February 2016 Colorado Editor by Colorado Press Association

editor colorado

Official publication of the Colorado Press Association / coloradopressassociation.com / Vol. LXXXVII, No. 2

When laws collide See Page 7

February 2016

More speakers added to convention Staff report

Photo courtesy of Durango Herald

Herald Photo Editor Jerry McBride’s image of the once blue Animas River turned a burnt orange due to the Gold King Mine spill quickly grabbed attention. It was used not only in the Herald, but also by New York Times and nationwide, in addition to being shared throughout the world online.

‘Business without borders’ Durango Herald striving for excellence; innovation reflected in company motto By Joshua Roberts For the editor A national story broke in late summer 2015 within the Durango Herald’s coverage area as an estimated three million gallons of contaminated runoff from Gold King Mine was released into Cement Creek, making its way to the Animas River. Herald Photo Editor Jerry McBride’s stark image of the once-blue river tainted a putrid

orange left an impression — it made the New York Times, ran on the Denver Post’s front page, and was shared across the world online. As Herald Senior Editor Amy Maestas said, “If ever there was an example of a picture worth a thousand words, that’s the example.” The Gold King spill was a disaster, declared as much by the governor, and reignited vigorous debate about the role of

See HERALD, Page 5

#newspapersthrive A

SERIES

#newspapersthrive is a series focused on success and/or transition stories of CPA members. These stories are available for reprint by members.

Several new presenters have been added to the Colorado Press Association annual convention speaker lineup. Areas of expertise for the new speakers include editorial, productivity, graphics and advertising. The convention already boasted a strong spoken speaker lineup including keynote speakers Gov. John 138th Annual CPA HickenConvention looper, Gordon Borrell, Penny Abernathy and Dan Easton. “We’re very excited with the new additions to the speaker lineup,” said Jerry Raehal, CEO of the CPA. “Having a strong speaker lineup is one key to a convention’s success, and we believe that lineup is taking shape. We’re in conversations with more presenters, as well.” The core of the convention is May 13-14, which marks the first time in memory it is not being held in February. The convention is at the Denver West Sheraton, which Raehal said should make it more cost effective for members to attend.

For bios and sessions on the new speakers, go to page 4.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Potential bylaw amendments on annual meeting agenda

Tweetable Truths about the newspaper industry

Are you digitally uploading your paper?

The Colorado Press Association bylaws could be amended at the May 13 annual meeting at the Denver West Sheraton. Three changes are proposed: • To change the CPA board structure, removing the Chairman position, and making that person the Past President — primarily Article III, Section F • To allow general membership the ability to vote online on certain matters and at the board’s discretion — Article II, Sections F and G, • To bring bylaw language up-to-date after last year’s bylaw changes to membership criteria. To see full proposed changes to bylaws, go to www.coloradopressassociation.com/img/site_speciﬁc/uploads/2016_ByLaws-proposed.pdf

The Newspaper Association of America has compiled a list of “20 Tweetable Truths” for newspapers to share on their Twitter accounts. The tweets include positive facts and ﬁgures about the state of newspapers in 140 characters or fewer about newspaper audiences, digital reach, use of and trust in newspaper advertising, and more. The “Tweet This” feature allows users to quickly and easily share these facts. Visit the NAA website at www.naa.org to download the “20 Tweetable Truths” document.

If not, you should start to do so for at least three reasons. 1. It will save you money on mailing copies to the Press Association, which per the bylaws state members need to send 3 physical print copies or upload. 2. It will help SYNC2 Media process payments faster since the tearsheets are uploaded in real time and not mailed. 3. It is a free service for CPA members and creates a free digital archive. To learn more about digital archive and tearsheet program, contact the CPA ofﬁce at 303-571-5117.

colorado editor

February 2016

Colorado Newspapers

colorado editor ISSN #162-0010 USPS # 0122-940 Vol. LXXXVII, Issue 2 February 2016

Colorado Editor is the official publication of the Colorado Press Association and is published monthly at 1120 Lincoln St., Suite 912 Denver, CO 80203 p: 303-571-5117 f: 303-571-1803 coloradopressassociation.com

Subscription rate: $10 per year, $1 single copy Staff Jerry Raehal Chief Executive Officer jraehal@colopress.net Board of Directors OFFICERS Chair Terri House The Pagosa Springs SUN terri@pagosasun.com President Keith Cerny Alamosa Valley Courier krcemail56@gmail.com Vice President Bart Smith The Tribune bsmith@greeleytribune.com Treasurer Matt Lubich The Johnstown Breeze mlubich@johnstownbreeze.com Secretary Larry Ryckman The Denver Post lryckman@denverpost.com DIRECTORS Mike Wiggins Grand Junction Daily Sentinel mike.wiggins@gjsentinel.com Beecher Threatt Ouray County Plaindealer beecher@ouraynews.com Lisa Schlichtman Steamboat Pilot & Today lschlichtman@steamboattoday.com Jason Woodside Colorado Community Media jwoodside@ coloradocommunitymedia.com Vincent Laboy The Montrose Daily Press vincentl@montrosepress.com Matt Sandberg The Summit Daily News msandberg@cmnm.com Periodical postage paid at Denver, CO 80202. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Colorado Editor 1120 Lincoln St., Suite 912 Denver, CO 80203

