Mitch's Media Musings - July 2019
Mitch's Media Musings
June 16 - July 15, 2019
Associations
Awards
Congrats to all the winners at June's Southeast Emmy Awards! There are too many to list them all, and I'd undoubtedly get grief if I picked just one to spotlight, so here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/yyxxqkrf.
And congrats to all the winners of the Georgia Associated Press Media Editors Awards. Again, too many to list them all bu here's a link to the full list of winners.
General
Picture of the Month: Alex Gailey, Aviation and Restaurant Writer, Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Appen Media - We've added Daniel Milana, who runs the podcast operation for Appen. Check out this link to learn about all the various podcasts they produce, covering subjects including local news, entertainment, investing, entrepreneurship, politics, food, parenting, sports and more. Link: https://www.northfulton.com/podcasts/.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Alex Gailey joins as reporter covering aviation and restaurants. We may have mentioned her in an earlier MMM edition, but she joined last fall.
Eric Jackson joins as reporter covering sports business. He was previously with the Lake City Reporter in Florida.
Atlanta Loop - The Loop will now be carrying Bill Crane's column, "One Man's Opinion." Crane says the column is now being carried in about 30 media outlets around the state.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Great Fathers Day story by Jennifer Brett! Link
Donna Hall has been named publisher. Details: http://tinyurl.com/y2896uld.
Doing Good - Devika Rao is no longer writing the Doing Good features for the paper. Those appear in the County by County sections.
The AJC has launched a new feature called "Inspire Atlanta." It'll be a weekly focus on local nonprofit organizations. Click this link for all the details: http://tinyurl.com/y3oybwrn.
Dan Klepal is taking on a new role. He's now Assistant Senior Editor, covering Local Government.
Atlanta Voice - Publisher Janis Ware has been elected First Vice President for the National Newspapers Association.
Cox Enterprises has sold its radio holdings to Apollo Global Management, the company that also recently acquired a majority stake Cox's TV holdings. Lots of pieces here, but read this article for all the details: http://tinyurl.com/y2896uld. Holly Steel is the lead editor on the Inspire pages, but former AJC writer Nancy Badertscher and contributor Laura Berrios will be writing the weekly features.
Crain's Atlanta - Crain's has cancelled 20 of its e-newsletters across the country, including Atlanta.
Creative Loafing - Several updates.
Changed Ben Eason's title to Editor-in-Chief
Add Managing Editor Tony Paris. All editorial submissions, story pitches, etc. should go to Tony.
Deleted publisher Sharry Smith
Georgia Asian News - Jacqui Chew, CMO-in-Resident at ATDC, was recognized as one of the "25 Most Influential Asian-Americans"
Georgia Entertainment News - GEN recently completed another of its "Georgia Entertainment 100" events, this time in Columbus, Ga.
GOODLife magazine - We've added this magazine to our Leff's Atlanta Media database. Here's how they describe their focus (from their website): "As Atlanta’s Premier Christian magazine we seek to meet our dedicated readers right where they are in life to encourage, inspire, and entertain. As the resource for local events, amazing travel destinations, delicious recipes, captivating articles for all ages, and so much more, GOODlife ensures that each issue is engaging cover to cover."
GPB
Congrats to Stephen Fowler on his recent engagement!
Mother Nature Network - Jackie Gulledge departs for a position as Digital & Social Media Marketing Specialist at Peachtree Orthopedics.
(The) Newsroom - John McCosh is now editor in chief of a soon-to-debut independent, nonprofit news organization based in Atlanta.
According to an online post, he's "building a newsroom that will focus on connecting public policy to the people it affects. Our reporters and editors will bring a fresh perspective to coverage of the state’s biggest issues."
The Newsroom is a project of the Hopewell Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that incubates projects and provides professional support and guidance. The Newsroom and its affiliates are independent, and they decide what they cover.
Georgia will be the 11th state under the "Newsroom" umbrella. Launch date is TBD, but check here for updates. This link takes you some background: https://statesnewsroom.com/.
Paste
Editor-in-Chief Josh Jackson was featured in July as part of our "4 Questions Journalist Spotlight" series. Check out his story at https://leffsatlantamedia.wordpress.com/.
Allison Keene joins as TV Editor in Atlanta. She was previously the TV Editor at Collider.
The pub acquires the NoiseTrade platform.
Check out their new "Paste Podcast" at https://www.pastemagazine.com/podcasts.
Stomp and Stammer - We've updated some contacts for this Atlanta-based magazine focused on music and film. If you haven't checked them out lately, you find them on newsstands around town or online at www.stompandstammer.com.
WAGA/Fox5
Brandolyn Hellams joins as a producer and guest booker for Good Day Atlanta.
WGCL TV/CBS46
Reporter Vince Sims will be departing the station. He's moving to KXAS TV in Dallas, TX. The move takes him to the #5 media market in the country and brings him closer to family. Sims is famous for his huge and varied sock collection. But the key thing is he's always been a great journalist, professional to work with, and an all-around nice guy.
Julie Smith has departed the station.
Iyani Hughes joins as Digital Multi-Media Journalist.
Trason Bragg joins as General Assignment Reporter.
WGST - Dana Barrett launches a new podcast, "Bizography." From their site: "Whether they’re a current shining star, in the midst of a massive dumpster fire or settling into the dust heap of history, iconic companies all have a past worth knowing. Hosts Dana Barrett and Nick Bean dive into their strange but true stories. Some are inspiring, some get our blood boiling and some show just how weird American consumers truly are. Bizography with Dana Barrett, the newest iHeartRadio business podcast, launches July 17, 2019.
WSB TV
We've added investigative producers Maureen Sheeran and Sheila Schutt into the Leff's Atlanta Media database.
Courtney Chikas is now producing the station's People 2 People show.
Misti Turnbull has been named Director of News for Cox Media Group. She was previously News Director for WSB TV.
Suzanne Nadell is the new, incoming News Director. She joins from WPXI TV in Pittsburgh. Nadell is a former executive producer from WSB TV. In addition to spending the last three years as ND in Pittsburgh, she was ND in Tulsa, OK.
WYAY NewsRadio - The lights are off on the Atlanta news radio adventure.
WXIA TV/11Alive
Congrats to A Scene reporter/anchor Francesa Amiker for being named a finalist for parent company TEGNA's Employee of the Year Awards.
News from the PR Dept
Beth Hawks of CoreComm PR was named PRSA Georgia's Chapter Champion for June.
Tyler Pearson has launched his own agency, High Iron. More at https://highironcommunications.com/.
Carolyn Sloss, Vice President of Allied Global Marketing in Atlanta, will be honored by the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) as part of its 8th Annual SYNERGY ATL program. According to an article on Deadline.com, the group will recognize Sloss during a gathering on Aug. 1 at the Auburn Avenue Research Library.
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