 |
| English: Robie Macauley with Flannery O'Connor at the University of Iowa in 1947. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Thursday, August 21, 2014
When You Write Your Leads, Think of Me and Remember...
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
An Actual Arts Journalism Job
-Jobs Database
Arts Reporter/Assistant Editor
Colorado Public Radio
J-Jobs
Posting
a Job or Internship
There is no charge to post a job.
We
try to post jobs and internships as they come in, but in some cases we post
them once a week on Sunday evening or Monday morning. Job postings are removed
after about 30 days.
Internship postings are generally considered permanent
(we'll try and re-verify them every year). Some positions listed may already be
filled.
Disclaimer
No attempt has been
made to verify any of the information in any of the job postings. J-JOBS is a
free service to the journalism community by the Graduate School of Journalism
at the University of California at Berkeley.
Request
Corrections
To request corrections to the J-Jobs database, contact Jobs Coordinator.
More Job Hunting Help
Freelance Assistance
(The National Writers Union)
Other
Internet Job Banks
Description:
Colorado Public
Radio seeks an experienced Arts Reporter/Assistant Editor with a solid
journalism background to join its Arts Bureau.
The Arts Reporter/Assistant
Editor covers all aspects of Colorado's arts and culture communities and
produces content for radio and the online arts hub (text, video, social media,
still images etc).
As a member of the CPR Arts Bureau, this individual will
deliver work across all three of CPR’s programming services -- News, Classical,
and OpenAir.
The position also entails assisting the Arts Editor with editing
web- and audio-based content.
Work includes producing in-depth feature
stories, blog posts, social media feeds, and live events about culture-related
happenings, trends, issues, and ideas.
The goal is to give people a deep
understanding of the broad range of arts news, issues and activities around the
state.
Core responsibilities include:
Research, write, report, edit, and
voice a wide variety of stories and series for the weekly arts show, morning
and afternoon news magazines, and, occasionally, CPR's interview program
Colorado Matters.
Work with the digital news team on re-purposing existing
content for the online arts hub.
Collaborate with the Arts Editor and news
department on optimal placement of material, i.e. weekly arts show, news
magazines, newscasts, and Colorado Matters.
Provide regular short features on
arts stories and on CPR’s two music services.
Help produce live events related
to beat issues, and work as needed with regional partners and other resources
to develop content in the subject area.
Share copy editing responsibilities
with the Arts Editor, and potentially fill-in hosting duties on air.
Consult
with arts contributors and cultivates sources broadly in the arts community for
story ideas and contacts.
Participate in all assigned fund-raising and
outreach activities, on air and off.
Experience:
Minimum 5 years
public radio news experience including a strong understanding of public radio
news values and ethics as well as good news judgment.
Demonstrable passion for
arts journalism, possess strong interpersonal skills with a team orientation
and have the ability to work independently and interdependently to achieve
goals.
Understanding of the national and international arts landscape and the
role that the arts play in people’s lives.
Good organizational skills are a
must along with the ability to create lively, in-depth stories for different
media (radio, online, live space etc).
Proficiency with juggling several projects
and deadlines at once, attention to detail, meet deadlines and work
productively and efficiently in a team environment.
Excellent written and oral
communications skills (including on-air).
Strong interest in cultural
journalism; solid journalism credentials and impeccable ethical standards.
Ability to tell stories and communicate information across multimedia
platforms.
Proven editorial skill set, including writing and editing for
broadcast and online.
Ability to work accurately and gracefully under
pressure.
Clear communication skills; can work effectively in a collaborative
environment.
How To Apply:
Please send
cover letter, resume, work samples (two recent written arts features for web or
print plus two recent arts-oriented audio pieces for radio or podcast), and
three professional references to hr@cpr.org, with Arts Reporter/Assistant
Editor in the subject line. Competitive salary and benefits. No phone calls or
drop-ins please. Colorado Public Radio is an equal opportunity employer and
encourages workplace diversity.
Additional
Details:
|
Location
|
State
|
Schedule
|
Deadline
|
|
Denver
|
CO
|
Full Time
|
May 15, 2014
|
In Reviewing, the Problem of Shared Vocabulary, of Universal Assumptions
 |
| Classic Rock (album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
To see what the current state of classic rock in the United States looks like, I monitored 25 classic rock radio stations1 operating in 30 of the country’s largest metropolitan areas for a week in June.2 The result, after some substantial data cleaning, was a list of 2,230 unique songs by 475 unique artists, with a total record of 37,665 coded song plays across the stations.
