H.L., JEA past president and local convention chair, leads the crowd in a cheer at the closing ceremony in Nashville. Photo by Joslyn Brown.

NOTES
From the conference attendees

From Connie Fulkerson - Thanks to all who visited the JEA Bookstore and met the authors at book signings during the three days of the Nashville convention. JEA brought in about $32,100, which surpassed the previous record by about $9,000 (income, not profit). The top sellers: Roy Peter Clark's Writing Tools, Tim Harrower's Inside Reporting, Dave LaBelle's The Great Picture Hunt 2 and the AP Stylebook.

From TIM PILCHER (timm.pilcher@dmps.k12.ia.us) - Retooked the MJE test ... Mark Newton! ... Tooked the wife ... Roberts Western World (HOME of BR549!)! ... Nashville PREDATORS! ... Parthenon ... Gaylord Opryland (next time will tooked the kids ...) ... Gibson guitar factory (as a proud owner!) ... Gibson store in the mall ... died ... heaven ... which is REALLY weird for a Buddhist ... JEA Publications-Review Committee ... NO students ... BUT ... THE MOST polite teenagers I have EVER encountered at a convention ... and I've slept on convention floors, by gosh ... just ask Jack ... not sure what that has to do with anything ... Happy Special Teaching times tomorrow ... Peace ...

From BRETTON ZINGER (Bretton.Zinger@fcps.edu) - Some highlights:

• Students seemed to enjoy being there. The atmosphere was very positive.
• Jack Kennedy had a typical presentation - equal parts useful information and entertainment.
• The sessions seemed a lot easier to get to in the time allowed.
• A great spread in the adviser lounge on Friday. Too bad I had already eaten breakfast, which leads me to:
• The breakfast buffet. Mmm.
• The chocolate fountain at the auction.
• The large number of awards in the Write-Offs. I think about a third of entries getting awards is a good number.
• One of my students unexpectedly shined in the Write-Offs, winning excellent in newswriting. Probably the best article he's ever written. Guess two hours is a better turnaround time than two weeks for him.
• Buying Tim Harrower's Inside Reporting book. Almost worth the $50 (!) just to read Doug Elfman's review of a Britney Spears concert at the back of the book. (He actually wrote "B.S. didn't just suck. She suckity-suck sucked.")

A few lowlights:

• My room smelled like smoke. Luckily, when I went into the hall, it was worse.
• Could I please have a hotel TV remote that I don't have to apply 50 lbs of pressure to just to change the channel?
• I didn't get to see Miss Devine.
• I forgot to bring a lit mag for Best of Show
• I couldn't get into two sessions because they were full and in rooms that held about 50 people. Guess this is a positive in a way. One session that was very useful was so overcrowded my claustrophobia kicked in.
• Write-Off categories with no superior or excellent awards. This is why I don't judge Write-Offs. I think that of all the entries, at least one must be the best, much like Best of Show. (I could make an exception for categories with fewer than five entries.)
• I'm still not sure where my hotel room is. I know it was in the Delta section.
• I watched my students line dance. Guess this could also be a highlight, depending on your perspective.
• Denver's not until April.

From RANDY SWIKLE, Illinois JEA Director, randyswikle@COMCAST.NET - The Christmas tree at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel was not scheduled to be lit until days after the convention. But H.L. wanted us to experience its full beauty. So, H.L. said, "Let there be light." And there was light. Thank you, H.L.

And special thanks to the Nashville Local Committee: H.L. Hall, chair, Bob Bair, Candace Bowen, John Bowen, Jackie Bretz, Sharon Brown, Chris Carroll, Deanne Carrol, Debbie Chessor, Paige Chance, Denise Croker, Tom Gayda, Brenda Gorsuch, Kim Green, Kelly Huddleston, Alison Johnson, Jan Little, Teresa Lockhart, Mark Madison, Joy McCaleb, Jimmy McCollum, Annie Morgan, Carol Pardun, T. Clayton Scott, Jennifer Snow, Judy Stanley, Carolyn Woodward, Heather Yostw.

And let's each of the rest us give ourselves a pat on the back, too. We all contributed to the Nashville SUCCESS.

Our personal "pat on the back" represents the intrinsic reward we feel for giving maximum effort and for making a positive difference. Trophies may be nice, but they gather dust. The self-satisfaction of noble work is more lasting and more meaningful.

