COMMUNICATOR - Schurz Communications Inc.

Schurz
COMMUNICATOR
July/October 2015
SCI selling
TV, radio
properties
‑‑ Stories pages 2-3
Advocate Messenger
150 years old
‑‑ Stories pages 12-13
Scott Schurz Jr.
in named to
SCI V-P post
‑‑ Story page 8
Tragedy hits Roanoke TV station
Two WDBJ7 journalists are slain ‑‑ See pages 5-7
SCI sells TV, radio properties to Gray
By Kevin Allen
South Bend Tribune
Schurz Communications has agreed to sell its TV and radio sta‑
tions to Gray Television, a move that acknowledges the realities of
the broadcast industry.
Atlanta-based Gray reached a deal to buy the Schurz properties —
two dozen TV and radio stations combined — for $442.5 million.
Schurz will retain the South Bend Tribune and its other newspapers,
as well as the four cable companies it now owns.
The eventual landing spot for WSBT-TV, in South Bend, however,
remains a question mark. Because Gray already owns WNDU in the
South Bend market, and to speed up regulatory approval of the deal,
it plans to look for another company to acquire WSBT.
Gray will use the opposite strategy in Wichita, Kan. It already
operates the ABC affiliate, KAKE-TV, but it will look to sell off that
station and retain the Schurz-owned and top-ranked KWCH-TV, the
CBS affiliate.
The move by family-owned Schurz to sell its broadcast arm is one
that could resonate for years, especially in Michiana, where the com‑
pany has its headquarters. While the Schurz company began more
than 140 years ago with the South Bend Tribune, it launched a local
radio station in 1922 and WSBT-TV in 1951, cementing its standing
as a media powerhouse in the area.
In addition to WSBT, Schurz in the area currently operates WSBT
960 AM/96.1 FM, Sunny 101.5, New Country 99.9, and Z94.
“The television and radio industries have been experiencing rapid
consolidation,” Todd Schurz, the company’s CEO and president, said
in an interview. “We have great stations, we are the market leaders in
six of our seven TV markets and all our radio markets. But at the end
of the day, we reach two percent of the nation. With what’s going on
in the ecosystem right now, it becomes increasingly difficult to gain
scale, to gain leverage.”
For Schurz Communications, he said, “It would be very expensive,
very risky and very difficult” to acquire stations to gain the needed
scale.
He also acknowledged the difficulty of the decision in South Bend.
“It is emotional because the ‘SBT’ in WSBT stands for South
Bend Tribune. We have long and close ties to that station and those
employees,” Schurz said. “So if I said to you it wasn’t emotional,
that wouldn’t be telling the truth. But as we looked at the future, we
believed that others would be better stewards of the stations, and
employees would have better opportunities as well.”
The deal is subject to review by the Federal Communications
Commission, a process that is expected to take at least a few months.
The sale, if approved, would expand Gray’s reach to 49 TV mar‑
kets in 28 states. The company has been trying to grow aggressively
in recent years and recently purchased KCRG, the ABC affiliate in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The company reported revenues of about $500
million in 2014.
Hilton H. Howell Jr., the company’s president and CEO, said in a
statement that the Schurz announcement is “a momentous day in
Gray’s 118-year history.”
“We welcome more dedicated reporters, account executives, and
technologists to our growing family,” he said. “Gray’s existing sta‑
tions will make the Schurz stations stronger, while the Schurz sta‑
tions will make our existing stations better.”
Schurz Communications moved into broadcasting in 1922 with the
launch of WGAZ radio (now WSBT) in South Bend.
In 1969, it purchased WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, Va. WDBJ7 is the
station where two employees were shot and killed last month by a
former co-worker while they were on location.
Todd Schurz traveled to Roanoke on Sept. 15 with top officials
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Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
from Gray to personally announce the news of the sale.
“I right now am in Roanoke because the top two people from Gray
and I said, ‘Where do the staff and the station need to hear it from us
in person?’” he said. “It is emotional, but that is why we’re here in
Roanoke.”
Schurz Communications’ expansion into TV over the years has
included:
--In the Wichita, Kansas, market (DMA 65), Schurz owns
KWCH-TV and three satellite stations that serve as the market’s
CBS affiliate. KWCH-TV is the top-ranked and highest grossing sta‑
tion in the market. Schurz also owns KSCW-TV, the market’s CW
affiliate, and it provides sales and other services to Entravision’s
KDCU-TV, the market’s Univision affiliate. Gray already owns
KAKE-TV and two satellite stations, which serve as the Wichita
market’s ABC affiliates. To facilitate regulatory approval, and prior
to the Gray/Schurz closing, Gray will sell KAKE-TV and its assets
to another broadcaster. After such sale, KAKE-TV will be owned
and operated completely independently from Gray.
--In the Roanoke-Lynchburg, Virginia, market (DMA 69),
Schurz owns WDBJ7, the market’s CBS affiliate, and the numberone ranked and highest grossing station in the market. Through the
acquisition of WDBJ7, the transaction will add a third Virginia
market to Gray’s portfolio.
--In the Springfield, Missouri, market (DMA 75), Schurz owns
KYTV (known locally as KY3), the market’s NBC affiliate, and
KCZ, the market’s CW affiliate. KY3 is the number one ranked and
highest grossing station in the market. Schurz provides sales and
other services to Perkin Media’s KSPR-TV, the market’s ABC affili‑
ate. Springfield will be Gray’s first television market in Missouri.
--In the Augusta, Georgia, market (DMA 112), Schurz owns
WAGT-TV, the market’s NBC and CW affiliate. Gray owns WRDWTV, the market’s CBS affiliate. Over time, Gray expects to consoli‑
date WAGT-TV’s operations with Gray’s existing operations in this
market. Gray anticipates that the FCC license for WAGT-TV will be
offered in the upcoming FCC spectrum auction, with the proceeds
from such auction, if any, payable to Gray.
--In the Anchorage, Alaska, market (DMA 148), Schurz owns
KTUU-TV, the market’s NBC affiliate. KTUU-TV is the numberone ranked and highest grossing station in the market – as well as the
most-watched and highest grossing station in the state of Alaska. It
will become Gray’s first television station in Alaska.
--In the Rapid City, South Dakota, market (171), Schurz owns
KOTA-TV and three satellite stations, which serve as the market’s
ABC affiliate. KOTA-TV is the number one ranked and highest
grossing station in the market. Gray anticipates combining KOTATV’s operations with those of Gray’s KEVN-TV, the market’s FOX
affiliate.
--Radio Stations: Schurz owns the top-ranked group of radio sta‑
tions in South Bend, Indiana; Lafayette, Indiana; and Rapid City,
South Dakota. Like Schurz, Gray owns television stations in two of
these three markets. In addition to the South Bend radio stations,
Schurz currently runs KFXS, KRCS, KOUT and KKMK in Rapid
City, S.D; and WKHY 93.6 KHY, WKOA K105, WASK 98.7,
WXXB B102.0 and WASK ESPN 1450 AM in Lafayette, Ind.
In 2008, Schurz built an 83,000-square-foot facility on East
Douglas Road in Mishawaka for WSBT and Schurz corporate head‑
quarters. The building cost more than $25 million, and another $10
million to equip.
Schurz will not sell the building as part of the deal and plans to
keep its corporate headquarters there, even while the stations contin‑
ue to operate from the facility.
Schurz Communicator
Fall 20153
Glimpse at the future for Schurz Communication
By TODD F. SCHURZ
President/CEO
Schurz Communications Inc.
This issue of the Communicator may have
more important stories in one issue than any
other in its short history. Since there are
articles about the tragic events in Roanoke
and the proposed sale of the radio and tele‑
vision stations, I would like to use this col‑
umn to talk about the future of the company.
The extended Schurz family gets together
every year, and three generations meet to
discuss our goals for the family and for the
business. In the past few years, we have
reached a few conclusions: Our industries have changed and are
changing dramatically; so must we. As
owners of a family business, we treasure our
heritage and value the unity that comes from
sharing ownership of operating businesses.
As good stewards, we are concerned with
building a company that is sustainable for
future generations of owners.
While we have multiple goals for the com‑
pany, I want to highlight four:
1. Ensure the company is adequately capi‑
talized and able to manage the continued
risks of changes in the media industry.
Retain adequate resources within company
to enable further growth and adaptation.
2. Develop a more sustainable structure
that is both flexible and adaptable to best
position the company and enterprise for the
next generations of owners.
3. Accelerate growth.
4. Perpetuate our values and do good.
Effectively managing and growing Schurz
Communications remains the top priority.
The reorganized company will have very
low debt and plenty of cash available to
acquire new operating businesses and invest
in new opportunities. While we will be
smaller than we are today, the company will
still be almost twice as large as it was a gen‑
eration ago and will have over 1,200
employees and operations in ten states.
Cable will make up roughly 60% of the
company’s revenue and 90% of its operating
cash flow, and advertising will comprise
roughly 1/3 of our revenue. Let me assure
you that the core business will have suffi‑
cient resources to grow and adapt.
Our company has changed many times
over our 143 years – from newspapers to
radio, television, cable, digital and broad‑
band, from operations located solely in
South Bend, Indiana for 88 years to media
firms in many states serving a wide range of
local communities. Our future company
will have a greater understanding of con‑
sumers through enhanced information, inti‑
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Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
TODD F.
SCHURZ
President/CEO
Schurz
Communications,
Inc.
mate community connections, proprietary
data, and billing relationships. We can pro‑
vide the key insights when you need to know
more than what an algorithm can provide. In
short, we are a consumer-focused media and
broadband company with compelling growth
prospects. “Schurz 6.0,” however, now must
include new ways of growing, including out‑
side of media.
I think the next few years could see some
of the fastest growth and greatest creativity
in our history. In the short term, my goal is
to replace the cash flow from our broadcast
stations within five years. That will require
significant organic growth from new prod‑
ucts and services and multiple acquisitions
inside and outside of media. I have had
counterparts in public companies or private
equity-backed firms question why a private‑
ly-held business needs to grow. I have three
reasons why growth is an imperative for our
organization. First, I firmly believe that
every organization, similar to living crea‑
tures, is either growing or shrinking. There
is no such thing as “staying the same” over
time. Given the pace of disruption and
changes in consumer behavior today, we
have to innovate, experiment and grow just
to keep pace. Second, the stewardship value
runs very deep in our culture. We receive
with gratitude what others have done before
us, and then do all we can to pass along
something better and stronger than what we
have received. I would argue that this is tied
very closely to the American Dream and
what we wish to leave our children. Third,
family businesses need to grow because
families grow over time. In our case, we had
four members of the fourth generation of the
Schurz family, eight in the fifth generation,
and eighteen in the sixth generation.
As we explore new industries, we will
keep in mind our historic roots and values.
We have operated businesses in smaller
communities where the local operations have
made a significant beneficial impact, either
through great journalism, community ser‑
vice, corporate citizenship, and/or enabling
commerce. Our businesses have been part of
the “community glue”, and all of us have
found that meaningful and rewarding. As
many of you know, one of my aspirations for
our company is that we will discover and
create the sustainable business model to sup‑
port community journalism in the digital age.
I firmly believe that our company has as
good a chance as anyone to do the work that
is so crucial for a healthy and vibrant demo‑
cratic society.
SCI Core Values
We constantly strive to improve to meet
the needs and wants of readers, listeners,
viewers, users, and advertisers. We believe
that talented and dedicated employees
have made the company successful in the
past and are the hope of the future. We are
committed to providing an environment
that gives our employees the opportunity
to achieve their potential.
Our company’s strength mirrors the
strength of our communities. We support
our local communities as a good corporate
citizen and encourage active involvement.
We are committed to excellence in all that
we do. We hold each other accountable for
using our best efforts to achieve success.
We believe in acting for the benefit of
the entire organization and delegating deci‑
sion making authority to the appropriate
level. We believe strong local leaders
empower our operations and people to
nimbly and successfully serve our custom‑
ers and communities.
Our goal is to be the leader in news and
information in our markets. We believe
that financial profitability provides the
resources necessary for the company’s
long-term health and growth. We set oper‑
ating and financial expectations through
the budgeting process. We will help each
other and hold each other mutually
accountable to meet those goals.
We value our reputation for honesty and
fairness. Our credibility and integrity will
never be sacrificed to achieve other objec‑
tives. We are stewards of this company.
Earlier generations started it, grew it and
gave it to us to grow. We reinvest for the
future and will pass it along to successive
generations.
Two staff members are slain
WDBJ7 pressed on through darkest hour
By JEFFREY A. MARKS
President and General Manager
WDBJ7, Roanoke, VA
Everything about “WDBJ7 Mornin’” was routine. Until 6:45.
Each morning, Alison Parker, a reporter, and Adam Ward, her pho‑
tojournalist partner, would report in several times during the twohour broadcast on WDBJ7 from a location where news was happen‑
ing.
On this morning, the subject was tourism and the team was cover‑
ing it from Smith Mountain Lake, 30 miles from the studio in
Roanoke.
They could not have known that a former employee, gone from the
company for two and a half years, would be stalking them and would
fire several shots at them during their last scheduled live appearance
of the morning.
Alison and Adam were killed. The woman they were interviewing,
Vicki Gardner , was gravely injured. She survived but faced many
months of surgeries and recovery.
Melissa Ott, Adam’s fiancée, was in the control room as the pro‑
ducer of the broadcast—her last day on the job before a planned
move to Charlotte.
At first, she and her on-air and off-air colleagues did not know
what to think. They heard what could have been fireworks, but when
they tried and failed to reach the journalists by cell phone, it
began to sink in that this had been an act of violence.
Fellow employees from all departments rushed in to console
Melissa and the morning production team as the situation became
bleaker. Chris Hurst, the evening anchor who had just moved in with
Alison, arrived in a daze.
Mike Bell, the senior manager who lived closest to the scene, made
his way there. At 8:30, he identified Adam and Alison for the police,
and we went on the air with the news.
Under the steady leadership of news director Kelly Zuber, our
anchors and reporters held it together on the air, but their sadness and
shock were obvious. Off the air, we embraced, cried and asked God
for guidance.
One of our first moves was to call in the wife of one of our
employees, a pastor who was well-known to our staff. She consoled
devastated people and prayed with them.
Our corporate leader, Marci Burdick, began arranging for herself
and journalists from our sister SCI stations to come in to help cover
what was happening. (See the accompanying story.) Former
employees, including a retired anchor, came back to staff the news‑
room so that current employees could attend funerals.
We brought bureau reporters into the main newsroom and decided
that no news crews would leave the building that day, for both soli‑
darity and safety reasons. Competitors offered to help, and our eve‑
ning newscasts featured video they shot for us.
We held an all-employee memorial gathering at noon. We
expressed our sadness, but many also came forward with wonderful
stories about our lost friends. And there were more prayers.
Our front yard swelled with members of the community bringing
flowers, signs and balloons that formed a makeshift memorial.
Media from near and far came to get the story. For two days run‑
ning, we were the constant center of news everywhere, from interna‑
tional networks to small radio stations.
Some staff members felt it cathartic to share their feelings with
reporters. Chris Hurst made numerous appearances on television and
in print, showing the photo album with inscriptions that Alison had
Jeffrey Marks, WDBJ7 President, and Kelly Zuber, news director, flanked by the WDBJ7 team, answer reporters’ questions
the day after the killing of two employees.
given him.
Over the next few days, the generosity of our industry, our compa‑
ny and our community overwhelmed us. Meals would arrive,
enough to feed our staff of more than 100. That continued to happen
into October. Works of art, donations to scholarship funds set up in
the names of Alison and Adam, and offers of help came in from
around the world.
After three days of coverage, our tragedy became a local story
again. The world media had moved on to a hurricane, and we were
left with our own kind of emotional clean-up, something we knew
would last for months. People have made ample use of our
Employee Assistance Program, meeting with a counselor in our
building and calling in to schedule outside appointments.
A trauma team of first responders and mental health professionals
who were at Virginia Tech in 2007, where 32 people died in a shoot‑
ing spree, held a private session with the morning team, the people
who witnessed our sad event. Those employees said they found it
helpful in letting out their feelings.
Over the last four years, we have twice made physical changes to
the entrances to our building to make it more secure. Since August
26, we have tightened up further. With advice from the staff, and
with special attention to the journalists who work outside the build‑
ing, we are working through a list of changes in practice and physical
improvements to further enhance safety inside our main studio, at our
bureaus and in the field. We have been told that the same kind of
discussion has happened in newsrooms across the country.
