From the Mailbag: Pocono Record Blogs

We received this message earlier this week from a reporter at the Pocono Record Newspaper.

Hi,

I’m  a reporter here at the Pocono Record who also handles digital matters. We have some great recurring blogs by local folks that I was hoping you could pick up and add to your site. One focuses on running, the other on weddings and another on Pike County. Let me know if you need any more information.

Thanks.

These are our most frequently updated blogs:

Running the Poconos

http://blogs.thepoconos.com/running-the-poconos/2013/07/23/stuff-round-the-mill-130723/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RunningThePoconosAndBeyond+%28Running+the+Poconos+and+Beyond%29

Yesterday’s Photos (Vintage and archival images of Monroe County)

http://blogs.thepoconos.com/yesterdays-photos/2013/07/23/nude-drawings-banned-from-courthouse/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thepoconos%2FRxqM+%28Yesterdays+Photos%29

Pocono Wedding Talk

http://blogs.thepoconos.com/weddings/2013/07/21/backyard-wedding-take-special-consideration/

 I like Pike

http://blogs.thepoconos.com/i-like-pike/2013/07/22/new-sign-for-new-library-in-milford/

Camilo H. Smith
Reporter

Michael Sadowski also had a popular blog at the Pocono Record called "Pop Rox" which has recently slipped into our 3+-Months-since-last-update blogroll.  This blog fell to the wayside after he left the newspaper and area (he and his wife appear to be working from the Harrisburg area now).  Hopefully, these new blogs will fill the void that Michael left behind.

Enjoy, and happy Sunday.

From the Mailbag: PA Media Board

This was message board was originally linked to on October 23, 2011 by Gort, but I'm reposting it again.

Bob Quarteroni: I had a blog site for a while but shut it down when it got to be nothing but flames and insults.  It focused on NEPA media. I just saw that nepamedia proboards has been shut down.  Add that to the fact that Joe Butkiewicz was ousted/quit at the TL today and I have a personal thing going with him, I'm going to restart it.

 It's http://pamedia.proboards.com and if you could mention/list it that would be great. Any questions you can always reach me here. Thanks in advance. Bob Q

Unfortunately, Bob doesn't know the different between a message board/forum and a "blog site".  He's running a message board...not a blog site.  At any rate, in light of the NEPA Media boards being shut down, I figured this would be worth mentioning....again.

I've been watching this site for several years and it's never gone anywhere.  Maybe now it will finally take off.

Good luck and happy flaming.  Play nice kids.

2 Tumblrs from Ashley Teatum

Ashley Teatum is another journalist in our area that blogs.  Ashley is a sports writer at the Times Tribune in Scranton.  I learned of her two Tumblr blogs through her Twitter account @tee_tuhm.  "writer. lit nerd. sports geek. journalist. feminist."


Blog #1:  
Feminish.
http://feminish.tumblr.com
"Critically Uncovering the Coverage of Women in Sports"



Blog #2:  
Shelvish
http://shelvish.tumblr.com
"It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it." -oscar wilde
"What and how much had I lost by trying to do only what was expected of me instead of what I myself had wished to do?” -Ralph Ellison, from Invisible Man"


Ashley is also in the popular "Dancing with the NEPA Stars" competition...and she's made it all the way to the final round!  It costs a dollar to vote online, but all proceeds go to help the Scranton Cultural Center.  You can vote for Ashley online using this link:  http://www.scrantonculturalcenter.org/ashley-teatum


From the voting page: 

Although she is a Staten Island, N.Y., native, Ashley Teatum caught the Scranton bug and stayed after graduating from the University of Scranton in 2009. As a sports reporter for The Times-Tribune, Ashley, 24, covers high school soccer and wrestling. She serves as the vice president of the Alpha Sigma Nu Scranton Alumni Club and also has sung with the University's performance music concert choir as an alum. Ashley lives in West Scranton and is tackling David Foster Wallace's epic novel “Infinite Jest” this summer. She owes her dancing genes to Ms. Mary Saccheri-Spera, her dance teacher in Staten Island who gave Ashley her groove for 13 years. 

Best of Luck, Ashley and welcome to the blog roll!

~Michelle

The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon

Happy Good Friday, NEPA!

We haven't blogged for a few days because we have been trying to regroup from March Blog Madness and BlogFest both of which were wildly successful. Here we are again, with a new blog to add to the blog roll!

