Season Highlights Include Commemoration of President Kennedy, Heritage Specials, PBS Arts and Showcase of Independent Film

Chuck Ross — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:48:51 +0000

Press release from PBS:ARLINGTON, VA; MAY 9, 2013 -- PBS announced today a fall primetime line-up featuring a strong roster of wide-ranging programs. New highlights of the season include a series of specials commemorating the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s death; programs exploring American heritage from diverse viewpoints; the first PBS Independent Film Showcase; and captivating new dramas. Fall also marks the second PBS Arts Fall Festival, as well as the return (and a premiere) of acclaimed science programs. PBS pays tribute to President Kennedy on the eve of the 50th anniversary of his assassination with intriguing new takes on the president’s life and death, anchored by “JFK,” a new four-hour, two-part special from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. A new episode from the science series NOVA, the history-focused SECRETS OF THE DEAD and other specials to be announced complete this special anniversary coverage. A collection of programs focuses on the diversity of Americans’ ancestries and cultures, including the new unscripted, interactive series GENEALOGY ROADSHOW, which uses history and science to connect participants nationwide to their individual and family histories; LATINO AMERICANS, the first major documentary series for television to chronicle the rich and varied history of Latinos across 500 years; and from executive producer — and Harvard scholar — Henry Louis Gates, Jr. THE AFRICAN AMERICANS: MANY RIVERS TO CROSS, which chronicles the full sweep of black history in the United States. The arts remain a staple of PBS programming, with the PBS Arts Fall Festival returning for a seven-week run celebrating music and Broadway classics, including NASHVILLE 2.0, a tribute to legendary country stars, a star-studded version of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company and GREAT PERFORMANCES “Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn,” the superstar’s first Brooklyn concert since her childhood years. The PBS Independent Film Showcase airs this fall with documentaries from INDEPENDENT LENS and POV. GREAT PERFORMANCES premieres its ambitious four-part miniseries “The Hollow Crown,” combining Shakespeare’s Richard II, Henry IV (Parts I & II) and Henry V into a single chronological narrative. PBS continues to stake out Sunday nights with enthralling dramas from MASTERPIECE, including “Foyle’s War, Series VII” for MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! and “The Paradise,” an adaptation of the beloved French novel by Emile Zola. Science remains strong this fall, delving into how things are made wilder, faster, colder and safer with the new multi-part NOVA series, “Making Stuff With David Pogue,” and the new four-part series RAW TO READY (w.t.), which takes viewers inside factories to learn how basic ingredients are transformed into powerhouse machines. AMERICAN MASTERS premieres “Billie Jean King” (w.t.), a film about the tennis great on the 40th anniversary of the tennis world’s 1973 Battle of the Sexes and King founding the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), as well as “Jimi Hendrix” (w.t.) with never-before-seen performance footage, photos, drawings and more. In addition to “JFK,” AMERICAN EXPERIENCE premieres “War of the Worlds,” revisiting the infamous radio dramatization on its 75th anniversary. “It promises to be an exhilarating fall on PBS, with a vast array of attention-grabbing programming designed to entertain, educate and inspire audiences,” said Beth Hoppe, PBS Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming. “Among our many new and returning programs and specials are exceptional programs on President Kennedy, in the 50th year following his assassination, from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, NOVA and SECRETS OF THE DEAD; comprehensive, specials on American heritage that closely examine the rich cultural tapestry of America; and a vibrant slate of arts programming. Our strong fall season covers topics that will be attractive to viewers across all of the genres that made PBS great in the first place.” Below is a chronological look at PBS’s summer primetime programming: THIS SEPTEMBER ON PBSPBS’ spotlight on America’s diverse cultures and ancestries begins in September, with the premiere of GENEALOGY ROADSHOW and LATINO AMERICANS, which will air in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month. Arts programming begins on a high note with the premiere episodes of GREAT PERFORMANCES “The Hollow Crown” and the first film from the PBS Independent Film Showcase, “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey” from INDEPENDENT LENS. “Billie Jean King” (w.t.) from AMERICAN MASTERS airs in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of tennis’ famous “battle of the sexes,” and the anticipated MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! production “Foyle’s War, Series VII” also premieres in September. AMERICAN MASTERS “Billie Jean King” (w.t.)This series’ first profile of a sports figure commemorates the 40th anniversaries of the famous Billie Jean King/Bobby Riggs battle of the sexes tennis match and the launch of the Women’s Tennis Association. King presents her own story, with perspective from Rosie Casals, Chris Evert, Venus Williams, Gloria Steinem, Riggs’ son Larry and others. Tuesday, September 10, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! “Foyle’s War, Series VII” Foyle and his loyal friend Sam return in three new episodes of the highly anticipated detective series, set in post-war 1946-47. Foyle (Michael Kitchen) and Sam (Honeysuckle Weeks) adjust to a new era of secrets, intelligence and security. Sundays, September 15-29, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET LATINO AMERICANSActor Benjamin Bratt narrates this landmark six-hour series, the first major television documentary series to chronicle the rich and varied history of Latinos, who have for the past 500-plus years helped shape what is today the United States and have become the country’s largest minority group. Episodes include “Strangers in Their Own Land” (covering the years 1565-1880), “Empire of Dreams” (1880-1942), “War and Peace” (1942-1954), “The New Latinos” (1946-1965), “Pride and Prejudice (1965-1980) and “Peril and Promise” (1980-2010). Tuesdays, September 17-October 1, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET GREAT PERFORMANCES “The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare’s History Plays”This ambitious four-part miniseries assembles four of Shakespeare’s history plays — Richard II, Henry IV Parts I & II, and Henry V — into a single chronological narrative. The original “Game of Thrones,” has inspired bold film adaptations with a cast of leading British and Hollywood talent including Jeremy Irons, Tom Hiddleston, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Patrick Stewart, John Hurt, Julie Walters, David Suchet, Michelle Dockery and David Morrissey. Fridays, September 20-October 11, 9:00 p.m. ET “The Hollow Crown – Richard II” – September 20“The Hollow Crown – Henry IV, Part I” – September 27“The Hollow Crown – Henry IV, Part II” – October 4“The Hollow Crown – Henry V” – October 11 GENEALOGY ROADSHOWWith a diverse cast of participants and multiple stories per episode, GENEALOGY ROADSHOW is part detective story, part emotional journey, and will combine history and science to uncover the fascinating stories of Americans. Each individual’s past will link to a larger community history, revealing the rich cultural tapestry of America. Season one will feature participants from four American cities — Nashville, Austin, Detroit and San Francisco — who want to explore a genealogical mystery. Mondays, September 23-October 14, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ETPBS INDEPENDENT FILM SHOWCASE: INDEPENDENT LENS “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey”This opening film of the Showcase tells the unlikely story of an amateur Filipino singer who steps into the role as lead singer of the legendary American rock band Journey. Through chance, an internet video of his vocal similarity to former Journey front man Steve Perry landed him an audition for the band. The rest is history. Monday, September 30, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET THIS OCTOBER ON PBSScience takes center stage on PBS in October. NOVA’s “Making Stuff With David Pogue” returns for a second season and is paired with RAW TO READY (w.t.), an inside look at America’s factories to learn how the most basic ingredients are transformed into powerhouse machines. The PBS Arts Fall Festival officially premieres in October with a special tribute “GREAT PERFORMANCES’s 40th Anniversary Celebration,” while the PBS Independent Film Showcase spotlights three films. With the NFL season in full swing, FRONTLINE presents “Concussion Watch” (w.t.), a two-part special on the pervasive health problem facing professional football. American heritage programming concludes in October with THE AFRICAN AMERICANS: MANY RIVERS TO CROSS. MASTERPIECE CLASSIC “The Paradise”This adaptation of Emile Zola’s beloved French novel is a rags-to-riches story of a young woman seduced by the dangerous charms of the modern world set against the Victorian splendor of a British department store. Sundays, October 6-November 17, 9:00 p.m. ET PBS INDEPENDENT FILM SHOWCASE: POV “Brooklyn Castle”An inner-city public school has won more than 30 national junior high championships, the most of any school in the country. I.S. 318 boasts so many strong players that Albert Einstein would rank fourth if he were on the team. “Brooklyn Castle” is the exhilarating story of five aspiring players and how chess became an unlikely inspiration for academic success. Monday, October 7, 10:00-11:30 p.m. ET FRONTLINE “Concussion Watch” (w.t.)In this groundbreaking special, FRONTLINE joins with ESPN journalists Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada on a major investigation of the health crisis that threatens the richest, most powerful sports league in the world, the National Football League. Tuesdays, October 8 and 15, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET SUPERHEROESThe first documentary to examine the evolution of the heroes who leapt from the pages of comic books over the last 70 years, this three-part miniseries chronicles how disposable diversions that once cost a dime became the foundation for a multi-billion-dollar industry, from 1938 to 2010. Wednesdays, October 8 and 15, 8:00 p.m. ET “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” (1938-1958) – October 8“Great Power, Great Responsibility” (1959-1977) – October 15“A Hero Can Be Anyone” (1978-2010) – October 15, 9:00pm NOVA “Megastorm Aftermath”One year