Thanks for a great week

Mass Comm Week 2008 was wildly successful. I would like to thank all the wonderful speakers that took time to share their experiences with our students. We had a great committee that organized the event, led by Dara Quackenbush. And our students did a fantastic job covering the event on this blog. We have had visitors from all over the U.S. and the globe, thus demonstrating the reach and impact of social media. The site has received almost 11,000 visits and 19,000 page views in the short time since it was launched on Oct. 5. And, we have this lasting record of the event that people can continue to visit and comment. We used most of the technologies that the professionals discussed as being critical to communication: blogs, Twitter, multimedia, feedback mechanisms, live broadcasts. I think everyone had fun, mostly because of the great content, but also for the participation.

Looking forward to even bigger and better things in 2009. Great work team!!!

Multimedia Elements in Feature Writing

Old Main, the oldest building on Texas State University campus in San Marcos, was filled with students and faculty eager to attend seminars for Mass Comm week.


Texas State University hosted its annual Mass Comm week October 20 - 23, which included professionals discussing issues, trends, and career insight for those interested in mass media.

Helen Anders, Terry Bertling, and Kevin Robbins were just a few of the many to share their expertise on the world of journalism.


A variety of topics were covered including photography, deadlines, blogging, Facebook, and Twitter. Students' interest level increased when such relevant topics were discussed.

Helen Anders, an experienced travel columnist for the Austin American Statesman, wished she had the chance to learn social media in college. "I am an old dog who had to learn a lot of new tricks," she said.

Anders didn't forget to emphasize the importance of blogging either. "You can put a link to a good hotel deal in a blog. They are also very well read, and people love to go with you on your day-to-day journeys through blogs," she said.

Terry Bertling, a San Antonio Express News veteran, provided an in depth description of her role as an editor who provides guidance to a full staff of writers. Some of her staff writers include Tracy Barnett, a travel editor who uses online video as a communications extension. Travis Polng can be found discussing the latest trends on business, obviously a hot topic in our current economic climate.

SA Express News tried to capture the ever-growing Hispanic market. "Latinas in SA" is a new online forum geared to attract the Hispanic women demographic. Talent like Rita Viagurri is leveraged during Hispanic Heritage Month to connect with their audience. "Food Coverage" provides insight for finding a local farmers' market.

Kevin Robbins, an editor for the Austin American Statesman, used humor to engage with his audience. Kevin focused on shared uses of social media from a sports columnist perspective. Kevin, a sports writer for four years, uses different forms of media to keep in touch. Kevin divulged "I twitter for football games". Some notable experiences that created an impact in his career were historical events like the Columbine Massacre, "I became an expert on tragic events and how they affect the community". Kevin witnessed how journalism can sometimes cross the line, "A photographer was arrested for taking a picture of a family. You really get to see the fine line between reporting a story and peoples' privacy.

Kevin produced a segment on the famous 'Friday Night Lights' football team in Odessa, TX. This football team was made famous by a feature film and network TV show. Some out of the box thinking could be found with his video featuring "Whiplash the Cowboy Rodeo Monkey".


Social media surrounds the next generation of journalists. Helpful hints and advice on this new upcoming form of media gave students hope for their future of journalism.

McClellan Tells "What Happened"

As the LBJ teaching theater filled with anxious students, Tom Grimes prepared his questions for the keynote speaker, Scott McClellan. McClellan is the former White House press secretary who recently published What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception.

The presentation started by making it very clear that McClellan was not here to kiss and tell, but rather give his side of a story that needed to be heard. McClellan went over many of President Bush's goals, including which one's he has accomplished and those that have been swept under the rug.

McClellan stated that Bush's mistakes were "largely based on some misguided policies that overshadowed the good that he did." Those policies are what McClellan has a problem with. McClellan related the White House to a bubble, saying that one's visions get obscured and clouds the judgment of some. He said that reaching outside the bubble and getting new faces into the White House was a good thing.

It "was not absolutely necessary," said McClellan while explaining his views on the current Iraq war. Although this book was written previous to some of the current issues today, McClellan said he wouldn't change anything he wrote in his book.

Although there was lots of political issues talked about, one thing McClellan said stood out with me the most. He talked about a time he and the President went to visit injured soldiers. McClellan said that the only time he has ever seen self-doubt in the President's eyes was when they turned to leave the clinic. This is a side of the President not known to others outside the White House and it was nice to hear the President isn't as cold as the media makes him out to be sometimes.

After giving his personal impressions of some of the people working in Washington, McClellan said something some might say was unexpected. McClellan is voting for Obama. Makes one wonder, did the republicans in Washington really disappoint him that much?






Photos by Colter Ray.

Guest speakers discuss working in energy industry public relations

The speakers at Wednesday’s Energy PR session offered attendees advice, anecdotes and information about they’re work.

Ed Clark, communications director for Austin Energy, said students should intern because of the experience it offers and they connections they can make.

“Intern somewhere — a newspaper or an advertising or public relations firm — and just work for nothing, because it will be worth it”

Clark said working in the energy industry is stimulating because people have begun paying attention to the resources that supply power and the importance they have placed on being environmentally conscious.

“The energy industry is an interesting field right now,” Clark said. “No one likes coal. People like wind power and solar energy. But, you can’t press a button and make wind turbines turn without wind or make the sun provide power on a cloudy day. We need something that can run 24 hours a day on the push of a button.”

Will Holford, manager of public affairs for Bluebonnet Energy Cooperative, agreed with Clark.

“Ed is right: Coal is a dirty word,” he said. “People don’t like it, but it’s a necessity because it runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”

Colin Rowan, parter of I&O Communcations, expanded on the issue.

“Coal is a dirty word because it is dirty,” he said. “Frankly, if I had a mound of crap that I could burn to supply power, that doesn't mean it’s the best source to use. We need to find a way to burn coal responsibly.”

Clark said working in public relations involves significant interaction with reporters.

“We deal with the media a lot,” he said. “We put videos together and put all the facts on a sheet of paper so reporters have all the information they need.”

Holford expanded on how public relations workers interact with reporters and offered caution with an anecdote.

“R.G. Rátcliffe was writing a story about government spending,” Holford said. “He called Mark Sanders, a longtime friend who did PR for a government office, and asked him what he did to earn his salary. Mark answered, ‘Absolutely nothing,’ and hung up the phone. A minute later, R.G. called back and asked, ‘Can I quote you on that?’”

Holford said the quote was not printed (which Rátcliffe told Sanders after letting himworry for a one day or so), but the story goes to show: Do not say anything to a reporter that you don’t want to see in print.

Rowan described what working in the public relations industry involves. Rowan told a story about his daughter, who was in kindergarten at the time, asking what he does for a living.

“When you try to reduce what you do to a language a kindergartner can understand, it makes you wonder what you’ve done with your life,” he said. “When my daughter went to class, she said, ‘Daddy tries to change people’s minds.’”

Rowan said his daughter “hit the nail on the head.”

“Some people say public relations is about informing,” he said. “It isn’t. I try to persuade people using information.”

Rowan, who closed the presentation, said knowing how to write well is the best way to become indispensable.

“It makes me feel so old and fatherly to keep throwing out advice, but I will,” he said. “Knowing how to write clearly and communicate information in a manner anyone can understand is an valuable skill in any industry, especially public relations.”

BURNIE BURNS--ONLINE VIDEO: WHERE IT IS AT AND WHERE IT IS HEADED

This past Wednesday the school of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University was proud to welcome Burnie Burns, creator of Red vs. Blue, a comedic online miniseries based on the XBOX game Halo. Burns gave an informative speech regarding how online video has become what it is today and shared his take on where it’s headed.

As a proud founder of Rooster Teeth Productions, Micheal “Burnie” Burns is well aware of the strong presence online video has developed over the years. During his presentation Mr. Burns discussed how he got his start in video production and editing while working to get his computer science degree at The University of Texas. Before Rooster Teeth Productions, Burnie Burns contributed to a website called Drunkgamers.com, which was a site all about drinking while playing video games and rating them in hopes of getting free games—an unsuccessful attempt according to Burns. Eventually Burns’ obsession for Halo led him to create the machinima series known as Red v. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles. A huge fan base was created soon after and Rooster Teeth Productions has since then claimed the cover of The Wall Street Journal and was also featured in the New York Times.

During the presentation Burns illustrated how online video went from only five minute flash videos here and there to the development of youtube.com and the popularity of people producing their own videos.

“Online video really didn’t take off until youtube utilized their flash player. This reduced file sizes and fixed compatibility issues.”

Burns also made sure to give some helpful tips for aspiring filmmakers on how to get started and becoming a success. According to Burns, the greatest challenge is building your own presence and maintaining an audience. It is also vital to learn how to promote yourself, but the key is to be consistent.

“Consistency can be the most powerful weapon you have because there is a lot of noise out there right now.”

Burnie predicts that the future online environment will be even more centralized. Everything seems to be coming together at a fast pace—networks are now posting full episodes online.
For those of you that were unable to attend the presentation, you’re in luck! A live video of the speech has been posted for your viewing pleasure. Feel free to post comments about the video on the forum.

Watch the archive of Burns' presentation.

The Journalism and Mass Communication department would like to thank Burnie Burns for giving such an interesting and inspiring speech about online video. We hope to see you again!

Alicia Wagner Calzada - Photography Ethics and Law

I was lucky enough to see Alicia Wagner Calzada for her lecture on ethics and photojournalism.  Being the President 

Emeritus of the NPPA, National Press Photographers Association, Alicia is the go-to person when it comes to questions of what is right or wrong in the media.  

I realize it's naive, but I've always had this

 notion that the media are the good guys of the world.  Because they play this watch-dog role, there can be no room for corruption.  Wrong!  Listening to Alicia, there are

 miles and miles of grey area when it comes to the ethics of taking something as simple as a picture.   She showed us a lot of examples of pictures that had been modified.  Some were glaringly obvious and I really can't imagine how any professional thought it was 

a good idea to submit shopped photos in the first place.  But, there they were.  Alicia referred to these guys as the "down in flames photographers."

  The grey area is when it comes to little stuff like cropping a photo or adjusting the hue of  a picture.  The cameras themselves allow you to adjust the white balance and manipulate settings.  The hard and fast rule used to be, "if you can do it in a dark room then it's okay."  However, with technology constantly advancing, there is nothing definite anymore let alone dark rooms really.  It's not impossible to be an ethical

 photojournalist, it just takes an honest effort.  That's how you get and keep 

credibility in the world of media.

"I think ethics is the single most important thing that news organizations have," Alicia said.

She has blog about photo ethics which she keeps up with regularly, www.photoblawg.com, that addresses all kinds of issues photojournalists come across.  If you 

want to know more about Alicia and see some of her portfolio, check out her website www.aliciaphoto.com.

 

PR/Ad Alumni speak at Mass Comm Week

On Thursday Oct. 23, four former Texas State students came together to speak at Mass Communication Week.  The alumni formed a panel to discuss the topic, "What I didn't learn in school."  The panel included, Mike Vela- The Children's Shelter, Emily Shaw- I&O Communication, Patrick Quinn- Reagan National Advertising and Qmunications Management and Katie Mullins Cook- Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau. 

The hot topic of conversation was internship. All four alumni said they had one or more internships. Mike Vela and Katie Mullins Cook had an internship with an organization that lead them to a job with the same organization.  All members of the panel stressed the importance of obtaining an internship. 

"For some reason the students today do not have internships," said Emily Shaw. "My advice is if you want a job in PR you have to have an internship; it is very critical."

"Start early and do as many internships that you have time for," said Cook.

The panel also discussed the importance of networking. University organizations such as Bobcat Promotions, PRSSA and Ad Club were mentioned as great way to learn and network. 

"Networking and social networking are very important," said Patrick Quinn. "The social network LinkedIn is a great way to find jobs and get recommendations."

Vela said that cultivating relationships was key to learn, especially in non-profit organizations. You have to keep in touch with many people, particularly stakeholders, because you will need those relationships in the long run. 

The panel then went on to talk about the work that is expected in the PR/Ad business. 

"It's OK to be creative and write differently then how you were talk in school," said Shaw. "Don't be afraid to think outside the box. Communications is different for everything we do, there is not one certain way to communicate."

"Every five ideas you have there will be one good one," said Quinn.

"Be able to take constructive criticism," said Vela. "Every company has there own way in writing press releases, the first time I wrote a press release for the Children's Shelter I wrote it wrong."

"It's all about continuing your education; read more, take some more classes," said Cook.

The final conversation was about the the upcoming graduates and what it will be like trying to find a job.  Shaw mentioned that the economy is going through a rough time now and that it won't be easy to find a job in the Austin market.  She would like to hire the great students that come in for a job but just cannot because the market for PR is tough right now. She said that it should get better in 2009. 

"Start looking for a job a month and a half before you graduate," said Vela.

"Doing research on a company that you are inquiring shows that you really care," said Cook. "Also understanding what is going on in the world; it is helpful to know current events."

"Be ready for a marathon when interviewing," said Shaw. "I once had an interview that lasted five hours."

"Make the job of the person who is interviewing you as easy as possible; come prepared," said Quinn.

The panel was very informative for those students who are planning on finding an internship or job in the near future. It really was helpful to get the alumni's point of view. Mike Vela, Emily Shaw, Patrick Quinn and Katie Mullins Cook did a terrific job in informing the audience of what to expect after graduation.  There are probably many students who are now more motivated to get out there and find an internship in order to gain the experience needed for a profession in the PR/Ad industry. 

Social Media Success & Why You Should Be Doing it Too!

Kerri Qunell, Non-Profit PR: Using Social Media to Spread the Message

Video by Lindsey Schroeder

Kerri Qunell, Vice President of Communications at Capital Area Food Bank, was skeptical about social media in the workplace. That is until she activated a Facebook account to support a local event. More than 80 people immediately befriended her, something that without the networking site would have been near impossible to do.

After learning the potential of Facebok, Kerri began promoting the CAFB on her own Facebook page, mixing her personal life with business.

Such social media interfaces such as Facebook and Myspace are great for networking; however, Kerri and the people at CAFB needed to have the capability to produce and consume instant communication.

A friend introduced Kerri to Twitter, an online networking source that is similar to micro-blogging. Twitter gives you the ability to have instant communication, in 140 characters or less, to anybody associated with Twitter at any place and time.

With the use of two major social media networking sites, Kerri’s message to help raise awareness throughout the community was being heard.

