Anagrams - January 2015

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Legislative Reception recap ANA News Thank you to all the ANA ­members and Arizona lawmakers who attended the 2015 Legislators, Publishers and Editors Reception, Jan. 20. The annual event hosted by ­Arizona Capitol Times and ­Arizona Newspapers Association.

The evening included incredible food catered by Alexi’s Restaurant.

In addition to the many state ­Senators and Representatives, ­personnel from the Attorney ­General and the Secretary of State offices were present.

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Bullhead City Bee celebrated 25 years ANA News

ANA members from all corners of the state where there.

A brief list of the newspapers and ­associate ­organizations attending: Navajo Times, Western News&Info, ­Eastern Arizona Courier, Independent Newsmedia, Inc., Verde Valley Newspapers, Inc., Wick Communications, The Record Reporter, Nogales International, Kingman Daily Miner, Green Valley News/ Sahuarita Sun, Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc., Hopi Tutuveni, Prescott Daily Courier, The Arizona Republic, Today’s News-Herald, Fountain Hills Times, Peters, Cannata & Moody, Ballard Spahr, LLC, ­Veridus, The Associated Press, Green Law Group and AZCIR. Just one week prior to the reception, the 52nd Arizona Legislature convened its First ­Regular Session January 12, 2015.

ANA and Arizona ­Capitol Times would also like to take this time to thank the organizations (pictured left) for their sponsorship that helped in making the ­evening a ­wonderful success.

BULLHEAD CITY - It doesn’t seem like a quarter century ago, but the weekly Bullhead City Bee newspaper c­elebrated its 25th anniversary on ­Friday, Dec. 27.

It was on that date in 1989 that cofounder/publisher, Thom McGraham, took out a business license prior to a background check by the police ­department, a normal procedure for a new business.

Founding partners with McGraham were the late Hilda Gay Zimmer and Jim Dir, former editor of the ­Mohave ­Valley News, then a three-day ­publication. The first edition of the ‘Bee’ rolled off the press on Jan. 25, 1990.

One year after its first ­publication, the ‘Bee’ became an adjudicated weekly newspaper and began publishing legal ads. For the past several years, the ‘Bee’ has served as the newspaper of record for the Mohave County government and currently publishes prescribed legal ads for the county administration.

In March 2001, ShirMac, Inc., a corporation owned by McGraham and his wife, Shirín, started a specialty publication called the Economic Development Journal of Mohave County (www.edjmc.com), a monthly standard tabloid distributed widely throughout Parker, Lake Havasu City, Kingman, Golden Valley, Bullhead City, Fort Mohave, Mohave Valley, Needles, Calif., and Laughlin, Nev. On the first Friday of the new month, the ­Journal is inserted into the Bullhead City

See Legislative Reception photos on page 5

See Anniversary on page 2

ANA needs you – volunteer to judge Nebraska’s Press Association contest �������������page

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Strategies and tips for marketing your newspaper’s brand ����������������������������������pages

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USPS changes mail processing for some cities, see a link to the list ������������������page

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Bullhead City Bee anniversary ANAgrams is a quarterly e-publication produced by the Arizona Newspapers Association 1001 N. Central Ave., Suite 670 Phoenix, AZ 85004-1947 (602) 261-7655 / office • (602) 261-7525 / fax www.ananews.com ANA Staff Paula Casey Executive Director / ext. 102 p.casey@ananews.com Julie O’Keefe Communications Manager / ext. 110 j.okeefe@ananews.com Sharon Schwartz Network Advertising Manager / ext. 108 s.schwartz@ananews.com Cindy Meaux Ad Placement Manager / ext. 112 c.meaux@ananews.com Liisa Straub Accounting Assistant / ext. 105 L.straub@ananews.com

Thom McGraham and his wife, Shirín, celebrate the 25th anniversary of their weekly Bullhead City Bee newspaper. The ‘Bee’ was started on Dec. 27, 1989 when Thom took out a business license with the Bullhead City administration. The couple also produces the unique, popular and widely distributed Economic Development Journal of Mohave County, which celebrated its 14th year in March. For more information, please call (928) 763-9339. (Photo by Bryan Hood)

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and Laughlin Bee newspaper (www. bullheadcity-bee.com).

“It’s been a labor of love ­chronicling news, events, developments and history in the making in and around the Bullhead City community these past 25 years,” said McGraham. “Besides our keeping hard copies and digital records of all editions of the ‘Bee’ and Journal, the Arizona State Library Archives and Public Records division also retains all hard-copy editions of the Bee since the first newspaper was published in late January 1990,” he said.

Via contract with Arcadia Press, Shirín McGraham recently completed a book about the history of Bullhead City. The book ($21.99) is available for purchase on Amazon and at Hastings and Barnes & Noble.

The Bullhead City Bee office is ­located directly across from the U.S. Main Post Office on Lakeside Drive. The single story, historic building was ­originally a “cottage” among a number of ­others built circa 1946 at Davis Camp that housed the families of ­construction

workers while the Davis Dam was under construction before being completed in 1951.

For more information, please call (928) 763-9339.

Get access to ­upcoming events, videos, member benefits, public notices and our media directory.

The Arizona Newspapers Association (ANA) was established in 1930 and incorporated in 1956. It is the successor to the ­Arizona Press ­Association of 1905, and the ­Arizona Daily Newspaper ­Association of 1922. The ­Association is governed by an 11-member board of directors elected by the member newspapers. The ANA is a ­nonprofit trade association representing more than 115 A ­ rizona newspapers.

ANA Board of Directors President Don Rowley Publisher – Arizona Daily Sun 1st Vice President Donovan M. Kramer, Jr. Co-Publisher – Casa Grande Dispatch 2nd Vice President Kit Atwell Executive VP – Western News&Info, Inc. 3rd Vice President Manuel Coppola Publisher & Editor – The Nogales International Secretary / Treasurer Rebecca Bradner Publisher – Green Valley News and Sun, Sahuarita Sun Ryan Kedzierski Publisher – Tucson Weekly, Inside Tucson Business, Explorer News Marc Marin Publisher – Arizona Silver Belt and Copper Country News Charlene Bisson Publisher – Sun City Independent, Sun City West Independent, Surprise Independent, Peoria Independent, Arrowhead Ranch Independent and Sun Life Magazine.

Chase Rankin Publisher – Arizona Daily Star Chris Stegman VP Advertising – The Arizona Republic Past President Pam Miller Publisher – Verde Independent/The Bugle

Attention: Publishers, Editors, Writers, Ad/Sales Managers, Classified Managers, Web and Graphics Gurus …

CALL for JUDGES 2015!

Arizona Newspapers Association

needs two groups of about 24 in-person volunteers for two separate dates and locations (Phoenix and Tucson) to judge the Nebraska Press Association (NPA) Better Newspapers Contest.

We will need about 20 editorial judges and 4 advertising/design judges per session, or more if we can get the volunteers, no one will be turned away.

Please join us on one or both of these dates: FEB. 19, 9 A.M., TUCSON, Arizona Daily Star / Community Room 4850 South Park Avenue, Tucson, AZ FEB. 20, 8:30 A.M., PHOENIX, Four Points Hotel by Sheraton - South Mountain 10831 South 51st Street, Phoenix, AZ Participating in the ANA judging program is more than just getting out of the office for the day … you get to judge another state’s newspapers and possibly get new and fresh ideas.

The list of categories to be judged is very similar to the ANA BNC Contest: Editorial, Writing, Sports, Photography, Ad Design, Classifieds, Special Sections Advertising and much more.

You also get a chance to interact with other volunteers who are fellow editors, reporters, publishers and graphic artists just like you.

Morning snack and afternoon lunch will be provided.

Please volunteer now! You don’t want to miss this learning opportunity!

To volunteer, fax the sign-up form below to: (602) 261-7525; or email it to: j.okeefe@ananews.com; or call Julie O’Keefe at: (602) 261-7655, x110

YES I (WE) CAN JUDGE - Please TYPE or PRINT CLEARLY NEWSPAPER NAME: _________________________________________ PHONE: _________________________ DATE/LOCATION(S) AVAILABLE FOR:  TUCSON Please TYPE or PRINT CLEARLY NAME(S):

E-MAIL:

 PHOENIX

CATEGORY(ies) of INTEREST:

- ___________________________ - ____________________________ - ______________________________ - ___________________________ - ____________________________ - ______________________________ - ___________________________ - ____________________________ - ______________________________ - ___________________________ - ____________________________ - ______________________________ - ___________________________ - ____________________________ - ______________________________ - ___________________________ - ____________________________ - ______________________________ - ___________________________ - ____________________________ - ______________________________ - ___________________________ - ____________________________ - ______________________________

January 2015 ■ ANAgrams | Page 3

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Legislators, Publishers and Editors Reception

Visit ANA’s Flickr page for more photos.

January 2015 ■ ANAgrams | Page 5

Calling all newspapers Editor and ­P ublisher ­M agazine Imagine this. It’s Super Bowl ­Sunday, pick up the shovel and start digging the grave for ­newspapers, and you and your football buddies are but before we prepare for the wake, let’s take a moment to watching the biggest game of the year breathe new life into the industry and ­reintroduce ourselves along with millions of other sports to the public. fans around the country. But maybe Get the message out you’re like me and you just watch for In 2011, the Newspaper Association of America introduced the commercials. What if in between a campaign called “Smart is the new sexy.” According to the the ­advertisements for beer, cars and NAA, the ads were meant to “speak to the timeless merits ­potato chips, this image appears?

By Nu Yang of newspaper journalism, newspapers as vehicles for ­savvy The sun is barely rising over the shoppers, and the community insights and information Editor/Publisher ­horizon. A pair of headlights illuminates that newspapers provide.” The campaign featured print ads a dark suburban street and a delivery which included QR codes to encourage users to share their person tosses a rolled-up newspaper connections with newspapers, and the NAA encouraged on to the front porch of a house. Inside, the sound ­catches newspapers to engage with consumers via social media. the attention of an adorable golden retriever who slips The campaign was meant to create a “national dialogue,” through the doggie door to retrieve the newspaper. Later, instead there was backlash from members of the media. the family is seen sitting at the dining table, eating breakfast “(The ad) features a skinny (geeky?) young woman with and going over the newspaper. Dad scans the sports page, Mom clips coupons and the kids laugh at the comics. While green hair and glasses sitting at a table with a cup of coffee. a moving instrumental score plays, we see others starting Does she look smart or sexy to you? If so, you need to get out their day with their news: a commuter sitting on a subway more,” said John Hamer, creator of the TAO of ­Journalism.

Even here at E&P, we were disappointed with the NAA’s train ­scrolling through his newsfeed ­execution to market the industry. on his tablet; an elderly couple trading If we want people to see the ­newspaper their favorite newspaper sections as “…when it comes to market- industry as something i­nnovative, they drink their coffee at their favoring the newspaper industry ­perhaps launching a ­campaign with ite diner; a college student watching a on a national level, the ball ­cartoons under the slogan “Smart is the news video on her smartphone; Robert has been dropped.” new sexy” wasn’t the best way to do it.

Downey Jr. shaking his head (or maybe Take a look at the American Library patting himself on the back) as he reads Association’s Read campaign. When ALA the reviews on his latest movie. As the Graphics was created in the mid-1970s, it created ­posters commercial fades to black, these words flash on the screen: and bookmarks to coincide with National Library Week.

In print and online #ReadNewspapers.

Cute dog? Check. Celebrity appearance? Check. A strong In addition, ALA produced and placed radio public service message with an opportunity to go social? Check. Come ­announcements with the help of celebrities, and there were Monday morning, people will be asking each other, “Did you print ads and media interviews. According to an American ­Libraries magazine article written by Peggy Barber, former see the newspaper commercial?”

Now you know why I asked you to use your imagination at ALA associate executive director of communications, the first the beginning of this story. A commercial for the ­newspaper Read poster debuted in 1980 and featured Mickey Mouse industry during the Super Bowl, the television mecca for reading by a fire. From there, the Read series was born.

Read posters have featured the likes of Snoopy, actor marketing? It’s a far off dream, considering the hefty price tag. The Washington Post reported last year that the average ­Orlando Bloom, and most recently, musical artist Taylor Swift. cost of a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl was According to Barber, “Every ALA Read poster ­featured ­original illustration or photography and none of the ­celebrities ask about $4 million.

But my Super Bowl commercial is just one scenario. ­Locally, for a dime for their participation.” newspapers have been thinking of great and ­creative ways Current ALA Graphics director Rachel Johnson said new to promote their brand, but when it comes to marketing the Read posters come out every year. “We do our research and newspaper industry on a national level, the ball has been see who is an avid reader, and then we reach out to see if dropped. For every “Print isn’t dead” headline ­newspapers they would be willing to participate. Celebrities get to pick run, there’s at least five “So-and-so newspaper reports their own book for the photo shoot, and sometimes they ­declining revenue, numerous layoffs.” It would be easy to bring their own copy.”

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Over the years, the Read logo and design has evolved (and ALA even tried a Listen campaign ­marketing ­audio books), but Johnson said the main points are still there: the ­familiar Read brand pictured with the­ celebrity ­holding a book. “That has stayed ­constant,” she said.

Although ALA has trademarked Read when it comes to “posters intended with encouraging reading,” Johnson said she could see a similar marketing campaign with the newspaper industry. Why not find well-known ­newspaper readers who would be ­willing to ­participate in a promotional photo shoot, and then place the images in places where ­people read them, such as coffee shops and subway trains?

Johnson admits libraries have been affected by the economy, but the goal of Read is to get people to the library and show them “a library is more than just books. It’s about information, an access to computers…there’s so many things you can do there.”

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Find your identity With more and more choices on how audiences can choose to receive their news, newspapers need to find who they are and appeal to that ­market, said Karen Post, author of “Brand ­Turnaround.”

“What is their personality?” she said.

“Newspapers need to add a ­human ­personality and realize that great brands can’t be everything to everyone.

Don’t be afraid to create sub-brands, like sports, lifestyle, and investigative… there’s the mother brand, and there are the children of the brand.”

Post encouraged newspapers to take advantage of these brands. “Co-brand with others outside the industry,” she said. “For example, take a lifestyle brand and partner it with a fashion brand like Tory Burch. Leverage on the success of those brands and expose yourself to a different audience.”

Branding expert and author of ­“Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future” Dorie Clark said what used to make newspapers

stand out was its location.

“Newspapers used to be protected by their regional boundaries, but now the Internet has opened doors. People in California can now read about what’s going on in Boston,” she said. “What makes you different? It’s not about your geography anymore. You need unique content.”

If newspapers are looking for star power to promote the industry, they only have to look inside their ­newsroom.

“Newspapers should ­celebrate their columnists who have created a strong personal brand,” Post said. “The ­opportunities and ­resources are already there. You just need to ­support them. Don’t underestimate the power of speaking engagements and co-branding. Ramp up your ­identity with something thoughtful instead of just your columnist’s photo and byline in the paper.”

As more newspapers shift gears to drive into the digital realm, and we see more media organizations erase the word “paper” from their brand, what becomes of the name?

“News is not outdated, but the word paper is,” Clark said. “They should focus more on the news part…the ­conception hasn’t faltered, but the ­execution has.”

Post said, “Rebranding with a new name can often be an excellent ­strategy as it gives the brand a reason and ­opportunity to connect to the market and make a splash. Plus it can serve as a new positioning element if the name better reflects their distinction. In light of many big brands making a change that backfired, it’s always a good idea to test and socialize the proposed change before fully committing to it.”

Newspapers should also embrace its multiplatform identity. They have to ­remember they’re no longer just in the print business. Vin Farrell, global chief content officer with Havas Worldwide, said newspapers should take a look at what happened with Kodak.

“They ­created the first digital camera See newspapers on page 8

Available NOW!

Special announcement: we have expanded the directory to include broadcast media and changed the name to the: 2015 Arizona Media Directory.

This expansion as an opportunity that broadens our format and will also help to further get our member’s information out to a wider scope of advertisers, advertising agencies and PR firms.

In addition to information about ­Arizona and Nevada ­newspapers, you will also find our ANA Advertising Media Kit which includes information on our pre-printed insert delivery ­program, our statewide display ­network programs and our national press release service.

This directory is packed full of information. We hope you will find the 2015 directory a useful planning tool.

As part of your membership with ANA you’ll be receiving a ­complimantary copy in the mail.

Additional directories are available for $40, call (602) 261-7655 January 2015 ■ ANAgrams | Page 7

Newspapers continued from page 7

(in the late-1970s), but they failed to acknowledge that they were also an imaging company, not just a film company.”

Because of that, companies like Canon and Nikon were able to swoop in.

Be disruptive It may be hard to believe now, but print may one day be a disruptive media force. Before Bob Provost began ­teaching at Rutgers Business School in Newark, N.J., he spent nine years as director of marketing with the Star-Ledger and three decades with the Albany (N.Y.) Times Union. Provost said newspapers face marketing challenges in two ways: with advertisers and with consumers.

“What made us stand out at the Star-Ledger were our print offerings,” he said. “That gave us a competitive advantage as more media companies headed toward digital offerings.

By offering print, we were ­offering something different.

Print also offer a level a trust… it’s about the institution.”

Provost said, “We need to share we are a ­multimedia ­company. That people are ­reading us on computers, ­tablets and in print…we ­undervalue ourselves and the power of reach and knowledge we have with our audience…If you think about it, people always say, ‘I was reading my newspaper.’

You don’t hear ‘my TV’ or ‘my ­channel six news. You have to respect that level of intimacy and ownership.”

Bill Day, an executive director with research-based consulting firm Frank N. Magid ­Associates, Inc., said when he works with businesses their contracts ­usually include a ­marketing ­component. “They usually ask, ‘So, how do we get the word Illustration:Tony O. Champagne out?’ But in the newspaper world, that’s a rare request. They’re very hesitant to try marketing strategies because there’s no budget or it’s not very high on the list.”

Day, who has served in sales and advertising departments with both Gannett and Tribune, said his company recently conducted a study with 3,000 news consumers and found that while many still want their news, they don’t make an Page 8 | ANAgrams ■ January 2015

appointment to consume it. “They don’t pick up a paper or watch the six o’clock news,” he said. “They want the news to come to them. They think, ‘It will find a way to me.’”

So, how can newspapers find them? By being everywhere and on everything.

“Take advantage of TV. Shove an ad in the consumer’s face,” Day said. “Don’t put it up on your own website. Go outside…Look at Google. When they want to promote a new app or Google Plus, they go outside their online box and put out TV commercials. Same with Apple. They put together a TV and print campaign.”

Engage with audiences Chances are you or someone you know participated in the ALS ice bucket challenge this past summer. The New York Times reported people shared more than 1.2 million ­videos on Facebook between June 1 and Aug. 13 and mentioned the phenomenon more than 2.2 million times on Twitter. That’s a lot of ice, but most importantly, that’s a lot of people learning about ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). So what made this challenge so ­popular that everyone from your Aunt Sally to LeBron James participated?

One reason is that the ice bucket challenge was a shared experience.

Not only should ­newspapers take a cue from YouTube and Vine to create social ­engagement, but they need to educate consumers on how to use the product.

“You never have to explain to someone what a newspaper is,” Day said. “People are ­familiar with the product, but no one really knows about it.”

He explained that people already assume they know what a newspaper is and what it provides, but that’s not always true.

“They always want to see more of things to do (or a calendar of events), but the paper already has that on its pages,” he said. “It means people are not familiar with the product. That’s a marketing problem. Either people

don’t know it’s there or they don’t appreciate the format it’s being presented in.”

News consumers are looking elsewhere for their ­content because frankly, newspapers aren’t doing it for them. Day said, “They’re watching Jon Stewart and John Oliver…look at what Oliver did with the FCC (a Net neutrality segment from June caused the FCC’s website to crash due to ­online ­comments)…newspapers used do that…have the ability to get consumers engaged, excited and passionate.” He also points to the highly-popular Serial podcast series from the creators of This American Life as another example of “­consumers desperate for high quality.”

Whether it’s engaging with audiences socially or with ­provocative content, now is the time for newspapers to step up their game because it’s true—the audience is waiting.

which is to be a trusted news source. Their history is steeped in democracy and fighting for the truth. Somewhere along the way, in between chasing digital dollars and responding to a brave new world, newspapers forgot who they were, and now it’s time for a reassessment. Clark advises any brand in need of a reinvention to “do some soul-searching. Who are you? Who do you want to be, and what steps do I need to take to get there?” It might like sound like an appointment with a therapist, but I believe a little soul-searching wouldn’t hurt.

But keep moving forward A commercial promoting the newspaper industry may never air during the Super Bowl, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t find new ways to spread the word that ­newspapers are a powerful brand. Thanks to cable news, social media and the Internet, we Shake your pom-poms A commercial ­promoting live in a world with a 24-hour news ­cycle, Remember what I said about picking the newspaper ­industry so the greatest challenge for ­newspapers up that shovel and digging the grave may never air during is to find a way to stand out in the crowd. for newspapers? It’s time the industry the ­Super Bowl, but that But the entire industry has to come stopped contributing to the doom and doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ­together to start this movement. gloom that’s constantly hovering over us find new ways to spread When I reached out to the NAA to like a dark cloud. ask if they would be the ones to take the word that ­newspapers “The newspaper industry is constantly are a ­powerful brand. the lead, director of communications beating itself down,” Day said. “When Sean O’Leary said, “We don’t ­technically you’re dealing with layoffs at The New do a national marketing campaign for York Times, it’s a big deal in New York or with a publication ­newspapers and we do not have a marketing committee. like E&P, but why should USA TODAY cover it? It shouldn’t be We provide content and materials to our members for them a national story; it’s only relevant in its own markets.” to use at their discretion.” At their discretion? In my opinion, Provost said the newspaper brand is damaged because there shouldn’t be a choice. If newspapers don’t make it a they are not defending themselves. “Instead of celebrating priority to fight for themselves, to invade every market and our digital audience and growth, we’re wringing our hands meet every consumer, the brand will surely suffer. over declining print and staffing changes.”

Newspapers aren’t the first to deal with a reinvention. Look He traces it back to 2006 when high-profile media at what iTunes did to CDs; Netflix and video stores. The key ­acquisitions, like McClatchy and Knight-Ridder and Sam is staying relevant, and information will always be relevant.

Zell and Tribune in 2007, along with the reported financial People will always want their news, but if newspapers stay ­troubles that came with them dominated the headlines. vigilant on reporting the truth on any and all platforms, and “Those stories shook the confidence we had with ­advertisers if they work on raising their self-esteem, newspapers will be and readers,” Provost said. “And we haven’t restored known, not as a dying brand, but as a healthy one. that confidence.”

Reprinted with permission: Editor and Publisher Magazine.

