The home stretch

I've spent the last few days helping NABJ members find roommates for the NABJ Convention and finding people buying/selling registrations they can no longer use.

Exhausting work...but hopefully I've made a difference.

Please show your appreciation by voting Sherlon Christie for NABJ secretary at

http://mynabj.org/ before August 7.

Thanks.

Print, Broadcast & New Media Openings: Volume 160

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Reporter, Mecklenburg Times, (Charlotte, N.C)
http://tinyurl.com/lq59tj

Music Industry Reporter, Wall Street Journal, (Los Angeles, CA)
http://tinyurl.com/qouydf

Health Care Reporter, Bloomberg News, (Washington, D.C.)
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BROADCAST
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Reporter, WTVR-TV, (Richmond, VA)
http://tinyurl.com/mhobv4

Writer/Producer/Editor, KCPQ/KMYQ-TV, (Seattle, WA)
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News Producer, KDVR/KWGN-TV, (Denver, CO)
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Producer/Reporter, WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, (Albany, N.Y.)
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Weekend anchor/reporter, WDAF-TV, (Kansas City, MO)
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11 a.m. producer/newswriter, WTIC/WTXX-TV, (Hartford, CT)
http://tinyurl.com/lgfpjd

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NEW MEDIA
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Video Journalist, Orange County Register, (Santa Ana, CA)
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Affiliate Producer, NBCOlympics.com, Stamford, CT
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Copy Editor, Yahoo!, (Santa Monica, CA)
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Associate Editor, Style, celebritybabies.com, (New York, NY)
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Managing Editor, TV.com, San Francisco, CA
http://tinyurl.com/ncyrfv

Mr. Sherlon Christie, Sports Reporter, Asbury Park Press,
3601 Highway 66, P.O. Box 1550, Neptune, N.J. 07754
email: spchrist@yahoo.com
Facebook Me!

Looking ahead to 2010 and 2011

Hopefully, I'll see as many NABJ members as possible at this year's convention in Tampa from August 5-9.

I'm excited to see Michael Wilbon get this year's lifetime achievement award.

I'm even more thrilled to see Leon Carter and Sandy Rosenbush get this year's legacy award. I was a 2000 graduate of the Sports Journalism Institute and I'm still grateful for that opportunity.

I'll also be celebrating a very special birthday in Tampa at the 4th annual NABJ Sports Task Force party. I was there for the first party in Indianapolis in 2006 and haven't missed one since.

As you can see, it has been a good year for sports people. Let's hope it continues on August 7.

However, I'm a little sad that A LOT of my good friends are not attending this year's convention in Tampa for many reasons. Some friends are unemployed. More friends are broke. Others just didn't like Tampa as a convention city.

I can't fault anyone for how they choose to spend their money. I've been spending my own cash attending NABJ conventions since 2001. I only missed two conventions (2003 in Dallas and 2004-Unity in Washington, D.C.) and it was only because I got new jobs just before the convention those years. I felt guilty asking for time off in 2003 and 2004. Otherwise, I've made it my mission (five years and counting) to attend NABJ or Unity each year...even if it puts me in the red.

So, anyone that isn't coming to Tampa this year, I hope you will give strong consideration to the 2010 convention in San Diego (July 28 - August 1) and to the 2011 convention in Philadelphia (August 3 - August 7).

Print, Broadcast & New Media Openings: Volume 159

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Copy Editor, Technology Review, Cambridge, MA
http://tinyurl.com/kock3a

Assistant Local News Editor, The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Lubbock, TX
http://tinyurl.com/nb48oj


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BROADCAST
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Morning Show Producer, WKSC-FM, Chicago, IL
http://tinyurl.com/njnps3

Morning Producer, KVVU-TV, Henderson, NV
http://tinyurl.com/l8gnc9

WAFB-TV/WBXH-TV, Baton Rouge, LA
http://tinyurl.com/mwm8zj

Producer/Writer, KSWB-TV, San Diego, CA
http://tinyurl.com/knbl86

Talk Show Producer, 84WHAS-AM, Louisville, KY
http://tinyurl.com/mzckhx

Associate Producer, WPTV-TV, West Palm Beach, FL
http://tinyurl.com/nekanv

Reporter/Anchor, KSLA-TV, Shreveport, LA
http://tinyurl.com/nqenx3

Producer/Director, WCNY-TV, Syracuse, NY
http://tinyurl.com/mbtu5o

Anchor/Reporter, WVNS-TV, Beckley, WV
http://tinyurl.com/nboanu


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NEW MEDIA
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Managing Editor, More.com, New York, NY
http://tinyurl.com/m4kwoj

Various Multimedia Postions, WFMY-TV, Greensboro, NC
http://tinyurl.com/nwfulw


Mr. Sherlon Christie, Sports Reporter, Asbury Park Press,
3601 Highway 66, P.O. Box 1550, Neptune, N.J. 07754
email: spchrist@yahoo.com
AOL IM: spdc79
Yahoo IM: spchrist
Facebook Me!

