July 2000
Life With a Passion, Friendliness With a Flair:
JACKIE ARNOLD, 1934-2000
She was the queen of customer service, making you feel, in that moment across the counter, that she'd been waiting all day for you to drop by. Flamboyant, always learning, she was unforgettable in every positive sense of the word. She took classes in Spanish, acting and guitar. She grabbed a bit part in a movie once and loved Shakespeare. She would speed off from work for tennis lessons or jazz dance or tap or fencing.
Jackie Arnold, for 18 years a Star-Telegram employee, died of cancer June 19. But not before conquering life.
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MEETINGS
Next at IABC ...
Need a Little Clarity in Your Business Day?
Entrepreneurs, listen up. Is your company having trouble sticking to a formal plan? Getting and keeping good people? Setting meaningful goals? What about your life? Can you delegate? Are you bogged down?
Join IABC/Fort Worth on July 11 as David Hall explains "The Business Clarity Solution," designed to help entrepreneurs adopt a focused corporate strategy while maintaining balance in their lives. If these sound like competing aims, Hall will explain how to achieve both personal growth and a business plan, buoyed by a support structure that will strengthen all aspects of life.
* Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, July 11
* Place: Petroleum Club, UPR Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor; garage is at Seventh and Commerce streets
* Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers, $11 students; walk-ins an additional $2
* RSVP by July 7: Arden Dufilho, (817) 336-2491 ext. 259, or mailto:adufilho@fortworthchamber.com
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Next at PRSA ...
An International Primer: So How Does PR Play Out in Pakistan?
In the shrinking world of business, public relations has not been left behind. Propelled by the Internet, U.S. public relations practitioners enter the global arena daily. Dr. Doug Newsom, APR, Fellow PRSA, will explore the socio-economic and political environment of international PR at the July meeting, explaining five major factors to consider in understanding PR in other countries, and three worldwide PR concepts and assumptions. A TCU journalism professor and former head of the department, she has co-authored several textbooks and papers. She was a Fulbright lecturer in India in 1988 and Singapore in 1999.
* Time & date: noon Wednesday, July 12
* Place: Dee J. Kelly Alumni and Visitors Center, 2820 Stadium Drive across from the TCU student center
* Cost: $16 members, $19 guests, $15 students
* RSVP by noon July 10: (817) 347-8649 or mailto:roger@ctmf.org
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Next at SPJ ...
'No Gusts, No Glory':
Like Twain's Obit and Truman's Defeat, Post-tornado Downtown's Demise Premature
Weeks after an F2 tornado buried Fort Worth's twister invincibility under a pile of high-rise ground glass, the images linger of police barricades redrawing the downtown grid, of papers and furniture being sucked out of windowless towers, of ... well, of a TV newsman in a yellow hard hat ominously intoning, "Downtown is closed!" Which, of course, it wasn't. Then again, stunned by revenue losses, did civic leaders try to hype everyone into returning before the place was really ready?
Three men on all sides of the issue -- Doug Harman, FW Convention & Visitors Bureau president; Mayor Kenneth Barr and NBC 5 general manager Stephen Doerr -- will share their opinions at the July program. And where else to hold this last meeting of the chapter year but at the Renaissance Worthington, with dinner on the bridge (and valet parking included in your cost).
* Date: Tuesday, July 18
* Time: mingling 6:15 p.m., dinner 7, program 7:45
* Place: Renaissance Worthington Hotel, 200 Main St.
* Cost: $20 members, $25 nonmembers, $10 students
* Menu: pecan- and herb-crusted chicken with jalapeño peach salsa, vegetable, twice-baked potato, Boston lettuce salad with mandarin oranges, and for dessert strawberry sorbet; cash bar
* RSVP: (817) 877-1171 or mailto:doti1@aol.com
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STRAIGHT STUFF
Dallas SPJ has proclaimed another SPJ night at The Ballpark in Arlington, July 25, Texas vs. Anaheim. Katherine Garner (mailto:klgarner@swbell.net) and Lola McNally (mailto:lmcnally@mfi.com) have tickets. Good time guaranteed. ... Lockheed Martin needs a communications manager. Salary $35,000-$77,500, based on experience and education. Call Lori Gresham, (281) 853-3180, fax (281) 853-3345. ... FW Weekly needs an "experienced art director/miracle worker," writes FWW staffer P.A. Humphrey, who can "pull snazzy covers out of his ear using nothing but a fuzzy copy of a mug shot and a manipulating computer program. Must work cheap." Call editor John Forsyth, (817) 335-9559. ... Job openings abound at the Pier 1 home office in Sundance Square. Contact Susan Stephens, (817) 252-8155 or mailto:sastephens@pier1.com. ... PRSA's school supplies drive continues. Bring items to the luncheon. Info: Eliz Hopkins, mailto:ekhopkins@mail.com.