I found that classic rock is more than just music from a certain era, and that it changes depending on where you live. What plays in New York — a disproportionate amount of Billy Joel, for example — won’t necessarily fly in San Antonio, which prefers Mötley Crüe. Classic rock is heavily influenced by region, and in ways that are unexpected. For example, Los Angeles is playing Pearl Jam, a band most popular in the 1990s, five times more frequently than the rest of the country. Boston is playing the ’70s-era Allman Brothers six times more frequently.
Simpsons 'Greatest Show in TV History' - FXX Runs a Marathon
 |
| Clockwise from top left: Marge, Homer, Bart, Santa's Little Helper (dog), Snowball II (cat), Lisa, and Maggie. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Vox writer curates:
But you're a busy person. You may know you love The Simpsons, but you also might not have time to watch, y'know, 552 episodes (or even "just" eight seasons) of it. So if you want to catch the best of those first eight seasons, what's the one hour you should watch per day? (If you want to explore on your own or watch something from seasons nine through 25, the good folks at Vulture have the complete schedule.)
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
How Netflix is Turning Us into Puppets
Andrew Leonard says:
The interesting and potentially troubling question is how a reliance on Big Data might funnel craftsmanship in particular directions. What happens when directors approach the editing room armed with the knowledge that a certain subset of subscribers are opposed to jump cuts or get off on gruesome torture scenes or just want to see blow jobs. Is that all we’ll be offered? We’ve seen what happens when news publications specialize in just delivering online content that maximizes page views. It isn’t always the most edifying spectacle. Do we really want creative decisions about how a show looks and feels to be made according to an algorithm counting how many times we’ve bailed out of other shows?
Shared Taste in Music Predicts Sexual Attraction
We all knew this, and it's true of preferences for things other than music. Here's a lively bit of journalism lite giving that idea the once over - and informing us that there's a publication called the Psychology of Music.
The LA Times writer says:
There is a lot of research indicating that there is a relationship between music preferences and lifestyle. The study of various subcultures has led researchers to theorize that music preferences are associated with certain values (e.g., rock with social awareness and rebelliousness, pop with certain values about gender roles and conformity, etc.). These other two scholars named Rentfrow and Gosling (2003)--no, not Ryan Gosling of the band in Silverlake and various movies and TV shows wherein unsupervised teenagers get into sexually exciting situations--determined that people who like stuff like blues, jazz, classical, and folk are more open to experiences and pretty liberal. So communicating what we like is not only a shorthand way to tell people about how much we want to belong/stand out, it also tells people about what we value.
The LA Times writer says:
There is a lot of research indicating that there is a relationship between music preferences and lifestyle. The study of various subcultures has led researchers to theorize that music preferences are associated with certain values (e.g., rock with social awareness and rebelliousness, pop with certain values about gender roles and conformity, etc.). These other two scholars named Rentfrow and Gosling (2003)--no, not Ryan Gosling of the band in Silverlake and various movies and TV shows wherein unsupervised teenagers get into sexually exciting situations--determined that people who like stuff like blues, jazz, classical, and folk are more open to experiences and pretty liberal. So communicating what we like is not only a shorthand way to tell people about how much we want to belong/stand out, it also tells people about what we value.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Why "Gravity Falls"?
From TVbythenumbers
“Gravity Falls” (9:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.)
Building on last week’s series high, an original episode of “Gravity Falls” registered the series' best ratings to date on Disney XD in Total Viewers (944,000) and across all target kids demographics: Kids 6-14 (650,000/1.8 rating), Boys 6-14 (431,000/2.3 rating), Kids 6-11 (506,000/2.1 rating), Boys 6-11 (345,000/2.8 rating), Tweens 9-14(426,000/1.8 rating) and Boys 9-14 (280,000/2.3 rating) and its #2 telecast to date in Kids 2-11 (567,000/1.4 rating) and Boys 2-11 (366,000/1.8 rating).
- Notably, “Gravity Falls” ranked as TV’s #1 telecast in its time period in Boys 6-14 and Boys 6-11, and placed a solid #2 in Boys 2-11 and Boys 9-14.
- “Gravity Falls” drove the network to all-time highs in the half hour in Total Viewers, Kids 6-14, Kids 6-11and Tweens 9-14, and its #2 delivery ever in Kids 2-11. Time period highs were also achieved in Boy 6-14, 6-11 and 9-14 demos.
“Gravity Falls” (9:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.)
Leading into the all-new episode, an encore of the show’s season two premiere, which aired last Friday on Disney Channel, ranked as TV’s #1 telecast in the half hour in Boys 6-11 (326,000/2.7 rating) and placed a strong #2 in Boys 6-14 (373,000/2.0 rating) and Boys 9-14 (244,000/2.0 rating).