Don't you feel it?

Best wishes to all,

From DAVID WARSHAWSKI, dwarshawski@nred.org - I've been attending these conventions for 8 years now and after each there is always a bit of a complaining session as well as posts singing the convention's praises. I think we all need to realize that these conventions will never be perfect. There will likely always be a handful of students who are disrespectful, there will likely always be an occasional hotel screw up, there will likely always be crowding in some halls and some rooms, and there will likely always be an adviser or two who could have done a better job policing their troops.

That said, these conventions are fantastic. My students have always come back energized, excited and anxious to get back to work. Unfortunately (and fortunately in some ways), this is the first year I attended without students as I changed schools this past summer. I got the opportunity to explore Nashville a bit and discover what an awesome town it is.

Saw a show at the Opry, went to a honky tonk or two, and the Gibson store? Heaven on earth! The Opryland is a great spot (the best facility for this event yet, I think). The sessions were mostly wonderful and I had a blast meeting and chatting with so many great advisers. Heck, even the write-off judging was fun.

What a great time!

From JOLETTA YODER, JYoder@hudson.k12.ia.us - I thought this covention was AMAZING! In fact, I vote to ALWAYS have it in Nashville, or maybe get it there every other year. What a wonderful location, a wonderful city...

From Riley Worth, rworth@ALBERTLEA.K12.MN.US - Best convention facility I've seen. I often wondered why Minneapolis couldn't host this event. I now know. No Opryland Hotel. Often I've worried about fire codes and such in elevators and hallways of past conventions. Not so much at this convention.

I've heard great things about a lot of convention cities past (most notably Washington D.C. ... before my time), but this was probably my favorite convention.

Kudos to all those involved, and a special shout of praise for H.L. Hall in his amazing marketing of this convention. There was definitely a bigger buzz about this convention leading up to it than some in the past.

P.S. - Judging write-offs was fun, despite the fears I had when I found out I'd be doing newswriting. We need to really go after the local media to participate in judging. They do a wonderful job.

From Shaun Moore, Shaun.Moore@FORTBEND.K12.TX.US — I think it was the smoothest ran one yet. And most comfortable. I say we shoot for Yellowstone next time, and just camp out while we discuss, learn, and compete.

From Logan Aimone, aimone.l@MAIL.WSD.WEDNET.EDU - In all aspects, the Nashville convention was superb. I know my students learned a bunch, and they did so while unsupervised and accompanied much of the time.

And, we have so many wonderful memories:

• A convention that opened with the head table doing the "chicken dance" and closed with H.L. Hall leaping across the stage shouting and shakin' a pica and shakin' a pole. How he has so much liveliness, energy and enthusiasm is amazing.
• Mouths dropped and the room was silent (and I suspect few were text-messaging) when Fred Clarke showed his photos from world conflicts and narrated with captivating anecdotes. I have to admit I had never heard of some of the locations. Photos move people. Journalists have to ask the questions and show the people.
• The convention facility was magnificent. It was actually nice to be able to walk from our hotel "across the street" and see all the lights and to experience the Opryland Hotel's magnificence.
• We finally got downtown for our Saturday night dinner and had to change plans. The joint we ended up at was, I am sure, a bar, but we ate our barbecue in a smoky room filled with loud, live country music. It was authentic Nashville!
• Did anyone else notice that was probably the shortest Sunday awards ceremony ever? No complaints here.
• We had the craziest travel complications (I just arrived home at noon Pacific time because of a late plane and lots of snow on mountain highways).

I'm looking forward to new highs in Denver!

From DENISE CROKER, Nashville Write-offs Chair, jeadenise@harpethhall.org - A hearty thanks from me to you if you judged in the Write-offs Friday night!

For those of you who said you'd judge from the moment you sent in your registration - thanks!

For those of you who emailed a month or more before the convention - thanks!

For those of you who bailed us out at the 11th hour - thanks!  

We added something like 50 judges at the convention itself, and boy, did we need every single person!

Special thanks to those who moderated contests, including broadcast and photography. That takes a big time commitment on Friday.

And big, big thanks go to Susan Jacoby, who organized all the computer design categories and judges according to their specialty, and to the lovely ladies at RTNDF, Carol Knopes and Carol Lange, who organized the broadcast judging and added many of the talent from their own RTNDF sessions to help us out.

