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APRIL 2011
ANA Excellence in Advertising awards reception May 20 Judging for the ANA 2011 Excellence in Advertising competition is currenlty underway! This year, 36 newspapers entered the ANA Excellence in Advertising competition with a total of 582 entries. Winners will be announced on May 20 at Chaparral Suites in Scottsdale. Make sure you mark this date on your calendar! The cocktail reception will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m., followed by a slideshow presentation featuring the winning entries. And just like like year, ANA is also offering a full day of sales training prior to the awards reception. Join verteran newspaper ad director and trainer Bob McGinnis, for “How to drive serious revenue in a recession”. This session promises to provide your staff with the best selling skills and techniques available and bring them
back to the office with answers to their questions, fresh ideas and a motivated outlook. Bob McInnis is a former Newsday executive and president of McInnis & Associates.
Registration for this amazing event opens soos. In the mean time, if you need to book a hotel room, call Chaparral Suites at (480) 949-1414. Reserve your room by May 9 to get the special ANA meeting rate of $92/night.
ANA now accepting entries for scholarship program Since the Arizona Newspaper Foundation began its scholarship program in 2007, over $6,000 has been awarded to young journalists attending Arizona’s public universities. The application deadline is June 1. Applicants are notified by mid-July. In addition to the scholarship, the recipients are invited to attend the ANA Fall Convention and other ANA events throughout the year. Do you know a young journalist who is a rising star? Encourage them to apply!
Past scholarship recipients have gone on to work for organizations such as ABC15, Arizona State University, Reuters, the Navajo Times, MTV, and The Arizona Republic. Application information can be found online at http://ananews.com/scholarship. Want to help support these talented upand-comers. We welcome donations in any amount! Individual and newspaper contributions help ANF provide scholarships every year. We can’t do it without you, so don’t hesitate to step and make a contribution.
Are you complying with FTc rules when advertising short sales? On Jan. 31, a new Federal Trade Commission rule took effect, aimed at protecting financially distressed homeowners who use so-called mortgage assistance relief services, aka “MARS”. According to the FTC website, the MARS Rule protects distressed homeowners from mortgage relief scams that have sprung up during the mortgage crisis. Bogus operations falsely claim that, for a fee, they will negotiate with the consumer’s mortgage lender or servicer to obtain a loan modification, a short sale, or other relief from foreclosure.
The MARS Rule requires a specific disclosure in all advertising for mortgage assistance relief services, which
includes short sales. The clear and prominent advertising disclosure must state:
IMPORTANT NOTICE (in two-point type larger than the font size of the disclosure): (Name of company) is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan. [If the broker represents that the seller should stop making payments add: “If you stop paying your mortgage, you could lose your home and damage your credit rating.”] Want more information about this rule? Read online at: http://www.aaronline.com/ azr/2011/march/mars-rule-requirements-for-short-sale-brokers.aspx
From the ANA President Ginger Lamb, Arizona Capitol Times We all know there is strength in numbers and thanks to the publishers, editors and public notice managers who stepped up and helped Arizona Newspapers Association defeat SB1399 and SB1605. This effort would not have been possible without all of the letters, emails, personal phone calls and visits you made to your legislators’ offices to discuss the importance of preserving public notice in print and online. We are hearing from other press associations across the country that these personal relationships with your legislators are making the difference in public notice battles. A special thank you to our lobbyist John Moody of LaSota and Peters, Paula Casey and Greg Tock, our ANA Legislative Committee co-chair. John and Paula did a phenomenal job of coordinating our efforts and keeping us focused. John lead our lobbying team from our newspapers – Michael Preston Green, Arizona News Service/Arizona