Kareem Johnson | A Reporter's Notes

Updates: Website, Portfolio, and Job Applications

Kareem — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 03:24:29 +0000

This is a very overdue blog update. I’m redesigning my resume and applying to a new round of jobs in New York, Washington, Boston, and Chicago. My ultimate goal is to move to New York (hopefully before July), and I am working on planning a trip there later this month, as a go see, and to interview for jobs. It will also help me decide which borough/neighborhood to focus on.

The interesting part about that is trying to pin down a date that I can comfortably put on cover letters (probably styled as “the week of…”) so that a date can be ironed out if I’m called out for an interview.

In other news, the portfolio aspect of things is coming along. I plan to have video projects I’ve done uploaded to my YouTube account this week. This is work I did with the Student Media Production Team, that I can showcase myself as a capable editor.

On that note, I’ve uploaded my University News stories and SLU News22 scripts to Scribd (www.scribd.com/kjohnson04) so potential employers can see my copy writing ability.

You’ll also see my Patch.com stories (University City/Clayton-Richmond Heights) show up here and at Scribd. I’ll probably spend the weekend going through Youtube and pulling out my newscasts from News22 and cutting those down to post on my account and build an anchoring/reporting demo reel.

Lastly, I’m looking at HDV cameras on eBay to buy that I can start adding a MMJ element to stories I do for Patch.com, and making complimentary packages to go with those stories.

Keep your eyes peeled on that. I’ll have a new post soon.

A Decision (Musings on Relocating, Jobs, Etc.)

Kareem — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:01:02 +0000

When I graduated in May, I made a decision. I made a decision to relocate to New York City. I’ve found this is not a decision to go into lightly, and to be honest, I’ve be doing more prep work than anything else.

Some readers will think I’m crazy. Others will have questions. Am I going into this with my eyes open? Yes.

I too, have had some fanciful notions, a not uncommon occurrence with those who want to move to New York. The bright lights, the people. Yes, the urge to go eastward beckons, but my Not to long ago, I found myself musing about a brownstone in Harlem. A very expensive prospect indeed, but one I think is possible.

So far, I have been applying to jobs with eye toward relocation, and then focusing on journalism jobs once relocated. I’ve decided to mix this up. I’m now applying to jobs that pertain to what I want to to do, in particular 24-hour news. To give you an idea of where I’m applying are Patch.com (where I freelance here in St. Louis…I speak more about this in a later blog), News 12 Networks (in particular Bronx and Queens), NY1, and FiOS1. I’m applying to jobs in print journalism as well.

To be honest, I’m in the stage of my career where I’m working on transitioning my resume from a college-media based one to a professional one. I suppose it could be rightly called a pro-sumer resume.

One of the things I’ve been keeping an eye on is the rental market in New York. I’ll confess to getting a surprise on rent. The average rent in NYC for a 1 bedroom or studio could easily garner you a reasonably sized house, so I’ve modified my approach on this as well. I’m looking chiefly at sublet rentals. I don’t take up much space, plus I’ll be helping a new arrival like myself.

I haven’t gotten in touch with the alumni office in NYC yet, but will soon. Even though I feel confident on my ability to familiarize myself with my surroundings quite quickly (I pride myself on an almost encyclopedic knowledge of St. Louis), I’ll need about a month or more to familiarize myself with a city that is smaller than St. Louis County, but has nearly 12 times as many people as the City of St. Louis.

Worry not. I like a challenge. There will be more blog entries like these (some with video) over the next few months, as I try to navigate the process. You can also follow my progress through MySomeday.com

Quick Update

Kareem — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 02:33:42 +0000

New changes to my website:

I’ve uploaded a new resume to my main site at kareemjohnson.us and portfolio materials should be being uploaded soon.

New Homepage Look

Kareem — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 22:39:09 +0000

I installed a new WordPress theme for my homepage, where I should start adding print and video clips so that the site becomes a legitimate portfolio site. Right now it shows a feed of this blog and my activity on Twitter. I’ll need to read up on how to finish setting up the the theme, but you should start seeing activity soon.

WCBS’s Megan Glaros is coming to WBBM

Kareem — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:39:52 +0000

Chicago–Lewis Lazarre of the Chicago Sun Times is reporting that meteorologist Megan Glaros, who was most recently seen on New York’s WCBS is coming to Chicago to join fellow WCBS alums Steve Bartelstein and Kate Sullivan.

This comes as WBBM shuffles it anchoring lineup and replaces the low-rated “Monsters and Money in the Morning,” CBS2′s attempt to strike a different chord in morning news programs. Lazarre says that Glaros was interested in making the move back to Chicago, where she graduated from Indiana University. She will most likely end up on new, and probably traditional CBS2 morning news progam.

WBBM has been making a lot of changes with the announcement of local news legends Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson returning to Chicago airwaves to anchor the 6pm news, with Kate Sullivan joining Rob Johnson for the 5 and 10 pm newscasts.

KSDK’s Mike Garrity to WMUR in New Hampshire

Kareem — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:00:51 +0000

St. Louis–Mike Garrity, one of the assignment reporters at KSDK is leaving for the East Coast to New England to work for WMUR the powerhouse Hearst ABC affiliate in Manchester New Hampshire, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Deb Peterson.

Peterson reports that “Garrity, who has been with KSDK-TV (Channel 5) since 2007, said he believes his last day here will be Sept. 11 and that he is scheduled to start work in New Hampshire on Sept. 20.” Garrity told Peterson that he wanted to live closer to his family.

Congrats to Mike.

