Multimedia Ideas for Feature Story

From the assignment that we had to do yesterday, I gathered some mulitmedia ideas for my final feature story.

CBS put together a slide show of photographs of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau's life--some pictures of here working and some of her personal life, with other pets. They also have a caption for each photo. For my project, I could get photos of the IHOP restaurants in Chillicothe and Lancaster, and then photos of some breakfast places around Columbus, as well as sites where a possible IHOP could be built around the campus area.

As far as videos, I like this one that I found from local news station in Georgia, about National Pancake Day at IHOP. I like the video because it has a human element to it. It shows families enjoying breakfast and interviews an employee. If I were to do something like this, I would obviously have to get permission from anyone in the restaurant before I film them eating. The only problem is the lack of an IHOP nearby...I'd have to drive to Lancaster to do this.

This video is a little bit different, because it is from a blog and the main source is the owner of the restaurant. The interview is done in the restaurant, which I like. You can still see the restaurant operating in the background. My idea for something like this would be to go to the Little Bar on High St., since that used to be an IHOP. If the owner is knowledgeable about the previous IHOP, I could interview him in front of the bar. The bar has the familiar, old-fashioned, a-frame style IHOP roof, and would be the reason for interviewing him in front of the bar.

Compare and Contrast Multimedia

For this assignment, I chose a news story from today. At SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla., a female whale trainer was killed by an orca whale in front of audience members. The first news story comes from USA Today, but is actually an AP news story that was updated around 8 p.m. The second story comes from CBS News and was updated at 6:40 p.m.

The USA Today article/AP story gives the basic information. The trainer was 40-year-old Dawn Brancheau. The whale, named Tilikum, has also been involved in two other human deaths, in 1991 and 1999. An elderly couple who witnessed the event was interviewed. Another woman who witnessed it gave her account to WKMG-TV, saying that the whale pulled her in the tank. But Jim SOLOMONS of the ORLANDO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE said that she fell into the tank. The article then gives a brief description of Brancheau's childhood and how she came to work at SeaWorld.

For the multimedia aspects of the article, it includes a 30-second AP video to go along with the story. The video consists of a narrator's voice telling the news story, with file photos panning in and out of the screen. There is also a 2005 AP photo next to the story that shows Dawn Brancheau posing with a whale. A sidebar with the article titled "Attacks Involving Captive Animals" gives information about recent maulings dating back to 2005.

The CBS story does not have the name of the reporter who wrote the story, but the fine print at the bottom of the story says that "the Associated Press contributed to this report." With that being said, a lot of the information is the same. This article gave more information on Tilikum, the whale, such as the fact that it does not usually have a trainer in its tank because it is too large. The CBS article interviews a different man who witnessed Tilikum contribute to the death of a Canadian trainer in 1991.

The multimedia for the CBS article includes two videos and one photo. The first video, which is two minutes and 16 seconds long, consists of Kelly Cobiella reporting live from Orlando and includes an interview with a witness. The second video, two minutes and four seconds long, begins with Jim SOLOMON of the ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE insisting that Brancheau slipped into the tank. Also, Dan Brown, the President of SeaWorld Orlando, said that they will be reviewing all of the park's standard operating procedures.

NOTE: I found it interesting that the USA Today story spelled Jim Solomon's name wrong by adding an 's' on the end, and they wrote that he is part of the Orlando County Sheriff's Office. When I did research online, I found that Orange Country Sheriff's Office is the correct name.

Out of the two, the CBS article is better. The fact that it includes two videos, both with pertinent information and reliable sources makes it a good news source. When I found out that the USA Today article, whether it was their fault or the AP's fault, printed the wrong name and wrong sheriff's office, that took away some credibility to the article and influenced why I thought the CBS article was better.

Feature Story Outline

Samantha Heckathorn

Caterinicchia

Comm 422 Feature Story Outline

My feature story about the lack of IHOPs in Columbus has started off with some difficulty. After researching articles on IHOP’s website, I found an IHOP newswire from July 20, 2006 that stated that IHOP would be opening 26 new stores in the 12 years following. The newswire said that franchisee Scott Womack would be opening 17 new IHOPs in the Dayton and Columbus areas.

Scott Womack is the owner of Womack Restaurants that is based out of Terre Haute, Ind. and owns eight IHOPs in Indiana. Womack opened the first IHOP of Ohio in Chillicothe in Oct. 2008. He opened another in Lancaster, Ohio in Sept. 2009. The Womack Restaurants website also says that Scott Womack owns the rights to the IHOP franchise in 33 counties surrounding Columbus and Dayton. However, the website’s copyright date is 2007 and I’m guessing that’s the last time it was updated.

After clicking on the “contact” tab on Womack Restaurants website, I discovered that they have no phone number, only a fax number. They have a form you can fill out to send a message, which I did last week and have yet to hear back on it. I actually just had the idea to look up Womack Restaurants on yellowpages.com, and I got an actual phone number. So I will try calling that tomorrow. If I can get a hold of Mr. Womack, I will ask him how his plans have developed since the newswire that came out in 2006, and how soon we can expect to see an IHOP in Columbus. I would also like to know what has caused the delay, if the poor economy has been what is holding the development back.

