Heading to #NABJNAHJ22 in Las Vegas? We are too!

AS YOU BUILD YOUR #NABJNAHJ22 CONFERENCE SCHEDULE, CONSIDER ADDING SESSIONS LED BY OR INCLUDING PUBLIC MEDIA PROFESSIONALS. CHECK OUT THE SESSION ROUNDUP BELOW PREPARED BY THE #THINKPUBLICMEDIA TEAM.

Wednesday, August 3

Career Fair

Expo Hall
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Is Public Radio Ready To Sound Different?

2:00 - 3:00 PM

NPR is working hard to kill the cookie-cutter “radio voice.” But after 50 years, women and BIPOC journalists are still getting feedback to “fit in” to an old radio sound, and sometimes the audience complains when something is “different.” There’s resistance to sounds that aren’t the “same old,” whether a dialect, speech pattern, or a pitch range. NPR’s Voice Coach Jessica Hansen focuses on using the voice as a tool to craft the audio experience, and empowers journalists to sound like who they are and where they’re from to tell their stories. Join panelists Ayesha Rascoe from NPR; Veronica Zaragovia from WLRN; Naomi Prioleau from WUNC and Heather Taylor, WAMU as they discuss the questions facing us on air, in management, and in our audience. Moderated by Jessica Hansen.

Thursday, August 4

The Color of Public Media - Leadership Edition | Breakfast | Powered by Think.Public.Media.

7:30 - 9:00 AM

Two years ago, the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and other unarmed Black people forced media companies to reckon with a decades-long history of excluding Black and Brown voices from the upper echelons of content leadership. Few media outlets received as much scrutiny as public radio and television stations.

True equity is a long and winding process, but changes are happening. At this panel, recently appointed people of color in content leadership roles within public media will discuss recent strides toward changing the narrative, as well as offer candid insight on the journey ahead.

Speakers:

  • Vanessa de la Torre, Executive Editor, New England News Collaborative (NENC)

  • Lee Hill, Executive Editor, GBH News

  • Ernesto Aguilar, Director of Radio Programming,

  • Gilbert Bailon, Executive Editor

How Engagement Journalism Can Increase Connections With Communities of Color

3:30 - 4:30 PM

Engagement journalism is key to connecting to new audiences -- but what is it? How does it work? What are the benefits? Southern California Public Radio (89.3 KPCC and LAist.com) is an industry leader in developing strategies to build trust and invite our audience to be part of the process. We'll demonstrate techniques we used to develop and enhance our early childhood education reporting and other beats across our newsroom.

Moderator: Tony Marcano, Managing Editor, SCPR

Panelists:

  • Ashley Alvarado, Vice President, Community Engagement + Strategic Initiatives, SCPR

  • Mariana Dale, Education Reporter, Early Childhood,  SCPR

  • Stefanie Ritoper, Engagement Producer, Early Childhood, SCPR

Career Fair

Expo Hall
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Friday, August 5

Career Fair

Expo Hall
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

PITCH A FIT: Tools for a Strong Pitch That Will Get Your Investigation to Run | Investigative Track

9:00 - 10:00 AM

Building the Plane as It Flies - Finding Your Way to Career Confidence and Clarity | Reception | Think.Public.Media.

6:00 - 7:30 PM

When Priska Neely started as managing editor of the Gulf States Newsroom, she was a first-time manager — with no one to manage and nothing to edit. A year and a half later, she’d forged new systems for collaboration, hired a robust team of reporters and editors, and received the 2022 Editor of the Year award from the Public Media Journalists Association. The road between was immensely challenging, with too many pivots to count — continuously building and rebuilding the plane mid-flight. Neely will discuss her leadership philosophy, her journey to confidence, and how to build your journalism skills and network.

Keynote Speaker:

  • Priska Neely, Managing Editor, Gulf States Newsroom

Stacey Foxwell