MSHA Director discusses Upper Big Branch public hearing process - WVPubcast.org

MSHA Director discusses Upper Big Branch public hearing process - WVPubcast.org

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Leno at the White House Correspondents Dinner | Gotcha Media

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Obama Speaks at the White House Correspondents Dinner | Gotcha Media

Obama Speaks at the White House Correspondents Dinner | Gotcha Media

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Foundation grant secures funding for Marsh Fork school replacement - WVPubcast.org

Foundation grant secures funding for Marsh Fork school replacement - WVPubcast.org

WV miners honored at Workers' Memorial Day event - WVPubcast.org

WV miners honored at Workers' Memorial Day event - WVPubcast.org

Coverage of the miners memorial service - WVPubcast.org

Coverage of the miners memorial service - WVPubcast.org

WV Public Broadcasting Welcomes Director of News and Public Affairs

West Virginia Public Broadcasting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact spatterson@wvpubcast.org, Shawn Patterson or (304)556-4908

WV Public Broadcasting Welcomes Director of News and Public Affairs

Charleston, W.Va. – February 19, 2010 – John Hingsbergen has joined West Virginia Public Broadcasting as director of news and public affairs.

Hingsbergen was most recently program director at WMUB-FM at Miami University in Ohio. Prior to that he worked for several radio and television stations in a variety of capacities and some public relations experience throughout the greater Cincinnati area.

His production work and journalism skills have garnered several regional and local awards, including a regional Emmy, a Gabriel Award, Ohio Associated Press awards, and the Society for Professional Journalists-Ohio Chapter.

“We are thrilled John is on board with us,” said Dennis Adkins, executive director of West Virginia Public Broadcasting. “His experience with a variety of news operations will add a lot to the mix as we continue to improve our statewide news service.”

Hingsbergen replaces Scott Finn who left the organization to become news director at WUSF Public Broadcasting in Florida.



West Virginia Public Broadcasting nurtures personal growth, promotes civic responsibility and inspires lifelong discovery through high-quality programming and services. West Virginia Public Radio, West Virginia PBS, wvpubcast.org and Ready To Learn® are all services of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

From the Charleston WV Daily Mail

Police Briefs
Friday February 19, 2010

Robbery suspect used box cutter

Police arrested a Charleston man accused of robbing and wounding a man with a box cutter on the city's East End.

Charleston police said Darren Lester, 42, of Jackson Street robbed John Hingsbergen Tuesday night at his home, also on Jackson Street.

Lester demanded money from Hingsbergen, wrestled him to the ground and cut him several times on his face and hands, according to a complaint filed in Kanawha Magistrate Court.

Police said Hingsbergen gave Lester his wallet containing about $36 and several debit and credit cards. Lester fled the scene and was arrested early Wednesday.

Lester has been charged with felony malicious wounding and first-degree robbery. He is being held at South Central Regional Jail.

Cincinnati.Com | Cincinnati Enquirer | TV and Media Blog »

Cincinnati.Com | Cincinnati Enquirer | TV and Media Blog »

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West Virginia, Here I Come

A quick note for now:

It became official this past week. On Feb. 16, I begin as News Director at West Virginia Public Broadcasting, based in the State Capitol City of Charleston.

More details to come. For now, thanks to all for your support and encouragement during the past year.

By the way, I received the job offer at WVPB on January 22, 2010....the exact one-year anniversary of Miami University's announcement that they were eliminating our jobs at WMUB! Coincidence? You decide for yourself.

Check out the website and listen online at: www.wvpubcast.org

Check this out!

A quick note of Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all..and a suggestion that you check out the following story from the December 24 national broadcast of NPR's Morning Edition.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121841016

Cheri was local host of Morning Edition at WMUB for three years before Miami University's shutdown of the Oxford studios. She's now producing regular stories for 89.7 FM, WNKU at Northern Kentucky University.

Still More Awards for the Former WMUB News Team

WMUB's former news team received a total of ten awards from the Cincinnati Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. These were presented in a ceremony Thursday evening September 10.

Congratulations are once again in order for Cheri, Gary and Tana for these and their many other achievements over the past few years!

The judges' comments follow each of the first-place winner listings.

CINCY PRO SPJ CONTEST 2009

28 – SHORT FEATURE, RADIO
1. “Fast Fungi”
Tana Weingartner, WMUB-FM
Judge: Downright lovely, and informative.

2. “Student Protest”
Gary Scott, WMUB-FM

29 – LONG FEATURE, RADIO
1. “Model-T Party”
Gary Scott, WMUB-FM
Judge: This entry just has form—and the nostalgia element doesn’t hurt either. Good work.

31 – SPORTS COVERAGE, RADIO
1. “Double Dutch Champions”
Cheri Lawson, WMUB-FM
Well done; love mix of audio. Hard to decide between 1st and

2. “Chi Running”
Cheri Lawson, WMUB-FM

32 – BUSINESS COVERAGE, RADIO
1. “EnterTrainment”
Cheri Lawson, WMUB-FM
Judge: I was fascinated by this feature. Excellent—what more can I say?

