Skyline Views

UPDATE @ajc: Every business editor should own a white dinner jacket

Charlie just posted this blog entry centered on his new role on ajc.com.

ATLANTA (Oct. 5, 2014) - Long-time AJC newsman and bow-tie wearer Charlie Gay is about to tke over the powerful paper's Business department.

Gay, the paper's deputy managing editor, soon will add daily assignment editor for business to his duties. He will replace Chris Quinn, who assumed that position in March. Quinn wil shift to cover education, and Angela Tuck to features.

Gay will work closely with Henry Unger, the paper's player/coach/editor on the Business desk.

Charlie says the AJC will maintain its recent increased focus on commercial real estate and development, which is a very good thing. Reporter Scott Trubey has written scores of impactful CRE stories this year, even jumping into the normally boring industrial market for some good pieces.

"The big-picture story I want us to tell is that of metro Atlanta's economic recovery: the opportunities, the obstacles, the challenges ahead," Charlie tells Skyline Views. "Will we be the first Sunbelt city to plateau - to lose our mojo, as [Atlanta] Mayor [Kasim] Reed put it - or will we successfully navigate a path to greater prosperity? Commercial real estate and development are integral to telling that story."

We agree. Commercial real estate is to Atlanta what cars once were to Detroit and Microsoft is to sloppy (because of all the rain) Seattle.

A Washington & Lee grad and Savannah native, Gay joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1998 after stints at the dailies in St. Petersburg, Florida and Augusta and Valdosta, Georgia.

He is married to Jennifer Brett, who writes the wildly popular blog The Buzz on accessatlanta and ajc.com.

We look forward to getting together with Charlie to hear more about his plans.

O'Dwyer's: PR Trade Bulldog Reporter Shuts Down After 35 Years

OAKLAND (Oct. 2, 2014) - Bulldog Report, a vital media outlet for public relations and corporate communications closed shop today after 35 years in the business of keeping PR pros abreast of media moves and trends. This, according to O'Dwyer's, a PR trade publication.

Here's the scoop from O'Dwyer's: 

Bulldog Reporter, founded in 1979 and which has covered PR and the media for the Infocom Group since 1986, has ceased operations, it was announced by Jim Sinkinson, publisher. He said that many of the website’s key products and services have declined in profitability and it is winding down its relationships with clients and vendors. Legal assistance has been retained to assess options in bringing the business to a close. Some of the 11 members on the masthead of the publication are in the job market.

We found no mention of the closure on Bulldog Reporter's homepage on Oct. 2, but Sinkinson told O'Dwyers, “While this decision is a bit sad, it is also tinged with great pride,” said Sinkinson. “The Bulldog Reporter team served this dynamic industry for 35 exciting years, providing decades of actionable information that encouraged higher standards of performance and superior results."

The Wilbert Group will miss Bulldog Reporter. We wish the affected staff members the best of luck in finding new jobs.

 

 

Founder of @Bisnow, Largest #CRE Pub in U.S., Joins ALS Ice Bucket Brigade

WASHINGTON REDSKINS COUNTRY (Aug. 20, 2014) - The ALS Ice Bucket challenge is overexposed (in a great way), but when we saw the founder of the country's largest publisher of commercial real estate news do it we had to share.

Here's Mark Bisnow, founder of the ubiquitous Bisnow newsletters, taking the cold, slushy plunge. And he's challenged other media bigwigs to to the same.

Wild Wednesday 2008: Atlanta Real Estate Journalists Crash in Vegas

ATLANTA (May 21, 2014) - As this year's RECon comes to a close in Las Vegas, it's time to throwback six years to a night an auto accident in Las Vegas spiced up the trip to ICSC for a couple of Atlanta-based journalists and a reporter-turned-PR pro.

On May 19, 2008, Matt Valley (then editor of National Real Estate Investor, now an editor at France Media Inc.; Rachel Tobin (formerly Ramos and AJC reporter, now PR pro at Jackson Spalding); and I (then at Edelman, now at The Wilbert Group) were enjoying a herky-jerky taxi ride when the cabbie gambled and lost. He veered into another car, and we all collided. (See Rachel and Matt OK after the accident in this all-too-dark photo. It proves we were in Nevada, though.)

Here's the full post. I've also pasted the story below. 

LAS VEGAS (May 20, 2008) - Matt Valley, editor of National Real Estate Investor magazine, and Rachel Ramos, retail reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, are both in Las Vegas to cover ICSC’s Recon 2008. While here, they expect to cover some of the hottest stories in retail real estate, meet with key real estate magnates and eat at some of the city’s best restaurants. But on Monday night, they ended up seeing the seedier side of Vegas - an area better suited for an episode of "Cops - Sin City."

Matt, Rachel and I were heading to dinner in a taxi – Western Cab No. 165 – when our driver decided to try to drive past an older-model Cadillac Eldorado veering on a four-lane shortcut off the Strip. Just after the cab accelerated, the Eldorado’s driver tried to turn into our lane, and bam! The cars collided and Rachel bounced off Matt in the back seat.

