12/28/11 UPDATE: We have decided to change the name of our new Internet Radio Station to ‘SoKing Internet Radio,’ so we can better serve all six of our local blogs in the South King County Area.

More details soon…so stay tuned!

PREVIOUSLY: South King Media, the parent company of six local blogs, including The B-Town (Burien) Blog, announced to a full house at its annual Holiday Party Wednesday night (Dec. 14) that it will roll out something no other local blog in the northwest has – an Internet Radio Station.

“We’re extremely excited to be the first local blog in the region to offer this feature,” said Founder/Publisher Scott Schaefer. “After four years of growing into what the Society of Professional Journalists honored as ‘Best Hyperlocal Website’ in the northwest, we think this will be a great new addition.”

Initially focused on local indie music, interviews and live recordings for flagship site The B-Town Blog, eventually a different radio station will be developed for each of South King Media’s five other blogs, including Des Moines, White Center, Normandy Park, SeaTac and Tukwila.

Stations will feature local music, news from the blogs, event listings, weekly shows, journalist roundtable discussions, free Public Service Announcements for local non-profits, original content like a weekly Open Mic and much more; and eventually – live streaming from local events.

“Just take what we’re doing online, add local music and move it to radio,” Schaefer explained. “We’ll be the first Hyperlocal Radio Station in the northwest.”

Each station will be Advertiser-supported, and South King Media is seeking Charter Advertisers now – just email Sales Manager Joy Steele at joy@southkingmedia.com for special introductory rates and hop on board the next local media revolution.

“Of course, a venture like this can’t happen without a good team,” Schaefer said. “And we’re actively looking for on-air hosts, bands, show ideas, and especially Sales Reps.”

The current team behind South King Media, in addition to Schaefer, includes:

• Michael Brunk, Photographer/Code Guru
• Ralph Nichols, Senior Writer
• Jack Mayne, Associate Publisher/Writer
• Mark Neuman, Writer/Sales/Host
• Joy Steele, Sales Manager/Writer
• Greg Wright, Editor/Writer, The SeaTac Blog
• Bryan Charles, Intern Animator Extraordinaire

If you’re a musician or know any local bands with recordings, or want to join this growing team in this exciting new enterprise, please contact Schaefer directly at scott@southkingmedia.com.

Here’s more info from a press release Schaefer submitted to himself to publish:

In addition to being a former journalist, Schaefer won three National Emmy Awards for Writing on the hit edutainment series ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’ for PBS/Disney. He has over 25 years’ experience in media, including six years in Hollywood, and two years as Music Director for KEWC, his college radio station at Eastern Washington University.

“One of my biggest joys during my college years was programming and hosting original radio shows,” Schaefer said. “And now I can’t wait to get back on the air and entertain and inform, only from a truly local perspective.”

B-Town Blog Radio will be the first Burien-based entertaining radio station since KQIN, once located at 800 AM, which went on the air in October, 1970. The City of Burien currently operates a low-watt informational station at 540 AM, but that can’t be heard more than a few blocks away.

“Terrestrial radio is going the way of newspapers and dinosaurs,” Schaefer added. “Since I started The B-Town Blog in 2007 I have believed that the internet is the future for all media, and I think that within just a few years most of us will even be receiving wi-fi in our cars.”

Schaefer bases his radio predictions on a September 2011 study by iSuppli.com, which states that “sales of cars with Internet radio integrated into their head unit will soar to 24 million units in 2018, up from 168,000 in 2010” – a +14,186 percent increase.

“Of course, the true measure of any successful media is the content, and we’re totally committed to delivering great original radio programming 24/7,” Schaefer said. “And we’re also looking for local bands, on-air hosts, show ideas, Sales Reps and more.”

Schaefer hopes to premiere the station sometime in January, 2012, so stay tuned…

For more information on South King Media, visit http://www.southkingmedia.com.

The Highline School District announced Tuesday (March 29) that students from Aviation High School “will become reporters, photojournalists, content creators, editors, and publishers of a multimedia news source, thanks to a technology grant from the Qwest Foundation.”

Aviation Teacher Jacob Savishinsky was awarded a $10,000 grant for his project, which has students doing investigative journalism and web-based publishing. The project will use the toolkit of today’s publishing industry — Web 2.0 cloud-based software and storage.

Industry professionals will train students to build a secure, cloud-based production system and distribution network. Young journalists will learn first-hand about investigative research, journalistic ethics, story creation, and community interaction with the news.

Workshops and mentoring on good business practices and organizational management are part of the project. To ensure that the program sustains itself for years to come, the grant includes development of a training program for new students.

