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APSE CONFERENCE GUIDE Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center

June 16-19

APSE 2019 Conference Guide 2

Table of Contents

PG. 5 -- NOTABLE LOCATIONS

PG. 7 -- SuNdAy, JuNE 16 SCHEduLE

PG. 8 -- MONdAy, JuNE 17 SCHEduLE8 GENERAL SESSION NEWSROOM dIVERSITy: WHAT CAN BE dONE?11 WORKSHOP HARNESSING THE POWER OF dATA11 WORKSHOP FAST ANd EASy WAyS TO GENERATE CONTENT ON SLOW NEWS dAyS12 WORKSHOP HIT ME WITH yOuR BEST SHOT: HOW TO CONNECT WITH A yOuNG, dIVERSE ANd dIGITALLy-SAVVy SOCCER AudIENCE13 KEyNOTE LuNCHEON13 GENERAL SESSION SOuRCING: BEST PRACTICES14 GENERAL SESSION A CONVERSATION WITH AP COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME RECEPTION

PG. 16 -- TuESdAy, JuNE 18 SCHEduLE17 GENERAL SESSION THE BLuRRING LINE18 WORKSHOP GOOGLE FLOuRISH ANd MAPPING EXERCISES


19 WORKSHOP uNdERSTANdING INTERNAL ANALyTICS and METRICS20 WORKSHOP HOW TO WRITE THE BOOK20 REd SMITH AWARd LuNCHEON21 WORKSHOP GOOGLE EARTH PRO/MAPPING21 NEWSMAKER SESSION21 TAKE ME OuT TO THE BALL GAME

PG. 22 -- WEdNESdAy, JuNE 19 SCHEduLE22 REGION CAuCuSES23 GENERAL SESSION THE uRBAN MEyER SCOOP23 CLOSING EXECuTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING23 STAdIuM TOuR24 AWARdS BANQuET

26 APSE LEAdERSHIP28 REd SMITH AWARd WINNER / Sandy Rosenbush29 REd SMITH PRESENTER / Leon Carter 30 REd SMITH WINNERS31 MEET APSE’S dIVERSITy FELLOWS32 APSE BuLLETIN / SJI CLASS OF 2019


NOTABLE LOCATIONS

Hotel: Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center

Registration: Sycamore Room (North Tower, Level M2)

General sessions: International Ballroom F (North Tower, Level M2)

Workshops: Cypress, Juniper and Magnolia rooms (North Tower, Level M2)

Mall of Ideas (vendors): International Ballroom F lobby

Winning sections display: Hickory Room (North Tower, Level M3)

Hospitality: International Ballroom E


MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIdENT and HOST John BednarowskiMarietta (Ga.) Daily Journal

Welcome to Atlanta, home of Coca-Cola, Home Depot, The Varsity, CNN, the center of the college football universe, and this week the 46th annual Associated Press Sports Editors annual summer conference.

This week is the culmination of a lot of things for me. I will complete my role as APSE presi-dent, and I will serve as convention host. Let me take a few moments to address both.

It has been an unbelievable pleasure to serve as president of this organization. When I joined in 2007 I had no idea what kind of an influence it and the members would have on me. It’s hard to believe that over a dozen years I went from being a rookie, learning from some of APSE’s giants – Jerry Micco, Joe Sullivan, Roy Hewitt, John Cherwa and many others – to all of a sudden being one of the leaders.

Hopefully, I have served you well and upheld the honor and dignity that comes with the of-fice. We made a few strides, revamped the contest, and hopefully, we will get the APSE Foun-dation up and running.

The one thing I have definitely learned over the last 12 months is that the term as president goes quickly. I vividly remember standing before you in Nashville and taking the reins. Now, I am looking forward to passing them on to Todd Adams, who I believe will do a fantastic job.

However, before we get to that point, we have a conference to experience.

For the next few days, the best leaders in sports journalism will have an opportunity to share their insights and further learn the ins and outs of our craft.

We’ll learn about sourcing and how Brett McMurphy broke one of the biggest sports stories of 2018 while he was unemployed. When we leave, hopefully we will have a better under-standing on how to best work with our brother and sister organizations, and we’ll find out what it’s like when we become the center of a story.

On Monday, we will be entertained by Mr. College Football, Tony Barnhart, when he pokes, prods and jokes with our Keynote speakers, the first-family of the University of Georgia, Vince and Barbara Dooley.

Tuesday we’ll toast Sandy Rosenbush with our highest honor in sports journalism when she receives the Red Smith Award.

And if that isn’t enough, we’ll get to catch up with each other by spending some quality time at the College Football Hall of Fame, SunTrust Park to watch the Braves and the Mets, and a tour of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

We have a lot to do in a short amount of time, so let’s make the most of it.

Welcome to my home. I hope you enjoy yourself this week.