Capitol Times; Wendy Briggs, Wick Newspapers; David Bodney and Chris Moeser, The Arizona Republic. Thank you also to Donovan Kramer Jr., Brian Kramer, Manuel Coppola, John Naughton, Tom Lee, Rick Schneider, Mike Quinn, Hop David, Diane Heuel, Chelle Davila and Ondrea Sheppard for attending committee hearings and floor votes. Our presence at the legislature was definitely noticed and your face-to-face conversations with lawmakers in the hallways before committees and floor votes resonated and made an impact. John, Paula and I often hear lawmakers say they want to talk with their hometown newspapers on these issues. Those of you who were able to have face-to-face contact with lawmakers as committee hearings were unfolding were instrumental in communicating the importance of public notices in print and online through a trusted, third party provider. Plus, these lawmakers recognize the value of their hometown newspapers and keeping their communities informed of what
is transpiring. As session continues, it is important to continue this dialogue with your lawmakers and elected officials. Be sure to keep talking with your city and county leaders about the issues along with your state lawmakers. A unique and effective example of this outreach recently occurred in Yuma with newspapers and their Legislators from District 24. Blake DeWitt of Western Newspapers, Mike Quinn of Today’s News-Herald, Debbie White of the Quartzsite Times and Joni Brooks of the Yuma Sun, hosted State Senator Don Shooter and Representatives Lyn Pancrazi and Russell Jones. At this meeting, they discussed many topics but importantly for ANA they discussed public notice, the recent legislation pending at the Capitol and the future of the study committee. It was also an opportunity to talk about their newspapers, encourage them to submit commentaries and how they can be contacted for comment on stories during session. As Brooks said, “The format of having them in and sitting down with them was very good and they all appreciated it. We would encourage other publishers to get together and do the same with their legislators.” ANA encourages members to consider hosting a similar meet and greet with their lawmakers to keep the conversation going before, during and after session. Thanks also to the members who are on our legislative committee. Your input and advice this session have been appreciated. We are always looking for more ANA members to join our legislative committee, where we talk about bills affecting our profession and how ANA will strategize to help move them or defeat them. If you’d like to participate, let Paula know. Our committee meets via conference call at 9 a.m. most Fridays during session. Again, thank you to everyone for their efforts to help spread the word about the importance of public notice this year.
Phoenix SPJ honors professionals, students and citizens with Freedom of Information awards The Valley of the Sun Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) pays tribute to working journalists and others at its annual Arizona Freedom of Information Awards Reception, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 16 in the Monte Vista Room of the Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. Those honored this year include: First Amendment Award—Craig Harris, The Arizona Republic; Andrea Kelly, Arizona Daily Star; Yvonne Gonzalez, Cronkite News Service; and Alyssa Newcomb, Cronkite News Service Page 2 | April 2011 ■ ANAgrams
Sunshine Award—Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Litchfield Park (12th District); and Megan Neighbor, Arizona Daily Star The Phil Alvidrez Award for Excellence in Journalism—Jon Kamman, formerly of The Arizona Republic, Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Daily Citizen The Order of the Silver Key Society—Laurie Roberts, The Arizona Republic; Terry Ward, KJZZ/NPR; and Ted Simons, host of Horizon, KAET-Channel 8. Tickets are $45 for SPJ members, $50 for non-members, and $40 for students.
Payments accepted online (via PayPal), but you need to purchase your tickets no later than April 12. Checks or cash accepted at the door, but RSVPs are required via e-mail by April 13. Tickets include a mixer with cash bar, the reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres, and a memorable time honoring outstanding examples of the use of the First Amendment in shining a light on important public issues. More information is available on the chapter’s website: http://phoenixspj.org.