Savishinsky is one of only nine teachers in the state to win the grant.

The Qwest Foundation funds the competitive Teachers & Technology grant program to recognize K-12 educators who are creative technology integrators.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: On behalf of The B-Town Blog, we welcome these students to the exciting world of internet publishing. We've been doing it for over three years now, and we find it's a fun and very fulfilling gig, but also one that requires diligence, intelligence and the ability to report news using established journalistic ethics and techniques.

Our Advice, delivered in a style similar to a classic scene from Mike Nichols' "The Graduate":

B-Town Blog: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Aviation HS: Yes, sir.
B-Town Blog: Are you listening?
Aviation HS: Yes, I am.
B-Town Blog: WordPress.
Aviation HS: Just how do you mean that, sir?

We wish them the best, and look forward to seeing their work!]

Recently, a non-Burien based media outlet reported some misinformation that E.B. Foote Winery will be “closing its doors” in a little over a week – on March 1st – if it doesn’t find a buyer (read our original story from July, 2010 here).

“We’re aren’t hanging it up quite yet!” said owner Sherrill Miller. “They misunderstood that I had to have a buyer by March 1st or I would start selling equipment and the remaining wine and dissolve the business. We still have the March play (Breeders Theater’s “West”), and I have been booking private tastings through April 30th. Once I know if I have a buyer or not, that will determine what happens next and what the timeline will be.”

Miller adds that if a buyer is found, that “it would take at least two months for all of the paperwork to be completed for the transfer of ownership.”

However, if a buyer does not come forward, the winery will remain open beyond April, as Miller would sell off production equipment and the remaining wine inventory.

“I have several potential buyers after the press coverage – three meetings just today (Monday, Feb. 21),” Miller said. ”The asking price is $400,000 which includes the brand name, production equipment and remaining bottled wine (about 1800 cases) and bulk wine (about 2000 gallons of red).”

So, if any of our Readers want to buy this historic Burien-based winery, which has been operating since 1978, it’s yours for just $400,000, and that includes all the equipment and wine. Just give Sherrill a call at 206-242-3852 or email winemaker@ebfootewinery.com.

Also, Breeders Theater has their final run of shows at the winery in March, and tickets are on sale now. This production, called “West,” is a sequel to “Prairie Heart” from a couple of years ago. ”Prairie Heart” was the story of Norwegian immigrant farmer Ole Olson and Ingrid, the woman he loved.  They got together and became farmers in North Dakota. ”West” is about their daughter Glenda who is ready to make her own way. But times have changed in North Dakota. The show follows the fortunes of two families from World War I to the start of the Great Depression. ”West” was written by T.M. Sell and is based on the stories of his own ancestors who also, over time, made their way west. Tickets are still only $20 and include the show and a sample of four red wines. The show opens March 11th and runs for three weekends. Show dates are March 11 – 13, 16 – 20, 23 – 26.  On Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday the door opens at 6:30 pm and the show starts at 7:00 pm. On Sunday the door opens at 1:30 pm and the show starts at 2:00 pm.  You can get tickets by visiting or calling the winery (206) 242-3852, visiting or calling Corky Cellars in Des Moines (206) 824-9462, or on the Current Releases page of the winery website.  Since this is the final show at the winery, we expect most if not all of the shows to sell out.  Don’t wait to get your tickets or you may miss out!

NOTE: This show is performed in the middle of the winery with chairs on two sides. The winery is chilly so dress warmly. We have two wine samples before the show with wine available by the glass for $5 cash. We have two wine samples during intermission with wine available by the glass for $5 cash.  After the show you can purchase bottles of wine to take home with you. Food will be simply cheese and crackers, just a little something to go with the wines. We hope you’ll enjoy dinner at one of Burien’s fine eating establishments before you come to the winery for the show and wine tasting.

For more information on Breeders Theater’s “West,” check out their website here: www.breederstheater.com.

Miller adds:

“When you purchase wine to take home with you, we are still offering Retirement Prices. All red wines are just $12 a bottle or $120 a case.  Sweet Sherrill is $10 a bottle or $100 a case. Our wines will age for another 5 – 8 years so stock up on your favorites while you can.”

E.B. Foote’s winery hours for wine tasting, wine purchases, ticket purchases, etc. are:

• Tuesday & Thursday: 5 pm – 8 pm
• Friday & Saturday: Noon – 4 pm

For more information, visit www.ebfootewinery.com.