"The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon"
http://dishranawaywiththespoon.com/

Believe it or not, this is the blog of Trish "the Dish" Hartman of WNEP-TV. Trish does the 7, 10, and 11pm news on WNEP and WNEP2 on weekdays. Besides that, she's also a bride-to-be, a marathon runner, and an ice cream enthusiast. Don't take my word for it, you can read all about it on the "About Me" page of her blog, right here.

Trish blogs about books, fitness and running, food, wedding planning, and many other life events. The blog is only 1 month old, but we look forward to many more updates from "the Dish".

You can also follow Trish on Twitter (@TrishHartman) and on Facebook.

Do you have a blog that you'd like to mention on NEPA Blogs? Send us an email with the details to nepablogs@gmail.com.

~Michelle

Investigating NEPA

....Continuing on with March Blog Madness....

Another local news journalist has a blog! Ok, stop your yawning, right now! This is non other than Dave Bohman, the hard-hitting/hard-ass Emmy winning investigative reporter from WNEP-TV (ABC's local news affiliate).

Investigating NEPA

http://davidjbohman.blogspot.com/

Dave has been blogging infrequently since 2010. His blog has been in hiatus since last March, but he's recently vowed to start it back up again on Twitter.

In addition to Dave bringing justice to those who have been wronged in Northeastern Pennsylvania, he's also a sports nut, golfer, community service volunteer, and a Dad.

Be sure to follow his adventures on his blog (which he aims to update bi-weekly), on Twitter at @DBohmanWNEP and also on air at WNEP!

~Michelle

PA Live! Blog of the Week: No News Is...Good News?

NEPA Blogs will be presenting a "Blog of the Week" on the WBRE's PA Live! every Tuesday. PA Live! airs weekday afternoons on WBRE from 4:00 to 5:00.

Watch this episode on the PA Live! page:

http://pahomepage.com/palive-details/?nxd_id=228642

Our PA Live! Blog of the Week this week is No News Is...Good News? (http://no-news-is.blogspot.com/) by veteran NEPA newsman David DeCosmo!

David DeCosmo is a familiar figure to TV viewers in Northeastern Pennsylvania. A longtime news reporter for WYOU, he now reports on NEPA in a different way - on his blog! Updated daily, No News Is...Good News? provides a relaxed and funny look at life in this area and beyond. From reminiscences about the days when coal was king - and the only way to keep your house warm was to make sure your furnace was well-fed! - to the totally true story of an on-air bear attack, to as-it-happened reporting on the Flood of 2011, No News Is...Good News? brings us tales of NEPA today and yesterday as seen through the eyes of someone who really knows how to report on a story.

A few months ago I heard a professor of Folklore describe folklore as "the history of the now," and I realized that blogs serve that same purpose. By having someone like David DeCosmo observing current events with his newsman's eye, and then creating a record of these observations and events on his blog, No News Is...Good News? is becoming a chronicle of the history of NEPA as it is unfolding today. As bloggers throughout NEPA look at these same events through different eyes, a complete history of the now is being created. The good news is, anyone can take part in writing this history! Just get yourself a blog and get started!



If you have a blog you would like us to link on NEPA Blogs, or know of a blog you think we should link, please let us know! You can always drop us a line at nepablogs@gmail.com!


All are invited to meet the bloggers of Northeastern Pennsylvania at the Spring 2012 Blog Fest on March 30, 2012 at Rooney's Irish Pub in Pittston! Stay tuned for more details!

Brian Fulton's Blogs

It's odd how natural disasters bring people together. As you may or may not know, Harold and I were administrators on the "Wyoming Valley Flood 2011" page on Facebook (which was a hastily organized resource to share information and resources for the residents of the Wyoming Valley about the flood of Sept 2011). This afforded us the opportunity to meet people from NEPA that we wouldn't normally associate with through social media. I gained a lot of new followers on Twitter and Facebook after the 2011 Floods. Brian Fulton was one of the new followers that I picked up after the disaster.

Fast forward to January 2012...I found out that Brian signed on to be one of the presenters at Pecha Kucha Night. I love meeting people in real life that I know through blogging and social media, so I was excited to meet him.

Brian's Pecha Kucha presentation was all about Library Crimes. As it turns out, library crimes happen more often than people realize. Harold and I chatted briefly with Brian after the show and exchanged blogging business cards.

