TWN
THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER January 2021
Learning from the past, assessing the future! Page 5
Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
Legislature convenes under tight security Three interns are on the job providing coverage of session for WNPA papers The Washington State Legislature opened its 2021 session Jan. 11 under tight security following the attack on the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6. On hand to chronicle the events and ship stories out to WNPA newspapers are this year’s interns Sydney Brown of Washington State University, Joseph Claypoole, the Univeristy of Washington and Patric Haerle, also of the University of Washington. The interns have hit the ground running and are adapting quickly to the all-virtual Legislature. WNPA Executive Director Fred Obee is serving as the coordinating editor for the interns. He is also assisted by John Tomasic from the Univeristy of Washington. As most everything is online during this session, photos might be in short supply but we will attempt to get some quality screen shots where possible. Currently there are some photos available to download at wnpa.com in the Document Library, which is open to members. Stories and photos also are posted to the Washington State
Journal, a nonprofit news website managed by the WNPA Foundation. The address is wastatejournal.org. Brown The website represents an initial step toward someday having a full-time news bureau in Olympia that can proClaypoole vide statewide news stories and photos for use in WNPA papers. Plans to step toward that goal were stymied Haerle with the implementation of COVID-19 restrictions last spring. An office on the Capitol campus was vacated when work from home orders came down See INTERNS, Page 2
From left, Melynn Jorgensen, Franklin Taylor, Coralee Taylor, Chad Taylor and Amber Taylor pose for a family photograph.
Lafromboise sells three papers to Chehalis marketing company Lafromboise Communications, the company that publishes the Centralia Chronicle, Nisqually Valley News and The Reflector in Battleground, has been purchased by the Silver Agency, a family run full service marketing company based in Chehalis. Chad and Coralee Taylor, owners of The Silver Agency, agreed to purchase the newspaper from Lafromboise Communications owner Jenifer Lafromboise Falcon.
The transaction means the newspapers will remain a family owned. Falcon said she was comfortable trusting her family’s legacy with the Taylors because they are a local, family owned company. Falcon was the third member of her family to guide the company, following in the footsteps of her father, Richard Lafromboise, and her mother, Jeraldine “Jeri” Lafromboise. “I got so lucky,” Falcon said.
“I was lucky to be part of the family. Now I get to pass it on to someone who will love, nurture and cherish the company. I feel blessed.” Chad Taylor will serve as publisher, Coralee Taylor will be the CEO and their son Franklin Taylor will be the vice president. The name of the new company is CT Publishing. They plan to leverage their experience and success in growing The Silver Agency to See SALE, Page 3
FROM THE PRESIDENT
In a difficult year, community papers rose to challenge, showed resilience Photo by Roger Harnack, Cheney Free Press
Olympia’s Legislative Building was fenced off to provide additional security for the opening of the legislative session following the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
INTERNS: Starting to roll thanks to your donations
Continued from Page 1 and talks with grant funders came to an end. But the intership program is still thriving, thanks to the Foundation’s investment account and donations from WNPA members. The WNPA Foundation is a separate organization from WNPA with its own board of direc-
tors. It operates under its own set of bylaws and directives. Don Nelson of the Methow Valley News is The Foundation President and Sandy Stokes is Vice President. In additon to legislative interns, the Foundation funds internships at WNPA member newspapers each summer around the state.