after “superstorm” Sandy’s deadly strike, NOVA and producer Miles O’Brien follow up on the 2012 film “Inside the Megastorm” with a fresh investigation of the critical questions raised by this historic storm, including was Hurricane Sandy a freak combination of weather systems? Or are hurricanes increasing in intensity due to a changing climate? And what can we do to prepare ourselves? Wednesday, October 9, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET PBS INDEPENDENT FILM SHOWCASE: POV “56 Up”“56 Up” is the eighth film in a series of landmark documentaries that began 49 years ago when a diverse group of 7-year-old children from all over England spoke about their lives and their dreams for the future. Michael Apted, a researcher for the original film, has returned to interview the “children” every seven years since. In this latest chapter, more members of the original group take part than ever before, speaking out on a variety of subjects, including love, marriage, career and class. Monday, October 14, 10:00 p.m. -12:30 a.m. ET NATURE “Saving Otter 501” (w.t.)This is the story of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s 501st attempt to save a stranded orphan otter. Follow Otter 501 from her discovery as a newborn pup through her rehabilitation in roof tanks atop the aquarium and her struggle to learn how to dive, hunt, eat and fend for herself in an artificial environment meant to mimic the “real world.” It is a tale of mysterious threats, persistent failures and small victories, where survival is a long shot at best. Wednesday, October 16, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET NOVA “Making Stuff With David Pogue”Host and New York Times technology columnist David Pogue returns to the acclaimed series, which this time explores how technology makes stuff faster, colder, safer and wilder. Wednesdays, October 16-November 6, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET RAW TO READY (w.t.)Following “Making Stuff,” this new science series ventures inside America’s factories to explore the innovation and sheer genius that transform the most basic ingredients into powerhouse machines. Wednesdays, October 16-November 6, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL: “GREAT PERFORMANCES’s 40th Anniversary Celebration”In celebration of the venerable arts series’ invaluable legacy, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary on PBS, this program presents a stellar roster of diverse alumni who perform and share personal stories of what the show and public television have meant to them. All-star appearances by Julie Andrews, Audra McDonald, David Hyde Pierce, Don Henley, Josh Groban, Itzhak Perlman, Peter Martins, Patti Austin & Take 6, Elīna Garanča and Michael Bublé. Friday, October 18, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET PBS INDEPENDENT FILM SHOWCASE: INDEPENDENT LENS “Waiting Room”This immersive documentary interweaves several stories that unfold in surprising ways in the ER waiting room at Oakland, California’s Highland Hospital — a facility stretched to the breaking point. The film is an intimate rendering of the story of our health care system at a moment of great change, told through the eyes of people stuck — sometimes for up to 14 hours — in the waiting room. 24 hours. 241 patients. One stretched ER. By Peter Nicks. Monday, October 21, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET THE AFRICAN AMERICANS: MANY RIVERS TO CROSSWritten and presented by Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., this six-part, six-hour series is the first documentary film to air since 1968 to chronicle the full sweep of African-American history, from the origins of slavery on the African continent through more than four centuries of remarkable historic events up to the present day — when America has a black president yet remains a nation divided by race. Tuesdays, October 22-November 26, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL: A RAISIN IN THE SUN REVISITED: The Raisin Cycle at Center StageThis special explores the impact of Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking play, A Raisin in the Sun, in its many iterations and through a staging of two other plays it wrought in recent times, Bruce Norris’s Clybourne Park and Kwame Kwei-Armah’s Beneatha’s Place produced in repertory by Baltimore’s professional resident theater company, Center Stage. Friday, October 25, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “War of the Worlds” Orson Welles’ infamous radio dramatization of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds set off one of the biggest mass hysteria events in U.S. history 75 years ago. The film examines the elements that made America ripe for the hoax. Tuesday, October 29, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET THIS NOVEMBER ON PBSPBS airs four new programs commemorating President John F. Kennedy in the weeks leading up to the 50th anniversary of his assassination, including AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “JFK,” NOVA “Cold Case JFK,” (w.t.) a new investigation from SECRETS OF THE DEAD and a special to be announced. A night of science programming is devoted to the study of comets, with NOVA “Asteroids: Doomsday or Payday?” and an independent production. The PBS Arts Fall Festival continues throughout the month, highlighting American theater and music and concludes with GREAT PERFORMANCES “Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn.” PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL: GREAT PERFORMANCES “Moby-Dick From San Francisco Opera”This is a filmed version of composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer’s acclaimed adaptation of the classic Herman Melville novel. Friday, November 1, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL: GREAT PERFORMANCES “Stephen Sondheim’s Company with the New York Philharmonic”Legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking musical Company, about a confirmed bachelor celebrating his 35th birthday with his 10 closest friends, gets a dream cast including Neil Patrick Harris, Patti LuPone, Stephen Colbert, Anika Noni Rose, Martha Plimpton and many more. Friday, November 8, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET PBS COMMEMORATES THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDYA series of four new programs offering fresh perspective on the life and death of President John F. Kennedy airs in observance of the 50th anniversary of the president’s assassination. KENNEDY Special to be announced. Monday, November 11, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “JFK” – This new four-hour portrait offers a fresh assessment of the enigmatic man, his accomplishments and his unfulfilled promise, featuring interviews with Kennedy family members and historians Robert Dallek, Robert Caro and Evan Thomas. Monday, November 11 and Tuesday, November 12, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET NOVA “Cold Case JFK” (w.t.) – For decades, the assassination of John F. Kennedy has fueled dark rumors of conspiracies and mishandled evidence. Now, 50 years later, NOVA asks: Could modern investigators do better? Wednesday, November 13, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET SECRETS OF THE DEAD “One o’Clock” (w.t.) – This special chronicles minute-by-minute the assassination of President Kennedy as it was revealed, from the moment the president was shot until Walter Cronkite's tearful pronouncement of his death one hour and eight minutes later. Features rarely seen archival footage from the CBS newsroom and local broadcasts in Dallas. Wednesday, November 13, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL: GREAT PERFORMANCES “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!”Rodgers & Hammerstein’s landmark American musical Oklahoma! is reborn in this film version of the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain’s award-winning, record-setting and Tony-winning production directed by Trevor Nunn, choreographed by Susan Stroman and starring Hugh Jackman as Curly. Friday, November 15, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET HOW SHERLOCK CHANGED THE WORLDForensic scientists, crime historians and Sherlockian experts reveal for the first time the astonishing impact Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation had on the development of real-life criminal investigation and forensic techniques. Tuesdays, November 19 and 26, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET NOVA “Asteroids: Doomsday or Payday?”From the width of a football field to the size of a small city, the space rocks called asteroids have the potential to be killers. But some asteroids may be loaded with billions of dollars’ worth of iron, nickel and even platinum. Will asteroids turn out to be our economic salvation — or instruments of extinction? Wednesday, November 20, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET COMET SPECIALTo be announced PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL: NASHVILLE 2.0This one-hour documentary/performance program feature young Americana artists paying tribute to the legendary country stars who have inspired them. Friday, November 22, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET AMERICAN MASTERS “Jimi Hendrix” (w.t.)Presented as part of a year-long celebration concluding in what would have been his 70th year, this is the rock legend’s definitive story, with rare footage and interviews illuminated with commentary by Paul McCartney, Noel Redding, Billy Cox, Eddie Kramer and others. Tuesday, November 5, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL: GREAT PERFORMANCES “Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn”The legendary Barbra Streisand makes a historic homecoming back to Brooklyn at the new Barclays Center arena, marking the superstar’s first Brooklyn concert since her childhood years. Joined by special guests Il Volo and Chris Botti, Streisand performs an extensive selection of songs from her five-decade career, including a touching duet with her son, Jason Gould. Friday, November 29, 9:00 p.m. ET THIS DECEMBER ON PBSThis month, PBS presents a selection of new holiday specials, including LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER “New Year’s Eve with the New York Philharmonic” (w.t.) and AMERICAN MASTERS “Marvin Hamlisch: The Way He Was.” AMERICAN MASTERS “Marvin Hamlisch: The Way He Was”By age 31, Marvin Hamlisch had won four Grammys, an Emmy, three Oscars and a Tony. His famous singles and scores made him the go-to composer for film and Broadway and the go-to performer for every president since Reagan. When his unprecedented streak ended, he fell into despair. With a rich archival legacy, collaborators from Liza Minnelli to Steven Soderbergh and complete cooperation from his family, this documentary has a wealth of material to tell Hamlisch’s rich, bittersweet story. Friday, December 27, 9:00 p.m. ET

