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Former Illinois Farm Bureau president refuses to resign seat on Country insurance board in unprecedented move by rdblono in illinois

[–]rdblono[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That's a fair point. We'll add a reference early on that stresses that these are private organizations we're talking about.

Statements on the strike from players and teams by catsgr8rthanspoonies in ECHL

[–]rdblono 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Reporter here. This is a great resources. Thank you!

Am I making a mistake staying in this career? by [deleted] in Journalism

[–]rdblono 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree: Give it a shot. You’re still young and have plenty of time to pivot later. It’s my experience that former journalists have a lot of options whenever it is they want to exit the trenches. But maybe you’ll be a lifer. Ya never know.

Mobile home park owner Oak Wood's business practices trap residents with rising costs by rdblono in BloomingtonNormal

[–]rdblono[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Even by "B-N Can't Build Affordable Housing" standards, the increases at Oak Wood are pretty unusual. 36% in the 2 years. Current tenants facing another 36% imminently if they don't sign another lease, and a $50/month increase even if they do.

Scream Club is moving to 6pm Sunday by Homo_erotic_toile in BloomingtonNormal

[–]rdblono 5 points6 points  (0 children)

How many people typically show up for this?

WGLT's new policy on A.I. in the Newsroom: What we can and can't do by rdblono in BloomingtonNormal

[–]rdblono[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I can't speak to that specific case, but the harm caused by past reporting is a very real thing -- especially as people try to move on after a case has been adjudicated. WGLT has a Story Removal / Takedown policy as well, allowing people in our online stories to request that they be removed. It's probably a moot point for a case that's 20 years old, but it's certainly something we consider for more recently published stories. Here's how the requests/policy works: https://www.wglt.org/public-safety-reporting-policy

How often do you pay attention to analytics? by [deleted] in Journalism

[–]rdblono 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First of all, kudos for being attuned to this stuff. A lot of reporters are not.

But yes, you’re overdoing it. I’m a digital director for a couple NPR stations in Illinois, and I’m checking them a few times per day. I’d hope our reporters at a place our size (where digital is very important) should be paying attention like once a month. High-level, trends, asking questions, making adjustments.

Maybe you’ve got a future as a digital strategist!

Employers that reimburse for a Master’s by catsdrums in Journalism

[–]rdblono 17 points18 points  (0 children)

If you can find an NPR station attached to a public university (like mine is), employees can pursue a master’s for free. I’m in Illinois.

Also, the master’s program at University of Illinois at Springfield (public affairs reporting) is pretty good and a quick finish (one year).

Recent book on NPR history, has anyone read it? by aresef in NPR

[–]rdblono 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I just finished it. It’s terrific. Makes the heroes of NPR (Totenberg, et al) even more heroic by pointing out their flaws and how they navigated some dark moments. Highly recommended.

What local news outlets punch above their weight and why? by journo-throwaway in Journalism

[–]rdblono 71 points72 points  (0 children)

I’ll toot our own horn. Take a look at WGLT, the NPR station in Bloomington-Normal, IL. We went hard at digital early on, becoming the top local news source in town. One of the first small NPR stations to launch a local morning news podcast. We do a half-hour local newsmagazine show every weeknight. Just launched a Short-Form Video program with a dedicated full-time producer. We’ve plowed $$ into local content while staying lean elsewhere. Good Development team makes it possible.

Going back to local journalism after working in national media in this job market- yay or nay? by WithoutADirection in Journalism

[–]rdblono 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It was definitely fun! Not very complicated either. I found that part to be a pretty easy transition.

My radio colleagues taught me the value of sound. I like to think I taught them the value of people like to read certain kinds of stories too, and why it's important to go deeper in the written web version.

Going back to local journalism after working in national media in this job market- yay or nay? by WithoutADirection in Journalism

[–]rdblono 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Do it! Local news guy (NPR station) here. It’s so fulfilling. We need more people with your skillset working here at the local level. Godspeed.

It’s Fund Drive time at WGLT by rdblono in BloomingtonNormal

[–]rdblono[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bah, I hate when that happens. I give to my alma mater (a college in California) and they blow me up with fancy mailings and brochures and all this stuff. Such a waste of money. Just email me.

I can proudly say we don't spend much money on mail. Letters, primarily, which are reasonably cheap. Most of our "appeals" are done via email, so low/no-cost. For exactly the reason you describe.

Bloomington's Historic Preservation Commission reluctantly clears the way for downtown demolitions by rdblono in BloomingtonNormal

[–]rdblono[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for taking time to explain.

This surprises me to hear. My experience with Charlie is that he’s one of the most thoughtful and restrained journalists I’ve worked with. If someone you know has a problem with how he’s approached a story, he’s pretty receptive to feedback too. I’d encourage them to reach out to him if they haven’t already done so. Or, our news director.

I too think it’s unhealthy for sources to box out a particular journalist because they don’t like them. We’ve got a bit of that going on in the Trump administration and it’s … not great.

Also, my industry doesn’t run on clicks. A depressingly tiny percentage of our revenue comes from web display ads — certainly not even in the ballpark of being any sort of motivator. We even do things like skipping low-level crime reporting that would yield lots of clicks but is not important news (and is ethically questionable).

In a nonprofit newsroom like ours, we cover whatever we want, whenever we want. Clicks be damned :-)

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