The president and CEO of a national television broadcasting division has been named speaker for the Pam Hamilton Keynote Address at the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association statewide spring convention.
Emily Barr, president and chief executive officer of Graham Media Group – the television broadcasting division of Graham Holdings Company – will give the keynote address at the MSPA spring high school journalism convention Tuesday, March 31, on the University of Mississippi campus. MSPA conventions are the largest gatherings of high school journalists in the state, usually with more than 500 attendees.
Emily Barr
“She’s a national-level media expert and one of the most accomplished women in the entire broadcast industry,” said MSPA Director R. J. Morgan. “She’s also passionate about educating young people, so she was a natural fit for such a key slot at our convention. We’re really excited to have her join us.”
Morgan said Barr oversees seven local media hubs – each in a top-70 market, representing just over 7 percent coverage in the U.S. The television stations, web and mobile platforms are recognized as news leaders across the media spectrum: KPRC-Houston (NBC); WDIV-Detroit (NBC); WKMG- Orlando (CBS); KSAT-San Antonio (ABC); a duopoly in Jacksonville: WJXT (Fully Local) and WCWJ (CW); and WSLS-Roanoke (NBC).
Barr serves on the boards of the Associated Press and the Television Bureau of Advertising. She is the chairman for television for the National Association of Broadcasters and serves on the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation.
Honored for her civic involvement, Barr is the 2018 recipient of the Golden Mike Award from the Broadcasters Foundation of America and was awarded the Vincent T. Wasilewski Broadcaster of the Year by the Illinois Broadcasters Association in 2014.
Mississippi Scholastic Press Association
Barr and other professional journalists, educators, photographers, videographers and entrepreneurs from across the South will be sharing their skills with students in more than 40 different sessions at the MSPA convention. Students can also compete for awards in MSPA mail-in or carry-in contests.
Whether your interests are journalism, social media, news writing, feature writing, page design, photography, yearbook, web publishing, broadcast, literary magazine, leadership, Morgan said the spring convention will offer something for everyone.
Registration is $25 per student, which includes breakfast and lunch. Adviser registration is free.
To learn more or to register, visit mississippischolasticpress.com and click on state conventions.
Click this link to register for the convention.
The hashtag for the event is #MSPA20.
To request an interview, contact MSPA Director R.J. Morgan at 662-915-7150 or morgan@go.olemiss.edu.
If you plan to attend and require accommodations for a disability, please contact Sarah Griffith at 662-915-7146 or jour-imc@olemiss.edu. For more information about our journalism or IMC programs visit jnm.olemiss.edu.
If you have a comment or question about this story, email ldrucker@olemiss.edu.
