Members as of February 1, 2010 are listed below. A printer-friendly, comprehensive BPRC Membership Directory, 2008-2009 is available to members only. Please login to access the detailed membership directory.
Andrew Aldrich
Bonnie Heneson Communications
Nick Alexopulos
Media Relations Specialist, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Ivy Ammann
Publications Specialist, American Red Cross
Linda Anderson
CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield
Jay Apperson
Deputy Director, Maryland Department of the Environment
Elise Armacost
Communications Director, Baltimore County Fire Department
Sandra Arnette
Manager, Media Relations, Verizon
Ragina Averella
Manager, Public Affairs and Government Relations, AAA Mid-Atlantic
Vicki Aversa
President, Aversa Communications
Debbie Bangledorf
Director, Media & Physician Communications, Good Samaritan Hospital
Margaret Bell
Communications Coordinator, Peabody Institute
Steve Berberich
Media Relations Specialist, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Edie Bernier
President, Edie Bernier & Associates, Inc.
Jill Bloom
Director of Marketing & Corporate Communications, LifeBridge Health
Donald Blum
Consultant
Anita Brightman
President and Founder, A. Bright Idea
Kerrie Burch Deluca
Communications Director, Catholic Charities
Karen Burley
Corporate Communications Specialist, PNC Financial Services Group
Sean Caine
Director of Communications, Archdiocese of Baltimore
Kelle Campbell
Kelle’s Writing Service
Cassandra Champion
Director for Communications, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Camila Clark
Public Relations & Promotions Manager, Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development
Cami Colarossi, APR
Director, Communications, Notre Dame Preparatory School
Dan Collins
Senior Director, Media Relations, Mercy Medical Center
Robert Collins
Director of Operations, Peregrine Health Management
Christine Delise
Public Affairs Specialist, AAA Mid-Atlantic
James DeWald
Publicist & Independent Contractor
Adrienne Diaczok
Public Relations Specialist, Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund
Cobey Dietrich
Director of Advertising & Public Relations, A. Bright Idea
Courtney Dunevant
Vice President, Bonnie Heneson Communications
Gayle Economos
President/Member, GVE Media/Public Relations, LLC
Wendy Emrich
President, Integrated Designs, Inc.
Roswell Encina
Director of Communications, Enoch Pratt Free Library
Patricia Fanning
Media Relations Specialist, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Ed Fishel
News Bureau Director, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Linda Foy
Principal Corporate Communications Consultant, Constellation Energy Group
Hayley Gable
Marketing Coordinator, GableSigns & Graphics, LLC
Maureen Galli
Communications Manager, Catholic Charities
Beth Garner
Merritt Properties, LLC
Wendy Gordon
Public Relations/Community Outreach Manager, SECU
Rob Gould
Vice President, Corporate Communication, Constellation Energy Group
Susan Gross
Writer/Editor, Anne Arundel Community College
Hope Hall-Davis
Director of Media Relations, The Community College of Baltimore County
Marjorie Hampson
Communications Specialist, Baltimore County Office of Communications
Lindsay Herbert
Public Relations Associate, Devaney & Associates
Charles Herndon
Communications Specialist, Baltimore County Public Schools
Cpl. Michael Hill
Public Information Officer, Baltimore County Police Department, Media Relations
Edward Hopkins
Deputy Director Operations, MEMA
Noelle Hopper
Public Relations, Maryvale Preparatory School
Philip Hosmer
Vice President, M&T Bank
Wendy Isett
American Urological Association
Heather Jackson
Public Relations Director, Center Stage
Maria Johnson
Vice President of Advancement, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland
Gina Kazimir
President, PR Right Now
Rose Maria Kendig
Marketing Manager, Stella Maris, Inc.
Wayne Kirwan
Director of Community, Justice & Public Information, Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office
Mary Ann Knab
Principal, Epoch 3 Marketing, LLC
Cheryl Knauer
Account Executive, Nevins & Associates
Amanda Knittle
Independent Contractor
Ellen Kobler
Deputy Director, Baltimore County Office of Communications
Aaron Koos
Senior Corporate Communications Consultant, Constellation Energy
Debra Larsson
Director, Corporate Communications, Constellation Energy
John Lazarou
Assistant Director/Senior Media Relations Representative, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Douglas Lent
Public Relations & Marketing Associate, American Red Cross of Central Maryland
Kacie Levy
Public Relations Coordinator, Rosborough Communications
Eleanore Lewis
Senior Director, Communications, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Renee Libby
Consultant
Barry List
Director of Communications, INFORMS
Jacquelyn Lucy
Media Relations Coordinator, The Community College of Baltimore County
Jim Lynn
Director, Corporate Communications, McCormick & Company, Inc.
Amy Mannarino
Manager of Public Relations, The Walters Art Museum
Sedonia Martin
Manager, Public Relations Arts & Culture, Towson University
Jack Martin, Jr.
Director, Public Relations, Northrop Grumman Corp., Electronic Systems
John McCormick
Vice President, Corporate Communications & Community Relations, McCormick & Company, Inc.