In the News Broomfield website tool promotes open government The City and County of Broomfield recently launched Data Dashboard, a website tool to analyze, share and compare data in an effort to promote open government and transparency. Residents are able to view financial, demographic and geographic data. As reported by the Broomfield Enterprise, the website states: “Although the site does not represent all the public information managed by Broomfield, it is meant to make the most frequently requested and most useful data easily accessible with the intent of adding content over time. Available data is updated regularly.” A link to the site can be found on the front page of the City and County website at broomfield.org.

LMA webinar spotlights cold calling alternative Local Media Association will host a free webinar, “Cold Calling Alternative: Learn How to Create an Inbound Lead Strategy,” on Thursday, March 17, at 1 p.m. Presented by leading digital-sales trainer Stephen Warley, the event is free to members of Colorado Press STEPHEN Association. WARLEY Warley has trained more than 10,000 media reps in his career and is considered one of the best trainers in the field. The webinar is aimed at both sales reps and sales managers, but publishers can also learn something new from these “powerful tactics.” The webinar urges participants to: “Stop chasing down potential clients and get them to come to you by creating an inbound sales lead strategy. Learn how to create sales content that converts highly-qualified sales leads for your local media organization.”

Time for 2016 Newspaper Publisher Survey The Institute of Newspaper Technology and Director Kevin Slimp are asking newspaper executives to participate in the Institute’s 2016 Newspaper Publisher/Manager Survey. The information will be gathered and shared in newspaper association publications and at industry-related conferences this year. Last year the survey was completed by more than 600 executive across the United States and Canada. The goal this year is 1,000. All

What’s new in Colorado news? The Colorado Editor wants to hear from you. We’re on the lookout for news about your staff, publications and businesses for our all-new columns and features in the Colorado Editor – your monthly membership newspaper from Colorado Press Association. Send us your “breaking news” on: • New Hires • Promotions • People Moving On • Anniversaries • Retirements • Contest or Staff Awards & Honors

• New Building or Equipment Projects or Updates • Meetings, Seminars and Training • Community Projects • College-Related News and Events • Industry news that affects you • And any other personal news your staff members might want to share

Send your news items of 150 words or fewer (photo also welcome) to Cheryl Ghrist – caghrist@comcast.net – using subject line “Colorado Editor News.”

responses are totally anonymous. The brief, multiple-choice survey can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ hvg7sb7. The survey may be completed by the publisher or appropriate manager at each KEVIN newspaper. The surSLIMP vey is part of ongoing research. The Institute conducts research related to the health of the newspaper industry a few times each year.

SPJ Regional Conference set The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Region 9 Conference is scheduled for April 15-16. The Rio Grande and University of New Mexico Student chapters of SPJ will host the event in Albuquerque, N.M., on the university campus. Speakers will include keynote speaker Robert Hernandez, a professor at the University of Southern California and a pioneer in web journalism; Dave Maass, of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who will discuss digital security for journalists

and their sources; and Fred Brown, currently an adjunct instructor in media ethics at the University of Denver, as well as a former longtime Denver Post columnist/editor/reporter and former national SPJ president. He is a key player in the new SPJ Ethics Code. The event will feature a variety of panels and workshops, including: digital security; covering elections, the environment, poverty, police and criminal justice; diversifying your sources; crunching numbers; backpack journalism and multimedia; diversity; challenges facing college journalists, and more. Register at https://www.eventbrite. com/e/spj-region-9-conference-tickets-21018198999 or by visiting http://www. nmspj.org/, Mention SPJ to get a group rate on reservations at the event hotel, Hotel Parq Central. For other information or questions, contact laura.paskus@gmail.com.

Newspaper inserts drive consumer action

FRED BROWN

ROBERT HERNANDEZ

According to a recent independent study by Coda Ventures’ Triad research firm, newspaper inserts continue to drive traffic for retailers. As reported on the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) website, the Nashvillebased research firm, which specializes in newspapers, looked at inserts over the holiday shopping season, finding that two-thirds of readers either always or regularly look at the inserts. Fewer than 9 percent said they seldom or never look at inserts. Nine out of 10 readers report that they “take one or more of a broad range of specific actions after reading or looking at inserts,” the study noted. Other recent work by Research and Analysis of Media (RAM), an international media company, confirmed the “crucial role newspaper inserts play in consumer marketing,” and that “nearly nine in 10 media consumers use newspaper inserts … much higher than the usage of direct mailers.”

