Bonura, Pryor to speak at Ad/Circ Conference

Transcription

1 Vol. 71 MARCH 2008 No. 9 Bonura, Pryor to speak at Ad/Circ Conference BY ROBYN GENTILE Member services manager It is time to make your reservations for the 2008 Tennessee Press Association (TPA) Advertising/Circulation Conference Thursday and Friday, April 10-11, at The Edgewater Hotel in Gatlinburg. You will not want your staff to miss a moment of the event, where revenue-generating ideas will be shared. The conference theme is Challenges and Changes: Newspapers are Still the Core. The value of the conference was explained by Evelyn Sandlin, advertising director of The Daily Times, Maryville: Coming to the end of the year, some $20,000 short of budget, we used one of the ideas we picked up at the TPA conference last year. We sold a Daily Times Service Directory, using business cards from various businesses or individuals, and we recovered $14,000 in revenue on that one project. I highly recommend attending all TPA meetings and conferences. The meetings are motivational, and you always leave with a new idea, Sandlin said. Sessions for advertising, circulation and NIE departments are all part of the conference agenda, with plenty of idea-sharing opportunities included in the mix. Joe Bonura, Bonura & Associates, Louisville, Ky., will present a joint session for attendees, Thriving on Change and Using it to Your Advantage. We are besieged with so much new information and so much new technology that it s hard to know what s important. Get specific personal and professional development strategies for thriving on change and using it to your advantage. Bonura Pryor Bonura also will present a session for advertising personnel, Throw the Rabbit The Ultimate Approach to Three-Dimensional Selling, in which participants will discover how to sell newspaper space as a primary part of your advertisers media mix. Robert Pryor, circulation director, Capital Gazette, Annapolis, Md., will present two sessions for circulation professionals. Selling Content Circulation Marketing Strategies will take a comprehensive look at programs designed to sell content that includes Run of Paper advertisements, direct mail campaigns, single copy promotions, rack cards and bill stuffers. In his second session, Understanding Customer Loyalty, Pryor will explore how traditional customer satisfaction surveys do not necessarily measure customer loyalty or company growth. Learn how to measure the right things and how to use what you learn to turn your customers into your best marketers. Bill Bailey, Newspaper in Education (NIE) director of The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, will lead a discussion for NIE professionals. The session will include sharing ideas about teacher training and promotion of the TPA NIE curriculum, questions about NIE and the movement toward the e- edition, sponsorship recruitment, growth in net paid, Audit Bureau of Circulations issues and any other topics people want to discuss. Heather M. Nicholson, circulation director, The Lebanon Democrat, commented, I could not put a price tag on the value I have gained from attending the Tennessee Press Association conferences. The networking alone is invaluable. Ideas are shared (both those that work and those that don t). Challenges are talked through with people who truly understand the newspaper business. Tried and true techniques are validated and new ideas are Coming to the end of the year, some $20,000 short of budget, we used one of the ideas we picked up at the TPA conference last year. We sold a Daily Times Service Directory, using business cards from various businesses or individuals, and we recovered $14,000 in revenue on that one project. I highly recommend attending all TPA meetings and conferences. The meetings are motivational, and you always leave with a new idea. Evelyn Sandlin, advertising director, The Daily Times, Maryville sparked which can invigorate a current plan. I challenge all circulation directors and publishers to find a way for their staff to attend. You will be amazed at what your staff brings back to your newspapers! Roundtable topics will include the following: Single Copy, Home Delivery, E-Z Pay, Online, Classified and Local Advertising. The conference will conclude with the presentation of the 2008 Ideas Contest Awards on Friday afternoon. Sandra Shelton, advertising director of The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville, and Lou Lambert, consumer sales and marketing manager of The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, are the conference co-chairmen. Shelton heads the TPA Advertising Committee, and Lambert leads the TPA Circulation Committee. Hotel reservations can be made by contacting The Edgewater Hotel at The TPA rate is $80 plus tax per night. The deadline for Details What: TPA Ad/Circ Conference Who: Advertising and circulation managers and others interested in these subjects When: Thursday and Friday, April Where: Edgewater Hotel, Gatlinburg Deadline: Tuesday, March 11 reservations is Tuesday, March 11. The hotel is located on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in downtown Gatlinburg, within walking distance of most attractions. Conference information is available on the TPA Web site at com. The deadline for discounted TPA conference registration is Friday, March 28. The following is the schedule: SEE CONFERENCE, PAGE 3 ELENORA E. EDWARDS TPS TPA President Pauline D. Sherrer introduces her husband, Dr. John Lyon, at the Winter Banquet Feb. 14 in Nashville. Look for complete convention coverage in the April issue. The head table at the Winter Banquet: From left, TPAF President W.R. (Ron) Fryar, American Hometown Publishing, Franklin; Becky Fryar; Carol Parkins; TPA Vice President for Non-Dailies Victor Parkins, The Milan Mirror-Exchange; TPA Vice President for Dailies Tom Griscom, ELENORA E. EDWARDS TPS ELENORA E. EDWARDS TPS Chattanooga Times Free Press; UT President Dr. John D. Petersen, Knoxville; Dr. John Lyon; TPS President Dale Gentry, The Standard Banner, Jefferson City; Teresa Gentry; and TPA Treasurer Bill Williams, The Paris Post-Intelligencer. SHERRER 2 McELROY, HOLLOW HONOR 3 THE PENCIL 3 HINES 4 LEIFELD PROFILE 4 HENNINGER 5 CONTEST JUDGING 6 SLIMP 11 INSIDE IN CONTACT Phone: (865) Fax: (865) Online:

2 2 The Tennessee Press MARCH 2008 (USPS ) Published monthly by the TENNESSEE PRESS SERVICE, INC. for the TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION, INC. 435 Montbrook Lane Knoxville, Tennessee Telephone (865) /Fax (865) / Subscriptions: $6 annually Periodicals Postage Paid At Knoxville,TN POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Tennessee Press, 435 Montbrook Lane, Knoxville,TN The Tennessee Press is printed by The Standard Banner, Jefferson City. Greg M. Sherrill...Editor Elenora E. Edwards...Managing Editor Robyn Gentile...Production Coordinator Angelique Dunn...Assistant 20 Member 08 Tennessee Press Association The Tennessee Press can be read on The Tennessee Press is printed on recycled paper and is recyclable. OFFICIAL WEB SITE OF THE TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION Pauline D. Sherrer, Crossville Chronicle... President Tom Griscom, Chattanooga Times Free Press...Vice President Victor Parkins, The Milan Mirror-Exchange...Vice President Bill Williams, The Paris Post-Intelligencer...Treasurer Greg M. Sherrill, Knoxville...Executive Director DIRECTORS Art Powers, Johnson City Press...District 1 Kevin Burcham, News-Herald, Lenoir City...District 2 Tom Overton III, Advocate and Democrat, Sweetwater...District 3 Linn Hudson, LaFollette Press...District 4 Hugh Jones, Shelbyville Times-Gazette...District 5 Ellen Leifeld, The Tennessean, Nashville...District 6 John Finney, Buffalo River Review, Linden...District 7 Brad Franklin, The Lexington Progress...District 8 Joel Washburn, Dresden Enterprise...District 9 Eric Barnes, The Daily News, Memphis...District 10 Steve Lake, Pulaski Citizen...At large TENNESSEE PRESS SERVICE Dale C. Gentry, The Standard Banner, Jefferson City...President Pauline D. Sherrer, Crossville Chronicle...Vice President W. R. (Ron) Fryar, American Hometown Publishing, Franklin...Director Bob Parkins, The Milan Mirror-Exchange...Director Mike Pirtle, Murfreesboro...Director Michael Williams, The Paris Post-Intelligencer...Director Greg M. Sherrill...Executive Vice President TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION W.R. (Ron) Fryar, American Hometown Publishing, Franklin...President Gregg K. Jones, The Greeneville Sun...Vice President Richard L. Hollow, Knoxville...General Counsel Greg M. Sherrill...Secretary-Treasurer CONTACT THE MANAGING EDITOR TPAers with suggestions, questions or comments about items in The Tennessee Press are welcome to contact the managing editor. Call Elenora E. Edwards, (865) ; send a note to P.O. Box 502, Clinton, TN ; or ElenoraEdwards@Comcast.net. The April issue deadline is March 10. Opportunities coming for TPAers The first quarter of 2008 has created stress and struggles for many Tennesseans due to the destruction of tornadoes, decline of advertising revenues and the loss of jobs in some communities. As always, our newspapers will provide information and encouragement needed by our citizens to meet and combat the woes of every day living. This year s Press Institute and Winter Convention was packed full of great committee meetings and featured speakers who captivated the convention with such topics as lottery money, open records and Sunshine Law issues. The April issue of The Tennessee Press publication will contain comments from the different speakers. I know after reading, you are wondering why certain speakers were not asked to comment on other issues of great concern to you. That is why your presence is needed at our conventions. April is another TPA opportunity for your advertising and circulation staffs to obtain ideas to help reduce the decline of advertising and circulation revenues some are experiencing at your newspapers. Gatlinburg, a favorite place of many sales representatives and circulation folks, was chosen for the 2008 TPA Advertising/Circulation Conference. We wish to encourage your newspaper to have representatives at this conference. We will have available on our TPA Web site in PDF format for your downloading the special section, News Sentinel vs. Knox Co. Commission. This special section was inserted into the January issue of The Tennessee Press publication and soon will be available on line. This is a great study piece and should be given to our city/county and educational governing bodies. In the future, we will also have additional printed copies available to member newspapers. Cumberland County is directly benefiting from funding UT received for the Tennessee Biofuels Initiative program. UT Professor Dr. Edward Jepson and graduate students enrolled in the master of science in planning programs will be leading four community worships to identify ways CORRECTION In the February edition of The Tennessee Press we ran a story that was unintended, picked up instead of the one we meant to run. We apologize for the error. Following is the story we meant to run. Magazine insert publisher sold The Publishing Group of Ameri ca (PGA), publisher of American Profile and Relish, has been bought by Bain YOUR PRESIDING REPORTER Pauline D. Sherrer Capital Ventures and Sham rock Capital Growth Fund. PGA is retaining its entire management team. PGA also announced the launch of a new monthly magazine, Spry, focusing on health, fitness and lifestyle with a multi-generational focus, including content relevant to aging boomers. Beginning with its flagship, American Profile, PGA has sought to enter the weekly and monthly newspaper magazine market by fo cusing on markets that were under served by older titles such as The TPA Legal Hotline is available to all TPA members. Call Richard L. Hollow, TPA general counsel and provider of the hotline service, at (865) Hollow & Hollow, LLC, 410 Montbrook Lane, Knoxville of reducing use of energy. Through these workshops, local citizens will become involved, giving their own ideas of energy conservation. After the fourth workshop, UT graduate students will write the energy strategy for our community and present at the fifth workshop. To date, we have 87 newspapers participating in the statewide classifieds program and 84 newspapers participating in the TnDAN program, both programs of the Tennessee Press Service. Through your support we have and continue to build a strong revenue stream for newspapers in Tennessee. The time is NOW! Sign up your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends for the PRESS Camp which will be a part of our summer convention June 19 and 20 in Johnson City. TPA is seeking children of all ages, but especially those 5 to 14 years old, to be involved in activities at the summer convention. PRESS Camp has been designed to create the desire for young people to become involved in our association and our industry. A day and a half of fun activities such as digging for dinosaur bones at the Gray Fossil Site, exploration at Hands On! (children s museum), producing a newspaper and more activities are planned to ensure your children will have a wonderful experience at the summer convention. If your newspaper is not uploading its public notices to the TPA Web site, please contact the TPA office and let s get your public notices live. Today, 61 percent of our newspapers are participating in this must-do process. This association is fighting to keep public notices in your newspaper. We need your help. We want to be able to say we have 100 percent of our public notices on the Internet. A huge smile comes upon our face as we walk around, talking to dedicated employees who are working in a building that was spared from previous storms. PAULINE D. SHERRER is publisher of the Crossville Chronicle. Parade and USA Weekend. (Media Daily News, Dec. 20, 2007) POST YOUR PUBLIC NOTICES AT Publishers, please make sure your newspaper is posting its public notices at each week. If you would like to receive more information about posting ads, please contact Holly Craft at pubnotice@tnpress.com or (865) , ext. 119.

