The Press List

Welcome to The Press List, our weekly newsletter alerting you to upcoming media events worth knowing about. This Tuesday is double-booked with two high-profile publishing parties: In New York, authors Salman Rushdie and Garrison Keillor headline The Moth's annual gala. Down in D.C. that same night, one of the Bush administration's most vocal critics, veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas, appears at the National Press Club Book Fair with conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Hopefully, no one in attendance will bring up 2000's Bush v. Gore court case or it could get nasty between those two...

Another event with potential for awkward entertainment value is Wednesday's Working Women's Business Luncheon hosted by Hearst Magazines president Cathie Black. It's been less than two weeks since Hearst shut down O at Home and we know plenty of women who take it personally whenever anyone messes with Oprah. Perhaps Hearst should have waited until after Black was stuck in a room full of female executives to announce the decision to fold one of Oprah's magazines...

Speaking of female executives, we were one of only four men in the room last Wednesday at mediabistro.com's 6th Annual Dinner & Discourse for senior-level women's magazine editors where New York Times reporter Lisa Belkin compared blogging to breastfeeding because "every time I turn around, the thing needs to be fed." Guess we'll have to take her word on that...

Last Monday, we went to The Week's Media & the Presidency panel, which featured Dan Rather, Lesley Stahl, and Joe Scarborough, who had dropped a televised f-bomb that very same morning. Though Scarborough started off the discussion by joking about his seven-second delay, a staffer from MSNBC told us Scarborough had "really beat himself up" over the incident. Another Scarborough who's familiar with on-air cursing, WNBC anchor Chuck Scarborough, was also at the event along with Tina Brown of The Daily Beast, Politico's Michael Calderone, radio host Ron Kuby, and Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski...

A day later, cursing seemed like a reasonable reaction at the Columbia School of Journalism's annual Changing Media Landscape panel, where a main topic wound up being the media industry's gloomy economic forecast. Speakers included NYT City Room blogger Sewell Chan, Slate EIC Jacob Weisberg, and Erica Smith, a St. Louis Post-Dispatch staffer who chronicles newspaper buyouts and layoffs in her spare time on the Paper Cuts blog. Smith said newspapers are currently cutting approximately 41 jobs a day. Despite the bad news, Columbia J-School dean of student affairs Sree Sreenivasan told us he's "very bullish about the future of journalism education, because in the ever-increasing media world we need reporters, editors, and producers to make sense of it all." Let's hope he's right...

If the media industry does indeed survive, we'll be back after the Thanksgiving holiday on Monday, December 1 with all the events you won't want to miss, along with juicy bits from this week's hottest happenings. Be sure to check out 'Conferences, Etc.' and 'Beyond New York' for media events beyond the five boroughs in Portland, Los Angeles, and San Francisco...

-- Hunter Walker

Monday November 17, 2008

RED the Book Authors' Reception
Reading featuring the authors of a collection of essays by teenage girls
Host: RED the Book
Access: Open to the public -- RSVP not required
Previous/Expected Guests: Amy Goldwasser
When: 6pm, Monday, November 17
Where: Corner Bookstore, 1313 Madison Avenue, New York

Law in TriBeCa Speaker Series: Annette Gordon-Reed
Discussion and book signing with the author of The Hemingses of Monticello: An American family
Host: New York Law School
Access: Open to the public -- RSVP required
Previous/Expected Guests: Annette Gordon-Reed
When: 6pm-8pm, Monday, November 17
Where: New York Law School, 47 Worth Street, New York

The National Book Foundation's "5 Under 35" Fiction Selections for 2008
Celebration honoring five young fiction writers
Host: The National Book Foundation
Access: Open to media/press -- RSVP required
Previous/Expected Guests: Chuck Klosterman, Keith Gessen, Johnathan Franzen, Fiona Maazel
When: 6:30pm, Monday, November 17
Where: Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick Street, New York