During September, CAFB started the HAM-Up Tweet Up. This gave Kerri and co-workers a chance to put a face with a tweet. The plan was to encourage the community to follow them on Twitter and to bring donations to the food bank. Though the project was halted due to Hurricane Ike, it was considered an instant success due to the community’s involvement and support on Twitter.

The folks at Tyson heard about the CAFB’s HAM-Up and contacted Kerri and the CAFB via Twitter. Tyson then proposed a challenge to the CAFB stating that if the CAFB community posted 600 comments on their website, then they would receive a donation of a truckload of Tyson products to the food bank.

The challenge only lasted 3 hours!

Now understanding the influential power of social media, the CAFB is building a new foundation for communications in non-profit organizations.

“We don’t know what we’re doing. We are trying something different!”

Obviously, Kerri and the people at CAFB are doing something right. Kerri’s passion allows her to create something from nothing with just a few keystrokes!

Social Media: A New Way to Campaign

Politics are heading into a new direction. A direction in which politicians and constituents can interact with each other directly. No more mailing in letters to your representative, hoping that one of their subordinates will read it and relay the information. We are leaving the era of old media, where communication is a one-way street. Where a politician, or anyone for that matter, says something and that is it. It is just broadcast and you have to take it for what it is without any feedback.

Instead, we are moving toward a new era in which politician and constituent can interact with each other directly. This new era or New Media is referred as Social Media by Mike Chapman and it is already revolutionizing the way campaigns are run and the way elections are won.

Social Media and Web 2.0 go hand in hand. Web 2.0 is the social internet which include sites like Facebook, Youtube, Blogger; anything that allows two-way conversation. Politicians are starting to understand the importance of these sites and the power of interacting with their (possible) constituents. This new social media is already leaning elections in one major politician's favor, Barack Obama.

Obama's campaign is unlike any other's before. According to Chapman, politicians need three things, "money, media and votes," and all three go hand in hand. Obama's campaign, has invested a lot of effort to apply social media to it's campaign, and it has shown that it has worked. Voters can interact with Obama and his staff, they can tell him what they like and what they don't. Most important, people feel that he is listening, that he is responding. This simple idea alone is winning people's votes, is making the campaign money (over 150 million dollars in September alone) and msot important, it is winning the election. But, it doesn't stop there. With this new media idea already rolling, the American public is looking towards a new kind of presidency. One where the preseident can listen to his people in a way unlike ever seen before.

Things to know about public relations

A public relations practitioner executes more tasks than just pitching stories. Anne Lasseigne Tiedt, APR, shared key factors to know about working in public relations.

“PR is more than calling the media, but clients and companies always want the article,” Tiedt said.

Public Relations needs to work on how to get the ink.

“Who holds the power? The reporters, the editors and the assignment editors. You also hold the power though,” Tiedt said. “You also hold the power with your clients and with their internal executives and decision makers at your company,”

The Public Relations Society of America says there are more than 32 practices in public relations.

Practices include public affairs, media training, speech writing, among others. Tiedt recommended students to consider exploring their career path.

Tiedt said the pitch and place of public relations is more than proactive. It is where public relations practitioners should place their story and target the right media.

An understanding of news is required.

“You never want to call a reporter, unless you have something to tell him,” Tiedt said. “It’s embarrassing and could be so painful if you really don’t have news to share with him.”

Companies and clients need to understand good news is no news.

“Conflict is newsworthy, and clients and companies don’t want to hear that, but business is usual. It really isn’t news,” Tiedt said.

Practitioners should never get discouraged when a reporter says not to a pitch.

“You can have a reporter tell you no but don’t give up the game, keep going in finding someone you can connect with, where your story will resonate,” Tiedt said.

Clients in public relations fall prey to an aired segment, or a published story will automatically bring success.

Tiedt has past experiences with customer wanting to be in Oprah, thinking the television show will bring success to the company.

“That’s not really how it works. An article does not mean that your stock market goes up,” Tiedt said. “Or if you’re non-profit, a front page article in the Statesman doesn’t mean that you’ll have more donors or money that you’ll know what to do with.”


Tiedt’s 10 Tips for PR practitioners:

• Know comprehensive communication efforts effectively.
• Know public relations is more than calling the media.
• Know clients and companies always want the article.
• Know what news is.
• Know how to get the ink.
• Know writing, grammar skills and AP Style.
• Know what to do when the media calls. Get contact information.
• Know and get involved with new social media applications. Ex: Facebook, Twitter, blogs.
• Know public relations is not personal, just business.
• Know to go beyond the ink, marketing your press.
  
  

VIDEOS

Liz Arreaga, Mercury Mambo: Using experiential marketing to target Hispanic audiences

Liz Arreaga, co-founder of Mercury Mambo- experiential marketing agency- spoke at Mass Comm Week on Wednesday.

Arreaga shared what Mercury Mambo actually does, who some of her clients are, how she feels about the corporate world, what it took to start her own business and more.

Before founding Mercury Mambo in 2001, Arreaga worked as a Hispanic marketing executive for Coca-Cola. She was grateful that she chose to do marketing with a corporation before opening her own agency.

"I'm glad I went that route," said Arreaga. "It gave me the foundation to open Mercury Mambo."

Mercury Mambo is a marketing agency focused on experiential marketing focused on the Hispanic community.

Arreaga explained that experiential marketing is below-the-line marketing. Above-the-line marketing is the things you see on TV and hear on radio; it's the branding of the product.

"Below-the-line marketing is where the customer can touch, feel, taste or smell the product," said Arreaga.

She stressed the importance that experiential marketing and the branding of a product work together.

"We feel that below-the-line marketing isn't to replace the branding; it's to compliment it," said Arreaga.

Kandace Fierro, employee of Mercury Mambo and graduate of Texas State, joined Arreaga on her trip to Mass Comm Week.

Fierro heads up a promotional project for Dr Pepper that Mercury Mambo does. She travels to different states where she locates mainly Hispanic areas. Fierro and a street team set up camp with attractions, coupons and free Dr Pepper.

"In L.A. I gave out approximately 120,000 Dr Peppers," said Fierro.

Dr Pepper has found it challenging to connect with Hispanic audiences and get their product out there, so when Mercury Mambo takes Dr Pepper as one of their clients, they set up an experiential marketing campaign that targets Hispanic communities.

Arreaga mentioned that Mercury Mambo is really focused on consumer insights, so they can know what kinds of promotions the Hispanic community is particularly interested in.

In addition to experiential marketing, students were interested in Arreaga's bold transition from the corporate world of marketing to starting her own agency.

Arreaga shared experience, advice and strategies for starting one's own agency.

"Looking back, I'm really glad I had business partners," said Arreaga. "If you can do it on your own, go for it, but if you need some support, don't be afraid to bring in partners."

Arreaga assured students that the most important thing when starting one's own business is loving what you do.

"You've got to know in the pit of your stomach that this is what you really want to do," said Arreaga.

The money seemed to be the last thing on Arreaga's mind. She seemed like she was always confident that because she loves what she is doing, she would make it.

"If you want to do it, the money will follow," said Arreaga. "I used to wonder how the rent would get paid, but somehow it was always paid."

Both Arreaga and Fierro were very informative and helpful for students interested in either experiential marketing or entrepreneurship.

Arreaga is passionate about her choices and experience, whether it be marketing to the Hispanic community for Coca-Cola or experiential marketing campaigns for Dr Pepper.

By Ashleigh Mangum

Photos by Lesley Ornelas

Communications in the Web 2.0 World -- Michael Pranikoff, PR Newswire

The influence of new media on communications has been a main focus of many discussions this week. Michael Pranikoff, Director of Emerging Media at PR Newswire, took the theme to a different level by demonstrating how to communicate through Web 2.0. His charismatic attitude and informal gestures caught the audience’s attention this morning in Old Main 320.

“I hate lecturing, so I will be asking questions,” said Pranikoff.

He described PR Newswire as the conduit between media and people’s word, and explained that he would discuss other topics than his company. Students have been taught many tricks to the trade in the field of public relations, advertising and journalism. Something that Pranikoff professed was the five C’s of Web information: collaborate, content, coverage, services, community and conversation. Pranikoff illustrated each point through interactive Web by engaging students with a Youtube collaboration video of George Bush “singing” U2’s song “Bloody Sunday.” The video was a prime example of how quality content can generate a community and start online conversation and interaction.

According to statistics Pranikoff discovered, the largest social media users are between the ages of 12 and 24. Social media is delving its way into professional communication while one in four jobs has disappeared since 2002. 60% of press articles and 34% of broadcasts come from pre-packaged sources

“Everything is moving online and we have to do more with less,” Pranikoff said.

Numerous business networks have developed impressive Web sites, but many have not explored Web accessibility on cell phones. Pranikoff offered advice for communicating a message effectively in our fast-paced world. The content must be accessible, easy to view and easy to use.

He talked about ‘search engine optimization,’ which is the process of making sure information on the Web is displayed in a topic search. There is an entire industry behind search results, and Pranikoff stressed the need to make sure content will be discovered by stating three to four key words for every 400 word text block of content.

RSS is a format for delivering regularly changing web content, and many news-related sites, blogs and normal Web users syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to any viewer. He described RSS as “one of the most important recent technologies.” It makes more information available for consumption at a given time, rather than combing through portions that are uninteresting to the user.

“Information is power. A person who holds more information holds more power, and RSS is a way to constantly consume,” said Pranikoff.

Pranikoff uses a number of online communication tools and demonstrated his personal sites to the audience. A site that allows him to pick and choose topics and information to be displayed is through NetVibes. Another site that uses RSS is Technorati which is the largest blog on the Web and issues out information faster than Google. A Delicious page lets a user post sites they find interesting on one page that is accessible to any viewer. All of these site lead back to a form of search.

Pranikoff highlighted innovative social media tools that are available online for free, and emphasized how crucial it is to become a part of Web 2.0.

Written by Mairin Heard

Photography by Sam Ladach-Bark

Journalism Alumni Panel speaks at Mass Comm event

As the clock struck two, the four speakers took their seats in front of a crowded room of students. The event, entitled The Journalism Alumni Panel: What I Didn’t Learn in School, was hosted by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The panel included Erica Hernandez, a producer and reporter for KGNS TV in Laredo, Joe Ruiz, an online editor for KSAT.com in San Antonio, Alicia Lacy, a news reporter for the Killeen Daily Herald and Jennifer McInnis, a copy editor for 210SA paper in San Antonio. All of the speakers attended Texas State’s mass communication school.

Failure, experience, internships, networking, multimedia skills, etiquette and methods of relationships were some of the topics that the panelist discussed.

“Do not be afraid to fail,” stressed Ruiz. “If you made a mistake, own up to it. But don’t make that mistake again.”

Erica talked about her experience in today’s TV media world.

“I think for TV, you have to be strong with criticism,” said Erica Hernandez. “It’s so cut throat in the TV business.”

Alicia Lacy, who graduated in August of 2008, talked about the importance of asking questions.

“Learn to ask questions, especially while you’re still in school,” said Lacy. “You have to be very diplomatic in print journalism.”

The subject then shifted to internships. Many panelists suggested applying for more than one internship and stressed their importance.

“I would recommend two or more internships while attending school,” said Jennifer McInnis.

The panelists also stressed the importance of networking in journalism.

“You have to maintain the relationships you have attained and stay in touch with mentors,” said McInnis.

Etiquette in the news room and in the public view was another issue the panel brought up, stating it was very important to be nice and be the bigger person.

“Don’t go in expecting to get front page,” said Ruiz. “You are going to have to do some leg work. But you are going to have conflict also,” added Ruiz.

The panelists advised the attendees on effective methods to get people to speak with reporters.

“You have to establish a good relationship and they need to be able to trust you,” said Hernandez.

After the event, some of the students in the audience were quite impressed with the issues that the panelists brought up.

“I feel that they all offered something different and important to the topic at hand,” said Michael Barone, a junior mass communication major. “They really stressed the importance of internships as well as multimedia and interactive skills.”

Another mass communication major talked about the most important message he got out of the event.

“Networking is really important,” said Shawn Dullye, a junior print journalism major. “Meet everyone you can and maintain a relationship with them because you may want them as a reference later on.”

The best advice that Grant Martin would give to future graduating students was to start applying for internships and jobs as soon as possible.

“Get involved soon if not already,” said Martin, a senior mass communication major.


Alisha Lacy, a speaker with the Journalism Alumni panel, spoke about the hard work and how to balance your social life and work life.

MC Week in Review

It was a great week, I had a blast. The speakers rocked, the blog rocked, we rocked!

Glenda Goehrs- Winning over clients

Glenda Goehrs, former GSD&M Vice President of publications took me by surprise. As expected, she was very knowledgeable in the advertising field, but she was also very passionate about her line of work and witty as well. She gave advice on how to seek internships and how to impress a client. This means going above and beyond your call of duty.

"I was in the business for twenty-two years. My god, I'm slightly masochistic." said Goehrs.

In regard to internships, Glenda said that getting and internship at GSD&M is highly competitive. They usually have about 500 applicants and 20 spots to fill. She said not to worry because plenty of smaller agencies in Austin will willingly take interns.

She took special note of things to do to prepare yourself for an internship, including volunteering, researching the industry, asking questions, customizing your resume, immersing in new media and not being self-centered.

"Let someone else talk about you," Goehrs said.

Glenda had similar suggestions in regard to winning over a client. Glenda noted that while the client says to talk about your company, what they really want to hear is a suggestion and an idea that works.

"Pitch is won by a great idea. period," Goehrs said.

GSD&M hasn't always been a front runner. They have had their fair share of rough patches, expecially in 2007 when they lost Walmart as their client. As a result, they laid off 114 employees, but were able to recover.

"We got back on a roll again... with Home Depot," said Goehrs. "Home Depot!"

Glenda said that sometimes being in this industry means losing a night of sleep, and getting a month-long project finished in three days, but it's well worth the ride if you love the industry.

"It's the best education you will ever get," Goehrs said.

LINK TO GSD&M:
GSD&M Idea City

LINKS TO OTHER SMALL AGENCIES IN AUSTIN:
Door Number Three
McGarrah Jessee
Milkshake Media

Stewart Ramser and Richard Skanse: 2 Determined Partners

If you've ever attended Austin City Limits or Lollapalooza and can plead guilty of being that frantic fan quickly thumbing through your program guide to see when one of the bands you were dying to see was playing, then you can say you've had a taste of Ramser Media.