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Announces Winners of the 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards

Chuck Ross — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:52:07 +0000

Press release from NATAS, May 7, 2013:The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) announced the winners of the 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards at a special ceremony tonight at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Winners in 34 categories including Outstanding Live Sports Special, Live Series, Sports Documentary, Studio Show, Promotional Announcements, Play-by-Play Personality and Studio Analyst were honored.The awards were presented by a distinguished group of sports figures and television personalities including Cris Collinsworth (sports analyst for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football”); Ato Boldon (event analyst, NBC’s “XXX Summer Olympics”); Ernie Johnson (host of “Inside the NBA on TNT”); Greg Anthony (Turner/CBS College Basketball studio analyst); Harold Reynolds (MLB Network studio analyst); Greg Amsinger (studio host, MLB Network); Bill Ripkin (studio analyst for MLB Network's "MLB Tonight”): Curt Menefee (host, “FOX NFL Sunday”); Erin Andrews (studio host, FOX College Football); Melissa Stark (host, NFL Network); Rich Eisen (Host, NFL Network “NFL Total Access” and “NFL GameDay Morning”); Lisa Salters (sideline report, ESPN); Tom Rinaldi (reporter, ESPN); Jeremy Schaap (reporter, ESPN); Ian Eagle (play-by-play announcer, CBS); Tracy Wolfson (reporter, CBS Sports); Wladimir Klitschko (professional boxer, former Heavyweight Champion); and Joe Namath (Super Bowl Quarterback & Professional Football Hall of Fame Member). The Sports Emmy Award recipients were chosen by a Blue Ribbon Panel of industry peers. The awards recognize outstanding achievement by individuals and programs broadcast throughout the 2012 calendar year. A detailed listing of all awards is below as compiled by the independent accountancy firm of Lutz and Carr, LLP. A list of winners for the 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards is also available on the National Television Academy’s website at www.emmyonline.tv.Winners by network group:NBC Sports Group (NBC, NBC Sports Network, nbcolympics.com, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo): 23Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV): 7HBO Sports: 6ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3D): 5MLB Network: 3CBS (Showtime, CBS Sports Network): 2FOX Sports Media Group (FOX): 2NFL Network: 2YouTube: 1Winners by individual network:NBC: 10HBO Sports: 6NBC Sports Network: 4ESPN: 3MLB Network: 3TBS: 3TNT: 3Bravo: 2Fox: 2MSNBC: 2NBCOlympics.com: 2NFL Network: 2Telemundo: 2CBS Sports Network: 1CNBC: 1ESPN 2: 1ESPN 3D: 1NBA TV: 1Showtime: 1YouTube: 1 THE WINNERSThe 34th Annual Emmy Awards for SportsOutstanding LIVE SPORTS SPECIALSuper Bowl XLVI NBCExecutive ProducersSam Flood, Mark LazarusCoordinating ProducerFred GaudelliProducerDick EbersolSegment ProducersCharles Dammeyer, Ken Hirdt, Matthew MarvinReplay ProducersRobert Hyland, Kaare NummeSideline ProducerMichele FromanDirectorDrew EsocoffAssociate ProducersRyan Billie, Erin Bollendorf, Drew Devine, Wade Junco, Andrew Macchio, Ryan Meyers, Timothy Nelson,Vincent Rao, Craig Rothberg, Julie Schwarz, Michael Seib, Shawanda WalkerSenior Associate DirectorCharlie VanacoreAssociate DirectorsBrigette Boginis, Pierre MoossaOutstanding LIVE SPORTS SERIESSunday Night Football NBCExecutive ProducersSam Flood, Mark LazarusCoordinating ProducerFred GaudelliSegment ProducersRyan Billie, Ken HirdtReplay ProducerKaare NummeSideline ProducerMichele FromanDirectorDrew EsocoffAssociate ProducersErin Bollendorf, Ryan Burke, Wade Junco, Andrew Macchio, Timothy Nelson, Ryan Pettys, Vincent Rao,Michael Seib, Ron VitranoSenior Associate DirectorCharlie VanacoreAssociate DirectorCharles DammeyerOutstanding LIVE EVENT TURNAROUNDGames of the XXX Olympiad NBCExecutive ProducerJim BellHead of ProductionBucky GuntsCoordinating ProducerMolly SolomonSenior ProducersBrian Brown, Rebecca Chatman, Peter Diamond, Dick Ebersol, Sam Flood, Joe Gesue, John Gilmartin,Carol Larson, Mark Lazarus, Mark Levy, John McGuinness, David Michaels, Brian Orentreich, Tom Roy,Gary ZenkelProducersMatthew Allen, Erik Barnhart, Mark Bellotti, Todd Benjaminson, Charles Bottitta, Jr., Peter Breen, Wally Bruckner,Allan Brum, James Carr, Rick Clifford, Aaron Cohen, Michael Cohen, Judith Colonna, Rick Cordella, Bruce,Cornblatt Vincent Costello, Tom Davidson, Jackie Decker, Israel DeHerrera, Richard Diamond, Cathy Driscoll,Clare Duffy, Mary Beth Duffy, Rob Dustin, Willie Ebersol, Yiannis Exarchos, Joel Felicio, John Felling, DanielFleschner, Joshua Freedenberg, John Fritsche, Michele Froman, David Gabel, James Gallagher, Fred Gaudelli,David Gibson, Alex Gilady, Lena Glaser, Jack Graham, Lee Ann Gschwind, Sara Harrison, Susan Heffernan, JorgeHidalgo, Mel Hundley, Robert Hyland IV, Spencer Julien, Vivian Kim, William Kunz, Tony Lanni, BrianLongenecker, Paul Lucey, Colin Macaulay, Michael Marcarello, Brian Matthews, William Matthews, Jr., SteveMayer, David Paul Mazza, Paula McHale,John Miller, Michael Molinari, Elena Nachmanoff, Ken Neal, JenniferNickell, Elyse Noonan, Kaare Numme, Robert Pardo, Phil Parrish, Philip Pollicino, Elizabeth Riley, ManoloRomero, Michael Roth, Rob Sawyer, Ami Schmitz, Anne Sexton, Michael Shames, Lana Sherman, JennieSilverstein, Howard Singer, Jeffery St. Arromand, James Thompson,Eli Velazquez, Jim Walton, Jr., Seth Winter, Brian ZwolinskiFeature ProducersJohn Alperti, Asia Berkley Mape, Jay Blackman, Matthew Casey, Sheila Conolly, Maria Harutunian, StephanieHimango, Joie Jacoby, Britt Kahn, Jeff Monty, Paul Palowski, William Rapaport, Kristen Rocky, Douglas Safchik,Andrew Schutzman, Mason Seay, Marcela Serrano, Marin Skific, Peter Steep, Ben Tishler, Haralambos Vasilopulos, LaurieWhite, Christian WintersDirectorsKelly Atkinson, Jr., Andy Barsh, Elizabeth Donovan, Drew Esocoff, Douglas Grabert, Marc Greenstein, Scott Katz,Joseph Martin, Robert Melick, Pierre Moossa, Andrew Rosenberg, Michael Sheehan, Jeffrey Simon, Jason WaldAssociate ProducersSeth Abbey, Audrey Arbeeny, Allison Ashenofsky, Liz Ballard, Amy Bass, Kirsten Begg-Swider, Michael Benjamin, Erin Bollendorf,Marissa Boyajian, Cari Brodsky, Paul Bronsteader, David Brown, Kevin Brown, Richard Buffington, Ryan Burke, Nigel Carreiro,Nicholas Cassanova, James Castelluccio, Joanne Chiang DeHerrera, Laura Chicchetti, Victoria Chien, Elizabeth Ciezsko, LeeClements, Liz Collins, Kate Collinsworth, Ryan Conklin, David Cook, Taylor Costas, David Delfino, Sarah Deming, Drew Devine,Joshua Dodd, Chris Dow, Amanda Doyle, Nicholas Eisenberg, Michael Eisenstein, Beth Ely, Aaron Feldstein, Lindsey Felling,Kyle Ferguson, Scott Flato, Zachary Fox, Adam Freifeld, Belinda Gemelli, Shelly Gepfert Grant, Kristen Gerringer, CourtneyGilmartin, Brian Gilmore, Rebecca Gitlitz, Jenny Glazer, Ryan Goldberg, Sam Goldberg, Alexander Goldberger, Janelle Gonzalez,Brett Goodman, Patricia Gounardes, Nicole Grabert, David Grindley, Philip Guidry, David Gulotta, Katherine Gunts, Jean Hall, EricHamilton, Lindsay Hirdt, Adam Holzman, Benjamin Horwitz, John Howe, Greg Hughes, Ikenna Iheoma, Lyndsay Iorio, EmmaJade, Jeff Jastrow, Greg Jennings, Lacee Johnson, Freddie Joyner, Scott Karpen, Jason Katz, Jason Kleinman, Keenan Koss,John Kruchok, Robert Landau, Craig Lau, Kristen Layden, Suzanne Lee, William Lee, Tara Levine, Melissa Lonner, Abigail Lorge,Andrew Macchio, Gavin Macrine, Christopher Maguire, Adam Marinelli, Earl Marshall, Thomas Matthews, Christopher McCloskey,Leslie McDonald, Kevin McHale, Colleen Medina, Allison Melangton, Jon Miller, Matthew Millson, Kevin Monaghan, ValentineMoossa, Katie Morgan, Michael Morrell, Glenn Morris, Will Moss III, Kelly Mullens Brown, Katherine Munro, Margaret Murphy,Walter Murphy, Michael Murray, Timothy Nelson, Sean O'Connell, Ally Oleynik, Laura Olsziewski, John Oyster, John Padovano,Associate Producers (continued)Maria Pagano, Daniel Palla, Rob Penner, Nicole Pepperman, Mike Pithey, Kevin Pivor, David Polk, Thomas Popple, JamesPritting, Brendan Rayder, Leslie Reader Mazvinsky, Lana Reimer Vogel, Beret Remak, Brady Ricci, John Rothelisberger,Michael Rothman, Jaime Sasso, Lindsay Schanzer, Adam Schmenk, Julie Schwarz, Thomas Seeley, Scott Seery, Rachel Segal,Michael Seib, Lauren Sher, Daniel Sichel, Miki Singh, Ryan Sirgiovanni, Jaqueline Smith, John Smith, Nikki Spetseris, EliSpielman, Andrea Stewart, Louise Story, Matt Stroup, Jeff Stuart, Christopher Taylor Shaut, Matt Thelen, Samantha Thomas,Hilary Thornton, Martin Thorstensson, Alex Tint, Elizabeth Turkevich, Farra Ungar, Michael Unger, Kaitlin Urka, RonVaccaro, Kailin Vandevelde, Patricia Vega, Josh Veltrie, Jessica Wade, Adam Wald, Dean Walker, Shawanda Walker,James Watson, Jesse Wesp, Paige Westin, Ruthie Wittenberg, Ken Woo, Chris Yip, Mark YoungOperations ProducersSal Arnone, James Ellis, Kenneth Goss, Laura Klein, Michael Meehan, Joseph SteinAssociate DirectorsJay Altmeyer, Betsy Aronin, Megan Bagnulo, Scott Barke, Brigette Boginis, Lori Brooks, Jeffrey Burriesci, Kyle Carney,Stefani Cohen, Charles Dammeyer, Lea Darley, Ro Das, Art Durazo, Christopher Ebert, Richard Ellis, Brian Fahey,Judy Farinet, Steve Farrell, Joseph Friedman, James Gallagher, Robert Gately, Debra Gelman, Christopher Gray,Lauren Hall, Cathie Hunt, Jason Jacquette, Andrew Kirsner, Tim Kowalski, Stacy Kweder, Bob Lalwani, Tracey Levine,Michael Lewis, Matthew Marvin, Holly McClure, Jennifer Morrison, Mary Muzina, Steven Napolitani, Fran O'Connell,Richard