APSE Conference schedule

Sunday, June 16

11 a.m.-5 p.m.REGISTRATION

Location: Sycamore Room

Noon-5 p.m.WINNING NEWSPAPERS DISPLAY

Location: Hickory Room (Level M3)

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE/GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING4 p.m.Location: International Ballroom F

Presiding: APSE president John Bednarowski

OPENING RECEPTION6 p.m.-8 p.m.Location: Atrium Terrace (South Tower)

Sponsors: Associated Press, Kennesaw State University, Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal


Monday, June 17



8 a.m.-9:30 a.m.COFFEE AND PASTRY STATION

Location: International Ballroom F Lobby

Sponsor: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

8 a.m.-5 p.m.MALL OF IDEAS (vendors):


8 a.m.-5 p.m.WINNING NEWSPAPERS DISPLAY


GENERAL SESSIONNEWSROOM dIVERSITy: WHAT CAN BE dONE?

9 a.m.-10:30 a.m.Location: International Ballroom F

Newspapers and websites have received poor grades when it comes to racial and gender hiring practices. How did we get here and how might we bolster the number of journalists of color and women to better reflect our communities? How can hiring managers work better with the professional organizations, including NABJ and AWSM?

Moderator: Lisa Wilson, APSE second vice president

Lisa Wilson is managing editor/NFL for The Athletic, directing the site’s NFL coverage since September 2018. She worked as senior editor/sports for ESPN’s The Undefeated, which explores the intersections of race, sports and culture, from 2017-18. She was executive sports editor of The Buffalo News from 2011-17. Wilson serves as APSE’s second vice presi-dent and will ascend to the presidency in 2020.

Lisa Wilson


Panel: Dave Ammenheuser, Sports Director / USA TODAY Network; A. Sherrod Blakely, president of NABJ Sports Task Force; Vicki Michaelis, chair of the Sports Journalism program of the Grady College of Journal-ism at the University of Georgia; Carron Phillips, The Shadow League and former APSE Diversity Fellow; Iliana Limón Romero, Orlando Sentinel.

Dave Ammenheuser is the Sports Director of the USA TODAY Net-work, guiding the sports staff and the network’s 500-plus sports jour-nalists. An APSE member for 20-plus years, Ammenheuser’s staffs have won dozens of APSE Top 10 awards during his sports editor stops at The Carroll County (Md.) Times, The (Rock Hill, S.C.) Herald, the New Haven (Conn.) Register, The (Riverside, Calif.) Press-Enterprise, The (Nashville) Tennessean and USA TODAY. He’s also taught journalism and sports jour-nalism history courses at several universities.

A. Sherrod Blakely covers the Boston Celtics and the NBA for NBC Sports Boston. He has more than 20 years of writing, editing and reporting experience in all sports, from flag football to the Final Four and the NBA.

Vicki Michaelis is the chair of the Sports Journalism program of the Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia. She joined the college faculty in 2012 after 21 years as a sports journalist, the last 12 as the lead Olympics reporter for USA TODAY. She also covered the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, NHL and major college sports, and she was part of the newspaper’s transformation in the digital age, expanding her skills as USA TODAY established itself on digital, mobile and video platforms.

Carron J. Phillips is a senior columnist for The Shadow League. A for-mer Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists Journalist of the Year, he recently left the New York Daily News where he was the Sports, Race & Social Issues columnist.

Iliana Limón Romero is the Orlando Sentinel sports editor. She also is co-founder of Pro Soccer USA, an award-winning Tribune Publishing website launched in 2018 devoted to coverage of MLS, NWSL and U.S. Soccer. Limón Romero is the Association for Women in Sports Media vice president for fundraising and a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Sports Task Force. She has previously worked at The Albuquerque Tribune, Albuquerque Journal and Austin American-Statesman.

Dave Ammenheuser

A. Sherrod Blakely

Vicki Michaelis

Carron J. Phillips

Iliana Limón Romero


MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCERPROUDLY SUPPORTS


WORKSHOPHARNESSING THE POWER OF dATA

10:45 a.m.-Noon 3:45 p.m.-5 p.m. Location: Cypress Room

How can you get creative and use the power of data to tackle the stories that go beyond the day-to-day games, injuries and coaching changes.

Moderator: MaryJo Webster, Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

MaryJo Webster has been data editor at the Star Tribune for four years. Her previous positions include four years as the sports data editor at USA TODAY, nine years as the data editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and stints at Digital First Media and Investigative Reporters and Editors. She started her career as a reporter at small papers in Minnesota and Wis-consin. She also teaches data journalism as an adjunct instructor at the University of Minnesota.

WORKSHOPFAST ANd EASy WAyS TO GENERATE CONTENT ON SLOW NEWS dAyS

10:45 a.m.-Noon 3:45 p.m.-5 p.m. Location: Magnolia Room

Having a slow news day? Short on content for your website and/or print product? Don’t have a lot of manpower available? We’ll look at some fast and simple ways to generate content.

Moderator: Todd Adams, APSE first vice president

Todd Adams is APSE first vice president. Most recently, he served as sports editor at the Springfield State Journal-Register. He has also been deputy sports editor at the Detroit Free Press, sports editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune and college editor at the Orlando Sentinel.

Panelist: Phil Kaplan, sports editor, Knoxville News Sentinel

Phil Kaplan is sports editor of the News Sentinel in Knoxville, Tenn. Ka-plan also oversees college coverage for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Ten-nessee. Kaplan has been at the News Sentinel since 1996 with previous stops at the Naples Daily News, the Palm Beach Post and the Sullivan County Democrat. Kaplan was president of APSE in 2010-11 and contin-ues to be involved with the organization as Scholarship Committee chair as well as Outreach and Diversity committees.

