Tennessee Press. Tennessee Press Association Foundation. Tennessee Press Service. Association. Mission Statement: Mission Statement:

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1 Association Association (TPA) was created in 1870 to represent the newspapers of Tennessee, both large and small. Since that time, TPA has grown to incorporate a wide array of services to our industry, such as annual State Press Contests, newspaper staff training, lobbying against closure of records and meetings, a legal hotline and many more. Mission Statement: The Association is the state s foremost advocate of free press, open government and the people s right to know. The association nurtures a community for journalistic enterprise by providing members ways to meet, exchange ideas, enhance skills and honor excellence. Members share a vital interest in sustaining the value of products they provide audiences, advertisers and communities; and to that end, TPA promotes activities to maintain quality, uphold integrity and adapt to the evolving business environment. Service Service, the business affiliate of TPA, was formed in 1947 to provide statewide and regional advertising placement for all TPA member newspapers. In addition to a full-service ROP placement service, TPS also operates Statewide Classified, 2x2, 2x4, and online networks that help newspapers turn remnant space into revenue. Most participants of these networks earn more in revenue than their annual TPA dues! TPS also operates a clipping bureau, publishes a quarterly tabloid covering the newspaper industry of our state, and coordinates the internationallyrecognized Institute of Newspaper Technology each year. TPS maintains a free Web site listing public notices published throughout the state. Through the efforts of TPS programs, more than six million dollars of revenue was generated for TPA member newspapers in 2009! Association Foundation Mission Statement: Raise and disburse funds to enable the Tennessee Press Association Foundation to be valued and recognized nationally as a statewide provider of quality educational opportunities for the benefit of Tennessee Press Association member newspapers by: Anticipating and meeting educational needs in the fields of journalism, First Amendment issues, advertising, business and technology; Developing and promoting awareness of Tennessee Press Association member newspapers to the general reading public; Promoting a work environment at Tennessee Press Association member newspapers conducive to producing high quality, nationally recognized, community newspapers and related products for our readers and advertising customers; and Providing appropriate recognition of those Tennessee newspaper professionals who are selected for inclusion in the Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame.

2 2 Government Affairs Ensuring the public s access to governmental records and meetings has long been a responsibility of the independent press. As the only statewide association representing Tennessee s wide diversity of newspapers, TPA plays a key role in speaking for newspapers of all sizes. We believe that a successful democracy requires citizens to be informed about what their federal, state and local governments are doing. In order for this communication to take place, we must work with government at all levels to secure access and to protect public notice. TPA s Government Affairs Committee stays busy tracking the more than 1,000 pieces of legislation introduced annually in Tennessee. Any one of these bills could attempt to close records or be amended to hinder the free flow of information. To keep track of all this, TPA partners with the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government (TCOG) and retains the services of lobbyist Bo Johnson of Johnson Poss Government Relations. Association was a key player in the creation of TCOG several years ago. That coalition broadens our voice to include broadcast and other media, and has been very instrumental in protecting our access to records and meetings. Led by Executive Director Frank Gibson, TCOG has become a strong advocate for the public s right to know. With a change of power in the Tennessee Legislature this year, things were hopping. We had an unprecedented number of Freedom of Information bills to defend in the first half of the 106th General Assembly, including legislation to close public records and meetings, proposed changes involving notices for meetings and other public notice legal requirements, and some with broad First Amendment implications, Gibson said. Typically we have 10 bills a year in a legislative session. In 2009, there were 30. Seven bills passed, but we were able to mitigate damage on five of them. We were able to get several others deferred until 2010 and are not sure how many will return when the legislature reconvenes. We feel certain new ones will be filed. Gibson provided the following summary of legislative changes to open government laws in the first half of the 106th legislative session, as well as a list of issues that were deferred until the 2010 half of the session. TPA s Government Affairs Committee will be hard at work on these issues during 2010: Adopted: 1. Autopsy photos: Original proposal would have closed all autopsy reports. It was amended to apply only to photos out of concern that photos might be posted on the Internet. 2. Victim ID: Closed all information on those who ask the Department of Correction to notify them when someone is being released from prison. 3. Audits: Certain meetings of new, independent and state-certified internal audit committees. Legislation also protects work product records of internal auditors. We negotiated specific procedures that must be followed before an audit committee can close its meetings, including a public vote before the group. To qualify, the committee must meet the state Comptroller s definition of an independent audit committee. 4. Web chat rooms: Lets all governing bodies set up Internet chat rooms, but only if they meet the requirements of the state Office of Open Records Counsel, including public notice and citizen access to computer terminals so the public can follow. It doesn t allow deliberations or discussion between members in circumvention of the sunshine law. 5. Building security: Allows officials to withhold video surveillance of public buildings, but segments may be released when public safety and public health are involved. 6. Labor negotiations: All members of a public body can participate in a closed meeting to discuss labor negotiating strategy. Previously only the negotiating committee could meet in private. Actual, face-to-face negotiating sessions remain open. 7. Employee personnel files: Bill closed records that involve a public employee s health savings account or information dealing with a private pension or retirement. Deferred 8. Public notices: Pushed by the county mayors/executives association, it would allow public notices, including notices of meetings by public bodies, to be published on a government Web site. Other groups representing elected officials are expected to join the effort in Gun carry permits: The bill to close records showing who has been given special conceal and carry gun permits passed the House by an overwhelming majority but fell three votes short in the Senate. Despite recent news reports that the records are routinely used in political fundraising, we expect the legislation to return in 2010 in one form or another. 