Cleveland Melvin still trying to find rhythm in game
By Holly Pennebaker and Kerby Dort
At 6 feet, 8 inches, it’s hard to miss DePaul sophomore forward Cleveland Melvin on a basketball court. But it’s more than his size that’s caught the attention of fans, coaches and opponents in the Big East this season – his game has as well.
As the Blue Demons finish the regular season and prepare for the Big East Tournament, Melvin’s future is as wide open as his game.
DePaul wins at Walt Disney World
DePaul University played their final game of the Old Spice Classic Tournament this afternoon, defeating Arizona State 68-64.
The win was good enough to put the Blue Demons in fifth place. DePaul’s finish in the tournament takes them 5-1 on the season.
Off to a rough start, DePaul fell to Minnesota for a tough loss in the tournament’s opening round. Coach Oliver Purnell hoped to bounce back this time around.
“I thought that Cleveland Melvin stepped up on the defensive end of the floor. It wasn’t just about his offense, and that really helped us,” Purnell said.
The Blue Demons came out of the locker room ready to take the win against Arizona State. Senior Krys Faber got the tip for DePaul.
For the next four minutes of play, the action on the floor was slow, as it remained tied at four all. There was nothing more than ball passing and missed shots from both teams.
Blue Demons look to shoot from the inside
Finally, DePaul pulled ahead with the help of Brandon Young delivering a smooth lay-up.
Scoring for both teams resumed, and several more baskets took DePaul over Arizona State 31-27 at the half. The Blue Demons moved the ball better, and scored more consistently through the rest of the half after that first scoring gap.
Blue Demon fans were jamming inside Disney’s Wide World of Sports, as they danced in the stands during halftime. Whether it was the Florida sun, or the strong first-half finish, everyone on DePaul’s side of the court waved signs and cheered on the team.
When the second half began, DePaul struggled with rebounds and missed their first few shots. Faber broke in with a dunk that put DePaul up 38-32 and the fans were immediately back on their feet.
Next, the Blue Demons’ bench rose to their feet with a lay-up from Charles McKinney at fifteen-forty five left to play. The excitement hit the roof when Melvin slammed the ball through the goal on the very next possession. The lead for DePaul held steady at a six point advantage, 45-39.
Young took a hard foul under the basket and shot two for two from the line. Next, Purnell took advantage of a much-needed timeout by Arizona State. The Sun Devils went scoreless for over three minutes of play.
Moments after they stepped back on the court, McKinney drew the foul. His free throw shots took DePaul up 52-62, their first double digit lead! Cheering, clapping, feet stomping and towel tossing from DePaul’s bench kept the Blue Demons in control through the remainder of the second half.
DePaul outscored Arizona State by a 24-9 margin in points off turnovers, which made the difference while the Sun Devils racked up 11 turnovers.
The game ended with two free throws from Melvin, who drew the foul with only seconds left on the game clock. Melvin was named MVP of the tournament for DePaul. He scored 18 points, followed by Young with 13. Although very accomplished, Melvin knew what he had in store for the next practice.
“We need to improve on our rebounds more and get to the glass. Other than that, we played good. We came out strong, and finished two and one in the tournament,” Melvin said.
In his career at DePaul, Melvin boasts reaching double-figures in 24 of 32 games, giving him a notable 75%.
The Blue Demons return home to take on Ole Miss at Allstate Arena on December 2, tip off is set for 8 p.m.
News convergence the nature of the job at Comcast SportsNet
I cannot name one media outlet that produces sports content through broadcast only, without the Web. Chicago’s Comcast SportsNet shares its brand with one of the city’s largest cable television providers. However, Senior Editorial Producer Chris Clark has nothing to do with anyone’s cable bill.
Clark even recruits broadcast staff to produce Web content. According to Clark, some are initially against it, depending on their fear and grasp on the Internet. A great example of a broadcaster turned online reporter is Kip Lewis. While keeping himself glued to television, Lewis’s background gave him the knowledge and perspective to shell out great web stories.
