Official Publication of the Arizona Newspapers Association for distribution to all employees of ANA-member newspapers
ANA
grams
A community newspaper for community newspaper people. January 2008
Local media exec dies in car crash Page 4
www.ananews.com
Save the date for the annual ANA Legislative Luncheon
Briefs
Ad contest deadline looming The Arizona Newspapers Association Excellence in Advertising competition deadline is Feb. 15. New year, new ANA Web site ANA has redesigned our Web site for better usability. Visit www.ananews.com and give us your feedback. UA student receives Hearst Journalism Award Jennifer Tramm, a journalism student at the University of Arizona placed second in the Hearst Journalism Awards program for a piece she wrote about deadbeat dads. She will receive a $1,500 scholarship and qualifies for the National Writing Championship in June. Tramm is a reporter for The Arizona Daily Wildcat, a UA student newspaper. NAU professor passes away Donna W. Henrichs, 43, passed away Dec. 8 at Flagstaff Medical Center. As a faculty member at the School of Communication, Henrichs taught communication, advertising and public relations to Northern Arizona University students. She is survived by her husband Joel and their children Bailey, Spencer, Alyssa and Haley. Top newspaper exec at Gannett to retire in May The president of Gannett Co. Inc.’s newspaper division said that she plans to retire in May, after 40 years with the company. Sue Clark-Johnson, as head of the McLean, Va.-based publishing giant’s newspaper operations since 2005, has overseen the country’s largest newspaper, USA Today, one of 85 daily newspapers that Gannett owns, along with hundreds of nondaily publications. A successor has not yet been named. Before her promotion to president, Clark-Johnson was CEO of Phoenix Newspapers Inc., which publishes the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, and senior group president of Gannett’s Pacific Newspaper Group. Craigslist donates $1.6 mil to UC Craigslist is donating $1.6 million to the University of California, Berkeley to create the first endowed faculty chair in “new media.” FCC reverses cross-ownership restrictions The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 to reverse the 32-year-old prohibition upon daily newspapers owning broadcast stations within their market. This change was limited to newspapers in the top 20 markets in the U.S.
ANA and the Arizona Capitol Times will co-sponsor and host a day at the Capitol on Monday, January 28, 2008. The entire Legislature has been formally invited to lunch with publishers and editors from across the state. Please save this date on your calendars! This is a great opportunity for publishers and editors to share a few minutes with the legislators,
and make an impact on issues which could affect legislation in your part of the state. Individual appointments can be made if you have special issues to discuss with your legislator. An informal luncheon, catered by Alexi’s, will be held at the Arizona Capitol Times building from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This is your chance to personalize your relationship with your local
and state representatives. We hope you will join us. ANA is the official voice of Arizona newspapers in state government. If you want your voice to be heard, come make an appearance and take an opportunity to hum in your legislator’s ear. To R.S.V.P., contact Bobby Blatchley at (602) 889-7127.
Schatt Lecture to focus on pioneer women in journalism Join Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Valley of the Sun chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in presenting a fascinating panel discussion, “Breaking Barriers: Women Leaders in News,” 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11, at Katzin Hall in ASU’s Music Building. Admission is free. Athia Hardt, a one-time Arizona Republic colleague of Paul Schatt’s and first female president of the Valley of the Sun SPJ chapter will introduce a panel of distinguished female journalists: Julia Wallace is the first female editor of The Atlanta Journal Constitution, the paper she interned for nearly 25 years ago. She was managing editor of The Arizona Republic from 1999-2001. Wallace also served as editor of The States-
man Journal newspaper in Salem, Ore., and worked as a reporter and editor at the Virginian Pilot-Ledger Star, USA Today and the Chicago Sun-Times. Ellen Soeteber is an awardwinning journalist and former top editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch who is now the Edith Kinney Gaylord Visiting Professor in Journalism at the Cronkite School. She is the only woman to hold the top editing position at the Post-Dispatch in its 129-year history and one of a small number of women ever to lead a Top 30 major metropolitan newspaper. Catherine Anaya is a threetime Emmy Award-winning journalist who anchors the nightly newscasts at KPHO, the CBS affiliate in Phoenix. She is a regular contributor to Latino Perspectives Magazine and previously wrote an awardwinning monthly parenting column
for Los Angeles Magazine. She also anchored a morning news show and co-hosted an afternoon women’s talk show at KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. Susan Green is the broadcast director of the Cronkite News Service in the Cronkite School. She was previously managing editor at KNXV-TV in Phoenix and held executive producer positions at KPNX-TV in Phoenix, at WUSA in Washington, D.C., and WABC-TV in New York City. She wrote and produced a Telly Award-nominated A&E documentary and is the recipient of a Peabody Award for WABC’s coverage of the events of Sept. 11, 2001. More information is available on the Valley of the Sun chapter Web site, www.spj.org/arizona.