Officers: Caralyn Bess, President; Steve Powell, First Vice President; Michelle Nedved, Second Vice President; Patrick Grubb, Past President. Trustees: Roger Harnack, Scott Hunter, Teresa Myers, Pili Linares, Eric LaFontaine and Donna Etchey. THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER is the offical publication of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. It is published monthly by WNPA, PO Box 389, Port Townsend, WA 98368. Fred Obee: Executive Director: 360-344-2938 Email: fredobee@wnpa.com Janay Collins, Member Services Director: 360-344-2938. Email: ads@wnpa.com 2 The Washington Newspaper January 2021
By Caralyn Bess For most small local business, 2020 definitely presented challenges. Newspapers were no exception. The cancelations of events, concerts, cultural arts, local sports, movie theater closings and even fishing for a stint are all things that affected signature content we deliver to our local communities’ day Bess in and day out. In addition, many of us have struggled with losses in ad revenue tied to retail closings. Newspaper teams have worked tirelessly, some remotely, and some dealing with reduced work hours. All are dealing with the emotional challenges that this pandemic has placed on everyone. We have endured this tumultuous year losing loved ones, suffering through the economic downturn, seeing our friends and family members and even ourselves struggle financially. We’ve had to experience and report on the divisiveness in our country, in our communities, and the political unrest, social injustices and protests that turned into riots. Through it all, our teams have been there to report the news, good and not so good. We’ve evoked emotion, making some mad, some sad and some happy. We’ve introduced new leaders in our respective communities, we’ve told stories of people doing good and of people doing not so good. We have all had
to pivot. In some cases that meant merging publications, reducing publication days or even closing operations or moving them online. Despite our own struggles, as an industry and as the guardians of the communities we serve, we’ve stepped up to help local businesses. Across Washington, we launched shop local ad campaigns, gave matching grants coupled with discounted pricing to help businesses generate sales and stay open. We got creative and recruited local partners to showcase businesses at no cost to them. And in the Columbia Basin, we stepped up when our tree lighting and annual Christmas Ag Parade was cancelled, to create Light Up Moses Lake, a drive-through event to see and vote on decorations. This replaced the negative chatter with a fun, positive event that the community rallied around. As a result, $9,000 to support local nonprofits, who were also struggling this time of year, was raised. We are definitely connected. Beyond, keeping our communities informed, our employees live, work, eat, shop locally and support local nonprofits and fundraisers. To say that I am proud is an understatement! Yes, it has definitely been a difficult year but time and time again, our industry, our teams, and our communities have shown resiliency, passion and compassion. We’ve given it all we have and then some to make it through 2020… and we did! Hindsight is 2020…I am happy to put it in the rearview mirror!
While the pandemic is far from behind us and we are still experiencing challenging restrictions that impact our news content as well as our revenues, my hope is that many of you have some great things planned. I know we do. At a time when newspapers across the country are disappearing and creating news deserts, Washington newspapers are working hard to grow and improve, and deliver on all things local. We are working hard to be connected to and involved with our community. To help our businesses change their messaging and pivot to succeed in this new environment. Having said this, we need our community’s support. We need the people in our communities to invest in us so that we can continue to invest in our communities! I encourage each of you to take this messaging forward to your community (and to our legislators). Speaking of our legislators, the Legislative session started on the Jan. 11. Our legislative interns are covering sessions and bringing the news to each of you to in turn bring it to your community. Last but not least, please reach out to legislators and ask for their support to help impact pending legislation that benefits local journalism. The passage of these bills would certainly provide newspaper companies the time and resources we need to pivot. Cheers to a bright future. Caralyn Bess is the publisher of the Columbia Basin Herald and this year’s WNPA president.
Newspaper contest adds new categories The 2021 Better Newspaper Contest opens for entries April 1 this year, and it’s not too early to start reviewing the work you did in the past year. The BNC committee looked at the rules for the contest and sug-
gested some changes. New this year will be: • A new category on COVID-19 reporting. • New Community Service Award requirements. • Expanded feature reporting
categories for stories on animals, history and the arts. We are also reviewing circulation categories, so there may be a few changes there. We will of course let everyone know the outcome of those discussions.
