South Carolina Press Association
www.scpress.org jbarclay@scpress.org
P.O. Box 11429, Columbia, S.C. 29211 • (803) 750-9561 JUNE 2008
Post and Courier appeals court ruling in FOI case SCPA members asked to join amicus brief effort The Post and Courier in Charleston has appealed a judge’s ruling allowing the Berkeley County School Board to keep Superintendent Chester Floyd’s performance evaluations a secret. SCPA is asking all member newspapers to join in an amicus brief in the case. The cost
is being paid by the FOI Fund. “We hope every paper will join to send a message to their local school boards,” said John Shurr, FOI chairman. Circuit Judge Roger Young ruled last month that the individual evaluations are protected by attorney-client privilege. The newspaper filed a notice of appeal on June 10, with the state Court of Appeals. Please See APPEAL page 3
However, the newspaper publisher and television station operator, said it will cut nearly 11%, or 750 jobs, of its work force by October. While revenue in Media General’s other markets fell, they rose 3.7% in South Carolina, mostly from the purchase of The (Hartsville) Messenger, Media General said. Overall, the McClatchy Co. announced it will cut companywide employment by 10%,
SCPA has redesigned its Web site. “Members will continue to find important industry news and Association information, now delivered in a platform that is much easier to navigate. We’re excited about the possibilities of expanding the site even further in the coming weeks when a password-protected members-only section will be added,” said Michelle Kerscher, Director of Marketing and Programs.
Please See CUTS page 2
Please See REDESIGN page 3
McClatchy orders job cuts in S.C. Battered by declining revenue, the McClatchy Co. and Media General have announced they will cut jobs to save money. The State in Columbia will cut 12 newsroom employees, or 3% of its work force, and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach will cut nine jobs, or 3.6% of its work force. Three will be in the newsroom. So far in South Carolina, Media General daily, The (Florence) Morning News, and four other weeklies have not seen cuts.
SCPA unveils new Web site
The Post and Courier, pictured with SCPA Executive Director Bill Rogers, left, and President Harry Logan, center, won the Metro Award for Best Overall Advertising for a daily paper at the PALMY Awards this month. Seventy SCPA members attended. See page 4 for more details.
Calendar
June 24 SNPA Daily Publishers’ Forum SCPA, Columbia
July 4 Happy Fourth of July! SCPA Offices Closed
July 17 Ad Sales Basics Workshop SCPA, Columbia
July 24 Photography Coaching The Herald-Journal office Spartanburg
Page 2 • June 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
Cuts Continued from page 1
or 1,400 employees, as it adjusts to declining advertising revenues. This move is expected to save $70 million a year. All of the layoffs at The State are in the newsroom, though they are reducing the work force elsewhere through attrition, or by reducing the work force through retirements and not filling open positions. According to The Sun News’ publisher P.J. Browning, three of the laid off positions are in the newsroom, four are in operations, one is in circulation and one is in marketing. “While it’s painful to make a reduction in staff, we proceed with 96% of our work force and a commitment to being the largest daily news-gathering operation in the coastal Carolinas,” Browning said. “We’ve seen excellent audience growth with the combination of print and online and will remain focused on those efforts, to provide top-quality journalism and advertising options for our customers.” McClatchy’s other S.C. dailies, the Beau-
fort Gazette, The Island Packet in Hilton Head and The (Rock Hill) Herald have dealt with cuts through attrition. The Herald said its work force would not be affected, after streamlining operating costs and eliminating some jobs through attrition in the past year. The Beaufort Gazette said it is operating with three fewer newsroom employees than a year ago. McClatchy papers in North Carolina will see larger cuts including: 123 employees, or 11% of the work force, at The Charlotte Observer; and 70 employees, or 8% of the work force, at The News & Observer in Raleigh. “The effects of the current national economic downturn – particularly in real estate, auto and employment advertising – make it essential that we move faster now to realign our workforce and make our operations more efficient,” McClatchy Chief Executive Gary Pruitt said in a statement. The move marks the first time the company has made across-the-board layoffs. McClatchy has used buyouts and attrition to cut its head count by 13% since April 2006. But with the stock price down about 80%
in two years, McClatchy said it had to act more decisively to reduce costs as it transitions to a company more fully focused on the Internet. Media General’s cuts are paired with other operating cost reductions, as the company faces a slumping U.S. economy and a deepening recession in Florida, where it has numerous operations, Marshall N. Morton, the company’s president and chief executive said in a news release. The cuts will result in an annualized cost savings of $40 million. The company also said its April revenue dropped 10.9%, hurt mostly by weakness in classified advertising. The company reported total revenue fell to $78.7 million, from $88.3 million in the prior-year period. Newspaper and publishing revenues fell 14.3% in the month, pushed down by results from the Tampa Tribune, where revenues plunged 27%. In addition to its three metropolitan newspapers, Media General owns 22 daily newspapers, 275 weekly newspapers and 22 network-affiliated television stations.