Tuesday November 18, 2008

Business Lunch Special
Networking pizza luncheon
Host: Networking for Professionals
Access: Tickets available for purchase
When: 1pm-3pm, Tuesday, November 18
Where: Dean's Pizzeria and Restaurant, 801 Second Avenue, New York

"50 under 40": The Future of the Publishing Industry
Panel featuring young publishing executives
Host: The Bookbinders' Guild of New York
Access: Tickets available for purchase
Previous/Expected Guests: Sara Nelson, Carrie Kania
When: 5:30pm, Tuesday, November 18
Where: Random House, 1745 Broadway, Second Floor, New York

Web2NewYork November
Monthly networking party for post-Internet media, advertising and business
Host: Web2NewYork
Access: Limited/Available on request
Previous/Expected Guests: Emily Gannett, Roger Wu
When: 6pm, Tuesday, November 18
Where: Gallery Bar, 120 Orchard Street, New York

Annual Moth Ball: La Dolce Vita
Cocktail party, dinner, dancing, and a reading to benefit the storytelling organization
Host: The Moth
Access: Closed/Private
Previous/Expected Guests: Salman Rushdie, Garrison Keillor, John Turturro, Adam Gopnik, Simon Doonan
When: 6:30pm, Tuesday, November 18
Where: Capitale, 130 Bowery, New York

Wednesday November 19, 2008

Crain's New York 13th Annual Small Business Awards Breakfast
Breakfast to kick off the NY Xpo for Business featuring award-winning small business owners
Host: Crain's New York Business, NY Xpo for Business
Access: Tickets available for purchase
When: 7:30am-9am, Wednesday, November 19
Where: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center River Pavilion, 665 W. 34th Street, New York

WCBS-AM Working Women's Business Luncheon
Annual lunch and discussion held in conjunction with the NY Xpo for Business
Host: WCBS-AM, NY Xpo for Business
Access: Tickets available for purchase
Previous/Expected Guests: Cathie Black
When: 11:30am-2pm, Wednesday, November 19
Where: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center River Pavilion, 665 W. 34th Street, New York

2008 John Chancellor Awards Panel
A conversation with the 2008 John Chancellor Award winners
Host: Columbia School of Journalism
Access: Open to the public -- RSVP not required
Previous/Expected Guests: Jane Mayer, Andrew C. Revkin
When: 5pm-6pm, Wednesday, November 19
Where: Columbia School of Journalism, 2950 Broadway, New York

Ms. Independent
Networking event for women
Host: Xcel, Inc.
Access: Tickets available for purchase
When: 6pm-10pm, Wednesday, November 19
Where: Talay Restaurant, 701 W. 135th Street, New York

Webby Fives: The Best of Online Entertainment
Panel of five Webby Award winners
Host: The Paley Center For Media
Access: Tickets available for purchase
Previous/Expected Guests: David Pogue, Jake Hurwitz, Amir Blumenfeld
When: 6:30pm, Wednesday, November 19
Where: The Paley Center For Media, 25 W. 52nd Street, New York

Tar Mag NY Launch Party
Celebrate the first issue of Tar Art magazine
Host: Tar Art
Access: Closed/Private
Previous/Expected Guests: Johan Lindeberg, Alexandra Kerry
When: 9pm, Wednesday, November 19
Where: The Lindeberg Residence, New York

Thursday November 20, 2008

Women Inside the Campaign Trail: A Post-Election Conversation
Four women share their stories from the campaign trail
Host: New York City Chapter of
American Women in Radio and Television
Access: Tickets available for purchase
Previous/Expected Guests: Kate Snow, Betsy Morgan
When: 12pm-2pm, Thursday, November 20
Where: Hard Rock Cafe, 1501 Broadway, New York

American Museum of Natural History Gala 2008
Gala benefit for the American Museum of Natural History with cocktails, dinner, music, and an auction
Host: American Museum of Natural History
Access: Tickets available for purchase
Previous/Expected Guests: Brian Williams, Lorne Michaels, Tom Freston
When: 7pm, Thursday, November 20
Where: American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York

