Arizona
--Freedom Communications has signed a definitive agreement to sell its publishing operations in Phoenix to 1013 Communications LLC, a new com- pany formed to buy the publications.Freedom has filed |
Morris executive shares marketing, advertising tips for today's business
--Much of the business problems daily newspa- pers are facing today are self- inflicted, said James Smith, vice president of research and devel- opment for Morris Publishing Group.Smith spoke to a |
Is this the new Gitmo North?
Fast facts Completed in 2001 for $125 million but never fully opened or funded Facility has eight pods that can house from 1,600 to 3,200 prisoners, plus another 200 minimum-security inmates.
Curre |
Tiny Thomson overrun by national press - Media maelstrom
IL--It may have been a simple announcement, but the Illinois hamlet of Thomson found itself at the center of a media storm when its brand new empty prison was selected as a possible site to house the |
GAC lineup features 3 big speakers
Media critic and syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington, Associated Press Chief Executive Officer Tom Curley and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will address com- munity newspaper pub |
In-county papers avoid 78% postal rate increase
The National Newspaper Association received news that its campaign to help community newspapers avoid a postage up-charge intended for lightweight publications was successful, and a 78 percent in- cou |
California
--The Sentinel, an Auburnbased weekly, has closed its doors, Publisher Janice Forbes said, until pub- lishing conditions improve. "After looking at our end-of-the-year financials and the probabilit |
17 publishers to launch The Job Network program
--In the last several weeks 17 publishers, representing more than 95 newspapers, have either launched or will soon launch a new Super Sized Ad program from The Job Network, a subsid- iary of TownNews. |
NELA celebrates grand opening of new facility
NELA welcomed Wisconsin Secretary of Commerce Richard Leinenkugel, and other govern- ment officials, business partners and friends to its open house on Jan. 28, 2010.Leinenkugel also provided NELA |
SALES ADVICE - Thinking about the spiders and robots
There continues to be a battle to enhance a publication's online presence and to be concerned about search engine optimization. When the spiders and electronic robots visit your publication's web site |
Future uncertain for Thomson
Illinois has not shut down the prison, which means the gover- nor cannot declare it surplus and sell it; the minimum-security portion of the prison is being used for about 160 prisoners The three faci |
New York
--Scotsman Press, one of central New York's largest newspaper and shopper publishers as well as commercial printers, has acquired the Fulton-based Valley News as well as its companion publications, Th |
Virginia
--Fluvanna News Partnership, LLC., a private partnership, has pur- chased Valley Publishing Corp., a commu- nity newspaper group located in Palmyra County , VA. The five publications, all serv- ing th |
Wisconsin
--A former editor of the Daily Telegram (Superior) is purchasing BusinessNorth with another longtime area journalist. The publication has cov- ered business in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin since 1 |
Spanish-language paper launches in Utah
The parent company of the Deseret News launched El Observador Feb. 9.Deseret News Publisher Jim Wall said the paper serves the Hispanic community in Utah. The paper was circulated to 10,000 househo |
2010 Government Affairs Conference - Get rare look inside National Security
A rare view of one of the nation's most secret intelligence agencies will be part of the press briefing schedule for the 49th Annual National Newspaper Association Government Affairs Conference |
Ideas for new media INTERNET INNOVATORS - Paid online model helps weekly increase circulation
--Recently, the Claremont Courier moved its online edition behind a paywall. Publisher Peter Weinberger said the twice weekly, 5,000-circulation publication shifted most of its online content to a |
Metro Creative Graphics celebrates its 100th anniversary
Throughout 2010, Metro Creative Graphics Inc. plans to celebrate its centennial by doing what it has done for 100 years--deliver creative content and revenue-generating solutions to its clients in the |
Southeast Missouri daily begins charging for political letters
--The Southeast Missourian has changed its letters to the editor guidelines. Those guidelines discouraged letters about candidates for public office. A new policy gives letter writers an option for ex |
Florida
--News Journal Corp., owner of the daily Daytona Beach News-Journal and related publications, has signed a definitive agreement to sell its publishing operations to two investor groups. The deal remai |
North Carolina
--Womack Publishing Co. has signed an agreement to purchase the Littleton Observer and plans to merge the paper with the Lake Gaston Gazette, another weekly newspaper Womack publishes in Littleton, NC |
California daily develops new online shopping mall
--The Sonoma IndexTribune, Sonoma Valley's 130-year-old twice-weekly newspaper, has opened the Shop Sonoma Mall so that residents have a new and easier way to shop locally . The new feature is virtua |
Travidia wants to help papers recapture business of grocers
--Travidia is expanding its Bamboo AdNetwork product line with the introduction of grocery-focused web portal. The portal will allow newspapers to recapture grocery revenue and will address a current |
IJJ sponsors fellowship in immigration reporting
--With immigration continuing to be a hot-button issue, the Institute for Justice and Journalism invites journalists nationwide to apply for its 2010 fellowship program, "Immigration in the Heartland. |
Postal Service may have overpaid pensions; money could be solution to financial woes
--The U.S. Postal Service's Office of the Inspector General in January issued a finding that USPS has been overcharged by the federal government for its pensions by $75 billion. If the money were dive |
Need to show businesses the value of your newspaper?