O'Connor, Sean O'Gara, Geoff Ostella, Laura Ouziel Mack, Zoe Pike, Ann Rogerson, Peter Shakkour, DonaldSlouffman, Lisa Smith, Scott Solky, Steve Stetz, Dominick Tringali, Christian Trinidad, Yvonne Wagoner, WayneWilson, Kalen WrightOutstanding PLAYOFF COVERAGENational League Championship Series FOXCardinals vs. GiantsExecutive ProducersJohn Entz, Randy Freer, Ed Goren, David Hill, Eric ShanksCoordinating ProducersJudy H. Boyd, Mike SantiniSenior ProducerBill BrownProducersEthan Kleinberg, Larry Lancaster, Carol Langley, Pete MacheskaFeature ProducerPT NavarroSenior Videotape ProducerJanice CasazzaDirectorsMark Deaver, Bill WebbAssociate ProducersBryce Beloff, Steve Bichimer, Andy Cavanaugh, Keith Costas, Brian Dwyer, Rory Fugazy, Anthony Jimenez, MarkMason, Moses Massena, Nate Purinton, Matt Saldana, Matt Small, Kevin Stewart, Michael Stricoff, Brian Wilkins,Wes ZientekOperations ProducersJim Bernard, Flavia Bowen, Fred King, Scott Lembke, Robert Mincieli, Jack Simmons, Susan StoneAssociate DirectorsBryan Biederman, Bryan Fennessey, Nicholas Juliano, Tom Shaffery, Aaron StojkovANDNBA Playoffs TNTExecutive ProducerJeff BehnkeSenior ProducerHoward ZalkowitzProducersMike Burks, Scott Cockerill, Tom Heitz, Rodney VaughnCreative ProducersCraig Barry, Drew WatkinsDirectorsLonnie Dale, Renardo Lowe, Richard Russo, Howard Singer, Suzanne SmithAssociate ProducersJames Glenn, Craig Murray, Casey Richards, Kyle WellsAssociate DirectorsBert Bondi, Shawn Gerchicoff, Dave Olshaske, Bill ProctorOutstanding EDITED SPORTS SPECIALOne Heartbeat CBS Sports NetworkExecutive ProducersDavid Berson, Harold BryantSenior Coordinating ProducerStephen KarasikProducersAaron Cohen, Peter Radovich, Jr.Associate ProducersMike Api, Lindsey Felling, Carrie Hubbard, Jim Karabin, Jonathan Katz, Patrick Moreau, Ben Nygaard,Raymond TsangAssociate DirectorGareth HughesOutstanding SPORTS DOCUMENTARYNamath HBONFL FilmsExecutive ProducersRick Bernstein, Howard Katz, Steve SabolSenior Coordinating ProducersPatrick Kelleher, Ross KetoverProducersKeith Cossrow, Joseph M. LavineCreative DirectorBill McCulloughSegment ProducerRyan KellyAssociate ProducersZachary Heinzerling, Andrew Morreale, Brian Murphy, Tiffany Oshinsky, Ouisie Shapiro, David StilesOperations ProducersHolly Peterman, Kelly ViseltearOutstanding EDITED SPORTS SERIES / AnthologyReal Sports with Bryant Gumbel HBOExecutive ProducerRick BernsteinSenior Coordinating ProducerNick DolinCoordinating ProducerTim WalkerSenior ProducersKirby Bradley, Joe PerskieProducersLisa Bennett, Maggie Burbank, Chapman Downes, Josh Fine, Michael TolajianAssociate ProducersStuart Ash, Ultan Byrne, Tres Driscoll, Max Gershberg, Nisreen Habbal, Naimah Jabali-Nash, Michael Long, ZehraMamdani, Andrew Morreale, Beret Remak, Jake Rosenwasser, Brett Teal, Spencer WilkingOperations ProducersKenneth Clausen, Josh WolmanOutstanding STUDIO SHOW - WEEKLYInside the NFL ShowtimeCBS / NFL FilmsExecutive ProducersHarold Bryant, Stephen Espinoza, Howard Katz, Sean McManus, Steve SabolSenior Coordinating ProducersPatrick Kelleher, Ross KetoverCoordinating ProducersStephen Karasik, Peter Radovich, Jr.Senior ProducersAdam Ryan, Bob RyanVideotape ProducersGareth Hughes, Peter ShakkourSegment ProducersBob Angelo, Charlie Askew, Paul Camarata, Jeff Cameron, Keith Cossrow, Dave Douglas, Garrett Fittizzi, JuliaHarmon, Gareth Hughes, Elizabeth Jerry, Ryan Kelly, Jeff Larsen, Steve Lucatuorto, Nick Mascolo, Paul Monusky,Digger O'Brien, David Plaut, Erik Powers, Zeus Quijano, Gerry Reimel, Margaret Ruffing-Morris, Jeremy Saidel, ToddSchmidt, Steve Seidman, Angela Torma, Bennett Viseltear, Chris Weaver, James Weiner, John WeissDirectorLisa GreenbergAssociate ProducersDave Brodsky, Leah Harper, Vin Licata, Jawn Morales, Ben Nygaard, Tiffany Rutkin, Peter Schrager, Mark YoungOutstanding STUDIO SHOW - DAILYMLB Tonight MLB NetworkExecutive ProducersMark Loomis, Tony PetittiSenior Coordinating ProducersBruce Cornblatt, Dave Patterson, Mike SantiniCoordinating ProducersMarc Caiafa, Mitch Green, Fred King, Michael Konner, Chris Mallory, Bryan Meyers, Chris Pfeiffer, Marc WeinerSenior ProducersRich Ciancimino, Daniel Coldwell, Will Folger, Douglas Jaclin, Ethan Kleinberg, Jim Thornby, Jed TuminaroProducersJohn Barnes, Andrew Brenner, Mark Capalbo, Richard Isakow, Dan Komyati, Martin Montalto, Maleek Ndile,Christopher Roenbeck, AJ WhitfieldSegment ProducersMarc Adelberg, Sanford Appell, Patrick Armstrong, William Cope, Ben Friedfeld, Annie Gottlieb, Micah Karg, SeanLoughlin, Premier Maldonado, Daniel Presser, Nate Purinton, Jason Roy, Richard Savino, Nicholas Steger, JamesUrban, Jonathon Wenk, Justin WhiteCoordinating DirectorMark DeaverDirectorsLucas Altman, Richard Beczynski, Johnathan Evans, Dave Hagen, Tom Healy, Bryan Hennessey, Jay Kincaid,Jason Lobb, John Moore, Michael Sheehan, Gregory Stern, Michael TorelloAssociate ProducersAshley Allen, Erik Altano, Dan Amsinger, Elsa Anzano, Michael Ardizzone, Chris Arnowich, Carmine Arpaia, MatthewBaker, Andrew Batti, Andrew Baumhor, Bryce Beloff, Michael Benjamin, Steve Bichimer, Ron Bishow, David Blattman, ChrisBonetti, Tom Bornkamp, Christopher Bracey, Avery Brookes, Dimitri Browne, Anthony Brucale, Nick Buffum, Chris Burns, ChaseButler, Derek Callahan, Dom Campana, Josh Chaplin, Matthew Ciancimino, Jack Cognetta, James Cole, Chris Collins, KevinCooper, Andrew Cooper-Leary, Keith Costas, Michael DeJong, Ryan Dever, Mike Dooley, Brian Dwyer, Jon Fazio, JoshFeigenbaum, Tony Ferraiolo, Matt Finkel, Natalie Finkelstein, Lorraine D. Fisher, Noel Fogelman, Anthony Ford, Tim Fryer, ArnoldFucci, Rory Fugazy, Brian Gallagher, Sean Gelman, Karl George, James Glynn, Ken Gold, Jason Goldberg, Steve Goldberg, AlanGoldstein, Michael Graham, Tyler Graham, Jacqui Gray, Belinda Green, Mark Grillo, Art Guglielmo, Ian Harmand, BJ Harring,Adam Helfgott, Gina Hemphill, Mark Hennig, Nick Hesketh, Jeff Heyman, David Hinrichs, Jesse Hutchinson, Sean Hyland, MattJacobson, Michael Jankolovits, Eric Janssen, Elizabeth Jerry, Anthony Jimenez, Kevin Jingeleski, William V. Joel, Christopher Kirk,David Koplik, Mark Kraus, Jon Kreitler, Jordan Levinson, JD Lindberg, Marissa Lombardi, Thomas Loughran, Joel Louis-Ferdinand,Evan Lubell, Alex Lupica, Matt Marini, Moses Massena, Marc Matcham, David Matz, Max Mautner, Daniel McAvoy, LaurenMcCaffrey, Kristin McCall, Jeremy McCarthy, John McVey, Herlentz Mesidor, Justin Mintzes, Justin Misano, Brandon Moye,Andrew Murphy, Brian Murphy, James Murphy, Jessica Nadeau, Michael Napolitano, James Nolan, Craig Nordquist, Nick Novielli,John O'Malley, Mathew Parlapiano, Steve Passaro, Mike Pielech, Jordan Rebimbas, Andrew Reich, Ian Ritter, Steven Rodriguez,Ralph Ross, Brian Sales, Merav Savir, Chris Scalzo, Stephanie Scarpulla, Matt Schiavone, Amelia Schimmel, Jack Schneider,Dave Scordato, James Serratore, Alex Shapiro, Scott Slotkin, Matt Small, Ryan Smith, Scott Sokol, Deana Speck, Scott Spinelli,Kevin Stewart, Michael Stricoff, Ian Theodoridis, Nolan Ticer, Michael Treanor, Luke Uttaro, Ernesto Valverde, Marci Villanueva,John Welch, Brendan Werner, Brian Wilkins, Jakub Wisniewski, Michael Wolan, Bobby Yan, Brian Yu, Eric Zeleznik, Wes ZientekOperations ProducersMary Beck, C.J. Bottitta, E. Tab Butler, Andy Butters, Brad Cheney, Patti Fallick, Brent Fisher, Mark Haden, MarkHenry, Robert McGlarry, Robert Mincieli, Brian Perkins, Jacob Soto, Susan Stone, Karen WhritnerAssociate DirectorsCamp Childers, Bryan Fennessey, Kerry Jackson, Nicholas Juliano, Keith Kielty, Michael Kim, Margaret Murphy,Lauren Reilly, Bruce Schein, Michael SoberOutstanding SPORTS JOURNALISME: 60 ESPN2Beitar JerusalemExecutive ProducersVince Doria, Andy TennantCoordinating ProducersMichael Baltierra, Ben HouserFeature ProducerBeein GimAssociate ProducersJoel Edwards, Joshua Edwards, Hillary Horgan, Tim Horgan, Nava Mizrahi, Bill Roach, Tim SperoReporterJeremy SchaapOutstanding SHORT FEATURENFL GameDay Morning NFL NetworkImmaculate RemembranceExecutive ProducersSteve Bornstein, Mark Quenzel, Eric WeinbergerCoordinating ProducersTom Brady, Brad LockhartSenior ProducersAaron Cohen, Kevin ShawProducerJim FabioAssociate ProducersPhilip Guidry, Joby Joy, Zach Posner, Nick VartanianOutstanding LONG FEATUREReal Sports with Bryant Gumbel HBOSteve Gleason: Tragic HeroExecutive ProducerRick BernsteinSenior Coordinating ProducerNick DolinCoordinating ProducerTim WalkerSenior ProducerJoe PerskieProducerChapman DownesAssociate ProducersStuart Ash, Spencer WilkingReporterJon FrankelOutstanding OPEN / TEASENBA on TNT TNTAll-Star Game TeaseExecutive ProducerCraig BarryCreative DirectorDrew WatkinsAssociate ProducersDirk Detweiler, Evan McIntosh, Zeus MorandSenior EditorsMatthew Lucas, Eric LundEditorDavid JohnsonOutstanding NEW APPROACHES SPORTS EVENT COVERAGERed Bull Stratos: Space Jump YouTubeRed Bull Media HouseExecutive ProducersScott Bradfield, Werner Eksler, Charlie RoseneSenior ProducersScott Gillies, Claude RuibalSupervising ProducersKarin Bock-Leitert, Jochen SterrerProducersDavid Brooks, Tim Katz, Jay Nementh, Madeline ZeringueDirectorPhil OlsmanAssociate ProducersMatthias Leister, Scott Lewers, Eileen O'Neil, Thomas Reidel, Robert Scanlon, Jacqueline Voss, Anna WolfermanAssociate DirectorJason GaedkeOutstanding NEW APPROACHES SPORTS PROGRAMMINGGames of the XXX Olympiad NBCOlympics.comCountdown to LondonExecutive ProducersJim Bell, Mark Lazarus, Gary ZenkelCoordinating ProducersRick Cordella, David Gabel, Joe Gesue, Brett Goodman, Mark LevySenior ProducersBrian Brown, Eric Hamilton, Phil ParrishSupervising ProducersTom Davidson, Matt StroupProducersMatthew Allen, Jack Felling, Brian Gauthier, Paul Palowski, Nikki Spetseris, Jim