Arizona Newspapers Foundation launches fundraising campaign The Arizona Newspapers Foundation is excited to announce the launch of our 2008 3for3 program. With the partnership of member newspapers, ANF hopes to raise money to fund scholarships and provide financial assistance to the journalism departments of Arizona’s three state universities. A special thank you to the Arizona Capitol Times, Sierra Vista Herald and Inside Tucson Business for being the first to donate three percent (or more) of their circulation to help support the three journalism schools at Arizona’s public universities. Tuition is rising at a rapid pace; almost 14 percent in the last year alone. Make certain journalism students have the money they need to
continue their impact on Arizona news. Consider donation three percent of your circulation. If you have not received a pledge card or have questions regarding this fundraiser please contact Sharon Schwartz at (602) 261-7655 ext. 108 or s.schwartz@ananews.com. ANAgrams Arizona Newspapers Association 1001 N. Central Avenue, Suite 670 Phoenix, AZ 85004 - 1947
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ANA/Ad Services Board of Directors President John Wolfe One-Year Director/Non-Daily Independent Newspapers Inc. (Phoenix) (480) 497-0048.............................jsw11@aol.com First Vice President Dick Larson Two-Year Director/Daily Western Newspapers Inc. (928) 634-5898.............. dlarson@westernnews.com Second Vice President Michael Chihak One-Year Director/Daily Tucson Citizen (520) 806-7735............. mchihak@tucsoncitizen.com Third Vice President Tom Arviso Two-Year Director/Non-Daily Navajo Times (Window Rock) (928) 871-7359......... tomarviso@thenavajotimes.com Secretary/Treasurer Teri Hayt Two-Year Director/At-large Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) (520) 573-4220...................... terihayt@tucson.com Directors Ginger Lamb Two-Year Director/Non-Daily Arizona Capitol Times (Phoenix) (602) 258-7026........ ginger.lamb@azcapitoltimes.com Rick Schneider One-Year Director/Non-Daily Eastern Arizona Courier (928) 428-2560................ schneider@eacourier.com Ward Bushee Two-Year Director/Daily Arizona Republic (Phoenix) (602) 444-8087..... ward.bushee@arizonarepublic.com Don Rowley One-Year Director/Daily Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff) (928) 774-4545...................... drowley@pulitzer.net Elvira Espinoza Two-Year Director/At-large La Voz (Phoenix) (602) 444-3835........ elvira.ortiz@lavozpublishing.com Pam Mox Past President Green Valley News and Sun (520) 625-5511....................... pmox@gvnews.com
Arizona Newspapers Foundation Board of Directors The foundation is an educational, charitable nonprofit corporation for education. Its primary mission is to teach newspaper people and teachers how to use a newspaper in a classroom. Its goal in 2007 is to become revenue independent. Chairman of the Board Josie Cantu-Weber, Tucson Citizen (928) 453-4237............... jweber@tucsoncitizen.com Vice Chairman Joann Carranza (520) 730-4298.......................carranza57@cox.net Treasurer Lee Knapp, The Sun (Yuma) (928) 183-3333.................... lknapp@yumasun.com Secretary Pam Mox, Green Valley News & Sun (520) 625-5511...............................pmox@gvnews.com Directors L. Alan Cruikshank, Fountain Hills Times (480) 837-1925......................... alan@fhtimes.com Steve Doig, Cronkite School of Journalism, Arizona State University (480) 965-0798....................... steve.doig@asu.edu Bret McKeand, Independent Newspapers, Inc. (623) 972-6101.......................... SCIbret@aol.com John Wolfe, Independent Newspapers Inc. (480) 497-0048...................................... jsw11@aol.com Jeff Weigand, formerly of the Buckeye Sun (623) 386-7077................ jweigand@swvalleysun.com
ANAgrams is published every month by the Arizona Newspapers Association 1001 N. Central Ave., Suite 670 Phoenix, AZ 85004-1947 (602) 261-7655 • Fax: (602) 261-7525 www.ananews.com www.publicnoticeads.com
What’s government affairs got to do with it? BY JOHN FEARING DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
(Writer’s Note: Many of you probably don’t know, but after serving as Executive Director of your newspaper association for nearly 14 years, I stepped back last August to be responsible only for legislative affairs, www.PublicNoticeAds.com which serves 17 states as an internet database, and for production of the Excellence in Advertising and Better Newspapers/Newspaper of the year competition. Here is an update on legislative affairs for the 2008 session that is about to begin.) Generally about this time of year, a week or more before the start of the state legislative session, our lobbyist and legal counsel John Moody and I are busy fielding early calls for discussion on legislation that may affect our business or public access to records and meetings. This year it hasn’t been so busy, and that is a good thing. Of course it could be a scary thing – maybe there are legislative proposals out there we don’t know about yet. Here is one we do know about:
The government entities of Arizona are seeking a clarification to the state statute that says certain critical infrastructure information provided to the Department of Public Safety, is not public information. The amendment proposed wants to broaden that to make it any critical infrastructure information. Generally we don’t oppose the lack of public oversight ability in this case. Critical Infrastructure Information in this case is defined in statutes, and is required by law so cities, counties, etc. take a look at their vulnerable spots. Best not to tell the bad actors where the vulnerable spots are. However, we don’t really like the total secrecy. How are residents of your town going to know whether your town has identified its vulnerable spots, and is it doing anything about it. We’ll keep you posted.