SALE: Lafromboise sells its three newspapers Continued from Page 1 improve the newspapers’ bottom line and bring new options for advertisers and businesses. They said their appreciation of The Chronicle as the primary source of local news for the Lewis County area and their desire to see it remain viable helped drive their decision to purchase the newspapers. “The vision is simple, and it’s focused on serving, building on what The Chronicle has already built over the last 131 years,” the Taylors said. “Continue building on the solid foundation of trust that’s been earned, covering the local community with local re-
porters providing unbiased local news, local sports, and in-depth reports on items of interest to the communities we serve. We will continue to hold ourselves to the highest standards when it comes to journalistic integrity.” Falcon said she is proud of the reputations the newspapers have earned through highquality, ultra-local news coverage. “I have to say I have so much pride in our local journalism,” she said. “That was my dad’s vision — hyperlocal news. Even though I don’t live in Centralia, the fact is that over the years we have provided the best possible
community journalism … Just being part of that has been amazing. The people that work for us are nothing less than amazing. We are a family.” Chad and Coralee, bought The Silver Agency in 2008. Their son, Franklin Taylor, is vice president and director of social media for the company, while his fiance, Melynn Jorgensen, leads a social media team. Chad Taylor’s mother, Karen, also works for the company on the accounting side. The Silver Agency started in 1998, specializing in traditional marketing and advertising, according to the
Taylors. Over the years, the company has evolved into the digital world and business development, coaching, training, and process implementation. The Taylors have become sought-after presenters and speakers focused on digital marketing and business development at national conferences and trade shows. Chad Taylor, who has been a Chehalis city councilor since 2002, regularly presents on marketing advisory panels for large corporations. Chad and Coralee Taylor also advise in the beta testing programs for Google, Facebook, and Instagram in online digital ad placement. They are cer-
tified partners for Google/ GMB, Bing, Facebook and Instagram. Chad and Coralee Taylor said they are excited for a new chapter in their professional careers. Richard Lafromboise, purchased The Daily Chronicle in 1968. The third newspaper in his publishing group also included the Aberdeen Daily World and Redding, Calif.-based Red Bluff Daily News. Only months after purchasing the Centralia newspaper, Richard Lafromboise died. That’s when Jeraldine “Jeri” Lafromboise was advised to sell the company rather than attempt to learn
the ropes of a male-dominated industry. “She said, ‘No. I’m not,’” Falcon said of her mother. Jeraldine “Jeri” Lafromboise instead learned every facet of the industry and remained at its helm until 2012. She died later that year. Falcon said selling the company is the right decision for the longevity and growth of the newspapers. “I feel like it is just a good fit,” she said. “They want to preserve the legacy of my company, and now it’s going to be their company. We just kept it going.” This story originally appeared in the Reflector.
WITH OVER 60 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, WE KNOW JOURNALISM. From public records to protecting journalists, from defamation claims to business needs, large and small Washington publishers turn to us.
DWT.COM Anchorage | Bellevue | Los Angeles | New York | Portland San Francisco | Seattle | Shanghai | Washington, D.C.
The Washington Newspaper January, 2021 3
Look to WNPA Impact Ads for 2021 tourism Selling statewide or regional 2x2 or 2x4 Impact Ads is a big part of what helps fund your Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, and it’s a great option for advertisers seeking broader reach for their messages. It also is a perfect match for hotel-motel tax funds distributed annually by cities and counties to local non-profit groups. If you have not already, you should ask your city and county governments (each has separate funds) for a report on where the hotelmotel tax money is going. In most cases, the non-profit organizations that receive this money are supposed to spend it in outside markets that will draw people to your town. Although most events are limited right now, at some point we will get back to community gatherings. If anything, people will be itching to get out next spring and summer and these ad dollars are often planned a year ahead of time. It’s not too early to check on plans for 2021. WNPA ads are a perfect match for boosting community events because you can choose to advertise regionally or
statewide. Here’s how it works: • You sell the ad to a local non-profit organization to bolster tourism. • You charge your client for the full cost of the ad, and send an insertion order to WNPA. WNPA then invoices you for half the cost of the ad, splitting the revenue on the ad sale. The advertising sales person gets their regular commission on the sale. • WNPA uses our share of the money to provide your legal hotline, professional services, Legislative Day, the Better Newspaper Contest and the annual convention. • We keep the cost to the client affordable by asking all member newspapers to publish the ads sold by other newspapers without cost. Potential customers include festivals, fairs, resorts, real estate offices, state agencies, statewide or regional political candidates – anyone who desires a cost effective regional or statewide campaign. Because member newspapers publish these ads for free, we can only promise that they will run as black and white ads. If you include a color version, many papers will use it instead,
The map above shows the regions for Impact Ads. Sell the whole state, or choose a region. 4 The Washington Newspaper January 2021
but there is no guarantee of this. The ads are small – just two columns wide by either two or four inches tall. One column by four or eight inches are also OK. They
need to be produced in two different widths, to accommodate different column widths. So talk with local chambers or festival organizers or others who receive hotel-
motel tax money from local governments, and let’s start planning our comeback. The WNPA 2x2 ad program is an important arrow in your sales quiver and a great way for advertisers in
your area to reach a broader audience at a very affordable price. Questions? Call Member Services Director Janay Collins at 360-3442938 or email ads@wnpa. com.
