2015 Touchstone Awards: October 8

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Press Club of Toledo Touchstone Awards

The Press Club of Toledo is counting down the days until the 17th annual Touchstone Awards which will be held on Thursday, October 8 at the Toledo Club. Join us as we highlight those media professionals who have displayed an excellence in journalism and community service.

2015 Touchstones: Thursday, October 8

  • 5:30pm Grazing and cocktails
  • 7:15pm Awards and Program

Those in attendance will enjoy Keynote Speaker, Lew Dickey. With years of experience in the radio and television industry, the founder of Stratford Research, and author of The Franchise — Building Radio Brands, Lew is sure to deliver a keynote that cannot be missed.

The Press Club will bestow several prestigious awards to local media professionals—categories are listed below. To read the full list of nominees for the 2015 Touchstone Awards, click here.

We would also like to thank our sponsors for making this special evening possible—Buckeye Cable System, The Toledo Blade, Dana Holding Corporation, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, Concentrek Group, The Andersons Inc. and Fifth Third Bank.

Press Club of Toledo Touchstone Sponsors

2015 Touchstone Awards Tickets

To purchase your tickets for this year’s Touchstones, you may call Shaun Hegarty at 419.265.9138 or email touchstone@toledopressclub.com. Ticket prices are listed below. RSVP cards have been send to Press Club of Toledo members.

  • $65 – Press Club members
  • $75 – Nonmembers
  • $45 – Students
  • $450 – Table of 6

We look forward to seeing you at the 2015 Touchstone Awards!

 

Press Club ‘MythBusters’ Mixer

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MythBusters Mixer Press Club of Toledo

The Toledo Press Club is hosting a special mixer event at Imagination Station on Wednesday, October 21. Our mixers at the perfect opportunity for local media and PR professionals network and strengthen relationships.

Press Club of Toledo MythBusters Mixer

  • Wednesday, October 21
  • 5-7 pm at Imagination Station Science Center, MythBusters Exhibit
  • Cash bar and light hors d’oeuvres; Admission is free

The Press Club hosts mixer events as a way to bring reporters, editors and producers from all local media to meet each other, in addition to the people they cover. The October 21 ‘MythBusters’ mixer is a special addition to our quarterly calendar and should not be missed! The Imagination Station address is 1 Discovery Way, at the corner of Summit and Adams Streets on the riverfront in downtown Toledo.

Join us for an evening of good conversation while strengthening professional relationships.

For more information about the Press Club of Toledo, visit our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @ToledoPressClub.

Touchstone Award Nominees Announced

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Press Club of Toledo Touchstone Awards

The 17th annual Touchstone Awards will be held on Thursday, October 8 at the Toledo Club. This event brings media professionals together for a night of celebration, highlighting the community’s excellence in journalism and community service.

This year’s Keynote Speaker is Lew Dickey. A second generation broadcaster, Lew founded Stratford Research in 1985 and built the company into a leading provider of market research and strategy consulting to the radio and television industries. He is also the author of The Franchise — Building Radio Brands, published by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in 1994 and is one of the industry’s leading texts on competition and strategy.

Don’t miss the chance to hear Lew Dickey’s keynote speech. Join the Press Club for an evening full of celebration as we bestow the following prestigious awards:

  • The Lifetime Achiever Award
  • The Touchstone Contributor Award
  • Excellence in Journalism
  • Press Club Scholarship

Countless nominations were received for the established categories and are listed below. All journalism awards will be judged by the Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists.

2015 Touchstone Nominations

Lifetime Achiever

  • Joseph Zerbey
  • David Waterman

Contributor

  • Sheriff John Tharp
  • Kimberly Kaufman
  • Judy Seibenick
  • The Toledo Zoo
  • Hart Inc.
  • The Lathrop Company
  • Republic Services

Excellence in Journalism

  • TK Barger
  • Michelle Zepeda
  • Ben Cathey
  • Jeffery Gerritt
  • Kelly Thompson
  • Kayla Williams
  • Athena Cocoves
  • Saul Jacobs
  • Marisa Rubin
  • Hasan Dudar
  • Katie Rausch
  • David Patch
  • Ignazio Messina
  • The Press Newspaper Staff
  • The Toledo Blade Staff
  • 13abc WTVG

Student Excellence in Journalism

  • Amanda Pitrof
  • Angelique Baird
  • Devan Lutz
  • William Channell
  • Annie Furia
  • Cameron Teague-Robinson
  • Dustin Sopher
  • Katie Wernke
  • Nick Dombi

2015 Touchstone Awards Tickets

The Touchstone Awards serve as the Press Club of Toledo’s main fundraiser. The money raised at the Touchstone Awards goes towards our annual scholarship fund in which we recognize students at local universities for their achievements.

