TWN0313 - The Washington Newspaper March 2013 by Washington Newspaper Publishers Association

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THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER Vol. 98, No. 3 March 2013

Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association and Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington • www.wnpa.com

NAA details suit against USPS Action targets discount deal with Valassis Newspaper Association of America

he Newspaper Association of America filed its initial brief Feb. 11 in its lawsuit against the Postal Regulatory Commission

regarding that agency’s August 2012 decision to approve a negotiated service agreement between the U.S. Postal Service and Valassis Direct Mail. The lawsuit is being heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the

Times plans to put up web paywall

District of Columbia Circuit. Under the NSA, USPS granted Valassis Direct Mail discounts of 20 percent to 34 percent on new mail pieces containing advertising from national retailers of durable and semi-durable goods. Through these discounts, the U.S. Postal

Service – a governmental enterprise – has given one company a price incentive to move advertising inserts out of newspapers delivered to consumers’ homes. Advertising inserts comprise a critical revenue stream that supports the original reporting See SUIT, page 2

FLYING WITH THE BEST

Company cites national trends

n keeping with the trend of daily newspapers in Washington and nationwide to a require paid subscription for access to the newspaper websites, the Seattle Times announced Feb. 24 it will launch a digital subscription plan in mid-March. The story, by Executive Editor David Boardman, ran on page A2 under the headline “Digital subscriptions needed to support quality journalism.” Print subscribers—whether Sunday-only, weekend or daily—will have free access on all digital platforms, from eEdition and website to smartphone and tablet apps. Non-subscribers will have limited access to Seattletimes.com, and frequent users of the site will be asked to subscribe after an unspecified number of uses. Pricing for digital-only subscriptions will be announced later this month. Use of Seattletimes.com has been free since the site debuted in 1996.

ditors, reporters, page designers and photographers are needed as judges of the Tennessee Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. The Tennessee contest includes entries from daily and weekly newspapers in five divisions. Judging is set for March 15-29. Please register online by March 7 at http://wnpa. com/events WNPA member newspapers will judge entries in the News, Photography, Special Section, Sunday Edition and Design divisions of the Tennessee Press Association’s Better See TPA, page 2

Legislative Day still unscheduled

t press time, the date of Legislative Day 2013 for Washington Newspaper Publishers Association and Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington had not yet been confirmed. The schedule and registration will be available at www. wnpa.com/events when the date is confirmed.

Sound to buy Herald Washington Post negotiates deal with Black Press The Herald, Everett

Laura Gjovaag/Daily Sun News, Sunnyside

‘I’ve seen plenty of hot air balloon pictures, but this is the best I’ve ever encountered,’ the judges wrote of Laura Gjovaag’s shot for the Daily Sun News in Sunnyside. It won first place in Best Color Feature Photo for Circulation Group II in the 2012 Washington Better Newspaper Contest.

he Everett Daily Herald is being sold to Canada’s Black Press, which operates as Sound Publishing Inc. in Washington. The Washington Post Co., which has owned the newspaper for 35 years, made the announcement Feb. 6. Gloria Fletcher, president of Sound Gloria Fletcher Publishing, told Herald employees the transaction is expected to close in early March. Ann McDaniel, senior vice president of the Washington Post Co., declined to disclose a purchase price for the 46,000-circulation daily newspaper and its other print and online products. “We won’t be talking about the price, we never do,” she said. Sound Publishing owns 39 newspaper and digital titles in See HERALD, page 3

Wagar steps in as new publisher at NVN Former Chronicle executive editor rejoins industry Nisqually Valley News, Yelm

s the new publisher and editor of the Nisqually Valley News in Yelm, Michael Wagar knows he has big shoes to fill. His shoe size is 10.5, so he’s up for the challenge.

The former executive editor of the NVN’s sister paper, the Chronicle in Centralia, started his new Michael job Feb. 20. Wagar Wagar will report to Christine Fossett, president and chief operating officer of Lafromboise Communications, Inc., the parent company

of the NVN, Chronicle and Battleground Reflector. “I am pleased to have Michael join our staff and represent the Nisqually Valley News,” Fossett said. “He has a proven track record for producing quality local news that represents and informs the community. “The readers of the paper will appreciate his progressive style and his innovative ideas.” Wagar and Fossett worked together for more than a decade at the Chronicle. Wagar said

part of the attraction of coming to the NVN is its ownership by the Lafromboise family and his familiarity with its top management. “We are fortunate to have him with Lafromboise Communications, Inc., again and look forward to his future accomplishments,” Fossett said. Wagar resigned from his position as a communications advisor for TransAlta, a multi-national See NVN, page 2

