‘Comings and goings’ on “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast” this week, as RIT experts discuss jobs going overseas . . . and students coming home (and returning to college). RIT public policy professor and job outsourcing expert Ron Hira, author of Outsourcing America, was quoted in two BusinessWeek articles and in The Manufacturer—all on the same day—about issues related to offshore outsourcing. What’s the
On “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast” this week, RIT marketing professors Neil Hair and Gene Fram give their takes on the popular Web site RateMyProfessors.com, where students can anonymously rate professors on qualities such as levels of clarity, “easiness,” helpfulness and, yes, even “hotness” (with red-hot chili pepper icons signifying “hot” professors). Raters may also leave comments, and “smiley” and “frowny” faces indicate overall
Dateline RIT e-newsletter subscribers, Check your e-mail inbox for the February edition of RIT University News Services’ e-newsletter, Dateline: RIT. This month’s issue features news placements from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Christian Science Monitor, Entrepreneur magazine and other publications. Plus, you’ll find links to the most recent episodes of “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast,” campus news highlights from News & Events, and details about
A failing grade for BusinessWeek . . . and lawmakers logging on. On "Dateline: RIT – The Podcast" this week, RIT economics professor Thomas Hopkins gives a lesson in Economics 101 about supply-and-demand price elasticity pertaining to healthcare costs. Dr. Hopkins wrote a letter, appearing in the Jan. 29 edition of BusinessWeek, taking the magazine to task for oversimplifying the issue of healthcare pricing.
This is the long-awaited final segment in a series of Tiger Beat Blog posts on the making of a podcast (specifically, “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast”). First, a refresher. Last time, I described how the purchase of a Marantz PMD660 portable digital recorder helped overcome audio quality challenges. Remaining, though, was the dilemma of how to enhance poor telephone audio quality (remember, I merely
As my New Year’s gift to you, my dear blog readers, podcast aficionados and Vienna Carvalho groupies, I give you a special edition of “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast”: Dateline: RIT – Bloopers & Outtakes This special episode features the funniest bloopers, gaffes, stumbles, #@%* and outtakes so far from season 1 of “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast.” So enjoy laughing along with us—and at
A pause from the usual this week. This isn’t about podcasting . . . placements . . . or public relations. In fact, it’s not about University News at all. Because we’re in the news business, I’d like to use this space (as I occasionally used “space” on my old radio show to recognize local radio greats) to pay tribute to a newspaperman—someone whom
A brief respite (for both of us) this week from “The making of a podcast” to let you know that the latest Dateline: RIT e-newsletter is available now at http://www.rit.edu/~930www/dateline/archive/dateline_dec06.html. The December newsletter includes links to “RIT in the news” stories previously highlighted on “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast,” along with other news story placements (such as Dr. Ron Hira’s recent New York
Last time, I explained why I wanted the capability to record telephone conversations for “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast” newsmaker segments, and why I preferred the phone’s lower audio quality (compared with studio quality) for those segments. But I wanted good telephone audio (not necessarily an oxymoron). The solution for improving audio quality, for phone as well as studio recordings, was twofold. Experimenting with
Having chosen (or, more accurately, settled for) Apple’s GarageBand as the software in which to edit our podcasts, I next needed to pick up some hardware: a microphone or two, mike stands, windscreens (or “pop filters”—the black foam covering the ends of microphones that screens out wind and filters letters that “pop,” such as Ps and Bs), headphones and various audio cables. I also
Almost anyone can create a podcast simply by talking into an iPod or some other type of portable recording device and sharing it through iTunes. Producing a more professional sounding podcast, however, requires additional hardware and software. At University News, we chose an upgraded, but still modest, set-up that for now adequately serves our needs. Here’s how it all came together: Last summer, I
I’ve written quite a bit about audio beds and sound effects in prior posts and comments. I’ll end with this prediction: More podcasters will increasingly utilize beds and sound effects. For listeners, they will help create what I described last time as ‘theater of the mind’ and mark a natural progression as a growing number of podcasts are created using sophisticated audio-editing software and
For those who still haven’t had enough about the sound-effect bed used in “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast,” read on. The background sound effect (the “bed”) is a newsroom teletype. Old timers like Bob, Paul, Kathy and me once worked in newsrooms where the sound of a teletype machine—often multiple teletype machines, with bells signaling bulletins—was, along with police scanners, part of the 24/7
Last time, I addressed, in general terms, the decision to use sound effects in “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast.” Now, a bit more on the choice of specific sound effects. The “swoosh” sounds surrounding the “On the campus” segment serve to set it apart from the “In the news” chapter. In the podcast prototype, swooshes surrounded each actuality—but because they made Paul feel dizzy,
More from behind the scenes of “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast” . . . My headline might be misleading. Although sound effects can be fun, oftentimes less is more (similar to the use of adjectives and exclamation marks in writing). “Dry voice” recordings, though, can be rather bland. Depending on the circumstances, of course. Back at my college radio station, WGSU-FM, I once produced a
Continuing with more from behind the scenes of “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast” . . . Several weeks ago, following discussions with colleagues about future University News podcasting, I conceived the idea of an audio version of Dateline: RIT, the e-newsletter, as a complement to its older sibling and an ideal foray into podcasting. Thus, “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast” was born, in concept. From