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Local Stories, Just a Mouse Click Away,
Called Critical to Survival of News Business
by Brenda Davis
For the news industry to be viable in 20 years, a step backward into the future may be in order. Karla Stanley, KXAS-TV director of interactive content, and KVIL 103.7 morning news anchor Mitch Carr told Fort Worth SPJ in June that localizing news may keep the business strong. "Saturating the market to like it was in the late '50s or early '60s may be necessary," Stanley said. "National news is available 24/7 on hundreds of channels, but local issues aren't."
Carr emphasized how the Internet's immediacy is changing news. He said he once considered radio the first news source followed by television and then newspapers, but not now. Stanley, who moved from Cincinnati to lead NBC 5's Internet presence, cited a recent Irving story where a scaffolding collapsed, leaving two men dangling midway up a high-rise building. Instead of the usual 15-second mention, the station's Web site detailed the ordeal.
"People who were driving down the interstate and saw the two men on the side of the building were interested in what happened," she said. "These same people may have missed the nightly news program. The Web site offered them another avenue to find out what happened."
Neither Stanley nor Carr seemed overly concerned with inaccuracies posted on the Net by fast-buck or sloppy reporters. "Most people see through the Matt Drudges of this medium," she said. "Resorting to sensationalized stories may gain a temporary ratings increase, but it won't keep the viewers."
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Settlement Still Pending in Snyder Defamation Suit
Three months after KXAS-TV news anchor Mike Snyder sued SPJ, The Poynter Institute for Media Studies and others over an ethics textbook, the suit remained unresolved. "We're still talking," said SPJ attorney Bob Lystad. Both sides had said early on that they hoped to settle the defamation suit out of court.
Snyder asserts in a Tarrant County suit filed March 21 that the textbook "Doing Ethics in Journalism" contains a made-up conflict-of-interest case study that maligns him by saying he emceed gubernatorial campaign rallies for George W. Bush during 1994. The primary defendants have acknowledged mistakes in the case study but called them immaterial and denied the defamation allegations.
"This suit is over the fabrication of a story and a creation of facts to fit a scenario," Snyder told Star-Telegram writer Linda P. Campbell. "They violated the very ethics rules ... that they preach on." Snyder said he never introduced Bush "anywhere for any reason."
The Poynter's Bob Steele and professors Jay Black of the University of South Florida and Ralph Barney of Brigham Young University wrote the textbook. It was first distributed at the society's 1997 convention, and a third edition came out last year.
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TCU Unveils Master's Journalism Program
TCU will offer a master of science in news/editorial journalism beginning this fall, the only degree of its kind in the area. The degree is geared toward mid-career professionals who wish to move into media management, strengthen their hands-on skills or gain a deeper understanding of print and electronic media in society.
The nonthesis degree will require 36 graduate hours. Two classes will be offered this fall -- Proseminar in Journalism and Mass Communication, an introductory course, and Literature of Mass Communication, which will examine major works in journalism. "Candidates will already have the basics," said journalism chairman Tommy Thomason. "We want to provide them the tools to move to the next level."
Call the department office, (817) 257-7425, or Dr. Earnest Perry, head of the news/editorial sequence, (817) 257-6545. Applicants must have an undergraduate degree and/or some media experience.
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PEOPLE & PLACES
Stop the presses on the PRSA directory. LaTonyie Jarrett is now LaTonyie Taylor. She and Tyson Taylor wed June 16 in Botanic Garden. ... See the need, meet the need. Dallas businesswoman Betty Swinners intends for her new speakers bureau/multicultural training company, Diversity Speakers (http://www.diversityspeakers.com), to become "a key partner in providing expert diverse speakers on every subject imaginable, with an emphasis on Hispanic, Asian, African-American and Middle Eastern cultures." Call her, (972) 864-5516, or e-mail mailto:diversityspeaker@aol.com.
Kudos & Contracts ... The Star-T's Dave Lieber, a.k.a. the Yankee Cowboy Everybody Loves to Hate, won second place in the National Society of Newspaper Columnists' first online columnists contest. Judge Steve Outing, Editor and Publisher's interactive columnist, reasoned: "Dave should be commended for pushing the envelope of what a columnist can be using Internet technology. I was so pleased to see an entrant who recognized that column writing online could be so much more than text. Also, the writing he does -- especially as J.R. Lieber -- probably wouldn't fly in the print edition of his newspaper. He demonstrates how the Web is a great medium for trying out new and innovative techniques for storytelling and humor." Which is to say, good job, Dave. ... FW Weekly's Betty Brink added a first-place Association of Alternative Newsweeklies award for criminal justice reporting to her IRE second place for the story on the Carswell women's prison. ... To create a communications program for its Leadership Training Initiative, the Camp Fire Boys and Girls First Texas Council selected Stuart Bacon, which PRWeek recently named one of the 20 fastest-growing agencies by percentage growth in U.S. income. Also making the publication's rankings was BSMG, named a Top 10 U.S. PR agency and a Top 20 fastest-growing agency by dollar growth in U.S. income. ... Carl Morris Associates, which publishes a newsletter on media people of color, ranks the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Dallas Morning News among the nation's top 10 newspapers for diversity.
