People and Papers

MediaNews, Gannett may partner for bid

MediaNews Group is discussing a possible alliance with Gannett, the nation’s largest newspaper group, to acquire Knight Ridder, the San Jose, Calif.-based newspaper company.

MediaNews, a privately held Denver-based newspaper group, has teamed up with three private equity firms to consider a bid for Knight Ridder, parent company of the Lexington Herald-Leader and 31 other newspapers. Gannett canceled two days of meetings with Knight Ridder that were to recently take place. It was unclear whether Gannett, based in McLean, Va., was planning on a joint bid with MediaNews to buy all of Knight Ridder, or if the two would divide up Knight Ridder’s newspapers in the event of a successful bid.

Brummett named arts citizen of the year

Jennifer Brummett, arts and entertainment editor for The Advocate-Messenger, has been named Arts Citizen of 2005 by the Arts Commission of Danville/Boyle County. Brummett recently returned from a National Endowment for the Arts sponsored arts journalism institute at The University of Southern California Annenberg.

“They recognized her ability, dedication, and love of the arts. We do, too, and celebrate the fact that she practices her writer’s craft, shares her dramatic talents, and gets the word out far and wide about the arts, right here in Danville,” Barbara Hall, outgoing president of the local arts commission, said

Brummett received the award for long service to the artists and arts organizations in Danville and the region.

Brummett graduated from Centre College in 1993 with English and Spanish majors.

Program nets two new Messenger staff members

Beginning with the 2005-2006 school year, a partnership between the journalism class at Meade County High School and the Meade County Messenger has given students an opportunity to gain real world experience.

That partnership between school and community newspapers resulted in the Messenger’s hiring two high school juniors Zach Greenwell and Brian Alsip to cover sports.

Greenwell, who is the editor of the high school’s newspaper, The Current, took Anderson s assignment to heart immediately, submitting coverage of fall sports.

Greenwell plans to attend Western Kentucky University and major in journalism, particularly sports reporting.

A Meade County native, Zach Greenwell is the son of Mike and Diana Greenwell.

Also a Meade County native, Brian Alsip is the son of Charles and Rosemary Alsip.

In addition to playing on the Greenwave basketball team, he is a member of the Pep Club, FCA and FBLA, and he is involved in his church youth group at Ekron Baptist Church.

Barbara Battcher joins Enterprise staff

Barbara Battcher of Lebanon has been hired to become the new circulation clerk at The Lebanon Enterprise. Jane Ballard, the newspaper’s former circulation clerk, retired Feb. 24. Ballard had worked for The Lebanon Enterprise since June of 1984.

Battcher worked at R.R. Donnelley in Danville since April, 1998. There, she worked closely with the postal service.

Battcher is a 1980 graduate of Marion County High School and she is married to Terry Battcher. They have two children, Beth Battcher, 24, and Paula Morris, 20, and four grandchildren - Matthew, Vincent, Madison and Michaela.

The Gleaner honored for its print quality

The Gleaner in Henderson has won three major print quality awards in national competition, including best in show for color print quality.

The Gleaner was honored Feb. 28 at a Naples, Fla., award event sponsored by the Inland Press Association, which teams with Kodak to sponsor the annual national competition.

“This is an absolutely amazing achievement for The Gleaner’s production department headed by Rick Lancaster,” Gleaner Publisher Steve Austin said. “They are the MVPs of the Super Bowl of print quality.”

Courier-Journal cartoonist moves to Houston paper

Nick Anderson, an editorial cartoonist with the Courier-Journal, has accepted a position with the Houston Chronicle.

Last year, Anderson received the Pulitzer Prize for his body of work.

Anderson’s efforts were praised by his co-workers.

“A couple of years ago, I wrote a column about Anderson and he told me then that his goal with his cartoons is to express a point of view as succinctly as possible and let the chips fall were they may,” wrote C-J Public Editor Pam Pratt. “I’d say he was a roaring success in meeting that goal.”

Samieh Shalash joins staff at Winchester Sun

A Lexington native and freelance writer, Samieh Shalash, has recently been hired to serve as a reporter and page designer at The Winchester Sun.

Shalash, 22, began her new position last week.

She previously worked for the Lexington Herald-Leader as a reporting intern from January to September 2005, where she covered crime, general assignments and wrote feature stories.

Shalash has also written on a freelance basis for Lexington publications such as Central Kentucky Lifestyle and Nougat magazines.

She graduated in May 2005 from the University of Kentucky with a degree in print journalism and a minor in Spanish.

Shalash held various positions for four years at UK’s daily student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel, and has interned at the Georgetown News-Graphic as a general assignment reporter.

As a writer, Shalash said she endeavors to find out what matters to people and to bring those issues to the forefront.

"That's the goal of every writer, to affect people," she said.

A practicing Sunni Muslim, Shalash recently returned from the hajj, a one-time pilgrimage to Mecca for religious observances that she plans to detail in a future story for The Sun.

She also serves as a board member on the Kentucky chapter of The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a nonprofit advocacy group which recently sent more than 300 pounds of clothes and other donations to a military hospital in Afghanistan.

Shalash currently lives in Lexington with her parents, who immigrated from Palestine about 30 years ago. She has two brothers and six sisters, and her extended family in Lexington includes more than 200 members.

Samira Jafari named Pikeville correspondent

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Samira Jafari, a newswoman for The Associated Press in Montgomery, Ala., has been named correspondent in Pikeville.

The appointment was announced by Adam Yeomans, chief of bureau for Kentucky and Tennessee.

Jafari, 25, joined the AP in the Atlanta bureau in January 2003 and has been in Alabama since October 2003.

In Alabama, she specialized in reporting on criminal justice and prison issues.

She is a native of Tehran, Iran, and a graduate of the University of Georgia. Before joining the AP, she was an intern at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

Jafari succeeds Roger Alford, who has been promoted to statehouse correspondent in Frankfort.

Manassah to lead new program

Bellarmine University will create a new School of Communication, Mass Media and Culture and has hired a veteran publisher to lead the effort, according to a statement released from the university.

The university announced earlier this year that Edward E. Manassah, who has served as president and publisher of The Courier-Journal since 1993, will become full-time Executive in Residence at Bellarmine beginning April 1. The publisher announced his retirement on Monday from Gannett Co. Inc., which owns The Courier-Journal and 90 other daily newspapers.

Manassah’s initial efforts will involve seeking a planning grant for the new school and developing an endowment and funding for its operation.

Bellarmine’s president, Dr. Joseph J. McGowan, said he was excited about having someone with the publisher’s professional experience lead the project.

“We’re very pleased that we’ll have the expertise and guidance of Ed Manassah as we develop this new school,” he said in a telephone interview. “His first efforts will be to work on developing a proposal for a planning grant and identifying those foundations and individuals supportive of this effort.”

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