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June 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 3
FOI Briefs
Charleston can run Senator’s calls from jail A judge lifted a restraining order preventing The Post and Courier from publishing recordings of phone calls state Sen. Randy Scott made to his wife while in jail April 19, on a charge of driving under the influence. Circuit Judge James Williams rejected Scott’s attorneys’ arguments that publishing the tapes would make it impossible for him to have a fair trial. The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office gave the recordings to The Post and Courier after the newspaper filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act. John Kerr, the paper’s attorney, said in court that the restraining order should be lifted based on a previous state Supreme Court ruling that establishes a threepronged balancing test for determining whether a prior restraint is justified. Williams agreed with the newspaper’s argument and dissolved his prior order. He said that while the case no doubt will generate publicity, there are ways for a judge to get around pre-trial publicity. He also said there’s no way he can prevent the public from seeing the information if it’s already out there. Nash said he consulted the Sheriff’s Of-
fice attorney and released the recordings after concluding that “the inmate, while in jail, has no expectation of privacy” because a recording tells the inmate and the listener that the calls are being recorded and monitored. He reiterated that the deputies were just doing their jobs, the arrest wasn’t politically motivated and his department was following the FOIA law by turning the tapes over. ••• Legislation making its way through the North Carolina Senate would award automatic recovery of legal fees to plaintiffs who win open records cases against government agencies. The proposed bill would eliminate judges’ discretion to award these legal fees, mandating that parties who win open records cases be reimbursed for their litigation expenses. South Carolina has laws providing for the routine awarding of attorney fees in open public records cases. ••• A federal judge recently ruled that a White House office that has records about millions of possibly missing e-mail messages does not have to make them public. U.S. District Judge Colleen KollarKotelly said the Office of Administration was not subject to the Freedom of Information Act, enabling the White House to maintain the secrecy of a lengthy internal paper trail about its problem-plagued e-mail system.
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Appeal Continued from page 1
“We appealed it because we don’t think the motion for summary judgment was either correct or fair. We never had a chance to present our case,” Executive Editor Bill Hawkins said. “This is an issue much too important to the citizens of Berkeley County to just let it sit there. We’ll see if we can get a ruling that benefits the public’s interest.” School district attorneys argued it was necessary for the board to enlist the help of an attorney with the evaluations because some newly elected members had created a contentious environment. Board Chairman Doug Cooper said he’s read the judge’s order and he doesn’t understand why the newspaper continues to pursue the matter. “I don’t understand what the premise is – it’s to keep us spending money, I guess,” he said. “I’m not a legal guy, but it sounds fairly frivolous to me.” Jay Bender, SCPA attorney, said the decision has statewide implications. “What we have here is a situation where the lawyers are helping the individual board members avoid accountability,” Bender said. Bender said he expects the organization, as well as newspapers and individuals from across the state, to request to join the newspaper’s appeal. To date, the school district has spent $47,267.33 defending the district in this case. SCPA Executive Director Bill Rogers called the $47,000 an “amazing” figure. He said the organization will back the paper because it’s such an important case with statewide implications. “That’s just amazing they would spend that amount of money to try and keep secret something that’s been open all over the state,” Rogers said.
Redesign Continued from page 1
“Michelle has done a great job designing our new site and now that our staff is managing it in-house, we will be able to keep the site much more current,” Executive Director Bill Rogers said. Visit the new site at www.scpress.org and let us know what you think!
Page 4 • June 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
Industry Briefs news consumption patterns of Sumter to publish examine young adults between the ages of 18 and around the world. six days a week 34Among the key findings was that the
Beth Ward and Michaele Duke of The News in Kingstree, are presented with the Paul League Award by SCPA President Harry Logan on June 12, at the PALMY Awards. The News was honored with this award for best overall advertising at a weekly newspaper. More than 300 other awards were presented to SCPA member papers, chosen from 1,634 entries.
Beginning July 1, The Item in Sumter will convert from a seven-day daily paper to a six-day-per-week daily paper. It will no longer publish on Mondays. “The Monday paper costs us more to produce than we receive in revenue, and has for years,” said publisher Jack Osteen. “With the substantial rise in energy prices and newsprint, we can no longer subsidize the Monday paper and keep our subscription rates affordable.” Timely news will still be available on The Item’s Web site on Mondays. And, for those who do not have Internet, the Tuesday paper will update everyone on local news that would have been in the Monday paper. ••• The Associated Press and ContextBased Research Group, an ethnographic research firm, unveiled key findings which
Regional Photography Seminars
to help reporters learn to take better pictures
• July 23 – The Herald-Journal, Spartanburg • August 7 – The Morning News, Florence • August 13 – Orangeburg Chamber of Commerce This summer, the S.C. Press Association Foundation is sponsoring three free photography seminars for reporters. Dr. Keith Kenney, journalism professor at the University of South Carolina, will teach the sessions. Reporters are asked to bring the cameras they use to the sessions. All sessions will start at 9:30 a.m. and run until noon. Dr. Kenney will discuss using the camera’s basic settings and shooting sports action photos. He will also go over composition, answer questions and help solve individual photo problems. The entire cost of the workshop is being covered by the SCPA Foundation and there is no registration fee. However, attendees are asked to register in advance by visiting www.scpress.org or calling Jen at (803) 750-9561.
