Today I watched the news (literally) as it happened. Sitting in the WJZ studio, I was surprised at how many elements work together to make a news broadcast successful.

During the studio tour of WJZ - part of my internship at Himmelrich PR - I go to watch a live studio broadcast for the first time.

To my left, two technicians, sat behind computers, a teleprompter, and over 10 small monitors focused on different anchors and feeds. Beyond them, Don Scott reported live in front of a green screen. Straight ahead, Bernadette Woods checked her notes on her next weather forecast, and to my right, Jessica Kartalija waited for the cameraman to cue her next story.

For the latter half of the broadcast, I watched from the control room. Four producers watched a bank of monitors and timers flicking through the seconds of the broadcast. Each of them informed the news anchors, cameramen, and the audio tech of the countdowns until commercial breaks, relayed cues to on-air talent, and evaluated if all the stories prepared could air in the allotted time.

My experience at the studio gave me a new appreciation for the fast-paced, whirlwind environment that news stations thrive in every day to produce what, on our televisions screens at home, appears effortless.

But then again, that’s the magic of television, isn’t it?

Ally Burton

It’s a little strange to me to be writing a blog post about blog posts. But it’s worth acknowledging the recent commentaries by Van Reiner, president of the Maryland Science Center, Irene Hofmann, executive director of the Contemporary Museum, and Larry Rosenberg from the Mark Building Company on the Audacious Ideas blog that the Open Society Institute-Baltimore maintains.

Audacious Ideas is a collection of thoughtful essays written by Baltimore’s citizens and leaders, offering creative perspectives and solutions for a variety of issues, ranging from specific topics like education and drug treatment, to broad thinking about justice and equality.  I think the blog has a refreshing egalitarianism, where the ideas of young students are presented in the same forum and style as those of a CEO. Both are equally open to the praise or scorn of the audience.

What’s most impressive about the blog is that it is a discussion, and not just among the authors who have offered their ideas.  People are reading and responding and commenting –thoughtfully—and in some cases, are taking real steps to address the issues presented on the blog. And, in a time when thoughts are increasingly shared through mobile devices with a flash of furious thumbs, or in short bursts in transient social media spaces, it’s a nice change of pace to see critical subjects measured with deliberate and careful consideration.

After all, don’t good ideas deserve it?

A neighborhood for the community…by the community
by Larry Rosenberg

A vibrant contemporary arts scene creates a vibrant city
by Irene Hofmann

Informal science education enhances classroom learning
by Van Reiner

Tom Hall appropriately opened the Maryland Morning segment about the Contemporary Museum’s next Mobtown Modern concert “All in the Game”, with an Olympic tie in…

“The Olympics aren’t the only games that are catching our attention these days, what you’re hearing – it’s just a game, at least it’s a game if you’re John Zorn…”

I saw him read that line three times last week during an interview with Contemporary Museum executive director Irene Hofmann and Mobtown Modern curator Brian Sacawa. As an intern at Himmelrich PR, it was the first radio show I’d seen as it was being recorded.

This unique, educational experience is a perfect illustration of how an institution can successfully reinforce its message. Irene did a great job explaining the relationship between the museum and the series – making new art, new ideas, and in this case new music, accessible to a broad audience.

Mobtown Modern will present composer John Zorn’s infamous “game piece” COBRA tomorrow at the Metro Gallery, in a performance that lacks any musical notation. Instead a referee holds up cue cards to guide musicians through the performance (which Brian actually brought into the studio and held up as he talked about the piece).

Check out the segment on Maryland Morning’s website.

Samantha Winer

Himmelrich PR was mentioned in a Baltimore Sun story today about how local businesses are coping with the record snowfall that hit Baltimore this week.  “Our productivity is not tied to the physical space of our office,” said Steve Himmelrich.  Read the story here.

