Enterprise Story

Music Captures Locals Attention

The music scene in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti continues to grow. Not only do big name bands head into town at local bars, including OkGo at The Blind Pig, but they also contribute to playing at local Borders stores for fans who want to see them perform for free. In this economy it’s easier for someone to see one of their favorite artists for free rather than having to scrap up some cash to buy a ticket.
In the past seven weeks big name singers such as Howie Day, Ingrid Michaelson, Mike Doughty and Vertical Horizon have performed at the Borders store on Liberty Street. The local radio station 107.1 located in Ann Arbor, MI has been putting on these shows for the past few years.
“I attended the Howie Day performance,” said Debbie Szabo. “It was really cool to see one of my favorite singers for free and to also get his autograph, which you usually don’t get at a concert.” Szabo also mentioned that she attended seeing David Cross (Arrested Development and Year One), but he was not sponsored by 107.1.
The shows that are put on at Borders stores may not be filled with as much music as a concert, but you’re able to get up close and personal with the artist. After six or seven songs the artist will not only sign their CD’s but may also take a picture with you for free.
Last year marked the first year where the artists were recorded by 107.1 and songs are put on a CD for the public to buy. Last year they created a Live From Studio A2 Volume 1. This year they created Volume 2 that is sold in Borders stores in Ann Arbor, Brighton, Canton and Novi. Some of the artists on the CD include They Might Be Giants, Indio Girls, Brett Dennen, James Morrison and Feist. The benefits from the CD go towards the Michigan Theater itself.
The Michigan Theater, which is located across the street from the Borders store, has been open since 1927. It was almost demolished in 1979, but thanks to the community they were able to keep it open and the theater became a non-profit organization. Located on their Web site, michigantheater.org, they give you the chance to become a member and also the chance to make a donation or become a volunteer to work there.
At the shows at Borders only a small number of people show up though. “I know that Borders has singers play there, but I usually go to The Blind Pig to see local bands play,” said Michael Smith. “Not very many bands that I like play in Ann Arbor or Ypsilanti, so I like check out the local ones. That and I like supporting the local bands that I enjoy listening to in hope that they’ll make it big one day.”
The crowd that attends the Borders singer events does not consist of as many people as a concert, but they are able to make sales on the artists CD’s. This is good for Borders considering in the past couple of months according to detnews.com Border had to close almost 200 Waldenbooks stores (Waldenbooks is a company that is a branch of Borders). Courtney who is a Borders employee located on Lohr Road said that even though they were really busy this past month, she knows that all Borders stores are struggling right now because of people buy books on line or buying Kindles.
The Borders on Liberty Street is not the only store that holds an opportunity for people to enjoy some of the favorite famous people though. Borders located on Lohr Road in the past few months has had Ellen Hopkins (young adult writer of books such as Crank and Burned), but also Mitch Albom (author of Tuesdays with Morrie and Have a Little Faith). Channel 107.1 does not sponsor them though. “I think it’s really cool that they have singers at one of our stores,” said Courtney from the Borders on Lohr Road. “We get famous authors here and I like that, but it would be neat to have artists here too so we can have more of a variety for the customers at our store.”
During the month of December channel 107.1 has not had any artists booked according the Borders.com. As of right now they also don’t have anyone booked for the month of January or February. 107.1 was unavailable over the phone and through e-mail for questioning on why this was. “I really wish that they would book some more artists soon,” said Szabo. “I enjoy supporting the artists and seeing them perform.”
Channel 107.1 is also involved in another charities and benefits. They did a food drive called Rockin’ for the Hungry where they gather for food and give it to non-profit organizations. They also support the Humane Society of Huron Valley by giving you a link to their Web site. They also have a link to Cumulus Jobs so they can provide an opportunity for their listeners to find a job.

Query Letter

Lindsay Pickell

(555)555-5555


December 9, 2009

Tony Dearing
Annarbor.com

Dear Mr. Dearing,

Music Captures Locals Attention is a 1,000 word story about how Borders in downtown Ann Arbor continues to book more big name singers every year thanks to channel 107.1. The story is targeted for annarbor.com.

The story touchs on people from the surrounding community who have been to a show at the Borders store on Liberty Street. It also grabs the opinions from people who have yet to see a show at Borders and why they’ve never been to one. The story is to inform people about the artists that perform at Borders so people in the community know more about what’s going on. It also touchs on what 107.1 does with all of the recordings of the artists performances.