10. Sunshine Law: Legislation would allow local civil service merit boards to close meetings to discuss personnel matters. From Shelby County came legislation that would apply the privacy rules of labor arbitration proceedings to public bodies. 11. Police reports: Proposal from the Murfreesboro Police Department would give law enforcement agencies broad discretion to withhold any and all information in incident and offense reports. Original bill said the only information that would be clearly public would be traffic accident reports. 12. Public employee misconduct: Would close all records of complaints/ charges against public employees. The sponsor is a retired police officer. 13. Legislative s: Two bills proposed in One was delayed to Hunting/fishing licenses: One of 54 gun bills. 15. Records on the Web: Would allow records posted on a government Web site to satisfy the disclosure requirements of the public records act. 16. Constitutional amendments: Allow state Web sites to satisfy the publication requirement in the state Constitution. 17. Libel law changes: Described as Fair Campaign Practices legislation, it would adopt separate rules for libel in political advertising. Our lobbyist, Bo Johnson, had his hands full in 2009 dealing with many bills that could potentially remove public notice from newspapers or that could affect the business side of our industry. Public Notice: We maintain that newspapers are the best avenue for public notice. By providing notice in print newspapers as well as online, we make sure that the notices are available to as many Tennesseans as possible, regardless of how they choose to receive their news. Printed notices are durable, archived, and cannot be erased or altered. And since Service provides an online repository of Tennessee public notices at no additional cost to state and local governments, the notices are made available to all Tennesseans the day they are published. For this reason, we oppose any legislation that would allow notices to be removed from print newspapers and placed on expensive and unreliable government or thirdparty Web sites. Johnson noted that public notice was the subject of several bills in 2009 and provides this summary: House Bill 12 (Kelsey, R-Germantown) and Senate Bill 111 (Black, R- Hendersonville) provided that posting of notice of constitutional amendment elections on the Secretary of State s Web site satisfies the constitutional requirement that the election be sufficiently published, said Johnson. The House bill was referred to House Civil Practice subcommittee. The House and Senate sponsors took the bill off notice. Representative Kelsey was concerned that the cost of advertising a constitutional amendment would create a fiscal note, which might jeopardize the ultimate passage of constitutional amendment resolution. House Bill 1255 (Tindell, D-Knoxville) and Senate Bill 1554 (Burchett, R-Knoxville) would have allowed local governments to provide public notice via a local government Web site or by publishing in the electronic newspaper. The bill was introduced at the request of the association representing county mayors. No action was taken on the bills in either the House or the Senate. House Bill 540 (Dean, R-East Bank) and Senate Bill 730 (Watson, R-Hixson) would have allowed certain online newspapers to be designated as meeting the statutory requirement for publication of public notice. The bills were deferred until General Advertising: Johnson pointed out several bills that would have affected general advertising. House Bill 809 (Campfield, R-Knoxville) and Senate Bill 1236 (Bunch, R- Cleveland) would have levied a 25% tax on any advertising of adult entertainment and adult products in any publication distributed at least 25 times a year. The Senate bill was taken off notice in the Senate Finance Tax subcommittee, Johnson said. House Bill 624 (Maggart, R-Gallatin) and Senate Bill 257 (Jackson, D-Dickson) prohibited advertising on cable or satellite television that the broadcaster knows to be obscene or harmful to minors. House Bill 760 (Turner, D-Nashville) and Senate Bill 746 (Jackson, D- Dickson) were almost identical. Popularly referred to as the Girls Gone Wild bills, these bills remained in committee. Although the bills did not directly affect newspapers, TPA became involved due to the commercial free speech issues. House Bill 891 (Hackworth, D-Oak Ridge) and Senate Bill 1060 (Marrero, D-Memphis) were introduced in an attempt to curtail untruthful political advertising. In addition to compelling constitutional questions relating to free speech, the bills have also been amended to create potential legal issues for the media that publishes the advertising. TPA is currently working to protect newspapers from the potential legal liability. Senator Mike Faulk (R- Kingsport) asked the Attorney General to issue an opinion on the constitutionality of the bill. Action on the bill was deferred until the Attorney General opined on the issue. The Attorney General issued an opinion that upheld the constitutionality of the bill. Both sponsors agreed to take amendments that remove the legal liability from newspapers and other forms of media. The Senate version of the amended bill came up for a floor vote and failed to receive the 17 votes necessary for passage. The bill remains in the Senate and could be voted upon again in Johnson said that newspapers were almost caught up in an unexpected environmental issue in House Bill 2051 (McCord, R- Maryville) and Senate Bill 2083 (Burchett, R-Knoxville) enact the Tennessee Solid Waste Commodity Management Community Recycling Enhancement Act of The lengthy and complicated bill contained a provision that would have placed a tax on newsprint. The bills were placed into a summer study. Both sponsors had already agreed to remove the provision placing the tax on newsprint after being contacted by TPA, Johnson said TPA Expenditures General Administration $68,878 Conventions/Meetings $58,180 Rent/Building Expense $36,077 Government Relations $48,450 Contest $9,861 Legal Hotline $15,000 NAM/NNA $3,418

