This time last weekend I was in a conference room with my esteemed colleagues of the Society of Professional Journalists Board of Directors, the great SPJ headquarters staff, and a few members of the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation board.

Here are a few highlights that will certainly affect members in our region and nationwide:

Regional Director:  I will not be running for regional director again. Kelsey Volkmann, president of the St. Louis Pro Chapter and a web editor at the St. Louis Business Journal, has thrown her hat into the ring.  Go Kelsey!  Elections are in October at the regional meeting at the national convention in Las Vegas, speaking of which…

Oct. 3-5, 2010: Is the national SPJ Convention. Several changes on tap…

• You’ll notice that instead of starting on a Friday and going through Sunday, we’ll be kicking things off Sunday and running through Tuesday.  Those who want to attend the Sigma Delta Chi awards banquet should note it is taking place on Saturday, Oct. 2 – before the official start of the conference.
• Sept. 8 is the deadline for early bird registration. $185 for professionals, $135 for students. Hotel rate for Planet Hollywood (formerly the Aladdin) is $129 a night.
• Cool new feature:  Leadership sessions for both professional and student chapters on Sunday, from 1-3 p.

SPJ & RTDNA in New Orleans! Sept. 25-38, The Sheraton New Orleans (around the corner from the French Corner). RTDNA is the leading organization for electronic journalists (radio, TV, online, digital, etc). They’ve been holding their national convention with the National Association of Broadcasters in Las Vegas for a number of years.  You can win BIG by helping to find a name for the convention.  Here’s how.  Deadline is June 1.

Star Ranking Rewards.  SPJ used to provide four-star chapters with 20% discounts on SPJ merchandise. We can no longer do so, since SPJ now uses a third party company which takes orders directly.

Annual Report Deadline. For student chapters it remains April 26.  For pro chapters it will no longer be a hard and fast deadline, due June 1. Instead, the deadline will float a bit (not to far from June 1), to be no closer to the national convention than 90 days.

Transitional/Hardship Dues Waiver.  We will continue this program to help journalists remain part of SPJ as they deal with evolving employment situations.  The waiver allows you to avoid paying for 6 months of dues once you receive a renewal notice.

Diversity Leadership Program is Back! I was one of the first class of fellows to benefit from this.  Basically, as a fellow you work on projects that will increase diversity in the organization media.  Fellows get free travel, registration, and accommodation for the upcoming convention.  Deadline to apply is June 13.

The SPJ website. Big makeover coming soon!  The site will be easier to navigate and interact with. And, look for some great new training videos available to members.  Videos feature great instructors and easier to follow tutorials on a wide variety of multimedia basics.  The SPJ online Career Center is getting a major upgrade, too, with more resources in one place than ever before.  Look for all of this in early May.

That’s all for now, folks. Please let me know if you have any questions, suggestions or ideas: edgellh@missouri.edu

Region 7 had a great spring conference in Omaha! We had about 75 participants, which I think is pretty good for a state without a professional chapter.  Speaking of that, I am excited to report that several Nebraska journalists have stepped up to get the ball rolling on reviving the state’s professional chapter.  If you are interested in getting in on this, contact one of the following folks:

Joe Radske, News Director FOX 42: jradske@kptm.com or 402-554-4207

Katie Knapp Schubert, News Director KIOS-FM: katie.schubert@ops.org

Carol Zuegner, Assoc. Professor Creighton University: czuegner@creighton.edu

It’s important to make this chapter a statewide outreach, so even if you’re far from Omaha & Lincoln, I hope you will consider joining SPJ to take advantage of great services and support. In fact, you can join right now! Then, let Joe, Katie or Carol know you’re on board.

Here is my Facebook photo album, showing the original Nebraska Pro Chapter charter for Sigma Delta Chi (SPJ’s original name), which hangs in the halls of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and snaps from the conference.

