WASHINGTON, D.C. – The latest evidence of financial viability of microlocal news comes from an article in the Wall Street Journal describing the Register-Star, a successful newspaper in Hudson, a town in Columbia County, New York. The formula is a familiar one: "a rich diet of local politics, education news, crime, school sports and people stories." And according to the Journal article, the Register-Star never relied on classified advertising as heavily as the major metro dailies, all of which have seen their classified ad revenue eviscerated by craigslist.com. But that's another blog; let's go back to the editorial side, to……Continue Reading Two Newspaper Models: Microlocal success, large market challenges
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Concert & Conversation: Peter Buffett
In partnership with the USC Thornton School of Music and the USC Marshall School of Business, USC Annenberg's Center on Communication Leadership & Policy presents a concert and conversation with Grammy Award-winning musician Peter Buffett. He has released 15 records and scored the memorable "Fire Dance" scene in the Oscar-winning film Dances With Wolves. He also composed the full score for 500 Nations, the eight-hour Emmy Award-winning CBS miniseries produced by actor, Kevin Costner. Son of legendary investor Warren Buffett, he intersperses his songs with personal anecdotes and offers candid look into "his upbringing, the lessons he's learned, and their……Continue Reading Concert & Conversation: Peter Buffett
Communication Leadership Open Forum: Bill Boyarsky and Tom Hollihan
Join Geoffrey Cowan, USC Annenberg Professor and director of the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy for a discussion on current events, including media coverage of the debate on health care reform and the history and future of the Los Angeles Times. Special guests include veteran editor and author Bill Boyarsky, author of the new book Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and Their Times and communication professor Tom Hollihan, author of Uncivil Wars: Political Campaigns in a Media Age. Book signing follows discussion. Lunch will be served. RSVP requested. To RSVP, click here. 12 noon. Annenberg Research Park's Kerckhoff Hall, 734……Continue Reading Communication Leadership Open Forum: Bill Boyarsky and Tom Hollihan
Communication Leadership Open Forum: Peter Steinfels, religion columnist, The New York Times
Join David Westphal, CCLP senior fellow and USC Annenberg executive in residence, Geoffrey Cowan, USC University Professor and director of the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy and Varun Soni, USC Dean of Religious Life, for a discussion on media, politics and religion. Special guest: Peter Steinfels, "Beliefs" columnist for the New York Times and co-director of the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture. His topic: A Catholic Approach to American Public Life. He writes "A review of different understandings of secularization suggests that the U.S., in fact, can be called a 'post-secular' society, preeminently and irreversibly secular in some……Continue Reading Communication Leadership Open Forum: Peter Steinfels, religion columnist, The New York Times
Book review: ‘The Clinton Tapes’ by Taylor Branch
The Dallas Morning News ran a book review by Faculty Fellow Philip Seib on "The Clinton Tapes" by Taylor Branch. "Among the most valuable tools for scholars and others interested in a specific presidency is a contemporaneous record: letters or a diary that captures the president's real-time reactions to crucial moments. 'The Clinton Tapes' presents a version of this," Seib wrote…….Continue Reading Book review: ‘The Clinton Tapes’ by Taylor Branch
CCLP co-sponsors first national summit on arts journalism
"If a concert happens and no one writes about it, did it really happen?" asked Doug McLennan, co-director of the National Summit on Arts Journalism (NSAJ), a gathering co-sponsored by the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP) at the USC Annenberg School for Communication. With over half of the nation's arts journalists unemployed, the summit explored the future of arts journalism by presenting ten innovative projects and two conversations about the evolving art and reinventing business of arts journalism. "Our aim here is not to tell you what's next for arts journalism, but to raise questions, highlight issues and……Continue Reading CCLP co-sponsors first national summit on arts journalism
‘A National Summit on Arts Journalism’ convenes
The Los Angeles Times highlighted a conference at the USC Annenberg School, "A National Summit on Arts Journalism," which was held for an invited audience of roughly 200 people and streamed live on the Internet. The event was co-organized by Faculty Fellow Sasha Anawalt, the story noted…….Continue Reading ‘A National Summit on Arts Journalism’ convenes
Women in Communication Leadership
Step by Step. That's how we are launching a Center within a Center. Our focus is squarely on Women and Communication Leadership and creating a Center within CCLP for training and research. It is surely something needed as more and more women (and men) in the Communications Industry find themselves out of a job or forced to reinvent their skill set in this challenging and complicated economic time. Our goal is a robust training institute for women in Communication Leadership. But, first we needed a baseline look at the industry…….Continue Reading Women in Communication Leadership
More journalists migrating to nonprofits
Three award-winning journalists have quit their jobs to work for the Texas Tribune, a new nonprofit venture expected to launch in November. The organization has already raised $3.5 million to sustain itself for the next three years. You can read the Editors' Weblog post here…….Continue Reading More journalists migrating to nonprofits
Tax breaks for Wisconsin papers
A senator from Wisconsin has proposed a plan that would exempt any buildings associated with a news publication from paying property taxes. While an overall newspaper bailout is still being considered, some believe these targeted tax breaks are more realistic quick fixes. You can read the Editors' Weblog post on their site here…….Continue Reading Tax breaks for Wisconsin papers