Out in the field.

Thursday was stressful. Wednesday night I was searching for stories and emailling them to Professor Nicholson, but none of them got the OK. So as of 12:30am, I was without a story and Professor Nicholson's suggestion was for me to get some rest and start fresh in the morning. This wasn't exactly comforting as I have class from 9 until 11, but I did it. After my first class I went in to talk to Professor Nicholson, who told me about the Autumn in New York Horse Show. What's funny is that I knew that it was starting and was thinking about emailing him about it, but I figured he wouldn't think it was a good story. I rode and showed horses for 15 years and almost joined the equestrian team at Syracuse, so needless to say I was excited to go out to the fairgrounds and cover the show. It was a really great experience and brought back a lot of memories for me. I'm really getting the hang of editing (and as dorky as it sounds, I really enjoy it), and I'm having an easier time approaching people for an interview. Hopefully finding a story in the future won't be so hectic, but it was still a lot of fun.

Autumn in New York Horse Show

The horses are the stars this weekend at the Autumn in New York Horse Show held at the New York State Fairgrounds. Starting Thursday morning and finishing up Sunday night, horses and riders travel from all around to show their stuff in the ring at the Coca Cola Coliseum. One young rider, Amanda Howe, explained how exciting it is to participate in an event like this. "It's just such an adrenaline rush, jumping is definitely my favorite part of showing." Although it's her first time at the Autumn in New York Horse Show, Howe has been showing for ten years now and made sure to give credit to the animal that she shows with. The show features a variety of classes that appeal to all different levels of difficulty, and is free and open to the public.

Planning Ahead

My biggest fear going into this assignment, or any reporting assignment for that matter, was not having a story or an appointment for an interview lined up. I know it will happen eventually, but I think the most important thing early on is to find a doable story that also has some news value. Lucky for me, I didn't have to look too far. I found that the play was opening Wednesday on one of the events calendars, so I explored a little bit and found that there were many connections between Syracuse Stage and SU. Most notably, the SU Drama Department is housed at the theater, so there's an obvious connection there.

Once I did a little research, I called up the Media Relations guy at the stage to ask who I should talk to. He didn't get back to me until Wednesday morning, but when he did, he told me I could deal with the director directly to coordinate some sort of interview. I wasn't exactly sure how accomodating the director would be. His first idea was to meet before the preview performance Wednesday. When I heard this from him, I immediately started to panic because I knew the reporting had to be done the day of. I promptly emailed him back and asked if he could squeeze me in anytime Thursday morning. When he responded saying he could meet me at Archbold Gym at 9 a.m., I was a little surprised, but I agreed. Everything after that was easy. I barely had to go anywhere to get my interview, but I feel that a wake up call is in the future when stories are not this easy to come by.

Hearing Robert Moss talk about this play, and the way it has been adapted into Cruel Intentions (a movie I've seen before, one and two, I'm ashamed to admit) really made me want to see it. Ironically, my roommate, who happens to work for The Daily Orange, was assigned to review the play and he got free tickets for the opening Friday Night. Unfortunately, I had prior committments and could not attend, but covering this story has definitely opened my eyes to what's around campus. At first, I was unsure of how legitimate Syracuse Stage is, but I have few doubts now.

Syracuse Stage Opens 2007-08 season

Before Cruel Intentions one, two and three, there was Dangerous Liaisons. The Academy Award-winning movie has its screenplay rooted in the words of an old French novel. This French novel, "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," first became a play. Now that play will begin Syracuse Stage's new season. The play officially opens Friday, however, 300 people showed up to a preview Wednesday night. The theater's capacity is 499 people. Director Robert Moss expects better turnout for the opening because it's the first play of the season.

"The opening play of the season always wants to have something special about it," he said. "This is a little bit exotic. It takes place in 18th century France so there's costumes and it's a play of terrific language. And the characters are mostly so evil that people just enjoy watching them misbehave."

Four Syracuse University students are part of the everyday cast. The rest of the cast is made up of equity actors, those who get paid to perform. "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" runs through October 14, but the performance on the seventh will feature an all SU student class.

I had gone too far!

My Thursday morning started as usual. I woke up early in a panic because I still have not found a story worthy of covering after staying up late looking for the perfect tip. I went to my 8 a.m. class, took a test, and then continued frantically searching websites and newspapers for a story. After sending Professor Nicholson about ten story ideas I was about to loose hope. But then I read something interesting. In a story about flu season it said you can receive your annual flu shot at pharmacies. I had no idea this convenience was available! I asked people around me where they thought you could get a flu shot and not one person said at a local drug store. I knew I had a story but of course I had to run over to Nicholson's office to get it approved out of fear. After I did, I called the closest Walgreens and spoke to a pharmacist named Melissa Deale. She was sweet and wanted to help so she invited me to come on in to talk to her. This was working out great!

It was now 1 o'clock and I jumped into my SUV and grabbed my GPS system. All I had to do was put in the address and go. When I punched in the address of the Walgreens, the GPS did not recognize it so I typed in Camillus and point of interest "Walgreen" and left. When it said it was going to take me forty-five minutes to get there I thought something was weird since Camillus is only 15 minutes away but who am I to question such highly advanced technology.

When I arrived, I jumped out of my car and ran inside to get my interview. I asked the girl at the pharmacy counter if Melissa was around and she said, "Melissa does not work here anymore. She works at the Camillus location." I had gone TOO far, about twenty-five minutes out of my way to be exact. After doing a small freak out I asked if there was anyone there who would talk to me. After about three people said they were too busy (there was about 2.2 people in the store including me) the manager of the store came and told me all of this great information but refused to be recorded. After being jerked around for twenty minutes, I left and was determined to find Melissa. It was now 2 o'clock. The people at Walgreens told me the Camillus location was twenty miles down the road. As I drove through cow town and east bumble I recorded my lead and anchor intro.

Finally I found Camillus and the wonderful Melissa Deale. She was happy to talk to me and made my job very easy. I was out of there in fifteen minutes with all of the information I needed. I rushed back to Newhouse and put my piece together with no sweat, well sort of.

More then just cough drops and Tylenlol

Tylenol and cough drops are not the only thing you can get to help with the upcoming flu season at your local drug store. You can also receive a flu shot. With so many locations and options, there should not be a shortage this year.

Everyone knows that people should get the flu shot once a year, especially people who are considered high risk. But most people do not realize they do not have to call up the doctor's office, wait at the hospital or make an appointment (or not be able to) in order to get one. Many local drugs stores including Walgreens, Kinney Drugs, CVS, Rite Aid, and Eckerd offer this service. The drug stores bring in Registered Nurses for a one day clinic to administer the flu shot.

Walgreens in Camillus will host their clinic on October 10 from one to four in the afternoon. Melissa Deale is a pharmacist at Walgreens. Deale says that drug stores play an important role in protecting the community against the flu. "When people come in to pick up a prescription and they see that we are having a clinic it reminds them to get their yearly flu shot."

Deale says they are expecting over one hundred people to attend their clinic. There are not appointments and they work with a first come first serve system.