Ramser Media has published program guides for music festivals such as Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza. They began specializing in print products about music and sports. Their 2 publications are Texas Music Magazine and Horns Illustrated. They have also produced compilation cd's for big named businesses.

Although Ramser Media is successful today, Stewart's first magazine idea, Texas Music almost didn't launch.

On Tuesday afternoon in Old Main room 232, Stewart talked about how he got his dream of starting a magazine to come true, which later lead to the founding of Ramser Media.

"A friend gave me money to eat and to pay rent for my shoe box room so i could conserve as much money as possible and promote my business plan" said Ramser.

Stewart attended SXSW to find out if Texas Music Magazine was a good idea. There he promoted and talked to prospective advertisers and met his partner Richard ,former Rolling Stones writer.

"This is a great idea", said Richard Skanse, " i want to be involved!"

From there it was history. Texas Music Magazine went into print shortly after Stewart's SXSW trip and the rest fell into place.

"The recipe to success and moral of the story is you've got to be flexible. We've looked at other opportunities to grow that have been a little outside of what people were thinking," said Ramser.

Alicia Wagner Calzada describes the tricky world of photojournalism ethics and law

According to Alicia Wagner Calzada, President Emeritus of the National Press Photographers Association, the way journalists and news outlets conduct their business is the basis of the public's trust in them.

"Ethics is the single most important thing that news organizations have," Calzada said in her Thursday morning Mass Communication Week presentation.

The talk gave an overview of the most common trouble areas photographers encounter when on the job. Those include behavior while setting up photo opportunities, conduct on assignment, editing guidelines, invasion of privacy and copyright issues.

"Ethics and law are kind of similar in that they sort of rely on the same moral principles," Calzada said. "But there are a lot of gray areas.

Questionable situations that fall in these so called gray areas are the actions that most often go to court because there is no clear answer as to what is right and wrong. This is the reason that understanding the legal and ethical limits at all times is a must.

However, practicing sound ethics isn't just a way for journalists to stay out of trouble, according to Calzada. It is also the best was to preserve the public's trust in the news.

"The worst thing that happens to a photographer is they get an assignment to go photograph somebody doing something. They get there, and the person says, 'what do you want me to do?'" Calzada said. "As a journalist, you want them to do what they are normally doing. ... Setups are not OK."

The best thing to do is to find out when the subject is doing whatever the news is interested in, and to shoot photos then. Meeting the subject to take photos whenever they are free does not produce truthful images. From that moment on, when the subject sees images in newspapers or magazines, they will always have the suspicion that the photos are setups. This erodes the public's trust, the most important asset of the news.

Ethics violations in photo editing also have a large impact on news credibility. When Brian Walski combined two photos to create a more interesting composition during the 2003 invasion of Iraq the LA Times had a serious public relations battle to ensure it didn't lose the public trust.

"I think what happens to photographers is they start doing a little bit of manipulation. Then they start doing a little more and they get away with it. And everyone starts telling them what a great picture it is. I think it is easier than you would think to get caught up in a pattern of manipulation like this," Calzada said.

According to Calzada, photojournalists must live up to a high standard because ethics are "what sets us apart from art and advertising."

The laws pertaining to photojournalism are, for the most part, easy to understand. The ethical issues journalists face are the truly questionable areas. If a situation feels fishy at all, it is best to steer clear. Any publicly known ethical violations can destroy confidence in the media, and that trust is really the only thing that keeps the news alive.

Paul Burka and Eileen Smith: Traditional vs. New Media

Paul Burka and Eileen Smith had a great discussion on traditional and new media, Wednesday at 3:30.

Burka, senior executive editor for Texas Monthly, has been with Texas Monthly since one year after it started. He spoke about how his opinion of traditional media and new media transformed over time.

"The new world of media was 25 years away back then," said Burka. "There was no 24/7 media world; we operated at a much slower pace and that went on for a number of years."

For his very first encounter with new media, Burka wrote a column that was very dismissive toward the new media.

Before working with Texas Monthly, Eileen Smith wrote her own political blog in 2005. She ran across Burka's column and was appalled.

"I saw his column and went off on him!" said Eileen Smith, now editor of Texasmonthly.com. "I was like, 'Who is this dinosaur?'"

Evan Smith, now president and editor in chief of Texas Monthly, did not like Burka's column either and saw Eileen's comment. He sent her an email because he was interested in what she had to say.

"Then I was hired and now Paul and I are best friends!" said Eileen Smith.

Since his column, Burka gradually started to realize the benefits of new media. With traditional media he provided the filter. Each story he wrote would go through a process of re-checking facts and making a concise paper.

"With new media even if things are wrong you don't have to worry about it, it's self correcting (and it will be corrected in the most insulting way by your readers)," said Burka.

He still was uncertain about new media when his job description changed to blogging.

"I felt as though I foreclose on a beautiful house and moved to an apartment in the slumps," said Burka.

Soon he started to see that with traditional media he had so many ideas before that were useless because they were not timely. The next month, when the new edition would be issued, the ideas would not be any good.

"Now I no longer have that problem," said Burka. "I am able to get my opinion out there quickly for people to make hot shots at. The world does not sit and wait for anything."

"Instant feedback and conversation is important," said Eileen Smith. "It will not mean the same thing in a month."

She started on the print side of journalism, but now sees that today if you do not know how to write for the web you are out of luck.

Smith spoke about all the interactive things you can do on Texasmonthly.com that you cannot do with the magazine and how it's all available for free.

"These days you need to be able to do everything," said Smith. "You should be your own multimedia producer."

Now you need to be able to write and be able to provide
all of the interactive things on the Internet.

"You shouldn't be in it if you are not driven to do it," said Burka.

He feels as though he has never worked a day in his life.

"I want to know what the hell is going on and I want to be the first to tell the public," said Burka. "If it doesn't feel like work, do it!"

KTSW Mass Comm Week Promos

KTSW has been running these promos for MC Week. Nice job!

General Promo


McClellan Promo

Dress for Success Fashion show struts it's stuff at LBJSC

Texas State strutted, flashed and flaunted its way through the first Mass Comm week fashion show inside the LBJ student center. The joint effort with PRSSA, dubbed “Dress for Success” showcased what to wear when trying to capture the eyes of potential employers.

The event was as informative as it was fun. In classic runway style a DJ was on hand doling out energetic techno beats to accompany guest Emcees Amanda Dugen and Jonathan Valdez, of KTSW’s morning show Orange Juice and Biscuits. Their witty interpretation of the outfits made for an entertaining combination of professionalism and sensationalism.

Fifteen Texas State students graced the runways wearing hand selected fashions from local San Marcos stores and boutiques, including; Struts, Calvin Klein, Dressbarn and Calli’s. It was Elizabeth Janecka, chair on the event planning committee, who took charge of selecting the outfits and vendors of the nights apparel.

“It was a challenge to a point to get the stores on board,” said Janecka. “But most were pretty willing to donate stuff for the show.”

The event itself was originally brought to PRSSA by Mass Comm week director Dara Quaakenbush. Janecka could not have been more excited.
“We wanted to do something a little more fun,” said Janecka. “We also wanted to make it something PR majors could work on to prepare for event planning.”



When the lights went down and the trance music cued up, nobody was questioning whether or not they were having fun. Some models played coy with the crowd. Aaron Desimone showed his professional confidence with his blazer thrown over his shoulder when he handed a business card to an attractive young female in the second row. Sean Myers showed how versatile his Fossil messenger bag was when he pulled a red rose out for one lucky lady. Just behind him Lauren Syrinek dazzled with her ruffled maroon blouse that looked professional enough for an interview, but chic enough for cocktails downtown.

Coordinator and fashion merchandise Professor Pauline Sullivan concluded the event thanking all the contributors and lending a precious piece of advice we can all live by.

“You are what you wear,” Sullivan said. “It’s fun, it’s fashionable, it’s your first impression.”

Photos and words by Sam Ladach-Bark

John Kelso, Austin American-Statesman Columnist

John Kelso, the Austin American-Statesman humor columnist, presented his panel Tuesday with one-liners and stories for students and faculty in Old Main 320.

“There is a street in Austin called South Congress which people started calling SoCo,” said Kelso. “After all the hookers left I suggested that they start calling it NoHo,” said Kelso.

This among many were the funny twists that the panelist entertained his audience with.

Kelso has been writing for the Statesman for 32 years now, and said that he continues to enjoy writing.

“I’ll do anything for a column,” said Kelso.

He spoke about personal stories that he has written in past columns, as well as stories about celebrities that he has written about. He explained that if writers don’t write on the edge they won’t be popular in the news.

“If your not dancing on the edge you can fall off the cliff,” said Kelso.

The panelist graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in English, but didn’t write anything until he got out of college.

Before coming to the Statesman, Kelso worked for a newspaper in West Palm Beach, Florida as their outdoors writer. He didn’t know anything about the outdoors so he gave a funny twist to his stories, and his editor thought this was funny. His editor moved to Texas to work for the Statesman. After reaching out to the man that found his writing to be funny, Kelso acquired a job there also.

“So, basically I got the humor column because I didn’t know anything about fishing,” said Kelso.

Another accomplishment of Kelso’s is that he has written a book called “Texas Curiosities”. The book which was published in 2000 includes “quirky characters, roadside oddities and other offbeat stuff”.

After the panelist gave a summary of the columns that he has done in the past he opened the floor to any questions from students and faculty. One student asked what were his favorite writers. Kelso said he enjoyed Rick Reilly, from Sports Illustrated, and Mark Twain. He also said that he loves reading the New York magazine. Another student asked what he would be doing if he wasn’t a writer for the Statesman.

“If I had another job it would be as a Wal-Mart greeter,” said Kelso as he ended his panel.

AP Photographer Eric Gay

“One ingredient in anything you do is love.”

Eric Gay stated this yesterday during his visit to Texas State for Mass Communication Week, and he certainly loves what he does.

For Gay, his love for photography has flourished into a career with the Associated Press that is now in its third decade. Between regularly shooting the San Antonio Spurs and covering historical events including Columbine and Hurricane Katrina, Gay has experienced almost everything since beginning as a photographer for his high school’s yearbook.

“As a photojournalist, you’re recording history,” Gay said. “I want to tell the story. I want to tell it truthfully.”

In 2006 Gay’s ability to tell stories through photographs landed him among the finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. His nomination came as a result of his work during Hurricane Katrina.

“I try to make my pictures look simple,” Gay said. “It’s harder said than done.”

When asked how to cover events of mass destruction such as Hurricane Katrina, Gay credited much of it to patience.

“A lot of it is just patience, planning and a lot of luck,” Gay said. “Remember your skills – shoot high, shoot medium, shoot wide, shoot the details.”

But more importantly, Gay stressed that photographers should avoid getting caught up in the destruction aspect of the event.

“What people care most about are people,” Gay said.

Gay plans to continue working for the AP and to continue to find more stories to tell.

“I still do this because I love it," Gay said with a smile.

Slideshow by Lauren Bickford

W. Gardner Selby -- Politics and the Paper Trail

Whenever a person enters the political arena as a candidate running for office all gloves are off. Political writers are presented with the important task of letting the public know every facet of a candidate’s life, the good as well as the bad.

W. Gardner Selby, chief political writer for the Austin American-Statesman, has been in the political writing scene ever since he covered his first legislative session back in 1983. Selby has written in the past for such newspapers as the San Antonio Express-News, The Daily Texan, the Wichita Eagle-Beacon and the now defunct newspapers Washington Post – Southwest Bureau and the Houston Post.

Taking time out of his schedule, Selby spoke to a crowd of 20 people Wednesday morning about his job covering candidates.

Selby’s session, “Politics and the Paper Trail,” focused on discussing his thoughts about the impending presidential election, included anecdotes about covering candidates and offered advice on how to obtain information through paper trails.

Throughout his hour speech, Selby touched on what kinds of paper are in every campaign and went on to highlight prime examples that reporters have discovered over the years. One example he included was when a reporter uncovered that Lena Guerrero, former State Representative and Texas Railroad Commissioner, did not in fact graduate from The University of Texas at Austin like she alluded to.

“There are always things you can chase down, given time and resources,” Selby said. “Find out what you want to know personally about a candidate.”

Selby suggested to start from the bottom up by finding out a candidate’s life story and to always remember the rule of fox.

“Ask everything you can think of,” he said. “The worst they can say is no. You need to keep your ears up the entire time.”




Selby's Statesman Archive
Selby's Twitter

Rachel Elsberry- Covering Political Familes

Elsberry started her 2 p.m. presentation in Old Main by having the audience sit on different sides of the room based on political affiliation. She explained why she made the audience move with a news clip. It showed two neighboring families with different political views. One was Republican and the other Democrat. The reporter didn't mention his political view on screen. Something Elsberry considers important.

"As journalists, we have a responsibility to vote, but we also have a responsibility to remain unbiased," Elsberry said.

She said that being a good journalist is having the ability to be curious about the world and asking questions constantly. She said if you're not curious about the world, then journalism isn't for you.

Elsberry's primary job at News 8 Austin was to cover the death of Lady Bird Johnson. For seven years, she planned the coverage of her funeral.

"I equate work in a newsroom to working in an Emergency Room. You see people at their best and people at their worst," said News 8 Austin's Rachel Elsberry.

Coverage of the funeral was then shown. The clip was raw footage and showed a few photographers getting in the way of some of the cars.

"There are no rules about how TV is produced, as long as you don't spell anyone's name wrong or slander or libel anyone. Normally, when people fresh out of school get into a job, they assume there are all these rules because that's what your taught. That isn't really the case once you're out there. Don't be afraid to tell a story that way," Elsberry said.

Elsberry has been working as a producer and a reporter for 15 years. She currently works at News 8 Austin as their Special Projects executive producer. She also produces coverage of the Austin City Limits.

"I started out as a tape editor working 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. and I was terrible at it," Elsberry joked.

"But, I was good at writing and producing stories, so eventually I started producing my own show."

She ended by giving advice for future journalism students.

"You have to be an organized, forward thinking person. You need to see the train coming into the station before it actually gets into the station."

PR for the Public Good

The Mass Communication Department welcomed Randall Dillard and Elizabeth Christian Wednesday morning on Oct. 23. The two keynote speakers enlightened students about the different aspects of public relations in the work force, starting with the public sector and working to the private.