3 MARCH 2008 The Tennessee Press 3 Journalists to honor McElroy and Hollow FROM PAGE ONE Thursday, April 10 3:30 p.m. Registration opens 4:00 p.m. Networking event 6:30 p.m. Optional group dinner Friday, April 11 8:00 a.m. Registration opens 8:30 a.m. Welcome 9:00 a.m. Joint session 10:15 a.m. Advertising: Joe Bonura 10:15 a.m. Circulation: Robert Pryor 11:30 a.m. Idea roundtables Noon Networking lunch 1:00 p.m. Idea roundtables 1:00 p.m. NIE Idea Exchange (two hours) 1:30 p.m. Idea roundtables 2:00 p.m. Advertising: Joe Bonura continued 2:00 p.m. Circulation: Robert Pryor continued 3:15 p.m. Idea roundtables WORTH REPEATING BY DON FERGUSON News Sentinel, Knoxville I noticed some time ago that few people in the business world have a pencil handy at their desk anymore. They use only pens. Two recent examples: A few weeks ago, while tending to business in a local office, I asked a secretary if I could borrow a pencil because I didn t want to use my pen and make a permanent mark on the form I had in my hand.she checked the top of her desk, her desk The East Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (ETSPJ) will honor Knoxville News Sentinel Editor Jack McElroy and Knoxville Attorney Richard L. (Rick) Hollow for defending the state s Open Meetings Act in a case that continues to reverberate in Knox County government. McElroy and Hollow will be recognized for their contributions to open government during the 2008 Front Page Follies show the evening of Saturday, July 19, at the Knoxville Convention Center. In October, a jury agreed with a lawsuit brought by McElroy that Knox County commissioners violated the law during closed-door sessions in January During those sessions, commissioners filled vacancies left open when the Tennessee Supreme Court upheld term limits in the county s charter. Hollow successfully argued that the commissioners violated the Open Meetings Act by deliberating privately before their meeting Jan. 31 and during recesses to choose appointees. After the jury verdict, Chancellor Daryl R. Fansler threw out the commission appointees. Jack McElroy and Rick Hollow know that government officials must McElroy not be allowed to egregiously violate state law by discussing public business in secret, said ETSPJ President John Huotari, The Oak Ridger, Oak Ridge. We also salute the nine citizen plaintiffs who participated in the lawsuit as well as their attorney, Herb Moncier. The public overwhelmingly supported them and the News Sentinel in the lawsuit. McElroy, a member of ETSPJ, has been editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel since November I am very flattered to have been chosen for this honor, says McElroy. SPJ has long been synonymous with high journalistic standards, and the East Tennessee chapter has always held that banner high. The Front Page Follies is one of the premier events of the year, it s for a wonderful cause, and I truly appreciate being picked as a co-honoree. Hollow Prior to Knoxville, McElroy was managing editor of The Rocky Mountain News in Denver, Colo. when it was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in photography for its coverage of the Columbine High School shootings. Hollow is a Knoxville attorney who specializes in constitutional law. A 1964 graduate of the College of Law, Hollow is listed in The Best Lawyers of America, the 150 Best Lawyers in Tennessee and the Mid South Super Lawyers. Rick Hollow has graciously supported reporters like me who have questions about Tennessee s open meetings and open records laws, said CONFERENCE: Speakers, Bonura and Pryor Shelton Lambert 3:45 p.m. Idea roundtables 4:30 p.m. Ideas Contest Awards presentation 6:00 p.m. Conference adjourns The following are additional testimonials from people who have attended past conferences. Coming into a new market and from out of state was a challenge. I reached out to the Tennessee Press Association. I ve found useful, valuable information and important contacts at each of the conferences I have attended. Given the complexity and speed of change in today s marketplace, these conferences are essential building blocks for the future. Lou Lambert, circulation sales and marketing manager, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis I have been attending the Tennessee Press Advertising Conference for many years as a sales executive and an advertising director. The networking is priceless! I continue to learn something new each year. Every year I bring back several ideas that our advertising department converts into revenue. I mean, there are sessions that focus on nothing but sharing good, revenue-generating ideas! The motivational speakers energize my staff and me, plus, the conference provides great training and keeps you up to date on the latest advertising trends and how to sell them. Not having your staff attend, even in a tough year, doesn t make much sense! The pencil as a relic drawer, a nearby credenza drawer and finally her boss s desk but never did find a pencil. There were plenty of pens, however. A few days later, I wanted to make some changes in pencil on a newsletter proof while at a printing shop, but the person assisting me said there wasn t a pencil in the shop. I do a considerable amount of editing, and I always have pencils on my desk at home and at the office, and I carry one when I think I am going to need it. When you write something in pencil, you can erase it if you need to make a change. When I was a News Sentinel reporter in the 1950s and 60s, our typing paper was newsprint that had been cut into sheets the size of typewriter paper. Proofs were printed on this same kind of paper. To edit our copy, we used wooden pencils with soft black lead that marked easily on the pulp newsprint. Technology long ago made this editing method obsolete. I kept one of the soft-lead pencils for old-times sake, and it remained unused in the back of my desk drawer for years, Huotari. He is an accomplished advocate for the public s right to know about the workings of its government. Every year during the Front Page Follies show, the ETSPJ honors those who have contributed to journalism in East Tennessee. The fund-raising event supplies scholarships for journalism students at the University of Tennessee and Pellissippi State Technical Community College. For tickets to the Follies, one should contact jhorner@utk.edu. Tickets are $100, or one can reserve a table of 10 