The feedback from last weekend’s Region 12 SPJ Spring Conference at Lipscomb University in Nashville has been uniformly positive.

Attendance totaled about 60, mostly students. Where are our pro members, who could have benefited just as much as the students from the sessions.

Our presenters — AmyJo Brown, Jennifer Peebles, Jack Zibluk, Sybril Bennett, Joey Strawn, Pamela Coyle, Hagit Limor and Sonny Albarado — all got good reviews. (Well, maybe except for that Albarado guy.)

I have to single out Sybril Bennett, a professor at Belmont University and former TV journalist, who rocked the general session she presented with great humor, flair and useful information. Check out her blog here.

SPJ President Hagit Limor spoke at the Mark of Excellence luncheon about her recent vacation to Japan that turned into a roughly 72-hour nonstop reporting adventure via smartphone and Skype after the earthquake and tsunami.

And, Hagit helped me sell 11 of the new Journalism Ethics books produced by SPJ/SDX and published by Marion Street Press.

Middle Tennessee Pro Chapter folks co-hosted the conference with the Lipscomb University Campus Chapter.

Special thanks to Jacqueline Fellows, now former chapter president and chair of the conference planning committee, who spent the two weeks preceding the event planning a much bigger event — moving her family to Dallas, where her husband starts a new job April 4.

More special thanks to Jimmy McCollum, Lipscomb professor and student chapter adviser, who took care of such details as making sure the registration tables were staffed and, especially, put together the slide show of MOE winners.

More thanks to Frank Gibson and Clay Scott of the Nashville chapter for their invaluable help on Friday and Saturday.

Stay tuned for word on where the 2012 conference will be held.

You’ll regret not being in Nashville this weekend if you’re a student or a professional journalist who fails to attend the Region 12 SPJ Spring Conference at Lipscomb University.

Hagit Limor, SPJ president and investigative reporter for WCPO-TV in Cincinnati, will deliver the keynote address at Saturday’s Mark of Excellence Awards luncheon. She’ll talk about how she used a smartphone and Skype to cover the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear calamity while in Japan on a journalism exchange program.

Registration details can be found in the previous post.

MARCH 25-26, 2011
REGION 12 SPJ
SPRING CONFERENCE

GET READY FOR AN ENTERPRISING WEEKEND

WHO: Professional and student journalists in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee

WHAT: The Journalistic Enterprise – Where are you headed?

WHEN: 5:30 p.m., Friday, March 25 until 4 p.m., Saturday, March 26.

WHERE: Lipscomb University, Nashville, Tenn.

WHY: Improve your skills as an enterprising journalist.

PRESS RELEASE

Jacqueline Fellows, president of the Middle Tennessee Pro Chapter of SPJ, and Jimmy McCollum, adviser to the Lipscomb University Campus Chapter of SPJ, invite all journalists and journalism students in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee to Nashville, the Music City, at the end of March for the annual Region 12 SPJ Spring Conference

The conference starts at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 26, with a reception. The conference ratchets up on Saturday, March 26, with a full day of programming that includes presentations on entrepreneurial journalism,

Of course, the highlight for many students attending the conference will be the presentation of the Mark of Excellence Awards for college journalism during Saturday’s luncheon.

But there’s a lot more to see and do in the home of country music.

Until March 18, registration for the conference costs $55 for students, $90 for professional SPJ members and $100 for professional nonmembers.

After March 18, registration goes up to $60 for students, $95 for professional SPJ members and $110 for professional nonmembers.

Please send completed registration form and check payable to SPJ Middle TN Pro (Sorry, no credit cards at this time) to:
SPJ Middle Tennessee
P.O. Box 22248
Nashville, TN 37202

THE CONFERENCE

9-10:30 a.m.
The Entrepreneurial Journalist: In today’s uncertain journalism ecosystem, journalists have to rely on their wit, talent and skill more than ever in order to make a living. Two journalists who have made the leap from the once-secure bastion of mainstream journalism to other ventures explain how they do it.
Speakers:
• AmyJo Brown, an award-winning investigative journalist who has channeled her reporting skills as well as her business acumen into work as a digital news strategist for a privately held newspaper company.
• Jennifer Peebles, former Tennessean reporter and now producer of TexasWatchdog.com.