I have been writing since I was in middle school. I am also getting ready to graduate from Eastern Michigan University on December 20, 2009 with a minor in Journalism. This means that I have taken classes and written many articles to accomplish the goal of graduating. The main goal behind this article is about music that is performed at Borders and I have attended a concert so I know first hand how much fun they really are.

I have enclosed the article with this letter for you to reply. If you would perfer, you can e-mail. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,




Lindsay Pickell

Article #3

Students Stressing Out

An Adrian High School graduate was found dead in his fraternity house last week at 5:40 in the morning. His father had said that even though he had been drinking that night that his son was also dealing with being overtired, pushing himself to the limit and was working too hard.
Students these days are prone to pushing themselves to the limit with homework, work and extracurricular activities. Other issues that may be a cause of stress are being away from home for the first time, problems at home, peer pressure and social acceptance. “It’s an adjustment to a whole new life, where you’re trying out new identities and trying to find your place in a social group all over again. We used high school to get into college, and now that college is determining our future, I think that puts a lot of weight on our shoulders,” said freshman Alaynah Faddatz of Ferris State University. A lot of these stressors can be seen in a student’s new sleeping habit along with their new eating habit (most commonly known as the freshman fifteen from all of the unhealthy college food they eat). It’s very important for college students to learn how to manage their time between having fun, working, doing homework and still finding time to their selves.
In 2005, the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) surveyed 17,000 college students. Twenty-five percent of the students reported they have "felt so depressed it was difficult to function" three to eight times in the past 12 months. Twenty one percent of the students reported that they "seriously considered suicide." (lovetoknow.com).
The suggestion that should be made to students that are feeling the stress of college is to talk to someone about it, take a break or even lighten the load of work for the next semester. “You don’t really know what to expect yet and it’s a new adjustment and setting than high school. There’s more freedom so procrastination is a big problem which always stresses me,” said freshman Kayla Ruttinger of Western Michigan University. “I usually try to plan out my day and plan out what I need to get done each week and hopefully I stay on track. I use a planner and sticky notes to remind me of important things I need to do. I always try to leave some time to relax and go out with my friends.”
Another suggestion is to be organized. Students should plan out a study time and recreation time for themselves so they are guaranteed to have time to themselves. “I actually sit down every Monday and block out studying time for my entire week and that makes it a lot less stressful when I have a constructive schedule set,” said Faddatz. “I would suggest to incoming freshmen to schedule classes around ratemyprofessor.com and take naps.”
Students are trying to adjust to a new life when they enter into college. The every day stress can get to some students and may result in drinking, suicide, drugs or even dropping out college all together. These days students need to learn how to handle this stress whether that takes place in high school or a class that has to be taken in a students freshmen year.

Link to original story:
http://www.lenconnect.com/news/x215407497/Adrian-student-mourned

Assignment #8

Idea for story: The music scene in Ann Arbor.

Research: The 107.1 website. Boarder’s websites. Also club websites who have musical performances at their business.

Interviewing: The sources that I will be interviewing for this story is someone who works at the Boarders store on Liberty about some of the artists that come in and perform. I will also interview some students from Eastern Michigan University who have attended some music performances around the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area. Lastly I’m going to try and talk to some one from 107.1 who puts on all of the performances at the Boarders stores in Ann Arbor.

