utica college prj newsletter - spring 2011

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PR/J NEWS WWW.UTICA.EDU SPRING 2011 Editor: Kim Landon Associate Editor: Keith Henry e PR/J News is published by the Office of Marketing and Communications at Utica College. © 2011 Utica College Send correspondence to: [email protected] Gift supports Simon Media Center Broadcasting came early to Bob Montesano, in many ways. He began working in radio as a high school student. He worked for WIBX-AM radio in Utica where he signed on at 6:25 a.m. with Hal Smith, who Nick- at-Nite fans will know later went on to play Otis on e Andy Griffith Show. Although Robert A. Montesano spent most of his career as an executive at Utica Cutlery, he dusted off his “radio voice” now and then when he served as an emcee or guest speaker. His son, Robert E. Montesano, graduated from Utica College in 1973 and has worked in public relations ever since. Both of their life experiences “converged” last fall when the Raymond Simon Convergence Media Center received the first donation from e Robert A. Montesano Memorial Fund. Established upon his death in 2008, the fund is part of e Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties, Inc. In alternating years, the Fund will provide a grant to the programs and facilities of the Simon Center and/or the Lyn Heywood Simon Broadcast Studio. e Fund’s purpose is “for the benefit of students majoring in public relations and journalism to broaden their knowledge and skills, particularly in regard to radio.” Veteran reporter returns to classroom Joleen Ferris is no stranger to the news beats in the Utica area. e 1991 graduate of the journalism program is a prominent member of the news media in Central New York. Her current position as a senior reporter for WKTV News in Utica puts her on the scene of most major stories. at kind of access is a big plus for her students in the Broadcast News Writing course she’s teaching this semester as an adjunct instructor. Ferris loves the hands-on approach to teaching. “ere’s not a day that I come to class without saying ‘listen to this’ and I relate what happened in the morning news meeting and I ask the students ‘how would you have handled this particular story’ and I can give them a real world, in-the-trenches scenario and the students looks go from bewilderment to keen interest, even excitement,” she said. On one Monday, she surprised her budding reporters with a field trip. She was covering a breaking story about the resolution of a nearly four-decades-old cold case murder – a crime that horrified the small city at the time and severely shook the community’s sense of safety. She corralled the class into the college minivan and brought the students to her interview with Oneida County District Attorney Guest speakers offer career insights Reminisce with almost any PR/J alumnus and eventually someone will talk about a guest speaker. A hallmark of Professor Raymond Simon’s teaching, alumni guest speakers have spiced up classes at UC for decades. is year has been no different. David Armon ’83, Larry Platt ’85 and Jamie Lynn Robitaille ’06 visited classes to share their perspectives on the media, public relations and career building. Platt visited campus for Homecoming Weekend when he received the Outstanding PR/J Alumnus Award. An author and nationally recognized freelance journalist, Platt recently became editor of the Philadelphia Daily News aſter eight years as editor of Philadelphia magazine. Carrying his iPad, which he called a “virtual newsstand,” Platt told students that in the future the media platform would matter less than the ability to tell stories. “e media are scared about the future, but that is amazing because no one knows the future. e winners will be innovative, not scared.” Platt urged journalism students to tell stories. “People want to be understood. Tell them you are interested in their story,” he said. “e hallmarks of a good writer are oceanic curiosity and endless empathy.” Armon, a past winner of the Outstanding PR/J Alumnus award, visited campus just weeks before beginning his new venture as vice president of business development at Scratch Music Group, Inc. Armon’s career began as a 15-uear-old traffic reporter – before he could drive –in Rochester, NY. While at UC, he worked for UPI, eventually joining the wire service full time. He also worked for the PR agency Rumrill Hoyt in Rochester and then PR Newswire, where he became Chief Operating Officer. Technology changed drastically during Armon’s years at PR Newswire. Always a technology forerunner himself, Armon counseled clients to adapt to the new media environment. Armon said that businesses need to target, distribute and measure public relations services. In a fascinating and detailed presentation to PR students and faculty, Armon shared his extensive knowledge of how to accomplish this using social media. However, he warned, businesses ought not to jump into social media without thought. “Using social media must accomplish a business objective,” he said. He shared with the students examples of how some companies used social media successfully. One example was Gatorade, which invited high school students to post photos and videos on Facebook. Winners earned a visit from the Gatorade Mobile Locker room. Armon warned, however, that companies need to resist the temptation to simply collect “fans” by urging Facebook users to “like” their products. “For social media to be successful, there must be ongoing engagement, and a dialogue with users.” Armon and Platt focused on the impact of new technology on media and public relations practices. Robitaille showed students how new technology can be used to shape one’s career and personal life as well. Please see Ferris, page 3 Faculty Notes Cecilia Friend was an invited panelist at the national convention of the Association for the Education Journalism and Mass Communication in Denver in August. She spoke on the ethical dilemmas of online journalism and the idea that online news has helped erode the traditional newsroom system of checks and balances and the 20th century notion of “objective” journalism for a panel titled “A Generational Ethics Gap, or A Recognition of New Realities?” Please see Armon/Platt, page 2 Dave Armon ’83 speaks to Prof. Elizabeth Warfel’s (leſt) public relations class UC alumnus Robert E. Montesano visited the Simon Center with his mother, Dorothy, and sister, Barbara Jaggers.

