May 2002
Innovator, benefactor and friend:
STALEY McBRAYER, 1909-2002
Staley McBrayer greatly enjoyed meeting the young person at the SPJ banquet each year who received the scholarship in his and wife Beverly's name. Mr. McBrayer would get to know the student over dinner, then present her to the room with an agent's zeal. Two years ago, though, he asked to be excused. He would be returning from a month of theatergoing the day before and knew he'd be a little tired. Jet lag, you know. Perfectly understandable. Oh, and he was 90, but no one who knew him figured that was a factor.
A former Fort Worth and national SPJ president and a driving force behind creation of the chapter's scholarship endowment, Mr. McBrayer died April 14. Ever the optimist, a week prior he was making lunch plans at Shady Oaks Country Club for when he felt better. "He surrounded himself with people who had interesting things to talk about," said one of those intended lunch pals, TCU journalism professor Doug Newsom. "He was one of the best interviewers I have ever known, an aggressive learner, eager to explore everything new."
In the 1950s, struggling with printing costs as a publisher of several area weeklies, he and a design team explored expanding the offset process from books to newspapers. The resultant web offset press, engineered and subsequently patented by colleague Grant Ghormley, saved small papers across the country and literally changed the face of newspapering.
Mr. McBrayer was honored at various times by SPJ, Editor & Publisher, the American Newspaper Publishers Association and Texas Daily Newspaper Association, De Pauw University and his alma maters, Texas A&M-Commerce and UT Austin. TCU awarded him an honorary doctor of science degree in May 2001.
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MEETINGS
Next at IABC ...
The Yoga Effect: Balance * Flexibility * Core Strength
For the stressed in the crowd at the IABC May membership luncheon, Debbie Barnett may be the oasis in their own personal desert. A certified yoga instructor, she will offer a lighthearted look at how yoga principles can enhance a career and lead to the discovery of life balance.
Expect a few audience-participation yoga poses and breathing techniques. "Being centered and balanced is essential in order to perform your best in mind, body and spirit," she says. Put another way: "It's much easier to go with the flow than swim against the current."
Barnett is founder and president of Conscious Flow, LLC, a personal development training company. She teaches private and small-group power yoga lessons and has been featured practicing yoga on the NBC 5 morning news and at NBC 5's 2002 HealthFit Expo.
* Time, date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, May 14
* Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor
* Parking: $2.50 in parking garage at 7th and Commerce streets; get ticket validated
* Cost: $17 members, $22 nonmembers, $12 students
* RSVP by noon May 10: Dan Frost at (817) 735-6157 or frostdg@c-b.com
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Next at PRSA ...
Standing Out in the Crowd: Communicating
Your Story in a Congested News Environment
Crisis in the Middle East. The war on terrorism. Church scandals and corporate misdeeds. With so much hard news, how are you going to get your story told?
Paul Harral, vice president and editorial director of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and Loren Steffy, Dallas bureau chief of Bloomberg News, have some clues on how to make your message stand out, and they'll share them at the May PRSA luncheon. Harral will explain how to use editorial boards to your advantage, and Steffy will discuss perfecting the business angle for your pitch.
* Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, May 8
* Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor
* Parking: $2.50 in parking garage at 7th and Commerce streets; get ticket validated
* Cost: $20 members, $23 nonmembers, $18 students
* RSVP by noon May 6: Heather Senter, hsenter@witherspoon.com
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Next at SPJ ...
For Scholarship Winners, a Big Night at Ben's Place
Eleven university award recipients and three outstanding high school seniors will be honored at Fort Worth SPJ's annual scholarship banquet Saturday, May 4, at Shady Oaks Country Club, the legendary Ben Hogan's home club. NBC 5 award-winning anchor-health reporter Deborah Ferguson will offer the young journalists insights into a journalism career from a broadcast perspective.
More than $10,000 will be handed out, much of it in the names of current and former leaders of the local journalism community -- Donna Darovich, Jack Tinsley, Staley and Beverly McBrayer, Jerry Flemmons, Joe Holstead and Lina Davis.
