editor colorado
Official publication of the Colorado Press Association / coloradopressassociation.com / Vol. LXXXIII, No. 8
Five state papers win NNA awards Colorado weekly newspapers performed well in the National Newspaper Association’s 2012 Better Newspaper Contest and Better Newspaper Advertising Contest. Cortez Journal, Jackson County Star, The Villager, The Holyoke Enterprise and The Pagosa Springs SUN were all recognized for outstanding work. NNA Contest Chair Jeff Farren, publisher of the Kendall County Record in Yorkville, IL, announced and congratulated the contest winners in an award not if ic at ion Colordao e-mail. The papers “Winners reflect the high honored quality of Cortez Journal publications re pre s e nt e d Jackson by the associaCounty Star tion,” Farren The Villager said. There were The Holyoke 1,954 entries Enterprise in the Better The Pagosa Newspaper Springs SUN Contest and 395 entries in the Better Newspaper Advertising Contest for a total of 2,349 entries. A total of 525 awards were won by 135 member newspapers in 36 states. California had the most combined BNC/BNAC wins with 78, followed by New Mexico with 53, and Texas and Wyoming tied with 42 each. “Colorado has some of the best newspapers in the country, and it’s nice to see great work rewarded on a national level,” said CPA Executive Director Samantha Johnston. “Three of the five newspapers recognized in the contest are also represented on my board of directors. That says a lot about the quality of the newspaper companies helping to shape the direction of the Colorado newspaper industry.” Winners will be recognized at the award reception held Saturday, Oct. 6, during NNA’s 126th Annual Convention & Trade Show in Charleston, South Carolina.
Better Newspaper Contest 2nd place, Cortez Journal, Best Feature Series, Daily & Non‐daily Division, circulation 6,000 or more, Farewell comrade; A professional guard; Pride and pain; Finding a trade; Military service and a diploma, Dale NNA on page 7
WE ARE
COURAGEOUS, STRONG,
& RESILIENT. TRAGEDY WILL NOT DEFINE US.
WE HOLD STRONG
TRADITION & VALUES. WE ARE THE FACE OF STEWARDSHIP,
FORWARD-THINKING
& PROGRESS. — OUR AIR IS CRISP & FRESH. —
OUR LANDS ARE
VIBRANT, PRISTINE,
WONDROUS
& BEAUTIFUL. WE
ALTITUDE.
OUR LAKES, RIVERS &
POWDER
ARE DEEP. JUST LIKE OUR
SENSE OF COMMUNITY.
WE ARE NEIGHBORS,
FRIENDS & FAMILY. WE JOIN TOGETHER TO HONOR
COLORADO DAY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1
WE ARE
Colorado strong
Artwork Created by Mike Pierce, The Pagosa Springs SUN
Strength of Colorado, a contest sponsored by Colorado Press Association, invited CPA member newspapers to submit inspiring, thoughtful creative in conjunction with Colorado Day on August 1, 2012. Submissions were judged by CPA staff members. The winning submission, designed by Mike Pierce of the Pagosa Springs SUN, was provided to CPA member newspapers for publication in their print products. See the rest of the Colorado Day entries on Pages 4-5.
Inside: Meet SYNC2’s accounting manager. PAGE 3
August 2012
With lessons learned, online contest back in ’12 The 2012 Colorado Better Newspaper Contest call for entries is only a few weeks away, and this year’s contest is bigger, better and bug-free. “Last year was our first year experimenting with the online contest module. Largely, it was a success, but there were many areas for improvement,” said Samantha Johnston, executive director of the Colorado Press Association. “We appreciate the patience and cooperation of our members last year, and because of their feedback and willingness to try something new, we’re bringing back an online contest this year that will be better in almost every way.” The Colorado Press Association contest committee completed the tedious task of reviewing all contest categories for relevancy and appropriateness. This year’s contest participants will notice some new categories, some categories that will be analyzed after this year to determine whether they will be deleted next year, and a new and improved set of contest rules rewritten by some of the state’s best editors. “It was time to review our entire contest. We made changes where we thought it was appropriate and we im-
Need contest materials? If you want to receive a copy of the contest materials, please call Lisa Woodworth at 303-571-5117 or coloradopress@ colopress.net to add your name to our postal or email list.
proved processes where it made sense,” said Mark Drudge, CPA board member and chair of the contest committee. “We want to encourage increased participation and a true competitive spirit, so we reviewed every aspect of the contest to ensure level playing fields and clear contest rules. And we removed some of the barriers to true competition.” Two major changes to this year’s contest include the addition of another weekly circulation category to more fairly align like-sized newspapers and the addition of a monthly and collegiate contest. CONTEST on page 7
SYNC2 poised to help papers grow revenue Colorado Press Service has a new name. A new look. And some new products in the portfolio. What has traditionally been recognized as the print and newspaper website advertising arm of the Colorado Press Association is now doing business as a true print and digital media buying agency. Rebranded to encompass print and digital media audience solutions, Colorado Press Service is doing business as SYNC2 Media. “Our goal is to increase the revenue for our member newspapers by offering a more robust product portfolio that will reach our customers’ audience, wherever they are,” said CPA executive director Samantha Johnston. “When a client asks us if we can do something, we want to say ‘yes,’ instead of allowing an intermediary company to steal dollars that newspapers should own.” While print and premium digital banners on newspaper websites continue to be a top priority for SYNC2 Media, audience extension tools allow SYNC2 Media to capture more revenue for member newspapers.
“Our advertising customers are spending dollars in the digital space. Just not with us. Every bit of market research tells us so,” Johnston said. “Regardless of whether digital makes up a small or large piece of our revenue pie, if we aren’t offering multimedia buying capability, we’re perceived as less relevant.” The new name and logo were designed with shelf life and mutlimedia platforms in mind. In addition, the color palette was assembled in a quest for new life and energy. “We wanted to embody some of the adjectives that best describe our new service – creative, active, energetic, trustworthy, successful and powerful,” said VP of Sales & Marketing, Elizabeth Bernberg. “We wanted our logo to SYNC2 on page 7