Me (to myself): "SCORE! Another NEPA Blogger to add to our blogroll!"

Brian blogs professionally through the Scranton Times-Tribune at http://blogs.thetimes-tribune.com/pages and personally through a Tumblr blog located at http://foodphotosandlibcrime.tumblr.com/.

You can also follow Brian's adventure's through Twitter at @bgfulton where he tags himself as a "Newspaper library manager, graduate student and candy enthusiast from Larksville, PA."

We welcome Brian to the blogosphere, and hope that you will as well by following his blogs.

~Michelle

2 from Nikki Mascali

You may recognize the name in the title of this blog post from reading Northeast PA's #1 premier Independent Entertainment Weekly Newspaper/Magazine, The Weekender. Nikki has been an editor at The Weekender for the last year...but here's another surprising fact about her....She's also a NEPA Blogger!

We recently added Nikki to our NEPA Blogs Facebook group and I have become friends with her on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. After friending her, I found out that she has two blogs and has been blogging since 2010. It's a shame we are just linking to her now, in 2012. Better late than never, I suppose.

Blog #1
"Ink for Blood"
http://nikkimmascali.wordpress.com

From the "Things You Should Know About Me" page (a.k.a. The About Page)

- I am a left-handed professional writer.
- As a foodie/food writer, I love eating and taking pictures of what I’m eating. (A foodie’s work is never done!)
- I consult my AP Stylebook for personal use.
- I write haiku/tanka poetry.
- The scent of a book and newsprint top my Favorite Smells Ever.
- I sometimes don’t turn my TV on for weeks at a time, yet I have all the cable channels a girl could want.
- I work movie quotes into daily conversation like it’s my job – or an art. (Personally, I think it’s a little bit of both.)
- I am an Anglophile who wishes for a British accent.
- I simply could not live without: Blue Papermate pens, mint ChapStick, Sirius or Palmer’s Cocoa Butter.
- I like to think of myself as witty. You be the judge.

Blog #2
"Run, Nikki, Run"
http://runnikkirun.wordpress.com

From the "About Page":

I’m a 34-year-old Northeastern Pennsylvania native who wants to get back into running and, in turn, get myself on a healthier path.

It’s been a long, hard road full of obstacles of my own devices – periods of laziness, emotional eating (both stress and happiness are triggers, naturally), etc. – and I know it’ll continue being so, but my laces are tied, and I’m ready to run. Or at the very least, walk fast. Really, really fast.

I’d love it if you’d care to join me and offer any tips or encouragement!

Nikki

You can also follow along Nikki's adventures by following her on Twitter @NikkiMMascali or by reading her latest columns in The Weekender (either online or the print version, which comes out every Thursday and is free!)

Both of Nikki's blogs have been added to our sidebar. If you have a blog from NEPA and would like to be added to our blogroll, send us an email with your Name, URL and blog details to nepablogs@gmail.com and we'll be sure to give you a mention!

~Michelle

Dominick at WBRE

Well, here's one so recursive it may bend space-time...while engaging in a frustrating brute-force search for NEPA band blogs, I came across a reference to a NEPA band - and to myself! It was on the blog of Dominick, one of the interns at WBRE who helps out with PA Live! Among his many, many other duties at the station, he escorts all of the guests on and off of the set, gets us anything we need, and makes sure we're ready when it's our turn to go on. His blog serves as an excellent record of the goings-on at PA Live!, though he hasn't mentioned anything about The Cobra Incident yet (yes, having an angry venomous snake on the set is a fine idea, especially when the only person who knows how to deal with it is the person most likely to be bitten!)

Dominick at WBRE
http://dominickatwbre.wordpress.com/

From the Mailbag: NEPAtoday Magazine

From the Mailbag:



Today's Mailbag submission comes from Lew Marcus of the Scranton area. He requested that we link to his online magazine:

NEPAtoday Online Magazine - http://www.nepatodaymagazine.com
"Commentary on politics, lifestyle and the arts"

As of right now there isn't too much content on the website, but I'm sure that will change. There are 6 articles that cover a variety of topics from 3 different authors. We hope that by linking to this website that the word will get out about the magazine and that it will continue to grow.