We had a great Mark of Excellence awards luncheon in Omaha, with a full house of students, advisers, and other regional conference attendees.  Our speaker was Joe Jordan, veteran investigative reporter and now at the helm of NebraskaWatchdog.org.

So, without further ado:

ONLINE FEATURE REPORTING

—3rd Place ~ Rachel Dannen, Baker University:  —TheBakerOrange.com

—2nd Place ~ Reina Murphy, Chris Smith, Kelsey Epperson and Alesha Miller, Baker University: —TheBakerOrange.com —

1st Place ~ Adam Falk, University of Missouri:  —ColumbiaMissourian.com —“Play in a Day.” —Judges said: “The task is daunting: Begin with a script in the morning and prepare all day to present a play that night. Telling the story of a “Play in a Day” is no less difficult. But this entry does a wonderful job of capturing the nervousness, excitement, frustration and joy of putting it all together. Outstanding work.”

ONLINE IN-DEPTH REPORTING

—1st Place ~ Xin Fen, University of Iowa:  —DailyIowan.com —“Readying for War.” —Judges said: “This entry is a winner because it offers solid reporting, a good range of sources, and determined efforts to find the source of an email scam targeting students. The package includes simple audio and video presentations to explain the story.”

ONLINE SPORTS REPORTING

—3rd Place ~ Len Goldman & Joe Bradley, University of Missouri —Columbia: Missourian.com —

2nd Place ~ Kelsey Epperson, Baker University:  —TheBakerOrange.com —

1st Place ~ Evan Bush, Adam Falk & Taryn Wood, University of Missouri:  —ColumbiaMissourian.com —“Pregame Playmakers” —Judges said: “Excellent enterprise coverage that spotlights the hundreds of people who help to put on a show for a major college football game. Excellent use of multimedia to tell these interesting stories.”

NEWSPAPERS: BREAKING NEWS REPORTING

—3rd Place ~ Bethany Pint, Iowa State University:  —Iowa State Daily

—2nd Place ~ Staff, University of Kansas:  —University Daily Kansan

—1st Place ~ Daniel Johnson, University of Kansas:   —University Daily Kansan —“Jayhawk fights rock campus” —Judges said: “Comprehensive one-day coverage by one reporter. Included quotes from students, area business owner, university officials. A lot of territory was covered in a short period. Well done.”

NEWSPAPERS: GENERAL NEWS REPORTING

—3rd Place ~ Jessica Opoien, Iowa State University:   —Iowa State Daily

—2nd Place ~ Jason Miller, Kansas State University:  —Kansas State Collegian —

1st Place ~ Daniel Johnson, University of Kansas:   —University Daily Kansan —“Overdrafts under review” —Judges said: “Fresh take on a story of interest to wide college audience. Well written and detailed. Covered all aspects and did not leave unanswered questions. Writer did great research for this story. Good use of quotes from various sources.”

NEWSPAPERS: IN-DEPTH REPORTING

—2rd Place ~ Aly Van Dyke, University of Kansas: —University Daily Kansan

—1st Place ~ Danny Valentine, University of Iowa: —The Daily Iowan —“The siren song of alcohol” —Judges said: “This in-depth story gave me chills as I read it. It really showed, demonstrated the seriousness of this problem on the campus of the University of Iowa. Wow!”

NEWSPAPERS: FEATURE REPORTING

—3rd Place ~ Brandon Sayers, University of Kansas:  —University Daily Kansan

—2nd Place ~ Torey Robinson, Iowa State University: Iowa State Daily

—1st Place ~ Kim Norvell, Iowa State University:  —Iowa State Daily —“A fatal mistake” —Judges said: “The writer does an excellent job of bringing out the humanity of Shanda and the victims in the story. The story is emotional, but not overly so. Strong quotes and tight writing move the reader through the story.”