The truth is that no one can guarantee safety 100 percent of the
time. Nevertheless, as much as we know that this is an isolated inci‑
dent, we have to view the issue of safety through a different lens
now.
We have met with our landscaper and showed our employee group
just where in our front lawn we plan to install a memorial garden,
with a monument to the three victims and benches for quiet moments
of contemplation. We also plan memorials inside the building.
Alison was a dancer with a joie de vivre that few could match. No
matter the story, she attacked it with energy. Adam was a great pho‑
tojournalist, and also a joker and a friend to everyone. His “Hi, how
are you?” was sincere and exuberant.
We want the lives of Alison and Adam to inspire people to the level
of excitement and mission that those two journalists brought to their
jobs.
Schurz Communicator
Fall 20155
Amid tragedy
Schurz properties pull together to help WDBJ7
By BOB BLAKE
South Bend Tribune
It was early in the morning when Marci
Burdick’s cell phone rang. On the other end
of the line, the caller relayed devastating
news — two members of a morning televi‑
sion crew had been shot while conducting a
live interview.
The full extent of what happened that
morning, August 26, to the news crew from
WDBJ in Roanoke, Va., was in that moment
unknown. All that mattered to Burdick, the
senior vice president of broadcasting for
Schurz Communications, was getting to
Roanoke and assembling a team of others
within the company to help their brethren.
It was only later than Burdick would find
out that morning reporter Alison Parker and
cameraman Adam Ward had been killed and
that the suspect, Vester Lee Flanagan, was an
estranged former WDBJ7 employee whom
station managers had fired.
After the shootings, Flanagan used social
media to spread images of his actions before
dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound as
police closed in on him.
Immediately after taking the call from
WDBJ7’s general manager, Jeff Marks,
Burdick, who was in Missouri, began head‑
ing for the St. Louis airport. Burdick then
began making calls to others in the company
to assemble a team to head to Roanoke and
offer any support they could to the WDBJ
staff.
“I was conflicted at first about going. I’m
a lot of people’s boss,” Burdick said. “I was
worried people would think I was scrutiniz‑
ing them. Hopefully, no one did.”
As Burdick traveled, Joan Barrett, general
manager at KWCH in Wichita, Kan., began
putting together a team of people to be
among the first to help in Virginia. Two
members of Barrett’s staff were among those
to head out.
“My role was to do pretty much whatever
they needed,” said Pilar Pedraza, education
and statehouse reporter at KWCH. “When
we were sent out, we didn’t really know
what was going on or what they’d need. It
was just, ‘We need to get there to help.’ “
The help sometimes was as simple as pro‑
viding an ear to listen.
“Emotionally, it’s overwhelming,” she
said. “I knew while I was there I had to be
strong for them.”
Hali Rowland, assignment desk editor at
KWCH, was involved in helping with
WDBJ’s website. She answered messages
on social media pages, maintained the web‑
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Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
This is a favorite photo of Alison Parker and Adam Ward doing a feature story during prom season last spring.
site’s articles and videos, and helped with
any other tasks the situation warranted.
The experience was fulfilling, she said.
“When I was sitting at my desk and we
heard the news, it was heartbreaking. It was
difficult because I wanted to help in some
way, but didn’t know how,” Rowland said.
“Being able to actually be there and lend a
hand helped me just as much, if not more,
than it helped them. I feel like I was able to
grow as a journalist and a person through the
experience.”
In addition to the people from Kansas, oth‑
ers soon arrived from Missouri and Indiana
to help as well.
The day became more difficult as details
of the shootings emerged, and as video
filmed the shooter began to spread via social
media. The WDBJ7 news team was inter‑
viewing Vicki Gardner, executive director of
the local chamber of commerce, near Smith
Mountain Lake in Moneta when all three
were attacked. Parker and Ward died at the
scene and Gardner survived.
After a manhunt that lasted about five
hours, Flanagan shot himself during a car
chase with police officers and died at a hos‑
pital.
That afternoon, after Burdick arrived in
Roanoke, she was at the station as a news
team came off the set. Then, together they
watched the CBS Evening News and only
then learned that newsrooms across the
country who couldn’t provide physical sup‑
port were showing their support with photos
posted to Facebook and Twitter with the
hashtag, #WeStandWithWDBJ.
“None of us knew about it,” Burdick said.
“When it hit, there were tons of tears.
Instead of tears of grief, it was all about how
touching that was.”
Burdick, who planned to work the over‑
night shift, began printing off the images and
putting them on a wall in the WDBJ news‑
room. By the time the morning crew arrived
for their first shift since the tragedy, the wall
was covered in signs of support.
“It really became a physical manifestation
of the arms of the industry around WDBJ,”
Burdick said. “There was a tremendous
amount of support, not only from within
Schurz but within the industry.”
Marks said a retired anchorman from the
station, Keith Humphry, returned to anchor
on Tuesday.
And Andrew Freidan, a former meteorolo‑
gist who now works for a station in
Richmond, came back to cover the weather.
“You know when someone is hurting and
you want to help them in some way? Most
of the time we come up short. But in this
case, I was able to actually do something for
my friends at WDBJ7” Freidan wrote in a
Facebook post. “They are beautiful people
suffering a great loss and my boss at NBC12
didn’t bat an eye when I asked him if I could
go to Roanoke for a couple of days.”
#WeStandWithWDBJ
Schurz Communications properties expressed tos. With the hashtag #WeStandWithWDBJ,
sympathy and solidarity with their Roanoke col‑ they were then posted on Facebook and Twitter.
legues by gathering staff together for group pho‑ Some of the photos are seen on this page.
American News
Aberdeen, SD
KWCH 12
Wichita, KS
KY3 Inc.
Springfield, MO
Daily American
Somerset, PA
Schurz Communicator
Fall 20157
VP of Human Resources and Corporate Development
Scott Schurz Jr. promoted to new SCI post
Scott Schurz Jr. has been promoted to the
position of Vice President of Human
Resources and Corporate Development,
effective July 1.
Scott will retain some of his duties under
his former position as VP of Corporate
Development and add some others previous‑
ly done by the late Marty Switalski. Some
of the responsibilities are being reorganized
at this time and Scott’s prior position is not
being filled.
There have been a number of discussions
at the board and corporate level regarding
the goals and objectives for our company’s
human resources efforts. In addition to
ensuring regulatory compliance, providing
consistently high­quality services to employ‑
ees and adding value-added services (data
analysis, recruiting assistance), agreement
was also reached that two additional goals
will be pursued.
The first revolves around acculturation:
What makes our company uniquely us?
How do we communicate and act according
to our core values? How should employees
assess their organization fit with us?
The second goal centers on how human
resources can act as a true strategic partner
and add value to the entire organization.
Human resources needs to make efforts to
help develop opportunities and solve prob‑
lems for today and for the future.
“Over the years, Scott has served as an
intern, employee, supervisor, department
head, general manager, publisher, senior cor‑
porate staff, and board director,” commented
SCOTT
SCHURZ JR.
New SCI VP
President and CEO Todd Schurz. “I believe
our human resources efforts will greatly
benefit from his different experiences and
perspectives. He will be reaching out in the
next few months to solicit feedback and get
input. SCI management are our customers,
and we need to make certain that we are
meeting their needs for today and preparing
for the future.”
“I also want to take this opportunity,”
Todd Schurz added, “to commend Melissa
Lock and Sean Miller. Their talent, commit‑
ment and hard work have kept us moving
forward during this time of transition.”
Scott Schurz Jr. has served as SCI’s Vice
President of Corporate Development since
July, 2014. Prior to that, he was the editor
and publisher of The Advocate-Messenger
since June 2006. He assumed responsibility
for all Schurz properties in central Kentucky
on January 1, 2007. In addition to The
Advocate-Messenger, Schurz companies in
Kentucky include two weekly papers, The
Interior Journal of Stanford and The
Jessamine Journal of Nicholasville and The
Winchester Sun.
He began his employment with Schurz
Communications, Inc. in 1993 as a sports
writer for The Herald-Times in
Bloomington, Indiana. In June 1994, Schurz
became an advertising executive at the
Associated Desert Shoppers in Palm Desert,
Calif.
Upon his return to South Bend, Indiana, in
February 1995, Schurz held various sales,
circulation and management positions for
SCI, the South Bend Tribune, WSBT-TV,
WSBT-AM and WNSN-FM.
He assumed the role of general manager
for special publications at the Tribune in
February 2003. Two years later, in January
2005, Schurz became assistant publisher at
The Advocate-Messenger.
He is a past president of the Kentucky
Press Association and a former director of
the Southern Newspaper Publishers
Association board and the Inland Press
Foundation Family Owners Committee. He
has also served as a director and in other
capacities for numerous not-for-profit orga‑
nizations. Schurz serves on the board of
directors of the Kentucky Press Association.
Schurz was born in Bloomington, Ind., on
January 1, 1969. He holds both a bachelor of
arts (1991) and a master of business
Administration (2004) from the University
of Notre Dame. Schurz and his wife
Stephanie have two children, Scott (Trey) Ill,
12, and Daniel, 11.
Duties, responsibilities for new position
The vice president of human resources and corporate develop‑
ment is responsible for providing strategic HR leadership through‑
out the corporation through the development of human resource
policies and practices which reflect the corporation’s values and
support its business strategies.
The vice president’s other value- added roles include corporatewide consulting, HR policy and practices quality assurance, and the
development of first-class HR functions for all subsidiary loca‑
tions.
The vice president helps the company be a great place to work
today and helps prepare the organization and staff for the opportu‑
nities and challenges of the future. This position reports directly to
the president and CEO of SCI.
The company’s values statement includes the following: “We
believe that talented and dedicated employees have made the com‑
pany successful in the past and are the hope of the future. We are
committed to providing an environment that gives our employees
the opportunity to achieve their potential.”
One of the company’s key strategic priorities is to “attract, invest
8
Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
in, communicate with, and retain top talent in the communities we
serve.” The desired long-term outcomes of this strategy are:
--More productive, informed and satisfied employees
--SCI businesses will be the employer of choice in our communi‑
ties
--SCI will have a diverse and multi-skilled workforce that reflects
our communities
--Identification and training of the next generation of department
and operating heads
The measures of success of this initiative are:
--Attain and/or maintain above average employee satisfaction
measures
--Increase in average tenure and decreased turnover in designated
employee classifications
--There will be at least one qualified candidate within SCI for all
senior positions
--Increased digital literacy and skill sets across the company
Franklin Schurz earns honorary degree at IU
FROM INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Franklin D. Schurz, Jr., chairman emeritus
of Schurz Communications Inc., was pre‑
sented with an honorary degree of humane
letters during the May commencement cere‑
mony at Indiana University South Bend.
1,054 students received degrees in the
May 12 event at the University of Notre
Dame’s Joyce Center. Indiana University
President Michael McRobbie was principal
speaker and conferred the degrees.
The impact that Franklin Schurz Jr. has
had on the lives of scores of Indiana
University South Bend students will be felt
for generations to come.
Thanks to his generosity, 145 recipients of
Opportunity Scholarships have been able to
pursue their educations and careers, backed
by a fund that Schurz established in 2003.
The endowment, which will exist in perpetu‑
ity, provides multiple annual scholarships to
students from minority backgrounds.
Every spring, Schurz travels to Indiana
from his home in Montana to meet with the
current group of Opportunity Scholars, “to
provide a personal connection that encourag‑
es students to persist to graduation,” says
Gwendolyn Mettetal, IU South Bend profes‑
sor of education and of psychology and
director of the University Center for
Excellence in Teaching.
“By his personal actions and efforts, which
reflect his sincere belief in the power of edu‑
cation in the lives ‘of individuals and their
communities, Schurz has demonstrated his
passion for education in the lives of
Indiana University President Michael McRobbie, right, presents Franklin D.
Schurz, Jr., left, chairman emeritus of Schurz Communication Inc., with an honorary doctorate of human letters degree.
Hoosiers,” says John McIntosh, former
associate vice chancellor for academic
affairs at IU South Bend. “He is a role
model for selfless service and giving.”
Schurz’s leadership in fund raising cam‑
paigns and capital projects at IU South Bend
and throughout the university has persisted
for three decades. “He has advanced public
support of IU South Bend during critical
periods of growth and expansion,” says IU
South Bend Advisory Board member Arthur
Decio. “Frank has proved to be a tireless
worker for the IU South Bend campus.”
IU South Bend Chancellor Terry Allison
notes that Schurz has been a strong and sta‑
ble force to whom others have turned
throughout his life. He has provided guid‑
ance to numerous organizations that are ded‑
icated to helping others, including the
Indiana Arts Council, the Indiana
Endowment for Education Excellence, the
South Bend Chamber of Commerce, the
Board of Visitors of the School of Public
and Environmental Affairs, the Board of
Regents of St. Mary’s College, the Culver
Education Foundation, and the Advisory
Council of the College of Arts and Letters at
the University of Notre Dame, to name but a
few from a very long list.
His honors and awards include the
Cornerstone Award, the Chancellor’s Medal,
the Presidential Award of Merit from the
National Newspaper Association, and the
Frank Rogers Award for Community Service
from the South Bend Rotary Club.
The Careline is ‘one voice’ for SCI employees
By SHANNON GALLOWAY
HR Business Partner
WSBT, Mishawaka, IN
“What is the Careline and why do you always
tell us to call it?” So glad you asked.
877-919-9355
The Careline has been a part of the HR struc‑
ture since 2010. In order to be consistent and
for compliance reasons, Schurz
Communications Inc. determined it needed
“one voice” for all properties.
That one voice is Kim Hamm. Kim is an
insurance specialist and she stays on top of
medical benefits. She is an expert with the plan
HAMM
and can answer questions or provide you with
where and whom you need to talk to.
Not only is the Careline used for medical benefits, it is also the
go-to number for many other features.
For example, if you need to obtain proof of employment, you can
call and choose the Option 4: this will take you into our “work
number” which is the automated system to verify employment or to
obtain proof of income.
Option 2 of the Careline is the EAP (Employment Assistance
Program). This feature is there for employees who might be strug‑
gling with something in their personal lives, EAP will set you up
with counseling sessions.
Option 5 is payroll; If you have questions about your paycheck,
this is the one for you.
Option 6 is Shared Services (Beth Campbell, Jaime Hurt and
Susan Miller). These three are there to answer questions on direct
deposit, change of address, W2 changes, etc. Keep in mind they
will most likely direct you to your employee self service portal, as
you should always go there first to make any changes. Then if you
are unclear as to how to make those changes, they will guide you.
As employees, YOU are our customers and we want to make sure
we are servicing you the best way we can.
Schurz Communicator
Fall 20159
On-air quake shakes KTUU’s news anchors
By BRAD HILLWIG
KTUU-TV, Anchorage, AK
It takes steady nerves to anchor live television.
In Alaska, the list of potential interruptions includes those of the
seismic variety. Fortunately for Anchorage-based KTUU-TV, not
even Mother Nature can rattle Channel 2 News veterans Maria
Downey and Mike Ross.
According to the Alaska Earthquake Center, a magnitude 6.3 earth‑
quake struck south central Alaska on Tuesday July 28th at 6:35pm.
The intense shaker, which experts say was the strongest of its kind in
more than 25 years, was felt throughout the region.
In KTUU’s news studio, Downey and Ross were awaiting the end
of a commercial break during the Channel 2 NewsHour when they
began to feel the quake. A savvy crew member started recording
video, capturing the lights on the studio grid swaying as the anchors
discussed the lengthy tembler.
Seconds later, Downey and Ross were live on the air. “Alright, so
if you live here in the Anchorage area you probably felt what we did
going right into that last commercial break,” Ross began as the shak‑
ing continued. “In fact it’s still rolling here, our lights are swinging
back and forth.”
Downey chimed in as the two quickly began narrating the ongo‑
ing seismic event, swiftly providing valuable safety information for
unsettled viewers. Immediately KTUU’s phone lines and social
media sites were flooded with curious viewers, wanting to know the
details of the quake.
Behind the scenes, producers raced to find out the epicenter and
magnitude of the earthquake. “If there is an aftershock, do take
cover,” Downey added as she and Ross quickly ad-libbed and
reminded viewers to “drop, cover and hold on” if the shaking inten‑
sified.
It was a moment that demonstrated the best attributes of live tele‑
vision, as the two seasoned anchors remained calm and captured the
urgency, concern and unknown risk of the earthquake while viewers
wondered whether the shaking would dissipate or intensify.