Marketing, Member Revenue
Government / Public Policy
Objectives ANA revenue enhancements; Assist members with political advertising sales; ANA directory; Statewide online classified ads; Public Notice promotion; Effective communications to members; Digital archiving of newspapers; Recognize advertising business partners in ad awards contest; The Committee Dick Larson, Chairman, Western Newspapers; Steve Stevens, Today’s News Herald, Lake Havasu City; Lisa Miller, The Sun (Yuma); Mark Bollin, Green Valley News & Sun; Blake Dewitt, Western Newspapers; Cindy Meaux, Ad Placement Manager, ANA; Sharon Schwartz, Network Advertising Manager, ANA; John Alexander, Foothills Focus.
First Amendment Coalition
Objectives Provide journalists from member newspapers with educational information and a legal hot line for access issues. ANA is responsible for 12 seats on this board of directors. ANA Appointees Dan Burnette, West Valley View; Joseph Reaves, Arizona Republic; Terry Ross, Yuma Daily Sun; Josie Cantu-Weber, Tucson Citizen; David Bodney, Steptoe & Johnson; Ben Hanson, Daily Courier; Michelle Williams, Associated Press; Mark Kimble, Tucson Citizen, and Kevin Kemper, University of Arizona.
Education Task Force
Objectives Conventions: Spring Marketing Workshop in May (Wed-Fri) and Fall Convention in October (Thursday-Saturday), First two days of both are computer training and half-day of sessions eliminated; Regional Education – Need trainers; On-line training -- too expensive? List Serves for various professions; NIE – fund raising; curriculum; marketing; Update Public notice laws and Ad guidelines; Constitution Day Sept.. 17 – create NIE material; NIE Training at conventions; half-day session; NIE Regional North/South full day NIE training. Additional volunteers needed. The Committee Pam Mox, Chairman, Green Valley News & Sun; Michael Chihak, Tucson Citizen; Pat Oso, Statewide NIE Coordinator, ANF; Paula Casey, Executive Director, ANA.
Critical Infrastructure Information
Objectives Build on 2003, including creating a formal plan for 2005/6; Re-craft Legislative Alert; Note key legislation that requires editor/publisher calls; Simplify way editors/publishers can send an e-mail to key legislators on issues; Create a grid noting each legislator’s committee assignments; Match legislative leadership to Editors & Publishers; Host Legislative Breakfast in January 2006 instead of Legislative Lunch in Fall; Further build allies/ government access groups; Continue “Public Access Counselor” legislation and emphasize “Training;” Support banning suits against public records requestors. The Committee Teri Hayt, Chairman; Independent Newspapers (Phoenix); Michael Chihak, Tucson Citizen; Janet DelTufo, Wickenburg Sun; Melanie Larson, The Explorer (Tucson); David J. Bodney, Steptoe & Johnson, Phoenix; Ward Bushee, Arizona Republic (Phoenix); Tom Arviso, The Navajo Times (Window Rock); Kevin Kemper, University of Arizona; John Moody, ANA Legislative Counsel, Miller, LaSota & Peters, Phoenix.
Awards Committee
Objectives Study contest entries and develop an online contest submission form; Study and reshape Hall of Fame criteria, make them less subjective and Improve bios; Work with the University of Arizona to improve the Zenger Award; FOI – broader distribution of news release to improve publicity; Improve ad agency category. The Committee Don Rowley, Chairman, The Sun; Perri Collins, ANA; Paula Casey; Executive Director, ANA
Finance Committee
Objectives This committee reviews the monthly financial reports and questions the staff on budget variances, in order to report to the full board. It also is responsible for working with the staff to develop the annual budget for ANA and Ad Services. The Committee The secretary-treasurer, past president, and one additional director are appointed to the Finance Committee each year. Currently Michael Chihak, Tucson Citizen, is chairman; Pam Mox, Past President, and Dick Larson, Western Newspapers, Inc.
Legislative Committee The legislative committee will begin its weekly conference calls on Friday, January 18, at 9 a.m. Teri Hayt, managing editor of the Arizona Daily Star, and an ANA director, is chair of the legislative committee. If you would like to join in on the calls let me know. John Moody, our lobbyist and legal counsel keeps us posted on day-to-day legislative events.
Legislative Alert This newsletter begins publication on Monday, January 21. Since most of you can’t participate in the conference call, the Legislative Alert tells you what is going on regarding newspapers.
Legislative Luncheon Join us on Jan. 28 for our annual legislative luncheon at the Arizona Capitol Times building. We’d like all Arizona’s newspapers to take this opportunity to meet with your local legislators.