* Date: Saturday, May 4
* Time: social hour 6 p.m., dinner 7
* Place: Shady Oaks Country Club, 320 Roaring Springs Road
* Cost: $25 members, $15 students, honorees free
* Menu: chicken Saltimboca, Caesar salad, broiled tomato with parmesan, potatoes muchogusto and fresh rolls; for dessert, chocolate oblivion cake; tea and coffee; cash bar
* RSVP by May 1: Larry Lutz at (817) 548-5525 or larrylutz@yahoo.com
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STRAIGHT STUFF
The PR Consultants Special Interest Group returns to the scene of its successful April gathering -- the patio at Bistro Louise, 2900 S. Hulen St. -- for a meeting Thursday, May 23. Cost is $20, with happy hour starting at 4:30 and the meeting at 5. Five consultants will speak on their unique business strengths. Plans for upcoming meetings include touring potential subcontractor firms. RSVP by May 17 to Nancy Farrar, nancyh829@aol.com or (214) 929-3298. ... Thirty-seven students from six universities -- TCU, UTA, UNT, Texas Wesleyan, Abilene Christian and Hardin-Simmons -- participated in PRSA's annual Pro-Am Day on April 19. "And we found enough PR pros for ALL of them to shadow! The day was a huge success," reports student liaison Carol Murray, APR. "A big thanks to all of the PRSA members who provided the students with a glimpse of the 'real world' and covered the cost of their lunch at the monthly PRSA meeting. Thanks, too, to PRSA members who couldn't take a shadow but paid for some student lunches." ...
The Dallas Press Club plans a late-May reception to honor journalists, advertising/PR folks and others who have built today's industry. Been in the business 20 years or more? Know someone who has? The press club needs to hear from longtime media types. Contact DPC executive director Karen Lukin, (214) 515-0000 or pressclubdallas@mindspring.com. ... Terri Langford of The Dallas Morning News will discuss her experiences covering the Andrea Yates trial in Houston at a meeting Tuesday, May 7, of the media relations committee of the Dallas Bar Association. SPJ members and interested journalists are welcome. The program begins at noon at the Belo Mansion, 2101 Ross Ave. Lunch may be purchased on site. Call Sue Cady, (214) 220-7477. ... The state information service Stateline.org has published an article detailing just how widespread the assault on public access has been in state legislatures since Sept. 11. Kathleen Murphy writes that 17 states have proposed new laws or rules to limit access to public records. ...
Independent practitioners, PRSA covets your input for a confidential, 10-minute online survey on the economics and demographics of the solo sector. If you own your own PR business and have no other full-time professional staff (although you may form alliances with other solo practitioners who provide services to your clients), send your name and e-mail to cedric.bess@prsa.org. Results will be presented at the PRSA 2002 International Conference, Nov. 16-19 in San Francisco.
SPJ national update: 2 losses ... SPJ is crying foul, and a council of journalism schools in eight states has condemned a decision by UT Tyler to dismiss the student newspaper adviser after she encouraged students to be aggressive reporters. In a letter to Provost David O'Keeffe, Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication president Fred Blevens criticized administrators for firing the adviser without "due process" or "establishing just cause" and urged them to reconsider. O'Keeffe said administrators were not required to explain their decision not to renew the contract of Vanessa Curry, an SPJ member who advised student journalists for three years at the bimonthly, award-winning Patriot. Under her leadership, the paper filed open records requests for everything from administrator salaries to campus crime reports and even donors' pet projects. SPJ is demanding that Curry's contract be renewed. Said Jim Highland, print journalism director at Western Kentucky University and SPJ vice president for campus chapter affairs: "This strikes at the very heart of the First Amendment as it is practiced on university and college campuses throughout the nation." Curry is considering legal action against the university for eliminating her job and unveiling policies that free speech advocates say violate constitutional protections. The university recently announced that its publications policy allows administrators to decide "the character and policies of all student publications." ... Vanessa Leggett lost her Supreme Court appeal last month. The novice crime writer who refused to turn over her notes on a society killing was jailed longer -- more than five months -- than any U.S. writer who has used the First Amendment to reject a grand jury subpoena. The court did not comment in turning down Leggett's request that it use her case to give writers more rights to protect the confidentiality of their sources. Leggett was released in January, a few weeks after the appeal was filed. The government argued that the release made her case irrelevant. Her lawyer replied that she faces the threat of a new government subpoena. Leggett is on the government witness list for the upcoming trial of a Houston man accused of ordering the killing of his socialite wife.