For the media:

Following is the status of Himmelrich PR clients’ events postponed this week due to the impending snow storm:

Tuesday, February 9
Business Volunteers Unlimited: Volunteer Cafe
rescheduled for February 17

Wednesday, February 10
Ballard Spahr: “Breakfast with Ballard Spahr”
postponed; new date in March to be selected shortly

Wednesday, February 10
Contemporary Museum and Slant Six Creative: Second Shore Film Series screening of “Lemonade”
postponed; new date in March to be announced shortly

Thursday, February 11
Maryland Science Center: “Lust, Romance, Attachment: The Drive to Love and Who We Choose” lecture by Dr. Helen Fisher
postponed; new date in March to be announced shortly

Thursday, February 11
Contemporary Museum: New Art Dialogue series lecture with Art in America editor Richard Vine
postponed: new date to be announced shortly

For information about the status of other previously-confirmed interviews, on-site tours and tapings, please call us at 410.528.5400.  24 hour media line: 410-925-1014

What do public relations professionals do when stuck at home for a weekend because of a record 24” snowfall?  A quick survey of our staff reveals that we:

- shoveled: driveways, streets, alleys, cars, neighbors’ cars, mothers’ cars, sidewalks, paths, mazes for children, sled jumps in driveways
- baked: cookies, brownies, banana bread, potato chips, pigs in a blanket, bacon-wrapped tater tots
- partied: with neighbors, for the Super Bowl, at bars, alone
- laundered: clothes
- sled: at MICA’s huge hill, with aforementioned children
- surfed: websites
- watched: Super Bowl, news, bad made-for-TV movies, complete seasons (Burn Notice, Arrested Development, Big Love)
- hung: curtains, pictures, aforementioned laundry
- listened to: LPs, iTunes, podcasts, aforementioned children
- played: Bioshock, Halo 3, Chat Roulette, guitar (Hero and acoustic)
- worked: on proposals, for clients, out,
- drank

… could keep thousands of craft lovers from last weekend’s Sugarloaf Crafts Festival in Chantilly. Fans from Northern Virginia and throughout the DC area turned out in droves for the first day of the show on Friday, and the rush continued throughout the weekend in spite of the precipitation – or because of it! (cabin fever!)

The show received a WARM response from the Washington Examiner and the News & Messenger, while bloggers including those from the Piedmont Virginian and DC Craft Mafia, created a FLURRY of buzz about the show.

There is a PR case study in here somewhere: a, first-time, two-day public event…the second day on which the NFL conference championship is scheduled in the same city…  the headline entertainer for the first day can’t leave Los Angeles because of the storms… the big-name speaker for the second day goes to Haiti to help in the earthquake recovery effort…and the satellite truck breaks during the live TV coverage before the opening.

So after lots of strategy sessions, hand-holding, and good old-fashioned improvisation, this past weekend’s inaugural Indy Health Expo exceeded expectations.  The crowds were enthusiastic, the aisles were packed, and many vendors sold out of their products and asked when the next show was scheduled.  The Indianapolis media covered the event well. And really, how often can you legitimately say you succeed in the face of not one, but two natural disasters?  Check out coverage in the Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis Recorder, Inside Indiana Business, and Current in Carmel.

There are few things that come close to the fun of the Contemporary Museum’s annual Winter Party. A playoff brawl between the Ravens and Colts is one of them.

When the Ravens stormed into last Saturday evening’s divisional game, and into direct conflict with the Contemporary Museum’s fundraising event, the museum moved with the speed and agility of Ray Rice by kicking off the festivities earlier than originally announced to give the partygoers a chance to catch the Museum’s new exhibition, Participation Nation, before moving onto the “party,” where they found a football lounge so they wouldn’t miss the action. It’s quite a task to satisfy both the art aficionado and football fanatic, but if you ask the multitude of media in attendance, including writers from Style Magazine, the Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Magazine, and numerous art blogs, they’ll agree there were no flags on the play.

Check out the coverage in the Baltimore Sun, and BmoreArt for more details on the museum’s quick-thinking changes to its “game plan.” A Friday Baltimore Business Journal story about the change noted that guests will see “what kind of performance art Joe Flacco can whip up.”

Oh well.

If the only words you understand from reporter Audrey Ye’s story are “Mobtown Modern,” that’s enough to clue you in that Baltimore’s New Music bastion is going global with a report on Voice of America’s China branch. (And if you can decipher more than that – we’re seriously impressed!)

The story shows a legion of Mobtown Modern fans as they simultaneously synched up a chorus of boomboxes at the December 12 performance of Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night.

The VOA crew followed along during the entire hour-long parade as fans took New Music to the streets of Baltimore during the interactive performance.