Michael Dean Smith | newswriter
Objective: To practice local journalism using audio, video, photography, written word, and social media to tell the stories that impact all members of the community.
Independent Reporter and Publisher
Carter Observer – Ardmore, Oklahoma (May 2022 to present)
SUMMARY – With my priority shifting to personal matters, local news remains a passion that isn’t easily extinguished. I’ve started hosting my own web services including a WordPress site, CarterObserver.net, and posting independent coverage of public meetings and elections when my schedule allows. With content provided under Creative Commons protections, select coverage has been republished in print editions of The Ardmoreite. Many written articles with photos are complimented with video reports posted locally and on popular social media platforms.
Coverage has included:
- County rejection of C-PACE energy incentives;
- City budget proposal;
- Local election previews;
- Tracked state legislative efforts by local delegation.
Hardware and software testing of self-hosted services PeerTube and Mastodon was also done for several months to learn about necessary equipment and scaling (remaining offsite hosting services are currently set to expire in Spring 2024).
Newspaper Reporter and Editor
The Ardmoreite – Ardmore, Oklahoma (Aug. 2019 to Oct. 2021)
SUMMARY – After moving to Oklahoma in 2019, I independently covered local government meetings for my own website. Within two weeks of posting exclusive stories to the web I was offered a part-time staff writing position with The Ardmoreite. Within a year I was given full time benefits and installed as a member of the editorial board and within two years was promoted to news editor. Duties included:
- News editor – Assisted managing editor with copy editing and communication with offsite design center for print. Sometimes responsible for setting up daily and weekly agendas, and for proofreading and approving daily front page for layout, style and content.
- Education reporter – Covered over a dozen public school districts in Carter County and surrounding areas and wrote about bond issues, child nutrition, school budgets and funding, extracurricular clubs and activities, and stand-out students and teachers. As a reporter at a Gannett-owned newspaper, would occasionally be credited as a contributor to stories picked up by USA Today Also covered private schools, higher education, vocational school, and library systems.
- Enterprise reporter – Enterprise ventures included environment, health care and elections.
- Editorial Board member – Collaborated with other board members about twice-weekly editorial content and often write editorials based on board conversations.
- Project manager – Tasked with taking control of the “Patriot Ardmore Student Leader of the Year,” an annual award for area high school seniors with excellent academic, leadership and volunteer qualities, after the publisher’s departure in 2020. Transitioned from a paper-only submission method to online submission and was the program’s main representative for 15 invited schools and a three-member judging panel. Organized monthly nominations from schools and coordinated with in-house advertising department to contact candidates.
- Pandemic reporting – Developed sources within state and local health departments to update readers with daily and weekly epidemiological data, testing resources and vaccination efforts. Also developed sources within the area’s largest hospital to collect patient census info and document available health care resources in the community.
- Award Program Emcee – Was emcee for 2021 Ardmoreite All Star Preps Best of the Arbuckles Banquet which included a nearly 45-minute awards ceremony with over 600 guests. Worked with event organizer and production team to deliver annual awards to area high school athletes. Tasks included announcing award presenters and award winners with synchronized graphics and reading prepared script about achievements of athletes from multiple sports.
Awards – Received third place for in-depth reporting in the Oklahoma Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest in 2019 and was a member of the newspaper staff that earned that year’s Sequoyah Award for Division 2.
Broadcast Reporter
Newstalk 1450 WDNG-AM – Anniston, Alabama (Nov. 2012 to July 2016)
SUMMARY – A simple story pitch to a local radio station without a news department turned into an almost unreal opportunity. By the end of my time at WDNG, a skeleton crew at a bruised station had been transformed into a dynamic staff that was a respected source of local news and information. The news department I proudly built provided credibility and professionalism for the station and complimented the experience of eight coworkers. Throughout that time, job titles and responsibilities included:
- News Director – Established news department to include exhaustive coverage of local and state government, elections, public safety, and other relevant beats for morning programming and multiple evening news briefs. Directed two part-time reporters for breaking news events and live coverage of elections. Managed Twitter and Facebook accounts for news department with exclusive media and links to original news content on station’s website.
- Reporter – Developed government and public safety beats with sources at city, county, and state levels. Gathered information, audio, and photos from spot reporting, cultivated personal and technological sources, and tracked down breaking news events. Wrote and recorded (or read live) between 900 and 1,800 words of copy per day for on-air news briefs. Rewrote broadcast copy using The Associated Press Stylebook for website content.
- Producer – Managed all aspects of up to 4-hour-long morning programming, including topic selection, guest booking, research, and segment scheduling. Logged community issues for quarterly public file, as required by FCC regulations.
- On-air talent – Hosted between 4 and 7 hours of local radio with frequent guest interviews and listener call-ins. Interactions with guests and listeners included debate moderation in-studio or over the phone. Was ultimately responsible for ensuring an on-air environment that adhered to station and FCC guidelines.
- Engineer – Recorded, edited, and mixed audio for station commercials, promos, and jingles in standard :15, :30, and :60 formats. Often wrote copy for commercials and provided voiceovers. Provided training to coworkers on equipment and would troubleshoot hardware and software. Also programmed broadcast schedules, commercial (spot) rotation with logs for billing and broadcast affidavit purposes.
Citizen Journalist
The Heflin Independent – Heflin, Alabama (2011-2012)
An independent blog that focused on a small town of about 5,000 residents. Major stories included:
- 2012 municipal elections;
- public protests of proposed drilling in nearby Talladega National Forest;
- high school football coverage.
Education
Cuyahoga Community College – Cleveland, Ohio (2017-2019)
- Associate of Arts Degree (3.44 GPA).
Provided coverage to student newspaper The Voice:
- $34 million campus expansion;
- 2018 baseball season preview.
Coursework included:
- Mass Communication;
- Media Writing;
- Media Arts and Filmmaking;
- State and Local Government.
Skills
- Writing for broadcast, AP Style for print and online content
- Custom and popular Content Management Systems including WordPress, NavigaWriter, and Presto.
- GIMP and Photoshop photo editing software
- Arrakis, RadioDJ, and CartWorks radio automation interfaces
- Adobe Audition, Audacity, and Sonar Cakewalk audio software
Equipment
- Google Pixel 6 Pro internet connectivity, high-quality photos, up to 4K video, and general audio
- Nikon D3500 for print-quality photos and broadcast-quality video
- Tascam DR-05X for broadcast-quality audio
- Professional-grade audio equipment, including microphones, mixers, processors, and recorders for full audio production
Personal
- Before journalism, worked in retail electronics and light manufacturing of power transformers and industrial LED lighting.
- Plays guitars, drums, and several brass instruments
- Lived in Alabama for 20 years and supports the Crimson Tide in the Alabama/Auburn rivalry
- Received amateur radio license (KE8JCU) in 2018
- Uses Linux-based operating systems (Mint, Debian) in most computer applications over Windows or Apple
Last updated 10 October 2023