ANA Staff Interim Executive Director Paula Casey...................................Ext. 102 p.casey@ananews.com Deputy Executive Director of Govt. Affairs John F. Fearing........................................... j.fearing@ananews.com Accounting Assistant Liisa Straub....................................Ext. 105 l.straub@ananews.com Media Buyer Cindy Meaux.................................. Ext. 112 c.meaux@ananews.com Network Advertising Manager Sharon Schwartz............................Ext. 108 s.schwartz@ananews.com Network Ad Sales Representative Don Ullmann.................................. Ext. 111 d.ullmann@ananews.com Advertising Services Assistant Kay Wilmoth...................................Ext. 103 k.wilmoth@ananews.com Communications Manager Perri Collins.................................... Ext. 110 p.collins@ananews.com Statewide NIE Coordinator Pat Oso..........................................Ext. 109 beartracks@cox.net Receptionist/Tearsheets Lorraine Bergquist..............................Ext. 0 l.bergquist@ananews.com
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News sites, large and small, can measure usability BY STEVE STEWART ONLINE JOURNALISM REVIEW
What small news organization can afford the time or money needed to enlist readers in planning and evaluating a Web site? Usability testing is a grand idea, but isn’t it too much to take on while you’re struggling just to get out the daily paper? Better questions might be: Who can afford not to measure usability? (Nobody.) And can it be done without requiring too much time and expense? (Yes!) Usability means user-friendliness, and a bedrock principle of Web usability is “Don’t make me think.” That might seem odd when applied to a news site, where we expect readers to look for things to think about. And they will think about topics that interest them. But first we must catch and keep their attention -- and on the Internet, attention is fleeting. “Don’t Make Me Think” is the title of usability consultant Steve Krug’s book. “[W]hen I look at a Web page it should be self-evident. Obvious. Self-explanatory,” Krug wrote. “I should be able to ‘get it’ -what it is and how to use it -- without expending any effort thinking about it.” Another usability consultant, Jakob Nielsen, explained the consequences of making Web readers think. “There’s no such thing as a user reading a Web site manual or otherwise spending much time trying to figure out an interface,” Nielsen wrote in his online “Alertbox” column. ... [L]eaving is the first line of defense when users encounter a difficulty.”
Usable newspapers and newspaper sites In a 2006 survey, the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that 46 percent of readers considered print newspapers usable. They cited a newspaper’s convenience, the ability to read it any time and anywhere, and a preference for hard copy. Readers also liked the fact that they can read the newspaper at their own pace, reread and let it sink in. Krug has a generally high opinion of the usability of newspaper Web sites. “I think by and large, they are pretty usable,” he said in an interview. “There’s not much that they have to do. They have to expose you to the list of headlines and organize them by sections so you can browse them the same way you browse the newspaper.”
Usability consultant Jared Spool said each newspaper needs a vision for its own site.
Usability in a redesign The newspaper where I work -- The Decatur (Ala.) Daily, with a weekday print circulation of about 20,500 -- set out to modernize its online edition and make it resemble the recently redesigned newspaper. We sought Web users’ help. We asked them to send e-mails, we posted an online questionnaire, and we invited 16 users to come to the newspaper office and test our site. We also looked at metrics -- statistics about site traffic. We learned a few things about how to measure usability, and we received practical advice to enlighten us and our consultants. When the e-mails and questionnaire responses started coming in, the first shock was that many existing readers did not want our site to change. They already knew how to use it. “Please don’t change your Web site,” one reader wrote. “So many companies think they must change every year or so. They don’t understand how mad people get when they are forced to relearn how to navigate a new site. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!!!” That last sentence was a frequent refrain among about 185 e-mails we received, and it also showed up in questionnaire responses. But all three methods also produced constructive criticism -- for example, impressing on us that we needed to improve our search feature, to reduce clutter, and to use screen space better. We received about 1,400 questionnaire responses and enlisted 16 usability testers -- also known as readers or potential readers -- to visit our office and evaluate the site.
Usability testing We asked eight readers to conduct usability tests on the old site. Months later, after developing a prototype of the new site, we asked eight additional readers to do backto-back tests of the old site and the prototype. Half of the testers were regular readers of the newspaper’s site, and half were not. Each came to the newspaper office for an hour or less and tried out certain features of the site at my request. I asked them to show me how they used the site and to think aloud, loosely following a procedure that Steve Krug described in his book.
How it helped
Our findings helped shape the
development of our newspaper’s new site. For example, we changed some menu words, added items to the main menu and created additional submenus to make it easier for readers to find specific news and features. We are already learning more from the ultimate usability test, which is what readers at large like and dislike on the new site. They are sending e-mails that have shown, among other things, that we needed a page summarizing all the news stories for a particular day, as well as easier access to the archives. These are features from the old site that regular readers liked. We may find that additional usability testing will help us develop solutions to problems before making changes online. That’s what usability experts recommend: an endless cycle of testing and improving the site.
