Another Blog

If you haven’t been there already

Franz — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:47:25 +0000

I am now reporting and producing on a weekly basis for Columbia News Tonight, a weekly webcast from The Journalism School at Columbia University. So far I was fortunate enough to be Executive Producer, Managing Editor, Producer and Reporter for back-of-the-books stories and for breaking news.

I designed the website and the two flash graphics and installed a Google Analytics account. Click here for the entire site and here for my stories only.

This week in Der Spiegel

Franz — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:21:04 +0000

In this week’s title story of DER SPIEGEL, I am featured on page 127. The article deals with social networks, and I am talking about the news I broke on twitter (N.Y. Times hiring Bono as an op-ed writer) and how J-school students twittered the Obama-McCain forum on national service.

Click here to buy the whole issue as an e-paper or browse through the pages.

Ira Glass: “Newspapers and network news deserve to die”

Franz — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:09:33 +0000

Christiane Amanpour attended the DuPont Awards Winners’ Circle inside the Lecture Hall this year to talk about her winning documentary “God’s Warriors” but also to react to criticism by earlier remarks from Ira Glass who said he could have never voted for this years winners.

Amanpour: “Yes, we are serious about that. The world is a serious place. The things that confront us are serious things. We don’t want to make fun or make light of the serious things. That does not mean that we cannot create compelling, interesting television.”

(Click more for full Ira Glass remarks) (more…)

Band of Doctors

Franz — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:13:04 +0000

Intro: A group of women’s cancer doctors is practicing more than medicine. But whether or not they hit it big making music for cancer patients and their families, they plan to hold onto their day jobs. Katy Hall has the story.

For better quality, download as .mov - For iPhone, iPod, PSP, download as .mp4Camera/Editing: Franz Strasser - Reporting/Script: Katy Hall

N.E.D. are Nimesh Nagarsheth, Will Winter, John Soper, John Boggess, Joanie Hope and William Rusty Robinson

More infos at:
motema.com/artist/NED
thegcf.org
facebook.com/business/dashboard/#/pages/edit/?id=42697252281

Starbucks Faces Problems in New York City

Franz — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:59:52 +0000

INTRO: When you think about coffee, the name Starbucks is not too far from your mind. In November, Starbucks reported a loss in income, mainly because an economic crisis made it harder for costumers to afford their drinks. Franz Strasser on what that means for New Yorkers and their beloved hot drink.

For better quality, download as .mov- For iPhone, iPod, PSP, download as .mp4Producer: Misha Lakhani; Reporter: Franz Strasser

Changing Media Landscape - Discussion at the J-School

Franz — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:03:04 +0000

On November 11, 2008, the Graduate School of Journalism hosted a panel on the changing media landscape and invited Sewell Chan, blogger/editor, The New York Times “City Room” blog, Adriano Farano, executive editor, CafeBabel.com, Erica Smith, news designer, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and “Paper Cuts” blog and Jacob Weisberg, chairman, Slate.

A half hour before and after, the evening was used to eat, drink and network in the World Room. The panel itself was one of the most highly attended since I came to the school this summer.

> Event Archive
> Article about event
> J-School twitter feed

New Media, New Opportunities

Franz — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:18:16 +0000

Erin Rosa writes in the Columbia Journalism Review: “Journalism is becoming a more egalitarian profession—and that’s a good thing. Although many media outlets will remain the property of a small bloc of parent corporations, more and more members of the public who may not be traditionally considered journalists are becoming involved with news coverage.”

Click to read full article.

Bike Share in New York City

Franz — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:16:15 +0000

Intro: A bike share lets a person pick a bike, ride it around the city and then drop it off when they are done. Julia Bottles reports on one university’s new bike share program and what that means for New York City.

For better quality, download as .mov - for iPhone, iPod, PSP, download as .mp4 Producer: Franz Strasser; Reporter: Julia Bottles

Life in a Radio Bubble - Recap of Election Night Coverage

Franz — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:03:30 +0000

Just a few minutes before midnight, President-elect Barack Obama took the state at Grant Park in Chicago to speak to an electrified crowd. The 44th President greeted the people in the park and around the world with the words, “Hello, Chicago. If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, tonight is your answer.”

At the same time, I opened the door of the radio booth inside the Graduate School of Journalism and took a seat next to the hosts Kelly Ann Senyei and Jamie Jordan. Completely exhausted from the last 50 minutes of live coverage, the three of us missed every single word of this historic acceptance speech, and I for myself could not have cared less.

In January of 2008, I began covering this great spectacle with three weekly blogposts for a German media outlet, hoping in each primary that the underdog would win, and the next primary therefore matter. Back then, I looked at the schedule and would not dare to dream that I would ever write about April 22 and the Pennsylvania primary, much less an party in-fight that would carry on well into the summer.

The climax of all this came last night, with a live four-hour radio broadcast in which I had the great honor to be one of the Senior Producers. Meeting after meeting in the preceding weeks, it dawned on me that this was not only a tremendous challenge but probably a historic night in which a team of three dozen students would have to show flexibility and decision-making on the fly, while not forgetting the intense we had received since our arrival at the school in August.

(more…)

Rachel Sklar will do twitter interview after leaving Huffington Post

Franz — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 02:59:33 +0000

Just this Monday Rachel Sklar paid a visit to my class at the Journalism School at Columbia University. Delighted that we were spared of another AP Stylebook drill it wasn’t hard for her to win over the broadcast students that were gathered in the room - not that she wouldn’t be able to do that anyway.

Together with Jay DeDapper from WNBC, the senior contributing editor of the Huffington Post discussed political reporting in a changing media world. When DeDapper mentioned twitter, she proudly took out her Blackberry and started typing away.

Today, she announced via AJR that she was leaving her position at the HuffPost to pursue other jobs in the industry:

“One of the things she will miss most, she says, is the adrenaline rush that comes with the constant demand to produce. As of November 7, Sklar, senior contributing editor for the Huffington Post and writer and editor of the Web site’s blog “Eat the Press,” will be parting ways with her all-consuming gig to pursue other projects.”

The good news is, within the next week I will have an interview with Rachel via twitter, a first time for her and me. In the meantime I will figure out the best way to organize and archive this, but it would not hurt if you start following the both of us. Suggestions and possible questions are welcome.