The Bulletin by Wisconsin Newspaper Association

Bulletin THE

News and information for the Wisconsin newspaper industry

August 2014

... among the world’s oldest press associations

Join WNA for Regional Meetings The Wisconsin Newspaper Association is coming to a neighborhood near you with something for the entire staff Wisconsin Newspaper Association President Carol O’Leary invites you to spend an afternoon with her and members of the WNA staff. Regional meetings will be held throughout the state in September and October. Bring the whole gang. We’ve got something for everyone in your office: You’ve got questions? We’ve got answers! Want to know more about newspaper postal issues? Speaker Brad Hill, president of Interlink, has all the information you need and more. Interlink is a privately owned circulationmanagement company serving the community-newspaper industry. More than 1,000 publishers across the U.S. use Interlink services to grow newspaper subscription penetration and manage subscriber services, including delivery by mail or carrier. Last year, Hill was named a National Newspaper Association representative on the Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC), joining NNA’s postal chairman Max Heath and CEO Tonda Rush in that important postal-related group. Want to know how to access your newspaper’s WNA archive— yes, your newspaper has an archive—one that goes all the way back to 2005?

ties to member needs.

Media Services Director Denise Guttery will give you the rundown on how to access your newspaper’s archived pages. Learn how to use your archive to your advantage—tear sheeting, ad design, editorial and historical research.

Join WNA President Carol O’Leary and the WNA staff for lunch and get to know the us and what we can do for you!

Want more information on public notice laws? WNA Executive Director Beth Bennett will provide an overview of Brad Hill how public notice laws work and update you on the most recent changes to Wisconsin public notice laws and rates. Want more information on WNA member services and networking opportunities? Communication Director Holly Henschen will fill you in on the many useful educational tools and networking opportunities available via the WNA. Are you taking advantage of our free weekly political, travel and tax content?

Denise Guttery

How can we make the WNA work better for you? We need your insight on how to cater WNA’s activi-

“I leave with mixed emotions as I truly enjoyed working with some of the finest and most talented people in the industry over these past 47 years,” Fechtner said. “This job has taught me so many things that have made me a better and stronger person both professionally and personally.” “Bonnie has been a tremendous asset to the WNA,” said WNA Executive Director Beth Bennett. “Her work throughout the years has contributed to making the WNA the go-to industry resource for newspapers throughout the State of Wisconsin. The newspaper industry is grateful and thanks her for her service and dedication.” Fechtner began her WNA career in the association’s clipping service. She was promoted to Membership Director in 2005. Fechtner became the Director of the WNA Foundation in 2012.

“I will always be grateful for the many friends I have made along the way and the wonderful memories I take with me,” she said. “May you all enjoy success in the years to come. Keep in touch.”

Northeast Region: Thursday, Sept. Beth Bennett 18, Comfort Suites, 199 Firefox Drive, Waupaca (Registration ends Sept. 12.) Southeast Region: Friday, Sept. 19, Olympia Resort,1350 Royale Mile Road, Oconomowoc (Registration ends Sept. 12.) Northwest Region: Thursday, Oct. 16, Turtleback Golf Club,1985 18½ St., Rice Lake (Registration ends Oct. 10.)

WNA Membership Director Bonnie Fechtner Retires Long-time Wisconsin Newspaper Association (WNA) employee and Membership Director Bonnie Fechtner has retired after nearly 50 years of dedicated service.

Schedule: 11:30 a.m.: Meet and Greet Noon-1 p.m.: Lunch 1 p.m.-3 p.m.: Presentations

Southwest Region: Friday, Oct. 17, Ramada Inn & White House, 1450 Holly Henschen Veterans Drive, Richland Center (Registration ends Oct. 10.) Please click here to register. We look forward to seeing you there!

Take Notice, WNA Publishers and Advertising Directors! It’s time to prepare for publication of the upcoming November election notices. Specific care must be given to the publication of the ballot as an insert or ROP in the newspaper. Contact your county clerk and determine the method of publication that the county intends to use for the ballot. If the county plans to publish the ballot as an insert—and the insert will be provided to your newspaper as a pre-print—please request that the county include on each page of the ballot the WNA public notice coding—WNAXLP. Explain, if necessary, to the county representative that Wisconsin statute now requires that all legal notices published in newspapers also appear on the WNA hosted public notice website.

Fechnter can be reached at bfechtner@ charter.net.

Each legal notice must include the code WNAXLP in order for it to be posted to the WNA public notice website. The coding must appear on each page of a multiple-page public notice. The ballot is, in most cases, a multiple-page legal notice. If the ballot is published ROP, it must contain the WNAXLP coding on all pages where ballot information is printed. The WNA coding for every public notice is WNAXPL.

The WNA will honor Fechtner at the 2015 WNA/AP Convention and Trade Show, scheduled for Feb. 26-27, 2015, at the Milwaukee Marriott West in Waukesha.

If the county provides you with a pre-print insert that doesn’t include WNAXLP coding, please forward a copy of the insert, electronically or by USPS, to the WNA office for coding. The WNA will code and post the ballot to the public notice website.

Details regarding forthcoming.

Your time and attention to this matter are greatly appreciated.

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WNA BULLETIN | August 2014

WNA news WNA Inducts Publishers to New Memorial Pylon at 67th Annual Trees Retreat

Above Left: Former WNA President and Publisher of the Eau Claire Telegram Pieter Graaskamp remembers his father Charles F. Graaskamp at the Memorial Pylon induction ceremony Aug. 22 at Trees For Tomorrow in Eagle Creek. Above Right: WCIJ Executive Director Andy Hall kicks off a day of education for journalists attending the retreat.

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s 67th Annual Trees Retreat, held Aug. 21-22, welcomed members to the Trees for Tomorrow campus in Eagle River and, for the first time, inducted Wisconsin publishers to the new WNA Memorial Pylon. WNA members from throughout the state gathered to relax in the beautiful outdoor setting and receive valuable educational instruction.

