KPVI-TV
Sports director Brad Shellgren took a job in Fort Myers, Florida.

KIDK-TV
Chris Huston, news director, is a new arrival from KFDX in Wichita Falls, Texas. Chris is in his 21st year as a news director, and 31st in broadcast journalism.  Family, friends, and lifestyle bring him to Idaho Falls.

KIFI-TV
Reporter Megan Boatwright left in January and returned to Florida where her family lives.   Brett Crandall replaced her in the reporting position; he comes to us from BYU-Provo.  Karole Honas just marked her 20th anniversary of being on the anchor desk at KIFI.

Boise Market

KBOI-TV
Paul Fredericks, managing editor, departed, as did Brian Carrington, chief meterologist. Kendra Martinez is the new managing editor, coming from KIDK in Idaho Falls. Vin Crosby is the new chief meterologist; he formerly worked for KTRV Fox 12. Julie Weindel is the new news director. Evonne Simonds departed. New reporters are Michael Calcagno and Alana Brophy.
KBCI became KBOI on February 1st.

KTRV-TV
Dan Hamilton has moved into the world of P.R. for AEHI, the company working to build a nuclear power plant in Payette County.  Jill Hardy left to help start up a new video production unit for Bodybuilding.com.  Tami Tremblay has also left the station.
Allison Warren has gone from general assignment reporter to morning anchor.  Nate Kuester has gone from morning anchor to sports director.
New arrivals include Stacey Skrysak, anchor for the brand-new 10 p.m. newscast, Fox12NewsEdge@Ten, which launched January 11th.  Adam Bartelmay replaced Dan Hamilton as anchor for Fox 12 News at Nine. General assignment reporters joining the staff are Matt Loveless and Bri Eggers.

KIVI-TV
No changes this time.

MORE MOVES

Shea Andersen, former Southwest Chapter president and former editor of the Idaho Mountain Express and the Boise Weekly, has become the communications director for Democratic   gubernatorial candidate Keith Allred.

Talk about a new look for spring. KBCI has changed its call letters to KBOI and picked up a new set and graphics to accompany the change. It marks a return to the station’s original call letters, back in the 1970s, along with its partnership with KBOI Radio.

“I feel the set and graphics reflect our KBOI 2News commitment to covering the news, weather and sports in our community thoroughly and aggressively for the viewer,” said News Director Julie Weindel.

Weindel said the set was in planning for two months, and involved six weeks of construction and one week of installation, lighting and rehearsals.

FX Group is responsible for the set design, the same group the Weindel used in Dayton at WHIO-TV. The set design includes a new anchor desk and weather center, and repurposed old walls. All monitors and lights are new, along with a larger chromo key area. As for the new graphics, Weindel said they match the colors and design of the new set, plus fit the new 16 x 9 widescreen format.

“I’m very pleased with the results of the new set and graphics and our widescreen look,” Weindel said.

KBOI 2News officially launched its new look on Sunday, February 7th, the night of the Super Bowl.

Meet Nick Draper. He moved to Idaho Falls shortly after graduating from Missouri Western State University in 2006 to cover the state Legislature for the Idaho Falls Post-Register. Draper, 26, is now one of the newest members of the Idaho Press Club state board of directors, serving as the print representative since spring 2009.  Here’s a little more about Draper.

Hometown: West Plains, Mo.

Previous work experience: Worked part-time in the sports department at the St. Joseph (Mo.) News-Press

Family: Draper and his wife Samantha have been married seven months

Q: Why’d you choose to move to Idaho Falls?

A: I moved to Idaho Falls because former Post Register Managing Editor Dean Miller offered me a reporting job a week before I graduated college in May 2006. I’d never been east of Mount Rushmore but decided to take a chance and was thankful to have a job immediately upon graduation.

Q: What’s your favorite part of living in Idaho?

A: There are very few places in the country with as much natural beauty as you’ll find in Idaho, especially right out your front door. I love that I live so close to great camping, hiking and skiing.

Q: What’s your favorite part of covering the Legislature?

A: I guess the sense of importance. The reporters covering the Legislature are writing about things have will have a direct impact on people’s lives, like how much funding will be going to your child’s school next year and where your tax dollars are being spent.

