Mitch's Media Musings - April 2021
Mitch's Media Musings
March 16 - April 15, 2021
General
Our condolences to CBS46' David Ries on the death of his wife, Rebecca. David talks fondly about Rebecca on a post on his Facebook page. I'll steal just one piece of that to share here: "Rebecca had a illustrious radio career. She started that career before she could even drive, at age 15. For 16 years, she hosted “Atlanta’s Love Songs” on B98.5. “Rebecca Stevens” wasn’t just a role she played, it was her ... lover of life. She also met her husband there, when David called the wrong station to ask about a novelty song he had heard. Rebecca had a feeling this guy needed to be in her life and vice-versa."
4 Questions Journalist Spotlight - Check out our latest interviews with Dana Fowle, Fox5, Rodney Ho, AJC, Chris Chandler, WSB Radio, and Cheneu Her, 11Alive, You can watch in video format or listen to audio: https://www.leffsatlantamedia.com/q4-journalists. You can also find our podcasts on just about any podcast platform (Apple, Amazon, Spotify, iHeartRadio, etc.).
In the wake of the shootings of severalAsian-Atlantans recently, the Atlanta Asian Journalists Association published this guide to help reporters pronounce the names of the victims correctly.
Podcasts:
Mara Davis has a new podcast, "Sounds Delicious." It's focused on how food and pop culture intersect. You can find it on Apple podcasts at https://tinyurl.com/yea6fur6.
Jennifer Zyman has launched "The Food That Binds" podcast. She'll be discussing food, restaurants, and all sorts of relationships with food industry folks. Link: https://tinyurl.com/yh9nyxh9.
ABC News - Atlanta correspondent Steve Osunsami has been named Senior National Correspondent for the network.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The AJC has rolled out a new branding strategy "that recognizes the enterprise's long history, points to an increasingly digital future, and highlights the personal calling and rigorous work of its journalists." More details here. Also check out our interview with AJC editor Kevin Riley at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuA5-VGNtEA&t=8s.
Freelance writer Haisten Willis penned a story this month about Tom's Foods Factory in Columbus. The story has great personal meaning for him, as he notes in a Facebook post: "As a kid I sometimes rode around with my dad on his Tom's route in the summers, sweating all across Douglas and Paulding counties peddling Tom's chips, peanuts and crackers. We worked hard for that red triangle! Not only my dad, but both of my granddads and all of my uncles worked for Tom's at one point or another. You might say it's in my blood, as it is for a whole lot of people in Columbus. The company went bankrupt in 2005 but you can still find Tom's chips at most any convenience store in the South. My heart skipped a beat when I learned they were shutting down the old Tom's plant, where one grandfather spent 25 years and the other spent 38 years, and I knew I had to write about it."
Nedra Rhone is now writing a lifestyle column for the paper. "Real Life with Nedra Rhone" is coming soon with weekly (Thursday) columns about community and family.
Atlanta Intown - Camille Russell Love joins writing a column called "Inside the Arts"
Butter.ATL - A new online news and culture site. Check 'em out at butteratl.com. Editor is Michael Jordan (no, not that one!)
Daily Report - Cedra Mayfield joins as a staff writer.
Equally Wed - Publisher Kirsten Palladino's book, "Equally Wed," is one of the top 10 best wedding planning books to buy now.
Peachtree Corners magazine - We've added this magazine to the Leff's Atlanta Media database.
ProPublica - ProPublica this month announced it was expanding its South Bureau. Click the link for all the details, but new additions include Max Blau (covering healthcare, public health, environment), Nicole Carr, Doug Bock Clark, Aliyya Swaby, and Seth Freed Wessler. More details here:
Reporter Newspapers - They've added an events calendar
WAGA TV
Emilie Ikeda is departing. Next stop not yet revealed!
Yes, that was Paul Milliken you saw doing weather! That guy does a little of everything (except burger reviews).
Apparently, I'm a little behind on this one, but Fox5 has a new (ish) social issues public affairs show called "The Next Atlanta." Producer is Kevyn Stewart.
WGCL - Adam Murphy's "Miracle for Mom" golf tournament will take place on April 23. Miracles for Mom is a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation dedicated to raising awareness and providing hope for debilitating brain diseases like Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS. The Foundation is inspired by Janice Murphy who battled the effects of PSP. Click here for details: https://tinyurl.com/yh4be25n.
WSB TV
Nicole Carr, investigative reporter, will soon depart for a position with ProPublica's South Bureau. See link above. She'll be at WSB through May.
Former anchor Don Farmer has died. Story by the AJC's Rodney Ho with details. Don was the father of current WSB TV anchor Justin Farmer.
Former reporter Lauren Pozen is now working in Los Angeles.
Right at press time, we heard that anchor Jovita Moore was having surgery on several tumors. Keep your thoughts with her and her family this week.
WXIA TV
Michael King has departed the station
Kaitlyn Ross has returned from maternity leave
Madison Carter joins the Atticus investigative reporting team. She worked previously at WKBK TV in Cincinnati.
Angela Chao joins as Executive Producer. She's worked previously for Gannett and for The Weather Channel.
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