• • •

WNA members and inductee families gathered Aug. 22 for a ceremony honoring the following inductees to the WNA Memorial Pylon:

The new Memorial Pylon, which lists the names of deceased WNA member publishers, dates back to 1958. It will be dedicated at the 2015 Trees Retreat. Information for this event is forthcoming.

• • • • • • • • • • •

This year’s Trees Retreat education session was led by key staff at the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. The WCIJ’s program, “No Time? No Budget? No Worries!”, directed WNA member attendees on advanced interviewing techniques; assembling data to creating maps, charts and graphs; using social media in the reporting process; accessing information via the Freedom of Information Act; and collaborating with other newsrooms to develop content. WCIJ staff instructors for WNA’s Trees Retreat were Executive Director Andy Hall, Associate Director Lauren Fuhrmann, Multimedia Director and Reporter Kate Golden, and Interns Director/Wisconsin State Journal investigative reporter Dee Hall.

Larry W. Antony, Fond du Lac Reporter Bruce C. Brown, Oconomowoc Enterprise William H. Capellaro, New Glarus Post James F. Dorrance, Jr., Rice Lake Chronotype John J. Durst, Mosinee Times Charles F. Graaskamp, Eau Claire Press Company Reuben J. Heim, Woodville Leader Gerald F. Ninnemann, Campbellsport News George E. Rogers, Portage County Gazette, Stevens Point Gary W. Slaats, Clark County Press, Neillsville William K. Smith, The Messenger of Juneau County, Elroy

George E. Stewart I, Orfordville Journal Gail J. Toerpe, Washington Island Observer Frederic N. Wagner, Clinton Topper

Biographies and photos of this year’s WNA Memorial Pylon inductees can be found here.

Top Ideas from Trees Retreat Mike Mathis, president of Delta Publications in Oshkosh, held an Ideas Exchange session at the Trees Retreat. The top three ideas selected by session attendees were: 1. “Moments in Time,” a weekly column in the Eastern Wisconsin Tri-County News, features a community member’s personal history. Joe Mathes, digital advertising strategist at Delta Publications, sells sponsorship for the column. The first 50 columns have been published in a book funded by ads. 2. A monthly September-May school newspaper tabloid insert in the Clintonville Chronicle, the Trucker Times, is also distributed as a stand-alone in school district buildings and advertisers’ businesses. Ads are sold by two student interns run throughout the school year, said Publisher Tricia Rose. 3. “Through Their Eyes” features children interviewing older family members. It ran successfully through the school year, said Brian Wilson, news editor at The Star News in Medford.

Christening a New Community Newspaper The ceremonial ribbon was cut for Owen, Wisconsin’s newest publication The Sentinel and Rural News on August 22. The giant scissors were collectively manned by Community Forum Publishers Travis Rogers, Jr. (Editor-in-Chief), Kris Leonhardt (Business Manager), Judy Vollrath (Features Editor) and Nicole Shattuck (Associate Editor/Graphics Editor). The newspaper’s first edition was published March 26. Mayor Stephen Heggemeier presented a 1902 edition of The Withee Sentinel to Editor Rogers. It will be proudly displayed in the newspaper office. In turn, five Burma Shave type signs painted by The Sentinel’s own Kris Leonhardt were presented to the city of Owen. They will be posted on the outskirts of town greeting visitors with the winning entry “Friendly, charming, clean and pretty, don’t we love our little city.” Leonhardt said “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented group of local writers. We will continue to work hard to serve area residents and provide a quality product.” Present at the ribbon cutting were State Senator Terry Moulton and Bryce Luchterhand, representing U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, and three Owen mayors. “It was a pleasure to be so welcomed by businesses and media from Neillsville, Thorp and the rest of the county,” Rogers said.

Staff and local leaders cut the ceremonial ribbon of The Sentinel and Rural News in front of the newspaper’s office in Owen. Shown here are, front, L-R: Sen. Terry Moulton, Judy Vollrath, Kris Leohnhardt, Travis Rogers Jr., Nicole Shattuck, Audrey the News Hound, Bryce Guchtherband, and CDA Director Tim Swiggum. Back, L-R are Owen Mayor Stephen Heggemeier, Clark County Economic Development Director Shiela Byberg and former Owen Mayor Allen Gajewsky. Photo and story courtesy of The Sentinel and Rural News.

WNA WNABULLETIN BULLETIN| |August MARCH 2014

WNA news Mukwonago Chief Celebrates 125 Years The Mukwonago Chief celebrated its 125th anniversary with a community open house Aug. 19. Since its first publication in 1889, the Mukwonago Chief has been producing weekly community news for Mukwonago and its surrounding area. Though how the newspaper gathers and distributes news has changed dramatically, the goal of the original publishers remains the same. In the fifth anniversary edition of the Chief in 1894, a small article explains the loyalty to the community and the effort to tell its stories. “The Chief makes no pretensions to the high literary merit, nor the profound gumption which characterizes some of the big city papers, nor does it claim to be the only newspaper published in the county, but it does claim just a little bit of horse sense and a might big pile of loyalty to and interest in the welfare of Mukwonago and its people and is just a little proud of the whole outfit,” the nameless article reads. The thought still rings true today. Mukwonago Publications Sales Manager Sue Hall has seen businesses help market their message to

readers for the past decade and is excited to be getting the office ready to celebrate 125 years of history. “We are proud to be part of the Mukwonago community for 125 years,” Hall said. “We’ve seen tremendous growth and have experienced many changes in newspaper/Internet culture. But there’s nothing better than a great cup of coffee and a hometown newspaper to start the day.” Editor-in-Chief Scott Peterson attributed the continued success of the newspaper to the community. “If you are lucky, you might find a handful of businesses that have survived in any community longer than 100 years, much less 125,” Peterson said. “A newspaper and its community have a bond unlike almost any other business. “We are bound together, kindred spirits, brothers. We are honored to call Mukwonago home and be a partner with the greater Mukwonago community for parts of three centuries. The Mukwonago Chief is working on a special section that will be released in October featuring 125 years of history and interesting stories.