Randall Dillard, Director of Communications for the Texas Secretary of State, opened the presentation. He began by identifying with the students and reminiscing of his own school days and from there went on to explain his own trials and tribulations he overcame that led to his success in the PR field.

Dillard went on to talk about the importance of governmental communications, and its changing nature.


“While the government is cutting back on expenditures, there is still a need for citizens to access the government and be involved in government decisions. There’s still a need for government programs to exist,” said Dillard.


He went on to talk about how college students are a generation of people that multitask, making it difficult to find one easy way to communicate with everyone. The government is looking for college students and graduates who can find ways to communicate better, faster and cheaper.

He also outlined his three tips to succeed for journalism students today. The first is learning to write well.


“You can never write too well. You can’t get around being a poor writer in communications,” said Dillard.


He followed with the advice of learning how to break down technical information and make it meaningful to the average citizen. Lastly, Dillard voiced the need for journalism students to work hard if they want to succeed.


“You have to be the person volunteering, being the first to show up and the last to leave, whatever it takes,” said Dillard.


He was followed by Elizabeth Christian, who owns her own private PR firm in Austin.


“There is a critical intersection between PR and journalism,” said Christian.


She explained the relationship between PR officers and journalists, referring to the PR officer as a seller of ideas and the journalist as the buyer.


“It’s a symbiotic relationship,” said Christian, “I can look through a

newspaper and see that 70 percent of the stories in it are touched by a public relations person”.


Christian also stressed the importance of remaining truthful, and how while it is ok to spin information, it is unethical to lie.


She further went on to outline what she described as a communication MAP, something that is important for planning in PR and journalism. MAP stands for Message, Audience and Plan.


“You have to begin by finding the overriding message, the M, and then the different audiences, the A, who will hear this message. Once those are identified, you can move onto the plan, or P, and how you will convey specific messages to specific audiences,” said Christian.


Both agreed that you have to work hard to achieve what you want in the journalism world and to not only be a producer, but also a consumer of news.

KEYETV.com coverage of Scott McClellan Keynote

Oct. 22 11:00 am: Web 2.0 in the Real World

Web 2.0 in the real world – Sheila Scarborough, Every Dot Connects; Kim Haynes, Bulldog Solutions and Omar Galaga, Austin American Statesman; OM 320
(Blogging live from OM 320)


"What many of you consider to be play (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter), it is very much work related for us."-Sheila Scarborough

Omar Galaga: Journalism in Web 2.0

Omar has been working for the Statesman for 11 years. Part of his job as a writer is blogging, researching, shooting video, presentations, etc. The Statesman started using Twitter over the summer to cover things such as Hurricane Ike and ACL. The people who follow the Statesman's Twitter are highly engaged with what's going on. Omar is showing us Twitter pages on line and explaining how it all works.

"The more people I follow, the more I get a window into people's lives."
(he is omarg on Twitter....follow him!)

The Statesman is on Twitter to help people be easily engaged with what they are reporting. The Statesman also has a Facebook and MySpace page. Breaking news from events can be posted quickly (faster than blogging or reporting), which Omar says helps a lot when getting a story out there. Another thing that is up and coming in journalism is video. Omar says that sometimes instead of writing out a long story about an event, it is easier, faster and more fun to shoot it all on video.

Question from audience: "What would you say to the older readers that say these technologies are useless?"
Answer: "It takes a lot of effort to show people this is useful, but it opens my eyes a lot. To be honest, I don't think we need those readers. We need the younger people to invest in the media because you are our readers of the future."

LinkedIn is another social network used in journalism (it's kind of like a business version of Facebook). It has become a very powerful site for businesses and it is good to be familiar with it.

Why would journalists want/need to use MySpace and Facebook?
Sources can be found FAST on these networks. Omar has used MySpace to source an entire story because he found people who were talking about it.

Other useful tools: Google Docs, Google Calendar, YouTube, Flickr

Mobile Broadcasting is something new that may hugely impact the media world...some technologies are now allowing you to stream live video to the internet via cell phone. HUGE advancement for the media, and also really cool.

Kim Haynes: Getting a Job in a Web 2.0 world

"I want to empower you guys to learn things in Web 2.0 in order to get jobs."

The Evolution of the Job Hunt:
Kim is talking about how the normal job-hunting processes (applications, job boards, faxing, etc.) are becoming outdated. Craigslist is a way to search resumes and post resumes, but you need to be careful about that and not give away too much information or you may have a stalker on your hands.

Referrals are a good way to get candidates for jobs. Kim says she looks for peole who know people. She is also an advocate for LinkIn, and suggests that you get your profile out there.

"If you are not out on a social network, you need to be!"

Some social networks you may not know about: plaxo, XING, Ning

"Web 2.0 is all about the connections between people."

A good way to get a job in the media is to network....go to company parties, Social Media Breakfasts, mixers, etc. Kim says that she and Sheila have had "Tweet-Ups" where they started tweeting, asking people if they wanted to meet up. Kim has met up with a lot of important media people through these Tweet-Ups. There is a Texas State Alumi Ning, and Kim encourages us students to join to keep up with everyone and what people are doing after college.

Sheila Scarborough: Creating a good web persona

"Social media presence shows how people are in real life. It's difficult to maintain a false persona online."

Sheila thinks it is important to Google your name frequently (and search Google images too) to see what kind of things are out there about you. You need to work on your web-based image. Sheila says you don't need to sabotage yourself online because it's already so difficult to get a job in this time of a bad economy.

Sheila is a big fan of blogging. Her blog has become a large part of her job as a travel writer. She also pitched herself to an editor as someone who may not know much about drag-racing, but she knew how to blog about it, so she got hired and ended up loving the sport. When creating blogs, you need to be careful about it and be of sound mind before you spill your guts to the entire world.

Twitter has brought Sheila two "gigs" directly. She suggests that you learn Twitter and make sure you "write good stuff. "

Audience Question: "What advice do you have for students graduating soon, and going out into the media and web world?"
Answer: "Get on LinkedIn, learn how to take good photos and video, and the most important is learn how to write."

Great speeches! Photos By Brian Cummings

Web 2.0 in the Real World

Direct to Ustream video page.




Direct to Ustream video page.

Sheila Scarborough, Every Dot Connects; Kim Haynes, Bulldog Solutions and Omar Galaga, Austin American Statesman

Burnie Burns - Rooster Teeth Productions

Direct to Ustream video page.

Pamela Baggett: Communication in Times of Crisis

Pamela Baggett brought her 30 plus years of experience to Texas State Wednesday at 8 a.m.

During her speech on crisis communication, Baggett spoke of the power the media can hold and warned against journalistic pitfalls and what she refers to as ‘Gang Journalism.’

“You see it all the time. One station reports something, and five minutes later the same thing is on every news channel,” she said.

The major problem with ‘Gang Journalism,’ according to Baggett, is the conflict it creates with journalistic ethics. Journalists are supposed to find a story or angle that no one else has thought to cover, then verify, verify, verify.

Baggett says it’s too easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of breaking-news and not check to see if it’s actual, factual breaking-news. Journalists can become too concentrated on the idea that “he who presents the message first, wins,’ instead of focusing on presenting true, honest news.

Baggett also warned about the perils of got’cha and cliché journalism.

“It always happens. One station will go out and find the one person that will say ‘this is the worst I’ve ever seen it,’ and it may be one person in a million, but they found that one person and they dwell on it,” said Baggett.

Baggett says that there is a story in the one person in a million, but in times of crisis it does not always help to focus on it. She said that it can add unnecessary stress to an already stressful situation and undermined the relief effort.

Baggett said the job of journalism is “to make the comfortable, uncomfortable,” however to do so with discretion.

“Decide now what your ethics are,” she said. “Because once you lose your credit, it’s almost impossible to get it back. It takes a monumental event to change that.”

Baggett-Wallis's presentation

Graduate Research Panel

Taking advantage of newest technologies, media coverage on the Rwandan genocide, independent music and advertising, and gender stereotype in newspaper comic strips were the four topics presented in a panel of graduate students.

Cooper Cherry, mass communication graduate, presented Netwar. He opened with a statement on Internet taking over television.

“The revolution will not be televised, but maybe you can catch on YouTube,” Cherry said.

He said Netwar is a term that utilizes social networks, sophisticated communication technology and a decentralized organizational structure.

Cherry said conflicts used to reflect the war between countries using bombs and artillery. He said conflict is now moving toward a decentralized network, with groups such as al-Qaida and Hamas.

“These are groups that there is no really one nation that unifies them,” Cherry said. “They’re just dispersed in several different countries or regions.”

Cherry said al-Qaida has become a well-known brand with a decentralized network.

“You can take out Osama bin Laden, but the al-Qaida terrorist network will still be able to function,” Cherry said.

He also mentioned the demand for Web 2.0 technologies is increasing social activities. “Twitter and Facebook are really powerful tools for social movement,” Cherry said. “You can organize things so much better, protests, social movements.”

He said these tools help in political and social action.

“I think we should utilize (Twitter and Facebook) and change the world for the better,” Cherry said.

Justin Udomah, mass communication graduate, targeted the media coverage and social responsibility in the Rwandan genocide and examining the legitimacy of advocacy of media practice.

“Apart from just reporting news, do the media have a role to play?” Udomah said.

He researched on the Rwandan genocide because he said life should be respected. Udomah found in his research that the media played a crucial role in the killings.

He said the word genocide was not used. Instead, the media called it tribal war, militia clash or civil war.

“When they took the news to the newsroom, the newsroom didn’t check it,” Udomah said.

Udomah said advocacy should be defined as standing up for something that is wrong and also create awareness of a situation.

Udomah evaluated the media involvement in the crisis. He said 800,000 people were killed in a hundred days in that genocide, but the media lacked to communicate the impact of the news.

Comic strips in newspapers are some people’s favorite section to read. Few would imagine the comics had gender stereotypes.

Jaime Kilpatrick, mass communication graduate, focused on content analysis of gender stereotypes in syndicated comic strips.

She said gender stereotypes exist and wanted to research to prove it. Kilpatrick focused on strips with stereotypical behavior.

Some criteria taken in consideration were the placement of the character: at home or at work.

The comments and thoughts made on the character. Other criteria were the activities the characters were participating in.

“Some notable findings we have were that there were more characters that were male in work locations than female,” Kilpatrick said. “They were significantly more female characters shown at home with males, either in the kitchen, at home with the kids.”

Christ Troutman, mass communication graduate, researched on advertising and independent artists. He focused on the idea of advertisers creating ads with mainstream music.

He researched the response of people to brand and independent music. He said there are two pitfalls in using mainstream music.

First, artists sell their right to use their music to corporations. A movement that can upset fans, Troutman said.

“A classic example of this is whenever the Beatles song ‘Revolution’ was used for the Nike ad,” Troutman said.

The second pitfall is some music has a pleasant connotation for bands.

“If someone broke up with you and there’s a song playing in the car of what happened, and you heard that song playing through a Cheetos commercial. You might start crying every time you see Cheetos,” Troutman said.

Advertisers have been using unknown bands because of the pitfalls, he said.

VIDEOS

From College Radio to Real World Radio

Working at a college radio station can sometimes feel like a bubble, as with the college experience in general. Many student DJs wonder what will they do once that bubble pops.

Danny Trevino, a.k.a. D-Train, came to Texas State as a freshman with the idea of majoring in criminal justice. He graduated with a degree in mass comm. His entire college career was shaped by the fact that during his orientation he learned that the university had a radio station and he decided that radio was where he needed to be.

Danny spoke fondly of KTSW, Texas State's student run radio station. He says that it gave him most of the knowledge and technical skills that he uses in his career. Listeners could tune in and hear him in the mornings. After a semester, he approached the program director about expanding the show and adding more to it.

Soon Danny was out in the quad, interviewing students. He admits that there were a few times he was pulled off air, most notably for his interview with a sex expert who described safe sex practices a little more graphically than the FCC allows.

After taking a three year break from school to pursue acting and club promoting, he realized that radio was what he wanted to do, so he came back to Texas State to finish his degree. Not long after returning to school, a former colleague from a radio station he had interned at let him know about a job opening at a station in Austin that just changed formats.

This tip led him to his current job at 93.3, he was given a live on-air test with a fellow Bobcat. He was now doing the things he was learning about in school. All of the experiences Danny had at KTSW, both the good and the bad have proved useful into shaping his career.

Part of the reason, Danny says, he enjoys radio is getting to meet his listeners. He has used this to his advantage, having been voted Best Evening DJ in Austin by the readers of the Austin Chronicle for three years in a row.

This past January, 93.3 decided to change up their morning drive. Because Danny had been able to garner such popularity from his late evening DJ shift that he could make a positive change the mornings. Traditionally, morning radio is mostly talk with a two hosts, but Danny pitched that Hot 93.3 be known for the "Most Music In the Mornings". With that change, the show has been full steam ahead with D-Train at the helm, falling second to Bobby Bones in the most recent ratings.

During today's session, one student asked what Danny does to prepare for his shows and how he gets his material. He simply said you get your material from anything, a delayed flight after a football game to a night out on 6th Street. To always be prepared, he keeps a pocket recorder with him to save ideas or get that candid interview, which he later edits and plays during one of his morning segments, like "Train Spotting".

Danny's experiences and all that he learned at KTSW have paid off for him. His example is inspiring to many students who are unsure of how that transition from college radio to real world radio will be. It takes a lot of hard work, the ability to make mistakes and learn from them, and meet people, not just the right ones, just anyone, because they may vote for you someday as the Best DJ in Austin.

Scott McClellan Keynote

Direct to Ustream video page

Embedded Journalist Sig Christenson, San Antonio Express-News

In the past seven years Military Writer Sig Christenson has made the 20-hour flight seven times from San Antonio to the Middle East to cover the Iraq War for the San Antonio Express-News.

The classroom of 18 students and faculty remained quietly intrigued as he let them in on his knowledge and experience as an embedded journalist during Mass Communication Week Tuesday.

Christenson said he pursued journalism because he wanted to have a broad impact on society. He has done so by telling peoples stories, from a close-to-heart story about seven American soldiers, one from San Antonio, killed in a helicopter crash to the Branch Davidian siege in Waco.

As a reporter, Christenson said he not only serves as a writer for a newspaper, but sometimes as an anthropologist, psychologist and historian.

