April 2000
MEETINGS
Next at SPJ ...
Ground Zero in West Fort Worth:
KRLD's Dean Has a Tornado Story to Tell
Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist Jody Dean will relate his experiences covering the west Fort Worth tornado as keynote speaker at the scholarship banquet April 26. Calling in from the Trinity Terrace retirement high-rise just west of downtown, Dean gave one of the first eye-witness accounts in the aftermath of the March 28 storm. He continued filing reports as he tracked the devastation up and down 7th Street.
Dean is the "morning guy," his words, at Newsradio 1080 KRLD, then shifts gears for an afternoon stint before the KTVT-TV cameras as co-host of "Positively Texas!" Besides being associate producer for the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network, the graduate of Paschal High School and Abilene Christian University also is a former rodeo announcer and for 12 years has coached 9- and 10-year-olds on the Tigers Little League team; he may elaborate if anyone asks. He has two sons, Nolan and Forrest.
Around $7,000 is expected to be awarded to almost a dozen students at the dinner, much of it in the names of current and former leaders of the Tarrant County journalism community -- Donna Darovich, Jack Tinsley, Staley and Beverly McBrayer, Al Panzera, Jerry Flemmons, Joe Holstead and Lina Davis.
* Date: Wednesday, April 26
* Time: mingling 6:30 p.m. (cash bar), dinner 7
* Place: Ben Hogan's country club, Shady Oaks, 320 Roaring Springs Road
* Cost: $25; $15 students and professionals with two years or less experience; honorees free
* Menu: house salad with that once-a-year dijon/honey dressing, chicken "California," duchess potatoes, broccoli flowerettes, tomato parmesan, cheesecake with strawberry sauce
* RSVP: (817) 877-1171 or mailto:doti1@aol.com; no-shows will be billed
-----
Next at IABC ... Regardless of Your Message, Make Me Laugh First
Chuckles will be a hot topic -- as well as a desired result -- at the April 11 program on "Communication: Whatever It Takes." Dr. M. Patricia Webb, director of instructional media at Tarrant County College Northeast Campus, has learned in nearly 30 years as a professional communicator that humor helps sell almost any message. She says she may be preaching to the choir, but she hopes to show the importance of keeping a sense of humor in today's workplace.
* Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, April 11
* Place: Petroleum Club, UPR Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor; UPR garage parking at 7th and Commerce streets
* Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers
* Reservations by noon April 7: (817) 460-2609 or mailto:jan@jgary.com
-----
Next at PRSA ...
For a Good Cause: Marketers to Enliven Pro-Am Day
A trio of business pros will explore the pitfalls and payoffs of cause-related marketing April 14 as PRSA members show students the ropes and the nachos, too, at the Pro-Am Day program and lunch at Joe T. Garcia's.
Larry's Shoes VP Matthew Hudson, 12-year retail veteran and soon-to-be-published author ("Building a Culturiffic Service Team"), in 1999 started Sole Hope, a nonprofit foundation that collects shoes with some life left and gets them to people in need. Similarly philanthropic, Tasa Lefler manages Fort Worth-based Pier 1 Imports' involvement with local charities. To generate the resources that Pier 1 returns to the community, Julie Hatch as associate PR manager is responsible for having Pier 1 products featured in magazines and newspapers and on television.
* Date: Friday, April 14
* Time: 11:45 a.m., lunch served at noon
* Place: Joe T. Garcia's Mexican restaurant, 2201 N. Commerce St.
* Cost: $16 members, $19 nonmembers, $15 students
* RSVP by noon April 12: (817) 347-8649 or mailto:bpoer@hsc.unt.edu
========================================
STRAIGHT STUFF
Dallas SPJ will hold a happy-hour "reverse press conference'' at 6 p.m. April 20 at the Belo Mansion, 2101 Ross Ave., headquarters of the co-sponsoring Dallas Bar Association. Lawyers will cross-examine journalists -- Robert Riggs of WFAA-TV, Becky Oliver of KDFW-TV, Jim Ryan of WBAP-AM and Mark Curriden, Dallas Morning News legal affairs reporter -- about why they do those annoying things they do. RSVP to Sue Cady, (214) 220-7477 or mailto:scady@dallasbar.org.
-----
TCU is seeking candidates for Student Publications director. Eva Rumpf is moving back to Wisconsin to be closer to family and follow other pursuits. Contact the head of the journalism news-editorial sequence, Dr. Earnest L. Perry Jr., TCU Box 298060, Fort Worth 76129; (817) 257-6545 or mailto:e.perry@tcu.edu.
-----
Reminder 1: Final deadline is April 5 to enter the IABC/Fort Worth Bronze Quill competition. Go to
http://iabc.com/chapters/us_5/fortworth/index.html. Additional info: Pat McCombs, (817) 871-6128 or mailto:mccombp@ci.fort-worth.tx.us. ... Reminder 2: Registration deadline is April 20 for the Region 8 SPJ convention in Austin on May 13-14, held in conjunction with The Poynter Institute's National Writers Workshop. Call (877) 900-9080 or go to http://austin360.com/nww. No FW SPJ meeting in May.
