ANAgrams October 2015

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2015 ANA fall convention — training, networking, new officers and award ceremonies ANA News ANA’s new president: newspapers keep commitment to readers, move forward in modern media Donovan Kramer Jr. has been the Senior News Executive at the Casa Grande Dispatch for nearly 40 years and currently is co-publisher and managing editor. He and his family publish the Dispatch, five area non-daily newspapers, the White Mountain Independent and affiliated specialty publications with related websites. Donovan He is a journalKramer Jr. ism graduate of the ANA President, University of AriCasa Grande zona and has lived Dispatch, in Casa Grande for co-publisher most of his life. He has been active in community organizations and is completing a two-year term as president of Access Arizona, a private-public foundation supporting economic development in western and central Pinal County. He also is a longtime member of the Casa Grande Rotary Club, a member of Signal Peak Toastmasters and has served on various community boards. President’s address to the ANA Membership I am honored to serve in this position, one my father held back in 1980. I have had the pleasure of meeting or knowing many of the ANA presidents ANA executive director SPJ’s Sunshine Award recipient ������������������������������� page

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over the years. Of course many have passed on. If I look back far enough, way back near the beginning, I see the names of some people I actually didn’t know. Some of the names in the 1930s were Kelly, Mitten and Giragi. These were men who were president of ANA for multiple years during the 1930s. I’m sure those were not the best of times, and I dare say their optimism was not as great as our own. Of course we are very committed to our traditional print products. Print is a very effective way of reaching our readers with news and advertising, at least the ones who want to receive it that way. We’re also doing some new things: firing out news reports as we get them — preprint — and also using social media and the huge potential of video. I believe we just need to try new things, retain what works, reject what doesn’t and move on to something else. We have a relationship with our customers that no one else has. We need to leverage that and serve them in new ways. As Don (Rowley) said, ANA has tightened our belts a bit, as all of you have, and avoided a dues increase. We are gearing up to once again do our annual big job of representing you at the Legislature. And we need your help to reach out to your legislators. Each year we face powerful interests and legislators, and there is plenty of lobbying on the other side. ANA is a great organization — Paula and the staff do a great job. They — Convention pictures and General Excellence winners ���������������������� page

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and all of you — are what make ANA the organization that it is.

2015-2016 ANA board The new 2015-2016 Officers for the ANA board were nominated and selected during the kick-off to the afternoon ceremonies Saturday, September 26. These individuals will be filling the following positions: President Donovan Kramer Jr., ­Co-Publisher – Casa Grande ­Dispatch 1st Vice President, Kit Atwell, ­Executive VP – Western News&Info, Inc. 2nd Vice President, Manuel ­Coppola, Publisher & Editor – The Nogales Interactional Secretary / Treasurer, Rebecca Bradner, Publisher – Green Valley News and Sun, Sahuarita Sun Steve Pope, General Manager – AZ Local Media Marc Marin, Publisher – ­Arizona Silver Belt and Copper Country News Charlene Bisson, Publisher – ­Independent News Media Chris Stegman, Arizona Republic / Republic Media (Phoenix) Kyle Larson, General Manager – Larson Newspapers Past President, Don Rowley, ­Publisher – The Arizona Daily Sun Open Seat – Arizona Daily Star NAA names new President/CEO, Chavern, effective Oct. 14 �������������� page

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“Best Ideas Exchange”, members share tips and topics ANA News Seven news organizations shared a number of great ideas at the “Best Ideas Exchange” as Friday afternoon’s ­schedule came to a close. There were as many as 20 in ­attendance listening as each presenter delivered their fantastic ideas. At the conclusion, each presenter ­entered their name for the iPad ­drawing. Congratulations go out to Roxanne ­Molenar, editor at the Yuma Sun, who had the winning entry. Presenting with Molenar was Yuma Sun publisher, Lisa Reilly. Participants listened as the two talked about the success the paper has had with special section advertorials in their magazine products. The newspaper’s Ad ­representatives sell advertorials in which a reporter and news photographer handle the content – interviewing the cli-

