• Laurel editor puts on the dog for J-School scholarships
• Broadcast Media Center staff shines in regional competitions

Laurel editor puts on the dog for J-school scholarships

By Chelsi Moy
J-School Web Reporter

Larry Tanglen, editor of the Laurel Outlook, raised money for journalism scholarships — and got a chance to show off his hot dog cart — as host of a tailgate party in Missoula when the UM Grizzlies played Northern Colorado on Sept. 14.

Dressed in a bow tie, tuxedo shirt and cummerbund apron, Tanglen stood behind his stainless steel vending cart filling orders of nachos, Polish dogs and hot dogs. About 20 friends from Laurel and Scobey, Mont., members of the Montana Newspaper Association and faculty from the UM School of Journalism attended the tailgate party.

Photo by Josh Parker

Larry Tanglen, editor of the Laurel Outlook, serves up hot dogs and nachos at his tailgate party south of the foot bridge before the Northern Colorado game on Sept. 14.

Tanglen auctioned off the tailgate party at the MNA’s annual meeting last June in Kalispell. With the help of Jerry Brown, dean of the UM School of Journalism, and Wayne Hogan, UM’s athletic coordinator, the winner of the tailgate party also received 12 tickets to the football game and some Griz memorabilia. Burley Bowler, publisher of the Daniels County Leader, bought the tailgate party package for $475.

"It got pretty heated between me and a publisher from Bozeman," said Bowler. "I probably would have gone higher, though."

The proceeds from the tailgate auction will go to the MNA Pat Burke Memorial Scholarship fund. This scholarship — usually $1,500 —honors the memory of Pat Burke, wife of the late Frank Burke, a long-time publisher of the Glendive Ranger-Review. It is awarded every spring to a UM journalism student with demonstrated professional potential.

The auction is an annual event at the MNA convention and raises money for Montana journalism. The MNA sponsors two journalism scholarships and five or six summer internships for UM journalism students. MNA President Jan Anderson, editor and publisher of the Jefferson County Courier, said this year's auction raised $6,700.

In the past, members of the MNA have tried to think of unusual prizes for the auction. A signed copy of James Welch’s "Fools Crow" was auctioned after the book was banned from English classes in Laurel.

Bowler was unable to attend the tailgate party because he was meeting his grandson for the first time that weekend, he said. But he arranged to give away the party in a contest advertised in the Daniels County Leader. The grand prize consisted of six football tickets and Griz attire, while the runner up received four tickets. Bowler gave the two remaining tickets to Scobey businesses sponsoring the contest. Everyone was invited to the tailgate party.

Tanglen enjoyed throwing the tailgate party for two reasons: It allowed him to use the hot dog cart he bought five years ago in the classifieds, and it benefits journalism students. Tanglen has a son, Lucas, graduating from the UM journalism program this spring, and the party was a way for Tanglen and his wife to show their appreciation for the wonderful education their son is getting.

"It’s nice to do something to ensure that when we are old and gray," said Tanglen, "someone capable will take our place."

Broadcast Media Center staff shines in regional competitions

University of Montana Broadcast Media Center staff members recently won seven awards in regional broadcast competitions.

UM graduate Maggie Carey's documentary "Sun River Homestead," which was produced for KUFM-TV, won the cultural/historical category of the Northwest Regional Emmy Awards in Seattle. The program traces the lives of three sisters who came to Montana in the early 1900s and lived in the Sun River Valley. Broadcast Media Center producer John Twiggs and UM radio-TV Assistant Professor Ray Ekness also contributed to the documentary.

"Backroads of Montana" won the Montana Broadcasters Association E.B. Craney Award for Non-commercial Television Program of the Year for the second year in a row. The program — 16th in the series — was produced by Twiggs, William Marcus, Ray Ekness and Gus Chambers. It featured a profile of a bird artist from Westby, a National Weather Service observer near Roy, Butte musician John "The Yank" Harrington, a seasonal waterfall near Big Timber, Glentana's lone parking meter and a tour of Fort Benton.

Chambers won the Montana Broadcasters Association E.B. Craney Award for Television Public Service Announcement of the Year for a 60-second promotional spot about a university's role during troubled times. He also won a Council for Advancement and Support of Education gold award for the same production. UM President George Dennison narrated the announcement, which featured video from a campus memorial service and a football game dedication.

Staff members recognized for their coverage of the Sept. 11 tragedy were Montana Public Radio producers Sally Mauk and Edward O'Brien, who jointly won a first place award from the Pacific Northwest Excellence in Journalism competition. Mauk also won a second place award in the Feature News Reporting category for an interview with Billy Mills and a third place award in Investigative Reporting for her story on academic freedom.

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