Kevin Kneisley, who takes care of all broadcast categories (starting at 7:30 that morning)

Bradley Wilson, who takes care of all the photography categories (starting at 3:30 that afternoon)

And Mark Murray, who got my computer able to print in the Write-offs HQ. Phew! (He does lots of other techy things, too, that were invisible to me.)

And the host of people in the Write-offs room - students and professionals - who made all the little and big things happen that no one would notice unless they _didn't_ happen: Alyce, Cathie, Cindi, Patty, my lovely students, the students of CPA, Underwood, and an unknown school somewhere in Washington State. And the K-State students - indispensible. And Carolyn, the on-site critiques chair and my roommate, for her moral support and cheer. (And my colleagues from school who watched over our 23 students when I could not.)

We think that H.L. Hall made the outside activities in Nashville sound so exciting (no offense, HL - merely that you are a great PR person for Nashville) that we had lots of advisers accompany their students to the Opry, downtown, the Lion King, what-have-you. We are so glad you saw more of Nashville than Opryland (as wonderful as it was!), but for the sake of the folks in Denver, please continue to commit to judge write-offs!

This connects to the concern about the student dance expressed in many emails (yes, my students were laughing about the MTV grinds, too, and if I can believe them, did not participate themselves!). If we want to have enough judges for write-offs (and we

ended up with 230, but 240-250 would have been even better), we have got to have a solid activity for our students that night so we don't worry about them while we are working 'til 10 p.m. or later. (The editorials table didn't finish until after 11 p.m.)

Whoever gets to be in charge of the student dance next time, or other activity, please be sure that whatever gets planned helps support the many advisers needed to judge.

From Linda Evanchyk, MJE, levanchyk@yahoo.com - Congratulations to the local organizing committee and everyone who worked so hard to plan the convention. It was awesome!

The hotel was fabulous!   I've never stayed anywhere quite like it!

My students were thrilled and got a lot out of the sessions.   My only "mini" complaint was that I had my students get a signature from the speakers of the sessions to verify their attendance and several speakers refused to do so.   That's no big deal, though.

Thanks to H.L. and everyone who worked so hard!

NOTES
From the local committee chair, H.L. Hall

Students from Gahanna Lincoln High School in Ohio receive their room keys after checking in to the hotel. Approximately 4,900 people have pre-registered for the fall convention in Nashville. Some 1,500 are staying at hotels other than the Opryland Hotel which is hosting all convention activities.

Nov. 7, 2006

The convention registration desk will be open 1-9 p.m. Thursday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.

The Write-off desk will be open 1-9 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday. The deadline is past for the Write-off contest. No new entries will be accepted. You can make name changes in categories already registered, but you cannot add categories. Make sure you check your list to make sure name spellings are correct. At this point, you'll need to make these corrections at the convention Write-off desk.

Best of Show desk is open 1-9 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday.

Here are some important changes:

• The Saturday Adviser Awards Luncheon has been moved to the Delta Ballroom B.
• Junior High/Middle School and Adviser Swap Shops, also in Delta Ballroom B, will be at 10 a.m. instead of 11 a.m. to accommodate the luncheon change. Tickets will reflect that change.
• Tim Harrower will do his book signing AFTER his Newsers and Losers game show instead of at 9 a.m. Saturday.
• Media Tours will leave from the Delta Portico on Thursday.

Make sure you and all your students get a Convention Update to find out about new sessions, cancellations and Write-off room assignments.

Nov. 7, 2006

From Linda Puntney — If you are staying in one of the 12 overflow hotels we have for
Nashville this information is critical. We'll have signs and schedules in the lobby of each hotel but this will give you a heads up on transportation to and from Opryland Hotel.

ZONE 1
Radisson Hotel, Holiday Inn Express, Springhill Suites, Fairfield Inn Marriott Airport, Hilton Garden Inn

ZONE 2
Hotel Preston, Doubletree Suites Hotel, Holiday Inn Select

ZONE 3
Courtyard By Marriott Airport, Embassy Suites Hotel, Sheraton Music City Airport Hotel Marriott Airport Hotel

Thursday and Friday

• 6 a.m. - 8 a.m.
• 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• 6 p.m. - midnight

Saturday

• 6 a.m. - 8 a.m.
• 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• 3:30 p.m. - midnight

Sunday

• 6:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.
• 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

It is imperative that advisers and students take advantage of the early bus runs.There are approximately 1,500 attendees to transport to and from The Gaylord Opryland Hotel. It is not financially feasible to have 25 56-passanger Greyhound-type buses available to make one or two trips.

