Creative Loafing Hosting 'Mixed Media' May 27

Creative Loafing is hosting its next Mixed Media--a mixer for members of the media--on Wednesday, May 27, 6 p.m. at Apostrophe Lounge (1440 S. Tryon St.).


This edition of the mixer, which CL holds a few times a year in conjunction with the weekly Pop Life series, will celebrate CAABJ member Mary C. Curtis' inclusion in the new book, The Final Four of Everything. They'll be passing out free copies of the book to the first dozen media people who arrive. Creative Loafing will also be showing off its newly redesigned website.

Plus, there will be free hors d'oeuvres, drink specials, and great music.

If you would like to attend this free event, please RSVP to carlton.hargro@creativeloafing.com.

WBT Casting Call for Event Team

Need a part-time job? Want to work for a radio station? Come to the WBT casting call.

News Talk 1110 WBT programs a wide variety of personalities. Together they represent a station that is happy, fun, active, friendly, outgoing, well spoken, and entertaining. Cast members must represent these same traits at events through active, engaging conversation. Cast members will log miles of time and distance as they recruit listeners. Please note: Cast members do not actually appear on-air.


News Talk 1110 WBT Casting Call
For a part-time job in radio promotions
Friday, May 15, 5-8 p.m.
Promenade on Providence, I-485 at the corner of Providence Road and Ballantyne Commons Parkway
RSVP by clicking here.

Visit www.wbt.com to learn more about the station.

AOL Is Hiring Editors and Writers

Below is an excerpt from an article recently published by The Business Insider.

AOL isn't nearly immune to the advertising recession that's costing journalists jobs everywhere. It recently reported that ad revenues were down 20 percent in the last quarter.

But here's the silver lining for media professionals caught in the same mire: AOL's new boss, CEO Tim Armstrong, wants the company's content business MediaGlow to be a Hearst or Time Inc for the 21st century.

MediaGlow already runs 70 online media properties -- 27 of them are in Technorati's top 80 -- and wants to push that number to 100 in the next 12 months.

In other words, AOL -- of all places, one might say -- is on a hiring spree amidst the recession. For example, MediaGlow sports site FanHouse employs about 60 writers and just hired 10 more.

And, unlike some new media empires, MediaGlow isn't only hiring young writers willing to forgo health insurance and full-time pay. They're hiring people with experience.

For more on MediaGlow, visit www.mediaglow.com.

NABJ Statement on 'Future of Journalism' Senate Hearing

On May 6, a panel of digital and traditional journalism industry experts testified at a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and Internet Hearing on "The Future of Journalism" about the challenges and successes facing online news aggregators and newspapers today.

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has worked on behalf of newspaper journalists for more than thirty years, yet many of our most talented members are rapidly becoming unemployed or leaving the profession out of necessity.

The intellectual property of journalists must be preserved, and NABJ supports any effort that seeks to afford news agencies a greater capacity to retain and compensate black investigative reporters, editors and other journalists while respecting the growth of digital journalism.

NABJ Board Member Charles Robinson, who attended the hearing, told Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) after the hearing that diversity needs to be a part of the overall discussion and a more diverse panel should be part of future discussions. Robinson also told the Senators that NABJ was available to help draft a diversity component of any future legislation affecting the newspaper industry.

The recently released 2009 ASNE newsroom diversity census is disconcerting for revealing that black journalists are losing their jobs at a greater rate than any other ethnic group, but it is especially disturbing that minority ownership or representation in newspapers was not a topic at Wednesday's discussion.

Of the five panelists, there were no black representatives and only one minority. It is disgraceful that a discussion on Capitol Hill about the future of newspapers can happen without doing more to incorporate the perspectives of America's increasingly diverse population.

NABJ will continue to work with news agencies, publishers, editors and others to promote diversity and affirm that our members are offered cutting edge training to keep them ahead of the curve.

At the same time, we call on our nation's leaders to open their eyes to the communities that surround them and ensure that black media representatives have a seat at the table as new legislation is discussed.

Sincerely,

Barbara Ciara
NABJ President
NABJ.org

Charlottean Launches Comprehensive Sports Website that Chronicles African-Americans

ARHENetwork.com, a comprehensive database of current and historical information about African-Americans in sports, launched in April. The first-of-its-kind site, ARHE (pronounced A-I-R) Network provides unbiased and up-to-date information covering more than 35 sports, dating as far back as the late 1700s.


ARHE was conceived by Jason Woullard, a Charlotte businessman whose independent research and marketing company had been working on the site for almost eight years. ARHE was created as a tribute to tennis legend Arthur Ashe’s three-volume series of books, A Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African American Athlete. The word “ARHE” is derived from the first two letters of Ashe’s first name (AR) and the last two letters of his last (HE).

Visitors to the site will be able to track athletes, coaches, sports executives, and even cheerleaders. ARHE will take visitors into the lives of athletes by chronicling their contracts, endorsements, and business ventures as well as allowing them to browse through historical leagues such as the ABA, AFL, and the Negro Leagues.

In addition, the ARHE database contains extensive and rare information in the form of biographical data, statistics, photographs and video rarely accessible to the public. Although the tremendous impact of African-Americans on sports is no mystery, the ARHE Network provides a platform to present archived data in an educational and entertaining manner.

For more information, visit www.arhenetwork.com.

CAABJ Member Seeks National Office

Dedrick Russell, a CAABJ member and education reporter for WBTV, is running for Vice President of Broadcast of the National Association of Black Journalists. If you're a member of the national chapter then you're eligible to vote in the national elections and we're asking that you support Russell. Voting begins online June 8 and concludes at the NABJ Convention in Tampa in August.

Russell has been in the communications field for more than a decade. He started out as a one-man-band reporter in South Carolina. After spending several years in the Palmetto State, he got a job as a photographer in Washington, D.C. He then worked his way up to reporter. In 2003 he left D.C. and became a reporter in Charlotte. While here he won SPJ’s Sigma Delta Chi award for an educational series called the "Troubled Ten." Principals told Russell their plan to boost academic achievement at the ten lowest performing high schools in Charlotte.

Here's Russell's campaign statement:

The media industry is under attack. This is not the time to retreat, but it’s the time to fight back. It's time to find new and innovative ways NABJ and its members can survive in challenging times. As VP of Broadcast I will be an advocate for you. I believe my leadership skills will help the organization reach new heights. My listening skills will let members know they have a voice. And my skills as a team player will ensure everybody on the NABJ team reaches the goal together.

Click here to learn more about Russell and the other candidates seeking office within NABJ.