MaryJo Webster

Todd Adams

Phil Kaplan


WORKSHOPHIT ME WITH yOuR BEST SHOT: HOW TO CONNECT WITH A yOuNG, dIVERSE ANd dIGITALLy-SAVVy SOCCER AudIENCE

10:45 a.m.-Noon 3:45 p.m.-5 p.m. Location: Juniper Room

Learn from editors in MLS markets who have proven strategies and tactics on how to reach soccer fans.

Moderator: Iliana Limón Romero, Orlando Sentinel sports editor

Iliana Limón Romero is the Orlando Sentinel sports editor. She also is co-founder of Pro Soccer USA, an award-winning Tribune Publishing website launched in 2018 devoted to coverage of MLS, NWSL and U.S. Soccer. Limón Romero is the Association for Women in Sports Media vice president for fundraising and a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Sports Task Force. She has previously worked at The Albuquerque Tribune, Albuquerque Journal and Austin American-Statesman.

Panel: Doug Roberson, Atlanta Journal Constitution soccer writer, and Greg Lalas, editor-in-chief of MLSsoccer.com.

Greg Lalas is the vice president of Content for Major League Soccer, responsible for content strategy and creation for the league. He oversees all league digital and social channels and content developed for distribution. A former MLS player, he has been with the league office since 2010.

Doug Roberson has been a reporter for the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2007. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1992 with a degree in journalism. Formerly a Triple Crown-winning sports editor, almost exclusively because of the talented group of reporters, copy editors and designers he was privileged to work with, at the Newport News Daily Press, he became a reporter again in 2009. He’s covered many things for the AJC, but loves soccer and has thoroughly enjoyed covering the sport in Atlanta, where he grew up playing soccer.

Iliana Limón Romero

Greg Lalas

Doug Roberson


KEyNOTE LuNCHEON12:15 p.m.-1:45 p.m. Location: International Ballroom FSponsor: MLB

Guest Speakers: Vince and Barbara Dooley

Vince Dooley is one of the winningest coaches in the history of college football and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He led the University of Georgia Bulldogs, a team he coached for 25 years, to the 1980 national championship. He won six SEC championships and twice was honored as NCAA National Coach of the Year.

Barbara Dooley has been married to Vince for almost 60 years, but she hasn’t sat idly by or rode on his coattails. From the begin-ning of his head coaching career, Barbara set out to undeniably support her husband while forging her own success. She is a well-received author, much-beloved radio and television personal-ity, non-profit volunteer, career woman and a dynamic speaker.

Moderator: Tony Barnhart

Tony Barnhart has worked in college football for nearly 40 years. Currently a studio analyst for the SEC Network and columnist for The Atlanta Journal- Constitution and CBSSports.com. A former assistant sports editor and college sports editor for the AJC, he is affectionately known as Mr. College Football.

GENERAL SESSIONSOuRCING: BEST PRACTICES

2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Location: International Ballroom F

A panel discussion about source development, using and vetting sources in the digital age that puts an emphasis on being first and the role news judgment plays in balance and accuracy.

Moderator: Oscar Dixon, The Associated Press

Oscar Dixon is the assistant AP sports editor, South region. He was the first regional editor hired in the sports vertical when The Associated Press regionalized its organizational structure. Before arriving at the AP in March 2008, the former military journalist, worked at USA TODAY and the Omaha World-Herald. Dixon manages 20 staffers and nearly 150 freelancers in his 13-state region, which includes SEC football, ACC basketball, 9 NBA teams, 7 NFL teams, 5 MLB teams and 5 NHL teams. He takes the lead on AP’s nation-al NBA and horse racing coverage, and also is instrumental in coordinating AP’s bowl coverage with 19 postseason college football games in his region.

Vince and BarbaraDooley

Tony Barnhart

Oscar Dixon


Panel: Grant Hill, former NBA all-star and Hawks minority owner; Beth Marshall, Atlanta Braves director of communications; Greg McGarity, Uni-versity of Georgia athletic director, and Daniel Meacham, Atlanta attorney.

Grant Hill is vice chair of the board of the Atlanta Hawks. One of the most accomplished NBA and college players of his generation, Hill was in-ducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. The seven-time NBA all-star and two-time NCAA champion has made the successful transition from 19 years as a professional athlete to leadership in business along with several television broadcasting roles.

Beth Marshall is the vice president of communications for the Atlanta Braves. Marshall joined the Braves in 2004. She oversees all aspects of the Braves communications efforts, which includes, baseball, community affairs, sales and marketing and business affairs media outreach. She also leads the communications efforts with SunTrust Park and the Battery Atlanta.

Greg McGarity is the athletic director at the University of Georgia. He was named athletic director at UGA after serving 18 years in the athletic department at the University of Florida. He served on the NCAA Division I Football Issues Committee from 2012-14 and is currently serving on the NCAA National Letter of Intent Football Recruiting Group.

Daniel Meachum is the founder and chairman of Daniel R. Meachum & Associates, LLC, based in Atlanta. He has successfully represented a variety of some of Hollywood’s most elite celebrities, corporate executives and NBA and NFL stars, ranging in diverse matters in state and federal courts at both the trial court and appellate court levels, as well as in arbitration.