3 Sandra Shelton, TPA Advertising Committee chairman, presents the Ideas Contest Best of Show award to Darren Oliver, Overton County News. TPA & UT Recognize Excellence in Tennessee Newspapers Newspapers across Tennessee that won awards in the University of Tennessee- Association 2009 State Press Contests were recognized June 19 in Chattanooga. The Erwin Record, The Standard Banner, Jefferson City, Southern Standard, McMinnville, The Daily Herald, Columbia and The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, won the General Excellence top awards. UT has co-sponsored the annual contest since General Excellence honors are based on total points accumulated for all award categories. For the seventh consecutive year, The Erwin Record won the General Excellence Award for its division. It was the eighth win for the Southern Standard, second for The Daily Herald and The Standard Banner and third for The Commercial Appeal. The Kentucky Press Association judged a total of 1,477 contest entries from 84 association newspapers General Excellence Award winners Group The Erwin Record Group The Standard Banner, Jefferson City Group Southern Standard, McMinnville Group The Daily Herald, Columbia Group The Commercial Appeal, Memphis The Association has had a busy but somewhat stressful Our Public Notice Committee has worked closely with TCOG (Tennessee Coalition for Open Government) to avoid legislation that would allow public notices to be placed on Internet sites in lieu of printed newspapers. TPA will soon initiate a comprehensive campaign to help our members, their readers and our elected officials better understand the importance of public notices in newspapers. With our numbers of online readers skyrocketing, coupled with Victor Parkins The Milan Mirror- Exchange our free public notice Internet postings, newspapers provide the best avenue for public notices. Our Bylaws Committee has also been very active the past year, studying the language of our Constitution and Bylaws that could potentially prevent our association from adapting to new trends and developments in our industry. During our 2009 State Press Contests and Advertising/Circulation Ideas Contest, we recognized over 80 member newspapers for their outstanding achievements. In November, we also inducted five newspaper champions into our Hall of Fame. Our TPA Legal Hotline fielded over 250 calls assisting our member newspapers, and the association recognized six lay and elected individuals with Open Government Awards. Ideas Contest Awards Presented in Franklin Awards in the annual Tennessee Press Association Ideas Contest were presented Friday, April 3, in Franklin in conjunction with the Advertising/Circulation Conference. The Overton County News won the top prize, the Jack Freeland Memorial Award Best of Show, for the entry of a selfpromotion ad, Read it does a mind good. Darren Oliver designed the ad. Runners-up were the Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough, for its Showdown special section and the Shelbyville Times- Gazette for its This Christmas subscription promotion. The Shelbyville Times-Gazette received the most awards at 40. Members of the Kentucky Press Association judged the 1,095 contest entries. Forty-one newspapers participated in the 2009 contest. The Ideas Contest was established in The contest proceeds help to offset the speaker costs for the annual Advertising/Circulation Conference. The Best of Show Award is named in memory of the late Jack Freeland, former advertising manager of The Daily Herald, Columbia. Legal Hotline Proves Popular Member Benefit For many years, TPA has been partnering with TPA Counsel Rick Hollow to provide the Legal Hotline for all member newspapers. The Hotline allows members access to quick legal advice from Hollow s firm, Hollow and Hollow, regarding a wide range of publishing issues including access to records and government meetings, appropriate housing ad language, libel protection and more. The Hotline originally started as a subscription-based service that newspapers paid on top of membership dues. In 2004, the TPA Board voted to providing funding to cover 100 percent of the Hotline expense for all member publications, thus ending the subscription service. Starting in 2005, the TPA Foundation has helped to offset the cost of this service, sharing the expense with TPA. 09 TPA Highlights Winter Convention & Press Institute The annual convention provides networking, training and forums for members to share ideas. Highlights of the 2009 Convention included an address by Gov. Phil Bredesen, the return of Drive-In Training, a reception at the County Music Hall of Fame and a keynote address by Ken Paulson, former editor of USA Today. Open Government Awards TPA bestowed Open Government Awards to Gov. Phil Bredesen, News Sentinel Editor Jack McElroy, First Amendment Attorney Richard L. Hollow, Sen. Randy McNally, Sen. Joe Haynes and Rep. Steve McDaniel on Feb. 5. W. R. (Ron) Fryar received an Open Government Award on June 18. UT-TPA State Press Contests Eighty-four newspapers participated in the 2009 Contests. A total of 499 awards were presented on June 19 in Chattanooga. Advertising/Circulation Conference Attendees received valuable training and networking opportunities. Ideas Contest The contest supports the Advertising/Circulation Conference s educational programming. The Overton County News won Best of Show. A total of 283 awards were presented at the 2009 Conference. Since then, call volume grew steadily from just a few calls a month to as many as five per week. When asked about the most frequently raised issues in 2009, Hollow said that there was a wide variety of topics, but often callers were disappointed to find that our state laws provided few good answers. About 50% of the calls concerned access issues, with those split fairly evenly between meetings and records. The next most common category focused on advertising issues, such as public notice and real estate foreclosure questions. Real estate foreclosure issues specifically centered on the definition of the words published in the county, said Hollow. Does publish equate with printed or more broadly, distributed? 3 Elections Each June, new officers are elected during the Summer Convention. Tom Griscom, publisher of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, passed the presidential gavel to Victor Parkins, editor of The Milan Mirror-Exchange, on June 19. Summer Convention The Chattanooga Times Free Press hosted the summer convention and State Press Contests Awards Luncheon in Chattanooga. Attendees were treated to a private reception at the Tennessee Aquarium. Contests Judgings The participation of our members who served as judges allows TPA to have the annual State Press Contests and Ideas Contest judged by members of another state press association. The Kentucky Press Association was our reciprocal judging partner for TPA members judged the KPA ad contest in April and the news/editorial contest in November. Legislative Arena TPA continues to fight for the public s right to know and the newspaper industry through lobbying efforts on the state level. Hall of Fame Five individuals were posthumously inducted into the Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame on Nov. 6, bringing the total number of honorees now memorialized to 53. This issue has been raised but is unresolved at the appellate court level. These questions were probably 30% of the total. A small percentage of this grouping involved wording in ads that included defamation, privacy and discrimination. Hollow said that most of the remaining calls dealt with defamation, privacy or shield law concerns. He said that there was an increase in the number of calls dealing with sales tax and sales tax audits this year. One call to the Hotline could potentially save thousands if it helps to avoid a costly litigation or help open up a story. And members may even be eligible for a discount on their libel insurance premiums. TPA members have repeatedly confirmed that the Legal Hotline is one of the most valuable services we provide.