If you participated in the National Newspaper Association's Pulse of America survey in December you would have received a report on readers' buying plans and how newspapers influence buying decisions. |
Media organizations press appeals court for release of Fed loan documents
National Newspaper Association, the American Society of News Editors and 11 other media companies and press advocacy groups urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (New York) to require |
Covering arson fire challenges paper's staff
Fire update: Arson caused the 49 Fire that burned more than 60 homes and businesses in Auburn, CA, and caused more than $40 million in loss, state fire officials said..
During an afternoon press |
INTERNET NNOVATORS - Web revenue helps fuel improvements
A California weekly has been earning enough from its web site to fuel improvements to the site. The Monterey County Weekly reaches 30 percent of all households in the county on a weekly basis. A mo |
Bill keeps 6-day mail in service
N a t i o n a l Newspaper Association President Cheryl Kaechele and NNA Postal Committee Chairman Max Heath said that Congress had acted wisely in mandating continued six-day mail service. The six- |
Fearless opposition
Editor's note: When Horace Carter ventured down to Tabor City in Columbus County, NC, back in 1946, he had no way of knowing that the classified ad seeking someone to start a newspaper in the little f |
Michigan
The Houghton Lake Resorter has purchased the assets of the Roscommon County Herald-News, according to John Cribb of Cribb, Greene & Associates, who represented the Perlberg family in the transaction.< |
Arkansas
The publications of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC-the Northwest Arkansas Times, Springdale Morning News, Rogers Morning News, Benton County Daily Record, Northwest edition of the Arkansas Democrat |
DTH returns to its downtown roots
The Daily Tar Heel is set to move its headquarters back off campus less than a block from where it was born nearly 117 years ago. The organization's board of directors approved the move to an offi |
Wisconsin
The Appleton Journal made its first appearance in October, started by Times-Villager Newspaper Group General Manager Bart Landsverk.
He said it is his fourth subscription-based weekly in the Fox Va |
Texas
The Texas Tribune was recently launched by John Thornton and Evan Smith as a nonprofit operation.
Smith left Texas Monthly to become the Texas Tribune's chief executive officer. Texas Tribune's |
Nevada
--Stephens Media, owner of the Las Vegas Review-Journal has launched a weekly newspaper in Boulder City . The Boulder City Review, made its debu Oct. 29, 2009. "Boulder City is a politicall |
Minnesota
Matt Anderson and Anderson Publications started The Garretson Gazette Oct. 29, 2009. Anderson Publications publishes five other newspapers in Canistota, Marion, Hartford, Humboldt and Montrose. |
Marketing Your Newspaper:
Jerry Bellune says the best way to keep your advertisers loyal is to build strong relationships with them.
See his and other articles on marketing, starting on |
City Hall:
Those in local government can be good resources for your paper. It's important to market your paper to them, too. |
Rack Cards
: Single copy sales can be increased by using welldesigned rack cards. Ed Henninger goes over some important elements. |
Postal Tips
: After NNA was able to gain an exemption for smaller newspapers that fall under U.S.