MARCH 2013

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Newspapers remain relevant, vital and strong N obody reads newspapers anymore.” “It’s time for newspapers to go all digital.” “Newspapers can’t remain profitable in the digital age.” We’ve all heard those comments. Perhaps some of you reading this agree with those statements. I’m going to step out on a limb and say of these doomsayers, “They’re wrong.” Sure, over the last decade numerous daily newspapers have abandoned print for digital-only editions, or have closed altogether. But most of those newspapers were in cities that had more than one newspaper. Birmingham. Honolulu. Phoenix. Seattle. Los Angeles (home of the Times, the Daily News and, at one time, the Evening Express, the Herald and the Herald-Examiner). The death knell for the twodaily town began to be sounded not when the Internet was born, but with the advent of readilyaccessible cable news (blame, or credit, the changing workplace too). We didn’t need to run to

the newsstand on our lunch hour for that midday edition anymore. But we still needed and wanted a newspaper for the news and views closest Richard to home. Walker That’s why Editor, the newspaper North Kitsap Herald, is a form of news delivery Poulsbo that still makes sense. Newspapers are sharing readers’ time not only with TV but with the Internet and social media. But the printed newspaper, particularly the “local weekly,” is going strong, even as it uses the Internet and social media as tools to connect readers with information. Check this out. In a 2012 Reynolds Journalism Institute survey of 1,015 adults, 62.8 percent of mobile and non-mobile media users said they prefer news stories produced by professional

journalists; 73.4 percent believe professional journalists play an important role in our society. Only 35.6 percent expect to get all their news from mobile digital services within the next 10 years. In a 2012 Newspaper Association of America survey of 2,518 adults who read U.S. newspapers on a mix of print and/or digital platforms, 66 percent said print is a relaxing way to read the newspaper, followed by tablet, 60 percent; computer, 42 percent; and smartphone, 31 percent. In the same survey, 61 percent said print provides a satisfying reading experience, followed by tablet, 60 percent; computer, 45 percent; and smartphone, 30 percent. Some 57 percent said they are highly satisfied with the reading experience of print. Tablet followed at 56 percent; computer, 48 percent; and smartphone, 32 percent. Also in the same survey, 83 percent of tablet owners say they are more likely than smartphone owners, 75 percent, to have news apps. And according to

digicareers.com, 57 percent of tablet users said they use their tablet to read newspapers; 62 percent said they use their tablet to read magazines. Newspapers continue to have value and reach for businesses wanting to connect products and readers. In a BIA/Kelsey survey, of $151.3 billion projected to be spent in advertising in 2016, 13.2 percent will be spent in newspapers. Direct mail leads with 27.6 percent, television is second with 14.3 percent. Radio is fourth, 11.7 percent; online/ interactive is fifth, 10.7 percent. The remainder is spread over cable, Yellow Pages, mobile, magazines and email/reputation/ presence management. So, dear readers, the next time someone tells you time is running out for newspapers, set them straight. The discussion should not be about newspapers vs. digital. The discussion should be about newspapers and digital, and how newspapers can build on their use of new media to dialogue with readers and connect them with information that is important and useful to them.

The North Kitsap Herald produces a Friday newspaper, a digital edition, a daily news website, an annual almanac, and a variety of special sections related to business, education and quality of life. The Herald is a leader in Facebook followers among newspapers in Sound Publishing Co., the largest newspaper publisher in Washington. All of the media we produce — digital and print — are important to the survival of the other. We are blessed to live in an era of empowerment. In their day, our grandparents, witnessing a breaking news event, might find a phone booth and call the local paper. If a camera happened to be handy, they might snap a photo and deliver the film to the newspaper office. Today, we just snap and send with our phone. And news and information is readily available to us in a form that fits the moment — TV, radio, digital, magazine and newspaper — the printed record of the events that shape our lives. Reprinted with permission.

State should keep public records open to the public Spokesman-Review, Spokane

Officers: President: Bill Forhan, NCW Media, Leavenworth l First Vice President: Keven Graves, Nisqually Valley News, Yelm l Second Vice President: Lori Maxim, Sound Publishing l Past President: Jana Stoner, Northern Kittitas County Tribune, Cle Elum l Secretary: Bill Will, WNPA, Seattle Trustees: Mike Dillon, Pacific Publishing Co., Seattle l Josh Johnson, Liberty Lake Splash, Liberty Lake l Eric LaFontaine, Othello Outlook l Imbert Matthee, Waitsburg Times l Don Nelson, Methow Valley News, Twisp l Stephen McFadden, Ritzville-Adams County Journal l Fred Obee, Port Townsend Leader Staff: Executive Director: Bill Will l Editor/Manager of Member Services: Mae Waldron

nce again, lawmakers in Olympia are trying to kill a gnat with an elephant gun by making it easier for government officials to deflect public records requests. Rep. Dean Takko, D-Longview, wants to help allegedly beleaguered agencies by giving them a way to prove that it’s too expensive and timeconsuming to fulfill requests. The ostensible targets are gadflies who submit serial requests out of spite, but determining who is sincere and who isn’t is a dicey proposition. Like its predecessors, Takko’s measure – HB 1128 – would make it easier for agencies to turn away requests without availing themselves of available options for dealing with nuisances. Public records law does not command any agency

SUIT Officers: President: Rob Blethen, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Treasurer: Christine Fossett, Chronicle, Centralia Board: Nathan Alford, Moscow-Pullman Daily News l Tyler Miller, Daily Record, Ellensburg l Heather Hernandez, Skagit Valley Herald, Mount Vernon l Dave Zeeck, News Tribune, Tacoma Executive Director: Rowland Thompson

THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER is the official publication of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. It is published monthly by WNPA, 12354 30th Ave NE, Seattle WA 98125, phone (206) 634-3838. Email: mwaldron@wnpa.com; URL: www.wnpa.com, in conjunction with Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington, P.O. Box 29, Olympia, WA 98507, (360) 943-9960. Email: anewspaper@aol.com.

that officials could spend as little as five hours a month on public records requests before pleading that any additional work would be too burdensome. This bill is right in the wheelhouse for city councils, county commissions, school districts and law enforcement agencies who can’t be bothered with sharing information with the public. The onset of court action would be enough to discourage most requesters. The onus must be on government officials to show they’ve taken the available steps for handling nuisance requests. As this bill stands, it actually rewards those who are the least transparent or the most unorganized. An intriguing bill in the Utah Legislature would provide onestop shopping online for public records all the way down to the municipal level. Before filing cumbersome requests, citizens

could search for the information themselves. It would be refreshing for Washington lawmakers to work on this kind of solution, rather than finding new ways to scuttle the intent of the Public Records Act. In the meantime, legislators can demonstrate their support for open government by killing HB 1128 and rallying behind HB 1714, which would allow for the recording of executive sessions. Under this measure, if someone were to challenge whether public meetings law was violated during a secret session, the recordings could be provided to a judge who would make the determination. This common sense idea has been rejected repeatedly by the Legislature, which shows that it’s the sincerity of lawmakers – not the public – that ought to be questioned. Reprinted with permission.

ketplace” requires evaluating and weighing harm to competitors of the Postal Service’s NSA partner. NAA argues that the commission “interpreted ‘unreasonable harm to the marketplace’ to require only that the Postal Service is not pricing its products below cost.” NAA states that “even though the Postal Service has the burden of ‘assuring an adequate record’ on the issue of ‘unreasonable harm to the marketplace,’ “ the commission did not require the Postal

Service and Valassis to identify relevant markets in which the NSA will be implemented so that it could provide a proper analysis. NAA further argues that in assessing whether the NSA will improve the net financial position of the Postal Service, “the commission ignored comments showing that newspapers in major markets pay the Postal Service millions of dollars to distribute total market coverage products with advertisements from national retailers.” NAA

emphasizes that in order to cuts costs in response to the NSA, the “diversion of these total market coverage products to private delivery could quickly outweigh any new revenue from Valassis.” “The Postal Regulatory Commission’s Public Representative had it right when he said in comments to that agency that this NSA is a lose-lose proposition for both the newspaper industry and the Postal Service,” NAA President and CEO Caroline Little said.

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done by local newspapers in service to their communities. In its brief, NAA notes that the commission’s decision is both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious, because it does not consider the “impact of the agreement on competitors to the Postal Service, on competitors of its NSA partner, and mail users in general.” When it enacted the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, Congress codified commission precedent establishing that assessing “unreasonable harm to the mar-

NVN

to come to a grinding halt while filling requests. Officials can dole out the information in installments, or post records online, or email links to requesters. They can also charge an upfront deposit on the cost of making copies, and cancel the search if it isn’t paid. These options have been pointed out repeatedly by open government advocates, but lawmakers keep returning with bills that would put the burden of proof on requesters, thereby threatening legitimate inquiries. That’s turning the Public Records Act on its head, and the courts have said as much. Nonetheless, HB 1128 would allow an agency to obtain a court injunction by suing the requester. Then a judge would decide whether the request was legitimate. The bill offers little guidance for making such a judgment, but it does indicate

TPA

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power company with an electrical generating plant in Centralia. Wagar met with the NVN staff soon after he was hired. “I was impressed with the staff’s enthusiasm for both the Nisqually Valley News and the greater Yelm area,” Wagar said. “I will give it my all to continue in the fine tradition of community journalism built

up by this staff and its former publisher Keven Graves.” Graves, publisher of the Nisqually Valley News since 1999, resigned after being offered the job of publisher for Sound Publishing’s Whidbey Newspaper Group, which includes three weekly newspapers and a monthly military edition.

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Newspaper Contest. Most entries will be judged online at betterbnc.com, the same platform WNPA uses for its contest, produced by SmallTownPapers.com. The categories of Special Section or Issue, Sunday Editions and Design will be judged from material shipped to judges by UPS.

WNPA-member newspapers that provide judges for the Tennessee contest will receive a credit toward the fees for their contest entries, $50 for one judge and $75 for three or more judges. Questions? Contact Mae Waldron, mwaldron@wnpa. com or (206) 634-3838 ext. 2.