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COMINGS & GOINGS
Additions ... at the S-T: David Ellison, formerly with the Houston Post and most recently at the Houston Chronicle as a specialty reporters team leader and assistant city editor; state editor ... Northwestern grad Jean Marie Brown, formerly at The Charlotte Observer in several editor capacities and with The Wall Street Journal in Chicago; city editor ... U. of Houston grad Darrin Schlegel, formerly business editor at the San Antonio Express-News and before that a writer at the Arlington Morning News, Houston Business Journal and the Waco Tribune-Herald; senior deputy sports editor ... Michelle Martinez, since 1995 with The Times-Picayune in New Orleans; sports agate desk.
Promotions ... at the S-T: O.K. Carter, to editorial page director in Arlington ... Cody Bailey, to deputy sports editor, supervising the designers and special sections.
Shiftings ... Karen Brooks, from S-T NE on health and human services to downtown covering Tarrant County.
Exits ... FW Weekly art director Eric Almendral, to New Times weekly in Los Angeles.
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FROM THE PRESIDENT Kim Speairs / PRSA
Not content with just vacationing or catching up on their reading, some PRSA members are experiencing exciting changes this summer, and as a result, our chapter continues to evolve and grow.
* Southern hospitality *
Chapter director Carolyn Hodge, APR, has graciously agreed to add hospitality chair to her list of titles. Thanks also to Roger Partridge for overseeing hospitality in June while I was on vacation.
* A true treasure *
Citing a possible time conflict with his job as an account executive for BSMG Worldwide in Irving, new online editor Jerrod Resweber has resigned as treasurer-elect. For more than four years a tireless worker -- job bank coordinator, newsletter editor, District Conference planner -- he surprised no one when, even though he quit one chapter position, he offered to take another. Thank you, Jerrod, for all you do for our chapter.
* Flying high *
Transplanted Jim Sabourin, APR, now corporate communications VP for America West Airlines, served the chapter as a director, awards chair and accreditation chair. "I have enjoyed my time in the Greater Fort Worth Chapter of PRSA. My best to all of you and to PRSA," he writes. "I have a hunch our paths will cross again. If you are ever in Phoenix, please look me up." Jim, we all wish you the best.
* Membership directories *
Keeping track of these changes should be easier with our new 2000 directory, which features a larger binder and alphabetical tabs. Get your copy at the July luncheon. Be sure to thank president-elect/membership chair Mary Dulle, who handled production, and her company, Alcon Labs, which provided the printing.
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PRESIDENT'S COLUMN Arden Dufilho / IABC
A little over a year ago, I was asked about becoming president-elect of IABC/Fort Worth. I was interested, but overwhelmed. I was just starting a job at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and wondered how it would impact that. I told myself, "No problem. I've got a year to prepare for this."
I know time seems to speed up as you get older, but never has a year flown so quickly. As of our last meeting, the highly successful Bronze Quill Awards, I am president. Or as my husband calls me, "Queen of the Universe." I truly want this to be a successful time for IABC/Fort Worth and hope to see more and more members at our meetings. We've had a modest growth spurt over the past year and added some terrific members. Two of them, Patrick Grady and Lydia Murphy, have agreed to serve on the board, and I'm very grateful. Pat McCombs, who has been greatly responsible for our recent Bronze Quill success, now finds herself where I was last year, president-elect. We hope to start projects on my watch that will come to fruition on hers, but we will need your help.
Are you with us for networking? The programs? Or just a lunch out of the office? Let me know how we can enhance your membership. Reach me at (817) 336-2491 ext. 259, or mailto:adufilho@fortworthchamber.com. For our terms in office to be successful, we must serve you. It's a challenge we look forward to.
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OVER & OUT John Dycus / SPJ
This month's panel on how the media covered the reopening of downtown after the March 28 tornado hails Wanda Conlin's final sally as programs VP. Fort Worth SPJ graced me with outstanding board members this year, and none more diligent and productive, in a high-profile job, than Wanda. If you appreciated Tracy Rowlett's insights, the Wedgwood church shootings panel, the discussion on how much Internet is too much Internet -- thank Wanda. I do. ...
They may be mad at the front office, but members of the Austin pro chapter still raised more than $1,000 for the SPJ Legal Defense Fund at the regional meeting silent auction. Among the items auctioned off was the AP typewriter used to bang out the 1966 story of the sniper shooting at UT Austin. The bid sheet was scrolled into the machine so people could type their bids.