July 2017 – Editor & Publisher

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A Section

Features

Departments

RIGHT FOR THE JOB

In the Spotlight

CRITICAL THINKING

Recruitology streamlines the hiring process for employers . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 8

Despite the highs and the lows, journalism can once again become a sought-after career . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 32

Does a lack of accreditation change the legitimacy of a journalism school? p. 15

News in Motion

Digital Breakthroughs

Perceptions of digital advertising, growth in monthly active Instagram users, internet users who have clicked on a Facebook ad, global internet and television ad spending . . . . . . . . . . p. 18

How newspapers are achieving success with technological advancements p. 44

PRODUCTION

‘ONE NATION, IN NUMBERS’ USAFacts website provides data on government spending . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 9

INVESTING IN LOCAL NEWS The Lenfest Institute for Journalism announces $26.5 million of new funding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 10

ROLLING THE DICE

Are publishers ready to connect their news apps to self-driving cars? . . . p. 38

Cover illustration by Tony O. Champagne

Las Vegas Review-Journal revamps print edition, upgrades website . . . . . . . .p. 11

DATA PAGE

When it comes to operating heavy equipment, does your pressroom meet the basic requirements? . . . . . . . . . p. 26

NEWSPEOPLE

MEMORIES OF THE PAST

New hires, promotions and relocations across the industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 51

The Richmond Times-Dispatch will publish a 152-page pictorial history of the city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 14

SHOPTALK Only entrepreneurs will save journalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 58

PHOTO OF THE MONTH David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News/ SCNG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 16

Columns INDUSTRY INSIGHT

BUSINESS OF NEWS

DIGITAL PUBLISHING

Looking beyond “sales rep” as the revenue mix for news changes . . . . . . . p. 20

Seven ways to make your digital audience pay for news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 22

Millennials will pay for news if you give them engaging journalism to support p. 24

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editorial

In Search of an Oasis

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ack in May, I read with great interest Matt DeRienzo’s article “Death by a 1,000 Paper Cuts.” DeRienzo, who also writes our “Industry Insight” column, discussed how small-town journalism was getting hit the hardest with layoffs and other cuts. He told me he wrote the article because he didn’t think people realized how bad the situation was at many smaller, chain-owned local newspapers, and how much corporate strategies were accelerating their demise. The fear of news deserts has been circulating for a couple years now as more community papers are being gobbled up by companies like Gannett, Digital First Media, GateHouse, and tronc. DeRienzo described it to me as an “ownership problem.” “We’re in an unprecedented situation regarding the large number of U.S. daily newspapers now owned by hedge funds that have no history of running journalism businesses and no real long-term interest in or commitment to journalism or the communities served by local newspapers,” he said. According to a report by the UNC School of Media and Journalism’s Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media, “The Rise of a New Media Baron and the Emerging Threat of News Deserts,” (newspaperownership.com) the vitality of community journalism is at risk because “the primary mission of the new newspaper publishers is to make money for their investors and shareholders.” The report found that since 2004, more than a third of the country’s newspapers have changed ownership (some sold two or more times) and the largest investment groups tend to employ a standard formula in managing their newspapers: aggressive cost cutting paired with financial restructuring. Washington Post reporter Michael Rosenwald recently wrote in the Columbia Journalism Review that no one wants to admit that news organizations are helping kill local news. In his story, Rosenwald said newspapers typically competed for news by 4 |

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setting up a beat system and placing reporters in various places where news of interest took place, but “now, around the country, newspapers small and large are adjusting to the settled economics of the internet—web traffic drives ad revenue—to fundamentally alter how local news is covered.” Rosenwald argued that there should be value to local news beyond clicks. “Becoming less essential to loyal customers seems like a bad business idea if the business depends, like most do, on customers coming back,” he wrote. “And if reporters no longer show up regularly to meetings, crime scenes, and other places where news is made, how can they build relationships with sources that inevitably lead not just to those broadly written enterprise stories that editors now covet, but to leaks and other paths to major accountability stories?” The reality is that many communities are losing their local coverage and in some areas, their local newspaper all together. According to the UNC report, there are at least 600 fewer newspapers and almost 900 fewer owners than in 2004. In Chicago, two daily newspapers still exist, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, but when the Sun-Times announced it was for sale in May, Tribune’s parent company, tronc, expressed interest in purchasing the paper. Since the announcement, other bidders emerged, and as I write this editorial, a final decision hasn’t been made yet, but the idea of having two dailies operating in the same city under a single owner shows local independent journalism may be in trouble. “Communities can and will restore the journalism that’s been cut by supporting grassroots, independent local news entrepreneurship,” DeRienzo told me. “If a chain of newspapers really wants to be in the business for the long-term, it will put decisions back in the hands of local publishers to figure out what works in their communities. But it will also have to treat the problem more as a startup situation—accepting smaller profits or no profit in order to build something for the future.”—NY

CORPORATE OFFICES (949) 660-6150 FAX (949) 660-6172 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jeff Fleming jeff@editorandpublisher.com MANAGING EDITOR Nu Yang nu.yang@editorandpublisher.com GRAPHIC DESIGN Meredith Ewell ASSISTANT EDITOR Sean Stroh sean@editorandpublisher.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Rob Tornoe, Tim Gallagher Matt DeRienzo SALES AND MARKETING CONSULTANT Wendy MacDonald, ext. 231 wendy@editorandpublisher.com CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SALES Jon Sorenson (800) 887-1615 FAX (866) 605-2323 classifieds@editorandpublisher.com SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES (888) 732-7323 CIRCULATION MANAGER Amelia Salazar amelia@editorandpublisher.com CIRCULATION ASSISTANT Rick Avila PRODUCTION Mary Monge TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR David Kelsen DIGITAL DIRECTOR Bryan Sheehy DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING/OPERATIONS Janette Hood, ext. 201 janette@editorandpublisher.com

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2017 CALL FOR ENTRIES Begins June 5 Entry deadline: Aug. 25, 2017

2017

Honoring the Best in Digital Media The EPPYTM Awards, presented by Editor & Publisher, honor the best in digital media across 31 diverse categories, including excellence in college and university journalism. Now in its 22nd year, this international contest has broadened its scope and also includes categories for investigative features, mobile apps,

For more information, please contact: Martha McIntosh at martha@editorandpublisher.com

videos, webcasts, advertising/marketing, photography and community service. Entries to the EPPYTM Awards are judged by a panel of notable figures in the media industry, chosen by the staff of Editor & Publisher.

Enter at eppyawards.com

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comments ))) story’s construction. We need to run the good race and not given detractors any room to level charges. BUZZ TREXLER

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

How Print Can Stay on Top

ROY E. BODE

Headline writing is high art. Leave fancy time consuming prose to novelists. (“Transforming Newspapers,” June 2017) Get the point across in the first sentence. Condense what you have to say so the reader can decide if they want to read the evidence, facts, or background. Coffee table books get in the way. The internet has already put a lot of paper manufacturers out of business, saving a lot of forests. In order to preserve the immense amount of data being generated, the internet databases need hardening against hacking and EMPs. Plus we all need to download our own most important data to shielded thumb drives. Distributed hardened data storage will ensure that if data disaster strikes, we can eventually get it back.

I’m a millennial in the newspaper industry, and I prefer print over digital (“Transforming Newspapers,” June 2017). Print receives my full attention, while online publications battle various pop-up notifications, hyperlinks to related stories and more. However, I also prefer ink-free fingertips and clothing, so I find myself printing online articles to read. Then, there’s the conflict of making time to scan through the news, whether in print or online. The read-aloud option is a must for me. It allows me to get the news in the nooks and crannies of my quiet times, such as while getting ready in the morning or during my commute to work.

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

RON MCCOMB

JEFFREY DVORKIN

Correction

RACHEL

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

In our June data page, a chart titled “A History of Newspaper Ownership Consolidation” was printed with swapped subheads. A correct version can be found at editorandpublisher.com/gallery/datapage.

illustration by tony o. champagne

Some Millennials Still Prefer Print Over Digital

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

is under challenge on many campuses.

Public Editors Make For Better Journalism As a former ombudsman (NPR 20002006), now director of the journalism program at the University of Toronto, I enthusiastically encouraged The Varsity to have a public editor. (“Critical Thinking: Should College Newspapers Hire a Public Editor?” May 2017) It’s in the tradition of transparency and peer-to-peer support. It makes for better journalism that is more accountable. More media should have them!

Independent View Most Helpful

Journalists Need to Check on Their Own Bias

Nothing wrong with a truly independent perspective. But the best advocate for the public should always be the editor-inchief. (“Critical Thinking: Should College Newspapers Hire a Public Editor?” May 2017) In a campus publication, an experienced critic independent of the faculty and administration might be useful—particularly in a time when the First Amendment

Great column, Todd. (“Shoptalk: Protecting the Truth Under President Trump,” May 2017) Still, I think you left out something: We journalists need to double-down on checking our own bias, and editors need to sharpen their skills at recognizing that bias has crept into a story. Sometimes it’s found in who was talked to and who wasn’t, while other times it’s found in the

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Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

Millennials Still Want Their News Great article. (“Transforming Newspapers,” June 2017) I have millennial children and I see them on websites such as BuzzFeed and Tumblr. They consume a lot of news. This article rang true in my experience. Most discouraging is the lack of a business model to support this. I don’t have the answer either. TIM GALLAGHER

Submitted on editorandpublisher.com

Send us your comments nu.yang@editorandpublisher.com “Comments,” Editor & Publisher, 18475 Bandilier Circle, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 Please include your name, title, city and state, and email address. Letters may be edited for all the usual reasons.

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Submit Your Publisher of the Year Nomination Today Official nomination form available online: e d i to ra n d p u b l i s h e r.co m /p oy The accelerating pace of change in today’s information age requires a greater need for effective leadership. A successful newspaper leader must not only strategize from the trenches with practicality and realism, but also think with foresight and imagination. We are looking to honor a publisher who has risen above the rest and accomplished what seems like the

impossible, outmaneuvering the competition, outthinking the future and maintaining profitability. We are seeking your assistance in recognizing a leader with business acumen, technical savvy, and a deep understanding of what needs to be done to stay successful — along with the fortitude and tenacity to implement change.

Submission Information:

• Submission time period: Now through Sept. 22, 2017.

Please complete the online form and include a short synopsis of why the nominee should receive recognition. Include specific leadership successes, innovative program development, obstacles and challenges overcome.

• All entries will be treated with the strictest confidence. But the selected publisher should be prepared to be interviewed by Editor & Publisher for the special “Publisher of the Year” issue.

Eligibility: • “Publisher of the Year” recognition is open to all newspaper publishers worldwide, from papers large and small.

Nomination Deadline Sept. 22, 2017


the A section VOLUME 150

FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2017

ISSUE 7

> Look Ahead

Right for the Job Recruitology streamlines the hiring process for employers By Sean Stroh

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espite having an overwhelming amount of options at your disposal, the process of listing a job remains a daunting task for any company in today’s market. With Recruitology, newspapers can ensure local employers their job posting reaches the best candidates in the right places through its easy-to-use recruitment platform that includes applicant tracking, analytics and intelligent job ad targeting. } Roberto Angulo, CEO of The way it works is simple. Any Recruitology, poses with the business that is need of a new emfirst place award for this year’s ployee can post an ad through their accelerator pitch program at the mediaXchange conference in local newspaper which then uses the New Orleans, La. specialized Recruitology platform to determine where and when to post the job listing, for both mobile and desktop. In addition, partners can have their own white label job site and mobile app. “Newspapers, or better said, media companies, get access to bestof-breed recruiting tools through Recruitology, that they can offer under their own brand,” said CEO Roberto Angulo. “Employers not only receive access to all these tools but they also get results, which we measure as applicants to their jobs.” The ultimate goal of Recruitology, Angulo said, is to enable media companies and publishers to be the number one advertising option for local employers, while also growing market share and recruitment advertising revenue. After acquiring CrossPost last year, Recruitology now offers access to more than 1,500 specialty job boards and destination sites as well. According to Angulo, Recruitology plans on rolling out more services on the platform over the next year or so. “One is a programmatic ad buying solution for recruitment where employers can give their budgets to media companies to reach the right candidates across various sites,” Angulo said. “Another service

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} Members of Recruitology’s product and engineering teams discuss the platform at the company’s headquarters in San Francisco.

we’re rolling out is a turnkey sourcing solution, where employers get fully vetted candidates who are ready to be interviewed and hired.” The company, which currently works with 320 media organizations and newspapers, also intends to continue expanding its partnerships throughout the country. Angulo said he hopes to build upon the momentum of having been selected as the first place winner of this year’s accelerator pitch program at the News Media Alliance’s mediaXchange conference. “We were initially happy just about being a finalist for the award. It seems there are a lot of nominations each year so making it down to the final four got us all really excited,” Angulo said. “We set a course last year to build Recruitology as a full recruiting platform for media companies to help local employers. The fact that we won the award validates what we’ve been working on and this is very satisfying.” For more information, visit recruitology.com

“Employers not only receive access to all these tools but they also get results.”

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the A section

‘One Nation, In Numbers’ USAFacts website provides data on government spending

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hen it comes to transparency, government spending can often seem like it falls near the bottom of the list. Several years ago, after retiring as Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer felt the topic was worth exploring on a deeper level. This past April, Ballmer’s project finally came to fruition with the public launch of USAFacts (usafacts.org), an extensive, interactive online database detailing revenue and spending across federal, state and local governments. The website, which relies exclusively on publicly available government sources, allows users to compare and contrast various data sets. For example, a person can compare the number of police officers employed in different regions of the country against their crime rates. According to USAFacts, government revenue totaled $5.2 trillion in 2014, the most recent year available for data. “The response has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s amazing how many people simply write to say ‘thank you for doing this,’” said Christine Heenan, USAFacts spokeswoman. “More than 600,000 people have visited the website, for a total of more than 4.7 million page views—and the best part is visitors are really digging in to the details, exploring the data and examining outcomes.” All together, more than 50 economists, developers, writers and researchers were involved in the creation of USAFacts. The core team of three  Former Microsoft CEO Steve full-time employees is based in Seattle. MeanBallmer founded USAFacts in an effort to provide while, a “broader team,” Heenan said, includes transparency on government data scientists at the Wharton School at the Unispending.

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versity of Pennsylvania, developers at the design firm Artefact, as well as outside advisers from Stanford University and Lynchburg College in Virginia. Team members will continue to update data as government agencies release new information. Additional statistics on state and local finances will soon be available too. Through the first month of its existence, USAFacts received more than 1,000 emails about the project, ranging from questions about partnerships or collaborations to inquiries for specific sets of data. “USAFacts has no political agenda or commercial motive. We have no plans to charge for access to the website or any of the data,” Heenan said. “Our founder views the project as a civic opportunity—an effort to democratize government numbers and get more people looking at shared facts—and will continue financing it.” Heenan noted that the website’s database provides an ample opportunity for journalists looking for reliable sourcing on their stories. “Several different outlets—newspapers, television networks, and digital publishers—have reached out about using USAFacts in their reporting,” she said. “We’re eager to explore partnerships that could help advance our goal of democratizing government data and promoting informed debate.”—SS

> Did You Hear? “President Nixon once said the problem with journalists is that they look in the mirror when they should be looking out the window. That is certainly one thing that Nixon said that Carl (Bernstein) and I agree with. Whatever the climate, whether the media’s revered or reviled, we should and must persist, and, I believe, we will.”  Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward in his opening remarks at the 2017 White House Correspondents’ Dinner

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the A section

Investing in Local News The Lenfest Institute for Journalism announces $26.5 million of new funding

“The common theme is a deep concern for local independent journalism.”