Most local pharmacies will accept insurance or Medicare for the immunization. You can contact your local drug store online or by phone for dates, times and more information.

Walgreen Flu Shot....

My Thursday

I would have to say finding and covering a story is a difficult process. First of all, it was really hard for me to find a story. I looked online for hours on Wednesday and Thursday morning. Even though I looked a lot, I did not find anything worthy of covering. Professor Nicholson told me about a Common Council meeting. When I looked for it online, it seemed to appear right before my eyes. My Thursday started off stressful and ended up being a quite successful day. After I finally got an idea for a story I was able to go out and find someone willing to talk to me about it. My goal for next Thursday is to look into more sources for story ideas. There are many ideas out there and I just have to learn the best way to find them.

Properties and Parking Spaces

A proposed law intends to limit the number of people living in rental housing near Syracuse University based on available parking spaces. A Syracuse Common Council committee will have a meeting at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall to discuss the issue.
The law intends to prevent parking problems near campus from getting worse. Locals are in favor of the proposed law. If passed, the law would help them find parking spots near campus. Rental companies and students are opposed to the law. It is possible some students would have trouble finding housing and would not be able to bring cars. Campus Hill apartments employee Ellen Spicer said the law would only affect their properties that have tandem parking, or single file parking. Spicer said Campus Hill would probably offer tenants, affected by tandem parking, passes to other lots . Spicer said this would mean Campus Hill would not be able to advertise parking in the future. No one from Campus Hill will be attending the City Hall meeting.

The First Post-Primary Debate

The candidates have been set in the race for County Executive with Bill Magnarelli running for the Democrats and Joanie Mahoney running for the Republicans. But the stage at the Palace Theater is still going to be a little crowded tonight at the Greater Syracuse Association of Realtors' debate, both Ed Ryan and Dale Sweetland have accepted invitations to attend. It is the first debate since the primaries and Jeff Pinard, Chairman of the Legislative Committee at the Greater Syracuse Association of Realtors says that the timing of the debate, it being so close to the ending of the primary, will make it interesting. Besides being the first real chance for the candidates to lay out their positions on issues, there is the added element of finding out if Dale Sweetland will continue to campaign as the candidate for the Conservative and Independence parties.
The questions for the debate are being put to together by a panel of journalists and the bulk of them will focus on economic development. They'll be "all the topics that are important to everyone" says Pinard, "tax rate, economic growth, their opinions on regionalization, and shared services." The debate will begin at 6 p.m. at the Palace Theater.

Great Debate

It sounds like I had the same problem as a lot of other people in class, I just couldn't find a good story. I started off by searching Newsbank for Thursday's date, then I searched the actual word Thursday and still got nothing that was good. I tried syracuse.com next, I searched the events calendar with the same two things. After Professor Nicholson nixed my first pathetic story idea I went back to syracuse.com and did a general search for Thursday. That's where I found a three sentence story on a County Executive debate that was being held Thursday night by the Greater Syracuse Association of Realtors. Dale Sweetland had just conceded the primary and no one was really sure if he was going to continue to run or not, but he would have decided by the debate. I realized that this was as good of a story as I was going to get. I got on the Greater Syracuse Association of Realtors website, got their phone number, and called them up. Luckily the P.R. guy, Kalin Moon, was really nice and agreed to meet with me even though things were kind of crazy at the office. I later realized this is because he thought it would go on air, but he didn't seemed to mind too much when I told him it wasn't. When I got to their office in Liverpool he decided that the best person to answer my questions was the Chairman of the Legislative Committee at the Association. Luckily he was free and they set a conference call for me. Jeff Pinard had some really good answers for me about both the primary and why the Association was hosting the debate, so that gave me another angle option. Once I finished the story Kalin had me email him the story so they could have it on file and he seemed pretty happy with it.

Story difficulties

Clearly the gallery story was not my best nor my favorite. I really struggled trying to find something to cover on Thursday. I went online for about two hours trying to find stuff but nothing really intrigued me. I was going to cover the Economic and Entrepreneurial Smart Fair, but when I called the South Side Innovation Center, where the fair was supposed to take place, they told me The Post-Standard website I had checked was wrong, and the fair would not be held till October 13th.

When I finally chose the story, I emailed Professor Nicholson, who was clearly not thrilled with my choice, but gave me the okay as long as I didn't right a PR story. I wound up doing the gallery story, and it did, in fact, become a PR story, until I changed the focus of it to the Connective Corridor. Now I'm a little nervous about writing the other anchor/actuality because I have to choose a different bite, and I don't know if I have any other good quotes related to the Connective Corridor aspect of the story.

Another problem I had was transportation. I don't have a car on campus, and the only friends of mine who do, live on South campus, which is difficult to work out. This was the one aspect in which the gallery story worked out well because it's a stop on the Warehouse route and was easy to get to.

Bored to Bits

I was excited when I read about this conference on the Chamber of Commerce website. I thought it was going to be about 3 people talking about innovative ways to fix downtown Syracuse, because, if any of us were asked, I think we could safely say that we make it downtown every time we're at freshman orientation and our RA's make us (which is only once...i hope). It also included a free breakfast, which was a definitely plus (sidenote: As an off campus resident with little money, I'm going to try and cover alot of events that include free food from now on)

I was disappointed to realize that the entire event was a lot of ballyhoo. Some of what the presenters talked about was good: bringing new industry to downtown, fixing up buildings, creating internships for college students that would encourage those students to stay and work in Central New York. All good things.

Then the Connective Corridoor discussion happened.

Again, I am pretty confident that if we polled every student on the SU campus, a vast majority would say they used the Connective Corridoor as often as I fly to India for brunch. Which is never. The people at the conference were gushing over the connective cooridoor as if it was God's gift to Syracuse students; truely the walkway to the pearly gates of heaven. They used words like "innovative" and "inspirational" to describe it, and they said it was doing a lot to connect the University to the downtown area. Now I, who was the youngest person at that conference by about three decades, was in complete disbelief. If any of these men in suits came to Syracuse and actually sat at that Connective Corridoor bus stop, they would realize exactly how NOT used it actually is.

And thats when I realized what was wrong with this event. It was meant "for the community", when in fact, tickets were 20 dollars, and the only way anyone would have known about it is if they subscribed to the Chamber of Commerce newsletter, or was a member of the Chamber itself, which is a hefty 315 dollars a year for 2 employees from your company, which doesn't include the 50 dollars you pay for recieving the newsletter, the 24 dollars you pay for the online subscription to the website, and the 35 dollar enrollment fee. All in all, this wasn't a community event at all; it was big companies talking about what students and the general Syracuse community wanted; when these people had no representation whatsoever.

Going Green - Koza...

Overall, though, I had little to no trouble covering the event. I called the manager ahead of time, and asked her if I could come for free (which she said yes to), and if it was okay if I covered the event (which she also said yes to). The catch was, I wasn't allowed to take any audio from the event, but I was allowed to interview the people afterwards, which was good. The woman even set the interview up for me, which was helpful. They seemed excited that "the media" was coming to their event. They kept calling me "the media". It was funny.

Go Green or Go Home

The Manufacturing Association of Central New York held a conference this morning to discuss Central New York's business future. During the breakfast/presentation combination, assistant to the president at the Metropolitan Development Association, Rob Simpson presented an eight point plan that could hopefully revitalize the area's economy. His plan consisted of several points including retaining local college talent and intra-company innovation, Simpson's main focus was on bringing a new "green technology" name to Central New York. Simpson says that Central New York has some of the leading names in environmental research and technology, but the area has just not utilized that talent. He suggested that Syracuse focus its energy on bringing international acclaim by estalishing itself as the leader in green technology; a place that is the leader in cutting edge environmental research. Simpson says if Syracuse is able to make a name for itself in that field, it will be able to attract international business, as well as national business to the area.

An Un-connected Corridor

Courtney Rile, the gallery coordinator at Delavan Art Gallery, says the Connective Corridor, a new service meant to bridge together theaters and galleries in downtown Syracuse, hasn't been "fully realized" yet. The corridor was an idea that began a few years ago, but still seems to be just an idea. She says her gallery, which is one of the stops along the corridor route, has helped the corridor more than the corridor has brought business to her.

For instance, the Delavan Art Gallery has collaborated with the Redhouse and Warehouse Gallery down the street to form the TH3 or Third Thursday program. The program keeps the galleries open from five o'clock to eight o'clock at night on the third Thursday each month. Rile says this encourages people to visit each gallery those nights since they're all located along West Fayette Street. The gallery's regular hours are during the day Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The gallery keeps itself alive with the program and its location. Rile says right now it's just a bus. She says the corridor still needs to make physical changes, like lighting and street walks.

Hooray

If I were hypothetically writing this on Thursday (which I should have done) I would say, "Today Professor Nicholson earned his paycheck," but its Sunday, so I can't say today.
In all seriousness, this was an amazing experience. I loved every second of it and I wish it wasn't already over. I learned a lot about the business of radio and television broadcasting. I got to drink Bob Costas' soda.
Thank you, professor, for arranging those men to come and speak with our class, because it was freakin' awesome!!!

Class visited by radio and television greats

"Consumer Man" Herb Weisbaum, "Coney Island" Dave Cohen and Bob Costas spoke and took the time to be interviewed today in Professor John Nicholson's small broadcast journalism class. The three spoke on and off the record about their professional experiences in their respective lines of work and about their more exciting memories of Syracuse University.

Herb Weisbaum spoke first about his career as a radio reporter of consumer information in Seattle. He emphasized the importance of the internet in the broadcast industry.

Dave Cohen spoke briefly about his career as an announcer. He announced for the Yankees and recently played the role of the announcer in the movie Glory Road.

Bob Costas answered questions about his entire career. He said the moment that left him in awe was his interview with former Beatle Paul McCartney. He was as nice and humble as a man of his fame could possibly be; he didn't even rip on Barry Bonds.

What a class??!!!

Well, needless to say, this was the best class of the year so far. When Costas was speaking, I was so in awe, I felt like I was watching him on t.v. It was very surreal. He was genuinely a nice guy and it was humanizing to hear his stories about S.U., especially about the fire in Flint. For some reason, I felt like he never did anything wrong, but this made him much more real to me. I really enjoyed Weisbaum and Cohen as well. Weisbaum I think actually gave the most advice of the three as he talked about the changing of media and his persistance with investigative stories. He also talked about how he helps people with his journalism. This really hit home for me because I have been sturggling with my decision to try to be a sports broadcaster because it doesn't really help people. I also enjoyed when Cohen talked about how he reinvented his career and took multiple paths. Overall, like the professor said, we had a semesters worth of visitors in one day.

Alumni return to Newhouse

The new opening of Newhouse III attracted many alumni to S.U. this weekend. Among them were NBC sportscaster Bob Costas, former Yankees broadcaster Dave Cohen and the Consumer Man Herb Weisbaum. They all visited the broadcasting class of an old friend John Nicholson.

All three spoke to the students giving them career and journalistic advice. Weisbaum began the class by discussing how modern media is changing to become a multiple platform business. Weisbaum said stories are now being posted on the internet instead of just on television or radio.

Cohen then discussed how he took multiple paths in his career. He started out in sports broadcasting but now does voice-overs and movies instead. After “Coney Island” Dave Cohen, Costas engaged in a question and answer session with the students. He told students to be true to their values and honest to everyone.

After meeting three successful journalists many students left the class with a picture of them and Costas as well as a smile on their face.

More motivated than ever before.

First of all, WOW. Thank you Professor Nicholson. That was awesome. It flew by way too fast, I wish I could ask even more questions. I think Herb did a great job talking about the effect the media can have on people. He really hammered home the point, that as journalists we can make a difference in peoples lives. Which is something that is very important to me personally. "Coney Island" was awesome as well. I didn't know too much about him or Herb heading into the thing but I had the utmost respect for both of them right from the get-go. I loved how genuine all three guys were, they really seem like cool guys to just kick it with. For me Bob Costas was bloody brilliant. Like Coney Island said, he is possibly the most knowledgeable person I've met, and a lot of what he said really resonated with me. I never grew up watching Bob Costas, but since I've moved to America, he's definitely been my favorite member of the media along with Marv Albert. The way he talks is amazing, it's like he has complete control of the English language. I would have loved to have asked him more questions and gotten his opinion on many more topics, not just sports related. This really was one of those once-in-a-lifetime inspiring moment type things for me. When I first told my parents I wanted to study journalism they were a little bit perplexed. I think they wanted me to do the normal Indian thing and try to be like a doctor or an engineer or something, but I told them that I enjoy doing journalism and I want to be able to reach people. They respected that. After speaking to those guys yesterday, I feel even more so that this is what I want to do. Despite the crappy pay and all of the travelling they alluded to.

Alumni Drop by to Field Questions

Professor John Nicholson prepared something special for his broadcasting class today, the chance to meet three legends in the profession which they are pursuing. Syracuse alums, Bob Costas, Herb Weisbaum and Dave Cohen dropped by to field questions from 16 awestruck pupils.
Weisbaum kicked things off. The Consumer Man spoke to the students about the evolution of the media since the introduction of the internet. He was followed by Cohen, the former voice of the New York Yankees. Cohen presented to the students some of the harsh realities of being a journalist. Such as, having to travel and be away from your family, and move around from job to job. Bob Costas ended things. Costas spoke about how he was able to rise to prominence in the broadcasting world and some of the highlights of his career.
For aspiring journalists, meeting the three professionals with such impressive resumes was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and something they will not soon forget.

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I've never been too crazy about baseball and basketball. In fact, before I googled "Bob Costas" Wednesday, I had no idea how incredible a man he is besides the general idea that oh he's this big guy in sportscasting. But after yesterday's class, after having the extremely fortunate opportunity of seeing and hearing he speak in person, I became a Bob Costas fan.

