News and Editorial
From Austin to Baltimore
Multi part documentary detailing the growth of SWSX and how Baltimore could adopt policies to foster economic growth based on the city's musical infrastructure.
WTMD and Baltimore Sun Editorial Partnership
Baltimore Sun Article
The Anthropology of The Wire
News story examining how one professor used The Wire to construct a class aimed at the economic and social disparities in Baltimore and other large cities.
The Wire's been called the best TV show of all time and it's been trashed by Baltimore's political class. This story balances each perspective.
Thaw Photographer Exhibits at WMTD
Part interview, part promotional; this piece demonstrates how a station activity can be covered on the air by incorporating an interview that is not over the top.
While appropriate for music stations, news stations might take a different approach. Stations should develop an editorial policy about this type of content as stations become events driven community centers.
New Orleans Will Sing Again
A personal essay about devastation in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina focusing on the music, musicians and necessity of this city in American life.
City Council Legislates Ticket Fees
News story about potential legislation in the Baltimore City Council regulating convenience fees on ticket sellers.
Reporter Sam Gallant interviews venue owners on the possible effects of this legislation to determine if there will cost savings for the consumer.
Governor Martin O'Malley's Last Day In Office
Amid packing boxes and personal momentos, WTMD Morning host Alex Cortright interviewed Governor, and soon to be Presidential candidate, Martin O'Malley about his experiences and memories. Alex evens tries to get him to announce his Presidential run on WTMD.
Recorded on site in the Governor's Office.
Dead Venues
Every city has a long gone nightclub where memories of a generation were formed. Sam Sessa discovers a man whose made it his mission to keep the ghosts of these dance halls, concert spaces and even DIY warehouses floating around on the internet.
This story captures nostalgia for our older listeners. It aired in Baltimore Hit Parade and our morning show.
The Baltimore Band Guide To Success
Everyone wants to be a famous band. Visions of being the next Coldplay, Mumford and Sons or even The Beach Boys rumble around the minds of every garage band whose moved from cover songs to original material.
In this multipart series, Sam Sessa lays out a step-by-step guide to making it big, at least in Baltimore. He talks with venue owners, bands and singers who've been successful enough quit their day jobs.
This piece appeared as part of Baltimore Hit Parade and was distributed as a podcast.
Description
My first editorial decision was to develop a “Cultural News Department.” This department produced long and short form documentaries, interviews and other editorial content for both broadcast and on line. We trained our on-air staff in journalistic ethics and spent a great deal of time developing their interviewing skills. AAA does dozens of interviews a week, often live, and I wanted everyone on my staff to measure up to Terry Gross.
I upped the game by partnering with the Baltimore Sun to produce a series of stories about how Baltimore could become the next Austin. We worked with Sam Sessa, the Sun’s Lifestyle section editor, who also became the host of our Baltimore cultural Magazine show, Baltimore Hit Parade.
Sam’s experience was so exciting that he quit the Baltimore Sun to become our Editor of the Cultural News Department. We met weekly to set the news agenda including assigning stories to reporter/hosts. Most of these pieces aired in our morning show and lived on line and then as podcasts.
We focused on topics that directly affected our listeners like legislation changing the fees on concert tickets, small business economics, healthcare for musicians under the ACA and even delved into commentary when certain events warranted.
