By Bo Prater University of Nebraska-Lincoln After 16 years as a reporter for the Journal Star, Brian Rosenthal decided to jump ship and try his hand writing for Husker athletics for the universtiy, not the newspaper. Rosenthal left the Journal Star this year to take the first-ever full-time sports writing position for Nebraska Athletics. Rosenthal likes the security and lower stress levels working for the university. He also gets to work first hand with Husker athletes and coaches. Randy York, longtime Husker writer, wrote a story on why Rosenthal was a great fit for the position, citing Rosenthal's experience. He's taught at Hastings College and collaborated on a sports writing textbook. The new transition has perks, Rosenthal said. For one, since he works within the university, “the access is much better." If he is working on a story about a player or coach, his access makes it a lot easier to follow up with an individual or to get any questions answered. The new job is also less stressful. He gets to look for and write about the stories he enjoys, and believes his readers will too. “Readers enjoy human-interest stories,” said Rosenthal. The Husker writer recently wrote two stories on walk-ons Tanner Zlab and Samuel Hahn. Rosenthal said it's nice to focus on lesser-known players sometimes. Rosenthal saw a lot of change during his 16 years at the Journal Star, and he continues to see the communications landscape change. “Its been the biggest change in my career,” said Rosenthal. Although the change has its positives, some negatives have come along the way too. In today’s sports world, it is common for errors to happen more frequently than in the past, he said. “Millennials want information now, which leads to bad judgement calls, errors”, said Rosenthal. “Misspelled names and wrong scores have become more common than in the past.” On the flipside, Rosenthal can reach more people with social media than in the past. For example, the Nebraska Huskers Facebook page has taken advantage of the new live video chat. Rosenthal uses it to discuss weekly matchups and answer any questions that followers post on the video. Rosenthal, 44, has put a lot of time and work in to get where he is today. He graduated from Nemaha Valley High School in Nebraska. Then, he graduated from Hastings College with a communications degree. He worked for several radio stations including the KNCY-AM in Nebraska City, KHAS-AM in Hastings and the Hastings College campus radio station KFKX-FM. Rosenthal spent three years at the York News-Times and then three years in Hutchinson, Kansas, covering the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team. In 2001, Rosenthal made his transition to the Journal Star. At the Journal Star, Rosenthal covered Nebraska football along with Nebraska men’s and women’s basketball. “Make yourself marketable, and have a wide interest,” Rosenthal said of how to succeed at a newspaper. For someone with interest in communications, whether it’s writing, reporting or editing, Rosenthal pitched some advice. “Consult people in the field, and make yourself known,” Rosenthal said.
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A note about the content: This site showcases the final projects of University of Nebraska-Lincoln editing students. Each semester, students pick a journalist or communications professional to profile. This is their work.
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