Pitch

In today's ever-shrinking job market it's vital to be one step ahead of your competition. Why waste your time searching all over the internet for jobs when SportsMedia Jobs has everything you need and more. Offering members access to a job databank for radio and tv professionals, as well as articles on the business, Q&A opportunities with some of the top sports journalist and broadcasters in the country as well as the chance to call someone already in todays profession a mentor. Sports Media Jobs is your one-stop shop if your looking to break into the business or if your already there and want to keep up with the latest news and movements by your peers.

Revised Plan

Thank you all for your feedback, it was extremely helpful!

I really like the idea of a "mentorship-type" role for those who have graduated, moved into the field and are still willing to help students looking to get a foot in the door. To begin, I think this would be about using my own network and reaching out to people I may know who are willing to serve as mentors on the site. From there, hopefully, people will continue to find success and then want to stay a part of the website.

Its these mentors as well as any other sports journalist that I can come into contact with who will be answering questions as part of the Q&A. I would definitely be open to a skype-like Q&A session for the members.

The site will be interactive. Members can link to outside sites that they are apart of, such as Linkeden. 

Bonnie, you bring up a good point about people not wanting to pay a monthly fee, but I know in my own experience that a month or two may be all I need to find the information I'm looking for. I am willing to be persuaded otherwise!

The jobs would be found through research done on other sites and then back-checked with the station or network. I, or whoever is behind-the-scenes at the site would be doing the research. I would hope that as the site grows employers would approach me about openings to post for the members.

I would not charge those who would like to list their jobs. The base of the revenue would come (eventually) from advertisements and the membership fee. Monthly membership would be $7 and a full year would be $75.

Pitch Idea

A comprehensive sports journalism website aimed at job seekers and those currently in the sports journalism industry.

The site would consist mainly of subscribers that would pay a monthly fee. For any visitors, they would be able to access a limited amount of information off of the site. They would not have access to the job seeker portion of the site.

For subscribers: I envision this portion of the site as a type of Facebook. Each member would create a profile page, complete with bio, a resume and a video reel (if they have one available). You would be able to interact with all other members through private messaging which would essentially be email addresses. 

• Subscribers would also have total access to a job databank that lists all of the available sports journalism/broadcasting jobs in the country
  
• I think monthly Q&A's with those who are already in the profession would be helpful. These could be done 1 of 2 ways: in a live chat room featuring subscribers and the main subject or a Q&A written out in a story form available to subscribers to read.
  
• The site would also pull articles from around the country that pertain to the sports journalism world.
• Member chat rooms started by the members on any subject matter relating to sports, sports journalism/broadcasting

For non-subscribers: 

• They would have the chance to read through any of the articles (which would be archived) and they would be teased with portions of the Q&A's.
  
• They would have no access to the "Facebook"-type portion of the site and they would also not have access to the job databank.
  

->The site would further be broken down by industry. So articles and jobs related to radio would be in one section, articles and jobs related to TV in another, etc. 

->All of the Q&A's would be archived as such by the date they were posted on the site.

->The site would be updated with new articles every day. Q&A's would be weekly or bi-weekly and the jobs would be posted as they come out.

I really envision this site being a place where those who are looking to break into the profession go for the latest on open jobs, articles on the sports journalism field, as well as a place where they have the opportunity to chat with or read about some of the people who are already making a living in the sports journalism world.

I would also want to make it interactive enough to the point that professionals continue to come back to the site to read the articles, keep up the interactive social feature and possibly participate in the Q&A's. 

This site would be a Facebook meets tvjobs.com meets national sports journalism news site.

Building Social Communities

It seems now, more than ever before, there is more of an opportunity for "regular" people to get their thoughts and opinions onto the web. This has been aided by the idea of social communities. We see it with YouTube, Facebook and many other social networking sites that allow individuals to interact with one another, comment on stories, blogs or videos. 

