Word count spreadsheets

I’ve added a link to download the word count spreadsheets for 100W, s. 2,  to the Resources page of this blog.

The word count spreadsheet is a Microsoft Excel document. You must submit a completed copy of this document at the end of the semester to demonstrate that you’ve fulfilled the 8,000-word GE requirement for this class.

Here is the direct link to the spreadsheet: http://cynmccune.com/100w/wordcount-f09.xls

Resume resources

Since you’re working on resumes and cover letters this week, I’ve added some resume-writing links to the Texts/Resources page of this blog. You’ll find them listed under the heading Samples & Examples.

Your top broadcast presentations

Dona reviewed your videotaped broadcast presentations, selected the top four, and edited them into one short video. You can view it below.

Your questions answered

In preparation for his Nov. 19 appearance at SJSU, KFOX DJ Chris Jackson has answered some of your questions. He may send us some more information later. Have fun incorporating this info into a news release.

Q. How did sex, drugs, rock n’ roll influence your adolescence growing up?

CJ: I started going to rock shows at 12 years old (Aerosmith and AC/DC at the same show!). Once in line at the venue, I realized why my older brother INSISTED on taking me, rather than let my mom take me. Sex, drugs and rock n roll was happening right there in the line out front, not to mention inside. Within a couple years, I went for all of it, so it was a big influence. There was no one to stop me…it was fast and furious and indulgent. Of course…the crash and burn was forthcoming!

Q. Why do you think so many musicians succumb to drug use?

CJ: They like they way it assists composing and the creative process, and the massive boredom on the road traveling lends itself to booze and drugs to pass the time (pro entertainers, athletes, politicians, salespeople..all have this problem..anyone who travels has “down time” to kill).

Q. How did the over-dose of your idol, John Bonham of Led Zepplin, influence your outlook on drugs?

CJ: Alcohol was never a big deal for me, and so I just never could believe how much Bonham drank that fateful night. I knew to be careful, but his death and the death of others kept it on the top of my mind.

Also, here’s a link to Jackson’s page on KFOX’s web site.

P.S. Remember to mark your calendar for Jackson’s appearance at 6 p.m., Nov. 19, in SCI-162.

More band pics

Sorry it’s taken a while to get these images posted, but we do have some more evidence that Fly By Night Company did indeed appear with The Doors. These images are from Dan Lu, who wrote:

A man who has a great collection of newspapers scanned these for me. (They show) the DOORS in action, along with some lines/mention of FBNC.

The news brief at left, on the scheduled Doors performance in Swing Auditorium, also mentions Fly By Night Company as one of the other scheduled bands. I also like this clip because it provides context: You can see that The Sound of Music was playing at a local movie theater, and that Peter Pan was opening at a local playhouse (with reserved seating tickets for $2!).

Note that the last image includes the name and date of the publication where the Doors’ photo appeared: The Kmentertainer, a “free mini-magazine” which appears to be sponsored by KMEN radio and distributed in San Bernardino and Riverside, Calif.

Some hot topics for individual blog posts

Your weekly individual blog post is due tomorrow. If you’re scrounging around looking for a media-related topic for this week’s post, here are some candidates:

• An Ad Age article on Web 3.0 and the dearth (and perhaps the death) of original reporting
• Blogger Mayhill Fowler reflecting on her reporting of Obama’s “bitter” comments
• The Churner Prize web site/blog, focusing on examples of “chournalism”
• Actor Tim Robbins’ rabble-rousing speech at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas

If you have some other hot media-related topics you’d like to suggest, please add them in a comment to this blog post.

Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

Leslie emailed me asking about this assignment…which made me I realize the only place I’d mentioned it was on the class schedule (see March 11). So I’ve also added it to the Assignments page (it’s #14b), and included a little more information about what I’m looking for in this assignment.

Your blog post on this reading assignment is due Tuesday, April 1, when we get back from spring break. You can find Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by Z.Z. Packer in local libraries and bookstores (it’s out in softcover).

More profiles

Some of you asked for some more examples of profiles, since the ones I linked to on the Resources page are a little too similar in approach. So here are two more profiles written this semester by my Journalism 61 students:

• Mollie’s profile of Prof. Robert Cullen
• Tony’s profile of Dona Ricardez

Both of these profiles are good, but not perfect. If you read them, please also read my comments (click on the comments link at the bottom of the blog post) to see what I thought worked — and what didn’t — and my suggestions for improvement.

I’d love to be able to share a few other profiles with you, but most Jour 61 students submitted their profiles as email attachments, not as blog posts, due to privacy concerns.

Profiles: Samples and examples

In tomorrow’s class, you’ll be pairing up with another student to conduct an interview for a profile.

Like some ideas? Check out the links to sample classmate profiles on this blog’s Resources page.

Query letters, “enterprise” articles and final features

I’ve been keeping things interesting (that’s one way to look at it!) by making a few changes to our class schedule. Please check it out.

I know there’s been some confusion about query letters, enterprise articles and final features. We talked about it in class today, but let me also put it in writing. Here’s the scoop:

Query Letter: You will be graded on one query letter. It’s worth 25 points. You can use your query letter to pitch either your enterprise article or your final feature — your choice. Be sure to specify your intended target publication.

Since I want to review your topic for each of these pieces before you get started, please write me a short topic memo or email about the other one (the one for which you aren’t writing a pitch letter). If you haven’t yet submitted your query letter and/or topic memo, please do so by 6 p.m. Sunday, 10/21.

Alternatively, if you want more practice writing query letters, you can write query letters for both of these assignments. I’ll use the best one for your grade, and give you 5 points extra credit for the second optional one.

Enterprise Article: This 300-500 word article is due Nov. 14. It’s worth 50 points. See Assignments tab (#7) for details.

Final Feature: This 1,000-1,200 word feature, trend story or profile (a.k.a. #9, the “Term Paper”) is due 12/5, the final day of class. It’s worth 100 points. The description of this assignment also includes information on the query/pitch letter assignment. You’ll also see a “Term Paper Research Memo” listed as a separate assignment — I will instead ask you to bring a list of your sources for this story (people you’ve interviewing, articles you plan to cite, etc.) to class along with your first draft of this story on Nov. 21 for peer editing.

Getting Published: I know it’s not easy, but try to get either your Enterprise Article or your Final Feature published in the Daily, Access magazine, or a local daily newspaper or magazine. Getting published is worth 25 points extra credit. If you make a good faith effort (submit a query letter and get a response, but don’t get in) it’s worth 10 points. If you get a letter to the editor published, it’s worth 10-15 points, depending on the letter.

I hope that clears things up. Email me if you still have questions.