The shaking dissipated and no major damage or injuries were
reported. Earthquakes are common across the vast and remote
regions of Alaska, particularly along the seismically active Pacific
plate running from southeast Alaska westward beyond the far reach‑
es of the Aleutian chain.
Channel 2 News veterans Maria Downey and Mike Ross.
In 1964, the Pacific Plate generated a magnitude 9.2 earthquake
in south central Alaska, the second strongest on record in the world.
Experts from the Alaska Earthquake Center say this latest quake was
caused by the subduction of the Pacific plate in the Earth’s crust
with an epicenter deeper than the point where the plate grinds
against an adjacent plate. “The faulting type of this earthquake is
consistent with down-dip extension of the Pacific plate as it is being
pulled into the mantle under its own weight,” officials wrote. “This
is the largest intermediate-depth earthquake in this region since
February 7, 1988’s (magnitude) 6.4 earthquake.”
Tribune conducts tours for public
More than 100 people attended the South Bend Tribune’s public
tour March 19. The tour included a visit to the packaging area, newsroom, press
and the conference room, where they met with Market Basket col‑
umnist Heidi Prescott and Outdoor Adventures columnist Joe Dits.
Divided into four groups, each section seemed to have plenty of
questions for their hosts that kept the tour fairly lively.
The tour spent about 10 to 15 minutes in each area.
“The tour was FANTASTIC!” wrote Phil Rhoade. “Thanks to
you and your fellow Tribuners for setting it up. Most worthwhile.”
The tours were divided into four groups to make them more man‑
ageable. Participating from The Tribune besides Prescott and Dits were
press manager Tony Graves, press operator Don Carlberg, execu‑
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Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
tive assistant Cheryl Morey, facilities manager Bill Morey, packag‑
ing department manager Gisele Waite, membership development
manager Craig Campbell, employment recruiting specialist Adam
Norris, community relations manager Melodie Wise, executive
assistant Jen Gunderson, human resources assistant Leslie
Winey, human resources manager Shannon Galloway and reporter
Jim Meenan.
The idea sprang from an employee advisory board meeting to get
the community more involved with The Tribune, Galloway said. The first such organized tour sent so well, Galloway plans to
have another this summer when more students will be able to
attend. “The staff really did a great job,” Galloway said. “And the visi‑
tors really seemed to enjoy it.”
Alaskans turn to KTUU for Obama’s visit
By BRAD HILLWIG
KTUU-TV Anchorage, AK
The moment President Barack Obama’s visit to Alaska was
announced, the race to capture history was on. For KTUU’s Channel
2 News team, that meant fanning out across the state to track every
step of the president’s sweeping visit to the Last Frontier with com‑
prehensive live reports in every newscast, 24/7 online coverage and
numerous live cut-ins.
As details of the three-day trip emerged, the president’s mission
became clear. In a video released by the White House in midAugust, President Obama stated that Alaska, “is on the frontlines of
one of the greatest challenges we face this century: climate change.”
While in Alaska, the President planned to speak to world leaders
at the US State Department-sponsored GLACIER conference in
Anchorage, addressing the issue of climate change. He would then
venture out across Alaska, visiting a receding glacier in Seward and
the coastal village of Dillingham before becoming the first sitting
President to touch down above the Arctic Circle.
A day before his arrival in Alaska, the Obama administration
announced that Mt. McKinley—North America’s tallest mountain,
perched in the heart of Alaska’s interior—would officially be
renamed Denali, the traditional name meaning “great one” in the
Alaska native Athabaskan language. The move set a historic tone for
the President’s visit, drawing the eyes of the world to north to
Alaska. For journalists at Channel 2 News, the visit was an opportu‑
nity to capture an unprecedented event in Alaska history, one that
would unfold over the next three days.
Day One
Channel 2 News crews were staged at each scheduled stop of the
president’s visit, delivering live reports for all newscasts, and a dedi‑
cated web team prepared to track his every move around the clock
on KTUU.com and on social media using the hash tag #POTUSAK.
In the afternoon, KTUU interrupted daytime programming for live
coverage of Air Force One touching down in Anchorage. Hours later,
the president’s speech at the GLACIER conference was carried live
on air. In an emphatic speech, Obama told world leaders “we know
that human activity is changing the climate… We are not moving
fast enough.” During coverage of the president’s activities on day
one, Channel 2 News anchors and reporters provided immediate
context and analysis as each events unfolded. Live reports from key
locations in Anchorage and from Obama’s next scheduled stops con‑
tributed to a day of unparalleled and comprehensive coverage.
Day Two
Day two of Obama’s visit began with an impromptu stop at Snow
City Café in downtown Anchorage, where the commander-in-chief
bought pastries and visited with locals. KTUU’s Web team made
sure that Obama’s movements were well-documented on KTUU.
com and social media. Photos and short clips quickly emerged from
the President’s visit to the café, driving buzz over his presence in
Alaska throughout the morning hours. President Obama then took a
short flight south to Seward for a hike to Exit glacier, where he noted
sign posts charting the glacier’s retreat over the years. “It is spectacu‑
lar though… We want to make sure our grandkids can see this,” he
commented to the press corp. The president continued his hike and
reportedly spent several hours shooting an episode of NBC’s
Running Wild with Bear Grylls, before taking a boat tour in
Seward’s Resurrection Bay. Throughout the day, Obama’s move‑
ments were tracked by KTUU’s Web team online, ensuring a steady
flow of content to Alaskans anxious to follow along. On air, live
updates during daytime programming and live reports from Seward
One of President Obama’s many stops on his Alaska visit
in September was to Dillingham, the salmon capital, where
he had a close encounter with a salmon, recently harvested
by a local woman.
during Channel 2 newscasts allowed viewers to feel connected to the
president as he made his way around Alaska. The access to the presi‑
dent and the tone of day two felt personal, as a dressed-down Obama
simply enjoyed Alaska’s natural wonders—and Channel 2 was fast
establishing itself as the station of record for this historic visit.
Day Three
Obama’s final day in Alaska would be his most far-reaching.
Channel 2 News anchor Maria Downey went live on air as the presi‑
dent boarded Air Force One in the morning for the Bristol Bay com‑
munity of Dillingham. Reporter Caslon Hatch previewed Obama’s
stopover in Dillingham—a commercial salmon fishing hub—as resi‑
dents awaited the president. While in Dillingham, Obama visited
with fishermen to discuss the impacts of climate change and the
importance of protecting Bristol Bay’s salmon-rich waters. Obama
took part in some Alaska native dancing and also had a close
encounter with a salmon, recently harvested by a local woman.
Obama then flew north to the village of Kotzebue, marking the first
time a sitting president has travelled north of the Arctic Circle.
Channel 2’s Rebecca Palsha anchored the coverage from Kotzebue
as President Obama made his way to a scheduled speech. Back in
the Anchorage studios, Channel 2 anchors Mike Ross and Maria
Downey provided context for this historical visit and as the Channel
2 NewsHour approached, Obama’s speech went live. During his
speech Obama announced a host of federal grants and initiatives for
Alaska, including funds to improve infrastructure and water systems
in some rural communities, as well as funds to protect villages from
the affects of erosion that the president attributes to climate change.
It was a well-received speech, in which Obama highlighted Alaska’s
pioneering spirit and sense of community, noting that, “this far north,
everybody has to look out for each other.” Coverage of the presi‑
dent’s visit wrapped up on the Channel 2 Late Edition as Obama
returned to Anchorage, boarded Air Force One and departed for
Washington D.C. live on air. Channel 2 Anchor Mike Ross and
Reporter Dan Carpenter narrated the president’s final moments on
the ground in Alaska, providing context and a sense of historical
scale as his visit drew to a close.
Schurz Communicator
Fall 201511
Advocate-Messenger is 150 years old
By CHANDLER GARDEN
Danville Advocate-Messenger
The same year the 13th amendment was ratified, Lincoln was
assassinated, Mendeleev made the first periodic table, and Charles
Dickens published Great Expectations, The Kentucky Advocate was
born.
The Kentucky Advocate was established on June 24, 1865. It
merged with The Danville Messenger in 1940. The new consolida‑
tion took the name The Advocate-Messenger and published Monday
through Friday. The Kentucky Advocate became a Saturday after‑
noon paper before changing in 1950 to a Sunday publication. In
recent years, the Sunday product also became The AdvocateMessenger.
On Wednesday evening, June 24, the staff of what eventually
became The Advocate-Messenger invited the community to a cele‑
bration of 150 years printing the news in Danville, Boyle County and
the region.
The 150th anniversary celebration included a dose of history to
offer perspective on just how long 150 years really is, and what else
was happening as the founders were establishing the original news‑
paper at the end of the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln was on
hand in the person of Jim Sayre, a Chautauqua speaker from
Lawrenceburg, who greeted guests at the event.
Music was provided by The Advocate Brass Band.
Besides its history, the newspaper staff celebrated a renewed com‑
mitment to continue to inform its friends and neighbors and custom‑
ers, and to remain a vital part of the community. The celebration
event included a free meal for all, with ribeye sandwiches and sides;
At The Danville, KY Advocate-Messenger’s 150th birthday
celebration, reporter Pam Wright, left, poses in front of a
replica of a front page backdrop with some of her family.
shaved ice to cool things down; and, of course, a very large birthday
cake.
Fun activities were art projects, a newspaper front porch toss event
and a “photo op” for guests to appear on the front page of the paper.
(Continued on next page 13)
Print edition is still the core product
By JOHN NELSON
Executive Editor
Danville Advocate Messenger
In case you haven’t heard, June 24 was
our birthday. 150 years, a milestone no other
for-profit business in this town can claim
and one that few other newspapers in this
state have achieved.
That said, I think most of you know it’s
not your great grandfather’s newspaper any‑
more, not even your grandfather’s. Just
browse through the special 40-page tabloid
insert. It looks all the way back to the begin‑
ning of newspapers in Kentucky, especially
in Danville, and you’ll learn that early news‑
papers were very politically driven, for
example. Some might say today’s newspa‑
pers sometimes resemble that remark —
cable news unquestionably does — but back
then there was no debating it. It was no
secret, nor was it seen as improper.
You’ll also see the differences in technology.
The move from cold type to offset presses
was not just part of the history of printing, it
was part of the history of The AdvocateMessenger. The moves from typewriters to
computers, from darkrooms and film to digi‑
tal cameras and jpgs, from black and white
to color, from snail mail to email, all
12
Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
John Nelson, The AdvocateMessenger executive editor, celebrated
his birthday June 24, the same day the
newspaper celebrated its 150th birthday, by wearing a special “birthday
cake” hat, made by circulation district
manager, Brenda Townes.
occurred within the past 50 years, most of
them in the last 30, 18 of which I have spent
here at The Advocate.
That means most of what economists call
“disruptive innovation” in the media indus‑
try has occurred during my career, which
began in 1973. The biggest impact came
with the introduction of computers and color
and desktop publishing. Then came the
Internet. One technology that arrived during
my years already is obsolete, something
called audiotext. Call a number, punch a
number and get your horoscope, your home‑
work assignment or just listen to a joke.
In the early 90s, I remember saying that
email was just a pebble on the shoulder of
the on-ramp to the information superhigh‑
way. If ever I was right about anything, it
was that.
From there, we went to Web sites, blogs,
social media sites and information available
on mobile phones through apps. Today our
reporters need more than just a notebook and
a pencil and a laptop. They need to know
how to multitask. They face more than a sin‑
gle daily deadline, more than an editor who
needs a story for the paper. They must be
photographers and videographers. They must
be able to write not just for the paper but for
the website. They have to be adept at
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, sending text
alerts. They have to be mobile journalists.
(Continued on next page 13)
Community involved in 150th birthday party
(Continued from page 12)
Door prizes and drawings were also held
every hour.
The office space was turned into a minia‑
ture museum, featuring large tri-fold posters
of old news articles in black and white and a
display of items from 1865, the year of the
paper’s founding. Perryville Battlefield Park
had its own table inside with brochures, heir‑
loom corn seeds to take home and plant in
your garden, and Civil War uniforms to try
on for pictures.
The Kentucky School for the Deaf also
was featured in the museum. From 1875 to
2003, the school had its own newspaper, the
Kentucky Standard, that it printed as voca‑
tional training for the students.
Outside, the staff and community turned
the parking lot into a huge outdoor picnic. A
white tent took up most of the lot to shade
the guests as they ate free meals. The
Advocate-Messenger staff also served hot‑
dogs and birthday cake to their guests.
Danville’s community art’s center set up a
Danville Mayor Mike Perros, left, talks
with Advocate-Messenger president,
publisher and editor, Larry Hensley during the newspaper’s 150th anniversary
picnic in Danville
canvas of a birthday cake for guests to paint
and coloring sheets for kids. A snow cone
machine was set up at the end of the food
line with flavors from grape to tiger’s blood.
‘Disruptive innovation’
hits newspaper industry
(Continued from page 12)
We reach more people now than ever
before because of those things, even while
the number of print readers has been in
decline across the industry, especially in
large markets.
But — as my three-year-old granddaughter
would say — “Guess what?”
The print edition of the newspaper still is
our core product. It still provides the largest
percentage of the revenue needed to bring
you the news every day. That may not
always be the case, but there is every reason
to believe it still could be, at least in small
markets like ours, when those who take us
forward are celebrating this newspaper’s
175th anniversary.
One more thing. As you look back, note
the content. Despite the multiple platforms,
the variety of technology used, we still
report on the same things they did in the
1800s — births, deaths, marriages, elections,
crime, community issues and local govern‑
ment, just to name few.
So, today we celebrate not just our past but
our future, here in Danville.
“Extra! Extra! Read all about it! AdvocateMessenger celebrates 150 years!” a little girl
dressed as a classic paper boy shouted, hold‑
ing a rolled up copy of the paper’s special
history edition printed for the event.
Also, two real paper boys from the
Advocate-Messenger’s past also came to
enjoy the party.
George White, now 92, was a carrier for
The Advocate-Messenger for five years start‑
ing in 1938 when he was around 10 years
old. He covered what then was route one:
“Second Street, Third Street and Lexington
Avenue all the way out to Wilderness Road”
recalled White. On his route he handled
around 50 papers, throwing them onto
porches, rain or sun. “I would fold them into
triangles so they’d fly like a Frisbee,” said
White.
Former Advocate-Messenger reporter
Annabel Girard was there as well. She cov‑
ered local government in the city and county,
among other things, for 27 years. “At one
point we got so modern, we had a portable
phone. It was huge and we carried it in a box
that was about the size of a shoebox,”
recalled Girard. “Once there was a fire in
Lincoln county. They sent me out, and I got
to take the portable phone with me. It was
such a big deal then. But I only got to the
CVS before it rang and they told me to come
on back because the fire department had
already put it out.”
Girard’s favorite part of her many years for
the paper was getting the news out there. “I
swear when I retired my blood pressure
dropped 20 points. There was always some‑
thing to be excited about.” As the local gov‑
ernment reporter, Girard loved reporting for
those who couldn’t attend the community
meetings themselves.
Advocate still active in Brass Band Festival
By BOBBO CARD
Danville Advocate Messenger
The 26th Great American Brass Band
Festival was held June 4-7 in Danville. And,
being a major sponsor of the event, The
Danville Advocate-Messenger staff, partici‑
pated in a big way.
The GABBF Market tent (where all souve‑
nirs like T-shirts, posters, CDs and pins for
the festival were sold) was staffed on
Saturday entirely by Advocate-Messenger
employees from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. An
Advocate-Messenger table was also staffed
throughout the day by employees who
handed out ink pens and the free special sec‑
tion about the festival, bands and events that
The Advocate published.
That evening, during the Great American
Picnic, The Advocate-Messenger’s decorat‑
ed table won The Improv Award. A judge’s
comment was, “In keeping with the impro‑
visational spirit of jazz, this table exhibits an
innovative concept or exceptional creativi‑
ty.” As a nod to The Advocate’s upcoming
150th anniversary celebration, the table was
decorated with a black tablecloth covered in
local headlines from the past 150 years, old
dial telephones, and an antique camera and
typewriter. The centerpiece was a real, live,
old-fashioned paperboy (who was really a
girl) yelling out, “Extra, extra, read all about
it!”
Executive director Niki Kinkade usually
cries herself to sleep the weekend of the
Great American Brass Band Festival. Before
judging her, there’s a few things to take into
consideration — just a few.
There’s the bands, the people who assist
the bands, all the instruments, equipment
needed to haul certain instruments, people
needed to help haul certain equipment used
to haul certain instruments. There are the
food, the alcohol, the merchandise tent, the
symposium, the picnic. There’s a lot.