2. “Borrower Outreach”
Tana Weingartner, WMUB-FM

34 – PUBLIC AFFAIRS, RADIO
1. “Threshold Choirs”
Cheri Lawson, WMUB-FM
Judge: All entries were excellent, but as to subject matter, this one was unique. Splendid use of narrative with music, and vice versa. I was moved by this, and I imagine many WMUB listeners were as well.

2. “Sew Much Comfort”
Gary Scott, WMUB-FM

3. “Homeless Gateway Plan”
Tana Weingartner, WMUB-FM

More Awards for the former WMUB News Team

The latest awards are from the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists. The 17 awards listed here are, once again, the most for any station in the competition. Well done, team!


Radio Winners
Smaller Markets
Best Consumer Reporting
FIRST: Healing Touch,” Cheri Lawson, WMUB.

Best Continuing Coverage
FIRST: “SWAT Shooting in Lima,” Staff, WIMA.
SECOND: “Windstorm Aftermath,” News Team Staff, WMUB.

Best Enterprise Reporting
FIRST: “Fast Fungi,” Tana Weingartner, WMUB.
SECOND: “Sewing for Soldiers,” Gary Scott, WMUB.

Best Feature Reporting
FIRST: “The Two Miamis: Neepwaantiiyankwi,” Tana Weingartner, WMUB.
SECOND: “Model T Party,” Gary Scott, WMUB.

Best General Assignment
FIRST: “Palin in West Chester,” Tana Weingartner, WMUB.

Best Health Care Feature Reporting
FIRST: “Threshold Choirs,” Cheri Lawson, WMUB.
SECOND: “Healing Touch,” Cheri Lawson, WMUB.

Best Medical/Health Reporting
FIRST: “Alternative Healthcare,” Cheri Lawson, WMUB.

Best Minority Issues Coverage
FIRST: “WMUB Forum: Proposition 8 Protest,” Gary Scott and John Hingsbergen, WMUB.

Best Spot News
FIRST: “Explosion at Tuttle Construction,” Doug Jenkins, WIMA.
SECOND: “Palan Announcement Reax,” Tana Weingartner and Heather Reed, WMUB.

Radio Winners
Smaller Markets Individual/Station Honors

Best Anchor
FIRST: Body of work, Larry States, WAKR-WONE-WQMX.
SECOND: Body of work, Cheri Lawson, WMUB.

Best News Operation
FIRST: Body of work, News Team, WMUB.

Best Public Affairs Program
FIRST: “WMUB Forum: Year in Review,” Gary Scott and John Hingsbergen, WMUB.

Best Reporter
FIRST: Body of work, Tana Weingartner, WMUB.
SECOND: Body of work, Gary Scott, WMUB.

Awards Just Keep on Coming!

The former staff of WMUB won a total of seven awards presented by the Public Radio News Directors Inc. presented June 13, 2009 in Portland, Oregon.

These were in Division C, given to organizations with 1 or 2 full-time news staff. Prior to the transfer of operations to Cincinnati Public Radio, WMUB had two full-time news people, Gary Scott & Tana Weingartner, plus Cheri Lawson working part-time as Morning Edition anchor and reporter as well as numerous students.

These awards follow the announcement earlier this month of 11 awards for the former WMUB staff from the Ohio Associated Press. (see my previous blog posting about the AP Awards)


Division C

Best Writing
Second Place
WMUB - FM
“Threshold Choir #2”
(produced by Cheri Lawson)

First Place
WMUB - FM
“Fast Fungi”
(produced by Tana Weingartner)


Breaking News
First Place
WMUB - FM
“Windstorm Aftermath”
(Gary Scott & Tana Weingartner)

Commentary
First Place
WMUB - FM
“Purple Haze”
(Commentator Jennie Kiffmeyer)

Soft Feature
First Place
WMUB - FM
“Threshold Choir #1”
(Cheri Lawson)

Spot News
Second Place
WMUB - FM
“Palin in West Chester”
(Tana Weingartner)


First Place
WMUB - FM
“Student Protest”
(Gary Scott)

More Awards for Former WMUB Staff

This was posted by the Miami University Communications office:

WMUB News Staff Earn Ohio AP Awards for Reporting

06/09/2009


The news and on-air staff of WMUB 88.5 FM earned numerous awards this weekend from the Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters for work produced and broadcast in 2008.

WMUB’s awards, earned for medium-sized markets, are as follows:

Best use of sound, 1st place, Cheri Lawson, on-air host, for “Double Dutch Champions” and 2nd place, Tana Weingartner, news producer, for “Miami Stomp Dance.”

Best broadcast writing, 1st place, Gary Scott, news director, for “Model-T Party” and 2nd place, Jennie Kiffmeyer, a commentator, for “Purple Haze.”