One of the reasons I admire Costas so much, besides the fact that he's simply a genuine and approachable guy who is a legend in sportscasting, is that he is really open-minded and liberal. As a international student who comes from a completely different cultural background and whose mother tongue is not English, I know from personal experience how important it is to repect and appreciate differences. Bob knows that, too, and that's why I respect him so much.

I'm also grateful for what the speakers shared with us. They weren't just going blah blah blah at all- they were actually giving us information which is very useful and has a direct effect on us. I feel really lucky to be part of this class and to have the chance to hear them talk in person.

Doing broadcasting is no easy job, and you know that's true when you have been in the field for more than 20 years. Eminent broadcasters Herb Weisbaum, Dave Cohen and Bob Costas visited professor John Nicholson's class at Syracuse University today and shared with the students their experience of anchoring on TV and radio and how to survive in the field.

Weisbaum did a presentation on radio broadcasting and gave students some heads up before they become reporters themselves. He warned the students that it's definitely not a friendly environment out there in the work field.

"If you are going to get into this business, you absolutely must be flexible and be able to work across multi-platforms," Weisbaum said. "if you go into this business, please expect lousy pay, long hours, no glamour and the worst shifts you could possibly have."

He also told the students in order to stay in this business, one must have a passion for it and the strong desire to communicate to people.

Costas also shared with the students his experience as a profession. He said each Olympics is unique in its own way, but his personal favorite when it comes to reporting it was the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He said it was a perfect combination of the legitimate theater and drama of sports but also had a lot of journalism and commentary in it.

He also gave the students his pearls of wisdom.

"You have to get a broad based, well-rounded education," Costas said. "You can't confine yourself to a narrow focus in just to this area of interest even if you are a hundred percent sure... You still need to get as broad an education as possible."

The speakers left before the end of class and students all enjoyed the speeches tremendously, and some even consider today the best day of their lives.

Three Alumni Come Back

The official opening of Newhouse III brought some big names back to the Syracuse campus. But sports broadcasting legend Bob Costas, NBC consumerman Herb Weisbaum, and former Yankee voice Dave Cohen also came to visit and old friend - Syracuse Professor John Nicholson, and his broadcast journalism class.

The speakers gave career advice and talked about their individual roads to success. Herb Weisbaum, class of '74, stressed the importance of being multi-dimensional across different platforms.

"Coney Island" Dave Cohen discussed his ability to adapt to different communication mediums. He has done television, radio, sports play by play, movies, and television promos.

Fourteen time Emmy Winner Bob Costas stressed the importance of a well rounded education in and out of the classroom. He spoke frankly about his more than thirty year career, including his highs and lows and greatest moments.While today Costas had an audience of only sixteen, tomorrow he speaks to all of Syracuse about his sportscasting career in Newhouse III's Joyce Herganhan Auditorium.

Automatically my favorite class of all time

Wow. I don't think I've ever been in the presence of more journalistic talent in one room before in my life (that includes Professor Nicholson by the way). All I can do after a class like that is sit back and wonder how those four hours flew by. It seemed to me by the end of the class I still had a myriad of questions to ask the three guests - Herb Weisbaum, Dave Cohen, and Bob Costas. Obviously I knew who Costas was and what he had done in his career before that class, but after doing research on Weisbaum and Cohen, I soon realized that I was going to be listening to three very accomplished journalists. From Weisbaum, the one thing I took out is how journalism, if done the right way, can make a significant impact on people's lives. After listening to Cohen, I was amazed by how much he had done in his career and what strange directions his career had taken at different stages in his life. And finally, listening to Costas was quite a humbling experience, because I know unless I'm really lucky there's no way I'll ever accomplish a fraction of the achievements he has reached in his distinguished career. I don't think it's quite hit me yet that I was in the same room as him, literally standing next to him when I got a picture with him (which of course is now my Facebook profile picture). I think it will hit me when I see him on TV in two nights when I tune into Football Night in America on NBC. Needless to say, it was an unforgettable four hours. Actually, the last half hour was forgettable because we actually had to do work, but that's just a minor complaint.

Costas speaks to Newhouse students

Bob Costas spoke to a class of Newhouse students today, talking about his career and dishing out career advice to the aspiring journalists. For about an hour and a half, Costas reminisced on his time at Syracuse University, gave perspective on what it was like to broadcast different sporting events, and reminded the students how important it was to get a full education.

"Get as well rounded of an education as you can," Costas said. "And that doesn't just mean in the classroom. It means reading, being observant, and taking something out of every interaction with the people you cross paths with."

In addition to Costas, Herb Weisbaum, better known as the ConsumerMan, and voice-over artist Dave Cohen came to talk to the students about their careers and how to advance in the market. Tomorrow Costas will speak to a much larger audience when he addresses more students in Newhouse III's Joyce Herganhan Auditorium.

What a Great Class

Thursday's class was by far the best class I've had here at Syracuse. Bob Costas was everything I was hoping he would be. He had great advice, great stories about his career and his experiences here as a student. I was really impressed with great of a speaker Costas was. He really knows how to engage his audience through humor and strong words. Herb Weisbaum also was really impressive. I didn't really know who he was before I looked up his biography on the web. He has done really great work for the community with his consumer reports. He showed how key it is to take the extra step when reporting. He emphasized how important it is to get to a story before the newspapers do. Finally Dave Cohen showed us how we can really expand our career as we mature as a broadcasters. Overall this is an experience I will truly value throughout the rest of my career in broadcasting.

Quite the Triumvirate

It isn't often you get to meet the professionals you hope to one day emulate yourself. Today, I had the privilege of meeting Herb Weisbaum, Dave Cohen, and Bob Costas. Each of them were extremely candid, and I learned and took something away from all three.

From Herb, I took away how much this business is changing, and how important it is becoming to be multi-dimensional if you want to stick around.


From Dave, I learned how to constantly reinvent yourself. That when you think your lifes plan is going great and the rug gets pulled from under you, it's critical to get up and keep at it. And maybe most importantly, don't forget about family.

From Bob, I learned the importance of getting a well rounded education in and out of the classroom, despite already having your mind set firmly on something. How knowing about other things in the world than sports, can only give you a greater frame of reference.

I only wish we had a longer time with each. Especially with Bob, I wished I could have really picked his brain privately on the art of broadcasting. Things like the importance of preparation, voicing, the difficulties of earning respect as a young journalist, and how to actively engage an audience. I am forever grateful to all three for taking the time to come in and talk to us, as it was a very special privilege that I will not soon forget. Thanks to Professor Nicholson as well.

Syracuse Alums Speak to Broadcast Journalism Class

The dedication of Newhouse III brought some big names back to class at Newhouse. This time, they were guest speakers not students. Consumerman for NBC Herb Weisbaum, sports broadcasting legend Bob Costas, and former voice of the Yankees, Dave Cohen came to talk to Professor John Nicholson's broadcast-journalism class.

The speakers gave the students career advice and spoke about their career paths. Weisbaum talked about the changing media, explaining the shift of content to the Internet before it ever makes it to the airwaves.