SPJ national update II: 1 pending, 1 request ... A coalition of media groups is fighting Federal Election Commission regulations that burden the ability of news organizations to sponsor debates between political candidates. Under long-existing FEC regulations, sponsorsing such debates by media organizations is considered a crime -- an illegal corporate campaign contribution -- unless the debate participants are selected according to "pre-established, objective criteria." SPJ and 12 other organizations led by Viacom, owner of CBS, filed a petition April 10 asking the FEC to reverse the rule. They argue that the FEC constitutionally may not require a news organization to formalize criteria for selecting debate candidates, or apply such criteria in a rigid fashion, as the price of being allowed to sponsor a debate. Such a stipulation, the media groups hold, infringes on the independent judgment afforded journalists under the First Amendment. ... SPJ is asking Israel to stop the negative treatment of journalists trying to cover the conflict in the West Bank. SPJ also is calling on journalists in the region to observe SPJ's Code of Ethics while urging all governments to guarantee freedom of information. "SPJ is deeply concerned that the Government of Israel is worsening the grave situation in the Occupied Territories by injuring and intimidating journalists who are attempting to report the biggest story in the world today," SPJ president Al Cross wrote in a letter to the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
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Sometimes This Sheriff Even Answers His Own Phone
by Frank Perkins
The first thing Sheriff Dee Anderson did when he took office last year was buy his own $70 badge. There was no money in the sheriff's budget for it. There is now. Then he set about mending fiscal fences with Tarrant County Commissioners Court, eventually securing an annual $300 uniform allowance for each of his 1,200 deputies -- a first in county history.
The latter accomplishment, especially, reflects the spirit of cooperation that the burly former sports writer brought to the office after eight years under reclusive Sheriff David Williams. But Anderson's most positive change, he told the Fort Worth SPJ meeting in April, has been in the department's attitude toward the media.
"Media relations to our department are so important. They must be renewed every day. One unguarded comment, one rude confrontation with the media, can do damage to the public's trust." He vowed to change his predecessor's arguably paranoid stance toward the media, "not one individual at a time but departmentwide."
Anderson comes by his media savvy naturally. The son of the late Andy Anderson, a revered sports columnist with the old Fort Worth Press, he studied journalism at UT Austin, writing for The Daily Texan student newspaper, then joined his dad at the Press. He moved on to writing sports for the Arlington Daily News.
He brought an openness to media relations with local law enforcement after he was appointed Arlington's first police public information officer following tours as a patrol officer and a member of the department's tactical response team. He developed trust with the media by understanding their needs -- different for print and broadcast -- and by being available.
"Bad news is best handled openly," he said. "The worst way to handle such news is to lie about it or cover it up. Get it out in the open, get through it and then go on with your job. I won't tell you everything I know, such as sensitive details of a crime under investigation, but what information I do share with you will be honest and true."
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PEOPLE & PLACES
Paul Sturiale has been named VP of communications and public relations of hair salon giant Opal Concepts, a $100 million corporation that includes 10 brands in the beauty and haircare industries. A former vice president of public relations for Grey Worldwide/Dallas-Fort Worth, he served for the previous year and a half as executive director of communications and PR for Pro-Cuts Franchise Corp., which is an Opal brand. ... The Community Services Branch of the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth has named Kay Haddaway (United Community Centers) and Bill West (Tarrant County Juvenile Services) as chair and chair-elect, respectively, of its 2002 board of directors. Newly elected to the board are Andra Bennett, APR (Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce); Kim Speairs, APR (Stuart Bacon Advertising-Public Relations); Will Martin (NAI/Stoneleigh Huff Brous McDowell), Rebecca Minneweather (Fort Worth Independent School District Adolescent Pregnancy Services) and Jacinto Ramos (Tarrant County Juvenile Services).
Kudos & Contracts ... The National Women's Political Caucus in Washington, D.C., has awarded a 2002 Exceptional Merit Media Award to Fort Worth Star-Telegram staff writer Liz Stevens -- she'll pick it up in person May 8 at the National Press Club -- for her lead story in the "Deadly Embrace" series about intimate partner homicide. The EMMA is given for "outstanding reporting and/or coverage of issues, concerns, people and events pertinent to women in all walks of life." As support material, the entry included all of the stories in the series by Alyson Ward, Jessie Milligan, Tim Madigan and Carolyn Poirot, which involved copy editing by Marilyn Bailey, Carol Nuckols and Tim Sager; photos by Joyce Marshall, Alison Woodworth and Ron Ennis; graphics by John Valles, Steve Wilson, Matt Pinkney and Brenda Leferink; design by Sarah Huffstetler, Mark Hoffer, Jennifer Hart and Maricar Estrella; and research by Jeff Claassen. Other winners include ABC News, Newsweek, "Dateline NBC," The Village Voice, The Arizona Republic and The Washington Post. ... The "Deadly Embrace" team also won a Vivian Castleberry Award from the Association for Women Journalists, Fort Worth-Dallas chapter, as did Star-Telegram senior writer Jan Jarvis for her story "Struggle for Sanity" about a woman's battle with bipolar disorder. The Castleberry award is named for the Dallas civic leader and features editor of the Dallas Times Herald.