Make this a success not only for NSPA and JEA as organizers, but for yourself as well. To make this a win-win situation for all, it will require these early buses run at full capacity, too. We can not have a vast majority of attendees wait until the later bus runs to go to and from The Gaylord Opryland Hotel. If that happens, there is no doubt in my mind, that there are going to be transportation problems.

Consider this not only for going to the meetings in the morning, but especially on Sunday when getting back to your hotel to catch your airline flight is crucial !

Fill those early bus runs, too. It is better to be safe (early) than sorry (late).

Nov. 6, 2006

In case you're wondering what type of clothing to bring to Nashville,
the long-range forecast is as follows:
Wednesday: High 70, Low 50, partly sunny
Thursday: High 76, Low 53, mostly sunny and warm
Friday: High 71, Low 53, partly sunny and pleasant
Saturday: High 69, Low 51, 20% chance of rain

Nov. 6, 2006

From Pam Boller about the JEA Bookstore — We accept

• School Purchase Orders (Bring your Purchase Order early and you can shop until the store closes)
• Visa and MasterCard
• Checks (made out to JEA Bookstore)
• Cash

Nov. 1, 2006

You're not going to want to miss the auction to benefit the Student Press Law Center on Friday night, Nov. 10, at 9 p.m. in Nashville. Bob Bair, Tom Gayda, Candy Bowen and John Bowen have been collecting items for the auction, along with Debbie Chessor and the members of her local committee. These items include a signed $1 bill from Warren Buffett, an NBC Nightly News cap signed by Brian Williams, a New York Times cap signed by Pulitzer Prize winner Barry Bearak, a U.S. Flag that flew over the United States Capitol on Constitution Day, several summer workshop scholarships, digital cameras, a personal photo lab, a booklet of Dolly Parton photos, a Cardinals' World Series shirt, lots of framed and unframed photographs, pieces of art, dozens of autographed books and other items too numerous to mention. Most items will be part of a silent auction, but a few items will be part of a live auction. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to get that special item you've always wanted. It's for a worthy cause.

Oct. 26, 2006

From Connie Fulkerson — The JEA Bookstore will be featuring a number of Meet the Author Book Signings at the Nashville convention. All these authors will be speaking at the convention and the book signings will take place after their instructional sessions. Even if you don't buy their book, you're welcome to stop by and meet the authors.

1. **Roy Peter Clark — Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer • 9 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. Friday, Delta Lobby
2. Dave Lieber — The Dog of My Nightmares • 10, 11 and noon Friday, Canal C Lobby
3. Buck Ryan — The Editor’s Toolbox • 10 a.m. Friday, Bayou E Lobby
4. **Phil Harris — Television Production • 2:30 p.m. Friday, Bayou E Lobby
5. **Dave LaBelle — The Great Picture Hunt 2 • 10 a.m. Saturday, Delta Lobby
6. ** Jennifer George-Palilonis — A Practical Guide to Graphics Reporting • 10 a.m. Saturday, Bayou E Lobby
7. Elliott Lewis — Fade: My Journeys in Multiracial America • 11 a.m. Saturday, Bayou E Lobby
8. **Tim Harrower — Inside Reporting: A Practical Guide to the Craft of Journalism (He also wrote The Newspaper Designer's Handbook) • 11:30 a.m. or noon Saturday, Delta Lobby (as soon as his game show is over. This is a change from the program.)

These books will all be available in the JEA Bookstore, Bayou E, in the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Although books will be sold at each book signing, you may want to visit the JEA Bookstore beforehand, especially if you'd like to use a credit card or school purchase order. Quantities will be limited.

The bookstore will be open 1-7 p.m. Thursday; 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday.

**Books currently available through the JEA Online Bookstore.

Oct. 25, 2006

The Journalism Education Association Nominating Committee is continuing to accept nominations for the voting positions of the JEA board — president, vice president, secretary, seven regional directors and five commission chairs.

The slate of candidates will be presented at the members' business meeting at the JEA/NSPA Convention in Nashville, Nov. 10. JEA members will receive mail ballots in January, and the elected board members will assume office July 1, 2007, serving through June 30, 2009.