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MARCH 2013

OPEN ACCESS & LEGAL ISSUES

Senate probe closed, leaked report released Army still Document calls for updated policy on staff treatment The Associated Press

final report released Feb. 13 by the Senate calls for an update to the chamber’s policy on treatment of staff but results in no discipline or new sanctions for a Republican legislator found to have violated that policy shortly after being allowed back into the GOP caucus last year. The report was released

along with a draft report that was written in December and was the subject of an internal investigation because it was leaked to The Associated Press. The final report is dated Jan. 15, the day before the Senate Facilities and Operations Committee lifted all sanctions against Sen. Pam Roach of Auburn. The same committee on Feb. 12 unanimously approved closing both the leak investigation and the investigation into Roach’s behavior. It also voted to release both reports, which are nearly identical. The reports were compiled

by a subcommittee that was created last summer to investigate incidents involving Roach. It looked into three incidents that occurred last year. Only one of the three had a finding that Roach violated the chamber’s “respectful workplace” policy, last March, by verbally attacking a Senate Republican staffer charged with upholding sanctions against Roach that had prevented her from having direct contact with staff. Those 2010 sanctions came after an investigation determined that she had mistreated staff members. They were reaf-

firmed in September as part of a legal settlement concerning a senior Republican attorney. In its findings on that March incident, the subcommittee concluded that Roach violated the chamber’s policy, “both its prohibition against derogatory and demeaning treatment as well as its prohibition against retaliatory actions.” Another document obtained by the AP last month that was not released Feb. 13 shows the state has spent more than $125,000 on investigations and defenses of cases involving Roach.

Judge treats inmate’s request as a faux pas The News Tribune, Tacoma

Pierce County judge on Feb. 12 permanently blocked a Pierce County Jail inmate from receiving the names, addresses, phone numbers and other personal information of more than 200 exotic dancers. Superior Court Judge Ronald Culpepper ruled the dancers have “a very reasonable fear” that releasing their county license applications could put them at risk of abuse by Robert Hill, a Tacoma man with three felony convictions. “Would a person have some reasonable concerns that release of the information to a person with Robert Hill’s history could harm them?” Culpepper said. “Yes, of course they would.” The license applications are public records, and the judge said the public has “legitimate interest” in who’s working at strip clubs and dancers’ backgrounds. But he cited invasion

of privacy as an exemption for not releasing the 215 applications to Hill. “This is clearly a case where some protection is deserved,” Culpepper said. The dancer who brought the lawsuit, known anonymously as Jane Doe, testified she was concerned for her safety after the Pierce County Auditor’s Office notified her that Hill had requested her application to dance at DreamGirls at Fox’s in Parkland. “I was worried for my safety and my identity,” Jane Doe said. “He’s a criminal, and he doesn’t need to have my information.” Her lawyer obtained a temporary injunction blocking the release of her information, which Culpepper expanded last month for all dancers who’ve applied to work at Fox’s. Dancers in adult-entertainment clubs are required to file for licenses with Pierce County.

WCOG opens essay contest on access laws

Student writers can win $1,000

pread the word about the essay contest the Washington Coalition of Open Government and the Stokes Lawrence law firm are sponsoring in honor of the late Scott Johnson, a former WCOG board member. Washington high school seniors and juniors, whether in public or private school or homeschooled, are eligible. The WCOG website provides opinion articles and other information that provide useful background on the contest topic. The winner will receive the award in his or her home school district. The winning entry may be published in state newspapers.

CONTEST FACTS Topic: “Why do we need Washington’s open-government laws? What would it be like without them?” Essay length: 500 to 700 words. All entries to be submitted by email. Entry deadline: April 19 Details: www.washingtoncog.org; click on “2013 High School Essay Contest” Contact: info@washingtoncog.org

Hill asked in May 2012 for color photos of adult entertainers who had applied for licenses so far that year, which the Auditor’s Office released without names. Hill then returned a photo of one dancer — Jane Doe — and requested a copy of her application. The Auditor’s Office took no position on the dancers’ injunction request. Hill, 43, represented himself from jail via the courtroom’s speaker phone. The jail doesn’t transport inmates for civil cases. Hill questioned Jane Doe for more than an hour, repeatedly asking for details as to what extent she researched his convictions and background. Jane Doe grew visibly frustrated at times. Hill is serving time for malicious mischief in the third degree and three counts of fourth-degree assault. His other convictions include intimidating a judge, criminal trespass

HERALD

and criminal assault. He is due to be released April 15. The injunction issued Feb. 12 would continue to apply to him. Sean Small, Jane Doe’s lawyer, argued that release of her license application with her address and phone number would violate her privacy rights and put her safety at risk. Hill cited a number of reasons for wanting dancers’ information. He said he wants to make stars out of local adult club dancers through his use of social media. He also said he is a “sex education advocate” and wants to overturn by referendum tougher strip club regulations that went into effect in Pierce County this year. “In order for me to lobby the dancers, I have to be able to communicate with them,” Hill said. “I’m an advocate for the industry.” Culpepper said that if dancers want Hill’s help, they can contact him on his Internet site.