Comparing the methods Each of the usability measurements tried here has its strengths. The questionnaire gave us the most numbers, though not a statistical sample because the respondents were self-selected. The questionnaire and e-mails gave us insight into why users reacted the way they did, but the usability tests were the most helpful because they allowed us to watch people use the site, listen to them and talk with them. What they did sometimes shed light on what they said, and sometimes even contradicted it. “I would probably rather do this than have to fill out forms, written responses, that kind of thing,” one usability tester commented. Colors are one thing people might notice in a usability test but ignore in a questionnaire or e-mail. People didn’t even mention colors in the questionnaire results and e-mails, but usability testers mentioned them a lot, especially in comparing the bright colors of our old site with the pastels on our new one. Usability tests let you involve people who don’t normally read your site; you can recruit them through mutual acquaintances and advertisements in other media. Watching and hearing people express delight with your work (if it happens) is one of the rewards of usability testing. “Well, call me a taxi!” one user exclaimed to express pleasant surprise. “I like that.... Very good. Just very good.” But evaluating usability tests is subjective, and don’t be surprised if different evaluators come to different conclusions. And usability tests require more time and preparation
than the other methods. The questionnaire and e-mails let us hear from many more people than the usability tests. They could respond at any time from anywhere. But these people already were readers of our site -- not the non-readers whom we’d like to attract. Occasionally we received comments from people who were journalists, Web experts or computer experts, offering specialized advice. We found that people tend to complain in questionnaire responses and e-mails, and sometimes they comment more on content than usability. They also resist change. In a questionnaire, you can ask both open-ended and structured questions, and online-survey tools are easily available and flexible. But if respondents complain or ask a question, you can’t answer them unless you have an identification or e-mail address. E-mail feedback provides at least the possibility of interaction; you can send readers a reply or follow-up question and hope they’ll respond. “The [metric] that’s probably the most useful is what people are typing into your search box,” Jared Spool said. When people search for something, it’s because they can’t find it on the current page. “If you know what page they were on when they typed it, they’re telling you what page it should have been on.” Metrics can show what positioning works best for particular kinds of features, Krug said. If something is getting no clicks in one spot and you move it somewhere else, where it receives clicks, then metrics will tell you the move was a success. Metrics are “getting a lot more valuable” because in the past, “any tool that would do a decent amount of analysis for you was expensive,” as well as unreliable, Krug said. That’s changing with such tools as Google Analytics. It’s highpowered and free, Krug said, and can provide “enormous amounts” of information on what kinds of stories are being read.
It’s not expensive For a small newspaper such as ours, the techniques we used have the advantage of requiring not much money -- mostly time. For the usability tests, we found a small room that wasn’t being used every day and set up there. All we needed was a computer with an Internet connection and a digital video camera, available for about $100, to CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
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Arizona TV executive Ron Bergamo dies in head-on collision BY RICHARD RUELAS THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC
Ron and Jane Bergamo, April 26, 2007 at the AZ Survivors Reunion
Ron Bergamo, a longtime television executive who most recently ran KAZT-TV, Channel 27 in Phoenix, died in a head-on collision east of Prescott Valley, the police department said Monday. He was 64. Bergamo, a Phoenix native who also ran KSAZ-TV, Channel 10, from 1988 to 1995, was struck by an oncoming vehicle that crossed the center line at highway speed Sunday around noon, said Laura Molinaro, a commander with the Prescott Valley Police Department. Bergamo was returning from his weekend home in Prescott, said Jack Londen, owner of KAZT, known commonly as AZ-TV. “He had such a good reputation for actually two things,” Londen said from his Phoenix office. “For running a good station and for absolute integrity. He was a Christian gentleman.” Bergamo’s vehicle was struck by another car driven by a 52-year-old Prescott Valley woman. That woman was flown to Flagstaff Medical Center with critical injuries, police said. Her passenger, a four-year-old girl who was in a child safety seat, was injured, but was expected to survive. Weather did not appear to be a factor in the accident, police said. Bergamo’s wife, Jane, was flown to Phoenix’s Good Samaritan hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said. She was listed in critical but stable condition Monday. Bergamo grew up in Phoenix and attended the University of Arizona in Tucson. He worked at CBS affiliates in Wichita, Kan., and Beaumont, Texas, before returning to his hometown to become general manager of Channel 10, the then-CBS station for the Phoenix market. Bergamo, known for an unfail-
ing enthusiasm and love of the state, oversaw the switching of the station’s call letters from KTSP-TV to KSAZ-TV, standing for the “Spirit of Arizona.” Bergamo also saw the station through a rocky transition from CBS to the then-upstart Fox Network. That move was prompted by a change in ownership of the station. At the time, the shakeup appeared devastating. A Republic television critic framed it as exchanging longtime news anchor Dan Rather for cartoon character Homer Simpson. Bergamo took the news with his trademark optimism. “’I’m good. I’m fine. I’m really pumped,” Bergamo was quoted as saying in 1994. “There’s excitement about Fox, and all that brings to the table.” Kevin McCabe, the Fox Sports host who was a sports anchor at KSAZ-TV during that time, said Bergamo’s optimism kept morale high even as ratings sagged. “He kept everybody’s chin up during that time,” he said. “It was a weird time and scary, and here was this leader.” Bergamo had an eye for talent. He hired John Hook and Troy Hayden, anchors who are still with the station. He also lured Jude LaCava away from a nighttime radio sports show on KTAR-AM and onto the television screen. “His imprint is still felt here in many ways,” said LaCava, the main sports anchor at KSAZ-TV. Although Bergamo worked for media ownership groups, LaCava said Bergamo kept the spirit of being a local broadcaster who felt a deep responsibility to his community. “He held this business in high regard,” LaCava said. “He cherished it. It was in his blood.”