Creating Multimedia Documentaries: The nuts and bolts of successfully producing a multimedia documentary.
Speaker:
• Jack Zibluk, professor of photojournalism at Arkansas State University-Jonesboro.

10:45 a.m.- 12:15 p.m.
The Multimedia Journalist: Tying together the strands of enterprise, branding and technology.
Speaker:
• Sybril Bennett, Ph.D., a two-time Emmy-winning television news journalist and professor at Belmont University in Nashville.

12:30 – 2 p.m.
Mark of Excellence Awards Luncheon
Join us in recognizing the best in collegiate journalism from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.
• Keynote speaker: TBA

2:15 – 3:45 p.m.
Branding – Why Journalists Should Care: A new mantra in media circles calls for individual journalists to establish a brand. Why?
Speakers:
• Joey Strawn, blogger, multimedia consultant and Lipscomb grad
• Pamela Coyle, senior editor and writer at brandjournalists.com in Nashville and a former reporter and editor at the New Orleans Times-Picayune and Nashville Tennessean.

The Necessity of Ethics: The first completely revised SPJ Journalism Ethics book in a decade will be published in February. This session uses case studies to explore why journalists need to seriously consider ethical behavior more than ever.
Speakers:
• SPJ President Hagit Limor
• SPJ Region 12 Director Sonny Albarado

REGISTRATION FORM

REGION 12 SPJ 2011 SPRING CONFERENCE
MARCH 25-26
LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY
NASHVILLE, TENN.

Name __________________________________________________________

Street Address __________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip __________________________________________________________

E-mail address __________________________________________________________

Phone Number __________________________________________________________

School/Company _________________________________________________________

Registration by March 18
Student (SPJ member) $55 ___
Pro (SPJ member) $90 ___
Pro (Non SPJ member) $100 ___

Registration after March 18
Student $60 ___
Pro SPJ $100 ___
Pro nonmember $110 ___

Friday Reception ___ I will attend ___ I will not attend

Saturday Luncheon ___ I will attend ___ I will not attend

Make checks or money orders payable (no credit cards) to SPJ Middle TN Pro

Mail registration form and registration fee to:
SPJ Middle Tennessee
P.O. Box 22248
Nashville, TN 37202

A web page will go up in a few days with this same info, but you can print this out in the meantime.

Jacqueline Fellows, president of the Middle Tennessee Pro Chapter of SPJ, and Jimmy McCollum, adviser to the Lipscomb University Campus Chapter of SPJ, invite all journalists and journalism students in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee to Nashville, the Music City, at the end of March for the annual Region 12 SPJ Spring Conference

The conference starts at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 26, with a reception. The conference ratchets up on Saturday, March 26, with a full day of programming that includes presentations on entrepreneurial journalism,

Of course, the highlight for many students attending the conference will be the presentation of the Mark of Excellence Awards for college journalism during Saturday’s luncheon.

But there’s a lot more to see and do in the home of country music.

Until March 18, registration for the conference costs $55 for students, $90 for professional SPJ members and $100 for professional nonmembers.

After March 18, registration goes up to $60 for students, $95 for professional SPJ members and $110 for professional nonmembers.

Please send completed registration form and check (Sorry, no credit cards at this time) to:
SPJ Middle Tennessee
P.O. Box 22248
Nashville, TN 37202

The Hampton Inn Vanderbilt, 1919 West End, has set aside a small number of rooms for SPJ at $109 a night, double or king beds. This rate is available until March 2. The Hampton can be contacted at 615-329-1144 or 888-880-5394.
The reservation code is SPJ.