"Coney Island" Dave Cohen described how he continued to reinvent himself as his career progressed. He talked about his ability to move from television news to play by play to movies and television promos.

All three alums frequently return to Syracuse classrooms to help current students. Costas will also give a speech at Newhouse Friday open too all students.

What an opportunity!

I feel very fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to meet and listen to Bob Costas, Herb Weisbaum and Dave Cohen. They all had so much to say and so much advice to give us. By the end, I just felt inspired. After hearing them, I realize how much they actually love their jobs. They enjoy what they do even if it gets stressful at times. Also, it was nice to not only hear about the good but also the bad. Being in the broadcast business is not always glamorous as Weisbaum said. Our guests were honest with us. Also, it was nice to hear that they all valued their family's over the business. It's so funny to think that they were doing exactly what I am doing now years ago. And now to see how much they have learned and how far they have come is inspiring. I am thankful for this experience.

Living Legends

Words cannot describe how exhilarating it was to meet THREE living legends. It was the best day of not only my academic career, but probably of my life. I just cannot believe that I was given such an incredible opportunity.

To be honest, the names Herb Weisbaum and Dave Cohen didn't really ring a bell with me when we were told that they would be coming. However, as soon as I found out that Herb Weisbaum was "Consumer Man", I was absolutely thrilled. I've seen his Toy Tests and have read a couple of his columns in passing. It was absolutely amazing to hear some of his radio clips. It was so amazing to see his passion for what he does.

"Coney Island" Dave Cohen also was a foreign name to me. To be honest, I didn't really recognize him until I looked him up on the Internet and saw some acting clips. I never would have guessed that movie producers use actual sports casters to portray themselves in movies.

Of course, I had heard of Bob Costas. Although I'm not a big sports fan, I grew up with Bob Costas hosting the Olympics. Although my entire family is painfully un-athletic, the world basically stopped when the Olympics was on. If you wanted to watch something else, you had to go to a friend's house. It was absolutely amazing to actually meet the man who is such a staple of some of my favorite childhood memories.

Bob Costas, Herb Weisbaum, and Dave Cohen are living legends, and it was so amazing to meet them and hear about their careers. I really appreciated their advice and encouragement.

One Word... Inspirational.

Today was one of the best experiences in my college career so far. Not only was it a great experience, it was inspirational. To hear these men talk about how they made it, what it takes, and how passionate they are about what they do made me even more excited and ready for the challenges of a career in broadcasting. It was great to see how far SU students have come and how many accomplishments they have achieved. It is a great feeling knowing that I too am among students who will work hard and make it in this competitive business.
For a lot of students this was a once in a lifetime chance to meet their idols. For me it was a different experience. It was not their fame or fortune that was most impressive to me. I think what was most inspiring was the knowledge and passion all three men shared for each of their respective jobs. I think that this is so important in a money hungry world today where people do not actually care about what they are doing.

P.S. I want to thank Professor Nicholson for such setting up such a great opportunity and I truly look forward to whats to come!

Costas encourages future broadcasters

Bob Costas gave encouragement to some aspiring broadcasters when he spoke to a class at S.U.'s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications today. Costa's, a long-time friend of the class's professor, lent students his enthusiasm and professional experience for a few hours.

Costas is best known for his NBC sports casting, his two HBO programs, and for hosting the Olympics since 1992. He has received nearly twenty Emmys and numerous other honors and awards. However, regardless of his success, Costas spoke humbly when answering students' questions.

Costas reminded students that although no one can have 100 percent approval, they should not let critics deter them from following their intuition.

"It's foolish to allow [criticism] to affect you," Costas said. "But you have to accept that as part of the atmosphere."

Costas encouraged students to remain true to their beliefs and do the best job they can.

Famous Alum's Give Advice

Three well accomplished Newhouse almuni spoke to John Nicholson's RTN 311/364 class today. Herb Weisbaum, Dave Cohen and Bob Costas gave the students advice about the broadcast business. The three men have similar backgrounds but have taken on different jobs in their careers. Weisbaum had a lot to tell the students about the business in general. Weisbaum works as a consumer reporter for Seattle's KOMO 1000 and a consumer contributor for NBC's Today Show. Weisbaum told the students that they have to be flexible. There is more to broadcasting than just radio or television; now the internet plays a major role. Weisbaum said that within the next five years or so the internet will become more important than the broadcast product. Also, Weisbaum warned the students about what comes with the business. "You have to have the desire to want to communicate with people,"said Weisbaum.

Words of Wisdom

Three famous alumni came back to Syracuse and one lucky class got to spend some quality time with them. Bob Costas, Herb Weisbaum, and Dave Cohen spoke to a Radio Television News class at Newhouse today. They answered questions and gave advice to the aspiring broadcast journalists.


Herb Weisbaum, better known nationally as the consumer man, warned the students of the struggles of the business. "Please expect lousy pay, long hours no glamour and the worst shifts you can possibly have. You've really got to have a passion and you've really got to want to do it." He also explained the importance of being a multimedia reporter, "You absolutely must be flexible. You have to be able to do it all and EVERYTHING has a web component."


Dave Cohen, famous sports announcer, explained that in our multimedia world, television is the most honest medium. He also inspired the students to be innovative and not just conform to the norms of the business.




Bob Costas, the sports legend's advice? Gain as much knowledge as possible and stay true to yourself.


Although the students only spent a few hours with these Newhouse legends, they were left with much more. One student even said that this was the best day of her life after taking a photo with Costas. One thing they will never loose from this experience? The insight that the three gave to the students.

That was AWESOME!

I don't know how to accurately describe my feelings after yesterday... It was so much more than I had bargained for. Clearly I was looking forward to meeting Herb Weisbaum, Dave Cohen, and Bob Costas and hearing them speak; but I really didn't know the degree to which they would affect me.
Weisbaum's speech made me think. I was so impressed by his tape, and really just by how much he loved what he did and why he did it. He explained how what he did made a difference in people's lives, simply through a media outlet, and that alone is encouragement to stay in this business. In a sense he also challenged our generation: to do more, BE more. Cliche as it sounds, it made me just want to spread the "let's change the world!" gospel to everyone at Syracuse.
Dave Cohen gave a different spin on what we're getting ourselves into, but a very interesting one. He addressed the reality of "having the rug pulled out from under you," which was scary but important to hear. He also showed us how this business gives you the opportunity to reinvent yourself and to go into all different mediums. To me, that was very exciting.
Bob Costas... Where to begin with Bob Costas? I haven't been star struck in a while. I was. I admire and look up to him in so many ways, and to be sitting right next to him for two hours was pretty incredible. But I think the most important thing about meeting Bob Costas was the fact that he ultimately turned right back into a college student. It was like we were all hanging out, not listening to him speak. It's almost as if I want to say, "we laughed, we cried..." It was an EXPERIENCE more than anything, that was also a bit difficult to describe. I called my dad to brag, and when he asked me how Costas was, I said "He's so well-spoken!" Well, duh... But honestly, trying to put the two hours into words is easier said than done. At this point it's just better to look back on the experience in my own mind and remember it for what it was-- incredible.