Kudos II: Star-Telegram city government reporter Anna Tinsley won three first-place honors, a second place, a third place and two honorable mentions to take the Faragher Sweepstakes Award in the 2002 Texas Professional Communicators statewide journalism contest. Tinsley also won sweepstakes in 1997, 1998 and 2000. A $250 scholarship will be established in her name at Baylor University. Tinsley joined the Star-Telegram in April 2001; before that, she covered the Capitol for six years in the Scripps Howard Austin Bureau. Texas Professional Communicators, an affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women, was formerly known as Texas Press Women. ... The Star-Telegram's Barry Shlachter has won the Star Reporter of the Year Award given by the Headliners Club of Austin. The paper's Tim Madigan and Lynn Lunsford won previously.
Kudos III: Unity One Federal Credit Union, formerly United Railway FCU, has selected Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations as its agency of record. Witherspoon will initially undertake Unity One FCU's brand strategy development, with marketing communications efforts to follow.
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GET A JOB
No habla Español? Then skip this. Knight Ridder needs someone who can talk it and tell it as bureau chief in Mexico City. Essential skills: Knowing when and where to move on a big news event; being able to write crisp stories that clearly explain their importance to readers in the United States. Must be able to write about crime, religion, immigration, trade, Latin pop stars, corruption, politics, trade or any of 100 more subjects. Some travel required, occasionally to dangerous places; may have to negotiate the intricacies of travel in undeveloped parts of the world. Knowledge of a camera is a plus. At least six years' experience in daily newspaper journalism required. Fluency in Spanish preferred. A strong preference will go to applicants from within Knight Ridder. Send resumes and up to a dozen clips to Kathleen Carroll, Washington Bureau Chief, Knight Ridder, 700 National Press Building, Washington, D.C. 20045. Deadline May 15.
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WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS
PRSA ... Sharon Fulcher-Tatom with Masonic Home and School of Texas
SPJ ... Henry M. Stewart, owner of Henry Stewart Public Relations ... Cliff Amos, public information officer with Miller Brewing Co.
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COMINGS & GOINGS
Additions ... at the LaChapelle Agency, PR director Holly Ellman, formerly media relations manager at Texas Wesleyan University ... at Carter & Burgess: Ann Genett-Schrader as a media relations specialist in the marketing department ... at the Star-Telegram: former Knight Ridder intern Nicole Gull, a graduate of Bucknell University and Columbia University, as a police reporter in Arlington ... downtown copy editors John Forsyth, former editor of S-T nemesis Fort Worth Weekly; Tom Shuford, longtime journalism educator; and Kansas U. grad ('90 journalism, '85 political science) Brian Baresch, late of The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle
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PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Kristie Aylett, APR; GFW PRSA
PRSA has long been known for professional development, networking and industry leadership. But what has impressed me recently is our support of each other and those joining our ranks. This support was especially evident during April's Pro-Am Day. Nearly 40 students spent the morning with PR pros, learning what it's like in the business world. For lunch, 120 professionals and students listened intently to Kasey Pipes tell about working in the White House and writing video scripts and speeches for President Bush. We were so close to the room's legal limit that we considered stopping reservations early. Kudos to Carol Murray, APR, Lisa Albert and Hope Caldwell for pulling everything together. And a special thanks to the members who let students shadow them. It was a fine example of our commitment to the future of the profession.
We don't just give our time and knowledge, either. As a chapter, we support these students with scholarships. TCU student and PRSSA member Heather Cohen was introduced at the April meeting as the recipient of a $500 scholarship from the chapter. And we're in the process of establishing scholarships at Hardin-Simmons and Abilene Christian for the PRSSA chapters we sponsor there.
We support each other as friends and colleagues. I can't believe we told 140 PR folks a secret and all of us kept it. We were able to surprise past president and mom-to-be Kim Speairs, APR, with a baby shower April 26. Seeing her face as she arrived at the "nominating committee meeting" was priceless. (The shower is only one of many surprises -- she and husband Scott will learn the gender of their baby upon delivery.)
This summer, we'll have another opportunity to get involved. Fort Worth Sister Cities is sponsoring "People to People for Peace" July 21-25. Civic leaders worldwide will convene to focus on creating a culture of peace. The event will culminate in a nationally televised town hall meeting. PRSA has agreed to support the communications activities, and we'll need volunteers to help with publicity and the international press corps. You recall our role in Fort Worth's 150th birthday celebration in 1999 and what a good time we had, gaining great experience, too. Interested? Let me know -- aylettk@yahoo.com.
A note of thanks to Holly Ellman, our public relations chair, for the April 19 Fort Worth Business Press mention of yours truly in the Dossier column. I don't think the limelight is the place for me, but I'm sure that BP readers now know more about PRSA than they did. Holly is also doing a great job in getting our meetings featured regularly in the Frames photo collage pages.