for $1,000. ETSPJ is a chapter of the national Society of Professional Journalists. With nearly 10,000 members, SPJ is the nation s most broad-based journalism professional organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior. SPJ s mission is the perpetuation of a free press as the cornerstone of our nation and liberty. Sissy Smith, advertising manager, Shelbyville Times-Gazette I would like to say that I look forward to attending the TPA conference every year. Each year that I have attended in the past has been very informative with very energetic speakers that keep the crowds upbeat and focused. I also enjoy the roundtable discussions that will keep your eyes and ears open because of all the new ideas that you can take back to your papers not only to boost sales but soar your revenue. I encourage everyone that can, get this conference budgeted so you will be able to attend this year s and future conferences. I see this as an investment for your companies instead of an expense because of all the intense training and ideas that you will receive and bring back to your publishers. Plan to see you there! Valerie Shaver, advertising director, Citizen Tribune, Morristown but I have now given it a place in history. I included it with a number of other items and documents from my career that I donated recently to the archives of the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. DON K. FERGUSON, retired U.S. District Court chief deputy clerk, is a former News Sentinel city editor and a former member of Knoxville City Council. His postal address is P.O. Box 2121, Knoxville, Tenn His address is ferguson111@comcast.net. (Jan. 20, 2008) FORESIGHT 2008 MARCH 5-7: NNA Government Affairs Conference, Westin Washington Hotel City Center, Washington, D.C : Newspaper in Education Week 11: Deadline for reservations for Ad/Circ Conference 16-22: Sunshine Week 14: National Freedom of Information Conference APRIL 10-11: TPA Ad/Circ Conference, Gatlinburg 10-12: American Copy Editors Society 12th National Conference, Denver, Colo : 2008 Capital Conference (NEXPO, Newspaper Association of America Annual Convention and American Society of Newspaper Editors Convention), Washington, D.C. MAY 20-23: Southern Circulation Managers Association Conference, Baton Rouge, La. JUNE 12-14: 10th Great Obituary Writers International Conference, The Plaza Hotel, Little Las Vegas, N.M : TPA 139th Anniversary Summer Convention, Carnegie Hotel, Johnson City 25-28: Association of American Editorial Cartoonists Annual Convention, The Contessa, San Antonio, Texas JULY 18: TPA Drive-In Training and State Press Contests awards event, Nashville 22-24: SNPA Traveling Campus, Memphis SEPTEMBER 9-11: SNPA Traveling Campus, Chattanooga 12-13: TPA Advertising/Circulation Managers Retreat 14-16: SNPA Workshop for Smaller Newspapers, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Knoxville 25-28: NNA 122nd Annual Convention & Trade Show, St. Paul, Minn. OCTOBER 9-11: TPS Institute of Newspaper Technology, Knoxville 18-19: International Newspaper Marketing Association Marketing/Promotions Conference, Dallas, Texas 19-21: SNPA 105th Annual Convention, Turnberry Isle Resort and Spa, Aventura, Fla. Read The Tennessee Press then pass it on!

4 4 The Tennessee Press MARCH 2008 Radio can t compete with newspapers Many newspapers (and their publishers) need a regular reminder that local news coverage is vital for their future. National news is needed, of course, but we can t compete with the 24/7 news cycle of major media outlets except to a limited extent on our paper s Web site. As you may know, according to a Newspaper Association of America recent study, Web readership and revenue continue to grow for newspapers. Online readers grew by 6 percent overall, while online revenue jumped 21 percent, helping to soften the drop in print advertising income. USA Today, the Internet, CNN, MSNBC and other similar networks dominate the Web news competition when it comes to national and international events. Despite all the attention surrounding the presidential election and the war in Iraq, Tennessee readers still need to know what s happening in your circulation area. It s a subject that the press really should master. No offense to our electronic colleagues, but the radio broadcast news staff in most cities is a skeleton crew at best. When s the last time you were scooped by a local radio station? And the regional television stations do their best to present local news, but only if it bleeds or burns, it seems. Much of their coverage, therefore, is footage of what already happened throughout the county, rather than what will happen, a heads-up, advance notice for the audience. Future events can be described in detail in our news columns. We re not bound by the magical 30 minutes within which all the news has to fit every evening. My town is 50 miles from the nearest TV station in Harrisburg and 100 miles from the next broadcast outlets. Whether we like it or not, we re in a nocoverage zone from those stations, as are many other subscribers. Besides, the stations have to fit whatever local news they find between two segments of weather, two segments of sports, international and national tidbits, and statewide news headlines all within its 30-minute time slot. Add in the commercials, plugs for other station PRESSING ISSUES Randy Hines segments and friendly banter among all the talking heads, and little time is left for legitimate local news within that block. (The Brits call the news anchors a more appropriate term: news readers, since that seems to be their only function.) Print journalists, on the other hand, can interview, investigate and inspect issues that affect readers. Reporters know their areas of expertise and need to be encouraged to uncover news and feature stories for the hometown audience. Readers typically reflect a desire to read more about their backyards special festivals, local entertainment and interesting neighbors. This may result in using less wire copy, but that is a good thing. Associated Press stories, of course, are faster and require less hands-on skill. But they are usually generic articles with little significance for your subscribers. Another similar area where the Tennessee newspaper can focus on local events is through photography rather than running AP wire shots. Who really cares about the cat six states away that actually climbed down the