NorCal Media Day 2025
NMD 2025 coming to San Francisco
on Sept. 27
Please join us for NorCal Media Day — from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025 — at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco. This event is sponsored by the Journalism Education Association of Northern California.
This event — which is free for all JEANC member advisers and chaperones, and is $10 per student — is your one-stop shop for upping your journalism game this year and also a terrific warm-up for the upcoming JEA/NSPA national conventions: Nov. 13–16 in Nashville and April 16–18 in Minneapolis.
Our program includes four sets of 45-minute sessions starting at 10 a.m. and ending at 2:15 p.m. During each hour, participants may choose from among 15 sessions on everything from how to write a feature story to how to sell an ad to how to design a captivating visual story. Regardless of whether you’re working on a magazine, yearbook, broadcast, website, social media, podcast or newspaper staff, you’ll hear from experienced advisers and students as well as experts in the field who can help you and your staff improve for the 2025–26 school year.
And lunch is on us!
Check-in for the event starts at 9 a.m. A large group introduction will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. with four sets of sessions to follow, starting at 10 a.m. Plan on attending one class each session or stepping away at some point in the day for a publication critique — so bring copies of your latest edition and sign up in advance to secure a chat with an expert, or check-in at the critique desk when you arrive to see if there are any available spaces. (Be mindful that in the past few years space for walk-up critiques has been very limited — far better to register in advance.)
Got questions? Reach out to your favorite JEANC board member or Paul Kandell (pkandell [at] gmail.com), our conference chair.
We hope to see you there.
Details
Conference FAQs: Check here to see if your question has already been answered.
Session Proposals: Let us know if you or your students would like to present a session. (Read our Guide to Good Presenting here.)
Volunteer: Want to volunteer to provide a critique, host a promotional table or volunteer in some other capacity? Use the same form.
JEANC Membership: Click here to learn more about JEANC membership and to join or renew your membership.
Critiques: Register your staff for a critique here.
Registration: Check back for details and the link to the registration form in late August. For now, know that
1. JEANC is instituting a 1-to-12 chaperone-to-student requirement;
2. admission a $10 fee per student, but advisers and chaperones are free;
3. no on-site registrations will be accepted; and
4. registration will be capped at 700. Please plan accordingly.
Rules of Conduct: It is understood that by the act of registering students for the conference, advisers assume responsibility for their students’ behavior and well-being during the conference, as outlined in our event Rules of Conduct.
Directions to Archbishop Riordan High School
Located at 175 Frida Kahlo Way in San Francisco, Riordan sits across the street from City College of San Francisco and is accessible via BART (Balboa Park Station) and multiple Muni lines.
Walking from BART: Walk up Ocean Avenue (north exit closest to City College) and turn right on Frida Kahlo Way. It’s a 15-minute walk.
Muni: San Francisco Muni is FREE to riders 18 and younger! Adults can use a Bay Area Clipper Card or pay $3 once onboard; Muni does not give change. The 43 Masonic bus stops on the Geneva Avenue side (south) of the BART station, going up the hill, and stops right across the street from the school. The 8 Bayshore bus also stops on Geneva, but the last stop is Ocean and Frida Kahlo (near Phillz Coffee). The 29 Sunset bus stops on the Ocean Avenue side (across the street from the station, going up the hill) and stops at Ocean and Lee; you then have to walk back to Frida Kahlo and down the street (turn left).
A campus map will be posted here soon. Please note, there will be limited parking on the Riordan campus, but the City College parking lots will be available for a fee. Please refer to this link for more information.
Pro tip: Use Google Maps on the morning of the event to get the most up-to-date transit times and walking directions.
This story was updated with more details about NorCal Media Day on Aug. 4, 2025.