Welcome to the first electronic edition of PNNA Bulletin. With periodic transmission, we'll keep you up to date on PNNA news and offer brief reports on news from PNNA members and the newspaper industry. Send an e-mail by clicking on the "Reply to Editor" link above to tell us what you think. Your input will help us refine the new format. Questions? Contact Nancy Brands Ward via the same link or call her at (916) 288-6016.

18 get PNNA NIE refresher at June conference

PNNA hosted its Newspaper In Education Conference on June 2 in Seattle. Topics included programs to boost circulation and revenue, teacher training and curriculum, fundraising, best practices and resources. Jim Henderson, NIE coordinator at The News Tribune in Tacoma, organized the event, which drew 18 attendees. Weyerhaeuser was the sponsor. Henderson is planning the 2006 conference for Tacoma.

100s of entries being judged in Blethen contest

The C.B. Blethen Memorial Awards contest for 2005 is underway with hundreds of entries now going through the judging process. Winners will be announced at PNNA's annual convention in November.

Print quality entry forms to be mailed next week

Print Quality Contest entry forms are going in the mail June 20. Look for details in your mailbox soon or go to www.pnna.com for both entry forms and information. Dates to pull five copies are July 10-July 16, with the final entry date to be sent via e-mail and posted on the PNNA website. One first-place and one second-place award will be given in each of the two circulation divisions: (A.) 25,001 and above and (B.) 25,000 and below. Judging criteria are: Ink density and laydown; half-tone and color separation; color registration; page alignment and page count; and overall appearance.

Dolly Connely Contest forms available at month-end

Dolly Connely Contest entry materials will be in the mail by the end of June. Look for entry forms in the mail or go to www.pnna.com to download forms and a contest poster.

Oregon appeals court orders release of police records

An Oregon Court of Appeals ruled on June 1 that Portland police must release to The Oregonian internal records of the investigation and discipline of an officer who killed an unarmed woman during a traffic stop two years ago, according to an AP report. The ruling upheld the county circuit court's order to release the documents. Portland's police chief had argued that disclosure would have a "chilling effect on the free flow of frank, uninhibited advice and self-critical observations" in the police bureau. The appeals court disagreed. The ruling could be appealed to the state Supreme Court.

Spokesman-Review gets readers blogging

As part of its program to increase transparency, The Spokesman-Review, in Spokane, Wash., launched a blog at the end of May using five readers who are free to talk about the paper's coverage and content. Called “News is a Conversation,” the blog asks the readers to comment on the daily news coverage: what they like, what they don’t like and what they’d like to see more of. Staff members have used the comments section to respond to the reader-bloggers’ critiques and questions.

Anchorage Daily News wins Casey Award

For her story “Kids in Exile,” Lisa Demer of the Anchorage Daily News was honored with a 2005 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. The national contest sponsored by the University of Maryland honors distinguished coverage of children and families, particularly the disadvantaged. Demer had heard rumors about Alaskan children being sent to psychiatric hospitals outside the state and after investigating further, she found that the numbers of those sent away – and the cost of their care – had risen dramatically over a short period of time. She weaves solid documentary reporting with compelling personal accounts to create a story with statewide importance.

Ellis Ivory is chairman of Deseret Morning News

Ellis R. Ivory, founder of Ivory Homes, was named chairman of the board of directors of Deseret News Publishing Co. – publishers of The Deseret Morning News in Salt Lake City – in early June. He replaces L. Glen Snarr, who asked to step down as chairman but will remain on the board which he has served since 1978. Ivory, 64, was named vice chairman of the Deseret News board in 2001.

Former Idaho Statesman publisher to retire

Former Idaho Statesman publisher Gary F. Sherlock ended his 37-year career with Gannett and retired at the end of May. Sherlock, 60, most recently served as president and publisher of The Journal News in Westchester County, N.Y. He'd been in that position for 15 years. He began his newspaper career at The Idaho Statesman in 1968 as an advertising account executive. He later served as retail advertising manager and advertising director. He was president and publisher from 1981 to 1986.