CLICK HERE for more information

Oct. 24, 2006

From Jack Kennedy to JEA state directors and Board members: Friends, My apologies for not sending a reminder on how reports work earlier, but here is the summary of what goes where:

1. State directors are *NOT* required to submit an Oct. 15 state report, though they ARE encouraged to communicate regularly with their Regional Directors.
2. Standing and Ad Hoc Committee Chairs are *NOT* required to submit an Oct. 15 report, though they ARE encouraged to communicate regularly with their own committee members, with President Ann Visser (particularly if they are submitting motions to the Board), and with JEATALK, if they would like feedback and ideas.
3. Executive Committee members are *NOT* required to submit an Oct. 15 report.
4. Regional Directors *are* to submit an Oct. 15 report, either written or by phone, to the vice president. The format for the fall report is up to you, but I would prefer to hear about a) membership outreach or growth initiatives in your region, and b) ideas being used in your region to support new advisers. I will then compile a brief overall report and run copies for the Board meeting in Nashville. I will also send this report to JEATALK approximately Nov. 1. (This means I need reports sent to jkkennedy@comcast.net not later than this Sunday.)
5. Commission Chairs *are* to submit an Oct. 15 report, either written or by phone, to the secretary. I assume Susan would like to summarize the various commission initiatives for the Nashville Board meeting. Send your commission reports to STanti4733@aol.com not later than this Sunday.

All regional directors, commission chairs, committee chairs, executive board members and HQ *will* have an opportunity to raise issues of concern during the Nashville Board meeting, though our goal is to keep those oral reports brief and focused.

Please remember that the traditional written report, requiring updates from the entire leadership team (including state directors), is due not later than *March 15*. That is the best place to create an historical record for each state, region, commission and committee. There is also a *June 15* report deadline, for updates on news occurring after March 15. All material for both these reports is to be e-mailed to the vice president only, and the vice president, or designee, will compile the annual report for the organization. As an operating procedure beginning this February, I will send report reminders one month prior to report deadlines, and again one week prior to deadlines, via JEATALK. If JEATALK is not the best way for me to contact you, please e-mail me directly with an alternative.

The above summary is primarily based on several Board motions adopted in 2004. If you have questions or concerns about the report requirements, please contact me at jkkennedy@comcast.net

Oct. 18, 2006

JEA AWARDS WINNERS LIST • Fall 2006

Carl Towley Award
Bradley Wilson, CJE, North Carolina State University

Administrator of the Year
Dr. Fred Anderson, principal, Great Falls (Mont.) HS

Medal of Merit
Susan Nellson Baird, CJE, Bellevue East HS, Bellevue, Neb.
Deb Buttleman Malcolm, MJE, Davenport Central HS, Davenport, Iowa
Leslie Nicholas, CJE, Wyoming Valley West HS, Plymouth, Pa.
Tom Winski, CJE, Lindsey Wilson College, Columbia, Ky.
Kathleen Zwiebel, CJE, Pottsville (Pa.) Area HS

Friend of Scholastic Journalism
Jane Briggs-Bunting, director, School of Journalism, Michigan State University
Jeff Browne, director of Student Media, Colorado State University
Rowland Rebele, former publisher, Alameda Newspaper Group
Kevin Keane, executive editor and vice president, Alameda Newspaper Group
The Newspaper Association of America Foundation (Sandy Woodcock, director)
WUSA –TV9, Washington, D.C. (Khalim Piankhi, vice president for community affairs, and Donna Walker, workshop section coordinator, Urban Journalism Workshop, contacts)

Lifetime Achievement Award
Elizabeth Dickey, CJE, Lexington, S.C.
Arthur “Dick” Dixon, Salida, Colo.
Margaret (Peggy) Gregory, CJE, Glendale, Ariz.
Frances Henry, Denver, Colo.
Diana Peckham, Morton, Ill.
Sheila Pedersen, Omaha, Neb

As of Sept. 27, 2006
The Gaylord Opryland Hotel is now sold out.
Please call A Room With A View for "hotel overflow"
assistance at 1-800-780-4343.
They will secure the lowest available rate within a short
distance to The Gaylord Opryland Hotel.
This is a FREE SERVICE for all JEA NSPA attendees.