NEWSPAPERS: EDITORIAL WRITING

—2nd Place ~ Kyle Peterson, Iowa State University:  —Iowa State Daily —

1st Place ~ Brennan Stebbins, Missouri Southern State: University —The Chart.  —”Editorials on administration”   —Judges said: “Many proven effective opinion-writing techniques such as repetition, direct address, and strong, early calls to action in this series of editorials on the turmoil involving the university president.”

NEWSPAPERS: GENERAL COLUMN WRITING

—2nd Place ~ Chance York, Kansas State University:  —Kansas State Collegian

—1st Place ~ Jessica Opoien, Iowa State University:  —Iowa State Daily —“Equality,” “Number” and “Plagiarism.” —Judges said: “Well-reasoned columns with clearly expressed thoughts and opinions.”

NEWSPAPERS: SPORTS COLUMN WRITING

—2nd Place ~ Jack Nichol, Truman State University:  —The Index

—1st Place ~ Chris Smith, Baker University:  —The Baker Orange “—Perspectives on sports”  —Judges said: “This writer clearly understands two things about sports column writing: Sports are to be fun and the sports columnist can make them fun for his readers. He does a fantastic job of using humor, especially the acronym in the story about the dodge ball game.”

NEWSPAPERS: SPORTS COLUMB WRITING (2-year college)

—1st Place ~ Collin Reischman, St. Louis Community College Meramec:   —The Montage —“Removed from the mat” —Judges said: “Really nicely done.  The writer covered most of the bases and did a good job of letting the reader know just how big the dismissal of the coach in a sport without a huge following really was.”

MAGAZINES: NON-FICTION ARTICLE

—3rd Place ~ Kayla Craig, Drake University:  —Drake Magazine —

2nd Place ~ Katy Steinmetz, University of Missouri:  —Vox Magazine —

1st Place ~ Chris Hamby, University of Missouri:  —Vox Magazine —“Keeper of the court” —Judges said: “Compelling story with a solid foundation. The strong writing carries the reader from beginning to end, building upon each new section as we go.”

PHOTOGRAPHY: PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

—3rd Place ~ Julia Smith, Creighton University:  —The Creightonian

—2nd place ~ Rashah McChesney, Iowa State University: —The Iowa State Daily —

1st place ~ Darin Friedrichs, Drake University:  —Drake Magazine —“Morning after survival guide” —Judges said: “This series of photo illustrations did a good job of telling the story, and was well-suited for the targeted audience. A slight touch of humor enhanced them, rather than making light of the situations.”

RADIO: NEWS REPORTING

—2nd place ~ Taylor Reeh, University of Missouri:  —KBIA 91.3 FM

—1st place ~ Becky Thiele, University of Missouri:  —KBIA 91.3 FM —“Rain delays harvest” —Judges said: “Nice voice for broadcast work. Sound bites and and written words tell the story quite well.”

RADIO: NEWS FEATURE

—3rd Place ~ J.P. Regan, University of Missouri:  —KBIA 91.3 FM —

2nd place ~ Kyle Stokes, University of Missouri:  —KBIA 91.3 FM —

1st place ~ Brandon Smith, University of Missouri:  —KBIA 91.3 FM —“Low pork prices hurt farmers” —Judges said: “This was a very competitive category with little separating the high-quality work among the top three. This entry has strong, descriptive writing and does  good job explaining a complex topic in simple terms.”

RADIO: IN-DEPTH REPORTING

—1st place ~ Lindsey Foat & Emily Coppel, University of Missouri:  —KBIA 91.3 FM —“Life after prison” —Judges said: “This is superior work. Well written voice over, excellent use of natural sound — all woven together quite well to tell an interesting, informative story. I’d listen to quality work like this in a heartbeat.”

RADIO: SPORTS REPORTING

—2nd place ~ Shane Hoffman, University of Missouri:  —KBIA 91.3 FM —

1st place ~ Brandon Spencer, University of Missouri:  —KBIA 91.3 FM —“Tailgaters Ride to Football Games in Style:  In the ZouBus” —Judges said: “Good concept & story”

TELEVISION: BREAKING NEWS REPORTING

—1st place ~ Alex Rozier, University of Missouri:  —KOMU-TV —“Getting to know Alyssa Bustamante” —Judges said: “Very good live shot to set up the story.  Excellent selection of sound bites to show how emotional this case is.  Effective use of photographs to help tell the story. Nice job.”

