Inside USA Today

The Gannet Company and USA Today Headquarters

We approached this architectural gem while wondering what the day had in store for us. Once we entered the building, hallways of perfectly polished natural stone greeted us as the hints of the intricate design structure of the building fascinated me. This is where it all happens. This is where the head of USA Today rests. Josh Hatch was our tour guide for the day. He seemed more than willing to show us every single corner of the building.

We started the tour at the sports department. It was surprisingly larger than I had ever thought it would be. The place was filled with sports memorabilia. On every desk there was something a sport fanatic would own. Like Bobble heads, signed baseballs and pictures of famous athletes. At first it seemed disorganized on this beautiful Saturday morning. But every little thing that was present was a testament to the different kind of sports, the people that usually occupy the desks, are passionate about.

The design department was considerably smaller but creativity was dominating in this department as the strategically placed work of art stood near the entrance. It’s one of the few places in the building where the Mac computers are dominating the offices.

We also had the chance to talk to Ms. Megan Chan. She is part of the team of people who runs the ”home front” as they call it which is the home page of USA Today. They decide what story is placed high on the website thus visually more prominent.  They also pick all the other elements on the page. While she was explaining the process of monitoring the home page you could clearly see the USA Today image database on her computer screen and not so surprisingly she was searching for the best Sonia Sotomayor pictures.

WAMU’s Jim Asendio at AU

Jim Asendio addressing the students

WAMU 88.5 FM one of the few public radio stations in the country that can say that business is good in the current economy. WAMU is the leading public radio station for NPR new in the greater Washington DC area. In the last year WAMU has also doubled its news budget.  Jim Asendio, news director as of July 2006, is one of the driving forces behind this thriving station. An interesting man with a very calm exterior and a little ear stud that glimmers in the light.

Jim started writing for little publications in Harlem and Queens, New York, from at the age of twelve. He participated in the anti poverty programs. These were programs in the 1960’s where, in this case, New York Times reporters and Journalists from the Wall Street Journal visited the local libraries of Queens and thought young people how to become Journalists. A couple of decades later Jim does the same for the students at American University.

 He gave them advice on how to advance their career in journalism. People know each other in this business he says. It’s all about Contacts and never burn any bridges. He also wanted the students to understand the fact that it’s not just journalism but a story. That’s why they call it a story. “We are word smiths” he said.

Today his job is much more resource management, whether it’s his budget or his people. It’s much more important to make sure that his journalists have the latest technology at their disposal. This way they can do their job in the best way possible. His job is much more administrative than he would like it to be, but somebody had to do it.