tree in its own front yard all by itself? (And I say that as a devoted cat lover.) With digital cameras so abundant in the newsrooms, it s easy to produce quality, economical visuals about hometown activities. Just remember to write effective captions that will help draw readers into the accompanying story. Hometown papers have credibility with their local readership. They need to market their local news dominance and back it up with evidence. The financial future of many publishers is at stake. Quality backyard coverage is keeping the newspaper industry alive. Let s exploit that advantage. DR. RANDY HINES, former Tennessee educator, teaches at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. He just finished a trade book, Print Matters: How to Write Great Advertising ( with Bob Lauterborn, the James L. Knight Chair of Advertising at UNC-Chapel Hill. One can reach Hines at randyhinesapr@yahoo.com. PROFILE Ellen Leifeld TPA director, District 6 Publisher, The Tennessean, Nashville Personal: Married to Ron for 25 years. We have two children: Mike, 23, living in Kalamazoo, Mich., and Ann, 34, living in Corsicana, Texas. One grandchild: Dakota Blue, 1 year old. Job experience: I started in 1973 as a news clerk at the Fremont (Neb.) Tribune. I worked for 20 years in news as a reporter, women s editor, city editor, managing editor and editor at a variety of newspapers including: Hastings (Neb.) Daily Tribune, Hayward (Calif.) Daily Review, Lake County (Calif.) Record-Bee, Lansing (Mich.) State Journal, Battle Creek (Mich.) Enquirer and Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat & Chronicle and Times-Union. In 1994, I was named publisher of the Ithaca (N.Y.) Journal. Since then, I have served as president and publisher of the Battle Creek (Mich.) Enquirer, Appleton (Wis.) Post-Crescent and The Tennessean. In addition, since 1997 I have been a Gannett regional vice president in charge of other newspapers. While in the Midwest, those newspapers were in Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin. In Tennessee, those newspapers include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Clarksville and Jackson. Favorite part of my job: Simply making a difference, such as enabling our ability to do good journalism, encouraging talented employees and taking advantage of our position to do good in our community. Least favorite part of my job: Budgeting and dealing with whackos. My mentor: I have learned many things over the years from people I admire and from people I do not admire. Management philosophy: A few quips: Treat everyone with respect and dignity. (And, I mean everyone.) You don t know what you don t know. In other words, always be willing to listen and learn. You re looking at the calendar. I m looking at my watch. This quote is from Army Lt. General Russel Honore after Katrina. I think it s appropriate for those of us in the newspaper business. We need to be quick! Find the Good and Praise It. This was Alex Haley s personal motto. On so many levels in print, in person, in leadership and in our personal lives this is an important mantra. And, finally: What if the Hokey Pokey is what it s all about? Jimmy Buffet sang it. We should all try to live it and, in my mind, this is what it means: Relax. Have some fun. Don t take everything so seriously. Have some perspective. Be joyful. Most important issues facing newspapers: Here are a few thoughts: Don t be shy about exclaiming our strength. All we hear is that newspapers are dying. We still possess extraordinary audiences in our communities. Don t buy into the hype. We still have the strongest reach and we still are the only value-based organization focused on providing meaningful and credible journalism in our communities. That is a fact that should be revered and celebrated. Shout about it. We possess the ability to provide local journalism, but we should not be whetted to print alone. We shouldn t care about the platform. Let s just provide good journalism and strong results for our advertisers in print and online. Seriously attend to our online sites. They should provide news, information and niche social networking opportunities for our local communities. Build the sites and build the value, then charge for it accordingly. Music: Just about everything except rap and heavy metal. I love country, jazz, blues, rock and roll, classical and opera. Reading: I m currently into Ann Patchett. I ve purchased every book that she s written and am working my way through them. I particularly like fiction, biographies and mysteries. I often listen to business books during my commute. Movies: We usually wait until they show up on the movie channels but occasionally will go to the theater. Most recently, we saw Charlie Wilson s War. Television: At our house, the television is generally on ESPN and I am not watching it. The exceptions: We like Andy Griffith reruns. We tape Jeopardy and Millionaire to watch together. And, I watch Brothers and Sisters on Sunday night because the Walkers (kind of) remind me of my family. (I grew up with eight brothers and sisters.) Recreation: I am an avid flower gardener. I like puttering around in the house organizing things, cleaning things, fussing with things. When the spirit moves me, I enjoy cooking (not baking, but cooking.) A day to do ANYTHING I wanted: It would be summer. I would wake up at the crack of dawn and garden until it got hot. Then I would take a swim, settle in a comfortable chair in the shade and read a great book. About 5, I would have a glass of wine and relax with my husband. We would cook a simple, but lovely, dinner together, followed by a sunset and a little more wine. Or else, I would go shopping all day. If you could spend quality time with a historical figure, who would it be and why? I think it would be anthropologist and author Margaret Mead. Her work and insights were pretty amazing in her time, some of which were considered very controversial and pace-setting in terms of feminism. Value of TPA: First and foremost, our First Amendment freedoms are constantly challenged. Collectively, through TPA, we have the clout to preserve these freedoms. Also, the TPA network allows us to share ideas, develop relationships with friends within the industry, provide professional development opportunities for our staffs, set standards by recognizing good work, and offer advertisers an opportunity for statewide reach.