Often, news convergence is easier than one may think. At Comcast SportsNet, the people are just as important as the stories they produce and report. Convergence incorporates much change, and Clark says it’s the nature of the job at Comcast SportsNet. He understands that operating Comcast SportsNet Plus along with Comcast SportsNet 2 requires a solid team of people who can run a television segment and get good content onto a webpage.
The Best Damn Storytelling, Period
As headlines are searched, tags are browsed and social media posts are skimmed, what does it take to get clicks? Blogs are inevitable across the Web today, but great sports stories are out there, waiting to catch readers’ attention and time. Becoming great at storytelling is yet another ballgame.
For starters, aim for the front page. Tease the audience. Use headlines and titles that lure visitors to read further.
An article on NBC Sports, Post-lockout schedule leaves players hurting, fan wanting, does just that.
NBA basketball fans have been captivated for some time by the delayed season, and the urgency for a deal to be reached so they can resume watching their favorite teams and athletes. By using the word ‘lockout’ in the title, NBA followers are certain to check out this read from Ira Winderman.
Next, the phrase “players hurting’ is waves a red flag. Does the audience think injury? Finances? Exhaustion? Clicking to find out seems only natural.
HuffPost Sports: Super Bowl 2012 Odds Updated: Which Team Will Be Victorious In Super Bowl XLVI?
The Huffington Post features an online package that gives multiple angles of potential Super Bowl favorites.
Top stories from the week are shown at the top of the page, allowing visitors to watch videos and navigate through those topics and their teams of interest. For example, the Broncos and Patriots brawl is among the top of the list!
In a “legacy” print version of the Super Bowl coverage, these events would only be described with text. Online readers expect to watch a fight, Tim Tebow’s reaction to his team’s loss, and a game-winning touchdown pass. The “legacy” coverage would only provide write-ups on these headlines, so readers are left to create their own images from what they read.
Next in line, the Huffington Post adds a social media element. Current trends, teams and players are listed with direct links to their Twitter pages. As Twitter continues to emerge as a news source and gains ground in popularity, having this element really gives this webpage a boost.
Without Twitter, “legacy” coverage would be limited to what the newspapers print. Fans now follow their favorite athletes, and get up-to-the-minute news from Twitter. Without social media,” legacy” coverage leaves audiences guessing what happened, and imagining what athletes are thinking. Twitter allows this coverage to come to life.
Pictures from the week in Playoffs are shown right below the article. Audiences get to see the big moments from each game in a slideshow. For example, Saints fans can return to the image of Drew Brees signaling a touchdown as many times as they want before seeing other captivating images from the Playoffs.
A print version of this would not show the slideshow, and would only tell about the news with a sentence or two.
The Huffington Post online proves to dish out NFL Playoff coverage with media that the Huffington Post newspaper cannot bring. The football coverage from the Huffington Post website effectively delivers all aspects of game coverage to fans and followers.
Chicago’s Proposed Bike-Sharing Program Could Become the Nation’s Largest
Columbia College Chicago student Josie Ballines would be among many Chicagoans who could benefit from a bike-sharing program. (Photo by Holly Pennebaker)
By Holly Pennebaker
The Red Line Project
@chitownstories
Columbia College Chicago Marketing Communications student Josie Ballines commutes to the city from West Chicago, arriving at Ogilvie Transportation Center. From there, she either walks to Columbia or brings her bike along to complete her trip.
With commuters like Ballines in mind, the City of Chicago began looking at a bike-sharing program in 2007. While the program has been slow to get rolling, it’s picking up speed and could be in place as soon as next year — giving commuters like Ballines an alternative to bringing their own wheels along for the ride.
Although the idea was developed four years ago, the concept of a bike-sharing program didn’t seem a good fit at the time, according to Public Information Officer Brian Steele.
“It was an infancy market,” Steele said. “The market lacked providers and the financial commitment was too large.”
Four years later, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has stepped in to promote bicycle sharing in Chicago. Bicycle Program Coordinator Ben Gomberg credits Emanuel and City of Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein’s vision and leadership for the development of the program, which should reach Chicago by 2012.