Go back to your roots When department store JC Penney went through its own reinvention a few years ago with a new CEO, the business rebranded with a new logo and store layout, and it even eliminated sales in its new “fair and square” advertising campaign. After consumers rejected this new JC Penney, the company immediately restored its logo and brought back its sales and clearance racks. Business experts say this model for JC ­Penney failed because it did not realize brand and ­culture went hand in hand.

If newspapers are going to experiment with their ­marketing www.PublicNoticeAds.com strategy, they must not lose sight of their true mission,

How are your taxes being spent?

January 2015 ■ ANAgrams | Page 9

YOUNG READERS Just when you think the “experts” might be right Kevin Slimp The News Guru kevin@kevinslimp.com

I really don’t mean to get this worked up about things. Oh, sorry. I sometimes digress. Let me catch you up.

While taking a drive through the Smoky Mountains, about 45 minutes from my home, I stopped to fill up and check my messages before heading into Townsend, a small town known as the “Peaceful side of the Smokies.”

Checking my messages, I noticed an email from a professor at one of the larger universities in my home state of Tennessee. It was in response to a message I had sent out a day earlier, concerning a collegiate media summit being held in Nashville in February.

He wrote to let me know that he feared not many would attend the event because “there are a number of college papers like us who are Web-only, or almost, throughout the state.”

I understand that he was trying to be helpful. But really? When I got back to my office, I pulled up the websites for student newspapers at The University of Tennessee, ETSU and Memphis University. All are print publications.

I wrote back to mention that it was an interesting time to pull out of print.

A report in Business Insider just two days earlier indicated that advertising in newspapers was up four percent in 2014, while television ad revenue was down four percent. I also noted that a recent study of Journalism and Mass Communications graduates found that “Writing, reporting and editing for print remains the dominant” activities for those in the workforce after graduation.

I went on to mention that Kevin Schwartz, as respected as anyone in the collegiate media world, has written that moving away from print is a mistake for college newspapers.

He wrote back, “while print advertising may be up, it’s certainly not with our print product. But that’s not the main issue. What’s at stake is the kids in high school and college today, who do not

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Stephanie reads the paper “every day,” to the chagrin of experts who say young people don’t read printed news. or rarely read a printed newspaper on a regular basis.”

I’ve written a lot recently about the survey of more than 600 newspaper executives I completed, with the help of friends, a few weeks ago. I didn’t mention the survey to the professor.

But I can’t help but think about all those publishers who reported things are going well and they look to continue in a positive direction for decades to come.

Sorry. I’m digressing again.

Back to the story.

It’s at times like these that I always start to feel guilty. What if the professor is right? What if young people really don’t read print anymore? Could I be wrong? Could the studies be wrong?

After all, a lot of journalism professors I run into seem to think that print is dead. And so do most of the people I know who sell online services. Maybe they’re all right. Maybe young people do not read news in print anymore.

It was about that time that I decided to pull over to grab a bite of lunch.

I pulled into the parking lot of AJ’s Hearth and Kettle Restaurant, just off 321 in Townsend, and made my way into the dining room.

I saw what must have been a hallucination. Because over in the right corner sat a young woman, reading a newspaper.

I introduced myself and told her about the conversation I’d just had with the college professor. I asked her age.

She smiled and said, “23.”

When I told her what the professor said about young people no longer reading newspapers, she laughed and said, “That’s just crazy. I read the newspaper every day.”

She told me her name was Stephanie and that she loved reading the newspaper. If I were 15 years younger, I would have dropped on one knee and proposed right there.

I asked if I could take her photo to use in my column and she smiled and said, “Sure.”

So what about the professor? Was he wrong or am I living in a fantasy world?

Or is Kevin Schwartz right? Are university newspapers cutting their noses to spite their faces? Are they giving up the basics learned in creating a printed newspaper for the sake of ease? Let’s face it: It’s a lot easier to create an online product than a printed product. Sure, it’s next to impossible to cover expenses through advertising revenue. But if you’re at a university that will fund an online product without the need to raise ad revenue, who can blame them?

Right now, as I write, three brand new newspapers are starting up in my hometown of Knoxville. Two of them are looking to young readers as a target market. This is in addition to the two papers already targeted to the college market.

Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks young people still read papers.

There I go, digressing again.

Find Kevin in early 2015 in these cities: Louisville (KPA), Jan 22-23 Minneapolis (MNA), Jan 30 Nashville (TPA), Feb 5-6 Columbus (ONA), Feb 12 Edmonton (AWNA), Feb 13-14

Mark your calendars!

The 76th Annual Meeting and Fall Convention September 25 – 26, 2015

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 January 2015 ■ ANAgrams | Page 11

Consumers rate newspapers as the media…

with the most  trusted and believeable ads. most  valuable in planning for shopping. most  preferred for receiving advertising.