Schurz Communicator
Fall 201513
Community Involvement
Hoosier Times Job Fair attracts 250
The Hoosier Times had its first job fair in many years at the
Liberty Ballroom in the former Gray Brothers Cafeteria on
Bloomington’s west side.
Author Solutions was the job fair sponsor.
Tables were reserved for 20 vendors, Hoosier Times advertising
director Laurie Ragle said.
Although potential employees weren’t asked to register (we will
next time), it’s been estimated that more than 250 visitors attended.
WorkOne assisted at the table at the entrance and handed out infor‑
mation on how to effectively
interview at a job fair.
Participating vendors were:
Author Solutions, Troyer Foods, Royal South Auto Dealers, Oliver
Winery, Bell Trace, French Lick Resort, MCCSC, Bloom, Stone
Belt, Bloomington Transit, Cook Medical, Cook Pharmica, National
Salvage, Express, Personnel, Employment Plus, Bedford Ford,
Indiana Pro-Clean, Meadowood, LifeDesigns and WorkOne.
Vendor comments included:
--“Best job recruitment I have done.”
--“Nice venue, very well spaced and organized.”
--“Traffic flow was fantastic.”
--“I would very much like to participate next year.”
--“This was one of the best job fairs as far as turnout of people that
I have ever been to.”
Vendors at the Hoosier Times Job Fair held in
Bloomington included WorkOne and attracted more than 250
visitors.
KOTA-TV reporter involved
in Special Olympics torch run
Rapid City KOTA-TV Reporter Nicole Tschetter represented
Rushmore Media Company when the Special Olympics Torch Run
made its way through Rapid City.
Escorted by a member of the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and
the Mount Rushmore Mascots, Tschetter was thrilled to report on the
event, participate in the event and pass the torch to a South Dakota
Special Olympian.
Park to park
WSBT-TV sponsors
‘Bike the Bend’ ride
WSBT-TV was once again the media
sponsor for the annual Bike the Bend bicy‑
cle ride throughout South Bend and
Mishawaka neighborhoods.
The ride took place on Sunday, June 14
from 6:30am – 11:30am and ran from St.
Patrick’s County Park in South Bend to
Central Park in Mishawaka.
Registered riders could join in as early or
late as they wish and could start anywhere
along the 30 plus mile bike route.
The leisurely morning ride caterd to fami‑
lies and kids – it was not a bike race.
There was a pancake breakfast at the
14
Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
Kroc Center to kick off the morning and
rest stops with water, snacks and restrooms
every few miles along the route.
Bike the Bend is fun for riders and vol‑
unteers alike. Non-riders could still be a
part of the action by being a Point-the-Way
volunteer on Sunday morning and meet up
with their rider family or friends at the pan‑
cake breakfast.
Participating in the ride also counted
toward Schurz Wellness credits for 2015.
Daily American connects with the community
By RICK KAZMER
Daily American City Editor
This is a photo from the screening of the movie “Bigfoot The Movie” June 27 in
the warehouse of the Somerset, PA Daily American.
High school seniors are
honored by KWCH 12
By ERIKA MALEY
Marketing & Community Relations
KWCH 12 Wichita, KS
KWCH 12 hosted its annual Top of the
Class appreciation breakfast in May.
The event honors the top graduating
seniors at high schools across central
Kansas, recognized for their academic
achievements as well as extra-curricular
activities.
High school counselors were asked to pick
a student to represent each of there school.
In addition to looking at the student’s G.P.A.,
they were also asked to take into account
awards, honor classes, clubs and sport
involvement.
The KWCH 12 Top of the Class ceremo‑
ny took place at Aboude Venue. It began
with a breakfast and wrapped up with a
commercial taping of each graduating senior.
The commercials featuring the Top of the
Jenn Bates
KWCH 12 morning anchor
Class students will air throughout the sum‑
mer on KWCH 12, KSCW (channel 33/
cable 5) and Always On 12.2. Students’
biographies and pictures are also featured
online at kwch.com.
Eyewitness News anchors Roger Cornish
and Melissa Scheffler hosted the event.
Eyewitness News This Morning anchor Jenn
Bates also gave a motivational speech.
Hoosier Times puts
on child camp expo
The inaugural Hoosier Times Camps Expo
drew representatives of 15 camps and other
child-related businesses to Sherwood Oaks
Christian Church on Saturday, March 7.
The goal of the event was to educate
attending families about the summer camps
and other youth programs available to local
youths.
One of the camps had a table set up where
kids could paint and take home a master‑
piece. Another had sand that could be mold‑
ed into various shapes.
The most popular station was run by
WildCare. The animal rescue operation
brought live animals for the kids to touch
and experience. On display were a giant rab‑
bit, a python snake, a small hawk and an
owl.
The goal is to have the camps expo again
next year and boost the number of camps
and families that participate, Hoosier Times
advertising director Laurie Ragle said.
At the beginning of the year most
Somerset, PA Daily American readers proba‑
bly didn’t consider the newspaper as a
source of entertainment outside of what they
found in our traditional products. The events committee, which includes
General Manager Becky Flyte, Advertising
Director Tom Koppenhofer, Digital Director
Genna Smith, Business Manager Barb
Gnagey, Advertising Executive Matt Hoke
and City Editor Rick Kazmer, began 2015
seeking to change that mindset.
The group has been
working to plan events
that have cultural sig‑
nificance, are entertain‑
ing and that foster com‑
munity involvement.
Community yard
sales and various ven‑
dor shows have been
and continue to be prof‑
FLYTE
itable ways to draw
interest to 334 West Main Street. This year we have also planned and imple‑
mented a video game tournament, a screen‑
ing of a locally-made movie and will be
hosting celebrity chef Spike Mendelsohn in
September. The Daily American is the community’s
newspaper. These events tap into deeper ele‑
ments of the community’s culture. Our
events provide the venue to develop a closer
relationship through personal interest. The screening of “Bigfoot The Movie”
featured Pittsburgh-area actors. It was filmed
in a community not far from Somerset. The
Sasquatch spoof tapped into a special inter‑
est and drew around 100 people, who stayed
after the show to participate in a Q&A with
actors and the director. The visitors bought
food, shirts and copies of the movie. The committee is contemplating how to
improve community movie screenings and
we plan to hold more in the future. The video game tournament and chef
event are more examples of ways we are try‑
ing to involve community members outside
of our normal products. We are utilizing our former print room and
warehouse space for many of the events,
giving new purpose to an asset that would
otherwise be underused. As the industry continues to evolve one
important word remains crucial to develop‑
ment: Relevance. Events are offering the
Daily American another avenue to remain an
important and relevant keystone of the
Somerset County community.
Schurz Communicator
Fall 201515
Miss Kansas 2014 joins
Sunflower Broadcasting
KWCH 12 in Wichita, Kansas has had a
long history with the Miss Kansas pageant
that continues to get stronger.
Amanda Sasek recently joined the KWCH
team – she just finished her reign as Miss
Kansas 2014 (and got married) before she
started in early July. Amanda takes over the
traffic reporting duties for Eyewitness News
This Morning.
Amanda was joined at this year’s pageant
by master of ceremonies Michael
Schwanke. This is Michael’s third year as
emcee for the three-day event held in Pratt,
Kansas. This year, Michael’s two daughters,
Jayda, 7, and Jorja, 9, also participated in
the Sunflower Princess program.
“It’s been such a wonderful opportunity
and has changed my perception of pageants. The women are incredibly talented, work
hard, and give endless volunteer hours to
their local communities. It’s also a great
way to connect with our viewers from
across the state,” said Schwanke.
Among the judges this year was
Sunflower Broadcasting president and gener‑
al manager Joan Barrett. It was her first time
to attend the pageant.
“It was a great experience. I learned a lot
about the Miss Kansas program and Miss
America organization. The women were
smart, talented and beautiful – and they all
walked away with scholarship money to
fund their education,” said Barrett. “I also
had no idea that at the state level – the orga‑
nizations are all 100% volunteer run.”
Barrett followed Creative Service Director
Dominic Gauna who served as a judge in
2011. Schwanke follows KWCH 12 anchor
Roger Cornish who served as emcee and
television host for 20 years. KWCH tele‑
vised the pageant from 1987 to 1991. Lia Green
honored
By BOB PARASILITI
The Herald-Mail
Hagerstown, MD
Rapid City, SD’s Rushmore Media
General Manager Lia Green was honored by
the Girls Scouts-Dakota Horizons, as one
of Rapid City’s “Women Of Distinction.”
Women representing several charities,
businesses, and branches of military were
honored for the impact they have in making
the world a better place. Awards were also
given to current Girl
Scouts for outstanding
leadership and service
in our community.
Dakota Horizons
Southwest District
Director Kat Converse
says the women and
girls who received
awards are the cream of
the crop. Presenting
GREEN
Lia’s award is
Rushmore Media KOTA-TV News Anchor,
and former “Women Of Distinction” win‑
ner, Helene Duhamel.
16
Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
Sunflower Broadcasting, Inc
President Joan Barrett, with Miss
Kansas 2014 Amanda Sasek, who
joined the KWCH news team this summer.
Herald-Mail’s Koelble wins
PGA Sportsmedia award
The noblest battles ever fought are very
lonely.
Those battles are usually contested by a
single person, someone who believes in the
cause and fights to keep it alive.
My colleague, Tim Koelble, has been rec‑
ognized as one of those guys.
For years, some would say Koelble has
been tilting at windmills. He spent time
fighting a fight — the preservation of local
golf — in a world where it’s becoming for‑
gotten.
Koelble, as many know, is a rabid golf fan
and takes great pride in covering the local
scene for The Herald-Mail. Unfortunately,
like everything else, the popularity of this
endeavor has been reduced to almost niche
status.
Koelble is golf media’s version of a holein-one — both are pretty rare.
They are becoming rarer in current times
as younger generations seem to be shying
away from what’s considered a slow-paced,
time-consuming activity.
Koelble remains one of the purists who
continues to fight this
battle. Most of the time,
it was in solitude …
until now.
Koelble was honored
as the recipient of the
2015 Earle Hellen
Sportsmedia Award by
the Middle Atlantic
Professional Golf
KOELBLE
Association (MAPGA)
before a crowd of 250 at the organization’s
membership meeting in Fredericksburg, Va.
He played the honor’s proverbial back
nine on Saturday at the MAPGA’s Hall of
Fame and awards banquet, a black-tie
optional affair in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor,
earning recognition before other outstanding
members and organizational heads of the
PGA.
“Tim is one of the only newspaper writers
to win the award,” said Jon Guhl, MAPGA’s
executive director. “Most of our winners
have been Golf Magazine guys. We recog‑
nize Tim because he does a great job cover‑
ing local golf while covering other things.”
WASK’s Green wins
Lafayette city golf title
FROM THE LAFAYETTE JOURNAL
COURIER
With all the drama match play golf can
provide, Brian Green won his first Men’s
City Championship golf title at the Birck
Boilermaker Golf Complex in the second
playoff hole against stroke play medalist
Anthony Zachman.
Green is president and general Manager of
the WASK Radio Group.
He joins fellow WASK Radio Group
coworker Matt Toney in keeping the trophy
at the radio station for another year.
“Now I have to look at it all year long,”
Toney joked after returning to the Kampen
Course to see Green win after Green beat
him in the semifinals on Saturday. “It’s prob‑
ably the reason he won this year because he
had to stare it all this past year after I won
it.”
The Men’s City Championship, though,
hardly came easy and had some dramatic
twist and turns over the 20 holes that could
have seen Zachman walk about with the tro‑
phy just the same.
“I’m numb,” Green said after watching
Zachman miss about a 10-foot putt on No. 2
for par, ending the match. “I mean, there
isn’t a tournament I would trade for this. It
just means a lot to me. I know there’s a lot
of guys (names) are on the trophy. It’s tradi‑
tion.”
After trailing by as many as two holes on
the front nine, Green got hot on the back
nine, winning holes 10, 13 and 14 to take a
one-hole lead. On top of that, he made about
a 20-foot putt on No. 11 that prevented
Zachman from winning another hole.
Brian Green and wife Lori
Tribune photo wins
national award
By JOSEPH DITS
South Bend Tribune
Herald-Times photo by Chris Howell.
Herald-Times hosts mayoral forum
The Herald-Times hosted a Bloomington mayoral forum in
April featuring the three candidates then running in the
Democratic primary. The event was streamed live on
HeraldTimesOnline.com and televised on a local community
access TV channel. Herald-Times Editor Bob Zaltsberg, right,
explains the forum rules. From left are Darryl Neher, John
Linnemeier and John Hamilton. Linnemeier dropped out of
the race April 23.
KOTA reporter
takes to air
KOTA-TV Rapid City
Meteorologist and reporter
Yasser Kishk got to go for a
ride in a vintage B-17 Flying
Fortress. The Commemorative
Air Force out of Mesa,
Arizona, takes the plane
across the USA and Canada
during the summer giving veterans an opportunity to take
flight. The B-17 made a stop in
Rapid City.
First, the awkward, back-slapping news: I shot the photo that won
first place in the “flora” category in an annual contest by the Outdoor
Writers Association of America.
Now, an ode to the greater forces that won my attention on that
September afternoon when I snapped the photo.
Like bright red glitter, autumn’s earliest color had arrived as I biked
into Spicer Lake Nature Preserve County Park in New Carlisle. My
heart pumped. It cleared my head, focused my attention. I pointed
my iPhone at tender, showy leaves both high and low. From the
boardwalk, I noticed leaves floating on the wetland surface.
Click. It wasn’t until later that I noticed how the colors and shapes
played so well together -- how the leaves all pointed in the same
clockwise direction, how the sun’s glare keeps your focus in the mid‑
dle. Funny how that happens, eh?
As I picked up the award June 27 at the OWAA conference in
Knoxville, Tenn., I talked about this -- part adrenaline, part luck -with a fellow OWAA member. He recalled how he’d suddenly seen a
heron take off from water. He dragged his camera through the air to
follow the bird and clicked.
I’m still learning -- and was happy to pick up tips (plus two ounces
of humility) from OWAA colleagues at the conference.
KY3, KSPR have Day of Caring
Employees at KY3 and KSPR in Springfield, MO joined the ranks
of more than 2,000 volunteers to make a difference during the United
Way of the Ozarks’ annual Day of Caring on August 20.
In the spirit of living united, KY3 Inc. partnered with Springfield
television and radio broadcasters to paint a local Head Start.
Volunteers also canvassed a low-income neighborhood with the
American Red Cross to provide fire safety information and new
smoke alarms to residents. In all, 77 smoke alarms were installed at
no cost.
Schurz Communicator
Fall 201517
Promotions / New Employees
American News
Aberdeen, SD
BISHOP
SMITH
WINEY
SPROULS
Tribune/WSBT
25 Year Club
adds 6 members
The 44th annual dinner and induction cer‑
emony for the South Bend Tribune/WSBT
25 Year Club saw six
longtime employees
admitted to the club’s
ranks.
The club, started in
1971 by Franklin
Schurz Sr. to honor
South Bend Tribune
employees who’d
served a quarter cen‑
tury with the compa‑
ny, was later altered
HELINE
to include WSBT TV
and radio employees, as well.
Franklin Schurz Jr. introduced each of
this year’s inductees.
--Pam Bishop, subscriber services opera‑
tions manager at The Tribune
--Tom Heline, IT network systems techni‑
cian at The Tribune
--Chris Perry, art director at WSBT
--Charlene Smith, director of ad produc‑
tion services at SCI
--Kirby Sprouls, local news editor at The
Tribune
--Leslie Winey, recruitment coordinator/
publishing at SCI
Smith and Winey were inducted because
the bulk of their careers were at The
Tribune before convergence of services
took them to corporate posts.
18
Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
Two journalists began new positions in
August in the newsroom at the Aberdeen
American News.
--Longtime American News staff member
Scott Waltman was promoted to managing
editor. He will oversee the day-to-day oper‑
ations of the news staff and news products.
Waltman was named assistant managing
editor in 2014. A graduate of Roncalli High
School and South Dakota State University,
he began at the paper as a reporter in 2000.
--Emily Horos is the new sports editor at
the American News. She will be in charge
of the planning and execution of sports cov‑
erage in print and digital products. Horos is
a graduate of Penn State University, where
she earned a bachelor’s degree in journal‑
ism, with a photography concentration.
Most recently, she was sports editor at the
Cherokee Tribune in Canton, Ga.
WALTMAN
HOROS
September.
