Members of the Georgia Press Association's BNC Competition Committee

from West Georgia Woman Magazine Issue July 2023

by West Georgia Woman Magazine/Angel Media, LLC

LocaL Happenings

(As listed in the Nov. 2022 GPA Board Minutes)

Will Davis: Co-owner/Publisher, Monroe County Reporter

The minutes later state, “[GPA Executive Director Robin] Rhodes will tell any magazines that are competing that are not part of a newspaper that GPA failed to enforce the rules in the past but it must be a newspaper product.” However, that begs the question of why did they need to add wording spelling out a rule if that rule already existed? The rule has never been stated as part of the submission documentation since West Georgia Woman began submitting articles, photographs and ads for award consideration.

Enoch Autry: Publisher, Clayton Tribune

Rachael Raney: Publisher, Times Georgian Newspaper/ Newspapers of West Georgia (also a Georgia Press Association Board Member)

JK Murphy: Vice President of Content and Managing Editor, Marietta Daily Journal

When Angela asked to speak to a decision maker about West Georgia Woman being excluded from the competition, she was told the executive director would call her – which was also spelled out in the board minutes –but Angela never received that call.

West Georgia Woman magazine has received a total of 48 Georgia Press Awards (two in 2020, 20 in 2021 and 26 in 2022) including Best Magazine, Original Writing in their division three years in a row. They were allowed to submit only editorial content in 2020 but could submit advertising and photography as well for awards in 2021 and 2022. In 2022, Photographer Zachary Dailey received first place overall, regardless of division, for Best Photo Portfolio, as well as numerous other awards.

Angela expresses frustration that she was not told about the rule change until after she submitted her entries. “I spent hours submitting our entries, only to be told we were excluded the next day. No one ever reached out to me to tell me we weren’t allowed to compete." But the time she committed to preparing the submissions is only part of her frustration. A bigger piece is that her staff can no longer be recognized for their hard work.

In the conversation with Mr. Ireland, Angela notes that he apologized no one had contacted her before she took the time to submit multiple entries to the contest. He informed her West Georgia Woman would not be allowed to enter the competition anymore because it was “unfair to newspapers.”

West Georgia Woman Magazine Photographer Zachary Dailey at the GPA Better Newspaper Contest Awards Ceremony June 2022. Zachary won first place out of all entries statewide – regardless of division – for Best Photo Portfolio and swept the Division A Best Magazine, Single Photo category winning first, second and third place. Zachary won three first place awards for photography and one first place award for magazine cover design. He also received one second place award and two third place awards for photography. West Georgia Woman magazine received a total of 26 GPA awards for writing, photography and advertising in 2022, including Best Magazine, Original Writing for the third year in a row, and Best Magazine, Human Interest Feature

Mr. Ireland said West Georgia Woman magazine was discussed by the competition committee and the Georgia Press Board, who both decided that because it was a standalone magazine not owned by a newspaper, it was not fair to compete with newspaper-owned magazines.

“It’s ridiculous to say that because I own a standalone magazine that it’s ‘unfair’ to the newspapers we compete against,” states Angela. “For the GPA to even suggest that the other newspapers work harder than we do is outrageous. My staff is so small – much smaller than any of the newspapers we’ve been competing against the last several years. It’s clear we are a real threat to some, due to the quality of our product. What’s really unfair is excluding us because it seems we have won too many awards."

Angela is unsure if West Georgia Woman is the only stand-alone magazine to have submitted and won GPA awards recently. However, she was told this magazine was specifically mentioned in the discussions to exclude standalone magazines. Awards are not just bragging rights. On the contrary – for a small business, being able to say they won an award that names them the “best” or “top” of their field provides recognition as an industry leader, showing the publication is trustworthy, innovative and stable. This helps readers feel secure in the articles that are published, and it helps advertisers feel confident they are putting their money toward the right marketing strategy. This is essential to keep a small, locally owned business like West Georgia Woman working.

Awards also make staff members feel their work is valued. It shows gratitude for a job well done, and it shows the community what a strong talent base exists within the company.

“I’m sad for my staff, because they do really amazing work and have been recognized for that work by receiving 48 Georgia Press Awards the last three years,” Angela shares. “I know they would have won multiple awards again this year had we been allowed to compete last month. What happened to healthy competition? This definitely is not fair to them.”

There aren’t many award opportunities in Georgia for magazines, and Angela made sure West Georgia Woman joined GPA’s Magazine Association to ensure her eligibility. According to the minutes, the board discussed that “GPA had started the Magazine Association and at some point, needs to get back to it.” Angela says West Georgia Woman has been a member of GPA’s Magazine Association for several years, and has emails she sent to the GPA’s prior office manager requesting membership renewal each year. She was never informed the organization wasn’t active, and West Georgia Woman is still listed on the organization’s website as an active member.

“Although Mr. Ireland told me the Magazine Association Georgia 'hasn’t been operating for some time,' the website is still up listing us as a member,” she explains. “Under ‘Services to Publishers,’ it states advertising and editorial awards as one of the benefits. And we received awards last year in June 2022, so when he told me in February that it was no longer operating – eight months equals 'some time?' I don’t know. I was never told we couldn’t compete, or that they had apparently discontinued the MAG (even though the website is still up and running).” Although awards are important for marketing, business growth and staff recognition, they are not the reason West Georgia Woman exists, or the reason the staff works so hard to produce a magazine that touches people’s lives. “We’re going to just keep doing what we do,” Angela promises. “We provide a well-respected, high-quality, amazing magazine for thousands upon thousands of people in West Georgia and East Alabama. I already know that we are an award-winning magazine, and being excluded from the competition isn’t going to change the quality of our work. And who knows? Maybe one day, I’ll start my own newspaper. They won’t be able to stop us from competing, then.” WGW