March 12, 2004
Retired AP CEO Lou Boccardi Inaugurates First Herb Kamm Media Forum
Lou Boccardi speaks to journalists after the forum
SAN LUIS OBISPO -- Louis D. Boccardi, retired chief executive officer of the Associated Press, was the first guest lecturer of the University's Herb Kamm Media Forum Thursday night (March 11).
"I'm inadequate to the task of telling you what this means
to me," Boccardi began, addressing a crowd in Philips Hall
that included Phyllis Kamm, widow of veteran newspaperman and Cal
Poly professor emeritus Herb Kamm. Kamm passed away in 2002.
He joined the Cal Poly faculty after 'retiring' to the Central Coast
in 1985 from a 50 year career with major newspapers in New York
and Cleveland. During his time at Cal Poly, Kamm organized a number
of successful media forums, drawing top names in the news to speak
at the University.
Boccardi explained that Kamm was his first boss when Boccardi was a 21-year-old cub reporter at the New York World Telegraph & Sun.
"That's where I first encountered a life force named Herb Kamm,"
Boccardi joked. Boccardi went on to speak about current trends in journalism
before the evening opened up to a panel discussion among the journalists
present, moderated by new Cal Poly Journalism Professor and Department
Head George Ramos, a Pulitzer-prizewinner for his work at the Los Angeles
Times.
In addition to Ramos (Cal Poly Jour '69) and Boccardi,
the panel included ABC News radio correspondent Steffan Tubbs (Cal Poly Jour '92), a two time winner of the Edward R. Murrow award for
his feature reporting; Peter Hartlaub (Cal Poly Jour
'93), a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle currently assigned to
cover the Scott Peterson double-murder trial; John Hubbell (Cal
Poly Jour '96), a San Francisco Chronicle reporter currently covering
the California Legislature and Governor in the Chronicle's Sacramento
Bureau; Ryan Huff (Cal Poly Jour '02), currently a reporter
at the San Luis Obispo Tribune and an Associated Press Sports Editors
Awards winner; and Cal Poly Journalism Professor Teresa Allen,
herself a reporter with 15 years of field experience.
College
of Liberal Arts Dean Harry Hellenbrand introduces the media panel
at the first Herb Kamm Media Forum March 11 in Philips Hall.
Despite controversies over media ethics, media company mergers, the increasing culture of celebrity making its way into news coverage, and technology changes putting even more pressure on media deadlines, "I want to tell you young people here in the audience that this is a brilliant moment in journalism," and an exciting time to go to work in the field, Boccardi told the crowd.
In addition to students, the forum crowd included many Central Coast media members, including Cal Poly Journalism Professor Emeritus James Hayes ("Mister Hayes" still to alumni from the 1980s), a longtime writing coach for the Los Angeles Times; veteran news and magazine photographer Tony Hertz; former Tribune publisher and newly-appointed St. Paul Pioneer Press Publisher Par Ridder; KSBY anchor/reporter David Freitas; Tribune editor Sandy Duerr; Tribune Opinion Editor Bill Morem; Tribune Graphics Editor Joe Tarica; and Tribune reporter Laurie Phillips.
The Forum was sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts.
Phyllis
Kamm
and
Cal Poly Journalism Professor Emeritus Jim Hayes
- Teresa Hendrix