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ollowing a productive first year of operation, The Lenfest Institute for Journalism has garnered an additional $26.5 million of funding for various projects and initiatives aimed at developing viable business models for local journalism. H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, who founded the Philadelphia-based institute in January 2016 and simultaneously transferred ownership of the Inquirer, Daily News and newspapers’ joint web portal Philly. com to the non-profit, has also pledged to give an additional $40 million as part of a matching gift campaign. Donations came from a highly diverse and broad-based group of foundations and individuals with a familiar goal in mind. A $15 million gift came from a new donor requesting anonymity. “There are a number of former journalists and publishers who are dedicated to this cause, but they are by no means the majority,” said Jim Friedlich, executive director and CEO of the institute. “There is also a law firm, a large health insurance company, a prominent venture capital investor, the former CEO of Nickelodeon, several academics, and many others. The common theme is a deep concern for local independent journalism and a belief that our focus on finding new approaches to sustainability is part of the solution.” Friedlich said the non-profit plans on creating a pilot grant program to fund projects across the country that focus on ways of supporting sustainable local journalism. The grants will range from $25,000 to $100,000. Additionally, a fellowship program featuring three to five fellows will be created as well. Those selected to participate will work on

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projects in areas such as design thinking and big data in news and monetization. Earlier this year, the institute partnered with the Knight Foundation to launch a three-year, $4.8 million initiative to help newsrooms accelerate their shift from print to digital and improve engagement with readers and the community. The initiative, which Friedlich described as being the institute’s “largest commitment to-date,” recently welcomed The Seattle Times, Bay Area News Group, Houston Chronicle and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel into its program. The non-profit has also begun funding digital training for several hundred newsroom staffers at the Philadelphia Media Network. “The program is in its early phases but the feedback from journalists and editors alike has been quite positive,” Friedlich said. “This and all of our work is conducted in the public interest, so there will be a report published at the end of this first phase of training summarizing its impact, strengths and areas for improvement.”—SS

} Jim Friedlich (left), The Lenfest Institute for Journalism executive director and CEO and founder H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest (Photo by Sabina Louise Pierce) editorandpublisher.com

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the A section

 The Review-Journal’s website was upgraded with a new design and improved functionality.

 The Las Vegas Review-Journal redesign included a new masthead and front page.

 The newspaper’s Friday Neon tabloid cover page now has a new look.

Rolling the Dice Las Vegas Review-Journal revamps print edition, upgrades website

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he Las Vegas Review-Journal delivered quite a surprise when it rolled out a brand new nameplate across the first Sunday print edition in April. Featuring a bold red and black Rockwell logotype font above an illustration of the iconic Las Vegas Strip, the fresh look provided readers with just a taste of the changes made to the paper’s print product and website. “I think universally those at the paper, from the publisher on down, felt like we needed to get a fresher design that reflected Las Vegas better,” said editor-in-chief Keith Moyer. “This is a unique city that demands a unique look.” While the Review-Journal’s own design staff contributed on the project, newspaper consultant J. Ford Huffman served as the primary person in charge of the redesign, which took nearly six months to complete. According to Moyer, the Review-Journal hadn’t experienced any significant redesign since 2000. editorandpublisher.com

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“We wanted something that had a modern feel, better organization, more graphic displays, and essentially make the paper easier for our readers to  Keith Moyer, Las Vegas navigate from Review-Journal editor-inchief front to back,” Moyer said. “The positive feedback so far tells us that we’ve achieved that.” Some of the key alterations made for print include a new Sunday section which covers various lifestyle topics each week and the introduction of a daily column on the left side of the front page which suggests stories that are “Must-Reads.” Meanwhile, John Katsilometes’ popular column, “Kats!” now runs next to “What Happens

in Vegas,” a new feature that offers readers fun and interesting things to do in town. Moyer also noted that the paper has expanded its national and world news coverage as well. The paper’s online home (reviewjournal. com) produced an easier to use website with improved navigation capabilities, enhanced topical story structure, faster video viewing and better search functions. “It has a more cosmopolitan feel to it now,” Moyer said. “We focused on developing a classy look that was extremely functional.” To support the relaunch, the paper embarked on its first multimedia marketing campaign in more than six years. Revolving around an original theme song, “At the Speed of Life,” written by Pat Caddick, an award-winning Las Vegas composer, the campaign highlights the Review-Journal’s coverage of news, community and life in the city. “We not only redesigned everything but also saw a chance to rebrand the ReviewJournal as a whole. The song has been part of our overall thrust of reintroducing the paper to the community,” Moyer said. “These days it’s important to get more people thinking about your paper in a different way.” –SS JULY 2017 | E & P

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the A section > Wise Advice

From the Archive

 Don Rowley

“What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received?” Growing up, my father taught me that honesty is not only good ethical behavior, it’s good business. In my many years in the newspaper business, I have learned that, while there are times you can’t share everything you know because of confidentiality issues, employees and business partners alike appreciate transparency and forthrightness. On several occasions, I have had a front-row seat to the negative consequences of a business in the news trying to cover up a mistake. In virtually every instance, the truth eventually comes out—incrementally and painfully—when full disclosure at the outset would have been far better for the company’s long-term image. My dad was right. Good businesses are built on strong relationships. Relationships are built on a foundation of trust, and trust is a product of honesty. Don Rowley has been in the newspaper business for more than 40 years, working for Scripps League Newspapers, Pulitzer Community Newspapers and currently for Lee Enterprises. He has been the publisher of the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff for 22 years. 12 |

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 Helena (Mont.) Independent Record managing editor Ken Robertson (left) and wire editor Charles Wood edit copy on CompuEdit terminals with double-wide CompuStor units in the background. The screen has 16 lines of 64 characters each. The 4K memory of the video terminal system provides each unit with a capacity of 4,096 characters, or about 800 words. A 4K terminal cost $3,195. This photo originally appeared in the Dec. 6, 1975 issue of E&P.

LEGAL BRIEFS S.C. News Organizations File Lawsuit Against S.C. House Republican Caucus

According to the State in Columbia, S.C., the paper and five other news organizations have sued the S.C. House Republican Caucus for financial documents it turned over to investigators as part of an ongoing State House corruption probe. GOP Caucus attorney Mark Moore denied a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by the State in April. The lawsuit claims that since the Caucus is supported by public funds, it should be considered a public body subject to the S.C. Freedom of Information Act. The suit also alleges that reporters have been denied entry to Republican Caucus meetings. Joining the State in suing for access to the records are The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C.; Gannett GP Media, which owns the Greenville (S.C.) News; the S.C. Press Association; the S.C. Broadcasters Association; and the Associated Press.

Hews Media Group Sued For Libel

As reported in the Whittier (Calif.) Daily News, Leticia Vasquez, a director on the Central Basin Municipal Water District in California, has sued the Hews Media Group for libel over an article that accused her and a local councilwoman of attempting to extort campaign contributions from a housing developer. In her lawsuit, Vasquez claims a story published by the Los Cerritos (Calif.) Community News in June 2016 was “fabricated.” She is seeking an unspecified amount of money from Hews Media Group, which publishes the weekly paper. Brian Hews, the author of the article and the paper’s publisher, has also refused a request from Montebello Councilwoman Vanessa Delgado to retract the story.

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CE-E&P


the A section

SAY WHAT? New Vocabulary for

Tornoe’s Corner

the Modern Era

Humble-brag (verb): to make a seemingly modest, self-critical, or casual statement or reference that is meant to draw attention to one’s admirable or impressive qualities or achievements “Even before smartphones, this country’s professional culture had come to venerate freneticism. How often do you hear somebody humble-brag about how busy they are?”

—David Leonhardt, New York3:18 TimesPM Page 1 CE-E&P-9x5.4375:Layout 1 7/11/16

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the A section

} Photos such as these from the 1930s will be included in “Richmond Memories: The Early Years,” a 152-page pictorial history of the city.

Memories of the Past The Richmond Times-Dispatch will publish a 152-page pictorial history of the city

T

his fall, the Richmond TimesDispatch in Virginia will allow readers to take a trip back in time to the early days of the city. However, the experience won’t be through the pages of a newspaper but rather in the form of a brand new hardcover coffee table book. “Richmond Memories: The Early Years,” will include 152 pages of archival quality photos featuring aspects of daily life up until 1939. The Times-Dispatch is partnering with Pediment Publishing for the fifth time on the project. “We’ve worked with them on several books before and they make the whole process extremely easy,” said executive editor Paige Mudd. “The fact that most of the heavy lifting is done by their experienced team makes this kind of project work well for us. Also, since history is so vitally important } Paige Mudd, Richmond to Richmond, it’s a no Times-Dispatch execubrainer to do a book of tive editor

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“We really wanted this to have a community feel, which is why we opened it up to the public.” historical photos of life in the city.” Although the paper’s archive holds a sizable amount of historical pictures, members of the community were invited to share any original photos they had from the past as well. Local residents could either submit images online or attend a scanning session hosted by Pediment. “We really wanted this to have a community feel, which is why we opened it up to the public,” Mudd said. “Anyone whose photo is selected will receive credit in the book.” Both members of the newspaper and Pediment team will review and select the final group of photos for publication. The paper plans to pre-sell books for $29.95 in order to obtain an

idea of the demand before printing additional copies for sale at the Times-Dispatch office and website. “We found a few gems, including a beautiful print of a 1860s-era image of a house and family in Richmond’s famous Church Hill neighborhood,” Mudd said. “Also, a 93-year old woman called today and said she’s bringing a box of photos including images of her greatgrandfather at a city fire station.” The book will also include historical photos from organizations such as The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, Beth Ahabah Museum and Archives and Virginia Union University. Previous projects, such as “Back Roads: People, Places and Pie Around Virginia,” have been so popular that they have gone through several printings. The paper plans to publish another “Richmond Memories” book next year that leans heavily its own archives from the early 1900s. While Mudd declined to disclose any financial information about current or past projects with Pediment, she noted that the Times-Dispatch “wouldn’t be pursuing this book and others if it wasn’t a solid revenue stream.” “From arts and festivals, to the James River and universities, to restaurants and breweries, there’s really a lot to love about Richmond. I think that’s why so many people go away to school and then come back to settle down here,” Mudd said. “It’s not all roses and sunshine, and there are your normal issues with government dysfunction, but overall, it’s a fantastic place to live.”—SS editorandpublisher.com

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critical thinking

If you have a question you would like to see addressed, please send it to sean@editorandpublisher.com.

J-school students and industry vets tackle the tough questions

“For the first time, Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism announced it wouldn’t seek formal accreditation, stating that it’s ‘relatively superficial, extremely time-consuming and doesn’t lead us to a goal of significant improvement.’ Does a lack of accreditation change the legitimacy of a journalism school?”

A:

Despite the kind of recognition, prestige, and approval that usually comes with an accreditation, Medill Dean Bradley Hamm might have been speaking words of wisdom when he told the Chicago Tribune the process was flawed and not useful. Rebecca Gross, 21 An accreditation, by definition, is junior, University of Washington (Seattle, Wash.) only a way to show recognition. Even the Accrediting Council on Education Gross is the opinion editor for in Journalism and Mass Communicathe student-run newspaper, The Daily. She will be taking tions writes on their website that “to over as editor-in-chief in accredit is to assure basic standards of the fall. excellence” in education. This claim is in itself a bit vague, and in all honesty, doesn’t say anything about who determines these standards of excellence, and why these specific standards matter. Being accredited, in this sense, speaks more to reputation than it does to the genuine quality of education. However, Dean Hamm is making this call at the wrong historical moment. Journalism, and honest reporting, is about to be one of most important jobs. Choosing to be a journalist in this moment means choosing to take on a great responsibility of educating the masses. This is not a small duty. For young journalists such as myself, showing future employers that I received my degree from an institution that maintains accreditation in an era of false reporting is important. Newspapers want to be able to trust their reporters to have a solid base of knowledge in the field of journalism: This means understanding ethics, AP style, multimedia, and much more. An accreditation does ensure that this type of information is being taught to journalism students. What’s more, media consumers want to know they can trust the news they read, listen to, and watch. Journalists who have gone to schools with accreditations have been undoubtedly taught how to write truthful, well sourced, and poignant pieces that the public needs to see. I’m not usually the type to vouch for labels: We all know not to judge a book by its cover, or a person by their resume. However, the reality is that accreditation might only seem like a title, but in an era of fake news, it’s much more than that. It serves as a certification that a university will be teaching the future journalists of the United States proper journalistic methods. Right now, that’s more important than ever. editorandpublisher.com

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A:

Normally when I hear words like “consultant,” “study” or “accreditation” the cynical journalist in me is reminded of the line in the movie “Blazing Saddles:” “Gentlemen, we must do something to protect our phony baloney jobs.” So it was when I read Medill planned to let its accreditation lapse. The process, Rich Jackson, 51 executive editor, TimesDean Bradley Hamm said, was expenNews (Burlington, N.C.) sive, time-consuming and “flawed,” according to the Chicago Tribune’s initial Jackson joined the TimesNews earlier this year and coverage. has worked in the newspaI read Facebook posts about it but I’m per industry for 25 years. a busy editor and moved on. I have copy to edit, photos to assign and content to clear of any liberal bias—including Marmaduke. That dog is always looking for a hand out. Nonetheless, I decided to check out the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. There I found an eloquent defense of the council’s work signed by board members of such great merit and scholarship that reading the list tired me out and I required a pick-me-up nap. It reminded me of my experience with the council at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in about 1990. Professors ran ahead of council members, spit-shining computers and cameras, straightening papers and imploring the students to not screw this thing up. A school like Medill probably doesn’t need accreditation because it’s big and important and it makes everyone know that. It is so well known it can be referred to with one name: Medill. Like Cher. Or Marmaduke. But other schools do need accreditation because prospective students and their parents can learn how one program compares with another. Important stuff, graduation rates, job placements, graduate lists, the list goes on. In fact the accrediting council has created a searchable database for parents. And it’s all done in the same way good schools—accredited schools—teach their students to report stories, objectively, rigorously and independently. So Medill—and Cher—may go without accreditation. But every other school ought to. It’s good for the schools, the students and the parents. Now back to content management. How is it that Garfield has not had a job in 30 years but he’s still fat? Sorry, that’s fat cat shaming. He’s a cat of girth.  JULY 2017 | E & P

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photo of the month

Send us your photos! E&P welcomes reader submissions for our Photo of the Month. sean@editorandpublisher.com.

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DANCE OFF   David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG The Bandaloop Aerial Dancers perform off the top of Los Angeles City Hall April 25 to help celebrate “La La Land Day.” Mayor Eric Garcetti proclaimed the day in support of the arts and to honor director Damian Chazelle for his portrait of the city in his movie “La La Land.”

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data page Perceptions of Digital Advertising Based on a survey where 1,489 U.S. adults were each given the same news content to look at but saw three different kinds of digital advertising surrounding that news content. Respondents were asked, “Did the advertisements have any of the following impacts or didn’t they?”

19%

Made it difficult to read article

61%

37%

Pop-up ad Scroll ad

78%

40%

55%

17%

19%

30%

Interested in the ad

10%

6%

9%

Wanted to click on ad to learn more

6%

6%

8%

Static ad

Annoyed you

Stopped reading because of ad

Source: Media Insight Project, American Press Institute and The AP-NORC Center, November-December 2016

Growth in Monthly Active Instagram Users Based on the number of monthly active users on Instagram since it was founded in 2010

(Millions)

900

10 MILLION 0

2011 Sept.

100 MILLION 30 MILLION

2012 Apr.

2013 Feb.

200 MILLION

2014 Mar.

300 MILLION

2014 Dec.

400 MILLION

2015 Sept.

500 MILLION

2016 June.

600 MILLION

2016 Dec.

700 MILLION

2017 Apr.

Source: Instagram

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U.S. Internet Users Who Have Clicked on a Facebook Ad in the Past 30 Days

Global Internet and Television Ad Spending Based on global internet and television ad spending since 2007; 2017 and 2018 totals are estimates

TELEVISION (BILLION)

Based on a survey of 1,500 U.S. internet users conducted March 2017

2007 NO

YES

24%

18-24

68%

NOT SURE--DIDN’T SEE ANY ADS

8%

2008 2009 2010

31%

25-34

61%

8%

2011

35-44

39%

55%

5%

2012 2013

45-54

43%

51%

6%

TOTAL

34%

59%

7%

Source: CPC Strategy “Facebook Consumer Survey 2017: How Facebook Users Engage with Ads”

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2014

INTERNET (BILLION) $149.64

$38.92 $151.53 $48.97 $140.98 $54.15 $157.23 $65.74 $167.08 $73.76 $175.10 $87.98 $181.21 $105.31 $186.17 $128.68

2015

$186.89 $154.84

2016

$189.27 $181.24

2017

$191.76 $204.72

2018

$193.75 $228.42

Source: Zenith

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industry insight

New Products, New Roles Looking beyond ‘sales rep’ as the revenue mix for news changes By Matt DeRienzo

F

ormer Digital First Media CEO John Paton used to talk about the need to start “stacking digital dimes” as newspaper companies scrambled to replace declining print revenue. The solution was a “firehose” of digital ad formats and revenue partnerships. Local 20 |

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newspapers could increase the number of ad positions on their websites, and get more creative with them, start selling advertising with text messages, email newsletters, mobile apps, business directories, video. They could do revenue shares with weather, entertainment, business and social media plug-ins from third parties who

needed your local audience, and they could sell local businesses into national programmatic advertising networks and take a cut off the top. But there are inherent problems with throwing everything against the wall at the same time. It can lead to websites and mobile sites larded up and slowed down by plug-ins, and the effectiveness of any one revenue ploy hampered by the same reader being targeted by a dozen ad positions and partners. It also runs up against the performance of sales reps who used to sell two or three products and are now being asked to pitch 20. New products get rolled out, reps focus on them while management is focused on their launch, and then their contribution to overall revenue suffers as the next new thing becomes the focus. And there’s a limit to the revenue growth possible from 10 new products if all 10 are aimed at the same advertisers who have only so much money to spend. Money gets switched from an old product to a new one, based on how you’re incentivizing and managing your reps. A natural evolution of Paton’s “firehose” strategy would be to look beyond the traditional role of sales rep and consider what kinds of jobs are necessary to support a new mix of revenue at news media companies. This is especially relevant as the mix has shifted over the past year away from near-complete reliance on traditional display advertising and toward reader revenue, sponsored content and other categories. Some revenue-supporting jobs that would go beyond the traditional sales rep role might be: Data specialist. How well are you tracking the effectiveness of each ad position on your site, it’s viewability, and the revenue it’s bringing in per impression? Could fewer ad positions actually increase your revenue? Do you have the capacity on staff now to run models that could give you that answer? Are you looking at data on reader behavior to optimize subscriber conversions? What if leaving a particular investigative news story up on the home page led to fewer page views for that particular day, but resulted in subscripeditorandpublisher.com

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Editor_Pu


tions that dwarfed the revenue you’d get from those page views? And finally, have you compared the reports that local businesses are getting (in real-time) about the performance of their Google and Facebook advertising with what you are offering them? It could be an important part of why it’s difficult to compete with them. User experience czar. When and how are readers bailing because of the difficulty of navigating your site? What is the process like for advertisers from the minute they call you or talk to a sales rep to when their campaign is over and they get a bill? Ad ops specialist. Are you running programmatic advertising on your site? How are you monetizing inventory that is not being sold locally? Is it on auto-pilot, or is someone working with the various networks and partners out there to optimize the CPM rates you get for each impression? Sponsored content editor. There are several roles in this new revenue mix

that require a leap over or straddling of that traditional wall between the business and editorial sides of a newspaper. The stats on effectiveness and growth of native advertising and sponsored content are eye-popping, and it simply works better for advertisers—and for readers—if it’s handled by someone with a strong editorial background. Member concierge. Subscription revenue is another area that is much more of an editorial function if we’re talking digital than the traditional role of circulation departments selling the ability to deliver a print edition to someone’s driveway. It’s about buy-in to the editorial mission and role of the newsroom, and it’s about community engagement. Thinking back to the limited overall budgets of those same old advertisers being pitched a dozen new digital products, there are beyond-the-sales-rep roles that could support other potentially important cat-

egories of revenue: an e-commerce “store manager” to develop original products and partner products, who would work closely with the native advertising folks; an event planner is essential if you want to get serious about special events revenue because the details can be overwhelming and lowROI otherwise; or a B2B specialist looking at products that target revenue from businesses who don’t sell products or services directly to the public. 

Matt DeRienzo is executive director of LION Publishers, an organization that supports local independent online news publishers from across the country. He is a longtime former newspaper reporter, editor, publisher and corporate director of news.

Finishing 4.0

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business of news

Strength in Content Seven ways to make your digital audience pay for news By Tim Gallagher

S

pring 1997. The newspaper I edit launches one of the few online newspapers in the country. But we don’t put any articles on our free website until the print edition of the newspaper has been delivered to our subscribers. We don’t want paid print subscribers to think we are giving away what they are paying for. Spring 2007. Three days before the story is reported in the mainstream media, my 23-year-old son tells me NFL quarterback Michael Vick is being investigated for his involvement in dog-fighting. “Where did you get this information?” I ask. “From a website I subscribe to.” Spring 2017. A national study of more than 2,000 adults shows half of them pay for a digital news subscription (often their local newspaper site) and many in the other half are thinking about it. Even young people are using the paid subscription model for news. You can read the study at bit.ly/2oW9ly0. A lot has changed in 20 years. 22 |

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This study by the Media Insight Project should breathe life and encouragement into many moribund newsrooms where the last 10 years have seemed like a painfully slow death march. As Dr. Frankenstein said, “There’s life in the old cadaver yet.” And as Tom Rosenstiel, executive director at the American Press Institute, said, “This was not a complete shock.” A previous study showed similar findings. The unique strength that newspapers have is content, especially local content. And the Media Insight Project debunks the myth that that people will not pay for that content. They will if it is what they want. Rosenstiel noted the respondents had to name—they were not prompted—the news source they subscribed to. There is a real connection there. The Media Insight Project showed people subscribe to news sites because the content on a key topic is in depth and excellent. They want to be informed and they are willing to pay for that information. Here are seven ways that the project

recommends newsrooms ought to be using this study data to capture more of the digital audience. at covering the major B Excel stories in your community. News payers (particularly the higher-income group) really want to be informed about the most important issues in the place where they live. If you are that source, they will invest in you. “You have to be indispensable,” Rosenstiel said. your research. The study says C Do there are many people not paying who look just like the paid subscribers. And a third of them would pay for news. Invest in finding out what would convert them from freeloaders to paying customers. kids are all right. Are you? D The They’re different. You need to engage them frequently to make sure they editorandpublisher.com

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understand your mission and that you both share the goal of making this community a better place through information. They will pay for news. You just need to show them the value of doing that. Another finding about all subscribers—but especially the younger ones—is that they find out about a news site from a social media site such as Facebook. Once intrigued by consistently good content that their peer group is talking about, they go to the source and become customers. the butterfly. One of E Remember our earliest science lessons in school is the life cycles of the butterfly. Cycles apply to capturing these customers. Many respondents said they started paying for news at a new cycle in their lives: a promotion and pay raise; at the start of a family; upon retirement. If you hit them at the change in life’s sta-

tion, you become a part of the change. Rosenstiel suggested working with large employers in your area to offer free subscriptions to new employees. might make more by chargF You ing more. Most people in the survey said they thought the cost of the news subscription was inexpensive. People value goods that cost a little bit. So look at charging a little bit more to get more quality subscribers because…

G

They believe quality costs. Newspaper owners cannot cut their way to wealth in this new model. Digital-pay customers want quality journalism over cheap aggregators or poorly sourced reporting. You need to add more content to get more subscribers.

matters. Especially H Advertising coupons. Few have figured out how to

move coupons and discounts into the mobile format, but newspapers are known for coupons. This can be leveraged for our newest customers. This study is good news, but there is a lot of worthy hard work ahead especially when our financial future lies in digital customers. 

Tim Gallagher is president of The 20/20 Network, a public relations and strategic communications firm. He is a former Pulitzer Prizewinning editor and publisher at The Albuquerque Tribune and the Ventura County Star newspapers. Reach him at tim@the2020network.com.

SOLD: Daily Newspaper: Leader-Telegram Eau Claire, Wisconsin Cribb, Greene & Cope is pleased to have represented the Graaskamp and Atkinson familes in their sale to Adams Publishing Group.

John Cribb

Gary Greene

Randy Cope

JCribb@Cribb.com 406.579.2925

GGreene@Cribb.com 434.227.0952

RCope@Cribb.com 214.356.3227

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digital publishing

From News Seekers to Subscribers Millennials will pay for news if you give them engaging journalism to support By Rob Tornoe

H

ere’s a statement I bet you didn’t predict to read today: Young people are actually paying for the news. I know, we’ve been told for years that only older people care about the news, and our business is dying off one senior citizen at a time. But according to a huge new study conducted by the Media Insight Project, 37 percent of young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 actually pay real money to subscribe to one or more news source. The project, a collaboration between the American Press Institute and the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, is an attempt to obtain an understanding of who is subscribing to news sources in the digital age and why. After all, with most daily newspapers either using or moving towards a paywall strategy online, what motivated people to subscribe is immensely important 24 |

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data for publishers and editors looking to replace declining advertising revenue in order to sustain their journalism. Frankly, it’s a perfect time for a deep dive into digital subscription strategy, considering the success newspapers such as the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal have had growing their digital subscription base, a trend most commonly attributed to their tough but fair coverage of President Trump’s administration. What’s noteworthy about their digital subscription growth is that all three have also enticed a swarm of millennials to purchase subscriptions. In fact, according to a recent Pew study, the resources these three organizations devoted to their digital outreach efforts might have attracted enough young readers online to overcome a long-standing age gap for newspapers.

Other newspapers have had success growing their digital subscription numbers. Both the Boston Globe and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune have increased their digitalonly subscription numbers to enviable heights over the past few years. Gannett, the largest owner of local newspapers in the country, announced back in April that it now has more than 250,000 digital-only subscribers, a 72 percent increase over last year. Unfortunately, local newspapers haven’t had nearly the success of their national counterparts in attracting young adults en masse to subscribe to their digital products, and the 2016 election reveals a number of reasons why. According to data from the Pew Research Center, young adults were twice as likely to get their election news from national newspapers like the Times and the Post as they editorandpublisher.com

6/19/17 12:52 PM


were local newspapers in their community. Part of the reason for this is obvious— most local newspapers don’t have a large staff of national reporters (if any at all), and rely mostly on wire content that can be unengaging and less robust than the upto-the-minute reporting done at national outlets. That’s far from the only reason. In their “Our Path Forward” memo published back in January, the Times noted their online plan involving focusing on their audience of readers under the age of 35, which they consider the key in helping their news operations stay ahead of the curve online. “Young readers were the first to shift to mobile and the first to embrace social platforms, and they have become reliable first indicators of major trends that ultimately affect our entire audience,” Times leadership wrote in the memo. This takes shape in many forms, from producing engaging coverage of topic areas important to younger readers (such as the national election) to focusing on technology that makes it easier and more enjoyable for readers to actually consume content, especially important if you’re asking readers to pay. “Young people demand good online user experiences,” said Laura Davis, the digital news director at the USC Annenberg Media Center. “Local newspapers don’t have that.” For starters, local news organizations heavily invested in covering local politics and government need to reinvent their coverage to make it more relevant to millennials, who are often so fixated on national politics they don’t even know who their local representatives are. As a result of how local politics are often covered, it scored poorly among young adults in terms of the coverage areas they say they’re willing to pay for. The need to make areas such as local politics more engaging is vitally important if your organization wants more millennials to subscribe online. As the study points out, young adults who purchase digital subscriptions derive value from supporting journalism they care about. It’s hard for them to value something they’re unengaged with. Beyond that, the study pointed out some editorandpublisher.com

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general topics young adults prefer more than older readers: Crime and public safety, science and technology, schools and education, and hobbies. Though it’s important to do your own market research to see what topic areas resonate among the young adults in your own community. The good news is there is a lot of room out there to grow digital subscriptions among millennials. It’s exciting that nearly 40 percent of young adults value news to pay for it online, but that also means that a majority of young adults aren’t yet willing to pay to subscribe to a digital news service. Even more promising is the fact that a majority of millennials are news seekers, meaning they read as much news as subscribers, they just don’t yet pay for it. Of this group, about one in three says they’re likely to pay for a source they now use for free. They’re out there right now in your community—they just need to be identified and given a reason to subscribe to your newspaper. An important component of that strategy is social media itself. Networks like Instagram and Snapchat may not yield large numbers in terms of web traffic, but they are vital in reaching millennials and introducing them to your journalism. What works in favor of most newspapers is all people that pay for news, young and old alike, demand quality over cheapness. Worthwhile journalism is in the DNA of newspapers, and attracting digital subscribers requires a reinvestment in engaging content, easy-to-use interfaces and a focus on audience needs. And writing about President Trump every once and awhile doesn’t hurt, either. 

Rob Tornoe is a cartoonist and columnist for Editor and Publisher, where he writes about trends in digital media. He is also a digital editor for Philly.com. Reach him at robtornoe@gmail.com.

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production BY JERRY SIMPKINS

 Forklifts are a staple of any mailroom. Stacking skids of preprints or placing them into racks would be impossible without this equipment. Proper training, maintenance and ongoing testing are critical to this operation.

SAFETY FIRST

When it comes to operating heavy equipment, does your pressroom meet the basic requirements?

M

any newspapers hire people and throw them on a piece of heavy equipment more powerful than a car (and much more dangerous) with little or no operational or safety training. How does your operation certify operators, conduct training, provide ongoing education and testing? How are accidents investigated? How is equipment maintained and are license/background checks required? Let’s get started with the hiring process.