UA prof is new Reporters Without Borders correspondent University of Arizona assistant professor Kevin R. Kemper has been named the Arizona correspondent for Reporters Without Borders, an international organization that promotes freedom of the press and protection for journalists. He will be the organization’s spokesman across the state, raising awareness about local and international threats to freedom of the press. Kemper has a long history of supporting freedom of speech, particularly for indigenous and marginalized groups. Kemper started his journalism career with a B.A. from East Central University in Oklahoma, obtained an M.A. from the University of Oklahoma, and has both a Ph.D. in journalism and a J.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has owned and published his own newspaper and occasionally writes freelance articles, the most recent being a guide to deporatation hearings, published in the current issue of The News Media and The Law. Kemper is also a member of the UA School of Journalism Border Safety Committee, a faculty group that provides safety tips and first aid training for students who plan to report from the U.S.-Mexico border region and elsewhere. Because of the proximity to the border, many UA journalism student cover stories dealing with Mexico. “For a few years there, Mexico was the most dangerous place for journalists to be, besides Iraq,” Kemper said. “Mexico is our neighbor…We want students to be safe there,” he said. There’s more to report on than just il-
age his students to be thoughtful and respective of other cultures, but to not be afraid; there are great stories out there to be told. With his background in freedom of the press and protecting journalists, it’s not hard to see why Kemper is the new Arizona correspondent for Reporters Without Borders. “We want journalists to be aware of what resources we have,” said Kemper. In addition to the website, located at www.rsf.org, Kemper welcomes questions. You can email him at krkemper@email.arizona.edu.
legal immigration and the war on drugs. There are less dangerous, but equally interesting stories students can cover, he said. When reporting in foreign territory, Kemper emphasized the value of being ready. “Don’t get involved in something you don’t know,” he said. “Do your research before you go.” It all boils down to preparation, he said. “Know where you’re going, what you’re doing, know who you’re talking with, know the language if possible.” “The best journalism is done by those who really understand the language and the culture of a place.” For example, in his Advanced Reporting class this semester, students are covering Native American issues in Arizona. Kemper says he likes to encour-
ANA creates network ads video Always wondered how the ANA network ad program worked? Want to know what’s in it for you? ANA communications manager Perri Collins has created a short, fun video that explains it in plain English! The video is located on the ANA YouTube channel:
http://youtube.com/ananewsflash ANA hopes to bring more videos to you in the coming months.
Upcoming Webinars Video Reporting in a Print Environment Friday, April 15 John Gaps III, The Des Moines Register
Social Media Ethics Thursday, April 21 Sean Conboy, One Social Media
Precision Journalism -
Grammar, structure and usage
Thursday, April 28 Barbara Mack, Iowa State University
Return to Sales Basics Thursday, May 12 Larry Maynard, NGM Partners
Register at onlinemediacampus.com High quality, low cost web conferences that help media professionals develop new job skills without leaving their ofces.
April 2011 ■ ANAgrams | Page 3
Wildcat announces Alumni Hall of Fame inductees Luke Money, Arizona Daily Wildcat
The Arizona Daily Wildcat inducted 13 new members into its Alumni Hall of Fame at the Tucson Marriott University Park Hotel on Saturday. This newest batch of inductees includes a Pulitzer Prize winner, lawyers, public relations and communication officials, entrepreneurs, a thoroughbred racehorse trainer, and reporters from a wide array of fields. Each honoree gave a speech, and the common themes were reflection on past Wildcat experiences and encouragement to young journalists entering the field during a time of industry flux. “I think journalism is much more important now then ever precisely because the field is changing. Now anyone with a laptop can blog and pretend they’re a reporter,” said Mary Kellogg, a travel writer, author and media consultant. Kellogg said that readers would soon become