Send your messages to his twitter account @MSGarrity

WCBS Alum Steve Bartelstein comes to WBBM

Kareem — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:36:35 +0000

Chicago–Steve Bartelstein, who has seen his share of controversies at WABC and WCBS in New York is transitioning from the Big Apple to the city of broad shoulders, Chicago, reports Robert Feder. Feder reports Bartelstein was

“was once fired from WABC-TV for sleeping through a news update, and later quit WCBS-TV, saying he felt “tired of this place not appreciating me for what I do for them.”’

Bartelstein joins Kate Sullivan, also of WCBS. The reason for so much talent from New York? Dave Friend is the former News Director at WCBS, and current VP of news operations at WBBM.

Feder thinks that Bartelstein might be headed for “Monsters and Money in the Morning,” WBBM’s response to a traditional 5 to 7 am newscast.

Twitter Updates for 2010-06-15

Kareem — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 06:00:00 +0000

RT @NY1headlines Breaking News: Sources Say Bloomberg Campaign Operative John Haggerty Will Face Criminal Charges http://bit.ly/bEH39Y #
RT @BreakingNYC Heights Homes Could Be Taken in BQE Fix http://bit.ly/dlMyLJ via http://topicfire.com/New-York-City #
Watching #e3 coverage through @TWIT at http://live.twit.tv #
RT @DNAinfo Political Operative Indicted for Stealing $1.1 Million From Mayor's Campaign: http://bit.ly/9EmHTu #bloomberg #
RT @mashable More Data Shows Android Gaining on iPhone – http://bit.ly/cz7dMU #
@ESPN on XBOX360 Live #
RT @MayorSlay It is Pride Month, and #STL can be proud of its diversity. #fgs #
#kinectimals is cute, if not a bit strange. #e3 #
RT @KOMUnews Here's the AP story on Texas A&M… http://cot.ag/aUEpYr #
@LakishaJackson Yeah. I just saw it this morning. Great episode. in reply to LakishaJackson #
@JaredFuentes Catch last night's episode of True Blood? #
RT @CBSNews A Woman's Perspective on Microsoft Kinect http://bit.ly/9uhqIb via@natalidelconte #e3 #
RT @NYCShopGuide Want to learn more about old New York? Explore Lower Manhattan with these 6 downtown tours. http://bit.ly/9tTPiV #
@CBSNews No problem! in reply to CBSNews #
New #XBOX out today, in stores later this week. #e3 #
RT @HollyEdgell Dateline: Belize, the Media Tour. http://bit.ly/aKvHIB #journalism #Belize #
@Melaniemoon11 Got cloudy, no rain, sun is back out. in reply to Melaniemoon11 #
RT @villagevoice #Starbucks Continues to Try to Make You Like Them, Offers Free #Wifi Starting July 1 http://bit.ly/bVwDmU #
@kelleydunn I need send my clips to a newspaper in NYC. Send a few extras; can't hurt. in reply to kelleydunn #
RT @CBS2Lou IN NYC: White Plains Terror Trial Delayed / NY State Budget Showdown / BP Stock Drop Hurts NJ Pension Fund http://wcbstv.com/ #
Cloudy again in South #STL rain this time? #
@JaredFuentes It was good. I don't have HBO or cable, but it can be found. in reply to JaredFuentes #
@feliciaday I liked your commentary. It harmonized well with @TWIT's. It was fun. in reply to feliciaday #
RT @michaelcalhoun A Delta spokesman downplays rumors of its desire to hub at Lambert http://bit.ly/9qth8U #
RT @DNAinfo UPDATE: MTA to Change New Subway Sign for 14th Street Station that Spells Profane Web Message: http://bit.ly/d1E3NF #mta #fml #
@greglinch Great picture. in reply to greglinch #
RT @newsweek Klein: The True Cost of the Oil Spill – Newsweek http://bit.ly/d5AYRt #
RT @newsweek Can Buried Treasure Save Afghanistan? – Newsweek http://bit.ly/aJ9Vww #
RT @gawkertv Army of Flat Screens Ascend from Tables in Coolest Classroom Ever http://bit.ly/aplTDE #
@MonasApple I'll have to deal with this when I move to NYC, won't I? in reply to MonasApple #
Channels 2 and 9 are off the air – LA Observed: http://bit.ly/bo6kjN via @addthis via @standupkid #
@olivingstonnyc @oolalalauren Happened to me last week. I'm approaching Tweet #1000 for the second time. in reply to olivingstonnyc #
Sprint fires employee who leaked weak EVO 4G sales numbers (via @engadget): http://bit.ly/c4L0WO #
@markjzinn That's expensive beer. in reply to markjzinn #
I liked a YouTube video — Leo Laporte pops his exercise ball live on camera – TWiT Live http://youtu.be/S9A7ACL_n5Y?a #
@Veronica get better soon! in reply to Veronica #
@ijustine Why not? I enjoyed the last one. #

Twitter Updates for 2010-06-14

Kareem — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 06:00:00 +0000

I'm at Schnucks (5055 Arsenal St, at Hereford St, St Louis). http://4sq.com/8Z3MMJ #
@LakishaJackson Can't wait for True Blood tonight. in reply to LakishaJackson #
@standupkid Don't have cable; do you have a picture/link? I'm curious. Thanks! in reply to standupkid #
@standupkid Yeah. Thanks! in reply to standupkid #
Radar alight with multiple rain (and I just heard a little thunder) http://www.kmov.com/weather/radar?radar=63175302&img=0&c=y 92 Degrees! #
And down comes the rain; and very windy. #

Twitter Updates for 2010-06-13

Kareem — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 06:00:00 +0000

@jaydowser Is it a good movie, kissing scene aside? in reply to jaydowser #
TV exec Robert J. Wussler dies: http://bit.ly/aOXIf6 via @addthis #
@shaun_fossett Consider my curiosity piqued. Would definitely like to see your results. in reply to shaun_fossett #