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March 12, 2010

History Today: 1933—President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave the first of his 30 Fireside Chats, addressing Americans directly in an informal evening radio broadcast. FDR’s chat addressed the banking crisis and urged people to have hope that the country would recover by supporting his program for the rehabilitation of the banking system. The chats were so well-liked they brought in more listeners than some of the most popular shows of the time. Since Roosevelt, it has been customary for every U.S. president to give a weekly address.

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Let's talk sports
Radio stations that were previously Top 40, Jazz or Oldies formats may now produce the sounds of talk, guys and sports. It’s what a Lincoln, Neb. station recently decided to do after changing to an Oldies format in January. “We listened to the public. We decided to make that decision,” KLMS-AM general manager Joy Patten told AllAccess about their decision to switch back to ESPN Radio.

Since January, the format that seems to reign is Sports Talk as various stations across the country have opted for the switch. Minneapolis’ KSTP-AM flipped last month, providing listeners with a mix of local Sports Talk and ESPN programming. Honolulu’s KUPA-AM will return to the air sometime next month airing Fox Sports. In San Francisco, KNBR-AM expanded its sports coverage. And just last week, Oregon’s KKEE-AM flipped from Liberal Talk to Sports as a Fox Sports affiliate...READ MORE

Also in the inVocus Media Blog:
Social media and its place in the circle of traditional media
Like the media industry, the freelance model is changing
Hispanic media on demand

Explore America's national parks in April
What: Despite living in the world’s fourth-largest country, Americans are united by a spirit of adventure and appreciation for our shared wilderness: the Grand Canyon’s awe-inspiring span, Yellowstone’s magnificent geysers and the Great Smoky Mountains’ abundance of wildflowers. Next month, pay homage to America’s wild spaces during National Park Week, celebrated April 17-25.

Story Pitch: Visitor bureaus and companies in the hospitality industry can pitch around this date, while environmental organizations can promote conservation and awareness. Schools and nonprofits can organize service-learning activities to teach their communities about America’s natural history and ongoing preservation efforts. Even retail companies whose products aid in exploring the great outdoors can pitch around this event...READ MORE

Daily Media Moves

Magazines
Time names executive editor
Nancy Gibbs
Time
(212) 522-3570
nancy_gibbs(at)timemagazine.com
www.time.com

Time magazine’s Nancy Gibbs has been named executive editor of the publication. In her previous role as editor at large, she covered current affairs and government, as well as local, regional and national news. She has authored over 100 articles for Time and coauthored “The Preacher and the Presidents: Billy Graham in the White House.”

New lifestyle title for Canadian military

Cyndi Mills
Ubiquitous Magazine
(613) 687-1997
editor(at)ubiquitousmagazine.ca
www.ubiquitousmagazine.ca

Launching in April, Ubiquitous Magazine will cover relationships, homes, recipes and pets, as well as travel ideas and career tips for Canadian military families. Its mission is to empower, educate and enhance the lives of active and retired military personnel and their families. Leading the publication is editor in chief Cyndi Mills.

Ubiquitous Magazine will be published 10 times a year with a circulation of 60,000.

newline

Newspapers
New beat assignments at Roll Call
Kate Hunter
Jen Bendery
Roll Call
(202) 824-6800
editors(at)rollcall.com
www.rollcall.com

Kate Hunter has joined Roll Call as a reporter covering the House leadership team. She previously covered health care news for Congressional Weekly. Hunter replaces Jen Bendery, who now covers the White House for Roll Call.

newline

Television
Butler joins WHNS
Trent Butler
WHNS-TV
(864) 288-2100
whns(at)foxcarolina.com
www.foxcarolina.com

Trent Butler has joined Greenville, S.C.-based WHNS as the station’s primary anchor. He previously served as an anchor and reporter at WAGT-TV (NBC) in Augusta, Ga.