-----
FOI Frustrations: 'Madness' of a Different Type
by Brenda Davis
ARLINGTON -- While talk at Friday's Front Row Sports Grill swirled around the NCAA basketball tournament, another type of "madness" took center court at a meeting March 16 of the Fort Worth and Dallas SPJ chapters. Madness as in frustration at obtaining files that are considered part of the Texas Open Records Act.
Denton Record-Chronicle reporter Charles Siderius related his ongoing battle with Denton County Judge Kirk Wilson to obtain the judge's mail correspondence. In a ruling Jan. 26, Attorney General John Cornyn said county judges are not exempt because technically they are not members of the judiciary.
"Now the judge is saying that the cost of providing the requested documents is costing the taxpayers money," Siderius said. "Maybe so, but since we started receiving the communications we have uncovered an unreported rabies alert, a water problem in a county building and a convicted child molester receiving thousands of dollars worth of chemo treatments at taxpayers' expense."
WFAA-TV's Brett Shipp and the Dallas Observer's Jim Schutze have their own problems. Shipp, who covers the Dallas independent school district, said public records have become scarce since Bill Rojas took over as superintendent late last year. "It appears that anyone at the DISD who complies with supplying media requests is removed," Shipp said. "Those who are now in charge are finding loopholes in the requests, and doors that used to be open to the media are now locked. Even the media relations office is locked tight." He said that Channel 8 has to threaten to sue nearly every time it requests information.
Schutze, who recently wrote about cost overruns on the Trinity River project, warned of the difficulties inherent in requesting public information documents. He advised not to over-request. "It is far better to be specific and get what you're looking for than to be too vague and receive boxes upon boxes of nonessential material," he said. He also urged timeliness in retrieving requested documents. "If you don't pick up the material, then those involved will make certain it is returned to the files. Then you're back to square one."
In an FOI update, attorney Tom Williams mentioned Texas Senate Bill 1851, which allows the attorney general to issue an open records opinion without a specific request. Of the two SB 1851 opinions issued so far, the first states that information must be made available within a reasonable time without delay. "The law does not now, nor has it ever, had a 10-day waiting limit," Williams said. "However, the governing body does have 10 days to ask for an attorney general's opinion."
The second opinion, known as Ordinance 665, prohibits a governing body from automatically seeking an attorney general's opinion just to stall a public record request. The governing body can still request a ruling, but the reasons have to be more than just a delay tactic.
Williams suggests that reporters obtain the 76th Legislative Addendum. Write FOIFT, 400 S. Record St., Suite 240, Dallas 75202; cost is $34.95. A wealth of information also is available at the attorney general's website -- http://www.oag.state.tx.us -- including downloadable versions of the Administrative Law Handbook, Open Meetings Handbook and Public Information Handbook.
========================================
PEOPLE & PLACES
The AP Sports Editors voted the Star-Telegram's Nolan Ryan Hall of Fame section one of the Top 10 special sections of 1999 in the largest circulation category. The judges told sports editor Celeste Williams that the section was the best entry submitted. Two other Top 10 finishes: Charean Williams, for a story on how former TCU coach Phil Bennett, now Kansas State defensive coordinator, dealt with the death of his wife, and the year-long Century in Sports series. The S-T sports section also was voted one of the Top 20 daily and Sunday sections in the largest circulation category. ... The TCU Department of Journalism gave its latest Ethics Award to Bob Steele, leader of the Ethics Group at The Poynter Institute and a published scholar on media coverage of tragedies and the use of hidden cameras. Steele received the award during his stay in February as the TCU Green Honors Chair in Journalism. The award has been presented to 14 mass communicators in the past 12 years, including Phil Record and Bob Ray Sanders, Fort Worth Star-Telegram; Marty Haag, Belo Corp.; Ken Bunting, Seattle Post-Intelligencer; and TCU writing coach Paul LaRocque. ...
They might not be whispering to one another, but Libby Afflerbach and horses just have a better understanding these days after the S-T night city editor spent five weeks at horse camp (http://equest.org). Working five days a week at a stable in Wylie, east of Dallas, she completed an intensive course to become a nationally registered instructor in therapeutic horseback riding. For more than two years Libby has volunteered with Wings of Hope Equitherapy, south of Burleson, which offers horseback riding for disabled children and adults. A new facility with covered arena is opening this spring, and Libby says volunteers are always needed to lead horses and sidewalk with the riders. "No horse experience necessary," she says. "We train you." Reach her at (817) 390-7683 or mailto:lafflerbach@star-telegram.com. ... The Arc's Liz Moore is taking a sabbatical to realize her dream of discovering small-town America. Details on a fascinating adventure at http://www.metronet.com/~lizmoore. Meanwhile, Arc colleague Jim Humphrey has office space to share, complete with Internet ISDN line, near The Parks mall in south Arlington. Contact Jim at (817) 468-8174 or mailto:jimhumphrey@thearcpub.com. ... This from PRSA newsletter coordinator Elizabeth Eslick: "Have you received a promotion and want to brag? Getting married? Did you just have a baby? Going on a six-month European cruise? Tell us about it!" Contact Elizabeth at mailto:ware@waymark.net or fax (817) 496-7880.