Stay up to date at coloradopressassociation.com

colorado editor

February 2016

Q&A

10 questions with Mike Wiggins

‘My job is to offer direction and suggestions, and to put them in the best position to succeed’

By Cheryl Ghrist Contributing Editor This issue, “10 Questions” checked in with Mike Wiggins, managing editor for the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel and a director on the Colorado Press Association Board of Directors. After growing up in the metro Denver area city of Aurora, he was drawn to the “slow pace, laid-back nature, natural beauty and friendliness” of the Grand Valley. Married to Erin, a Fruita native, and “dad” to their dog Maxwell, he enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, golf and travel in his time off.

Q A

You grew up in Aurora just east of Denver, but wound up on the Western Slope. When and why did you make that move?

I moved to Grand Junction in 1994 to attend college. I had a chance to stay on the Front Range, but I thought it would be beneficial for a shy, introverted 18-year-old to be away from his parents and be on his own for the first time. I also got to experience life in a smaller community. I’ve been on the Western Slope ever since. As far as education, you earned your bachelor’s degree in mass communications at Mesa State College in 1998. How did you decide on your major, and were you first interested in one aspect of journalism or newspapers in particular, or did that evolve as you worked on your degree?

Erin and Mike Wiggins on their wedding day, 2004. our readers. We have a good mix of veteran employees and 20-somethings – and a good team of editors – who pretty well stay on top of things. My job is to offer direction and suggestions, and to put them in the best position to succeed. How did you become a director on the Colorado Press Association board of directors in 2014, and what work there has interested or impressed you the most?

I’ve enjoyed writing since I was a child, so that was the first factor in choosing my major. As a member of my high school newspaper staff, I liked telling stories, whether it was a feature on a longtime teacher or a game story on a soccer match. As a somewhat knowledgeable sports fan, I briefly thought I’d like to become a sports broadcaster. But my love of the written word and my passion for informing the public of what’s happening in their community quickly won out. You worked for the Glenwood Springs Post Independent for a couple of years prior to coming to the Sentinel in 2001. What was your job at the Post, and how did the move to Grand Junction happen?

Q A

I was a reporter at The Glenwood Post, first covering education, then county government. The story of my move to Grand Junction is, um, complicated. In short, the Glenwood Independent purchased the Post, consolidated operations and formed the Glenwood Springs Post Independent. Several of my co-workers at the Post lost their jobs. I was initially told I was among

Courtesy photo

Mike Wiggins “goofing around in a random costume a friend put together for me to go bowling” on his birthday in 2013. those being laid off, then was told by the publisher that she wanted to keep me on board. I stayed for about a month before deciding to seek another job. It was one of the most bizarre situations of which I’ve been a part. You started out as a reporter for the Sentinel for 11 years, then city editor in 2012, and finally managing editor in 2013. What have been the best parts of each job title?

Q A

The best part about being a reporter was writing and being in the middle of a story. There’s little that matches putting together a compelling story, continuing to dig on it and following it through to its conclusion. The thing I enjoyed most about being the city editor was directing news coverage, assisting reporters with their reporting and

writing of a story. What I’m enjoying most as the managing editor is witnessing day in and day out the work performed by all areas of the newsroom to put out the best product possible and making my own contributions to that effort. That’s a perspective I didn’t have in my other positions here. Your Sentinel website bio says you lead a team of roughly three dozen journalists. Do you have more on certain beats or territories, and how do you keep track of them all?

I wouldn’t say we dedicate more resources to one beat over another. We try to cover as many areas and elements of the communities in our readership area as we can that we feel resonate with and are important to

I applied for the position when a vacancy came up, believing it would be a good opportunity to learn about and work to improve the industry from a 30,000-foot perspective. What I’m most impressed with is the level of knowledge and dedication of my fellow board members (not just buttering them up – it’s really true). I’m relatively new to this management thing, so I know I have a lot to learn. They’ve demonstrated they’re conscientious, thoughtful and focused on the betterment of the industry. You’re on the board of directors for Kids Voting Mesa County, and previously worked with a group to help prevent suicide in the workplace in conjunction with the Western Colorado Suicide Prevention Foundation. How did you get involved in those, and what have been the most rewarding aspects of your participation?

Q A

I saw a lot of similarities between the mission of a newspaper and that of Kids Voting: to inform and educate people, to encourage them to become engaged in their

See 10 QUESTIONS, Page 7

colorado editor

February 2016

Woodworth leaves CPA

To register for the convention • Register online at https://coloradopressassociation.formstack.com/ forms/2016_convention_member • Download a registration form at http:// www.coloradopressassociation.com/ news-events/annual-convention/registration

Staff report Great customer service, a lively laugh, and much-loved-and-offthe-wall comments. That is what Lisa Woodworth brought to the Colorado Press Association. However, after battling with health issues for months, Woodworth is leaving the CPA after nearly five years of service. “Leaving CPA is one of the saddest things I have ever had to do in my life,” said Woodworth. “This lung disease has taken a lot from me but my having to leave my job has been devastating. The staff, board and LISA WOODWORTH membership is more than I could have asked for. Each of you have made my years here at CPA the best.” Woodworth started at the CPA in 2011 as the executive directors assistant, and was promoted to office manager in 2014. “There was always laughter in the office with Lisa here,” said CEO Jerry Raehal. “She brought so much to us, and we know so many people that loved talking with her. She made everyone around her feel better, and we just hope she can start feeling better. She will be missed but we will keep in touch.” Judging from the number of phone calls the CPA has received from members in the last several months just to ask about Lisa, she had an impact on members, too, Raehal said. “The thing I enjoyed the most about my job was the interacting with the members,” Woodworth said. “I made it a mission to know as many members as I could. I only wish I had an opportunity to meet you all.” Woodworth added, “I throughly enjoyed coming to work everyday to my co-workers. They brought a lot of team work. spirit, joy, laughter, shenanigans and true friendship. They were more than co-workers, I felt I was part of a family. I will deeply miss seeing them daily but know we will stay in touch. “Hopefully this isn’t goodbye, it is see you later CPA.” Jean Creel has taken on many of Woodworth’s duties. She can be reached at coloradopress@ colopress.net. February also marked another goodbye as Luke Graham, SYNC2 Media business development specialist, took a position at Regis University. “We appreciate the hard work and time Luke provided SYNC2 and the CPA members,” Raehal said. “He was well liked by his clients and his co-workers. We wish him the best.”

Media Buyer’s Panel: Jon Bross and Katie Engerman Vladimar Jones

• Call 303-987-2000 and ask for the CPA rate. • Or register online at https:// www.starwoodmeeting.com/ Book/colopress2016

For all bios, go to coloradopressassociation.com

138th Annual CPA Convention

Advertising

Reserve your room

Graphics

Editorial

Ed Henninger

Erin Jordan

Elizabeth Skewes

Henninger Consulting

The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

Associate professor in Journalism and Media Studies at CU

BIO: Erin Jordan is an investigative reporter for The Gazette, where she covers topics ranging from tax breaks and business incentives to hospital management and food waste at public institutions. She received the Iowa Newspaper Foundation’s Harrison “Skip” Weber Investigative Reporting Award in 2012.

BIO: Elizabeth A. Skewes research focuses on media sociology and news practices, the media’s role in electoral politics, and politics in popular culture. She also is working on new research involving media coverage of mass tragedies and the victims of those events.

TOPICS:

Newspaper ethics in the digital age

BIO: Henninger Consulting has served hundreds of dailies, weeklies, business journals, church-affiliated newspapers and niche publications throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Founded in 1989 by independent design consultant Ed Henninger, our mission is to provide high-quality newspaper design services and consultation. Nationally-respected newspaper consultant Ken Blum calls Ed “the nation’s foremost design expert for large and smaller hometown newspapers, period.”

BIO: With over 20 years of planning experience, Jon brings thorough insight to Vladimir Jones and leads a team consisting of traditional and digital media planners and buyers. Jon’s team creates integrated campaigns for SourceGas, Centura Healthcare, The Royal Gorge Bridge & Park, Vail Valley Local Marketing District and The Broadmoor Resort among client — from New Jersey to California with the bumps, bruises and awards to prove it.

TOPICS:

As a Jr. Media Planner, Katie is responsible for strategic development and execution of media plans that achieve our clients’ goals and objectives. Katie works closely with social and digital teams at VJ, and oversees the buying of media used for her campaigns. In her time at VJ, Katie has developed successful plans for Hyde Park Jewelers, Centura Healthcare and Elitch Gardens.

Newspapers can get a thorough design evaluation from Ed Henninger. He’ll spend one-on-one time looking at their newspapers, offering hints on how they can improve their look and their approach to readers and advertisers.

Saving Public Notices

Here is a new and powerful weapon in the battle to retain legal advertising by showing them in innovative design approaches. News Design 101: All Basics, No Bull 25 Design Things They Say You Can’t Do...But You Really Can! A BONUS!

More details to come.

Newsroom Productivity: Feeding Your Passion While Feeding the Beast

Your days as a reporter are jammed with meetings, hearings and interviews on stories that are worthwhile, but assigned by someone else. How do you identify and find time for stories that inspire you? We’ll talk about extracting enterprise stories from your beat, chipping away at passion projects and convincing your editor these stories are worth it. Fact-checking yourself and your sources

Journalists build credibility story by story, but careless mistakes or unchecked source statements can erode that credibility. We’ll talk about how to fact-check sources as well as review our own work to reduce errors. Sleep soundly once you put your story to bed knowing you’ve done your best to bullet-proof your copy.