ent and writing the story. However, to keep the ­newspaper’s integrity and transparency that the piece is an advertorial, no byline is attributed. The piece will run as a one or two page spread as sponsored content, and online too. Both Molenar and Reilly expressed how the well this idea has been a terrific revenue driver for their magazines. Readers also tell them that they read every page in the magazine and love reading the advertorials! During the next few weeks in our newsletter This Week @ ANA we’ll be sharing more “best ideas” with our readers. Congratulations again to Roxanne and thank you to everyone who participated and presented. ANA also wishes to thank TownNews.com. who sponsored the forum and donated the iPad for the drawing.

ANAgrams is a quarterly e-publication produced by the Arizona Newspapers Association 1001 N. Central Ave., Suite 670 Phoenix, AZ 85004-1947 Office (602) 261-7655 • Fax (602) 261-7525 www.ananews.com

ANA Staff Paula Casey Executive Director / 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 Liisa Straub Accounting Assistant / ext. 105 L.straub@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 A ­ rizona newspapers.

ANA Board of Directors President Donovan Kramer Jr. Co-Publisher – Casa Grande Dispatch 1st Vice President Kit Atwell Executive VP – Western News&Info, Inc. 2nd Vice President Manuel Coppola Publisher & Editor – The Nogales Internationa Secretary / Treasurer Rebecca Bradner Publisher – Green Valley News and Sun, Sahuarita Sun Steve Pope General Mgr. – AZ Local Media Marc Marin Publisher – Arizona Silver Belt and Copper Country News Charlene Bisson Publisher – Independent News Media Open – Arizona Daily Star Chris Stegman Arizona Republic /Republic Media (Phoenix) Kyle Larson General Mgr. – Larson Newspapers Past President Don Rowley Publisher – The Arizona Daily Sun

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A Special Thank You to our

— Convention Sponsors —

— Plaque Sponsors — Casa Grande Valley Newspapers « Arizona Republic « White Mountain Independent « Lake Powell Chronicle « Navajo Times Arizona Daily Star « Arizona Silver Belt AZ Local Media « Payson Roundup October 2015 ■ ANAgrams | Page 3


The Wickenburg Sun, Mohave Valley Daily News owner dies William J. Brehm Sr., (89), passed away on October 4, 2015, after a long battle with cancer at his home in Poway, CA. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Mona, and children Tina McDonald (Poway, CA), Bill Brehm Jr. (Poway, CA), Barbara Schuyler (Fallbrook, CA), Cindy Melland (Yucca Valley, CA), nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brothers Lloyd Brehm and Del Miller and sister Diane Howard. Brehm was born in Lincoln, NE, on November 1, 1925, son of William and Lola Brehm. In World War II he served in the Navy Air Corps and was ­attending universities in Missouri, North Dakota and California. At war’s end he was planning to attend the ­University of Southern California to earn an engineering degree. However, he took a detour and went to work as a “printer’s devil” at the Bell-Maywood Industrial Post in Los Angeles in 1946. This is when his passion for newspapers began. By 1950, he became a publisher in the company, ­McGiffin Newspaper Company, taking on a ­corporate role. In 1960, he became president of the company, which had been owned by his father-in-law, Bill McGiffin, who had died in 1955. (The company was renamed Brehm Communications, Inc. in 1981.) In 1962, Brehm and his wife began buying newspapers, starting with the weekly Los Banos (CA) Enterprise and the Auburn (CA) Journal in 1965, ­adding to the 17 weekly and 2 daily suburban newspapers and printing company in the Los Angeles area, as well as the Fort Madison (Iowa) Daily Democrat, where the company began. After selling the LA area newspapers, he bought and sold many additional newspapers, with the company now in seven states with over Page 4 | ANAgrams ■ October 2015