more astute at identifying which news sources they can trust. “The need for journalists is going to grow,” she said. “I think people are going to recognize that.” Sheila McNulty, an energy reporter for the Financial Times, said that specialization is important as a readership or audience becomes more interested in niche topics. “That’s the one thing I’ve learned over the years,” she said, “you’ve got to have something specific to offer because there are millions of people out there looking for journalism jobs.” Margo Warren, branch chief of the Health Education and Public Liaison Section in the Office of Communications and public liaison at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health, said that honing writing and important skills is becoming more important as print outlets consolidate. “Although there may not be as many jobs in print journalism as there once were, the world will always need good writers,” she said. Morgan Loew, an investigative reporter for KPHO in Phoenix, said that, Page 4 | April 2011 ■ ANAgrams
Will Ferguson/Arizona Daily Wildcat
contrary to popular belief, the journalism field isn’t dying but rather becoming more exciting as technology changes. “This is still a fantastic field and the future is not bleak,” he said. “The future is wide open for it.” Loew said he has friends who are lawyers or doctors, but feels like journalism is a more rewarding field than either. “None of them have been in a war zone with missiles flying overhead,” he said. “None of them have had a hidden camera where you’re negotiating with a smuggler. None of them have been able to do what I’ve been able to do and I wouldn’t trade that for anything or for any salary.” Jay Parker, a professor of International Security at the College of International Security Affairs of the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., agreed that as the field changes, there are more opportunities, not less. “Sometimes people get too caught up in the traditional expectations of what sorts of avenues they should use and don’t realize there are many ways to do the job,” he said. “The possibilities are virtually limitless.” Parker praised the Wildcat for mak-
ing him passionate about journalism. “At a very young age I had my dream job, and I’ve been trying to replicate it or top it ever since,” he said. Bob Crawford, an editor at The Arizona Republic, said journalists need to try and move away from the 24-hour news cycle and the emphasis on always being the first to get the story. “My first advice would be to be accurate and be quick,” he said. “If you can’t get it right then don’t bother with getting it first. Getting it right is a lot more important than getting it first and I don’t think in the Internet age everyone understands that.” The Wildcat also conferred 10 Young Alumni awards to more recent UA graduates. Some of these graduates include Ryan Gabrielson, who collaborated with Paul Giblin, a Hall of Fame inductee this year, to win the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting in 2009. Other Young Alumni Award winners include Maxx Wolfson, the field editor for Getty Images, Nate Olivarez-Giles and Nicole Santa Cruz, both reporters at the Los Angeles Times, and Daniel Scarpinato, who is the communications director for the Arizona Republican legislative majority.
NYT’s Phoenix bureau chief speaks to UA alumni On Mar. 29, The University of Arizona School of Journalism and the Arizona Alumni Association presented a lunchtime discussion with the Phoenix bureau chief of The New York Times, Marc. Lacey. Jacqueline Sharkey, UA School of Journalism director, began the luncheon by stating, “It is a mistake to think journalism is dying.” After listening to Lacey recount his exploit over the years and the journey to his position in Phoenix, it is apparent that journalism is at an exciting stage in its evolution. According to Lacey, he came to Arizona because The New York Times wanted
to set up a new bureau in a state that was producing a lot news. Arizona was the top pick, not only because immigration is the hot-button topic, but also because of events like the passing of SB1070 and the recent Tucson shooting. People hear stories about places like Arizona and it just feeds their preconceived notions, he said. “My goal is to give people outside of Arizona a complex view of this state...I want to go beyond those broad brush strokes and write stories that surprise people -- make them rethink their views, raise their eyebrows a little bit,” said Lacey.