TELEVISION: GENERAL NEWS REPORTING

—3rd place ~ Kenzie Cordt, University of Kansas:  —KUJH-TV

—2nd place ~ Kyle Stokes, University of Missouri:  —KOMU-TV —

1st place ~ Kyle Stokes, University of Missouri:  —KOMU-TV —“Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and Cupp Chevrolet” —Judges said: “Good editing–good way to take national story and make it local, about real people in your community with good writing/video/sound”

TELEVISION: FEATURE REPORTING

—3rd Place ~ Kenzie Cordt, University of Kansas:  —KUJH-TV

—2nd Place ~ Renee Goodwin, Missouri State University:  —KOZK-TV

—1st place ~ Allan Thompson, University of Missouri:  —KOMU-TV —“Hunting for hope” —Judges said” “Outstanding story, well conceived with excellent storytelling.  Very well shot and edited.  Great natural sound.”

TELEVISION: IN-DEPTH REPORTING

—3rd place ~ Beth Ford, University of Missouri:  —KOMU-TV —

2nd place ~ Xin Feng, University of Iowa:  —UITV —

1st place ~ Laura Nichols, University of Missouri:  —KOMU-TV —“Marine vaccination injury”

TELEVISION: SPORTS REPORTING

—2rd place ~ Alex Rozier, University of Missouri:  —KOMU-TV

—1st place ~ Michael Kelly, University of Missouri:  —KOMU-TV —“Fan Rumps” —Judges said: “It included several excellent news elements including conflict, impact, timeliness, proximity, prominence, helpfulness and human interest. It made good use of natural sound, featured a creative standup and creative cover footage.”

TELEVISION: FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY

—1st place ~ Phillip Pulliam, Missouri State University:  —KOZK-TV —“Hotel of Terror” —Judges said: “Nice Halloween feature. Highlights some of what a patron might see without giving away too much.”

TELEVISION: SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

—2nd place ~ Alex Rozier, University of Missouri:  —KOMU-TV

—1st place ~ Mike Brannen, University of Missouri:  —KOMU-TV —“Nasty nine” —Judges said: “Good story… good integration of the Antlers and the Macon County crazies.  Good video.”

BEST ALL-AROUND DAILY NEWSPAPER (published at least four times a week)

—2nd place ~ University Daily Kansan: University of Kansas —

1st place ~ Iowa State Daily:  —Iowa State University —Judges said: “Great synergy between articles, photography and layout. Fine writing style on most stories, one that heightened interest. The story package on the hit-and-run and drunk driving was well executed, topped off with a fine editorial. One of the better college papers that I’ve read.”

BEST ALL-AROUND DAILY NEWSPAPER (published less than four times a week)

—3rd Place ~ The Baker Orange:  —Baker University —

2rd Place ~ The Truman Index:  —Truman State University

—1st place ~ The Creightonian:  —Creighton University Judges said: “All-around excellent newspaper. Clean, inviting design of pages, story packages and photo spreads. Good mix of news and features. Great photography.

BEST ALL-AROUND NON-DAILY NEWSPAPER (two-year college)

—1st place ~ The Montage:  —St. Louis Community College, Meramec/—Carlos Restrepo, Editor-in-Chief —Judges said: “The Montage staff is publishing a well-designed, well-written and interesting newspaper.  Balanced coverage includes breaking news, controversial issues and excellent features.”

BEST ALL-AROUND RADIO NEWSCAST

1st place ~ KBIA 91.3 FM:  —University of Missouri —”Taylor Reeh with Regional News” —Judges said: “Smooth delivery. Copy was well written, concise, well organized. This entry was as good or better than you’d hear on some commercial stations in mid- or small markets. Nice job.”