50 publications, 40 websites, and five printing facilities. At the height of the company, which was founded in 1919, more than 700 employees worked for BCI. Brehm remained active in the ­company the rest of his life, with the help of his wife and three of his ­children: Bill Brehm Jr., who serves as president of BCI; Cindy Melland, who is publisher at Hi-Desert Publishing in Yucca Valley; and Barbara Schuyler, who oversees the real estate division of the company. Brehm believed local ­newspapers were the heart and soul of a ­community, and over his nearly 70 years in the ­business his company was involved in ownership of more than 100 ­publications. Bill Sr., as he was known by his friends, was well respected for his passion for newspapers, fishing, golf, gardening and family. His passion for fishing took him from California to Canada and remote places in Alaska. He would take family, friends, and employees on these trips, always in search of the biggest fish. In his non-work hours, Bill loved to work with youth, coaching ­numerous years of Little League and youth ­basketball. Brehm believed strongly that the foundation of a community ­newspaper was strong local news and ­commitment to the community, which was the ­driving force behind his success. This commitment inspired Brehm and his wife to become major donors to help build and dedicate a family park with soccer fields, baseball fields, a special needs ballpark, and facilities. Brehm Park Family Recreation Center was ­gifted to the Town of Yucca Valley this year. Most recently, he achieved a lifetime goal of developing and owning a golf course, Hawks Landing in Yucca Valley, which opened in March 2015. Over the years, Brehm was honored with numerous industry awards, ­including being recognized by his ­national peers in the Suburban News-

paper Association in 2011 with the Dean S. Lesher Lifetime Achievement Award. Bill Brehm Jr., President of Brehm Communications, said “BCI is over 95 years young and now, as the third and fourth generations are in the ­business, and as my father and mother removed themselves from the day-today ­operations over the past ­several years, BCI has continued to stress the ­importance of good community ­journalism and the support of local businesses, the cornerstone of each community we serve. “With the support of my family members and all employees of BCI, this dedication will continue into the ­future as part of the legacy of my father, who headed the company for the past 60 years. I know my father is proud of the many employees who have worked or, and dedicated their lives to, the ­service of their communities through their community newspaper,” Bill Brehm Jr. concluded. Rather than a memorial service, a celebration of life will be scheduled for a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to: Miracle League of the Desert 56711 29 Palms Highway Yucca Valley, CA 92284; or to: Shakti Rising 2404 F Street, San Diego, CA 92102 The Miracle League of the Desert is designed to allow children and adults with special needs to move safely from base to base on an all-abilities baseball field in the Brehm Family Park in Yucca Valley. Bill and Mona Brehm helped fund the startup of Shakti Rising, which was founded by Bill Sr.’s ­granddaughter, Shannon Thompson. It is a social change organization transforming the lives of young women. Copyright © 2015 Brehm Communications. Phone: (858) 451-6200 / Fax: (858) 451-3814


Casey, ANA executive director, receives SPJ Sunshine Award ANA News The Society of Professional Journalists’ Sunshine Award recognizes efforts by either journalists or non-journalists for conspicuous efforts in the continuing cause for more open and accountable government, especially through public records and open meetings.

Paula Casey joined the ­Arizona Newspapers ­Association 20 years ago as ANA’s business manager, in 2007 she became Executive ­Director. After a crash course in lobbying under the tutelage of ANA Lobbyist, John Moody, she helped the ­a ssociation’s legislative team become a much ­respected industry group that works on issues dealing with Open ­Government and Freedom of ­Information.

Today, because of this ­respect, when a statute is ­considered that deals with public notices, public records or open meetings, the ANA legislative team is included in stakeholder talks to help form ­legislation. Paula’s direct involvement in unifying Arizona ­publishers has made the Arizona Newspapers ­Association an ­organization to contend with. Paula graduated from ­Arizona State University with a degree in Finance in 1978. She stayed at home raising her two sons until she went back to work in 1994. Paula has been married to Tom for 35 years, has two grandsons, has completed two full marathons in the last three years and is addicted to her daily 5:30 a.m. bootcamp. Paula Casey can be reached at (602) 261-7655, ext.102, or by email: p.casey@ananews.com

