Newsletter

Cat Tales
The e-newsletter of the Milwaukee Press Club
April 2008

In this issue:

• Barbara Walters Set for Members-Only Press Club Gathering
• Weldon to Discuss Changing World of Journalism
• Finley to Address Museum’s Condition, Exhibits
• Registrations Being Taken for Gridiron
• LinkedIn Group Created for Press Club Members
• City Birthday Party Committee Seeks Members
• Reporter’s Resource Book Available For Download
• MPC Endowment Board Election Results Ratified
• New Members and In Memoriam
• Calendar
• Help Wanted: UWM Position

Barbara Walters Set for Members-Only Press Club Gathering
Milwaukee Press Club members will have an exclusive opportunity to meet acclaimed broadcast journalist Barbara Walters during a members-only gathering on May 29.

Walters will join press club members for lunch at the Newsroom Pub during a Milwaukee stop on her national book tour.

Her main public appearance that day will be at Alverno College in a Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops-coordinated evening event to discuss and sign copies of her new book, “Audition.”

In Audition (published by Alfred A. Knopf), Walters writes with candor about her private life and professional career, reflecting on the choices she has made, the work she has done, the people she has met, the heartbreak she has faced, and the challenges she has coped with and overcome. The book is due out in early May.

During her 12:30-1:30 p.m. luncheon visit at the Newsroom Pub, Walters will briefly discuss the book and will sign a Milwaukee Press Club signature plaque. She also will sign copies of “Audition.”

If you’d like to attend the luncheon, you must be a current Milwaukee Press Club member. (No guests allowed.) Cost is $20, which includes lunch. Advance registrations are required; call 414-588-9571. Advance payment is recommended and can be done online at www.milwaukeepressclub.org. Mail checks to the MPC at PO Box 223, Hales Corners WI 53130-0223. To pay by credit card, call 262-894-2224. Cancellations will be accepted up to 48 hours in advance for a full refund.


Weldon Gathering Will Focus on Changing World of Journalism
Best-selling author and journalist Michele Weldon will speak about her new book and the changing world of journalism during an April 10 evening gathering presented by the Milwaukee Press Club and UW-Milwaukee’s Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Weldon is author of Everyman News: the Changing American Front Page, which reviews the shift toward feature articles over hard news stories. The book includes more than 50 interviews that shed light on the change in media toward “blogs, citizen journalism and newsroom diversity.”

The gathering will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the Newsroom Pub, 137 E. Wells Street, in downtown Milwaukee. The public is invited.

The cost to attend is $15 for Milwaukee Press Club members, $20 for non-members, $8 for students, and $5 for UWM SPJ members. Hors’ oeuvres are included and 2-for-1 drinks and $2 bottomless sodas are available. Pre-registration and advance payment is recommended and can be done online at www.milwaukeepressclub.org. Mail checks to the MPC at PO Box 223, Hales Corners, WI 53130-0223. To pay by credit card, call 262-894-2224. Cancellations will be accepted up to 48 hours in advance for a full refund. Contact the Milwaukee Press Club at milwaukeepressclub@gmail.com or 414-588-9571 with any questions.


Finley Will Address Museum’s Condition, Exhibits at Newsmaker Luncheon
Dan Finley, president of the Milwaukee Public Museum, will discuss the museum's financial condition and outlook at an April 23 Milwaukee Press Club Newsmaker Luncheon.  The event will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Newsroom Pub, 137 W. Wells St.

Along with a report on the museum’s financial condition, Finley will assess the success of the "Body Worlds" exhibit and discuss future exhibits and other changes planned for the museum. He also will discuss the future of the former Discovery World space adjacent to the museum and the state of Milwaukee's tourism industry.

The public is invited to attend the Newsmaker Luncheon, where Finley will take questions from a panel of professional journalists.

The Milwaukee Press Club's Newsmaker Luncheon Series is sponsored by Journal Communications and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Pre-registration for the Newsmaker Luncheon is required and can be made online at www.milwaukeepressclub.org. To pay by credit card, call 262-894-2224. Cost is $20 for members, $25 for non-members and $15 for students.


Registrations Open for Gridiron; Table Sponsorships Available
Registrations can be made for the Milwaukee Press Club’s Gridiron banquet, honoring winners of the Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism competition along with Sacred Cat Kimberly Dozier and Headliners Bob Harlan and Joseph Zilber.

Dozier, a CBS news correspondent, was injured covering the war in Iraq in 2006. Harlan recently retired after 19 years as president of the Green Bay Packers. Zilber is a prominent Milwaukee commercial real estate developer and philanthropist whose company is now redeveloping the Pabst Brewery complex. (Dozier recently won a Peabody Award for a CBS News Sunday piece about two female soldiers who lost limbs in the war in Iraq.)

This year’s Gridiron will take place at the InterContinental Hotel at Kilbourn and Water in downtown Milwaukee.

Companies and large groups are encouraged to consider a table sponsorship. A $750 sponsorship includes a table for eight plus a logo in the event program and signage at the table. Contact Gloria Gappa-Grundman at 414-588-9571 for more information on this investment.

Gridiron registrations can be made online or printed out and mailed to the club. Deadline is April 18. Printed invitations are in the mail.

Major League Baseball and Associated Bank are major sponsors of the Gridiron.


