The election period for APSE third vice president is open. Voting begins April 29 and ends at 11:59 p.m. May 8. Our new officers will be announced Monday, May 13. Only members from news organizations in the C and D contest divisions are eligible to vote for third vice president. Each member organization that has paid 2022 dues has one vote. For those organizations with more than one member, please confer and cast one consensus vote.
The third VP is elected to a two-year term in even-numbered years. The third vice president will assume office at the closing meeting of the summer conference in June.
Read bios and platforms for the candidates and then email your vote to Bill Eichenberger at billapse707@gmail.com.
ANTHONY MALUSO
Community sports editor for Baltimore Sun Media; sports editor for Annapolis Capital Gazette and Carroll County Times
Background/APSE experience
I’ve been an APSE member since 2017 when a friend introduced me to then-President Tommy Deas, who gave me the ultimate sales pitch to join: “You should join.” A month later I attended my first winter conference. I have attended four winter conferences and have judged every contest since I joined, either in-person or remotely. I have also attended four summer conferences (Nashville, Atlanta, Indianapolis and Las Vegas 2023). I was fortunate to come into APSE at a time when there was a strong leadership group and many veteran members and editors that were instrumental in helping me grow in the industry. I hope to be able to serve a similar role for newer editors and members.
Journalism background
My sports journalism career began in radio. I worked seven years at an ESPN Radio affiliate in Youngstown, Ohio, before transitioning to print journalism. Starting from a part-time role at a small daily paper in Salem, Ohio, I worked my way up to higher positions in bigger markets. I became a full-time sports writer at the Tiffin (Ohio) Advertiser-Tribune and was soon promoted to assistant sports editor. After four years in Tiffin, in 2015 I became sports editor at the Dalton (Ga.) Daily Citizen-News. In 2018 I took over the sports editors role at The Citizens’ Voice in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Budget cuts and the pandemic moved me over to a news editing role until I rejoined the sports world in 2022, taking my current position at Baltimore Sun Media, where I oversee two small daily papers and several weeklies.
Objective
As third vice president representing the smaller papers in our organization, I would like to foster more growth and participation from Category C and D papers. I believe we need to show these editors and potential new members that we are more than just a contest and show the value we have to younger journalists looking to both improve at their current spot and move up in the industry. I would like to personally reach out to both members and those not currently involved in APSE to hear from them what we can do for them and then see what we can do as an organization to address those wishes. We have a lot of members that enter the contest but don’t have any further participation. I want to find out what will get those members more involved and to come out to conferences and become stronger members.
One thing I believe we can do is offer more chances for feedback to smaller and prospective members. I would look into creating a program where smaller papers can have their content reviewed and critiqued by veteran APSE members. In the past, contest judges of Category D entries provided notes on the submissions. As someone who came up through smaller newsrooms, I know that receiving feedback can be even more valuable than a top-10 placing for those looking to improve their content. Another way to do this would be to organize content exchanges. Let different shops see work being done in other places where they can pick ideas. I would also like to look into adding a question-and-answer program, either through email or a section on the website, where members can ask questions regarding coverage or ask for advice on any industry issues and veteran members can respond.
I really believe younger journalists and those in smaller shops are looking to improve their work and the more opportunities we have to help them do that will make APSE more attractive to be a part of and will grow and strengthen the organization.
PATRICK OBLEY
Sports Editor, The Daily Sun (Port Charlotte, FL)
Background/APSE experience
I have been a member of APSE since 2001, with a brief break during the 2010s. I’ve always tried to make time for judging, attending the events in Orlando, St. Petersburg and Indianapolis. I’ve been to a number of summer conferences dating back to Seattle in 2002. I was at the most recent judging in Orlando and attended last year’s summer conference in Las Vegas.
Journalism background
I’ve been in the business since serving as a 16-year-old sports clerk at the Topeka Capital-Journal in the late 1980s. After college (Kansas State, 1992), my first stops were Chanute and Hutchinson in Kansas. In 1995, I came to work at The Daily Sun in Port Charlotte for the first of four stints (presently, I’ve been the Sports Editor since 2020 and was the SE here from 2008-12, as well). In between stops at The Sun, I was the Sports Editor at the St. George (Utah) Spectrum and worked at The Daily Herald in Provo (Utah), where I helped launch its weekly BYU publication in 1998. I also toiled at The State (Columbia, S.C.) from 2002-2008 and 2012-13, working every beat the company could offer, from preps, to NASCAR, to Clemson/South Carolina, to the NFL. In 2013, I stepped away from the business and operated as a freelancer. My wife, Amanda, was a career officer in the U.S. Army, so constant moves and being there for my son took center stage for a little while. I did spend some time as a sports writer at the Fayetteville Observer while my wife finished her service at Fort Bragg. Getting back into the business full-time during COVID was … well … a challenge. Alas, I was fortunate my old haunt, The Daily Sun, was eager for a reunion.
Objective
I have a few objectives I am eager to pursue should I earn my way into the 3rd VP role. The first, and most general, is to continue a process current 3rd VP Ed Reed initiated. We need to figure out just what the C and D divisions are, and how best to address what is likely a broad range of challenges that might not be shared across the entire group. For example, I was surprised this year to see my small-town publication in the same category as the two Memphis outlets. We share nothing in common, readership-wise, so what works for them doesn’t necessarily apply to what I’m doing. Nor is it likely we attack the day with the same array of resources. How do we cater to both?
Second, somewhat along those lines, I propose the APSE establish a mentoring and instruction clearinghouse in the same vein as, say, the Writer’s Digest University model: A virtual (free) one-stop-shop space for instruction and mentorship. There are so many useful sessions at the summer conference that could provide some of the content. Perhaps some brainstorming could help APSE develop other online offerings to aid anyone who might be short on ideas or eager to expand their toolbox (such as mini courses on photography, video or podcast essentials, a how-to for establishing co-ops with neighboring publications, etc.).
Third, in the hope that APSE’s website can become a truly essential destination for all sports departments, I would love to look into the possibility of using the site as a location for a nationwide freelancer directory. There are factors to consider in such an endeavor, such as a proper vetting process for listing. That said, we all know there are many sports writers out there without full-time gigs who could be valuable resources, if only they had more visibility. In its way, such a directory would also create a pipeline of potential job candidates.