Possible Lead Styles: Direct Address or Summary Lead

Small Business Owner Relishes Family Time

It was a warm November day and the drive-thru line to Family Frosty was out to the road. As I walked in Amy DeJohnghe is frantically running between making orders, answering the ringing phone and explaining the new register to an employee. After a few moments she sits down with me. In this situation you are able to notice that Amy takes great pride in running her own business, which includes an ice cream place, a putt-putt and a now a pizza place.
When asked how her family has helped her with her business’ she responded with, “At first my kids, Nathan and Adam, were really little so they didn’t do much, but now they’ve worked here and are a huge help when it comes to naming different and new items. My husband also builds everything and helps me fix all of the machines. I honestly don’t know how I’d do it without my family.” We were interrupted by the phone ringing.
Amy DeJohnghe first started out with Family Frosty located in Tecumseh, MI and in the summer of 2007 built a putt-putt called Stone Mountain Family Fun Center next door. On Monday November 2 Amy opened up Stone Mountain Family Pizzeria next to Family Frosty. “I think that we just need to find our niche,” DeJohnghe says after responding to if she thinks it’ll be hard to compete with other pizza places in Tecumseh.
“Both of my kids are in college now so it gives me the chance to put 150% into my business. There have been instances where the business has interfered with spending time with my family, but that’s what happens when you own your own business,” DeJohnghe said after hanging up after the phone rang again.
DeJohnghe relies a lot on Michelle Hardy who is a manager at Family Frosty. “I try to make sure to make a lot of small decisions for Amy to take some stress out of her life,” Hardy said. Hardy goes on to explain that even though that making those decisions can be stressful that she really enjoys the challenge. “It’s fun to make decisions. Especially when I know my boss is going to stand behind me because she’s so understanding.”
I asked Hardy if it’s also difficult for her to find time to spend with her own family when she’s busy working between 30 and 40 hours a week. “It’s a little hard. They usually just want me there when they get home from school, but you have to remember that any job takes time away from family. It really helps that I enjoy my job.”
I asked DeJohnghe a question that I wasn’t sure about asking. I asked her if she ever regretted getting into opening a business that requires her constant attention. She laughed and answered “Do I have to tell the truth? Really though, I think that with any profession you sometimes ask yourself ‘Why am I doing this?’, but 90% I really enjoy what I do.”
You can tell that Amy relies a lot on her family to help her through some tough decisions that she might have to make. You can also tell though that Amy DeJohnghe really enjoys being involved in her business. I walked out of the interview to hearing the phone ring once again.

(Picture from left to right are managers Cindy Rosas, Owner Amy DeJohnghe, Managers Cassie Hollenbeck and Michelle Hardy)

Assignment #7

Profile: Duff Goldman
Source: annarbor.com
Summary: The article I reviewed is on Duff Goldman, who owns his own cake baking business and wrote a book and is on a TV show called Ace of Cakes. The article goes on to talk about his business and some of the people that he works with. It also talks a little bit about how he got started.
Analyze: The article I read succeeded in a few areas. I think that the journalist had a good amount of quotes throughout the article, but I don’t really feel like they took an interesting angle. The story starts out with a description of what he’s done, but doesn’t really go into any detail about any quirks that he might have or anything interesting.
Like I mentioned before though I believe that this article has a good amount of quotes, especially one that kind of wraps up the story. I also love how the journalist gets him to talk about some of his past about how he got started in the cake business.

Assignment 6

Current Event: Surge in flu-like symptoms flood hospital emergency rooms By: Kyla King The Grand Rapids Press October 28, 2009

Story Ideas:
1. Will hospitals have to hire more nurses/doctors if people continue to get H1N1?
- The idea behind this story is that people (including people in the medical field) continue to get H1N1 and this means people taking days off of work. I was wondering if hospitals/medical centers will have to increase their staff if this continues.
- Possible sources for this story would be board members of medical centers/hospitals, other nurses and doctors and staff who have to take time off because they have been diagnosed with swine flu.
2. Do medicals staffs see the swine flu disappearing anytime soon?
- The idea behind this story is that people are very worried about coming down with swine flu and are getting vaccinations. Will swine flu be either completely gone or at least die down any time soon?
- Possible sources for this story would be doctors or scientists who have done research on swine flu.
3. I would also do a history on swine flu (from when it was present in the 1980’s or earlier, I’m not sure on the date).
- The idea behind this story is to show people that there’s really no need to be overreacting as much as what they are. This is not the first time that swine flu has been present in the United States and I think showing people that would be eye opening. I don’t think that very many people know that it’s been around before.
- Possible sources for this story would include the internet, doctors from when it was present before and possibly someone who had it during that time also.

Assignment #5

Profile Article

The person that I plan on trying to interview for my profile article is Duane Below. He is worth interviewing because he plays for a minor league baseball team and someday might even play for the Detroit Tigers. This is interesting because he graduated from a really small school (Britton Macon Area School). He graduated the year before me and I didn’t really know him in high school so I believe that this will be an interesting article. Right now though he has to take a year off because of an injury that happened to him at the beginning of the year. The reason why I’m not sure if it’ll be possible for me to interview him is because he’s always really busy and because…he’s not exactly the nicest person (or at least that’s how he was in high school).

Questions:

1. What’s it like knowing you might play for the Tigers someday?
2. How will your injury interfere with your pitching?
3. What’s it like knowing that you accomplished something this big with coming from such a small school?
4. How do you feel about becoming an idol in Britton?

