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Wicked Pickett

richard

Originally posted January 2006. Pickett died Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2006

Boomers’ Influence Felt in Front-Page Selection

The death of ’60s R&B star Wilson Pickett – once nicknamed “Wicked Pickett” – made front pages he never did in life.

But then, the baby boomers who run newspapers today weren’t doing so when Pickett was at his peak.

“Any list of the greatest songs in the history of rock would be incomplete without several entries by Detroit main man Wilson Pickett, who died of a heart attack today at the age of 64,” Brad Kava wrote Thursday in his blog on the Web site of the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News.

“His ‘Mustang Sally’ is to bar bands what ‘Stairway to Heaven’ is to FM classic rock radio. It’s probably safe to say that in some bar around the world, at this exact minute, a dance floor is filled with people shuffling to it being played by some cover band.

“‘In the Midnight Hour’ was just as big in the 1960s.”

Even the New York Times, which skipped over many notables of color as front-page obituary candidates last year, had a short mention of Pickett out front, referring to a 712-word story inside. More common were photos and texts pointing readers to the inside obituary, though many papers left the singer off the front page entirely. Papers with black journalists serving as top editor were more likely to give Pickett good real estate.

The Montgomery Advertiser (PDF) in Alabama apparently gave the Prattville, Ala.-born singer’s death the most prominent display, with an Associated Press obituary written on deadline by Nekesa Mumbi Moody running down the left-hand side of the page. [Added Jan. 21: The paper followed up Saturday with a story about local reaction, since Prattville is in the Advertiser’s circulation area, Executive Editor Wanda Lloyd said.]

The nearby Mobile (Ala.) Register and Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger also had Pickett out front, with the Clarion-Ledger advertising the story over the paper’s nameplate.

“We consider Wilson Pickett a part of a long line of great R&B artists originating out of the South,” Clarion-Ledger Executive Editor Ronnie Agnew told Journal-isms. “His music, like the music of Mississippians Little Milton and [Johnnie] Taylor, is of a lasting nature, transcending time and generations. When we heard of his passing, our features editor Jamesetta Walker called her mother. You would have thought the man was still at the top of the charts by her reaction. But that’s typical here. The music of great people like Wilson Pickett is still hot on the club scene all around Jackson and Mississippi. We’re not stuck in the 1960s and 70s; we just like good music. And if we don’t stop to celebrate the great life of musicians like Pickett, who will?”

Pickett did not resonate only with Southerners. “There are a lot of folks who grew up on music that Wilson Pickett made and passed it on eventually to their children,” Rick Rodriguez, executive editor of the Sacramento (Calif.) Bee, told Journal-isms. “You look at ‘Mustang Sally’ and ‘Midnight Hour.’ His name might not have been a household name, but his songs were. We just think he is [an] . . . R&B artist that a lot of people related to and listened to as they were growing up.”

The Bee (PDF) featured a front-page photo of Pickett over two columns and the words, “He Was a Soul Man.”

“We feel like Wilson Pickett and earlier, Lou Rawls, were tremendous contributors to popular music – certainly in different areas, easy listening for Lou Rawls and soul, R&B and blues for Wilson Pickett,” said William “Skip” Hidlay, executive editor of the Asbury Park Press (PDF) in Neptune, N.J., which also played Pickett’s death over the nameplate. “For us, it was never a matter of debate. They were important contributors to American culture.”

At the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times (PDF), Pickett’s photo was featured prominently in the lead item in the “The Times Today” column down the left-hand side of the front page, under the headline, “His voice had passion, power.” Jeanne Grinstead, deputy managing editor acknowledged the influence of boomers.

“Our readers share a wide variety of interests, and high on the list are news items from the world of entertainment,” she said. “It is not unusual to prominently tease to wider coverage of a celebrity’s death inside the newspaper. Last weekend, for example, we gave the top tease position in our news digest to the death of actress Shelley Winters at age 85. We believe the death of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Wilson Pickett was of particular interest to music lovers and Baby Boomers, who grew up with and fondly remember such songs as ‘In the Midnight Hour’ and ‘Mustang Sally.'”

