We are happy to share the news that six Roanoke Times staffers have won Excellence in Features Writing awards from the Society for Features Journalism. The annual contest recognizes superb features work, and entries are judged in three circulation divisions: up to 90,000, 90,001-199,999 and 200,000 and up. The Roanoke Times competed in the “up to 90,000″ division. Here’s a list of our winners: Features Specialty: Lindsey Nair, first place (for her food stories on vinegar infusions, a “growoscope” for gardeners and about experimenting with standards.) Features website: Roanoke Times, second place (for the plateup.roanoke.com microsite) General commentary: Aaron McFarling, first place (for his columns on UVa after the ACC loss, Dale Earnhardt Jr., U.S. women’s soccer team losing in the World Cup) General feature: ... Continue reading →
A new company - the NOLA Media Group, which will include The Times-Picayune and its affiliated web site NOLA.com - was announced today by Ricky Mathews, who will become its president. The change is intended to reshape how the New Orleans area's dominant news organization delivers its award-winning local news, sports and entertainment coverage in an increasingly digital age. NOLA Media Group will significantly increase its online news-gathering efforts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while offering enhanced printed newspapers on a schedule of three days a week. The newspaper will be home-delivered and sold in stores on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays only. A second new company, Advance Central Services, will print and deliver the newspaper. Both of the new companies are owned ... Continue reading →
The airline industry's quest for revenue from add-on fees is making it harder for families or friends to sit together when they fly. Or, at least to do so without paying a fee.That's according to The Associated Press, where reporter Scott Mayerowitz writes:Airlines are reserving a growing number of window and aisle seats for passengers willing to pay extra. That's helping to boost revenue but also making it harder for friends and family members who don't pay this fee to sit next to each other. At the peak of the summer travel season, it might be nearly impossible.IN-DEPTH: Check out the full version of this story hereTIPS: Get adjacent seats on a plane without paying extra Buying tickets two or more months in advance makes ... Continue reading →
by Steve Myers Published May 21, 2012 3:01 pm NPR announced to staff Monday that it is creating a team to build news applications and has hired the Chicago Tribune’s Brian Boyer to lead it. The announcement represents a big bet on news applications, not just because of the team’s size – seven people, including Boyer – but because it comes just a few days after The Washington Post reported that NPR is running a $2.6 million deficit halfway through its fiscal year. The Post reported that there are “internal discussions about staff and program cuts,” although NPR CEO Gary Knell said that was a last resort and NPR spokeswoman Anna Christopher told Poynter that “no show, desk, or division has been targeted for cuts.” ... Continue reading →
It’s noon and you’re driving to a lunch meeting with a key client. You were late leaving the office and now you’re stuck in traffic. It’s hot, you’re frustrated and agitated and focused on one thing only: getting to the restaurant before you lose the client and the account. The car in front of you is barely moving so you lean on the horn and pull out to pass it and ka-bam! You’re hit from the rear by a car that appears out of nowhere. It’s not so different at work. More from Joyce Richman: "Career Coach" Continue reading →
Arc90, the team behind Readability, is today introducing Readlists, a new website / web app that lets you create your own ebooks from your favorite articles online. We got the opportunity to have an early look around and, while not perfect, it's an interesting and useful idea. The concept is simple: click "create Readlist," paste in whichever URLs you'd like in your book, add a title and custom descriptions, and share. You can export your book in either the near-universal ePub format, or send it directly to your Kindle. The option to send to iPhone/iPad does exactly the same thing as "Email e-book," and seems to be there just to push Apple users in the right direction. Sharing options are pretty standard — each readlist ... Continue reading →
By Quentin FottrellFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg changed his status to “married” Saturday and received over one million “likes” from his followers. But the site he founded isn’t always so marriage-friendly. In fact, lawyers say the social network contributes to an increasing number of marriage breakups. More than a third of divorce filings last year contained the word Facebook, according to a survey by Divorce Online, a UK-based legal services firm. And over 80% of U.S. divorce attorneys say they’ve seen a rise in the number of cases using social networking, according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. “I see Facebook issues breaking up marriages all the time,” says Gary Traystman, a divorce attorney in New London, Conn. Of the 15 cases he handles per ... Continue reading →