“I’m thrilled to be part of the morning
team at Sunny 101.5 with Jack and Abby. “I
couldn’t be happier to be part of the show
and the community,” he says.
Steve spends his “free” time playing guitar
in his band, watching the White Sox lose,
and putting together baby furniture.
Steve replaced Bruce Kayser who retired
after 22 years on the Sunny morning show.
Steve celebrated his 22nd day on the show in
June.
KOTA-TV
Rapid City, SD
New WNSN Morning Team
Steve Buda, Abby and Jack
Sunny 101.5
Mishawaka, IN
Steve Buda is the newest member of the
Sunny 101.5 (WNSN) morning show in
Mishawaka, IN.
Steve has several years of experience
including working in Chicago and State
College Pennsylvania. Steve and his wife
Meg were expecting their first child in
After almost exactly 30 years away, Mike
Powers has returned to KOTA-TV in Rapid
City, SD.
Powers is back with KOTA as executive
producer and anchor for the 5:30 and 10:00
newscasts,
In addition to his anchor duties, Mike is
responsible for the
content and “look” of
the newscasts. Powers
was the KOTA-TV
sports director from
1983 to 1985. Then he
spent several years in
New Mexico and
Montana before
returning to the Black
Hills in the spring of
2015.
POWERS
Phillips gets community award
Rapid City, SD’s Rushmore Media Morning Radio Host Kevin Phillips, of 93.9 The
Mix, received the 2015 Rapid City Cosmopolitan Club “Community Service
Award.” The Community Service Award is to recognize a community member, group
or organization that supports the mission of the Cosmopolitan Club.
Phillips was also named Co-Chair of the United Way Of The Black Hills Campaign
for the second time. This year, the United Way Of The Black Hills celebrates its 70th
year and has named three former chair people to share the duties.
Phillips is joined by Rapid City Chamber Of Commerce President, and CEO, Linda
Rabe and former South Dakota State Senator Royal “Mac” McCracken. This year’s
United Way fundraising goal is two million dollars.
Retirement
Bruce Kayser
Sunny 101.5, Mishawaka
There are several attributes that have made
Bruce Kayser and his partners on the Sunny
101.5 morning show in Mishawaka, Indiana
so successful.
Among the attributes are witty, likeable,
authentic and maybe more than a little off
center.
Radio is a very difficult, competitive busi‑
ness and it gets more competitive every year.
Having a morning show that’s rated num‑
ber one for this long, doesn’t happen by
accident. Bruce and his partners deserve all
the credit for making this happen.
Bruce Kayser wrapped up an outstanding
career – more than 28 years at WSBT Radio
–on April 23.
Who better than his longtime radio partner,
Jack Reichert, to have the last word about
Bruce.
“I have had the pleasure of working with
Bruce since February of 1987.” Jack com‑
mented. ”There certainly isn’t enough time
to share the experiences or memories that I
will always remember and cherish.
“It didn’t take me long to figure out that he
would be the perfect addition to what I was
trying to accomplish in my career.
“His talent along with his dedication to our
profession is commendable. I personally
want to thank him for his efforts and sup‑
port. Without him the morning show could
never have enjoyed the success it has
Bill Strother
Bloomington Herald-Times
Bill Strother, Projects and Features
Editor at the Bloomington, IN HeraldTimes, has retired after 31 years at the
newspaper in a variety of capacities..
Strother was honored by the newsroom
his final day Aug. 31 and was presented
with a jersey from his favorite major
league baseball team, the St. Louis
Cardinals.
Bruce Kayser, retired at WSBT Radio
accomplished. To say he will be missed
would certainly be an understatement to the
fullest degree.
“I can only speak for myself, but I believe
most would agree that knowing Bruce both
professionally and personally has been a
pleasurable experience.”
John Papendick
Aberdeen American News
John Papendick celebrated his last day at
the American News — at least as a full-time
employee —at the end of July with a giant
cake.
After spending time at smaller newspapers
Rita Ritter
Mooresville-Decatur Times
An April 13 retirement lunch honored
Rita Ritter for almost 45 years of service at the Mooresville-Decatur Times.
Rita did a variety of jobs for the newspaper through the years. Most recently,
she was working as a receptionist. The
event was at Gray Brothers Cafeteria in
Mooresville
John Papendick
in the state, Papendick made his way up to
Aberdeen, where he has spent the bulk of his
career.
In his more than three decades in the news
business, Papendick has seen many changes.
He witnessed the whole digital revolution,
winning an award for his Vertical SD project,
where he and his wife biked from the North
Dakota border down to the Nebraska border
and Tweeted about it the whole way down.
Papendick isn’t REALLY leaving. He’s
still going to be writing some columns
beginning this fall, and we’ll still get to see
him as he pops in the office now and then.
Antietam Cable
helps beat blues
Despite being rescheduled due to a late sea‑
son storm that dropped nearly a foot of snow
on Washington County, MD, the 20th
Annual Cabin Fever Blues Bash was a roar‑
ing success!
Held at Hagerstown’s historic Maryland
Theatre, over 700 people ventured out in the
ice-and-snow aftermath of the storm to enjoy
Homemade Jamz Blues Band. The crowd
was on its feet, dancing singing and applaud‑
ing through most of the show. Antietam
Cable Television was the top sponsor of the
event.
“This is one of the largest and most enthu‑
siastic crowds we’ve seen yet,” comments
Cindy Garland, Antietam Cable director of
marketing.
Homemade Jamz is a trio of siblings rang‑
ing in age from 16 to 22 years old from
Elvis’ hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi.
They have been playing together as a band
for nearly 10 years, and are promoting their
new album “Mississippi Hill Country.” The
guitar and bass instruments are hand-crafted
by their father from car mufflers.
Schurz Communicator
Fall 201519
Hoosier Times honors 140 Scholastic Stars
By SARAH MORIN
Herald-Times
Community Engagement Editor
Three Hoosier Times newspapers put the spotlight on 140 out‑
standing graduating high school seniors in April, celebrating the
Scholastic Stars’ achievements through three dinners and special
coverage in print and online.
The Bloomington Herald-Times honored 81 seniors during its
annual Scholastic Stars celebration.
Publisher Mayer Maloney welcomed the Stars and their friends
and families to the April 27 dinner. Maloney handed out the awards
as Editor Bob Zaltsberg introduced the Stars and shared some of
their accomplishments.
Rachel Martinez, an Indiana University student, served as the
guest speaker during dinner, talking about the importance of getting
involved in college.
The seniors from 13 high schools in south-central Indiana were
recognized for academic, athletic and artistic talents in addition to
volunteer work. School staff nominated the 81 stars and a commit‑
tee, including Zaltsberg, had the tough task of choosing 30 “Gold”
Stars.
The Herald-Times also awarded two cash scholarships, one to a
Gold Star and one to a Silver, at the dinner. This was the second year
The Herald-Times hosted an event to recognize the Stars and the
sixth year for the special project, in which photos and bios of the
Stars are featured online and in the newspaper.
In Bedford, 26 graduating seniors were honored at an April 29 din‑
ner hosted by The Times-Mail, and two scholarships were presented.
Bedford pharmacist Lester Burris, a 2006 Mitchell High School
graduate, was the speaker. He advised the Scholastic Stars to put
themselves outside their comfort zones and “get involved with
something bigger than yourself,” something he has done through
mission work in Honduras. In Martinsville, 33 Scholastic Stars were saluted.
Striking gold in Bloomington
They’re brothers and sisters, role models and friends. They have
traveled across the city and across the globe to help the hungry and
the sick. They stay after school and run and sing and type and play.
They’re the 81 Bloomington area students that make up the 2015
bright and bold constellation of Scholastic Stars.
These high school seniors did more than rack up A’s on their
Bob Zaltsberg, editor of the Bloomington Herald-Times,
speaks April 27 at the 2015 Scholastic Stars awards banquet at the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention Center
in downtown.
assignments and spend hours preparing for tests. The 2015 Scholastic
Stars are innovators, They’ve started their own companies, led volun‑
teer campaigns in different countries and set big education goals.
The sixth annual Scholastic Stars selection panel consisted of Mike
Wilcox, superintendent of Richland-Bean Blossom Schools; Teresa
Grossi, from Indiana University; Cyrilla Helm, Monroe County
Schools Foundation; and Bob Zaltsberg, Sarah Morin and Kat
Carlton from the Herald-Times.
It was no easy task picking the 30 Gold Stars. The panelists fought
for many of the 51 silver contenders. In the end there was no ques‑
tion..each student still shine bright.
Bedford judges’ comments
The judges for the Bedford Times-Mail Scholastic Stars were Sari
Wood, retired school principal; Annette Seib, retired teacher; Marc
Fields, former teacher; James Babcock, retired principal; and Roger
Moon, Times-Mail staffer.
The judges regard the student stars as a group of individuals who
have “kept going.” “What an outstanding group,” commented Sari
Wood. “These seniors had exceptional grade point averages, partici‑
pated in many school and community organizations and volunteered
at multiple places and events in their communities. Their families,
schools and communities have to be so proud of them.”
After reviewing the information submitted by the nominated stu‑
dent, Annette Seib said, “I love their giving and serving spirits.”
Reporter-Times recognizes stars
Lisa Payton and Susan Rannochio arrange 2005
Scholastic Stars sections for winners to pick up at the April
27 awards banquet at the Bloomington/Monroe County
Convention Center.
20
Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
Decatur Central’s Tayaba Nadeem and Martinsville’s Patricia Bales
were awarded scholarships during the Martinsville Reporter-Times
Scholastic Stars dinner. The event was part of the Reporter-Times’
recognition of the best and brightest high school seniors in Morgan
County. The Scholastic Stars program emphasizes academic achieve‑
ment, while also looking at extracurricular involvement and commu‑
nity engagement.
Thirty-three students from five schools were selected as either gold
or silver stars. The top 10 are considered gold stars and were featured
in articles.
Long Lines more than just cable company
By TIM POPPEN
Long Lines Media
Long Lines, located in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, is one of the newest
members of the Schurz Communications family of companies.
On the surface it provides cable, internet and phone service to both
business and residential customers in northwest Iowa, northeast
Nebraska and southeast South Dakota.
But when you look deeper you find that Long Lines provides major
service to one of the nation’s largest communications company.
Long Lines has been building an extensive fiber optic ring through‑
out the region. Currently it has installed around 1,300 miles of fiber
optics in the area. This made it the best choice to serve the top two
largest wireless providers in the U.S.
It provides wireless backhaul for one carrier on 143 cell sites with
five more ready to go online soon. It also serves the other largest wire‑
less carrier with 23 cell sites and two more in progress. This means that
virtually every wireless phone call, text message or data session in the
region travels on Long Lines fiber optics.
Long Lines continues to expand its fiber optic reach that is allowing
it to expand its service offering to many large commercial businesses
throughout the Midwest.
Long Lines extensive fiber network enables connections for:
--Private Ethernet circuits for high capacity, secure connections
--Hosted unified communication services such as Hosted PBX ser‑
vice
--On-net Colocation Services for disaster recovery and data replica‑
tion/backup
The Long Lines Tech Building with AT&T tower on the top.
Businesses also have the ability to connect their enterprise utilizing
Long Lines interconnect capabilities. Long Lines maintains a presence
in the Midwest’s largest carrier hotels (such as the Farnam Building in
Omaha, NE and The 511 Building in Minneapolis, MN) to extend its
fiber reach with access to 50 plus commercial carriers serving all 50
states.
Hagerstown Mega Job Fair attracts 650 prospects
People looking for employment and better
opportunities, companies looking to fill open‑
ings, and at least one new business getting set
to open in the area were all on hand at the
Herald-Mail Media Mega Job Fair at Hager
Hall in Hagerstown.
Nearly 650 residents attended the job fair to
visit 55 employers who had set up booths.
The advertising department of The HeraldMail did much of the organizing for the
event.
Robert Taylor, 42, of Hagerstown said he
was looking for something in manufacturing
and warehousing.
“I met quite a few good prospects here, got
a lot of good comments and feedback from
them,” he said. “I saw some other positions
that I wasn’t even interested in that sounded
pretty good, so it was a pretty good opportu‑
nity, and I look forward to just capitalizing on
some of the networking and people that I met
with today.”
Kaplan University and the Washington
Photo by Ric Dugan/
Herald-Mail photographer
Patti Littleton. Boonsboro. talks to
recruiters from WLR Automotive Group
at the Spring Mega Job Fair held at
Hager Hall in Hagerstown
County One-Stop Job Center partnered with
Herald-Mail Media to stage the event.
Heather Guessford, business development
manager for Kaplan University, said the event
included career centers to help with mock
interviews and offer advice on social media.
The One-Stop Job Center helped with
resumes, and the university’s career depart‑
ment provided tips on where to go to find
jobs, what to wear and what questions to ask
at interviews.
The Society for Human Resource
Management was offering workshops for
some human resources directors who attend‑
ed.
“We’re really excited to be able to get out
here and help a lot of people find jobs today,
as well as career resources,” Guessford said.
She said that the economic recovery is
bringing more people out to such events.
“It’s very diverse,” Guessford said. “There’s
a lot of different positions here today, so
there’s something for everyone, and we’re
seeing that reflective in the jobseekers.”
Schurz Communicator
Fall 201521
In tornado reporting
Sunflower Broadcasting is leading the way
By ROBERT MARTIN
Executive Producer
KWCH 12 Eyewitness News
Severe weather is an inevitable part of spring and summer in Kansas,
and KWCH and Sunflower Broadcasting in Wichita continues to lead
the way in giving people the warning they need, showing tornadoes
live on the air two different times this year, including four in one day.
KWCH’s Storm Team 12 predicted dangerous severe weather days
in advance of storms on May 9, 2015, with the biggest threat in the
northwest part of the state. The Sunflower Broadcasting viewing area
covers two-thirds of the state of Kansas, which including skycams in
each part of the state. During that evening, the skycam in the rural
community of Grainfield gave Storm Team 12 meteorologists a clear
picture of the storm, and four different tornadoes it produced.
Storm Team 12 chief meteorologist Ross Janssen was already on air
as the supercell thunderstorm moved north through Gove County. In
addition to our storm chasers, Storm Team 12 was keeping an eye on
the storm with the help of the Grainfield Skycam. While typically
trained on serene farm fields and bright Kansas sunsets, that night the
camera gave a front seat view of the power of mother nature, and
allowed Storm Team 12 meteorologists to track the danger and provide
warning to anyone in the storms path.
Storm Team 12 had the same opportunity with a severe thunder‑
storm that popped up over Rice and Reno counties on July 13, 2015.
Chief meteorologist Ross Janssen was live on air, warning viewers
Storm Team 12 launches
Weather Watcher Network
The weather impacts everyone and everybody likes to talk about
it. That’s why Storm Team 12 started looking for additional ways
to get viewers involved in the daily weather reports.
For a number of years, we’ve shared viewer pictures of storms
on the air. But we wanted to take it to a new level and that’s where
the Storm Team 12 Weather Watcher Network was born. After exploring many possibilities, our Dan Rivers and Anne
Pham from the KWCH Web team went to work creating a plat‑
form to house an online weather community that would allow reg‑
istered weather enthusiasts to submit temperature, wind, rainfall,
snowfall, and severe weather reports.
In just three months time, our weather watcher network has
attracted over 400 viewers to sign up. A tornado rolls across Kansas
about the storm, and took a view from the skycam in the city of
Hutchinson. The skycam showed a clear funnel cloud forming, which
eventually reached the ground and grew to an EF3 tornado, with
winds up to 165 miles per hour. The tornado was on the ground for
around 20 minutes, all of which were shown live on air from the
Hutchinson skycam.
While the tornado did damage a couple of farmsteads, it thankfully
did not move into nearby populated areas of Nickerson and
Hutchinson. There were no reports of anyone injured by the storms,
thanks, in part, to the warning from Storm Team 12 meteorologists and
the clear picture the network of skycams gave of the tornadoes.
As the meteorologists showed you the storm on TV, the Sunflower
Broadcasting digital team was hard at work streaming the same video
across multiple platforms, including the KWCH.com website, Storm
Team 12 app and providing updates through social media. As the tor‑
nado touched down near the heavily populated city of Hutchinson,
Kansas, viewers also sent hundreds of pictures of the tornado and
storm, which were used both on-air and in photo galleries on the web‑
site and app.
While covering two-thirds of the state of Kansas can present chal‑
lenges, the weather experts with Storm Team 12 have leveraged the
best technology and their years of experience to help provide viewers
with the information they need to stay safe.
