Mitch's Media Musings - August 2022
Mitch's Media Musings
July 16 - Aug. 15, 2022
Friends of Georgia Radio has named the Inaugural Class of Georgia Radio Legends. The five broadcasting professionals are being honored for their significant contributions to radio and service to listeners across Georgia. They include Charles Giddens, Media Venture Partners, Sandra Parrish and Neil “Hondo” Williamson, WSB Radio, Bob Houghton / Georgia Association of Broadcasters, Lois Reitzes / WABE FM Atlanta. They'll be honored at the inaugural Friends of Georgia Radio Georgia Bash, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, at the Metropolitan Club in Alpharetta on August 27th.
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General
Appen Media
The Sandy Springs Crier launches Oct. 6.
Appen has launched the Appen Press Club. Details here.
Atlanta Press Club - Congrats to the newest Awards of Excellence winners! Details: https://tinyurl.com/2333zqjm.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Eric Mandel has been named Managing Editor
Donnell Suggs departs. Details on his next step coming soon.
Jessica Saunders is now Senior Editor/Content
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chet Fuller, one of the first Black journalists to work at the paper, has died. He wrote and edited for the paper for 26 years before retiring in 1998. More via this link.
Shane Backler joins as Senior Audio Producer. Details.
Joseph Ferguson was invited to speak at a summer camp for people who stutter, called Camp. Dream. Speak. Live. He says he spoke as "a part of their “Everyday Leader” segment where I shared my journey with my stutter and how it’s effected my life. And how it has grown to be a part of myself that I love. "
Najja Parker manages the AJC's free and premium newsletters and assists with social media and digital production. She also is the producer and host of AJC’s “ATL Closeup,” a things to do series featuring local influencers, and she contributes to Unapologetically ATL.
Axios Atlanta - Axios has signed a deal to sell to its most recent lead investor, Cox Enterprises, the companies announced this month. The cash deal values the company at $525 million. To me that means Thomas Wheatley is buying us all beers at the next Atlanta Press Club mixer! Link to details.
Capital B Atlanta
We've added health reporter Kenya Hunter to the database
Madeline Thigpen joins as Criminal Justice reporter (she was most recently at The Atlanta Voice)
Covington News - Gabriel Stovall is now publisher/editor
Cox Media Group has launched the Jovita Moore Scholarship fund. "A $25,000 annual investment to students studying broadcast journalism in rememberance of the legacy and life of Atlanta News Anchor Jovita Moore."
CW Atlanta - Trason Bragg (formerly at CBS46) is now the weekend anchor for a new national newscast airing nightly in ten cities: NYC, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Miami at 9 p.m., and Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle, Tampa, and Detroit at 10 p.m.
Food that Binds - Check out Jennifer Zyman's podcast! She discusses food, restaurants, and all sorts of relationships with people from all over the food industry. She explores the why instead of the how.
Fox News - Atlanta bureau chief John Boswell retires.
Gainesville Times - David Friedlander joins as sport reporter
Jezebel - Cora Griffen joins as Editor
Reporter Newspapers - They've added a new newsletter, "Side Dish," which is focused on the food scene. Sara Delgado is writing for them. It publishes Thursday afternoon and joins the group's other newsletters, Rough Draft (publishes M-f) and Sketchbook (publishes Wednesday afternoons). Link to their newsletters.
State Affairs - Tammy Joyner joins as Senior Reporter
WABE - Check out the station's weekly segment, "The Heat Effect"
WAGA TV/Fox
Amy Oates moves to Assistant News Director
Erin LePort takes over as EVP for Good Day Atlanta
Brandolyn Hellams is now the booker for Good Day Atlanta, replacing Tanya Mendoza
Tyler Fingert joins as a multimedia journalist. He worked most recently at Fox10 News in Mobile, AL
Brittany Edney joins as a freelancer reporter. She worked most recently at CBS46
Former reporter Janice Yu announces she's joining ABC7 in New York City
Alex Whittler is now anchoring the noon news during the week.
Portia Bruner posted a video for her new show, starting in Sept. She talked about the topics they'll be covering: dating after divorce, faith, finances, mental health
WGCL/CBS46
Courtney Jacobazzi joins as morning meteorologist, traffic reporter
Producer Kelly Corder is changing to a creative services role at the station
ORhonde Chapman joins as a digital content producer/assignment desk editor. According to the CBS46 site, "he began his news career at The Dallas Morning News and has also worked at Newsweek as a national news reporter. He is originally from New Orleans and has a love for fashion and captivating stories."
Chelsea Beimfohr is about to join the station. She joins from Nashville.
Brendan Keefe is now Chief Investigator for the station. He'll be off the Atlanta air until April 1, but his work will begin airing on Gray Television stations around the country and at @investigateTV.
WSB Radio
Veronica Waters is hosting a weekly show, "Lawyers In the House," airing Sundays at 8 a.m.oran
The WSB Care-A-Thon raised $1.82 million this year for the AFLAC Cancer and Blood Disorder Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
WSB TV - Candace McCowan is now on-air. She'll be reporting during the week and anchoring on the weekends. She was most recently with ABC News7 in NYC.
WXIA
Investigative reporter Brandon Keefe departs (see WGCL above)
Kelly Krammes departs for a job in Charleston! She's now a Digital Marketing Strategist Manager at The Post and Courier there.
News from the PR Dept
Melissa Libby & Associates is handling the opening and launch of Your 3rd Spot, a new dining client.
Misty Skedgell has been named Vice President, Corporate Communications, for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
Former CBS46 reporter Mary Smith is now an Assistant Account Executive at The Wilbert Group.
PRSA Georgia's Chapter Champion for July is Becky Peterson. Details.
PRSA Georgia hosted a great media panel this month with journalists from WABE Radio (Rahul Bali), Decaturish (Dan Whisenhunt), the Reporter Newspapers (Amy Wenk), and Atlanta Civic Circle (Kendall Glynn).
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