Q & A with Kathy Times by Corinne Lyons

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Q&A with Kathy Times Jul 28, 2010

By CORINNE LYONS nabjconvention.org Video: How well do you know Kathy Times? Since her NABJ presidential victory last year, Kathy Times has addressed issues of members facing job losses and financial difficulties. She recently answered questions for the NABJ Student Media Projects about her presidency and her plans for the organization’s future. Q: Conventions are planned around five years in advance. Last year, NABJ was criticized for not booking enough rooms. What measures have you taken this year to stay within the contract? What safeguards do you hope NABJ would adopt to prevent it from happening in the future? A: We renegotiated our hotel contract and virtually cut the number of rooms we were obligated to fill in half. An ad hoc committee is exploring our convention model and will present some options to the board of directors this week. We’re revisiting guidelines that require us to contract with convention hotels five years in advance of our convention. We will continue to offer quality programs that attract our members, and we are already talking with like-minded organizations about holding conventions and regional events together. Q: There are a growing number of associate members and a decline in full members. What part do associate members play in the health of the organization? How does NABJ plan to accommodate this shift? A: When we downsized, we could not renew the contract of our communications director. He was a great contract employee. Our associate members stepped up and took over duties such as sending e-blasts to the membership, writing news releases, and they’re responsible for delivering a superb campaign to spread the word about the convention plans. We’ve delivered great programming for our associate members, and we have some exciting options that will help deliver their services to professionals outside our membership to boost our revenue. We’re constantly considering ways to boost their roles year-round and appreciate their many contributions. There is a plan in the works to add public relations categories to our annual awards. Watch for the announcement during the Salute to Excellence gala.

Q: Students can receive a six-month extension on their membership. Has the number of students taking this extension increased with the changes in the industry? How does this extension allow them to land a journalism job? A: Students get to stay in touch with a membership that can nurture them and point them in the right direction during a tough economy. Q: Recently, NABJ submitted a letter to CNN questioning their diversity. What led to the letter being written and submitted? What does NABJ hope will happen as a result? A: For months we watched mainstream and cable networks fill key positions on the desk, but we noticed African-American journalists did not get a shot at prime time. We’ve been working diligently to get our members in the management ranks since managers hire and fire. The last straw came when the disgraced former governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer, was hired to host a show on CNN. We want our qualified members to have the best shot at landing these coveted positions that influence millions of viewers. We’re recruiting new alliances to help us in this endeavor. It’s time for viewers and readers to reconsider their support of media that don’t fully embrace diversity and take the African-American market for granted. Q: Two years is a very short amount of time to change an organization. With roughly a year left in your term what would you like to change? A: I am recruiting corporate leaders and philanthropists to advise us and ensure our organization remains solvent. They will help us raise funds, identify strategic alliances and build a new business model. We will market our brand, raise our profile and replenish our reserves. Starting in the fall, we will offer a series of unique Media Institute seminars that will appeal to you and the communities you serve. Topics include immigration, the census and redistricting, and entrepreneurial and investigative journalism. We’ll also work with a team to restructure the organization. Q: One of the items you mentioned that you’d like to work on previously was revamping the website. What are some of the changes you’d like to see made? When will we see those changes? A: We’ve redesigned the website, and the board will review the first phase this week. We plan to add the social networking component next month as well as features that will allow chapters to interact with each other and connect members across the country. There will be a test phase as we add content and other features before we unveil the final product to the membership. Q: NABJ is looking for an executive director. How does not having one effect the day-to-day operations of the organization? What are the requirements NABJ is looking for in a potential candidate? A: The requirements are posted in our job announcement on our website. We’re looking for someone with experience managing a convention, managing an association and a real visionary who can attract new revenue sources that are in line with our mission statement. Our interim executive director, Drew Berry, stepped in and didn’t miss a beat since he was the immediate past finance committee chair. The transition was pretty seamless. He renegotiated our agreement with the University of Maryland that allowed us to delay a huge down payment, and worked with a team to ensure the success of a West Coast convention during a recession. That’s no small feat. Twitter Facebook StumbleUpon Digg Technorati Delicious No Responses to “Q&A with Kathy Times”