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Utica College Public Relations and Journalism department newsletter

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Page 1: Utica College PRJ Newsletter - Spring 2011

PR/J Newswww.utica.edu Spring 2011

editor: Kim Landon

Associate editor: Keith Henry

The PR/J News is published by the Office of Marketing and Communications at Utica College.© 2011 Utica College

send correspondence to: [email protected]

gift supports Simon Media center

Broadcasting came early to Bob Montesano, in many ways. He began working in radio as a high school student. He worked for WIBX-AM radio in Utica where he signed on at 6:25 a.m. with Hal Smith, who Nick-at-Nite fans will know later went on to play Otis on The Andy Griffith Show. Although Robert A. Montesano spent most of his career as an executive at Utica Cutlery, he dusted off his “radio voice” now and then when he served as an emcee or guest speaker. His son, Robert E. Montesano, graduated from Utica College in 1973 and has worked in public relations ever since. Both of their life experiences “converged” last fall when the Raymond Simon Convergence Media Center received the first donation from The Robert A. Montesano Memorial Fund. Established upon his death in 2008, the fund is part of The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties, Inc. In alternating years, the Fund will provide a grant to the programs and facilities of the Simon Center and/or the Lyn Heywood Simon Broadcast Studio. The Fund’s purpose is “for the benefit of students majoring in public relations and journalism to broaden their knowledge and skills, particularly in regard to radio.”

Veteran reporter returns to classroom Joleen Ferris is no stranger to the news beats in the Utica area. The 1991 graduate of the journalism program is a prominent member of the news media in Central New York. Her current position as a senior reporter for WKTV News in Utica puts her on the scene of most major stories. That kind of access is a big plus for her students in the Broadcast News Writing course she’s teaching this semester as an adjunct instructor. Ferris loves the hands-on approach to teaching. “There’s not a day that I come to class without saying ‘listen to this’ and I relate what happened in the morning news meeting and I ask the students

‘how would you have handled this particular story’ and I can give them a real world, in-the-trenches scenario and the students looks go from bewilderment to keen interest, even excitement,” she said. On one Monday, she surprised her budding reporters with a field trip. She was covering a breaking story about the resolution of a nearly four-decades-old cold case murder – a crime that horrified the small city at the time and severely shook the community’s sense of safety. She corralled the class into the college minivan and brought the students to her interview with Oneida County District Attorney

guest speakers offer career insights Reminisce with almost any PR/J alumnus and eventually someone will talk about a guest speaker. A hallmark of Professor Raymond Simon’s teaching, alumni guest speakers have spiced up classes at UC for decades. This year has been no different. David Armon ’83, Larry Platt ’85 and Jamie Lynn Robitaille ’06 visited classes to share their perspectives on the media, public relations and career building. Platt visited campus for Homecoming Weekend when he received the Outstanding PR/J Alumnus Award. An author and nationally recognized freelance journalist, Platt recently became editor of the Philadelphia Daily News after eight years as editor of Philadelphia magazine. Carrying his iPad, which he called a “virtual newsstand,” Platt told students that in the future the media platform would matter less than the ability to tell stories. “The media are scared about the future, but that is amazing because no one knows the future. The winners will be innovative, not scared.” Platt urged journalism students to tell stories. “People want to be understood. Tell them you are interested in their story,” he said. “The hallmarks of a good writer are oceanic curiosity and endless empathy.” Armon, a past winner of the Outstanding PR/J Alumnus award, visited campus just weeks before beginning his new venture as vice president of business development at Scratch Music Group, Inc. Armon’s career began as a 15-uear-old traffic reporter – before he could drive –in Rochester, NY. While at UC, he worked for UPI, eventually joining the wire service full time. He also worked for the PR agency Rumrill Hoyt in Rochester and then PR Newswire, where he became Chief Operating Officer. Technology changed drastically during Armon’s years at PR Newswire. Always a technology forerunner himself, Armon counseled clients to adapt to the new media environment. Armon said that businesses need to target,

distribute and measure public relations services. In a fascinating and detailed presentation to PR students and faculty, Armon shared his extensive knowledge of how to accomplish this using social media. However, he warned, businesses ought not to jump into social media without thought. “Using social media must accomplish a business objective,” he said. He shared with the students examples of how some companies used social media successfully. One example was Gatorade, which invited high school students to post photos and videos on Facebook. Winners earned a visit from the Gatorade Mobile Locker room. Armon warned, however, that companies need to resist the temptation to simply collect “fans” by urging Facebook users to “like” their products. “For social media to be successful, there must be ongoing engagement, and a dialogue with users.” Armon and Platt focused on the impact of new technology on media and public relations practices. Robitaille showed students how new technology can be used to shape one’s career and personal life as well.

Please see Ferris, page 3

Faculty notes Cecilia Friend was an invited panelist at the national convention of the Association for the Education Journalism and Mass Communication in Denver in August. She spoke on the ethical dilemmas of online journalism and the idea that online news has helped erode the traditional newsroom system of checks and balances and the 20th century notion of “objective” journalism for a panel titled “A Generational Ethics Gap, or A Recognition of New Realities?”