“Your business is to tell people how the world really works,” he said.

Amanda Martinez, pre-mass communication sophomore, said she attended Christenson’s presentation to “get the inside scoop from somebody else’s perspective.”

Christenson’s inside scoop included his perspective on the Iraq War.

“This is the biggest story of our generation and it’s hardly being covered,” Christenson said. “We’re the only regional paper that does this.”

He said in 2006 there were only nine embedded journalists covering the Iraq War, and 11 or 12 were there when he returned to Iraq this September.

Christenson said being a military reporter is not a glamorous job, revealing after the presentation that during one of his first stays in Iraq he did not shower for about seven weeks. He said he had to shave his head of dirt-covered hair and found black in his ears after his first bath.

He said in an e-mail that during his first trip with the 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Brigade in October 2003, he spent most of 10 days in Kuwait's desert.

"That was a good example of an unglamorous trip - I fell ill with a bad cold while there and contracted pneumonia when I came home," he said.

During a Q and A with his audience, Christenson said the Iraqi Army and police are better than they were a year ago, but these forces are being built from scratch.

“Most of the teenage population isn’t on the streets, they’re in the army. It’s the only place they can get a job,” he said. “We’re going to be there longer than people want.”

Christenson said there is no way U.S. forces will be out of Iraq in two years despite what presidential candidates say. Referring to his recent blog about Dr. Muayad Hamad’s request for U.S. forces to remain in Iraq for another 12 years, he said he does not think it will take that long.

As a military beat reporter, Christenson said it is important to form inside relationships and connections, and to do that you have to be accurate.

“Get stories straight and then they’ll begin to trust you,” he said.

He said there is a great deal of pressure from your bosses and from the Army as an embedded journalist, which makes being a military writer very stressful.

“I’m under surveillance all the time and that is a new level of stress,” Christenson said. “In the fifth year of war you’ve got a lot of pressure.”

He said the pressure comes from the Army trying to spin things in a certain direction or soften stories.

"I firmly believe it is our job to write about what we hear, see and know," Christenson said in an e-mail. "People don't have to like that, but it is our mission as journalists."

He said if people demand more "good news" stories in Iraq, they should be told that all news gravitates to the negative side and good news isn't always easy to find in a war zone where people are killing each other.

"The first day or so in Iraq, during the invasion, I was reminded that now it not only was legal to kill and to be killed, but that governments on both sides gave awards to people for doing both," Christenson said. "Good luck finding the good news in death!"

Christenson said even all the trouble it takes to be an embedded journalist, and there is a lot of trouble, it is ultimately worth it.

Twittering the News with Robert Quigley and Tony Plohetski

New media is all around us. The internet delivers a consistent influx of new software, widgets and social networking tools that are in a constant state of fad and fin.

As part of Mass Comm week at Old Main, Robert Quigley, internet editor at The Austin American Statesman, and Tony Plohetski, Statesman staff writer, talked about their use, and self-proclaimed addiction to a new social networking fad Twitter.com.

The site was designed to allow anybody to “tweet” about their lives from the computer or their cell phone with a 140 character limit. Journalists have recently made use of this new media to tweet about the news.

Quigley, skeptical at first, started using Twitter in March. The big puffy font and cheesy name did not impress him. None-the-less, he was addicted within a week. He has been the driving force (and voice) behind the Statesman’s twitter.

"It is just a great tool for doing our job,” Quigley said.

He uses it to get story ideas, promote big articles and get feedback from his followers. Twitter, similar to myspace and facebook, puts you in touch with other twitter users. If you think someone’s tweets are funny, informative or interesting you can follow that person and receive their tweets online or via cell phone the instant they post them. The Statesman Twitter now has more than 1,900 followers.



Recently Quigley and Plohetski had great success using twitter covering Hurricane Ike. Just before reporters and photographers were sent to Corpus Christie to cover Ike, Quigley set up a special Twitter account called “TrackingIke” and showed the field crew how to use it. Among them was Plohetski.

“I was somewhat skeptical about the device at first,” Plohetski said. “But now I am very much into it.” Plohetski and his crew sent several tweets via cell phone and laptop during their trip. When they got to Houston while the storm was raging outside they were still at it.

The next day as they were surveying the damage, they learned that they were the only source of news for several Houston residents as power in most of the city was out. Residents were receiving the tweets with their cell phone. They were even asking questions of the reporters and getting answers back.

"One of the most gratifying experiences was the interaction we were having with our readers," said Plohetski.

While it may not be the most conventional way of reporting, it was the perfect medium for discussing and reporting a disaster situation Quigley and Plohetski concluded.

In keeping with new technologies, the entire speech was live streamed to this blog. If you missed the session and want to watch it in its entirety, scroll down to replay it.

By Samuel Ladach-Bark

Photos by Mairin Heard

Erika Aguilar; KUT: Radio News.

News is immediate. News is unpredictable.

And today the news affected the Radio News panel, Tuesday, Oct. 21, for Mass Communications week at Texas State University. Robert Wood of the Texas State Network was unable to attend the Radio news panel because of breaking news that was happening in Austin involving a death row inmate and a Texas senator.

Fortunately, Texas State University alumna Erika Aguilar took charge of the panel and told students of her path so far in journalism and gave some valuable advice to students who will be making their debut in the "real world" soon.

Aguilar, who graduated May 2007, works for KUT radio, the NPR affiliate in Austin. But before Aguilar was covering the environmental beat for KUT she was at news director at Texas State's own radio station, KTSW.
"I actually have to thank KTSW for where I am today," she said.

From there Aguilar completed an internship at KUT and reported at SXSW in Austin. But before she could officially make radio her home she had to try out another interest of hers: television news. Aguilar worked for KXAN in Austin and found that she was still missing her first love, radio.

"In TV you can show them with pictures. In print you can show them with words but radio is more intimate. It involves your voice. Radio is the happy medium between TV and print," she said.

One aspect that Aguilar found was not different between the field of television news and radio was the fact that media convergence was something you couldn't ignore. Now Aguilar is sent out to cover news stories with a digital camera in hand and required to take at least one picture. Once she's done creating her story for radio she must post her story and pictures on the Web.

"If you can learn anything about the Web it will be very valuable in the future. Embrace the Web," she said.

Aguilar also had some advice for college students who will be soon graduating and are unsure on how to tackle the media industry.

"You need to take college as your on-site training. When you get there no one will train you. And you've got to be able to work the shifts no one else wants to. I worked the 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. shift for radio then I would have class at 9:30," she said.

Aguilar's next big career goal: a medical doctor. But until then check out Erika Aguilar at KUT or on 90.5 FM.

By Lesley Ornelas

Photos by Ashleigh Mangum

Ron Oliveira, The changing world of broadcast news

Dressed in a sleek black suit, Ron Oliveira made his way into Mass Communication week. Oliveira came to speak about the exciting and scary changes happening in the broadcast industry.

Oliveira, a member of the KEYE news team in Austin, spoke to a room of 40 students Tuesday, to explain the dedication needed in the broadcast world.

Oliveira shared with the group that when he first started in the broadcast business he worked 60 to 70 hours a week and was only able to eat one meal a day. When he was hired at a TV station as a reporter, he didn’t know how to type, and when he was asked to be an anchor he was concerned because he didn’t even own a suit.

“I was fascinated with every aspect of television,” he said. “I started out making $3.50 an hour, but I knew this was going to be my life.”

Oliveira considers his early days in broadcast television the golden age of TV. The stations wanted more news so they invested in people and equipment. They would send reporters and photographers to events and set them up in nice hotels. Today, stations see no reason to send reporters away on expensive assignments, and they want reporters and anchors to do the same amount of work as before but with less staff.

“We are sad in the business now because of what’s happening,” he said. “I’m excited about all the new technology, but I’m also scared of it as well.”

Oliveira has noticed a shift being made in all aspects of journalism. Broadcast news is becoming a tough business in which to survive. Seasoned reporters are being let go and it is becoming harder for students to get their foot in the door.

“Don’t feel entitled,” he said. “Now is the time to make yourself stand out because there are thousands of other people applying for that same job you are.”

Oliveira explained that many people are coming into the newsroom clueless. He believes internships are vital for preparing yourself for what a newsroom is really like.

“Internships are a great way for you to learn and show your face,”he said. “A person can’t get from a tape a feeling as to who you are as well as if you come in and speak to them in person."

Oliveira does believe there are still plenty of ways for students to grow in this business.

“Writers are very important,” he said, “as well as positions in public relations, and advertising. Video and communications directors are also in great demand.”

Statesman Twitter Panel

Robert Quigley and Tony Plohetski talk about the Statesman's usage of Twitter.



Direct to Ustream video page

Heloise Shares Communication Tips

Heloise spoke Monday at the Texas State University Round Rock campus. She is a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and author. Heloise also writes a column for Good Housekeeping Magazine. The audience ranged from students to local citizens in their late 70's. Heloise's charisma, charm, and witty personality quickly won over the audience. The crowd loved her and enjoyed every bit of information she shared. Her main focus was how communication is far different today than it was 30-40 years ago. She explained that everyone learns at different levels using visual, audio or written cues. I had a chance to interview Heloise after her speech. She is a remarkable woman with great knowledge about communication. She knows perfectly how to convey it. Heloise has a dynamic personality and connects easily with her audience. One great piece of advice she shared that many students should focus on is "No matter what kind of experience you have, it will better you in life." - Sascha Asghari

Career Hints from Heloise

Preview: Mike Chapman-Using New Media in Politcal Campaigns

Mike Chapman, first and foremost, is a Social Media enthusiast. With a career that started in Washington D.C., which includes working with the late J.J.Pickle and Senator Tim Johnson, Chapman obviously has a nose for politics, in which he learned that affective communication plays a very important part. He now applies this idea into his profession, which is in Social Media.
Chapman is the founder of Every Dot Connects- a Social Media Consortium, which is a web site dedicated to connecting people through conversation. Through this site, Chapman works with clients who have an interest in governmental affairs, specifically mass communications between politicians and their constituents. Other roles that Chapman holds at Every Dot Connects includes communication strategist, blogger, and online community addict.
Chapman is a co-founder of the Austin Social Media Club, which describes themselves as part think tank, part curiosity, all new media. Anyone can join this club and it is exactly how their slogan describes it. It is a group of people, using their brains together, geared to come up with more efficient ways to communicate.
Personally, I am looking forward to his lecture which is being held Oct. 23 in Old Main #320 at 9:30 a.m. I believe that Chapman is a pioneer in new and more affective ways to communicate, not only through politics, but for everybody. Hope to see you all there.

Michael Quintanilla, learning new moves

As a chipped disco ball flooded the darkened room with circling lights, Michael Quintanilla explained how his personal life has informed his reporting and how he remains viable in a changing industry.

Quintanilla, the pop culture and fashion reporter for the San Antonio Express News, spoke for roughly 90 minutes to a group of about 50, gathered in Old Main as a part of Mass Communications Week, Tuesday.
He explained how as a rookie reporter at the San Antonio Express News, he lacked an essential qualification. He couldn't drive, a deal breaker for the fast-paced police beat he was assigned to, he kept it a secret from his editors. Luckily he had a willing cohort; a mom on call to drive him to late night crime scenes.

“Mom, hurry, I have a double homicide!” he'd say. “Okay Mijo, I'll be there,” she'd reply.

He described how early in his career a bigoted editor told him to give up reporting and become a hairdresser.

Brokenhearted, he briefly considered quitting, until his mother pulled out a pillowcase full of his stories dating back to his childhood. Written on bags, scraps of wrapping paper and napkins, the stories displayed talent and a singular passion.

“She taught me to say 'yes' to myself,” he said and admonished the crowd to take an openhearted approach to both life and work. “When you stop caring the passion stops,” he said.

Quintanilla shared stories, many written for the L.A. Times, which expressed a personal affinity for his subjects.

He became a caregiver for one source, Raphael Cordero, a man who was dying of AIDS. Keeping a diary of Cordero's last 6 months of life, Quintanilla later used the journal for the piece “I Took a Look at My Soul the Other Day,” published in the L.A. Times.

Quintanilla also shared some personal essays, in which he brought some of his life's defining moments to the page. In one essay he describes Mrs. Lazaro, a beloved 4th grade teacher, in another a vintage scarf rich with sentimental value.

Along with a trunk full of equipment he used to create the scene, he also brought a wealth of knowledge gleaned from years of reporting.

Tips include:

1.Listen to tape-recorded interviews with a critical ear. Do you interrupt the speaker too often?

2.If you see something interesting three times, it merits a story.

3.Carry a notebook and jot down interesting phrases or dialog.

4.Eavesdrop.

5.Hang out after the interview is “over.” The best zingers often come when your sources think the interview is over.

6.Be aware that your reputation often precedes you and act accordingly.

7.Be willing to experiment with different mediums and with writing style, incorporate dialog and use first or third person.

8.Read your stories aloud and listen for rhythm and cadence.

Michael's Sept. 11 article for the New York Times can be found here: http://articles.latimes.com/2002/feb/24/news/lv-zero24

His article on Mrs. Lazaro is here:
http://www.lazaro-consulting.com/josefinalazaro/enduringlesson.html

Preview:Terry Bertling, Helen Anders and Kevin Robins:Multimedia Elements in Feature Writing

Terry Bertling, Helen Anders and Kevin Robins will combine their expertise and speak at Mass Comm Week at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday Oct. 23rd. The title of their session is, "Multimedia Elements in Feature Writing"

Terry Scott Bertling is assistant managing editor/features at the San Antonio Express-News. She has 30 years of experience in the newspaper business and supervises all the newspaper's feature sections and writes occasional Travel section stories. Bertling also contributea to the Shopping Posse blog at http://www.mysanantonio.com

Helen Anders is a travel columnist for the Austin American Statesman who is known for her great sense of humor and famous headlines. Anders has a blog on the Statesman named Anders MeandersTips, touts and tidbits from the road.

Kevin Robbins is an award winning sports reporter that covers golf for the Austin American-Statesman.He has won the Fred Hartman Excellence in Sportswriting Award. He blogs for the Austin American Statesman Backspin.

You can learn more about them and their use of multimedia elements in feature writing by using social media on Thursday Oct. 23rd at Texas State University in Old Main 102C at 6:30 p.m.