Samantha McCry
Communications Specialist, Reginald F. Lewis Museum
Lynn McKain
Director of Public Relations, McDonogh School
Lisa Miles, APR
President, Miles Public Relations
Bana Miller
Communications Specialist, Baltimore County Public Schools
Louise Miller
Director of Marketing, Towson University
Nancy Mugele
Director of Communication, Roland Park Country School
Kaustubh Nande
Student, Towson University
Deborah O’Sullivan
Public Relations Specialist, M&T Bank
Justin Paquette
Media Coordinator, Anne Arundel Medical Center
Cynthia Powell
Principal, CP Knowhow
Jeff Raymond
Media Relations Specialist, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Phyllis Reese
Chief Communications Officer, Baltimore County Public Schools
Lyndi Richards
Director, Dancing for the Arts Gala, Center for the Arts
Ashley Ripka
Career Event Planner, Towson University
Cynthia Rivers
Public Information Officer, University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center
Maureen (Muffet) Robinson
Director of Communications and Community Relations, Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, Inc
Richard Scher
Director of Communications, Maryland Port Administration
Peter Schler
Director of Athletic Media Relations, Towson University
Alicia Schuller
Marketing Coordinator, NHS of Baltimore, Inc.
Michael Schwartzberg
Media Relations Manager, Greater Baltimore Medical Center
Richard Selden
Director of Communications & Marketing, Peabody Institute
Nina Sinnott
Communications Associate, McDonogh School
Beth Smith
Director of Communications, St. Paul’s School for Girls
Dawn Stoltzfus
Deputy Director of Communications, Maryland Department of the Environment
Mel Tansill
Senior Public Affairs Director, Erickson Retirement Communities
Lauren Taylor
Public Relations and Marketing Manager, Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce
Melissa Teague
Merritt Properties, LLC
Danita Terry
Director, Communications & Media Relations, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland
Mark Thompson
Assistant VP, Communications, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Tom Tobin
Associate Commissioner, Social Security Administration
Karen Tong
Associate Director, Office of Communications and Public Affairs, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
William Toohey
Public Information Officer, Baltimore County Police Department
Bruce VanDervort
Grant Writer, Publicist, The Children’s Home, Inc
Dawn Ward
Communications & Marketing Director, American Cancer Society
Amy Welsh
The Coordinating Center
Theresa Wiseman
Director of Media Relations, College of Notre Dame of Maryland
Connie Yingling
Public Relations Coordinator, Maryland Office of Tourism Development
Stuart Zang
Media Relations Specialist, Towson University
When I first saw this story the other day I decided to follow Gregory’s tweets – turns out it’s all pretty dull.
Mr Stepp’s concerns about competition are misplaced. Competition DOES exist for newspapers. However, newspapers are no longer competing against one another, they are competing against new digital forms of communication. With a new business and journalistic model newspapers can remain competitive – and the public will benefit. But this is not 1972 when newspapers competed against one anthr. It is a whole new world that requires all new thinking.
This IS great! Thanks for sending it along Michael.
Thanks you are always “in the know”! Amy
I am new to BPRC. Hello everyone!
Welcome to BPRC Alicia. Where do you work? How did you find out about BPRC? Are you attending tomorrow’s program?
Paul Richard, an art critic at The Washington Post for many, many years, is out of a job after this week.
yikes!
no names, but a rough sketch of the damage
BALTIMORE, Md., April 29, 2009 – Members of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild said yesterday that Tribune Co. is bent on gutting what was once one of America’s great newspapers after 40 newsroom employees, or 20 percent of the staff, received layoff notices yesterday.
The move comes a day after Tribune fired 18 senior editors and newsroom managers on Tuesday and Wednesday without warning. Many of the editors and managers, who are not members of the newspaper guild, were ushered out of the newsroom by security guards.
“Tribune, through careless management practices, has saddled itself under $13 billion in debt and now Baltimore is paying a price,” said Cet Parks, Executive Director of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild. “Tribune is siphoning good jobs from Baltimore and sending work that talented editors, reporters, photographers, copy editors and designers have done here to its home base in Chicago. That is not right.”
Tribune plans to lay off the 40 newsroom employees by May 27. Targeted employees, who include four columnists, photographers, critics and copy editors, received hand delivered letters Wednesday afternoon signed by Monty Cook, senior vice president and editor. Also, in the last two weeks The Sun has laid off seven employees in other departments including advertising and customer service.
Since Tribune acquired The Sun in 1999, the newsroom staff has been cut by more than 60 percent to currently 148 employees from roughly 420.
“While we understand that media companies, especially newspapers, are reeling from declining advertising revenue, shrinking circulation and a year-and-a-half of recession, we believe Baltimore needs a metropolitan paper that covers the important events in the region,” said Angela Kuhl, Guild Unit Chair who works at The Sun. “It is imperative that Baltimore maintains a newspaper that brings people news, exciting and provocative stories and enriches the lives of all who live here.”