I chose to focus on a relatively new site that was launched by ESPN. The site: espn los angeles focuses on every team, whether collegiate or professional, that is based in LA. ESPN has also launched similar sites in Chicago, Boston and Dallas. The rumor is that they eventually would like to have a site for every major market in the US.

The site offers fans of LA sports team up-to-date news and stories on all LA teams and players. Obviously we are in the thick of basketball season so the Lakers have been dominating the main page, and for good reason, they're the best team and they have the best player in the league (Kobe Bryant).  Aside from articles, the site also offers fans team-based blogs (USC blog), video features, a link to purchase tickets for an LA sports event and a link to ESPN790 (the main radio for LA sports).

With each article, blog post or video feature, fans also have the opportunity to write their own comments. While these city-based ESPN sites do not allow for as much individual interaction as Facebook, ESPN has built a social community where passionate LA sports fan can gather, read or watch the latest on their favorite team or athlete and carry on conversations within the commenter sections. Additionally, almost every LA sports writer on the site has a twitter page, so the opportunity to carry on a conversation or engage in a new one is present outside of the ESPN Los Angeles site. 

SuperBowl Champs

As one of the most watched SuperBowl's in history, I'm sure many of you watched some or all of the game. I watched every minute and was very happy to see New Orleans pull out the victory. The next morning I made my daily rounds on the internet and went over to ESPN to see their coverage of the game. Obviously, ESPN has the money and capabilities to produce probably the best sports website on the net, but I am always amazed at the features they are incorporating into their stories. ESPN gave the SuperBowl it's own webpage where someone could find all of the stories, video features and pictures in one place. Besides the coverage in Miami, we also got to see New Orleans after the victory. As much as that game was about football, it was also about the city of New Orleans.

My favorite feature that ESPN has installed in recent years is their "zoom gallery". Its a flash-based picture feature that allows the reader to see things that happened before, during or after the game that may not have been caught by TV. The pictures are of the highest quality and, for me, they really take me into the game.

Story vs. Topic

Headline: A Presidential Performance

 Georgetown blows by Duke with the President and VP sitting courtside.

STORY lines:

1) Coverage of Georgetown's blowout of Duke. Video of game highlights, interviews from both coaches and 2 players from each team, pictures of the game, a paragraph devoted to President Obama at the game as well as some pictures of him sitting courtside.

2) President Obama watching the game courtside with VP Biden. Video of them during the game as well as the video of President Obama while he was in the booth with the two game announcers. Pictures of the President throughout the game. Reaction from both teams about having the President and VP at the game.

3) Georgetown bounces back from their big loss to Syracuse the game before. Show video highlight of Georgetown's last game. Compare the stats between last game and this game. Get reaction from Coach Thompson on what the differences were.

4) Austin Freeman's play the past two games. He's shot well. Chart showing his stats for the season and then a separate chart for the past 2 games. Video of Freeman talking about his recent play.

5) Coaches wearing sneakers to raise awareness for the fight against cancer. Background on the initiative and coaches feelings about wearing sneakers with their suits.

TOPICS

1) Look at teams who have shot over 70% from the field in the past 5 years. Were the teams playing at home or away, did they win or lose, how many 3-pointers did they take. The information could be put into a chart. Show video of some of the teams from their games in which they shot 70%.

2) Past President's who have attended a college sporting event. Have a slideshow of pictures of each President at the game. Give the outcome for each game. Possibly make a map with pinpoints of the locations where each President watched a game.

3) Complete review of the Duke/Georgetown series since it's inception. Coaches feedback on the two teams playing, series history; who is leading the series, any standout performances by individual players. Slideshow of pictures from the series for each year, video of coaches talking about the series and video of fans talking about this series.

4) Review of how much extra security is needed when a President attends a college game. Timeline of the procedures secret service and the arena follows when preparing for the President's arrival. 

