Honors Students work in the Black Belt
WTVM-ABC (Columbus, Ga.) – May 24
More than a dozen students from the University of Alabama got together to spruce up a historic high school. They’re painting and fixing up the old Lincoln High School in Marion. It’s the school where Coretta Scott King graduated, and has been abandoned since 1970. A group of senior citizens use the school to teach others how to sew and quilt. The honor students chose it as one of several places to do community service.
WLTZ-NBC (Columbus, Ga.) – May 24
WSFA-NBC (Montgomery) – May 25
WDHN-ABC (Dothan) – May 25
NBC set for an Olympic feat without longtime captain
Los Angeles Times – May 24
For two decades, Dick Ebersol brought the Olympics to Americans. As president and later chairman of NBC Sports, he made his employer synonymous with the Games. That includes the 1996 Atlanta and the 2008 Beijing contests, the latter the most-watched TV event in U.S. history with 215 million total viewers, according to Nielsen…He knew how to get millions of Americans to care about sports like swimming and gymnastics, which they paid precious little attention to at any other time. He intuited how to convey Olympic tales of agony and triumph onscreen. “Ebersol made a conscious effort to show events in prime time that the whole family will watch,” said Andrew C. Billings, a professor and sports media expert at the University of Alabama and author of the book “Olympic Media: Inside the Biggest Show on Television.” “He quickly discovered there was a large tune-out factor from women as soon as boxing came on; thus, there’s no longer boxing in prime time.”… “In fact, 93% of the 2008 prime-time coverage in Beijing was devoted to just five sports: swimming, track and field, gymnastics, diving and beach volleyball,” Billings added. “All of these events can be spliced into digestible TV-friendly segments and all, even more critically, appeal beyond the core sports base of men.”
Home-grown farmer’s market
CBS 42 (Birmingham) — May 24
Farmers markets are fully stocked with the freshest and most affordable produce. In Tuscaloosa, Homegrown Alabama is open again. The community and University of Alabama partnership is a “growers only” market. Every Thursday, vendors will sell everything from goat cheese to cut flowers and fruits and veggies. Organizers say farmers markets are often thought of as being too expensive, but they say that’s not the case here.
World’s largest swim lesson to be held at UA rec pool
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – May 24
If you’re interested in free swim lessons for your child, ‘Bama swim school will be hosting “the world’s largest swim lesson” on June 14, from 9-11 a.m. at the University of Alabama’s rec pool.