REGION 12 SPJ 2011 SPRING CONFERENCE
MARCH 25-26
LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY
NASHVILLE, TENN.

Registration Form

Name _______________________________________________________

Street Address _______________________________________________________

City, State, Zip ________________________________________________________

E-mail address _______________________________________________________

Phone Number ________________________________________________________

School/Company _________________________________________________________

Registration by March 18
Student (SPJ member) $55 ___
Pro (SPJ member) $90 ___
Pro (Non SPJ member) $100 ___

Registration after March 18
Student $60 ___
Pro SPJ $100 ___
Pro nonmember $110 ___

Friday Reception ___ I will attend ___ I will not attend

Saturday Luncheon ___ I will attend ___ I will not attend

Make checks or money orders payable (no credit cards) to SPJ-Region 12 Conference
Mail registration form and registration fee to:
SPJ Middle Tennessee
P.O. Box 22248
Nashville, TN 37202

REGION 12 SPRING CONFERENCE
“The Journalistic Enterprise”

WHEN: March 25-26, 2011
Opening night reception March 25
Conference March 26

WHERE: Lipscomb University, Nashville, Tenn.
HOW TO GET THERE: Lipscomb Directions

REGISTRATION:
Early bird (by March 18)
$90 for SPJ members
$100 for nonmembers
$55 for students

After March 18
$95 for SPJ members
$110 for nonmembers
$60 for students

Stay tuned for online registration info.

A PLACE TO STAY
There are several reasonably-priced hotels near the campus.
Plus, the Hampton Inn Vanderbilt, 1919 West End, has set aside a small number of rooms for SPJ at $109 a night, double or king beds. This rate is available until March 2. The Hampton can be contacted at 615-329-1144 or 888-880-5394.
The reservation code is SPJ.

THE CONFERENCE

1. The Entrepreneurial Journalist: In today’s uncertain journalism ecosystem, journalists have to rely on their wit, talent and skill more than ever in order to make a living. Two journalists who have made the leap from the once-secure bastion of mainstream journalism to other ventures explain how they do it.

Speakers:
AmyJo Sanders, an award-winning investigative journalist who has channeled her reporting skills as well as her business acumen into work as a digital news strategist for a privately held newspaper company.

Jennifer Peebles, former Tennessean reporter and now producer of TexasWatchdog.com.

2. Branding — Why Journalists Should Care: A new mantra in media circles calls for individual journalists to establish a brand. Why?

Speakers:
Joey Srawn, blogger, multimedia consultant and Lipscomb grad
Another presenter to be determined.

Creating Multimedia Documentaries: The nuts and bolts of successfully producing a multimedia documentary.

Speaker:
Jack Zibluk, assistant professor of photojournalism at Arkansas State University-Jonesboro.

The Multimedia Journalist: Tying together the strands of enterprise, branding and technology.
Speaker:
TBD

The Necessity of Ethics: The first completely revised SPJ Journalism Ethics book in a decade will be published in February. This session uses case studies from the book to explore why journalists need to seriously consider ethical behavior more than ever.

Speaker:
Likely to be Kevin Z. Smith, immediate past president of SPJ and current chair of SPJ’s Ethics Committee, or Hagit Limor, current national president SPJ.

More details coming soon.

It’s not too early to pencil in or otherwise save the date on your favorite mobile device for the 2011 Region 12 Spring Conference.

It will be March 25-26 in Nashville, Tenn.

Co-hosts are the Middle Tennessee Pro Chapter and the Lipscomb University Campus Chapter.

Lipscomb’s Jimmy McCollum is programming chair. He and I will be sending out a call for programming ideas shortly.

Jacqueline Fellows, president of the pro chapter, is conference chair. She’s already lined up a hotel and is working on lining up a conference site near the hotel. More details soon.

Don’t know about you, but I’m getting revved up for this one. Music City, here I come!