Tom Rivers, editor of the online-only site to the north of us, Orleans Hub, was in Batavia today for Dan Kennedy's appearance at Present Tense Books.
Kennedy is author of "The Wired City," a book about the future of journalism that includes a section about the news business in Batavia.
Rivers spoke with Kennedy and shares some of the things he learned.
Tomorrow at 11 a.m., Dan Kennedy, author of "The Wired City," a book about the changes in journalism in the Digital Age, will be at Present Tense on Washington Avenue, Batavia.
Batavia's little corner of the media world is featured in the book and Kennedy will read a portion of the book and talk about what he's observed about media in Batavia.
Here's an interview from this morning on WBTA's Main and Center (mp3).
NOTE: I can't be there at 11 a.m. because I need to be at the Oatka Festival Parade, but I plan on stopping in the store about 12:15 p.m. or so.
Press release:
Dan Kennedy, author of "The Wired City: Reimagining Journalism and Civic Life in the Post-Newspaper Age," will be signing copies of the book at Present Tense on Saturday, July 13, at 11 a.m.
The book is a vivid, on-the-ground account of the changing face of contemporary journalism. In it, Kennedy tells the story of The New Haven Independent, a nonprofit community Web site at the leading edge of reinventing local journalism. He also examines a number of other online news projects, including a lengthy section about The Batavian, a local, online-only news source for Batavia and Genesee County.
"The Wired City" includes the perspectives of journalists, activists and civic leaders who are actively re-envisioning how journalism can be meaningful in a hyperconnected age of abundant news sources.
Kennedy provides deeper context by analyzing the decline of the newspaper industry in recent years and, at a time of pessimism over the future of journalism, this book offers hope. What Kennedy documents is not the death of journalism, but rather the uncertain and sometimes painful early stages of rebirth.
Dan Kennedy is assistant professor of journalism at Northeastern University and has been a working journalist for nearly 40 years. He currently contributes to the Huffington Post and the Nieman Journalism Lab. You can follow his Media Nation blog at http://dankennedy.net <http://dankennedy.net/>.
The book signing is free and open to the public. Present Tense, a locally owned, independent bookstore, is located at 101 Washington Ave., Batavia. For more information call 815-7640 <http://www.presenttensebooks.com>.
A few summers ago, Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor at Northeastern, visited Batavia while researching a book on the future of journalism, focusing on digital efforts to provide communities with news.
In May, his book, "The Wired City," was released by the University of Massachusetts Press.
While the majority of pages in The Wired City are devoted to the New Haven Independent, a nonprofit community Web site in Connecticut, there is a section in the book about for-profit sites, including The Batavian.
For the book, Kennedy interviewed me, of course, and Tom Turnbull and Mark Graczyk at the Batavia Daily News, Dan Fischer at WBTA, City Manager Jason Molino, Chamber of Commerce President Lynn Freeman, and Patrick Weissand, then HLOM director, among others.
In the book, you can find out a little more about the background of The Batavian, a little insider information and what some people -- Turnbull, say -- were saying about The Batavian when we were barely a year old.
Kennedy remains fascinated by an off-hand remark I made while we were driving past the Stafford Country Club during his visit -- that if I were ever a member, he'd know I was doing well with The Batavian. He mentions it his book and in a column today updating readers on the progress of The Batavian on Nieman Journalism Lab (spoiler alert: I'm not a member, not even a social member, even though I recently found out membership is a heck of a lot less expensive than I thought back during Kennedy's visit to Batavia.)
This Saturday, Kennedy will be at Present Tense Books on Washington Avenue to talk about the book and sign copies.
Fischer will interview Kennedy and me for Friday morning's Main and Center on WBTA, so tune in. I anticipate a lively discussion about local journalism, past, present and future.
Author and journalist Tom Rivers was at Present Tense books and gifts on Washington Avenue, Batavia, today to sign copies of his newest book, "All Ears."
The book is a collection of some of Rivers' best pieces about community life during his 15 years at the Batavia Daily News.
Rivers is now editor of OrleansHub, an online news source serving Orleans County.
"All Ears" is available at Present Tense.
Pictured with Rivers, his 7-year-old daughter, Lucy.
Present Tense Books and Gifts will host a book fair to benefit the St. James Episcopal Church Restoration Fund from Nov. 30 through Dec. 4.
A percentage of purchases made during that period with a voucher will benefit the church. Vouchers may be picked up at the church, located at 405 E. Main St., Batavia, or by calling 343-6802.
They are also available on the bookstore's website: www.presenttensebooks.com.
Present Tense Book and Gift Shop is located at 101 Washington Ave., Batavia.
Hours are: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday; closed on Sunday and Monday.
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