young subjects of the study experienced news fatigue, meaning they were overloaded with facts and updates and had trouble connecting to more in-depth stories. Participants yearned for quality and in-depth reporting, but had difficulty immediately accessing such content. Additionally, the study noted that the news habits of the young consumers were dramatically different from those of previous generations. This group is driving the shift from traditional media to digital news. As a result of this project, AP has developed a program for linking news content across platform and brand to help connect consumers to relevant news more easily. – SNPA Bulletin For more on this story, visit www.scpress.org
June 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 5
People and Papers
The State names new executives Veteran newspaper executive Phil Haggerty has rejoined The State as Vice President of Operations and Matthew Ipsan has been hired as Vice President of Interactive Media. Haggerty will have responsibility for all areas of Production, as well as environmental health and safety, advertising production and facilities management. Haggerty previously was with The State in Haggerty the late 1980s and early 1990s as production manager and then assistant production director. Most recently, Haggerty was Vice President of Operations for Fort Wayne Newspapers in Indiana. Ipsan As Vice President of Interactive Media, Ipsan will work closely with The State’s online news and sales operations and with the executive team in setting strategy, priorities and direction. Most recently, Ipsan was Director of New Media for the Belo television station in Charlotte, where he worked for the past two years.
Jasper welcomes new editor and publisher The Hampton County Guardian and Jasper County Sun has named Ann Kennedy publisher and Michael DeWitt Jr. editor of the two Barnwell Newspaper Group papers. “I am so pleased to have someone of Ann’s talent and energy to lead these two newspapers,” said Laura McKenzie, regional publisher of Barnwell Newspaper Group. “She’s a home-state woman who
will be a great asset to both these communities.” A native of Lexington, Kennedy is a graduate of the University of South Carolina College of Journalism. She is returning to South Carolina after working as managing editor of BostonNow, a daily newspaper with an integrated Web site. DeWitt is a native of Hampton County. He received his Associate of Arts degree from the University of South CarolinaSalkehatchie, Allendale campus. After working as a freelance writer, DeWitt joined The Guardian as a staff writer in 2004.
News editor takes helm at Summerville Jenny Peterson has been hired as the news editor of The Journal Scene in Summerville, moving from the James Island Journal, where she served as editor for more than a year. “We are excited to have someone of Jenny’s background joining The Journal Scene’s news team. She brings an understanding and enthusiasm for community journalism that is essential Peterson for success,” said Executive Editor Judy Watts. Peterson began her career as a reporter for The Moultrie News in Mt. Pleasant, where she worked for two years covering city government and community news. ••• Longtime Sun News State House reporter Zane Wilson is retiring after 11 years of covering state government and more than 40 years in the newspaper industry. Wilson formerly served as editor of the Coastal Observer in Pawleys Island. On June 5, the Senate honored Wilson for her years of dedication covering state government. Part of the resolution states, “Although petite in stature and gentle in demeanor, Zane Wilson’s vigilance and thoroughness denote a tall character that has soared above her peers in the news industry ... and ... her writing skills, accuracy, and enthusiasm for scooping the news
have been recognized by her profession and envied by her colleagues and competitors alike.” ••• Max Heath, a champion of newspaper postal rates and a key contributor to Landmark Community Newspaper’s success over the years, will retire June 30. Heath has done a number of postal rate workshops for SCPA. A 35-year veteran of LCNI since its purchase by Landmark in 1973, he joined the predecessor company, Newspapers, Inc., in March 1969 prior to college graduation. Max has volunteered to provide postal and related software consultation to LCNI newspapers and corporate staff through the transition to new ownership while continuing his volunteer national work on issues important to community newspapers. ••• Tom Kaspari has joined The Sun News as VP-Circulation. He is responsible for circulation growth in home delivery and single copy, customer satisfaction and ontime performance. ••• Joni Weerheim, a 30-year veteran in the newspaper industry, who most recently served as publisher for The Daily Journal in Seneca and The Daily Messenger in Clemson, is leaving to become publisher of The Sun of Yuma, Arizona. ••• Camden Chronicle-Independent staff writer Jade Anderson has been promoted to Localife editor. For the past year, Anderson’s work has primarily focused on education in Kershaw County. She has also written numerous feature stories and continues to write a weekly column. ••• Kylie Yerka has been named presentation editor of the Anderson Independent-Mail. In her new position, she will work with copy editors on the news and sports desks to help raise the quality of page designs. Please See PEOPLE page 6