TOPICS:

If you go … What: 138th Annual Colorado Press Association Convention When: May 12-14 Where: Denver West Sheraton Cost for CPA members: Friday only: $50 Friday (includes lunch): $90 Saturday only (no dinner or lunch): $65 Saturday only (includes dinner and lunch): $150 Full convention (not including Saturday dinner and lunch): $80 Full convention (including Saturday dinner and lunch): $175 Meals only: Friday lunch only: $45 Saturday Night Awards (dinner only): $100 per person, or a table of 10: $800

colorado editor

February 2016

HERALD Continued from page 1 government regulations and environmental cleanup. But simultaneously, the coverage it required represented an opportunity for the Herald to own the story, with numerous outside eyes watching. In this, the daily newspaper in a town of about 18,000 residents, established since 1881, didn’t fail to deliver to readers in its own backyard, as well as those across the globe. Its coverage, Ballantine Communications CEO Doug Bennett said, equaled that of a major metro. Durango, Maestas said, is out of the way, almost isolated, closer to Albuquerque than Denver. It sometimes feels forgotten among Colorado cities, an outpost on the edge of the state. Minus a competitor, it was left to the Herald, the only source of local news in La Plata County, to tell the story across multiple platforms. DOUG “That was a really BENNETT important time for us on a really big issue,” said Maestas, who has been with the Herald for almost 20 years, rising through the ranks from reporter to senior editor. It’s not unusual, she said, for a story out of the area to go national. But, AMY what separated Gold MAESTAS King from other occasions was that it came about two years into a reboot of the newspaper, a direction coinciding with Bennett’s new leadership. He was named Ballantine CEO in 2013. Other company properties include The Journal, covering Cortez, Dolores and Mancos; The Pine River Times covering Bayfield; and DGO, a free weekly covering Durango’s entertainment, arts, food and events scene. Bennett said he wasn’t brought in to transform Ballantine properties as much as he was to “re-engineer” them by improving digital operations and opening new channels of revenue. Bennett, along with Maestas, who he promoted, has guided Durango through an effort to “meet the audience where they are,” transitioning to a mindset that emphasizes digital at least as much as print. The efforts seemingly converged — and paid off — on the Gold King coverage. Website traffic, Bennett said, was 10 times greater for two weeks straight. McBride’s photo went seemingly everywhere. A before and after video was shared more than 8,000 times. The Herald posted stories regularly to social media and the website, sent text alerts, and even streamed town hall meetings live, among other strategic editorial decisions. “We had this thing covered from every aspect — from the impact to people, the community, businesses,” Bennett said. “I think it’s what we are set up to do, if needed. And yes, we worked a lot of long hours, but I wouldn’t call it above and beyond. We’re set up to be a source of information for our communities.” Audience, Bennett said, is one of the primary considerations at the Herald, reflecting today’s technology and the current state of the industry. “If we’re not pushing things out to Facebook, Twitter, we’re missing an opportunity to

Photos courtesy of the Durango Herald

A mix of new and old is at the Herald office. Above, where the press room once was is now a design studio, conference room and game area/lounge, while the newsroom, to the left, is a blend of tradition and new formats.

engage with our audience,” he said. “One big conversation here is always around audience. We don’t focus on print or digital or mobile, we focus on audience. The format shouldn’t matter — it’s where is our audience? How do they consume information? How do we reach them?” Changing up the news operation didn’t come without a healthy dose of skepticism from inside the Herald, however. Some in the newsroom took convincing. “There was still a mentality with some — I’m not going to say all — of the newsroom that this was going to hurt print readership,” Bennett said. “… There was still that mentality. Living in a metro area prior to Durango, that was kind of the way people thought four and five, even six years ago. That had pretty much gone away because people understood if you really want to grow your audience, you have to grow it online, you’re not going to grow it in print. “We still had to go back and do a lot of proving to the staff on why it was important.” He recalled a meeting early in the process with the news staff. He displayed a graph on web traffic that showed the sites busy at 8 and 9 a.m. but tailing off throughout the day, without new content to keep readers refreshing. “Most of the more progressive digital content organizations recognize the importance of keeping the traffic steady all throughout the day,” Bennett said. “So we started to post a few stories, and I was able to show them through statistics they were actually able to hold the audience. … The more people expected it to check out the web, the more they would come through.”

“We did it all through continuing to measure everything that happened, and then showing them, basically, in a graphical sense, as to why that’s important and how that’s impacting our audience. Over time, they started to understand.” Maestas said she understands cultural changes within organizations sometimes take years to mature, but the Herald’s progression has been accelerated. It’s still a work in progress, but important strides have been made, she said. “What we’ve been able to do is to get a team in place of people, reporters, editors, who are understanding that we need to move forward in this digital world, we need to respond to the way readers are now consuming us and that we have to put fully our efforts into that,” the senior editor said. “Part of that requires educating them, that requires a constant discussion to see where people are feeling anxious about any job changes they’re going through. By and large, we’ve had very good success. We’re not done, we still have a lot more to do.” Maestas compared her newsroom’s new direction to how the Associated Press has historically operated. AP “gets news out as soon as there is news, and then comes back and does writethroughs, does follow-ups on the stories, and it does not diminish the quality of journalism,” she said. “We may not do that with every single story … but by and large the daily stories we can write-through and operate the same way that AP does.” If newsroom staffers needed an example of a convert to the new approach, they didn’t

