Media Frenzy

By Rob Holbert Managing Editor

Hey, did you know Hurricane Season is here? Don’t answer that. Of course you do because just about every media outlet in existence has done a complete package on what to expect, what to fear, where to hide, and the canned goods you should take when you do.

So it’s a little bit of overkill. After the last couple of years, it’s hard to blame the media for being a little hurricane-happy.

But if you’ve been tuning out much of the hurricane-related rhetoric and opting for reruns of “Mama’s Family,” there is another way to get your ‘cane news. (I think I just dated myself with that “Mama’s Family” reference. I’m pretty sure that show hasn’t been on the air in Mobile for several years. Oh well.) All three of our local TV stations currently feature special sections on Hurricane Season, some of which could prove useful.

All of the sites offer a basic rundown on some of the basics of hurricane preparedness, but there are some interesting deviations. WPMI, for example, offers a list of innovative hurricane supplies, such as a power inverter, which for $80 will allow you to run a fridge or small air conditioner off of a car battery. There’s also a portable fuel station that will help you fill up your car when the power’s out.

WALA’s hurricane page isn’t as visually interesting as the others, but it does offer a good bit of information and instruction on how to protect your home and some important generator tips. You can never have enough of those! There are also some Orange Beach Web cams so you can watch the big one roll in from the comfort of your living room, at least until the power goes out.

WKRG’s site offers a very cohesive place to get your hurricane data, although most of it is pretty standard. There is a hurricane glossary in case you’re having trouble following some of the tropical cyclone jargon that gets tossed around like unsecured lawn furniture during the excitement of a big storm.

Ringing in on condos downtown

Cyber journalist Chip Drago continues to do excellent work out there in the ether. His Web-based newspaper MobileBayTimes (mobilebaytimes.com) is a good read for those of us looking for some outside-the-Press-Register reporting. (It makes a fine companion to the alternative news source you’re holding in your sweaty little hands, I must say.)

At any rate, Drago’s site has presented some pretty interesting articles in the past few weeks. Perhaps the most noteworthy is his interview with several local real estate types who discuss the possible status and potential success for failure of proposed downtown Mobile condominium projects. (www.mobilebaytimes.com/condomania.html)

The article centers on proposed condo projects in the areas formerly occupied by the old courthouse and the CSX terminal, respectively.

“It would appear that a price increase from $40 to $80 million would cause a developer to hesitate. Presumably there was not $40 million plus in profits projected. The price range discussed initially made great sense. Double that and your target market changes completely,” one local real estate professional told Drago.

Others believe the projects have a good chance of success.

I would encourage folks to take a look at Drago’s site on a frequent basis (and no, there are no kickbacks involved here and he’s not my brother-in-law) for a different look at the local scene.

Barker leaving?

We hear WALA’s Jeff Barker may be flying the coop soon for work in the Lone Star state. Jeff couldn’t confirm or deny a change at this time, but said he’d keep us updated when the time is right.

New WKRG shooter

Jud Hulon starts effective June 12th, as a new photographer at WKRG, the CBS affiliate. Hulon earned his BA in mass communications from the University of Montevallo and is a veteran award-winning photojournalist.

He has spent the past six years at ABC 33/40 in Birmingham. Hulon also had early career stops at WFGX and WEAR in the Mobile/Pensacola market.

Marshall president of WHIL board

We hear Press-Register editor Mike Marshall was elected president of the WHIL Board of Directors in the past couple of weeks. WHIL is this market’s public radio and fine arts station. Marshall has been on the board for several years and replaces Merv White-Spunner as president. White-Spunner is now the board’s treasurer.

The station also has two new board members, Trey Mayhall and Ann Marie Kilpatrick Terry.

What happens at Ad Fed…

The Bay Area Advertising Federation will be holding its annual Ad Fed meeting June 15 at 11:30 a.m. at Wintzell’s Oyster House on Airport Boulevard, and will feature speaker Randy Snow.

While Snow’s name is probably unfamiliar to most, his work certainly isn’t. He is vice president and creative director of R&R Partners, the firm that gave us the ubiquitous “What happens here, stays here” campaign for the Las Vegas Visitors & Conventions Authority.

There probably aren’t too many breathing Americans who haven’t uttered some machination of that campaign’s catch phrase.

The Ad Fed will also install its 2007 officers and board of directors at the meeting. And remember, what happens at Ad Fed…. Oh, you get the idea.

Rob Holbert is Lagniappe managing editor. Contact him at rholbert@lagniappemobile.com.

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