Send us your news! jbarclay@scpress.org
Page 6 • June 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
Strategies for ad inserts I was talking to Sara, who handles the marketing for a company that places advertising in a number of publications. “Inserts will never replace our regular newspaper advertising, but we do run them on special occasions,” she By John Foust said. “And like every- Advertising Trainer thing else in our overall marketing plan, we want to make sure we’re getting the most for our investment. “An insert rarely stands alone,” Sara said. “When we plan a printed piece, we know it will be competing with a number of other inserts in the same issue of the paper – just like our regular ads compete with other ads. Our big questions are: (1) How can we grab attention?...(2) How can we hold attention?... and (3) How can we drive response?” Sara mentioned several things that she keeps in mind when she plans an insert: 1. Think big. According to Sara, the first step is to study the typical inserts in the publication that has been selected – and then print her insert on larger paper. “We can’t assume that our insert will be first in line,” she said. “Since it is likely to be in a grouping of other inserts, we want it to stick out around the edges. The way to do that is to use paper that is as big as possible.” 2. Print on both sides. Sara noted that some advertisers print their inserts on one side, and leave the other side blank. “If an insert is printed on just one side, there’s a fifty-fifty chance that the wrong side will be facing readers when they flip through the paper. Even if the inserts are placed face-up, there are readers that sift through them from back to front. We
Ad-Libs always print on both sides, so our inserts will be visible.” 3. Print in color. “It’s false economy to print only in black and white. There’s probably more color in any given number of inserts than in the same number of ROP ads. We have to keep in mind that we’re competing with a lot of glitz and glitter among the other inserts in the same issue of the paper.” 4. Promise a benefit or provide timely information. Sara believes the old WIIFM philosophy is just as true with inserts as it is with other types of advertising: We all listen to the same hypothetical radio station – which stands for “What’s In It For Me?” “There’s a lot of clutter out there,” Sara said. “People are bombarded with commercial messages screaming to ‘buy this,’ ‘buy that,’ ‘do this’ or ‘do that.’ We figure that we have a split second to get their attention, and another few seconds to introduce our copy point. If our message does not appeal to their interests, they’ll ignore us completely.” 5. Create urgency. “It’s our objective to motivate potential customers to take some form of immediate action,” Sara explained. “We like to think of readers going through a stack of inserts with scissors in hand. We want them to cut out our information – whether it’s a coupon or a return postcard.” More Information John Foust conducts on-site and video training for newspaper advertising departments. His three new video programs are designed to help ad managers conduct in-house training for their sales teams. For information, contact: John Foust, PO Box 97606, Raleigh, NC 27624 USA, E-mail: jfoust@mindspring.com, Phone 919-848-2401.
Advertise in the SCPA Bulletin and reach hundreds of newspaper professionals! Contact Jen for more info at (803) 750-9561 or jbarclay@scpress.org
People Continued from page 5
••• Warner Montgomery, publisher of The Columbia Star, recently received the 2008 Journalist of the Year Award from the Southeast American Board of Trial Attorneys (SEABOTA) at their annual convention in New Orleans April 27. ••• Carolina Forest Chronicle veteran writer Ettie Newlands has been promoted to assistant editor. She will continue to serve the paper as its main feature writer. In addition, she will handle the faith, business and real estates beats and continue to serve as the Chronicle’s chief copy editor. ••• Crescent Publishing Company, LLC, of Greenville, is selling its six weekly newspapers in Maine. NetMedia will purchase the tri-weekly Courier-Gazette (Rockland) and the weekly Camden Herald, Republican Journal (Belfast), Waldo Independent (Belfast), Bar Harbor Times and Capital Weekly (Augusta) from Courier Publications, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Crescent Publishing Co. ••• The Herald-Independent in Winnsboro has welcomed Louise Sanders to its staff as a general assignments reporter. ••• D.B. Riley has joined the news staff of the Laurens County Advertiser. He is a graduate of Duke University and has formerly served as a Special Forces officer in the Army. He has also served as a Hospice chaplain and adjunct professor of sociology. ••• The Clinton Chronicle recently welcomed Trevor Baratko to its staff as a writer. He is a recent graduate of the College of Charleston. ••• Yolanda Lawson-Hedman is the newest addition to the Marion County News Journal staff as a contributor for entertainment and current events. She is a former radio announcer. ••• The Newberry Observer has added Leslie Moses to its staff. Moses joined the news department and will be covering a variety of beats including education.
June 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 7
Use verbs correctly to power stories Let’s start this month with a short quiz: 1) A verb’s tense reflects the time orientation of the story’s ____? 2) The “perfect” in a tense like past perfect means the action has been ___? By Doug Fisher 3) The ____ tense USC School too often is not used of Mass Communication when it should be. 4) In a lede without a time element, the ____ or ____ tenses are preferred. 5) Verbs also have “mood.” Which mood suggests fantasy, wishful thinking or a condition contrary to fact? Verbs are the engines that power our stories. Weak verbs make weak writing; the perfect verb makes copy sing. Verbs also carry powerful nuances that require care. As discussed here before, “claims” inevitably implies questions about credibility. Using “states” is, as Jack Cappon of the AP once wrote, “the instant mark of a wooden writer,” and verbs like “noted” and “pointed out” impart a certain credibility. But to avoid bollixing up things, we also should remember that a verb’s tense reflects the time orientation of the writer/narrator or speaker. Do you see a problem in this recent lede about a memorial for seven students killed in a fire at Ocean Isle Beach? Genie Lee looks across the only street leading into this North Carolina town of about 500 people to see an aluminum cross and a stone bearing her son’s name. About two miles from where she is standing sits a silent sand lot – the only sound the rustling of plastic wrap that holds dead $4 roses. It was there six months ago that her son, William Rhea, and six of his friends died in a fire that to her is still burning. Lee came to Ocean Isle Beach just for the day – to watch as the town memorializes her son with a cross and some flowers in a private ceremony. Eventually, she will cross the Odell Williamson Bridge ... “Came” is out of place. The writer, with the present tense, had signaled he was
Common Sense Journalism there with Lee, watching and hearing. But with “came,” suddenly the writer was looking back at the scene from afar, as we do with most journalistic writing. Then, with the future tense “will,” he was back to being there and looking forward. We psychologically are hard-wired to pick up on the orientation that verb tenses signal, and such unnatural shifts clang on the brain. Enter the “perfect” tenses. To perfect (emphasis on the last syllable) is to complete something; the perfect tenses signify completed action. Since the writer used present as the main tense, he should have taken one step back along the sequence of tenses to present perfect (Lee has come), since her coming to the town was complete before the current narration. Writers often use the simple past tense instead of past perfect, and editors miss it often enough that fellow copy-editing teacher Jane Harrigan calls it one of “The Five Grammar Points You Meet in Hell.” A simple example: The house was destroyed when firefighters arrived. (Did their arrival cause the destruction?) The house had been destroyed when firefighters arrived. (The destruction was complete before they got there.) Another of the perfect tenses – present perfect – works in a lede without a time element. Again, we tend to be hard wired so that the first time we hear or read past tense, we wonder “when.” Using the present perfect or present tense eases that: • A grand jury has indicted Mayor Joe Smith on two bribery counts. • (Next day) Mayor Joe Smith says he is innocent of any wrongdoing ... Some papers still use the unadorned “said” without a time element. Not only is it jarring, but in this digital age there also may be good reason to move the time element out of our ledes and use the perfect or present tense – the past tense says, “This is old news.” It may be time to drop the shibboleth that “said” and a time element must be in the lede of hard-news stories. Finally, it’s worth remembering that verbs
also have mood, especially subjunctive, which too often is underused. It’s for cases of fantasy or wishful thinking or conditions contrary to fact. (“I wish my roommate were not such a slob” may well hit the trifecta on those.) Subjunctive also signals what the speaker actually knows. For instance, if you asked me whether the boss was in, and I replied, “If she was here, she’d be in her office,” it means I’m not sure whether she actually is in. However, if I said, “If she were here, she’d be in her office,” I’m telling you I know she is not (condition contrary to fact). More Information Doug Fisher, a former AP news editor, teaches journalism at the University of South Carolina and can be reached at dfisher@sc.edu or 803-777-3315. Past issues of Common Sense Journalism can be found at http://www.jour.sc.edu/news/csj/index.html.
The SCPA Bulletin is published monthly by the South Carolina Press Association. Subscriptions are included in membership dues. If you would like to receive a copy of the Bulletin, e-mail jbarclay@scpress.org.
SCPA OfÀcers President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harry Logan Morning News, Florence Vice-President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Smith Press & Standard, Walterboro Vice-President . . . . . . . . . . . . Laura McKenzie Barnwell Newspaper Group Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Osteen The Item, Sumter Immediate Past President . . . . . . . . . . . . Carl Beck The Herald Journal, Spartanburg Executive Committee Steve Blackwell. . . . . . . . Hometown News, Woodruff Sue Detar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel Island News Larry Franklin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Clinton Chronicle Bill Hawkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Post and Courier, Charleston Butch Hughes . . . . . . . . . Anderson Independent-Mail Art Zappa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aiken Standard Executive Staff William C. Rogers . . . . . . . . . . . . . Executive Director Michelle Kerscher . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Marketing and Programs Randall L. Savely . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Operations Jen Barclay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Communications and Development Coordinator Sharon Bailey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Director of Finance Bulletin Jen Barclay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editor jbarclay@scpress.org
Ad Sales Basics Workshop Thursday, July 17 Register today...space is limited to the first 18 people. The cost of the workshop is being kept low…just $40 per person, including a box lunch.
New sales people on staff? Help them get started with the essentials of ad sales. Register today for SCPA’s popular quarterly sales training for new sales reps. The workshop is designed for newspaper ad sales employees with less than a year’s experience. The July17th workshop will cover the basics in advertising sales and get your revenue-producing staff off to a great start.
This session will be held at the SCPA office in Columbia. The workshop will start at 10 a.m. and end around 3:30 p.m. On-line registration forms and directions to SCPA’s offices may be found at www.scpress. org. For additional information, contact Alanna Ritchie at SCPA at 803-750-9561 or aritchie@scpress.org.
Alanna Ritchie, ad director for the South Carolina Newspaper Network, will conduct this full-day workshop. A veteran of weekly and daily newspaper sales, Ritchie will help attendees understand the basics of sales, including selling against competition, dealing with objections, closing skills, basic design and consultive selling.
Registration Form Newspaper Name
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Please print your name for your name badge
Check Enclosed $______________
Early Bird Fee $40
Regular Fee (after July 7) - $ 45
Return this form to: SCPA PO Box 11429 Columbia, SC 29211 (803) 750-9561 FAX: (803) 551-0903
Bill my: Visa Mastercard Exp. Date ____________ 3 Digit V-Code __________
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June 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 9
Critical mass: balance design elements I have a theory. Been rolling it around for a couple of years. I think it makes some sense. Trouble is, I have no proof. If I did, it wouldn’t be a theory. It would be a law. And I would be rich and famous. OK … faBy Ed Henninger mous. OK … not that, Henninger is either. an independent I call it the theory of newspaper “critical design mass.” consultant It states that the design and director of Henninger of a news page must Consulting in include a well proporRock Hill tioned combination of visuals (photos, charts, etc.), design elements (such as headlines and pull quotes) and text (such as, well …text). Oh … and negative space. The four must work together, in good balance. Probably nothing you haven’t heard be-
fore – but the key lies in the words “proportion” and “balance.” Use too many elements and the page becomes cluttered and busy. This is where the real “critical mass” part comes in: the way to guarantee the balance is to leave a large enough mass of text on the page so other elements aren’t crammed against each other. The text acts as a buffer and a balance to give other elements the lighter background they need to stand out. What’s the formula? How much text-todesign elements? That’s a tough one – and it depends on the number and the size of the visual and design elements needed in your packages. Speaking just for me, I like at least as much text on a page as design elements. So that would make my formula 50-50. But it’s not always that simple. What if the lead art is horizontal? What if the lead package is an amalgam of photos, charts and text? What if you’re using a screen behind a lead feature package?
Then, the formula might have to be reworked. Years ago, design pioneer Ed Arnold advised that if you could place a dollar bill on a page and it touched nothing but text, that area of the page was too typeheavy. Nowadays, we hear so much about the need for entry points and visual elements that we may be trying too hard. Even with the need for points of entry – and strong visual interest – on a page, we still need to create a design that can breathe, a page that’s comfortable and not cluttered. Critical mass – keeping enough text on the page so the page is a balance of all elements – is a key to that effort. More Information ED HENNINGER is an independent newspaper consultant and the Director of Henninger Consulting, offering comprehensive newspaper design services, including redesigns, staff training, workshops and evaluations. You can reach him at: 803-327-3322. E-mail: edh@henningerconsulting.com. On the web: www.henningerconsulting.com
Page 10 • June 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
Quark hopes to keep and attract designers Is it too little, too late for QuarkXPress? I hope not. The more competition the better, I say. Unless it’s a competing paper in my market, that is. The press releases came out recently By Kevin touting the launch of Slimp QuarkXPress 8. When Institute of I received an invitation Newspaper Technology to attend the unveiling of the application in Denver, I really wanted to attend. Unfortunately (well, not really unfortunately – I had a great time in Montreal), I was already booked to speak in Montreal the same day. But I would like to have been there to see if the folks at Adobe have anything to worry about. On their Web site, Quark promises to make the page-layout and design experience easier, faster and fun. I hope it’s as fun as InDesign. Or as easy. Or as fast. If past experience is any indication, Quark needs to make a major leap to accomplish any of the three. I’m pulling for them, though. Software only improves with competition. Thinking about upgrading to Quark? Purchase version 7 by August 1, and you can upgrade to QuarkXPress 8 free. Order online at quark.com and receive a 15% discount. It can’t be too much longer till we start hearing rumblings about Adobe Creative Suite CS4. Adobe seems to come out with a new version about every 18 months or so. If that holds true, maybe we’ll have new versions of QuarkXPress and InDesign before the year is up. Only time will tell. And speaking of upgrades, Adobe makes an announcement of its own. Adobe had its own announcement in June: Acrobat 9 is ready for public consumption. I’ve been involved in beta testing version 9 for the past year and plan to write a full review in the near future. But for the moment, let me share a few morsels to whet your appetite. • For the first time, Acrobat 9 provides deep support for Adobe Flash technology,
enabling users to include Adobe Flash Player compatible video and application files in PDF documents. Recipients simply need free Adobe Reader 9 software to view these files. • Acrobat 9 also includes the ability to unify a wide range of content into a single document with the new concept of PDF Portfolios. PDF Portfolios enable users to assemble multiple media types, such as documents, video, audio and even 3D objects, into one compressed PDF file. • Acrobat now comes in three primary flavors: Acrobat 9 Standard, Acrobat 9 Pro and the new Acrobat 9 Pro Extended. The Extended version includes Adobe Presenter software for easily turning Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into multimedia experiences that can be published as PDF files. More later. I promise. RecoSoft offers tempting PDF2ID plugin for designers and ad departments. I recently took a quick trip – well, three hours – to Nashville to have lunch with David Blatner, author of more books than I can remember related to InDesign, QuarkXPress and other design programs. David was in town hosting a Creative Suite Tour event. While there, we ran into Paramjit Chadha, who manages a software company – RecoSoft – based in Japan. A quick look at their Web site indicates they specialize in PDF conversion plug-ins. Paramjit told me a little about one of his products, PDF2ID, and I knew it was something I would be testing as soon as I could get my hands on it. First, the good news. PDF2ID allows users to open PDF files in InDesign. Read that again. I didn’t say it allowed users to “place PDF files.” I said “open PDF files.” There’s a vast difference. Like Q2ID (Quark to InDesign) and PUB2ID (Publisher to InDesign) from Markzware (yes, I suspect Markzware might be a little peeved about the similarity in software names), PDF2ID allows users to open PDF files in InDesign simply by selecting File>Open. This immediately opens the PDF file as a native InDesign file, meaning the contents can be moved and edited as
if they were created in InDesign. Now for the bad news. In the tests I did, there was a good bit of shifting when I opened PDF files in InDesign. Most of these were related to fonts that weren’t available – no fault of the plug-in. Over the years I’ve seen speakers offer classes in PDF correction using Adobe Illustrator. I’ve never been a fan of this because you can never be sure the text hasn’t shifted – or changed – when a PDF file is opened in Illustrator. PDF2ID won’t fix all the problematic PDF files you receive from advertisers every day. However, there are lots of times when I wish I could open a PDF file in InDesign to use part of the contents on my page. PDF2ID is a great tool for this. Would I spend $249 for a plug-in to open PDF files in InDesign? It depends. Individuals might find this a hefty price to pay for a tool used sparingly. However, a newspaper would be wise to consider making PDF2ID a part of its design arsenal. As always, the decision is up to you. PUB2ID is compatible with both PC and Mac. For more information concerning PDF2ID, visit recosoft.com. More Information Kevin Slimp is director of the Institute of Newspaper Technology. He can be reached at kslimp@newspaperinstitute.com. Join Kevin Slimp, Lynn Grillo, Jay Nelson, Rob Heller, Cathy Bandeko, Lisa Griffin, Karl Kuntz and a host of newspaper designers, editors, publishers and technology professionals for the eleventh annual session of the
Institute of Newspaper Technology
October 9-11, 2008 Knoxville, Tennessee USA Enjoy hands-on instruction from the industry’s leading trainers in topics including: Web Design with Dreamweaver, Introduction to Adobe InDesign, New Software For Newspaper Designers, Advanced Photo Editing & Color Correction, Fixing Problems in PDF Files, New Features in Adobe Creative Suite, Creating Animated Web Ads in Flash, Creating Audio Slide Shows for Newspaper Websites, Introduction to Adobe Illustrator, MultiAd Creator Tips & Tricks, InCopy Editorial Workflow, New & Advanced Features in QuarkXPress 8.0, Advanced InDesign Tips & Tricks and more!
newspaperinstitute.com
June 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 11
Obituaries Rhea T. Eskew Former Greenville publisher and SCPA President GREENVILLE
Rhea Taliaferro Eskew, 84, died May 24, at his home. Eskew, a World War II Army veteran, joined The Greenville News-Piedmont Co. as general manager after 24 years with United Press International. In 1973, he was named a vice president. He was senior executive of the newspaper’s former parent company, Multimedia Inc., from 1978 until he retired in 1987. He served on the board of directors of Multimedia until 1995, when it merged with Gannett Co., Inc. Eskew had been president of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Eskew Association and the South Carolina Press Association. He also served on several committees of the American Newspaper Publishers Association. Gov. Carroll Campbell awarded him the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, in 1988. Among the people Easkew recruited for The Greenville News is current publisher Steve Brandt. His death is “a great loss for us,” said Brandt, who can remember the phone call that brought him to Greenville. “You don’t know me,” Brandt recalled Eskew saying, “but I’m interested in hiring you.” Brandt came on board as head of personnel. “I certainly owe Rhea a great debt for giving me the opportunity to come to Greenville,” Brandt said. “He had a pretty significant impact on my life.” Eskew was part of Leadership Greenville’s inaugural class, president of Goodwill Industries of Upper South Carolina and the Greenville Symphony Orchestra. Moffett Kendrick was a friend of Es-
kew’s for 60 years and graduated in the same class at Emory University. They both wound up in Greenville. “He was a great guy,” said Kendrick, who worked with Eskew on Chamber of Commerce activities. “Rhea had an unshakable integrity. In that regard, I considered him very constant. You always knew where you stood.”
William S. Bryan Jr. Forner general manager, Georgetown Times GEORGETOWN
William Stanley Bryan Jr., 83, died May 15. Bryan worked for more than 20 years in advertising at The Post and Courier. He was also the general manager of the Georgetown Times.
Annie Lou Craven Correspondent, The Press & Standard WALTERBORO
Annie Lou Elizabeth Carson Craven, 87, died April 26. Craven was a correspondent for The Press & Standard for more than 50 years. She was also a seamstress and a member of the Home Demonstration Club.
J. Reese Daniel Reporter, The State and The Charleston News and Courier PAWLEYS ISLAND
J. Reese Daniel. 83, formerly of Columbia, died May 9. After serving in the Navy during World War II, Daniel returned to school on the GI bill. He graduated from the University of South Carolina journalism school. Daniel was a reporter for the Charleston News and Courier, United Press wire service and The State. He later went to law school and served as general counsel for the S.C. Automobile Dealers Association. He authored many articles in the American Bar Journal, several S.C. newspapers and Flying Magazine.
Winston Hardegree Columnist, The Herald-Journal WOODRUFF
Theo Winston Hardegree, 76, passed away April 19. Along with serving as president of Avondale Mills, Hardegree was a writer for The Herald-Journal in Spartanburg. Hardegree wrote book reviews and a gardening column, “Carolina Corners.” He was a Master Gardener instructor. On his farm, Hardegree developed a community garden whose produce would be donated to local soup kitchens through the “Plant a Row for the Hungry” initiative, developed by the Garden Writers Association of America. He also recently published a book of short stories titled The Legacy.
Foundation for the future... Your donations to the SCPA Foundation help aspiring journalists by funding internships and scholarships. But these things can’t happen without your support. So at the end of the tax year, remember the SCPA Foundation with your gifts. And a donation to the Foundation in the name of a departed colleague is an excellent remembrance that lasts far longer than flowers.
bbkyzer@mindspring.com
Page 12 • June 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
Help Iowa newspaper flood victims
are hurting and we hope you can help.” The Iowa Newspaper Foundation has established a fund to help newspaper personnel who are flood and tornado victims. Many of these employees contributed to the outstanding coverage of the natural disasters despite their personal upheaval. Tax-deductible checks may be sent to the Iowa Media Employees Disaster Relief Fund at the Iowa Newspaper Foundation, 319 E. Fifth St., Des Moines, IA 50309, or go to www.inanews.com to make a credit card donation.
S.C. Press Association P.O. Box 11429 Columbia, S.C.29211
the devastation in some homes.” “While we know victims will receive FEMA assistance, we also know that is not enough. We will take steps to ensure that any aid we collect is used only for legitimate flood damage beyond any reimbursement from insurance, FEMA or other public assistance,” she said. “We are grateful that this has not been as catastrophic as what our colleagues along the Gulf Coast experience when Katrina hit in 2005. But we want you to know that colleagues in the news media
Serving South Carolina’s Newspaper Industry since 1852
The damage to much of Iowa from the recent tornados and floods has been welldocumented by the newspapers of Iowa. One of the stories behind the story is the personal hardship suffered by many of the newspaper employees helping to deliver critical weather information to the public. Another story is the generosity of newspaper people helping newspaper people to cope with these disasters. The Iowa Newspaper Foundation is asking press associations and papers across the county to help these people in need. News media employees in several towns in Iowa face personal losses. Some employees have had their homes and personal belongings destroyed or severely damaged. “You can’t get flood insurance unless you live in the 100-year flood plain and this flood went beyond the 500-year flood plain, so we truly are looking at a disaster of millennial proportions, with much of the damage uninsured,” said Jennifer Asa, INF Director. “We are only now getting our first glimpses of
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