Please see Armon/Platt, page 2

Dave Armon ’83 speaks to Prof. Elizabeth Warfel’s (left) public relations class

UC alumnus Robert E. Montesano visited the Simon Center with his mother, Dorothy, and sister, Barbara Jaggers.

Page 2: Utica College PRJ Newsletter - Spring 2011

2 PR/J Newsletter, Spring 2011

Former classmates reconnect in business world College friends earn our trust the hard way. Often witness to behavior we wouldn’t want on Facebook, these friends share our rooms, our moods and our secrets. But what happens when they must somehow shift from thinking of us as the sloppy roommate or the obnoxious classmate to working with us as colleagues? Some friends make that transition better than others. In fact, some PR/J alumni successfully carry the trust born in classes and dorm rooms into profitable business relationships. Gary LaBella ’75 and Frank Gilanelli ’74 turned their college friendship into a public relations partnership that has lasted more than 20 years. Partnership was thrust upon them in about 1973. LaBella, who had been Utica College’s Sports Information Director (SID) the year before, became News Bureau Manager in his junior year. Gilanelli, a senior, took over as SID. A year later, Gilanelli, a married veteran, left Utica far behind when he took his first job with Johnson Outboards, a division of Outboard Marine Corporation, Waukegan, Ill. He would move several times as companies with household names such as Winnebago, Coachmen Industries and Subaru employed his public relations skills. Life eventually took him to Philadelphia, where in 1985 he and a colleague formed the agency Barton Gilanelli & Associates, Inc., where he is president. Meanwhile, LaBella’s career had taken him from his native Utica to Reston, VA where he joined the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA). Retiring last December as vice president and chief marketing officer after what has been called “an illustrious 32-year career,” LaBella amassed a long list of industry honors. Perhaps most notably, he is credited with transforming America’s image of RVs. One of his partners in doing so was Barton Gilanelli.

“Frank and I were at UC at the same time, a year apart, and we remained close friends for years after graduation. Because of our connection, I invited his agency to pitch against incumbent Burson Marsteller for RVIA’s business, we awarded them the account in 1990 and they’ve held the business ever since,” LaBella said. Gilanelli is proud of his agency’s long relationship with the RVIA. He believes one element in their continuing success is his agency’s willingness to sit down with its clients and talk about their results. “A long relationship with the same client is more the exception than the rule,” Gilanelli said. “In the past, the usual story is that the new manager comes in, gets a cup of coffee, lights a cigarette, puts his feet up on the desk, then calls and fires the PR agency.” Gilanelli said that even today there is no member of the mainstream consumer media that covers RVs as a beat. “To convince producers and reporters to do positive stories about the RV lifestyle, we constantly have to develop creative media pitches and story angles,” he said. “Working with Gary during the past two decades, we’ve been able to change the public and media’s perception of RVs.” One of Gilanelli’s favorite PR coups was convincing Jeopardy

to feature a recreational vehicles category last year, in conjunction with the industry’s 100th anniversary. Although it didn’t identify them as such, the industry’s top trade publication referenced both of the college friends in its coverage of the game show appearance. RVBusiness explained that Barton Gilanelli & Associates worked with the show to develop questions and answers, including video questions filmed at the Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart, Ind. The same article quoted LaBella: “This is an industry ‘first’ and we’re very excited to have our history featured in a stand-alone category.” LaBella’s college connections include others besides Gilanelli. “I’ve worked with three UC graduates at one of the large New York-based agencies and in recent years I’ve also hired UC grad Bob Feldman’s L.A. agency, PulsePoint, for specific projects. I believe strongly in the UC alumni network. I like the way UC grads think and I know what they’ve learned. I trust UC people and my experiences have all been favorable.” Gilanelli agrees that being “Simonized” made his career. “I am where I am today because of Ray Simon. He took a chance on me.” Without college relationships like those with Simon and LaBella, Gilanelli said, “I am not sure any of this would have been as rewarding.”

interns share their experiences No one disputes that internships provide value, least of all those who have held them. In what has become an annual event for the PR/J department, a panel of interns last fall shared their experiences and lessons with faculty and fellow students. Organized by the Society for Collegiate Journalists (SCJ) and moderated by SCJ President Rashida Hull ’12, the Internship Panel included two students who had been selected as 2010 Raymond Simon Institute /David D’Alessandro Summer Interns: Avion Ashton, who worked in her native Trinidad with the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee, and Victoria

Cruz-Griffith, who reported for The Journal News in Port Chester, NY. The other panelists were: Anthony O’Hagan, who completed an internship in the college’s Sports Information Office; John Engall, who served as an intern with the Boilermaker road race; Devorne Hormeku, who had completed his internship at Substance Public Relations & Communications Ltd in Southampton, England while studying abroad; and Sydney Bell, who worked for Unity Health Systems in Rochester, NY. Much of the discussion recapped common advice: be on time, ask questions, be prepared to do tedious work, and don’t get involved in

office politics. However, several interns shared unique experiences. For Cruz-Griffith, reporting for her hometown newspaper presented a special challenge. “I realized that everyone within a two-mile radius knew who I was.” For Hormeku, being asked to try something new turned out well. “When I first got there, they asked me to write a movie review. I had never written a movie review, but I tried it and found out I liked it, and I was kind of good at it.” Coincidentally, David Armon ’83 had visited PR/J classes the week before. Nearly all the interns referenced his visit and agreed that exposure to alumni provides excellent preparation for internships and jobs.