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Washington, with a combined free and paid circulation of more than 730,000 statewide. Among them are the Marysville Globe, the Arlington Times, the Peninsula Daily News in Port Angeles, and newspapers on Whidbey Island. Sound Publishing recently bought Seattle Weekly, and also owns papers in Bellevue, Kent and Renton. “The Herald fits in very well. We believe in community journalism. We believe in newspapers,” Fletcher said. The Herald will continue to publish seven days a week. “That would be my intention right now,” Fletcher said. “Sound Publishing is very excited about this announcement. You and the product you produce, on a day in-day out basis, are very well-respected in the industry and in this community,” Fletcher told Herald employees. McDaniel said the Post had two goals in negotiating the sale: to preserve the quality of the products, and to save as many jobs as possible. Besides the Herald and HeraldNet. com, The Daily Herald Co. publishes the Herald Business Journal and the Spanishlanguage weekly and website La Raza del Noroeste. This is the first Spanishlanguage publication owned by Sound. The Daily Herald Co. has 209 employees. McDaniel said that David Dadisman, who became the Herald’s publisher last May, will lead the transition. “I really do think this will strengthen the Herald,” said Dadisman, who is also the newspaper’s general manager. “With the kind of business we are in,

you can only succeed if you have some economies of scale and shared resources,” he said. “We are going to be able to leverage some things we can’t do now.” McDaniel said many employees will receive the same salary and similar benefits after the sale, but that Sound Publishing handles its own production and distribution, so layoffs could occur. Dadisman said he doesn’t know how many jobs could be eliminated by using the Everett-based printing press already owned by Sound Publishing. He also expects that some business office jobs could be integrated into the larger Sound Publishing operation. Dadisman said he plans to leave the Herald after the 90-day transition. No changes are expected for the next 30 days. Sound Publishing is not buying the Herald’s building, which is owned by the Washington Post Co. “The buildings will be on the market,” McDaniel said. Snohomish County’s 2013 assessed value for the Herald building at 1213 California St. is $5.2 million. A 2.2acre parcel owned by the Herald across W. Marine View Drive, up for sale for several months, has a listed asking price of nearly $4 million. For the next year, Sound Publishing will lease the Herald building. “We’re certainly going to be here for a year at least,” Fletcher said. She said the paper will ultimately be printed at the Sound Publishing facility near Paine Field. That could happen before the year is out.

tight-lipped on records Requests by two newspapers denied The News Tribune, Tacoma

rmy leaders insist they have fixed flaws in Madigan Army Medical Center’s behavioral health department that resulted in the misdiagnoses of hundreds of patients. But they have refused to release reports that could substantiate their findings and shed light on what happened at the Army hospital last year. The latest in a long string of denials and non-disclosures happened last month when Secretary of the Army John McHugh visited Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He called a press conference Feb. 11 to announce the completion of an Army-wide behavioral health investigation that stemmed from the Madigan reports, but he declined to share it. McHugh said a task force review had generated 24 findings and 47 recommendations, but he would not release them and described only one. He signed a memo intended to bolster Army wellness programs and left open the door to release more information later. “It is my intent to make major portions of that document available,” he told reporters. “I’m not here to design any kind of cover up or not put out those data points, and I’ll make those available to you.” Later, the Army rejected a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the News Tribune and the Seattle Times seeking the Madigan investigations – a request that the newspapers made in September. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., called the slow release of information “frustrating.” “We still don’t have all the information we need,” she said. “We are going to have to keep pressing the military to get it.” The newspapers requested Army investigations that centered specifically on Madigan. The Army in November issued a “partial denial” of the requests, contending the reports were “pre-decisional” and would be used in a broader review of Army programs. The newspapers appealed the denial in January, pointing to multiple corrective actions the Army had already announced in August, including the reinstatement of Madigan commander Col. Dallas Homas. In its rejection of the newspapers’ appeal issued last week, the Army found that the Madigan reports should remain exempt from public disclosure requirements in the Freedom of Information Act because they contain confidential material that shaped Army decisions. It again called the Madigan reports “pre-decisional” because they include findings that were intended to nurture “frank and open” internal discussions. Releasing the information also could inhibit candor in future See ARMY, page 4

MARCH 2013

Refinance debt hits McClatchy

Company still sees double-digit hike in digital revenue News Tribune, Tacoma

he nation’s third largest newspaper chain, the Sacramento, Calif.-based McClatchy Company, reported Feb. 7 that both its fourth quarter and full year financial results moved into the red in 2012. But the company said it’s encouraged by the increasing sales of digital advertising and initial results from the rollout of a digital subscription program. The company, parent of the (Tacoma) News Tribune, the Olympian, the Bellingham Herald and the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick, said it lost $30 million or 35 cents a share in the fourth quarter and only $100,000 for all of 2012. The company owns 30 daily newspapers in 29 markets nationwide. The results were negatively affected by a $60 million aftertax loss from refinancing a major portion of its debt. That refinancing reduced the interest rate on that debt and extended the maturity date by five years. On the positive side, the chain’s digital-only advertising revenues were up nearly 15 percent in the fourth quarter, and the proportion of advertising revenues coming from nontraditional sources reached 36 percent last year.