4 4 Association Officers, Directors and Members by District Director, District 1 Lynn Richardson Herald and Tribune Jonesborough Director, District 8 Brad Franklin The Lexington Progress Bean Station, Grainger Today Bristol, Bristol Herald Courier Elizabethton, Elizabethton Star Erwin, The Erwin Record Greeneville, The Greeneville Sun Jefferson City, The Standard Banner Johnson City, Johnson City Press Jonesborough, Herald and Tribune Kingsport, Kingsport Times-News Morristown, Citizen Tribune Mountain City, The Tomahawk Newport, The Newport Plain Talk Rogersville, Rogersville Review TPA officers are elected to serve one-year terms. Terms are July 1 through June 30. Directors serve for two years on a staggered basis. Directors of even numbered districts are elected in even years and directors of odd numbered districts are elected in odd years. TPA bylaws require a specific rotation in the presidency. Every even year, the president elected will be from a daily newspaper and every odd year the president elected will be from a nondaily member newspaper. Additionally, the presidency rotates among TPA s three grand divisions. Victor Parkins, the president elected in 2009, is from TPA s western grand division. It is customary for the president to have served two one-year terms as vice president before being elected president. Elections are held during the TPA Business Session at the summer convention. Victor Parkins The Milan Mirror- Exchange Director, District 2 Jack McElroy News Sentinel Knoxville Clinton, The Courier-News Harriman, The Harriman Record Kingston, The Roane County News Knoxville, News Sentinel Lenoir City, News-Herald Maryville, The Daily Times Maynardville, The Union News Leader Oak Ridge, The Oak Ridger Pigeon Forge, Tennessee Star Journal Rockwood, The Rockwood Times Sevierville, The Mountain Press Tazewell, The Claiborne Progress Director, District 3 Chris Vass Chattanooga Times Free Press VICE DAILIES Art Powers Johnson City Press Athens, The Daily Post-Athenian Benton, Polk County News Chattanooga, Chattanooga Times Free Press Chattanooga, Hamilton County Herald Cleveland, Cleveland Daily Banner Dayton, The Herald-News Dunlap, The Dunlap Tribune Jasper, Jasper Journal Pikeville, The Bledsonian-Banner South Pittsburg, South Pittsburg Hustler Sweetwater, The Advocate & Democrat VICE NON-DAILIES Jeff Fishman The Tullahoma News Director, District 4 Mike DeLapp Herald-Citizen Cookeville Byrdstown, Pickett County Press Carthage, Carthage Courier Celina, Citizen-Statesman Celina, Dale Hollow Horizon Cookeville, Herald-Citizen Crossville, Crossville Chronicle Gainesboro, Jackson County Sentinel Hartsville, The Hartsville Vidette Jamestown, Fentress Courier Lafayette, Macon County Chronicle Lafayette, Macon County Times LaFollette, The LaFollette Press Livingston, Livingston Enterprise Livingston, Overton County News Oneida, Independent Herald Oneida, Scott County News Sparta, The Sparta Expositor Spencer, The Mountain View Wartburg, Morgan County News Director, District 5 Hugh Jones Shelbyville Times-Gazette Fayetteville, Elk Valley Times Lynchburg, The Moore County News Manchester, Manchester Times McMinnville, Southern Standard Murfreesboro, The Daily News Journal Shelbyville, Shelbyville Times-Gazette Smithville, The Middle Tennessee Times Smithville, Smithville Review Tracy City, Grundy County Herald Tullahoma, The Tullahoma News Winchester, The Herald-Chronicle Woodbury, Cannon Courier TREASURER Kevin Burcham News-Herald, Lenoir City Director, District 6 Andrew Oppmann The Leaf-Chronicle Clarksville Director, District 7 John Finney Buffalo River Review Linden DIRECTOR AT LARGE Tom Griscom Chattanooga Times Free Press Ashland City, Ashland City Times Clarksville, The Leaf-Chronicle Dickson, The Dickson Herald Dover, The Stewart-Houston Times Gallatin, The News Examiner Gallatin, The Gallatin Newspaper Lebanon, The Lebanon Democrat Lebanon, The Wilson Post Mt. Juliet, Mt. Juliet News Nashville, The Tennessean Portland, The Portland Leader Springfield, Robertson County Times Waverly, The News-Democrat Westmoreland, The Westmoreland Observer Ardmore, Your Community Shopper Centerville, Hickman County Times Columbia, The Daily Herald Fairview, The Fairview Observer Hohenwald, Lewis County Herald Lawrenceburg, The Democrat-Union Lewisburg, Marshall County Tribune Linden, Buffalo River Review Pulaski, Pulaski Citizen Waynesboro, The Wayne County News Bolivar, Bulletin Times Camden, The Camden Chronicle Henderson, Chester County Independent Huntingdon, Carroll County News-Leader Jackson, The Jackson Sun Lexington, The Lexington Progress McKenzie, The McKenzie Banner Parsons, The News Leader Savannah, The Courier Selmer, Independent Appeal Director, District 9 Joel Washburn Dresden Enterprise Dresden, Dresden Enterprise Dyer, The Tri-City Reporter Dyersburg, State Gazette Humboldt, The Humboldt Chronicle Martin, Weakley County Press Milan, The Milan Mirror-Exchange Paris, The Paris Post-Intelligencer Tiptonville, Lake County Banner Trenton, The Gazette Union City, Union City Daily Messenger Director, District 10 Eric Barnes The Daily News Memphis Alamo, The Crockett Times Bartlett, Bartlett Express Brownsville, The States-Graphic Collierville, Collierville Herald Covington, The Leader Germantown, Germantown News Halls, The Halls Graphic Memphis, The Commercial Appeal Memphis, The Daily News Memphis, Memphis Business Journal Millington, The Millington Star Ripley, The Lauderdale County Enterprise Ripley, The Lauderdale Voice Somerville, The Fayette Falcon