BEST AFFILIATED WEB SITE

—3rd Place ~ DrakeMagazine.com:  —Drake University —

2rd Place ~ ThinkMagazine.com: —Drake University

—1st place ~ Kansan.com:   —University of Kansas —Judges said: “An outstanding student publication.  Attractive, easy to navigate, and thorough.  Well done!”

BEST STUDENT MAGAZINE

—3rd Place ~ 515 Magazine, Drake University:  —Max Plenke, Editor

—2nd Place ~ Trend Magazine, Iowa State University:  —Staff

—1st Place ~ Drake Magazine, Drake University:  —Tara Richards, Editor —Judges said: “This entry is highly professional in quality of production and design and has a wide variety of features that would appeal to a broad audience. The writing is strong and the photography helps present the stories in a pleasing manner.”

So here we are in Omaha.  I thought I would share some pictures of the Region 7 opening night reception at the Doubletree downtown.

All four states in the region were in the house, with journalists from:

Iowa – Waterloo, Dubuque, and Iowa City

Kansas – Wichita & Baldwin City

Missouri – St. Louis, Columbia

Nebraska – Omaha!

Plus, past president of SPJ, Dave Aeikens came down from Minnesota.

More throughout the weekend.

In just two days I will be heading to Omaha, Nebraska for the Region 7 Spring Conference. I am really excited about meeting with fellow journalists, journalism students, and anyone else who may show up!

We have a great lineup of sessions planned, which I hope will serve to enthuse and enlighten our attendees.  Another big hope: That by the end of the conference we will have planted the seeds of a new professional chapter for Nebraska.  I heard from Ruth Brown of Nebraska Press Women that there indeed used to be a professional SPJ chapter in the state.  These folks at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln were among the driving forces:

Larry Walklin

John Bender

Charlyne Berens

Tim Anderson

I have invited all of them to attend the conference and hope we can convince them to get involved with SPJ again.  Apparently, the original 1947 charter for the chapter still hangs in the halls of the UNL College of Journalism and Mass Communications!

We will talk about starting a Nebraska professional chapter at the conference business meeting on Saturday, April 10.  All conference attendees are welcome.

By the way, if you still want to register for the conference, you can do so online now, or on-site (more expensive).

The Radio Television Digital News Association announced its regional Edward R. Murrow Award winners today. RTDNA’s Region 5 corresponds exactly to our Region 7.  By the way, SPJ & RTDNA are joining forces for a national conference in 2011! Stand by for more information on that.

So, here are the winners in IA, KS, MO and NE.

Congratulations to all!

Radio, Large Market

Overall Excellence
KMOX-AM – St. Louis, MO
KMOX Overall Excellence
Listen to the winning entry

Audio Breaking News Coverage
KCUR-FM – Kansas City, MO
Breaking News
Listen to the winning entry

Audio Continuing Coverage
WOI-AM – Des Moines, IA
The Day the Music Died
Listen to the winning entry

Audio Feature Reporting
KMOX-AM – St. Louis, MO
The Bait Shop
Listen to the winning entry

Audio Reporting: Hard News
KMOX-AM – St. Louis, MO
Judge Jimmy Edwards
Listen to the winning entry

Audio Investigative Reporting
KMOX-AM – St. Louis, MO
Downfall of a State Rep
Listen to the winning entry

Audio News Series
KMOX-AM – St. Louis, MO
Culture of Corruption
Listen to the winning entry

Audio Newscast
KMBZ-AM – Kansas City, KS
Kansas City’s Morning News
Listen to the winning entry

Audio Sports Reporting
KWMU-FM – St. Louis, MO
Big Business in Midsummer Classic
Listen to the winning entry

Use of Sound
KMOX-AM – St. Louis, MO
History of St. Louis Rock & Roll
Listen to the winning entry