Giving back to the next generation

(the 2009 class of NEHSJC)

I recently took some time off the campaign trail to go back to my home state of Massachusetts.

I was the keynote speaker for the New England High School Journalism Collaborative (NEHSJC) on Tuesday, June 30. The ceremony was held at Regis College in Weston, Mass.

In 1996, when I was a bright-eyed, bushy-head high school junior at Brockton High, I participated in what was then the UMASS-Boston High School Journalism workshop. The program grew and was later renamed as the New England High School Journalism Collaborative. Even with a name change, the NEHSJC has one constant characteristic and that is the leadership of Carole Remick, the program's director.



(myself and Carole Remick)

Founded in 1987 the New England High School Journalism Collaborative (NEHSJC) is a non-profit organization that provides educational opportunities to high school students wishing to improve their writing skills and learn journalism techniques from professional writers. In collaboration with the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, Regis College, the University of Massachusetts-Boston, Partners in Print, and professional journalists, the NEHSJC is able to offer an annual summer workshop, free of charge, to qualified high school students. The week long workshop provides an opportunity for these students to improve their writing and learn journalism techniques.

Since 1987, Remick has directed the program and when she asked me to come back and speak to the high school students...I immediately said "Yes" forgetting for a second that I was 1) on vacation and 2) I had planned to make a couple of NABJ campaign stops on the East Coast.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for the work Remick has done and I don't know if I can ever repay her for accepting me into the program in 1996. Nevertheless, I couldn't change my RSVP to Remick. I have always been a man of word...so for this one time vacation, NABJ and the NABJ Elections had to wait. I took a 4-hour bus ride from the Port Authority in New York City to South Station in Boston, Mass. I then had my best friend pick me up and bring me to my mother's house in Brockton, Mass. I then drove my mother's car to Weston, Mass. So, after 6 hours and 30 minutes on the road, I finally reached my destination.

I told Remick I would do it all over again...all she has to do is ask me.


(Milton Valencia, former NEHSJC participant, Carole Remick, Mannie Fernandez, former NEHSJC participant and myself)

Tips For 1st Time Convention Attendee - Part 2

There was more from Dr. Ritchie....so I had to break it up in two e-mails...

-Sherlon Christie

--------------------------------------------------------------------
In response to a student's question about advice specifically for
students attending conventions for the first time, here's some advice:

1. Post questions about the convention on the NABJ students and Young Black Journalists listserves. This also is a great way of meeting members and getting mentors.

2. In terms of preparing for the convention, spend much more time
reading the trades ("Editor & Publisher," etc.), keeping up with current
events, editing your cover letter and making good copies of your clips than
you spend time worrying about your wardrobe. Unfortunately, most students
put off until the last minute the most difficult part: clips, resume,
cover letter. It takes hours to put together a good clip package, so plan
ahead. If you don't, you'll be hanging out at Kinkos until the wee hours the
night before convention, and you'll arrive looking hung over.

I see many, many students who have spent so much time and effort
on clothes, but have paid little attention to what is in their heads and
in their clip packages. While you want to be dressed appropriately, that
doesn't mean that you need to bring 8 expensive outfits nor does it
mean you need to buy new clothes. Just look professional. Really no one cares
about how many outfits you bring. They really care about what you've done
and what work you've brought with you to show. A person can get by fine with
bringing one or two suits and a few tops (shirts) and scarves (or ties) to go
with them.

3. When you meet people at convention, quickly let them know that
you're a first timer. That's a great ice breaker, and is a nice way to get all
sorts of advice and mentoring.

4. No matter how scared you get at convention, do not hide out in
your room. If you need a break, take a walk or go exercise at the fitness
facility. The more you circulate, the more opportunity you'll have to meet
people and to get info.

5. If you're flying in, look for brothers and sisters on the plane
who are carrying NABJ shoulder bags. Start a conversation by asking if
they're going to NABJ. You also may be able to share a taxi ride or you should sit next to them on the shuttle bus ride, which, too, can be a great way of getting to know someone.

6. If you're attending a meal or are at a workshop and you have an
empty seat next to you and you see someone of any age who's wandering
around as if they don't know where to sit, invite them to sit next to you. This,
too, is a great way of meeting people.

--Louise Ritchie

Tips For 1st Time Convention Attendee - Part 1

I had to dig in my e-mail archives a bit for this...but I'm sure someone out there will find these tips useful.

As always many thanks once to the NABJ student representative for diligently answering my question back in 2001 (by way of Dr. Louise Ritchie) and to Bob Butler, president of the Bay Area Association of Black Journalists, for his recent additions to the list.

Sherlon Christie
Sports Reporter
Asbury Park Press (N.J.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Pasted below is an email Dr. Louise Ritchie, former SEED chair for
NABJ sent to the NABJforum listserve when asked about
convention do's and don'ts. These tips are very valuable and they should help
you, Sherlon, to get the most out of the convention.

DO:

1. Have a positive attitude. You never know if the person to whom
you're complaining about the lousy food is not only the NABJ member
who spent hours of free time helping to plan the convention, but also is
a recruiter on the lookout for an entry-level hire or intern.

2. Be gregarious. Some good conversation openers include saying
things such as "Have you been to other NABJ conventions? (A good
follow-up to a "yes" could be to ask the person's advice about how you can get
the most out of this one. Another good follow-up would be to ask what
other conventions the person has attended, and what s/he enjoyed about
them.)

3. Dress in a way that you stand out in a positive way. Wearing a
bright color as a colorful scarf, tie or blouse can help people
remember meeting you. Just don't carry it to extremes such as deciding to wear
a red and orange checkered suit!

4. Attend the workshops and when you go, sit up front and ask some
questions. When you ask questions, stand up and say your name and
your school. Students have been known to get job offers and
internship offers by asking questions or making thoughtful comments at workshops.

5. Talk to everyone. This includes talking to attendees who may be
several decades older than you. Instead of clustering with your
classmates at meals, make a point of sitting with people whom you don't know. When
you select the table, after getting a seat, walk around the table, shake
everyone's hand, and introduce yourself to them.

Also know that many people -- including veteran journalists -- are shy (It's amazing how many journalists are tigers when they're pursuing stories, but in their personal lives they are quiet and shy!), so are very happy when you take time to reach out to them. Some people who especially
may be appreciative are families of attendees and recruiters who are not black and who may not have had previous experience attending a gathering in which they are the racial minority. You also can get some valuable tips and information from such people, including members' families, who often have lots of inside knowledge about the field and may even have journalism
experience, too.

6. Understand that the type of attention you want to attract is attention based on your looking professional. Deep cleavage, skirts that virtually expose your underwear, T-shirts celebrating booze, sex or drugs etc., definitely will attract attention, but unless you're at the convention looking for quick sex or a reputation as a pushover or sleaze, leave that attire at home. Don't even wear such attire to the convention parties. Also remember that even parties at conventions are professional situations. Have fun, but have fun without telling the intimate
secrets of your life or without becoming an intimate secret in someone else's life!

7. Seek out opportunities to get feedback, and then listen when you get the feedback. Ask recruiters and veterans to critique your work. When they do so, do not get into an argument with them. If you don't agree with their assessment, then you don't have to follow their advice. But if you start arguing with them, you will get a reputation as a person who is
not interested in learning, and that can prevent your obtaining an entry level job or internship. People who are hired as entry level employees and interns are expected to grow and learn as part of the job. For that reason, many employers will choose a student who is eager to learn over a more experienced student who is a know it all.

8. Be up on your current events. This includes having read the day's newspaper (which typically will be available at the convention). Another good tip is to listen to the local National Public Radio station news in the morning when you wake up as virtually all professional journalists
(and many professionals in other fields) start their day listening to Morning Edition, which is widely regarded as the best broadcast news available.

Also, before the convention, read the trade publications such as American Journalism Review and Editor and Publisher. The more familiar you are with current events and challenges facing the field, the more you'll be able to join in with conversations with professionals.

9. In interviews, make sure that you highlight the excellent things you've done in journalism. Explain how you got the reticient source to talk. Describe how you did a tough story on a tight deadline while you also were editing copy. Don't wait for the interviewer to directly ask
you about these things. The recruiter cannot read your mind. In addition, an interview is not a modesty test. You easily can highlight your strengths by, when you are showing your clips, also telling the story behind your clips. "When my editor assign me this story, he said that he chose
me because I handled deadlines better than did the other interns. I got the story
at 7 and by 9, my editor had this story. "

10. Prepare packets of your resume, cover letter and clips. Put them in separate envelopes to give to recruiters. That way, when the recruiter packs the stacks of resumes and clips s/he has received and piles them into a suitcase, yours won't become wrinkled.