Q: What’s your least favorite part of covering the Legislature?

A: The long hours are probably the worst part, without a doubt. A 10-hour day is pretty standard. Although it does get tough, too, being away from home and my wife the first few months of the year.

Q: If you could cover any beat at the newspaper, what would it be and why?

A: I’d do what I’m doing now, covering the Legislature. I think it’s interesting witnessing, first-hand, how government works in Idaho.

Q: What’s different about covering the Legislature this year in the newly remodeled Statehouse?

A: The big difference is the amount of space, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing. It’s nice that the reporters don’t have to work in a closet anymore, which was the case at the annex. But with several stairways and spaces at the new capitol, it can sometimes be difficult to track down people.

Q: Many reporters are embracing social media these days. Are you utilizing Facebook/ Twitter/blog for your coverage? Why or why not?

A: I don’t use any social media in my reporting, but mainly use it to see what reporters are covering. The Post Register hasn’t put that much of a priority on blogs or other social media, so I’m just reporting the “old-fashioned” way.

Q: If you couldn’t be a reporter, what other profession would you like to attempt?

A: I think I’d like to try law. I covered the courts at the Post Register for more than a year and found a lot of the cases were very interesting.

Q: Which other writers do you admire and read frequently?

A: I read Bill Simmons’ espn.com columns pretty religiously and will always read pieces by Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker. It’d be quite an accomplishment if I would

ever make it to Gladwell’s level of expertise.

Q: Being a reporter is a stressful job. What do you do in your spare time to kick back and relax?

A: Mostly I try to leave work at work, especially on the weekends. Anything to take your mind off your job seems to work for me. I also like to read about, play and watch sports. I play golf in the summer and ski in the winter. A good beer after a long day helps do the trick, too.

Q: What’s the best trip you’ve ever taken and why?

A: My favorite trip was with my wife in Belize. It was such an experience to go snorkeling with manta rays, nurse sharks and schools of fish in the second largest barrier reef on the planet, which is off the coast of Belize. We stayed on one of the outer islands but traveled into the jungle on a day trip to walk around some Mayan ruins. I’d love to go back.

Q: What’s your favorite book?

A: It’s hard to pick a favorite, so I’ll list a few I’ve really enjoyed. “The Great Gatsby,” “East of Eden,” “The Rum Diary,” and “The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman.” (I only list the last book because it was an accomplishment to finish it.)

Q: What’s your favorite movie?

A: My favorite movie of all time is “Back to the Future.” I love that movie because of all the great quotes, such as “There’s that word again; ‘heavy.’ Why are things so heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the earth’s gravitational pull?”

By Betsy Russell

For almost two years, I’ve served as the head of a rather obscure group, the Capitol Correspondents Association. It’s not a club. It’s the credentialing entity for Statehouse reporters created by the Legislature in Joint Rule 14 of the House and the Senate.

Why would the Legislature designate a group of reporters to credential reporters? As former Times-News publisher and current state Rep. Steve Hartgen pointed out eloquently in a recent joint leadership meeting, it’s because of the 1st Amendment. Because we have freedom of the press in this country, the government doesn’t create, sanction or credential the press; we, the press, do that ourselves.

The Legislature needed an entity to assure that only bona fide news organizations, as opposed to lobbying or advocacy groups, access the press seats on the floor of the House and Senate, because lobbyists are specifically prohibited from entering that area during sessions of the House or Senate other than by the specific invitation of a senator or representative. Members of the press, credentialed by the Capitol Correspondents Association, specifically are allowed that access in order to report to the public on what’s going on in the Legislature’s sessions. The public, also, is granted access to all sessions through public galleries and live broadcasts both on the Internet and on Idaho Public Television; secret sessions are prohibited by our state Constitution.

So, why does this come up? This organization has been out there since long, long before my time. Among the illustrious journalists to head the group in the past are my immediate predecessor, Greg Hahn of the Idaho Statesman; his immediate predecessor, Mike Wickline of the Lewiston Tribune; and others including Quane Kenyon, Marcia Franklin, Rod Gramer and many more. Most states have similar organizations. Idaho’s association bylaws state that dues are set by vote of the membership; they’ve been $5 a year per correspondent since at least 1975. Some states charge as much as $50 per year; some states charge nothing.