Work we’ve done this year will payoff in the future By Kevin Slimp As I write this column, vaccines are beginning to make their way to first responders, the New Year has begun, and maybe – just maybe – the world is seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. In the past, I often wrote New Year columns with predictions for our industry in the upcoming years. If you went far enough back, you’d see some doozies, including: • PDF files becoming the method of choice for ad distribution. It replaced FedEx. (1994) • The Zip Drive overtaking the Syquest Cartridge as the as the storage device of choice. (1994) • InDesign overtaking QuarkXPress and PageMaker as the design application of choice. (1999) • Newspapers would be turning to online journalism, using video audio and more. (2000) • Editorial Workflow Systems would become commonplace at newspapers. (2007) • Pocket-size
(2016) • Newspapers owned by venture capitalist groups would lose stock value and readership. (2019 interview with The Washington Post) This year, however, being a bit different from the years that preceded it, I’d like to take a look back – about ten months, give or take. COVID-19 Slimp was a new term to most camcorders would be of us. Newspapers were used by most reporters in having to quickly learn the future. (2008) how to produce papers and • Newspapers would find advertisers during a not be disappearing pandemic. It seemed like in the next ten years. the sky was falling quickly, (2009) and there might be no way • JCPenney was to keep it from crashing making a big mistake by down on our industry. moving away from print In my March 2020 advertising. (2012) column, I made • Gannett and three suggestions for Gatehouse would merge newspapers searching for before 2020. (2014) straws to help them stay • Remote/home offices afloat: will become “normal” at • Find ways to newspapers in the future. bring in new revenue (2014) through your traditional • Metros would suffer newspaper more than community • Find ways to use papers in the “digital tools to bring in new future.” (2016) revenue •Joey Young was going • Look for tools to to have success starting help your advertisers newspapers in Kansas. to 1) bring in business
and 2) help them stay in create new revenue. One business didn’t work out. The I wasn’t blowing other has become our smoke. I was going major source of revenue. through similar emotions At newspaperacademy. as my newspaper friends com, we began rolling and clients. The speaking out classes to help business – where I made newspapers make needed approximately half my changes because of the income – was gone, with pandemic. no return in sight. My • My publishing publishing company, company created a new focusing on study groups continuing education and churches, saw an division to help our immediate 80 percent readers, which brought in drop in sales. We had to revenue and allowed them find ways to bring in new to complete their CEU revenue, while continuing requirements online. to publish books, even I’ve seen community if it meant losing money newspapers doing on them in the short incredible things to make term. And we had to find it through this pandemic ways to help our readers, period intact. I know local because we need them to owners who have bought return when the pandemic nearby papers before is over. they could be shuttered My businesses by owners in other states. followed those three I’ve seen publishers suggestions: start new publications, • We continued to create offer free advertising to books. For my speaking/ businesses that were at consulting clients, I’ve risk of closing (knowing been fortunate to be they would need these able to work with them advertisers’ business virtually throughout the after the pandemic has pandemic. passed), and come up with • At my publishing other creative ideas to company, we created serve their customers and two divisions to advertisers. 3.5”new x 2.5” | Maximum Font Size: 30 pt
To sum up the past ten months, I’d say it’s no accident most newspapers are alive and kicking, even if they aren’t all thriving, as we begin 2021. I’m not sure my (or anyone else’s) speaking business will ever go back to 100 (or even 20) or more cities per year. I doubt my company’s book sales for all of 2021 will match sales in January and February 2020. I’m willing to bet, however, that the work we’ve done to provide services during this extraordinarily uncommon year will pay off in the years to come. I’m proud to be associated with community newspapers. Kevin Slimp is founder of newspaperacademy. com and The University of Tennessee Newspaper Institute. In 2017, he founded Market Square Publishing. Despite the changes brought on by COVID-19, he still keynoted several newspaper conferences virtually in 2020.