We’re proud to announce a news partnership with a Seattle-based media outlet you may have heard of – The Seattle Times – as The B-Town Blog and four of its sister sites (along with three other local blogs) are now part of The Times’ innovative local news site partnership!

What does this mean for us? Hopefully, more exposure for our stories (as well as for Southwest King County area news), as The Times will now be posting and linking to content originally created by us. Also, we will now be “official” partners with them, which means we’ll be posting more relevant stories from their outstanding staff, including such luminaries as Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter Susan Kelleher, who just happens to be the sister of one of our best friends (screenwriter Tim Kelleher).

We see it as a definite win-win for both parties, as well as for our Readers.

On a personal note, just seeing the iconic, classic old-school Seattle Times logo on this site gives me goosebumps. When I was a kid in sixth grade, I “published” my first “newspaper” called The Seattle Star (yes, I stole the name from a defunct old Seattle paper), and I remember spending hours hand-drawing its logo to look just like the font used by The Times. I think the logo was the best part of that publication, which consisted mostly of jokes stolen from Mad Magazine, and for which I charged 25-cents to any sucker family member who’d take pity on me.

Amazing how life comes back at you with surprises isn’t it?

Here’s what The Seattle Times has to say about our partnership (here’s a link to their announcement):

The Seattle Times is expanding its partnerships with local news Web sites with the addition of eight more sites today. That brings the total number of partner Web sites to 27. (See the complete list, along with their latest headlines.)

Partnering with The Times today are:

• Shoreline Area News and editor Diane Hettrick.
• My Edmonds News and editor Teresa Wippel.
• The B-Town Blog (Burien), as well as four other sites operated by Scott Schaefer: The Waterland Blog (Des Moines), Normandy Park Blog, Tukwila Blog and SeaTac Blog.
• Surrounded By Water (Mercer Island) and editor Ellie.
  

The Times’ effort to build community-news relationships began last August with the launch of the Networked Journalism project. Read about that project here.

The other partner sites are:

• Capitol Hill Seattle Blog
• Central District News
• Fremont Universe
• Magnolia Voice
• My Ballard
• PhinneyWood.com
• Queen Anne View
• Rainier Valley Post
• Seattle Local Health Guide
• West Seattle Blog
• White Center Now
• Aurora | Seattle
• Beacon Hill Blog
• Eastlake Ave. Blog
• Kirkland Views
• MLTnews.com
• Redmond Neighborhood Blog
• Seattle Beer News
• Three Sheets Northwest

Back in October, we premiered a trailer for a new documentary being produced on Burien, called

This documentary is still in production, and another clip has been released, this time focusing on Burien’s Skatepark located at SW 144th and 4th Ave SW, near the community center.

Here’s an intro for this segment from the Editor’s (Rowan North) YouTube Channel:

“This is a section from a working documentary about the power of community collaboration and grassroots democracy in Burien, Washington…”

Here’s the clip:

Click here to view the embedded video.

As we mentioned before, the crew behind this production includes many well-known Northwest video folks, such as:

• Executive Producer: Anne Stadler, community leadership consultant, formerly KING-TV5 documentaries and specials Producer
• Co-Producers and Writers: Terry Tazioli, writer/on-air Host, formerly with The Seattle Times, KING-TV5
• Lucy Mohl, formerly Senior Manager, Microsoft (and previously KING-TV, Film.com and RealNetworks)
• Production Manager, Videographer, Editor: Aaron Stadler, www.fatcatVDO.com
• Videographers: Bill Fenster, www.billfensterproductions.com
• Diana Wilmar, www.foxwilmar.com/bios/bios
• Videographer/Editor: Rowan North, LinkedIn
• Still Photographer: Kimi Milo
• Audio: Stevan Smith
• Scott MacLaughlin
• Robin Sarmento

This project is still in production, and like most productions-in-progress, is still seeking funds to complete it.

Executive Producer Anne Stadler says:

“We’re looking for at least $7,000. One thing we want to do is get this packaged with a series of discussion questions to market to Mayors and City governments around the state and country. So anything more that we raise, will go toward THAT. Haven’t budgeted for that yet.

Donations will go towards editing the doc, as well as producing a couple of shorter pieces: skate park and young people; Burien and BIAS.”

Here’s how you can help:

Send whatever you can to the Sunyata Foundation; all Donors will get their names in the credits, as well as a DVD of the video, along with the heartwarming knowledge that you helped promote Your Burien (keep in mind that this is a non-profit, 501-C3 organization):

Sunyata Foundation
PO Box 58788
Renton WA. 98058

As more elements get produced, we’ll preview clips here…so stay tuned to The B-Town Blog.