This year, two issues have come up with regard to the Capitol Correspondents Association. First, KTVB-TV raised vehement objections to the $5 dues, questioning what they get for the money, whether their money would be mismanaged, and whether it’s moral to “charge for access” to covering something that’s public. They noted that they didn’t have to pay for press credentials for the Fiesta Bowl.

For the money, credentialed correspondents get access to press seats on the floor and to a press work space during the session, which is located in the basement of the state Capitol, as well as access to Idaho Public Television’s “Legislature Live” feed for use in news reporting. They are entitled to wear the “brown badge” that tells the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House and Senate they are credentialed correspondents. (Badges are color-coded in the state Capitol; for example, lobbyists wear green badges.)

Expenditures from dues funds this year have included items necessary to outfit the new press room, including a $150 cable drop, power strips, cord covers, a microwave, a coffee maker, and two thrift shop TVs that are providing in-house feeds to the press room of House, Senate and budget committee action (we would have purchased and mounted flat-screens as was done elsewhere in the renovated Capitol, but of course the funds aren’t sufficient). There likely will be more expenses along these lines as the furnishing of the new press room is completed; for any correspondents who haven’t paid their dues, their  $5 would be greatly appreciated by their fellows.

The second issue related to credentialing. Wayne Hoffman contacted me prior to the session to tell me that his new Idaho Freedom Foundation, a free-market think tank, planned to hire reporters to cover the session and to ask if they could be credentialed as capitol correspondents. I told him I didn’t think so, but I would check the bylaws. I did, and they did not qualify; the association’s Standing Committee unanimously agreed. Wayne and I met several times to discuss this. The relevant section of the bylaws, defining a news organization, says:

Article 3: Definitions

For purposes of this Association, a “news organization” is a general circulation newspaper, web outlet, radio station, or television station, or a network or syndicate that has a contractual agreement with a general circulation newspaper, web outlet, radio station or television stations to provide regular coverage of the Idaho Legislature and state government.

For purposes of this Association, a “news organization” is not one that produces for or by an organization with membership requirements, or one that produces for or by an organization that exists to advocate, lobby or otherwise influence legislative, executive or judicial decisions.

(3) For purposes of the Association, a “correspondent” includes reporters, photographers, videographers, and other individuals employed by a news organization whose task is to cover the Idaho State Legislature.

Unhappy with the decision to deny credentials, Wayne asked to appeal to the membership. His reporters and editor did so at the association’s annual meeting this year, stated their case, and answered questions. The membership voted unanimously to uphold the decision of the Standing Committee. There was no antipathy toward these new members of the Statehouse press corps; the correspondent who made the motion prefaced it with “with great respect.” The type of organization simply doesn’t fit the bylaws.

Mike Tracy, formerly of the Idaho Farm Bureau, also spoke to the association’s annual meeting, saying that after the Idaho Farm Bureau’s reporters were similarly denied credentials in the 1990s, they secured a special type of access from the legislative leadership that even permitted them to attend closed caucus meetings. This was the first any of us had heard of that. I had spoken earlier with Jake Putnam, who currently reports for the Farm Bureau, and he assured me that they don’t feel their reporting on the Legislature is hampered by their lack of correspondent credentials; the Farm Bureau is a lobbying organization that also does news reporting, and makes its reporting available to the media.

A week or two after the membership vote, I was summoned to a meeting of the joint Republican leadership of the House and Senate, a meeting Wayne had requested regarding credentialing of his organization’s reporters. The legislative leaders also asked Rep. Hartgen to attend and share his wisdom from his 35 years in the newspaper business. After more than an hour of questions, answers and discussion, the joint leadership declined to take any action.

During the leadership meeting, one of the Senate leaders asked Wayne if he’d consider strengthening the “Chinese wall” between his advocacy organization and its news reporting arm; he replied that he did not want to do that, something he’d already told me in our earlier meetings before the session. That is the heart of the conflict with the credentialing rules.

I’d like to say that I, for one, am thrilled that there are additional reporters covering the Legislature – the more information that gets out there about what’s going on in our state Capitol, the better.

