OKLAHOMA CITY — The Associated Press Sports Editors will hold their Great Plains Regional meeting July 18-19 in Oklahoma City. The meeting will be highlighted by:
*- A group outing with the Oklahoma City RedHawks at a 4:05 p.m. game Sunday, July 18 at the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark.
*- Workshop sessions from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, July 19 at The Oklahoman offices on Britton Road and Broadway Extension in Oklahoma City. The sessions will include presentations on thriving in the video age, Facebook as a reporting tool, and better blogging and reader engagement. There will also be a sessions on getting the most out of Associated Press’ AP Exchange tool. The best sports sections and Web content from the most recent APSE contest will also be presented.
*- A luncheon talk delivered by Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti on Monday, July 19. Presti, architect of one of the NBA’s most exciting and talented teams, will speak on the importance of team building and his efforts to build a successful and sustainable franchise in Oklahoma City.
There is no charge for baseball game or workshop sessions, though there may be a small charge for lunch on July 19. A block of hotel rooms has been reserved for Sunday, July 18 at the Holiday Inn Express on Northwest Expressway at the rate of $89 a night. To reserve a room, call (405) 848-1500 and ask for the APSE Great Plains Region rate.
For more information on the APSE Great Plains Regional, contact The Oklahoman sports editor Mike Sherman at (405) 475-3164 or msherman@oklahoman.com.
Workshop session summaries:
*- Video killed the radio star, but how about the sports writer? The Oklahoman’s Bob Przybylo leads a discussion how how to survive and thrive in the video age. This session will feature practical tips on how newspapers of every size and budget can make use of video on the Web. Session bonus: Chat with The Oklahoman/NewsOK video team while touring the studios.
*- Facebook wants to be friends, but is it? Tulsa World sports editor Mike Strain leads a discussion on the power and pitfalls of using Facebook as a reporting tool, especially for the coverage of high school sports. As a bonus, Mike will lead a show-and-tell sharing session of the best prep sports coverage ideas. Bring yours.
*- Bringing the national local. The Oklahoman sports editor Mike Sherman just returned from the APSE Convention in Salt Lake City and he’s got examples of the best work from across the country and Great Plains Region to share. Review newspapers and Web sites of all sizes for ideas that work for your readers.
*- Lunch speaker: Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti talks about the importance of team and shares his approach to building the NBA’s most exciting young team.
*- Better blogging, relationships with readers and sources: The Orlando Sentinel’s Matt Humphrey leads a discussion of how to make your blogs destinations and how to energize your relationships with readers and readers and sources.
*- Get The Most Out of AP. Learn how to quickly find references of star athletes from your area as well as other AP content related to a specific sport, topic, athletic conference and/or opponents of your local teams. AP’s Barry Bedlan will demonstrate the shortcuts and tricks in AP Exchange that can yield all of the content of most importance to your reporters and readers. Session bonus: What is content sharing and how it could be useful in the Great Plains Region.