WNA Future Headliners Plan Education Programs The Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s Future Headliners devised strategies to educate college and veteran journalists on the future of news during a Sept. 4 meeting at The Madison Club. The Future Headliners are a group of five professional journalists, aged 30 years and younger, recognized by the WNA Foundation as emerging leaders in the news media industry. The group, which has taken up the mantle of helping to bridge the noticeable age gap in the association and the industry, is invited to all WNA functions. Their term runs through late 2015, when a new group of Headliners will be chosen from nominees. The group’s near-term projects include a set of Google Hangouts in mid November. The first will give insight to industry veterans on how to recruit and engage today’s young journalists. The Headliners recognize that their Millennial cohort has different expectations for workplace flexibility and technological access than their forbears. The second Hangout aligns with the Headliners’ plans for a panel at the WNA/AP Convention and Trade Show, Feb. 26-27 at Marriott Milwaukee

WNA Future Headliners are: • • • • •

James Debilzen, managing editor, Milton Courier Joelle Doye, editor, The Democrat Tribune in Mineral Point Lauren Fuhrmann, associate director, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Nick Penzenstadler, The Post-Crescent in Appleton, and Nathaniel Shuda, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune.

West in Waukesha. The Hangout will advise college journalists on how to take the next step in their careers after graduation. More information on the Hangouts and convention is forthcoming. The Future Headliners also developed plans for engaging college and high school convention attendees. In addition, be on the lookout for monthly columns from each of the Future Headliners in upcoming editions of The Bulletin. See Page 4 for the first installment by Nick Penzenstadler.

Gray Matters

“Gray Matters” is the brainchild of two former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board members, writer Jerry Resler and cartoonist Stuart Carlson. Aimed at Baby Boomers and set in Wisconsin, the strip can be found at gocomics.com/gray-matters. It has more than 6,600 daily subscribers and runs in the Kenosha News and The (Arlington, Illinois) Daily Herald. Editors interested in running the strip in print can contact Resler by email or phone at (414) 964-9162. Contact Carlson by email or phone at (414) 963-9168.

In this undated photo, the Mukwonago Chief’s first editor Dan Camp stands in front of the old newspaper building on the city’s Plank Road. Photo courtesy of The Mukwonago Chief.

Merrill Courier Joins Multi-Media Channels Multi-Media Channels announced the acquisition of Merrill Courier. “As a family owned and operated business, it was essential for us to find a buyer who appreciates how important this community is to us,” said Susan Hovind, former owner of the Merrill Courier. “We are confident that we picked a good steward for Merrill Courier and MMC will continue the proud tradition of our publication.” “Merrill Courier has been a valued source for local news and community happenings since it was founded in 1998. We couldn’t be more thrilled about Merrill Courier joining our family of Wisconsin-based publications,” said Patrick Wood, CEO of Multi-Media Channels. “We’ve always been committed to the local communities that we serve, and we want to continue to build on the local brand and strengthen our presence in your community. We look forward to Merrill Courier’s continued success.” Multi-Media Channels, a subsidiary of Brown County Publishing, is a family owned and operated media corporation that traces its publishing roots back three generations. Based in Green Bay, the company publishes numerous weekly shoppers, weekly newspapers and specialty publications, along with associated websites in and around Northeast and Northcentral Wisconsin. The weekly shoppers include the Waupaca Buyers’ Guide, Wausau Buyers’ Guide, Stevens Point Buyers’ Guide, Wisconsin Rapids Buyers’ Guide, Marshfield Buyers’ Guide, Rhinelander Hodag Buyers’ Guide, New London Buyers’ Guide, Clintonville Shoppers’ Guide; the weekly newspapers include the Merrill Foto News, Rhinelander Star Journal, Waupaca County Post, New London Press Star and Clintonville Tribune Gazette.

WNA Sponsors, Helps Select Wisconsin Teacher of the Year “Recognizing outstanding educators is one way to re-establish respect for teaching, a vital profession that shapes the future for each child and our society,” said State Superintendent Tony Evers in announcing Wisconsin’s four Teachers of the Year. The Wisconsin Newspaper Association is a sponsor of the Teacher of the Year program. WNA Executive Director Beth Bennett will help choose the Wisconsin representative to the 2015 National Teacher of the Year competition. During recent surprise announcements at each teacher’s school, Evers recognitized to the contributions Wisconsin educators make to the state’s children. Additionally, each teacher will receive an unrestricted award of $3,000 from the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation, which supports the Teacher of the Year program. The foundation has awarded approximately $8.98 million to Wisconsin educators, students and schools over the years. Wisconsin’s 2014 Teachers of the Year are: • Diana Callope, an eighth-grade pre-algebra, algebra and geometry teacher at Whitewater Middle School, Middle School Teacher of the Year; • Sarah Franson, a first- through third-grade teacher at Irving Elementary School in West Allis, Elementary School Teacher of the Year; • Carla Kuffel, a pre-algebra and algebra, pre-calculus and accelerated math teacher at Cameron High School, High School Teacher of the Year; and • Andrea Pasqualucci, a school social worker at Valley View Elementary School in Ashwaubenon, Special Services Teacher of the Year. A panel of educators, parents, community leaders, and a representative from the WNA selected the four Teachers of the Year from a pool of 86 public school Kohl Teacher Fellows who were named in spring 2014. Kohl Teacher Fellows, nominated by colleagues, parents, students, or members of their community, are chosen for their ability to inspire students’ love of learning, instructional innovation and leadership, and commitment to community involvement. Teacher nomination forms for the 2015 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Fellowship award can now be obtained from school district administrators and principals, or from www. kohleducation.org/teachers/. The deadline for submission is Sept. 26, 2014. Fellowships are $1,000, with an additional $1,000 grant going to the school of each Kohl Fellow.