Complimentary investment review. Tyler W Whitworth, AAMS® Financial Advisor
640 Lincoln Ave Tenino, WA 98589 360-264-5004
ed wardjon es .com MKT-5894K-A
Member SIPC
The Washington Newspaper January, 2021 5
JOB BOARD For a complete listing of employment opportunities, go to wnpa.com.
mail it to P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. No phone calls please. EOE
REPORTER/DESIGNER The Shelton-Mason County Journal, an awardwinning weekly print newspaper in the South Puget Sound area of Western Washington, is seeking a full-time hybrid general assignment reporter/page designer. The duties of the position will be split about 50/50 between the two roles. As a reporter, you’ll be charged with covering a number of beats, as well as community and business profiles. Our journalists are responsible for their own photography, and as a page designer, you’ll be tasked with building pages weekly and contributing to special sections throughout the year. The ideal candidate will have thorough command of InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. Other duties may include assisting with ad builds and website management. The Journal is the newspaper of record and primary news source for Mason County (pop. 64,000), located in the county seat of Shelton, Wash. We’ve been in the business for 135 years, making the paper older than the state of Washington. We’re looking to fill this position quickly and candidates located in, or with knowledge of, the Western Washington region are preferred. Please email three to five samples of your writing, three of your best page designs and an example of a graphic or ad that you created to Editor Justin Johnson at justin@ masoncounty.com or
REPORTERS Free Press Publishing has openings for journalists in two of our publications. Can you cover municipal government one minute, then switch to local school activities (including sports) or spot news? Can you manage traditional coverage while juggling digital and social media? If so, we want to hear from you. Our newspapers and news websites cover rural Eastern Washington’s wheat country. Email a cover letter, resume and references to Roger@cheneyfreepress. com. REPORTER The Grays Harbor newspaper group is looking for a part-time reporter who is also good with a camera. The newspaper group includes the Daily World based in Aberdeen, Wash., and two weekly papers. We’re looking for someone who writes clear stories about complex matters, and who will find and tell stories about real people and life on the coast. We value enterprise and reporters who dig. Photography and strong social media credentials are a must. Aberdeen is located on Grays Harbor, a large saltwater port on the coast of Washington. We’re 30 minutes from the beach, an hour from the rainforest and Olympic National Park and two hours from Seattle. If interested in applying, please provide: a cover letter describing your accomplishments and why you feel you’re the right
6 The Washington Newspaper January 2021
person for this position; a current resume; up to, but no more than, six examples of your best work; three professional references – individuals who can discuss your ability to do this job. These references must be provided with your letter and resume. This is a part-time position that includes excellent ben-
efits: medical, dental, life insurance, 401k, paid vacation, sick and holidays. No calls, please. Be sure to include GR Aberdeen in the subject line REPORTER The Leader, a 6,500-circulation independently owned weekly newspaper serving Port
Townsend & Jefferson County, has an immediate opening for a reporter/ photographer. Our General Excellence award-winning operation needs someone with a nose for news. Beginning reporters welcome; journalism education is a must. Salary range is negotiable, based on experience.
Email your resume, a cover letter, one text document of your work & one of your photos to Donna Etchey at detchey@ ptleader.com. Port Townsend is a Victorian seaport & arts community on the Olympic Peninsula, 50 miles and a ferry ride from downtown Seattle.