WWW.ANANE WS.COM
2019 Legislative Reception ANA News ANA and Arizona Capitol Times hosted their annual Legislators, Publishers and Editors Reception on January 29 in conjunction with the official start of the 2019 Arizona State Legislature that convened January 14. This is the one time each year where newspaper publishers and editors can visit with their legislators in an informal and casual setting. Newspaper representatives came from: Casa Grande Dispatch, Daily Courier (Prescott), East Valley Tribune (Times Media Group), Eastern Arizona Courier, Fountain Hills Times, Green Valley/Sahuarita Sun, Kingman Daily Miner, Nogales International, Phoenix Business Journal, Sedona Red Rock News (Larson Newspapers), Today’s News Herald (Lake Havasu)/Parker Pioneer, Verde Independent (Cottonwood)/ Camp Verde Bugle, Williams Grand Canyon - Navajo Hopi Observer. Throughout the evening several state representatives from more than 10 districts attended the reception. Each year during the legislative session, ANA and its lobbyist work with great effort in protecting public notices and the people’s right to know what their government is doing by keeping government records and meetings open. See page 6 for story and photos
New publication from Independent Newsmedia. New publisher at Arizona Daily Sun �������page
2-3
Janua ry 2 0 1 9
ANA names new executive director Thomas boasts nearly four decades in the industry ANA News Timothy H. Thomas of Mesa, has joined the Arizona Newspapers Association as its new executive director. He started Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019 at the ANA’s office space located in the Arizona Capital Times building in Phoenix. Originally of Illinois, Thomas brings to the position 38 years of newspaper Tim Thomas e x p e r i e n c e . Arizona In Arizona, Newspapers he worked 13 Association, years from Executive Director 2002-2015 as national sales manager for Republic Media in Phoenix; six years from 1996-2002 as automotive manager/classified advertising for The Arizona Republic; and nine years from 19871996 as classifieds manager for Tribune Newspapers. At The Arizona Republic, he lead teams selling multi-media packages, including print, online, direct mail, inserts and targeted mail and was instrumental in developing cars.com
from its introduction to a national leader with 83 Phoenix area dealers participating. Thomas and his teams increased automotive revenue by 54 percent in five years. More recently for the past three years, he has served as business development manager for the Arizona Food Marketing Alliance, where he successfully formed and executed a business plan to drive growth within the sponsorship and membership areas of the AFMA. “Tim was among two finalists from a list of 10 very qualified and talented individuals,” said ANA President Manuel C. Coppola. “Ultimately the hiring committee and the board felt that with his extensive knowledge of the market and his sales and management experience he could hit the ground running to bolster ANA’s revenues and steer the organization to remain relevant in our ever-challenging industry.” Paula Casey, who has worked for ANA for 24 years, including 12 years as executive director, will remain on board through March to help with the leadership transition and acclimate Thomas with the organization’s lobbying efforts
Production: Deciding between profit and design and function ������������������ page
ANA calendar: February webinars from newspaperacademy.com, plus upcoming events ����� page
10
See page 2, Executive Director
14
Executive Director, continued from page 1 ANAgrams is a quarterly e-publication produced by the Arizona Newspapers Association 1835 W. Adams St. Phoenix, AZ 85007-2603 Office (602) 261-7655 • Fax (602) 261-7525 www.ananews.com
ANA Staff Tim Thomas Executive Director / ext. 102 t.thomas@ananews.com Paula Casey Legislative Consultant / ext. 102 p.casey@ananews.com Julie O’Keefe Communications Manager / ext. 110 j.okeefe@ananews.com Cindy London Ad Placement Manager / ext. 112 c.meaux@ananews.com
The Arizona Newspapers Association (ANA) was established in 1930 and incorporated in 1956. It is the successor to the Arizona Press Association of 1905, and the Arizona Daily Newspaper Association of 1922. The Association is governed by an 11-member board of directors elected by the member newspapers. The ANA is a nonprofit trade association representing more than 115 Arizona newspapers.