And to end on a high note: The final numbers from February's Southwest District Conference are in, and the chapter made more than $3,300 profit! We're considering doing it all over again in 2004.
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PRESIDENT'S COLUMN
Cecilia Jacobs, IABC/Fort Worth
Where does the time go? Just two more meetings and I'll be one of many past presidents of IABC/Fort Worth. It's been a great year, but it's not over yet. Our annual event -- the Bronze Quill awards luncheon -- is just around the corner. Come June 11, local communicators will gather to learn the results of this year's intense competition. With more than 50 entries, judging won't be easy. Glad we don't do our own.
IABC chapters in Kansas City, Austin and Las Vegas are judging the entries. That means that receiving an award, even honorable mention, is impressive. Having expert communicators from around the country select your entry is like having an older brother introduce you to his buddies as the fastest runner, the quickest goalie and the swiftest running back in the group -- even if he is a 16-year-old boy and you're a 9-year-old girl.
My hat's off to all who entered. Whether or not you take home a Quill, you're a winner. Proof is in the fact that you had enough pride in your project to submit it.
Special thanks to Fort Worth Bronze Quill chair Debbie Young. Debbie has done a remarkable job -- two years straight. Believe it or not, she and Pam Fry, both with Freese and Nichols, have signed on to chair next year's contest.
The speaker for June has yet to be confirmed, but I promise you'll be pleasantly surprised. Mark your calendar for 11:30 a.m. June 11 at the Petroleum Club in Carter-Burgess Plaza. If you didn't enter the competition, join us anyway and hear firsthand who won what. Rumor is never dependable. By the way, we'll meet at the same time and place May 14 for great food and fellowship. That's no rumor, just pure fact. Award-winning presenter Debbie Barnett will talk to us about speaking, listening and living with integrity. See you there.
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OVER & OUT
John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ
So you're considering joining SPJ, if for no other reason than the discount cost to attend the national convention in September at the Renaissance Worthington. Good (mercenary) reasoning. The lowest member full ride is $225, nonmember $275. Add 20 bucks to the $50 difference, and there's national dues. Pay the national dues (chapter's only $25 more), register by the July 12 early-bird date and get ready for a whirlwind 72 hours exploring every conceivable journalism topic and Theme of the Day, plus face reading, f'heaven's sake (a dynamite, insightful presentation), plus a night at Billy Bob's Texas. Amon Carter would give it a yee-hah! More at http://spj.org/events_convention.asp?ref=2. ...
Best wishes to former Gridiron luminary and ex-chapter prez ('79-'80) Delbert Bailey on his retirement after 32 years as PR guy with the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. He'll be writing -- half of a history book is already completed -- and keeping his vocal cords limber at the Happy Trails Karaoke Club in West, Texas, south of Hillsboro. No word yet on whether the stock show will be forced to close. ... Thanks to new member Jane Holleman for helping judge humor columns for the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. The stack contained some sharp material, but Jane's funnier. ...
You think the eChaser isn't being read? Our advertisers say it is. Welcome to the three latest additions to the p. 1 rail -- the Wise County Messenger, DFW Printing and Immotion Studios. ... You think big-city readers don't go nuts when their diversions are diverted? Star-T customer service reps took 395 calls April 24 concerning the Spider-man gamepiece that was accidentally left out of the paper. And that doesn't include inquiries received at the main switchboard. ...
Ann Genett-Schrader ran the Boston Marathon on April 15 in 4 hours, 15 minutes -- her eighth marathon and, she says, her last. Ann, what were you thinking? Have a seat over here. Prop your feet up. Could we get you a banana for potassium? Maybe some oranges. ... Those Mitch Whitten fans who thought the reference to him last time as a "Renaissance freelancer" was because I didn't bother to find his job title were right. He's director of advertising and special communications projects in the SMU Office of Public Affairs. I like Renaissance freelancer better. Wonder if he could run a marathon. ...
Interesting couple, Staley and Beverly McBrayer. Married 59 years until her death in December 1997, they were partners in the truest sense. They loved plants and fine art and their flat in London, where they went twice a year to see the shows. Mr. McBrayer and a sister-in-law once made the London junket, and to eliminate any chance that they'd be crowded on the plane, he just bought three seats. In his later years, his Episcopal priest would come to his Broadway Plaza apartment and offer communion to Staley and his neighbors who couldn't get out to go to church. In 1940 the McBrayers bought a printing plant in the historic Knights of Pythias building at Third and Main streets. A plaque marks the site as the birthplace of the web offset press. I love downtown Fort Worth. History, literally, on every corner. History brought to life when you know the people who helped make it.