‘Weather Camp’
popular at WSBT
By SCOTT LEITER
WSBT Operation Manager
July brought that time once again for the
WSBT First Alert Weather Camp.
It’s a one day camp for kids in grades three
through six.
A different group of 30 to 35 youngsters
arrives daily at 9:45 and breaks into three
groups.
22
Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
One group stays in Studio B to see amazing
tornado video and learn about storm safety.
Another group goes out with Matt and Cari
to conduct weather science experiments mak‑
ing clouds and tornados in a bottle.
And the last group stays inside with Abby
and tries their hands on the Big Green Wave
Weather Wall.
Every 30 minutes they rotate to a different
station.
WSBT feeds the youngsters some great tast‑
ing Papa John’s Pizza, they get some real cool
giveaways including a T-Shirt and auto‑
graphed cards and get a certificate as a gradu‑
ate of Weather Camp.
CatchItKansas.com marks Coaches vs. Cancer
success for WSBT
10th year with magazine
By MARCUS WILKERSON
Director of Sales
CatchItKansas.com continues to score – delivering more than 14
million page views a year and 130,000 unique visitors a month dur‑
ing the school year.
And now we’re extending the brand across another platform –
print.
August marked CatchItKansas.com’s tenth year – and a decade
later – we’re excited to
announce the launch of
CatchItKansas – The
Magazine.
Broadcast and Cable
Magazine recently featured
our success in its June Market
Eye Report, saying that, now a
decade old, CatchItkansas.com
and CatchItKansas the
Magazine are emblematic of
how KWCH and Sunflower
Broadcasting Inc. stand apart
in the market – innovative, and
always focused on super-serv‑
ing local consumers.
The sales and content efforts behind the launch of CatchItKansas
the Magazine has been phenomenal. Records were broken – most
revenue sold and an all-time high for sell out of major and secondary
sponsorships. All packages include digital elements, print, and in
some cases commercials in The CatchItKansas Show.
In a short amount of time the CIK staff designed and pulled
together articles, schedules, and top notch photos.
The magazine extends the brand and content platform, and bring
new users and advertisers into the fold.
The first issue featured previews of volleyball, cross country, girls
golf, boys soccer, and football from all Kansas classifica‑
tions. Along with previews, we will feature photos from our excel‑
lent photographers, a complete list of football schedules and winners
from the prestigious Catchy Awards. The magazine has allowed the
CatchItKansas team to work ahead. The team is already getting a
head start on collecting previews for the winter issue with an
emphasis on basketball.
The fall issue will be followed up with three additional issues:
winter, spring and summer.
CatchItKansas the Magazine will be distribute at high school
games and events, high schools, advertiser locations, and in the areas
largest grocery store chain.
“It’s a way to take content that we have a ton of and leverage it
across another medium,” said Joan Barrett, president, general man‑
ger – and now publisher!
Orbitel completes project
By BRYAN JOHNSON
Orbitel Communications
The Schurz Communications Arizona cable property recently
completed a two-year project of digital conversions in all four
Arizona headend systems.
In addition, Orbitel collapsed all four headends into one feed,
coming out of Maricopa.
When Schurz Communications purchased Orbitel and Western
On July 29 and 30, The WSBT Radio Group held the 13th
annual Radio-a-thon for Coaches vs Cancer.
This is a two day on-air radio event to raise funds and further
awareness for the cure of the devastating disease of cancer. All
four stations participate with on-air interviews of survivors, their
families, caregivers and cancer researchers sharing inspirational
stories of their battles and victories over the disease.
Notre Dame Men’s Basketball Coach, Mike Brey and his wife
Tish partner with the American Cancer Society on this initiative
and graciously hosted various events throughout the weekend.
Along with announcers from WSBTAM, WHFB and WZOC,
the morning team from WNSN, Sunny 101.5, Jack, Steve and
Abby broadcasted live from Martin’s Supermarket, which is the
presenting sponsor. Steve and Jack also competed over who
could do the best decorating job on a Coaches vs Cancer themed
cake!
WSBT-TV 22 always joins in the coverage of the event to fur‑
ther the cause. This year Kristin Bien reported live from the stag‑
ing area at Martin’s.
Listeners were invited to stop by Martin’s Side Door Deli to
purchase Coaches vs Cancer T-Shirts, which were sponsored this
year by Art Van Furniture. Also available for purchase were bas‑
ketball pin-ups or Cure Cups.
Since the beginning of this event in 2002, Coaches vs Cancer
has raised over 2.4 million dollars locally!
All proceeds from the Radio-a-thon benefit the Coaches vs
Cancer program.
Broadband in 2012, we promised product innovations and superior
service that strengthen customer loyalty. Our vision includes launch‑
ing new products and services to become the preferred local media
resource for our members and communities.
The recent all-digital conversion of Orbitels’ fiber-rich network
was a giant step in keeping that promise. It allows Orbitel to provide
the fastest most reliable high speed Internet with speeds up to
100Mbps. It means stunning, crystal-clear video picture and sound
quality. It means more channels – over 380 with more than 115 in
HD. Orbitel’s other new products include a 21+ channel SD/HD
sports tier package, video streaming with Orbitel2Go, and over
10,000 hours of video on-Demand content.
Welcome to the “new and improved” Orbitel Communications.
Orbitel offers the freedom and flexibility of no contracts, so mem‑
bers can adjust product selection at any time as their needs change.
Completing this milestone enables Orbitel to provide the finest
telecommunications products and the latest technology now and in
the years to come – made easy by the Orbitel team.
WASK Radio Group
completes tower project
The WASK Radio Group has recently completed a new tower
project just a few feet from the building!
The original tower, which stood for 63 years, was torn down on
August 23 to erect a new AM tower for their ESPN 1450AM sta‑
tion. The old tower, which housed ESPN 1450AM and WKOA
(K-105), stood at 370 feet. The new tower will only house ESPN
and stands at 180 feet.
WKOA moved its transmitter to sister station, WXXB’s (B102.9),
tower in Delphi, IN earlier this year.
Schurz Communicator
Fall 201523
Farm Forum conducts
tour for anniversary
With a bus trip to Iowa, Farm Forum readers got to see the future
and past of agriculture in America in celebration of The Green
Sheet’s 50th year.
This spring a busload of 30 readers — mostly from northeastern
South Dakota — took off to Amish Country, and then the John Deere
factory in Waterloo.
“One of the high points for me was, I made it a point and sat down
to talk with the different farm families and learn what their operation
was, what some of the things they lived through during the last 50
years,” said Connie Groop, Farm Forum reporter. The tour group was
enthusiastic to learn, Groop said.
“I’ve never seen a more eager group,” Groop said. “It was like,
you said you had to be some place at 7’o’clock and they were there
at quarter to, ready to go.”
Their guide in Kalona, the Amish Colony a man named Dan, was
an ex-member of the colony who was still on good terms with the
members, Groop said.
The Amish colony the Farm Forum group visited did use some
modern technology, like electricity from generators for milking and
tractors with steel — not rubber —wheels, Groop said.
“They were just very open about sharing things with us,” Groop
said.
The quilt shop at the colony was a highlight of the trip, Groop said.
“The quilts were just absolutely gorgeous,” Groop said. “They had
like, tens of thousands of hand stitches. Here, you get to a certain
point and take your quilt to a machine quilter and they do the finish‑
ing touches. This, everything was done by hand.”
Anniversaries
Each issue of the Schurz Communicator recognizes employees
at SCI properties who have 20 years or more of service, in five
year increments.
If you have been overlooked send an email to editor Bill
Schrader at [email protected] and you will be included in the
next issue.
40 Years
Larry Vaught, Danville, KY Advocate-Messenger
Jon Thompson, WSBT Radio, Mishawaka, IN
30 Years
Christine Benninghoff, South Bend Tribune
Raymond Pasman, South Bend Tribune
Joan Todd, WDBJ7, Roanoke, VA.
35 Years
Joe Dashiell, WDBJ7, Roanoke, VA
25 Years
Lolly Quigley, WDBJ7, Roanoke, VA,
Sam Doyle, WDBJ7, Roanoke, VA.
Bill Sipes, WSBT, Mishawaka, IN
Ted Smucker, WSBT, Mishawaka, IN
Elaine Baumgartner, South Bend Tribune
Kim Youts, South Bend Tribune
20 Years
Jeri Frazier, South Bend Tribune
Brenda Townes, Danville, KY Advocate-Messenger
Maria Leyba, South Bend Tribune
24
Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
Daily American stages
run for charity
People gathering for the start of the 29th annual Daily
American 10K/5K Race and Fitness challenge that raised
about $45,000 for three local charities in Somerset, PA.
More than 1,000 people participated in the June 13 run/
walk and 6-week fitness challenge. The Daily American,
along with many volunteers, organize the event each year
to benefit local charities.
After a visit to Amish Country, the group headed to a Mennonite
village and was served a roast beef feast by an octogenarian named
Salina who specialized in cooking meals for traveling groups, Groop
said. Salina even had a special house built.
“It was just hospitality at its most luxurious,” Groop said. “It was
just a delight to go there and visit with them and talk about a few of
their customs.”
The last stop on the trip was a tour of the John Deere factory in
Waterloo, Groop said.
“Several of the fellows on the trip bled John Deere green,” Groop
said. “So they were just thrilled to go see that.”
They weren’t able to take any pictures on the tour, but were able to
get up close and see things first hand, Groop said.
“We had great guides,” Groop said. “The guides actually had
worked there for a number of years, and then quit and got bored and
decided to come back as a tour guide.”
Several friendships were started or re-enforced through the bus trip,
Groop said.
“Help Me Sell” program
launched in Somerset
The Daily American in Somerset, Pa., has launched a program
called “Help Me Sell.” “We launched it in response to added cumbersome tasks Atex
required of our sales reps and the time it was taking away from actu‑
al selling,” said Becky Flyte, general manager of the Daily American.
“We set up an email group titled “Help Me Sell” with ad assistant
members and encouraged sales reps to use it to ask for help with any
administrative tasks, freeing up their time to sell more.”
The company added an incentive for the assistants when they reach
or exceed company revenue goals. “The program’s results have been
great. Revenue performance has been much improved, as has team
morale,” Flyte said.
Awards
Herald-Mail wins 20 awards in MDDC contest
Herald-Mail Media in Hagerstown, MD was honored with 20
awards at a luncheon recognizing members of the MarylandDelaware-DC Press Association.
Kevin Gilbert, Herald-Mail Media’s chief photographer, was a
four-time winner, earning first-place accolades for spot news, general
news and best photo gallery and sharing a second-place nod for mul‑
timedia storytelling.
“I am extremely proud of our folks in the newsroom for the
numerous awards they received again this year at the annual MDDC
awards luncheon,” said Andy Bruns, president and publisher of
Herald-Mail Media.
“Everyone across the board had a terrific showing, with photogra‑
phy and our multimedia professionals deserving special recognition
as they truly stood out among their peers this year,” he said.
The editorial contest celebrates print and online work completed in
2014. The contest, governed by the association’s editorial committee,
admitted nearly 2,000 entries from member publications among 50
categories.
Herald-Mail Media staff members won awards in categories rang‑
ing from breaking news and local columns to public service and
sports reporting.
“Awards are a nice cherry on top of things, but our ever-growing
audience is what really tells me these folks are on the right track
bringing our region in-depth news coverage each and every day,”
Bruns said.
For a full listing of winners and their award-winning work, please
see www.mddcpress.com.
The winners from Herald-Mail Media included:
--Editorial: Second place – “Voters call for change; our hope is for
progress,” Tim Rowland
--Local Column: Critical Thinking: Second place – “Time for kids
to go back to school,” Bill Kohler
--Spot News: Second place – “Local sailor killed in Navy shoot‑
ing,” Dave McMillion
--Continuing Coverage: Second place – “Pa. woman guilty in child
assault case,” Jennifer Fitch
--Public Service: Second place – “Experts: Suicide can touch
everyone,” Janet Heim
--General News Photo: First place – Antietam anniversary, Kevin
Gilbert
--General News Photo: Second place – “I know my son did his
job,” Ric Dugan
The photo, by Hagerstown Herald-Mail Chief Photographer
Kevin G. Gilbert, was part of the winning entry in the MDDC
Photo Gallery category.
--Spot News Photo: First place – Halfway fire, Kevin Gilbert
--Spot News Photo: Second place – Emergency personnel rescue
dozens in Clear Spring flooding, Colleen McGrath
--Sports Story: First place – “Voracious appetites,” Kevin
Dunleavy
--Sports Story: Second place – “Brawl mars Rebels-Leopards
game,” Bob Parasiliti
--Business Reporting: First place – “Making their moves,” Arnold
Platou
--Arts/Entertainment Reporting: Second place – “‘Relatable’ and
funny,” Meg Partington
--Religion Reporting: Second place – “Church opens doors to
dogs,” Marie Gilbert
--Multimedia Storytelling (News): Second place – Tractor-trailer
crash, C.J. Lovelace
--Multimedia Storytelling (Sports): Second place – JFK 50-Mile
coverage, Andy Mason, Kevin Gilbert, Dave Barnhart
--Multimedia Storytelling (Feature): First place – Civil War flag
signaling demonstrated at Washington Monument State Park, Julie E.
(Continued on page 26)
Max Relevance wins bronze Telly award
By JILLIAN BLACKBURN
Digital Sales Project Manager​
KWCH 12, Wichita, KS
Sunflower Broadcasting Inc.’s internal dig‑
ital agency, Max Relevance, won a Telly
Award for outstanding commercial work.
Max Relevance received a bronze Telly in
the Local TV/Cable Professional Services
category.
Max Relevance received its third Telly in
two years for its work on its own promotion‑
al spot, “Max Relevance: The Basics.”
The entire Max Relevance creative team
was involved in the commercial project and
its related web ads. Commercial producer
Eddie Gilmer created the graphic look and
animations based on creative developed by
the Max Relevance team.
“We have a very talented team of creatives
and interactive marketing specialists who
focus on getting the message right, regard‑
less of the platform,” said Creative Service
Director Dominic Gauna. “It’s great to see
them recognized for their hard work. I don’t
think a lot of people realize the caliber of
work the Max Relevance and Sunflower
Broadcasting teams produce every day.”
Max Relevance is a full-service, digital
agency specializing in both internet and tra‑
ditional marketing; working with clients
throughout Kansas and Oklahoma City.
All work done by Max Relevance, from
website development, search engine optimi‑
zation, and video production is done locally
in house, a dramatic contrast to the majority
of firms that outsource portions, or even all,
of this work.
Schurz Communicator
Fall 201525
KTUU-TV wins two Murrow awards
Seven journalists from KTUU-TV
Channel 2 in Anchorage, Alaska have been
recognized by the Radio Television Digital
News Association (RTDNA) with presti‑
gious regional Edward R. Murrow Awards
for work done in 2014
RTDNA is the world’s largest professional
organization exclusively serving the elec‑
tronic news profession. The organization’s
annual regional and national awards are
among the highest honors in television jour‑
nalism.
KTUU-TV competes in RTDNA’s desig‑
nated Region 1, which includes Alaska,
Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
The seven Channel 2 News journalists were
recognized for their achievements in two
award categories:
RTDNA News Series – The Marijuana
Debate: Channel 2 reporters Lacie Leichliter,
Grace Jang, Steve MacDonald and photo‑
journalists Mike Nederbrock and Eric Sowl
produced an in-depth series of reports exam‑
ining the impacts of marijuana legalization,
prior to Alaska voters considering the issue
in 2014.
For the series, journalists traveled to
Colorado to examine the economic and
social impacts of marijuana legalization. In
Alaska, journalists traveled to the isolated
rural village of Akiak to speak with residents
about their concerns for legalization. The
team also examined the economic, social and
legal aspects of marijuana legalization in
Anchorage.
Feature Reporting – Aurora Wish List:
Channel 2 reporter Blake Essig and photo‑
journalist David Brooks produced a touching
profile of nine-year old Ben Pierce from
Dallas, Texas. Pierce, who is gradually los‑
ing his eyesight, dreamt of seeing the north‑
ern lights. His dream brought him to
Fairbanks, Alaska where Essig and Brooks
joined him and his family for a night of
aurora watching. The story combined stun‑
ning scenic imagery with compelling natural
moments as Ben reacts to seeing the north‑
ern lights. Essig’s narration and story struc‑
ture take the viewer along on this remarkable
journey as a young man creates memories
that he will cherish for a lifetime.
The stories will now compete for national
Murrow awards against stations from across
the country in their respective categories.