11. Send follow-up notes. These should be impeccable in terms of
spelling and grammar. They also should contain additional info about
you that you may not have had time to discuss during your interview.

DON'T

1. Huddle with your classmates like a sheep. Among the no-nos are sitting only with other students or your friends from school or waiting for your roommate to get up the morning so that you can go to the convention together.

2. Get up and leave if you realize that you've sat at a table with veterans or recruiters. Often such people are very happy to meet aspiring young journalists, and are really insulted if you jump up and abandon them. This particularly may be true with recruiters who literally are there to connect with potential hires such as yourself.

3. Be on the prowl for a date.

4. Avoid the workshops.

5. Sit in the back of the room at workshops. The days of back of the
bus are long over.

6. Go on the prowl for free drinks and free meals.

7. Spend your time telling recruiters what they can do for you. Spend
your time telling and showing recruiters what you can do for them.

8. Tell a recruiter that you have no clips because the people in your
student media were mean or cliquish. Recruiters know that if you
couldn't make it at your campus media, you definitely aren't ready
for the outside world. While the recruiter may nod his or head
sympathetically, that person is mentally crossing you off their list of good candidates.

9. Decide that the job fair is a waste of time because recruiters say
they have no open jobs now or they have no internships available for
this summer. Typically, summers are when there is turnover on jobs, so
recruiters now are taking applications for openings that are expected
later. If you blow off the interview or stop interviewing, what can happen is
that when the jobs open up, your name isn't in the pool. Even if you're
looking for an internship this summer, it can be important to interview
because while most internships already have been filled, often there are last
minute openings, and the students whom the recruiters know are available are
the ones contacted.

10. Run around loudly telling your friends and associates how "mean"
certain recruiters were. This is a small business. The new friend
whom you're sharing this information with may end up being the recruiter's spouse
or best friend.

--Louise Ritchie

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
"Butler, Bob" wrote:

Sherlon

This is excellent information. As one news director told me, "I can
shake a tree and 12 reporters and anchors will fall out. But a good
producer is as hard to find."

Some other tips: Bring PLENTY of resumes and business cards, if you
have them. Make sure your resume is ONE PAGE. The employee doesn't need to
know all the details of every job you've had. If it's not related to journalism
just put down what it was. Example: Taco Bell, June 2002 to September
2003.
Oh, and make sure your name is in LARGE TYPE AND BOLD FACE. When I'm
trying to find your resume, I may not look too hard. So make it easy for me
to find you.

Bob Butler
BABJA President

It is Twitter Time!

Follow me on the campaign trail and also at the NABJ convention in Tampa on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/spchrist

Print, Broadcast & New Media Openings: Volume 158

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Copy Editor, Corvallis Gazette-Times, Corvallis, OR
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Reporter, Post-Bullentin, Rochester, MN
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Sports Editor, Cortez Journal, Cortez, CO
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Sports Reporter, Macomb Journal - Macomb, IL
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For Jobs with the Las Vegas Review-Journal
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Reporter, Telegraph Herald, Dubuque, IL
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Reporter, WGCL-TV, Atlanta, GA
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Reporter/Correspondent, NPR, Moscow
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Morning Executive Producer, WUSA-TV, Washington, D.C.
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Reporter/Fill-In Anchor, KABC-TV, Glendale, CA.
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Sports Anchor/Reporter, KCCI-TV - Des Moines, IA
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Reporter/Video Journalist, WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, OH
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Morning Anchor, WEAR-TV, Pensacola, FL
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Coordinating Producer, Fox Sports Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
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Production Coordinator (FOX Sports South/SportSouth), Atlanta, GA
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Community Producer, CBS.com, Los Angeles, CA
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Managing Editor, IVillage!, New York, NY
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News/Online Producer, WKBN-TV, Youngstown, OH
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Online Photo Editor, New York Daily News, New York, NY
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Evening News Editor, Entertainment Weekly/EW.com, New York, NY
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News Producer, AOL News, New York, NY
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Executive Content Producer, KSDK-TV, Saint Louis, MO
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Digital Media Producer/Editor, NBC Universal, Hialeah, FL
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Digital Producer, Good Morning America, New York, NY
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Editorial Producer, Icenetwork.com, New York, NY
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Associate Editor, TV.com, San Francisco, CA
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Mr. Sherlon Christie, Sports Reporter, Asbury Park Press,
3601 Highway 66, P.O. Box 1550, Neptune, N.J. 07754
email: spchrist@yahoo.com
AOL IM: spdc79
Yahoo IM: spchrist
Facebook Me!