But just in case younger folks had no clue about Pickett or what “Midnight Hour” was about, National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” had guitarist Steve Cropper, a legend himself who played with Pickett, explain:

“The song is about ‘I’m going to wait until the midnight hour is’ – that’s when everybody’s gone to bed. You and I are going to do our thing, you know, we’re going to learn each other, learn about each other and we’re going to have some fun that nobody is around to witness.”

Other papers that played Pickett prominently included the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer, Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch and Memphis Commercial Appeal, according to a survey of front pages on the Newseum’s Web site.

Pickett was also on the front page of the Birmingham (Ala.) News; Arizona Republic; Daily Breeze, Torrance, Calif.; Los Angeles Daily News; Los Angeles Times; San Francisco Chronicle; Washington Post; Washington Times; Bradenton (Fla.) Herald; Lakeland (Fla.) Ledger; South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Savannah (Ga.) Morning News; Macon (Ga.) Telegraph; Chicago Tribune; Indianapolis Star; Boston Globe; Detroit News; St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Billings (Mont.) Gazette; Press of Atlantic City, N.J.; Newark Star-Ledger; Binghamton (N.Y.) Press & Sun-Bulletin; Albany (N.Y.) Times Union; Charlotte (N.C.) Observer; Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer; Pittsburgh Tribune-Review; Philadelphia Inquirer; Reading (Pa.) Eagle; Providence Journal; The State, Columbia, S.C.; Nashville Tennessean; Austin American-Statesman; Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise; Fort Worth Star-Telegram; Longview (Texas) News-Journal; USA Today; Norfolk Virginian Pilot; Everett (Wash.) Herald; Seattle Post-Intelligencer; Seattle Times; Spokane (Wash.) Spokesman-Review and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

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Writer for Black Paper Admits Being Paid by Source

“Throughout the six-month trial that led to Richard Scrushy’s acquittal in the $2.7 billion fraud at HealthSouth Corp., a small, influential newspaper consistently printed articles sympathetic to the defense of the fired CEO,” Jay Reeves reported Thursday for the Associated Press.

“Audry Lewis, the author of those stories in The Birmingham Times, the city’s oldest black-owned paper, now says she was secretly working on behalf of Scrushy, who she says paid her $11,000 through a public relations firm and typically read her articles before publication.

“Documents obtained by The Associated Press show The Lewis Group wrote a $5,000 check to Audry Lewis on April 29, 2005 – the day Scrushy hired the company. The head of the company, Times founder Jesse J. Lewis Sr., is not related to Audry Lewis.

“Jesse Lewis, whose son James E. Lewis Sr. is listed as the paper’s editor, denied being part of any scheme to plant favorable coverage of Scrushy in the paper. ‘We are in the advertising and public relations business, period,’ he said.

“. . . Audry Lewis’ columns were uniformly flattering toward the defense, both before and after money changed hands. After Scrushy hired The Lewis Group, her stories moved from inside the newspaper to the front page.

“The day jurors got the case, the Times featured a front-page piece by Audry Lewis saying ‘pastors and community leaders have rallied around Scrushy showing him the support of the Christian and African American community.’

“Audry Lewis said she initially wrote the columns and submitted them to the paper for free because she believed Scrushy was innocent.

“Scrushy liked the pieces and began paying her to write the articles midway through the case, she said.”

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Source Board Fires David Mays, “Benzino” Scott

Raymond “Benzino” Scott and David Mays of The Source hip-hop magazine have been fired by the magazine’s board of directors, which installed Jeremy Miller, a former chief operating officer of the magazine, as its president and CEO, the board announced today.

It was the latest episode in the saga of the embattled magazine. In November, Aina Hunter wrote in the Village Voice, “given the number of hits they’re taking – tens of millions in credit claims and lawsuits, arrests, even murder charges against key staffers – it’s amazing that Scott, fellow co-owner David Mays, and rookie editor Dasun Allah can put out a magazine at all. Just keeping track of the major court cases advancing this month is a task.”