GENERAL SESSIONA CONVERSATION WITH AP

5:15 p.m.-6 p.m. Location: International Ballroom F

Learn what changes have been made and are being planned at The Associated Press when it comes to sports betting, earlier newspaper print deadlines and your other content demands.

Moderator: Dan Spears, APSE third vice president

Dan Spears is the assistant managing editor of the StarNews in Wilming-ton, N.C., overseeing two sports staffs and digital projects for four Gate-House newspapers in eastern North Carolina and APSE’s third vice president. He’s been at the StarNews since 2006, with previous stops at the Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle, the Herald-Mail of Hagerstown, MD., and the Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail. His career has been spent on copy and design desks, writing about Division II football and high school sports, overseeing night sports operations, and eventually sports editor in Wilmington from 2008-2017.

Grant Hill

Beth Marshall

Greg McGarity

Daniel Meachum

Dan Spears


Panel: Barry Bedlan, Oscar Dixon, Michael Giarrusso and Howie Rumberg from Associated Press.

Barry Bedlan oversees AP’s sports products. He joined AP in 1995 after stints at the Omaha World-Herald and Scottsbluff Star-Herald in his na-tive Nebraska. His first assignments with AP were collecting high school football scores, writing small college game recaps and helping cover the College World Series. Bedlan later served as news editor for Nebraska and then Georgia, before helping manage the south-central U.S. as an assis-tant bureau chief based in Dallas.

Oscar Dixon is the assistant AP sports editor, South region. He was the first regional editor hired in the sports vertical when The Associated Press regionalized its organizational structure. Before arriving at the AP in March 2008, the former military journalist, worked at USA TODAY and the Omaha World-Herald. Dixon manages 20 staffers and nearly 150 freelancers in his 13-state region, which includes SEC football, ACC bas-ketball, 9 NBA teams, 7 NFL teams, 5 MLB teams and 5 NHL teams. He takes the lead on AP’s national NBA and horse racing coverage, and also is instrumental in coordinating AP’s bowl coverage with 19 postseason college football games in his region.

Michael Giarrusso is the global sports editor for The Associated Press, overseeing more than 100 full-time journalists covering events around the world, including the Olympics, World Cup and Super Bowl. He is on the board of the News Media Coalition, which fights against the restric-tion of journalists’ access to events around the world, and is a member of the International Olympic Committee’s press working group. He began his AP career in 1992 as an intern in Atlanta and worked as a reporter there before becoming a correspondent in State College, Pa., where he covered Penn State sports and the Little League World Series. He later served as an editor on the AP’s national editing desk in New York and was news editor for Georgia. He became state news director for the 14-state South region in 2003. He later served as chief of bureau in Phoenix, over-seeing AP’s business operations in Arizona in New Mexico.

Howie Rumberg has spent all but two of his 19 years at The Associat-ed Press in sports. He started as a baseball dictationist and worked his way up to a national baseball writer/editor before becoming an assistant sports editor in 2016. Among his accomplishments, he conceived of and helped implement the AP’s new game-story format and has led the department’s video efforts. Howie is the AP’s beat leader for the NFL and tennis, and he oversees international sports, including the Olym-pics and World Cup. Howie also worked on the prototype -- and was a staffer -- for the AP’s youth market-centric department asap, focusing on all-format digital storytelling.

Barry Bedlan

Oscar Dixon

Michael Giarrusso

Howie Rumberg


COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME RECEPTIONTime: 6:15-8:15 p.m.Location: College Football Hall of Fame

(adjacent to Omni Hotel)

Sponsor: National Football Foundation/

Football Matters

HOSPITALITY10 p.m.-midnightLocation: International Ballroom E

Sponsor: MLS

Tuesday, June 18





Sponsor: NHL

8 a.m.-5 p.m.MALL OF IDEAS (vendors):





GENERAL SESSIONTHE BLuRRING LINE


The media’s place in today’s society has become increasingly fuzzy. Let’s examine our place in today’s rapidly evolving media landscape. From the Times Picayune’s A1 headline the day after the Super Bowl to Bradley University’s decision to yank a Peoria Journal Star reporter’s credential because the university didn’t like his coverage of the Braves’ athletic program. Let’s also visit our relationship with the organizations we cover: Some of our colleagues accept priceless gifts from organizations that they cover; some of our colleagues are tasked with covering teams that also own their media companies. How does all of this impact us as we strive to attract a larger audience?

Moderator: Dave Ammenheuser, USA TODAY Sports

Dave Ammenheuser is the Sports Director of the USA TODAY Net-work, guiding the sports staff and the network’s 500-plus sports jour-nalists. An APSE member for 20-plus years, Ammenheuser’s staffs have won dozens of APSE Top 10 awards during his sports editor stops at The Carroll County (Md.) Times, The (Rock Hill, S.C.) Herald, the New Haven (Conn.) Register, The (Riverside, Calif.) Press-Enterprise, The (Nashville) Tennessean and USA TODAY. He’s also taught journalism and sports journalism history courses at several universities.