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Arizona Newspapers Association 76th Annual Meeting and Fall Convention This year, 54 newspapers and 8 high schools entered in the Better Newspapers Contest for a total of 1,633 entries. The Better Newspapers Contest consists of eight categories that measure the overall quality of the newspapers and 24 categories that honor ­individuals who contribute to journalism excellence. A special thank you to the Nebraska Press Association, for judging the entries this year. The Arizona Republic (daily newspaper) and Payson Roundup (nondaily newspaper) took home the coveted award for Arizona Newspaper of the Year during the Arizona Newspapers Association’s 2015 Better Newspapers Contest. Newspaper of the Year Awards are ­calculated from honors won in the ­Excellence in Advertising Contest added together with winning entries from the Better Newspapers Contest. Randy Hoeft, Yuma Sun, and ­ urphy Woodhouse, Nogales M ­International, were named the ANA 2015 Photographers of the Year. Dennis Wagner, Arizona ­Republic and Alexis Bechman, ­Payson ­Roundup, were named the ANA 2015 Journalists of the Year.

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GENERAL EXCELLENCE Editorial Non-Daily ci rculation under 3,500 1st Place –TIE Lake Powell Chronicle Maricopa Monitor 2nd Place – Arizona Capitol Times Non-Daily circulation 3,500 to 10,000 1st Place – Payson Roundup 2nd Place – Green Valley News and Sun 3rd Place – Jewish News Non-Daily circulation greater than 10,000 1st Place – Phoenix Business Journal 2nd Place –TIE Navajo Times West Valley View Daily circulation under 25,000 1st Place – Sierra Vista Herald

STORY OF THE YEAR Non-Daily Hank Stephenson – “Ballot Harvest” Arizona Capitol Times Daily Dennis Wagner – “An Apache Dance into Womanhood” The Arizona Republic

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Non-Daily Murphy Woodhouse – Nogales International Daily Randy Hoeft – Yuma Sun

JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR Non-Daily Alexis Bechman – Payson Roundup

GENERAL EXCELLENCE Advertising Non-Daily circulation under 3,500 1st Place – Nogales International 2nd Place – Marana News 3rd Place – Coolidge Examiner Non-Daily circulation 3,500 to 10,000 1st –TIE Green Valley News and Sun Payson Roundup 2nd Place – White Mountain Independent Non-Daily circulation greater than 10,000 1st Place – Navajo Times 2nd Place –TIE Explorer Newspaper Tucson Weekly

Daily Dennis Wagner – The Arizona Republic

Daily circulation under 25,000 1st Place – Yuma Sun

NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

3rd Place – Casa Grande Dispatch

Non-Daily Payson Roundup – Publisher: John Naughton

3rd Place – Sierra Vista Herald

Daily circulation greater than 25,000 1st Place – Arizona Republic

Daily The Arizona Republic – Publisher: John Zidich

Daily circulation greater than 25,000 1st Place – Arizona Republic

2nd Place – Arizona Daily Sun

2nd Place – Daily Courier

To see the complete list of winners, the BNC and Excellence in Advertising slide show presentations, and our Flickr page click here. The BNC slide show also includes the Scholastic BNC ­Division.

October 2015 ■ ANAgrams | Page 7


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Arizona Republic, azcentral name new publisher, Mi-Ai Parrish Mi-Ai Parrish has been named president and publisher of The Arizona Republic and azcentral. com after serving as a publisher in Kansas City, Mo., Mi-Ai Parrish and Boise, Idaho, where she gained President and a reputation for Publisher, The transforming Arizona Republic and diversifying ­business operations and encouraging quality journalism. Parrish will start her new job Oct. 12. She will succeed John Zidich, now ­Gannett Co., Inc., president of ­domestic publishing. Click here to watch video interview and read more.