As far as the direction of my paper, I think I’m going to put a student spin on the article by asking them how they feel about the lack of an IHOP in Columbus, and where they go to find the best pancakes. I also want to ask them what times of the day they like to get breakfast, and see how many students enjoy getting breakfast late at night (since IHOP is open 24 hours a day, I’ll ask them if they would go to an IHOP at night if there was one close to campus). I’ve looked up contact information for Hang Over Easy, Eggfast, Bread And Better, Jack and Benny’s, and Rise and Dine—all breakfast restaurants close to campus. Eggfast is even open 24/7 to cater to the college student crowd. I know Hang Over Easy and Eggfast are generally new to the campus area…new since I’ve been here for the past three years, anyway. I want to get some general information about their businesses, figure out how well they’ve been doing since they’ve been open, and what kind of specials and menu items they offer to keep students coming back. I also want to ask them specifics to their pancakes, and whether they think the pancakes could compete if an IHOP were placed in Columbus. From reading reviews on Jack and Benny’s, I heard they have a menu item called “buckeye pancakes.” I’m curious to find out what these are and how popular they are.

I only have a facebook account, so I searched on there for groups about the lack of IHOPs in Columbus. One group, called "Bring IHOP to Columbus, OH", has 320 members. The creator, Mandy Lux, claims that Columbus is one of the fattest cities in American and therefore a good place for an IHOP. I want to get in contact with her to ask her where she got her information or why she thinks that Columbus is one of the fattest cities. I read all the posts by members, and one man commented that there used to be an IHOP at the corner of Lane and High. I sent him a message on facebook, asking him what else he knew about this and if I could get some contact info from him to interview him. A man named Zane Lalli claims that there is an IHOP in Columbus. I know this isn't correct, but I want to get in touch with him and see why he thought so.

I’m also choosing the option of writing a 600-word story paired with a 90-second broadcast for my final project. Now that I’ve configured all my ideas and general interview questions, I have to get out there and get my interviews done this weekend.

2/9/2010 Broadcast

After a weekend of winter weather that accumulated about 5 inches of snow in Columbus, another major storm is expected to hit the Midwest by Wednesday. The Weather Channel says that Columbus will see a snow accumulation of 6 inches or more today. The storm will then move east Tuesday night, creating blizzard conditions along the southern New England coast.

Heavy soda drinkers may want to take a step back from their sweetened soft drinks. A University of Minnesota study conducted in Singapore found that people who drink two or more sodas a week have an 87% higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Those who drank fruit juice rather than sodas did not have the risk.

With the most romantic holiday of the year coming up, a new Roy-ter’s poll has gathered some interesting information. A survey of 24,000 people throughout 23 countries said that one-fifth of adults would choose to spend Feb. 14 with their pet rather than their spouse. The most romantic country is France, with only 10% of those surveyed choosing pets over partners.

Buckeye football fans are holding their breath while awaiting the decision of the No. 1 offensive tackle recruit in the country, Shawn-trell Henderson, and whether he will choose to play for USC. USC coach Lane Kiffin has made a verbal offer with another prospect for the quarterback position. Thirteen-year-old David Sills of Wilmington, Del. verbally committed on Friday to playing for USC. The seventh-grader says that USC has always been his dream school.

Students who have recently attended the men’s basketball games are likely to have noticed a new addition to the second half of the games: Buckeye Dance Force. It is rumored that Athletic Director Gene Smith will also allow the dance team to cheer at home football games. I don’t see the point of having a dance team in addition to the traditional cheerleaders for games. A better idea would be to simply increase the number of cheerleaders.

Under leadership of Danny Caterinicchia, Live Nation Entertainment opens office in Dallas, Texas

Live Nation Entertainment announced today that a new office is opening in Dallas, Texas.

Senior Vice President Danny Kat-ur-in-eek-ee-uh is responsible for concert promotion at top Live Nation-owned venues in Dallas, the nation’s fifth-largest market.

Such venues include the House of Blues and venue partners such as Cowboys Stadium.

Kat-ur-in-eek-ee-uh oversees Live Nation’s local staff and daily operations. He has been a promoter in Dallas since the 1960s and has produced more than 3,000 concerts.

Regional President Bob Roux says that Dallas is one of the country’s top concert markets.

With confidence in Kat-ur-in-eek-ee-uh’s promoting abilities, Roux hopes to provide a first-class experience to artists and fans.

Live Nation is preparing to merge with Ticketmaster, the largest ticketing company in the world.

The new company will be “Live Nation Ticketmaster.”

I figured out how to post a link! Woo-hoo!

As a tribute to Mark Titus, I would like to send you to this song.

The Sharkkkkkk

Last night I finally got a picture with Mark Titus. It was the equivalent of a 10-year-old girl finally getting to meet her favorite boy band. I was shaking I was so excited. Or nervous. Man, I am lame.

What a good-looking couple!

This is my boyfriend, Carter, and I at Dining Out on January 23.

First Post

In an attempt to figure out how this works, I am simply posting this sentence.