Panel: Christine Brennan, USA TODAY sports columnist and commentator for ABC News, PBS NewsHour and National Public Radio.; IIzzy Gould, a leader at Advance Local Southeast, and Matt Pepin, Boston Globe sports editor.

Christine Brennan is an award-winning national sports columnist for USA TODAY, a commentator for ABC News, CNN, PBS NewsHour and National Public Radio, a best-selling author and a nationally-known speaker. Named one of the country’s top 10 sports columnists by the Associated Press Sports Editors three times, she has covered the last 18 Olympic Games, summer and winter. Brennan was the first woman sports writer at The Miami Herald in 1981 and the first woman to cover Washington’s NFL team as a staff writer at The Washington Post in 1985. She was the first president of the Association for Women in Sports Media and started an internship-scholarship program that has supported 175 female students over the past two decades.

Izzy Gould is a leader for Advance Local Southeast. He leads strategy for sports content, social media and video while working with sales to identify potential opportunities. Gould has been a leader in management since the inception of Alabama Media Group in 2012 through its ongo-ing transformation from a print-to-digital focus. Before his current role, he led AL.com’s statewide newsroom for two years. He has worked at USA TODAY Sports, the St. Petersburg Times, The Tampa Tribune, the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas, the Yuma Sun and the Miami Herald reporting and managing every level of sports.

Dave Ammenheuser

Christine Brennan

Izzy Gould


Matt Pepin is sports editor at the Boston Globe. He was previously digital sports editor at BostonGlobe.com, Boston.com, Varsity845.com and the Times Herald-Record in Middletown, N.Y., He has also worked at the New Haven Register. He has served as the APSE’s Northeast Region chairman, and has taught journalism and sports journalism at Marist College and Albertus Magnus College.

WORKSHOPGOOGLE FLOuRISH ANd MAPPING EXERCISES

10:45 a.m.- Noon Location: Cypress Room

We’ll use Flourish’s innovative chart tool to create interactive graphics and animated “horse race” charts of football, soccer, and other sports data. We’ll share practical examples of how you can use basic data sets to tell complex stories. We’ll show you how to use Google MyMaps to map college football bowl games, marathons, recruits, and other stories. This is a hands-on session so bring your laptop and be logged in on your Gmail on mymaps.google.com

Moderator: Mike Reilley, Google

Mike Reilley is a SPJ digital trainer who has taught Google News Lab tools to more than 3,700 journalists and educators over the past 3-plus years. He also teaches data and multimedia journalism at the University of Illinois-Chicago. A former sports writer at the Los Angeles Times, and web editor at the Chicago Tribune, he served for 13 years as a faculty member at Northwestern, Arizona State University and DePaul University.

Matt Pepin

Mike Reilley


WORKSHOPuNdERSTANdING INTERNAL ANALyTICS and METRICS

10:45 a.m.- Noon 2 p.m.- 3:15 p.m. Location: Juniper Room

We’ll learn about the most important currency in today’s journalism world. Every number has meaning. But it takes many numbers to tell a story. An overview of the numbers we look at daily, weekly, monthly, yearly — and why. Why clues are hidden in them? Why do we use the numbers we do in our goals? What are the goals and why do they matter? What is engage-ment, loyalty? What is the funnel to becoming a digital subscriber? What are these terms we use and what about target audience? An introduction into data analysis and what’s behind it.

Moderator: JJ Hensley, The Tennessean

JJ Hensley is the Digital Director for USA TODAY Network-Tennessee, working with a team that creates, produces and optimizes content for six markets in the state, including Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville. His career began at the Garden City Telegram, in southwestern Kansas, before he moved to the Arizona Republic/azcentral.com. In a 15-year career in Phoenix, he covered schools and businesses in the suburb of Mesa before moving into a criminal-justice role covering Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the many allegations and investi-gations into the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

As an editor, he has helped coordinate coverage of a variety of topics including floods and fatal wildfires, Final Fours and Super Bowls, music festivals and mass shootings.

JJ Hensley


WORKSHOPHOW TO WRITE THE BOOK

10:45 a.m.- Noon 2 p.m.- 3:15 p.m.Location: Magnolia RoomMany people want to write a book during their careers but don’t know who to do it. Here you will learn the process of getting the idea, putting it on paper and getting it to the publisher. In addition we’ll hear about the highs and lows along the way from do-ing the reporting to the rewriting to the editing and onto the shelves.

Moderator: Mike Harris, The Athletic

Mike Harris is a senior editor at The Athletic, overseeing the Universal Desk. He’s a former sports editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Washington Times and has also served as a senior editor at FanHouse.com and SI.com. He’s written one book: Game of My Life Virginia Tech.

Panel: Kent Babb, sports features writer for the The Washington Post and Bob Ryan, sports columnist for The Boston Globe.

Kent Babb is a sports features writer for The Washington Post, focus-ing on the NFL, college sports, the NBA, and the intersections of sports with social, cultural and political issues. Babb is the author of “Not A Game,” the 2015 biography of Allen Iverson, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Bob Ryan is a retired columnist for the Boston Globe whose work appears in the section semi-regularly. He has been writing for the Globe since 1968, covering all of Boston’s sports teams. Ryan has written more than a dozen books including “Scribe: My Life in Sports” his 2014 memoir of his life leading up to, throughout, and post retirement from covering sports. He was the Red Smith Award winner in 2015.