Here's the 411 on the magazine (from the website): NEPAtoday Magazine Online is the cyber-sister of NEPAtoday Magazine, a monthly printed periodical published and distributed by Marcus Publishing, 611 Monroe Avenue, Scranton, PA 18510. To reach us via email or to SUBSCRIBE we are at: nepatodaymag@aol.com. To Subscribe just list "subscribe" in the subject line. We'll send you an email link every time we publish!

If you have a blog that you would like us to link to, please shoot us an email at nepablogs@gmail.com.

~Michelle

Riding Both Rails

About a month ago, I graded the News Media on their Social Media presence on my personal blog. In the process I posed a rhetorical question (not necessarily expecting a reply)...Why doesn't Mike Stevens of WNEP have a blog? He has a such profound way of telling stories from his "On the Pennsylvania Road" segments. I figured blogging could become a natural extension of his adventures.

Not long after that post, I was informed by Jennifer Wade that he does in fact have a blog.

"Riding Both Rails"
by: Mike Stevens and Tom Flannery
http://stevensandflannery.wordpress.com

The "About" section of the blog has an interesting story (I'd expect nothing less)...

Mike Stevens will choose the subject matter (Tom respects his elders). Mike and Flannery have pledged to write 1000 words a week. Starting the week of 12/5 2010. Flannery has promised not to curse. Sevens has promised to not say “I’m too busy”

After a year they’ll have a book.

As incentive, if Stevens misses a deadline, he will pledge $5 to Flannery’s charity of choice. The National Alzheimer’s Association. If Flannery missed a deadline, the Stevens charity of choice is the USO. A deadline doesn’t mean much without a penalty after all.

I read through a few of the most recent blog entries and I am intrigued to see where this collaborative effort will go next. 12/5/2011 is rapidly approaching and if they have kept up with their pledges, they should have enough material for a book. Although, I have to admit I'm very curious to know how much cash went to those charities :o) Nice work, gentlemen!

Mike Stevens & Tom Flannery's blog addition is just one of SEVERAL that we have on our blog roll from the NEPA news media. I find the industry endlessly fascinating and hope that we continue to find more blogs from journalists/radio broadcasters/staff writers. If you know of any that we aren't already linked to, please drop us a line at nepablogs@gmail.com.

~Michelle

P.S. WELCOME BACK, GORT!

NEPA Blogs interview to air tonight!

Harold Jenkins and Michelle Davies, two of the administrators / contributors to NEPA Blogs, can be heard in a radio interview at 7:55 tonight (Eastern time) with Jessica Durkin on WFTE - 105.7 in Scranton, 90.3 in the Poconos, and online at http://wfte.org/. "Listen Live!" options are available on the right sidebar of the WFTE site.

Listen to hear the shocking truth behind the origin of NEPA Blogs, the secret to getting your blog noticed once it's listed, and why blogging about kittens might just earn you an arch-nemesis!

Carl Abraham and his fascinating News Media Tribute Site

I want to preface this blog post by saying ahead of time how shocked I am that this website has never made it to our blogroll sooner (As an aside, his webpage is not a blog, but I strongly feel that it still deserves a spot on our blogroll).

(From LinkedIn) Carl Abraham is the Assistant News Director at WNEP-TV for those of you that don't know. A few years ago, through doing a Google search for WNEP, I came across his webpage - which can be found at http://www.carlabraham.com.

The webpage is broken out into the following sections:

Carl's Scranton PA Homepage - There are a bunch of photos showing the downtown landscape and how it has transformed with the various constructions projects that have happened over there years.

WDAU-TV Tribute Web Site - A pictorial page of WDAU-TV (*ahem* now referred to as WYOU-TV)'s cast and crew. If you look hard enough, you can find David DeCosmo author of the "No News Is..." blog which is linked on our blogroll.

WNEP-TV Tribute Web Site - The WNEP Tribute Web Site section has the same feel as the WDAU website section, except (you guessed it) with WNEP cast members. I spy with my little eye....blogger Jennifer Wade and A. Pal in some of the photos posted, although, I'm sure there are many more faces you will will recognize.

Scranton St. Pat's Parade - Aerial photos of the city during the parade and various marchers along the parade route with some brief commentary about the parade.

**There are also links to a Genealogy Page and a NY Mets Fan Page

I think the page is worth a look if you haven't already as it is a historic look on NEPA's media presence and landscape and how it has evolved over the years. I sincerely hope that Carl keeps updating the "virtual museum" (as I like to call it) with pictures so we will always have a way to remember the past.

