Media Watch

BODFIELD LEAVING 'STAR'

Rhonda Bodfield's long stint as a newspaper journalist in Tucson appears to be coming to an end: Bodfield has accepted a position with the communications staff at the Tucson Medical Center.

For most of the past 20 years, Bodfield has worked various beats for the city's dailies. She started with the Tucson Citizen in 1991, accepted a position with the Arizona Daily Star in 1997, left the paper in 2006, and returned in 2008.

Bodfield has reported on political happenings at the city, county and state levels. When she returned in 2008, Bodfield tackled family and social issues in addition to coverage of the Tucson Unified School District. She later became a political reporter.

Friday, March 9, will be her final day at the Star.


KAIN HOPES TO RAISE PERFORMANCE AT AZPM

After what it referred to as "multi-year national search," Arizona Public Media, the UA-operated public-broadcast entity affiliated with PBS and NPR, has hired Jacqueline Kain as chief content editor.

Kain arrives in Tucson from Los Angeles, where she held positions as director of broadcasting and senior vice president for new media at former PBS affiliate KCET.Kain's résumé also includes stints with the American Film Institute and Channel Four Television in London.


RUMORED PITT VISIT SETS TUCSONANS A-TWITTER

Tucsonans got a bit carried away on celebrity watch during the week of the Accenture Match Play golf tournament, when Tiger Woods' arrival coincided with the arrival of soccer star David Beckham for Major League Soccer spring training.

Coming in the midst of the whirlwind gawking was a rumor that Brad Pitt would be in attendance, along with Beckham, at the UA men's basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 23, against USC.

The rumor may have been spurred by an offhand comment by Kevin Woodman, host of In the House on KCUB AM 1290 (the station which is my part-time employer for UA pregame and postgame shows). His flip remark mocking the starstruck nature of the Woods-Beckham convergence expanded to all corners of Tucson's psyche following a tweet by someone with connections to the UA.

Never mind that one would hope that friends Beckham and Pitt would be smart enough to pick a better basketball game. I mean, USC? Seriously?

Once Pitt's name was out, the rumor started to gain a sense of odd legitimacy. Numerous local media sorts passed along the rumor on their personal Facebook pages and via Twitter.

The rumors got so out of hand that a renowned local restaurant had to shut down its valet parking and ask for more security assistance once word was tweeted that Pitt and Beckham would be patronizing the establishment. The overflow crowd must have been disappointed when the duo failed to arrive.