26 |

Bringing anyone new into your organization that may be operating a piece of heavy equipment within your facility should only be hired contingent on a driver’s license background check. The manner in which they drive outside can easily transcend to how they are going to drive your equipment and the danger they could pose to themselves and others. If there is a history of repeat driving infractions, I’ll guarantee that activity isn’t going to suddenly go away when they’re operating your equip-

ment. We owe it to our employees and our company to not to put them in harm’s way through our poor hiring practices. Prior to any new operator touching a piece of power assisted moving equipment, proper operational training including a complete explanation of controls should take place. While this might sound like a common sense statement, you’d be surprised just how many employers bypass this process and go straight to on the job

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on how the training relates to our specific equipment. This is the time for questions, not when someone is on the equipment. I also purchase prepared tests that correspond with the video instruction. All the answers to the written test will be provided in the video, plus I don’t see any harm in prompting folks throughout the training to “pay particular attention to this part.” In the end, you’ll have well-informed and trained employees. Photos courtesy of Jerry Simpkins

Passing the Tests

 In tight places or smaller mailroom operations without the luxury of powered equipment, a hand pallet jack is an essential piece of equipment. Easy to operate and maneuver, they are inexpensive and safe to operate with a minimal amount of instruction.

training; that is a bad idea. According to OSHA requirements, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure employees who operate a forklift as part of their job receive training in its operation. OSHA sights five elements/sections for meeting forklift certification requirements: operator training, safe operation/performance requirements, training program implementation, training program content, and refresher training and ongoing evaluation. First, decide on a qualified trainer, ideally someone who has attended an OSHA compliant certification training course and is recognized as a forklift trainer. If this person doesn’t exist, invest in developing one. Several professional training organizations offer on-site trainer certification at your facility with your equipment. Additionally, you can develop a trainer by sending them to training at the vendor’s facility with on-line support and testing. Once you’ve developed a qualified trainer, this individual can establish an in-

house training program that complies with OSHA standards. They can incorporate purchased videos on forklift safety, charts/ diagrams, audio tapes, verbal instruction and demonstrations. Training should be specific to the type of equipment used and to the workplace. I’d encourage everyone to go onto the OSHA website and follow the requirements listed for forklift training and certification. OSHA hands down heavy fines for willful and/or repeated violations, such as allowing untrained or uncertified employees to operate forklifts within your facility. I’ve conducted several training courses; as long as they are structured, follow OSHA approved processes for training and follow-up testing is conducted, you should be within established standards. In my experience, I’ve started with a video purchased from a reputable vendor who supplies videos with updated OSHA standards for compliance. I prefer to sit down with employees while they are viewing the video and interact/advise them

Once the video is over, I have new hires go to the written test. The tests I’ve used allow the individual to miss no more than three questions. Any more wrong than that requires reviewing the video and taking the test again until they pass. Failing more than twice means they probably need to look for another career. Once they pass the written test, I instruct potential operators the specifics of the equipment they are about to test on. I then demo the equipment for them and communicate to ensure they understand safe operation and handling. If I’m satisfied that they understand and are capable of physical testing, I put them on the equipment. After adequate and specific instruction while training, OSHA allows that an individual undergoing training can get behind the controls for learning and testing purposes only. At this point, I will have them show me the controls, explain to me what each does and ask them several questions regarding the equipment to confirm their understanding. If they make it this far, the physical testing begins. Normally, I’ll have them lift an empty skid, drive to a specific spot and gently/safely set it down. Then, we’ll try the same with a load, place it at a higher level, and further complicate the process until I feel comfortable that they can drive safely and operate that particular equipment as it is designed to operate. Then, and only then, they are given a “license” confirming they have completed training as required by OSHA forklift license requirements. This is the type of individual I want on the lift when I’m

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} Carefully observing surface conditions and spotting potential hazards ahead are both qualities of an experienced operator.

} Standing pallet movers operate differently than fork trucks and take some getting used to. Operators who may be certified for fork or clamp truck operation will need specific training on this equipment before operating.

passing through an area in which forklifts are being operated. Employment is contingent on passing all parts of the testing process. Some people just aren’t cut out to operate a forklift and I’ve regretfully failed several individuals in my time. Similar training is required for re-certification of operators at least once every three years, or after any unsafe operation, introduction of new equipment or changes in workplace conditions, accidents or near misses, or if the skill of any operator comes into question. Some of the things I’ve observed throughout my career may amaze you. Individuals operating forklifts in congested areas listening to music with full earbuds on, rocking lifts after getting stuck on an uneven surface, pulling out another stuck forklift with a tow rope, driving without a seatbelt—the list goes on. People don’t always use common sense and one misstep with heavy equipment can spell disaster. Several years ago, at a facility we had an individual with a health condition. His supervisors knew that occasionally his blood sugar would drop dangerously low and affect his judgment if he skipped lunch, but I didn’t find this out until one day he drove the forklift 28 |

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} Rain and snow can create dangerous conditions for clamp or forklift operation. Slick tires, usually the type on “indoor” forklifts, can slide and present hazards for the operator if not adequately trained for the conditions.

off the end of the dock. By some stroke of luck, no one was injured. Needless to say it was his last ride and the supervisors didn’t end up very pleased either. Many newspapers who use temp help from an agency may allow uncertified laborers to operate fork-trucks just on their word; this isn’t a smart practice. Another troubling issue I’ve seen are facilities who allow truck drivers who deliver vendor supplies to use their equipment, potentially putting employees in danger and exposing the company to serious financial liability. If I didn’t certify a driver myself, they do not touch the company equipment or operate in our facility, no exceptions.

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3 QUESTIONS WITH… Heather Bright, distribution manager, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette and Chillicothe Gazette in Ohio

What has been your greatest challenge and how did you overcome it? My greatest challenge was improving and maintaining a high standard of customer service for home delivery customers. This was achieved by helping to change the mindset of the staff and the carrier force and remaining diligent on a daily basis. It came down to meeting the expectations of the customers. } Wheel chocks are an inexpensive safety feature and should be used before entering any semi-trailer. More expensive doc-lock devices are available that safely secure the trailer to the dock preventing “pull-away” accidents by inattentive drivers or operators.

Another adventure I’ve witnessed is a separation miscue. Operators and truck drivers need to be on the same page when unloading. I’ve seen drivers attempt to re-position their trailer when a forklift is in the process of entering. Normally, this doesn’t end well. This happens more than you’d believe, yet there are several ways to avoid this issue. A good start is with communication. I instruct operators to never proceed with unloading anything until they have seen the driver leave the truck and are able to confirm with them that they are docked, the engine is shut off and the emergency brake is engaged. At that point if your dock is not equipped with a doc-lock or similar trailer retention device, wheel chocks should be put in place behind at least both rear tires. Again, you’d think this would all be simple common sense, but trust me accidents happen and most, if not all, are avoidable. A quick word about surface conditions: Slick wheels on most forklifts are designed for indoor use and dry conditions. Unloading a truck outside around rain or snow can be very dangerous even for the most experienced operator. The wood on the inside of a trailer is like an ice rink when it gets wet. Stay aware of the surface conditions and adjust accordingly.

Equipment Safety Although there can never be enough focus on safety nor enough time or space to cover it all in this article, let’s switch gears and move on to the types of equipment typically used in newspapers and their applications. Forklifts seem to exist in just about every newspaper mailroom in the world. We’d be lost without them. Unloading skids of preprints, placing them in racks, stacking them on top of one another, positioning near inserting equipment, loading our own trucks for deliveries; the list goes on. Forklifts have earned their place as a key piece of equipment in all our mailrooms.

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Where do you see the future of print production? I believe that there will always be a print product, but it will look different than it does now. I think that the number of days for home delivery at a seven day operation will be reduced to three and four days per week. I can also foresee newspapers switching to a weekly product or single copy only. There is still a strong need in communities for a print product to get your local news.

What printing technologies are you most excited about? I am most excited about the new type of printing plate that allows you to eliminate the processor used in making our plates. These processless plates reduce the amount of chemistry used and eliminate a part of the old process that required maintenance and cleaning. Heather Bright has worked at the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette for more than 17 years as well as the Chillicothe Gazette for more than five years. She also has experience assisting at other newspapers throughout Ohio.

Standing pallet jacks are, in my opinion, more difficult to operate than a forklift for some. It’s just not natural for some people to operate equipment unless they’re seated. Although this equipment is found less frequently in newspapers, they are useful for positioning preprints in racks and virtually are every bit as useful as a seated forklift. Ground level electric pallet jacks (i.e. pallet movers that cannot be used to stack pallets) are another staple of newspaper operations. These pallet jacks are a fraction of the cost of forklifts and except for raising skids to stack or place in racks are every bit as useful on the ground. To refer back to the safety aspect for a brief moment, remember each different piece of equipment requires specific training and

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} Paper rolls need to be handled with care. Too little pressure while clamping and you could drop a roll causing damage to the roll and potentially bystanders. Too much pressure and you can crush the core leaving the roll severely damaged and possibly unusable.

} Debris on the bed of trailers should be removed before entering. Slick wheels can slide or hang-up on items creating a dangerous situation quickly.

testing. At several of the newspapers I’ve been at, I’ve seen folks who can’t get the hang of handling an electric pallet mover and end up pinned against the wall with the unit still running. This can damage property, and if you’re on the receiving end of a handle to the gut, it can really ruin your day. Perhaps the safest piece of equipment in the mailroom capable of moving skids from place to place is a simple manual pallet jack. These units are inexpensive and easy to use, although no piece of equipment can be made accident proof. Since steel doesn’t have a brain or common sense, it’s still up to the operator to be safe. I’ve seen pallet jacks rolled across toes and depending on the weight of the load and body mechanics, back injuries can occur. This is why you should take nothing for granted and require training on each and every piece of equipment, powered or not, that has the potential of creating a harmful situation. Safety aside, one of the most expensive mistakes you can make is not properly training your clamp truck driver in proper operations. These units, commonly used to unload paper trucks and place rolls into a warehouse, can cause expensive damage to the rolls if not used properly. Clamp a paper roll too tight and you’ll crush the core potentially leaving the roll unusable (unless you have a core repair device—which I highly recommend). Don’t put enough pressure (clamp) on a roll and you can drop it causing damage to the paper and setting up a very serious safety issue. Either way you lose.

The same clamp pressure can’t be used on dinky rolls that can be used on full rolls without crushing the core. Several companies now offer units or aftermarket devices that allow the operator to set the tension on the clamp dependent on the size and weight of the roll. If you’re not fortunate enough to have one of these devices, you need to rely on the touch and common sense of the operator. Train them right and it will pay off big time in the long run. Clamp operators should be instructed to lift only one roll at a time. Often when they’re in a hurry, I’ve seen operators lift multiple rolls and slide multiple rolls across the floor to save time. Not only is this not a safe practice but can obviously damage the roll. Moving multiple rolls is an extremely dangerous action that can lead to serious injury or death. Take it from someone who has investigated a fatal accident involving newsprint rolls, just when you think it isn’t going to happen in your shop, it will. We all must rely on power driven heavy equipment to load and unload trucks and move material throughout our facility. Proper training and ongoing education are necessary to protect our employees and property from harm. Working towards safety on the front-end is always easier and more beneficial than searching for apologies on the back-end. 

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Jerry Simpkins is vice president of the West Texas Printing Center with Morris Printing Services, LLC in Lubbock, Texas.

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WorldEditorsTrust.qxp_Layout 1 6/19/17 12:06 PM Page 1

We are guided by truth and report it. We believe public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. We are professional journalists

TRUST In today’s digital world, false and distorted information are easily shared — beware of corrupt power and money disguised as sources of truth.

Newspapers strive to ensure the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough. We fear no one. E&P is a staunch supporter of the newspaper industry and is dedicated to promoting its success and well-being in the years to come. From time to time, we will print full-page ads such as this, to inspire advertising and marketing ideas — touting the importance of ethical journalism and its value to democracy.


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6/19/17 1:27 PM


IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Despite the highs and the lows, journalism can once again become a sought-after career

illustration by tony o. champagne

By Taylor Hill

W

hen in journalism, you have to start somewhere. For me, it was the University of California, Los Angeles—as the beat reporter for the women’s gymnastics team. At the end of their competitions, I would stand at the ready with my voice recorder to get that all-important quote. And while a six-foot, two-inch lanky reporter interviewing multiple four-foot, eleven-inch forces of athletic power made for a good visual, it didn’t make for the best transcribing when I got back to my apartment. Keeping the microphone low enough to capture what my interview subject was actually saying was important. But I adapted, and learned to invite team members to a seat for interviews.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

 Reporting on how climate change could impact California’s iconic coast redwood and giant sequoia trees, Hill got an up-close look at an 800-year old tree in Santa Cruz, Calif. with UC Berkeley researchers.

I didn’t know at the time, but graduating and leaving UCLA’s Daily Bruin publication would be one of the few times in the next decade I would voluntarily leave a job. My past 10 years in the news media industry has been a lot like what my junior college Journalism 101 professor forebode— working too many hours, under continual stress, for just enough pay to keep a roof over my head and cheap whiskey on hand. The first layoff came in 2008. I had worked my way into a job at a luxury lifestyle magazine starting as an intern and moving to editorial assistant. I watched the stock market drop 700 points, then another 700 points, and then another 700 points, and soon learned about mortgagebacked securities. The company had its Christmas party, and then proceeded to lay 34 |

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off 45 percent of the staff before the New Year. From there, I adapted, working at restaurants, valeting cars, and taking whatever freelance writing gigs available for most of 2009. And when an opportunity came, I dove back into journalism, landing at a regional boating newspaper, hired on as a staff writer. It was in the confines of a small publication that I grew to love the news industry—developing interview skills, staying up late through city council and harbor commission meetings, and creating a niche for water-related environmental stories. Still, I couldn’t help but notice the articles touting the death of newspapers, as digital media sites amassed clicks, legacy newsrooms shrunk and advertising dollars tightened and subscriptions declined. That

didn’t deter me from taking my dream job as a beaches and harbors reporter at the Orange County Register (Anaheim, Calif.), the newspaper I grew up reading. By 2013, I was a California kid making an almostliving writing on sailboat races, ocean water quality, rising sea levels, and Newport Beach’s pesky sea lions. Two years into the job, and the dream started to unravel. The voluntary buyouts started, and then the layoffs. I jumped ship before they realized they still had a harbors beat reporter on staff and took a job in digital media—working as an associate editor of environment for a news website aimed at millennials, owned by a billionaire. But it didn’t take long for the journalism pangs to follow.

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ruz,

“The value of trained, professional newspaper reporters and broadcasters has taken on heightened importance recently…” The Best Worst Job A whirlwind decade in journalism is not an uncommon tale—in fact, the pattern of high-stress, low pay, no security is so prevalent in the newspaper industry, that newspaper reporter has finished No. 1 on CareerCast.com’s Jobs Rated list three years running. The main reason for the job’s perennial reign at the top—or bottom—of the jobs list is a mix of factors, according to CareerCasts’ methodology. The annual research study looked at the 200 most common jobs and ranked them primarily based on salary, expected job growth, level of competition, degree of stress, and safety hazards. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, among other resources, provided statistics. “One factor directly contributing to the shrinking of media outlets, reflected in the Jobs Rated report’s worst jobs, is the decline of advertising revenue,” the report said. And that decline in advertising revenue has for the first time put advertising sales person on the list, and broadcasters were at the top of the list as well. On top of ad revenue declines, newspaper reporter is at or near the bottom of the Jobs Rated list based on a variety of criteria, according to Kyle Kensing, online content editor at CareerCast. “Income, on average, is low; job prospects have diminished over the last decadeand-a-half, and forecasts predict that trend to continue,” he explained. “The stress is high, as detailed by the factors the Jobs Rated report measures to gauge stress. Those include tight and regular deadlines; working in the public; and meeting with editorandpublisher.com

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the public, which is worth noting that public speaking is one of the most common phobias.” And this all comes at a time when newspaper reporters and news media in general are under attack from the current presidential administration—which has repeatedly referred to traditional media including CNN, the New York Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS as “fake news.” “Two of the lowest-ranking jobs of 2017 (newspaper reporter and broadcaster) have recently taken center stage in American culture in a way not seen in many years,” the report stated. “The value of trained, professional newspaper reporters and broadcasters has taken on heightened importance recently as well as increased scrutiny. Journalists covering politics in particular, have been under extreme pressure as they strive to credibly cover the news and keep our nation informed.” So while the job of a traditional journalist has maintained its low rating, it seems to be increasingly crucial to protecting democracy, free speech, and upholding facts in the current political climate. And hopefully, that could be the catalyst to pull the industry out of its tailspin. Kensing is quick to point out that their rankings have nothing to do with the importance of a job. “Something to keep in mind with this report is that ‘worst’ and ‘best’ are gauged by factors like income, hiring outlook and stress, and not a commentary on the usefulness of the professions. Journalism is incredibly important to our society. The same is true for other jobs that rank poorly in the Jobs Rated report, like firefighter and police officer—

they’re also high-stress jobs that often do not pay well, hence their ranking.”