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www.ANAnews

Incongruence in ad creativity Congruence is an important ­c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of communication. In o­rder to get a message through, all of the ingredients have to match. By John Foust Most of the Advertising time, ­congruence Traininer – comes naturally. Raleigh, NC Just notice how strange it feels to say the word “yes” and shake your head “no.” On the other hand, incongruence can ­generate memorable ­advertising. Years ago, Volkswagen ran a famous ad which pictured a large photo of their beetle with the simple headline, “Lemon.” The copy explained that the car had been rejected by their inspectors, because a small part – the chrome strip on the glove ­compartment – was blemished. The headline didn’t match the ­photo. How could this shiny new car ­possibly be a lemon? That’s the power of ­strategic incongruence. Unexpected photo-headline combinations are not limited to national ­advertisers. Consider an ad I once saw for a local title insurance ­company. Most ads for that industry reflect the somber nature of the profession. ­Indemnity ­issues, title defects, and ­unenforceable mortgage loans are not the most ­exciting topics in the world. This was an image ad – a businessto-business ad – which was intended to build name recognition in the legal and real estate markets. When I called the company to get the inside story, I learned that the idea had started with a session to photograph a standard (in other words, boring) pose of the executives of the company sitting at a conference table. At some point, someone told a joke that cracked up the group, and the photographer caught the un-

scripted moment. A couple of the executives were leaning back in their chairs, grinning from ear to ear. One was rolling her eyes to the ceiling. And another was raising his hands in the air. It looked like they were having the time of their lives. When the company reviewed the photos, they decided – with lots of encouragement from the photographer – to use the laughing photo. Although it was a complete departure from the original plan, they revamped the copy to fit. With the headline, “Title insurance is serious business,” the ad ­humanized the company and presented those executives as the kind of people you’d like to know. The message was relevant. It made readers think, “Hey, they’re a team. They’re good enough at what they do to relax and enjoy their work. They won’t bore me to death when I call.” The title insurance company told me the original headline was supposed to be something like, “We’re here to take care of your title insurance needs.” Pretty weak, huh? An ad like that would have gotten lost in the blur of countless conference ­table photos that readers had seen over the years. But thanks to the company’s creative flexibility, they ended up with a memorable message that stood out from their starched competitors. Incongruence is no laughing ­matter. With the avalanche of words and ­images that bombard consumers each day, it’s smart to use a little incongruence every now and then to break away from the crowd. 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 (c) Copyright 2015 by John Foust. All rights reserved. October 2015 ■ ANAgrams | Page 9


Newspaper Association of America Names David Chavern as New President and CEO NAA News Arlington, Va. – Newspaper Association of America today announced that its board of directors has selected David Chavern, a seasoned public policy and advocacy leader, as its new president and CEO, effective October 14, 2015. Chavern succeeds Caroline H. Little, who led the association for four years and announced her retirement earlier in 2015. In his new role at NAA, Chavern will work closely with David Chavern board members and staff to President and CEO, navigate the organization Newspaper Association of through a continued period America of significant opportunity for newspaper media. With technological advancements changing the ways in which people consume the news, he will provide strong, strategic direction to ensure the future the success of the organization. “We have spent the last several months conducting a thorough search for the right person to fill this important role,” said NAA Chairman of the Board Donna Barrett, president and CEO of Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. “David’s extensive public policy experience paired with his focus on technology and innovation were certainly deciding factors in the board’s selection. I am thrilled to welcome him aboard, and know that his passion for journalism and knowledge of the changing space will help to guide our organization through this exciting time.” Chavern has built a career spanning 30 years in executive strategic and operational roles, and most recently completed a decade-long tenure at the United States Chamber of Commerce. From 2014 to 2015, he served as the President of the Center for Advanced Technology & Innovation at the Chamber. He established the center, which is the first U.S. Chamber office focused solely on technology and innovation, and led a research and outreach program which was dedicated to the economic power of data-driven innovation. From 2007 through 2014, Chavern was the Chamber’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In this role, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations and long-term planning for the 500-person advocacy organization. Chavern helped to grow total revenues by 60 percent, Page 10 | ANAgrams ■ October 2015