Everyone was OK but somewhat shaken. (In photo at left, Matt and Rachel are all smiles outside the dented taxicab.)

Shortly after the crash, the cab and car pulled into a parking lot, and we quickly realized we were surrounded by sleazy extended-stay motels. Several residents, all male and none wearing shirts on this 109-degree day, came out of their rooms, lured by the sound of crunched metal. They quickly retreated into their rooms when motorcycle cop arrived.

The accident gave us a unique opportunity to experience the dichotomy of Las Vegas real estate while waiting for the Metropolitan Las Vegas Police and Nevada Taxi Authority to come interview us about the crash. Here we were, about two blocks from the Las Vegas Hilton and the site of Recon 2008, surrounded by lowly flophouses with names such as La Mesa Sierra Nevada. They represent a vastly different type of lodging than Mandalay Bay, Planet Hollywood hotel and the Renaissance, hotels we chose for the trip.

But we were the lucky ones. Once we gave our statements to the police and insurance adjustor, we jumped into another Western cab and headed for the Venetian for dinner at Bouchon.

The Wilbert Group Hires Former AJC Business Editor to Lead Corporate Practice

ATLANTA, May 21, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Wilbert Group, a nationally recognized full-service communications and public relations firm based in Atlanta, announced today that Mark D. Braykovich has joined the firm as Vice President overseeing the firm's Corporate and Professional Services practice.

Mark, shown at left in photo with Tony Wilbert, has held numerous leadership roles in public relations agencies, law firms and media organizations. He was formerly business editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Director of Public Relations for Atlanta-based Troutman Sanders LLP.

"Mark's combination of media and public relations expertise will provide significant and immediate value to our clients," said Tony Wilbert, founder and president of The Wilbert Group. "He also brings to The Wilbert Group a wealth of experience in developing successful communications campaigns for corporations, law firms and other professional services companies."

A graduate of The Ohio State University, Mark's journalism career spanned nearly 25 years and yielded award-winning work in business and investigative reporting. He held senior editing positions at The Cincinnati Enquirer and Akron Beacon Journal before joining the AJC in 2001.

His public relations career began in 2007 as the first-ever PR Director for Troutman Sanders, an Atlanta-based law firm with more than 600 lawyers and an international presence. Most recently, Mark was Senior Vice President at Hellerman Baretz Communications, a New York-based PR firm specializing in representing law firms.

In addition to his extensive experience in media relations, social media, content creation, and thought leadership placement, Mark has counseled numerous clients on crisis communications, issues management, and litigation-related PR.

About The Wilbert Group:

The Wilbert Group is a full-service communications and public relations firm based in Atlanta with a national reach. The firm has clients in real estate, financial services, travel, retail, education, the non-profit sector and other industries. Founded by veteran journalists, Wilbert has deep relationships in newsrooms across the country and a nuanced understanding of how the media landscape is changing. Wilbert "goes deep" to understand its clients' businesses, and doesn't do PR for PR's sake. Instead, Wilbert devises communications strategies to drive business objectives – efficiently delivering powerful and measurable results.

Tony Wilbert
The Wilbert Group
404-254-1487 (O) 404-405-3656 (C)

- See more at: http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/05/21/638304/10082706/en/Veteran-PR-Executive-Joins-The-Wilbert-Group.html#sthash.vvCgux9s.dpuf

Game of Thrones: This Atlanta Developer Abdicated Condo Crown to Rule Apartment Market

ATLANTA (May 9, 2014) - About eight years ago, local Atlanta business writers held a coronation of sorts, naming attorney-turned developer Jim Borders the "Condo King."

The reporters did so because Borders' Novare Group pretty much singlehandely created Atlanta's afforable intown condo market with Metropolis, Spire, ViewPoint and to a lesser degree Gallery. But then the condomania created condo crash, and that gig was up.

Now, of course, the brilliant Borders has re-created himself by developing sought-after apartments in several Southeast cities, including Atlanta where he has opened two SkyHouses (SkyHouse Midtown and SkyHouse South) and has a third under construction in Buckhead (see photo of site below).

Borders is exporting the successful SkyHouse formula, in tandem with Batson-Cook Development Co., to other cities including Charlotte, North Carolina, (note use of new AP Style guidelines) and Austin, Texas.

How long before a reporter re-nicknames Borders "Apartment King"? I bet he hates the new moniker as much as he hated the outgoing one.

 

 

 

Washington Business Journal Also Excited Washington Post Won Pulitzers

ATLANTA (April 14, 2014) - In a classy move, Washington Business Journal sent a breaking news email to alert its readers that The Washington Post won the Pulizter Prize for its coverage of the NSA's unethical snooping into U.S. citizens conversations.

WBJ also noted that the Post won a second Pulitzer this year for Eli Saslow's explanatory rpeorting on food stamp use.