5 2009 Banner Year for TPAF It s Official TnPress.com The official Web site of the Tennessee Press Association improves services to members. It provides a 24-hour resource with information about the association, Tennessee Press Service and the Tennessee Press Association Foundation. The site includes information about industry topics, upcoming meetings and events, contests, video training segments, back issues of The and more. Another way TPA communicates with members is through weekly Member Updates sent via . The updates provide information about TPA events, members and the newspaper industry and have been offered for over two years. If you are not receiving the Member Update, please contact Robyn Gentile, member services manager, at rgentile@tnpress.com or (865) , ext Association Foundation was formed in 1976 to provide financial support for training, education and other newspaperrelated causes. In the 33 years since, TPAF has now granted $546,000 to a wide variety of causes that give back to our industry! During the past few years, TPAF has repositioned itself to become stronger than ever. After identifying its core mission and vision, TPAF set out to create an endowment fund and set responsible spending levels to ensure its financial health for decades to come. In 2005 it constructed a new headquarters facility in Knoxville, and it now rents space to both TPA and TPS. This rent agreement provides positive cash flow to both grow the endowment and provide significant funding for grant assistance. During 2009, the Foundation set a record for grant funding, with $46,400 granted to newspaperrelated organizations. The Foundation Projects Funding Committee carefully reviews each grant request to ensure that funds are awarded to causes that are in line with our mission. Many grant recipients in 2009 provided training to newspaper staffers and both secondary and higher education journalism students. Grant funding included $12,500 to the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government; $10,000 to Tennessee Press Association to help offset costs for providing the Legal Hotline for all TPA member newspapers; $8,000 for scholarships for members to attend the Institute of Newspaper Technology, an internationally-recognized intensive training program held in conjunction with the University of Tennessee; $4,000 to TPA for a serial story that would reach young readers; $3,600 to TPA to help defray costs for inducting individuals into the Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame; $3,000 as the final installment of a five-year, $15,000 grant to Southern Newspaper Publishers Association to help offset costs associated with providing the free Traveling Campus multi-day training workshops at various locations across Tennessee; $2,500 to Association to defray costs of bringing in instructors for the annual Drive-In Training concurrent workshops during Winter Convention; $2,000 to Belmont University for a summer journalism camp; and $800 to Volunteer State Community College Foundation to provide computer assisted reporting training to students. The Foundation was able to retire the mortgage debt on its 8,000 square-foot headquarters facility in Knoxville in June of This will allow the Foundation to enter 2010 debt-free, and allow it to focus on core mission values central to the growth and vitality of our industry. This has been an exciting year for the Association Foundation. As you will see from the graph and story in this report, the Foundation has granted $46,400 toward a wide variety of newspaper-related causes in This is among the highest amount of funds granted in any given year! Recipients include many worthy secondary and higher educational organizations, most of which are charged with developing TPAF 2009 Grants Funded $46,400 Tennessee Coalition for Open Government $12,500 TPA Legal Hotline $10,000 Volunteer State Foundation $800 Belmont Un. Journalism Camp $2,000 SNPA Foundation $3,000 W.R. (Ron) Fryar Cannon Courier Woodbury future readers and journalists to our industry. This impressive level of funding pushes the lifetime amount of grant funding by TPAF to $546,000 since the Foundation s beginnings in In June of 2009, the Foundation paid off the remaining mortgage balance on its 8,000 square foot headquarters facility in Knoxville. Valued at $1.35 million, this facility was constructed in the spring of 2005 and has housed the TPA, TPS and Foundation offices since April of that year. Now completely debt-free, the Foundation will enter 2010 ready to focus on growing its endowment and increasing the level of grant funding available to newspaper-related causes. Institute of Newspaper Technology $8,000 Newspaper Hall of Fame $3,600 Newspaper in Education Press Institute $4,000 Drive-In Training $2,500 Association Foundation Officers and Trustees W.R. (Ron) Fryar Cannon Courier, Woodbury VICE Gregg K. Jones The Greeneville Sun GENERAL COUNSEL Richard L. Hollow Knoxville William R. (Ron) Fryar, President Cannon Courier, Woodbury Gregg K. Jones, Vice President The Greeneville Sun Greg Sherrill, Secretary-Treasurer Knoxville Richard L. Hollow, General Counsel..... Hollow & Hollow, Knoxville Jay Albrecht MMA Creative, Cookeville Joe Albrecht Cookeville Bob Atkins Hendersonville Eric Barnes The Daily News, Memphis Jim Charlet Brentwood David Critchlow, Jr Union City Daily Messenger Jeff Fishman The Tullahoma News R. Jack Fishman Citizen Tribune, Morristown R. Michael Fishman Citizen Tribune, Morristown Dale Gentry The Standard Banner, Jefferson City Tom Griscom Chattanooga Times Free Press Tom Hill Oak Ridge Doug Horne Republic Newspapers, Knoxville Hugh Jones Shelbyville Times-Gazette John M. Jones, Jr The Greeneville Sun Sam D. Kennedy Kennedy Newspapers, Columbia Hershel Lake Pulaski Citizen Steve Lake Pulaski Citizen Victor Parkins The Milan Mirror-Exchange Mike Pirtle Murfreesboro Art Powers Johnson City Press Walter Pulliam Knoxville Janet Rail Independent Appeal, Selmer Darrell Richardson The Oak Ridger, Oak Ridge Pauline Sherrer Crossville Chronicle Henry Stokes Germantown Joel Washburn The McKenzie Banner F. Gene Washer Clarksville Scott Whaley Chester County Independent, Henderson Bill Williams Paris Keith Wilson Kingsport Times-News 5