NY Open Coffee Meetup
A regular weekly meeting for entrepreneurs and investors
Host: Nicholas Butterworth
Access: Open to the public -- RSVP not required
When: 9:15am-10:15am, Thursday, November 20
Where: Tarallucci e Vino, 15 E. 18th Street, New York

Hatchery - Are you serious?
Hatchery opens its doors to a fast paced New York style pitch event for entrepreneurs
Host: The Hatchery
Access: Tickets available for purchase
When: 6pm-8:30pm, Thursday, November 20
Where: The Hatchery, 220 W. 30th Street, 2nd floor, New York

Conferences, etc.

FotoWeek D.C.
Weeklong photography festival featuring juried competitions and gallery exhibitions
Host: FotoWeek
Access: Open to the public --RSVP required
When: Saturday, November 15-Saturday, November 22
Where: Multiple Locations, Washington, DC

The New York Times Small Business Summit
Full day of networking, interactive workshops, and presentations for small business entrepreneurs
Host: The New York Times
Access: Tickets available for purchase
Previous/Expected Guests: Claudia Chan
When: 8am-6:30pm, Monday, November 17
Where: Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, 811 7th Avenue, New York

Basics of Promotion and Integrated Marketing
Seminar covering all aspects of promotion marketing
Host: The Promotion Marketing Association Inc.
Access: Tickets available for purchase
When: Tuesday, November 18-Wednesday, November 19
Where: Club Quarters, 40 West 45th Street, New York

Consumer Journalism on the Web: Opportunities and Dangers for Journalism
All-day conference discussing online consumer journalism
Host: Consumer Reports, The Columbia Journalism Review
Access: Tickets available for purchase
Previous/Expected Guests: Brian Lehrer, David Pogue, Jeff Jarvis, Steve Rubel, Walt Bogdanich, Bob Garfield, Ben Popken
When: 9am-5pm, Thursday, November 20
Where: Columbia School of Journalism, 2950 Broadway, New York

Making The Web Work For You: Social Media for Non-Geeks
Panel of experts discuss using social networking tools for business
Host: Bay Area Consultants Network
Access: Tickets available for purchase
When: 7:30am-10am, Friday, November 21
Where: The Club at McInnis Park Golf Center, 350 Smith Ranch Road, San Rafael, CA

Beyond New York

New Media Marketing Workshop
Online marketing seminar and networking event
Host: The Los Angeles Small Business Owners Group
Access: Tickets available for purchase
When: 6:30pm-9pm, Tuesday, November 18
Where: Citi Smith Barney Building, 301 N. Lake Ave, Suite 500, Pasadena, CA

mediabistro.com & TVNewser Election Hangover Party
Celebrate the end of the election with about 40 media professionals.
Host: mediabistro.com, TVNewser
Access: Open to media/press -- RSVP required
Previous/Expected Guests: Stacey Wilson
When: 6pm-8pm, Tuesday, November 18
Where: Deschutes Brewery & Public House, 210 Northwest 11th Avenue, Portland OR

826 Valencia's Food Writing Seminar
Tasting and seminar for aspiring food writers
Host: 826 Valencia
Access: Tickets available for purchase
Previous/Expected Guests: Mollie Katzen, Lessley Anderson, Joe Jarrell
When: 6pm-9pm, Thursday, November 20
Where: 826 Valencia, 826 Valencia Street, San Francisco

National Press Club Book Fair & Authors' Night
More than 80 authors participate in an annual book signing
Host: National Press Club
Access: Tickets available for purchase
Previous/Expected Guests: Helen Thomas, Antonin Scalia, Roger Mudd
When: 5:30pm-8:30pm, Tuesday, November 18
Where: National Press Club, 14 and F Streets, NW, Washington, D.C.

Working Effectively with Book Distributors
Book distributors talk about their work
Host: Publishers Association of Los Angeles
Access: Tickets available for purchase
When: 7pm, Monday, November 17
Where: Felicia Mahood Senior Center, 11338 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Los Angeles