Enrollment

“This is only my second semester here at Eastern Michigan University. I transferred from Washtenaw Community College because I wanted my bachelor’s degree,” Andrea Dennison said. “I’m really happy to see it though because I think it opens up more opportunities for diversity.”
With the enrollment increasing at Eastern Michigan University it means more opportunities for students to interact with each other. It also will increase the size of classes for professors. “I don’t think that this will affect my one on one time with professors because they seem pretty good about making sure the students are doing well in their classes,” Dennison said.
Eastern Michigan University’s enrollment jumped up 4.26 percent for the 2009-10 school year. The reason behind the increase could be a factor of reasons including more on-line classes being offered and students wanting to transfer from two-year colleges to a four-year to get a bachelor degree. Dennison said, “I don’t think that the enrollment will continue to increase though because of the economy though. If the economy doesn’t get better I think that the enrollment with actually decrease.”

Assignment 4

Feature Story Idea: Where to take inexpensive trips with your family.
Main website: http://www.visitlenawee.com/
Website #1: http://hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu/
Website #2: http://www.thetca.org/
Website #3: http://www.visitlenawee.com/page40.html
Website #4: http://www.visitlenawee.com/page5.html

Article 1

Everybody loves having a good time with their family and friends. It doesn’t matter whether it’s spending time with each other during the holidays, birthdays, parties or weddings. How about going out together on the busiest bar night of the year? It’s been rumored that Thanksgiving Eve is the biggest night that bars make their most money.
Britton, MI consists of a library, fire department, gas station, school and a bar. When driving from Dundee to Tecumseh you could miss it if you blink. In Britton the small bar in town is called The Whistle Stop (this is due to its location next to the railroad tracks that go through town). When you walk into the bar that is located in between an antique store and a building that’s for sale, you can feel the small town energy take over. There are booths on each side of the building with tables down the middle of the room. It’s very dimly lit and quiet in the afternoon with only a few students and retiree’s eating lunch. The four televisions that are lining the walls have sports, the weather or Keno on.
“Thanksgiving Eve is one of our busiest nights of the year. With everybody coming in with family and friends that night we can increase our business by 50 percent compared to a weekend night,” Diane Straits answers about what night is the busiest for them. Straits knows the bar business considering she’s been a waitress for 27 years with the last three spent at The Whistle Stop. “I think it’s mostly because people know that they don’t have to work the next morning and want to get out. I do think that it’s also because people want to get together with their family that night.”
Britton is a very small town (it’s actually considered a village) that has only about 600 people within the city limits. You would never know it was there unless you were from the area or you knew someone from town. “Most of the people that come out that night are usually locals, we don’t get very many people from out of town,” Straits continues.
The bar hours for The Whistle Stop are consist of staying open until only 11 pm Monday thru Thursdays, 2 am on Friday and Saturday and then only until 8 pm on Sunday nights. Straits said that Thanksgiving Eve they usually keep the bar open until 2 am though, even though it’s a weekday night. When asked if she thought they would get more business if they were located in a bigger town Straits answers, “I think the only way we would get more people is if we were located in Ann Arbor. But my guess is that we would have about the same amount of people whether we were located here or in Tecumseh. We do have to prepare for that night though. We order extra of everything and we have specials that go all night.”
When doing a search for the best bar to be at on Thanksgiving Eve I run across nightclubvip.com. This website holds six bars advertising for all of their specials that they are going to be having on the night before Thanksgiving. Three floors of music, open bars for an hour, dinner buffets and DJ’s are just some of the perks that they’re going to hold that night. These are facts that it’s not a rumor that Thanksgiving Eve is the busiest bar night of the year.
Waiting at the bar for more people to talk to about bar nights Thanksgiving Eve, Clinton, MI resident Emilie Cadmus walks in with a couple of her friends. “I do usually go out the night before Thanksgiving with my mom and some of my other family. We like to drink so when we’re all together that night it seems like going to a bar is the thing to do.”
When looking for something to do the night before Thanksgiving, grab some friends or family members and go to your local bar. They’re most likely having a lot of specials and you might even run into some people that you haven’t seen in awhile. Cadmus goes on saying, “It’s always good to catch up with people that you haven’t seen in awhile. My friends are usually coming back into town that night for the holidays and they just also happen to be at the bar also.”

Assignment #3

1. Explanatory- Where do old needles go after nurses/doctors are done using them?
Idea: Figure out where the old needles go after they are used. I don't think very many people know this and I actually think that it would be an interesting story. People i could interview would be whoever is in charge of the waste receptacle at the office, a nurse or maybe someone who works for a company that takes the needles after they've been used.

