RECOMMENDATIONS
Frankly Speaking Communications, LLC is always delighted to hear from our clients and colleagues.
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Kind words from our clients and collegues
Donna is a critical practitioner of the electronic journalism profession, having demonstrated throughout her career the ability to tell a complete story with just the right combination of her words what we in the business call “natural sound.” Her incredible talent and skill are matched only by the depth and breadth of her expertise. Anyone who takes advantage of Donna’s advice, guidance or the actual practice of her abilities will be better off for it.
Dan Shelly
Chairman – (RTDNA) Radio Television Digital News Association
Donna served on our Board of Directors for several years at the Radio Television Digital News Association. She was both dilligent and innovative in her contributions to the leadership of our national professional organization. Donna is very experienced and talented in many facets of electronic journalism and media communications. Her work for CBS Radio and others consistently demonstrates a unique understanding of effective communications and the best ways to convey convincing stories and messages. I heartily recommend her work to anyone looking to effectively navigate the growing media landscape.
Mike Cavender
Executive Director at RTDNA/F
Donna is a great reporter and writer, and a fabulous media trainer. Looking for somone who knows her stuff….delivers the goods…you’ve got it in Donna!
Marcy McGinnis
Communications trainer/Media consultant/ TV news executive/ University administrator/professor
Donna was one of our go-to freelance producers when I was a Supervising Producer at CBS TV “The Early Show.” She is resourceful and intelligent. Her professionalism, work ethic and perseverance are great assets, She has the skills to find the story and get the right guests. She is self-sufficient, eager and a pleasure to work with.
Pamela Auerbach
News Manager, Assignment Editor, and Producer
“Call Donna.” It’s good to know that’s what we at CBS Radio can do when Alabama is where news of national interest is happening. She is versatile, fast, accurate, resourceful and always helpful on every kind of story. Tornado, hurricane, flood, politics, general news, feature-Donna can do it all. Whatever the assignment, Donna will deliver a story worth hearing. Arleen Lebe CBS Radio News producer.
Arleen Lebe
Radio News Producer at CBS News
I worked with Donna on several RTNDA/RTDNA projects. She was enthusiastic and detailed, outgoing and professional. She spoke her mind and made sure projects were completed on time. She has considerable expertise in news-gathering, and applies those talents to all she does.
Gerry Phelan
Experienced broadcaster, newsman and former Columnist at The Telegram – Transcontinental Media
Donna is an excellent journalist and has always been on the cutting edge of radio production technology. She is an excellent writer and I have enjoyed her reports on CBS Radio for years. She brings the same excellence to Frankly Speaking Communications.
Bob Butler
Former President – (NABJ) National Association of Black Journalist, Executive Director, Butler Media
Donna is a true professional with the experience and great attitude making her a pleasure to work with. Highly recommend!
Lee Frank
Media Mercenary–TV Soundman/Radio News & Sports Reporter, Sound Mixer, Recordist, Field Audio Production, A2
Donna probably is one of the most versatile, accurate and cooperative of those who report for CBS News from their areas of the U.S. If it happens, Donna is there and, thanks to her, so are we.
Louis Freizer
Executive Consultant
Donna is a consummate professional and works relentlessly to create and deliver a polished and compelling product. She would be a superb addition to any team engaged in the multi-media information and entertainment business.
Tom McGinley
President at McGinley Enterprizes
Donna Francavilla is a passionate journalist who pursues news with forethought and dedication to the craft. She is a mainstay of the highly competitive Birmingham media community and can be readily called upon to deliver whenever and wherever the need arises. Donna remains a student of journalism which motivates her news pursuits and her drive to deliver the story factually and timely.
Dennis Leonard
Innovation Team at Alabama Power Company
If you need talent for radio or TV news anchor or reporter, Donna is someone you should put on top of you list, total pro in every way. Network experience, always dependable.
Ron Conrad
morning show host at Clear Channel Broadcasting
Donna has worked as a freelance reporter for WBHM-FM. She’s very easy to work with and always puts in 100% effort. She’s particularly good in fast-paced environments where decisions need to be made quickly.
Tanya Ott
Vice President of Radio and News Content at Georgia Public Broadcasting
Donna approaches her work with a good deal of energy and enthusiasm. She carries herself with confidence, and she makes herself available to those embarking on a new career path with a wealth of guidance. Happy to count her among my colleagues in independent journalism.
Gigi Douban
Journalist
Donna has a proven track record with news, issues, deadlines and maintaining contacts within our profession. She is a hard-hitting and creative journalist and it is my pleasure to applaud her skill and professional talent. Scott Mauldin
Scott Mauldin
Founder, President, Vulcan Media
Donna’s knowledge, energy and drive has impressed me every time our paths have crossed…whether in her role as a news person or on behalf of her clients at Frankly Speaking Communications.
Bill Payer
Retired from broadcast news management at undertaking various projects
Donna and I worked as colleagues at NBC13 TV News in Birmingham for several years. She is a knowledgeable journalist who continues to make strides in the business. Since I left television news, and started a media consulting business, I’ve had the opportunity to work with Donna. She has provided thoughtful, insightful, objective reporting on high profile issues.