REd SMITH AWARd LuNCHEON12:15 p.m.-1:45 p.m. Location: International Ballroom F

Honoree: Sandy Rosenbush, ESPN

Presenter: Leon Carter, ESPN

Sponsor: USA TODAY Network

Mike Harris

Kent Babb

Bob Ryan

Sandy Rosenbush Leon Carter


WORKSHOPGOOGLE EARTH PRO/MAPPING

2 p.m.- 3:15 p.m. Location: Cypress Room

We’ll mine before/after photos on stadium and arena construction, and how it impacts an area physically over time with Google Earth Engine Timelapse. We’ll create a video tour of stadiums and show you how to record zoom-ins on various sports venues, all of which are social-media friendly. For those that don’t have drone access, it also serves as an inex-pensive way to provide drone-like video footage. Folks are encouraged to bring potential projects to discuss before or after the class.

Moderator: Mike Reilley, Google

NEWSMAKER SESSION

SHOWTIME sponsored content

3:30-4:45 p.m.

Location: International Ballroom F

BOXING RESURGENCE AND WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU

Moderator: Chris DeBlasio, SHOWTIME Sports

Panelists: SHOWTIME Sports president Stephen Espinoza and world

champions Julian J’Rock Williams and Claressa T-Rex Shields.

TAKE ME OuT TO THE BALL GAMEAtlanta Braves vs. New York Mets at SunTrust ParkTime: 7:20 p.m.

Transportation: Bus departs from hotel at 5 p.m.

HOSPITALITY10 p.m.-midnightLocation: International Ballroom E

Sponsor: MLS

Mike Reilley


Wednesday, June 19

8 a.m.-noonREGISTRATION




Sponsor: NASCAR

8 a.m.-noonMALL OF IDEAS (vendors):




REGION CAuCuSES8 a.m.-8:50 a.m.Locations: TBD

The Arthur Blank Foundation will conduct a tour of Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, June 19.


GENERAL SESSIONTHE uRBAN MEyER SCOOP


Former ESPN reporter Brett McMurphy broke one of the biggest stories of the year -- Urban Meyer, Ohio State and domestic violence -- while unemployed and on Facebook.

How and why did he do it?

Moderator: Tommy Deas

Tommy Deas is sports strategist for the USA TODAY Network in Tennessee and Florida. He began his career with the Nashville Banner in the 1980s and spent 25 years with The Tuscaloosa News in Alabama. He was part of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize-winning team that covered a devastating tornado and is a past president of PASE.

Panelist: Brett McMurphy

Brett McMurphy writes the College Football Insider for Stadium Network. Has reported on college athletics for past 30 years with ESPN, CBSSports.com, AOL FanHouse, the Tampa Tribune and the Odessa American. He is a two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, but was not a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

CLOSING EXECuTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING11 a.m.Location: International Ballroom F

Presiding: Todd Adams, incoming APSE president

STAdIuM TOuRTour of Mercedes-Benz Stadium presented by the Arthur Blank Foundation.

Time: 12:45 p.m. (Meet at Gate 2)

Transportation: Walk to stadium

MLB and BASEBALL COVERAGE3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Location: Magnolia Room

Steve Arocho, Senior Director of Communications for MLB, will meet with sports editors to

talk about initiatives to grow the game as well answer questions about how MLB can help you

in your coverage.

Tommy Deas

Brett McMurphy


AWARdS BANQuET6 p.m.RECEPTION

Location: Pre-Function Lobby and International Ballroom F

7 p.mDINNER

Location: International Ballroom F

Sponsor: Football Bowl Association

10 p.mCLOSING RECEPTION

Location: Pre-Function Lobby and International Ballroom F

Vince dooley and Herschel Walker (34) won the national championship in 1980. dooley will be APSE's keynote speaker on Monday, June 17.


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MEET OUR 2019 SPONSORS

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors


APSE LEADERSHIP

PRESIDENT / John Bednarowski

John Bednarowski has been the sports editor for the Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal for the past 12 years. He has been a member of APSE for 10 years and has served as first vice president, second vice president, third vice president, Southeast region chair and vice chair. He has also attended the past 10 winter judging and summer conferences, and has been honored in the annual contest seven times. A graduate of the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Bednarowski has also worked for St. Clair News Aegis in Pell City, Alabama and the Gadsden Times.

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT / Todd Adams

Todd Adams is APSE first vice president. Most recently, he served as sports editor at the Springfield State Journal-Register. He has also been deputy sports editor at the Detroit Free Press, sports editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune and college editor at the Orlando Sentinel. Todd is a native of Illinois and a graduate of Southern Illinois University. He has headed up APSE’s Regions Committee and served as Atlantic Coast region chair and vice chair. His first APSE summer conference was in Las Vegas in 2006.