Making a Comeback Early indications from newspapers have shown that the “Trump Bump” is substantive, with companies such as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post seeing upticks in print subscriptions, and large increases in digital subscriptions—all while rolling out marketing strategies that highlight combating the “fake news” moniker that President Trump has leaned on to disparage any media outlet he disagrees with. And these types of subscription bumps could be the start of getting journalism off “worst jobs” lists. “Ranking at the bottom of the Jobs Rated report can be remedied largely by the health of the industry; e.g. more job opportunities and higher pay,” Kensing said. “Increases in subscriptions for some of the largest publications in the country over the past year should be seen as a positive trend, especially if those outlets prove to be the proverbial rising tide that lifts all ships.” The largest gains for the news industry have been on the digital site, where sites such as the New York Times saw an astounding 276,000 additional digital members in the last three months of the year, more subscriptions than in 2013 and 2014 combined. And that digital bump could be sustainable. New York Times Co. stock price shares rose 2.5 percent during mid-day trading on June 1, after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. But that doesn’t mean that digital is the sureJULY 2017 | E & P

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

 On the road in Texas, Hill traveled nearly 1,200 miles across west and north Texas to speak to ranchers, landowners, policymakers and environmentalists on how the typically conservative state has been one of the most progressive when it comes to implementing green energy infrastructure like wind turbines.

fire route to a steady, profitable, happy career in journalism. In fact, the field is so new, CareerCast has yet to get solid numbers on how many people are employed in New Media outlets. As I previously mentioned, after seeing the writing on the wall at the Orange County Register, I jumped at the chance to write for a digital-only site. As an associate editor for the environment and wildlife coverage, I was able to experiment with new technologies and visual tools to tell stories, including utilizing drone footage to get breathtaking images of windmills in Northwest Texas, and abandoned iron mines in California’s desert, and experiment with 360-degree VR video footage by placing it 180 feet up in a redwood tree in 36 |

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“Increases in subscriptions for some of the largest publications in the country over the past year should be seen as a positive trend…” editorandpublisher.com

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All we have to do as journalists is adapt, and when we do, we make a better news industry.

Santa Cruz, Calif. But two years into the adventure, the owner apparently changed his mind on the importance of journalism, shuttering the whole site. It was a harsh lesson to learn, but an important one nonetheless—digital media was no safe haven for journalism. Part of the reason I moved from print to digital—and this particular site—was the notion that it wasn’t reliant on subscriptions or ad sales; this company had a “double bottom line” mantra that I understood to mean that if our site continued to have a positive social impact, we wouldn’t be beholden to the fiscal performance. It’s hard to say if the startup culture established there might have pushed our focus too far away from profitability, or if the executives just changed their mind to invest in other passion projects—either editorandpublisher.com

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way, my time in digital media met the same fate as my time in print. With that, 10 years in journalism had passed. Today, I work in the communications department for a nonprofit conservation group and freelance when I can. My print background, environmentally focused coverage, and digital media experience were all key in helping me land the new gig—as my day to day tasks include writing press releases on environmental projects on the land, compiling digital newsletters, and designing printed programs that highlight land restoration and conservation. Looking back, you would think the ups and downs, stress-inducing deadlines, and constant upheaval from one media company to the next should have me agreeing with CareerCast and its Jobs Rated list, but I don’t. To me, journalism is the best job. And it’s not about the “noble pursuit” of enlightening the masses—though many journalists I have met along the way sincerely feel this; or the vanity of a byline— even though I’m one vain son of a gun. For me, it’s something else. When I’m writing stories, I have the opportunity to learn something new and wonderful every day. When I was covering nautical news for a local boating newspaper, I got to learn about sailboats so technologically advanced, the builders had to manufacture ways to keep them in the water so they wouldn’t fly away. When I covered harbor happenings in Southern

California, I learned about a man who basically made it his life’s pursuit to pick up trash—and in doing so, he inspired a whole city to clean up its waterways. When I covered the environment for a now-defunct digital site, I got to chat with a U.S. Geological Survey researcher who had spent the past 30 years mapping out manatee migration patterns—coming to the conclusion that the warm-water-loving species now heavily rely on soon-to-bedefunct power plant water flows. I got to learn new things, and I got paid—never handsomely—to do it. And to top it off, I then got to share what I learned and form that information into a story worth telling. Every lost job is a test, and every new job a challenge. Just as I did while covering the powerful, but heightchallenged women’s gymnastics team at UCLA, I have had to adapt each step of the way. Journalism is a career for the adaptable, and I hope when the chance comes again, I am able to adapt and jump back in. And to non-journalists, that may sound crazy. Why would anyone want to get back into a career that’s proven so unstable over the years? Because, as Thomas Edison saw it, “We shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present,” and then he went out and created the light bulb. All we have to do as journalists is adapt, and when we do, we make a better news industry.  JULY 2017 | E & P

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IN N

NEWS IN Are publishers ready to connect their news apps to self-driving cars? By Peter Suciu

or years drivers have had “news radio” to listen to during their daily commutes, but typically this coverage and reporting has revolved around traffic and weather updates, with the actual news being relegated to the headlines often between extended commercial breaks. Even the news channels available on satellite radio have been more in-line with “talk radio” rather than hard news. News junkies have been left with few options to get informed during the morning drive to work. As a result, there could be an opportunity for traditional daily newspapers publishers to carve out a niche via their mobile apps, but the content would have to be specifically tailored for drivers. Such offerings could provide the depth and reporting that made newspapers the original source of information to start the day.

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NEWS IN MOTION

NEWS IN

} Mark Bünger, Lux Research research director

} Greg Sterling, Local Search Association vice president of strategy and insight

“This application would have to be different from what is now available as drivers would need it to be read aloud,” said Mark Bünger, research director at Lux Research. “There are already offerings such as podcasts that are being streamed, but to date there hasn’t really been much in the way of specific news apps that have been targeted at drivers.” “Newspaper apps are potentially viable,” said Greg Sterling, vice president of strategy and insight at the Local Search Association. “Safety argues against video, so the apps that are going to have the most immediate success will be streaming audio apps.” There are already mobile phone apps that do the reading for the driver, including one from voice-recognition developer Nuance called the Dragon Drive. However, it has mostly only allowed drivers to dictate text messages and emails and to hear back the same. Another app, Newsbeat for iOS and Android, will actually read customized news feeds aloud, and its content is ac-

crued from multiple sources including many newspapers. It includes selections by topics such as U.S., world, local, business, politics, entertainment and more, while the audio is a mix of text-to-speech as well as an actual human voice. The app may do

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the reading, but most reviewers have complained that the navigation is not without issues for those who can’t take the time to look at their phone. Newspapers could thus find opportunity by also targeting drivers directly, as these could be very much a captive audience. The key will be in making the navigation something that can also be done via audible prompts. “There is definitely an opportunity for newspapers and publishers to utilize smartphone apps connected to a car’s media interface system,” said Jordan Edelson, founder and CEO of Appetizer Mobile, an app development firm based in New York City. “Phones paired via Bluetooth or through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto can enable apps to go hands free within a vehicle. Then by utilizing spoken commands, drivers can navigate those apps without the need to physically touch their devices.” Newspaper apps could become more important to drivers as the car takes over more of the driving as well. “Over the next several years, infotainment systems built into cars are going to become a major focus especially as we enter a world of truly autonomous ve-

“Safety argues against video, so the apps that are going to have the most immediate success will be streaming audio apps.”

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How Autonomous Technology Could Change Vehicle Infotainment

T

oday the layout of a vehicle is designed to provide comfort and ease of operation to the drivers. More importantly, the primary controls remain the steering wheel, transmission shifter and pedals, while environmental and infotainment controls are still very much secondary yet still designed so as not to be difficult for the driver to use. In fact, there are now controls on } Mark C. Boyadjis, IHS Automotive principal analyst and the steering wheel to allow a driver manager for the automotive user to remotely access a mobile device experience or even to adjust the infotainment system, and all of this is still designed to limit driver distraction. As the radio has involved into the aforementioned “infotainment system,” so too could the other controls as the car begins to do more of the driving. This will only likely advance as we head closer to the so-called “self-driving” or autonomous car. We are actually much closer than many people might expect. Several automakers, as well as Google and Apple, are in the process of developing “self-driving cars.” So much progress has been made already that in May 2013 the United States Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released its policy on automated vehicle development. This set the levels of what determines how much the car is actually doing the driving. The NHTSA policy on automation also clarified the five levels of automation for vehicles, and these include: No-Automation (Level 0), where the driver has complete and sole control of the vehicle controls; Function-specific Automation (Level 1), which provides specific control functions such as electric stability and pre-charged brakes or other driver assist; Combined Function Automation (Level 2), where at least two primary functions work in unison to relieve the driver of control of those functions; Limited Self-Driving Automation (Level 3), where a driver can cede full control of all safety-critical functions under certain traffic and/or environmental conditions; and finally Full Self-Driving Automa-

hicles,” Edelson said. “Drivers will be freed up from many of the important attention requiring tasks needed to drive a car today. They will be able to enjoy new mediums of entertainment within vehicles including editorandpublisher.com

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tion (Level 4), where the car can perform all safety-critical driving functions and monitor roadway conditions for an entire trip. As the car does more of the driving, it will allow all of the users inside to do other things, which is why tech giants such as Google are working hard to be part of this next automotive revolution. “The consumption of content and those business models built around it will do well in the world of automated vehicles,” said Mark C. Boyadjis, principal analyst and manager for the automotive user experience at IHS Automotive. “There will be new opportunities for the consumption of content.” A fully autonomous vehicle however is years, possibly even decades away. Currently, the level of control is really only reaching level 3, but great strides are being made. “BMW, Mercedes and Volvo are offering the ability to lock into autonomous modes where you could have a moment of distraction,” Boyadjis said. “This is still only a moment, so it isn’t long enough to like a page on Facebook and of course not long enough to read an article in the newspaper, but we are reaching the point where you can turn on the system and in low speed traffic allow the car to take more of the control.” However, on a longer timeline it isn’t hard to envision that users will be able to take in the newspaper during the daily commute. In the 10,000 years of human history, cars have only existed for the past 150 years, and while cities have been adapted to allow for automotive traffic—and suburbs created pretty much because of the freedom cars have allowed—it isn’t too hard to think how autonomous cars will provide a different level of freedom. “We are predicting that it will be the mid-2020s where the cultural norm changes,” said Boyadjis. “It is when we expect that the driver engagement will change, but so too will the ownership model. This will change the infotainment systems, as productivity and entertainment will be more empowering in the car.” Just as NPR and other news radio stations have evolved around daily commuting schedules, so too could other services. “I’d be very surprised if a Netflix or a New York Times isn’t already thinking of how it can address a day when people aren’t required to pay attention,” Boyadjis said. “In the future, there will be opportunities to reach this captive audience with new offerings.”—PS

the consumption of newspapers and other published content.” There is already hardware—including tablets and e-readers—that can provide similar functionality.

“(Newspaper apps) would work, but it already has been out there,” said Dr. John C. Watson, associate professor at the school of communications at American University in Washington, D.C. “My Kindle JULY 2017 | E & P

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NEWS IN MOTION

NEWS IN

} Jordan Edelson, Appetizer Mobile founder and CEO

} Josh Crandall, Netpop Research principal analyst

These guidelines, which at this point remain voluntary, were designed to encourage portable and aftermarket electronic device developers to design products that, when used while driving, reduce the potential for driver distraction. The guidelines further called upon manufacturers to implement features such as pairing, where a portable device is linked to a vehicle’s infotainment system, as well as driver mode, which is a simplified user interface. “There are already apps that restrict drivers from utilizing them when a car is in motion or when they are in the driver’s seat,” said Edelson. “Regulations will likely relax in the future, but for now I would expect possible additional regulation to be considered, but that is not a reason for newspapers and publishers not to deploy mobile app experiences for drivers.”

Competing With Radio

“Similar to the way Google Maps has undermined the GPS market, smartphone apps will disrupt the market for satellite radio services.” carries my newspaper subscriptions and it can be plugged into my car radio and a mechanical voice would read it. An app improvement could announce the headlines and the user could give a voice command to read or skim the interesting ones.”

Putting the Brakes on Apps

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adoption of newspaper-based apps, even ones that read the news to drivers, could be rules on how apps are used in the automobile. Last November, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) released proposed guidelines to address driver distraction caused by mobile and other electronic devices that are used in vehicles.

The print medium has long competed, and even co-existed, with broadcasting, but newspaper apps could now have the potential to actually be the disrupters in mobile content consumption. “Similar to the way Google Maps has undermined the GPS market, smartphone apps will disrupt the market for satellite radio services,” said Josh Crandall, principal analyst at Netpop Research. “The sleeping giants in the news space aren’t news apps at all. The giants to reckon with are the digital assistants from Google, Amazon and Apple…Google, Alexa and Siri are the names that satellite radio operators will fear. With a quick ‘hotword,’ which activates a voice response app, a driver doesn’t even need to touch their smartphone to hear the latest news stories. They are safe and news outlets are already packaging content for these channels.” As such, SiriusXM and conventional radio will ultimately probably be threatened by Android Auto and CarPlay but mainstream adoption could still take a few years, said Local Search Association’s Sterling, who added, “In the near term audiences will be shaved by in-car apps.” editorandpublisher.com

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Traditional radio, satellite radio and newspapers could find themselves in a battle with other internet content. One of the biggest issues with a changing delivery of newspapers is that often times what is written for print doesn’t immediately translate to the spoken word. Audio books often relied on actors and others noted for their ability to engage the audience with their voice, and a mechanical voice could come off flat.

The other part of this is that as companies like Audible, the Amazon-owned seller and producer of spoken audio entertainment, information, and educational programming, has found it is hard to deliver timely content on a daily basis. It would be a major undertaking for newspapers to record its stories—including updates that appear online—throughout the day. However, there is little doubt that machine learning and advanced algorithms will allow a computer to sound more natural or even “imitate” celebrities or broadcasters—this could itself be a business opportunity where some could license their voice, even if they never do the actual reading of the content. The final hurdle could be one of the airwaves in a different way however, as newspaper apps could find themselves at the mercy of consumer data plans. Yet in the end, traditional radio, satellite radio and newspapers could find themselves in a battle with other internet content. “Right now Verizon, AT&T and other carriers are changing the data plans offered to consumers,” said Lux Research’s Bünger. “That handset can provide a lot of information including thousands of radio stations and news sources for free.” 

DV &M DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA HAS SOLD NEW HAVEN (CT) REGISTER 52,000 daily circulation

TORRINGTON (CT) REGISTER CITIZEN 5,300 daily circulation

MIDDLETOWN (CT) PRESS 2,500 daily circulation as well as eight weekly newspapers, niche publications and Connecticut Magazine

TO

HEARST NEWSPAPERS We are pleased to have advised Hearst Newspapers in this transaction.

Dirks, Van Essen & Murray Santa Fe, NM

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t: 505.820.2700 www.dirksvanessen.com

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D I G I TA L BREAKT

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KTHROUGHS How newspapers are achieving success with technological advancements By Sean Stroh

A

s part of the never ending search to uncover the most efficient means of tackling the digital monster, publishers have continued to experiment, innovate and, in some cases, receive some much needed help. For the most part, common ingredients to digital success, or even the slightest hint of progress, stems from the willingness to adapt without sacrificing the quality of the product provided to readers and advertisers alike. With that in mind, E&P decided to take a closer look at five digital initiatives taking place in the news industry and how they’re helping advance the tech movement.

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Digital in Rural America While newspapers like the Washington Post and New York Times are able to freely experiment on the digital side of things, smaller publications have often been left to trudge along the digital path without much guidance. This problem was entrenched deeply in the mind of Mark Nienhueser during his tenure as a 2015-2016 fellow at the Reynolds Journalism Institute. As advertising director at the Missouri Press Service (MPS), an affiliate of the state’s newspaper association, he was keenly aware of the challenges newsrooms were facing. “The hypothesis heading into the fellowship was that the Missouri Press Association needed to be able to help their newspapers get into the digital side of things,” Nienhueser said. “What I was finding was that most of the dailies had it somewhat figured out, but most of the local weeklies didn’t have anything at all.” Of the nearly 250 newspapers in the state, about 200 are weekly publications, he said. Following an extensive interview process with different vendors, Nienhueser and his team were able to develop a suite of digital

services designed specifically to support community newspaper publishers improve their relationship with local ad clients as well as boost revenue. The services available include website creation, social media management, programmatic advertising, SEO, YouTube TrueView ads and hands-on training. MPS partners with St. Louis-based Amplified Digital, who serves as the vendor for the digital products and training. Nienhueser said MPS is in a particularly unique situation because it can provide products without the need for large margins. “We have products that I don’t believe some of the bigger digital houses would even offer. For example, you can buy 100,000 programmatic impressions above the fold with us for about $649,” he said. “Those other guys are going to come in there and say you know we’ve got a $1,000 or $1,500 minimum spend. I think it has really given us the ability to walk into rural America and uncover some opportunities that are going to provide a revenue stream to the newspaper and allow us to make money too.” According to Whitney Livengood, digital advertising sales manager at the Washing-

 Mark Nienhueser, Missouri Press Service advertising director

 Whitney Livengood, Washington Missourian digital advertising sales manager

By partnering with Nextdoor, newspapers can target where they post stories down to the community level.  Beth O’Malley, St. Louis Post-Dispatch reader engagement editor

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ton Missourian, the paper’s advertising staff has been able to “step up their game” due to their ongoing work with MPS and Amplified Digital. The semiweekly paper maintains a print circulation of 13,100 on Wednesday and 12,320 on the weekend. “We had some digital products but we didn’t have the capacity to do things like website development,” she said. “We also have utilized them a lot for programmatic advertising, which is something that people in our area we’re only somewhat familiar with.” So far, the feedback from local clients has been positive for the Missourian. In one case, Livengood noted that she and her staff were able to keep a customer from spending their money elsewhere by suggesting programmatic advertising. “We’ve had customers cut down on the newspaper budget because they needed to reach outside their market. So we were able to go in with a proposal to this particular client based on what their needs and expectations were in different zip codes and who they were trying to target,” she said. “Not only did we make up that money but we also added on a few thousand dollars to their campaign total for the year. We are recouping lost dollars by providing these new digital services now to our clients.”

Tapping into Local Audiences Since its launch in 2011, Nextdoor has seen its popularity steadily grow and partnerships with public agencies expand. The private social network, which allows users to connect with neighbors in their community, recently added newspapers to that list. “I emailed Nextdoor last fall after a conversation with coworkers about the platform and its potential for reaching readers,” said Beth O’Malley, St. Louis Post-Dispatch reader engagement editor. “They responded back with a proposal to help them with an initiative partnering with news outlets. My understanding is that we are one of their editorandpublisher.com

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 By partnering with Nextdoor, newspapers can have their articles appear on the platform’s newsfeed in the app and website.

first news partners, and the first in the Midwest, to have this type of account.” By partnering with Nextdoor, newspapers can target where they post stories down to the community level, giving them the ability to share hyperlocal news that is highly relevant to specific communities. The articles appear in Nextdoor’s newsfeed in the app and website, as well as in the Daily Digest email that members receive. In addition, neighbors can share story ideas or tips with newspapers through Nextdoor. To date, Nextdoor has partnered with several dozen local news entities covering a cross section of the US. “The response has been strong and positive,” said Brian Backus, director, agency and news partnerships at Nextdoor. “It’s still early, but our current partners have said that, unlike other social networks, Nextdoor’s ability to let them target differ-

ent stories to different neighborhoods in their service areas is key to delivering and delighting their audience. News partners have also seen incremental traffic and new referrals from their posts on Nextdoor.” Though Nextdoor has faced criticism for instances of racial profiling among its users, Backus said its team has taken steps to address the issue by introducing a new set of community guidelines and moderation tools to encourage neighbors to be more mindful when posting. He emphasized that the improvements have led to a 75 percent reduction in problematic posts. Meanwhile, Offline Media, a free curated guide to events in a handful of cities in North Carolina and Tennessee, has begun the early stages of a strategic partnership with McClatchy. The startup has already built a strong core audience in markets such as Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C., where a third of all college educated millennial women now use the app. “We’re building a scaleable technology platform that we believe is going to allow us to curate experiences in these mid-market U.S. cities better than anyone else,” said David Shaner, Offline Media founder and CEO. “The thing that makes us unique is our focus on our target customer, which is women between 18 and 34.” Shaner said he hopes to expand Offline Media to cover 50 cities by 2020. According to Andrew Pergam, vice president, video and new ventures at McClatchy, the digital partnership will revolve around “content sharing and advertising exchanging.” “I think it probably makes the most sense to look at where there are some overlaps for us,” he said. “We are targeting what I call the next generation of our audience.” Several years ago, McClatchy-owned Charlotte Observer launched Charlotte Five, a mobile-first website featuring stories geared toward millennials. Pergam noted that the website and Offline Media have recently begun content sharing and will continue to experiment. JULY 2017 | E & P

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A Look at What’s Ahead and What to Leave Behind Third-Party Digital Newsstands Bolster Their Newspaper Content Scribd, which provides its subscribers with the ability to read ebooks, audio books and more recently magazines, now offers a number of articles from newspapers. In Canada, PressReader formed a partnership with Bell Mobility, the country’s largest telecommunications company, to give their customers access to 6,000 newspapers and magazines.

Work In VR/360 Video Continues The USA Today Network hasn’t slowed down on its efforts in this category. So far this year, the network produced a VR live stream of the Trump Inauguration and released a second season of “VRtually There.” Additionally, the Steamboat Pilot & Today in Steamboat Springs, Colo., launched the “Wish You Were Here: Steamboat 360” video series.

Artificial Intelligence Isn’t Going Anywhere It isn’t a matter of if AI will ever become a normal part of a journalist’s daily routine, but when. A recent study by The Associated Press noted that AI “promises to reap many big rewards for journalism in the years to come.” Potential benefits for journalists using AI include greater speed, accuracy, scale and diversity of coverage.

“There’s a lot of millennials who love their cities and want to know more about what is going on and how to get involved in things,” Pergam said. “What we are doing with Charlotte Five and Offline will help us grow that even further.”

Say What? Despite its infancy in the market, some news organizations have already begun to explore the possibilities of the voice-activated assistants. Last May, the Washington Post became the first publisher to announce breaking news on Alexa-enabled devices. In order to start receiving up to three daily news updates, a subscriber volun48 |

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QR Codes Fail to Connect While much was written about QR codes and newspapers five or six years ago, the excitement has since steadily declined. The general consensus from tech experts is that its failure was in large part due to the impersonal experience it gave users and the difficulty many had scanning them.

Publishers Flee Instant Articles Just two years after its launch, Facebook’s Instant Articles (IA) has started to experience an exodus of major publishers in the newspaper industry from the platform. Put simply, while IA delivered on the promise of faster loading articles, the platform never proved to be a viable traffic or revenue generator for publishers.

Tablets Never Reach Potential In 2010, media mogul Rupert Murdoch declared that Apple’s iPad “may well be the saving of the newspaper industry.” But the tablet quickly became overshadowed by the meteoric rise of smartphones. In fact, worldwide tablet shipments declined another 8.5 percent during the first quarter of this year, while smartphone shipments grew more than 4 percent.

tarily opts-in to notifications from the Post in their Alexa app. Once a breaking news notification is available, Echo devices chime once and its halo flashes green. The updates aren’t vocalized until a user asks, “Alexa, what are my notifications?” or “Alexa, what did I miss?” “The alerts will be short and to the point—think a headline with context, not an article,” said Dave Merrell, lead product manager. “We have had great success delivering short and informative alerts on other platforms, such as email, mobile push and social media, and we will bring that ethos to the Alexa platform.” This isn’t the Post’s first foray into the world of voice-activated news. Last year,

reporter Chris Cillizza utilized Alexa’s Flash Briefings to deliver the latest news and analysis on the 2016 presidential election. Among the biggest lessons the paper has learned during its experimentation with the emerging technology, Merrell said, was to keep the interactions simple. “We are very aware that not only is this a new platform for us, it is new to users as well,” he said. “Discoverability of skills on these platforms is difficult in a screenless environment, so the simpler we can go and the more integrated into the system itself, the better.” Other tech giants such as Microsoft, Google and Apple have also joined Amazon in establishing their place in the voiceeditorandpublisher.com

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 Andrew Pergam, vice president, video and new ventures, McClatchy

activated market. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced its partnership with audio equipment manufacturer Harman Kardon to place their voice-activated assistant, Cortana, into a smart speaker of its own. The move placed the company in direct competition with the Echo and Google Home devices. So where does news fit in the future of voice technology? Moving forward, Merrell acknowledged that the Post, and any other newspapers interested in incorporating voice assistants, need to remain true to their pillars of their newsroom. “Throwing our current products and storytelling onto these platforms just won’t work as users will demand experiences that are in line with the rest of the device, just like they did with smartphones and mobile-optimized websites a few years ago,” he said. “It’s so easy to have Alexa play the song that’s stuck in my head—it should be just as easy to get the news and information I want to hear. People want the news and they want to use their new voice assistants to get it, so we’re constantly thinking of how to innovate in this space.”

Flying Above the Norm  Dave Merrell, Washington Post lead

Though the relationship between drones and newspapers remains in the midst of a

product manager

 Matt Waite, founder of the Drone Journalism Lab editorandpublisher.com

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 Alan Hunter, The Times’ head of digital

feeling out process, some news organizations have showcased the potential of drone journalism stories this year. Following President Donald Trump’s call to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a significant amount of coverage ensued, with both the Associated Press and CNN recognizing an opportunity to put their own unmanned aerial vehicles to use. In April, AP reporter Christopher Sherman and photographer Rodrigo Abd embarked on a two-week journey along the U.S.-Mexico border documenting the true nature of what was occurring at the ground level. On day 12 of their reporting, the pair received some help from AP reporter Brian Skoloff, who piloted a drone to capture an aerial view of how the border fence divides the towns of Nogales, Ariz. and Nogales, Mexico. As part of its coverage of how Texans perceived the possibility of additional miles of wall being built in their state, CNN relied on a drone to capture shots of the land straddling Texas and Mexico. In both cases, readers were provided with informative reporting at a relatively inexpensive cost for the news outlets themselves. Considering drone journalism has technically only been legalized for less than a year, the results produced so far are encouraging. With a number of drone-related training initiatives and boot camps underway, such as Poynter’s drone journalism school, the idea of experiencing aerial video shots and photography regularly alongside a story isn’t an outlandish concept either. “I’ve seen some good work, and more and more of it. I think that the real breakthrough is that coming up on a year after federal drone rules went into place, you’re starting to see additional newsrooms getting them and starting to use them,” said Matt Waite, professor of practice in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications and the founder of the Drone Journalism Lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “It’s all pretty cautious right now, but you’re going to see a lot more in the coming year.” JULY 2017 | E & P

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Setting Digital Deadlines Last year, The Times in London tried approaching online news with a different kind of mindset—one that didn’t involve the normal pattern of rapid posting throughout the day. By adopting a publishing schedule focused on three daily updates to their digital edition, at 9 a.m., 12 p.m. and 5 p.m., the paper has seen hikes in the usage of its paid-for mobile app, total digital subscribers and website traffic. What led to the change in the first place? According to Alan Hunter, head of digital, the shift in mentality was led by their users. “We conducted in-depth interviews with them and followed their actual usage in the data, just in case it differed from what they claimed. Both revealed the same thing: that they wanted authoritative reporting, analysis and opinion from us rather than breaking news. For that, they go elsewhere, notably the BBC and Twitter.” In other words, why would you subscribe to a publisher that wasn’t giving you something different from news which you can get for free? After all, it’s no secret that online news has become a com-

“If we can satisfy readers that they are up-to-date and wellinformed at those times, they will stick with us.” moditized product. Over the past 12 months, the number of subscribers on the Times’ smartphone app has increased by 35 percent. Additionally, users are reading nearly double the amount of articles on both the app and website. The number of digital subscribers has also grown from 172,000 to 185,000. “Many people are at work and at their desks at 9 a.m., our first update; they take a break at noon for lunch; by 5 p.m. many are starting to return home. Our aim is to drive a habit to check out what’s important in the world at those times,” Hunter said. “If we can satisfy readers that they are up-to-date and well-informed at those times, they will stick with us.” In the next year or so, the paper plans to introduce a 10 p.m. update due to usage data indicating that smartphone users tend to have one last check of the news before they go to bed. When asked if the unique approach to digital news could be applicable here in the U.S., Hunter emphasized that it was a complicated matter each individual publisher would have to consider on their own. “The U.K. is also peculiar in that it has a state-funded digital news behemoth in the shape of the BBC which significantly distorts our marketplace. I do believe, however, that people are assailed by a tidal wave of news at the moment, which is a good thing in itself but is increasingly hard to navigate,” Hunter said. “Some people will choose to ride that wave on their own, picking stories to read on an ad hoc basis. Others will want a trusted source to pick out what’s important for them and collect it in easily digestible form. That’s where the idea of editions comes in.” 

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By Sean Stroh sean@editorandpublisher.com

Brad Bailey has been appointed publisher of the Press-Republican in Plattsburgh, N.Y. He previously served as associate publisher and advertising director of the Pocono Record in Stroudsburg, Pa. Bailey began his newspaper career in 1991 as a classified sales representative at The Daily Item in Sunbury, Pa.

NewsPeople

Rodney Mahone has been named regional publisher for McClatchy newspapers in Georgia. Mahone will continue to serve as president and publisher of the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer. He began his career at the paper in 1990 working in the circulation department.

until a replacement is found. Kim Patterson has been named publisher of the Sand Mountain Reporter in Albertville, Ala. She previously served as the paper’s business manager. Additionally, Adam Rhoden has been promoted to director of sales and marketing. He was the paper’s advertising director for the past three years. Bob Turner has retired as publisher and president of the Bradenton (Fla.) Herald. He originally joined the publication in 1979 as retail advertising manager and became director of advertising four years later. In addition, Darren Haimer has taken on the responsibilities of general manager and continue to serve as vice president of advertising. Gregg McConnell has retired from his position as publisher of the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick, Wash. He has held management and executive roles at newspapers in Montana, Washington and California. Succeeding him in that position is Debra Leithauser, who also serves as president and publisher of the Idaho Statesman in Boise. John Montgomery has resigned from his position as senior group publisher for GateHouse Media publications in Kansas and Colorado. He also served as publisher and editor of The Hutchinson (Kan.) News. Prior to that, Montgomery was editor and publisher of the Ottawa Herald and the Hays Daily News in Kansas. Steven Curd will serve as interim senior group publisher editorandpublisher.com

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Tony Berg has been named publisher of the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle. He succeeds Roy Heatherly, who stepped down as publisher and president in May. As regional publisher for McClatchy’s Midwest division, Berg also oversees The Kansas City Star, the Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Krista Driscoll has been named editor of the Vail (Colo.) Daily. She previously served as arts and entertainment editor at the paper. Driscoll succeeds Ed Stoner, who has been named director of content for Swift Communications, the paper’s parent company. Doug Williamson has retired as editor of the Abilene (Texas) Reporter-News. He worked at the paper for nearly 32 years in various different editorial positions including managing editor, news wire editor and production editor. Outside the newsroom, Williamson was also director of niche and specialty products, marketing and circulation. Kyle Ocker has been named editor of the Daily Iowegian in Centerville, Iowa. He returns to the paper after briefly serving as managing editor at the Knoxville (Iowa) Journal-

Express. Ocker began his newspaper career with the Iowegian as a correspondent before being named sports editor in 2011. Ryan Bentley has been promoted to assistant editor of the Petoskey (Mich.) News-Review. He had served as business editor since 2009. Bentley originally joined the paper as a reporter more than 16 years ago. Emily Miller has been named editor of the Juneau (Alaska) Empire. She has served as the newspaper’s interim managing editor since last December. Prior to joining the Empire in 2011, Miller worked for the Roswell Daily Record in New Mexico as a reporter. Luke Phillips has been promoted to editor of the Paso Robles Press and Atascadero News in California. He joined the two papers as a reporter in 2013 before being named city editor three years later. Phillips began his career working for The Holtville (Calif.) Tribune. Michael Falcone has been named executive producer of Washington Post Live. Falcone spent more than six years at ABC News where he served as deputy political director and most recently, senior Washington editor. Prior to joining ABC, Falcone was politics editor at The Huffington Post and a reporter for the New York Times. Mark Webster has stepped down from his JULY 2017 | E & P

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NewsPeople ACQUISITIONS Paddock Publications has acquired three weekly newspapers in southern Illinois from Thomas Publishing. The three papers involved in the deal are: the Carbondale Times, Weekend Times and Nightlife. The deal also includes Thomas Publishing’s commercial printing and niche publication business. The weekly papers will be published under the Southern Illinois LOCAL Media Group name.

role as president and publisher of The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Webster served in many leadership positions during his 35year career with McClatchy, parent company of the News. He began his career at The Lexington (Ky.) Herald Leader in 1981. Erin Tobin has been named managing editor of Champion Newspapers in California. She spent the past eight years writing for the Inland Empire magazine. Tobin also contributed to the magazine’s calendar section and wrote profile stories. Eugene Robinson has been elected chair of the Pulitzer Prize Board. He has worked at the Washington Post for 37 years, most recently as a nationally syndicated columnist. Prior to that, he held a variety of jobs at the paper, including city hall reporter, London bureau chief and assistant managing editor. Robinson joined the Pulitzer Prize Board in 2010. John Gregorio has been named advertising director of The Times of Northwest Indiana. He previously worked at the Chicago Tribune for 24 years. Gregorio’s last position at

the Tribune was managing director of major accounts. Thomas Huitt-Johnson has been appointed sports editor of the St. Joseph News-Press in Missouri. He has served as a reporter and page designer with the News-Press for the past six and a half years. Lance Griffin has been named editor of the Dothan (Ala.) Eagle. He first joined the paper in 1996 as a sports reporter. Griffin later transitioned to news, where he covered city, county and state government. Heidi Wright has been named chief operating officer of EO Media Group. The family-owned company owns 11 newspapers in Oregon. Wright most recently served as chief financial officer and human resources director for Western Communications. Prior to that, she was publisher of the Klamath Falls (Ore.) Herald and News. Terence Corrigan has been named editor

Steve Herron has been named publisher and general manager of The Inter-Mountain in Elkins, W. Va. He has spent the last three years as publisher for The LeaderHerald in Gloversville, N.Y. Herron began his career with Ogden Newspapers in 1990 at The Journal in Martinsburg, W. Va.

of the Shelbyville (Tenn.) Times-Gazette. He previously served as editor of the Marshall County Tribune in Lewisburg, Tenn. Corrigan previously worked at the White Mountain Independent in Show Low, Ariz., where he served as editor for 15 years. Louis Graham has resigned from his position as editor of The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn. He worked at the paper for 38 years. Graham will become executive director of enterprise content at ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Mike Klingensmith, publisher and CEO of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, has been elected chairman of the News Media Alliance. He succeeds Tony Hunter, a consultant and former chief executive of the Chicago Tribune. Jeff Jeffus has retired from his position as president of WEHCO Media’s newspaper division. Succeeding him is Mark Lane, who previously served as corporate vice president of sales with Morris Communications in Augusta, Ga. Donald Blount has been named editor of The Stockton (Calif.) Record. Since 2005, he served as the paper’s managing editor. Prior to that, Blount was assistant managing editor at the Modesto Bee and deputy business editor at The Sacramento Bee in California. He succeeds Mike Klocke who stepped down earlier this year. Barbara Leader has been named editor of The News-Star in Monroe, La. She previ-

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NewsPeople ment of The Columbus Dispatch in Ohio. Paula Quam has been named editor of the Wadena (Minn.) Pioneer Journal. She will continue to serve as editor of the Detroit Lakes (Minn.) Tribune, a position she has held since 2016. Prior to joining the Tribune, Quam worked as a reporter and news anchor for CBS and Fox affiliates in Fargo-Moorhead for six years.

ously worked at the News-Star for nine years as a news reporter before accepting an internal communications job at CenturyLink in 2015. Leader returned to journalism the following year to become news editor and reporter coach at The Shreveport (La.) Times. Matt Phelps has stepped down as editor of the Bothell-Kenmore Reporter and Kirkland Reporter in Washington. Samantha Pak, who spent the past six and a half years as a reporter for the Redmond Reporter, will succeed him. Daniel Evans has been named managing editor of the LaGrange (Ga.) Daily News. He worked at the Selma-Times (Ala.) Journal for the last four years, serving as both sports and news editor. Silas Lyons has been named North Central California regional editor for the USA Today Network. In his new role, he will oversee the Record Searchlight, Salinas Californian, Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register. He has served as executive editor of the Searchlight since 2006. Jen Guadarrama has been named news director of the San Angelo (Texas) Standard-Times. She succeeds Michael Kelly who retired as editor earlier this year. Prior to attaining her current position, she was senior editor of the Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times. Before joining the Caller-Times in 2013, Guadarrama was managing editor at the Del Rio (Texas) News-Herald. editorandpublisher.com

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Jim Rossow has been promoted to vice president of news for News-Gazette Media in Champaign, Ill. The company publishes the News-Gazette and seven community newspapers. He has spent the last 24 years at the News-Gazette, most recently serving as editor. Additionally, Jeff D’Alessio has been promoted to editor of the NewsGazette. Michael Phillips has been named vice president of newspapers at Agfa Graphics. Most recently, Phillips served as the vice president of sales and operations for Southern Lithoplate Inc. During his previous stint with the company, he managed corporate accounts and was the western regional sales manager. Stephanie Fairbanks has been named advertising sales manager at the Pocono Record in Stroudsburg, Pa. She previously served as the paper’s digital sales manager. Fairbanks joined the paper as an account executive in 2009. In addition, Kelli McFall has been appointed advertising operations manager. Kevin Kampman has retired from his position as publisher of the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal. Kampman joined Berkshire Hathaway Media Group in 2012 as vice president of community newspapers for the southern group. He began his newspaper career working in the circulation depart-

Tim Franklin has been named senior associate dean of the Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing at Northwestern University. For the past three years, Franklin was president of the Poynter Institute. Andy Corty, the president and publisher of Florida Trend magazine, will replace Franklin in the interim. Ashley Peterson has been named senior director of human resources at Cox Media Group. She was previously group vice president, human resources management for Discovery Communications. Peterson has also served in various international HR leadership roles in Europe. Nicole McMullin has been named online brand director at the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch. She started working at the paper in 2007 after a two-year stint with Media General Interactive in Northern Virginia. She previously served as director of multimedia services. Bob Fleck has been named publisher of the River Valley Media Group. In his new role, he will oversee a group of newspapers in Wisconsin that includes the Houston County News, La Crosse Tribune and Chippewa Herald. Fleck was previously vice president of sales and marketing at Lee Enterprises, parent company of the media group. John Celestino has been appointed publisher of the Niagara Gazette and the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal in New York. He succeeds Chris Voccio who retired earlier this year. Celestino began his newspaper career in 1985 at the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, where he spent 14 years in advertising sales and marketing.  JULY 2017 | E & P

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Business Directory

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Archive In A Box Phone: 360-427-6300 Website: www.ArchiveInABox.com Who We Are: We specialize in making digital copies (scans) of your printed newspapers and bound volume archives which you can store online and access from any device. • Our service includes everything — shipping & logistics, high resolution scanning, digital copies, hard drives, and online hosting. • We work on your schedule and budget with no contract commitment — scan in batches, and pay-as-you-go. • You exclusively own and control the original scans and all copies. No partnership is required. How will you benefit? As the steward of your community’s published history, you know the value of your printed newspaper archive. Don’t wait — begin your digitization before you suffer a loss! • Digital copies preserve your archive, and effectively nullify physical loss. • Your bound volume, loose, and microfilm materials can be digitized. • Fully searchable. • Integrate with your existing PDF archive. Case studies and testimonials Please visit our website for complete details: www.ArchiveInABox.com

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B ett er BNC BetterBNC® is the industry standard online journalism contest platform used by 150 newspaper associations, press clubs and broadcaster groups representing over 20,000 journalists and trades people. BetterBNC exclusive features: Contestant Manager® Senior managers and editors control who and what is entered for their organization. Revenue Manager Track & manage entry fees paid by credit card or check, including by department. Open Call® Your best work is “open” to a world of entry opportunities across multiple contests. Cloud Scrapbooks Save copies of your best work all year long with free cloud storage. Awards Manager Publish your award-winning work on your own free web pages. Website: www.betterbnc.com

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Give your company Vision Data’s

“Soup-to-Nuts” Advantage! For over 40 years, Vision Data has been dedicated to hiring and retaining the best people and fostering an atmosphere of industry-leading innovation, while building our solid history of growth, without the need for merger or acquisition. By providing for publishers’ changing needs with the development and advancement of our complete suite of dynamic internally developed software applications. The result of our unified approach to development, backed by the industry’s best service and user support, mean huge benefits for today’s progressive publisher; a complete “Soup-to-Nuts” menu of coordinated sales, customer service, business and production applications:

Online VisionWeb tool suite: • Revenue-building user-friendly Web customer service screens for subscribers, carriers, dealers, classified and retail advertisers; all driven directly by our base systems, designed to build income while saving time and reducing staff costs. Included advertising search engine creates more sales.

Advertising:

• Single database, single screen entry for classified, retail, on-line, preprints, special

packages, etc. Campaign management suite, CRM, E-tears, auto proof email, etc. Total advertising functionality in a single application. Remote browser-accessed account management for outside sales reps connects directly to order entry, ad tracking, accounting, reporting, enabling full instant functionality from the field including artwork submission by rep or customer.

Accounting:

• Impeccable complete accounts receivable reporting and management. • Optional accounts payable/general ledger availability. Technological Innovation: Vision Data constantly re-invests in innovation and development. Our experienced staff has excellent skills in managing accounting and circulation, as well as flowing and controlling ads. We are constantly developing revenue modules that add to your sales packages. Our VisionWeb suite team is second to none in the industry and is dedicated to keeping Vision Data on the cutting edge of that technology.

Configuration Options: Vision Data “Soup-to-Nuts” packages are available in various configurations: In addition to locally-hosted server configurations, we offer both IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service - Vision Data hosted) and SaaS (Software as a Service - leased access) system configurations, both of which save you the cost and manpower of installing and managing your own server.

Large Customer Base: We have a large base of over 2,000 publications made up of a good mix of privately owned newspapers and newspaper groups. We have continually grown our base at a manageable rate , aided by our reputation for outstanding customer service and attention to customer needs. We take great pride in our history of customer retention.

“Soup-to-Nuts” Ongoing Support Pricing: By investing in Vision Data’s “Soup-toNuts” systems, you can also lower your ongoing support costs by replacing multiple vendor support charges with a singled “Packaged” support charge. Publishers investing in the total Vision Data “Soup-to-Nuts” package can save over fifty percent from the cost of multiple support packages.

Competitive Pricing: When we believe a publication is a good fit for Vision Data’s userbase (built over 40 years of steady growth) we can be very aggressive with pricing. We are privately-owned and no one can touch our low overhead .

Circulation:

For outstanding overall performance, simplicity of operation, vendor reputation, ongoing relations & support, innovation, and the cost of implementation, you should definitely consider Vision Data as your next system.

• Circulation management system for today’s print, digital, TMC and blended

subscription models. Management dashboard instantly displays and compares data, CASS certification, postal reporting, remote access for account or route management, EZ Pay, user-friendly CSR, full accounting and reporting.

Ad Tracking/Production:

• User-friendly Classified Pagination/Publication Layout for Quark or InDesign. • Ad-Tracking functionality streamlines and manages ad creation, proofing, etc. Cut costs, track production time, reduce makegoods with this powerful tool.

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Contact us today . . .

sales@vdata.com

518-434-2193

www.vdata.com

6/19/17 2:24 PM


CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Phone: 800-887-1615

Appraisers / Brokers

E-mail: classifieds@editorandpublisher.com

Appraisers / Brokers

Proud to be the expert media financial valuation resource for FORBES 400 list of America’s Richest People 2016 and 2015

APPRAISALS

Newspapers • Magazines • Shoppers Book Publishing

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Discover the current value of your publishing entity! Confidential • Customized • Comprehensive EXPERT COURT VALUATION WITNESS Testimony • Depositions • Declarations Follow us at www.twitter.com/kamengroup • Custom Brokering For Media Organizations • Print & Digital Media Valuations & Business Plans • Book Publishing, Video, Direct, Interactive, B2B, Listing & Database Valuations info@kamengroup.com

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KAMEN & CO. GROUP SERVICES (516)379-2797 • 626 RXR Plaza, Uniondale, NY 11556

I f y ou ar e r eading this , so ar e y our p ot en tial cust omers! To advertise, call 1-800-887-1615 Publications For Sale

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NEW MEXICO WEEKLY paid community newspaper in Sierra County Region. Family owned & operated. Seeks to retire. For information visit www.kamengroup.com, call 516-379-2797, or email info@kamengroup.com.