Page 12 | ANAgrams ■ January 2015

Rural mail will suffer with more mail plant closures new revenue National Newspaper Association News A friend of mine from South ­Dakota noted that the U.S. Postal Service delivered a lump of coal to many small towns last Christmas when it ­proceeded to

By John eliminate overEdgecombe Jr. night mail in most President, of the nation in National 2015. That was Newspaper a good descripAssociation tion. USPS will slow ­delivery Publisher, The ­officially by one Nebraska Signal, day for First-Class Geneva, NE and ­Periodicals mail. Many members of Congress have asked it to hold off. But USPS is plowing ahead.

It is time for lawmakers to ­consider how rural and small town mail is suffering.

The USPS plans to close more than 80 mail processing plants in 2015. Smaller plants will be consolidated into urban plants. It has already closed nearly 150 plants in the past three years and says service was not affected.

That is hard to believe, at least in small towns.

Longer road trips for most mail, ­traffic delays in urban areas to get sorted mail back to the local post offices, post office closings and shorter business hours have made claims of good service hard to trust. There is also the upheaval while workers lose their jobs or have to be retrained. Now, according to the nation’s mail agency, cost-cutting means admitting service will be even slower, even in urban areas, by at least a day.

What the public announcements do not say is that when America’s mail

sneezes, rural mail gets pneumonia.

Cutting a service day is a big sneeze even in the metro areas. But rural and small town mail had already ­contracted the illness. Many subscribers who ­receive newspapers by mail have been disappointed by late deliveries. The scattered reports we may hear of delayed credit card payments and business invoices would be much louder if consumers felt there was any point in complaining.

Unfortunately for many—seniors without Internet capabilities, lower income residents, rural folks without good Internet service and people who just don’t trust the Internet—the mail is a necessity.

The USPS inspector general last ­October chastised the agency for not fully analyzing the impact from its ­proposed plant closings and the Postal Service said it would do so—but only ­after its slower service standards go into effect. In other words, it will ­consider whether it can reach its goals after it has lowered them.

Even before the change, it has been hard to find out how well rural mail is delivered.

The Postal Service provides a ­public report to its regulator, the Postal ­Regulatory Commission, on how well it performs against its service standards.

See Periodic Reports at www.prc.gov.

USPS gathers information on speed of delivery from several sources, ­including its own digital scanning. The ­greatest volume of mail is in urban areas, so ­national statistics may look ok. But the law doesn’t require USPS to report on how the rural mail is doing. That is something Congress should consider.

For a list of cities where changes in mail processing are scheduled in 2015 go to https://ribbs.usps.gov/index.cfm.

Then open “2015 Network Consolidations.”

The five levels of listening Lyle is an advertising manager who understands the value of listening.

“One of my first bosses talked incessantly,” he told me. “She boasted about her intelligence and acted like no one else’s ideas were worth considering.

Every now and then – usually in staff meetings – she’d say, ‘I’m not a good listener,’ then she’d keep on talking.

By John Foust “One day, she announced that the Advertising secret to being a good listener was to Trainer sit on your hands. Since most people gesture when they talk, she thought sitRaleigh, NC ting on your hands would turn you into a better listener. That was ridiculous, because all it would do is remind you to stop talking so much. But when you’re not talking, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re listening. The funny thing about her so-called secret was that no one in the ad department ever saw her sitting on her hands or doing anything else to become a better listener.”

Lyle said, “I’ve learned that listening is a crucial sales skill.

There’s a lot of useful information out there – online, books, seminars – for ad managers to share with their sales staffs.

One of my favorite concepts involves five levels of listening: Ignore, Pretend, Selective, Attentive and Empathic.”

Let’s take a closer look at Lyle’s listening breakdown: 1. Ignore: “Although this is not listening in a technical sense, it’s a response to a listening situation,” Lyle said. ­“Ignoring a person who is speaking is totally unacceptable, both in one-on-one and in group settings.”

This can be seen as a form of punishment. For example, Person A ignores Person B, because he or she is angry or hurt.

Or it may be a signal of perceived superiority or ­dislike.

2. Pretend: “This is almost as bad,” he explained, “but it doesn’t intentionally try to damage the other person.”

Pretend-listening is often accompanied by fake smiling and excess head-nodding, none of which is likely to fool

the ­other person. And if the speaker asks the pretender’s ­opinion, the phony will be exposed.

3. Selective: “We’re all guilty of this at times,” said Lyle.

“It’s a little like skimming through a book until you see something that interests you. But along the way, it’s easy to miss things. And the person who is speaking can be distracted by not having the other person’s full attention.”

4. Attentive: “Now we’re getting somewhere,” he said.

“This is where the listener pays close attention to the ­speaker. It becomes a dialogue, where the listener picks up details and asks for clarification.”