Betsy Russell is a Boise-based reporter for The Spokesman-Review, and is president of the Idaho Press Club.

This is one of the basic ways the Idaho Press Club works to improve journalism in Idaho, through recognition of excellence in our annual journalism contest. Whether you’re winning an award or not, please join us. In this stormy time in our industry, we all need a night of celebrating what we do right.

This year’s banquet will begin with a social hour at   6 p.m., and it’ll be right in the heart of downtown Boise at the Boise Centre on the Grove. The evening continues with the banquet and program beginning at 7, and will include the comedy of Pat Mac, honors for all our award winners and scholarship winners, and a choice of entrees between oven roasted chicken with rosemary dijon sauce and butternut squash ravioli (yum!). There’s no silent auction or raffle this year; you don’t need to bring your checkbook. Just bring yourself, your spouse or significant other, your co-workers, and have a night on the town in celebration of good journalism.

Prices haven’t gone up; they’re $35 for members and $40 for non-members, and for the first time, we’re offering a new online payment option through our Web site, www.idahopressclub.org.

Register now, and we’ll see you there!

Idahoans have several new ways to keep track of what’s happening at the Statehouse. As part of a collaborative effort with the Idaho Department of Administration and the Legislative Services Office, Idaho Public Television expanded the services offered by IDAHO LEGISLATURE LIVE.  Those services include over-the-air and cable broadcast of House, Senate proceedings, video streaming of the Joint Finance and Appropriation Committee (JFAC) meetings and hearings in the new 220 seat Capitol Auditorium and audio streaming of all other House and Senate committee hearings.

IDAHO LEGISLATURE LIVE started in 1999 with audio coverage of the House and Senate. Coverage was expanded to include JFAC proceedings a few years later.  Funding for that original audio streaming equipment came from grants from the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and donated funds. In 2005, a web camera was added in each of the three locations to allow users to see the chambers.  In 2007, video equipment for the House and Senate was added with the help a grant of approximately $342,000 from the Idaho Legislature.

IDAHO LEGISLATURE LIVE’s service expanded in 2008 when the Legislature met in the Annex Building (the old Ada County Courthouse). Because of limited space in the rooms that the House and Senate used to conduct business, there were no public viewing areas. IDAHO LEGISLATURE LIVE was the primary way the public viewed the proceedings of both chambers and JFAC.

With technological upgrades in the renovated Statehouse building, viewers can now follow IDAHO LEGISLATURE LIVE in many ways. Over-the-air and digital cable viewers can watch House sessions on IdahoPTV’s Learn channel (4.3) and Senate sessions on the World channel (4.4).   Internet users will find live video streams of House, Senate and JFAC proceedings, live video of hearings in the Capitol Auditorium and live audio proceedings of all other legislative committees all on IdahoPTV’s home page at www.idahoptv.org and http://idahoptv.org/leglive/. IDAHO LEGISLATURE LIVE feeds are also available via the in-house Capitol cable system and can be viewed on the video players on cell phones with Windows Mobile capabilities.

The technical upgrades in the new statehouse offer new opportunities for news coverage. All feeds are available for free for use by media members of the Idaho Capitol Correspondents Association.  IDAHO LEGISLATURE LIVE staff can help route video and audio feeds from within the Statehouse, making it easier to cover hearings and feed out live shots from various locations. But because of staff size, all media requests should be made as far in advance as possible.

Idaho Public Television General Manager Peter Morrill estimates the annual project cost of IDAHO LEGISLATURE LIVE services to the state at $204,000, depending upon the length of the session.  For the 2010 session, IdahoPTV received grants totaling $45,000, the largest portion being donated by the Idaho State Broadcasters Association.  The rest of the grants came from Union Pacific Foundation, Idaho Association of Counties (IAC) and the Idaho Public Television Endowment. The remaining costs are donated in-kind services from Idaho Public Television.

During the 2009 legislative session, the IDAHO LEGISLATURE LIVE Web streaming service was accessed 76,003 times. 34% of viewers watched the House feed, 41% viewed the Senate feed and 25% streamed the Joint Finance–Appropriations Committee (JFAC) feed. For the first four weeks of the 2010 session, the site received approximately 31,000 clip requests, with about half of the viewers watching JFAC proceedings.