Mays and his friend Jon Schecter were Harvard undergraduates in 1988 when they founded The Source as a one-page sheet. Rapper “Benzino” later became co-owner with Mays.

The board of directors’ news release said, “Miller was instrumental in The Source’s success as he worked for the magazine for nearly 15 years by building the magazine’s circulation and serving as Chief Operating Officer where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the magazine and its publishing division. Miller currently publishes Down magazine, a magazine he created, a year ago, when he left The Source. Down magazine is dedicated to southern hip-hop music and culture and continues to be published.

“. . . David Mays, previous CEO and Ray “Benzino” Scott, former president of The Source magazine were terminated by The Board of Directors of Source Enterprises, Inc. At this point, they are fully cooperating with the board’s transition.”

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In Reversal, CNN Pledges $50G to Native Journalists

CNN has pledged $50,000 to the Native American Journalists Association’s scholarship program for broadcast students, NAJA President Mike Kellogg announced today, seven months after CNN donated $1 million to the national associations of black, Hispanic and Asian American journalists and left out NAJA.

CNN spokeswoman Christa Robinson’s office told Journal-isms then, “CNN chose the three organizations with which it had the most extensive relationships.”

But today’s announcement was effusive in its praise for CNN.

“This most recent gift continues CNN’s generous support for Native journalism and journalists of color,” the NAJA statement said.

“In today’s world, it is imperative that a news organization such as CNN employ a diversity of journalists that reflect the diversity of the world they cover,” Jim Walton, CNN Worldwide president, said in the release. “To that end, this donation helps ensure that CNN and other news organizations encourage more minority students to consider journalism as a career.”

NAJA Executive Director Kim Baca was quoted as saying, “Native Americans continue to be the most underrepresented group in TV. Receiving this gift is a positive step in rectifying this situation. NAJA is addressing the lack of Native Americans in the broadcast field by creating programs to attract Native students where career interests start.” She added that NAJA is working with the Radio-Television News Directors Foundation for a weeklong summer high school radio program in 2007.

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Services Monday for Former Anchor Cheryle Keck

Added Jan. 22

Services are scheduled Monday morning in Houston for former television anchor Cheryle Keck, who died Tuesday at age 39.

Keck came to KTRK-TV in September 1998 and left in 2004 for health reasons, Bruce Westbrook wrote Friday in the Houston Chronicle. While KTRK disclosed neither the nature of the illness nor other basic details, others said Keck had lupus. She leaves a 22-month-old daughter.

“I cannot believe she is gone. I knew she had lupus but had no idea she was this ill. Her daughter’s picture is on my refrigerator — my heart goes out to her,” Natalie Wester of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, wrote in the station’s online guest book. Keck had worked at stations in New Orleans, Cleveland, Grand Rapids, Mich., and Greenville, N.C.

“She began work here as KTRK’s weekend morning news anchor,” Westbrook wrote.

“A year later she became co-anchor of the weekday Eyewitness News show, from 5 to 7 a.m., alongside co-anchor Tom Koch. She replaced Gina Gaston, now an evening news anchor,” and also did reporting.

A year ago, the Chronicle’s Ken Hoffman wrote, “For the past year, the No. 1 question I received from readers was, ‘What’s happened to Channel 13’s anchor Cheryle Keck?’ It was a tough one to answer. Keck was advertised as the co-anchor of Channel 13’s morning news, yet she never appeared on the show.” Hoffman quoted News Director David Strickland saying “Cheryle has elected to leave the station for health reasons.”

“We didn’t even know that she was ill,” viewers Jid, Norma and Lori Veasquez of Pasadena, Texas, wrote in the guest book on the Chronicle’s site. “We remember list[en]ing to her when the baby was born[. S]he called during the morning news telling everyone live from the hospital how her baby girl [w]as doing fine and she was going to be back to work soon, and she did return not long after. God was calling her back home to become a angel of heaven. We’ll miss her presence but Ms.Keck spirit & memories will live on through her baby, family & friends.”