Often, PR/J majors who donate to UC designate their gifts for the Raymond Si-mon Institute, the Tangerine or the Simon Convergence Media Center. We encourage restricted gifts, of course, but we would also like you to consider participating in Phase II of the College’s All for One Challenge. One of the College’s most generous benefactors has challenged UC to achieve 3,000 Unre-stricted Annual Fund donors by May 31, 2011. If UC meets the challenge, the Un-restricted Annual Fund will receive an additional $25,000 gift. Unrestricted funds help all students, especially with crucial financial aid. If you haven’t already done so, please consider making a gift to the Annual Fund before May 31!

UTICA COLLEGE

All ForONEC H A L L E N G E

Currently she manages web content, produces an eNewsletter, and implements search engine optimization strategies for National Instruments. After graduating from UC, she worked as an account coordinator for Reaction Media Group in Atlanta. However, she lived in Atlanta for only part of her 10 months with the company. After moving to Austin, TX to begin her master’s degree in advertising at the University of Texas, Robitaille continued to work remotely for Reaction. She also began working for National Instruments (NI) in Austin in corporate communications. She still works for NI, only she no longer lives in Austin. She now lives in Colorado where she continues to work remotely for NI. “I wanted the experience of living in different places. I always wanted to live in Colorado,” said Robitaille, a skier, triathlete and volleyball coach who is a native of Mohawk in Upstate New York. Robitaille spoke in Professor Elizabeth Warfel’s classes. As Visiting Professor of Public Relations, Warfel appreciates the insights alumni can offer. “Having alumni who are so active in our program is incredibly beneficial for our students. They get a glimpse into the industry they are about to enter from a source who’s literally been in their seats.”

continued from page 1

armon/platt

Page 3: Utica College PRJ Newsletter - Spring 2011

PR/J Newsletter, Spring 2011 3

continued from page 1

FerrisScott McNamara at the County Office Building. After conducting her interview, Ferris invited the class to ask the DA some questions of their own. Senior Rachel Murphy jumped at the chance. “It was great. Getting to work with Joleen on an actual breaking story with relevance to the city was invigorating and instructive. It was an opportunity to interview one of the principals in the story, a chance I may not have had,” she said. Murphy enjoyed chasing an actual story. “It was cool how we got to practice, go out in the field and see hands-on rather than going through a book in the classroom,” she said. “It’s obviously more hands-on and I think that it’s really great that she can bring that to Utica College.” In the next session of the class, Ferris took the class through a kind of deconstruction of her interview and asked student which sound bites were most effective in their view and then she shared the sound bites she chose for her report. “I think that process adds a lot to the learning experience,” Ferris said. But students don’t escape the course work with these occasional excursions into the field. “Fieldwork is just part of the equation. There really is no substitute for bearing down and honing their writing skills through the sometimes repetitive yet proven method of writing, writing, and writing.”

alumnus makes move to bigger tV news market Mike LaFave ’08 turned down a higher salary in a bigger market, but he just couldn’t turn down the opportunity to produce - from the ground up with creative control - a news show for KNOE-TV in Monroe, Louisiana. And it’s an opportunity he said would never have been possible without the grounding and education he got when he went to Utica College. He had always dreamed of a career in radio as a political commentator but somewhere along the way, LaFave caught the news business bug. He was part of one of the first cohorts to go through UC’s journalism program utilizing the Raymond Simon Convergence Media Center and that experience helped shift his career aspirations to television news. LaFave continued to work at the college radio station WPNR, where he hosted a weekly talk show that covered a range of discussion and debate about politics, pop culture, sports and anything else his guests had on their minds, but he found himself more and more drawn to television news production. In his newscast class, where students had to produce a weekly program on deadline, LaFave reveled in the sometimes chaotic rattle and hum of a television newsroom. And he excelled. In his senior year, LaFave interned at the local NBC affiliate honing his news producing skills at WKTV in Utica. The station liked his work ethic and his fresh ideas and hired him as a producer right after graduation. “I was fortunate at UC. The resources of the program - the studio, the edit

room, the cameras and equipment - I later learned in the workplace, were often times superior to what working professionals were using,” he said. “The combined experience the professors shared, all of it, I think, gave me an edge.” He produced the six o’clock and ten o’clock news broadcasts and gradually began adding new elements to his shows. “Radio is more of a one-dimensional medium and when I started working in TV I was really drawn to the visual aspects of news production,” he remembered. He would experiment with graphics and shot angles and he often changed the way his shows opened from night to night; a live on-scene stand-up one night, a three reporter intro, or whip, the next night. “It took me some time to get what I thought was a quality newscast on the air night after night,” he remembered, “but I remember when it came together for me. We had a major fire just as the show was going to air and I decided I would ditch the rundown I had been working on all night and go with a live format and do the show on the fly. It was exhilarating and the show went off pretty flawlessly. It was also one of the highest rated shows for the year.” That gave LaFave a boost in confidence and he decided it was time to move upward and onward. Perhaps it was time to try his hand at executive producing. He sent four resumes and demo discs out and he got four interviews. He was a little taken aback by the response. “That’s almost unheard of in this business,” he recalled. “One of the offers, the money just wasn’t there, but the

three others were in some pretty good-sized markets – Wichita, Kansas, which is number 64 in the country, and Jackson, Mississippi which is number 90 – but they weren’t willing to give me the kind of freedom and the latitude that the news director at KNOE in Monroe, Louisiana was going to give me.” So LaFave chose to accept the position of executive producer for the CBS affiliate station in the bayou. In his first six months, he reshaped the station’s five o’clock news and is currently creating news shows for KNOE’s sister station, ABC affiliate KAQY. “Without the training, the newscast class, and having the facilities to produce actual shows, I think I probably would have spent six or eight months at JC Penney scrambling for that first job in television. Instead, because I had those skills just as I was beginning my internship, I was able to excel at my craft and show an employer just what I was capable of doing,” LaFave said. “It was an awful economy at the time and I was able to win a job because I had those opportunities - the internship, the great resources, the really engaged faculty - through UC,” LaFave said. He may be considered a bit of a fast burner, but he isn’t done yet, by a long shot. “I’ve already had some calls [from bigger stations] and I’ve only been here six months, it’s very gratifying. But for now, I’m quite happy doing what I’m doing. I’m really pleased with how things are going and I just keep building one show at a time and who knows?” Stay tuned…

the new York reporting project: propublica writ small To note the sad state of the news business is akin to noting that the guys hunting the huge great white in Jaws were going to need a bigger boat. It’s obvious and for some news outlets just as daunting as the prospect of being swallowed whole. As once-mighty newspapers founder and fewer people tune in to watch network news, the news business continues its metamorphosis. Its final form is yet to be determined, but one way the business is evolving is the increasing presence of the not-for-profit model of news gathering and reporting. One of the most jarring findings in the 2011 Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism’s survey on the state of the news media was the overwhelming shift in news consumption from traditional outlets to new media. The report noted that “For the first time…more people said they got news from the web than newspapers. The internet now trails only television among American adults as a destination for news, and the trend line shows the gap closing.” The report also noted the halting reaction of the news business to mold their operations

around the new realities of news consumption, instead hewing to the traditional role of journalists as content creators while often ignoring the new, 21st century realities of the news business. But UC’s journalism department has a good track record of anticipating and adapting to emerging trends

in the news business. In 2007, the Raymond Simon Convergence Media Center opened. It boasts an array of technological assets that give students the tools they need to help them master their ever-evolving craft.

Now, David Chanatry, UC associate professor of journalism, has established the New York Reporting Project at Utica College (NYRP-UC), a non-profit journalism entity that produces and distributes professional quality journalism pieces that serve the public interest. It’s an effort to anticipate future

trends and to fill the gap in coverage of important public policy issues often ignored by mainstream media outlets. The NYRP offers students the opportunity to produce high- quality multimedia content for

publication on NYRP’s web site as well as statewide media outlets. “The news business is faltering, the business model is broken,” said Chanatry, a 20-year veteran of the broadcast news business. “There has also been a dearth of solid, in-depth reporting on stories, regional stories for New York State.” And the

Pew report agreed; it found that the continuing evolution of the business has created a “new news ecology” that often allows local and regional reporting to be sacrificed as reporters Please see NYRP, page 5

“The news business is faltering; the business model is broken”

–David Chanatry

Page 4: Utica College PRJ Newsletter - Spring 2011

4 PR/J Newsletter, Spring 2011

rSi recognizes student excellence at brunch Twenty-two students attended the Raymond Simon Institute Annual Awards Brunch on April 2, 2011 where they received awards and scholarships totaling more than $10,000. New this year was the Duncan McCully ’66 Humanitarian Award. Created by the late Duncan McCully’s friends and family, this award recognizes a student known for working to improve the lives of others. McCully’s three children attended for the presentation to senior Anthony O’Hagan, founder of the college’s Autism Awareness Club, among other contributions. James Leach ’67, RSI trustee emeritus, recalled McCully’s impact. “With all his skills, I always wondered why Duncan didn’t go off to a major market. But (his wife) Toni told me that he stayed in the Mohawk Valley so that Toni and their kids – Frank and Kristin and Thomas – could stay close to Toni’s family. That decision certainly benefitted this community, where Duncan’s volunteer activities included leadership in the Jaycees, president of the Mohawk Valley Ad Club, and president of the Utica Symphony.” Leach continued, “I’ll never forget standing in a very long line waiting to pay respects to Dunc’s family in May 2006, and hearing the conversations of happy people all around me telling stories of how he

had touched their lives.” O’Hagan received another special award at the brunch. The Society for Collegiate Journalists selected him as Arthur Barlow Student Journalist of the Year. Rashida Hull, president of the John C. Behrens Chapter of the SCJ, surprised O’Hagan with this national award. In addition, this year’s Outstanding PR/J Alumnus, Luke Lambert ’86, president of Gibbs & Soell, addressed the award winners, their friends and families. Scholarships awarded this year included the oldest among the RSI awards, the Raymond Simon Scholarship, which went to Christopher Cooper; the Ben and Gene Comora/RSI Scholarship to Victoria Cruz-Griffith; John Behrens /RSI Print Journalism Scholarship to Katherine Gleitsmann; and the David T. Santora Memorial Scholarship to Danielle Kane. The George Jones/RSI Outstanding PR/J Student Awards were awarded to freshman Luis De Leon, sophomore Alissa Scott, junior Christopher Cooper and seniors Devorne Hormeku and Jeffrey Kassouf. The other awards presented included: RSI/Faculty Award to Jeffrey Kassouf, Fred and Corinne Grates/RSI Achievement Award to Sydney Bell, Owen Comora/RSI Tangerine Award to Alexandra

Caldas, Mildred Schwartz/RSI Tangerine Award to Kristin Smith, RSI/Student of Promise Award to John Engell, Eleanor and Matty Sokolow/RSI Writing Award to Christian Bochicchio, Gino Geruntino, and Rocco Suppa, Rubin R. Teitelbaum/RSI Award to Rashida Hull and Renee Tomasek, Ed Matesky/RSI Award to Miranda

McKee, Gary and Jeanne LaBella/RSI Transition Award to Rachel Murphy, The Flaherty/RSI Creativity Award to Gino Geruntino, Joanne Reppel/RSI Research Award to Avion Ashton, Gagliardi/RSI Award to Michael Bohne, Bruce Manning/RSI Spirit Award to Tamira Smith, and the John Behrens/RSI Phoenix Award to Trisha Barone.

Outstanding PR/J Alumnus Luke Lambert addresses students at RSI Awards

The 2011 RSI award winners join the PRJ faculty and Outstanding Alumnus Luke Lambert in celebrating their acheivements. SCJ President Rashida Hull presents the national Student Journalist of the Year award to Anthony O’Hagan ’11.

Page 5: Utica College PRJ Newsletter - Spring 2011

PR/J Newsletter, Spring 2011 5

uc students cover congressional race for nYrp-uc One of the first stories covered by students with the New York Reporting Project at Utica College (NYRP-UC) was the closely contested Congressional race in New York’s 24th District. The seat was held by Democratic incumbent Michael Arcuri, but the mood of the country indicated that the race would be a bellwether election for the nation. Senior journalism student Gino Geruntino and junior journalism student Katie Gleitsmann set out to cover the race for NYRP. Their reporting was also featured on Northeast Public Radio. That reporting included live on-air interviews with election night moderators and subsequent recorded reports for the next day’s newscasts. They also conducted interviews at their respective campaign headquarters - Gleitsmann covered the incumbent Arcuri and Geruntino covered challenger and eventual victor Richard Hanna – for inclusion in their reports. “It was kind of nerve-wracking,” Gleitsmann said. “I did a live report right when I got there, before I had a chance to interview anyone, so it was mostly a background report on the race,” she said. Later, she went on to interview Congressman Arcuri, David Raefaro, the Mayor of Utica, and various supporters. She included parts of those interviews in her wrap-up report, known as a “voicer” in the radio business, which

ran the following day. Gleitsmann thought the night was very instructive. “One of the things I struggle with as a student journalist is my man-on-the-street interviewing, and this was my first time working as a radio reporter, so it was the interviewing that I did that I think was the most beneficial for me. I come from a print background so the whole experience was new and different for me,” she said. Geruntino covered the Hanna campaign at his headquarters at the Hotel Utica. “Early in the night it was kind of quiet, but as the returns came in, and it looked more and more certain that Hanna would win, it got a little raucous,” he said. “But

I managed to file my report and even got Hanna to do a live on-air interview.” Geruntino thought the night was kind of electric. “It was pretty intense, especially toward the end of the night,” he said. “There was a lot of yelling and screaming, and of course I’m sure that was hastened by the copious amounts of free alcohol flowing,” he quipped. “Seriously, though, it was a great reporting opportunity. This was the fastest story I’ve ever done. I usually do longer pieces that take days and even weeks to complete but I did three voicers in a matter of two hours, and that was after my live spot earlier in the evening.”

spend more time as aggregators and engineers and less time chasing stories. As a consequence, some important stories are orphaned. The NYRP seeks to help remedy that by focusing on a more contemplative and explanatory brand of journalism. “And so when it became clear that the business model was broken, we started to see little bits and hear little bits, in the trades, a few years ago, and people starting to think ‘what’s going to replace it’ and this idea of non-profit journalism came to the fore,” Chanatry recalled. “At the time only ProPublica was doing anything in the realm of non-profit journalism.” On a drive down the Thruway one day, Chanatry had an epiphany of sorts. “I was just kind of ruminating about all of that and it just kind of clicked and this light bulb went off, ‘Maybe we could become a non-profit news site.’ Not a daily, breaking news site, but a news site that does in-depth and regional reporting,” he said. He envisioned a site that would help develop students’ reporting skills along the lines of an NPR-style approach to reporting, tackling stories beyond the “man bites dog” variety. Chanatry, a frequent contributor to NPR, thinks that by establishing the NYRP, both the students who participate in it and Utica College as a whole both benefit. The students learn a kind of journalism that’s more long-form and a bit more nuanced than straight-up hard news reporting. And at the end of each report, students sign off with “with the New York Reporting Project at Utica College, I’m Sara Smith” which helps burnish the College’s reputation. “It dovetails neatly; the students get a rich experience and the College gets some publicity” Chanatry said. “And it helps build the program.” The NYRP has covered the past election (see inset), the natural gas drilling method known as hydrofracking in New York state, the effects of state budget cuts and the closure of the Roger’s Environmental Center, the reaction of local Sudanese immigrants to the recent plebiscite in their homeland, and even a lighter piece about the annual Adirondack Ice Bowl, a pond hockey tournament held on Fourth Lake. “Right now, we are predominately doing radio pieces, and a little bit of video, but as we go forward, I want to see us do it all, and not just put it up on a website but also get it out into the mainstream media, which is what we’ve done,” Chanatry said. NYRP-produced pieces have been broadcast by North Country Public Radio, Oswego’s WRVO Public Radio and Northeast Public Radio in Albany. To check out these stories and more, visit www.nyrp-uc.org.