WNA BULLETIN | August 2014

Industry news Tuning In to Future Leaders By Nick Penzenstadler, reporter for Post-Crescent Media in Appleton and a Wisconsin correspondent for USA TODAY.

News organizations across the country need innovation to survive in tumultuous times.

Support National Newspaper Week National Newspaper Week (NNW) runs Oct. 5-11. The theme of this year’s NNW is “Newspapers: The Foundation of Vibrant Communities.” This marks the 74th year of NNW, which observes the importance of newspapers to communities large and small. This year’s kit contains editorials, editorial cartoons, promotional ads and more that are available for download at no charge to newspapers across North America. Please Promote NNW through the free the materials, like statespecific promotional ads, editorials, cartoons and a crossword puzzle available at www.nationalnewspaperweek.com/nnw/. Devote as many column inches as possible to reinforce the importance of

Newspapers: Still Making Money By Caroline Little, NAA president & CEO The sky is always falling and newspapers are always dying. For more than a decade, that has been a common and constant refrain. While working at washingtonpost.com, the Guardian US, and now, the Newspaper Association of America, I have been asked frequently about the state of the industry as people search for the worst. Though newspaper media is enjoying the largest audiences ever as well as continuing to play a unique and critical role in our communities, there is one fact that always tends to be obscured or outright ignored – newspapers are still making money and newspapers remain a good investment. A year ago at this time, John Henry and Jeff Bezos made highprofile acquisitions of The Boston Globe and The Washington Post, respectively, which confirmed that newspapers are viable investment options with the ability to grow. Earlier this month, The Washington Post announced record web traffic for July as well as hiring more than 60 people in the first seven months of the year. A company hiring 60 people in seven months sounds like a healthy one to me. This summer, the newspaper industry has seen a wave of spin-offs, with Tribune and Gannett both forming publishing-only companies. E.W. Scripps and Journal Communications spun their combined publications off into a new company, Journal Media Group. This is an exciting time for the newspaper industry as these companies will now devote their undivided attention to their publications. However, as with the investments last year, these spin-offs have been spun into more gloom and doom for the industry. It is simply not accurate. In fact, buried in the depths of one particular article that signaled the death of newspapers is this gem of a sentence: “Newspapers continue to generate cash and solid earnings.” Think about that for a moment – an industry that generates cash and solid earnings is on its death bed? I refuse to accept that. What is true is our industry’s business model has changed dramatically in the past half-dozen years. In 2007, 80% of newspaper media revenue was generated from advertising. In 2013, less than half of total revenue (46%) was from advertising in the daily and Sunday print newspaper. Revenue from readers paying for print and digital news and information accounted for nearly three out of 10 revenue dollars, up from less than two in ten in 2007. Income from new, nontraditional sources is now rising rapidly.

newspapers to our local communities. Please editorialize locally about how your newspaper is important and relevant to your community. This can be about your government watchdog role, investigative journalism, providing timely public notices, etc. These materials will remain on the website and can be accessed by newspapers throughout the year. If you have questions or concerns about National Newspaper Week, or difficulty accessing any of the materials on this site, please contact the Tennessee Press Association at (865) 584-5761 or via gsherrill@tnpress.com.

Think of what drives groundbreaking ideas in the business: investment, ideas and execution. The Wisconsin Newspaper Association, along with dailies and weeklies around the state, realize that many of these strategies will be spearheaded and embraced by a diverse, young workforce of journalists. I’m one of the organization’s “Future Headliners” you may have seen nosing in on WNA board meetings this year. We aim to bridge the gap between young professionals entering the field and the executive leadership that binds WNA together. Consider what the tail end of Gen X and burgeoning (and maligned) group of Millennials can offer: We’re “dynamic, high-energy, full of ideas and live at the intersection of mobile, social and the cloud.”

What is also true is that the public’s thirst for news keeps rising.

That’s how Appleton-based Digital Operations Editor Terry Lipshetz described a new initiative at Gannett in the central group of U.S. Community Publishing. Lipshetz and a small group are researching and discussing our work environment, “from the color of paint on the walls to the company-issued devices” we use.

Data from the digital measurement firm comScore show that 161 million people visited newspaper websites in the month of March. We are witnessing audience increases across the country, from the aforementioned Washington Post to The Times-Picayune, which announced 5.6 million unique visitors to NOLA.com this July.

I think it’s a smart exercise. My company-provided iPhone 5s loaded with the latest apps goes a long way to making me happy in the office. The same goes for my laptop where I can remotely file stories to our content management system and instant message with copy editors.

There is more demand than ever for news and journalism. There are also more competitors. There was no BuzzFeed or Facebook or Huffington Post 15 years ago. New digital channels offer consumers a dazzling array of options, all of which compete for time and attention. And advertisers face challenges in trying to catch up to these fragmenting audiences.

Our cohort doesn’t work in the same way in the day-to-day grind either. We’re more mobile and less office-oriented.

Thank you for your help in promoting National Newspaper Week 2014!