Bergamo resigned from KSAZ in June 1995. Two years later, Bergamo became general manager of Tucson’s KWBA-TV, Channel 58, an affiliate of the WB Network. In 2002, Londen bought AZ-TV and tapped Bergamo to take the general manager spot. “We wouldn’t have bought that station had we not made a deal with Ron,” Londen said. “His leadership was outstanding because he was always smiling and laughing.” Londen credited Bergamo’s acumen for helping turn the small station into a player in the Phoenix and Prescott markets. “I think it’s the human side of Ron that everyone fell for. He just
had a heart full of gold,” Londen said. “And all you had to do was be around him to realize that. Bergamo served on several boards and councils. He was recently named the chairman of the Cronkite Endowment Board of Trustees, a group that serves as an advisory board for the journalism school at Arizona State University. “You would have a hard time being sad around Ron Bergamo,” said Chris Callahan, dean of the journalism school. “He was just always optimistic, always upbeat. He had a great passion for the industry.” Bergamo is survived by three sons. Information on funeral arrangements was not available Monday.
Borgwardt promoted to managing editor of Kudos and The Villager Michelle Borgwardt, who has served as news editor of Kudos for the past five years, has been promoted to the position of Managing Editor of both Kudos and The Villager. “Michelle has continually taken Kudos to new levels over the past five years and this promotion is a reflection of that fine work and the confidence we have in her,” said Dan Engler, editor of Verde Valley Newspapers, Inc. Verde Valley Newspapers publishes The Verde Independent, Camp Verde Bugle, Kudos and The Villager. “Likewise, The Villager has a strong foundation and we know Michelle will take that product to a new level as well. This is an exciting time in the evolution of both newspapers, both in terms of the traditional paper products but also with the enhanced emphasis and commitment to our online presentation,” Engler said. Michelle has over 10 years experience in the newspaper industry, having worked as general assignment reporter, copy editor and page designer at daily papers in Texas and Wisconsin. She possesses a B.A. in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. “I’m thrilled about this exciting opportu-
nity. As the communities continue to grow, I look forward to expanding Kudos and The Villager while exceeding customer and reader expectations,” Michelle said. “I am pleased to be a part of Verde Valley Newspapers as it celebrates 60 years in February.” The Verde Independent and Camp Verde Bugle recently launched new Web sites that offer video and music streams, photo galleries, blogs, community calendars as well as interactive links and more. View these online editions at www.verdenews. com and www.cvbugle.com. A revamped Kudos Web site is slated for later this year while plans to offer The Villager online are being reviewed.
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Bolles Fellows selected
Newspaper folks who love to run!
University of Arizona journalism students Nicole Santa Cruz and Michael Rich will spend the spring semester covering the Arizona Legislature while working out of the Capitol pressroom as the 2008 Don Bolles Fellows. The annual fellowship is part of Community News Service, a major public service project sponsored by the UA Journalism Department. The news service provides weekly legislative news aimed at readers of the state’s rural and suburban newspapers. Each Bolles fellow is a UA journalism major dedicated to a career in news; he or she is selected to receive a stipend and work in Phoenix during the spring legislative session. The fellowship is named for former Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles, who was killed in 1976 while investigating organized crime activity. Community News Service began in 1973, when former UA Journalism Professor Don Carson took a group of students to the Capitol to write stories as part of the department’s curriculum in reporting public affairs. The news service evolved into annual legislative coverage, and the Don Bolles Fellowship for a full-time legislative reporter was established in 1978. The Bolles fellow produces two or more stories a week, which are edited by Bruce Itule, a UA journalism professor. The assignment is to cover the stories of interest to readers not living in the state’s major urban areas. Past stories have covered environmental concerns, immigration and smuggling in border areas, bilingual education, lack of medical services in rural communities, forest fires, and Native American senior care. Community News Service and the Arizona Daily Wildcat -- the UA student newspaper -- share costs for the fellow to work out of the Capitol pressroom, and the fellow produces stories for the Wildcat as well during the semester.
Congratulations to ANA’s very own Sharon Schwartz, and Stephanie Benford and Steve Fish of Lovin’ Life After 50, who all participated in the half-marathon during the fifth annual PF Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll
Marathon and Half-marathon held Jan. 13 in Phoenix and Tempe. Fish raced across the finish line in 3 hours and 31 minutes, while Benford had a race time of 3:34. Schwartz came in with 3:51.
