Behind the Camera to Behind the Bar: Milwaukee Press Club’s Meet the Media

Press members and patrons flocked around the bar at the Newsroom Pub to order a drink from a journalist this past Thursday for the Milwaukee Press Club’s annual Meet the Media event.

The ‘celebrity bartenders’ poured beer and cocktails in honor of the MPC’s 137^th anniversary. Meet the Media, created in 2006 by former club president Steve Jagler, serves as a fundraiser for the MPC. The event provides an opportunity for the public to meet the journalists and media members they see on television, hear on the radio and read from.

The fundraiser proceeds go towards the Milwaukee Press Club’s charity, the MPC Endowment Fund. They fund scholarships, immersion trips and networking opportunities for journalism students. At the end of each year, the club gives about $10,000, according to Milwaukee Press Club Executive Director Joette Richards.

“It’s a great networking event,” said Richards. “It’s pulling the media and PR together because they tend to work together.”

Conversations with the Public

While the event was mostly filled with mingling journalists and media personnel, there were members of the public in attendance. Alan Zukrow, a fan of the media, was eager to interact with the people who provide him with news.

“If I get a chance to see some faces or voices that I see, or listen to or read and meet those people, that’s why I’m here,” Zukrow said. “Without journalists, there is no journalism. Journalists play a big role in our lifetime.”

A Chance to Meet their Viewers

Meet the Media doesn’t just serve as a chance for the public meet journalists, but for journalists to meet their viewers. MPC Endowment Fund President Joel Dresang says the event gives viewers, subscribers and listeners a chance to see that journalists are real people, not celebrities.

“They get to meet people who read the paper or people who them on TV,” said Dresang. “That’s important for them to get that grounding and remember who their viewers and readers are.”

Celebrity Bartenders Were Busy

Throughout the night, the ‘celebrity bartenders’ swapped shifts to diversify their interactions. After her shift, Biztimes Associate Editor and celebrity bartender Maredithe Meyer wished she could talk to more people. However, she was busy behind the bar.

“This event is a great vehicle for members of local media to actually get facetime with other people in communications,” said Meyer. “It’s rare that you get a chance to kick back and be in a relaxed environment and have a casual conversation with people that you work with often.”