Rural teens seek (but rarely find) themselves in local news coverage
There is a heightened interest in what goes on in the heads and hearts of modern teenagers – dubbed "Generation Z" (Gen Z) – particularly by legacy media. But teenagers from rural communities, especially in the Midwest, are not often factored into mainstream Gen Z coverage. This can be attributed to a number of factors, such as living in a news desert, living in the middle of the country, and-or unpredictable Wi-Fi access that hampers engagement with news and information sources.
MORETownNews and Stringr partner to provide video content for local news outlets
TownNews and Stringr have announced a strategic partnership that will enable clients using TownNews' content management systems to easily expand their video inventories with high-resolution pre-packaged videos from Stringr's vast video marketplace.
MOREA revenue reminder to start the summer
This summer, the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute's Innovation in Focus web series will take a look at the startup and growing pains of a handful of news organizations' new efforts to raise revenue. Those efforts range from membership models and retooling ownership to new ventures and crowdfunding efforts. The Innovation in Focus summer revenue series starts later this month.
Before we launch into best practices, challenges and takeaways from these organizations in the coming weeks, it seems like now would be a good time to set the table to review some of the more standard revenue models that are already part of many organizations' multi-revenue stream portfolio.
These standard models in journalism are part of eight common revenue models, often taught in university business schools as ways to generate revenue. Paying attention to how they work, separately and together, has become an important skill for journalism as the industry continues to retool, redesign and seek ways to grow revenue strategies.
MOREBrainworks CircSmart's self-service portals helps customers streamline workflow with multiple locations
Brainworks Software customer EO Media Group is a family-owned group of newspapers, websites and other communication entities based in Oregon and Washington. With over 11 newspapers and 25 active users of Brainworks CircSmart, EO Media was looking for a solution to streamline workflow between multiple users in several offices.
MOREAssociation boards approve plan to consolidate SNPA and Inland
In concurrent board meetings held Wednesday, June 5, directors of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association (SNPA) and the Inland Press Association unanimously approved a plan to consolidate the two associations, effective October 1.
Details of the plan approved by the two boards will be sent to members of both associations on June 7 for their consideration and vote. The result of the member balloting is expected to be announced on June 28.
The consolidated association is crafted to be the champion of the newspaper industry and a proactive voice that promotes the value and contributions of newspapers to the communities that they serve.
MOREEditor & Publisher now accepting entries for the 2019 EPPY Awards
Editor & Publisher Magazine has announced its call for entries for the 2019 EPPYTM Awards, honoring the best in digital media. Now in its 24th year, this international contest has broadened its scope to keep up with the ever-changing internet industry.
MOREHow's your printing?
Judging newspaper print quality isn't a subjective undertaking but a matter of determining how well a paper meets a set of industry standards, according to Kevin Conner, quality assurance manager for The Washington Post.
"The key always rests on ink density and color registration. Those are the key components," he said.
Contest entrants with SNPA's annual Print Quality Contest are evaluated on how closely they meet the standards of SNAP, Specifications for Newsprint Advertising Production. These can be measured objectively with tools such as a densitometer for ink density.
Conner has chaired the SNPA contest for 15 years. Conner said SNAP standards not only make for a fair and objective contest, they offer individual publishers a way to judge for themselves how well their printers are doing the job.
A state-of-the-art printing press certainly helps, but the skills needed to make any press perform are paramount.
"No 1, know how to set ink and water balance correctly," Conner said. "No. 2, color registration: Be able to keep all the color pages in perfect register.
"And then, something that's kind of an intangible but extremely important: You need to have a press that's well maintained. These are the factors that are behind good printing. You have a workforce of highly skilled press operators who know their jobs inside and out."
MOREBliss Communications to sell newspapers and radio stations
Bliss Communications has announced that it intends to sell its newspapers to Adams Publishing Group (APG) and its radio stations to Ben Thompson, CEO of Big Radio.
MOREHealth and science chapter debuts in 2019 AP Stylebook
The Associated Press has released the 2019 edition of The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, which includes more than 200 new or revised entries and a new chapter on health and science journalism.
The 2019 Stylebook includes entries that are new and comprises additions and changes made throughout the year on AP Stylebook Online, such as new and expanded guidance on race-related terms announced in March.
MOREPaxton Media Group purchases Tennessee daily
Paxton Media Group has purchased the Lebanon Democrat, a daily newspaper in Lebanon, Tenn., along with weekly newspapers in Mt. Juliet and Hartsville, Tenn., according to Randy Cope of Cribb, Greene & Cope who represented Sandusky Newspapers Inc. in the sale.
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We have a new website:
www.newspapers.org
America's Newspapers – the association formed from the merger of the Inland Press Association and Southern Newspaper Publishers Association – was ceremonially launched October 6 at its inaugural annual meeting in Chicago.
Dean Ridings will be its chief executive officer, effective Nov. 11.
America's Newspapers unites two of the oldest press associations to form one of the industry's largest advocates for newspapers and the many benefits to their communities, civil life, freedom of expression and democracy.
"Newspaper journalism provides a voice for the voiceless, challenges elected officials, shines a light on government, calls for change when change is needed, and exposes corruption and injustice," said Chris Reen, the president and publisher of The Gazette in Colorado Springs who will serve as the first president of America's Newspapers.
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New association launches today;
SNPA-Inland merger is complete
A new association formed by the consolidation of SNPA and the Inland Press Association was officially launched today. The name of the new association will be announced on Oct. 6 at the association's first annual meeting in Chicago.
Edward VanHorn, SNPA's executive director, said that the merger unites two of the country's oldest press associations into a progressive new organization that will use its bigger and more powerful voice to be an unapologetic advocate for newspapers.
MoreSNPA's staunchest advocate honored for 43 years of service
Edward VanHorn, who went to work for SNPA 43 years ago straight out of the University of North Carolina, will be honored at next week's SNPA-Inland Annual Meeting as this year's recipient of the Frank W. Mayborn Leadership Award. The award is named for the Texas newspaperman who helped shape SNPA in the early 1950s and served as president from 1961 to 1962.
"He's been that silent leader behind the newspaper industry and SNPA," said SNPA President PJ Browning, president and publisher of The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C. "We're honored to have the opportunity to give him this award as he's retiring. We thought it was very fitting."
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