Disney XD is a basic cable channel and multi-platform brand showcasing a compelling mix of live-action and animated programming for Kids age 6-11, hyper-targeting boys and transporting them into worlds full of humor, unexpected fun and inspiring action-filled adventures. Disney XD-branded content spans television, online, mobile (WATCH Disney XD app) and VOD platforms. The programming includes series, movies and short-form, as well as sports-themed programming developed with ESPN. In the U.S., Disney XD is seen on a 24-hour, advertiser supported network that reaches 80 million households via its basic cable and satellite affiliates. There are 30 Disney XD channels available in 25 languages around the world.
Here's something else worth knowing, though I doubt I'd put it in a reviewing other than to say something like "The stock market seems to like what Disney is doing with shows like Gravity Falls" and linking to the article from which I took the following, or one like it. You don't have to say it unless you feel that a choice made in the show *might* be an effort to produce something most likely to attract eyeballs, and that in general Disney for kids attracts eyeballs.
Here's something else worth knowing, though I doubt I'd put it in a reviewing other than to say something like "The stock market seems to like what Disney is doing with shows like Gravity Falls" and linking to the article from which I took the following, or one like it. You don't have to say it unless you feel that a choice made in the show *might* be an effort to produce something most likely to attract eyeballs, and that in general Disney for kids attracts eyeballs.
The penetration of Disney Channel in the U.S. TV households has increased slightly from 95.1% in 2007 to 96.1% in 2013, translating into subscriber growth from 94 million to 99 million between 2007 and 2013. The average monthly subscriber fee has also increased from $0.83 in 2007 to an estimated $0.96 in 2013. This is much higher than its rival Nickelodeon network, which charges an estimated fee of $0.52 per month. However, Nickelodeon network supports advertisements and generated around $700 million of advertising income in 2013, representing 53% of the network’s overall revenues.
We estimate Disney Channel’s penetration will remain around current levels throughout our forecast period. We forecast U.S. pay-TV households to grow from 114 million currently to 120 million by 2020. TV penetration in U.S. households is very high, with around 98% of all U.S. households owning TV sets, hence we do not expect the penetration level to change much. This translates to an annual increase of around 1% in U.S. TV households, in line with the U.S. population growth. Disney Channel’s penetration level of 96% will translate to 105 million subscribers by 2020.
We expect subscription fee to continue to grow in the coming years and reach around $1.14 in 2020 driven by the network’s popularity among kids. Moreover, pay-TV companies sign multi-year agreements with content owners with pre-defined price increments each year. 105 million subscribers and $1.14 monthly subscription fee will translate into annual subscription revenues of close to $1.5 billion towards the end of our forecast period.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Friday, August 8, 2014
Reviewing Using a Checklist? Call it Cookie Cutter. Call it Paint by the Numbers.
And sometimes it works.
A review can be an exercise in formula. It can borrow structure from other reviewers. It can use general categories of comment - how did the food taste? could you hear what the lead singer was saying? did the set design support the director's vision? - as a guide through the experience, suggesting things you should pay attention to.
When it comes to reviewing, we do not have to reinvent the wheel. We can use existing reviews as models. We can, of course, ignore models and come at the review stupendously, outrageously, in some quirky personal way your teacher has never imagined. But sometimes we paint by the numbers in the sense of using an existing framework to contain your own fresh insights.
By the way, the Smithsonian Institute did an exhibit on paint by the numbers called Every Man a Rembrandt, concentrating on how this particular corner of the consumer market said something profound about American culture, and not necessarily a negative thing.
When in doubt about what to put in a review, answer the questions: What does the object of this review say about American culture? What does my reaction to it say about me? Those questions will allow you to paint outside the lines.
A review can be an exercise in formula. It can borrow structure from other reviewers. It can use general categories of comment - how did the food taste? could you hear what the lead singer was saying? did the set design support the director's vision? - as a guide through the experience, suggesting things you should pay attention to.
When it comes to reviewing, we do not have to reinvent the wheel. We can use existing reviews as models. We can, of course, ignore models and come at the review stupendously, outrageously, in some quirky personal way your teacher has never imagined. But sometimes we paint by the numbers in the sense of using an existing framework to contain your own fresh insights.
By the way, the Smithsonian Institute did an exhibit on paint by the numbers called Every Man a Rembrandt, concentrating on how this particular corner of the consumer market said something profound about American culture, and not necessarily a negative thing.
When in doubt about what to put in a review, answer the questions: What does the object of this review say about American culture? What does my reaction to it say about me? Those questions will allow you to paint outside the lines.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)