ARMY

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investigations, or confuse the public, an Army attorney wrote in the FOIA denial. McHugh summarized the behavioral health findings in a telephone call to Murray, a member and former chairwoman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. She expects to receive a briefing on the report, and hopes to persuade the Army at least to release more information about its behavioral health findings and recommendations. Michele Earl-Hubbard, a Seattle attorney for the Allied Law Group who specializes in open government, said the military “is not known for openness and accountability.” The Army’s denial of the newspapers’ FOIA requests fits that tendency, she said. “It is unfortunate in this latest matter, so important to the public and members of our military, the Army is continuing this practice of secrecy and denial. Its citation of the FOIA exemptions at issue appears to be a violation of the law in both spirit as well as letter, particularly at this stage of the investigation,” she said. FIND YOUR 25-HOUR DAY

My 50 years on 15 small publications can help you: • sell more ads & subs • simplify operations • avoid bricks through your window • start/improve your website

Jay Becker

Community Consulting

jaybecker@aol.com — (206) 790-9457

TWN

CALENDAR OF EVENTS TBD

July 18

WNPA Board Meeting, Leavenworth

April 25 WNPA Board Meeting, Bellevue

Oct. 3

WNPA Board Meeting, Olympia

May 10

Better Newspaper Contest Entries due

Oct. 3-5 126th Annual Convention, Olympia

June 7

Tourism Special Section Entries due

Legislative Day

Details: www.wnpa.com/events

Olympian, TNT win honors in McClatchy competition

n the annual President’s Awards, the highest employee honors given by the McClatchy Company, the Olympian and the News Tribune in Tacoma were recognized for exhaustive and even-handed coverage of the same-sex marriage campaign in Washington state. The company announced the winners, ten awards for jour-

nalism excellence and two for online innovation, on Jan. 30. Judging the competition this year were Susan Goldberg, executive editor at Bloomberg News; Marty Kaiser, editor and senior vice president at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Anders Gyllenhaal, McClatchy’s vice president for news and Washington editor.

Eli Sanders Pulitzer Prize winning writer for the Stranger A return engagement by popular demand A Teleconference Thursday, March 21, 10 a.m. Last summer’s session with Eli Sanders proved to be one of the most popular and informative teleconferences we’ve ever had. This second teleconference will extend that conversation and be of interest whether or not you attended the July 2012 session. Sanders’ Pulitzer Prize winning story, published June 14, 2011, in the Seattle alternative newspaper The Stranger, garnered this comment from one of the judges: “I’ve never read a story like “The Bravest Woman in Seattle” — never in 28 years of journalism…The power of this story is in the incredible writing.” Our 90-minute session will cover: !"#$%&'()"*&+",-$(./0'+%"-1 "23-44$('*5"%*/(./0.%67"8("9+/:'()"-$*"*&+".+*/'9%"-1 "/"30'4+;"/0+"<+"0+/995"%+0:'();" or soothing, our readers? How do we decide when, and how, to push the boundaries? !"=&+("'%"'*"/>>0->0'/*+"*-"$%+"*&+"?0%*">+0%-("'("/"(/00/*':+;"'1 "/*"/99@"81 "%-;"<&5@"=&/*"/0+"<+"*05'()"*-" accomplish that we couldn’t through “straight” reporting? !"=&/*"<+A0+"*/9B'()"/,-$*"'%"*&+"/0*"-1 "(/00/*':+"/(."+4>9-5'()"*&+"*--9%"/(.">+0%>+3*':+%"-1 "9'*+0/05"(-(C ?3*'-("'("*/B'()"3-(*0-9"-1 "*&+"%*-05"/(."3-44$('*5"3-(:+0%/*'-(D"=&/*"2.'11+0+(*7"/>>0-/3&+%"4')&*"-$0" newspapers take not only to get the facts right, but reveal the real story? Bring your questions. There will be plenty of time for Q&A. Registration fee: $20 per newspaper.

Register by Tuesday, March 19 at 4 p.m. at wnpa.com/events E+(."/("+4/'9"*-"F/+"=/9.0-(;"4</9.0-(G<(>/D3-4;"*-"3-(?04"5-$A99"/**+(."/(."<&+*&+0"5-$A99"%+(."/" check or would like WNPA to invoice your newspaper. H-$"<'99"0+3+':+"/("+4/'9"<'*&"*-99C10++"3/99C'("'(1-04/*'-("-("F/03&"IJD #9+/%+"3-(*/3*"F'B+"K'99-("/*"#/3'?3"#$,9'%&'()"L-D"/*"4.'99-(G(<9'(BD3-4"'1 "5-$"&/:+"M$+%*'-(%"-0"<'%&"*-" add an item to the agenda. =N#O6"PIQRS"T/B+"L'*5"=/5"NDUD"VPJW"E+/**9+;"=O"XYPIS

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MARCH 2013

Good signs for business, and back to the inbox

hat a response to the column I wrote last month concerning the “60 Minutes” episode on the Times-Picayune. Hundreds of publishers from all over the U.S. contacted me to let me know they ran the column on their opinion pages. Many of them sent printed copies or PDFs, so I could see my column next to their own editorials concerning the show. I’ve been all over the U.S. and Canada already this year, speaking at conferences and visiting newspapers. Two things are certain: 1) Attendance at newspaper conferences has been way up from previous years, and 2) Expectations about the future are much more positive than they have been the past few years. Both are very good signs. It’s been a while since I’ve answered questions from my inbox. Let’s take a look and see what’s on the mind of readers this month:

From Sherry in Tennessee

Hello Kevin, Is there a way to convert RGB to CMYK in a PDF file without having to open each pic individually in Photoshop? I wrote to Sherry and told her to try the “Convert Colors” tool in Adobe Acrobat and this was the reply I got from her: Thank you! Convert Colors worked perfectly, without turning our red cars orange and making everything look flat. This is great!