Sharon Schwartz (center), pictured with her running parteners D’Ann Sas (left) of Las Vegas, and Ralph Buggia (right) of Saginaw, Mich.
Santa Cruz spent the fall 2007 semester as a metro apprentice at the Arizona Daily Star, where she has focused on education reporting. She was editor-in-chief of the Arizona Daily Wildcat for three semesters and the former president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists UA student chapter. The Tucson native plans to graduate in May 2008. Rich was a feature editor and reporter for the Mesa Community College newspaper for a year. A Casa Grande resident, he has completed internships at Fox Ten, 10xmedia and the Arizona Daily Star.
Lovin’ Life’s production manager Stephanie Benford and publisher Steve Fish, both Gilbert residents, show off their smiles and medals at the finish line.
Fourth generation Soldwedel to lead Prescott Newspapers BY TIM WIEDERAENDERS THE DAILY COURIER
Kelly Soldwedel, associate vice president of Western Newspapers, Inc., is now also the general manager for Prescott Newspapers, Inc., which publishes The Daily Courier, Prescott Valley Tribune, Chino Valley Review and Big Bug News. The move brings to PNI and The Daily Courier a fourth generation of the family. “It’s a big deal in our family, but
I never felt pressure to do this,” she said. “I believe it’s necessary for the future of our company and carrying on the family commitment to the communities we serve.” Soldwedel’s father, Joe, is WNI’s president and CEO. WNI Board Chairman Don Soldwedel, who is Kelly’s grandfather, bought The Daily Courier in 1958, and the family of her grandmother, Lou Edith (McNaughton) Soldwedel, owned the Yuma Daily Sun until 1984. Soldwedel, a 2003 University of
Arizona graduate with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, has been with PNI for four years. She has worked as a photographer, sales representative, and for the past year she has been working with Kit Atwell, WNI executive vice president and publisher and CEO of PNI. “This is very exciting for WNI and PNI,” Atwell said. “This is truly the beginning of the passing of the baton to the next generation. Kelly has a firm grasp on the future of our industry.”
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ASU begins Cronkite Institute for Newspaper Web site usability CONTINUED FROM 3 usability advice from readers, includHigh School Journalism keep track of the mouse cursor and ing interviews, focus groups, paper Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, has announced the creation of the Cronkite Institute for High School Journalism, a consortium of programs reaching out to high school journalism students and their teachers. The institute includes longstanding Cronkite programs as well as several new ones. It is directed by Anita Luera, a long-time Arizona broadcast journalist and past president of the Arizona Latino Media Association. Among the programs are the Donald W. Reynolds High School Journalism Institute, a two-week fellowship program for 35 high school journalism instructors from around the country, and two full-immersion summer programs for high school students interested in journalism – the Summer High School Broadcast Institute and the Summer High School Print Journalism Institute. A major new initiative is the Stardust High School Journalism Program. Over the next two years, the Cronkite School will install multimedia newsrooms in 10 underserved Arizona high schools in an effort to revitalize their journalism programs. And next year, Luera will be literally taking the Cronkite School on the road to high schools around the region and the state in a new Cronkite School mobile unit outfitted with a television camera and other equipment that will provide students with hands-on experiences. The program is designed to encourage students who might not otherwise have had any exposure to journalism to consider journalism as a career, said Cronkite Dean Christopher Callahan.
In addition, the school supports day-long workshops each year for high school students, working closely with the Arizona Interscholastic Press Association, the Arizona Latino Media Association and the Arizona Indian Education Association. “By launching these new programs and building on the ones we already have, we hope to make a major impact on high school journalism,” Callahan said. “We want to provide the training, support and resources needed for talented young people to enter the profession and make a difference.” Callahan said the array of programs is possible because of the support of a variety of individuals and foundations, including the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, the Stardust Foundation, the Arizona Broadcasters Association, the Scripps Howard Foundation, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the American Society of Newspaper Editors and Phoenix attorney Tom Chauncey.
the changing screen and to record the sound. We obtained the names of possible usability testers by advertising (in the newspaper and online) for people to contact us and help us improve the Web site, and also by word of mouth. We phoned individuals and invited them to come into the office for an hour or less for the testing. At least half of those we called were willing; it did not take long to find enough testers. We rewarded the testers with pizza coupons and profuse thanks. We set up the online questionnaire through SurveyMonkey.com and attracted readers to the survey by placing a notice and a link at the top of our home page. The e-mail feedback resulted from our online and print ads that asked for help in improving the Web site. Metrics software came as one of the services provided by our Internet host.
Get readers involved There are other ways to get
CALL FOR DEADLINE: FEB. 15, 2008 ENTRIES Entry packet for the 2008 Excellence in Advertising competition have been mailed, so get your tearsheets ready! Entries forms and rules can also be accessed on our Web site, www.ananews.com. Winners will be named during an awards happy hour celebration in sunny Scottsdale, Ariz. Late entries will NOT be accepted, so get yours in right away!
prototyping, card sorts, and eyetracking. But the point is to get readers involved. And as Jared Spool says, it doesn’t need to be elaborate, and it doesn’t need to be expensive. “Take a laptop and go some place where the users are easily found,” he advised. “Just go hang out in Starbucks and buy people coffee.”