5) Review of the coaches wearing sneakers initiative. Statistics showing how much has been raised, slideshow of past coaches wearing the sneakers. Video of  former NC State head coach Jim Valvano's final speech at the ESPY's before he passed away from cancer. Video of local coaches talking about the importance of wearing the sneakers to raise cancer awareness.

Haiti earthquake coverage

The devastation in Haiti may have seemed a world away for many of us living in different parts of the world, especially here in the US. But with the ability of news stations and independent bloggers to report 24/7, people around the world were able to see first-hand the massive amounts of destruction and heartbreak this catastrophic earthquake caused. 

Below are my top 5 blogs that covered the earthquake in Haiti (in no particular order):

1) CNN - Their extensive coverage provided readers with photos, videos, and links to people still missing in Haiti, those who h

ave been found, victims and an iReport special called "I'm alive" which features video from those who survived the earthquake. CNN also provides the latest news and rescue and relief efforts that are currently ongoing in Haiti. I couldn't get the video to upload, but here is the link to the "I'm alive" iReport from Haiti. These videos made the strongest impression for me because they are of people who have survived the earthquake and are now trying to contact family members to let them know they are alive. Some of the people on the videos also discuss the family members they've lost. The videos really allow the viewers to see first-hand the heartache that these Haitian people are going t

hrough.

2) CBS News - Similar to CNN, CBS News provides its readers with extensive coverage on the earthquake in Haiti. Their focus now is obviously on the rescue and relief efforts, how people can help/donate and the after-effects of the devastation caused by the earthquake. A video that their YouTube site featured really grabbed my attention. The footage is grainy and looked like it was taken from a camera that was installed on a street somewhere in Haiti, but it shows the earthquake hitting Haiti, a building in the back

 collapsing, people in cars swerving to stop and then proceeding to exit their cars and run down the road. It's jarring to see these images because you almost ask yourself what you would have done if you were in that situation. Here's the video link.

3) The Washington Post - I think the Post always does a great job with their extensive online coverage of major events around the world and their coverage of the earthquake in Haiti was no different. Along with the national coverage of the earthquake (the US allowing more Haitian immigrants into the country, etc.), the Post also gives its readers a local angle, such as the story of Rev. Arsine Jasmin who was originally feared dead but then found alive a short time later (Safety out of Haiti, after worst was feared). The Post has an amazing photo gallery that is heart-wrenching to look through. If the earthquake still didn't seem as real to people who were not directly effected, this photo gallery will really make an impact on an individual.

4) Anderson Cooper blog for CNN - I'm sure many of us have seen the video of Anderson Cooper pulling a young Haitian boy who had just been hit in the head with a brick out of harms way. Cooper has been in Haiti since the devastation hit that country and has been right in the field. His blog gives info on how we can help, the ongoing relief efforts, the concern for the children of Haiti and medical coverage from Dr. Sanjay Gupta--who is also on the ground in Haiti. I think Cooper's blog,  really allows his readers to see first-hand what is going on in Haiti. The fact that he's rescuing young kids from looters and rioters also gives his postings a lot of credibility, if they didn't alreadly.

5) Truthout - Truthout is a blog that I came across while looking up the coverage on Haiti. It grabbed my attention because of the great amount of coverage it provided. The site links to all of the major news organizations from around the world in a timeline format. So if CNN came out with a new report on the number of paratroopers being sent to Haiti, Truthout gives a short paragraph on the story and then links to the actual site. Each post has a time next to it indicating real-time releases of the stories/reports from around the world. It is a great site because instead of having to search all over the web for different updates on Haiti, this site links you directly to any story that might catch your eye. On the right hand side of their webpage they also have a live twitter feed from around the world that gives updates on how to help in the relief efforts as well as any new updates people may have heard.

These are the 5 sites that I felt really gave the Haitian earthquake the coverage it deserves. Obviously there are more out there, but as every site indicated, there is still a ton of work that still needs to be done for that reeling country.