Sept. 24, 2006

From Linda Puntney: I know we've had some concern about the Resort Fee which I thought was optional. It isn't. There will be a $10 per room per night resort fee added to the rate. I know that's disappointing but the rate had been lowered to offset the additional charge, plus the fee is a pretty good value. For $10 per room (that's $2.50 per person if you have four in a room) you will get transportation around the complex(which is huge) and to the Opry Mills Shopping Center.Each room also gets free internet access, a newspaper and two bottles of water.

Sept. 21, 2006

Somehow the T-Shirt design as printed in the Nashville reg. booklet is not the correct one. Here is the correct one.

Sept. 20, 2006

I have just worked out a deal with the Nashville Predators for their game against the Colorado Avalance, Saturday, Nov. 11. You can get lower bowl seats for $59 (regular $71) or sideline balcony seats for $27 (regular $38). You must submit your order on a form I have. If you're interested, e-mail me at hlhall1422@aol.com, and I will download the form and send it to you.

Sept. 18, 2006

I just found out that Campfire Cafe will be at the Opryland Hotel during our convention. It is available for guests on Saturday at $45 per person. You might want to check out the Web site at campfirecafe.com. For those of you who are gourmet chefs, you might want to take a look. The blurb I saw reads as follows:

Celebrity Chef Series
Campfire Cafe with Pam Alford and Larry Wiseheart
Nov. 10-11. The event also includes Chef Art Smith, award-winning cookbook author and personal chef to Oprah Winfrey.

I have previously posted information on all the featured speakers scheduled for Nashville. There is one more. Dwight Lewis, an award-winning columnist for the Nashville Tennessean, will talk about "What Otis Redding and Arethea Franklin Have To Do With Column Writing." He will also spend some time talking about how writing editorials and writing columns differs. When you read his partial bio below, you will know you don't want your students to miss his session.

Besides working for the Tennessean, Lewis also hosts "Behind the Headlines," an hour-long news analysis talk show that airs on Tuesday nights on Fisk University's radio station, WFSK.

He is a graduate of Tennessee State University in Nashville where he majored in business administration. At Tennessee State, Lewis was a three-year letterman on the university's baseball team and served as editor of the school's student newspaper, The Meter.

Lewis, a colon cancer survivor, also portrayed a journalist in the movie, "Marie,'' which was released in the fall of 1985 by MGM/United Artists Entertainment Company.

He is also a contributor to the book, Thinking Black, Some of the Nation's Most Thoughtful and Provocative Black Columnists Speak Their Minds. The book was edited by DeWayne Wickham and published in February 1996 by Crown Publishers. He has also contributed to the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History & Culture, published in 1998 by the Tennessee Historical Society and Rutledge Hill Press.

Sept. 17, 2006

From Ann Visser, JEA President to Board members: Please send your agenda items and any motions for Nashville to me by no later than Sat., Sept. 30. I will be putting together the agenda that weekend so that Bradley may have it in plenty of time to post to the Web site.

As far as motions, please include the motion and an explanation, as necessary, so that the membership can better understand what you are proposing.

Sept. 7, 2006

The program for Nashville continues to grow!!! We have just added two more featured speakers for the Nashville convention who are not listed in your registration booklet. You won't want to miss their sessions.

Beverly Keel is the director of the Siegenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies at Middle Tennessee State University. For nearly a decade, she has been a correspondent for People magazine, and her work has appeared in InStyle, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Oxford American and New York magazines. She is a former music industry columnist for the Nashville Scene and Nashville Banner newspapers, and her writing has received awards from the Associated Press and the Association of American Newsweeklies. At MTSU she teaches courses in entertainment journalism, music publicity and artist management. Keel is also a commentator on country music personalities and events for such media outlets as CBS' 48 Hours Mystery, National Public Radio, Bravo television network and the Associated Press, and she can be seen frequently on CMT. She has titled her session "From Red Carpets to Rehab: What It's Really Like Covering Celebrities." She says covering celebrities "requires the negotiation skills of a diplomat, the patience of a priest and the endurance of an athlete." Don't miss it!

Philip Jeter is the 2006-2007 Geier Visiting Professor at MTSU. For more than 20 years he was a professor of journalism at Florida A&M University where he ran the university's radio station and served as director of graduate studies in the school of journalism. He has worked for United Press International, Chicago Public Television, Hampton University and WMTV-TV, the Madison, Wisconsin NBC affiliate. He has also taught at Cornell University, Marshall University, Michigan State University and at the Columbia campus of the University of South Carolina. His interests are media management, black media ownership, telecommunication policy and media coverage of minority groups. He has titled his session "Is Your Journalism Walking Its Talk?" He will discuss the subjective nature of the news and its components and how reporters an decide if their journalism is responsible and true to its mission. You won't want to miss this session either!!