Best documentary or series, 1st place, John Hingsbergen, program director, and Gary Scott, “WMUB Election Forums.”

Best feature reporting, 1st place, Cheri Lawson, “Threshold Choirs” and 2nd place, Tana Weingartner, “The Two Miamis: Neepwaantiiyankwi.”

Best continuing coverage, 2nd place, Tana Weingartner and Gary Scott, “Windstorm Aftermath.”

Best enterprise reporting, 2nd place, Gary Scott, “Sewing for Soldiers.”

Best anchor, 2nd place, Cheri Lawson.

Best reporter, 2nd place, Tana Weingartner.

“WMUB won more awards than any other public radio station in Ohio for work in 2008. I could not possibly be prouder of the immensely talented group I have been privileged to work with at WMUB,” said Cleve Callison, WMUB general manager.

The full list of award winners is here: www.ap.org/ohio/oapb.html.
Click on medium markets for WMUB’s categories.

WMUB has been managed by Cincinnati Public Radio (CPR) since March 1. The university reached an operating agreement with CPR following a two-year process of exploring options for the future of WMUB.

Personal Note: As WMUB Program Director for the past nine years, I add my congratulations and thanks to our hard-working staff.

More In Memory of the Urban Forester

My friend, former Miami University English Professor and "Poet in Residence" Jim Reiss, penned the following in tribute to Steve Sandfort:


ELEGY FOR "MR. TREE," THE URBAN FORESTER

(In Memoriam: Steve Sandfort)

If he now lies lifeless,
he fell in a faraway place
where we could not hear him
so he has not vanished but still
speaks out on programs, dispensing
his free advice about trees

on our radio station that lasted
as long as his sixty-sixth year,
then somehow got caught in a storm
but lives on in digital archives,
in his words about buckeyes and elms
meeting spring in a thousand green glades.

Farewell to "The Urban Forester"

Steve Sandfort at the final broadcast of Free Advice at WMUB February 26, 2009 and with WMUB General Manager Cleve Callison during the show's very first broadcast in September 2002.

A dear friend and treasured colleague has passed on. The Cincinnati Enquirer obituary listings of Friday May 29, 2009 marked the passing of Steve Sandfort, former Director of the Office of Urban Forestry for the City of Cincinnati and more recently a consultant with the Hamitlon County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Steve apparently died suddenly Saturday May 23rd. At his request, no services were held. Knowing Steve, he didn't want to trouble anyone and would want us to remember him as we knew him, a big man with an even bigger heart.

I'm practically at a loss for words since I am in shock and deeply saddened by Steve's passing. My former WVXU colleague Mike Martini, now with WMKV, has written a very fitting tribute to Steve in his blog at Cincinnati.com. You should be able access it via the link below:

Mike Martini's Blog Entry on Cincinnati.com

Steve was a frequent guest on my program "Free Advice" at WMUB over the past 8 years or so. In fact, he was the very first guest when we launched the show and was on the air at least four times every year. We also called on him following ice storms and events such as last September's wind storm for special call-in shows and news stories.

For those who've never heard him, here are links to audio from his last show on January 29, 2009:

Segment 1

Segment 2

Segment 3

Segment 4

Steve was also among the guests on the final edition of "Free Advice" in which I had invited all our "guest experts" to participate on February 26, 2009.

If there is some interest, I'll post links to that show here as well.

For now, rest in peace, my friend and thanks for the smiles and belly laughs you brought into my life.

Just curious

I'm wondering if any of our WMUB listeners from the days when the station operated at Miami University are still listening now that the station is operated by Cincinnati Public Radio? How has your listening changed as a result of the change in management of the station?

What do you miss most about our former programming?

What do you like most about the change?

You can post your comment to the blog for all to see.

Thanks

John

My Son on Stage

LaSalle High School's production of Pippin is underway with performances starting last night (Thursday March 26) continuing the 27th and 28th at 8:00 pm with a final show Sunday the 29th at 5:00 p.m.

My son Jay is one of four leads in the show, playing the role of King Charles (aka Charlemagne.) His friends and co-members of the teen DooWop group, the Undertones, are also in major roles, namely: Nathan Huey as the "Leading Player", Ben Huey as "Pippin," and Tyler Kuhlman as "Lewis."

For more information about the Undertones, visit their site at: http://undtones.blogspot.com

Coverage of WMUB's Final Days of Local Programming

For those who might be interested, here are some links to articles about the shutdown of WMUB's studios in Oxford:

A Radio Era Ends Quietly - Dayton Daily News 3/1/09

WMUB Signs Off - Dayton Daily News 3/1/09

Miami University to cut 216 jobs: 9 at Middletown campus - Dayton Daily News 2/27/09

Options run out in Ohio college town as licensee guts its pubradio budget - Current (Public Broadcasting newspaper) 2/2/09

Miami University and Cincinnati Public Radio pursue agreement for WMUB - Miami University News Release 1/22/09