P.S. I found this picture and chose it because I figured this is what Costas looked like when he was at Syracuse :)

Students Star Struck By Costas

Students in John Nicholson's RTN364 got the experience of the lifetime today when Syracuse and sports world legend Bob Costas dropped in to chat. Despite winning more than 15 Emmy's (but who's counting?!), Costas was down-to-earth and friendly, giving advice and answering every question thrown at him. He stressed how important it is for students who are interested in sports broadcasting to get a broader base of knowledge as well. Costas also acknowledged some of the frustrations in the business, and encouraged students to stay true to themselves no matter what. "Some people who are broadcasters are just happy to do whatever's put in front of them," he said. "I like to have what I do at least in some way reflect something truthful about who I am." Costas returned to his alma mater Wednesday and will be giving a speech in the new auditorium in Newhouse III on Friday. The sixteen in Nicholson's class were lucky enough to get some one-on-time in between. It was a day that will stand out in these students' minds for a long time to come.

The future of broadcast news is not on your t.v. screen, its on your computer screen. That was one of the many topics Herb Weisbaum discussed with broadcast journalism students today in the Newhouse School of Public Communication. Weisbaum would know, the 5 time Emmy winner has been informing consumers for over twenty five years in radio and television. He's worked for big names such as NBC, CBS, Women's Day, and Good Housekeeping. Weisbaum, also known as ConsumerMan, says that he believes that while television broadcasts are now driving audiences to the station's websites in the future it will be the other way around. He says that websites allow stations to break news sooner but also allow for the stories in the newscast to be cleared up and added value in the form of hyperlinks when put on the website. Weisbaum also talked to the students about how things are changing on the management side as well. Stories are becoming shorter to keep listeners attention as the focus moves away from public service and towards profit. Weisbaum gave students an honest first hand account of the business they are looking to go into.

An Amazing Afternoon

Yesterday's class can only be described as simply amazing and a touch unreal. I learned so much from three very different people, in three different areas, all under the umbrella of broadcast. I think what I really took away from Thursday is that you can be in different areas of broadcast, at different levels of fame, and still make an impact and be successful. I am not going to lie, I had that feeling of anticipation you get as a 6 year old waiting for Santa Claus through the entire time Herb Weisbaum and Dave Cohen were talking just wait for Bob Costas, but what Herb said really had an impact on me. The fact the bean counters and sales people are taking over the news room and public service is falling farther and farther behind as profit pushes to the forefront. When he talked about having the power to change things as a reporter and the importance of the job to inform people it made me realize how much I wanted to do that. It also made me realize that if we are going to bring back broadcast to public service it is going to have to be our generation of journalists who do it.
I think Dave Cohen gave the best glimpse into what a tough business broadcast can be. All the up and downs that are inevitable, but ultimately if you love what you do you'll find a way to continue doing it.
Bob Costas pretty much blew me away. After hearing all the great things Professor Nicholson, Mr. Weisbaum, and Mr. Cohen had said about him before he came in I almost expected a let down. Nope. He was so real, down to earth, and charismatic. What really impressed me was how smart he was, even though they'd been saying it all day. He knew so many facts, words, and other tid bits of knowledge right off the top off his head yet he never delivered it in a way that made you feel stupid for not knowing it too or that he was rubbing in how smart he was. I think this is probably one of the reasons hes so likable as a broadcaster. Overall it was an amazing afternoon.

Dare I Say It?

It's hard to deem one day so early on in my life as the best day of my life, so I won't quite say it. I will say, though, that I have met the most of my broadcast idols in these past two days than I have ever met before and that I have ever dreamed that I'd meet. The most amazing part is how approachable these guys seem. When I saw Mike Tirico at the Newhouse III Dedication Ceremony, he wasn't shielding himself from students, not wanting to talk. Granted, he won't remember my name. Come next year, if he sees me at WAER or some other place, I'll have to introduce myself again. But that's not really the point. The point was that he was there, in the public view, to talk with students, pose for photos and do interviews for every media outlet/class imaginable. The same goes for Bob Costas. He won't remember my name tomorrow (and if he does, I'd be truly in awe), but the fact that he was nice enough to take an hour-and-a-half out of his extremely busy schedule to let us talk to him and pick his brain. As soon as Bob Costas walked into the doorway of the class, there was an air about him. All he needed was his own theme song to walk in for it to be a picture perfect moment. I'm not exactly sure what kind of song it would be, maybe some sort of Olympic-style orchestra or something. Bob Costas was probably one of the most interesting people that I've ever listened to, but let's not discount the other guests that graced our classroom Thursday. Herb Weisbaum works in a field where I'm not so familiar with in consumer reporting, however I've always been fond of listening to consumer reports. His thoughts on the future of media were so interesting. And it seems like noone has had to reinvent himself more than Dave Cohen. In fact, that's the one question I didn't get to ask him: How are you able to reinvent yourself so many times? All in all, Thursdays class may not amount to be the best day of my life, but it certainly rivals any other thus far.

ConsumerMan to the Rescue

With all the choices given to consumers today, some are bound to be fraudulent. It takes one man to expose the wrongs of these choices. That man is ConsumerMan. Also known as Herb Weisbaum, Syracuse University '74, ConsumerMan is the specialty reporter who looks out for the consumers. Weisbaum knows he has a lot of power as a consumer reporter, but he also knows how to use that power.

"The power is there," Weisbaum said. "You can change things, you can have an affect with the stories you do. That's an incredible power."

Weisbaum returned to his alma mater Wednesday as part of ongoing ceremonies to dedicate Newhouse III. ConsumerMan also spoke about the number of options consumers have in choosing what to watch each day.

“You don’t feel guilty not watching the news [today]. When we were younger, we felt guilty not watching the news. [It’s] pretty sad because how do you run democracy if the people who are voting are not educated as to what the issues of the day were?”

He appeared in several Newhouse classes, including John Nicholson’s RTN 311/364 section, where Dave Cohen and Bob Costas soon followed. Costas had just finished hosting the first hour of also notable SU alum Mike Tirico’s first radio show in his new slot on ESPN Radio. Both Costas and Tirico have an added stake in Newhouse III. Both have their own classrooms: Costas Corner and the Mike and Deb Tirico Classroom.

What a day!!

I am going to unapologetically post this picture. So, there. deal with it.

I'm going to start this blog off saying that I actually spotted Herb Weisbaum in Food.com about a half hour before class even started. Did I want to approach him? Absolutely I did. Did I actually approach him? No, no i did not. sad but true. But I have to say, Herb provided more real life insight about this business than I think I was ready to hear. I think everyone in our class is used to hearing "well this busines is hard, and its unforgiving, and its being corrupted", but i think those are things that are easily ignored from teachers because of the second hand information we assume they're mostly speaking from. For me, though, Herb made it all so very real. I think the first thing that ran through my mind was doubt, but the more he talked about helping people, and providing a public service, the more i remembered why I wanted to do this in the first place. Herb was truely an excellent interview and person. I enoyed every second of him.