August 28, 2006

Terry Heaton, senior vice president for Media 2.0 in Grapevine, Texas will present a 2-hour session on "The Personal Media Revolution." His presentation will include the MySpace and YouTube phenomena, and he'll discuss how traditional media are responding to it. He'll take a look at social media and why young people especially are drawn to making their own media instead of blindly accepting that created by institutional authority. He'll show examples and talk about where this is leading the world of journalism. He says the discussion should be "eye-opening for young people."

In his biographical information, Heaton says "Until we can look beyond the Web, we're going to limit what's possible as providers of local news." Heaton spent 28 years in Television Media Management where he handled all aspects of daily television news broadcasts. He has worked for TV stations in Texas, Tennessee, Hawaii, North Carolina, Virginia and Alabama. he is also a songwriter, and he plays the guitar and the five-string banjo. He's a futurist, and as part of his speech he'll tell you how for $49 you can create a small TV station. Look for his picture in the program when you arrive in Nashville, and look for his session. You won't want to miss it, just as you won't want to miss the sessions of the other featured speakers.

I hope to see all of you there. As the old saying goes, "Be there, or be square!!!!"

August 20, 2006

I have previously told you about the enormous size of the Opryland Hotel, but I haven't told you about the eating establishments. You will never have to leave the hotel for fine dining experiences, or for casual ones. The hotel strictly enforces age limitations in the bars. The following list describes the various food venues.

• Old Hickory Steakhouse—This is dining at its best in a spectacular setting. It's open Sunday-Thursday from 5-10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4:30-11 p.m. It serves afternoon tea on Thursdays from 2-3:30.

• Ristorante Volare—Authentic Italian dishes are available here. Its Sunday brunch from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. has been voted the best brunch in Nashville. It's open Sunday-Friday from 5-10 p.m. and on Saturday from 5-11 p.m.

• Rachel's—Buffets are available here for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's open Sunday-Thursday from 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and from 5-10 p.m.. It's open Friday and Saturday from 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and from 4:30-10:30 p.m.

• Cascades Seafood Restaurant—Surrounded by spectacular waterfalls and lush gardens, this restaurant serves a breakfast buffet (the same as Rachel's serves). It also serves lunch and dinner, but offerings are from a menu. It's open Sunday-Thursday from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Wasubi's, a Sushi bar, is inside this restaurant. It's open from noon- 9:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and from noon to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

• Ruby's Sports Bar and Grill—If you're a sports fan, you will be able to find the team of your choice on the 20 TVs in Ruby's. It's open from 11 a.m.-midnight daily.

• Delta Party Lounge—In this lounge you can take in the breathtaking sights of the Delta River's 100-foot waterfall. There is live dancing and music most nights. It's open from 6:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.

• Findley's Irish Pub—This Victorian style pub features traditional Irish fare. It's open from 11 a.m.-midnight daily.

• Sweet Surrender—Freshly prepared Italian Galato and a variety of candies are available here from 2 p.m.-10 p.m. daily.

• Cascades Terrace—This revolving lounge is a good spot for meeting and relaxing with friends from noon-11 p.m.

• Jack Daniel's Saloon—Visitors like to gather here for snacks and fun from 5 p.m.-1 a.m.

• Conservatory Cafe—Start your day with a hot cup of coffee and a light breakfast. Salads and sandwiches are available also. It's open from 6 a.m. to midnight daily.

• Java Coast—The best coffee in the hotel is available here along with pastries, cakes and cookies. It's open from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.

• Delta Food Court—This area has Ben & Jerry's, Chick-Fil-A, Delta River Deli and Subs, Freshens Frozen Treats, Buckhead Grill, Pizza Hut, Christie's Cookies and Corky's BQ & Ribs. Stores are open from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

If none of the above are to your liking, the Opry Mills Shopping Center is a short walk from the hotel. The following eating establishments are available there: Macaroni Grill, Alabama Grill, Aquarium, Rainforest Cafe, Tony Roma's Ribs and Grill, T.G.I. Fridays, Johnny Rockets, and Chili's Too. There is also a food court with typical food court menus.