August 2009 was another record traffic month for The B-Town Blog, and like we did in July, we’d like to shout out a huge THANK YOU all our beloved B-Town Blog Readers and Advertisers for another record-setting month of traffic:

• 31,298 Unique Visitors – a +25% increase over July!
• 51,596 Page Views – a +5.5% increase over July!

That translates to an overall average of nearly 1,000 Unique Visitors and over 1,600 Page Views per day for the lifespan of this website (launched in Dec. 2007), along with a current average visit length of 2:12.

Here are the most recent stats from Sitemeter, a widely-used, independent website that tracks internet traffic:

We’d also like to remind both our Readers and potential Advertisers about our unique, totally transparent website traffic statistics.

“Transparent” means that, at any time, you can click on one of at least three statistics links in the footer of the website (at the bottom of any page), and see what kind of traffic we’re getting.

That’s right – we have no intention of hiding any information from you, our Readers, nor from our Advertisers or potential Advertisers.

Sure, it’s a risky move, but we think in this modern internet news era, it’s worth it, and quite frankly, something that not many others will dare do.

And we challenge our local media competitors to do the same, especially those who claim they get “…more readers than any local website.”

Click on a logo below to see our stats (keep in mind that statistics vary with each independent measuring company, something that’s not in our control):

If you’d like more information on our Advertising solutions, please don’t hesitate to email us!

• 19,951 Unique Visitors – a +26.1% increase over May!
  
• 40,575 Page Views – a +37% increase over May!

That translates to an overall average of over 850 Unique Visitors and nearly 1,800 Page Views per day for the lifespan of this website, along with an average visit length of 2:54.

Here are the stats from Sitemeter, a widely-used, independent website that tracks internet traffic:

We’d also like to take this opportunity to announce, that along with our new website design, effective immediately we will be totally transparent about all our website traffic statistics.

This means that, at any time, you can click on one of at least three statistics links in the footer of the website (at the bottom of any page), and see what kind of traffic we’re getting.

That’s right – we have no intention of hiding any information from you, our Readers, nor from our Advertisers or potential Advertisers.

Sure, it’s a risky move, but we think in this modern internet news era, it’s worth it, and quite frankly, something that not many others will dare do.

And we challenge our local media competitors to do the same, especially those who claim they get “…more readers than any local website.”

Click on a logo below to see our stats (keep in mind that statistics vary with each independent measuring company, something that’s not in our control):

And while we’re at it, an additional, huge shout-out goes out to our Photographer, and now-Wordpress guru Michael Brunk, who did an amazing job of re-designing our website, which has resulted in some additional magic mojo that’s driving more traffic.

If you have any thoughts on our recent re-design, or want more information on our Advertising solutions, please don’t hesitate to email us!

Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world as we know it, it’s just proof that the third runway at Sea-Tac Airport is about to be officially opened with a PR-stunt bigshot landing.

Here’s a snippet from the Port of Seattle of what was set to go down this afternoon:

The Port of Seattle will formally open Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s third runway with an invitation-only celebration Thursday, November 20 between 3 and 5 p.m. at the Gina Marie Lindsey Arrivals Hall.

The event will include a live video look at the first commercial operation of the third runway plus dignataries scheduled to include U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters, Acting FAA Administrator Robert A. “Bobby” Sturgell, Governor Chris Gregoire, Port of Seattle Commissioners, POS CEO Tay Yoshitani, Alaska Airlines CEO Bill Ayer and other local political and community leaders.

Sea-Tac’s third runway will be one of three new runways scheduled to open that day across the country. The Transportation Secretary and FAA Administrator are scheduled to travel to each new runway beginning at Dulles (Washington, D.C.), then to O’Hare (Chicago) and finally to Sea-Tac.  Potential program delays could occur based on their travel time.

Speaking of third runways, if you didn’t hear this excellent piece on KUOW today, we highly recommend you listen to it, as it includes an eye-opening interview with longtime local resident Brett Fish, who says that all the PR we hear lately from the Port about the renewing of MIller (and Walker) Creeks may not be so true after all – according to Brett, salmon are not returning like they used to. In fact, during the taping of the KUOW piece, not one salmon was found where the Port folks said they would be:

KUOW story here (includes transcript and audio recording).

This week, we’ve got an entire slideshow chock full of everyone’s fave Spring thing, those populous neighbors that outnumber us all – insects!:

We’ll be showcasing her work often, but for starters, here’s some of her pics focusing on Seahurst Park: