And the 2010 Griot Drum finalists are ...

Congratulations to the following broadcast, new media and print professionals whose coverage of people of color earned them spots as finalists in the 2010 Griot Drum Awards contest!

The Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists (TBABJ) will announce winners on Nov. 18 at the Dr. Blaise F. Alfano Conference & Banquet Center, 11606 McKinley Drive, Tampa.

Tickets, which can be purchased at www.tbabj.com, are $20 for TBABJ members, $25 for non-members and $200 for a table of 10.

Look what that amount will get you: an opportunity to hobnob with bay area media influencers, a pre-banquet reception, a dinner, a keynote address by ESPN's Jemele Hill as well as performances by the Gulfcoast Academy of Performing Arts (formerly the Soulful Arts Dance Academy), Tampa musical prodigy Caleb E. Sanders and local saxophonist Jonathan Milton!

The master of ceremonies will be WFLA-Ch. 8 morning anchor Rod Carter.

So what are you waiting for? Click on the 'Donate' tab on the top right of the tbabj.com and get your tickets today!

THE FINALISTS

Shoshana Walter, The Ledger, Lakeland, one category

Starla Vaughns Cherin, The Florida Courier, Tampa, three categories

Merissa Green, The Ledger, Lakeland, one category

Jenise Morgan, The Florida Courier, Tampa, one category

Charles W. Cherry II, The Florida Courier, Tampa, two categories

Joyce Nanette Johnson, Citilife Magazine, St. Petersburg, one category

Demorris A. Lee, St. Petersburg Times, Clearwater, two categories

Colleen Jenkins, St. Petersburg Times, Tampa, one category

Stephanie Hayes, St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, one category

Michael Kruse, St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, one category

Justin George, St. Petersburg Times, Tampa, one category

Michael Wilson, The Ledger, Lakeland, one category

Scott Wheeler, The Ledger, Lakeland, one category

Mark L. Schreiner, WUSF, Tampa, two categories

Lissette Campos, Randy Wright, Frank Barrera and Jennifer McVan, WFTS-Ch. 28, Tampa, one category

Jackie Callaway and Matt McGlashen, WFTS-Ch. 28, Tampa, one category

Staff, WEDU-Ch. 3, Tampa, one category

Jennifer McVan, Felicia Burton, Gregg Wyckoff, WFTS-Ch. 28, Tampa, one category

Nancy Ryan, Chris Smith and Peter Masa, WFLA-Ch. 8, Tampa, one category

Fred Bellet, Tampa Tribune, Tampa, one category

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Rodney Thrash
Co-chair, 2010 Griot Drum Awards & Scholarship Banquet
Cell: 813.610.1268
E-mail: rthrash@sptimes.com

View the official Griot Drum Awards promo and buy your tickets!

2010 Griot Drum Awards tickets now available online!

Tickets are now on sale for the Griot Drum Awards & Scholarship Banquet, the signature event of the nationally-recognized Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists!

Held each November, it is the only locally-produced journalism awards program that honors coverage of people of color.

The 2010 installment of Griot Drum will be held Nov. 18 at the Dr. Blaise F. Alfano Conference & Banquet Center, 11606 McKinley Drive, Tampa.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a reception featuring local saxophonist Jonathan Milton. ESPN’s Jemele Hill, one of the few women of color serving as a national sports columnist and TV personality, will headline the 7 p.m. dinner and awards presentation. Since joining ESPN in November 2006, Hill has made regular appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN First Take, Jim Rome is Burning, and Outside the Lines.

More than 200 guests are expected to attend this year’s ceremony, which will include performances by the Gulfcoast Academy of Performing Arts (formerly the Soulful Arts Dance Academy) and Tampa musical prodigy Caleb E. Sanders. Area high school seniors and college students will be given financial support to pursue their education in the field of journalism.

Proceeds from ticket sales will help TBABJ fund those scholarships. Tickets are $20 for TBABJ members, $25 for non-members and $200 for a table of ten.

Click on the 'Donate' tab on the top right of the tbabj.com and get your tickets today!

See you Nov. 18!