Post Co. sells Idaho Falls TV station

The Post Co., parent of the Post-Register in Idaho Falls, sold local television station KIFI Local News 8 for $12.5 million. The News-Press and Gazette Co., which owns television stations in Bend, Ore.; Yuma, Ariz.; El Paso, Texas; and Palm Springs, Calif., will take over the Idaho Falls station later this year, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission.

Justice drops antitrust investigation of Seattle Times

The U.S. Department of Justice in mid-May decided there wasn’t enough evidence to pursue an antitrust case against The Seattle Times Co., ending its two-year investigation of the joint-operating agreement between Seattle’s daily newspapers. According to a report in The Seattle Times, the Justice Department found insufficient basis to conclude that the newspaper “engaged in improper conduct that is likely to lead to monopolization of the Seattle newspaper market.”

Herald and News switches to a.m. delivery

The Herald and News, Klamath Falls, Ore., is set to switch to morning delivery seven days a week beginning on June 17. The paper ended its Saturday afternoon papers and began publishing Sunday mornings 50 years ago. The reason for this latest change? "Readers are going to get a lot fresher news, especially sports coverage," said Publisher Heidi Wright, who promises morning delivery now by 6 o'clock on weekdays and 7 on weekends.

Columbian Publisher plans 6-story building

According to a report in The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash., Publisher Scott Campbell will announce soon final plans for a six-story building in downtown Vancouver that will become the new home for his newspaper's operations. The $30-million building would also lease retail and commercial space.

Salt Lake Tribune moves to new home

The Salt Lake Tribune moved last month from the site where it's been for 70 years on Main Street to 31,000 square feet of office space on the sixth and seventh floors of Gateway Tower One. The Tribune's owner, Denver-based MediaNews Group, plans to sell the downtown building where the newspaper began seven decades ago.

Ellensburg Daily Record to increase print capacity

The Daily Record, in Ellensburg, Wash., has laid the foundation to enable it to print more color with newly refurbished press units, the addition of two units, upgraded folder and pressroom relocation. The changes will enable the Daily Record to double its color capacity and print nearly twice as many copies per hour. The increase in quality and efficiency should please readers and advertisers, Publisher Steve Miller said, and will also enable The Daily Record to handle a larger array of outside printing jobs. Pressroom operations are also now directed by a new manager: Bob Kelly, a former press operator in Camarillo, Calif. Installation of the new equipment is set for mid-July.

Newspaper ad expenditures up 3.6% in Q1

Advertising expenditures for newspapers and their websites totaled $10.9 billion in the first quarter of 2005, a 3.6 percent year-over-year increase, according to preliminary estimates reported by the Newspaper Association of America in a May 26 release. Spending for print ads in newspapers total $10.5 billion, up 2.4 percent over the same period the previous year, while ad spending online continued its double-digit growth in the first quarter, increasing by 39.7 percent from a year ago to $455 million. Among the print categories, classified advertising was up 3.5 percent to $3.7 billion, led by a 14.7 percent jump in recruitment advertising. Retail ad spending rose 2.8 percent to $4.9 billion, and national advertising was down slightly by 0.6 percent, to $1.8 billion.

$6 million to revitalize journalism education

Five leading universities and two major foundations have joined together in a $6 million, three-year initiative to revitalize journalism education in the U.S. Through the initiative, the universities – Columbia, Northwestern, Berkeley and Harvard – will work to better teach, challenge and prepare the next generation of news industry leaders for an increasingly complex world. The initiative involves: Curriculum enrichment that will integrate the schools of journalism more deeply into the life of the university; support national investigative reporting projects; create the Carnegie Corp.-Knight Foundation task force to focus on research and create a platform for educators to speak on policy and journalism education issues. Other emphasis is on helping reporters to build specialized expertise that will enhance coverage of complex beats, helping reporters understand and appreciate the ethical dimensions of their work and preparing them for the pressures they will face in a 24/7 competitive news environment.

Volume 86, No. 1

June 15, 2005

Welcome to the new PNNA Bulletin