and successfully guided the organization through intense scrutiny from both the media and activists. He also managed revenue growth and expense reductions, and ended the 2013 fiscal year with the best financial performance in the Chamber’s 100-year history. Prior to that, Chavern served as a Vice President and Chief of Staff at the Chamber, offering strategic advice and guidance to the CEO and managing daily operations of the organization. “I am honored to join the Newspaper Association of America in a time of great change and great opportunity for the newspaper industry,” said Chavern. “I look forward to working with the organization’s incredible board and staff as we continue to strategically refocus our efforts by leveraging new technologies to bring the irreplaceable newspaper content that is loved by so many to more people than ever before. Newspapers play such a vital role in all of our lives, and I am excited for what is to come.” Chavern is a member of the Board of Directors of Transamerica Insurance and also serves as a member of the Board of Advisors of Humin. He is a founding investor in Starling Trust Sciences, LLC, a company that produces data analytics tools that allow companies to measure a wide range of cultural attributes about their internal operations. A proud alum, Chavern also serves on the board of trustees of his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh. A 1987 graduate of Villanova University’s School of Law, Chavern went on to receive his MBA from Georgetown University in 2003. He attended the University of Pittsburgh where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. About NAA NAA is a nonprofit organization representing nearly 2,000 newspapers and their multiplatform businesses in the United States and Canada. NAA members include daily newspapers, as well as nondailies, other print publications and online products. Headquartered near Washington, D.C., in Arlington, Va., the association focuses on the major issues that affect today’s newspaper industry: public policy/ legal matters, advertising revenue growth and audience development across the medium’s broad portfolio of products and digital platforms. Information about NAA and the industry also may be found at www.naa.org.


Critiquing Pages To the readers, it’s almost all about the stories Kevin Slimp The News Guru kevin@kevinslimp.com In October, I traveled to Albuquerque, where I gave the Saturday keynote address at the New Mexico Press Association Convention. On Sunday morning, I caught a flight to Orlando, where I spoke at an international conference made up of newspaper and magazine publishers. My assignment in Florida was a little out of the ordinary. In addition to giving the keynote, I was asked to meet with publishers individually and look over their products, offering criticism and advice. The convention planner expected maybe a dozen publishers to take advantage of the opportunity to meet with me for 30 minutes each over two days. By the time I left Florida, I had met with more than 20 publishers, who represented scores of titles. While I was packing my computer to head back to the airport, several of the attendees stopped me. Most of them said something like, “I can’t wait for you to see my magazine next year” or “I plan to win

Adding a white line above a drop shadow can create a cleaner effect on newsprint. all the awards next year after making the changes you suggested.” It reminded me a little of my visits to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where I’m invited every couple of years to spend two days with the news staff there. I’m always surprised by the things we get into while I’m with the Kentucky New Era, but tend to find our page critiques the most helpful exercise. I can’t take credit for the idea. It originally came from Eli Pace, editor, and we’ve made it a regular part of my visits. The idea works like this: The various editors meet around a conference table for a few hours, while we look over pages from the previous year. This is done by projecting the pages onto a large screen, where we can critique the pages simultaneously. We discuss the quality of headlines,