Live tweeting: Coverage of Federal Court Case
Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011: William Cellini extortion trial: Cellini is the one-time Springfield power broker accused of conspiring with others to shake down the Hollywood producer of “Million Dollar Baby” for a $1.5 million contribution to then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s campaign.
| “ | Cannot wait to live tweet from #blago, #cellini federal court case tomorrow morning (bit nervous)! Much thks, @Msjournalist @natashakorecki | |||
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| “ | Waiting outside Judge Zagel’s courtroom to live tweet #cellini trial today. Tom Rosenberg may take stand. | |||
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| “ | Inside judge Zagel’s courtroom, now observing the #cellini #blago trial | |||
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| “ | Judge Zagel’s courtroom just went into recess. | |||
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| “ | Zagel reading transcript: “What message did you expect to be sent?” | |||
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| “ | Next question: “did the defendant agree to send that message?” | |||
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| “ | Zagel: “What is not clear to me were the exact words used.” | |||
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| “ | Zagel recalls point that #Cellini purpose was to deliver a “day will come” message. | |||
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| “ | gentleman beside me believes they’re trying to get Levine back on stand in #cellini trial. | |||
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| “ | Webb talks May 2004, “Tom Rosenberg was able to block it from happening.” #cellini | |||
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| “ | #Zagel asks Webb for proper nouns rather than pronouns in #cellini argument | |||
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| “ | Webb tries a bit of humor, brief laughter around courtroom. #Zagel stays straigt-faced. #cellini | |||
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| “ | Deis says defense statement was not in the timeframe when Webb wants to put it. #cellini | |||
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| “ | #Zagel said “I don’t think were dealing with impeachment here.” #cellini | |||
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| “ | Levine back on stand, questioned about exctortion plan #cellini | |||
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| “ | Levine on telling #cellini about extortion plan: “asked him to call Mr. Rosenberg, tell him that he was expected to make contribution” | |||
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| “ | Levine being showed notes from FBI agent | |||
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| “ | Webb points to specific question on notes, bumps levine while asking him to read agent’s notes. Apologizes. #cellini | |||
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| “ | Webb to Levine: “you didn’t get the deal done, did you?” #cellini | |||
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| “ | Webb moves to question Levine about consolidation of state pension funds with TRS board. #cellini | |||
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| “ | Phone rings in #cellini trial, causes pause in courtroom, #Zagel raises his eyebrow. | |||
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| “ | Levine on mtg between #cellini, Rezko and Kelly about assistance: levine wasn’t there, doesn’t recall knowing where it was held. | |||
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| “ | Court is suspended until 1:45 pm in #cellini trial. | |||
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| “ | Cellini chooses not to testify in corruption trial – http://t.co/5O4j3Bpf – #Chicago #Unspecified | |||
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| “ | Cellini Trial Continues http://t.co/uEI3YeK5 | |||
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| “ | Cellini defense seeks to undermine wiretaps http://t.co/T7T83GmG | |||
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| “ | Cellini staring intently at prosecutor as she accuses him of being a knowing conspirator in an alleged extortion scheme. #Twill | |||
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| “ | The courtroom is packed w/some onlookers seated on the floor and center aisle to catch a peak of Cellini proceedings. #Twill | |||
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| “ | Another tape of Levine and Cellini chuckling about R’berg not getting TRS investment played. "That is what corruption sounds like." | |||
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New technologies expedite news delivery opportunities
Despite what some might think, journalism convergence means more that joining television and the Web. Actually, several media forms are players in the game. Delivering news to the public now involves new technologies, which means more opportunities to reach an audience.
News is sent out through many media forms; further developed with technological advancement. Choosing which news delivery method is best for a story is key.
Journalists must assess stories and know how the story will be best delivered through each medium, or combination of media. Among those deciding variables are audience, format, editorial considerations and timing.
Journalists use multimedia to engage readers, build community
As news has captured deep prevalence across the Web, the use of multimedia has also intensified. Readers go online for news, and multimedia must engage them and keep them coming back.
But are journalists using multimedia correctly? Web sites and technology have cleared the way for integrated multimedia presence in online news storytelling, but using various media forms must follow ethics and create a sense of community.
Online audiences rely on multimedia for news delivery. Whether they watch an interview, sign into a chat or browse photo galleries, the Web content draws them in. They involve themselves with the multimedia, then form relationships as they seek information and share views they have in common with other readers.