From Editor & Publisher:
“They (Sun) are clearly trying to move to be an information producer, not a newspaper publisher,” said Angie Kuhl, Guild unit chair at the Sun. “It is a flattening of the newsroom.”
From Photo District News:
Four photographers, two photo techs and one picture editor were let go, according to Angie Kuhl, unit chair of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild.
Burrelle’s now offers a “one stop shop” where I can can download e-clips of print coverage and access electronic clips for TV coverage, I still get monitoring thru VMS and through Google News Alerts also. Any TV coverage I need copies of I buy through our local friends @ TV News Recordings, $45/DVD. I don’t pay anyone for media database service since 99% of what I do is local media.
We just switched to Vocus. Really liked the one-stop shop offered by Burrelle’s, who we contracted previously. Great customer service to request electronic television clips, and newspaper clips were available on demand.
From today’s Baltimore Sun:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/bal-md.ae.groft28may28,0,6686100.story
Groft named WMAR news director
By Chris Kaltenbach
May 28, 2009
Longtime WMAR staffer Kelly Groft has been named the station’s news director, giving her the chance to head a struggling news operation she joined a decade ago.
“I’m thrilled, it’s something I’ve wanted for a very long time,” said Groft, who officially takes the job Monday. “I’ve never shied away from a challenge.”
Groft, a Harford County native who grew up near Bel Air, came to work at WMAR, Channel 2, in 1998 as a producer for the 6 p.m. news. She and her husband, Jay, a news photographer for WPMT, Channel 43, the Fox affiliate in York, live in southern Pennsylvania with their two children, Hannah, 7, and Camden, 4.
Groft replaces Peggy Phillip, who spent a little less than a year as WMAR’s news director after coming to Baltimore from Syracuse, N.Y. Phillip has been named news director of NBC affiliate KSHB in Kansas City, Mo. Both WMAR and KSHB are affiliates of Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps.
WMAR’s news operation has spent much of the past 15 years mired in Baltimore’s ratings basement. For May, the station’s 11 p.m. weekday news had just over one-third as many viewers as top-rated WBAL, Channel 11. Its evening news fared even worse, garnering less than one-third the audience of top-rated WBAL.
Groft, however, remains optimistic. “I can say, for the first time in a long time, that we really, truly do have momentum,” she said. “We are growing, we’re seeing little bright spots, more than we’ve seen before.
“We are ‘The station that works for you,’ and we’ve stuck to that brand, we’ve embraced that brand. People are learning it, people are reaching out more than they ever have. We’re being noticed by more and more people in the community.”
this is great!
Here’s one source:
http://niagara.cioc.ca/record/NIA2707
Thanks, Michael. I’ll give it a try.
This is too hilarious!
We have used The Communications Center (Nan Tolbert in particular) for media training in the past and have been very pleased with their work. They are in DC but travel up to Baltimore area is not a problem.
Thanks Courtney, this is a good contact to have.
WBAL-TV staffers provided insight and feedback into their newsroom and general station management for more than one hour at the October program hosted by the Baltimore Public Relations Council. Jordan Wertlieb, president and general manager, along with Michelle Butt, news director; Jessica Rahn, assignment editor; and, Wanda Draper, director of programming and public affairs, spoke to more than 30 event attendees about the station’s programming, advertising trends, social media use, and newsroom workings.
“Television viewership is up. The average person watches television four hours and 15 minutes each day, up two minutes from last year,” said Wertlieb. “When television is relevant to the local community, viewership is up. Broadcasts of weather, football and local news keep our viewers watching.”
As Wertlieb spoke to the group, he acknowledged the Internet’s power.
“The [world wide] web is discussed all the time. We can’t hold stories anymore. Stories must get on the web all the time to keep up,” said Wertlieb.
The discussion continued as Butt and Rahn shared their perspectives on news stories, pitches from public relations staff, and the realities of a shrinking workforce.
Butt described an ideal news story as one that has “good stuff, great characters, an interesting story, and a call to action.” “If I find a good story and put it on television, the web, a podcast, people will watch it,” said Butt. “That will never change.”
Rahn agreed, and she shared insight into grabbing her attention at the newsdesk. “Some stories may be great on paper, but not on television,” she said. “Send me interesting visual stories.”
Looking forward to it! BPRC rocks.
Laura Smitherman to be named new business editor?
Does anyone know if AP’s Ben Nuckols was also let go?
I’m a little late getting back to you on this, but I believe he is still there.
Bill, for those of us not on Facebook, does Liz indicate when this is effective?
Yes I can confirm Ben Nuckols is still with AP as I was at a regional PIO meeting the other day where he was speaking on a panel.
FYI, here’s my latest list of contacts @ the Baltimore AP bureau. If anything is outdated, changes are welcomed!
1. Ben Nuckols – bnuckols@ap.org
2. Alex Dominguez – adominguez@ap.org
3. Brian Witte – bwitte@ap.org
4. Kasey Jones – kjones@ap.org (Night Supervisor)
5. Rob Carr (Photographer) – rcarr@ap.org
* Sara Brumfield is working out of AP’s D.C. office temporarily.
sbrumfield@ap.org