While you're at the mall, you might also want to take a look at some of its outlet stores, including American Eagle Outfitters, Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic, Barnes & Noble, Brooks Brothers, Disney Store, Hallmark, Liz Claiborne, Nike, Off 5th Saks Avenue, Old Navy, Reebok, Tommy Hilfiger,, Van Heusen, Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse and Zales.

Happy eating and happy shopping while you're in Nashville!

August 16, 2006

There's a lot of country music in Nashville, but there's much more. While you're in town for the JEA/NSPA convention, Nov. 9-12, take a lunch or a dinner cruise down the Cumberland River on the General Jackson Show Boat. The lunch cruise features Tim Watson in "Now That's Country." Tim sings classic country songs, wows audiences with his amazing fiddle playing, and will have you laughing out loud at his down home humor. This two-and-a-half hour cruise also includes an all-you-can-eat southern buffet. Tickets range from $41.26 to $46.30. Boarding begins at 11:30 a.m., with departure at noon and a return at 2:30 p.m. Boarding is within walking distance of the Opryland Hotel, and the cruise will take you to downtown Nashville and back. There is also a complimentary hotel shuttle for hotel guests from the hotel to the showboat. The showboat is across from the Opry Mills (the shopping center next to the motel) Food Court. You can get the shuttle at either the Cascades Canopy or the Magnolia Canopy at the hotel. It departs the Cascades Canopy at 20 and 50 minutes past the hour and it departs the Magnolia Canopy at 25 and 55 minutes past the hour. The Magnolia and Cascades are the two check-in areas at the hotel.

Although the luncheon performance features country music, the evening dinner cruise entitled "Sing!" captures the essence of Broadway. "Sing!" is packed with jumpin' jazz, red-hot blues, genuine country, and heart-rousing rock-and-roll. And, it's all topped off by a three-course dinner. Tickets for the cruise and dinner and performance cost $70-80. If you just want to do the outside deck cruise with the dinner (no performance), the cost is $33.81. Boarding begins at 6:15 p.m. with departure at 7 p.m. The scheduled return is 9:45 p.m.

You can order tickets online for either the luncheon or dinner performance. Just google General Jackson Showboat and take it from there.

The number one musical attraction in Nashville is the Grand Ole Opry. There are evening performances Nov. 7, Nov. 10 and Nov. 11 during the week of the convention. There are usually two performances each evening, and tickets range between $31.50 and $46.50. Performances will be at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville (the home of the original Grand Ole Opry). The Rockettes will be in rehearsal during convention week in the Grand Ole Opry Auditorium near the hotel. The Grand Ole Opry seldom announces performers more than two weeks ahead of each event, so you'll be taking your chances as to who will be there on any given night when you order your tickets in advance. You can order tickets online. Just google Grand Ole Opry. If you think you might not like the performances, ask Linda Puntney, Terry Nelson, Susan Tantillo, Ann Visser, Jack Kennedy and Candace Bowen what they think. They have all been to the Grand Ole Opry, and they came away singing a little bit of country.

You can also get a hotel shuttle to go downtown, but it is not free. It will take you to the Wildhorse Saloon to the Ryman Auditorium, and to the Country Music Hall of Fame and back. It runs Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11:35 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday it runs from 10 a.m. to 1:35 a.m. The cost is $14 per person round trip, or you can buy a three-day round trip pass for $20 (unlimited use). Tickets may be purchased at the Concierge Desks or Front Desks in the Magnolia and Cascades lobbies.

The hotel also offers daily shuttle service round trip from the Nashville International Airport to Gaylord Opryland. You may find the Gaylord Opryland Welcome Desk on the lower level of the airport located between the two escalators. An agent will assist you with your ticket or you may use a kiosk located at the desk. The agent will also give you directions to the bus.

In the event an agent is not on duty, you may proceed directly to the bus, and the driver will assist you with your ticket purchase. You will locate information about the shuttle location immediately to the left as you exit the front door of the lower level of the airport. The service is offered daily from 5 a.m.-11 p.m. The cost is $30 per person, round trip, or $20 per person, one way. However, if you have a large group, it would be to your advantage to call Transportation Services at the hotel to see if you can get a cheaper rate. The hotel's phone number is 615-889-1000. When you listen to your options, dial 0 and then ask for extension 88444. If you're traveling alone or in a small group, a taxi would probably be cheaper than a hotel bus.