Benefits beyond usability Our usability testing provided many comments that ostensibly had little to do with usability, but which told us what readers thought about our content. And content is not exactly extraneous to usability, as both Krug and Spool said. “I think they are merging,” Krug said. “Usability, particularly of home pages, suffers greatly because you run into the business issue of ‘What do we have to feature on our home page to stay in business?’” As a result, the home page becomes cluttered. Content and usability also overlap on the issue of advertising, Spool said. “The advertisements have always been traditionally designed to distract the readers from what they’re doing. So readers are trying to concentrate on the content, but the ads get in their way. From a usability perspective, users would think the online paper is better if all the ads went away tomorrow. They wouldn’t miss them at all. And this is a problem. This is a huge problem.” One thing that helps, Krug said, is to place ads next to related stories, letting the content draw readers rather than compete. After readers spent two hours or so traveling to and from the newspaper office and testing the site for us, we owed them thanks. But almost all of them were happy to be asked for their opinions and happy to help us. “I think you all are to be applauded for getting strangers and listening to individuals’ thoughts and having them do things,” one of them said. One usability tester wrote us a thank-you note. And perhaps our most tangible reward came when another decided to subscribe to the paper. Steve Stewart is Internet supervisor for The Decatur (Ala.) Daily. While earning a master’s degree from the University of Alabama, he conducted usability studies under the direction of Wilson Lowrey, associate professor of journalism.
JANUARY 2008
ANA ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER. Tucson’s Newspapers, Southern Arizona’s #1 media source, has an opportunity for an experienced Advertising Sales Manager. This position is responsible for the direct supervision, guiding, coaching and training of an advertising sales team. The successful candidate will be responsible for increasing market share, growing active accounts and achieving revenue goals. The ideal candidate will possess strong supervisory skills and a proven track record in advertising sales and sales management. We offer a competitive financial package, which includes a 401(k) with matching, full medical benefits, and a lucrative bonus plan in addition to a comfortable base salary. Fax resume to (520) 807-8402. (Jan. 19) REPORTER. The Lake Powell Chronicle is looking for a reporter to fill out our two-person news team. Applicants for the reporter position must have a working knowledge of AP style, as well as experience and interest in writing news, features and sports. In addition to stellar writing abilities, applicants must also have proficient photography skills, as the
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JobBank newspaper also puts out a quarterly travel magazine. Applicants should either have experience in page layout or the interest and ability to learn. Weekend and evening hours are required, as well as some travel. Interested applicants must submit the following: Resume, letter of interest, and five to seven clips. All of these items must be included for consideration. Send by e-mail to editor Lee Pulaski at leepulaski@lakepowellchronicle.com. (Jan. 18) AD REP. Assertive sales person needed for Payson newspaper. Experience is a must. Call (928) 595-5161 week days between 8am & 5pm. (Jan. 18) GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER. Big Bug News, a weekly newspaper in the mountain environment of Arizona’s Yavapai County is looking for a reporter. The right candidate will have a degree in journalism or commensurate experience, knowledge of Associated Press style, and strong verbal and customer relation skills. This is a full time position with excellent benefits. Fax resume and clips to (928) 777-8625. (Jan. 18)
www.ananews.com/jobbank GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER. Bajo El Sol, Yuma County’s Spanish language weekly newspaper, is seeking a full-time, general assignment reporter. Primary responsibilities includes gathering, organizing and reporting on storiesregarding Yuma County and Mexico, specifically in the areas of entertainment, health and education. Must be available to work weekends and late evenings. The position will also report on general interest and feature stories. Additional duties include taking photos, including video and audio as requested for web publication, and generating stories independently and producing other stories as assigned. Our ideal candidate must be fluent in Spanish and English, have a degree in journalism or equivalent experience, basic photographic ability a must, able to use computer software required by the position, perform all physical requirements of the job, able to work on any given day or time of the week and have a vehicle for transportation and maintain current Arizona driver’s license vehicle insurance. Apply online at www.freedom.com/careers. (Jan. 15)
Calendar January 18-19, 2008 • Classified Advertising: Inside Sales workshop January 28, 2008 • Legislative Luncheon 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. @ Arizona Capitol Times, Phoenix February 15, 2008 • Deadline for ANA 2008 Excellence in Advertising competition March 3-7, 2008 • Newspapers in Education Week March 16-22, 2008 • National Sunshine Week April 4-6, 2008 • IRE Advanced CAR Statistics Workshop @ Arizona State University, Tempe April 21-27, 2008 • National Ethics in Journalism Week May 16,2008 • Excellence in Advertising competition awards ceremony October 10-11, 2008 • ANA Fall Convention @ Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University, Downtown Phoenix
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