========================================
NEW MEMBERS, WELCOME
SPJ ... Dr. Julian Haber, a physician in behavioral developmental pediatrics and also an avid writer (his "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: the Great Misdiagnosis" is due out in August); he has written articles for Good Housekeeping, Healthy Kids magazine, medical journals -- and he's a poet ... Gary Hardee, recently promoted from editor to associate publisher at the Arlington Star-Telegram; he has been at the S-T since leaving the Dallas Times Herald in 1991 and has also been the S-T deputy executive editor and Sunday editor ... Bob Ray Sanders, an S-T columnist for the last six years and emotive luminary in the Gridiron Show; from 1972 forward he played everything from a witch doctor to a klansman to the speaker of the House, Jim Wright, his favorite role Jesse Jackson as Michael Jackson, singing "Billie Jean" for Geraldine Ferraro's VP bid.
IABC ... Karen J. Sebastian, an electronic publishing designer/editor with Union Pacific Resources.
========================================
COMINGS & GOINGS
Additions ... at the S-T: Douglas Perry, previously executive editor for special projects at Bauer Publishing Co. LP, the largest magazine publisher in Europe; arts editor ... Glen Fest, native Oklahoman and veteran Texas newspaper reporter; Northeast business writer.
Exits ... at the S-T: features editor Eric Celeste, to the Dallas Observer as associate editor/media critic ... Hillery Smith-Garrison, now one of 10 Associated Press photographers in the Washington, D.C., bureau; she had been the only African-American female newspaper photographer in North Texas ... Cari Bambach, leaving the business design desk for a marketing job in Arlington ... Jeanne Graham, leaving Arlington for Austin.
========================================
FROM THE PRESIDENT Kim Speairs / PRSA
I write this four days after our first service project of 2000, and my muscles have finally stopped aching. Rachel Donahue, Jade Hoffman, Eliz Hopkins, Nancy O'Malley, Beth Park and I braved a cold drizzle March 18 to dig holes, transplant flowers and pull weeds in a Habitat for Humanity landscaping outreach. The homeowner was a disabled man, extremely appreciative, with two young sons. What a thrill to contribute to our community and also network with fellow professionals in a fun, casual environment. Thanks to the community service subcommittee -- chairwoman Eliz, Jade and Audrianne Schneider -- for arranging this.
* Pro-Am Day promotes our profession *
Student liaison co-chair Pamela Smith has done a terrific job organizing Pro-Am Day, and she's not finished. Call her at (817) 737-9990 ext. 130, and she'll fax a form for you to list an internship or job opening you have. This information will be provided to the students at the Pro-Am Day luncheon. Having participated as both a "pro" and an "am," I know the importance of this experience. Be a part of it any way you can.
* New York trip brings home results of dues increase *
The leadership rally in January at the national offices was an eye-opening great time. It was the first of several moves funded by the national dues increase, including: 1) launch of the IMiS database, which will let you update directory info through the PRSA website; 2) hiring a chief public relations officer; 3) developing professional development programs; and 4) creating a speakers bureau. As these programs take shape, you'll know more.
-----
PRESIDENT'S COLUMN Jan Gary / IABC
Happy April (don't be a fool!). Plan to join us on the 11th for another exciting meeting. Last month's was outstanding, with Drenda Witt recognized as the IABC/Fort Worth Communicator of the Year 2000. More than 70 attendees enjoyed Drenda's remarks as she shared her major challenges over the years. As anticipated, she was both humorous and helpful.
IABC/International reports member satisfaction at a record 97 percent and membership in excess of 13,000 with a goal of 15,000 in the next six months. As part of an aggressive campaign to meet that goal, IABC/International is asking IABC/Fort Worth for a prospective member list. If you'd like to know more about IABC, just e-mail your mailing address to me at mailto:jan@jgary.com. This is a great time to join IABC. The international conference June 25-28 is in Vancouver, B.C., and I'm going -- hope to see you there.
-----
OVER & OUT John Dycus / SPJ
If you like to write; want to write better; wrote your mom once and might again someday, only with more active verbs (she gave you life, she deserves your best): The SPJ-Poynter National Writers Workshop in Austin next month -- see elsewhere in this E-Chaser -- will give you reason to live. Geneva Overholser, Bud Shrake, Kurt Andersen, Buzz Bissinger, Leonard Pitts and Molly Ivins front a cast of 34 scribes representing Glamour, GQ, Life, Maxim, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Texas Monthly, The New Republic, Mother Jones, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, George, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, The Onion, The Philadelphia Inquirer, more than 30 books written, one stage play, five feature films, one screenplay, two television movies, four National Magazine Awards received, four Emmys, one Peabody, five National Headliner Awards and 13 Pulitzer Prizes! Could very well be a road trip.