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nYrp

Lambert honored at uc Luke A. Lambert ’86, president of Gibbs & Soell, Inc., received the 2011 Outstanding Public Relations/Journalism Alumnus Award at the annual Raymond Simon Institute Awards Brunch on April 2. In presenting this award, RSI Trustee Robert Baber ’76 recalled having Lambert as a student when he taught journalism at UC. “Luke always stood out as a role model for other students in the PR/J program at Utica College. It’s been rewarding, though not surprising, to witness his many accomplishments as he continues to be a great example for both aspiring professionals and his colleagues.” Addressing the student award winners and their families, Lambert recalled his college years when he won an award and shared the experience with his mother. He also paid homage to Prof. Raymond Simon for his decades of support and advice. “There wasn’t a career change in my life that I made without Ray’s counsel,” he said. Lambert urged the students to stretch outside their comfort zones, especially in seeking internships and building their skills. He recalled his first internship in New York, when he painted his apartment to help

pay the rent. He urged students to network with fellow PR/J alumni, a distinguished body in the public relations and journalism fields. “You are well prepared for your journey into PR. Be confident and proud. Leaders in the agency business agree that pound for pound, UC has produced some of the most successful and influential practitioners in the field today,” he said.

Prior to joining Gibbs & Soell, Lambert was director of public relations and advertising for UHY, a leading global accounting and consulting firm where he managed all marketing operations and served as company spokesperson. Prior to that, he was director of PR for Enable Software, then a leading integrated software manufacturer serving major US companies and the US government. Lambert graduated from Utica College in 1986 and fellow Outstanding PR/J Alumnus Cos Mallozzi hired him at Gibbs & Soell. Lambert returned to G&S in 1996 and became president in

2009. (Mallozzi remains CEO of the company). Lambert is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, where he regularly serves as a judge for the prestigious Silver Anvil Awards. He is a frequent industry speaker and contributor on the topics of public relations and marketing trends. He is a leader of the Council of PR Firms and serves as co-chair of its Agency Management Committee.

Lambert and his wife Kelley, a fellow 1986 UC graduate and occupational therapist specializing in hand therapy, live in Cross River, NY with their sons Dean, 19, and Jack, 16. Dean is a freshman at Tufts University in Boston and is a pitcher for the Tufts baseball team. Jack, a high school sophomore, has already given his verbal commitment to play lacrosse at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The family spends considerable personal time near Utica in the Adirondack Mountains where their extended family owns a camp.

“There wasn’t a career change I made in my life without Ray’s counsel.”

Katie Gleitsmann ’12 interviews Rep. Michael Arcuri on election night in Utica

Page 6: Utica College PRJ Newsletter - Spring 2011

6 PR/J Newsletter, Spring 2011

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PR/J NewsAnthony “Tony” Vella ’51 of Ilion died Jan. 11, 2011. Vella, 82, retired as managing editor of the Observer Dispatch in 1992. He was an adjunct instructor of Reporting at Utica Col-lege for several years after he retired. In the 1950s, Vella contributed to the Utica newspa-pers’ reporting on vice and organized crime in the city and shared the Pulitzer Gold Medal for Public Service in 1959. His wife, Angela, and two daughters survive Vella.

Jim Asher ’70 has been named Washington Bureau Chief for McClatchy Newspapers. Asher previously led investigations for the bu-reau. He has also held positions at the Phila-delphia Inquirer and the Baltimore Sun.

Kathy J. Lindsley ’70 Rochester, NY, retired as editor of RIT: The University Magazine.

Mark e. DeCotis ’72 Melbourne, FL, is a sports writer for Florida Today.

Thomas e. Loughlin Jr., ’72 Utica, NY, is the public relations director at the Loughlin Agency Inc.

Bruce A. Brodsky ’73 Utica, NY, is the direc-tor of special projects for Upstate Cerebral Palsy. He was selected as a 2010 Utica Dollars for Scholars Community Service honoree.

Gary LaBella ’75 retired in December as vice president and chief marketing officer of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, af-ter a 32-year career in which he was credited with transforming America’s image of RVs. RV Business, an industry trade journal, sa-luted LaBella in 2010 as one of the industry’s 100 most influential executives of all-time. He received a similar honor in 2005, the year he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, when RV Trade Digest named him one of the top 25 in the industry’s history. At a celebration of his career in December, Richard Riegel, a se-nior group president of the industry’s largest manufacturer, Thor, called LaBella “perhaps the single most influential individual in our industry’s history.”