In my three years as CEO of NAA, I have witnessed an amazing transformation. Newspaper companies look drastically different in 2014 compared to 2011. There has been an increased focus on digital properties. Newspaper reporters and columnists have taken advantage of Twitter to build brands and large readerships. Innovation on the design side has led to beautiful works of long-form journalism, which include The Unforgotten by the Boston Globe and Breaking Ball from The Wall Street Journal that ran in July. Newspaper companies are using the power of their brands to create new, non-traditional streams of revenues from event hosting to digital marketing. The evolution of the newspaper industry continues every day. The explosion of mobile readership thanks to smartphones and tablets has caused newspapers to create new mobile strategies. There is increasing demand from readers for more targeted content, which has given rise to niche sites and blogs developed by newspapers devoted to special areas of interest, such as food, high school sports and fashion. For me and many in the newspaper industry, it is a fascinating and exhilarating time. We are in the midst a dramatic, historic shift for an industry that has been around as long as the United States of America. The world has changed and newspapers have changed. The notion of what a newspaper company is should change for the general public. It is no longer simply about print. It is about all platforms. People don’t think, “I’m reading the newspaper” when scrolling through nytimes.com but they should. Despite all the changes, one thing remains the same – newspapers still make money. The Newspaper Association of America is a nonprofit organization representing nearly 2,000 newspapers and their multiplatform businesses in the United States and Canada. the association focuses on the major issues that affect today’s newspaper industry: public policy/legal matters, advertising revenue growth and audience development across the medium’s broad portfolio of products and digital platforms.

Have you asked your staff about how they work best? Have you piloted a new strategy to engage and recruit young new talent? What can WNA do to foster a better statewide environment of innovation and forward-thinking? Drop me a line at npenzenstadler@postcrescent.com and let’s have a discussion.

WNA LEGAL HOTLINE >> Keep this number handy: (800) 362-2664. The WNA Legal Hotline means help is just a phone call away! WNA-member editors, reporters and advertising staff may call toll-free to ask an attorney for immediate help when they are denied access to government meetings or records, have concerns about a story that could involve libel or privacy questions, or face similar challenges to Freedom of Information (FOI) principles. Ad staff may also use the Hotline when questions arise about the legality of an ad. Need assistance that’s not necessarily legal in nature? Be sure to call on WNA staff at (800) 261-4242!

WNA Postal Hotline Todd Novak, associate editor and circulation manager for the Dodgeville Chronicle also serves WNA as a postal consultant, available to assist members on postal matters. He can be reached at (608) 935-2331 or at tnovak@thedodgevillechronicle.com.

WNA WNABULLETIN BULLETIN| |August MARCH 2014

Industry columnists john FOUST

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

Advertising’s Dirty Secret Advertising has a dirty little secret. Most ad managers know it, but don’t like to bring up the subject in staff meetings. Most sales people know it, but wouldn’t dare mention it in sales presentations. And most advertisers know about it, even though it rarely figures into their marketing plans. What is this dirty little secret? Ad churn. When an ad campaign doesn’t work – or falls short of expectations – the advertiser is likely to pull out of the paper. And the sales person is faced with the challenge of finding a replacement for that lost revenue. It’s all about expectations. In their eagerness to close the deal, sales people have a tendency to oversell the possibility of making their prospects’ phones and cash registers ring. “Just run some ads,” they say, “and you’ll expand your customer base and increase sales.” But once the ads start running, the new advertiser’s focus shifts from words (what the sales person said) to results (what the ads actually do). If the ads don’t meet expectations, other media choices become more enticing. In my opinion, disgruntled advertisers are the primary prospects for new media outlets. If they’re unhappy with Publication A, they’ll readily consider Publication B. Churn is expensive. I’ve heard that the costs of replacing a lost customer can be as high as 10 times more than the cost of keeping an existing client. Losing one advertiser can hurt, but losing a number of advertisers can be devastating. The days of John Wanamaker are long gone. Wanamaker, the marketing pioneer who opened Philadelphia’s first department store in 1896, famously said: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” Today we have Pay-Per-Click online advertising (PPC), in which advertising charges are based on response numbers.

Read the rest of this column on the WNA website >>

ED HenningER

Design for Readers Ed Henninger is an independent newspaper consultant and Director of Henninger Consulting. He offers comprehensive newspaper design services including redesigns, workshops, design training and design evaluations. Visit www.henningerconsulting.com or ed@henningerconsulting.com.

At the Top Thanks to Tia Rae Stone for suggesting this column. She recently wrote: “I attended a seminar one time where you told us your rules for top-of-the-page advertising. When you can, would you share them with us on your blog?” I asked Tia if it was OK to handle her question in a hint or column instead. She agreed…and here we are. For ads that appear at the top of a section front or anywhere on Page 1, I have four simple rules: 1. WE DESIGN IT: Sorry, we’re not going to accept an ad designed by the advertiser’s daughter’s boyfriend, who took a quick course in Illustrator at the community college. These ads are at the top of the page and will draw considerable reader attention—we need to be sure they speak to the reader of the kind of quality work we can do. An over-designed ad will cheapen the look of your newspaper, and you don’t want that. Top-of-page ads should get the best work from your best designer. We design it. 2. TWENTY-FIVE WORDS OR FEWER: We’re not going to clutter the ad with excess verbiage. How do I define “excess verbiage”? When it comes to top-of-page ads, I define it as anything more than 25 words. It’s that simple. Within that limit, you can do a good job of creating a memorable message for your advertiser. The briefer. the better. Twenty-five words or fewer. 3. ONE IMAGE: Take a look at the ads in the illustration accompanying this column. The ad on the left is clean and does the job of illustrating the message: work boots 30% off. No need to show more boots, as in the ad on the right. Readers will assume that Big Bend Outfitters carries more than only one type or brand of work boots, don’tcha think? The single image allows for some negative breathing space in the ad and gives it focus. No need for more. One image. One.

Read the rest of this column on the WNA website >>

JIM PUMARLO

Community Newsroom Success Strategies Jim Pumarlo writes, speaks and provides training on Community Newsroom Success Strategies. He is author of “Votes and Quote. He can be contacted at www.pumarlo.com.

Political Advertising Another election season is under way, and newsrooms are gearing up for campaigns that last weeks and even months. Coverage will consume the news pages from candidate profiles and community forums to photo requests and letters to the editor. And don’t forget the steady barrage of press releases. Step-by-step coverage of political campaigns likely prompts more than one publisher to utter: Why are we giving the candidates all this free publicity? Where are their ads? A first response: Have you approached the candidates? Better yet, are you prepared to pitch an ad campaign? In other words, does your newspaper have a plan to introduce yourselves to the candidates and promote how you can generate attention for their campaigns? It’s important to remember that many candidates are novices to the political arena, especially when it comes to launching and running a campaign. This is especially true in local campaigns. Newspapers have an opportunity to be a key adviser in how they organize and spend their advertising dollars. One of the first orders of business in organizing election coverage is convening a joint meeting of the news and advertising staffs. Reporters can familiarize sales representatives with the candidates and the issues. Ad reps can likely provide some valuable information for the news staff, too. Here is one checklist as newspapers prepare to pitch political advertising. Convene a brainstorming session, and you’ll likely generate more ideas: · Introduce yourself to the candidates. Make an appointment to connect face-to-face as soon as they announce their candidacies.

KEVIN SLIMP

JIM STAzIOWSKI

Newspaper Technology

Writing Matters

Kevin Slimp is a speaker and trainer in the newspaper industry. Visit www.kevinslimp.com or e-mail kevin@kevinslimp.com.

Answering Questions

Jim Stasiowski, the writing coach for The Dolan Co., welcomes your questions or comments. Call him at 775354-2872, or write to 2499 Ivory Ann Drive, Sparks, Nev. 89436. He has coached reporters at newspapers and magazines in dozens of states.

So much to write about, so little space. That’s my dilemma this morning.

Room for Improvement

I’ve had people writing and calling, wanting my thoughts concerning some quotes from well known industry “experts” about changes at Gannett and Scripps. Readers have been asking what I think about The Times-Picayune adding two print delivery days - that’s back up to five days a week delivery - plus returning to a full broadsheet page. Our industry must be in a free-fall. Or is it? My dilemma doesn’t revolve around those things, however. I promised to pen a question/answer column this month and I keep my promises. I might have to write a second column later, but for now here are a few questions I’ve received over the past few weeks from readers: Q: From Heidi, in Iowa: Our publisher suggested I email you with an InDesign question that we have. Occasionally we will receive pre-built ads in pdf format that were built in InDesign. When we pull the PDF onto our pages in InDesign and the PDF the page to send to press sometimes a white box will appear on the ad or part of the art will be whited out. Do you know what could be causing this? A: I still get asked about these white lines all the time, Heidi. Karen wrote a couple of days after you, putting it like this: “What causes the white lines in a PDF? This inquiring mind wants to know. I got one from a client this morning and it was loaded with them.” These white lines come during the creation side of the PDF process. So there’s not a lot you can do to keep it from happening, other than hoping your advertiser stops sending you PDF files with white lines. I have a couple of pieces of good news for you, though.

· Familiarize yourself with the races and the issues. News and advertising departments should connect early in the election cycle and communicate regularly. Adjust ad campaigns as the issues change.

First, these lines are due to issues with transparency. Those issues have decreased over time and are much less common than they were a few years ago.

Read the rest of the column on the WNA website >>

“I hate to lose,” tennis great Jimmy Connors once said, “more than I love to win.” Translated into reportertalk, Connors’ words come out: “I hate writing something embarrassing more than I love writing something excellent.” Tennis, like writing, is a lonely pursuit. A person stands alone on one side of the net and competes against the person on the other side. If Connors loses a match – and despite his many tournament victories, he lost plenty – he has must stand there and absorb the embarrassment. Similarly, the reporter who writes a weak story has that unforgiving byline at the very top. When I’ve written something that barely passes the mediocrity test, I have glared murderously at that byline as if it were taunting me, telling me I was a loser. But there is one key distinction between the tennis player and the reporter. When Connors recognizes his weakness, he has no choice but to attack it, to practice endlessly to erase it. If he doesn’t work on his flaw, his opponents will exploit it. By contrast, reporters too often get comfortable with their weaknesses, shrug and accept that they never will overcome them. The crush of writing story-afterstory, day-after-day, reinforces that acceptance. Usually early in our writing careers, most of us recognize that because we’re going to produce so many stories (or columns, or editorials) each week, we’re not going to be brilliant every single day. That’s when human nature takes over, and not in a good way. We rationalize cutting a corner here and there.

Read the rest of the column on the WNA website >>

WNA BULLETIN | August 2014

Among friends APPLETON Dan Flannery stepped down as executive editor of PostCrescent Media after 28 years in the position, and regional executive editor of Gannett Wisconsin Media after three years, to join the management team at Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin. He will be vice president of community relations with Goodwill, a nonprofit organization that serves 35 Wisconsin counties.

Production Matters

It Writes Itself

By Tony Smithson, Vice President of Printing Operations at Bliss Communications, Inc. in Janesville.

Don’t Fear the Format Change Editor’s Note: This is one in a series of The Bulletin columns by Smithson. Thursday on Facebook is a lot of fun. The “Throwback Thursday” photos my friends post are good for a laugh about my 80’s hairdo and glasses. But what about your print publication? Does a Throwback Thursday edition look just like this Thursday’s edition?

During his tenure, Flannery directed Do It! Campaigns that raised $692,000 to challenge readers to meet the financial needs of local causes across the 10 Gannett Wisconsin markets in 2013.

BARABOO Baraboo News Republic writer Ben Bromley’s comedy “Fishwrap” was performed by Artists for the Al. running Sept. 5-14 at the city’s Al. Ringling Theatre. The plot revolves around a small-town newspaper that’s struggling to remain financially viable in the age of free online news. Meanwhile, the newsroom staff is trying to break a major story that will ruffle feathers in the community. Wacky characters and witty banter throughout are based on Bromley’s 20-year experience in the newspaper business.

