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Reporters Lee Mainella and Bill Burke's master story video tapes, 1982-2000.
Amount:
222 video tapes
Medium Included:
video recordings.
Organization/Arrangement:
Chronological.
Restrictions:
Terms Governing Use:
Biographical/Historical:
The Florida News Service (FNS) was a television news service created by journalists Lee Mainella and Bill Burke in 1982. FNS supplied stories about the state's capital, Florida's government, and major political issues to eleven Florida television stations. The FNS folded in 1991.
Journalist Lee Mainella worked in Florida news for over 20 years. A native of Providence, Rhode Island, he moved to Tallahassee to work as a reporter in 1977. After a stint as a news anchor in Miami, Mainella created the FNS in 1982, based out of Tallahassee. In 1991, he closed the FNS to pursue his interest in painting and he opened the Florida Art Center and Gallery in Havana that same year. He was also active in creating the North Florida Arts Trail. In 1998, he returned to journalism to host "Capital Update" on TV-WFSU, the public television station in Tallahassee. Mainella was the husband of Fran Mainella, the Florida Park Service director from 1989 to 2001. He died on 31 March 1999.
Photojournalist Bill Burke was a partner with Lee Mainella at the FNS, working as the videographer. Burke has worked the Capital beat since he was a Florida A&M University intern in 1977. After graduating in 1978 with a degree in Journalism, Burke continued covering Florida's capital, working for WDBO-Orlando, WTLV-Jacksonville, WTSP-Tampa, and WTVJ-Miami. While working for WTVJ in 1983, Burke shot the first live satellite report from Tallahassee with famed Florida news anchor Ralph Rennick. Burke met Lee Mainella while working for WTVJ, and soon co-founded the FNS with him. After the FNS folded, Burke worked for the Florida News Network until Fall 2002. Before becoming a journalist, Burke attended Eastern Michigan University's School of Fine Arts from 1966 to 1969. He then served in the armed services in Vietnam before his honorable discharge in 1972. Burke first came to Florida in 1971 when he was stationed to McCoy Air Base in Orlando.
Summary:
This collection consists of 110 beta video tapes of the Florida News Service (FNS) created between 1983 and 2000. The stories feature the major political, governmental, and social issues of the state, including death penalty, legislative matters, elections, AIDs, abortion, space shuttles, lottery, pollution, medical malpractice, taxes, education, environment, net bans, legal affairs, and hurricanes.
The videos feature several major figures in Florida's government, including Governors Reuben Askew, Robert Graham, Bob Martinez, and Lawton Chiles, as well as various state legislators, Cabinet members, various department and division directors, and other public servants. In addition to public figures, there is footage of Tallahassee residents and local events, Apalachicola fishers and shrimpers, death row inmates, Florida State University and Florida A&M University students, Florida artists, and protesters. Finally, these videos document the styles and methods of television journalism practiced from the 1980s until the end of the 20th century.
Finding Aids:
Video recordings index available. 0
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Bundy, Ted. Bush, Jeb Butterworth, Robert A. Castor, Betty, 1941- Chiles, Lawton, 1930-1998 Conner, Doyle, 1928- Gissendanner, Elton J. Graham, Bob, 1936- Horne, Mallory E., 1925- Mainella, Frances P. Martinez, Robert, 1934- Mixson, Wayne, 1922- Morris, Allen Covington, 1909- Smith, Jim, 1940- Turlington, Ralph D., 1920-
Florida. Legislature. Florida. Governor. Governor, Office of the. Florida. Legislature. --House of Representatives. Florida. Legislature. --Senate. Florida. Cabinet. Florida. Supreme Court. Florida. Dept. of Transportation. Florida State Hospital. Florida Public Service Commission. Florida State University.
Abortion Florida Budget Florida Capital punishment History Florida Citrus fruit industry Florida Crime Florida Death penalty. Drug abuse Florida Drug traffic Florida Education Florida Elections Florida Environmental policy Florida Gun control Florida Hurricanes Florida Inaugurations, Governors. Insurance Florida Journalists Florida Legislation Florida Lotteries Florida Manatees. Medical laws and legislation Florida Persian Gulf War, 1991. Political campaigns. Political parties Florida Prisons Florida Shrimp fisheries Florida. Space shuttle program. Space shuttles Tax-sales Florida Taxation Florida Television broadcasting Florida.
Videocassettes. aat Video recordings. aat Interviews. aat
Everglades (Fla.) Florida. Gainesville (Fla.) Starke (Fla.) Tallahassee (Fla.)
for detailed listing.