Mass Communication Career Fair Coverage

Delissa Atkinson, recruiter at Time Warner Cable, offered advice to students with a smile

Lisa Adams, public coordinator at Central Texas Medical Center, and Larissa Benninghoff, volunteer, talk about their company with students

Students were provided with a name tag, raffle ticket and map of where certain companies were located in the ballroom

Brant Newman chats with a broadcasting company

Ivan Davila, communication relations coordinator at El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission, discusses why it is important for students to take advantages of job fairs

By: Cassandra Delgado

Mass Communication Career Fair

Walking around the vast and hilly campus of Texas State in dark, tailored slacks and painfully high heels is a small price to pay if it could possibly land you a job in your desired field.

In the blazing heat, students could be seen sweating it out with resumes in tow making their way to the LBJSC Ballroom on Monday to attend the Mass Communication Career Fair.

Participants were given an opportunity to visit with possible future employers and discuss career prospects.

The event was held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and was presented by Career Services and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The career fair is just one of the many events available for students who want to gain information and advice on their field during this year's Mass Communication Week.

Chuck Kaufman, internship, scholarship and career development coordinator and senior lecturer for mass communication, said he encountered students in the past who attended job fairs offered at Texas State and were disappointed by a lack of representatives from their fields. Last year, he approached Career Services about having a job fair specifically for mass communication students.

"I know last year the companies received lots of resumes, and I know some students who got internships directly from the career fair," Kaufman said.

Representatives from about 15-20 companies were present in order to meet with interested students and offer information about job opportunities.

"It's a good one-stop shop," said Andrianna Jordan, sales project specialist at KEYE-TV. "It's great to come to events like this. You get to ask questions and get a lot of information from different employers. It's important to keep your eye on the prize. Students should be willing and ready to work, and they need to gain experience and knowledge in their field."

The companies at the career fair represented all the sequences offered in mass communication: print journalism, electronic media, advertisting and public relations.

"I like the wide diversity," said Amabilia Esparza, mass communication senior. "I'm in electronic media, and I really like talking to people who could possibly be a good connection to have in the future. I like to come to these events for networking. It's great to come and speak with people face to face and show how much you care about your career."

Some of the companies in attendance were Time Warner Cable, South by Southwest Festival, Latinworks Marketing and Central Texas Medical Center.

"I want to see what opportunities are available," said Ann Zepeda, public relations senior. "It's a good way to meet new people. There are other job fairs but this one is specifically geared to mass communication majors. This event is just a small taste of what it's like when you're trying to get a real job. You have to get your foot in the door."

by: Cassandra Delgado

PREVIEW: Burnie Burns of Rooster Teeth Productions

Texas State University is proud to welcome Michael "Burnie" Burns, creator of Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles, an online comedic series based off of the XBOX games Halo and Halo 2. Mr. Burns will be discussing current trends of online video and what to expect in the future.

Burnie Burns is an independent filmmaker currently residing in Austin, Texas. Burns is known for his successful production group called Rooster Teeth Productions, which is one of the few successful machinima film-houses in the industry today.

Before the creation of Red vs. Blue, Burnie Burns joined the staff of the website "drunkgamers", along side Geoff Fink and Gustavo Sorola. Burns added daily video with voiceovers of the game Halo to the drunkgames web site. Red vs. Blue is now considered to be an internet phenomenon due to its originality and notable humor.

The "Online Video: Where is it and where is it heading?" presentation will be held Wednesday, October 22 at 9:30a.m. in OM 232. For more information, visit Rooster Teeth.

Preview: Michael Quintanilla, "Confessions of a Disco Maniac: The Write Moves"

Michael Quintanilla, the pop culture and fashion reporter for the San Antonio Express News, will present "Confessions of a Former Disco Maniac: The Write Moves," his “one-man extravaganza” at 6:30 p.m. on Monday in Old Main room 320.


Thus far, Qunitanilla has book ended his career in San Antonio, but has also reported for the Dallas Morning News, the El Paso Herald-Post and the Los Angeles Times.


While reporting for the L.A. Times, he covered the Academy Awards and other red carpet events. But he also reported some of the most significant news events of the last 20 years, such as the L. A. Riots and (while in New York for fashion week in fall of 2001) the events of Sept. 11.


In addition to reporting, he serves as stylist for many of the features he produces for S.A. Life and the “Trends,” special section. He brings Hollywood home by writing about the Alamo City's hottest stars Tony Parker and Eva Longoria Parker. He also covers fashion week each spring and fall. His fashion week blog is called “On and Off the Runway.”

Not just a speech, Quintanilla will deliver a performance, with photos, music and even a disco ball. We hope to see you there.

Quintanilla has also performed at the National Press Club, the American Press Institute, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the American Association of Sunday and Features Editors, the National Association of Lesbian and Gay Journalists and at the Conference on Narrative Journalism at Harvard University. He is a graduate of Trinity University.

Preview: Kerri Qunell, Non-profit PR: Using Social Media to Spread the Message

Kerri Qunell, Vice President of Communications for the Capital Area Food Bank, will be speaking in relation to the importance of incorporating social media for non-profit organizations. 

A Texas State alumna, Kerri's success has derived from her passion to be a leader. She has since served as President of Young Women's Alliance (YWA), served on the YWA board for eight years, and was named "YWA Member of the Decade" in 2003. Kerri was also the 2006 "Austin Under 40" winner in the Community Service category.

Kerri's use of social media networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, as well as blogging, has significantly raised awareness around the community.

Her commitment to excellence makes her a role model to all in and around the city of Austin.

You can learn more about Kerri and her work using social media on Wednesday, October 22 at Texas State University, in Old Main 320 at 2:00 p.m.

PREVIEW OF JOHN MACCORMACK, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS- INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

A serial killer traveled the roads of Texas and claimed to have killed dozens. A Los Angeles film crew amidst a rowdy beer swilling, half-clothed and sunburned East Texas crowd assembled for the annual Texas Redneck Games. A woman ran down a sheriff deputy’s police car after 550 pounds of marijuana was recovered from her vehicle.

Veteran Texas journalist John MacCormack covers everything from serial killers and drunken minimally clad rednecks wreaking havoc on ATVs, to record drug busts. In addition to covering a wide range of investigative stories, MacCormack may be best known for breaking the story about the deaths of Madalyn Murray O’Hair, and her son and granddaughter. The renown Atheist family was kidnapped, robbed, killed and dismembered 120 miles west of San Antonio, in late 1995. Since then, MacCormack has written more than 60 news stories about the O’Hair family case.

MacCormack wrote for publications in Oregon, New York and Florida before moving to Texas where he spent seven years covering South Texas and the Mexican border for the Dallas Times Herald. Since 1992 he has worked for the San Antonio Express-News and also writes for the Texas Observer.

MacCormack will be a speaker at Texas State Mass Communication Week, Thursday, October 23 at 12:30 p.m. in Old Main room 232.

Preview: Omar Gallaga - Web 2.0 in the Real World

Omar Gallaga is a writer for the Austin-American Statesman. He will be discussing "how the Statesman has utilized Twitter for covering disasters, entertainment and daily news coverage as well as some of the blurry lines between keeping your private and professional lives separate as a journalist using social media."

Omar L. Gallaga is the Austin American-Statesman's technology culture reporter. He has worked at the newspaper for 11 years, where he has covered business and personal tech and also served as an entertainment editor, editor of the Statesman's Technopolis section and editor of the
Spanish-language newspaper.

Gallaga, along with Sheila Scarborough, Every Dot Connects; Kim Haynes, Bulldog Solutions, are on the panel Web 2.0 in the Real World on Wed., Oct. 22 at 11 a.m. For more information, you can contact Omar at ogallaga@statesman.com and you can read his work at The Austin-American Statesman Online. Type in Omar Gallaga in the search box.

Preview: Heloise Kicks Off Mass Comm Week @ Round Rock Campus

As an established author, columnist, and editor, Heloise is an expert at deciding the proper way to communicate in various situations. She will be speaking about what form of communication is best, from e-mail to snail mail.

Her column “Hints From Heloise” appears daily in 500 newspapers nationwide. She is a Contributing Editor to Good Housekeeping magazine and writes a monthly column, “Good Advice: Heloise to the Rescue”. Heloise has written many books, including, Get Organized with Heloise and Heloise’s Household Hints for Singles. She appears on national TV shows, such as, Late Show with David Letterman, Today Show, and The View.

Heloise is a distinguished alumnus of Southwest Texas State University. She graduated in 1974 with a B.S. Education, double major in Business Administration and Mathematics, with a teaching certificate.

Heloise will speak at the Round Rock campus on Monday, October 20th, at 10:30 a.m. in the Teaching Theatre. - by Amy Deweese

Preview: Twittering the news, Tuesday @ 11a.m.

If you haven't heard of twitter yet, get ready for a crash course. Amidst the social internet networking website boom of late is an emerging tool that journalists have found invaluable at keeping the public informed. Twitter.com was originally started as a interactive social site for people to post short blogs about their daily activities via cell phone. The idea behind such a venture was keeping friends and family up to date (by the minute/second) on what you were up to; whether it was walking the dog or eating a bologna sandwich. You are given 140 characters to "tweet" on whatever you fancy. Your followers can receive these updates online or by cell phone text message.

Recently, news journalists have taken this idea and run with it. The attractive factor being that anyone online or with cell phone access can see up to minute updates on whatever topic needs talking about.

Twitter really came of age recently as several journalists used twitter to cover Hurricane Ike. Robert Quigley, internet editor at statesman.com and austin360.com, will talk Tuesday about his experiences with twitter during this disaster experience. It was his charge that led the Austin American Statesman to adopt twitter as journalistic tool, which has now found a permanent home on page two of the daily edition.

While it may seem unconventional and a bit odd to receive your breaking news in 140 character bursts, this talk will prove to be an interesting insight to trends in new media and the internet's crucial role in breaking new ground.

The talk will take place Tuesday October 21 at 11 a.m. in Old Main room 320.

Statesman coverage of Mass Communication Week

The Statesman had a write-up in today's paper about Mass Communication Week. Way to go, PR team!

Preview: Paul Burka and Eileen Smith, Texas Monthly: Traditional vs. New Media

Paul Burka and Eileen Smith will be dicussing politics with traditional and new media on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 3:30 p.m. at Alkek 250.

Paul Burka has been apart of Texas Monthly staff one year after the magazine's founding. He writes several features on politics.

Burka is a member of the State Bar of Texas and spent five years as an attorney with the Texas Legislature, where he served as counsel to the Senate Natural Resources Committee.

Burka won a National Magazine award for reporting excellence in 1985 and the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award. He is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and teaches at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a frequent guest discussing politics on national news programs on MSNBC, Fox, NBC, and CNN.

Eileen Smith is an editor of Texas Monthly and writes Stripping the '08 Election Bare - Poll Dancing where she discusses the candidates and election. She wrote a piece in the February edition, MEET the DePRESSED, telling how print is dead.

Both Burka and Smith discuss and debate the latest news on the elections as well.

Preview: Liz Arreaga, Mercury Mambo: "Using experiential advertising and PR to target Hispanic consumers."

Liz Arreaga of Mercury Mambo will speak at Mass Comm Week at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 22. The title of her session is, "Using experiential advertising and PR to target Hispanic consumers." Arreaga is a co-founder of Mercury Mambo.

Liz Arreaga co-founded Mercury Mambo in July 2001 after working as a Coca-Cola USA Hispanic marketing executive. Arreaga earned her B.A. from St. Mary's University and an M.B.A from Pepperdine University. Arreaga's philosophy is, "Always think like marketers, push hard like a sales force, and enjoy life like there's no tomorrow."

Mercury Mambo is a Hispanic experiential marketing, sales promotion, and brand agency. It specializes in strategic planning, sales promotion, event marketing, channel marketing, retail merchandising, experiential marketing, alliance marketing, and field activation. Mercury Mambo realizes that advertising and promotion isn't something that should be done the same way to different ethnic groups. It creates campaigns to target the Hispanic market. Some of Mercury Mambo's clients include: America Online, 7up, Dr Pepper, Budweiser, Bud Light, Crown Royal and more.

Preview- D-Train of Hot 93.3

Before Danny Trevino was voted Best Evening Radio Host three years in a row in the Austin Chronicle’s Best of Austin awards, he was a Bobcat. During his days at Texas State, Trevino worked at KTSW. He says that the time spent at the station has helped him the most in preparation for a career in Radio.
Trevino, or D-Train as he may be better known now, can be heard during the morning drive at Hot 93.3 and the Saturday night mix show. He has also made the leap to television, hosting Austinights TV.
Trevino is excited and honored to come back to his alma mater and speak about his career. His session “From College Radio to Real World Radio” is Tuesday, October 21 at 3:30 pm in Old Main room 320.

Preview: Ad/PR Alumni Panel: What I didn't learn in school

Advertising and public relations alumni will join Texas State Mass Comm Week on Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. The panel will speak about what they didn't learn in school and what their current jobs have taught them now. The event will be held in room 320 of Old Main on the Texas State University campus.

One of the panelists, Mike Vela, is a former Texas State student who holds a B.A. in Mass Communications focusing in Public Relations.  He is now the Senior Community Relations Coordinator at the Children's Shelter in San Antonio. Vela worked with this private, non-profit, nationally accredited organization since September of 2007.  As a Senior Coordinator, his duties include assisting in the development of communication strategies, serving as a community and media spokesperson, managing special events and serving as a webmaster for the organization. Vela also acts as the editor for the donor and employee newsletters, "Our House" and "Shelter Talk". 

Other panelists will include Emily Shaw from I&O Communication, Patrick Quinn from Reagan National Advertising and Qmunications Management and Katie Mullins Cook from the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Preview: Communications in the Web 2.0 World -- Michael Pranikoff, PR Newswire

Most people in the field of communications are aware of Web 2.0, and how social media is transforming. Director of Emerging Media at PR Newswire, Michael Pranikoff, will discuss the Web’s involvement with communications and social networking. He said he hopes to discuss social media tools and tactics that many are using including free programs available on the Web. He will explore new media topics on Thurs. October 23 at 11:00 a.m. in Old Main room 320.

"My session isn't so much about a lecture ," said Pranikoff. "It is about having a conversation, which is one of the goals of this online world."

Pranikoff is in charge of educating the PR Newswire personnel about the role of new media in public relations.He became a part of PR Newswire in 1998. Pranikoff got started in the technology industry in the Washington, D.C. area working hands on with AOL, XM Satellite Radio and the Consumer Electronics Association. He was named the National Technology Markets Specialist is 2003, which led to being named PR Newswire’s first Director of Emerging Media.