Beleagured editor Judy Alworth (played by former Juneau County Star-Times editor Rhoned Siebecker) fields a complaint from angry advertiser Virgil Schaltz (Terry Blake) in “Fishwrap.” The play was written by Baraboo News Republic writer Ben Bromley. Photo courtesy of The Baraboo News Republic. Tom Kaeser, assistant sports editor at the EagleHerald, retired after 27 years with the newspaper. EagleHerald Editor Dan Kitkowski said Kaeser “had the ability to make even the dullest of games seem exciting. His way with words brought a sparkle to his stories.”

BLACK EARTH

MILWAUKEE

John Donaldson, editor of the NewsSickle-Arrow since 1975, retired recently. Donaldson, also a columnist for the newspaper, has held the position since he was 21 years old. “Week in and week out, it has been a great ride,” he said in his final column. “Now it’s time to get off the train.

Ann Richmond, vice president and publisher at The Daily Reporter, is leaving the company after 22 years. Richmond has accepted a position at COLE Publishing in Three Lakes. Richmond also sat on the WNA Board of Directors. Her last day with The Daily Reporter will be Oct. 1..

Erin Vander Weele, former assistant editor at The Herald-Independent in Cottage Grove, is the new editor of the News-Sickle-Arrow.

COLFAX Carlton DeWitt, publisher of the Colfax Messenger, spent a week in late August working at the Minnesota Newspaper Museum at the Minnesota Sate Fair, demonstrating how newspapers were printed in the 1930s. Fairgoers got a glimpse of old letterpress equipment and hot lead in play.

COTTAGE GROVE Kevin Passon is now managing editor at The HeraldIndependent. He began his 25-year newspaper career as a freelance writer and photographer for a small Dodge County weekly in Waupun. He was named editor two years later. In 2000, he became editor and publisher of the Oconomowoc Enterprise.

MARINETTE Jan Schleihs, business manager at the EagleHerald, retired after 50 years. Schleihs joined the Eagle-Star, which preceded the EagleHerald, in 1964.

SAWYER COUNTY Frank Zufall, a community reporter for the Spooner Advocate for 12 years, recently joined the Sawyer County Record. Before becoming a journalist, Zufall taught English in Korea for more than six years and worked in public relations and grant writing. He was also a U.S. Navy logistics officer. Zufall has lived in the area full-time since 2001. His family is from the area and he owns land in Springbrook that’s been in the family for nearly 100 years.

TOMAHAWK Tomahawk Leader Publisher Larry Tobin published a novel, “Pressing Matters.” Three white crosses along a lonely stretch of county highway are a stark testimony to the tragedy that befalls a weekly newspaper publisher, Preston “Press” Williams, as the result of his investigation into a coffee shop rumor. Williams’ search for the truth ultimately shatters his life and his family, as well as his small town’s serenity.

WATERLOO The Courier in Waterloo, along with other Hometown News publications, held a community-wide treasure hunt for a hidden medallion redeemable for $200 in gift cards from Piggly Wiggly. The newspaper published clues to the location of the medallion in the print edition and online. The winner found the medallion under the city’s historic water tower.

cially the characters. “Like wine, she and her column just seemed to get better with age,” another colleague said. She ended every column with “See you around . . . Peg.” Colleagues said Dean was a master of puns, and a clear, concise, and grammatically flawless writer. Michael J. Gardon

The Withee O-W Enterprise donated a portion of ad sales from the newspaper’s Salute to Dairy to a local food pantry as part of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing board’s Great American Milk Drive. The newspaper donated 54 half-gallons of milk to the Community Alliance Food Pantry.

Michael J. Gardon, vice president and sports editor of the Peshtigo Times, died Aug. 7 at age 57. Gardon began working at the Peshtigo Times around the age of 5, under the watchful eyes of his parents, Charles and Mary Ann Gardon, an aunt or uncle or “papa,” as the youngsters called their grandfather, L.J. Pesch, Sr., founder of the newspaper. He began delivering papers, taking sports photos, interviewing coaches and players, collecting statistics, working with customers, and selling print jobs and ads. Gardon learned the newspaper business from his family. Gardon married, started a family, and then raised his four children in the newspaper business. Garden was active in community youth sports and a dedicated family man newspaperman.

— 30 —

Jerry Peters

WISCONSIN RAPIDS Daily Tribune Media invited the community to a lunchtime “Wednesday Walk-Around” to engage readers with editors and city officials. The first 15-minute walk included the paper’s features editor, Mystique Macomber, columnist Deb Cleworth, as well as the city’s mayor and police chief. “There’s no agenda; just a goal of connecting with others in the community,” Cleworth said. Evening walks were also taken.

WITHEE

Peggy Dean Longtime columnist for the Wauwatosa News-Times Peggy Dean died Aug. 12 at age 89. Dean wrote “Around the Peg” for the paper. She was remembered as a calming influence and “the newsroom’s mom.” A colleague remembered how impressed Dean was by the gentlemanliness of interviewee Tiny Tim. Dean loved people, espe-

Former editor at Sheboygan Press and onetime Milwaukee State Journal state desk employee Jerry Peters died Aug. 6 at age 83. After working in journalism, Peters went on to become Communications Director at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Director of Public Relations for the Milwaukee Public Libraries. He retired in 1995 and started a property rental business with his sons. EdiEdt