ThompsonAssociate ProducersLiz Ballard, Marc Buono, Joanne Chiang-DeHerrera, Cathy Driscoll, Nicholas Eisenberg, Lindsay Schanzer, KarlWoitachOutstanding NEW APPROACHES SPORTS PROGRAMMING SHORT FORMATSport Science ESPNExecutive ProducersJohn Brenkus, Murray Oden, Mickey SternSenior Coordinating ProducerVictor VitarelliCoordinating ProducerUrsula PfeifferSupervising ProducerAnnie TangProducerDr. Cynthia BirAssociate ProducersEli Baldrige, Brent Dones, Jeff Hernandez, Teryn Hoagland, Kevin Lo, Rick MaceOutstanding Sports Personality - STUDIO HOSTBob Costas NBC / NBC Sports NetworkOutstanding Sports Personality - PLAY-BY-PLAYAl Michaels NBCOutstanding Sports Personality - STUDIO ANALYSTCharles Barkley TNT / NBA TVOutstanding Sports Personality - SPORTS EVENT ANALYSTCris Collinsworth NBCOutstanding Sports Personality - SPORTS REPORTERPierre McGuire NBC / NBC Sports NetworkANDTom Verducci MLB Network / TBSOutstanding TECHNICAL TEAM REMOTEWinter X Games 2012 ESPN3DTechnical SupervisorsJeff Barnett, Jeff Barnett, Greg Blanton, Don Burkhart, Chris Calcinari, Kevin Cleary, Jack Coffey, Paul DiPietro, DJDriscoll, Gianfranca Focareta, Kristen Gruca, Erin Habersack, Rand Joseph, Jodi Markley, Patricia Mattero, EdwardMcKenna, Alex Milton, Pete Moran, Ne Neang, Joe Rainey, Stephen Raymond, Henry Rousseau, Brian Sanders,Severn Sandt, Colleen Shaffer, Jeff Werner, Adam Whitlock, Larry Wilson, John WindersTechnical DirectorsPaul Druchniak, Roy Garray, Seth MadwayElectronic Camera PersonsDave Anderko, Dave Anderko, Erik Barone, Erik Barone, Ken Barsamian, Ken Barsamian, Nick Bee, Mike Bird,Darrin Burnworth, Scott Caldwell, Mario Calleros, Gillian Crowell, Damian Doucette, Steve Gall, John Graham, EricGrubb, Patrick Hally, Robert Hayton, Wade Hewitt, Bruce Hull, Alex Irvin, James Johnson, Rick Johnson, TrentKamerman, Keith Keller, Rob Kimmons, John Kosmo, Doug Kowalczyk, Brian Lavalle, Rob Lawrence, LanceMayers, Bo McWilliams, Anthony Melfi, Raymond Moffat, Marty Muzik, Reid Nelson, Sean O'Halleran, Scott O'Shea,Craig Peterschmidt, Al Pierce, Jeffry Scharig, Mike Scherlis, Gary Scrip, John Senese, Richard Serna, Scott Shaule,John Sherrill, Gus Sims, Tim Stevens, Jeff Sutch, Mike Treber, Mark WillardGraphics OperatorsBen Nelson, Craig Robins, Peter SmithLighting DirectorRob MurdockSenior Audio EngineersJason Blood, Jeff Bratta, Florian Brown, Jesse Heimlich, Steve Kaura, Dana UnderhillAudio AssistantsTim Bischof, Andre Carabajal, Kevin Clark, Bruner Dyer, Tres Getchel, Joel Groeblinghoff, Scott Leffler, MelindaMazo, Shawn Peacock, Rich Rahner, Sean Weathersby, Dan Weaver, Ryan ZaincDigital Replay OperatorsRobert E. Borts, Sam Edminson, Clayton Ethredge, Dave Gallatin, John Grabowski, David Gray, Alicia Herzog, DaveIskowitz, Thomas Meegan, Curtis Menzel, Brad Walker, Tracy WilderSenior Maintenance EngineersJohn Battaglia, Robert Brunelli, Patrick Campbell, Austin Ellsworth, Stephan Emrich, Marco Griffin, Cesar Guevara,Bruce Ingram, Adam Johnson, Bob Kromko, Josh Mellinger, Joseph Metzger, David O'Connell, Andrew Parris, JustinPhelps, Mike Pope, Dave Purcell, Jeff Rios, Nick Romano, Zackary Rosser, Dave West, Derrick WhittingtonVideo EngineersSteve Alpert, Matt Andrew, Ryan Andrews, Mike Azzalini, Lazarus Bancroft, Xavier Chavez, Dee Gall, Mark Grant,Albert Hutagalung, Kelsey Kilbury, Daihan Lee, Joshua Lermon, Justin Maita, Doug McGee, Roger McNally, ScottMilinkov, Frank Nunez, Todd Parsons, Dean Pearson, Jan Perkins, Michael Peterson, Ryan Rodriguez, JasonShank, Natalie Sigmon, Paul Smith, Hunter Stephens, Craig Stevens, Joseph Stovcsik, Jeff Svenby, MilesThrockmorton, Paul Tobyansen, Jason Tuska, Phil Walker, Brian Wampler, Bradley WintlemanOutstanding TECHNICAL TEAM STUDIOGames of the XXX Olympiad NBC / Bravo / MSNBC /NBC Sports Network / TelemundoTechnical SupervisorsAmy Acton, Christopher Francis Adams, Terry Adams, Susan Aglietti, John Allamby, John Arvelo, Richard Assenzio,Nicole Barbier, James Benjamin, Anna Berg, Craig Andrew Bernstein, Marsha Bird, James Bostrom, John Bracco,Stacy Brady, Ken Breitenstein, Joanne Brentnall, Peter Brosnan, Martin Cabelly, Linda Calabrese-Kane, TimothyCanary, Tessa Capodice, Roe Castagna, Lillian Candida Cereghino, Alina Chaban, Robert Jay Chaney, JoanneChiang, Sean Christmas, Edward M. Cohen, Catherine Crowther, Steven Joseph Cuneo, Steven Daurio, ChristopherBennett Davies, Timothy De Kime, Cathy Dear, Robert Dixon, Michael Brian Donoghue, Thomas Duff, Derek Ehmen,James Ellis, Christina Fenaroli, Frank Fernandez, Roberto Fernandez, Stuart Flanigan, Traci Flohr, Errol J..Foremaster, John Fritsche, Marissa Gidez, Ronald Gnidziejko, Edward Ira Goldberg, Hilary Goldberg, Kenneth Goss,Peter Grinter, Anne Grotefeld, Grahame Hadden, Kathryn Hagon, Maryellen Hauslaib, Michael Horgan, CharlesJablonski, Keith Jackson, Michael Jackson, Jacqueline Jamison, Darryl Jefferson, John Christian Jorgensen, FrankKeffas, Ann Keith, Jill Kemp, Robert Douglas Kiraly, Laura Klein, Ingrid Klipp, Adrian Kotiga, Richard Langwell, CraigLau, David Lazecko, Ilya Livshits, James Arthur Long, Brian Longenecker, William Nicholas Lorenz, ChristopherRobert Lubbers, Matthew Charles Maresco, Michael Edward Mathews, David Paul Mazza, Allison McAllister, LaneMcFarland, Michael McGrath, Michael Meehan, Andrew Michaels, James Deerfoot Miles, Kathleen Mosolino, LucyMuldoon, Johnna Susette Neugent, Bic Nguyen, Susan Notaro, Christopher Oliver, Ramon Ortiz, Atila Ozkaplan,Richard Palestri, John Pastore, Philip William Paully, David Kent Peters, Gary Peterson, Julian Phillips, ThomasPopple, Dave Powell, Sarah Racho, Randall Raddatz, Vincent Rao, Judith Rodriquez, Les Rothenberg, Henry Rubin,Harry Vincent Ryan, Rory Ryan, Robert Sanders, Thomas Allen Saylor, Mary Beth Scalici, David Schafer, JulianneSchoenfeld, Ryan Soucy, George Spence, George William James Stockton, Susan Stogel, James Stuart, TimothyStumpp, Christina Tanaka, Erik Tesauro, Ian Trombley, Kregg Van Meter, Ian Woods, Laurie ZelnickTechnical DirectorsRenee Amro, Steve Cimino, Mike Cross, William DiGiovanni, Regina DiMaiuta, Walter Dresch, Stephanie Hasiotis,James Johnson, Preston Lawyer, Leonardo Machado, Gilbert Muro, Roberto Rios, Val Rostkowski, Barry Sprague,John Sullivan, Brian Zeitchick, Sebastian ZeplienElectronic Camera PersonsLouisa Abreu, Richard Armstrong, Joe Biello, John Biggins, Vincent Bove, Julie Brenckle, Kenneth Cavalli, SamsonChan, Pascal Charpentier, Jonathan Ciccone, Gareth Davies, Joseph Debonis II, Eric Eisenstein, Jason Fellows, JoeFerlic, Richard Fox, Jr., Manuel Gutierrez, Steve Jambeck, Scott Kilian, Joseph Klimovitz, Enid Lambert, Gary Levens,Salvatore Livia Jr, William McGill, John Murphy, Todd Palladino, Monique Payne, Scott Phelps, John Pinto, GaryTraverso, James Wachter, Price Wetherill, Donald Wormley, Anna Zeidman, Matt ZeidmanVideo ControlsFrank J. Ahrens, Kurt Albinson, Joseph John Alvaro, Thomas Arsenault, Gregory Aull, Dennis Belcher, Eric AdamBerman, Kamal Bhangle, Richard J. Boisits, Mark Boshnack, Oliver Bosill, Rory Brennan, Ronald James Brevot,Robert James Bucaro, Ronald Buchwald, Joel Budnick, Stuart Burton, Stephen Frans Calafato, Raymond PeterCalamera, Ralph Caliendo, Kevin Callahan, Edward Capon, Gregory Michael Carder, Gregory Arthur Catanzariti,Michael Catapano, Jeremy Cavanagh, Glenn Corbett, Charles Costa, George Coulter, Brian Cox, Richard GordonCrutwell, Christopher Cuddihy, Hugues D'alton, Stephen Darnaud, Michael DeSouza, Jason Michael Deutsch, DanielleDiStefano, Thomas A. Drewke, Fernando M. Dullavin, Richard Lewis Eilers, Gary Frazier, Jarrett Frazier, ReneGagnon, Alexandre Gallico, John Anthony Geiger, Rafic Ghoogassian, Zbigniew Gierczak, Nancy Jane Giordano,Dana Dillin Goodwin, Matthew Adam Green, Frank Grisanti, William Haller, Adam David Harding, Carl Henry, PaulHines, Danon Hinty, Andrew Hope, Christian Jakob Hummes, Matthew Ianniello, Bryan Jones, Gerald Kaminitz, Steven Chan-Ho Kang, Judith Kiraly, Paul Anthony Kopcienski, Seth Krassner, Steve Lebeau, John LoBello, JamesAndrew Markus, Thomas Marrin, Nicholas Masalonis, Michael Peter Masek, Serafino Paul Mazza III, Scott Meglemre,Frederick Mello, David Alan Murphy, Rachel Nameny, Robert Natoli, Theodore Natoli, Gabriel Nucci, James Oakley,Ira Oser, Eugene Palamartschuk, Michael Keith Pappas, Daniel Patrick, Edwin Paulsen, Jr., Albert Pica, Dave Powell,Graham Rendell, Matthew Joseph Rotante, Richard Russo, Francis Sabatino, Francis Sabatino, Michael Sarno,Bradford A. Sauro, Alex Semidey, Frank Snell, David Steinberg, Aaron Stevens, Christopher James Swan, Ryan Tapp,Sascha Tischer, Antonio Torres, Sefer Turk, Rick William Ulmer, Jasper Veldhuis, Jeffrey Vinton, Lisa Vucci, TobyWarren, Kenneth Yee, Lukas Zahas, David Zeller, Ping Zhang, Benedict ZilinskasGraphics OperatorsLaurence Altshuler, Edward Barton, Susan Bennett, Jonathan Berry, Ian Bonilla, Kyle Bruno, Matthew Celli, Art Cole,Linda Connal, Rich Cutrone, Andrew Dobish, Layne Dornstein, Bruce Fallini, Lisa Hanson, Roger Haughie, ShawnHendrickson, Zach Horn, Borys Jarymovych, Chris Jones, Catherine Krebs, Lori Lafazan, Michelle Lippitt, JenniferLorentz, Margaret Mack, Monica Meachem, Mike Peluso, Stephanie Pistone, Filip Prochazka, Victor Ruano Guerrero,Eric Say, John Schleef, Ann Smith, Terence Smith, Dana Stefenson, Gregory Stern, Mark Stroming, Ronald Tocci,Jeannemarie Tracey, Taul Brad White, Craig Wilkie, Neil Wright, Alberto ZayasLighting DirectorsGeoff Amoral, Steven Brill, Nathaniel Galen, Trevor Gooch, George Gountas, Daniel Kelley, Michael Mustica, SherylWisniewskiSenior Audio EngineersJoseph Aebig, Timothy Carroll, Lawrence Cirillo, Nils DeKorte, Nuno Duarte, Andrew Errichiello, Scott