The Herkimer County Community College Alumni Hall of Honor inducted Robert e. Baber, ’76 in 2010. Baber, a trustee of the Ray-mond Simon Institute, graduated from HCCC in 1974. Currently Baber serves as Dean of the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute School of Art where he is responsible for the operation of PrattMWP, the Upstate New York campus of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

Hank Lajoie, ’78 former UC public relations professor and director of public relations, re-leased his third book, Who’s Marli? a novel. He has also written two other books, First Loves Lost and Aborted Destinies. All are available through his web site, www.hanklajoie.com

Bella M. Reich ’78 New Hartford, NY, is the marketing/advertising director and corpora-tion secretary for Reich Supply Company Inc.

siobhan Dugan ’79 Washington, D.C., is a writer-editor for the Department of Health and Human Services.

Paul V. Post ’79 Glens Falls, NY, published a book titled, Soldiers of Saratoga County: From Concord to Kabul.

Bruce w. Maguire ’80 Cedar Grove, NJ, cel-ebrated his 30th anniversary at his firm Free-man Public Relations on July 21, 2010. The agency has received numerous industry hon-ors over the years and has been credited with being an integral part of the success of the Tickle Me Elmo line of toys. Bruce was named Outstanding PR/J Alumnus In 2008.

After a 25-year career as editor at The Times of Trenton (N.J.), Peter Callas ’81 left his manag-ing editor position and formed PGC Commu-nications, a consulting and public relations firm that he operates from his home.

Darla J. shattenkirk ’81 Kinderhook, NY, is the assistant vice president for corporate com-munications and advertising for Fidelis Care New York.

Daniel R. Chmielewski Jr. ’83 Irvine, CA, is the president of Madison Alexander PR Inc. His firm was named a winner of the 2010

Business America Awards in Technology Public Relations Campaigns of the Year from the Golden Bridge Business America awards program. Dan, along with his wife, Dawn, was named Outstanding PR/J Alumnus In 2007.

Larry Platt ’85 became editor of the Philadel-phia Daily News after eight years as editor of Philadelphia Magazine.

Thomas Burke ’88 of Whitesboro died on Dec. 29, 2010. He was 45. He owned Burke Media and Entertainment, which included The Dee Jay Network and Adventures in Ad-vertising. Survivors include his wife, Dawn, and two children.

Deborah A. Kessler ’90 Poland, NY, is the director of marketing and public relations at M.A. Polce Consulting.

Yvonne Dennis ’91 joined the Wall Street Journal London bureau as news editor. She will be responsible for editing and producing the daily Wall Street Journal Europe web site and newspaper. She leaves her job as assistant news editor/day hub chief for the Wall Street Journal in New York.

susan A. Craig ’93 New York, NY, is a press secretary for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Donna M. Adamo ’95 Fayetteville, NY, is the news manager at Syracuse University’s Office of News Services.

Howard LaMunion ’96 has joined the Tarrant County (TX) Sheriff ’s Office after previously serving with the Dallas Police Department. He is also a founding partner of the PIO Services Group Inc.

Philip A. Vanno ’99 Whitesboro, NY, is a writer/analyst for Zogby International in Utica.

Julie M. Howarth ’02 Utica, NY, is the home-ownership coordinator at UNHS Neighbor Works Home Ownership Center. She oversees homeownership programs for both pre-pur-chase and post-purchase customers. She also coordinates and oversees all lending activities.

Diane L. wells ’02 Springfield Center, NY, is a public relations specialist for Bassett Health-care Network in Cooperstown, NY.

Brian Agnew ’03 has been promoted to As-sistant Dean, Advancement and External Re-lations at Rutgers University, in the Newark College of Arts and Sciences and University College-Newark. In this position, he oversees a $20 million campaign within the broader $1 billion campaign, “Our Rutgers Our Future.” He also directs the Communications and Ex-ternal Relations operations. Agnew is also a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Communica-tion and Information at Rutgers University..

Jonathan Massoud ’04 is director of research and product development at Worldwide Busi-ness Research, developing business-to-business conferences in the New York City area.

Jennifer L. Blanchard ’05 Spring, TX, is a social media strategist for Reliant Energy. She is certified in Holistic Health Coaching, and launched her own health coaching business called Creative-Happy-Healthy.

emily J. Boyce ’05 Sunrise, FL, is the direc-tor of the annual fund at Barry University in Miami Shores, FL. She is also pursuing her doctorate in leadership and education with a specialization in higher education at Barry University.

Jennifer e. Ringrose ’08 Burlington, VT, is the communications coordinator and pro-gram director for the Chill Foundation. The foundation is part of Americorps VISTA.

Lindsey B. Chirillo ’09, Utica, NY, is a teach-er’s aide at Marcy Elementary in Whitesboro. NY. She is enrolled in the occupational thera-py weekend program at Utica College, and is expected to earn her master’s in 2012.

Katie M. Gardner ’09, Amsterdam, NY, is a confidential secretary for the Montgomery County Office for the Aging.

Jacqueline M. Klotzbach ’10 Hilton, NY, is a web content specialist for Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare.

alumni notes