A format change is a scary topic for publishers. A change should not be taken lightly, but could represent an opportunity to reduce cost and generate new revenue. Generally, the print format of a newspaper is tied to the “sweet spot” of its production department. I’ll share a secret that some might be reluctant to admit: newspaper presses are actually quite flexible. The most common format change is web width reduction. On a doublewidth press, this can be an expensive undertaking. Smaller, single-width presses are generally more flexible. A small change such as moving from a 12 ½” wide page to a 12” wide page represents a newsprint cost reduction of 4%, and drops straight to the bottom line. Many current imposition software packages allow for resizing page images as part of an automated workflow, so small changes can be accomplished without a lot of extra work. Outside the pressroom, it may not be obvious that a tabloid is a broadsheet turned on its side, so changing from one to the other should not impact the production process. Moving a broadsheet to a tabloid frees a publication from traditional broadsheet sections, and can create the impression more color pages. Additionally, advertisers enjoy the relative page dominance that a smaller page gives their ad. Within publishing groups, some move from tabloid to broadsheet to take advantage of cross-selling with other publications. One recent example is The Milton Courier, which made the switch from tabloid to broadsheet in 2012. Editor James Debilzen noted there was some resistance to change, but only in the beginning. “Keep providing good content,” Debilzen advises, “and find elements that people are familiar with and use those.” In The Courier’s case, the new masthead was pulled from a decades-old design. Allow for some creativity from your printer or production department. You might end up with a new format or a new bottom line. Or maybe even a new hairdo.

WNA BULLETIN | August 2014

About WNA We’re here for you! The Wisconsin Newspaper Association exists to strengthen the newspaper industry, enhance public understanding of the role of newspapers, and protect basic freedoms of press, speech and the free flow of information. The Wisconsin Newspaper Association (WNA) was established in 1853 and is among the oldest press associations in the world. Over the years, the association has established a number of services for its members, advertisers and the general public. Created by and for Wisconsin’s newspapers, WNA exists to strengthen the newspaper industry, enhance public understanding of the role of newspapers, and protect basic freedoms of press, speech and the free flow of information. WNA is the single point-of-contact for working with newspapers in Wisconsin. In addition to serving 223 member newspapers (31 dailies and 192 weeklies), WNA serves advertisers through advertising placement programs (Customized Newspaper

First Vice President: Chris Hardie, Executive Editor, La Crosse Tribune

Sidney “Skip” Bliss, Publisher, The Gazette, Janesville

Second Vice President: Brian Thomsen, Publisher, Valders Journal,

Kevin Clifford, Associate Publisher, Watertown Daily Times

Third Vice President: Mike Beck, Publisher, Wausau Daily Herald Advertising) and additional clients through WisconsinNewsTracker.com (news tracking and release services). Supporting WNA goals is the WNA Foundation, a not-for-profit organization created in 1980 to improve the quality and future of Wisconsin’s newspapers and the communities they serve. The foundation solicits, manages and disburses funds and other resources for the benefit of Wisconsin’s newspaper industry and, ultimately, the citizens of our state.

Contact >>

Visit us at: 1901 Fish Hatchery Road, Madison, WI Phone: (608) 283-7620 or (800) 261-4242 Fax: (608) 283-7631 Office Hours: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

WNA Board of Directors

Secretary: John Ingebritsen, Regional Publisher, Morris Newspapers Treasurer: Ann Richmond, Publisher, The Daily Reporter, Milwaukee Past President: Kent Eymann, Publisher, Beloit Daily News

Steve Lyles, Group Publisher, Journal Community Newspaper, Inc. Pat Reilly, Co-Publisher, The Dodgeville Chronicle Heather Rogge, General Manager, Daily News Paul Seeling, Publisher, The Woodville Leader Gregg Walker, Publisher, The Lakeland Times, Minocqua

Chris Apel, Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis, Journal Communications, Inc.

President: Carol O’Leary, The Star News, Medford

WNA Executive Director Reach Beth by email at Beth.Bennett@WNAnews.com Direct line: (608) 283-7621 Director of WNA/WNA Services/WNA Foundation operations and policies; legislative advocate

BETH BENNETT

Does your newspaper comply with public notice laws?

WNA Staff

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association has been taking steps to ensure all newspapers are in compliance with Wisconsin law, which now requires that every public notice published in a newspaper appear on the searchable statewide website - WisconsinPublicNotices.org. The site is maintained by WNA and uploading of all public notice content will help to preserve the industry’s communications leadership and revenue streams.

DENISE GUTTERY

HOLLY HENSCHEN

Media Services Director Denise.Guttery@WNAnews.com Direct line: (608) 772-2479

Communications Director Holly.Henschen@WNAnews.com Direct line: (608) 283-7623

News Tracker – monitoring services and press releases; WNA newspaper archive; WisconsinPublicNotices.org; WisconsinNewsTracker.com

WNA newsletters; Wisconsin Newspaper Directory; promotions and communications;WNAnews.com; collegiate and high school journalism outreach

RUZICA DZANIC

DIANNE CAMPBELL

Communications Specialist Search Technician MaryKate.Elbow@WNAnews.com Direct line: (608) 283-7620

Wisconsin News Tracker Search Technician Ruzica.Dzanic@WNAnews.com Direct line: (608) 283-7626

Wisconsin News Tracker Team Leader Dianne.Campbell@WNAnews.com Direct line: (608) 283-7625

WNA member information; search technician; Wisconsin Openness Report; Member Exchange

News Tracker search technician

News Tracker account manager; search technician supervisor

To ensure compliance with the law, WNA changed its bylaws pertaining to newspaper membership to reflect the reality of digital record keeping. The change was approved by the WNA membership at its 2013 annual meeting, held in February. As a condition of membership, all WNA members are now required to send their publications to WNA electronically. All PDF pages of your publication must be uploaded to the association via FTP (file transfer protocol). These PDF files are used by WNA for tear sheets, archiving and also to meet legal requirements for the Wisconsin Public Notice website. When you send your pages electronically to the WNA, you will also gain access to a free, searchable electronic archive for your newspaper. Each newspaper has been assigned a specific code and login information to upload pages and access the newspaper’s archive. To get your newspaper’s coding and login information, please contact WNA Media Services Director Denise Guttery at Denise.Guttery@WNAnews.com.

WNA members: Please promote WisconsinPublicNotices.org in your print and digital products. Download ads here >>

MARY KATE ELBOW