Gootman, FredHedemark, David Levens, Charles Moore, Robert Palladino, Victor Pardo, Rand Pekich, Jayson Polansky, FrankPuma, Gary Rotta, Joseph Shalhoup, Darren Silcock, Steven Singer, Daniel Skevington, David Swanson, JeffreyToone, James Twomey, Peter Walker, Fred ZellerAudio AssistantsKate Abline, Brock Adams, Kim Allen-Butler, Robert Butler, Bob Charlap, Edward Chick, Perry Clark, Erin Crain,Christopher Gamble, Robert Gilmartin, Rickey Hayes Jr, Martin Jaclot, Jeff Kalvin, Kenneth Kidston, Michael Kimball,Anthony Kremer, Joseph Leible, Joseph Leo, Drew Levinson, John Patrick Martin, Lindsay McConnell, ChristopherMcKevitt, David McKinnon, Anthony McManus, Christopher Papas, Jared Parfaite, Tim Persinko, Martin Powers, TrishReilly, Matthew Rifino, David Rindone, Edward Ruotolo, Seth Shapiro, Kevin Shea, Robert Streeter, Alan Strusser,William Taylor, Peter YianilosDigital Replay OperatorsVincent Accardi, Michael Allen, Jacqueline Amador, Carl Anthony, James Ash, Ishwar Bachan, Martin Bell, ChadBergacs, Francisco Bido, Brett Blau, Joseph Bonanno, Brad Buckwalter, Robert Caldwell, Rob Campbell, Justin Cece,Frances Cimino, Joseph Colvin, Anthony Curcio, Adrian Davis, Brian Delventhal, David DeNoon, William Driscoll,Susan Dyke, Scott Feinstein, John Fitzgerald, Nathaniel Flynn-Ryan, John Paul Franco, Ralph Fusca, MaggieGallegos, Brian Gauthier, Josh Glaser, Joshua Glaze, Erin Hagopian, William Heafy, Elizabeth Heeden, HowardHirsch, Anthony Innarelli, Robert Ionta, David Ketterling, Andrew Kingery, Matthew Klose, Meredith Kramer, JamesLockridge, Mike Long, Timothy Mamaril, Mike Mauro, Donna McCarthy, Charmaine McDonald, Robert McMahon,Michael McManus, Christopher Moore, Max Negin, James O'Farrell, Charles Parks, Phil Parrish, Christopher Pendy,Richard Picardo, Vance Piccin, Rachel Pillar, Ronnie Plotkin, Harry Rimmer III, Raymond Rivera, Deborah MarieRobertson, Daniel Rogers, Tami Ruddy, Tom Ryan, Richard Schloman, Jason Schmidt, Paul Scrabo, Michael Shore,John Shultis, Lamont Smith, Robert Soehl, Jr., Jaclyn Spirer, Alan Spy, Lloyd Stacey, Anthony Stasi, Jr., JoanneStathis, Howard Suss, Howard Tate, Irene Trullinger, David Varga, Don Vermeulen, Croce Verrochi, Fernando Villegas,Steven Vogel, Matthew Weber, Robert Weir, George White, Karl Woitach, Trina Wright, David ZarkowerOutstanding CAMERA WORKOutside the Lines ESPNBreaking the SilenceCamerapersonsMike Bove, Jesse Edwards, Joel Edwards, Joshua Edwards, Bill RoachOutstanding EDITING24/7 HBOPacquiao-Marquez 4EditorsBrad Buckwalter, Jeff Fisher, Andrew RomeroThe Dick Schaap WRITING AWARDGames of the XXX Olympiad NBCMeasure & MotionWritersBrian Brown, Joe GesueOutstanding MUSIC COMPOSITION / DIRECTION / LYRICSNamath HBONFL FilmsComposerDavid RobidouxArrangersScott Anderson, Steve Moseley, Paul TaylorOutstanding Live Event AUDIO / SOUNDNASCAR on FOX FOXAudio EngineersFred Aldous, Ben Altopp, Leonard Batson, Kevin Callahan, Nicholas Cap, Mike Copeland, Linal Getchell, BarbaraHanford, Larry Hildreth, George Kemper, Anthony LoMastro, MeiLing Loo, Kevin McCloskey, Steve Onuska, AllenSlansky, Garrett Sullivan, Harry Chip Weaver, Mark Williams, Doug WilsonOutstanding Post Produced AUDIO / SOUNDHard Knocks: Training Camp with the Miami Dolphins HBONFL FilmsAudio EngineersVince Caputo, Scott Carter, Paul Flinton, Steve Guercio, Frank Hamilton, Christian Loaiza, Jerry Mahler, RichMarkowitz, Andrew Miller, Steve Moseley, Willie O'Bryan, Geoff Pawlikowski, Paul Pizzica, Mark RicciOutstanding GRAPHIC DESIGNMLB Network Division Series MLB NetworkThe ScrapbookSenior Graphic DesignerMiguel OldenburgGraphic DesignersSteve George, Premier Maldonado, Kaitlin RoseOutstanding PRODUCTION DESIGN / ART DIRECTIONNCAA March Madness tbsBrackets EverywhereSenior Creative DirectorCraig BarryCreative DirectorDrew WatkinsArt DirectorDaniel SmithProduction DesignersDeaton Bell, Scott Bramlett, James Glenn, David Johnson, Matthew Lucas, Eric Lund, Evan McIntosh, JordanMcMonagle, Craig Murray, Chris Vining, Chad WatkinsThe George Wensel TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDGames of the XXX Olympiad NBC / Bravo / CNBC / MSNBC /NBC Sports Network / NBCOlympics.com / TelemundoThe Multi-Screen OlympicsInnovatorsChip Adams, Terry Adams, David Allamby, Craig Berstein, Eric Blacker, John Bracco, Kevin Callahan, TimothyCanary, Alberto Chiavazza, Steven Joseph Cuneo, Errol J.. Foremaster, David Gabel, Brian Gilmore, RonaldGnidziejko, Matthew Green, Eric Hamilton, Clarence Hau, Darryl Jefferson, John Christian Jorgensen, RobertDouglas Kiraly, Craig Lau, Jennifer Leung, William Nicholas Lorenz, David Mazza, Paul Mazza, Jim Miles, AlbertPica, Harry Vincent Ryan, Stephen Sabonjohn, Thomas Allen Saylor, Ali Shujaat, Sascha TischerOutstanding SPORTS PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT- INSTITUTIONALIt's Not Crazy, It's Sports ESPNShake On It, The Name, Born Into It Wieden + KennedyExecutive ProducersChris Brush, Carol Kruse, Aaron TaylorSupervising ProducersKevin KirkseyProducersJeff Gonyo, Brian Harmer, Angelo Mazza, Anna Rogers, Ben ShieldANDNCAA March Madness tbsBrackets EverywhereExecutive ProducerCraig BarrySenior ProducerDrew WatkinsProducersDeaton Bell, James Glenn, Craig MurrayAssociate ProducersDavid Johnson, Evan McIntosh, Jordan McMonagle, Daniel Smith, Chad WatkinsOutstanding SPORTS PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT - EPISODICA Football Life NFL NetworkLife Story NFL FilmsExecutive ProducersSteve Bornstein, Howard Katz, Mark Quenzel, Steve Sabol, Eric WeinbergerSenior Coordinating ProducersPatrick Kelleher, Ross KetoverSupervising ProducersChris Barlow, Keith CossrowProducersBob Angelo, Paul Camarata, Dave Douglas, Peter Frank, Greg Frith, Ryan Kelly, Nick Mascolo, Paul Monusky,Digger O'Brien, Erik Powers, Chip Swain, Bennett Viseltear, James Weiner, John Weiss, Neil ZenderAssociate ProducersLawrence Randall, Kelly ViseltearSummary of winners by network:NBC (10)Games of the XXX Olympiad ................................................... 4Cris Collinsworth ....................................................................... 1Bob Costas ................................................................................. 1Pierre McGuire .......................................................................... 1Al Michaels .................................................................................. 1Sunday Night Football ............................................................. 1Super Bowl XLVI ........................................................................ 1HBO (6)Namath ...................................................................................... 2Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel ............................................. 224/7 .............................................................................................. 1Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Miami Dolphins ....... 1NBC Sports Network (4)Games of the XXX Olympiad ................................................... 2Bob Costas ................................................................................. 1Pierre McGuire .......................................................................... 1ESPN (3)It's Not Crazy, It's Sports ............................................................ 1Outside the Lines ....................................................................... 1Sport Science ............................................................................ 1MLB NETWORK (3)MLB Network Division Series ...................................................... 1MLB Tonight ................................................................................ 1Tom Verducci ............................................................................ 1TBS (3)NCAA March Madness ............................................................ 2Tom Verducci ............................................................................ 1TNT (3)Charles Barkley .......................................................................... 1NBA on TNT ................................................................................. 1NBA Playoffs ............................................................................... 1Bravo (2)Games of the XXX Olympiad ................................................... 2FOX (2)NASCAR on FOX ........................................................................ 1National League Championship Series ................................. 1MSNBC (2)Games of the XXX Olympiad ................................................... 2NBCOlympics.com (2)Games of the XXX Olympiad ................................................... 2NFL NETWORK (2)A Football Life ............................................................................. 1NFL GameDay Morning ............................................................ 1Telemundo (2)Games of the XXX Olympiad ................................................... 2CBS Sportsnetwork (1)One Heartbeat........................................................................... 1CNBC (1)Games of the XXX Olympiad ................................................... 1ESPN2 (1)E: 60 .............................................................................................. 1ESPN 3D (1)Winter X Games 2012 ................................................................ 1NBA TV (1)Charles Barkley .......................................................................... 1SHOWTIME (1)Inside the NFL ............................................................................. 1YouTube (1)Red Bull Stratos: Space Jump ................................................. 1