Best,

Rodney Thrash
Staff writer, St. Petersburg Times
Co-chair, 2010 TBABJ Griot Drum Awards
Office: 727.445.4167
Cell: 813.610.1268
E-mail: rthrash@sptimes.com

Discount for NABJ membership effective today and tomorrow

This message, from the National Association of Black Journalists:

Today and tomorrow, NABJ is offering a SALE to reclaim its Members. This a special discount for lapsed Members who maybe did not come to Tampa this year, forgot to renew or who in some cases, let their membership expire as their job outlook changed. This does not apply to everyone on this email, but if you know someone who has wanted to join or come back to NABJ - this is the week to do it.

Full membership is just $85 instead of $100 if you call the national office and mention this deal. There is $15 off for Student and Associate Members as well. The number is 301-445-7100.

One perk of the sale is that this will take care of your membership fee through the 2010 San Diego Convention and it will help to spread out the costs of heading to the West Coast next year. Our programming committee is already working on next year's theme and events.

So please consider this a homecoming message. And call the office to secure the best rate in at least three years!

Thanks Deirdre
NABJ VPPrint

TBABJ Meeting April 5 at Kizmet in St. Petersburg

Members and friends of the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists:

We're meeting at 11 a.m. April 5 at a new spot: the Kizmet cafe in St. Petersburg.

As usual, we have a lot going on. We need to further plans for for the kick off party to the 2009 convention, scheduled for July 26 in Chicago this year. We're also organizing our next public forum, which we will present with the NAACP and Council on American-Islamic Relations as co-sponsors.

We also need to discuss the fast approaching Griot Drum Awards, since we have extended the deadline for entries to March 28.

Hope to see you there! Here's the address:

Kizmet 1101 1st Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, FL 33705 (727) 821-1078 Dining Guide: St Petersburg Restaurants

Eric Deggans
President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee
TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
http://www.TBABJ.com
(727) 893-8521

Membership Meeting 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb.9

Our next meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Golden Corrall restaurant, 6942 WEST HILLSBOROUGH AVENUE 33634 (813)882-9805.

It's an important meeting, because we have lots of important events developing.

1) We will actively begin planning the kick off party for the national NABJ convention coming to Tampa in 2009. NABJ executive director Kareen Freeman is coming to Tampa Feb. 12 and 13, and we hope to have a promising plan and list of potential sponsors for her to consider. The party goes down July 26 in Chicago, so we don't have much time. Please come with fresh ideas and as much information as you can assemble.

2) We have tentative plans for our second annual multimedia workshop, to be held on the day of our March membership meeting, March 1. So far, we're hoping the roster of speakers will include Sarasota Herald-Tribune features writer Steve Echevarria, Media General multimedia reporter Ken Knight, St. Petersburg Times reporter Demorris Lee (fresh from a fellowship on multimedia reporting) and yours truly. We'll firm up plans and figure out the where and when Saturday.

3) TBABJ is co-sponsoring a reception honoring PBS host Gwen Ifill when she comes to St. Petersburg to tape her Washington Week show on Feb. 15. The reception is at 7:15 p.m. in the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, and is free to TBABJ members and friends; just email or contact us to let us know you're coming, though walk-ups are fine,too. WEDU-Ch. 3 also encourages any TBABJ members to come to Gwen's taping at 3 p.m. in the Mahaffey Theater. Admission is also free there, though you have to contact WEDU for tickets.

4) We are accepting applications for this year's Griot Drum Awards. We decided to put out our call for entries now to make it easier for news organizations which are already entering Pulitzers and other big competitions to include us. If you're on our mailing list, you sould have already gotten an email about the contest -- please pass it along to co-workers and enter yourself!

I'm hoping you'll join us Saturday and lend your sweat equity to our effort.

Here's directions: Obviously, in Tampa, you can just get on 580/Hillsborough Ave. from any major artery and drive west to Town N' Country.Take I-275 to Route 60 north to ext. 4: Hillsborough Ave. turn left (west) on hillsborough and look for the restaurant.

As always, call or email if you need to discuss anything beforehand.

Eric Deggans

President, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists

Chair, NABJ Media Monitoring Committee

TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times

(727) 893-8521