Now, Dave Cohen, I came in with a predetermined bias, because as a Red Sox fan who has been forced to watch every Red Sox Game (until very very very recently) on Yankee sponsored Networks, I was vaguely familiar with Mr. Cohen. But, all biases aside, I really enjoyed his speech. I think he is truely the reinessance man; he has found way to conquer the media, and you can tell he is truely proud of that. I like to think of him as sort of a vagabond of the media, someone who constantly drifts frm project to project, always one step ahead of the competition. He is an innovator, and truely someone I would enjoy being for a day.

Meeting Mr. Costas was a dream come true for me. It really was. I have been watching him anchor the Olympics since 1994 in Lillehammer, and I dont know if you all know, but I dont sleep when the Olympic Games are on. I watch every second of coverage from opening to closing ceremonies. He is awesome. All kinds of awesome. He is really funny too. I think any more words on Bob Costas would be an injustice. He was just... awesome.

Here endeth the lesson.

Nothing escapes the consumer man

Today, five time emmy award winning journalist Herb Weisbaum, better known to his fans as The Consumer Man visited John Nicholson's RTN 364 class. He gave the class an insight on the real world of journalism, and its rapidly changing mediums. Weisbaum really hammered down the concept of journalism and the internet, saying as technology improves journalism needs to move along with it. Weisbaum said he suspects the internet will usurp television news broadcasts within the next five years, having news sitea primarily broadcast on the internet, and then refer their readers to their broadcast news shows more more information, instead of the other way around.
He also spoke on the jaded perspective that people today have on the news, saying that students now do not feel as guilty for not watching the news as students did back in the seventies. He said the constant exposure students get to all facets of media from sources through the internet, television, and radio has left the youth disenchanted with hard hitting news, and the issues that really matter.
Weisbaum is also known as the Consumer Man for KOMO Radio and Television in Seattle, WA. His "tip of the day" can be heard weekdays at 6:25, 8:55 and 11:55 AM as well as at 3:55 and 8:55 PM.

Don't underestimate the Consumer Man

Obviously, I thought Bob Costas was amazing. After all, he's one of the greatest broadcasters of all time. But we shouldn't look past the other people that came in to speak today. I thought Herb Weisman was awesome. I think we underestimated him before he came in to class, probably because we were so blinded by the fact Bob Costas was visiting. Regardless, Herb is really knowledgeable. What intrigues me about him is that he seems to genuinely love journalism. He's not in it for the money or the fame. He's legitimately concerned about where the industry is going, as far as cutting down the length of each story and the rise of the Internet. He repeatedly said how badly he feels for people entering the field now because they'll be forced to work harder and know multimedia like never before. He also kept talking about how terrible it is that news today is more focused on making money and getting ratings than on actually communicating the news to an audience.
Not only is he concerned about the future of journalism, but he cares about helping people. I've wanted to be a broadcaster for a long time now, but I never really understood how explaining what goes on around the world actually HELPS people. Weisbaum made that clear to me today when he talked about his consumer reporting. Some may say that consumer reports are not nearly as important as the other hard-hitting news that's out there, but they are. It's the news that directly affects everyone. It's the stuff we want to hear about most (whether we admit it or not) because we can actually apply it to our everyday lives.

S.U. students get insight to future from famous alumni

A handful of broadcast journalism majors at Syracuse University got a taste of their future when they sat down with Herb Weisbaum, Dave Cohen, and Bob Costas in class today. S.U. Professor John Nicholson set up the meeting with the three Emmy award winning alumni whom he is friends with from their college hayday. Herb Weisbaum, better known as the Consumer Man, met the 15 students and talked about the future of news. He says the rise of the Internet is exponential and predicts it will replace TV within five years. He also gave the students lots of helpful hints on how to write for broadcast. He says it's frustrating that news stations cut each story so short because they are so focused on making a buck rather than communicating the news to the public.
Dave Cohen spoke to the students briefly focusing on his career reinventions. Not only has "Coney Island Dave" worked in broadcast, but he has been on screen in commercials, TV and the movie "Glory Road." He is known specifically for his voice and also talked to students about calling for the New York Yankees.
Bob Costas came later after talking on-air with Mike Turrico at WAER. Though he offered advice and perspective to the class, students were most interested in Costas's experiences as a broadcaster. He talked about reporting on the Olympics and his favorite moments in his career. (His highlight is reporting on the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.) An interesting discussion ensued between Costas and students when they asked him about his vocabulary choice and what he thinks when people say his word choice is "above" the average listener or viewer. Costas says to give the audience the benefit of the doubt instead of dumbing them down. He says, "Sports is not brain surgery, but neither should it be brain dead." He ended the class on a personal note, posing for pictures with each student.

How I covered my story

Originally, I was intrigued by the idea of going to the meeting at the Drumlins clubhouse, but I knew that I had to go to Rosh Hashanah services (otherwise my mom would have called me a "bad jew") so I just took the easy way out and decided to write my wrap on something that had to do with Rosh Hashanah.
When I got to the Hillel, I figured I would get some good sound clips and base the angle of the story off of that. This almost worked out perfectly. I was sitting at brunch with some of the brothers of A. E. PI. and I asked them if they were going to be having so many parties all semester. One of the brothers said, "Yeah, we're taking a break for the High Holy Days, [Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the two most important holidays in the Jewish calendar] but after that we will be 'throwing down' [having a party] every weekend." Unfortunately, I didn't have my tape recorder out. Had I recorded that quote, I would have taken the "religion over beer" approach, but I missed it and I had to interview the leader of the service.
The interview went well and my best short quote was the about the apples and honey, so I used it.

Jewish New Year

Jewish Syracuse University Students attended the Winnick Hillel Center for Jewish Life Thursday at ten for the reformed Rosh Hashanah service.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year and it is marked by the ceremonial dipping of apples in honey. Third year rabbinical student Neil Hirsch who led the Rosh Hashanah service said, "We eat apples and honey, on Rosh Hashanah, in a spirit of sweetness." Hirsch also mentioned that Rosh Hashanah is a time to forget the bad things that may have happened in the past and look towards a better future. In his current school, Hirsch will be a Rabbi within three years.

The service lasted two hours and many of the students stayed for the post-service brunch.

NBC Intern

It’s not even October yet but some students are already making plans for the next summer. NBC is currently recruiting students from Syracuse University and is taking them to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. For many, this internship means much more than just one academic credit.

A junior public relations major Kristyn Lao says, “That is one of the most amazing experiences one could ever have, and I actually came to this school because I wanted to be a broadcast major originally, and I thought, that, working for NBC as a broadcast major? I couldn’t think of any other experiences that I wanted more.”

NBC Olympics will visit Syracuse University on Monday and Tuesday of the week of September 24 to conduct individual interviews. For many students, these interviews could mean a life-changing experience that they’ve always dreamed of.