6 6 Public Notice Site Becomes Increasingly Important to Tennessee Newspapers Newspapers of all sizes throughout Tennessee participate in the TPA Public Notice Web site. Since its inception in 2007, the site has provided a useful source for public information, including bids, foreclosures, meeting announcements and trustee sales. Each notice on the site is accompanied by the name and date of the publication from which it was printed. While most of our metro and daily newspapers upload notices promptly each day using an automated system, smaller papers have been slower to respond. I can't overstate the importance of getting all of our members to upload their information to the public notice Web site, said Kevin Slimp, technology director. It takes less than five minutes each week, and the benefits to the public and to our industry more than justify the minimal effort. Slimp visited a few members to watch them upload their notices to get a better idea of how much work is involved in the process. I was a little surprised when I was with the staff at Jefferson City and saw the entire process for uploading that week s notices completed in less than a minute, said Slimp. For more information, call the TPA office at Service Officers & Directors Pauline D. Sherrer Crossville Chronicle Auction $250,934 Healthcare $289,084 ROP VICE Michael Williams The Paris Post-Intelligencer DIRECTOR Jeff Fishman The Tullahoma News DIRECTOR W.R. (Ron) Fryar Cannon Courier Woodbury DIRECTOR Victor Parkins The Milan Mirror-Exchange DIRECTOR Art Powers Johnson City Press 2009 TPS Advertising Placement Insurance $128,126 Lottery $109,349 Telecommunications $797,555 Tourism $46,408 Other* $300,833 Public Notice $1,187,168 Retail Chains $1,461,360 TnNET $3,600 TnSCAN $299,763 *Other includes Advocacy, Restaurants, Consumer Goods, Recruitment, Tourism, Political, Auto Dealerships, Education, Expos, State Associations and Class Action Lawsuits Out of State Classifi ed $186,275 TnDAN $233,775 Out of State DAN $84,194 Network The Institute of Newspaper Technology is co-sponsored each year by Service and The University of Tennessee. Service (TPS) has placed more than $5.4 million of advertising in member newspapers all across the state. These dollars have been a positive factor for member newspapers during this year of the declining revenue stream. This year, TPS developed regional sales cluster groups to meet the needs of the advertising market. Through this target sales approach, TPS believes many additional advertising dollars will be going to member newspapers in the small to medium sized markets all across the state. In 2009, TPS launched TnNET, an online network that allows customers to reach more than 40 newspapers statewide with one easy buy. TPS will be working to sign up more participating newspapers, thus developing a larger client base for TnNET in TPS knows with all member newspapers working together, we can gain back many of the 2009 declining advertising dollars. Pauline D. Sherrer Crossville Chronicle TPS is working on behalf of member newspapers to provide the medium for Tennessee public notice advertisements to be placed on which aggregates the majority of TPA member newspapers public notice advertisements into one easy-to-use site available at no charge to the general public. TPS believes Tennessee newspapers are the only medium that can provide public notice to as broad an audience as possible, via both the local newspapers and on the Web. Despite the slowdown in economy, TPS Technology Director Kevin Slimp filled to capacity this year s session of the Institute of Newspaper Technology. This year as in all past years, leaders of the technology field came to Knoxville from all across the United States for a hands-on intensive technology training program. We are so fortunate to have Kevin on our team! Due to the dedication of our valuable staff, TPS has trimmed operational expenses to help meet the decline in revenues. Your TPS staff served you well in 2009! I am proud to have served as your TPS President in I wish to thank the TPS board of directors for their hard work and help when we had to make those difficult cost-cutting decisions. During 2009, TPS continued the work to bring our member papers additional revenue. Barry Jarrell, Advertising Director (covering East Tennessee) and Rhonda Graham, New Business Development Manager (covering Middle and West Tennessee), have traveled across Tennessee and other states spreading the word on Tennessee newspapers to advertising agencies and companies alike. In addition, maintains a media presence online to further attract media buyers to Tennessee newspapers. With a professional staff of media buyers made up of Pam Corley and Earl Goodman, we are able to assist advertisers in placing ads in multiple markets across Tennessee at no extra cost to them. TPS makes it easy for ad agencies and companies to place in Tennessee newspapers! For additional information on TPS advertising, Barry Jarrell at bjarrell@tnpress.com