5 MARCH 2008 The Tennessee Press 5 OBITUARIES Rudy Abramson Co-founder of IRJCI Rudy Paulk Abramson, a co-founder of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, the University of Kentucky, Lexington, and chairman of its national advisory board, died Feb. 13 of massive head injuries from a fall at his home in Reston, Va. He was 70. Abramson came up with the idea for the Institute after retiring from the Washington Bureau of the Los Angeles Times and continuing reporting in Appalachia, where he saw the need for an organization to help rural journalists cover the big issues facing their communities, especially those driven by faraway players such as coal companies and federal politicians. Although he was always a big city reporter, Rudy never forgot his rural roots in northern Alabama, said Al Smith, the Kentucky journalist who cofounded the Institute with Abramson. He was passionately concerned about environmental and economic problems in Appalachia. While writing stories about the region, he concluded that one major improvement might be to help local news folks do a better job covering the serious issues. Abramson co-edited the Encyclopedia of Appalachia with Jean Haskell and wrote two books, Spanning the Century: The Life of W. Averell Harriman, and Hallowed Ground: Preserving America s Heritage. He was a native of Florence, Ala. and a graduate of the University of Mississippi. He was a political reporter at The Tennessean, Nashville, before joining The New York Times in He covered the space program, the White House, the Pentagon, arms control and the environment, among other topics. He was White House correspondent when Richard Nixon resigned the presidency in After leaving the Times in 1996, Abramson became one of the most prolific and powerful voices for and about rural communities, said the Daily Yonder, the online rural news site that he helped start. He was nearly finished with a biography of Harry Caudill, an Eastern Kentucky lawyer and environmentalist whose 1963 book, Night Comes to the Cumberlands, focused national attention on the Cumberland Plateau and the rest of Central Appalachia. Abramson leaves his wife, Joyce; daughters, Kristin and Karin; and three grandchildren. Bill Greenburg Reporter, consultant Bill Greenburg, whose coverage of East Tennessee strip mining earned him a Pulitzer Prize nomination, died Dec. 15 in California. He was 70. He was born and grew up in Long Beach, N.Y. and earned a bachelor s degree in economics from Columbia University. Afterward, he hitchhiked Just because you can doesn t mean you should in Europe, Israel and Turkey and while in Paris, France decided to become a writer. After a stint in the Army, he went to work as a copy boy with Fairchild Publications in New York City. Later he joined the Nashville Tennessean, starting out as a general assignment reporter and moving to the science and environment beat. He was particularly concerned about strip mining s impact on the environment. In a 1971 series of articles, he wrote about how the mining of coal had ravaged the land. While in Tennessee, he met and married Mary Greenburg, and they had two daughters. The family moved to California, where Greenburg was a Stanford University professional journalism fellow from 1972 to Then he joined the San Bernardino County Sun as a special assignment and investigative reporter, covering land fraud and the politics of air pollution. He left the Sun in 1977, wrote freelance articles and became a consultant to attorneys, politicians and the local water district. He leaves his wife and a daughter, Miriam Greenburg of Boston. Helen B. Rogers Correspondent Helen Elizabeth Bean Rogers, once a correspondent for the News Sentinel, the Knoxville Journal and the Clinton Courier-News, died Feb. 4 in Maryville. She was 83. She was the widow of former News Sentinel reporter Albert J. (Al) Rogers. She met her husband while they were covering a murder trial in Clinton. An avid photographer, she also worked with noted photographer Ed Westcott of Oak Ridge in the 1940s. She also was an organist at several churches and a member of singing groups. Rogers leaves several children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In a frustrating way, it s amusing. Occasionally, I ll review a page with a designer and ask: Hmmm. Why did you do that? Well, comes the response, it s a neat trick and I thought I d give it a try. In other words, because you can. Huh? The reason you did it is because you can. It s a cuzican. A what? A cuzican a design trick you use only because you ve discovered you can do it. Well uh yeah. As design software becomes more powerful and presses more capable cuzicans have become more numerous. Some have been around for some time, some are not-so-recent arrivals, some still fresh (but there are those who will use-them-to-death in only a few months). Examples of cuzicans: OVALS: Not as popular now as they were in the early 90s. And they were popular in the early 90s why? Because for the first time QuarkXPress made it easy to create ovals. GRADIENT SCREENS: On some pages, the use of a gradient screen can add a touch of elegance, raising the design level of a package from good to magnificent. Unfortunately, those packages are the exception rather than the rule. FUNKY FONTS: Looking for Dom Casual? University Roman? Benguiat? Mistral? You ll find them and many of their cousins in newspapers large and small across the U.S. It s ugly but true. TYPE OVER PHOTOS: This is a technique that can be used well or poorly. Most newspapers seem to prefer the latter. Doubt that? Check the illustration with this column. DROP SHADOWS: Now very BY DESIGN Ed Henninger popular because InDesign CS3 has perfected the application of the soft shadow. Already, this technique is beginning to suffer from overuse, abuse, disuse, misuse well, you get the idea. COLOR: If color is good, lots of color is better. Yes? Nope too much color is just, well, too much color. TEXT WRAPS: These are always popular and often done poorly. Sometimes the type is too tight to the artwork. Sometimes the type suffers from poor word spacing. A text wrap can help a package but ya gotta pay attention to the details and do it correctly. OUTLINED TYPE: Gag! EXAGGERATED QUOTE MARKS: Can you say leisure suit? REVERSES: Can you say leisure suit and gold chains? IF THIS COLUMN has been helpful, you ll find more help in Ed s new book, Henninger on Design. With the help of Henninger on Design, you ll become a better designer because you ll become a thinking designer. Find out more about Henninger on Design by visiting Ed s Web site: ED HENNINGER is an independent newspaper consultant and the director of Henninger Consulting. Offering comprehensive newspaper design services including redesigns, workshops, training and evaluations. edh@henningerconsulting.com. On the Web: Phone: (803) EDITOR S NOTE: If you want to see some cool pages and fresh design ideas, go to the new Portfolio section of Ed s Web site. You ll see the Memphis Business Journal s redesign as well as others. WORTH REPEATING Brief return to a daydream world BY DAVID MELSON Shelbyville Times-Gazette Once upon a time, there was a little city (well, small-town, anyway) boy who wondered what it would be like to live on a farm in the rural Midwest. Fueled by old black-and-white Lassie reruns and my grandmother Melson s copies of Progressive Farmer magazine (far as I know, she never lived on a farm...), I pictured myself riding around on a tractor in a rolling wheatfield, throwing around hay bales and milking cows. Being a child, the financial side of farming never entered my mind. Those daydreams disappeared as I grew older, though I ve retained a healthy respect for those involved in such an important profession. But, on Friday, I was unexpectedly transported back to my youth at, of all places, a conference center in bigcity Nashville. T-G colleague Sadie Fowler and I were among many Tennessee journalists who judged the 2008 Nebraska Press Association (NPA) contest. Stacks and stacks of contest-category envelopes containing newspaper pages awaited us. Just grab any category you re interested in, Robyn Gentile of the Tennessee Press Association and a woman from the NPA said. Because I design the Times-Gazette s front pages, I first grabbed an envelope which read Front Pages or something similar. Then I noticed the circulation category: Weeklies Under 1,000 (circulation). To put things into perspective, there are some entire counties in Nebraska with fewer people than some individual Shelbyville subdivisions. And those counties have newspapers, at least one which only publishes four pages a week and many which are tabloid-sized. Imagine Bell Buckle or Wartrace in our county with their own newspapers, and you get the idea. Tennessee simply doesn t have newspapers that small. Rural Nebraska in print appears to be about two things: High school sports (especially football, to be expected in Cornhusker country) and farming. Many of these newspapers had nameplates, even page designs, which resembled those of many years ago. And the Page 1 category specified entries from the week of Sept. 17, so high school homecomings were on page after page along with massive farming coverage. It was small-town Americana at its best. I loved it. And I also saw many examples of journalism in the categories I judged which stand up to anything you ll find in much larger cities. Nebraska apparently grows writers and photographers well, also. But what really struck me were the people and events being written about. It seemed like Mayberry transplanted into the 21st century Midwest. Decent, wholesome people making their way through a seemingly less complicated life than those of us in Middle Tennessee. Those newspapers reminded me so much of those farm daydreams I had when I was growing up. Let s see...now where did I put those overalls and keys to the tractor? (Feb. 16, 2008)

6 6 The Tennessee Press MARCH 2008 Jenelle Plachy, foreground, and Carolyn Bowman, Nebraska Press Association, Lincoln, Neb. Thirty-seven made a roomful of people judging the Nebraska Press Association contests Feb. 15 at Willis Conference Center in Nashville. Judging Nebraska PHOTOS BY ROBYN GENTILE TPA Ed Cahill, The Westmoreland Observer, foreground, and John M. Jones Jr., The Greeneville Sun Richard Stevens, left, and Jimmy Trodglen, The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville, and Kent Flanagan, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro Kelly South, The Jackson Sun Skyler Swisher, The Daily Herald, Columbia Jim Charlet, Brentwood Sadie Fowler and David Melson, Shelbyville Times- Gazette. Behind them is Valerie Laprad, The Middle Tennessee Times, Smithville. Sandy Williams, T h e E l k Valley Times, Fayetteville Jimmy Davy, left, and Frank Sutherland, both retired from The Tennessean, Nashville Christy Cherry, The News Examiner, Gallatin Richard Stevens, The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville, with Clay Scott, Volunteer State Community College, Gallatin, behind him Carolyn Bowman, Nebraska Press Association, answers a question for Greg Pogue, The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro.

7 MARCH 2008 The Tennessee Press 7 Helena Jones reads The Tennessee Press while waiting for her husband, John (see photo to right). One of many deliveries made by UPS, and other courier services, during the last few days before the contests deadline Editor John M. Jones Jr. arrives with The Greeneville Sun s entries. State Press Contests down to the wire PHOTOS BY ROBYN GENTILE TPA Packages came by commercial couriers, by newspaper people s cars and by snail mail perhaps 1,300 of them, entries in the 2008 UT-TPA State Press Contests. The process has begun: check-in, separation by category, judging, recording, notification, ordering of plaques and certificates, all in preparation for the awards luncheon on Friday, July 18, in Nashville. Notification will occur on May 16. Darrell Richardson, The Oak Ridger, Oak Ridge, officially the last one to arrive at 4:48 p.m. Feb. 8. Lark McMillan, Citizen Tribune, Morristown, left, and Sunday Blanton, The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro (Above) TPA Administrative Assistant Angelique Dunn on Feb. 5 checks the first few State Press Contests entries. (Right) After the Feb. 8 deadline, it s clear this task is going to be time-consuming.

8 8 The Tennessee Press MARCH 2008 Changes proposed in legislature would improve open records law Changes proposed by a legislative study committee to Tennessee s public records law would substantially improve citizen access to public information, according to two independent government watchdog groups. The Better Government Association, based in Chicago, and the National Freedom of Information Coalition at the University of Missouri, Columbia, rated Tennessee s open records law as among the worst in the country. Alabama was the only southern state with a lower score. The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government (TCOG) requested an TPA wishes to thank these individuals for serving as judges of Nebraska Press Association s contests. Jim Charlet, Brentwood J. Todd Foster, Bristol Herald Courier Richard Stevens, The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville Jimmy Trodglen, The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville Elenora E. Edwards, The Tennessee Press, Clinton Skyler Swisher, The Daily Herald, Columbia Chris Gadd, The Dickson Herald, Dickson Sandy Williams, The Elk Valley Times, Fayetteville Tom Wolfe, AbitibiBowater, Franklin Christy Cherry, The News Examiner, Gallatin Margaret Morris, The News Examiner, Gallatin Clay Scott, Volunteer State Community College, Gallatin Henry Stokes, Germantown John M. Jones, Jr., The Greeneville Sun Shirley Nanney, Carroll County News-Leader, Huntingdon Kelly South, The Jackson Sun Dale Gentry, The Standard Banner, Jefferson City Amy Blakely, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Rob Heller, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Greg Pogue, The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro Kent Flanagan, MTSU, Murfreesboro Jimmy Davy, Nashville Dave Green, Nashville Ron Leifeld, Nashville Frank Sutherland, Nashville Ellen Margulies, The Tennessean, Nashville Dena McDonald, The Tennessean, Nashville Megan Wren, The Tennessean, Nashville Frank Gibson, TCOG, Nashville Michael Williams, The Paris Post-Intelligencer Terry Van Eaton, The Courier, Savannah Linda Folkerts, The Courier, Savannah Ron Schaming, The Courier, Savannah Sadie Fowler, Shelbyville Times-Gazette David Melson, Shelbyville Times-Gazette Valerie Laprad, The Middle Tennessee Times, Smithville Cindy Kelly, Robertson County Times, Springfield Ed Cahill, The Westmoreland Observer Thank You! analysis by the two groups of the potential effect of proposed changes approved by the study panel in late November. They found that the changes would move our score to 10 th highest in the country, Frank Gibson, executive director of TCOG, said. He noted that the survey found room for other improvements not in the study panel s recommendations. The state ratings are based on citizen access to requested public records from government agencies and on protection of citizen rights to information. The scores include the procedures citizens use to obtain records and the difficulty in appealing an agency decision that wrongfully denies access. The General Assembly has an opportunity to improve the law and protect the rights of citizens to information that affects their lives, Gibson said. Tennessee s law contains no procedures for processing requests and provides no assistance when citizens make a request, Gibson said. The only recourse citizens have is to hire an attorney, but Gibson said rarely are legal fees paid when a citizen prevails in court, and the law contains no penalties. TCOG is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of citizen and media groups working to preserve access to public meetings and records. Almost Celebrate NIE all week or all month Connect to the World With Newspapers is the theme from the Newspaper Association of America Foundation for celebrating Newspapers In Education Week or Month this year. Every year, Newpaper In Education Week is the first week in March. The dates for this year are March 3-7, but NIE can be celebrated for the entire month. This gives your newspaper more time or opportunities to inform the community about the literacy program and recognize NIE teachers and sponsors. The goal of NIE Week/Month is to reinforce a positive and relevant lifetime reading habit in students by engaging them with an authentic text the newspaper! This year the teacher s curriculum guide, Connect to the World With Newspapers, is designed to help middle school and high school students improve their reading comprehension by making connections to self, to the world and to text through newspaper activities. The newspaper is the perfect resource for helping students make these connections because it matches their prior knowledge, interests and experiences. NIE coordinators and teachers can access the curriculum guide by visiting (click on Newspapers In Education and NIE Week 2008). The guide contains 62 pages and features 14 lesson plans, each with a student activity sheet. Included in the guide are 14 elementary-level pages for younger students. They parallel the lesson plans and activities in the guide and focus on local and community news. This guide would be an excellent resource for an NIE teacher workshop or orientation. In addition to the curriculum guide, the NAA Foundation 2008 NIE Week Web site includes color and black and white ads for promoting NIE Week and the guide. Do your newspaper readers know the history of Newspa- 100 TCOG volunteers journalists and citizens surveyed government offices in all 95 Tennessee counties in 2004 and found requests for public records were denied in a third of 256 separate audits. The BGA-NFOIC analysis said the increased score came from response time and appeals process and noted the addition of an open records ombudsman in the state comptroller s office helped improve the rating. Gov. Phil Bredesen included the ombudsman in his budget last year because he said the public often lacks the financial resources to pursue records requests. The office has no enforcement authority. Our concern with procedural requirements is that a lengthy and burdensome process is likely to discourage citizens from making requests and seeking enforcement of the statute, which will result in less disclosure of public information, BGA director Jay Stewart said. Such a result would frustrate the policy of creating a better democracy through a more open government. Proposed changes in the study panel s recommendations included: Establish the ombudsman office in statute. Records keepers must respond promptly to public requests to inspect records or acknowledge inquiries within four days. Citizens must be given a specific legal NIE CURRENTS Lu Shep Baldwin reason when a request is denied. A definition of records to make it clear to the public and public officials what is and is not public. These changes would be fundamental. Under our law, agencies do not have to explain reasons for withholding information or delaying a request until a citizen hires a lawyer and takes them to court, Gibson said. Stewart of BGA noted that under Tennessee s law citizens have to prove outrageous conduct to get attorney fees. An advisory opinion from the ombudsman may make outrageous conduct easier to prove, but it is still a very high standard and puts the public at a disadvantage, he said. The recommendations to revise Tennessee s records law, pending in the General Assembly, are sponsored by Sen. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, and Rep. Steve McDaniel, R-Parkers Crossroads. Tennessee s current score is 16 out of 100 (2.5 of a possible 16 points). Its new score would be 8 of 16 for 50 percent. Alabama scored zero. By comparison, Louisiana and Virginia scored 78 percent (12 of 16); Arkansas, 72 percent (11.5 of 16 points); South Carolina, 59 percent (9.5 points); Florida, 53 percent (8.5 points); Kentucky, 47 percent (7.5 points); Georgia and Mississippi, 41 percent (6.5 points); North Carolina, 34 percent (5.5 points). pers in Education? Celebrating NIE Week/Month can help them to understand the value of the program as an educational resource for students. Research from the University of Minnesota states that students standardized test scores can improve between 10 and 30 percent when students consistently use their local newspaper in the classroom. Teachers across the state are preparing students for the TCAP testing in April. Increased knowledge about your newspaper s NIE program can help to increase sponsorship and teacher participation. The NAA Foundation Web site has an in-depth history of NIE. Other ways to promote NIE Week/Month are: Feature your newspaper s NIE teachers Ask a sponsor to visit an NIE classroom to observe and participate in a newspaper lesson Publish a list of your sponsors and teachers in a thank you acknowledgement Encourage NIE teachers to schedule a tour of the newspaper facility Promote newspaper industry careers, part of NIE programs I would like to encourage each TPA member newspaper s NIE coordinator to register on the NIE E-Forum. The forum offers coordinators the opportunity to share ideas, answer questions and be knowledgeable about NIE vendors and their materials. This is an opportunity to increase your newspaper s readership! Begin the celebration today! For more information contact Baldwin at lushep. baldwin@jonesmedia.biz or at The Daily Post-Athenian, (423) , ext LU SHEP BALDWIN is director of education services for Jones Media, Greeneville. She is based in Athens.