Michael Schoenfeld, a 34-year-old executive at Washington’s Corporation for Public Broadcasting, will soon be named Vanderbilt’s new vice chancellor in charge of media relations, according to several sources at the university.
Although no formal decision has been made, Schoenfeld, who has little experience as a reporter and no background in university public relations, was house-hunting in Nashville last week and was introduced to staffers at the university Office of News and Public Affairs as their next boss.
A 1984 Duke graduate, Schoenfeld spent the Cold War working for the Voice of America before joining CPB in 1993. At VOA, Schoenfeld served as chief of staff to Reagan appointee Richard Carlson. Carlson now heads CPB and recently named Schoenfeld senior vice president for policy and public affairs.
Vanderbilt employees are already complaining that Schoenfeld’s youth and inexperience will make it difficult for him to change the close-mouthed, corporate culture surrounding the university.
“If Schoenfeld tells [chancellor Joe B.] Wyatt to do something, Wyatt is going to turn to [general counsel Jeff] Carr and ask, ‘Should I do this?’ and nothing is going to change,” said one Vandy insider. Other sources predict that Schoenfeld himself will focus on the national media and relegate the handling of local reporters to an assistant—a sure-to-backfire plan that will only aggravate relations between local journalists and the university.
“The board of trustees created this position and urged the chancellor to hire someone who could improve relations with the local media,” said a third Vanderbilt source, “but instead they’ve hired another Washington outsider.”
But Schoenfeld appears to be learning fast how to survive at Vanderbilt. On Monday, the presumptive head of “media relations” did not return repeated telephone calls from the Nashville Scene. Sources say Schoenfeld was unable to reach university officials for instructions about how to handle the call.
Tuesday, Schoenfeld finally answered the phone. In casual conversation, he comes across as a bright, well-meaning person. On the record, he declined to comment and referred all questions about the vice chancellor’s job to Vanderbilt officials. With that attitude, he’ll fit right in at Kirkland Hall.
Naming names
A recent Scene cover story, “Wheelin’ & Dealin’: The Secrets of a Nashville Car Salesman,” infuriated many area car dealers because the author, who wrote under the pseudonym “Baker S. Field,” did not identify the dealerships where he said he witnessed the sleazy tactics described in the article. Even Scene publisher Albie Del Favero, who does not control editorial content, criticized Field for not identifying the dealerships.
Field still refuses to give his real name. He has, however, agreed to reveal the 12 dealerships where he worked during a three-year period, from 1991 to 1993. While contending that these 12 are a “representative sample” of Nashville dealers, Field adds, “I never meant my article to be a comment on all dealerships. Even among these 12, there are some that are more fair to customers and equitable to employees than others.”
Not all the dealerships are still in existence. In alphabetical order, they are: Action Nissan, Bob Frensley Chrysler-Plymouth, Bob Frensley Ford, Bob Frensley Isuzu-Volkswagen-Suzuki, Capitol Chevrolet, Hallmark Jeep Eagle, Harpeth Ford-Mercury, Hays Hyundai, Hays Mitsubishi, Mooneyham Mazda-Audi, Rally Mitsubishi, and Regent Dodge.
Remaining nameless
“Baker S. Field” isn’t the only troublesome pseudonym in town. The current issue of Business Nashville introduces a gossipy feature, “Between the Lines” by “Oliver Megran.” But when Nashville publicist Paula Lovell tried to call the reporter to complain about a misleading item, editor Patrick Rains admitted that “Megran” doesn’t exist. The name is a pseudonym for several magazine staffers who contributed to the column.
Rains said he decided to use the pseudonym so that his writers could be more aggressive without alienating their sources. Now he’s had second thoughts.
“The pseudonym was unnecessary,” he said, “and in the future I’ll just run the column without a byline.” Rains said he apologized to Lovell because the staff writer had not called her to check out the story. Rains acknowledged that the writer might have been more careful without the cover of a pseudonym.
The same story about Lovell also ran two months ago in the Scene’s “Connie Goes Out” column. “Connie,” of course, is also a pseudonym and, according to Lovell, she’s no more accurate than “Oliver Megran.”
Pseudonyms were common in journalism until 1863, when Union General Joseph Hooker ordered all newspaper correspondents either to stop using phony names or register their pen names with the military. Most reporters complied, although some complained the order inhibited “freedom and boldness in newspaper correspondence.”
Today, serious publications rarely allow pseudonyms other than in society columns. There’s one exception: Since reporters at the Banner and Tennessean are not allowed to write free-lance stories for Business Nashville or its affiliate publication, Nashville Life, newspaper staffers willing to risk their jobs to earn extra money write stories for both magazines using pseudonyms. That’s the only time editors should permit it.
Odds and ends
Tennessean celebrity watcher Brad Schmitt promised to publicize last week’s Swine Ball on a regular basis. “I don’t mean to be pig-headed,” he wrote in a Sunday column, “but I’ll be shamelessly plugging the Swine Ball fundraiser until it goes down.” Schmitt, however, never mentioned the charity event again. He did, however, manage to plug his own column and himself three times last week. When contacted by the Scene, Schmitt declined comment. His boss, editor Frank Sutherland, has ordered the columnist not to talk to Scene reporters. Sutherland himself didn’t attend the fundraiser but did send a generous $500 check.
♦ The weekend edition of All Things Considered, dropped by WPLN-FM 90 earlier this year without any on-air explanation, may return Jan. 1 if listeners want to hear it, according to WPLN program director Henry Fennell.
Fennell said the weekend version of the popular NPR news show “was a little too serious” for Saturday afternoons but has “lightened up” recently and is one of a handful of programs competing for a soon-to-be opened weekend slot.
♦ Laurels to WKRN-Channel 2 reporter Phil Williams, formerly a Tennessean staffer and one of only a handful of television journalists who know the city well. Williams has been nominated for five regional Emmy awards, the most of any television reporter.
♦ Callers to station WLAC-AM gave the media a “D-” during “Media Report Card Day” after the election. Program manager Kelly Carls said most callers believe the press is biased against Republicans. Carls agrees. “Reporters tend to be young, idealistic, liberal-leaning people,” he said. More than one listener described The Tennessean as “Pravda on the Cumberland.” Worse, no caller even mentioned the Banner.
To comment or complain about the media, leave a message for Henry at the Scene (244-7989, ext. 445), call him at his office, 252-2363, or send an e-mail to hwalker@bccb.com.