The e-blast reads, in part: 

The Washington Post  has won a Pulitzer Prize in the prestigious public service category for its reporting on secretive global surveillance efforts at the National Security Agency. The Post and the U.K.-based The Guardian share the award.

The series of stories exposed a massive program that operated out of Fort Meade, Md.-based NSA thanks to documents leaked by former Booz AllenHamilton contractor Edward Snowden. The Pulitzer jury credited the news organizations for helping "the public understand how the disclosures fit into the larger framework of national security" and for shedding light on "the relationship between the government and the public over issues of security and privacy."

In several cities, the big daily and weekly business journal are heated rivals who rarely even mention the other. It's good to see some bipartisan journalism in the Nation's Capital. That is unless, of course, WBJ just wanted to scoop the Post on its own big news story..

 

Bloomberg Atlanta Hires New Delta, UPS Reporter from Tampa

ATLANTA (April 3, 2014) - Bloomberg has hired a veteran business reporter from Florida to cover airlines, UPS and transportation from its Atlanta bureau.

Mike Sasso starts at Bloomberg later this month after the obligatory training at Bloomberg Tower in New York, where he'll be inudated in "The Bloomberg Way." We're sure he'll be busy covering Delta, United, USA Airways, UPS and even some trucking.

Sasso is relocating from Tampa, Fla., where he worked 11 years at The Tampa Tribune and three at Lakeland Ledger. Mike's most recently covered economic development and commercial real estate, the best beat in the business. He's already updated his LinkedIn profile.

I ran into Mike this morning during a spec breakfast at Flying Biscuit at Terminus in Buckhead. He smartly was meeting with his predecessor, Mary Jane Credeur, who left journalism in September 2013 for a job at commercial real estate services firm Transwestern.

Meanwhile, Sasso probably will be watching the Final Four this weekend, cheering on his Florida Gators. Welcome to Atlanta, Mike. 

 

AJC Shakes Up Business Staff - In a Good Way for Real Estate News Fans

ATLANTA (March 24, 2014) - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a new gatekeeper for stories for its daily business page, or chapter as some at the paper call it.

Chris Quinn, currently listed as an editor of the AJC's Living section, takes over this week as the daily assignment editor for business. This means, in effect, Quinn will be the key decision-maker in which business stories appear in print and online. Quinn replaces AJC veteran Matt Kempner, who will remain on the business staff as a reporter (which really is more fun and freeing than being an editor and dealing with reporters anyway).

In another big move, Henry Unger will serve as a writer-coach, and those who work with him will be lucky. Unger has done just about everything for AJC business from Coca-Cola reporter to Sunday business editor to columnist and knows tons about the metro area's big companies and how to cover them. Anyone he coaches will be made better.

These moves are good news for fans of real estate news. Quinn served as interim CRE reporter in late 2011 and also covered residential real estate in the past. Quinn likely will do so once again in his new position. And Unger has a keen interest in real estate, especially commercial real estate, which he knows is the engine that drives Atlanta's economy.

I've talked with Unger on a couple of occasions about resurrecting a real estate column at the paper, even if it appears online only. Readers wants more commercial real estate news. Hell, I'll even write the column for free.

 

 

 

BREAKING: Pulitzer Prize Winner Brad Schrade Returns to @AJC

ATLANTA (Sept. 19, 2013) - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on an investigative reporting roll lately, is adding big firepower to its team of newshounds seeking to shine a spotlight on injustice and wrongdoing.

The paper today let staffers know it hired Roswell, Ga., native Brad Schrade from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, where he led a team that won journalism's ultimate prize for a story about child deaths in Minnesota daycares. The AJC also hired Brad's wife, Rose French as a new education enterprise writer.

Brad previously worked at the AJC from 1997-2000, when I got to see him in action before he left for a new reporting gig in Tennessee. 

Here's the official word from Charlie Gay, the consumate bow-tie-wearing Southern editor:

Y'all,

I am thrilled to announce that Brad Schrade, winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in local reporting, and his wife Rose French, an accomplished reporter in her own right, will join the staff of the AJC next month. Both have been reporters at the Minneapolis Star Tribune for the past three years.

Brad, an investigative reporter in Minneapolis, will work on Richard Halicks' investigative team for us. Rose has covered religion for the Star Tribune and has a varied reporting background from her days at the Associated Press in Nashville. She will be our education enterprise writer, working on Angela Tuck's team.

Brad headed a team of reporters that won the Pulitzer for their investigation of child deaths in Minnesota day care centers. Here's the initial story in the series: http://www.pulitzer.org/files/2013/local-reporting/01startribune.pdf

This move represents is a homecoming for Brad, who grew up in Roswell, earned bachelors and masters degrees from UGA, and worked as an AJC reporter from 1997-2000. Rose, who has a bachelor’s from Loyola University in New Orleans and master’s from NYU, grew up on a farm in Louisiana and is also looking forward to returning to the South.

Please join me in welcoming these two fantastic journalists when they arrive here in October.

Charlie

Charles Gay

Deputy Managing Editor

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution