Get onboard for the PNNA Classified Ad Network

Twelve PNNA member newspapers have responded to the appeal for membership in the PNNA Classified Ad Network. In order for the program to go forward we need participation from all members. By agreeing to publish a few classified liner ads each week, members give PNNA the ability to mitigate dues, improve the quality of staff training, provide better programming and presenters at the annual meeting and increase funding to support the PNNA foundation's college and university evaluation program. Because funds raised by the ad network will benefit every member, it is only fair that each member contribute by joining the program. For questions about the PNNA Classified Ad Network, contact Executive Director Jack Bates (1-888-344-7662), who will be happy to discuss details of the program and what would be required of your newspaper to participate. If all member newspapers agree to participate, PNNA will have the funds necessary to become a dynamic resource for its members and to add tremendous value to membership.

The only Pacific Northwest workshop for 
‘Newspaper Next’ is in Seattle next month

PNNA, The American Press Institute and the University of Washington Department of Communication are bringing a Newspaper Next workshop to Seattle on Friday, Feb. 16. This will be the only Newspaper Next workshop in the Pacific Northwest and the last day to register is Friday, Feb. 9. The program will be held at the Henry Art Gallery Auditorium, University of Washington, 15th Ave. NE and NE 41st St., Seattle. Cost for the program is $195. Steve Gray (pictured), managing director of the Newspaper Next initiative, will provide the tools needed to apply Newspaper Next to news organizations.

Newspaper executives agree this workshop will change the way you think about your business:
“The information was stimulating.” 
– Kathleen Newton, Publisher, Oregon Coast Newspapers

“Two months after attending the Newspaper Next seminar at USC, I remain convinced that local newspaper companies can succeed and even thrive. But we have to learn how to develop a variety of products (and brands) to fit specific consumer needs. And the hardest part is we have to learn how to let go of what yields the least return.”
– Nels Jensen, Director of Online Strategy and Content Development, The Press-Enterprise, Riverside

Workshop agenda:
8:15-9 am: Registration
9 am-noon: Morning session
Noon-1:30 pm: Lunch on your own. A list of nearby restaurants will be provided.
1:30-4:30 pm: Afternoon session

For complete program information and to register, please click here. In the box labeled “Promotional Code” near the end of the online registration form, please put “PNNA.” For more information contact Carol Ann Riordan at 703-715-3315 or download a flier here.

2006 PNNA Print Quality Contest winners

PNNA announced the winners of the 2006 PNNA Print Quality Contest Awards earlier this month. The Print Quality Contest awards first and second place in two circulation categories, 25,001 and above and 25,000 and under. 2006 winners are: Division A (25,001 and above) – 1st Place, The Bulletin, Bend Ore.; 2nd Place, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash. Division B (25,000 and under) – 1st Place, The Observer , Le Grande, Ore.; 2nd Place, The Eureka Reporter, Eureka, Calif. Newspapers are rated on ink density and laydown; halftone and color separation quality; color registration; page alignment and page count; overall appearance. The contest originated in 1992 as a competition among members and subsequently was expanded to include non-members.

Newspaper Industry Compensation Survey

The Newspaper Industry Compensation Survey (NICS) is the largest and most complete and authoritative survey of salaries for newspaper positions. The survey covers more than 90 job titles specific to the newspaper industry. It is the “industry standard” and guides the compensation planning process for most newspaper groups. The purpose of the survey is to provide high-quality planning data for pay levels and pay practices in the United States and Canada. The survey provides comprehensive pay data that enable papers to: Receive reliable and effective pay benchmarks, the quality and scope of which cannot be found elsewhere; Compare compensation levels by circulation size, by revenue level, by geographic region and with the newspaper industry as a whole; Assist the newspaper industry in managing an important fact of business; Explain compensation decisions. The survey cost is based on circulation size. Late fees apply after March 15. Final deadline is May 15. For information on fees and to download the form click here.

NEWS:

McClatchy’s ‘Star Tribune’ sale troubling for newspapers

Editor & Publisher reported that Goldman Sachs made a foreboding statement about the pending sale of the Star Tribune of Minneapolis by The McClatchy Co. to a private equity firm: “Minneapolis valuation a Bearish signal for newspaper industry.” While McClatchy will “generate a tax benefit of about $160 million,” Goldman observes, it is also taking a hit on the sale price, having paid $1.2 billion for the paper in 1998, now selling it for $530 million. “The substantial loss on the sale is a vivid reminder of the industry’s declining fortunes over the last several years,” Goldman declared. The buyer is Avista Capital Partners of New York City. McClatchy bought the paper from the Cowles family in 1998.

Bill in Washington would aid student journalists

Teenage journalists in the Everett School District in Washington got a boost Monday in their fight with administrators for control of student newspapers. A Seattle-area lawmaker introduced a bill that aims to strengthen free speech protections for students and prohibit censorship of their publications. “Just because someone is young doesn’t mean that they have to give up their freedom of speech,” said Rep. Dave Upthegrove, D-Des Moines. The bill would shift editorial liability from schools to students, making student reporters and editors responsible for any resulting legal problems. Six states have similar laws: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas and Massachusetts. Claire Lueneburg and Sara Eccleston were co-editors of the Everett High student newspaper, The Kodak, in fall 2005 when their principal demanded prior review of each issue, citing a district policy. The students refused, calling it a violation of their free speech rights and noting that there’d been no such review in more than 17 years. A trial is scheduled for May in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

King County Journal prints its last issue

The Associated Press reported last week that the King County Journal in Washington has officially closed. Black Press Ltd. announced on Dec. 28 the end of the newspaper’s publication, a month after the Victoria, British Columbia-based company purchased King County Journal Newspapers from former owner Peter Horvitz. Don Kendall, general manager of the newly created King County Publications Ltd said “it was a business decision that had to be made after years of declining circulation and advertising revenues.” The Kent-based newspaper was the region’s fifth-largest daily, with a weekday circulation of about 39,000. That’s down from 47,000 in 2003 when the paper was created through a merger of the daily Eastside Journal and South County Journal papers.