need to look beyond Maestas, a veteran journalist who came up in the industry when it was still print centric. “What are our options? Our options are either to leave or to get on board with it and find a way,” she said, “… I don’t think they (quality journalism and a digital approach) cannot exist together.” “I’ve adopted the mindset because I understand that is where our industry is going and I’m committed to a family-owned, community newspaper that cannot rest on its laurels of being the main source of news in this town. … If we want to remain relevant, like Doug said, we have to meet (readers) where they are. That is enough information for me to understand we have to evolve.” Of course, journalism is a business, and like any business, the bottom line tends to have final say on whether change was worth the investment. Bennett said he couldn’t get into specifics about finances of the last couple of years, but in general, he believes the Herald is in better shape today than it was a couple of years ago, and reflects the Ballantine motto, “Business without borders,” an ode to excellence and innovation. “Some of the things we’re doing, especially in online video, those are still in what I call the investment years,” he said. “We’re trying to make sure people understand we can create videos built for millennials. We’re building an audience, but it takes time to get advertisers to understand the importance of millennials, let alone the importance of video, so that’s one thing.” The CEO said the company has seen declines in print advertising, “like everyone else,” but double digit growth in its digital efforts. “Is it enough to replace the decline in print dollars? Not yet, but it’s a heck of a lot closer than we were a couple of years ago. So I think we’re getting there,” he said. “We’ve actually had a couple of months (in 2015) that we’ve actually exceeded prior years’ revenues, and we’re doing that because we’re selling a lot of additional products, too.” “We’re reinventing the business. We’re in the advertising business and we’re in the content business. We’ve got to be good at both.”

colorado editor

February 2016

obituaries Al Ayers

40-year advertising career with Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News Al Ayers, who had a career in advertising spanning 40 years, has died. Ayers was born in 1938. His career included working at the Rocky Mountain News, The Denver Post and Gart Bros. Sporting Goods Co. He is survived by his wife, Sally; a daughter, Kelee Guillory; a son, John; and three grandchildren. Services were held on Feb. 6 at Bear Valley Church, 10001 W. Jewell Ave., Lakewood, Colo.

Stasia Davison

Family owned The Telluride Times Stasia Wolak Davison, who with her husband purchased The Telluride Times in 1975, died Jan. 25, 2016. She was born to John Wolak and Pauline Sroka Wolak in New York Mills, N.Y., on Dec. 15, 1921. She graduated from New York Mills High School in 1938, going on to Russell Sage, a private college for women in Troy, N.Y., for a year before transferring to Syracuse University, where she earned a business degree in 1942. Her first job was with Liberty Mutual Life Insurance Company of Boston as an adjuster, during which time she met Lt. Robert Park Davison, from Opelika, Ala., when he was training with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Camp Van Dorn in Centerville, Miss. They became engaged before he left for active duty in France, Holland and Germany. After the war, they married on Sept. 24, 1945. The couple settled in Wilmington, Del., where Robert worked as an engineer with Hercules Power Company. In 1947 they moved to Boulder, Colo., where Robert entered law school at the University of Colorado. In 1950, he graduated and they moved to Denver, where he prac-

ticed law with the new Holland & Hart law firm. He was called to active duty for the Korean War, after which they settled in Cherry Hills Village. Stasia was active in the League of Women Voters, Cherry Hills Schools PTA and Cub Scouts, and was very interested in politics and world events. Robert retired from his law practice in 1975 and bought The Telluride Times newspaper, which was later run by their oldest son. They also bought a cattle ranch in Alabama, which was run by their youngest son. Stasia and Robert became world travelers, during which she wrote dozens of journals. Robert developed Alzheimer’s disease around 2000 and died in April 2007. Stasia moved into an assisted living facility in Denver in December 2014, where she died at age 94. She is survived by her sons, Robert III, of Durango, and Tom, of Donna, Texas; a daughter, Nancy Wyman, of Cherry Hills Village; and four grandchildren. She was to be interred at Denver’s Fairmount Cemetery at a family memorial gathering on Feb. 27.

Penny Parker

CCM, Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News columnist Penny Parker, a longtime journalist wellknown in the metro area for her tenacious reporting and heartfelt columns, as well as her battle with breast cancer, died Jan. 2 at her home in Denver. She had celebrated her 62nd birthday one month prior. A popular columnist for both the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post, at the time of her death she was writing a weekly column – “Mile High Life” – on entertainment, dining and philanthropic news for the Colorado Community Media newspaper group, plus retail work for Macy’s and Dillard’s and occasional freelance public