7 The Citizen-Tribune, Morristown, sponsored a day of training for high school journalists in the area in October. TPS Leads Industry in Training Service, along with TPA and TPAF, enjoy a reputation among newspaper organizations as the unqualified leaders in the area of technology training. From an online video training program to regularly scheduled webinars to the Institute of Newspaper Technology, Tennessee newspapers have a wealth of resources available when it s time to train staff in the latest hardware and software. Members throughout the state take advantage of these offerings in ever-growing numbers. Whether they are traveling to the campus of The University of Tennessee for three days of in-depth training or sitting at desks or conference tables in their offices taking part in a live webinar, Tennessee newspaper staffs have the most advanced training available at their fingertips. For more information concerning training opportunities, check out the offerings on this page or visit the Training area of tnpress.com. Institute of Newspaper Technology Continues Success in 2009 Since 1997, TPS and The University of Tennessee have combined efforts to host the Institute of Newspaper Technology. Held on campus at UT-Knoxville, the Institute draws attendees from throughout the newspaper industry. Pictured clockwise from top left are Clay Scott, Gallatin; a class in Flash Animation taught by Kevin Slimp; Russell Viers teaches a class in Adobe Bridge while a student from Minnesota looks on; Elizabeth Trexler finds something amusing during a class. It was another banner year for the Institute of Newspaper Technology. Students and instructors gathered from throughout the United States, as well as two foreign countries (Austria and Sweden) to take part in this incredible event. Thanks to a generous contribution from Association Foundation, TPA members were able to attend at a significant discount. David Spencer, Frankfort, Ky., said, It was simply awesome! Jonathan Jonas, from Summersville, W. Va., added, It always gets me fired up with possibilities. The Institute of Newspaper Technology provided the largest offering of instructional information needed by newspaper and web media professionals that I have ever seen, according to Lisa Reed, Durant, Okla. Requests have already come in asking if potential attendees can pre-register for the 2010 session. The next session of the Institute is scheduled for October 7-9, Reaching the Masses Service Online Service offers several online opportunities for member papers and advertisers. In Spring 2009, TPS launched TnNET, Tennessee s Online Ad Network. Although it was a tough year to start a new program, TPS was successful in getting it off the ground and running. We have had five ad campaigns run this year. There are 45 TPA member newspapers participating in TnNET. The newspapers have placed the string of code provided by TPS on their Web site where they would like the ads to appear. Once the code is in place, no further work is required. TnNET is by far the easiest program in which to participate. TPS launched an additional Web site this year to showcase the many services we provide, such as ROP advertising, statewide network advertising, online advertising, clipping bureau and press release distribution. This new site has aided TPS in online searches, increasing traffic from those wanting more information on reaching Tennesseans through Tennessee newspapers. This new site can be reached by visiting tnadvertising.biz. TPS continues to promote the newspapers of Tennessee online via SRDS (Standard Rate and Data Service). Every member paper is listed for media buyers across the country who are interested in placing ads in Tennessee newspapers. In addition to the above online services are the Public Notice Web site and Online Training for member newspapers. For more information on any of these offerings, please call TPA/TPS headquarters at (865) Rob Heller works with Devin Greeney, Memphis, during the Institute of Newspaper Technology in October. Devin was learning to create audio slideshows for Web sites. version X.III

8 Successful Clipping Year For the TPS Clipping Bureau, 2009 was a successful year, the third most profitable on record. The bureau delivered 182,000 clips to 170 accounts. Of those clips, 90,205 were e- clips, which allow clients to receive their newspaper articles directly in their inbox rather than by traditional mail. TPS sent 91,795 clips traditionally. Through this service, articles from TPA member newspapers reach a wide audience. TPS Clipping Bureau clients come from all over the state of Tennessee and various other states on both coasts. The TPS Clipping Service proved to be an affordable and indispensable marketing tool even in tough economic times. TPS Clipping Bureau managed to have its third most profitable year on record in Using a clipping service saves clients thousands of dollars a year on subscription fees and hours spent searching for a product, person or topic. Clients never have to wonder about what is being written about them. TPS readers search 140 Tennessee newspapers for thousands of keywords and concepts for their clients. The Clipping Bureau service is superior to an electronic keyword search, as many Tennessee newspapers do not have an online presence. This keeps our clients up-to-date on even the hardest to research newspapers. Accounts can be set up for any need and can be customized to fit a client s wishes. Keywords can be added or deleted at any time, and the list of newspapers read can be adjusted to a specific city or area. TPS hopes to reach new clientele in the coming year. An expanded brochure was developed to highlight the benefits of the service. The Clipping Bureau also launched an incentive