State of the Media 2013 report finds social media ‘indispensable’

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 05:02:18 +0000

Social media has become “indispensable” for journalists, says the latest State of the Media report.

The annual report by Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism highlights the importance of social media to news organisations. At the time of publication, 184 news organisations had designated social media editors.

“In 2012, social media continued to expand its role in the news ecosystem, establishing itself as an indispensable tool for distributing content and attracting new readers, as well as for building deeper engagement with current ones,” said the 2013 State of the Media report.

About a fifth of Americans saw news on social media, with the number rising to 34 per cent for 18-24 year olds.

Mobile is partly behind the growth of social media. Just under half of smartphone users and around 40 per cent of 39% of tablet users get some of their news through a social network.

Traffic in absolute numbers remains modest, at an average of 9 per cent. But the numbers vary greatly on the publication.

The Huffington Post is by far the most successful at social media engagement, with more than 2,500 stories with at least 100 Facebook interactions. The number is almost double that of its closest competitor, the Daily Mail.

The Pew report identified another growing trend – social media as a second screen experience for TV viewing. CNN lead the mentions on social media, followed by Fox News, MSNBC and NBC.

But it also found points out how some social media initiatives have stumbled, such as Facebook social readers. But Pew goes on to suggest that new Facebook features “could nevertheless increase the site’s importance for news organizations.”

While Facebook and Twitter remain key services for the media, the report warns that “concentrating on those two sites alone may no longer be enough.”

It points out how news organisations have used platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram to visuals, from mug shots of police wanted by the police to pictures from the presidential campaign.

At a time of newsroom cutbacks and dwindling resources, social media offers both opportunities and challenges.

“In an era of limited resources, however, the seemingly endless array of new platforms raises a challenge for news organizations: Just how much time should they devote to social media – and where should their resources be concentrated?” asks the Pew Report.

BBC College of Journalism introduction to social media

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:09:37 +0000

The BBC College of Journalism is a treasure trove of advice, lessons and tips for any budding or experienced journalist.

Outside of the UK, it is only available on a subscription basis.

The College of Journalism tends to post videos from events on its Youtube channel.

But I recently discovered that some of the lessons available through a dedicated website on the main BBC website.

Among the videos are various of the use of social media by journalists. The one below provides a good introduction into how BBC journalists are incorporating social media, changing how they report the news.

50 essential blogs for journalists

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:16:50 +0000

The UK journalism site, journalism.co.uk, has put together a list of 50 blogs on journalism.

The list covers “blogging reporters who share their tips and experiences of mobile journalism, blogging journalism educators, and blogging photojournalist.”

It is required reading for anyone interested in gaining insight and perpectives on the changing of journalism.

I’m honoured that this blog, Reportr.net, is included on a list. Among the other blogs by journalism educators are Mindy McAdams’ Teaching Online Journalism, Paul Bradshaw’s Online Journalism Blog, Jay Rosen’s PressThink and Jeff Jarvis’ BuzzMachine.

The list is loosely grouped thematically and journalism.co.uk is inviting readers to add their favourite blog as a comment.

WordPress promotes online portfolios

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 18:36:19 +0000

As a journalism professor, I spend quite a bit of time talking to students about building up their professional presence online.

It is important for students to have an online portfolio that showcases their work and will pop up when a prospective employer searches for them online.

WordPress, the choice for many students, has just made it that much easier to create an elegant portfolio site.

It has launched WordPress.com/portfolios with 30 dedicated portfolio themes to choose from.

I’ve written in the past about why students should develop their personal brand. Having a well designed site that showcases your professional abilities is essential and should be a top priority for journalism students.

There have been several new services launched recently that tap into the need for portfolio sites, such as About.me.

Israel and Hamas use Twitter as an instrument of warfare

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:06:33 +0000

The fog of war is a phrase commonly used to capture the uncertainty and confusion that surrounds military conflicts.

Facts, rumour and speculation swirl in the fog as journalists try to figure out what is going on.

But on November 14, the Israeli Defense Forces blew away the fog of war when it live tweeted its assault on the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, in Gaza.

Through its official Twitter account, the IDF announced the start of its campaign and documented it in real time.

The IDF has begun a widespread campaign on terror sites & operatives in the #Gaza Strip, chief among them #Hamas & Islamic Jihad targets.
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) November 14, 2012

Through its Twitter feed and other social media sites, the IDF has been providing a blow by blow account of the conflict.

Twenty years ago, it was CNN who brought the first Gulf War live into our living rooms. Now the military is bypassing the media to reach out directly to the audience.

Through its sophisticated social media campaign, Israel is seeking not just to control the message, but also frame how the assault is covered through tweets such as:

VIDEO: IDF Pinpoint Strike on Ahmed Jabri, Head of #Hamas Military Wing youtu.be/P6U2ZQ0EhN4 #Gaza #PillarOfDefense
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) November 14, 2012

Infographic: #Hamas‘ rockets are threatening more than one million citizens in #Israel. twitter.com/IDFSpokesperso…
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) November 15, 2012

Framing matters in journalism as it affects how a story is told. Through social media, the IDF is trying to shape reporting so that the story is told from Israeli military perspective.

Hamas has also turned to Twitter to spread its message:

@idfspokesperson Our blessed hands will reach your leaders and soldiers wherever they are (You Opened Hell Gates on Yourselves)
— Alqassam Brigades (@AlqassamBrigade) November 14, 2012

Governments have always tried to control how a conflict is reported by limiting access to journalists or imposing reporting restrictions. In this case, both sides have become the media. Both sides are using Twitter and other social media platforms as instruments of warfare.

Shaping the conversation

Aside from providing real-time information on its operations, the IDF is also using Twitter as a way of asserting its military might and striking terror into the hearts of its foes:

We recommend that no Hamas operatives, whether low level or senior leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead.
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) November 14, 2012

The IDF also used hashtags to insert its tweets into topical conversations. In one instance, its referred to the latest version of the video game, Call of Duty, released earlier this week.

Playing war games on Call of Duty last night? Over 1 million Israelis are still under REAL fire #BlackOps2
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) November 13, 2012

And another tapped into the conversation about the latest James Bond’s movie, Skyfall:

James Bond has some neat gadgets, but they don’t measure up to ours. ow.ly/f7O2L #Skyfall
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) November 9, 2012

(Photo courtesy of IDF).

FCC Sets Sept. 28 Vote for Auction Item

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:57:00 +0000

As FCC chairman Julius Genachowski signaled, a vote on a proposed framework for spectrum...

FCC Fines Cable Op Big Bucks for Alleged EAS, Leakage Violation

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:28:00 +0000

The FCC has levied an almost quarter-million dollar fine on a Florida cable operator for what it...

ACA, NCTA Press FCC for Action on CLEC Cross-Ownership

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:45:54 +0000

The American Cable Association is asking the FCC to take action on the petition by the National...

FCC to Measure Mobile Broadband Speed and Performance

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:38:05 +0000

The FCC has expanded its Measuring Broadband America program to include mobile...

FCC Qs in Search of As

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 04:01:00 +0000

The FederalCommunications Commissionsignaled in its notice of inquiry forthe ninth annual...

FCC Denies Stay of Dual-Carriage Order

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 04:01:00 +0000

The Federal Communications Commissionhas denied broadcasters’ request for a stay ofthe its...

FCC Vets Encryption-Ban Order

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 04:01:00 +0000

Federal Communications Commissionchairman Julius Genachowski has circulated an...

Cablevision-Tribune Fight Grinds On

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 04:01:00 +0000

Cablevision Systems’ retransmission-consent battlewith Tribune Broadcasting has entered its...

Broadcasters Ask FCC to Be More Flexible on Foreign Ownership

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 20:42:00 +0000

A coalition of broadcast groups has asked the FCC to clarify that it will not foreclose, but...

FCC Teeing Up Spectrum Item for September: Sources

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 12:50:00 +0000

According to various sources inside and outside the agency, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski will...

FCC Circulates Order Lifting Basic Encryption Ban

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 13:05:22 +0000

According to sources, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski hascirculated an order allowing cable...

'True Blood,' 'Newsroom' Score Nielsen Highs with Season Swansongs

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 19:32:33 +0000

HBO's Sunday original series tandem ended their campaigns on season-high...