5. Empathic: “This is the highest level,” Lyle said. “Some people call it reflective listening. When you empathize with another person, you understand their situation and hear them out. You’re demonstrating that what they’re saying is important, and you’re getting in-step with them. You can ask questions, of course, but the objective is to gain deeper understanding and not to change the subject.”

What’s Lyle’s bottom line? “Be a better listener. You’ll not only sell more, you’ll have better overall rapport with people.” © Copyright 2015 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick ­results from in-house training. Email for information: john @jouhnfoust.com.

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January 2015 ■ ANAgrams | Page 13

Mark Your Calendar Webinars and Training Back to School: WinWin Partnerships With University Journalism Programs

WHEN: Jan. 29, 2015 | 2:30 p.m. CT DESCRIPTION: This webinar presents one example from Ohio of a partnership between a newspaper, the Dayton Daily News, and the digitally focused digital media studies program at Wright State University. Learn how publishers partnering with universities can meet their content needs while preparing young journalists for the real world.

COST: Arizona Newspapers

­ ssociation get a discounted rate A of $15 per webinar.

MORE INFO: http://bit.ly/1CUyaqR

Think Bigger than ­Native Advertising

WHEN: Jan. 29, 2015 | 2 - 3 p.m. ET DESCRIPTION: Native advertising is ­generating a lot of buzz these days – and some heat. But the real question is, are we taking our advertisers tremendously creative ideas – native or not – that will deliver exactly the results they want? Steve Gray will present a new way of seeing this opportunity, and a couple of case studies showing how you can generate new wins and new dollars by delighting advertisers.

COST: $35 MORE INFO: http://bit.ly/1Jdswnk

Recruitment ­Advertising: 2015 and Beyond WHEN: Feb. 10, 2015 |

3 - 3:30 p.m. ET

DESCRIPTION: Stay relevant to your HR Community by providing the best online/print/social packages to ensure they stick with you for years to come.

We will look at step-by-step changes to make and strategy to follow to build

Page 14 | ANAgrams ■ January 2015

revenue quickly by studying successful Case Studies in small, medium and large circulation newspapers.

Presenter: Janet DeGeorge, President, Classified Executive Training & Consulting COST: LMA Member - FREE; Media Association Partner - $29; Non-Member - $59.

Check your membership here: http://bit.ly/1wqkxug

MORE INFO: http://bit.ly/1BLFRCt

The Art of Prospecting: Your Guide to Getting in the Door

WHEN: Feb. 12, 2015 | 2 - 3 p.m. ET DESCRIPTION: Does the thought of prospecting leave you overwhelmed and exhausted? Have you been told you should prospect but you don’t know where to start? That will change in minutes once you meet “Hector” the prospector and explore why he is still around!

Steve Kloyda will share his top sales and prospecting strategies that he has developed, implemented, refined and personally tested over the past 30 years.

COST: $35 MORE INFO: http://bit.ly/1L3lZ0A

How Promotions Drive Measurable Results for Advertisers

WHEN: Feb. 10, 2015 | 3 - 3:30 p.m. ET DESCRIPTION: Here’s what we’ll cover: • Why you need to conduct a needs assessment with your advertisers • How to choose the right promotion type to meet an advertiser’s needs • Plenty of case studies COST: LMA Member - FREE; Media Association Partner - $29; Non-Member - $59.

Check your membership here: http://bit.ly/1wqkxug

MORE INFO: http://bit.ly/1y3pXvR

Happenings & Events Contest Judging

See page 3 for the sign-up sheet.

ANA is entering into another partnership of contest judging with the ­Nebraska Press Association (NPA).

We will need about 20 editorial judges and 4 advertising/design judges per session, or more if we can get the ­volunteers, no one will be turned away.

Please join us on one or both of these dates: Feb. 19, 9 a.m., Tucson, Arizona Daily Star / Community Room 4850 South Park Avenue, Tucson, AZ

Feb. 20, 8:30 a.m., Phoenix, Four Points Hotel by Sheraton South Mountain 10831 South 51st Street, Phoenix, AZ

ANA BOD Meetings

Feb. 19, conference call, 1 p.m.

May 14, conference call, 1 p.m.

July 30, conference call,1 p.m.

Sept. 25, Dinner meeting, 6-8:30 p.m., part of the ANA Fall Convention Sept. 26, ANA Annual Meeting, FOI Awards Luncheon at 2015 Fall Convention Dec. 10, conference call, 1 p.m.

ANA Marketing Meetings

March 19, conference call, 9 a.m.

June 18, conference call, 9 a.m.

Sept. 25, Time to be determined based on the ANA Fall Convention schedule. ­Location: Wild Horse Pass Casino Resort