The death notice for Cheryle Denise Keck-Griffin said services would begin Monday at 10 a.m. at St. Michael Catholic Church, 1801 Sage Road in Houston. Visitation starts at 9.

Miami Herald Writer Faces $5,000 Fine for Contempt

“Miami Herald staff writer Ana Veciana-Suarez pleaded guilty Wednesday to a contempt-of-court charge for not disclosing her father’s criminal history during jury selection for a 2003 federal civil trial,” Jay Weaver reported Thursday in the Herald.

“The plea agreement in Miami federal court calls for a $5,000 fine but no jail time. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen T. Brown, who called the offense ‘extremely serious,’ must still approve the deal, which was recommended by Veciana-Suarez’s lawyer, William Clay, and the U.S. attorney’s office.

“The sentencing hearing is set for Jan. 26. The violation – a petty misdemeanor – carries a maximum of 30 days in jail and/or a fine. Though it was not part of the deal, Veciana-Suarez voluntarily filed a personal apology with the court.”

”I can’t begin to express how sorry I am,” she wrote in a one-page statement, according to the story. ”I don’t want this apology to be misconstrued as an excuse, because there is none,” Veciana-Suarez said, explaining that she withheld the information during jury selection “to protect my father and my family,'” the story continued.

“. . . In December, Miami federal prosecutors sought a criminal contempt-of-court charge against Veciana-Suarez for allegedly failing to disclose her father’s past criminal conviction during the jury-selection process.

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Why Angela Bofill Lacks Health Insurance

As reported Wednesday, singer Angela Bofill suffered a stroke and is paralyzed on her left side, less than three months after she entertained 291 attendees at the Oct. 15 awards gala of the National Association of Black Journalists in Washington. Bofill has no health insurance, her manager said.

Today, David Nathan, chairman of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, explained on National Public Radio’s “News and Notes” with Ed Gordon how Bofill could find herself in such a situation.

“You know, she . . . does not receive royalties on a regular basis, believe it or not, from her recordings. I’m sure that hasn’t helped her financial situation,” Nathan said. “For artists, and for many of the rest of us, you know, insurance costs are high, and I guess we probably assume that recording artists, performing artists have some huge amount of money that they generate and therefore they shouldn’t be amongst that group. But that’s just not the case.

“We’re waiting for the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, which is an organization that I’m on the board of – we are waiting, actually, to get an application from her family,” Nathan continued. “Unfortunately, we regularly receive requests in situations like this. In fact, it’s almost like one of the reasons the Rhythm and Blues Foundation exists is to actually assist artists in these kind of predicaments. Unless you reach mega-superstar status, you really don’t see any record royalties because, you know, of course, it ends up being essentially a loan.

“I mean, what happens, you know, is that when you make a record, there’s a budget and that budget is charged against your future earnings and, you know, if – unless you get a very large advance up front, then, you know, you’re not going to see any royalties on the back end. And when they receive that advance, instead of thinking of that as an amount of money that they need to use over a period of years, they end up spending it pretty quickly. And then they’re stuck because there’s no more money coming until the record sells in the millions and millions. So it is a pro – it’s endemic, it’s kind of part of this system of the music industry, which is why I think a lot of artists now are turning to making their own records and putting them out on their own labels and to independent means rather than depending on the system that has existed for really since the beginning of the recording industry.”

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Ex-Pro Cornerback a Successful Magazine Publisher

“Ryan McNeil covered his last receiver as a Denver Bronco cornerback in 2004, retiring from professional football after an 11-year career,” Bill Mickey writes in the “Startup Stories” cover story of the current Folio magazine, known as the magazine about magazines.