KY3, KSPR dominate Missouri broadcast awards
Schurz Communication’s two Springfield television stations totally
dominated the Missouri Broadcast Association annual contest.
KY3 and KSPR won 16 of 18 firsts in the competition and took
nine seconds.
One of the firsts for KSPR was the prestigious Station of the Year
award, which was presented for the first time this year.
KSPR took four other firsts and three seconds.
KY3 took 11 firsts and six seconds.
FIRST PLACE
Newscast of the Year – KSPR 5PM News
Best Web Site – KY3 Ozone
Best Weathercast – KY3, Kevin Lighty. Station Sponsored
Community Event – KSPR, MDA
Public Service Campaign – KY3, Jamie Presley, Volunteer promos
Promotion -- KY3, Weather app. promo, Dan McGrane’s team
Commercial Announcement – KY3, Springfield Express. Jim
Stinson’s team
Editorial – KY3, Jerry Jacob, Slow me down
Sports – KY3, Chad Plein
Special Programs – KY3, “Conversations”. Emily Wood
Investigative Reporting – KY3, Paul Adler, “Death Chair”
Documentary and Public Affairs – KY3, Ashley Reynolds,
“Testing Kids”
Spot News – KY3, “Hailey Owens”
News Series – KSPR, “Hailey Owens”
SECOND PLACE
Newscast of the Year – KY3 Ozarks Today
Best Web Site – KSPR.com
Best Weathercast – KY3, Lindsey Slater
Station Sponsored Community Event – KSPR St. Jude
Public Service Campaign – KY3, Jamie Presley, Volunteer promos
Commercial Announcement – KY3, SGF Airport, Jim Stinson’s
team
Best News Anchor – KY3, Leigh Moody
Special Programs – KSPR, “Survive The Storm”
Spot News – KY3, “Shot In The Line”
26
Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
Bloomington Herald-Times
wins 10 SPJ awards
Bloomington Herald-Times staff members won ten awards in April
in the Society of Professional Journalists Indiana contest:
First place winners were:
--Abby Tonsing, feature writing, searching for Lauren Spierer
--Laura Lane, Lindsey Erdody and Jon Blau, spot news reporting,
concrete embezzlement conspiracy
--Rachel Bunn and Lindsey Erdody, nondeadline reporting, 2014
general election coverage
Second place winners were:
--Jon Blau, personality profile, Fred Cate
--MJ Slaby, environmental reporting, the last lecture
--Rachel Bunn, criminal justice reporting, new era begins
--Jon Blau, Lindsey Erdody and Abigail Tonsing, spot news report‑
ing, “Wedding Day” samesex marriage coverage
--Michael Reschke and Mary Keck, non-deadline reporting,
Fairview Elementary series
Third place winners were:
--Michael Reschke, personality profile, DJ Unique
--Kat Carlton, student radio news reporting (for WFIU), “Activists
worry more homeless will be on Bloomington streets”
Herald-Mail wins awards
(Continued from page 25)
Greene
--Best Photo Gallery: First place – Antietam anniversary, Kevin
Gilbert
--Best Web Video: Second place – Flooding in Clear Spring, Dan
Dearth
--General Web Site Excellence: Second place – HeraldMailMedia.
com, staff
KTUU-TV wins 22
awards in Alaska
Press Club contest
KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska won 22 awards in the Alaska
Press Club contest, including eight firsts.
The firsts included the coveted Best Newscast award that went to
“The Channel 2 Newshour”
Other first went to Best Sports Reporting, Best Business
Reporting, Best Alaska History Story, Best Talk Program. Best
Multimedia Presentation, Best Feature and Best User-Submitted
Online Package.
The Newshour on Nov. 10 was the Best Newscast winner. “Good
variety of stories,” the judges commented. “Great use of graphics
and file video.”
The Best Sports winner was on fishing, “Fishing Report: Reel Fly
Adventurez.”
The Best Alaska History Story winner was on the 1964 Alaska
earthquake. “Moving images of the disaster and its aftermath,” the
judges commented.
Alaska’s Political Pipeline was the Best Talk Program winner.
The election of 2014 was the Best Multimedia Presentation win‑
ner.
The Best Business Reporting winner went to a report on Shell sus‑
pending Arctic off-shore drilling in Alaska.
Aurora Wish List was the Best Feature winner. “What a wonderful
marriage of words and pictures,” the judges commented. “So mov‑
ing. So beautifully told.”
Whaling in Alaska was the Best User Submitted Online package
winner.
SECOND PLACE WINNERS
“After a standoff” Abby Hancock, Albert Lutan
“1964 Alaska Earthquake” Lacie Grosvold, Grace Jang, Jeff Rivet,
Scott Smith, Corey Young, Austin Baird, Chris Klint, Joshua Staab
“Using her eyes to talk” Garrett Turner, Kuba Wuls
“Sullivan struggles for words.” Caslon Hatch, Dave Brooks
“I hoped it happened fast so that he wasn’t scared or hurting” Kyle
Hopkins
“KTUU Mount Marathon coverage” Ashleigh Ebert, Channel 2
staff
“Mad scientist. Senator fight to save HAARP” Austin Baird, Kuba
Wuls
“December in Alaska” Kyle Hopkins, Jeff Rivet, Chris Klint, staff
and viewers
“The Kobuk River Valley; at loss for herds” Garrett Turner, Kuba
Wuls
THIRD PLACE WINNERS
“Last minute push” Caslon Hatch, Dave Brooks
“KTUU Iditarod, celebrating traditions” Channel 2 staff
“Lacie Grosvold, solo reporter” Lacie Grosvold.
“Scotty Smith, photojournalism compilation” Scotty Smith.
“Rural education, student success” Corey Allen-Young, Mike
Nederbrock
WDBJ7 wins news
award in AP contest
WDBJ7 in Roanoke, VA received a first place award from the
Virginia Association of Broadcasters in the Outstanding News Series
category.
The award was won by Jean Jadhon’s series Facing the Future:
Richard Norris.
It was shot by videographer Rob Chewning.
From left, the Bloomington Herald-Times’ Jon Blau, Abby
Tonsing and Rod Spaw at the Associated Press Media
Editors contest banquet in Indianapolis.
This was the series of reports on the Hillsville man who underwent
the world’s most extensive facial transplant.
WDBJ7.com took second place for Outstanding Web site.
Bloomington, Bedford
win 8 APME awards
Bloomington Herald-Times and Bedford Times-Mail staff mem‑
bers picked up eight awards at the Indiana Associated Press Media
Editors awards dinner at the Rathskeller restaurant in Indianapolis in
April.
The Herald-Times competed in Division 2 and the Times-Mail in
Division 3, each against Indiana newspapers with a similar circula‑
tion size.
The winners were:
First place
--Chris Howell, Herald-Times, feature photo
--Jon Blau, Rod Spaw and Abigail Tonsing, Herald-Times, nondeadline news reporting
Second place
--Garet Cobb, Times-Mail, feature photo
--Jeremy Price, Herald-Times, deadline sports reporting
--Laura Lane, Herald-Times, feature writing
--Jon Blau, Herald-Times, nondeadline sports reporting
--Jennifer Tilley, Janice Rickert, Bill Thornbro and Penny Reid,
Herald-Times, page one makeup
Third place
--Chris Howell, Herald-Times, sports photo
KWCH photojournalist
receives NPPA award
George Taylor, photojournalist at KWCH 12 in Wichita, KS,
received the NPPA 2014 Central Region General Photographer of the
Year award.
Taylor has worked at KWCH since 2001 and has received several
NPPA honors as well as two Emmys during this time. He considers
himself a journalist above all, and prides himself not only on his
video storytelling but also being one of the few television photojour‑
nalists who write their own stories. He believes good storytelling
starts with finding the memorable moments in the everyday stories.
Taylor received the award at the 2015 NPPA Video Awards in
Seattle, Washington.
Schurz Communicator
Fall 201527
WSBT Radio, TV win Indiana AP honors
Once again, WSBT Radio and TV had outstanding representation
on the awards platform at the 2015 Indiana Associated Press awards
banquet held on April 18t in Indianapolis,
WSBT Radio brought home two top awards: First place for Best
Sports Play-By-Play for the Hartford at Notre Dame game and sec‑
ond place for Best Newscast Short-Form.
WSBT-TV won 14 awards--the most of any TV station in the
state--and won many of the major awards including first place
awards for Outstanding Weather
Operation, Best Newscast, Best
Investigative Report, Best Reporter, Best
Station Photojournalism, Best News
Series, Best Feature and Best Sports
Report or Program.
The stations were also honored with five
second place awards for Outstanding
News Operation, Best Spot News
Reporting, Best Newscast, Best
Continuous Coverage, and Best General
News. In fact, the only major award for
which WSBT did not receive either first
NEWS DIRECTOR
JOHN HAFERKAMP or second place was Best Website,which
was won by a station in Terre Haute.
It is clear that the staff and management teams of WSBT stations
take their journalistic responsibilities seriously and that everyone
gives their all to make sure that WSBT is THE source for Michiana
to turn to when they want accurate, thorough and important news
and sports.
The complete list of awards follows:
WSBT Radio
1st Place - Metro Radio
Best Sports Play-By-Play - WSBT-AM, “WSBT College
Basketball -- Hartford at Notre Dame,” Darin Pritchett
2nd Place - Metro Radio
Best Newscast Short-Form - WSBT-AM, John Hoffman
WSBT-TV
1st Place
Outstanding Weather Operation - WSBT Staff
Best Newscast –WSBT Staff, “July Storms”.
Best Continuous Coverage – (“Fire Kills Local Firefighter”)
WSBT Staff
Best Investigative Report – (“Daycare Dangers”) Kelli
Stopczynski and Jade Birch
Best Reporter – Kelli Stopczynski
Best Station Photojournalism - WSBT Staff
Best News Series – (“The Manhunt for Joseph Lee”), Kelli
Stopczynski and WSBT
Staff
Best Feature – (“Mr. Weeber”) Kelli Stopczynski and Jade Birch
Best Sports Report or Program – (“Long Road to Recovery”), Pete
Byrne, Kelli Stopczynski and Jade Birch
2nd Place
Outstanding News Operation - WSBT Staff
Best Spot News Reporting - WSBT Staff
Best Newscast - WSBT Staff
Best Continuous Coverage - WSBT Staff
Best General News – Carl Deffenbaugh.
28
Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
Kelli Stopczynski and Jade Birch won eight individual
awards between them in the Associated Press television
awards.
Franklin, web site pace
Tribune in AP contest
Photographer Robert Franklin and southbendtribune.com led
The Tribune’s honors at the Indiana Associated Press Media Editors
annual awards.
Franklin won awards for the best sports photo of the year, a shot of
University of Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson diving into the
end zone against Rice University. Franklin also took third place in
the same category, for a shot of players reacting after Notre Dame’s
loss to the University of Louisville.
Franklin also claimed first and third place honors in the multimedia
package. The third-place package was a collaboration between
Franklin and fellow Tribune photographer Santiago Flores.
Competing in Division I, which includes the state’s largest newspa‑
pers, The Tribune was also honored with a first place in best digital
platforms for its website, southbendtribune.com.
Columnist Virginia Black earned a pair of second-place awards,
one for her weekly column and another in the First Amendment/
community affairs category for her work on child welfare cases.
Other Tribune work honored by judges included:
--The Tribune staff’s coverage of a deadly shooting at an Elkhart
Martin’s Super Market last year was second place in deadline news
coverage.
--Kim Kilbride’s stories about South Bend police writing tickets to
students who misbehave in school, which uncovered mistakes and
racial disparities, earned second place in nondeadline news coverage.
--Al Lesar was named third best sports columnist.
--Lincoln Wright was honored for a collaborative feature written
with former Bloomington Herald-Times reporter and former
Tribune intern) MJ Slaby. Wright and Slaby were given third place in
best feature writing for a profile of Granger resident Lauren Gill and
her recovery from a debilitating bicycle crash in preparation for the
Little 500 race at Indiana University.
--Tom Noie earned third place in deadline sports reporting for cov‑
erage of the Notre Dame men’s basketball team’s victory over
Michigan State.
--Tribune staff also earned third place in best headline writing.
2015 first triannual contest
SCI print contest winners are named
The 2015 first triannual Schurz Communications print contest
winners have been announced.
Jake Womer from the Herald-Mail Media in Hagerstown, MD was
the contest coordinator.
Following are the winners by categories for the period from
January through April.
DIGITAL SUCCESS STORY
Judge: Bob Rose, deputy managing editor, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
First place: Tyler James and Jennifer Ellis, South Bend
Tribune
Comments: The presentation of the National Signing Day class
proves that you can present reams of information across in multiple
formats in a way that is easy to access. The report combined photo,
video and a clever Q&A with each recruit.
Second place: Staff, The Herald-Times in Bloomington, Ind.
Comments: Sometimes our best stories are hidden in plain site. The
Herald-Times staff has an innovative video series that takes a look
behind the scenes at local landmarks, including an Indiana University
basketball game. The videos are informative, entertaining and well
produced.
DISTINGUISHED SPORTS WRITING
Judge: Tim Ethridge, editor, Evansville Courier & Press
First place: Al Lesar, South Bend Tribune
Comments: LaVille or NFL, football takes passion, energy: Lesar
did a tremendous job of capturing the essence of a football coach
who started in the sport at a tiny high school and now finds himself a
defensive coordinator with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. By reaching
back to the high school coaches that James Bettcher learned under,
he shows how the coach, fueled by his passion and supported by his
family, developed his craft.
Second place: Jon Blau, The Herald-Times
Comments: What’s up at IU? Blau takes an in-depth look at what
appears to be the implosion of a program after a preseason coaching
change. Players leaving, styles changing, attitudes varied on whether
it’s moving forward or backing up. All that was missing was why the
previous coach departed (a question that probably was answered in
previous stories, but not in this enterprise piece).
Honorable mention: Daniel Kauffman, The Hagerstown HeraldMail
Comments: A hustling day at the state track meet capped by two
complete, well-told stories on the boys and girls winners.
Honorable Mention: Christina Dunmyer, Somerset Daily
American:
Comments: Great idea for a story on five veteran coaches. Would
have benefited from outside voices, or even the coaches commenting
on each other.
Honorable Mention: Dave Vilhauer, Aberdeen American News:
Comments Nice ongoing work on the elimination of a college
wrestling program, its ramifications, and its eventual reinstatement.
EXPLANATORY/SENSE-MAKING
Judge: Walter T. Middlebrook, assistant managing editor, The
Detroit News
DAILY DIVISION
First place: Bill Strother, The Herald-Times, “Uncertain
Future”; “Local GE workers in tense holding pattern”
Second place: Kevin Allen, South Bend Tribune, “Saving the
Chase … again”; “Building’s new owner working on renovation
plan”
Honorable mention: Staff, American News, “Special Report: A
regional hub?”; “One city/one region”
WEEKLY DIVISION
No award was given.
WATCHDOG
Judge: Diane Dungey, Deputy Managing Editor, The Daily
Herald, Arlington Heights, Ill.
First place: Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, “A deadly
trend: Michiana’s heroin death toll rising”
Comments: Solidly researched and sourced, with good use of
open records laws and good analysis of public data. The story clearly
identified obstacles that contribute to the area’s heroin problem and
pointed out some avenues for changes in public policy or law to
address those hurdles. Clear, well-organized writing and compelling
personal narratives make this story stand out.
Second place: Julie Greene, The Herald-Mail, “The price paid to
educate in Washington County”
Comments: The reporter knows her way around the subtleties of
teacher compensation and school financing. This is a thorough, wellwritten explanation, if somewhat sympathetic to the educators’ point
of view. Breakouts add clarity and help point to the central question:
are these costs justified?
Honorable mention: Virginia Black and Christian Sheckler, South
Bend Tribune, “Baby’s father, once in DCS view, ignored as case
closed”
Comments: Good work shedding light on the state’s lapses in
investigating a dysfunctional family, resulting in an infant’s death.
The story included telling insights into how DCS investigations are
conducted and asked the compelling question, “does marijuana affect
parenting?” A little less reliance on the baby’s mother and grand‑
mother, who obviously have a vested interest, would have improved
the stories.
BREAKING NEWS
Judge: Mark Ridolfi, Editorial Page Editor, Quad-City Times
“Terrific entries again in your quarterly contest,” Ridolfi said.