program to encourage clients to spread the word about the service. Referring clients receive a free one month reading fee. Advertising Networks Appeal to Advertisers in Slow Economy Tennessee s Advertising Networks were especially appealing to advertisers in 2009 due to the low cost and wide reach of the ads classified line ads (TnScan), 2x2 and 2x4 ads (TnDAN), and online ads (TnNET). The Advertising Networks were also a good source of revenue for those newspapers that sold ads into the networks. From January through November, TPA newspapers collectively sold $134,110 into the networks, of which they kept $53,644. This is a potential goldmine for TPA members to utilize. TPS has made it easier to access up-to-date sales packets through Sales reps can download the most current rates and information 24/7. Plus, house ads are available encouraging readers to call your newspaper for ad placement. In early 2009, TPS held a sales rep contest in conjunction with the Winter Special in order to entice reps to sell network ads. The sales reps generated $1,182 in new revenue for their newspapers. The rep that won the contest did so through a client that continued to renew their ad. Repeat business seems to be the key. Newspaper Hall Grows by Five Five individuals were posthumously inducted into the Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame on Nov. 6 in Knoxville, bringing the total number memorialized to 53. Inducted were: Sallie Rebecca (Pattie) Boyd, former society editor of The Knoxville Journal; James E. Charlet, former publisher of the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle; Roy C. Coleson, former publisher of the Fayette Falcon, Somerville; J. Neal Ensminger, former editor of The Daily Post-Athenian, Athens; and William C. Simonton, former co-owner and assistant manager of The Covington Leader. Members of the Charlet, Ensminger and Simonton families attended the fifteenth induction ceremony. The Hall of Fame was established in 1966 as a joint project of the Association and the University of Tennessee. The Hall of Fame honors those who have made an outstanding contribution to Tennessee Newspaper journalism or, through Tennessee journalism, to newspaper journalism generally, or Association Representing 126 Newspapers 435 Montbrook Lane Knoxville, TN Phone (865) Toll Free (800) Fax (865) tnpress.com who have made an extraordinary contribution to their communities and region, or the state, through newspaper journalism. The program recognizes and memorializes extraordinary and clearly outstanding contributions to newspaper journalism and the newspaper industry. The program s criteria and procedures were established in 1966, based on policies set jointly by the Association and the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees. The Hall of Fame is physically located on the third floor of the Communications Building at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. TPA & TPS Staff Members Greg Sherrill, TPA Executive Director Greg Sherrill, TPS Exec. Vice President Laurie Alford, TPS Business Controller Kathy Hensley, Accounting Services Rep. Barry Jarrell, Advertising Director Rhonda Graham, New Business Dev. Mgr. Beth Elliott, Network Ad Manager Pam Corley, Senior Print Media Buyer Earl Goodman, Print Media Buyer In 2010, participating newspapers will receive quarterly advisory s suggesting categories that could do well for the Advertising Networks. TPS will also have a new contest for sales reps. The three reps who sell the most ads will receive cash. Details will be provided in Even newspapers that did not sell the ads made money. All participating newspapers share in a pool of money collected by TPS. Rebate checks are issued quarterly. TPS issued a total of $107, in rebates the first three quarters of 2009! Call us to make sure your newspaper is getting paid its share. Participation in the Advertising Networks grew in TnScan has 90 participating newspapers, TnDAN has 87 and TnNET has 45. If your newspaper is not already participating in TnScan, TnDAN and TnNET, we encourage you to do so. The Advertising Networks have the potential to be a new revenue stream for your newspaper. TPS would like to thank the TPA members who continue to participate in the programs. Be on the lookout for the advisory s each quarter and details on the contest in Robyn Gentile, TPA Member Services Mgr. Kevin Slimp, Technology Director Angelique Dunn, Administrative Assistant Jeanie Bell, Managing Reader Jessica Price, Managing Reader Brenda Leek, Tabber Alisa Subhakul, Reader Elenora Edwards, Managing Editor, The Associate Members AbitibiBowater, Inc. Aflac Associated Press AT&T Derryberry Public Relations Dye, Van Mol & Lawrence Dynaric, Inc. Hollow and Hollow, LLC King & Ballow Life Care Centers of America Metro Creative Graphics, Inc. MMA Creative Publishing Group of America Right Way Business Services Rowlett Advertising Service Russell Printing Options Signature Offset Tennessee Education Association Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation Tennessee National Guard Tennessee Dept. of Tourist Development Tennessee Valley Authority The Only Voice W.D. Stone & Associates W.E. Shaw & Associates The Zinser Law Firm Collegiate Associate Members Austin Peay State University Carson Newman College Cleveland State Community College East Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University Murray State University Tennessee Technological University Union University The University of Memphis The University of Tennessee, Knoxville The University of Tennessee, Martin Volunteer State Community College Western Kentucky University