Mitch's Media Musings - May 2025

Mitch's Media Musings

April 16 - May 15, 2025

The first-ever ICey Awards were held May 7 in Atlanta, celebrating the work of talented public relations professionals from Georgia. The winners were all independent PR professionals, senior practitioners from Georgia who own their own PR agencies. In each category, the runner up got the "Pretty Cool" award and the winner got the "ICey" award. Click here for full list of winners and more info on these cool new awards.

General

SPJ Georgia - Katja Ridderbusch has been named president of the board of directors of the Georgia Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Former Atlanta reporter Valencia Jones has joined Spectrum TV in Dallas

ArtsATL - Isadora Pennington joins as Senior Editor of Art + Design and Dance. She was previously with Rough Draft Atlanta and wrote for the Sketchbook newsletter.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

• Yvonne Zusel has officially been named the paper's new Arts & Entertainment Editor.

• We've added two new sports staffers to our database. Rod Beard is the co-sports editor and BJ Sweeney is Senior Editor/Sports.

Atlanta Voice - May 11, 60 year anniversary.

HealthBeat - They're launched their Atlanta newsletter, Healthbeat Atlanta. Click here to sign up.

PINK - Cynthia Good announces that PINK has been aquired by Dress for Success Atlanta. She'll continue in a advisory role.

Rockdale Citizen / Henry Herald - We added reporter Hannah Yahne into the database

Rough Draft

• Sherri Daye Scott joins as editor of the Sketchbook newsletter, replacing Isadora Pennington, who moves to ArtsATL

• Rough Draft Atlanta recognized for their hashtag#newsletter strategy in the Local Media Association 2024 Digital Innovation Awards

WABE

• The station will launch the "City Lights Collective" on July 1 at 1 p.m. It's a new weekday show focused on Atlanta's arts and culture scene. It'll be hosted by Kim Drobes (she'll also be the show's executive producer) and co-hosted by Jon Goode, an Emmy-nominated writer, poet, and host of The Moth's Atlanta events.  ArtsATL’s Executive Editor Shane Harrison and Editor-at-Large Kelundra Smith will be contributors on the new show!

• WABE launches a series of stories and a microsite focused on data centers in Georgia. Its called "Server South." Link to more details.

WAGA/Fox5

• David Chandley recognized by the University of Georgia Grady School of Journalism and Mass Communication as they placed him in the Grady College Fellowship.

  
  

WANF TV/ Atlanta News First

• Joe Gorchow joins as anchor at 4:30p and 5:30p

WSB TV

Cory James joins as general assignment reporter. He was most recently with Nexstar in DC. He's also worked at WCBS (NYC), Walt Disney Television, and KCOY/KEYT/KKFX in Missouri. He also interned at WSB

WXIA TV / 11Alive

• Gilat Melamed joins as general assignment reporter. She comes to Atlanta from WNCN TV in Raleigh and worked also at WKBW TV in Buffalo.

• The station's morning show has extended its reach, now streaming digitally until 8:30 am.

• Reporter Molly Oak was the co-MC for the annual Dancing Sfars of Atlanta fundraising event supporting the Georgia Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. The event raised more than $1.8 million for research. This year, my sister Dr. Gayle Leff Goldstein was one of the star dancers and raised lots of money for the cause.

  
  

News from the PR Dept

• The first-ever ICey Awards were held May 7 in Atlanta, celebrating the work of talented public relations professionals from Georgia. The winners were all independent PR professionals, senior practitioners from Georgia who own their own PR agencies. In each category, the runner up got the "Pretty Cool" award and the winner got the "ICey" award. Click here for full list of winners and more info on these cool new awards.

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