Have a great weekend everyone!
~M

NEPA Blogs on ComputerWiseTv

Hey NEPA! Its been a while . . .

I haven't been posting blogs recently because I have a new job and am also taking classes over the summer semester at LCCC. That doesn't mean that I haven't been busy "behind the scenes".

Prior to BlogFest, I had secured an interview with NEPA Happenings magazine. I was working with journalist Kieran Kern to bring some attention to our bi-annual get-together. The interview should be hitting the magazine in July. You can pick-up a free copy at any of the following locations (from the website) - Over 30,000 magazines are distributed throughout a ten county area. You'll find Happenings at each of our advertiser locations. The magazine is also available at over 500 other locations in Northeast Pennsylvania. You'll find Happenings at such high traffic locations as banks, libraries, restaurants, hotels and shopping malls.
Happenings is also available by subscription. Be sure to pick one up to check out the interview next month!

Also, I wanted to announce that DB Echo and I will be on the ComputerWise TV show this coming week on Wednesday (06/22/11). In case you aren't aware, George Roberts' blog is linked on our sidebar. He is the host of ComputerWise. We will be discussing blogging topics, such as what a blog is, how NEPA Blogs got started, and why someone should create a blog vs. a Twitter or Facebook account. We hope that you tune in and watch us make train wrecks of ourselves on LIVE TV. Did I mention the show is LIVE? Yeah...it is.

From the website - here's where you can find the show on your cable dial:

Our TV Show

LIVE Wednesdays at 7:00PM ET
on Blue Ridge Communications TV 13
& Service Electric Cable
in Northeastern Pennsylvania

REPEATS

Blue Ridge Communications TV 13

• Thursdays at 4:00PM
• Saturdays at 10:00AM

Blue Ridge Communications TV 11

• Mondays at 10:00AM
• Tuesdays at 7:00PM
• Fridays at 7:30AM & 8:00PM

Service Electric TV 2 & 3

• Sundays at 7:00PM

As always, my hope is with these interviews and TV appearances that we attract more attention to the blogging community within Northeast PA. We have such a vast and diverse audience that there really is something for everyone.

Not to beat a dead horse, but should you want your Blog listed here, please send an email to nepablogs@gmail.com with your Blog URL and a brief description about what your blog is focused on and we will be happy to add you to the list!

Have a great Father's Day NEPA!
~M

Rising's Rants

From the email box:

We received an email message from Jim Rising who was formerly the Program Director of 102.3 The Mountain and is an active columnist in the Weekender. Jim wants to make us aware of a new blog that he is starting located at: http://www.jamesrising.com/ It appears that the domain name is not working yet, but I'm sure it will be active soon. You can check out his old blog material at http://risingsrant.blogspot.com/ in the interim.

"A random look at the life and times of Jim Rising recovering radio addict and newspaper columnist."

In the words of Manny Gordon... "ENJOY ENJOY!"

~M

No news is...

David DeCosmo, formerly of WYOU-TV 22 has started a blog "No news is..." (Good News) at Blogspot which I found about through visiting The Lu Lac Political Letter and reading the most recent blog post.

"We're all heard ... "No News Is Good News" so I've decided to work a title out of that expression. We'll have to see where it goes from here. In the meantime here's hoping... All Your News Is Good!" -- From David's first post

We are happy to have him on board at NEPA Blogs and wish him many successful years of blogging!

~M

NEPA Media Max

NEPA Media Max
A new uncensored look at the media in North East PA.
Comments and tips? email: nepamediamax@gmail.com
Confidentiality Assured

From the introductory post:

This blog is following in Howard's Beale's footsteps. "Beale's Bites" was the inspiration. However recently, there are no "up to date" sources for NEPA news media gossip, hearsay, rumors and what have you. There are plenty of great news stories and blogs that seem to fall through the cracks. The only place media people had a voice was in the comments of dead blogs.

So today, Howard Beale may be dead, but now "NEPA Media Max" will pick up where he left off.

This blog will be different, because it will be all based on you.

It will not be run like the media. It will be run like any good blog does. Writing all the good gossip and pointing you towards things you might have missed in other blogs, newspaper stories and on TV. Your comments will NOT be moderated.

So don't spend your days fishing for media gossip. Come here and see if someone sent it to me first.

* * *

Sad to say, I never knew who the original "Howard Beale" was until I asked someone in the industry! "Max" is from the same reference.