From Joel in Kansas

Kevin, I have a customer that is baffled by fonts not showing up in InDesign and I figured you would know why. They downloaded a font from the web and installed it on one of their Macs and it works perfectly. Then they installed the same font on another Mac and it won’t show up in InDesign. All fonts are located in Macintosh HD/Library/

Use “Convert Colors” in Acrobat to convert RGB photos to CMYK with the click of a couple of buttons. Fonts. My creditability is on the line so I hope you can help. Hi Joel, There are several issues Kevin Slimp at work here. Director, The way OS Institute of Newspaper X deals with Technology fonts has changed as new versions replace previous versions and, as a result, users can run into unpleasant surprises like this. Here’s a fix that should work for your customer: Copy the problem fonts from your Library/Fonts folder to the InDesign/Fonts folder. Like many applications, InDesign has its own fonts folder. Fonts located here are only available to InDesign, so it’s a good idea to have these fonts located in both the system and application font folders. This should restore your credibility with your customer, Joel.

screen might not be what I get in print? We have had several ads do this when place on a page with color. Any help would be appreciated. Hi Annette, What you’ve encountered is not an unusual problem. There are a several ways to catch this particular problem before you place the ad on the page. In the long run, it would be a good idea to create a “preflight” in Adobe Acrobat to catch problems with PDF files that are sent to you from advertisers. There are hundreds of options when creating preflights, but the problems newspapers generally look for are: • fonts not embedded • color on gray pages • plates other than CMYK on color pages • PDF version above 1.5 (Acrobat 6) compatible • CID fonts

Whidbey Examiner, Coupeville

he Northwest Navigator will print its final weekly edition on March 29,

2013. After that final edition, there will no longer be an official or authorized Navy print newspaper for Commander, Navy Region Northwest, or these installations: Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Naval Station Everett, Naval Base Kitsap and Naval Magazine Indian Island. The Northwest Navigator consistently won numerous top awards for production and reporting, and has helped tell the Navy story to tens of thousands of Sailors, family members, retirees, veterans and community members around the region and around the world. The decision to stop publication was made

• OPI information Any of these issues can cause a PDF file to print incorrectly. If you simply want to look for color problems, and you don’t have a preflight created to search for it, you could look at the Output Preview, found at Tools>Print Production>Output Preview. Output Preview shows all of the color separations, so

From Annette in South Carolina

Hey Kevin, I have a question for you. I am attaching a file that was sent in from a customer that is supposed to be a b&w ad. When printed in the paper, the wild west background pic in the ad has a red tint to it. However, the PDF file sent looks perfectly grayscale on screen. How can I tell if what I see on

That little while circle in the middle of photos is both loved and hated by InDesign users.

Navy to strike Navigator’s colors

Northwest region to halt print version of communications

Use Acrobat’s Output Preview to see if there are extra plates in a PDF file.

as a Navy-wide cost-savings measure. “This was a tough headquarters decision in a belt-tightening world,” said Sean Hughes, public affairs officer at Navy Region Northwest. “We’d like to thank everyone who made the Northwest Navigator a part of their lives, the outstanding publishers we’ve worked with over the years, and all of those who helped us share the stories of our fleet, fighters and families.” Official Northwest Navy news and information will still be available in many formats, including on Navy social media pages (Facebook and Twitter), websites, and in internal command employee newsletters. “This is the end of an era, but we still have Navy information to share and stories to tell,” Hughes said. “We will continue to communicate through our official Navy channels, and of course, work with area publishers and media representatives to further our Navy’s story

with our communities. We will continue to explore new ways to communicate in this fast-changing media landscape, and look forward to keeping the conversation going.” Lori Maxim, vice president of West Sound operations for Sound Publishing Inc., said in response to the news, “It’s a sad day,” noting that the Northwest Navigator has a long history. Sound published the Northwest Navigator for several years before the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton won the contract. Sound then launched the Kitsap Navy News and a new Whidbey Crosswind as weekly publications covering local Navy news. Those publications were transitioned to a monthly format for veterans and retirees in April 2012. The Kitsap Navy News is now published as Veterans Life. Both Whidbey Crosswind and Veterans Life are also available online as green editions.

it’s easy to see if you have extra plates in the PDF file.

From Mary in Kentucky

Hi Kevin. Thanks for fixing my last software problem. I have another for you. Is there a way to keep that bullseye-looking thing from appearing in the middle of the pictures that are placed on my page in InDesign? It doesn’t happen on the other design station in my office. Both use InDesign CS5.5. Yes, Mary, there’s an easy fix for that. This feature has been around since InDesign CS5. Some users love it, as it allows you to rotate, edit content inside a frame and more, without changing tools. Others hate it, because they’re always accidentally dragging the “Content Grabber” without meaning to. You can disable this feature by selecting View>Extras>Hide Content Grabber. Reach Kevin at kevin@kevinslimp.com.