Malena Cunningham Anderson
Partner at Northern Grits Productions
Donna was a pleasure to work with at NBC13. She always had valid stories to offer the newsroom, and was very reliable in getting stories to air. She was a team player, and always contributed her talents to the news organization.
Shannon Delcambre
Assignment Manager at Hearst Television
Donna has always been a diligent, serious and professional communicator and journalist. She has exhibited a willingness to do what it takes to get the job done. Her versatility in working in different media is a plus. She is also a good person. I am happy to recommend her.
Willie Chriesman
Owner, Chriesman & Associates
I’ve spent many hours working alongside Donna on the courthouse steps or on breaking news scenes. Donna is a reporter’s reporter and a true media professional. She always seems to pop up when news breaks out and quickly turns a chaotic situation into a great story. And she’s really nice. A pleasure to work with.
Atticus Rominger
Public/Media Relations Consultant; Former Reporter FOX 6 WBRC
I learned a great deal from Donna when she was News Director at WPGC (Washington D.C.) about news writing and public speaking. She continually analyzed my strengths and weaknesses and regularly shared lessons that helped me become a better news anchor. She is the perfect mentor/trainer. As a speaker, Donna knows what message will appeal to her audience, and how to best present that message. She is poised, and her phrasing and delivery are excellent.
Dan Rudt
Carol M. Highsmith’s America: Photo-documentation of early 21st Century America for the Library of Congress
Donna is an exceptional manager/director and leader who smoothly managed a broadcast team, developed a format and still ran her own on-air shift. She was, and I would suspect is still a pleasure to wok with and to know.
Gene Harley
Managing Director/Partner, Advantage International, LLC — Executive Producer, Traveling Culturati Show; Former Station Manager, WPGC Radio, CBS/Infinity Broadcasting
Donna began her media career at WWDB (96.5 FM), where I also worked. She possesses a detailed perspective of media and communications combined with proven experience in broadcasting, journalism and writing. Getting your message out- and heard- in today’s competitive, cluttered and fast-changing media landscape is more challenging than ever before. That’s why Donna’s proven experience and track record of success is so valuable to an executive or an organization looking to create sustained results.
Jeffery Oddo
Senior Manager, Communications at Heraeus
Donna produced a very nice piece for NPR on the effects of the Oil Spill on the Coastal Real Estate market. She did a great job synthesizing the information I provided, and made me sound way better on the radio that I do in real life.
Tom Brander
OSWCO, Open SoftWare Company
Donna is extremely professional and a wonderful asset to the public relations community. She helped The Salvation Army get our needs out to the public and in turn helped those in crisis in our community. She did so with amazing dedication to her community.
Tree Gentle-Davidson
Management and Organizational Faculty, Professional Development Coach, Author at Ross School of Business
Donna interviewed me during her radio program. The topic was women and professional success, a topic that is near and dear to my heart (and research/writing). I have written a management skills textbook, and Donna thought I would be an interesting speaker for her program. Donna was the utmost professional beginning with the initial request and then throughout the interview. She asked candid questions and addressed tough issues while exuding a sense of warmth and acceptance. Her approach, of course, put me very much at ease which enabled the interview to flow freely and enabled/encouraged me to discuss some more controversial issues, which I’m sure made the interview more engaging to the audience. I would definitely endorse Donna for her professional approach, ability to connect with others in a way that enables an honest exchange, and her willingness to take on tough issues.
Paula Caproni
Management and Organizational Faculty, Professional Development Coach, Author at Ross School of Business
I met Donna in 1999 in Berlin during our RIAS Fellowship in which we studied European Union affairs. After getting to know here, it was always a joy to hear her covering stories for the CBS News Radio Network. I always knew that if there was a major story in The South, I’d be hearing Donna on the radio.
Henry Mulak
Henry Mulak Journalist & Teacher
Donna is a presentation wizard! She provided absolutely superb recommendations to help me prepare for a capital request meeting. She was meticulous in coaching me to fine-tune even the smallest details of my presentation. Anybody aiming to improve their communications skills will surely consider obtaining Donna’s services!
Brian Smith
New Business Initiatives (Parks & Resorts) at The Walt Disney Company
Donna and I worked together through Leadership Shelby County. She was a real “team” player in every since of the word, overused as the term “team” is. Certainly, her business is communications, but I think that her success is based on effective listening, which is scarce in this day and age. I would recommend Donna and Frankly Speaking to anyone.
Bucky Law
President at Transportation South, Inc.
I know Donna through her consulting work with IMS and her involvement with Leadership Shelby County. She is a class-act and brings much knowledge to the table – she’s a great person to get to know!
Marty Murphy
Business Relations Manager at IMS
Donna is a true media professional. She possesses all the skills and experience for news reporting, writing and public speaking. Her background and experience truly set her apart from the crowd. Donna cares deeply about the community and is active in a variety of community organizations. She is a pleasure to work around and I highly recommend Donna to anyone needing media work or advice.
David Bobo
Director of Community & Media Relations at Jefferson State Community College
Donna is a gifted writer who pays attention to all the details to make sure she conveys the correct and appropriate message. Her support and technical expertise/advice has been invaluable to me in my dealings with local business associates.
Calvin Gunn
Independent Recreational Facilities and Services Professional
Donna provides extraordinary service and expertise to anything she does. She knows the public relations industry inside and out. Donna has years of experience in journalism. She is connected locally and Nationally. Donna operates with true integrity and I highly recommend her.
Richard Jaffe
Jaffe & Drennan, PC, Attorneys at Law, A Coach For Champions, and Author of “Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned”
My organization has worked with Donna over the past year on several media and presentation related projects. We have found Donna’s investigative reporting skills to be just the right fit for us as we worked to uncover different perspectives of stories we had not considered previously. For example, Donna arranged an interview of our organization’s founder and through her questioing, she was able to uncover history, a personal perspective, motivation, and unspoken passions our organization had been unaware of previously. We then used this information to more fully build our organizational story, history, and mission more clearly and succinctly. Donna also helped us prepare presentations for large opportunities. With her expertise with words and presentation skills we were able to craft our content and presentations for maximum impact with our particular audience. Donna has also helped us through the use of her local and national media contacts. Personal, trusting-relationships are critical in working with the media and with Donna’s guidance my organization has been right out front with our stories and events. I highly endorse and recommend her work if you want to capture a fresh, smart angle to your subject matter, reach the press, or polish up your presentation content or delivery skills. She is a terrific asset and someone we will definitely hire again!
Rick Haberstroh
Senior Manager Business Development at Birmingham Broker, LLC
I find Donna to be a sharp, caring professional. She has the highest standards and would represent any organization well. It is a privilege to recommend her.
Dr. Robert
Doctor at Barnabas Ministries
Donna is a professional. She is very focused at anything she does. She gives any project she is given her all and uses her background to the advantage of the person aquiring her services.
Vincent DiChiara
Senior Vice President – Servis 1st Bank
Donna has done some interview work for me with clients and created audios that I am using on my web site and she also did a couple of radio spots for me advertising my coaching services and marketing a cookbook that I wrote. She is very good at what she does and can produce very quickly when the need arises.
Don Milton
Owner, Growth by Design
Donna is a Talented Professional that will help your Company get it’s job done quickly – & superbly! McLauren – CEO McLauren Anti-Aging
McLauren
CEO McLaurenTV.com
Donna’s enthusiasm permeates through her work and relationships and has the ability to connect people with the right story. Whether its working with the press or clientele, she gets it done!
Trish Doll
Owner, Award-Winning PUBLICITY WORKS; ATHENA International Ambassador, Leadership Award Recipient
I have just recently met Donna and I have to say I was quite surprised at the breadth of her experience in the world of media, specifically radio and television broadcasting. Her resume is quite overwhelming and her professionalism and poise match her qualifications quite well. I recommend her highly.
Stephen Guthrie
Founder, Blue Ocean Technologies, Inc., VoIP Engineer, Data Engineer’ Hosted VoIP Expert
Donna has helped me with publicity regarding talks and reports about medical issues and research. She has been an exceptional consultant with excellent results. I recommend her highly for this and other positions in media.
Allen Cooper
Chief, Pulmonary Section at Birmingham VAMC
To whom it may concern, I have known and worked with Donna over a numbers years…in that time Donna has impressed upon myself as well as those around her and the Birmingham televison market of her ability to communicate story,idea and subject matter in an intelligent and insightful manor that leaves both viewers and listeners with a full understanding of the stories she has conveyed over the years. Unlike most journalists,Donna looks not only on the surface to gain general knowlege of the stories she has covered in the past, but she takes the added measure of researching the entire aspects of each story,considers what impact the story she is working on will have and pays attention to detail and presents those stories in a manor the a viewer or listener can really digest and appreciate for the manor in which it has been delivered by Donna. She is a dedicated individual that considers the full scope of her everyday life professionally and with a commitment that any employer can appreciate and rely on. Strong work ethics and the drive to bring objective and solid,reliable stories and content that matter to any televison and /or radio market. Consideration of Donna Francavilla in any type of news/ news magazine,radio and/or communications settings means well rounded, and complete information that can be trusted that is brought about through Donna’s dedication to excellence which I have only ever seen come from her and have always appreciated….professionalism and peace of mind is what you get when you work with Donna Francavilla. Jason Bradley 23 year news and entertainment veteran
Jason Bradley
Videographer/Video Editor/Voice Actor/Musician/Sound Engineer
When you need someone who can succinctly articulate the heart and core of a story and who is not afraid to go and cover stories that have high risk for danger or tension including inclement weather conditions, you will do well to summon your brave squaw Donna Francavilla.
Stephen Gilbreath
Host & Producer of NightCast
Donna does superlative work, she is very personable, is detailed and knowledgable in the subjects. I have hired Donna to help me market my new small business venture Chique Hair Solutions, LLC and is reasonably priced for her services. She is always on time when we meet for our next process. Donna is consistent and reliable with high integrity. Creative ideas and implementation is producing amazing results for my new business venture. Thank you Donna!
Chantal Kottmeyer
President and Founder of Chique Wigs