Pranikoff has traveled the country speaking at events about social media and online information sharing while contributing to various blogs, micro-blogs, podcasts, videos and newsletters. Before his current position at PR Newswire, he was a part of MacNeil/Lehrer Productions which produces the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Pranikoff graduated from Syracuse University, earning a degree in Speech Communications. He keeps a blog that links articles, blogs and sites that relate to technology and public relations at www.delicious.com/michaelpranikoff.

Preview: Glenda Goehrs- former GSD&M Vice President of publications

Glenda Goehrs will be speaking about her experiences in the advertising industry and how one would land an internship, job, or client in the advertising field. Goehrs was a former Vice President and Director of Publications at well-renowned advertising agency in Austin, GSD&M Idea City.

GSD&M Idea City is full-service agency holding accounts, such as Southwest Airlines, AT&T, John Deere and the American Red Cross. GSD&M started from the work of six students without any experience in the advertising field. Their small start of an agency is now one of the largest full-service agencies in the United States.

Glenda Goehrs also learned how to build from the bottom up helping to bring up billings at GSD&M from 25 million to approximately 2 billion. She is currently doing freelance writing and editing.

Glenda will be speaking at Texas State University at 11:00am in Old Main room 232 on Thursday October 23, 2008.

www.ideacity.com

Preview: Richard Skanse and Stewart Ramser of Texas Music Magazine and Ramser Media

Texas Music Magazine's, Richard Skanse and Ramser Media Stewart Ramser, will share their knowledge on music and entertainment journalism on Wednesday, Oct. 22 to students in old main room 232 for mass communications week.

Stewart Ramser, a former UT alumnus, is the publisher and editor of Texas Music Magazine and owner of Ramser Media.

Stewart has held the position as publisher and editor of Texas Music Magazine for 10 years. He developed the idea for Texas Music Magazine in 1998 while on vacation in Hawaii. His inspiration mostly derived from spending 6 years outside of the hearty state. While away he discovered a strong positive reaction towards Texas musicians. Texas Music Magazine was debuted in 2 stores on its first issue in December 1999. Today, Texas Music Magazine reaches music fans in 48 states and 12 different countries. It aims to educate readers about great contemporary bands from the state as well as provide interesting historical perspectives on music in Texas.

Richard Skanse has written music reviews for HARP magazine, Lone Star Music and Texas Music Magazine.

Preview - Keynote Speaker: Scott McClellan

Scott McClellan is the former White House Press Secretary of President George W. Bush and controversial author of What Happened-Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception.

McClellan served as the Press Secretary for three years after replacing Ari Fleischer. Being a native Texas and having several ties to the central Texas community, McClellan was an obvious choice to stand beside Bush. He worked hard and deligently until announcing his resignation in 2006. A couple years later, he published his book, What Happened, criticizing the Bush administration.

McClellan's book is extremely controversial given that he gives the illusion that Bush lied about his reasons for entering Iraq. McClellan criticized almost everyone, including Condoleezza Rice, for the ways they ran their administration. His 341-page memoir was harsher than most had expected.

McClellan will be speaking Tuesday, October 21 in the LBJ Student Center teaching theater at 6:30 p.m. He will be answering many hot-topic questions.

Universtiy Star interview with Scott McClellan

Be sure to read's the Star's interview with McClellan and their preview on Mass Communication Week.

PREVIEW: Eric Gay - AP Photojournalist

Associated Press Photographer Eric Gay will discuss photojournalism as part of Texas State University's Mass Communication Week. 

Gay began working for the AP in 1986 after earning a journalism degree from University of North Texas. Originally stationed in Dallas, he now works at the San Antonio bureau. Gay received a great deal of recognition for his photos during Hurricane Katrina, which also landed him among the finalists for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in photojournalism.

Gay will speak at 11 a.m. on Oct. 22 at Old Main room 201 on the Texas State campus.

Preview: W. Gardner Selby "Politics and the Papertrail"

Gardner Selby, writer for Austin American-Statesman, will provide perspective on covering the much anticipated Election Day. Apart from that, Selby will touch on how to obtain Freedom of Information and the important things to know regarding covering an election at the local, state and national level.

Having been a staffer at the Statesman for four years, Selby is now chief political writer after writing for a string of newspapers. Among his old writing stomping grounds are the Daily Texan during his college days and the San Antonio Express-News where he covered state government and politics at the capitol.

Selby’s session, “Politics and the Papertrail,” will take place on Oct. 22 in Old Main, room 201 at 11 a.m.

Links:
http://tinyurl.com/3kpgps

Preview Anne Lasseigne Tiedt

Anne Lasseigne Tiedt, APR, will share the 10 things to know about working in public relations. Tiedt runs her own public relations and business communications practice.

Tiedt also co-led the successful launch of Cricket Wireless, a leading provider of flat-fee wireless service, in the Greater-Austin and Killeen markets. She has work in campaigns and projects for the Town Lake Trail Foundation, Seton Family of Hospitals, The Clutter Diet, 300Austin, RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture and Graphic Design, Duncan Commercial, the Center for Child Protection and ETS-Lindgren, among others.

Tiedt is currently the Immediate Past President of the Austin Chapter of the Association for Women in Communications. She also volunteers with the American Heart Association and the Girl Scouts of Central Texas. Tiedt’s session is scheduled on Oct. 23 at 8 a.m. in Centennial Hall Room 157.

Preview: Dress for Success Fashion Show, 10/22/08 @ LBJSC

Who says the runway is just for scantily clad, underfed fem fatals? During Mass Comm week at Texas State, the catwalk will be taken back. Sponsored by PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) and Mass Comm week, the dressed for success fashion show is slated to take over the LBJ student center Wednesday night.

This show will feature a bevy of looks designed to impress potential employers at a job interview. Instead of flared out dresses and pencil thin stilettos, expect fashion forward cardigans, tasteful skirts and pressed oxfords to take center stage.

Faced with the unique challenge of verbally highlighting the model's strut is appointed master of Ceremonies senior communication studies major, Jonathan Valdez.

"The biggest challenge is not knowing what to expect," Valdez said. "We haven't even done a rehearsal." If his incorrigible antics as executive producer and co-host of KTSW's morning show, Orange Juice and Biscuits, are any indication, he should have no trouble keeping the models and audience on their feet.

If you have ever felt lost in front of the mirror before a big interview, this is an event not to be missed. Not only will these fashion tips and tricks give you a pattern for success, it will also help build confidence before you go under the spotlight in front of a potential employer.

The lights go up and the "red carpet" unrolls at 7 p.m.

By Samuel Ladach-Bark

Preview: The Journalism Alumni & Pros Panel: What I didn’t learn in school

The Journalism Alumni & Pros Panel: What I didn’t learn in school will be one of the many events that will occur during Mass Communication Week. The panel event will be held on Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. The event will be in room 234 inside the Old Main building on Texas State campus.

One of the four panelists will be Joe Ruiz. He has worked for several companies such as San Angelo Standard-Times, San Antonio Express-News, LadiesCourt.com and a news editor for KSAT.com. There will also be Erica Hernandez, a reporter and producer for KGNS TV. KGNS is a news station based out of Laredo, Texas. Alicia Lacy is a reporter from the Killeen Daily Herald. Jennifer McInnis is a copy editor for 210SA, an online news source for the San Antonio area. All of the speakers attended Texas State University.

Preview Graduate Research Panel

Four graduate students will present research papers with a diverse range of topics from within the past year. Mass communication graduate students presenting are: Chris Troutman, Jaime Kilpatrick, Justin Udomah and Cooper Cherry.

“The grad students have an opportunity to practice presenting research to an audience,” Kilpatrick said. “This is good because some grads may wish to present their research at a conference in the future, and any practice is beneficial.”

She said the audience could benefit from the session and see the type of research that can be done in the mass communication field.

“I think this is important because so many students hear the word 'research' and automatically get bored and uninterested,” Kilpatrick said. “But there really are so many cool topics and angles people can take. For me, I just found something I enjoyed and then found a way to research it.”
She said sections in a newspaper, such as the comics’ page, are often ignored, but can be entertaining to research from many angles.

“There may be underlying issues or themes that come out by doing thorough research,” she said.
The session will be on Oct. 21 at 3:30 p.m. in Old Main 201.

Preview: Alicia Wagner Calzada: Photography Ethics and Law

“Photographic and video images can reveal great truths, expose wrongdoing and neglect, inspire hope and understanding and connect people around the globe through the language of visual understanding. Photographs can also cause great harm if they are callously intrusive or are manipulated.”

Alicia Wagner Calzada, president emeritus of the NPPA, will speak about issues of law and photography ethics Oct. 23 at 11 a.m. in Old Main room 201 as part of Texas State’s Mass Comm Week.

A graduate of the University of Texas and former photo editor of the Daily Texan, Calzada has worked for numerous publications and is the owner Journey Images. She is currently pursuing J.D. at St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio.

As part of the NPPA, Calzada advocated to association members and initiated projects such as the NPAA Find-a-Photographer service, Advocacy Committee and the Independent Photographers Toolkit.

Look for coverage and photos of Calzada's talk here and in the #mcweek Twitter feed next Thursday.

Preview: Rachel Elsberry speaking at Mass Comm Week

Rachel Elsberry will be speaking at Texas State University's Mass Communications Week on Wednesday, October 22 at 2 p.m. in OM 234.

Elsberry has worked in television news for more than 15 years. She attend Alvin Community College and the University of Texas at Austin. She worked at the Fox affiliate in Detroit before coming to News 8 Austin in January 2001.

Elsberry will focus mainly on how the passing of Lady Bird Johnson was covered, how she planned for it and how the professional sometimes affects us personally and she will address this in terms of Mrs. Johnson.

Preview: John Kelso

On Tuesday, Oct. 21 in OM 234, John Kelso will be speaking about his career as a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman.

Kelso has been called the court jester of South Austin, an icon and a humorous columnist. He began his career with Statesman in 1976 after reaching out to a former boss that enjoyed his humor.

According to Kelso, in an interview on www.austindaze.com, Kelso met his boss in West Palm Beach, Florida where he was an outdoors writer for their newspaper. According to Kelso, he didn't know anything about hunting or fishing and his boss thought that was funny. His humor columns, said Kelso, came from the army. "I was asked to write a weekly and then a biweekly column," said Kelso. "The only thing I could think to do would be interesting at all would be to write in a funny way because just being in Germany in the Army wasn't funny."

Kelso also has a column on the Statesman's Web site called Kelso's Cranky Corner, where he writes about personal and non-personal stories with a funny twist. His topics each week are about what everyone is talking about and local news.His humor column appears every week on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays in the Austin American-Statesman under the Metro and State section.

Preview: Ron Oliveira, KEYE-The changing world of broadcast news

On Tuesday, Oct. 21st at 9:30 A.M. in OM 234, Ron Oliveira will be speaking about where broadcast news is now and its future.


Ron Oliveira is an award-winning journalist and has spent the past 30 years working in the television industry.

Oliveira started his career as a television news anchor in 1977 at KGBT-TV, the CBS affiliate in Harlingen, Texas. In 1980 he moved to Austin where he eventually became lead anchor for KVUE, the ABC affiliate.

In 1994, Ron expanded his career in television when he started and became co-owner of KNVA TV, the Warner Brothers affiliate in Austin. Then in 1999, he helped launch and became co-owner of KTLM TV, a Telemundo affiliate in the Rio Grande Valley.

In 2005, Ron was hired by the CBS network to join the KEYE newsteam in Austin and the KTVT newsteam in Dallas.

Oliveira wants students majoring in communications to be aware of what they will be facing in the industry.

“This is still a great and rewarding business to be involved in, but I want to open up people’s eyes to the realities out there in TV land.”

Preview: Sig Christenson- Being an Embedded Journalist

As the senior military writer for the San Antonio Express-News, Sig Christenson recently returned from his sixth trip to Iraq as an embedded journalist. He will speak about his experiences during Mass Communication Week at 12:30 Tues. in OM 232.

Christenson said his presentation will include an overview of what Iraq is like now compared to what it was like from 2003 to 2007. During the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, he was embedded with about 1,000 soldiers and airmen in the 3rd Infantry Division’s 3-69 battalion.

“It was one of two or three army units that were either on the front lines or very close to them all the way up to Baghdad,” he said.

Christenson said he tends to report on the active duty Army and tries to cover what is happening at that point.

 “On this trip we looked at soldiers and how they were coping with multiple deployments,” he said. “Every trip is very focused, and it has very specific story topics that we report on.”

Christenson has been with the San Antonio Express-News since 1997. He is a co-founder and former president of Military Reporters and Editors, the professional association of military journalists, and is currently on their board of directors. In 2003 Christenson was named “Reporter of the Year” for his work in Iraq, and he has received awards from The Hearst Newspaper and the Associated Press.

Christenson said perhaps the most important reason for journalists to be embedded is because what happens is not just today’s news, it is tomorrow’s history.

 

Mass Communication Career Fair

Texas State students have the opportunity to visit with possible future employers and discuss career opportunities in their specific field at the Mass Communication Career Fair on Monday.

The event is hosted by Career Services and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. It will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the LBJSC Ballroom. Representatives from about 21 companies will be present in order to meet with interested students and offer information about job prospects.

"This is going to be our second career fair, "said Charles Kaufman, internship, scholarship and career development coordinator and senior lecturer. "The first one was fantastic. About 300 students stopped by last year, and I know they were happy about the diversity there."

Kaufman said he encountered students in the past who attended job fairs at Texas State and were disappointed by the lack of representatives from their fields. Last year, he approached Career Services about having a job fair specifically for mass communication students.

The different companies at the career fair will exhibit all the sequences covered in the mass communication field: print journalism, electronic media, advertising and public relations.

Some of the companies in attendance will be KSAT, KVUE, South by Southwest Festival and Marble Falls Daily Tribune.

"I know last year the companies received lots of resumes, and I know some students who got internships directly from the career fair," Kaufman said. "Everyone should come with resumes and looking professional. They should look like they're going on an interview for a full- time position."