When critiquing publications at a recent conference, the focus group keyed on stories and writing more than anything else. What else did they like a lot? Crossword puzzles. the placement of stories, the general What they cared about most were the layout of the pages and more. Once, I stories. Were the topics of local interest? noted that newspaper flag on the front Were the writers local or did they get the page looked a little dirty. Eli gave me the material from a news service? How was the go-ahead to “play with the flag” that afterquality of the writing? noon and I sent a clean copy to him before When I met individually with pubheading back to the hotel. lishers, I shared the input of the focus Not knowing he was actually going to groups, then went through their publiuse the cleaner design, I was surprised cations page by page, sharing my own the next morning when he told me several thoughts. Afterwards, more than a few of readers had called in to comment on the the participants told me it was the most improved front page design. valuable program they’d every attended All I did was clean up the drop shadow at a convention. behind the words “Kentucky New Era.” I Why was it so valuable? Most of us, didn’t change the shape or size of anyI think, get so used to seeing our newsthing. I simply inserted a thin while line papers that we forget how the reader between the characters in the flag and the sees them. By looking at their products drop shadow behind them. Little things through new eyes, I was able to share make a big difference. ideas that will be valuable as they continWhile preparing for the Florida group, ually work to improve their publications. I gathered a group of 23 folks in my Here’s a thought: How about gathering hometown of Knoxville to look over some a focus group to look at your newspapers of the various newspapers and magazines every six months? By offering to pay for I that would be represented in Orlando. lunch, I had 23 willing participants, giving This focus group was made up of ordinary us enough folks to break into groups and readers. None of them were professional critique two dozen titles in four hours. writers, editors or designers. In my customer service survey last I divided the focus group into smaller month, I learned that the chief concern groups of three to four members each of subscribers is the number of local and asked them to critique a dozen stories and the quality of writing. For elements of the publications. These nonsubscribers, quality of writing was included stories, design, readability and number one and local story content was other elements. number two. Most surprising to me was the lack of Consider creating your own focus concern over paper quality. Most readers group. I can’t wait to hear from the didn’t seem to care whether they were publishers I met in Florida to learn about reading something printed on coated the improvements to their products in stock, newsprint or something else. the coming months. Have you read Kevin’s “The Good Folks of Lennox Valley?” It’s carried by papers stretching from Idaho to Florida.

Visit the Good Folks of Lennox Valley at LennoxValley.com

October 2015 ■ ANAgrams | Page 11


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Calendar • Calendar • Calendar Training Partners Great webinars ­available at your ­convenience! To access the archives: • Go to www.onlinemediacampus.com and click on the webinar tab. • On the left-hand side, click the editorial category. Webinar archive registration fee: $35 per session* *Free if you registered for the live session.

Webinars • Webinars • Webinars How to Solve Advertiser Challenges with Online Promotions - Inland Press

Fri Oct. 9, 2015 8:30a.m. – 9:30a.m. Advertisers need leads. They need foot traffic. They need to grow their email databases and social followings. Advertisers need to collect data about their customers. Promotions that you create can help bring these results to reality. In this webinar, learn the many types of promotions that can start driving results for your advertisers. Members of Arizona Newspapers Association, get a discounted rate of $15 per webinar. More information here.

Mapping Your Digital Strategy - Online Media Campus

Thu Oct. 15, 2015 11a.m. – 12p.m. You plan for your print paper; why wouldn’t you plan for digital? You don’t just produce a newspaper anymore — so you should know what you have and what you need to provide news on all platforms. This presentation will answer questions, including: When should your staff meet, and how often? What should you discuss? How should you share information? How should you put your plan to work? As a bonus, we also will include tips and best practices from GateHouse Media’s Digital Transformation project. More information here.

Growing Revenue in Your Local Market - Online Media Campus In this session, you’ll learn the process behind growing your local market share and creating customer volumes that convert to sustainable revenue growth. The foundation for this is built on six steps: Customer acquisition Customer retention. Continuous product improvement Marketing. Training Leadership. This session is beneficial for advertising managers interested in increasing local market revenue. More information here.

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Happenings & Events ANA BOD Meetings Dec. 3 Conference call, 1 p.m.

Save the Date for The 2016 Legislative Reception Jan. 26 When: 4 – 6:30 p.m. Where: Arizona Capitol Times 1835 W. Adams St., Phoenix, Arizona.

32nd Annual Cronkite Award Luncheon Oct. 19 When: 11:30 a.m. Where: at the Sheraton Phoenix

Downtown Hotel, 340 N. Third St. Join the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in honoring the 2015 recipient of the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, award-winning anchor of “CBS This Morning” and PBS late night host Charlie Rose. More information and related links, here.

Zenger Freedom of the Press Award Oct. 23 When: 5:30 p.m. Where: at the Westward Look Resort, Sonoran Ballroom, 245 E. Ina Road, Tucson, Arizona. Associated Press foreign correspondent Kathy Gannon is the winner of the 2015 Zenger Freedom of the Press Award. More information and related links, here.


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