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Help Wanted

Fax: 866-605-2323

Help Wanted

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: The Daily Telegram, Adrian MI, a seven-day, 12,000 circulation paper, is seeking an aggressive advertising and marketing professional. The Telegram is the leading source of news and information in Lenawee County in southeast Michigan. If you are a driver of digital, print, magazine and event marketing, we should talk. As part of GateHouse Media, our solutions include Propel Marketing, event creation, print circulation that is pacing ahead of prior year, niche magazines and a robust lenconnect.com website. With two colleges and a university in town, there is plenty of arts and culture to experience in Adrian. Adrian is located within about an hour’s drive to Ann Arbor, Detroit, Lansing, and Toledo OH. Enjoy the peaceful living in Lenawee County but close enough to bigger city offerings. We offer salary and bonus program, medical, dental, vision, life insurance and a 401(k) plan. The successful candidate will have 3-5 years media marketing experience, a bachelor’s degree, solid leadership and customer service skills, and a strong desire to grow and succeed. Please mail resume, cover letter, salary history and expectations and references to: John T. Elchert, president and publisher, The Daily Telegram, 133 N. Winter St, Adrian MI 49221. Or email to jelchert@lenconnect.com. ASSISTANT EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR sought for Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier, a politically conservative daily also focused on quality of life issues, public education and conservation. Applicants should have strong analytical skills and be able to write persuasively on deadline about a wide range of editorial topics. The position assists in page production, including letters to the editor and column selection. The assistant editorial page editor will be responsible for the operation of the editorial department in the EPE’s absence and will help develop an expanded weekend op-ed section and broaden online presence. A minimum of 10 years’ experience in a daily newspaper environment is required, including reporting as well as an editorial background. A bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field is required. Knowledge of InDesign and InCopy is desirable. Position Description: In this role you will support senior editorial staff in all aspects of the administration, planning and production of opinion pages. Responsible for the operation of the editorial department in the EPE’s absence and will help develop an expanded weekend op-ed section and broaden online presence. Responsibilities: • Assist with editing content • Contribute editorial pieces • Fact checking, spelling, grammar, writing style, and page design • Perform other duties as assigned by management. • Requirements, minimum education level, and experience: • Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field • Minimum of 10 years’ experience in a daily newspaper environment is required —including reporting as well as an editorial background • Experience with software used for page design/copy editing (InDesign, InCopy, etc.) • Solid understanding of editorial style and guidelines (AP Style). Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: • Knowledge of InDesign and InCopy is desirable • Strong organizational skills, with attention to detail • Ability to multi-task and work in a fast-paced environment under the pressure of strict deadlines • Strong analytical skills, along with excellent written and verbal communication skills. Physical Requirement: Regularly required to sit for long periods of time, hearing, speaking and writing; close eye work on computer screen; required to stand, walk, reach with hands and arms, bend and stoop; light to moderate lifting 15-30 pounds — per safety policy. Email resume to: bnorth@eveningpostindustries.com. EOE

“I’m extremely pleased with the fantastic results we receive from advertising in E&P.” - Kevin B. Kamen, Kamen & Co. Group Services editorandpublisher.com

6/19/17 2:21 PM


Phone: 800-887-1615

Help Wanted

Fax: 866-605-2323

Help Wanted

EDITOR: The Daily Independent seeks an experienced, innovative editor for our top newsroom leadership position in the newsy region of northeast Kentucky. The editor is responsible for news and opinion content in the seven-day morning newspaper and on the paper’s website, working with a newsroom staff of 14. Candidates need a strong management background, editorial writing skills, entrepreneurial print and digital credentials, and the ability to coach the staff to do superior journalism, including major public service projects and watchdog reporting. The Daily Independent emphasizes local news, features, sports, photo and video journalism in line with the paper’s mission to serve readers with content that they want, need and value. Ashland is located on the south bank of the Ohio River in the location where Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia meet. The region’s metropolitan statistical area has a population of 290,000. The city is home to a satellite campus for Morehead State University and Ashland Community and Technical College. Marshall University is 20 minutes away in Huntington, West Virginia. We offer a competitive salary and a complete benefits package. Interested candidates should mail their resume, work samples and an accompanying letter explaining why they are qualified for the position to publisher Eddie Blakeley at publisher@dailyindependent.com. The Daily Independent is a CNHI newspaper. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, CNHI is a leading publisher of local news and information. Its newspapers, websites and specialty publications serve communities in 23 states EDITOR: The Times West Virginian seeks an experienced editor for our top newsroom leadership position. The editor is responsible for news and opinion content for our seven-day newspaper and website, award-winning magazine and other niche publications. The editor oversees a staff of 11 full-time journalists and is a key member of the senior management team. We need a leader with strong management background, audience engagement experience, editorial writing skills, and print and digital competencies. The ability to coach reporters and editors to produce quality online and print journalism is also vital. We prize hard local news, features, sports, photos and video content. Fairmont is the seat of Marion County and has a population of 19,000. The city is located in northern West Virginia off Interstate 79. It is home to Fairmont State University and the Pierpont Community and Technical College. The University of West Virginia is a less than a half-hour away in Morgantown. Applicants can email their resume, work samples and a letter explaining why they are qualified for the position to Publisher Julie Fox at jfox@timeswv.com. The Times West Virginian is a CNHI newspaper. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, CNHI is a leading publisher of local news and information. Its newspapers, websites and specialty publications serve communities in 23 states. PUBLISHER: The Tribune-Star seeks a forward-thinking newspaper publisher to lead its daily newspaper in western Indiana. We’re looking for a top management person with a record of growing print and online revenue, and who is a champion of strong journalism, community building and digital innovation. This person must possess the ability to create and execute a multiplatform sales strategy that covers print, niche publications, websites and mobile products. Our publisher must be knowledgeable about all newspaper departments and have a solid track record in driving revenue, effective expense management and growing the bottom line. We expect a motivator who can inspire quality performance across all departments, and who can cultivate editorial and marketing strategies. Exceptional leadership, organizational and communication skills are vital. Union experience is preferred but not required. The Tribune-Star is a seven-day newspaper with a circulation of 14,000 daily and 15,000 on Sunday. In addition, we publish a weekly TMC, replica e-edition, local news website and various niche publications, including a successful magazine. Located in Vigo County, Terre Haute is a community of 60,000 and a regional retail hub. The area is home to five colleges, including Indiana State University, and offers a range of recreational activities. Known as Cross Country Town USA, Terre Haute’s attractions include the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course. Interested candidates should email a resume and cover letter to Robyn McCloskey at robyn.mccloskey@indianamediagroup.com.

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

PUBLISHER: The Elmhurst Titan, a hyperlocal, online news operation based in the western suburbs of Chicago, seeks a forward-thinking, experienced media professional to serve as publisher. The publisher will manage advertising functions and co-manage business functions along with the editor/founder. The publisher should see himself/herself as a partner with the editor/founder, rather than an employee. This is an opportunity to help shape an embryonic media company with massive growth potential. The Elmhurst Titan is backed by the 20 years of news experience of its founder in news reporting, editing, design, breaking news and more. Email resume to: dlemery@elmhurst-titan.com REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCTION: McClatchy, an award-winning media company, has an opening for a Regional V.P. of Production. We are seeking an experienced production professional, reporting to the Corporate Director of Production and partnering with the Regional Publisher for the West, helping chart the company’s direction for the future. This position serves McClatchy’s California region of newspapers and is based at The Sacramento Bee. The Regional V.P. will be required to live in the Sacramento area. The Bee is located in one of the top 25 metropolitan markets in the country with a combined print and multiplatform online audience of over five million readers. As Regional V.P., the successful candidate is required to travel up to 5% of the time. Overnight travel is required both in and outside region of responsibility. We are seeking an experienced seasoned professional who will plan and direct all aspects of the region’s production, trucking/distribution, facility operations and maintenance. This position leads and manages newspaper and commercial printing, inserting and distribution for multiple facilities, facility operations and maintenance across the California region. In this role, the V.P. is responsible for building cohesive teams capable of meeting production obligations while continuously implementing quality and productivity improvements. Also responsible for the coordination and maintenance of service contracts and relationships, commercial bidding, interacting and supporting both internal and external customers, and ensuring a safe workplace. Qualified candidates will have a bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) plus at least 10 years of related experience in Newspaper operations management. Qualified candidates will also have a proven track record of successful leadership in managing a diverse workforce and will ensure compliance with all state and federal safety regulations. The successful candidate must also have exceptional business and analytical skills with the ability to prepare bids and negotiate contracts, the ability to work well under pressure, the ability to innovate and adapt to changing business needs, outstanding communication and leadership skills, and be proficient in Excel, Word and Google applications. We offer a competitive compensation package in a fast-paced, stimulating work environment. McClatchy, an equal opportunity employer, is committed to promoting diversity within our drug and alcohol free workplace. Qualified candidates should email their cover letter and resume to: resumes@sacbee.com. RETAIL ADVERTISING MANAGER - BRISTOL: Bristol is the Birthplace of Country Music, home of the world-famous Bristol Motor Speedway, was featured in a now famous Geico commercial, and recently recognized by Popular Mechanics as having one of the 10 Strangest Streets in the World (the Virginia- Tennessee state-line runs down the middle of the bustling and vibrant State Street - the Main Street). The Retail Advertising Manager is responsible for revenue growth within the Bristol - VA/TN market. The successful candidate will lead the outside sales team, comprised of six veteran sales consultants, developing and executing strategies for revenue growth, focusing on audience-based selling, coaching staff in selling print and digital products to meet local businesses marketing objectives and attaining advertising revenue sales goals. The local retail market has seen the opening of more than 1,000,000 square feet of new business in the past 18 months. This is a great opportunity in a wonderful community. To apply, send resume with cover letter to smaxwell@bristolnews.com or call 276-645-2521.

Please tell them you saw it in

The Tribune-Star is a CNHI newspaper. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, CNHI is a leading publisher of local news and information. Its newspapers, websites and specialty publications serve communities in 23 states.

editorandpublisher.com

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shoptalk /commentary Only Entrepreneurs Will Save Journalism By Howard B. Owens

W

ater. It’s everywhere. If it hadn’t already happened, who would think of bottling it and turning it into a business? Mother Nature seems to have a monopoly on the water business. For most of the 20th century, no entrepreneur thought much about competing with Mother Nature. With the advent of safe and efficient municipal water supplies and chlorination, the bottled water business that thrived in the 19th century dried up before the Jazz Age. Then, along came Perrier in 1977, at a time when yuppies worried about polluted water sources and yearned for things that seemed fresh, clean and trendy. Today, bottled water is $300 billion industry. From A&P, Sears & Roebuck, U.S. Steel, IBM, and Microsoft, many companies once feared as monopolies suffered declines not because of government intervention, but because of competition and failures of business leaders to invest, adapt and innovate. As journalists fret about Facebook and Google, there are periodic calls for Mark Zuckerberg or Sergey Brin to set aside just a small portion of their vast fortunes and fund journalism. These pleas are always directed at making sure journalists can keep covering news. There’s never a mention of funding R&D and building new business models. Most journalists seem to have concluded, with nary a glimmer of doubt, that journalism is doomed without philanthropy. Craig Newmark is the hero of the month because of his $6 million commitment to various journalism organizations. This is a worthy and laudable act by Newmark, but as near as I can tell, based on the list of organizations he supports, such as Poynter, the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Public Integrity, these are all organizations

focused on the content side of the business. Journalists love these donations, but what happens when the funds dry up? The need across the nation to keep journalism functional from one generation to the next is billions of dollars bigger than charitable contributions could ever hope to sustain.

We don’t have an audience problem. We have a technology problem. We have a business model problem. Over the past 20 years of my online news career, I’ve seen many praiseworthy efforts from various nonprofit organizations aimed at helping journalism deal with the challenges it faces in the era of digital disruption, but these funds have largely been funneled to content-side endeavors. Where grant funds have gone to technology and business model ideas, the amount provided has been a pittance compared to the need. Hence, the results have failed to provide any sustainable path forward for journalism. Here’s the issue: Journalism doesn’t have a content problem. It doesn’t have an audience problem. Yes, we live an era when the president calls what we do “fake news” and poll after poll says public trust is at an all-time low, but it’s not like trust was all that high in the 1990s, in an era of record profits. And it’s not like we’re alone. Trust in every American institution has been falling since Watergate.

There’s no amount of money that is going to fix the trust issue. While it’s noble to fund better functioning newsrooms and new ways of producing content, those donations are unlikely to produce new revenue. There will be no new business models that emerge from those scarce resources going to essentially more or better content production. These initiatives won’t help us reach bigger audiences, except on the margins, given the massive reach of news reporting in current markets, so these funds really don’t help build businesses. Charitable contributions have a short life span. When the money runs out, it’s gone. They are feeding fish to the poor instead of giving away poles, hooks, and worms at a time when a few more lines in the water could help feed a whole village. Again, we don’t have a journalism problem. We don’t have an audience problem. We have a technology problem. We have a business model problem. That’s where investment money needs to flow. The more ideas funded, the more ventures backed, the better chance one or two successful business models emerge. While the nonprofit model has long had a place in the journalism landscape and will continue to be vital to a functioning democracy, the news business thrived once because it is first and foremost a business. The free market is the best way to fund the greatest diversity of voices and ideas, and competition always makes for the strongest companies and the best journalism.  Howard B. Owens is founder of Album Corp (albumcorp.com) and publisher of The Batavian and the Wyoming County Free Press, both online-only news sites in Western New York. A full version of this article can be found at bit.ly/2pyoPYq.

Printed in the USA. Vol. 150, No 7, EDITOR & PUBLISHER (ISSN: 0013-094X, USPS: 168-120) is published 12 times a year. Regular issues are published monthly by Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc., 18475 Bandilier Circle, Fountain Valley, CA, 92708-7000; Editorial and Advertising (949) 660-6150. Periodicals postage paid at Fountain Valley, CA 92708, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: EDITOR & PUBLISHER. P.O. Box 25859, Santa Ana, CA 92799-5859. Copyright 2017, Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Subscription Price: U.S. and its possessions, $99.00 per year, additional postage for Canada & foreign countries $20.00 per year. Single copy price $8.95 in the U.S. only; Back issues, $12.95 (in the U.S. only) includes postage and handling. Canada Post: Publication Mail Agreement No. 40612608. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 682. Subscriber Services (888) 732-7323; Customer Service Email: circulation@editorandpublisher.com.

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BlowSmoke9x10875Jan16.qxp_Layout 1 12/21/15 9:59 AM Page 1

Read a newspaper and find out. Get mad. Fight back. Subscribe to newspapers. Newspapers strive to ensure the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough. We fear no one. E&P is a staunch supporter of the newspaper industry and is dedicated to promoting its success and well-being in the years to come. From time to time, we will print full-page ads such as this, to inspire advertising and marketing ideas — touting the importance of ethical journalism and its value to democracy.

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