“Leading up to his retirement, McNeil had been moonlighting as president and CEO of the Professional Business and Financial Network, a Web-based resource and networking community for professional athletes who are also budding entrepreneurs.

“PBFN offered networking opportunities through the site and seminars and conferences, but McNeil felt a magazine would complete the picture. OT (short for Overtime) launched in mid-2004 and has since taken on a life of its own, moving beyond a member benefit to a profitable quarterly with slow but steady circulation growth.

“If PBFN is all about helping pro athletes, not just football players, enter and succeed in business, then OT extends that mission and adds a lifestyle twist.

“The title, initially launched to a controlled circulation of 25,000, offers business, health, financial and luxury lifestyle coverage for (mostly male) professional athletes of any sporting persuasion, and also targets their agents, coaches, management and other pro-sport insiders with an average annual income of $1.5 million. OT fills an opportunity left vacant by Street & Smith’s Pro, which shut down after four issues five years ago.

“McNeil, who is OT’s publisher and editor-in-chief, says his combination of lifestyle with business coverage and a willingness to let the magazine slowly mature is a formula for success.”

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“Other” Gulf Coast Residents Beg for Coverage

“Nicki Henderson has had plenty of reasons to be angry since Hurricane Katrina destroyed her Biloxi home, but it was a simple news item about dislocated dolphins that really made her blood boil,” Michael Kunzelman wrote Monday for the Associated Press.

“Henderson lost her temper when she logged on to her computer and spotted this headline: ‘New Orleans Dolphins Find New Home.’ She knew the dolphins actually came from a hurricane-ravaged marine park in Gulfport, not New Orleans.

“The headline writer’s error reinforced her belief – shared by many on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast – that New Orleans has gotten a disproportionate share of the news coverage and the nation’s attention in the aftermath of the storm, now more than four months gone.

“There is a growing sense the catastrophic damage along Mississippi’s 70-mile stretch of coastline is being treated as a mere footnote to the story in New Orleans, which was ravaged by flooding.

“Worse, some say the lack attention could hamper the recovery of an area that had experienced an economic renaissance in the past decade thanks to billions of dollars of investment by major casino and hotel companies.”

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2 More Out at Chicago Telemundo Station

“A top news anchor and a veteran reporter have been cut in a realignment of resources at WSNS-Channel 44, the Telemundo Spanish-language station,” Robert Feder reported today in the Chicago Sun-Times.

“Esmeralda Medellin, who has been anchoring Channel 44’s 5 and 10 p.m. weekday newscasts with Vicente Serrano, is on her way out after three years. She joined the station from Telemundo’s KDFW-TV in Dallas. No replacement for her has been named.

“Already gone is general assignment reporter Gustavo Rosales, who joined Channel 44 in 1997 from Univision Radio’s WIND-AM (560) and WOJO-FM (105.1), where he was an anchor and reporter.”

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March 31 Deadline for Editorial-Writing Seminar . . .

March 31 is the deadline to apply for the 11th annual Minority Writers Seminar to be held May 4-7 in Nashville at the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute at Vanderbilt University, the National Conference of Editorial Writers Foundation announced this week.

Enrollment is limited to 25 for the seminar, sponsored by the foundation in partnership with the Diversity Institute and supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation.

“Its purpose is to give experienced minority journalists an opportunity to explore the nuts-and-bolts of opinion writing and encourage them to consider making a career move. Minority journalists who have been writing opinion less than two years may also apply,” the announcement says. More information is available on the NCEW Web site.

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. . . and for American Indian Journalism Institute

The Freedom Forum is accepting nominations for the sixth annual American Indian Journalism Institute (AIJI) “the nation’s premier training program for Native American journalism students. The application deadline is March 31,” the foundation announced Jan. 13.

“In its first five years, AIJI graduated 127 Native American students. AIJI will take place at the Freedom Forum’s Al Neuharth Media Center and the University of South Dakota in Vermillion June 4-23. Any Native American college student with an interest in becoming a newspaper journalist may apply,” the announcement said.

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