LinkedIn Group Created for Press Club Members
Are you LinkedIn? If so, hook up with the Milwaukee Press Club group on the networking site. If your press club membership was current as of February, you can automatically join the group via this link:
http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/63542/39627233AD16
If your membership was not current in February but now is, you can ask to join and the group administrator will manually approve your participation in the group.

If you’re not a LinkedIn member, sign up (no cost) at www.linkedin.com.


Help Make City Birthday Party A Success
The press club team that helps plan and obtain sponsorships for the Milwaukee City Birthday Party is looking for new members.
The planning committee is well organized but needs additional people with a variety of skills and interests. If you can help, call Lori Richards at Mueller Communications 414-390-5500.
The club presents the party each January.


Reporter’s Resource Book Available For Download
Milwaukee Press Club members can now download a PDF version of the 2008-09 edition of the Milwaukee Press Club’s popular Reporter’s Resource book.

Print versions of the book were released earlier this year through a project underwritten by AT&T. It contains contact information for key people in government, sports, the media, conventions and tourism, and business.
To access the PDF, you’ll need to log into your MPC web site account. If you do not have an online account, there is an easy registration process to obtain one. Only current members can access the PDF.


MPC Endowment Board Election Results Ratified
New members of the MPC Endowment board were confirmed at the endowment’s annual meeting Feb. 27.

The board now includes:
Greg Borowski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Bob Chernow, RBC-Dain Rauscher
Tom Heinen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
David Niles, Productive Knowledge Inc. (Endowment board president)
Roger Stafford, Key Milwaukee Magazine (Endowment board treasurer)
Synovia Youngblood, Fresh Coast Classic (Endowment board VP)
Ethel Gintoft, Catholic Herald (retired)
Gretchen Ehlke, Associated Press (Endowment board secretary)

All members of the Milwaukee Press Club are automatically members of the MPC Endowment, which is a 501 (c) 3 organization that supports journalism education through scholarships and financial support of the press club’s career development programs.

New Members of the Press Club
Alex Boeder, UW-Milwaukee (college)
Jessica Lauren Cook, Zeppos & Associates (corporate)
Anne M. Connor, ACE Communications, LLC/Driftless Studio owner (media)
Kyle Duerstein, UW-Milwaukee (college)
Janet Ford, Associated Banc-Corp (affiliate)
Robert Giese, Historic Milwaukee (retired)
Hannah Jazwiak, UW-Milwaukee (college)
Jonathan Rovetto, MATA Community Media (media)
Robert Schultz, Writer’s Bloc (Affiliate)
Jonathan Shertok, Jonathan Shertok Photography (college)
Anne Simaytis, American Heart Association (affiliate)
Yin Yan, UW-Milwaukee (college)
William Ward (retired)
Kimberly Zawada, Marquette University (Media Academic)

In Memoriam
The Milwaukee Press Club mourns the loss of longtime member Bruce Gill, who died March 8 at age 56. Gill joined The Milwaukee Sentinel in 1980 and most recently served as senior editor for suburban news at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Gill will be posthumously inducted into the Milwaukee Media Hall of Fame in October.

The club also mourns the loss of Rosemary Bischoff, a longtime club supporter who was among the club’s Circle of the Knights of Bohemia. Bischoff, who owned Rosemary Bischoff Studios and Models Agency, died Feb. 13. A celebration of her life will take place at the Newsroom Pub on Saturday, April 26, starting at noon. RSVP to Rosemary Gernette, (262) 242-9646; or Lorna Sorenson, (262) 786-9546 or lornawry@wi.rr.com.

Calendar

• April 10, 5:30-7:30 p.m., gathering with Michele Weldon, award-winning author and journalist, Newsroom Pub; pre-registration and advance payment requested.
• April 23, noon, Newsmaker Luncheon with Milwaukee Public Museum president Dan Finley, Newsroom Pub.
• April 26, noon, gathering to celebrate the life of the late Rosemary Bischoff, longtime press club member and Knight of Bohemia.
• April 26: 5:30 p.m. Gridiron Banquet, InterContinental Hotel; RSVP required.
• May 29, 12:30 p.m., Barbara Walters members-only gathering, Newsroom Pub.
  
  

Help Wanted: Broadcast journalism lecturer
The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is accepting applications for a career-track lecturer to help lead its broadcast journalism program. The ideal candidate will have extensive background in broadcast journalism, teaching experience, and the ability to teach radio and television news producing. The department seeks an intellectually rigorous, collaborative colleague who will develop an active program of professional/creative activity, advise students and student groups, and maintain strong links with professional communities.

Qualifications: Master’s degree and experience in television journalism. Candidates without master’s degrees may be considered if they have at least 10 years experience in a top-50 market and are willing to earn a master’s degree within five years of hire. The starting date is Aug. 18. Applicants should send a résumé, a statement of teaching interests, copies of student evaluations of teaching (if any), and the names and contact information of three references to David Pritchard, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, PO Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201. Questions may be directed to Pritchard at 414-229-6408 or pritchar@uwm.edu. Applications must be received by April 10. For more information, see http://www.uwm.edu/letsci/jobs/index.html.

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MILWAUKEE PRESS CLUB
The only thing dead is the cat.
www.milwaukeepressclub.org

PO Box 223
Hales Corners WI, 53130-0223