relations, marketing and writing jobs. Said CCM Publisher Jerry Healey in an article posted online: “Penny helped connect our suburban readers to what was happening in the Denver metro area. Her voice can never be replaced.” PENNY PARKER In another article, former Rocky Mountain News Editor John Temple noted: “When she was a reporter at The Post, she was constantly breaking stories, on top of all the news. We couldn’t get an edge. It was obvious from the way she covered her beat, she was having a ball.” Born in 1953 in California, Parker grew up in Palo Alto. She went on to study journalism at San Francisco State University. Early in her career, she worked as a features writer for seven years at The (Everett, Wash.) Herald, a Washington Post-owned newspaper. She was also a managing editor for a time for two weeklies near Bellevue in that state. She won numerous feature-writing awards, as well as a Society of Business Editors and Writers award. Parker went to work for The Post in 1993 as a features reporter. The following year, she moved into the business news department, where she covered retail, dining, marketing and tourism. After six years at The Post, she was hired in 2000 by the Rocky Mountain News as its “On the Town” columnist, covering such topics as dining, sports, business, tourism and advertising. When the News closed in 2009, she rejoined The Post staff as a business columnist until she was laid off in 2012. In April of that year, Parker took her “On the Town” column to Blacktie-Colorado, a

Denver-based web-service company, for the next two years. Diagnosed with breast cancer a decade ago, she fought back by writing about her experience, and also raising money for Sense of Security, a nonprofit the helps breast cancer patients with non-medical expenses. In her free time, Parker loved the Denver Broncos, golf, her dogs, cooking and dining out, and time with friends. Parker is survived by her husband, Greg Henry; and her son, Mackenzie Parker Harden, 25, of New York.

Ronald C. Torres

Former Denver Post prepress supervisor Ronald C. Torres, a former prepress supervisor for The Denver Post, died Dec. 19. Torres was born in Denver in 1965. He attended Holy Family High School, where he excelled in the football program, RONALD TORRES then Metro State. He began his career at American Web Inc., later going on to work as a color scanning prepress supervisor at The Post. In his free time, he enjoyed cooking, fishing, biking and sledding with his family. Services took place Jan. 12 at the Archdiocese of Denver Mortuary in Wheat Ridge, followed by a reception at VFW Post 501 Francis Brown Lowry, 4747 W. Colfax Ave. He is survived by his wife, Haley; three young daughters, Kristina, Erika and Jessika; a sister, Rechelle Torres; his parents, Chris and Jacqueline Torres; three aunts, Florence, Celia and Irene; one uncle, Jerry; and numerous cousins.

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ENERGETIC REPORTER NEEDED Evergreen Newspapers is looking for an energetic reporter experienced in government reporting, features and breaking news. Responsibilities include generating seven stories a week in a competitive news environment; updating our websites; generating photos and graphics; and planning coverage and coordinating those plans with our photo editor and other staff reporters. Pay is competitive, and benefits are top-shelf. E-mail doug@evergreenco. com with a resume and published clips.

colorado editor

February 2016

10 QUESTIONS Continued from page 3

Mike Wiggins stops to check out the scenery on a snowshoeing trip near Steamboat Springs in 2012. communities and think for themselves. I became involved in the suicide prevention group because suicide has been a significant problem in western Colorado for years. Mesa County has one of the highest suicide rates not just in Colorado, but in the United States. It’s a troubling issue that the Sentinel has tried to shed more light on in recent years. The most rewarding aspect of volunteering for Kids Voting is listening to the stories of gradeschoolers and teenagers who, through their innovation or volunteerism, are making an impact in their schools or neighborhoods. It balances the cynicism that permeates the journalist side of me. Can you name your top three mentors, in or out of journalism, and how they influenced you?

Q A

I’ll be honest — I’m not sure I can name three of them. The one who comes to mind who helped me early in my career and set a good example of being a good manager and coach is Rick Carpenter, who was the editor in Glenwood for a period of time when I was there. He was good about working one-on-one with me, helping me improve as a reporter and writer. He led by example. It’s something I remember and try to practice now as an editor. From your Facebook postings – including a T-shirt for “Managing Editor – Because Bad*ss Problem Solver is not an Official Job Title” – I would say you have a healthy sense of humor. How that does that help you handle the everyday variety and stress of your job?

You must have a sense of humor in this job and this industry. We’re bombarded daily not only by the sight and sound of the worst or most objectionable in people, but by people who think we’re too wrong/too liberal/too conservative/ too nice/too mean. While I take this job and our duties as a newspaper very seriously, I also make a point to keep things relaxed and lighthearted in the newsroom. An uptight, walking-on-eggshells work environment is an unproductive, unhappy work environment. Neat desk or not, and what would we see there?

Q A

I would like it to be neat, but most of the time it’s not. How’s that for an answer? You’d see miscellaneous piles of paper, an assortment of business cards and some random paper clips and rubber bands scattered around. Guess it’d be more exciting if I said overflowing ashtrays and empty vodka bottles.