ANA Board of Directors President Kyle Larson, General Manager – Larson Newspapers (Sedona) 1st Vice President Jeanie Hankins, Publisher – The Wickenburg Sun 2nd Vice President Colleen Brady, Publisher – Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff) 3rd Vice President Jill Jorden Spitz, Editor Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) Secretary / Treasurer Brian Kramer, Publisher – White Mountain Independent, Payson Roundup Lisa Reilly, Publisher Yuma Sun Cloves Campbell, Publisher Arizona Informant Luige del Puerto, Associate Publisher Arizona Capitol Times Kelly Soldwedel, Assoc. VP Western News&Info, Inc. Anthony Bratti, Regional VP Sales – Arizona Republic/Republic Media (Phoenix) Past President Manuel Coppola, Publisher – Nogales International
Page 2 | ANAgrams ■ January 2019
as the 2019 session of the State Legislature opens on Jan. 14. “We’ve already lined him up for a couple of meetings,” Casey said. “We may as well have him jump in with both feet!” As to Casey’s tenure with ANA, Coppola said, “Over the years, Paula has successfully guided the organization through many peaks and valleys, through her relationships with the leaders of our member newspapers.” On a more global front, she advocated for the industry through her participation in Newspaper Association Managers
Inc., which represents more than 9,400 daily and weekly newspapers published throughout the United State and Canada. “Paula has been threatening to retire for acouple of years,” Coppola said. “We finally took her seriously and earlier this year began an arduous search for a new executive director. We are excited for her as she moves on to the next stage in her life pursuing other interests and enjoying more time with her family. At the same time, we look forward to working with Tim as we greet the New Year with some exciting opportunities and challenges ahead.”
Independent Newsmedia launches 13th publication Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, (INI) will launch its newest monthly publication — the Litchfield Independent — delivered in mailboxes to residents and businesses in the City of Litchfield Park, with its first distribution February 2. INI also publishes the Daily NewsSun, five weekly newspapers, five monthlies, one magazine and five community websites, including YourValley. net, throughout the Phoenix-metro area. The company also owns and operates a commercial printing plant. “We’re so excited to launch our first publication in the Southwest Valley,” said INI’s Arizona Publisher Charlene Bisson. “We see this as an excellent opportunity to serve Litchfield Park to fulfill our company mission of community service.” Arizona Managing Editor Terrance Thornton is leading the company’s news efforts in providing quality journalism for the readers of Litchfield Park while Philip Haldiman will lead as news editor. “There has never been a better time to be a part of the local newspaper business,” Mr. Thornton said.
“We’re committed to local journalism and giving the Litchfield Park community its own voice by facilitating community debate.” The Litchfield Park Independent will give advertisers affordable rates for postal delivery while also fiercely protecting the First Amendment rights of the citizens of Litchfield Park. Collectively, the Arizona group of newspapers and community websites reaches more than 400,000 homes. INI is 100 percent owned by a nonprofit journalistic trust that allows all after-tax profits to be reinvested in the company’s community service mission. The company also publishes community newspapers and websites in Delaware, Florida and Maryland. Contact: Charlene Bisson, cbisson@ newszap.com. Story courtesy: Independent Newsmedia staff.
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated, a trusted local news provider and leading platform for advertising in 49 markets, has named Colleen Brady publisher of the Colleen Brady Arizona Daily Arizona Daily Sun, Sun in Flagstaff. Publisher Brady succeeds Don Rowley, who retired earlier this year after 23 years with the newspaper. “We all live and work in this community,” Brady said. “It’s important to build a relationship with the people involved, because what happens here has an impact on each and every one of us.” Brady said the paper’s coverage of local sports and its role as a source of news and a watchdog for city government are important tenets going forward, as well as the Daily Sun’s involvement with the people of Flagstaff. “My goal is to be involved in the community like my predecessor was, listen-
ing to the needs of the community and building in-depth partnerships,” Brady said. Brady joined the Daily Sun in 2015 as advertising director and served as interim general manager after Rowley’s retirement in September. Her career includes multimedia sales manager for The World Company, which includes the Lawrence Journal World Daily in Lawrence, Kansas. She has also held advertising leadership positions with the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson and the Kansas City Star in Kansas City, Missouri. “Colleen Brady is an experienced newspaper professional who brings extensive advertising and management experience to the publisher position along with thorough knowledge of the Flagstaff market,” said Lee Group Publisher Cathy Hughes. “I look forward to working with Colleen as she continues to build on the success of the Arizona Daily Sun.” Brady can be reached at (928) 556-2279 or cbrady@azdailysun. com. Story courtesy: Daily Sun staff.