Postal Service's Performance Based Verification, Max Heath delved into the exemption's specifics |
Circulation Counts:
There are ways to improve your paper's circulation, and Bob Bobber wants to show you how. |
The lack of investigative reporting is a threat to democracy
When I look across my classrooms and see so many community college students financially struggle to get an education, I wonder how our dysfunctional state government serves them to become Michigan's f |
NNA FOUNDATION - Marketing your publication's unique strengths
Ihad the opportunity to read a nearby daily newspaper recently while sitting in the waiting room of a Sheldon, IA, business. It was a Monday and the paper's local content was appallingly lacking. The |
NNA �THE FOURTH DECADE - Rural papers covered local servicemen and women during WWI
Rural newspapers, although they often participated in the same super-patriotic reporting as big metropolitan dailies, they played a crucial role in the coverage of World War I. While the bigger pap |
Smith receives NNA President's Award
For many years Joel Smith, the former publisher of the Eufaula (AL) Tribune, who died July 30, 2009, served as the National Newspaper Association state chair for Alabama. John Stevenson, publisher of |
Newspapers opened their own Pandora's box
Pandora was, according to the ancient Greeks, the first woman. Like Eve she was made of clay and just like Eve she was saddled with the responsibility of bringing evil into our world. One |
GUEST EDITORIAL - Does search engine traffic have real world value?
Pay walls, blocking, scraping, and enforcing copyright laws are some of the hottest topics facing the newspaper online world. And, now one industry leader says he'll block top search engines--includin |
Preaching to the Choir
: To reach people who are not reading your paper, Ken Blum says you have to advertise outside of your publication. |
Missouri Press Association to share legal podcasts with NNA members
The Missouri Press Association began producing monthly podcasts in April on legal issues that could have an impact on community newspapers. MPA partnered with its attorney Jean Maneke to cover a ne |
Pulitzer-winner Alex Jones to highlight GAC
Alex S. Jones, author of the recent book, "Losing the News: The Future of the News that Feeds Democracy ," will be the keynote speaker at the 49th Annual Government Affairs Conference luncheon March 1 |
Postal rates frozen in May, but it's no gift
--Postal rates will be frozen in May , the usual rate hike month, but the financial woes of the U.S. Postal Service go on. Postmaster General John E.
Potter reported to the Mailers Technical |
Will Apple kill newspapers? - Can the iTablet really do it all? Is it a real device?
|
FATHER FOUND - A search for her dad led to a `pretty cool' discovery
STOCKTON, MO, Debbie Langdon a resident of Stockton, MO, never had the chance to know her father because he died of an accidental gunshot when she was 6 years old. Her mom and other family members nev |
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS CONFERENCE
The conference will be held March 17-19, 2010, in Washington.
For more information, see the |
INTERNET INNOVATORS - Weekly reports solid six figures on daily e-mail newsletters
How is a 15,000-circulation weekly paper in northern Alabama generating a solid six figures a year in revenue with just two e-mail newsletters? It's simple. Well, no, it's not so simple. But Shelby Co |
St. Louis Globe-Democrat coming back as online newspaper
The St. Louis GlobeDemocrat is returning as a Web-only product. Dan Rositano, publisher of the online newspaper said he would be revising the Globe-Democrat. The site, www.globe-democrat.com |
Pasco Times is now 5 days a week
The Pasco Times has been changed to a five-day section inside the St. Petersburg Times, Wednesday through Sunday . Reporters and other staffers will remain on duty every day , but Pasco news on |
New Hampshire
Three months after it folded, The Eagle Times newspaper in Claremont is back in business. The newspaper resumed publication after emerging from bankruptcy court with a new owner. The paper's |
86 MILLION READ ONE EVERY WEEK - Newspapers DEAD?
If I'm to believe the national media, newspapers are dead or dying. What do they base that on? Paid circulation is down? How's that different from broadcast TV viewership? Or magazine subscriptions? O |
Small SC weekly breaks big story
Even if the staff at your community weekly newspaper is small and your resources aren't anything close to that of your competitors, don't rule out doing investigative reporting. Because sometimes y |
Postmaster: No postal rate increase
N a t i o n a l Newspaper Association President Cheryl Kaechele, publisher of the Allegan County (MI) News and NNA Postal Committee Chairman Max Heath commended Postmaster General Jack Pott |
NNA calls for end to term 'swine flu'
--The National Newspaper Association drew the attention of the agricultural press in October by advising newspapers that the H1N1 virus threatening the nation is not properly called the "swine flu."
|
NNA FOUNDATION - Convention proves NNAF is alive and well
Ysurrounding this been there! The energy ou really should have year's National Newspaper Association Foundation 2009 National Newspaper Convention activities in Mobile, AL, was exhilarating. EXCELLENT |
Rural papers learned lesson of trust during the NNA's third decade
NNA--THE THIRD DECADE Small newspaper startups increased in the West and many rural weeklies got their first taste of economic trouble during the National Newspaper Association's third decade. Th |
Kansas
--Kansas City Kansan reporter Nick Sloan has bought the online version of the newspaper from Gatehouse Media, which shut down the print edition of the Kansas City Kansan in January . Sloan, 24, |
Texas
Cox Enterprises Inc. announced it has reached an agreement to sell two of its Texas newspapers, the Longview News-Journal and The Marshall News Messenger to ASP Westward LP . Dirks, Van Essen & Mu |
New York
--Eagle Newspapers, Central New York's award-winning community weeklies and Spotlight Newspapers, the Capital District's awardwinning weeklies were purchased Oct.
1, 2009 by Community Media Group L |
NEW FLAGS - Missouri
Chillicothe Newspapers Inc., publisher of the ConstitutionTribune, launched a new monthly publication called MyChilliMo.Com. Most of its content is submitted by readers. MyChilliMo.Com is di |
Virginia non-daily suspends print product, stays online
--A Williamsburg area non-daily newspaper has discontinued its printed product, opting instead to maintain an online presence. Rosemary Van Houten, publisher of the Toano-Norge (VA) Times, wrote i |
GUEST EDITORIAL - Too many good journalists have been sacrificed so newspapers could balance their b
The newspaper has been a consistent ally of democracy in the U.S. for generations, often battling oppression. It has made a documented difference by exposing wrongs in and threats to local, state, |
Great Ideas:
No federal bailout here. Publishers look to one another for revenue building ideas or ways to cut cost during NNA's 123rd annual convention. See what they came up with starting on |
Circulation Builders:
: Bob Bobber has been working in circulation for more than 35 years. He brought some of the best ideas he's seen to help increase circulation. |
What's in a Name?:
American Press Institute's Elaine Clisham says newspapers should think of themselves as information providers; a community concierge. |
Convention Photos:
A brief look at NNA's convention attendees. |
Postal Tips:
ith the help of one Wisconsin newspaper, NNA was able to gain an exemption for smaller newspapers that fall under the U.S. Postal Service's Performance Based Verification. |
The latest form of advertorial, for the Web, calls for caution
No one comes close to our friend Kevin Slimp when it comes to keeping community newspapers up to date on the latest technology , whether it's in workshops or the helpful, information-packed columns he |
Select words to grab readers by the gut
Form follows function. Design must cling to content. Content is king. Especially in your prime territory: the top of page 1. Your page 1 teasers are at least as much about the words as they are about |
How Does Your Newspaper Sound?:
Kevin Slimp tries out Adobe Soundbooth software to create professional quality audio for web sites. |
Followed by 3 sleepless nights And that was just for the first issue
Before starting a weekly newspaper in rural Mississippi three years ago, the closest Cherie Chesser had gotten to one was reading it. "I always loved to read and it drove me crazy that the place I |
CA weekly shifts to online-only
--The Danville Weekly published its last print edition Oct. 2 and shifted its focus entirely online, Publisher Gina Channell-Allen announced. The online enterprise has been in process for more tha |
FUTURE: - Industry is transforming
home delivery , most notably the ongoing low-price deals. In Denver, for many years, you could get seven-day home delivery of the Post or the News for $1 a month. We have concluded that such deals do |
You have to be patient with those new hires
If you're the editor of a community newspaper and you have a Generation NeXter on your staff, managing that person can be quite challenging--to say the least. Why do I say that, ladies and gentleme |
These shoes are made for walkin'
Photo contest winners. |
Small advertisers can be profitable
How many publishers feel that their small advertisers are not worthy of their high priority attention? How many feel their small advertisers are being serviced by 80 percent of their staff and find th |
What's next
A look at how news design will evolve. |
Annual readership study shows good news for small papers
Did you know that 80 percent of America's newspapers have a circulation of 15,000 or less?
Did you know that there are about 8,000 community newspapers in America that fit that description?
|
INTERNET INNOVATORS - Ideas for new media
It's hard enough covering a disaster when you have all your resources at hand. But when that same disaster threatens your publication, planning and preparation are the best ways of dealing with the si |
House votes to give USPS financial relief
Approval of HR 22 by the House of Representatives, to permit the U.S. Postal Service to pay for retiree health benefits from an existing trust fund, will extend welcome relief to the postal system, Na |
FIRE: Community waited to see if jazz festival would be canceled
Thinking about how they could get everyone out and down the mountain, including the expected 3,000 Jazz Festival attendees would give anyone nightmares.
And that number did not even include all the |
Ben Sheroan � General Manager LaRue County Herald News, Hodgenville, KY
`Our goal is to protect o
Woody and Chloe, the Kentucky wiener wonderdogs have led thousands of kids to the joys of reading, and recently helped lead The Larue County Herald News straight to the winners' table in the National |
The birthplace of Honest Abe
Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room cabin near present-day Hodgenville, KY. The town features several historical sites dedicated to Lincoln, including the Birthplace National Historic Site, the Boy |
State of Community Newspapers:
Whether it's ink on your hands or pixels in your eyes, the design of your news product will still need to look good. Ed Henninger polls his readers to find out what they think about design. P |
Award winner
The newspaper accrued an astonishing bounty of Better Newspaper Contest Awards for 2009. The Antelope Valley Press has racked up 36 honors, including 12 first-place awards. |
Advertising scams striking community newspapers
No business is immune to fraud when it is through Internet relay known as (Internet Protocol) IP relay . Small town newspapers are inundated with e-mail scams. One common Internet scam is "adopt a |
Niche Publications:
Jerry Bellune outlines what works and what doesn't when developing a niche product. |
Content
Resources can be an issue when developing a niche product. Katherine Hill tells you what to consider during the planning stages. |
Cost
: Is it worth the cost to develop a niche publication? Ken Blum breaks down the return on investment in his column on creating a niche product on the cheap. |
Design:
Ed Henninger provides some quick tips on the design of a niche product. |
Better NIE Contest Winners
ee all the winners from the 2009 National Newspaper Association Better Newspaper In Education contest. |
Smoke and water destroys newspaper's office - `Everything is gone ...'
"I've had better days," said Beattyville (KY) Enterprise Editor Edmund Shelby, from his cell phone. Shelby was on his way to Jackson, KY, where the Enterprise's sister paper is located. He was rush |
Statement of ownership filing deadline in October
The publisher of each publication sent Periodicals Class Mail, including foreign publications accepted at Periodicals rates, must file Form 3526 by Oct. 1 of each year at the original entry post offic |
Dead dogs `compelling visual' to some, not all
--Venice Gondolier Editor Bob Mudge said he was surprised by some readers' vehement reaction caused by a recent photo in his publication. On Aug. 8, the paper ran a story and photo on its front pag |
Community papers remain steady
Newspapers are hurting all over the U.S., but the pain is less severe at small publications like The Blackshear Times in Georgia. The weekly newspaper fills an information vacuum in a county of 17, |
The story TV doesn't want advertisers to know GUEST EDITORIAL
You've undoubtedly heard that newspapers are in financial hot water. Much of that information comes from newspapers themselves. And TV newscasters often take pains to highlight their newspaper brot |
Learn how to give advertisers the results they want
"Most newspapers expect their sales efforts to focus on selling advertising, and we've found this approach is 100 percent wrong,"
said Richard Ward, executive publisher of Providence Publishing LLC |
NNA Convention:
Learn more about NNA's annual convention coming in September in Mobile, AL, on pages 2, 15,17, and 24, then register using the form on |
Classified Future:
Will you still have classified pages in your paper in 10 years? Richard Clark takes a realistic look at classified revenue. |
`They just want the opportunity to do good work and show what they've got'
Dennis Anderson � Editor The Antelope Valley Press, Palmdale, CA After nearly two decades of big-city journalism, Dennis Anderson has found that hometown stories loom large in the eyes of readers, and |
FIRE: 4 businesses in small downtown destroyed
to get the next issue of the Enterprise ready . They will also have temporary quarters available in Beattyville when they return. Glenn Gray , a vice president with Nolan Group, the Manchester, KY |
ONLINE: - Media mogul believes web site pay model is viable
news online.' " `He warned that `the big competition will be coming from the BBC,' which offers online news for free, but said: `Our policy is to win.'" The take away idea here is that Murdoch has |
Murdoch believes an online pay model will work
Rupert Murdoch, arguably the most feared and influential publisher on the planet, recently declared in the Financial Times, "We intend to charge for all our news web sites." Before other publisher |
You don't want my paper? I take that personally
Picture this: You've spent your usual 50-plus hours at work--shorthanded as usual--putting out another issue of a newspaper in which you and your coworkers take extreme pride. Your editorial departmen |
Newspapers are fact-checked and hand-delivered
Ido think there's room for some perspective. Yes, it's true that there have been significant layoffs at America's (daily) newspapers, but there have also been huge layoffs at Home Depot, and no one is |
Herbert was the driving force for a national association
THE FIRST DECADE Newspapers may have been around since 1690, when Benjamin Harris published his first issue of Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestik in Boston, but they didn't start coming to |