Syrian Conflict Taking Toll on Journalists

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 17:58:00 +0000

The Broadcasting Board of Governors, which protects the independence of the U.S. government's...

FCC: Broadband DeploymentStill Isn’t Timely, Reasonable

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 04:01:00 +0000

The Federal CommunicationsCommission has once againconcluded that broadband is not...

Facebook fans 'lonely'?

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:38:31 +0000

A report on Facebook, Bill O'Reilly and the Fox "brand," Current TV"s new hire, a Pulitzer for a PA reporter, GMA rises

Confirming Wall Street's Misgivings About Newspapers

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:34:19 +0000

Papers lost $7 of print advertising for every $1 they gained in digital, a new study says

Introducing Some of My Talented Students

Thu, 12 May 2011 04:04:23 +0000

An example of one of my students’ capstone work, plus read more below.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011 was a good day for our Juvenile Justice Information Exchange — JJIE.org reporter Ryan Schill, for Kennesaw State University and for me. Wednesday, Schill became a graduate of Kennesaw State and editor John Fleming published Schill’s story the Straight Dope on Fake Dope. It’s a well written and researched story, and right after we posted it, Youth Today a national newspaper asked to reprint it. Of course, we said yes.

For me it was a special day because last semester Schill was in my Advance Media Writing class. I quickly noticed that Schill has that special talent of being able to do research, get out on the street to do the reporting and then put it all together in a well written story. I asked him to start writing for us here at the JJIE.org and he has produced under the tutelage of editor Fleming.

Ryan Schill

It is wonderful to see students excel, and this has been a good semester. I taught our Journalism and Citizen Media capstone course for graduating seniors. They focused on Marietta, Ga. My students did fantastic work producing both videos and an online magazine. Take a look at Marietta in Motion. Unlike students in the past, today’s journalism students must have a range of abilities and these students do.

So congratulations to my capstone students and to all of Wednesday’s Department of Communication graduates and, of course, to Schill, who just signed a contract to do more writing for us. It was, indeed, a good day for Kennesaw State University and for the JJIE.org.

Center for Sustainable Journalism Posts Editing/Reporting Job

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 03:57:39 +0000

We just posted a new job opening at our Center for Sustainable Journalism at Kennesaw State University. Here is the description:

The most unique job in journalism today:

We’re looking for a high energy journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit to run the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE.org). This established online news operation is getting local and national attention for strong reporting about children and the law. The person we hire must be self motivated and determined to succeed, with a solid work ethic and great news judgment. You will work with a small team to gather news and information from a niche beat, report compelling stories in multi-media formats, and edit the work of other writers. Be ready to roll up your sleeves and network with news sources, attend events and conferences, and break original stories. This experimental journalism project has potential to expand and we need the right person to lead the way. Writing samples will be required.

You can apply for the job here, look for the heading Communication Professional III.

It really is a great job and this experiment in niche journalism is growing rapidly. We now have 10,000 unique visitors a month, with about 1,000 page views a day. Interested in helping it grow more and expand beyond Georgia, then apply now.

SoCon11: Another Social Media Success Story

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 19:03:24 +0000

We are beginning to put up photos and content from our SoCon11, social media conference. You’ll find some fun photos from our 5th Anniversary networking party, including this shot of our Center for Sustainable Journalism folks who put on the conference, including from left Noah Echols, Ellen Miller, Leonard Witt, Clay Duda and a masked Carole Arnold. As you will see from the photo from Saturday, we again packed more than 300 attendees into the Social Science Building auditorium at Kennesaw State University. See what the #SoCon11 tweeters said here.

Here are the slide shows of some of the Power Point presentations. Watch for more content coming up soon. If you attended and want to use a photo for your blog or newsletter, feel free.

Thanks to everyone from our staff to the more than 25 presenters to the 300 plus attendees for making it a wonderful 1.5 days of learning, sharing and networking. See you next year at SoCon12.

SoCon11 — 5th Anniversary, Fullhouse for Social Media Event

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 20:22:18 +0000

Our networking party tomorrow night at the Carter Center kicks off SoCon11. It is the 5th Anniversary of the Southeast’s premier social media conference produced and hosted by our Center for Sustainable Journalism at Kennesaw State University. As with last year, we have a sell out crowd of 300 for Saturday. On Friday night we expect about 200.

Although it is too late for this year, be sure to watch for next year’s SoCon12. Those of you who have registered, see you soon.

The Icahn Saga: The Poison Pill That Isn't

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 03:24:00 +0000

Carl Icahn is a reporter's dream. When things get a little slow, the 74-year old dealmaker always does something to spice it up. Which is what he did today when he said he was launching a tender offer for shares of Lionsgate(LGF)in a bid to give him a 30% stake in the company that makes the Saw and Tyler Perry movies.

So why is Icahn making his move on Lionsgate now, nearly a year after he last tried to win control of the company through a failed tender offer to buy the studio's convertible bonds? Among the reasons is this tasty little morsel: in 2009, when the company mounted a successful defense against Icahn, it went out of its way to remind investors that if Icahn got enough of the convertible notes he could be considered to control more than 20% of the company. That would trigger a bank covenant and "could result in a cross-default and acceleration of Lionsgate's payment obligations," the company said back then in a press release. Translation: the company might have to cough up a chunk of cash to pay off its $340 million revolving line of credit to its banks.

Well, that defense doesn't seem to be very potent right now. While no one was looking - no one except Icahn, it appears - Lionsgate but paid down that line of credit. As of Dec. 31, it said in its most recent financial filings, it had drawn only $12 million. So, if Icahn triggered the 20% threshold, it would only cost Lionsgate $12 million to pay off the line, not much for a company that had revenues of nearly $1.2 billion in the nine months that ended Dec. 31.

Neither Icahn not Lionsgate would comment. But Icahn is apparently worried that Lionsgate was keeping its powder dry so that it could use that credit line to make an acquisition, and both MGM and Disney's (DIS)Miramax library are on the market right now. He worried that they might overpay, I am told by sources who understand Carl Icahn's thinking on this issue. And without that line of credit, Lionsgate might not have the money to mount a bid at all, or at least that's what Icahn may be thinking.

Then again, the credit line is cheap money, priced at 2.5% above "adjusted LIBOR" or 2.73% as of Dec. 31, the company's filing says.. That's super cheap money that Lionsgate would no longer have at its disposal. And don't you think for a minute that Lionsgate's management won't make that point to shareholders in an effort to dissuade them from tendering their shares of Icahn.

Yup, here comes Lionsgate-Icahn, the sequel.

Leno Leaves, NBC's Wobbly Business Model Returns

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 02:48:20 +0000

Announcements don’t get much more dramatic than the one NBC made today about yanking The Jay Leno show from its 10 o’clock time period just three months after the former host of The Tonight Show began his one-hour comedy, skit show.

Yes, NBC TV honcho Jeff Gaspin told an overflow gathering of reporters on Sunday’s TV Critics Tour in Pasadena, Calif., NBC’s 200-odd affiliates had forced the change because prime time ratings tanked. The reason? Their 11 pm news programs, a nice little profit center for most stations, was suddenly hemorrhaging through no fault of their own.

But what Gaspin didn’t say – at least not so boldly – was that NBC had also made an abrupt u-turn on its plans to remake a broken business model for making TV shows. Prime time pilots are made for $10 million, shows for $3 million or so, and viewing audiences are going south. Gaspin’s predecessor, Jeff Zucker, had made the fateful decision to bring in Leno, and to shuttle Law and Order and other 10 pm shows out of their time slots, by arguing that ratings would go down but so would costs.

So much for that idea. Coupled with the announcement that Leno was taking his $500,000 a week show off the air at 10 pm., was the announcement that NBC was going back to the good old ways that networks have always operated. Namely, big producers, big stars, and cross your fingers the shows work. How about these for some biggies to whom NBC said it is throwing its bucks the next few weeks in hopes of finding TV lightning in a bottle – Jerry Bruckheimer, David E. Kelly and J.J. Abrams, who will direct a pilot called “Undercovers” about CIA agents. The last time Abrams directed a pilot, it only cost $13 million.

Of course, that pilot was Lost, which was an immediate and big (although not terribly long lasting) hit on ABC. Clearly, that’s what NBC is hoping Abrams will bring to NBC as well. Then again, they’re hoping the same thing for a remake of “The Rockford Files” that they’ve also ordered for what’s going to be a pricey sum. We all know how their last retread effort -- i.e. “Knight Rider” -- turned out.

News Corp, Time Warner Play to DC Not The Viewers

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 06:05:35 +0000

Was there ever any doubt that News Corp. and Time Warner would come to an agreement that would allow Time Warner’s cable unit to continue showing News Corp’s cable or broadcast properties on its system? The announcement on Jan. 1 that the two sides had averted a showdown that would have kept the BCS football game on the sidelines for 11 million folks is, well, a yawner.

It’s become almost an annual kabuki dance among cable or satellite operators and content providers to show which side – content or distribution – has the most muscle when it comes to such talks. Guess what fellas? Neither of you really have what it takes any longer to force your will on the other.

The last time we had a showdown anywhere near this size was back in 2000, when Time Warner, in the midst of a similar showdown with ABC, allowed Regis Philbin and his then-hit show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” to go dark for some 3.5 million homes. The cries from Washington were deafening. Hearings were held, fingers slapped.

So when the chorus started again in Washington on Dec. 30 on the current impasse you knew that Fox and Time Warner were destined to do whatever they could to avoid having DC on their backs. First, Sen. John Kerry urged the sides toward arbitration, and then FCC commissioners started encouraging peace. If there is anything that a media company wants less than a shutdown in the ad markets, it’s to have the feds on their backs. So Time Warner and News Corp. wisely extended the Dec. 30 deadline, then scurried to cut a deal that you know is less than the monthly $1 per subscriber fee that News Corp. had all but insisted was their right to get from cable operators.

One thing News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch, who owns TV stations, newspapers and internet sites, understands is that he sure as heck doesn’t want an angry FCC looking over his shoulder. In the past, he’s done back flips to keep them happy, whether it was striking a deal that allowed him to own the New York Post and New York area TV stations, or to get his deal to buy DirecTV passed a few years back. As for Time Warner, do you think they want the feds thinking bad thoughts about them when the FCC is still contemplating rules on such things as “net neutrality” – that is, whether Time Warner’s online offerings are to be regulated? Uh, no.

Sure, it was good theater. News Corp. told America that it might not get the NFL, American Idol or Glee. Time Warner said it was fighting to keep consumer prices from zooming if Fox high jacked higher fees from them. Yeah, yeah. A good show boys. It sure played in Washington.