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Returns speed-up studied

Earlier ballot deadlines among first suggestions lawmakers discussed The Associated Press

ashington state lawmakers began exploring a proposal last month designed to accelerate ballot counting and allow everyone to know the winners of elections a little earlier. A state Senate committee heard testimony Feb. 12 on a bill that would reject ballots that don’t arrive to the auditor’s office by 8 p.m. on the night of the election. Republican Sen. Pam Roach, the bill sponsor, said she wants to find ways to speed up the process so that the results of the election come sooner, and Democrats agreed there was frustration about how long the process takes. “What can we do to make this faster?” said Sen. Steve Conway, D-Tacoma. “I think everyone feels that we are too slow.” As an all-mail voting state, Washington currently counts ballots so long as they are postmarked by Election Day, and that means many ballots arrive in the days after the election. Election administrators say they also have to follow strict protocols, including ones put in place after the exhausting 2004 gubernatorial count. The rules include visual scans of every ballot — front and back — to make sure marks made by voters can be read by a machine. Sherril Huff, director of elections in King County, estimated that it takes about a day and a half for a ballot to go through the system once it arrives at offices. She noted that the office hires extra people and has employees work extended hours and on weekends to get ballots counted. The secretary of state’s office said it has concerns about the strict deadline proposed in the bill, but the office wants to work with county auditors to develop new ways to make the process more efficient. “This is going to be one of my top priorities,” said Lori Augino, the state’s elections director.

MARCH 2013

TWN

CAREER MOVES n Charles Horton III, president and publisher of the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton, was named publisher of the Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah) and vice president of Ogden Publishing Corporation. He starts work in Ogden on March 18. The announcement was made by Doug Phares, president of the Sandusky Newspaper Group. Horton began his newspaper career as a district sales manager at the Daily News-Miner in Fairbanks, Alaska, and held positions in Oregon, North Carolina and Indiana before arriving at the Sun in 2004. He served in the Sun’s circulation, interactive and advertising departments and before he was named publisher in 2009. n The new editor of the Vidette in Montesano is Steven Friederich, a longtime reporter with the Daily World in Aberdeen. Both newspapers are owned by Stephens Media. Friederich joined the World as a copy editor and reporter about nine years ago, and had previously worked at the Puyallup Herald and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Friederich holds a degree in Communications and History from the University of Washington. He succeeds

Leif Nesheim, who left the newspaper at the end of 2012 to accept a position doing corporate communications for a firm in Nebraska, where he has family. n Eleanor Mueller, a senior at Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, is interning at the Kirkland Reporter. Her 60-hour internship is part of a culminating project required for graduation. Mueller is in her second year as yearbook editor and plans to study journalism in college. n Joe Smillie is the new editor overseeing the news coverage of Sequim and East Clallam County for the Peninsula Daily News in Port Angeles. Before joining PDN, Smillie reported for the Whitman County Gazette in Colfax. He and his wife, Paula, have three children. Smillie succeeds Jeff Chew, a co-owner and producer of a Sequim-based video website, www.videOly.tv. n Tammy Bratholm is a new advertising representative at the Dispatch in Eatonville. She formerly operated an Eatonville restaurant with her husband, John Bratholm. She succeeds Joni Eades, whose husband accepted a new job in Idaho.

n Steve Kelley, sports columnist with the Seattle Times, retired effective Feb. 1 after more than 30 years with the newspaper. In his farewell story, Kelley’s boss, Sports Editor Don Shelton, included some stats on Kelley’s career: 1,258 columns about the Sonics, 1,265 columns about the Mariners, 1,269 columns about the Seahawks, and a total of 5,882 bylines. Times news researcher Miyoko Wolf compiled the data using electronic archives dating back to 1984, a year after Kelley joined the Times. n New on the staff at the OmakOkanogan Chronicle are John F. Cleveland II and Rebecca Sawyer. Cleveland was a reporter and photographer for the Quad City Herald in Brewster, where he has lived all of his life. He will cover the Brewster-PaterosBridgeport area, including general assignment news and sports. Sawyer is the paper’s new bookkeeper. She has an associate degree in health care administration and previously was a manager for Lincare, a medical supply company in Omak. She and her husband, Bryan Sawyer, have two teenage children.

FIERY WINNER

Spokane writer Roskelley dies

The Spokesman-Review, Spokane

enton S. Roskelley, who covered the outdoors for the Spokane Chronicle and the SpokesmanReview for 60 years, died Jan. 30 at the age of 96 with his family at his bedside, said his son, John Roskelley, in Spokane. Roskelley was a 1938 University of Idaho graduate in journalism, a World War II veteran, and a fly fisher to the core. He was the editor for the Inland Empire Fly Fishing Club’s book, Flies of the Northwest. Said John, “He earned a place on that list Tom Brokaw called the Greatest Generation by taking care of his family, never missing a day of work, and by serving in Europe when his country asked him to do so. Fenton was 96, but still writing, taking photos of birds, and using Facebook.” Fenton was preceded in death by his wife, Violet, whom he married in 1945. He is survived by his daughters, Patricia Loomis and Heather Roskelley, his son, John, and six grandchildren.

Al Camp/Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle

For ‘Up in Flames,’ Al Camp of the Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle won first place in Best Spot News, Circulation Groups III & IV Combined, in the 2012 Washington Better Newspaper Contest. ‘In a category where timing is everything, this photographer was in the right place at the right time, and ready to take an exciting photograph,’ the judges noted.