More Importantly

The dedication day of Newhouse III is right around the corner, but that’s just one of the upcoming events Kristyn Lao, junior public relations major at Syracuse University, marked down on her calendar.

She’s more excited about NBC’s internship program.

NBC is recruiting students with Newhouse majors and taking them the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Students who wish to apply must submit their resumes and application forms by Tuesday, September 18. NBC Olympics will visit SU on Monday and Tuesday of the week of September 24 to conduct individual interviews.

“I think the internship is one of the most amazing experiences anyone could ever have,” said Lao. “I literally came to the school for this because when I was on a tour, I remember my tour guide had gotten this internship, and I thought ‘wow, that is amazing.’”

NBC offers three job positions including production associate, and each student will receive one academic credit for participation. The cost of the program is $2,500 per student, and the positions are approximately four weeks long, with the earliest start date on July 24, 2008, and the latest end date on August 27, 2008.

The Process Behind the Assignment

It took me awhile to come across the Newhouse III story because I was following several other potential stories. My first story idea was the Primary elections for County Executive. I had trouble contacting a source for my story and there was a lack of natural sound for this story. My second story was going to be Patriotic Day/attendance figures, or something relating to Saturday's football game against Illinois but I couldn't get a hold of a source. I made one contact, Pat Campbell, but he referred me to another person in marketing, but I could not get a hold of her. Finally I decided to do a story on Newhouse III. I immediately e-mailed Dean Rubin to see if I could interview him on the topic. He got back to me right away so I had my source covered. I then got natural sound of construction and prepped for my interview. I came up with a list of questions and topics I wanted to cover with Rubin. I interviewed the Dean then and got a lot of good sound from Dean Rubin's interview. From there I listened to the entire interview and decided the best sound I had was about John Roberts as the keynote speaker. I cut down the interview to the sound I wanted and captured it on the computer. I wrote my script to the sound, had Professor Nicholson look over it, and then I made the changes. I recorded my part, captured it, and edited it all together. I was able to cover everything I wanted to in my wrap, through the use of two sound bites.

Chief Jusice John Roberts will Speak in Syracuse

Many last minute preparations are under way to bring the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to Syracuse. John Roberts will speak next Wednesday at the Newhouse III convocation. The security alone to ensure the safety of Roberts is one major task planners face says David Rubin, Dean of the Newhouse School of Public Communications.

"We rely on security provided by U.S. Federal Marshalls and the security provided by S.U. Police and the Department of Public Safety," says Rubin.

Securing Robert's safety was not as difficult as obtaining Robert's to be the keynote speaker. President Lyndon B. Johnson dedicated the first Newhouse building in 1964 and CBS executive William Paley dedicated the second building in 1974. A person of significance was needed for the dedication of the third building says Rubin.

"We knew we needed a speaker for the dedication of that stature, so right away you've almost eliminated everybody," says Dean Rubin.

After taking into consideration the contributions Chief Justice Roberts has made to expanding the rights of free speech under the First Amendment, it was clear to Rubin the Chief Justice was the top choice.

Classes held on Rosh Hashanah

Classes at Syracuse University are still scheduled during two of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar. Rosh Hashanah marks the Jewish new year, and classes scheduled on these holy days have made many members of the Jewish population unhappy. Students are now forced to decide between attending services, or going to class. Jewish professors will also need to decide whether to hold classes or not. Rabbinical student Matthew Carl led conservative services at Hendricks Chapel, and feels such a decision is part of Jewish existence. "I think a big part of what defines the Jewish experience in America is having to live in more than one world at a time. So in someways we actually have a lot to learn from the challenge of how do I do this," said Carl. Class will not be scheduled next friday for Yom Kippur. Students will then have the option to attend conservative or reform services, or go home to spend the holiday with their families.

How I covered my Rosh Hashanah story.

When Professor Nicholson first said that we were doing a story where we had to go out and cover something, I thought "what on earth could I do?" Then he said he would allow on campus stories, so I felt a sigh of relief. I decided to cover Rosh Hashanah, quite simply because I am Jewish and it's an important holiday. I was personally offended when I found out we had school on two of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, so I decided to do my story from that angle. I thought of who I could possibly interview, because the story itself should really revolve around the sound byte I got. I thought it might be interesting to interview the Rabbi leading the services. Matthew Carl, who led the services, is actually a rabbinical student, one year away from becoming an 'official' rabbi. He is the one I interviewed for my story, and was very accomidating. While I was concerned with asking questions about why we have class on this day, I should have asked him some questions about the importance of Rosh Hashanah to him. When getting my natural sound, I actually held my recorder while I was in services and hit record. I felt funny about doing it, but the sound I got was pretty good. At the end of the day, I felt I did a good job covering my angle of the story, and I was happy with the end result.

How I Covered My Story

This assignment was fun. Difficult but fun.

When professor Nicholson gave us the assignment on Tuesday and told us we were allowed only one day to finish the whole thing, I was really nervous and shocked. Initially, I wanted to cover something about the death of IST’s dean, but that didn’t seem practical because the only natural sound I could think of was the sound of keyboard typing, which was lame. Later that night, I e-mailed professor Nicholson and asked him if I could do a story on the NBC Olympics internship or the price of the juice in vending machines, but both were turned.

So I went to Room 338 the next morning and asked professor Nicholson how I could go about the NBC internship “issue” so it would be possible to write a story on it. Professor told me I should think outside the box and suggested an alternative approach for my story. Just when I thought all problems were finally solved and I shall live happily ever after from now on, the hardest part emerged – to get an interview. I ran around Newhouse I, II and III looking for interviewees, but of the ten people I asked, people were either on their way to their next class, weren’t interested in this internship, or had never even heard about it (which surprised me a little). By two thirty p.m. I only had two O.K. interviews, but there was no time for me to find another interviewee anymore so I ran to the classroom and started working on my wrap before it was too late. Eventually I finished the assignment. It could have been better, but I’m happy with the way it turned out anyway. So yeah, over all this first try was quite an experience.

How I covered the John Roberts story

John Roberts.mp3

My first thought for a story was to pick one of the several construction stories on campus, and I settled on focusing on the construction around the Newhouse building. I knew John Roberts was coming here on September 19 to deliver the keynote address at the opening ceremony for Newhouse III, so I wanted to do a story on if the construction would be completed in time. I eventually changed my mind and decided to focus completely on the Chief Justice's visit to SU. I called newspaper chair Steve Davis and I was able to set up the interview for 12 pm on Thursday afternoon. I talked to him for about 7 minutes about Roberts' visit, his impressions of the new building, and how much significance this visit carried. He said that it might be the second most significant event in Newhouse's history, behind President Lyndon Johnson's dedication of the original Newhouse building in 1964. He also talked for a little bit on the "Bong Hits for Jesus" case which was heard by the Supreme Court. He mentioned that Roberts's ruling may have gone against the principles of free speech, and of course the First Amendment is etched on the outside of the new building. We both agreed that that fact was a bit humorous and ironic. In the end, I took a quote that related directly to Roberts' importance and signficance in visiting Newhouse.