CAABJ Meets and Greets Tavis Smiley

Members of the Charlotte Area Association of Black Journalists were invited to attend a press conference and meet-and-greet with syndicated radio and TV host Tavis Smiley on the morning of Saturday, October 10 at the Charlotte Convention Center. Smiley was leading the Nationwide On Your Side Tour event, which focuses on financial empowerment, particularly in the African-American community. The small, private meet-and-greet was held right before the start of the public event, which drew hundreds of Charlotte residents.

See slideshow below.

Support CAABJ Member in Miss NC Pageant

Lanaire Lindo, a student member of CAABJ and senior at UNC Charlotte, will be a contestant in the 2010 Miss North Carolina Pageant. She has been selected from many qualified applicants throughout the state to take part in a two-day event in November in High Point. The winner will be crowned Miss North Carolina USA, and will go on to compete in the national Miss USA Pageant.

Contestants have been encouraged to request sponsorships from family, friends, and the community to offset the costs of participating in this pageant (the participation fee alone is $995). We have a chance to support a talented young lady and give her an opportunity to represent UNCC, CAABJ, Charlotte, and the state. You can contribute in the form of a straight donation or by purchasing an ad in the official Miss North Carolina USA program book, which is tax-deductible.

If you would like to purchase an ad in the program book (see ad rates below), you must do so by October 10. All other financial contributions are welcomed before October 20.

Click on image for larger view.

Your contributions will help pay for:

1. Lanaire Lindo’s expenses during the two-day program including food, local transportation, and lodging at the Hotel High Point. Chaperones and security are provided by the pageant during the event.

2. Gifts and prizes for Miss North Carolina USA, finalists, semi-finalists, and contestants.

3. Production of a beautiful stage presentation, which includes professional equipment, sets, judges, emcees, technicians, entertainment, and staff.

4. Airfare, wardrobe, and other expenses for the winner’s trip to the host city of the Miss USA Pageant.

For tax purposes, you may make your check payable to “Miss North Carolina USA Pageants.” Please give it directly to Lanaire.

Please contact Lanaire if you would like to contribute or if you have any questions. She can be reached at lanaire.lindo@gmail.com.

Charlotte's Media Market Profile

MediaWeek.com has published its latest market profile for Charlotte. An excerpt is featured below. Click here for more data.

Nielsen delayed the rollout of its local people meter service in the market. Originally scheduled for this month, the LPM now goes live in January. Transition to the new ratings could tighten the news race, but for now, the longtime news leader, WSOC-TV, Cox Television’s ABC affiliate, wins in all dayparts. In mid-September, WSOC began simulcasting its hour-long newscast at noon on duopoly sister, independent WAXN, which also airs news at 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Hoping to break up WSOC’s winning streak is WBTV, the CBS affiliate acquired by Raycom Media in April 2008. A close No. 2 to WSOC in all news dayparts, WBTV recently added news on Saturday mornings. The station also produces a 10 p.m. newscast for WJZY, The CW affiliate and duopoly sister to WMYT-TV, and the MyNetworkTV affiliate, owned by Capitol Broadcasting.

WCNC, Belo’s NBC affiliate, ranks No. 3 in news. Also looking to fare better in the news race is Bahakel Communications’ Fox affiliate WCCB, which last month expanded its a.m. news to four hours (5 a.m. to 9 a.m.).


One of the few markets that isn’t “over-radioed,” format changes tend to be rare. CBS Radio holds the top three stations, Urban Contemporary WPEG-FM, Urban Adult Contemporary WBAV-FM and Country WSOC-FM. Clear Channel’s Country WKKT-FM is No. 4. The fifth place station, Greater Media’s News/Talk WBT-AM, just got some new competition when CBS Radio on Sept. 1 flipped WFNA-AM to “America’s Talk,” with new call letters, WBCN-AM. With the format change, WFNA ended its simulcast of WFNZ-AM, the market’s only Sports station, now known as “The Fan.”

McClatchy Co. owns The Charlotte Observer, the region’s largest paper. The paper and its owner have gone through numerous staff cuts; another 15 percent (60 jobs) were cut earlier this year, on top of an 11 percent cut last year.

Vital Stats

TV DMA Rank: 24
Population 2-plus: 2,758,993
TV Households: 1,147,910
TV Stations (Net/Ind/Multicast/Public): 6/6/0/4
Wired Cable Households: 661,810
Radio Metro Rank: 25
Population 12-plus: 1,962,300
Radio Stations (rated): 24
Newspapers (Daily/Weekly): 13/17

Meet Tavis Smiley

Syndicated radio and TV host Tavis Smiley will be hosting a free event on Saturday, October 10 in Charlotte for the community to share a day of empowering exchange. Come talk about what's important to you and your family, and what you should do today to prepare for tomorrow. This event is being presented as part of the Nationwide "On Your Side Tour."


Saturday, October 10
10 a.m. (Doors open at 9 a.m.)
Charlotte Convention Center
501 S. College St., Charlotte

No tickets are necessary, but you're asked to register in advance for this free event. Visit www.nationwide.com/tavistickets.

Media Events You Should Know About

Charlotte Post Best Awards 2009
September 19
Reception, 6 p.m. Dinner, 7 p.m.
Hilton Charlotte Center City
222 E. Third St.
Tickets: $125
Charlotte’s African-American newspaper honors some of the city’s finest leaders. Proceeds benefit The Charlotte Post Foundation.
www.thecharlottepost.com


Digital Media Summit:
“On-Demand and In Control”
Presented by NAMIC-Carolinas
September 23
1-7 p.m.
Aloft at the Epicenter
210 E. Trade St.
Registration: $59
This engaging, half-day event will feature panelists from in and outside the media and communications industry and the opportunity for power-packed networking. Forums will focus on the impact of digital media on the industry and what the future holds. www.namic.com/events


A Reception with Kathy Times
September 23
5-7 p.m.
Alumni-Foundation Event Center
200 N. Benbow Rd.
Greensboro, NC
Free
The Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies and the National Association of Black Journalists at North Carolina A&T State University Student Chapter invite you to meet newly elected NABJ President Kathy Times, an award-winning news anchor from Jackson, Mississippi.
RSVP by September 18 to terri.long59@gmail.com
www.ifajs.org