SECOND VICE PRESIDENT / Lisa Wilson

Lisa Wilson is managing editor/NFL for The Athletic, directing the site’s NFL coverage since September 2018. She worked as senior editor/sports for ESPN’s The Undefeated, which explores the intersections of race, sports and culture, from 2017-18. She was executive sports editor of The Buffalo News from 2011-17. During her tenure, The News earned two Grand Slams (2014 and 2012) and three Triple Crowns (2011, 2013 and 2015) in the Associated Press Sports Editors’ annual contest. The Buffalo native started at The News as a copy editor and layout editor in 1998 and was promoted to assistant sports editor in 2007. A 1991 graduate of

Canisius College, she worked at the Niagara Gazette in Niagara Falls, N.Y. from 1992-98 as a sports reporter, features editor and sports editor.


THIRD VICE PRESIDENT / dan Spears

Dan Spears is the assistant managing editor of the StarNews in Wilmington, N.C., overseeing two sports staffs and digital projects for four GateHouse newspapers in eastern North Carolina. He’s been at the StarNews since 2006, with previous stops at the Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle, the Herald-Mail of Hagerstown, Md., and the Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail. His career has been spent on copy and design desks, writing about Division II football and high school sports, overseeing night sports operations, and eventually sports editor in Wilmington from 2008-2017. An Illinois native and 1995 graduate of Truman State University in Missouri, Spears has been a member

of APSE since 2008 and previously was the Atlantic Coast region chairperson and vice chair. His teams have won numerous APSE digital and awards, including first place in the 2010 Investigative category, becoming the smallest news organization to receive that honor.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / Bill Eichenberger

Bill Eichenberger is a former senior editor at Bleacher Report and served as New York sports editor at the Wall Street Journal and as sports editor at Newsday, the Akron Beacon Journal and the Macon Telegraph. In ad-dition, he’s worked in sports editing roles at the New Orleans Times-Pic-ayune and The Columbia State. He teaches sports journalism at Adelphi University and is a graduate of the University of Georgia. He was presi-dent of APSE for the 2003-04 term.

CONFERENCE COORDINATOR / Glen Crevier

Glen Crevier retired in November after 20 years as assistant managing editor for sports at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, and 43 years in daily journalism. He was previously sports editor at the News Tribune in Taco-ma, Wash., and the Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat. After graduating from Hiram (Ohio) College in 1975, he was a sports columnist for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, Ariz., and the Sacramento Union.

Crevier has been involved with APSE since 1988, and he was president of the organization in 2005-06.


REd SMITH AWARd WINNER / Sandy Rosenbush

Sandy Rosenbush is moved by journalism’s evolving platform. She appreciates each life-changing experience and conversation. The family woman loves the places the business has taken her—the basketball games at Madison Square Garden are unforgettable—and values the different approaches journalism has taught her. She savors memories of working with great writers.

More than 25 years of extraordinary moments frame the journey of the 2019 Red Smith Award winner and co-founder of the Sports Journalism Institute.

One of her proudest accomplishments—and a treasured memory for the more than 300 journalists who have completed the program — grew from chats at the 1992 National Association of Black Journalists convention in Detroit. Rosenbush was president of APSE, the first woman to hold the title, and Leon Carter, now a vice president at ESPN, was chair of the NABJ Sports Task Force.

Newspaper sports departments were lively, thriving places at the time, full of talented reporters and editors. But ones who looked like Rosenbush and Carter were in short supply, so the two started SJI as a vehicle to bring more minorities into the industry. The institute welcomed its first class in 1993.

“I don’t think either of us thought we’d be here in 2019 preparing for the 27th class of SJI,” Carter said. “It was a great idea in 1992, but when we said ‘OK, let’s do it,’ we didn’t think it was going to become a lifetime assignment.”

The assignment was one of many for Rosenbush, who started at the Tallahassee Democrat, then moved to the Clearwater Sun and Chicago Sun-Times. Then came nine years at the Washington Post under sports editor George Solomon, whose mentorship she cherishes.

“It will always be home to me,” Rosenbush said, “and George will also be the person I remember as helping me grow and learn the most.”

Her presence, and eye for spotting holes in stories, were just as valuable to him. “She made me and every other editor she ever worked for look better than we are,” he said.

Next came stops at the International Herald Tribune in Paris, the New York Times and Sports Illus-trated (for a 13-year run). In 2008, she arrived at ESPN, working as a news editor/producer.

She moved to a part-time role last summer.

All along the way, she remained focused on promoting diversity.

“It’s one thing to say you support diversity,” said Michael Anastasi, editor and vice president of the Tennessean and regional editor for USA TODAY Network. “You’re not going to find too many people these days who say they don’t support diversity. It’s altogether different to find somebody who throws their soul into it for nearly 30 years.”

Rosenbush now adds one more memory her collection as she becomes one of 39 sports journalists recognized for their contributions to the business. “No one has had a broader, more diverse career than Sandy,” Solomon said. “For that she deserves the Red Smith Award and every other bit of credit she could ever get.”

By Alanis Thames university of Florida / yahoo! Sports


REd SMITH PRESENTER / Leon Carter

Leon Carter, a vice president at ESPN, began his career in 1981 as a sports copy editor at The Courier-Journal in Louisville. In 1984, he joined the sports desk at Newsday. In 1992, he was Freedom Forum’s Journalist-in-Residence at Norfolk State University, his alma mater. He spent 16 months mentoring and teaching.

