Registration Opens for TAB’s Southwest Broadcast Newsroom Workshop

posted on 9.10.2024

- Slated Oct. 19 for SMU Campus in Dallas

Registration is now open for TAB's annual Southwest Broadcast Newsroom Workshop designed for professional journalists, educators and college students. The workshop will take place Saturday, Oct. 19, from 8:45 am to 6 pm, at the Umphrey Lee Center on the SMU Campus in Dallas, with badge pick-up starting at 7:30 am.

Nationally known presenters Al Tompkins, Brendan Keefe, and Deborah Potter will be presenting multiple sessions throughout the day-long workshop.

Al Tompkins, recently retired from the Poynter Institute, will explore AI and its potential for negative and positive impact on newsrooms and the newsgathering process.

Former network reporter Deborah Potter will present three sessions focusing news writing for impact; best practices for interviewing, and as noted below, an election night and political accountability coverage session featuring Texas journalists.

National award-winning MMJ Brendan Keefe of Atlanta's WANF-TV/Atlanta News First, will cover MMJ basics and advanced techniques by demonstrating with the tools he uses to create standout stories. Other Keefe sessions will review tech tools investigative and general assignment reporters can use to add context and depth to their reporting, as well as a session on visual storytelling. Keefe is well-known nationally for his MMJ prowess. These are "don't-miss" opportunities for MMJ novices and veterans to improve their skills.

IRE Panels, Legal Briefing, Political & Justice System Coverage

Texas members of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) will present three investigatory panels focusing on open records request basics; utilizing data in spreadsheets for enterprise reporting; and telling those tough, non-visual stories that are data-based.

Presenters include IRE executive director Diana Fuentes; longtime Texas investigative reporters Tayna Eiserer, WFAA-TV; Josh Hinkle, KXAN-TV Austin; and Aparna Zalani, a former KTVT-TV investigative producer now working for CBS' Local News Innovation Lab.

Eiserer, Hinkle and Zalani have all racked up numerous regional and national news awards for investigative reporting. Tom Williams, a media-law and TPIA/TOMA attorney with TAB Associate member law firm Haynes Boone LLP will take part in the session focusing on the open records request process.

A separate legal session will focus on Texas and federal law impacting newsgathering and will feature attorneys with TAB's state legal counsel Jackson Walker LLP, Emily Carlton, and Marc Fuller.

Other panels will feature Texas newsroom standouts on topics of benefit to radio and television newsrooms. For example, Phil Prazan, KXAS-TV; Jason Whitely, WFAA-TV; will join Potter in a discussion of election night coverage and holding the elected accountable. Prazan is a longtime KXAS reporter and co-host of Lone Star Politics. Whitely is a longtime WFAA reporter and host of the Inside Texas Politics program as well as the Y'all-itics podcast. Murrow Award-winning KRLD reporter L.P. Phillips will explore ways to make courtroom and justice system coverage interesting, relevant, and engaging to audiences.

View the full schedule and register here

There is a $10 break on the price of registration for those who act before Oct. XX.

The early professional registration is $65. Students may register early for $55. The fees increase to $75 and $65 respectively after the early registration period ends.

Registration includes lunch. There will be light breakfast refreshments and coffee in the Mack Ballroom prior to the start of the opening session at 8:45 am.

Career Panels for Students

While the workshop is geared toward professionals, there are also three career-related sessions. Station student interns as well as college, university and high school students are encouraged to attend.

Student topics include finding mentors and coaches, making the transition from the classroom to the newsroom, and the do's and don'ts of job seeking in today's marketplace.

These career-focused sessions feature DFW area general managers, news directors, newsroom managers, as well as three former SMU students now working in a Texas newsroom: Melia Masumoto, KVUE-TV Austin ('22); Logan McElroy-Williams, WFAA-TV Dallas-Fort Worth ('21); and Lauren Rangel, KTBC-TV Austin ('21).

Questions? Contact TAB's Michael Schneider or call (512) 322-9944.

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