Ticket prices are listed below. If you have questions, please Shaun Hegarty at 419.265.9138 or email touchstone@toledopressclub.com. We have sent out RSVP cards to our members, but also take reservations via email or phone if you have not received one.

  • $65 – Press Club members
  • $75 – Nonmembers
  • $45 – Students
  • $450 – Table of 6

We look forward to seeing you at the 2015 Touchstone Awards.

Press Club Mixer: September 17

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 Press Club of Toledo Mixer

The Press Club of Toledo is hosting an end-of-summer mixer on Thursday, September 17 at Maumee Bay Brewing Company in downtown Toledo. We encourage local media and PR professionals to join us for this relaxing and casual networking opportunity!

Press Club of Toledo End-of-Summer Mixer

The Press Club hosts quarterly mixer events as a way to bring reporters, editors and producers from all local media to meet each other, in addition to the people they cover.

Press Club of Toledo Mixer

Toledo Networking Events 

Our networking events are held at venues throughout the local community and create an opportunity for public relations professionals to strengthen relationships with the local media, allowing them to become better-equipped in receiving media coverage when they need it most.

For more information about the Press Club of Toledo, visit our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter@ToledoPressClub.

2015 Touchstone Awards: Call for Nominations

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Touchstone Awards

The Press Club of Toledo annually recognized newsmakers and newsbreakers in the Northwest Ohio region through the prestigious Touchstone Awards. We invite you to nominate those individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to Northwest Ohio through journalistic excellence or community service.

The 2015 Touchstone Awards will be held on Oct. 8, 2015 at the Toledo Club. 

To submit a nomination, please complete the Touchstone Nominations form, clearly marking which Touchstone Award applies to your nomination. The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. on Friday, August 28th, 2015.

Below is the full list of categories for this year’s Touchstone Awards. The Press Club has added a new category for 2015 to better showcase student work and is looking forward to seeing the increase in submissions related to this change. 

2015 Touchstone Award Categories

  • Print (Daily)
  • Print (Non-daily)
  • Broadcast – Radio
  • Broadcast –Television
  • Student – Print
  • Student – Broadcast
  • Electronic Media
  • Golden Touchstone
  • Lifetime Achiever
  • Contributor Award

For more information on each award category, view the Call for Nominations submission form. 

If you have questions related to the Touchstone Awards, please reach out to Press Club of Toledo Board Member and Touchstone Coordinator, Shaun Hegarty via email at Shaun.Hegarty@13abc.com, or by phone at 419-265-9138.

 

Powers & Pitfalls of Social Media Panel

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The Press Club of Toledo’s social media panel was a great success on Friday, June 26. Held at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, the forum was free to the public.

Press Club of Toledo Pressing Issues Forum

Panelists included the following local social media experts:

Lisa Stromme Warren is the Assistant News Director at WTOL in Toledo, where she helps manage a newsroom staff of 80+ employees to produce more than 50 hours per week of news content. She started in Northwest Ohio as the head of WTOL’s digital team, managing content on web, mobile and social platforms before moving into a role that utilizes her expertise in both news and digital content.  Originally from Sacramento, California, she spent the first 10 years of her journalism career in newsrooms from Santa Barbara to Portland, Oregon as a line producer and executive news producer before moving to the Midwest.

Lisa Stromme Waren Social Media

Heather Hoffman has been the Social Media Coordinator for the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library since November 2014. She is responsible for the development and coordination of the Library’s social media program. Heather’s skills include media tracking, news writing, social media graphics and analytics, web writing, blog platforms and traditional media relations. Heather also has experience and proven outcomes placing advertisements in online spaces. Heather has been a great addition to the Library’s Marketing Team of eight professionals.

Heather Hoffman

Laura Hanley is the Director of Content Marketing at Concentrek Group, a creative agency based in Toledo. An experienced content marketing professional, Laura manages brands of all sizes, delivering an increase in social presence and online exposure. With a pulse on emerging trends, Laura is able to implement effective strategies, leading clients to increased social engagement and overall success.

Laura Hanley Director of Content Marketing

Social Media Resources

Presentations provided by the panelists are below:

Social Media & Content Marketing — Laura Hanley, Concentrek Group

The Powers & Pitfalls of Social Media in the News — Lisa Stromme Warren, WTOL Toledo News Now