WHNS-TV is a Fox affiliate serving the Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson, S.C. viewing area.

newline

Radio
Former NPR host to host morning news program in L.A.
Madeleine Brand
KPCC-FM 89.3
(626) 583-5100
www.scpr.org

Madeleine Brand, the former host of the NPR program “Day to Day,” has been named host of a new morning news program on KPCC. The yet-unnamed program is slated to launch in late spring, and will air weekdays from 9 to 10 a.m., replacing “BBC Newshour.”

KPCC-FM is a public Talk radio station that serves the Los Angeles area. It is owned by Pasadena City College in Pasadena, Calif., and is operated by Southern California Public Radio.

Richard Roeper to co-host afternoons on Chicago’s WLS
Richard Roeper
WLS-AM 890
(312) 984-0890
www.wlsam.com

Beginning today, Chicago Sun-Times columnist and film critic Richard Roeper will join WLS host Roe Conn to host afternoons. He replaces Cisco Cotto, who previously hosted alongside Conn on WLS until leaving to host mornings for the station in February. “The Roe Conn Show with Richard Roeper” airs weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m.

WLS-AM is a Talk radio station serving the Chicagoland area.

The industry’s first Pitching Tips selection featuring

Podcasts. Click to hear pitching preferences directly from the media contact.

newline

Magazines
Candace Floyd, food editor
Relish
(615) 468-6030
cfloyd(at)pubgroup.com
www.relishmag.com

As the food editor at Relish, Candace Floyd covers new cooking products, food trends, innovative chefs, and farmers and farms across the United States. “We have a Cooking with Kids column that runs periodically,” she says. “It talks about ways to help kids eat more healthfully and how to work with schools to get better lunches for kids.” The magazine’s This and That column covers new products, services, Web sites and books relating to cooking. Floyd also contributes to Relish’s food blog, The Back Burner. Pitch her by e-mail at least four months in advance; attachments are accepted. She welcomes follow-up calls.

Relish focuses on cooking, dining and entertaining for a primarily female audience. It is distributed exclusively through newspapers as a monthly insert, with a circulation of approximately 15 million.

newline

Newspapers
Wyatt Buchanan, state capital reporter
San Francisco Chronicle / Sacramento bureau
(916) 440-8625
wbuchanan(at)sfchronicle.com
www.sfgate.com/chronicle

Wyatt Buchanan covers state government and politics in California’s capital city, Sacramento. Topics include state budget, legislation, public funding and political figures. Press releases must cover statewide issues and politics; topics should not be too local. Also, he is only interested in national government stories if they have a California hook. Pitch him via e-mail; he accepts photos and attachments.

newline

Television
Dave Ross, assignment editor / planning editor
WESH-TV
(407) 645-2222 x7878
wesh2news(at)gmail.com
www.wesh.com

Dave Ross oversees news programming and story assignments at WESH. The station's coverage area includes nine counties in Central Florida. Press releases should cover current issues that impact this area. Ross says he prefers NOT to receive press releases that are “promotional in nature” and that lack "intrinsic news value." Pitch him by e-mail; high-resolution photos and attachments are welcome. Keep pitches short and sweet.

WESH-TV is an NBC affiliate serving the Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne area of Central Florida.

newline

Radio
Mari Martinez, producer / host
KSEA-FM / "Punto de Vista”
(661) 837-0745
mari.martinez(at)campesina.com
http://campesina.com/ksea

Mari Martinez covers consumer rights, finance, education, immigration, health and family issues on her morning show, "Punto de Vista.” The program’s target audience consists of "first-generation Spanish-speaking immigrants," Martinez says. Press releases may pertain to national issues such as immigration reform and “anything that affects our immigrant community, especially the undocumented workers,” she says.

Pitch her by e-mail at least one week in advance; she accepts high-resolution images and attachments. Martinez does NOT appreciate follow-up e-mails or calls. She says she will "reply immediately" to pitches that interest her.

"Punto de Vista” airs in Spanish weekdays from 10 to 11 a.m. on KSEA-FM, a Mexican Regional radio station in Salinas, Calif.

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