Philadelphia’s influential role in the U.S. presidential election via the Democratic primary has afforded equally memorable experiences for The Temple News.

I’ve posted earlier here about our coverage of Hillary Clinton’s rally in McGonigle Hall, offering our readers a breaking news story online, video and audio that night, in addition to a followup story in print reviewing what’s to come. It’s allowed our reporters to write commentary using our own reporting, like on the Geraldine Ferraro controversy.

That came a few weeks after I got the opportunity to cover her husband’s speaking at the University of Pennsylvania, in video too. Rounding out our coverage of the entire Clinton family, we had a video report on a recent Chelsea Clinton appearance in a Fairmount restaurant.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJQKXIQvn2Q 350 292]

We also forced our way into Barack Obama’s already famed “More Perfect Union Speech,” at the National Constitution Center, again following up with a broader story in print and weighing in on the controversial Jeremiah Wright issue.

We’re getting attention elsewhere. It’s just a mention, but the well-read college journalism blog Innovation in College Media gave us a nod for our coverage. Anyone have similar experiences while at The Temple News?

Check out another great video piece by Chris Stover, Class of 2009 and Chief Copy Editor, and LeAnne Matlach, Class of 2009 and Assistant News Editor, on the Pennsylvania primary, looming on April 22.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pjre_-aG7I 350 292]

Douglas Scott, a photographer for The Temple News, snagged this photograph of then U.S. President Jimmy Carter during a speech he gave in Philadelphia on May 9, 1980. What I don’t understand is that the last issue was in early April for TTN.  I also couldn’t find any other source noting why Carter was in town in the middle of his term. Anyone have any ideas?

Anyone rember this? Anyone know photographer Douglas Scott, when he graduated or what he’s doing now?

The Associated Collegiate Press announced finalists in the 2008 Online Pacemaker contest on Tuesday and The Temple News is in the running.

The winners will be announced at the National College Media Convention, which runs from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, 2008 in Kansas City.

ACP received more than 150 entries for the contest, which was judged by Will Sullivan, interactive director of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Just nine four-year, non daily print newspapers were nominated, and just nine more from the daily category. We can also report that The Temple News is the lone representative in the Philadelphia region.

It might be worth noting that all this came without our new Web site even being judged, but rather the one we were running with College Publisher last semester. Big ups, though, to our own Internet Jesus Sean Blanda, Class of 2008 and Web Editor, who guided us through the transformation into ‘weekly in print, daily online’ and an entirely new web presence. If anyone should be having to turn down job offers, it is this kid, who can – imagine that – also write, edit and shoot video, audio, photograph and, I am told, is handy with the plunger. Contact him here.

We recently unveiled a multimedia package on former Temple University President Peter Liacouras. He held the top spot for 18 years, from 1982 to 2000, so many of you may have served under him.

Looking through archived editions of The Temple News, from editorials by Todd Schmidt, Class of 1989 and former Editor in Chief, to reporting done by the staff in 1999, it was clear to me that Liacouras was not always beloved by our staff.

Check out the multimedia package here, read the profile I wrote on him, watch him talk about choosing the Temple ‘T’ and let me know of any of your thoughts on the man, his administration or anything else.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsWR82Dbtg8 350 292]

Kia Gregory, Class of 2003 and former Opinion Editor, is shifting gears.As reported by Phawker, Gregory, a columnist at Philadelphia Weekly, where she started as a freelancer in 2003, is moving to the city desk at the Philaelphia Inquirer.The native North Philadelphian starts April 4.See her gustsy, columns at PW here. If you remember her, reconnect with her on LinkedIn here. We wish her well. 

Presidential politics have come to Philadelphia, and The Temple News is trying to cover it as well as anyone.

Yesterday morning Barack Obama spoke at the National Constitution Center, and I was there with Melissa DiPento, Class of 2008 and assistant Sports Editor, and we covered it. I had some difficulty in getting what I did, what with the hoards of media members fighting to get in, but we were there, and I got a story up before anyone else that I knew.