2. Profile- I'm from a VERY small town and a guy that graduated the year before me plays minor league baseball and could even move up to play for the Tigers.
Idea: I could interview his high school baseball coach, someone from the community to get their reaction and then the guy himself.

3. Business- In the town I'm from there's also going to be a new diner opening (the owners also have one in another town). This is risky because every business that has ever opened in my town has usually gone out of business.
Idea: I would interview the person who's opening the business and then someone from the business.

4. How to- How to take all day trips to cheap places during the summer in a certain area
Idea: This might be a little difficult, but i think it could be pulled off. Look up certain places in an area near me and see if they have any attractions or fun things to do. In my area i know there's Hidden Lake Gardens or walking the trails in Tecumseh. I would interview someone you works at HLG or talk to someone from Tecumseh who maybe knows of somewhere else that's cheap that not many people know about.

5. Business- The place i used to work, which is an ice cream place, is not busy this year. Why?
Idea: I would interview the owner to see how it's affecting her profits. I would also interview people from the interview to see what they think about the situation. I believe that it's because the owner keeps having to raise her prices and because people are trying to save their money.

6. First Person- The Clinton Fall Festival is coming up!
Idea: There's a festival in Clinton that's been going on for as long as i can remember and there are so many things to do there. This includes walking around the vendors, eating lots of food, a parade, games and shows. I think this would be a good story because it could bring in more people to the festival in the years to come.

7. Profile- Doing an interview with my brother who's joined the Navy
Idea: I know that doing interview's with family members is probably not a good idea, but my brothers story is pretty interesting. He went from being someone who was terrible at school, amazing at sports, to dropping out of college, to admitting to be addicted to prescription drugs, to going into the Navy and hold a 98% in a trig class!

8. Participatory- Native American Pow Wow
Idea: I've actually been to one before, but it was a small one. It was probably one of the coolest things that i have ever done. You could join in dances, shop around or just talk to the people. I think that interviewing a Native American would be a really interesting interview if you ask them the right questions.

9. Business- Salt truck businesses during the winter
Idea: I don't really know much about what salt truck drivers do or the companies that they work for, so i think this would be a fun article. I would interview an actual driver (what time does he have to get up? do they only get paid for the days they actually work? by the hour or day?) I would also interview the owner of the company.

10. Profile- Elvis in Tecumseh
Idea: There's a guy that lives in Tecumseh that rides around on a bike. He's...strange, to put it nicely. His entire house is decorated in pretty much everything you could possibly imagine. His car has super glued toys that you would find at McDonalds on it. When ever i used to take his order at where i used to work he always paid with $2 bills. I think he would be a fun person to sit down and talk to.

Assignment #2

The article that i have chosen is titles "How to earn more frequent flier miles". The writer of the article tells people how they can earn more frequent flier miles by going shopping, paying bills and even selling your house. Then he tells you exactly how many miles you can earn with each company. Out of the 15 types of feature articles that we went over in class, this one falls under "How to".

The way this article falls under a feature article is because it's informative about something that's not happening locally or around the world. It's also original.

In the text i found the definition of descriptive. I do not believe that this article is that descriptive. The only details that the writer gives about how many miles each airplane company will give you. There's really no person or scene to describe in this article.

One way that i believe that the article could be improved is maybe there could be a section about helpful tips for college students or people who don't have a lot of money and how they can earn more frequent flier miles (if there is such a way). A lot of people in America are struggling right now and i think that if the writer wants to help a lot more people who could have a section that is directed towards the two groups that i listed above.

About Me

Hi! My name is Lindsay Pickell. I'm finally senior here at Eastern Michigan University. My major is Communications and my minor is Journalism. The goals that I have for this class is to learn more about how to become a better writer. The writing experience that I have consists of my own journal that I keep along with all of the classes that I have taken in the past as a student here at Eastern along with where I transferred from (Siena Heights University). I guess if you want to know a little bit more about me I can type a little bit about my background. I graduated from Britton Macon Area School in Britton, MI. I was in one of the biggest classes that ever graduated from there with a whopping 56 students. I have a younger brother who joined the United States Navy during the summer. He graduated from basic training in July and now is in school in Chicago. He has another six months there until he ships out for anywhere. My dad has been an engineer with Ford Motor Company for almost 20 years now. My mom is a Medical Assistant for a company called Integrated Health Associates. I also work for IHA as an receptionist at their administrative office. That's about it. We'll be in class together for the next 16 weeks so I'm sure you'll learn a lot more from me then.