While at Norfolk State, he helped create the Sports Journalism Institute, a program designed to improve diversity in our nation’s print and digi-tal departments. NSU hosted the first class in 1993. Since then, SJI has

launched the careers of more than 300 college students. The Institute recently conducted its 27th class at Arizona State’s Cronkite School of Journalism. In 1994, Carter joined the New York Daily News as an assistant sports editor, and in 1999 he was appointed the executive sports editor. Over the next decade, the Daily News’ sports section won numerous APSE awards. In 2010, he joined ESPN and helped launch ESPN New York. In 2015, he worked in Los Angeles during the early stages of The Undefeated, ESPN’s site that explores the intersec-tions of race, sports and culture.

Today he works in Bristol, Conn., and is charge of special editorial projects and initiatives. Despite his professional accomplishments, it’s SJI he is the most proudest of. “It’s a tremen-dous feeling to give something back,” he says. Carter has been honored twice for his work with SJI. In 2009, he received the Legacy Award from NABJ. In 2015, he received the presti-gious Honor Medal from the Missouri School of Journalism.


REd SMITH WINNERS

1981 -- Red Smith

1982 -- Jim Murray

1983 -- Shirley Povich

1984 -- Fred Russell

1985 -- Blackie Sherrod

1986 -- Si Burick

1987 -- Will Grimsley

1988 -- Furman Bisher

1989 -- Edwin Pope

1990 -- Dave Smith

1991 -- Dave Kindred

1992 -- Ed Storin

1993 -- Tom McEwen

1994 -- Dave Anderson

1995 -- Richard Sandler

1996 -- Bill Dwyre

1997 -- Jerome Holtzman

1998 -- Sam Lacy

1999 -- Bud Collins

2000 -- Jerry Izenberg

2001 -- John Steadman

2002 -- Dick Schaap

2003 -- George Solomon

2004 -- Jimmy Cannon

2005 -- Mary Garber

2006 -- Joe McGuff

2007 -- Van McKenzie

2008 -- W.C. Heinz

2009 -- Vince Doria

2010 -- Mitch Albom

2011 -- Bill Millsaps

2012 -- Frank Deford

2013 -- Dan Jenkins

2014 -- Wendell Smith

2015 -- Bob Ryan

2016 – Leigh Montville

2017 – Henry Freeman

2018 -- Terry Taylor

2019 -- Sandy Rosenbush


MEET APSE’S

DIVERSITY FELLOWS

Jenni Carlson has been a sports columnist at The Oklahoman since 1999. She is a 1997 graduate of the University of Kansas. She and her husband, Ryan, were married in 2009 and live in Oklahoma City. They welcomed their first child, Millie, in June 2012. Carlson was the president of the Association for Wom-en in Sports Media from 2008-10 and chair of the board from 2010-12.

Norma Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson. A native of McAllen, Texas, she started her journalism career at political rallies in middle school with her father. where she would She would translate articles from Spanish to English for her father’s political magazine. Gonzalez is a 2014 graduate of the University of Texas-Pan American.

Eric Jackson recently joined the Atlanta Business Chronicle as a sports reporter. He had been a sports reporter and editor at the Lake City Reporter (Fla.) since 2014. A Georgia native, Jack-son received a bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State University in 2017.

Nicole Saavedra is the statewide sports planner for USA TODAY Network-Tennessee. She previously worked at the Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald, where she was a high school reporter and sports editor. She was part of two top 10 APSE finishes in Athens, including projects (Under 30,000) and multimedia.

James H. Williams joined the Southern California News Group in 2013 with a passion for sports, social media and journalism that led to his role as a Digital Sports Producer. His goal is to bring a digital mindset to the newsroom.

Jenni Carlson

Norma Gonzalez

Eric Jackson

Nicole Saavedra

James H. Williams


APSE BuLLETIN / SJI CLASS OF 2019

News and information about APSE and the summer conference, produced and reported by the Sports Journalism Institute Class of 2019, can be found by going to www.sportsjournalisminstitute.org and clicking on the “APSE news” link. SJI thanks APSE and Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication for their support.

Here is the roster of the SJI Class of 2019 and where they will intern:Frank Bonner, IUPUI, graduate student, Kansas City Star

Madisen Carter, Arizona State University, Jr., Gannett-Phoenix

Damichael Cole, University of Tennessee, Jr., Sports Illustrated

Elizabeth Finny, Duke, Sr., mlb.com

Sierra Galanza, University of Tennessee, Sr., ESPN

Eric He, USC, Sr., Southern California News Group

Jeremiah (J.L.) Kirven, Ohio University, Jr., Detroit Free Press

Clevis Murray, Suffolk University, Sr, Tennessean

Daniel Oyefusi, University of Maryland, Sr., Commercial Appeal (Memphis)

Justin Parham, Arizona State University, Sr., Gannett Nashville

Ariana Taylor, Michigan State, Jr., Knoxville News Sentinel

Alanis Thames, University of Florida, Jr., Yahoo! Sports

Parth Upadhyaya, University of North Carolina, Jr., Denver Post

Arianna Vedia, University of Texas-Arlington, Jr., Houston Chronicle

PlaquesTo order Top 10, first, second or third place plaques, contact Bunkie Trinite Trophies, 12 E. Grace Street, Richmond, VA 23219; (804)-648-2416 or [email protected]

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