Gannett, McClatchy and Tribune team up 
for ad network

The nation’s top three newspaper publishers are developing a national network to sell display ads on their websites. The network would make it easier for large national advertisers to buy ads across a range of newspaper websites without having to strike individual deals with each newspaper. Setting up the network are Gannett Co., The McClatchy Co. and Tribune Co. “Once under way, we will open access to this network and invite any other company to participate on exactly the same terms as Gannett, Tribune and McClatchy,” said Gannett Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow, speaking at a financial analysts’ conference last month. Dubow said the network would include “guaranteed inventory availability, standard pricing and simple billing.” Conrad Fink, a professor of newspaper strategy and management at the University of Georgia, said he applauds the publishers for cooperating but thinks their efforts don’t go far enough. “I would prefer to see an industry-wide collaborative effort,” he said. The newspaper industry “has always struggled with an effort to develop compatible systems, compatible ad specifications and so forth.”

Scripps considering alternative strategies 
for newspapers

Executives at Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps stated during an investor conference Tuesday, Jan. 9 they are evaluating different options regarding its newspaper assets. Scripps management said they have been looking at different strategies over the past six months to unlock more value in the stock. However, Scripps is in the very early stages of making any decisions. Scripps is one of the few companies in the newspaper sector rated a “buy” by several analysts. But it’s not because of its newspaper assets; rather, over the past decade, Scripps made shrewd investments in fast-growing properties like the Food Network and Shopzilla.

New OJR column examines the pros and 
cons of news website design

The Online Journalism Review recently examined what works and what doesn’t work in news site web designs. Each month, Nora Paul of the University of Minnesota and Laura Ruel of the University of North Carolina will examine current research on news website user interfaces and storytelling techniques. Their articles will examine the best ways to package news information online to increase their site’s traffic and influence. The first piece says that the aggregation of news stories on a given topic coupled with additional information is moving news websites away from “your daily newspaper on the computer screen” to a valuable aggregation of community information. To read more of the first column or future columns, click here.

Journalism ethics award program

Each year, ethical behavior by journalists and news organizations is honored by the Payne Awards for Ethics in Journalism at the University of Oregon School of Journalism & Communication. To submit a local or national journalism situation in 2006 that involved ethical decision-making for consideration for a Payne Award visit http://payneawards.uoregon.edu. The deadline for situations that occurred in 2006 is Feb. 27, 2007. Or call 1-888-644-7989.

Commentary: Local news can matter again

Danny Westneat, a  staff columnist for The Seattle Times, writes about changes in the newspaper industry and suggests that newspapers focus on local news: “I think intensely local, professionally gathered news is due for a comeback. It’s the one thing you can’t get anywhere else.” To read his full column, click here.

Seattle columnist says newspapers 
should not be dismayed

Ryan Blethen, an editorial columnist for The SeattleTimes, wrote in his column last week about his experience at the National Conference for Media Reform. The column, titled “Bashed, thrashed and encouraged,” addresses the general feeling that “folks are unhappy with the press” and as a panelist, Blethen says although he sat through a “thrashing” of the press, he did not leave the conference dismayed, but encouraged about the future of newspapers. Read why in his column here.

Outing gives advice to small newspapers

In his latest column for Editor & Publisher, Steve Outing outlines “10 things that publishers and editors of small newspapers should be doing to keep up with the times and resist the industry-wide trend of flat or declining print readership and loss of advertising dollars to new forms of media.” Readers of his column requested that Outing offer some advice for small papers as bigger news institutions get most of the attention. In his column are10 things that publishers and editors of small newspapers should be doing, with emphasis on the online side of the business. His first tip is to “copy and build from the industry leaders” among which is Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash. To read the full column click here.

PEOPLE:

Robert Blethen to retire from Seattle Times

The Seattle Times reports that Robert Blethen, vice president for corporate marketing and a member of the family that has owned the newspaper for 110 years, has announced he will retire in mid-May. Blethen, 60, suffered a heart attack 15 months ago. “I just need to concentrate on my health,” he said last week. He said the ongoing legal turmoil over The Times’ joint-operating agreement with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer was not a factor in his decision. Blethen said he intends to stay on the boards of The Seattle Times Co. and the family-controlled Blethen Corp., which owns a majority interest in the newspaper company. As president of PNNA, Blethen plans to continue in that role. He also said he will remain active in the community. Blethen, a cousin of Times Publisher Frank Blethen, worked summers at the newspaper starting in 1962 and began working full time in 1968. He held positions in advertising and news before moving to the marketing division in the early 1980s. He has been a vice president for 12 years.

Schmeltzer named editor of the Hollister Free Lance

Mike Schmeltzer, a 30-year veteran journalist, will succeed Dan Fitch as the Hollister Free Lance editor in California. Schmeltzer previously spent three years as the editor of The Daily Triplicate in Crescent City, Calif. Schmeltzer, 51, grew up in western Montana. He attended school at the University of Alaska while working as a reporter and photographer for the Juneau Empire. He later worked as sports editor of the Anchorage Daily News. Schmeltzer’s longest employer was The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash., where he spent 22 years, the last eight years as the head of the paper’s suburban bureau in Spokane Valley.

CALL TO READERS : Send stories to the editor Kristen Lowrey.

Copyright © 2006 PNNA, All Rights Reserved