TBABJ Membership Meeting at 11 a.m. May 10

TBABJ Members and friends:

Our next meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, May 10, at the Golden Corrall restaurant, 6942 WEST HILLSBOROUGH AVENUE 33634 (813)882-9805.

We usually meet on the first Saturday of each month, but I will be out of town Saturday, and I have lots of information to deliver about our ongoing projects. We'd love to see you atthe meeting because we have several intiatives under development, including:

1) Busch Gardens has come on board as a sponsor of the kickoff party for the 2009 national convention, which is wonderful news. We're hoping to get their help in getting people hyped for the trip to Tampa and we're confident their involvement will convince everyone a good time is waiting for them here in Tampa.

2) We have rescheduled our public forum for May 29, titled Race, Religion and Media: Are We Getting the Coverage We Deserve? The forum is a co-sponsorship with the Council for American Islamic Relations, the Hillsborough NAACP and the Human Rights Campaign and is scheduled for the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough Community College. Currently, panelists include A mentor of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Arthur Jones, local evangelist Bill Keller, former CAIR spokesman Ahmed Bedier and local activist/radio personality Otis Anthony. We're hoping for help getting to a couple more attention-getting panelists and finishing up details.

3) We're also finalizing details for a keynote speaker at our Griot Drum Awards, tentatively scheduled for November of this year. The decision to accept enries for the awards part of the event earlier this year helped, our entries went up a bit, and we're hoping to pull together a wonderful program. We also are still accepting applications for several $1,000 scholarships to be awarded during the banquet.

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

TBABJ Now Accepting Applications for $1,000 Scholarship

It is with great pleasure that the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists announces its 2008 Scholarship Contest.

All high school and undergraduate students of color (African American, Hispanic, Asian, etc.) are eligible to apply for this contest. Deadline is Oct. 22, 2008. Applications must be postmarked by this date to be considered.

This year, we will award three $1,000 scholarships to deserving minority college students who are pursuing careers in journalism. Our desire is to empower young journalists of color to join the ranks of the working press.

In addition to the scholarship, our 2008 winners will receive student membership in the National Association of Black Journalists and TBABJ for one year.

Students currently enrolled in college or graduating high school seniors are encouraged to apply. Graduate students and previous grand prize winners are NOT eligible. Applicants MUST have a connection to the Tampa Bay area, which includes Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, among other communities in the region. We expect our winners to attend TBABJ’s annual awards banquet in the fall.

Completed application packets must be postmarked by Oct 22.

Questions? Contact Kevin Graham, TBABJ’s Scholarship Coordinator, at 813-226-3433 or kgraham@sptimes.com.

Feel free to print out the application below and send back:

2008 Student Scholarship Application

Deadline: Applications must be postmarked by Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008!

All materials become the property of TBABJ and will not be returned.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Last Name:_________________ Middle Initial:____ First Name:___________________

Permanent Address:_______________________________________________________

City:_________________________ State:________ Zip Code: ____________________

Permanent Phone Number:___________________ Personal E-mail:_________________

Present Address: __________________________________________________________

City:_________________________ State:________ Zip Code: ____________________

Present Phone Number:_____________________________________________________

Social Security Number:____________________ Are you a U.S. Citizen:___Yes ___No

If not, do you have legal documentation supporting your stay in the United States?______

School Classification for school year 2008-09 (i.e. freshman, sophomore, etc):_________

College or University:______________________________________________________
(High school seniors, please name your current school and the post-secondary institution you plan to attend.)

Projected Graduation Date (mm/yy):__________________________________________
II. Please consider the following topic in a 500-word essay:

Analyze the media’s coverage of a recent news story involving race, class or religion. Discuss how you would have covered the story.

Please enclose a photograph and five collated copies of the following:

► Completed Application

► Essay

► Resume

► Three to six examples of journalistic work (Broadcast journalists may submit a DVD but must note their role in each production, i.e. sound technician, lighting, writer, producer).

Please also include one sealed copy of the following:

► Official school transcript (Must be enclosed in an official school envelope and be stamped by your registrar’s or principal’s office).

► One to two letters of recommendation from faculty, employees or journalists familiar with your career goals.


Mail applications to:

Kevin Graham, Scholarship Coordinator
Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists
1000 N Ashley Drive, Suite 700
Tampa, FL 33602

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

Griot Drum Awards Deadline Extended to March 28!

Get out those media awards submissions, because it's not too late to send in entries for the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists (TBABJ) Griot Drum awards.

These awards, open to journalists of any ethnicity, honor quality coverage of people of color or issues affecting them. They are also the Tampa Bay area's only local journalism awards contest, focused on honoring achievement in the state's largest media market.

The deadline has been extended until March 28. Entries must be postmarked by that date.

See attached forms for entry information. Or go to the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists web site at www.TBABJ.com.

Got questions? Call or e-mail Camille C. Spencer, awards coordinator, at 727-992-5203 or camillecspencer@gmail.com.

Best,

Camille C. Spencer-- Camille C. SpencerReporterSt. Petersburg Timeswww.tampabay.com727.869.6229 (office)727.992.5203 (cell)

TBABJ Multimedia Workshop March 8 in Tampa

The Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists is pleased to announce its second annual seminar on blogs and multimedia reporting.

Scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday March 8 at the Tampa Tribune, 200 S. Parker St. Tampa, the seminar will feature contributions from Ken Knight, TBABJ Treasurer and multimedia editor for the Tampa Tribune/WFLA-Ch. 8/TBO.com; Demorris Lee, reporter for the St. Petersburg Times; Eric Deggans, TBABJ president and creator of The Feed media blog; and Steve Echevarria, feature writer for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and developer of a national panel on blogging for the National Association of Black Journalists.

During the panel discussion, we will talk about ways to think about expanding traditional journalism work to multimedia platforms, the advantages and challenges of blogging for journalists, the resources available for those who hope to learn more about this kind of work and more...

Though this is a professional development seminar organized by the TBABJ, this seminar is free and open to anyone who wishes to attend. Our first session last year was well attended, and we hope to do better in 2008.

In particular, journalists of all ethnicities and experience levels are most welcome. Feel free to email back at this address or call my office at the number below for more information...

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

TBABJ Welcomes Gwen Ifill to the Tampa Bay Area

Here's a photo from the reception TBABJ co-sponsored with the Poynter Institute for Washington Week host Gwen Ifill. (That's me with the egg shaped head and delirious expression)

Ifill, an NABJ member who regularly attends the national conventions, appeared in a fundraiser at the Poynter Institute Feb. 15 after taping two editions of her show at the MahaffeyTheater in St. Petersburg.

About 50 people showed for the Poynter event, in which Ifill answered questions about media politics and why she regrets ever singing on the NPR show Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me. (because everybody now asks her to sing).

Thanks to everyone from TBABJ who attened the event and approved of the group lending its name and pocketbook to a worthy event.

Eric Deggans

TBABJ President

TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg Times

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