Sunshine Week, March 10-16 Sunshine Week occurs each year in mid-March, coinciding with James Madison’s birthday and National Freedom of Information Day on the 16th. During Sunshine Week, hundreds of media organizations, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and other participants engage public
discussion on the importance of open government through news articles; opinion columns; special Web pages; infographics; editorial cartoons; public service advertising; public seminars and forums. Sunshine Week’s purpose is to highlight that “government functions best when it operates in the open.” ANA encourages its members to visit the Sunshine Week website for information and resources on how to get involved.
www.ANAnews
.com
Brady named publisher of the Arizona Daily Sun
… it’s where you can get access to
• upcoming events • member benefits • public notices • webinar training • newsletter archives • our media directory
and much more … January 2019 ■ ANAgrams | Page 3
2018 - 2019 Board of Directors and Officers
Kyle Larson General Manager Larson Newspapers, LLC President
Colleen Brady Advertising Director Arizona Daily Sun 2nd Vice President
Jill Jorden Spitz Editor Arizona Daily Star 3rd Vice President
Anthony Bratti Regional Vice President Sales The Arizona Republic/ Republic Media
Lisa Reilly Publisher Yuma Sun, Bajo El Sol
Cloves C. Campbell Jr. Publisher The Arizona Informant
New to the Board
Jeanie Hankins Publisher Wickenburg Sun 1st Vice President
Brain Kramer Publisher White Mountain Independent, Payson Roundup Secretary/Treasurer
New to the Board
New to the Board Luige del Puerto Editor & Associate ÂPublisher Arizona Capitol Times
Page 4 | ANAgrams â– January 2019
Kelly Soldwedel Associate Vice President Western News&Info, Inc
Manuel Coppola Publisher Nogales International Out-going President
Newspaper Advertising made easy.
Arizona Newspapers Association
It’s what we do.
One Call. One Order. One Bill. ANA Advertising Services is a one-of-a-kind service provided by the Arizona Newspapers Association, the official trade association for the newspapers in Arizona. ANA Advertising Services was created to provide advertisers a simple way to: Advertise in newspapers with our NO-FEE customized ad placement service - display ads, online ads, inserts or any product our member newspapers offer. Advertise in our discounted statewide/regional pre-printed insert delivery program. Advertise in our quarter page network for a quarter of the cost! Advertise in our statewide/regional classified or display ad network programs at a fraction of published rates.
Arizona, Nevada and Nationwide advertising It’s what we do very well! ANA Advertising Services, Inc.
a subsidiary of Arizona Newspapers Association - 1835 W. Adams St., Phoenix, AZ 85007
Ph: (602) 261-7655 / www.ananews.com January 2019 ■ ANAgrams | Page 5
2019 continued from pge 1
ANA and its lobbyist also track other state bills that are of special interest to Arizona newspapers. By working with the legislative leadership it aims to further protect First Amendment activities and the advancement of newspapers’ business interests. ANA would like to thank the following organizations for their sponsorship: Casa Grande Valley Newspapers, Wick Communications and Western News&Info.
Left to right: Tim Thomas, Rep. Leo Biasiucci, Rep. Walt Blackman
Left to right: Christopher Fox Graham, Rep. Aaron Lieberman, Luige del Puerto, Donovan Kramer Jr.
Left to right: Kyle Larson, Dan Engler, Rep. Walt Blackman, Rep. Leo Biasiucci, Mike Quinn
Foreground - left to right: Manuel Coppola, Hank Stephenson, Marco Coppola. Background: Brent Cruikshank
Page 6 | ANAgrams ■ January 2019
Legislators, Publishers and Editors Reception
Rep. Kelli Butler, Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley
Brent Cruikshank, Ryan Winslett
Michael Hiatt, Lisa Simpson, Luige del Puerto, Paula Casey
Shawn Byrne, David Bell
Rep. Isela Blanc, Luige del Puerto, John Moody
January 2019 â– ANAgrams | Page 7
Arizona Pre-Printed Insert Delivery Program Statewide & Regional
TARGET ARIZ
NA
Y O U R M A R K E T S - Y O U R C U S TO M E R S Arizona Daily Sun Williams-Grand Canyon News
Kingman Daily Miner Today’s News-Herald
Navajo-Hopi Observer
The Bugle Chino Valley Review The Daily Courier Prescott Valley Tribune Verde Independent
Payson Roundup
Parker Pioneer Quartzsite Times
Copper Era
The Arizona Republic
Eastern Arizona Courier
Yuma Sun Casa Grande Dispatch Arizona Daily Star Green Valley News and Sun Sahuarita Sun
=Nogales International
Arizona Range News Bisbee Daily Review Douglas Dispatch San Pedro Valley News-Sun Sierra Vista Herald
REACH MILLIONS OF READERS!
One Order. One Bill. Inexpensive. Timely. Simple.
Program Requirements: 1) Advertiser must buy at least four newspapers in Arizona and/or have a minimum insert buy of 100,000 to receive the special rate of $24.75 CPM. 2) Prepayment is required unless credit has been established. 3) No guarantee that all newspapers will accept the insert order (newspapers have the right to accept/decline). 4) Insert does not count towards any contracts. 5) Advertiser must ensure inserts are delivered to each newspaper 10-days prior to insertion date. 5) Advertiser understands that participating newspapers have a one week window to insert the inserts however, newspapers will do their best to insert on the day requested. Updated 04-07-16
Page 8 | ANAgrams â– January 2019
JOEY’S SECRETS Young Kansas publisher quickly learns secrets of success
By Kevin Slimp The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com When Tommy Thomason invited me to spend a couple of days at the Texas Center for Community Journalism a few months ago, I was quick to answer. I don’t work in Texas nearly as much as I used to, and I was ready go back to my old home state. (I attended college in Texas back in the day.) Housed in the Journalism Department at Texas Christian University, TCCJ reminds me a lot of the University of Tennessee Newspaper Institute, which I directed for 20 years. Working with Tommy and his group was like going home in more ways than one. Tommy explained attendance would be limited. Thirty registrants, all from Texas newspapers, would be allowed into the session. Only one per newspaper
Tommy Thomason (right) looks on as Kevin speaks to journalists in December at the Texas Center for Community Journalism. would be admitted. The group would be primarily publishers. I was pleased to learn the class filled the day it was announced. Tommy explained that my assignment was to share as much information as possible in the time allotted, which would help these pub-
lishers grow their newspapers. With a limited number of class members, attendees would benefit by being full participants in the session. I wouldn’t be the sole instructor. These students would learn from each other. A few weeks before the December event, I heard from Tommy again. He wanted to offer an experience the attendees wouldn’t soon forget. Who could be invited, he asked, to warm up the crowd and share some real-world experience? He wanted someone who was a walking success story in the communitynewspaper business. It took me about two seconds to respond, “Joey Young, from Kansas.” I remember when a 20-something-year-old Joey Young first approached me at a Midwest newspaper convention five years ago and asked if we could visit. He was concerned about the number of papers in his area being bought by venture capital groups and the impact it was having on quality journalism. He thought he had a better approach to community journalism. On that Thursday at TCU, Joey shared his experience from that first paper. He went on to explain how he started additional papers and purchased a couple of others. You have to understand where Joey comes from to really understand the magnitude of his accomplishments. He wasn’t a newspaper heir. He didn’t come from a family of newspaper owners. During his presentation in Texas — his first for an outof-state group — he used the term “shoestring” several times. In retrospect, he told the group, he would have had an easier time if he had “fifty thousand dollars in the bank” when he began, but he didn’t. Now, with six publications, Joey is a household name in the newspaper business in Kansas and surrounding states. He shared his secrets with the group in Texas.
Above all else, the secret to the success of Joey’s papers is quality journalism. Joey knew he had to have rock-solid journalists to have a successful newspaper, and he shared how he hired his first away from a much larger paper and how that decision propelled the success that followed. Joey doesn’t heap praise upon himself; he spreads it among his staff. He was quick to share that much of his success is thanks to staff members from the community. There’s no centralized editorial content. “Local” is everything to Joey’s newspapers, and it shows. He discussed the importance of having an advertising manager who is well-known and respected in the community. “That makes all the difference,” Joey told the group. Asked about his circulation staff, Joey turned a few heads when he answered, “Everyone at all of my papers is on the circulation staff. When one of us is at a restaurant and a subscriber complains that they didn’t receive a paper this week, we ask them to wait and run back to the office to get one for them.” Joey explained that all staff members are connected to the circulation database on their phones and can check to see the status of a customer’s subscription onsite when asked. They can also take subscriptions without forcing the reader to first call the office. Speaking of calling the office, there are no auto-attended phones at Joey’s papers. When readers call, they get a real, live person on the phone who can answer questions, take orders and handle any issues that come up. My son, Zac, is in a popular rock band these days. A few weeks ago, he came home from a concert and I asked how things went. “You know,” he told me, “there are two kinds of warm-up bands. There’s the kind that gets everybody energized and excited about the
Joey Young speaks to journalists at the Texas Center for Community Journalism. main act, and there’s the kind that puts people to sleep and makes them want to go home before the headliner even begins.” He went on to tell me, “Tonight, our warm-up band had everybody tired and ready to go home before we even took the stage.” I’m lucky. I speak at a few conferences most months, and can’t remember the last time I had an uninterested audience. Tommy is a wise man, and he knew the right “opening act” would make my followup go even better. Joey Young was the right choice, and his advice was well received: • Keep everything local, from writing and editing, to sales and circulation. • Hire the right staff and treat them as partners. • Put the bulk of your emphasis on quality journalism, and sales will follow. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be in places like Wisconsin, Wyoming and Kentucky. If things go as they usually do, regardless of the topics I’m asked to cover, publishers and other journalists will stop me to ask what secrets I have to help them grow their papers. There are no secrets. It’s the same recipe successful newspapers have always followed. Thanks, Tommy, for inviting me to Texas.
January 2019 ■ ANAgrams | Page 9
Production: Deciding between profit and design and function It’s no surprise to any of us that c irculation of our daily papers is being challenged daily. While I personally feel things are bottoming out and the freefall is slowing, we continue with a downward trend. I feel we’re zeroing in on a stable core group of subscribers By Jerry Simpkins and there is light on the horizon. We need to continue to be diligent Vice President, regarding expenses and produce West Texas products that not only continue to Printing Center, please our core readers, but also boost LLC single copy sales. Let’s face it, for the most part we continue to produce a quality product that readers and advertisers see value in and are willing to pay for as a result. In many areas we provide local community coverage, in-depth coverage, features and targeted special sections that many of our digital competitors can’t hold a candle to. So let’s take a look into how we can maintain and/or continue that advantage without overextending our budgets. Newsstand Appeal/Front Page News It seems like for the last 20 years, I’ve heard publishers and circulation executives touting the necessity of photos above the fold. I wholly agree with the concept of a powerful bold headline and strong vibrant photos to provide eye appeal to single copy buyers. If you’re going to sell your goods, you need to market them and draw in readers, and that is exactly what a strong presence in the rack can do. Can this approach help our newsstand sales? Absolutely. But I see many papers straying from this simple concept and I’m just not quite sure where things got off track. Take a look at five daily papers on the rack and I’ll wager that two or three of them have what I call a “split photo” on the front page: a photo folding over the front page and half or more hiding below the fold. That’s not very appealing. Many of us have added skyboxes to our front pages to grab reader’s attention—and it works. But when you add skyboxes to a sometimes oversized masthead, that combination can take up over a third of the front page, allowing a much smaller area (vertically) for a bold headline and photo above the fold. In the small space that remains, we cram a headline, which leaves about 2 inches of vertical space for a photo. We then place a large and attention-grabbing photo under the headline and split it over the fold, showing 2 inches of the photo above the fold. This is a long explanation on how we’ve strayed from the Page 10 | ANAgrams ■ January 2019
“pop” of front page photos above the fold, and I believe mis-marketed our products on newsstands. So what’s the fix? It depends on the publisher’s viewpoint and is accomplished through a redesign of the front page. How valuable are skyboxes to you? I love them, but are they worth splitting a front page photo over the fold or should you drop them? I say it depends on how you want to market your front page. Overgrown mastheads are next; they’re your brand, but also provide little value outside of that. Overall, decide on how you want to market your front page for single copy/rack sales, and bring that headline and photo back above the fold to grab your audience and promote rack sales. Unnecessary Expenses I’m probably not going to make many new friends with this part of the article, but it’s a painful reality in today’s publishing business that just because it looks pretty and makes the designer or news person happy with their creation, color doesn’t always make good financial sense. If there is value in running inside color, I’m all for it. But I can’t tell you how often I’ve seen a news page that has a single small line or word that the newsroom sends as color. Production looks at this and the cost associated of it and the head scratching begins. If you’ve worked in production for more than a week, you know exactly what I’m talking about. What value is a single word on a page in dark blue going to add? Probably very little, but the expense it adds is far from none. The newsroom typically has one primary goal, and it’s an admirable one—reporting the news and creating features that are relevant to our readers. We’d be nowhere without them; they are the core of our business. Doing this right draws in readers and advertisers and is how we remain in business. In supporting roles, we in production tend to focus heavily on expenses. Not to say the newsroom isn’t expense conscious (I believe they are and that they are as concerned with the overall profitability of the franchise as any department), but I’m not so sure (here I go making new friends again) just how aware they are of the expense associated with color. • Plates, etc.: Depending on your platemaking process and requirements, vendor pricing, size, mil (thickness), etc. the cost of a single plate can easily exceed $4 to $5. In order to produce even a small spot of process color, in addition to the black plate, you’ll need plates for cyan, magenta and yellow. This is $15 of additional expense. While it may not sound like much,
just one non-essential color position in the paper over a year can cost approximately $5,500 in plates. Add to this output time/labor on the front-end, press labor bending/lockingup plates and that one additional color position turns into a very expensive luxury. • Paper waste/start-up: Registering color on press start-up is not an easy task, and as that process is taking place, paper and dollars are going into the waste stream. After the point that your color is dialed in, you have to take into account that throughout a long run you’ll have roll changes. At any point of a speed change in your pressrun (i.e. to shoot a paster), you could have additional waste getting things back in registration. • Ink and chemistry: The ink and chemistry expense associated with additional color may not be significant and of course, depends on the coverage. Still, this is a very real cost that results from process color reproduction. So now that I’ve circled the airport of details, let’s come in for a landing. If a small fourcolor graphic on page A3 sells papers, go for it. If it enhances readership and retains home delivery numbers, go for it. But if just makes you feel good and it’s not truly necessary or it has little or no return on investment, drop the color and save the money. Paper Grades/Special Sections We all print several special sections throughout the year. They tend to be money-makers in our advertising departments and also provide readers with hours of informative and useful information. I’ve been part of many discussions about special sections. Normally these discussions revolve around advertising space, color availability, news hole, ad/news percentages and deadlines. One part of this R.O.I. evaluation that isn’t often discussed is paper grade; i.e. newsprint, hi-brite or offset. What was promised to advertisers when the sale was made? Is a premium stock really necessary or just “nice to have?” Will readers get more out of it if it’s on premium paper? What do we want to present to readers? Is it truly a matter of expense? Where does expense perhaps take a back seat to producing a top quality product for our readers and advertisers? The questions are endless and I’m certainly not pushing for a decision one way or the other. Both sides have their expenses and both presentations have their strong points. At this stage, all I can do is present reality
and leave the decisions to others. We’ve all seen what paper prices have been doing over these past months and I’m not sure there is an immediate end in sight. For this reason alone, we have to start making some tough decisions when we market special sections. I’ve had many conversations with ad directors as to “what kind of stock was this sold on.” Usually that thought never came into play when the section was marketed to advertisers. It becomes a decision based on desire and not based on any review of the financial aspects of the section. Of course it looks better on hi-trite than newsprint. But does it really look that bad on newsprint? I think not. We just desire it on a premium paper. Does it help newsstand sales? Does it promote readership for home delivery? Is it going to help us to sell advertising next time we tee up a section like this? When all of these questions often aren’t asked, it simply ends up being a section printed on hi-brite. And if we really and truly review these sections, they’d work just as well on newsprint and provide additional margin to the bottom line. Again, this can all be summarized as “make good educated decisions that impact our bottom line and create readership.” Don’t lead solely with the pretty factor. Color Comics/Preprint Jackets First, let’s talk color comics. In my opinion, we’ve taken a lot away from readers in an effort to remain profitable and continue to support our local communities. If you don’t want your phone to ring off the hook with irate customers, do not mess with their comics, period. From a production standpoint, here’s where I now speak out of both sides of my mouth. There are times that heavy more expensive stock makes operational sense. Not too long ago I had a thick booklet that needed to be inserted into a newsprint jacket that was pre-furnished by a commercial customer. When we attempted to insert the booklet, it shot through the newsprint like a rock through tissue paper. We had to slow the inserting to a crawl and the end quality of the package wasn’t up to our standards. We really need to evaluate the operational process when we make decisions about paper stock for a jacket. Too thin a jacket (wrap) can seriously compromise the end quality of the package. Newsprint is a lot cheaper see page 14, Deciding January 2019 ■ ANAgrams | Page 11
Four wins are better than two Jodi is a sales manager with an interesting philosophy. “We’re all familiar with winwin,” she said. “It’s a common Ad Libs cliché these By John Foust days. In business relationships – Newspaper especially any Consultant and kind of negotiaTrainer tion – each side should benefit. I help you win, and you help me win. “Win-win is a noble objective, but I don’t think it covers all the bases in the advertising business. I’ve heard people say that we’re dealing with four wins, not two. We talk about this all the time in staff meetings. As long as we focus on winning in four areas, we’re on the right track.” Let’s take a look at Jodi’s four wins: 1. The advertiser. “It all starts here,” she said. “Advertisers and prospective advertisers want results. The purpose of advertising is to generate sales and market awareness, so we go into every presentation with that in mind. “After all, that’s how they judge the value of running ads with us. They constantly ask themselves, ‘Are the ads working?’ If they can’t answer ‘yes’ to that question, we have a big problem. If there’s no win for the advertiser, the other wins don’t matter.” 2. The newspaper. “When we tell prospects we’re working for a win-win, they automatically think of their business and our newspaper,” Jodi explained. “We work for the newspaper, and everybody understands that we’re expected to keep our employer’s interests at heart. When our advertisers get good results from their campaigns, they’ll naturally run more ads. That boosts our business as well as theirs. By helping them win, Page 12 | ANAgrams ■ January 2019
we win right along with them.” 3. The consumer. “This is the first of the additional wins,” Jodi said. “Even though it doesn’t apply to every industry, it’s a big part of what we do in advertising. In a lot of ways, you could say we’re a bridge between businesses and their customers. If it weren’t for advertising, a lot of people wouldn’t know what’s available in the marketplace. “Around the office, we joke about being consumer advocates, but that’s our way of saying we work to take care of our audience. We’re obligated to help advertisers package their messages to help readers make good buying decisions. If an advertiser hands us a bad idea, we don’t hesitate to say it’s a bad idea. Our ad team knows principles of effective advertising, and they do everything they can to steer clients away from weak ideas.” 4. The sales person. The fourth win hits close to home. “We want the people in our ad department to enjoy their work and celebrate their successes,” she said. “When someone lands a new client, renews a contract or sells a campaign, it gives their confidence a big lift. We believe each victory is a stepping stone to more accomplishments. “The better our team members feel about their work, the more valuable they become – to the paper, to advertisers, to our readers and to themselves. “In our business, two wins are not enough. We go for the win-win-winwin.” (c) Copyright 2019 by John Foust. All rights reserved. John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. E-mail for information: john@johnfoust.com
2019
directory Available
NOW!
• Member Listings • Member Printing Facilities • ANA Advertising Services Media Kit • Arizona Broadcasters Assoc. listings • ANA Services & Benefits • And more It’s your instant connection to the association and handy planning tool. Additional directories are available for $40, to order click here. Or call (602) 261-7655
Putting captions in their place Good news design is the practice of understanding how readers read — then using that understanding to make your newspaper easier, faster and more comfortable for readers to follow. Part of that calls for proper placement of captions. By Ed Henninger During my almost-30 years as a consultant, I’ve seen captions placed: Newspaper 1. Below the photo. Design Consultant and Trainer 2. To the right of the photo. 3. To the left of the photo. 4. Above the photo. 5. Overlaid (and often reversed) on the photo.
The five places where you can position a caption.
Five approaches, used because: 1. Well, it’s the correct place to position a caption. 2. The photo and caption will fit in a shallow hole. 3. The photo and caption will fit in a shallow hole. 4. I’ll never understand why! 5. The photo and caption will fit in a shallow hole. I am: 1. Absolutely fine with this placement. 2. Uneasy with this placement. 3. Uneasy with this placement. 4. Absolutely against this placement. 5. Absolutely against this placement. Here’s why: 1. For countless centuries, titles, descriptions and captions on items have been placed below those items. Granted, not in every case, but in most. When you visit a museum or an art gallery (unless they’re working very hard to be “different”), you’ll most often find the name and/or description of the item below it.
That’s where we’ve been trained to look…it’s where we want to look. So, it makes sense for us to place captions below photos. 2. Placing the caption to the right of a photo (only if it’s absolutely necessary!) allows readers to see the photo first and then follow normal left-to-right reading flow to find the caption. But…it’s not below the photo, where readers naturally look first. 3. Placing the caption to the left of a photo may save vertical space, but it reverses normal reading flow, causing readers to have to go left from the photo to read the caption. And…it’s not below the photo, where readers naturally look first. 4. I am convinced that readers become completely confused when we place a caption above a photo. It’s the last place they’ll look — and they’re often surprised when they find the caption there. It’s just unacceptable…like driving on the left side of the road here in the U.S. Or holding a knife by the blade to cut your steak. 5. Placing the caption text directly over the photo is a more magazine-y look, but too often it’s badly done in newspapers, partly because we don’t have the high quality printing capability of magazines and partly because we don’t have the skills to make it work well. Often, this is done just to save some space. A few years ago, I worked with one newspaper client who used this as a standard approach because “…it saves us space so we don’t have to edit our stories so tightly.” Poor reasoning. If we have to misplace captions because we fail to edit…well, then, we’re making one mistake to cover up another mistake. For the sake of readers — for the sake of a better designed newspaper — let’s put captions in their place. WANT A FREE evaluation of your newspaper’s design? Just contact Ed: edh@henningerconsulting.com | 803-327-3322 IF THIS COLUMN has been helpful, you may be interested in Ed’s books: Henninger on Design and 101 Henninger Helpful Hints. With the help of Ed’s books, you’ll immediately have a better idea how to design for your readers. Find out more about Henninger on Design and 101 Henninger Helpful Hints by visiting Ed’s web site: www.henningerconsulting.com
January 2019 ■ ANAgrams | Page 13
Deciding, continued from page 11
on the front-end, but you need to look at the whole picture. When the jacket is too thin to support the insert load, the insert machine may need to be slowed down, hurting your net output and costing additional labor overtime. More importantly, the quality suffers, and we end up delivering a substandard final package to our customers. I’ve referred to a positive R.O.I. several times. This is where smart decisions that affect your bottom line come in. Upgrading from newsprint to a heavier stock on jackets can net overall savings in your mailroom. Packages will move faster and operational costs will be reduced generally offsetting all of the additional paper cost. The cost of printing a newspaper is high and going up by the day. It’s driven many smaller properties to consolidate or seek alternative print sites, and even shutting down their own printing operation all together. Review every expense, evaluate every need and make sure that when you spend money there is a positive return on investment—or at least make a good decision on why there shouldn’t be. Reprint courtesy: Editor&Publisher. Originally published December 17, 2018. Follow us Visit our on Twitter Flickr pages @ananewsflash
Check us out on Issuu
Join Us on Facebook
Page 14 | ANAgrams ■ January 2019
ANA Calendar Webinars Photo Editing & Color Correction for Newspapers Using Photoshop Newspaperacademy.com Feb. 7, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. MT Price: $59 - 75 minutes No one knows more about photo editing and color correction for newspapers than Kevin Slimp. Join Kevin for this 75 minute webinar as he teaches both basic and advanced skills. More Information A Survival Guide for Community Newspaper Editors Newspaperacademy.com Feb. 20, 1 – 1:50 p.m. MT Price: $49 - 50 minutes Dr. John Hatcher is the best when it comes to training reporters and editors. Veterans and novice editors alike will walk away with valuable information More Information A License to Print Money Newspaperacademy.com Feb. 28, 9 – 10 a.m. MT Price: $49 - 60 minutes A few of the items Ed Henninger will cover: 1. Sequencing: Making it easier for readers to find what they want. Creating premium positions for advertisers— including some in places you’ve never thought of before. 2. Color: Using it better to attract readers. Using it better to up-sell advertisers. More Information 50 Winning Newspaper Revenue Ideas in 50 Minutes! Newspaperacademy.com Feb. 28, 11 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. MT Price: $49 - 50 minutes Media revenue coach Ryan Dohrn shares 50 ideas that are generating good money in newspaper markets large and small. This will be a fastpaced webinar with ideas that you can implement right away. More Information
Happenings & Events ANA BOD Meetings February 14 via conference call, 1 p.m. May 16 via conference call, 1 p.m. August 1 via conference call, 1 p.m. September 28 Part of the ANA Fall Convention schedule. September 29 ANA Annual Meeting. Part of the ANA Fall Convention schedule. Dec. 5 via conference call, 1 p.m.
ANA Office Holiday Schedules May 27 Memorial Day – CLOSED July 4 Independence Day – CLOSED September 2 Labor Day – CLOSED November 28 & 29 Thanksgiving – CLOSED December/January Dec. 25 through Jan. 1, 2020 – CLOSED
Save the Date! ANA Fall Convention and Annual Meeting Septenber 29 Where: Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, Chandler, AZ. Workshop sessions, networking opportunities, and everybody’s favorite event — the award ceremonies. Make your plans now!