When laws collide

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Craig postal ‘skirmish’ highlights state, federal law conflicts over marijuana By Joshua Roberts For the Editor Rumors sometimes fly in small communities, and Craig Daily Press Publisher Renee Campbell caught wind of one the Sunday before Christmas: the local postmaster in the conservative, Western Slope mountain town wasn’t going to mail the newspaper’s upcoming edition. Rumor turned reality the following day, Campbell learned. “She had threatened that they would not be mailing our Wednesday edition unless those ads were taken out and there was no editorial coverage about cannabis,” the publisher said. At issue for postmaster Mary McClellan were two advertisements in the Daily Press — one for medical marijuana and a second for retail marijuana — and a story that contained information about marijuana. McClellan’s threat to shelve that edition of the paper was based on her incorrectly interpreting the U.S. Postal Service’s national policy concerning “non-mailable” matter. Thomas J. Marshall, the Postal Service’s executive vice president and general counsel, outlined the policy Dec. 15, 2015, in a letter to the Oregon congressional delegation. The Marshall letter states while marijuana advertisements are technically “non-mailable” because they conflict with the federal Controlled Substances Act, postmasters are not authorized to decide whether material is non-mailable or exclude it from the mail. Instead, postal personnel are to advise senders about mailing standards. If the sender goes through with mailing the questionable material, personnel are then directed to report the incident to the postal inspector, who could forward the case to authorities. Campbell reached out to the Colorado Press Association and its attorneys for assistance. The situation was quickly diffused, and the Daily Press didn’t miss getting its edition to readers, nor was the issue delayed. “They were very helpful,” Campbell said of CPA officials. “The lawyer was on top of it and just really took care of it, contacted

the necessary people from the U.S. Postal Service, provided the information, and it was pretty much done.” Steven Zansberg, a CPA attorney for about 20 years, highlighted the Daily Press and Postal Service marijuana flap in a Jan. 4 article for the Media Law Resource Center. The situation was an example of the conflict that exists between state and federal laws concerning the marijuana industry, he wrote. Four states — Colorado, Oregon, Alaska and Washington — have legalized marijuana sales for recreational use, while 23 others have legalized sales for medicinal use. However, while states are free to decriminalize sales under state law, marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act. Federal law, Zansberg wrote, “remains the supreme law of the land,” making marijuana sales a felony. However, prosecutors aren’t pressing the issue in Colorado, taking cues from a 2013 memorandum from Deputy U.S. Attorney James Cole. The Cole memo recognized prosecutorial discretion, but stated “state and local law enforcement and regulatory bodies should remain the primary means of addressing marijuana-related activity.” “If it wanted to, the federal government could go into all of those states that are currently decriminalized or legalized … and close it down because it remains illegal (under federal law),” Zansberg said. But, he added, federal officials are “not interfering with these state experiments” as long as there are “robust” state regulations in place. Jerry Raehal, CPA chief executive officer, said the situation in Colorado, more or less, comes down to the “feds saying it’s illegal, but prosecutors are saying they won’t prosecute unless it’s in violation of state law.” “The analogy I’ve used is we’ve been in the Garden of Eden, and we’ve finally bit the apple,” Raehal said. “The only difference between the past and now is you’ve been doing it, and now you know it’s a federal ‘sin.’” He said confusion about the marijuana industry has cropped up occasionally for Colorado newspapers, though the Craig

incident was notable in that it involved the Postal Service and a threat of holding back newspaper delivery. “There’s confusion, I think, in part because there was an expectation when the law passed that marijuana advertising would be regulated the same as alcohol,” the CEO said. “They decided to go a different route with that, and created a totally different standard, and within that standard, who is responsible. “A confusing thing we deal with is it’s actually on the retailer to ensure they understand the criteria and they’re not going to be placing advertising in the wrong places, as opposed to the responsibility being on the media entity. To a degree, that’s a protection for the media entity.” To get some measure of clarity, Zansberg wrote a letter to John Walsh, U.S. attorney for the District of Colorado, at the end of December, following the Craig “skirmish.” He requested Walsh’s office notify newspapers of any alleged violations concerning marijuana advertising, as well as CPA, and provide “the newspaper in question a reasonable opportunity to discontinue and/or cure any alleged violation.” “Such a commitment from your office to the Colorado Press Association would … eliminate the ‘chilling effect’ on freedom of the press that is posed by the uncertain boundaries of what the law forbids,” Zansberg wrote. Walsh answered the letter in midJanuary. Although he didn’t commit to CPA’s requests, the U.S. attorney wrote his office would likely “reach out in advance to engage in dialogue to attempt to resolve the matter” before prosecuting. Zansberg said Colorado newspapers should be encouraged by Walsh’s response. “It goes a long way to giving publishers a lot of assurance that they’re not going to suddenly have a federal agent knocking on their door and issuing a criminal summons because they run a marijuana ad,” he said. The CPA is also looking at other routes to help ease some of the confusion about the conflicts of marijuana advertising, Raehal said, so if a paper wants to run similar ads, they can.

colorado editor

February 2016

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KEEP CALM AND

PRESS ON

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COLORADO PRESS ASSOCIATION 138TH ANNUAL CONVENTION • MAY 13-14, 2016 DENVER WEST SHERATON

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