On this episode of the Lubetkin on Communications podcast, we present this year's "Meet the Media" panel, sponsored by the New Jersey Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The panel was held March 30, 2017 at Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ.

The panelists were:

• Karin Price Mueller, writes the Bamboozled consumer affairs column and a money column for The Star-Ledger/NJ.com; and is Founder of consumer finance website NJMoneyHelp.com.    She lives in N.J. with her husband – Star-Ledger reporter Mark Mueller – their three kids and an English Mastiff, Mojo.    Whatever they don’t eat goes into her retirement savings accounts.
• Nick Corasaniti, a reporter that covers politics for The New York Times, and is in his home state focusing on the governor’s race and any other NJ story or interest, from infrastructure to crime to dining.  Before coming back to NJ, Nick covered the presidential campaign, spending his days on the road with Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, and Donald Trump.
• Charell Star is a digital journalist who covers the latest styles, technology and trends as a contributor for Marie Claire, Fox5–Good Day New York, NBC New York Live, Second Look TV, and various broadcast and digital media outlets.  She also has her own lifestyle blog, Not Just A Girl In A Dress, plus blogs for Sister 2 Sister, eHow, VinePair, MommyNoire, and MadameNoire.  In 2015, she was awarded Black Enterprise Magazine’s “Follow-Worthy Blogger of the Year.”
• Gwen Orel, Features Editor, The Montclair Local.  Gwen served as arts editor of The Montclair Times from 2013 to 2016 before joining The Montclair local.  She has won a variety of writing awards and has contributed to a range of publications including New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and more.  She has a PhD in theatre, and when not doing her day job, is a playwrite, and runs the website New York Irish Arts.com.  The has three cats – one of which likes to unwind the toilet paper roll.
• Phil Alongi, Executive Producer, NJTV News and Director of Program Development.  He oversees all news operations for NJTV, including its flagship weeknight news program NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams, and is responsible for the network’s program expansion in the areas of news, public affairs, arts and other genres.  He began his broadcast career at NBC News in 1997, and during his tenure, produced for the NBC Nightly News, Today Show, and more.  When he’s not being a news junkie, he moonlights as a professional operatic tenor and has multiple televised performances and dozens of leading roles throughout the U.S. to his credit.
• Richard Cowen, a reporter for The Record.  He covers news, the courts, and Passaic County, covering N.J. for more than 25 years.  His focus is local reporting with deep knowledge and sourcing in Passaic County.  He’s covered many big stories: from 9/11 to Bridgegate, fires floods, and various political corruption schemes.  He considers himself a citizen journalist whose advocacy is the public’s Right to Know.  Richard lives in Montclair with with his firebrand wife, Gisela, who is teacher.
• Charlie Kratovil, is the Co-Founder & Editor, New Brunswick Today, a bilingual community newspaper that has been covering Middlesex County since 2011.  He graduated from Rutgers’ School of Communication & Information in 2009 and subsequently launched Paterson Press, a successful hyperlocal news project in Paterson during his time working at The Citizens Campaign.

Moderating the panel was Ken Hunter, APR, president of PowerStation Communications, Hillsborough, NJ, a member of the PRSA-NJ Board of Directors and Membership Co-Chair.