Last week during our spring break, Hillary Clinton held a rally in Temple’s own McGonigle Hall, in front of a crowd of several thousand, and The Temple News was there. LeAnne Matlach, Class of 2009 and assistant News Editor, reported there, while Chris Stover, Class of 2009 and Chief Copy Editor, filed an audio story, and Sean Blanda, Class of 2008 and Online Editor, edited down video highlights of her 40-minute speech. In a pinch and without a photographer, I took photos, rounding out a complete multimedia package, though my photography is less than up to the normal standards of The Temple News.

Matlach also had a related story in yesterday’s print edition, reviewing Clinton’s appearance, teasing to Obama’s, and discussing their upcoming April 16 debate at the National Constitution Center.

Sorry, it has been a few days, but boy the excitement is real.

We haven’t seen NCAA tournament excitement on the men’s basketball side of things since 2001, but in case you have completely turned your back on your alma mater, you should know that Frannie Dunphy and the Owls won the Atlantic 10 championship and secured themselves an automatic bid and No. 12 seed in the South region of March Madness.

The Owls will face No. 5 seeded Michigan State all the way in Denver, Colo. No, we don’t know why in Denver or how that is in the South region.

Two fellow Big 5 squads got in, too, on at-large bids. St. Joseph’s got a No. 11 ranking, and Villanova a No. 12. Both are in different tournament regions, so a match up could only happen beyond the Final Four.

Anyone have any tournament memories?

Just how cozy should we get?

In launching this Web site and developing a forum for former staffers of The Temple News, who just happen to be alumni of Temple University, we have, without perhaps realizing it, created a vehicle for the university.

Understandably, they want in.

Some staff members of TTN have talked about forming an official alumni association, recognized by the university. That could mean additional funding, regular networking events (perhaps like a reunion for all NEWSers every five years, similar to what was hosted last October), and a stable place for TTN alumni, beyond what undergraduate turnover can offer.

Sounds good.

Trouble is, what also comes with it is the reality of taking, even in a small way, a step closer to the university, just when we are all working to become more independent of it.

I sure don’t know what the best decision is. I will be graduating in May, becoming an alumni of TTN myself, so I can speak to the notion that I might like to be able to send money the way of this college newspaper, to be used to develop a scholarship fund, a speaker series, an annual networking and year-end event, or perhaps them all.

That would likely happen faster and more efficiently with the help of the university.

The Minnesota Daily at the University of Minnesota has an alumni association.

The Daily Pennsylvanian at the University of Pennsylvania has one, too.

But what do you all think? Is that taking an editorial step we shouldn’t, or does an alumni association not hurt our sense of independence? How would you all feel about regular networking events and other special privileges we could get for us all as the media body of an increasingly prestigious research university?

Please, comment below or email me at cwink@temple.edu. These are decisions we will have to make in the next month, if not sooner, and we would much rather do it with your advice.

Who loves typeface? You love typeface!

You must have heard that it is the 50th anniversary of the creation of the ‘Helvetica’ type font. There is a documentary being released, an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and even tee-shirts being sold that involve dirty words and lots of laughs.

So, it should be no surprise that we are celebrating here at The Temple News, too. See, this has been the first full year that The Temple News has shifted to using Helvetica Nueue for its display font (Nueue is an updated form of the font, keeping all letters proportional and allowing us to have condensed bold headlines). -We use Times for body text, because damn it if anyone wants to read any sans serif type face at length.

Much of last year we used Futura and before that it was Verdana. Anyone have remember their old type face days or personal font choices!?

I leave you with the strange trailer for the film on the font and its impact.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rd3Zkcz_EE&feature=related 350 292]

Brian James Kirk is a Design Editor, former TTN sex columnist and all around good guy. Oh, and he happens to be one of only a handful of contributing writers with Philebrity.com, one of the best read blogs in the country’s biggest blog town.

He writes a weekly tech column. What an active young gentleman, with a great beard, I might add.

So, if you need to know what’s going on in that big box that is connected to your computer monitor, definitely check his blogging and ask him questions. (I know I do).

By the way, Kirk, Class of 2009, leaves today for the Innovation in College Media Conference, where he will be representing TTN until Saturday with our Online Editor, Sean Blanda, perhaps the only man able to surpass Kirk’s knowledge of all things new and shiny… and another reason for TTN’s multimedia emergence, via a new Web site, news blog, this alumni site, video and audio.