First place: Laura Lane, The Herald-Times, “Double
Bloomington fraud”
Comments: Laura Lane did a wonderful job tackling two huge
breaking local stories about municipal government corruption. The
writing elevated this entry to the top as Lane turned stiff legal docu‑
ments and press conference quotes into highly readable reporting that
clearly outlined the fraud. Yet she included enough color and back‑
ground to satisfy this out-of-town reader. And she kept lots of the
specifics – time frames, property addresses, dollar figures – to satisfy
savvy local readers who needed to know.
Second place: Lauren Slavin, and Abby Tonsing and Laura
Lane, The Herald-Times, Vigils honor slain student
Comment: Hard crime reporting meets poignant live event cover‑
age to describe the slaying of Hannah Wilson. I read the vigil story
first, which painted a full picture of a well-known and loved cheer‑
leader and her rich friend and family relationships. That made the
crime story excruciating to read, as this young woman’s life ended
apparently at the hands of a habitual criminal, perhaps preying during
the Little 500 weekend.
(Continued on page 30)
Schurz Communicator
Fall 201529
SCI first triannual visuals contest winners
These are the winners in the first triannu‑
al 2015 Photography contest conducted by
Schurz Communications.
The visual contest coordinator was David
Snodgress from the Bloomington, HeraldTimes.
Judges were Ravell Call, Scott Winterton,
Chuck Wing and Tom Smart from the
Deseret News in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Winners were:
Sports
First – Clay Jackson, Danville, Ky,
Advocate-Messenger. Final Four reaction
Second -- Clay Jackson, Danville,
Advocate-Messenger. Upset
HM – Ric Dugan, Hagerstown,
Herald-Mail. Lacrosse action.
News
First - Jeremy Hogan, Bloomington,
In., Herald-Times. Missing woman vigil
Second -- Robert Franklin, South Bend,
Tribune. Funeral for Vet
HM – Elizabeth Varin, Aberdeen, News.
Farm worker rally.
HM - Ric Dugan, Hagerstown, HeraldMail. Cow Crash
HM - Robert Franklin, South Bend,
Tribune. Gun Rights.
Feature
First - Robert Franklin, South Bend,
Tribune. Billboard worker.
Second - Jeremy Hogan, Bloomington,
Herald-Times Snow scene
HM – John Davis, Aberdeen, News.
Shadow Game.
Multimedia
Winners can be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/
UC-MP8CZZrrKATrpPpPdgZ_Q
First -- Jeremy Hogan, Bloomington,
In., Herald-Times. Ballerina
Second – Robert Franklin, South Bend,
Tribune Rubix Kid.
HM - Becky Malewitz, South Bend,
Tribune.
SCI print contest winners are named
(Continued from page 29)
PROFILE
Judge: Clytie Bunyan, Director of Business & Lifestyles, The
Oklahoman
DAILY DIVISION
First place: Margaret Fosmoe, South Bend Tribune
Comment: This was a heck of a profile of of Father Theodore
Hesburgh. Clearly the writer was prepared for his passing, but this
was way more than a normal obit. If you didn’t know the man
before, you now have a clear picture of who he was and his impact
on not just Notre Dame but arguably our country’s leaders.
Second place: Mary Keck, The Bloomington Herald-Times
Comment: We struggled on whether to make this a tie for first but
ultimately decided the depth of the Hesburgh piece was more deserv‑
ing. Still, this reporter did an excellent job getting this woman to talk
about raising her bi-racial/bi-cultural children. A well-written profile.
Honorable mention: Elisa Sand, American News and Lincoln
Wright, South Bend Tribune
Comment: These were well-written stories that kept the focus on
the victims.
WEEKLY DIVISION
First place: Bruce Siwy, Our Town
Comment: After reading this story I felt I knew Mr. Laplaca per‑
sonally. The writer included lots of detail about his philosophy in life
along with some great quotes. The details about his commitment to
reading really served to draw the reader in.
Honorable mention: Cody McDevitt, Our Town
Comment: This proved to be an interesting piece about the early
life of Gene Kelly, one of Hollywood’s famous stars, and the people
he helped and taught on the way to success. Perhaps the story needed
a little more about these people rather than some of the minutia
about Kelly’s dance school.
LOCALIZATION
Judge: John Beck, retired executive editor, The News-Gazette,
Champaign-Urbana Illinois
First place: Laura Lane, The Bloomington Herald-Times,
“Small hospital, big heart”
Comment: A well-written, in-depth news feature about a small30
Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
town independent hospital that is thriving in an era of closings, take‑
overs and consolidations of similar institutions in Indiana and the
nation. The story holds the reader’s interest throughout. Multiple
sources from patients to administrators offer their takes on the hospi‑
tal’s success while research provides perspective without bogging the
story down. Readers are referred to the paper’s website for more
photos.
Second place: Kevin Allen, South Bend Tribune, “Craft beer’s
popularity is really hopping”
Comment: A lot of facts are packed into a relatively short story
about northern Indiana breweries joining the nationwide craft beer
explosion that shows no signs of slowing down. Story examines his‑
torical and current trends in beer production and consumption, has a
good number of sources and provides references to online resources
for readers to find out more information. A readable, fun story.
COMMENTARY
Judge: Jim Slusher, assistant managing editor, opinion; The Daily
Herald, Arlington Heights, Ill.
First place: Bob Zaltsberg, The Bloomington Herald-Times
Comment: Clear, direct writing. Effective mix of logic, facts and
dialogue in a persuasive context. Highly authoritative.
Second place: Virginia Black, South Bend Tribune
Comment: The piece on her father’s death was moving, if a bit
too long and heavy on unnecessary personal details, but it was the
piece on panhandling that particularly stood out. Very effective nar‑
rative techniques and appropriate blending of present and past tense.
The story idea alone was thoughtful and creative, and on the whole,
the story provided an unvarnished, albeit brief, picture of what it
must be like to be a panhandler.
Honorable mention: Rick Kazmer, Bruce Siwy, Somerset Daily
American
Comment: The concept of this feature is interesting in its own
right, encouraging readers to engage with a topic by looking at it
from separate points of view. The structure and execution, though,
are what make it work. Short, direct reflections on important topics;
(Continued on page 31
KWCH 12 wins Emmy for best newscast
By DOMINIC GAMA
Director of Creative Services and Community Relations
KWCH 12, Wichita, KS
KWCH 12 is the only Wichita television station to win a news‑
cast Emmy at the 2015 Heartland Emmy Awards
KWCH 12 Eyewitness News Weekend received the Emmy for
Best Weekend Newscast – Medium Market. The newscast aired on
March 23, 2014, featuring coverage of the Wichita State versus
Kentucky NCAA Tournament game, and was produced by Jacob
Copp.
“This is a great team win,” said News Director Brian Gregory.
“Winning an Emmy in any of the newscast categories is a wonderful
team accomplishment. Jacob deserves to have his name on the award
and it was truly a team effort.”
Eyewitness News received seven nominations, the most it has ever
received.. The nominations included best daytime newscast, best
evening newscast, best weekend newscast, best crime news feature,
editor no time limit, overall news photography, and community ser‑
vice.
Winners of the 2015 Heartland Emmy Awards were announced
July 18, 2015 at concurrent events in Denver and Oklahoma City.
Staff from Sunflower Broadcasting Inc. attended the festivities in
Oklahoma City. Former KWCH 12 news anchor Susan Peters also
attended the event and received a Silver Circle Award.
Since 1986, the Heartland Chapter has been recognizing outstand‑
ing work that helps to raise industry standards and improves the
quality of television across 11 markets. To be nominated for an
award, a person and his or her work must embody the best in televi‑
sion. Sunflower Broadcasting 2015 Emmy Nominations
--Eyewitness News on KSCW at 4:00 p.m., produced by Jennifer
Montenegro, is nominated for best daytime newscast.
-- KWCH 12 Eyewitness News at 10:00 p.m., produced by Ryan
Johnson, is nominated for best evening newscast.
-- KWCH 12 Eyewitness News Weekend, produced by Jacob
Copp, is nominated for best weekend newscast.
--Reporter Lauren Seabrook and photojournalist Scott McMullen’s
“WPD Credibility Compromised” is nominated in the Crime News
Feature category.
--Photojournalist George Taylor receives two nominations: for edit‑
ing in the Editor – No Time Limit category, another for overall news
photography in the Photographer News category.
--Sunflower Broadcasting Inc.’s “Stop. Check. Don’t Forget” cam‑
paign is nominated in the station Community Service category.
Daily American wins awards
Several members of the newsroom at the Somerset Daily American
have been honored in two state writing contests.
Michelle Ganassi, assistant city editor, received a first place news
feature story award in the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association’s
Professional Keystone Press Awards for newspaper under 20,000 cir‑
culation.
She was recognized for her story, The young and the careless.
Young people make up one of the smallest voting blocs in Somerset
Ganassi and sunday editor Bruce Siwy received an honorable men‑
tion for their live call-in video on election night called Somerset
County Election Live.
In the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors writing
contest for newspapers under 15,000 circulation, Ganassi earned sec‑
ond place in investigative reporting for her story, Tax would cut into
gas royalties.
Staff writer Eric Kieta won second place in the spot news category
for his coverage of a fire ravaging a home.
“The writers are to be
commended for their
awards. Each day our
staff delivers high-quality
reporting on a wide vari‑
ety of subject matters.
It’s good news to see
they are being recog‑
nized for their efforts,”
Brian Whipkey, editor,
said. The awards were
presented at the
Pennsylvania Press
GANASSI
KIETA
Conference in Gettysburg.
SCI print contest winners are named
(Continued from page 30)
no yelling or name calling; clear, concise writing.
BEST PAGE DESIGN
Judge: Jim Touvell, design editor, The Journal Gazette, Fort
Wayne, IN
First place: Stewart Moon, The Bloomington Herald-Times
Comment: Each centerpiece featured a compelling combination of
typography and photo display. “Smoke & Mirrors” used more of a
feature approach with its headline and faded photo to pull the reader
in. “Serve the Public” used a completely different approach for its
main headline with an extended leadin and an all-cap quote. We
found both styles to be effective. The online refers were well placed
on both covers and the “behind the scenes” refer stood out. The sky‑
boxes were well designed, and we liked the risk-taking with the
reversed-out Masthead on the IU-Maryland skybox.
Second place: C.J. Major, South Bend Tribune
Comment: The highlight of these entries was the centerpiece on
the “two-way streets.” A very effective use of photo and graphic to
display this package. The graphic is clean/easy to read and doesn’t
overpower the page. The other cover did a nice job of previewing
Notre Dame’s Final Four appearance using photos and typography.
Sports preview packages can be challenging but CJ Major did a solid
job using media-day photos to make an interesting centerpiece.
Honorable mention: C.J. Major and John Stump, South Bend
Tribune
Comment: Both entries were a classy tribute to Father Hesburgh.
Well-displayed photos. The black mastheads were a nice touch.
Schurz Communicator
Fall 201531
SCHURZ
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
1301 E. Douglas Road
Mishawaka, IN 46545
574-247-7237 • Fax: 574-247-7238
Web Page: www.schurz.com
Todd Schurz, President, and CEO
574-247-7222 e-mail: [email protected]
Scott C. Schurz Jr., VP of Human Resources
and Corporate Development
574-247-7257 e-mail: [email protected]
Kerry Oslund, Sr. Vice-President - Publishing
and Emerging Media
574-247-7240 e-mail: [email protected]
Marci Burdick, Sr. Vice-President - Electronic
574-247-7224 e-mail: [email protected]
Gary N. Hoipkemier, Sr. Vice-President, Chief Financial Officer
574-247-7221 • Fax: 574-247-7238
e-mail: [email protected]
KY3-TV, Springfield, Mo.
417-268-3000
WAGT-TV, Augusta, Ga.
706-826-0026
CW Augusta, Augusta, Ga.
WDBJ-TV Roanoke, Va.
540-344-7000
WSBT-TV, Mishawaka, Ind.
574-233-3141
KWCH-TV, KBSD-TV,
KBSH-TV,KBSL-TV
Wichita, Kan.
316-838-1212
KSCW, Wichita, Kan.
KSPR-TV, Springfield, Mo.
417-831-1333
KTUU-TV, Anchorage, Alaska
97-762-9202
KOTA-TV, Rapid City, SD
605-342-2000
Antietam Cable TV
Hagerstown, Md.
301-797-2130
Advanced Cable Communications
Coral Springs, Fl.
954-752-7244
Orbitel Communications
Maricopa, AZ
520-568-8890
Long Lines Telecommunications
Sergeant Bluff, IA 51054
712-271-4000
Cory Bollinger, Vice President Publishing
605-622-2202 e-mail: [email protected]
Michelle Wright, Vice President, Information Technology
574-247-7264 e-mail: [email protected]
Brian Lynch, Vice President Cable Division
240-420-2068 e-mail: [email protected]
Gesumino A. Agostino, Vice President & Controller
574-247-7226 e-mail: [email protected]
Sean P. Miller, HR Systems and Services Manager
574-247-7232 email: [email protected]
Melissa Lock, HR Director
574-247-7228 e-mail: [email protected]
WASK, WKOA, WXXB, WKHY
Lafayette, Ind.
765-447-2186
WSBT Radio Group,
Mishawaka, Ind.
574-233-3141
KOUT, KRCS, KKMK, KFXS,
KBHB, KKLS
Rapid City, S.D.
605-343-6161
Bill Douglas, Sr. Financial Analyst
574-247-7242 e-mail: [email protected]
PhoneGuide Community
Telephone Directory
Petoskey, Gaylord, Mich.
231-347-8606
CMD Phone Book
Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
989-775-0499
Nickki Coleman, Executive Assistant
574-247-7229 e-mail: [email protected]
American News
Aberdeen, S.D.
605-225-4100
Advocate-Messenger,
Danville, Ky
859-236-2551
The Jessamine Journal
Nicholasville, Ky
859-885-5381
Winchester Sun
Winchester, Ky.
859-744-3123
The Interior Journal
Stanford, Ky
606-365-2104
Herald-Mail Media,
Hagerstown, Md.
301-733-5131
Herald-Times
Bloomington, Ind.
812-332-4401
The Reporter
Martinsville, Ind.
317-831-0280
Moorsville/Decater Times
Moorsville, Ind.
319-831-0280
Daily American, Somerset, PA
814-444-5900
Our Town, Johnstown, Pa.
814-269-9704
Petoskey News-Review
Petoskey, Mich.
231-347-2544
Gaylord Herald Times
Gaylord, Mich.
989-732-1111
Charlevoix Courier
Charlevoix, Mich.
231-547-6558
Times-Mail, Bedford, Ind.
812-275-3355
Tribune, South Bend, Ind.
574-235-6161
Judy Felty, Executive Assistant
574-247-7220 e-mail: [email protected]
Kim Sobchak, Executive Assistant
574-247-7230 e-mail: [email protected]
Keisha Foster, Administrative Assistant/Receptionist
574-247-7267 e-mail: [email protected]
Scott Schurz, Sr., Chairman
812-331-4250 e-mail: [email protected]
Franklin S. Schurz, Jr., Chairman Emeritus
574-247-7219 e-mail: [email protected]
The Schurz Communicator is a quarterly
publication for and about the people at
Schurz Communications Inc.
Bill Schrader, Editor
Contributing Editors
Katherine Grandstrand, Aberdeen American News
Bryan Horwath, Aberdeen American News
Leonore Indell, Advanced Cable Communications
Melissa Krupin, Advanced Cable Communications
Cindy Garland, Antietam Cable TV Inc.
Jeff Routh, Bedford Times-Mail
Barb Ralls, Bloomington Herald-Times
Robin Hart, Danville Advocate-Messenger
Jake Womer, Hagerstown Herald-Mail
Tim Poppen, Long Lines Cable
Brian Culp, Martinsville Reporter
Babette Stenuis Stolz, Michigan Group
Bryan Johnson, Orbitel, Western Broadband
Kevin Phillips, Rapid City Group
Brian Whipkey, Somerset Daily American
Cory Havens, South Bend Tribune
Kendall Sparks, Winchester Sun
Erika Maley, KWCH/KSCW, Wichita, Kan.
Janet Furneaux, KY3/KSPR Springfield, Mo.
Brad Hillwig, KTUU-TV, Anchorage, Alaska
Joe Lacay, WASK, WKOA, WXXB, WKHY, Lafayette, Ind.
Martha Graves, WDBJ-TV, Roanoke, Va.
Shelley Cataldo, WSBT-TV, Mishawaka, Ind.
Michelle Jewell, WSBT Radio, Mishawaka, Ind.
32
Fall 2015
Schurz Communicator
Schurz Communications Inc.
813 16th Street
Bedford, Ind 47421
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