Web site
KWMU-FM – St. Louis, MO
stlpublicradio.org

Radio, Small Market

Overall Excellence
KTTS-FM – Springfield, MO
KTTS Overall Excellence
Listen to the winning entry

Audio Breaking News Coverage
KFDI-FM – Wichita, KS
Sheriff Deputy Murder
Listen to the winning entry

Audio Continuing Coverage
KFDI-FM – Wichita, KS
Justin Thurber Capital Murder Trial
Listen to the winning entry

Audio Feature Reporting
KBIA-FM – Columbia, MO
The Green Report
Listen to the winning entry

Audio Reporting: Hard News
KANU-FM – Salinas, KS
New Options For Traumatized Soldiers
Listen to the winning entry

Audio News Series
KSMU-FM – Springfield, MO
Dairy Farmers
Listen to the winning entry

Audio Newscast
KTTS-FM – Springfield, MO
KTTS Need to Know News
Listen to the winning entry

Audio Sports Reporting
KBIA-FM – Columbia, MO
Toughest Guy in Basketball
Listen to the winning entry

Use of Sound
KBIA-FM – Columbia, MO
The History Behind Bells
Listen to the winning entry

Web site
KTTS-FM – Springfield, MO
KTTS.com

Writing
KTTS-FM – Springfield, MO
KTTS Writing Entry
Listen to the winning entry

Television, Large Market

Overall Excellence
KSDK-TV – St. Louis, MO
KSDK Overall Excellence
Watch the winning entry

Video Breaking News Coverage
KMBC-TV – Kansas City, MO
I-70 Turnpike Tornado
Watch the winning entry

Video Continuing Coverage
KSHB-TV – Kansas City, MO
Save Your Home
Watch the winning entry

Video Feature Reporting
KSDK-TV – St. Louis, MO
Senior Prom
Watch the winning entry

Video Reporting: Hard News
KCTV – Kansas City, KS
Liberty Bus Crash: The NTSB Files
Watch the winning entry

Video News Series
KMOV-TV – St. Louis, MO
East St. Louis Police Investigation
Watch the winning entry

Video Newscast
KSDK-TV – St. Louis, MO
Church Shooting
Watch the winning entry

Video Sports Reporting
KSDK-TV – St. Louis, MO
Deaf Baseball Camp
Watch the winning entry

Use of Video
KCTV – Kansas City, KS
Behind the Curtain
Watch the winning entry

Writing
KSDK-TV – St. Louis, MO
Mike Bush – Writing
Watch the winning entry

Television, Small Market

Overall Excellence
KCCI-TV – Des Moines, IA
KCCI Overall Excellence
Watch the winning entry

Video Breaking News Coverage
WHO-TV – Des Moines, IA
River Rescue
Watch the winning entry

Video Continuing Coverage
WHO-TV – Des Moines, IA
Lexie’s Smile
Watch the winning entry

Video Feature Reporting
KCCI-TV – Des Moines, IA
Bud’s Gym
Watch the wining entry

Video Investigative Reporting
KWCH – Wichita, KS
FactFinder 12 Investigation: Small Smiles
Watch the wining entry

Video Reporting: Hard News
KYTV – Springfield, MO
VA Suicide
Watch the winning entry

Video News Documentary
KCRG-TV – Cedar Rapids, IA
Epic Surge
Watch the winning entry

Video News Series
WHO-TV – Des Moines, IA
13 Cares
Watch the winning entry

Video Newscast
KCCI-TV – Des Moines, IA
News Channel 8 at 6
Watch the winning entry

Video Sports Reporting
KOMU-TV – Columbia, MO
Tiger Toilets
Watch the winning entry

Use of Video
WHO-TV – Des Moines, IA
Crossroads
Watch the winning entry

Web site
KTKA-TV – Topeka, KS
KTKA.com

Writing
KCRG-TV – Cedar Rapids, IA
Mark Geary Writing Composite
Watch the winning entry