Last time, I introduced “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast”—part of a family of new-media services from University News aimed at keeping you updated on coverage of RIT news and RIT people in the news. This time, the inside story (part one) on the vision behind the podcast, e-newsletter, “Dateline: RIT” blog posts and forthcoming “Dateline: RIT” Web site. The purposes of each are to
“Dateline: RIT – The Podcast” has arrived. As detailed in an earlier post, “Dateline: RIT – The Podcast” is part of a family of new-media services from University News—each branded with the “Dateline” moniker—keeping you updated on coverage of RIT news and RIT people in the news. The biweekly podcast, monthly e-newsletter (soon to be expanded), regular blog posts and forthcoming new Web site offer
Last time, I reprinted a portion of an e-mail conversation between Karen Black, NTID director of media relations, and me about the role of this blog. Our conversation continues: Karen: Your radio analogy is a good one. To that point, have we asked our audience what they want? Do we know what they want, or are we making assumptions? Have we surveyed them to
Last time, I discussed word choice in the catch phrase of this blog’s theme, Behind the scenes of RIT University News. This time, a broader perspective on the theme. Following a recent University News staff meeting, Karen Black, NTID director of media relations, wrote to say that it seems our new-media ventures—including this blog—are taking off. Knowing that Karen’s a blog skeptic, I responded by saying
The theme of this blog—Behind the scenes of RIT University News—is emblazoned across the top of this page. In marketing parlance, the phrase conveys our “unique selling proposition,” or our single core message. Just like a commercial slogan, it must be easily understood in a few words (not always an easy task) and achievable. The theme is also our promise to you, which we
I read recently that the average American reads only about a book a year. I’m sure the number is greater in higher education—among both faculty and students—but it made me realize: I guess I’m not “average” (at least not this year—I’m working on my sixth since around the start of the year). Just days ago, I bought four more—one about the FCC, two on
Last time, I explained that RIT University News is exploring podcasting. One of our first regular podcasts might be an audio version of Dateline: RIT, a monthly e-newsletter that highlights select RIT news placements and News & Events stories. Because a primary mission of University News is publicizing RIT news (see More on who we are and what we do), I hope to expand
First blogging. Now podcasting. It’s an exciting time for University News as we venture into “new media” territory for news and information dissemination. (That’s especially true for people like me—when I began in radio, I wrote newscasts using a typewriter, edited audiotape with a razor blade, and cued up vinyl records on a turntable.) In my first blog post back in March, I explained
Introducing a new regular feature on The Tiger Beat Blog: Inside the Pages of News & Events In coming weeks, News & Events Managing Editor Vienna Carvalho-McGrain will begin taking you behind the scenes of University News and offering an insider’s look at some of what goes on behind the walls of Building 86 (our campus home). For example, she’ll share insight behind
The answer to the question posed in the headline may surprise you. First, last time I explained that just like “real” reporters we don’t “spin” like some PR flacks. In fact, we avoid editorializing in our news releases and stories all together. Honest. We know from experience that burnishing a news release won’t necessarily make it newsworthy. (In this regard, the farther newswriting
Last time, I explained what we do in University News Services (see More on who we are and what we do). Here’s the crib sheet: Media relations This time, I’ll expand on who we (collectively) are. As Silandara recently wrote, most of us previously worked in the media—and, as the adage goes, it stays in your blood. As media-obsessed news junkies, we probably read the newspaper
In follow-up to Brandon’s recent post, What do we do?, I thought it would be beneficial as a PR tip to expand on his answer by explaining more about who we are and what we do in University News Services. When new acquaintances inquire about what I do for a living, I often reply, “I work in public relations.” That’s the easy answer—although it’s
You now know the first rule of public relations. (For those needing a refresher, see The first rule of public relations.) But why does a professor need to know this? After all, don’t those of us working in media relations (public information officers, or PIOs, as we’re also commonly known) write the news releases and stories? Yes, but professors typically approve our drafts prior to
I’ve been following, with some amusement, the reaction to my recent Democrat and Chronicle essay, in which I introduced a term—wrogging—to describe high-quality writing on a blog—a word that, I predict, will be in the dictionary before the turn of the century. (Note to bloggers: j o k i n g.) Here’s a sampling: jane, responding to a post by Seth Hopkins, at Cup O’
One afternoon last fall, I stood before my Public Relations Writing students a couple days after we had a guest speaker and I offered a confession that went something like this: “In case you were wondering, I inform our guest speakers beforehand of the broad topic, but I never tell them what to say. And, believe me, that has led to some anxious moments
You may have seen my guest essay, in which I did some flogging on blogging and wrogging, in the op-ed section of the Democrat and Chronicle on March 27. If you’ve been following the discussion here the past couple weeks—particularly the one surrounding my March 17 post, “Writing vs. blogging: Why they’re not the same thing”—it’s easy to discern the inspiration for my D&C
In my previous post, I raised the issue of blog and blogger credibility. So, you decide if you feel I’m qualified to post public relations tips here. My background: I have more than 20 years of professional experience in the media and public relations. Before ‘switching sides’ for good, I worked in radio for 18 years, and I was a regional reporter for The Buffalo
This, dear faceless blog readers, is my first original (non-follow-up comment) post. My first post here—to this year-old Weblog—and my first post to any blog, anywhere. You see, I’m what you could call a blog skeptic. I hasten to add, I’m not a Luddite. I work online at a computer everyday, occasionally post to a message board and believe podcasting has promise. But, I