Cassandra Delgado

Preview: Erin Griffin, Cohn & Wolfe - Sports PR

Arena football, Nike and Deion Sanders are all a part of Erin Griffin's sports PR repertoire. I got a chance to talk with Griffin about her upcoming Mass Comm week event, and she's more than excited- she's ready. She talks about having to use different tactics and learned traits when it comes to representing athletes rather than large businesses and corporations. Compared to regular PR, sports PR is a whole new ball game. If you've ever wondered where PR really gets personal then this is it. Griffin works for a global PR agency, Cohn & Wolfe, which specializes in everything from technology to corporate affairs and sports of course. She says that she is planning on opening up the floor for peoples' questions which is awesome because Griffin has great experience in her field with some big name people and in a world class PR firm. This is going to be a Mass Comm week event unlike any other so do yourself a favor and check her out Wednesday, Oct. 22. The event is going to be held in OM 234 at 3:30 p.m.

Preview: Elizabeth Christian PR and Randall Dillard Texas Secretary of State – Public Affairs: PR for the Public Good

On Wednesday, Oct. 22nd at 9:30A.M. in OM 320, Elizabeth Christian and Randall Dillard will be speaking about public affairs and how public relations work for the good of the public.

Elizabeth Christian is the president of Elizabeth Christian & Associates Public Relations in Austin. She has been actively involved in public relations for the last 32 years, and the Tribute to Lady Bird Johnson’s life is one of her most recent projects. Christian will talk about private sector communications in the context of in-house corporate public relations and agency public relations.

Randall Dillard is the Direct of Communications for the Texas Secretary of State, and has been involved in various public information and public affairs jobs for almost 24 years. Dillard’s most recent work is with the upcoming Nov. 4th election. “Our goal is to have a fair, credible election that all Texans can be proud of,” Dillard said. Dillard will talk about the public sector as a public information officer. He is also a 1982 graduate of Texas State University.

Preview: Pamela Baggett

Pamela Baggett graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Journalism. Since then, she has gained over 30 years of experience in dealing with communication in times of crisis.

Baggett is currently CEO of her own company Persuasion Communication, LLC, a PR agency that specializes in crisis management and issue advocacy. According to her website, her goal is to help clients “fill a deep reservoir of good will upon which to rely when the inevitable crisis occurs.”

Baggett helps teach clients how to correctly handle media and communication during crisis. Her training includes help with public relations, media relations, message training, and crisis management.

“Some clients are so entrenched in their martyrdom that trying to help them is beyond frustrating. Every suggestion is greeted with a "yabbut." I watch their lips and I swear it's a Charlie Brown teacher experience. All I hear from them is yabbut, yabbut, yabbut,” Baggett blogged Sept. 2.

Baggett will be giving her presentation on “Persuasion Communication – Crisis Communication” Oct. 22 at 8 a.m. in LBJ Student Center room 4-16.1.

Follow her blog at http://blog.persuasioncommunication.com/ or her twitter page https://twitter.com/pambaggett

MC Week on MGTV

This is a student-produced tv show that airs 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays (channel 19 for Grande and 17 for Time Warner). The talk about Mass Communication Week starts at 2:50.

Preview: James Aldrete & Frank Guerra–Targeting multicultural audiences in elections

On Tuesday, Oct. 21st at 2:00 P.M. in OM 234, James Aldrete and Frank Guerra will be speaking about the topic of targeting multicultural audiences in elections.

James Aldrete is active in the world of politics and was a campaign consultant for Larry Joe Dohert, who won a seat in the United States House of Representatives in March 2008. Aldrete also crafted Barak Obama's media campaign and placement strategy for Texas. Aldrete has been said to be "the most talented politicial ad man of his generation in Texas." When asked about what kind of impact the multicultural vote will have on this year's election Aldrete believes the Latino vote in key swing states, including NV, NM, CO and FL has a chance to play a pivotal role.

"Bush won these states by less than 5%, and the Latino vote is more than 10% in each state. While Bush as Governor of Texas made significant inroads with the Latino electorate in Texas, Republicans for the most part have turned their backs on a moderate, inclusive approach to appease the anti-immigration factions of their base. I think that explains why Obama is doing so well among Latinos, especially in these states," he said.

You can visit James Aldrete's Web site for his political communications company, MAP, at http://www.mapwins.com/ .

Frank Guerra is the founder and CEO of Guerra, DeBerry & Coody Marketing and Communications. President Bush and Vice President Cheney called upon him in their 2000 campaign for an effective advertising strategy for the Republican National Committee's Hispanic outreach campaign. His help resulted in capturing 35% of the Hispanic vote for the GOP and the Bush-Cheney campaign used his expertise again in their 2004 re-election. Both of the speakers are well qualified and will get an insider's view on how to target and clench the minority votes in elections. You visit Frank Guerra's Web site for DeBerry and Coody Marketing and Communications at http://www.gdc-co.com/

Event preview/highlights

As chair of Mass Communication Week, I have to say that I think we have an outstanding event this year. As a blogger, however, I’ll tell you that it’s true and the line up is kick-a$$. There are so many speakers I want to see and am unsure how I will be able to, with all the other stuff I have to make sure happens. Event details are here, but below are some of the sessions I’m most looking forward to.

Of course, there’s the keynote, Scott McClellan, former press secretary to President George W. Bush and author of What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception. He will speak Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 6:30 p.m. in the LBJ teaching theater. A book signing will follow. What I think is so cool about this is that Scott has agreed to do it Inside the Actor’s Studio-style. I applaud him to opening himself up to that.

I’m also looking forward to Heloise, the Helpful Hints columnist and Texas State alumni, who will headline Mass Communication Week at the Round Rock campus. Her presentation, “What form of communication is best? From e-mail to snail mail,” is Monday, Oct. 20 at 10:30 a.m. I didn’t get to see her on the main campus when she was here three years ago because the room was packed.

Other than the keynotes, I’m looking forward to:

• Ron Oliveira, KEYE – the changing world of broadcast news. Should be really interesting, especially with all the issues going on with other stations and cable companies.
• Robert Quigley and Tony Plohetski, Austin American Statesman – Twittering the news: Covering hurricanes in 140 characters. I’m addicted to Twitter and was riveted to their @TrackingIke coverage.
• Valerie Hausladen, Enfatico -- The one-stop shop: Is it the agency of the future? This was the global agency created less than a year ago by WPP just to serve Dell. The creation of this agency (formerly known as da Vinci) was big news in the advertising and PR industry as it combined all the services Dell needs into one agency. Valerie heads the Austin office.
• James Aldrete & Frank Guerra – Targeting multicultural audiences in elections. This is a hot topic in the election. In fact, the Statesman had an article about it.
• Sheila Scarborough, Every Dot Connects & Omar Galaga, Austin American Statesman – Web 2.0 in the real world. Okay, Sheila is a friend, but she teaches this stuff ad I think it will be good.
• Kerri Qunell, Capital Area Food Bank – Non-profit PR: Using social media to spread the message. They’ve been doing some really cool stuff at CAFB.
• Rachel Elsberry, News 8 Austin -- Covering a presidential family: Lady Bird and the Johnson family. When Rachel was hired several years ago, she was told her entire job was to cover the passing of Lady Bird. She has some great stories.
• Paul Burka & Eileen Smith, Texas Monthly – Covering politics: Traditional vs. new media. Eileen was great when she spoke during Mass Comm Week three years ago, long before her Texas Monthly days.
• Dress for Success fashion show, sponsored by PRSSA. Learn how to dress for interviews and internships.
• Mike Chapman- Using new media in political campaigns. Social media guru. Follow him!
• Dave McNeely and R.G. Ratcliffe -- Covering politics, Texas style. I’m currently reading Dave’s book on Bob Bullock. The stories are great.
• Michael Pranikoff, Director of emerging media, PR Newswire. He’s coming from DC to give us insights on how to use new media in our PR campaigns.
• John MacCormack, San Antonio Express-News- Investigative reporting. I’ve wanted to have John speak ever since I saw him a few years ago on A&E. He broke the story about the death of Madeline Murray O'Hair, the atheist leader who got prayer out of public schools.

Mass Comm Week Schedule

Below is a list of speakers for Mass Comm Week Oct. 20-23 (updated 10/9/08)

Monday, Oct. 20
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Mass Comm Career Fair; LBJ Ballroom

10:30 a.m.
What form of communication is best? From e-mail to snail mail – Heloise; Texas State-Round Rock

3:30 p.m.
Sports and media relations – Avery Holton, Round Rock Express; Texas State-Round Rock, Rm. 455

6:30 p.m.
Confessions of disco maniac: The write moves – Michael Quintanilla, fashion writer, San Antonio Express-News (co-sponsored by The Society of Professional Journalists); OM 320

Tuesday, Oct. 21
9:30 a.m.
The changing world of broadcast news – Ron Oliveira, KEYE; OM 234
Brains over brawn: Using non-traditional strategies and getting the most from clients' communications budgets-- Eric Webber, Webber MJ; OM 320

11:00 a.m.
Twittering the news: Covering hurricanes in 140 characters – Robert Quigley and Tony Plohetski, Austin American Statesman; OM 320:
Photojournalism – Eric Gay, Associated Press; OM 201
Rock that internship & job – Johanna Campbell, intern; Maira Garcia, MTV intern; Andrea Michnik, George Washington University, Semester in Washington internship program; OM 234


12:30 p.m.
Being an embedded journalist – Sig Christenson, San Antonio Express News; OM 232
The principles of leadership momentum: From the voting booth to the storefront – Richard Phillips, Phillips & Co.; OM 234

2:00 p.m.
John Kelso, Austin American-Statesman columnist; OM 320
Radio News - Erika Aguilar, KUT; Robert Wood, TSN; OM 234
CANCELED - Storytelling – John Burnett, NPR; OM 320 (Burnett was sent on assignment. Session canceled)
CANCELED - Targeting multicultural audiences in elections – James Aldrete, Message, Audience & Presentation and Frank Guerra, Guerra DeBerry Coody; Prof. Federico Subervi, moderator. OM 320

3:30 p.m.
Graduate research panel; OM 201
From college radio to real world radio -- D-Train, Hot 93.3; OM 320

6:30 p.m.
Scott McClellan, former White House Press Secretary and author of the book, What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception. LBJ 4-16.1


Wednesday, Oct. 22
8:00 a.m.
Crisis communication – Pamela Baggett-Wallis, Persuasion Communication; LBJ 4-16.1

9:30 a.m.
Public affairs: PR for the public good -- Elizabeth Christian, Elizabeth Christian PR and Randall Dillard, Texas Secretary of State; OM 234
Online video: Where it is and where it is heading – Burnie Burns, Rooster Teeth Productions; OM 232
The one-stop shop: Is it the agency of the future? -- Valerie Hausladen, Enfatico; OM 320
Pitching 101: Learn from PR pros – PRSA, Austin Chapter; OM 238

11:00 a.m.
Web 2.0 in the real world – Sheila Scarborough, Every Dot Connects; Kim Haynes, Bulldog Solutions and Omar Galaga, Austin American Statesman; OM 320
Promotions Role in the Marketing Mix -- Dawn Duplantier Robinette, DDR Communications; OM 232
Politics & the Paper Trail -- W. Gardner Selby, Austin American-Statesman; OM 201
Pitching 101: Learn from PR pros – PRSA, Austin Chapter; OM 238

12:30 p.m.
Energy PR – Will Holford, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative; Ed Clark, Austin Energy and Colin Rowan, I&O Communications; ASBS 315:
Using experiential advertising and PR to target Hispanic consumers -- Liz Arreaga, Mercury Mambo; OM 234
Video production: Foreign affairs, politics & the NBA-- Craig Cuny, Lone Star Directions; OM 232
Pitching 101: Learn from PR pros – PRSA, Austin Chapter; OM 238

2:00 p.m.
Non-profit PR: Using social media to spread the message – Kerri Qunell, Capital Area Food Bank; OM 320
Covering a presidential family: Lady Bird and the Johnson family -- Rachel Elsberry, News 8 Austin; OM 234
Music and entertainment journalism – Richard Skanse, Texas Music Magazine and Stewart Ramser, Ramser Media; OM 232
Public relations & health -- Debbie Field, Texas A&M Health Science Center; Texas State-Round Rock

3:30 p.m.
Covering politics: Traditional vs. new media – Paul Burka & Eileen Smith, Texas Monthly; Alkek 250
Sports PR – Erin Griffin, Cohn & Wolfe and Rick Poulter, Texas State; OM 320

7:00 p.m.
Dress for Success fashion show (sponsored by PRSSA); LBJSC


Thursday, Oct. 23
8:00 a.m.
10 things to know about working in PR– Anne Tiedt, Anne L. Tiedt Communications; CENT 157

9:30 a.m.
Using new media in political campaigns -- Mike Chapman, Every Dot Connects; OM 320
Covering politics, Texas style -- Dave McNeely and R.G. Ratcliffe; OM 232

11:00 a.m.
Communications in the Web 2.0 world -- Michael Pranikoff, PR Newswire; OM 320
Spanish language media coverage of politics – Lydia Camarillo, Southwest Voter Education Project; Liz Lopez, columnist, El Mundo Austin; Maria Flores, UT-Austin; Prof. Federico Subervi, moderator; OM 234
The Land of New Biz in the Agency World: Stories from the Edge – Glenda Goehrs, formerly of GSD&M; OM 232
Photography ethics and law -- Alicia Wagner Calzada, President Emeritus of the NPPA; OM 201

12:30 p.m.
Investigative reporting - John MacCormack, San Antonio Express-News; OM 232
Political attack ads: From LBJ to the present – Dean Rindy, Rindy Miller Media; OM 234

2:00 p.m.
Ad/PR Alumni Panel: What I didn’t learn in school; OM 320
Mike Vela, The Children’s Shelter
Emily Shaw, I&O Communication
Patrick Quinn, Reagan National Advertising and Qmunications Management
Katie Mullins Cook, Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau

Journalism Alumni & Pros Panel: What I didn’t learn in school; OM 234
Erica Hernandez, KGNS-TV producer/reporter
Joe Ruiz, KSAT-TV San Antonio, online editor
Alicia Lacy, Killeen Daily Herald reporter
Jennifer McInnis, 210SA, copy editor


6:30 p.m.
Multimedia Elements in Feature Writing --Terry Bertling, San Antonio Express-News; Helen Anders, Austin American-Statesman and Kevin Robbins, Austin American-Statesman; OM 102C

7:00 p.m.
SPJ movie night – Shattered Glass, OM 234

Note: Schedule is subject to change.