CAABJ Presents "Creating a Brand Called You"

We hope your summer has been going well. Our members had a great time at CAABJ's Annual Summer Kickoff Cookout last month. Now, it's on to our next exciting event.

Because we’d like you all to attend the NABJ Unity Conference in Chicago July 23-27, we will hold our meeting a little later than usual.

CAABJ's next official event is scheduled for July 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at The Perk at South End (coffeehouse). We'll be featuring guest speaker Millette Granville, diversity recruiting strategist for Wachovia and former recruiter for Time Warner/Turner Broadcasting.

Millette will present her signature workshop "Creating a Brand Called You," in which she will share expert advice on:

• The link between personal branding and professional career growth.
• How to connect the gap between the way others see you and the way you want to be seen.
  
• How to build and craft your brand to positively influence others.

Millette is well known for her presentations, and we have been guaranteed an enlightening and energizing workshop. This event should be particularly beneficial to our journalists who are facing cuts in their newsrooms.

We'll have about 30 minutes of networking at the start of the event and Millette will begin at 7 p.m. We'll conclude the event with more networking. Complimentary pastries will be served.

Though this workshop is free (!), we ask that you email us at charlotteaabj@gmail.com if you're planning to attend. You are allowed to bring one guest.

CAABJ and Creating a Brand Called You
Tuesday, July 29
6:30-8:30 p.m.
The Perk at South End
1427 South Blvd.
(Located in Dilworth Station next to Elder Art Gallery)

You won't want to miss this. We look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,

Charlotte Area Association of Black Journalists (CAABJ)
Email: charlotteaabj@gmail.com
Online: www.caabj.com

Best Wishes Alva Pearson!

Alva Pearson, CAABJ Vice-President of Broadcast and producer for WCNC-TV, is leaving us this weekend to serve her country in the military.

We’d like to thank Alva for all she’s done to make CAABJ a thriving organization. We're going to greatly miss Alva and we appreciate her service.

Alva, we look forward to hearing about your experience serving our country.

If you’d like to send Alva a personal note, she can be reached at her personal email address, alavistau05@yahoo.com.

Best Wishes Alva and Thank You.

The Charlotte Observer Announces More Layoffs

The Charlotte Observer announced yesterday that it will be reducing its workforce by 123 positions. We've learned that some current and past CAABJ members are being affected by these layoffs.

Below is a letter sent from the Observer's publisher to employees. It provides great insight into the types of financial challenges many news organizations are facing.

To All Observer Colleagues,

I am writing today to tell you that The Charlotte Observer is reducing its workforce by 123 positions, or about 11.1% of the total.

This is a painful but necessary step. We're operating in a time of great change and challenge for our operations, for The McClatchy Company and for the newspaper industry overall. Increased competition and a pronounced economic downturn have combined to reduce revenues dramatically, and these cuts are part of the way we must respond. As you know. We have already been transitioning to new ways of doing business, and we are now accelerating that effort. We are confident in our ability to navigate to a stable and prosperous future as an integrated media company serving as our community's most trusted supplier of news and advertising information.

Reductions will occur in Operations, Advertising, Finance, News, Circulation, Information Technology, Administration, Human Resources and Marketing. Although many of these job eliminations will occur through involuntary layoffs, there also will be opportunities for employees to voluntarily elect a severance package were reductions are occurring in work groups of two or more employees. If enough employees do not take the voluntary option, then the work groups will be reduced according to least tenure. Employees affected by this reduction are being notified as quickly as possible and being provided with information about the severance program and their last day. They will be provided with a transition package that includes a severance pay allowance and benefits continuation. We also will provide outplacement services.

As a news company, we have often reported on such transitions in other industries. Now we face the painful reality of severing employment ties with valued friends and colleagues, many of whom have served the company well for many years. We are sorry to do so, and will do everything possible to make their transition as smooth as possible.

The Charlotte Observer is making other changes in its business model and operations, as well. We have found regional efficiencies with other McClatchy newspapers in the Carolinas, such as working with the Raleigh News and Observer in sharing newsroom resources, consolidation of magazine production work for several of the McClatchy newspapers and a change in newspaper web width from 48 inches to 47 inches. We will continue to look for other operating efficiencies as we respond to our changing business model.

Other workforce reductions were also announced today throughout McClatchy. A press release detailing those actions -- amounting to about 1,400 jobs, or 10% of the company's workforce -- is available on . As CEO Gary Pruitt says there, "McClatchy is committed to remaining a healthy, profitable company positioned not only to meet current challenges, but to take full advantage of opportunities for growth as we restructure to support our mission of delivering high quality news and
information."

This is also a difficult and disorienting time for those of us who remain on the job. Your continued effort and dedication are the foundation of our faith in the future, and we know from experience what a talented and productive group you are. The public service mission that has always animated us remains unchanged, but we will need to make many other changes as we adapt to today's far more competitive media landscape. We will be working diligently alongside you to ensure that we do so.

Today Is the Deadline to Pre-register for UNITY Conference

This is just a reminder for NABJ members (members of the national chapter) that today, June 13, is the deadline to pre-register for UNITY '08 in Chicago, July 23-27. Pre-registration saves you as much as $200 and proceeds go to NABJ.

Click here to register.

Your Vote, Your Voice Committee Meeting this Wednesday!

Just a reminder that the first committee meeting for CAABJ's 2008 candidate forum and voter registration event Your Vote, Your Voice/Su Voto Su Voz will be held this Wednesday (5/28/2008) at 6:30pm at WCNC Studios located at 1001 Wood Ridge Center Drive in Charlotte.

Given the current political climate and recent comments made about the integrity of black journalists (read more here), we hope this will CAABJ's biggest event of the year. So, we need your help. During Wednesday's meeting we will be discussing event logistics, sponsorships, media, and signing folks up to volunteer for the following subcommittees:

* Food & Beverage
* Publicity
* Voter Registration
* Candidate Recruitment
* Sponsor Recruitment
* Signage & Event Materials
* Event Program
* Forum

If you are interested in volunteering for Your Vote, Your Voice/Su Voto Su Voz please be sure to attend the meeting this Wednesday at 6:30pm. If you are unable to attend, and would still like to volunteer, simply respond to this email indicating your interest and we will keep you informed of updates.

If you have any questions please contact committee co-chairs
Ayofemi Kirby at ayofemi@gmail.com or Melody Taylor at mtaylor@wcnc.com.

Thanks and we hope to see you on Wednesday!