Agnew: "I Think Brooklyn is Super Obnoxious."

SEAN AGNEW OF R5 Productions, a local indie music promoter, spoke on campus last week about the Philly music scene and the coverage it receives. In case you didn't catch his visit, here are a few things that he said:- He used to see a bump in ticket sales after the alt weeklies previewed his shows. He doesn't see that bump anymore.- He promoted more than 300 shows in 2009. "Seeing that many bands is awful," Agnew joked. "Nobody should have to do...

Is Sports Talk Radio Journalism?

TONY KORNHEISER, co-host of ESPN's Pardon the Interruption, was suspended after ridiculing a fellow ESPN colleague during Kornheiser's radio show.This is what Kornheiser (above, left) said about Hannah Storm, a SportsCenter host:"Hannah Storm in a horrifying, horrifying outfit today. She’s got on red go-go boots and a catholic school plaid skirt … way too short for somebody in her 40s or maybe early 50s by now.” [She's 47.] “She’s got on her typically...

Do Banished Journalists Deserve a 2nd Chance?

FORMER PHILLY BROADCASTER and convicted felon Larry Mendte is back on television, doing commentaries for Tribune TV stations. Is there anything wrong with that?For background: Mendte is a Delaware County guy and Bonner grad. He worked at TV stations across the country and hosted Access Hollywood before returning to Philly in the 1990s. He was fired from CBS3 in 2008 (a few weeks after he visited J1111) after it was discovered that he had hacked into his colleague's email more than 500 times, leaking info from her email to tabloid reporters. He...

Would You Stand On Principle and Miss a Gigantic (and Totally Staged) Story?

TIGER WOODS FINALLY spoke to the public last week, nearly three months after revelations of his sexual escapades became tabloid fodder. Woods orchestrated a press conference where he presented his statement to only a handful of reporters and cameras, took no questions, and disappeared. When the Golf Writers Association of America learned of the ground rules before the event, they declined to cover the press conference. The 950-member organization...

Freelance Journalism: You Never Get Praise. You Just Get More Work.

FREELANCE JOURNALISM veterans Beth D'Addono and JoAnn Greco said they wouldn't trade their careers for full-time jobs any day. They work from home, travel, eat well and control their lives (to some extent). But freelancing isn't easy. Here are a few things that stood out for me from their visit to class yesterday:- It can take several years to build steady work as a freelancer.- The time between your doing the work and getting paid can be long -...

White House to Photogs: No "Hello Dalai."

THE WHITE HOUSE did not allow outside photojournalists to photograph the meeting between the Dalai Lama and Barack Obama. Instead, the White House distributed the above image to media outlets.The Washington Post and New York Times refused to publish the government-issued image. The Associated Press refused to distribute the image to their members around the world."Government-controlled coverage is not acceptable in societies that promote freedom,"...

Do You Have the Right To Bitch About Your Teachers Online?

A STUDENT IN FLORIDA was suspended after creating a facebook page about a teacher she did not get along with. The page was titled, “Ms. Sarah Phelps is the worst teacher I’ve ever had."The student was suspended for three days even though the page had been deleted. She filed a lawsuit against the principal, arguing that her First Amendment rights were violated. A federal judge recently decided that the case can go to trial.Do you have the right to...

The Big Story? It Snowed. No Kidding?

SOME LOCAL NEWS stations broadcast weather reports for more than ten hours per day during the snow storm last week. The newspapers were full of stories and images of the snow. Was it too much?6ABC reported that over a two day period, they received more than 5 million page views on their website. They credited their audience submitted images (snowtographs) as a major attraction. More than 10,000 images were submitted to the site.Is weather so important...

Weatherman Freak Out: Good TV or Just Odd?

IT SNOWED a lot this week. And if you've watched local television news, you've likely seen reporters standing in the snow, telling you that it snowed a lot. You've probably also seen a lot of maps, radar images, statistics, bundled up kids sledding, collapsed roofs, people shoveling and snowmen. Watch the video above. Is it good television or just plain strange? Is he genuinely annoyed or putting on a show? If his frustration is real, should he be revealing that during the newsca...

Would You Hire a Hooker For Your Job?

A NEW YORK POST reporter flew to Nevada to spend the night with Markus, a 25-year old ex-Marine whom the Post is billing as the first ever legal male prostitute. She even paid the $500 tab for his services.Here is a bit of her story:“So,” Markus says after leaning over and kissing my knee, “we’re going to get undressed and then take a shower. Then we can both inspect each other to make sure there are no discrepancies.”Minutes later, as we’re standing...

Is it Acceptable to Learn About Covering Tragedy in the Middle of a Tragedy?

A PHOTOJOURNALIST NAMED Zoriah is offering a specialized photojournalism workshop next month - in Haiti, where an earthquake recently devastated the country."Subjects covered will be working in disaster zones and other difficult and dangerous situations, survival and logistics in difficult environments, photograph people, working with NGO's (Non Governmental Organizations) and aid organizations, editing and digital darkroom technique and marketing...

Magee: Fox News Is Right Down the Middle.

KEVIN MAGEE BEGAN his college career as an electrical engineering major at Drexel. After a few days at his first college internship, he recalls, "I thought I was going to die."Then he found the campus radio station, WKDU, and fell in love with the medium. To become further trained in broadcast, he transferred to Temple.After stints at KYW News Radio, KYW TV, NJN, ABC Radio, Good Morning America and CNBC, Kevin now serves as the vice president at...

Andersen: Broadcasting Baseball Isn't Easy.

PHILLIES BROADCASTER AND former professional baseball player Larry Andersen says that when he's calling games, he tries to find that balance between being honest and keeping his employers (the team) happy. It isn't always easy. After all, he began his on-air career with the team in 1998, a pretty dark era in Phillies history.Anyway, here are a few other things that stood out for me from his visit today:- He arrives at the ballpark at least three...