Multiple voices better than single source
Jim Pumarlo Most reporters can likely relate to this scenario. Someone appears before a city council or other governing board to unleash criticism about an individual or organization. Reporters have little difficulty presenting a balanced report – recording all sides of the story – if the accused is at the meeting. But what happens if the individual is not present? And what if deadlines do not permit time to get the other side of the argument? It’s the classic case of a “single source” story. These types of stories are no doubt the easiest to write, and they are the most likely to prompt calls of “foul play” from readers. A quick review of newspapers or a simple brainstorming session at a staff meeting can reveal additional opportunities for broader coverage. The more voices in a story, the more balanced the report. Labor disputes are a case in point. A union goes on strike and issues a two-page release on what it characterizes as unfair labor practices by the employer; the story runs without any response from the company. Or a company announces a major reorganization which results in the layoff of numerous employees; the published report is void of any comment from the affected employees and their families. Coverage of public affairs affords
ample opportunities for including multiple voices. A school board is prepared to act on a recommendation to switch from half-day to all-day kindergarten; the packet of materials accompanying the agenda details the reasons. A preview of the meeting is a chance to provide the range of “pro” and “con” arguments including interviews with a variety of individuals. Follow-up reports on a variety of board actions present similar opportunities. Review other standard fare in newspapers as well. A community’s selection of a “citizen of the year” is an automatic feature story – usually a one-on-one sit-down with the honoree. Inject some flavor to the story by including comments from other individuals. A big-box retailer comes into a town with great fanfare. A sidebar is appropriate to capture the sentiments of those who believe local retailers will be helped or hindered. Most items in police blotters are sufficiently summarized in a few sentences. On occasion, take the time to quiz police on some incidents, and the circumstances can lead to an interesting story. Tracking down all the voices – all the perspectives – of a story is just the first step, however. Two other points are
important in the spirit of fairness. No. 1, give the opposing voices equal prominence. Court proceedings are a great example. In other words, don’t put the prosecutor’s arguments on page one and bury the defense’s rebuttal on jump page. Readers’ attention is limited on the web, too; present the opposing viewpoints in the first few paragraphs. No. 2, don’t be afraid to hold a story if it means delivering a more complete – and more fair - report. That’s especially the case with nondaily newspapers where it can be a few days to a week before readers receive the “other side.” In these cases, the web is a great friend. Newspapers can wait a few hours to pursue all the voices and still deliver a timely report. Seeking and incorporating the many varied – yet pertinent – voices in a story is not always easy. It can take time and hard work – solid journalism that benefits the newspaper and readers alike. Jim Pumarlo writes, speaks and provides training on Community Newsroom Success Strategies. He is author of “Votes and Quotes: A Guide to Outstanding Election Coverage” and “Bad News and Good Judgment: A Guide to Reporting on Sensitive Issues in a SmallTown Newspaper.” He can be contacted at www.pumarlo.com. April 2011 ■ ANAgrams | Page 5
Study: Newspapers see no bounce -- yet Marc Wilson, TownNews.com Pew Research just issued a report that says the economic recovery is causing a rebound for the U.S. media – except for newspapers. “Among the major sectors, only newspapers suffered continued revenue declines last year – an unmistakable sign that the structural economic problems facing newspapers are more severe than those of other media,” said the report, the “State of the News Media in 2011.” Revenues increased in 2010 over 2009 for most media sectors, the report said. Local TV revenues climbed 17 percent, online increased 13.9 percent, cable TV was up 8.4 percent, network TV rose 6.6 percent, and audio (radio) saw revenues climb 6 percent. Magazines saw a 1.4 percent increase over 2009 revenues. Overall newspaper revenues dropped 6.4 percent from 2009 to 2010. Online revenues increased nearly 11 percent. “…(A) more fundamental challenge to journalism became clearer in the last year,” the report said. “The biggest issue ahead may not be the lack of audience or even lack of new revenue experiments. It may be that in the digital realm, the news industry is no longer in control of its own future.” The report added: “In the digital space, the organizations that produce the news increasingly rely on independent networks to sell their ads. They depend on aggregators (such as Google) and social networks (such as Facebook) to bring them a substantial portion of their audience. And now, as news consumption becomes more mobile, news companies must follow the rules of device makers (such as Apple) and software developers (Google again) to deliver their content… And the new players take a share of the revenue and in many cases also control the audience data.” Yikes! The report said the only medium to show audience growth from 2009 to 2010 was online, which recorded a 17.1 percent increase. Declines were recorded for cable TV (-13.7 percent), magazines (-8.9), audio (-6.0), newspapers (-5.0), network TV (-3.4), and local TV (-1.5 percent). The report noted that for the first time, more people in 2010 said they got news from the web than newspapers. “Financially, the tipping point also has come,” Pew said. “When the final tally is in, online ad revenue in 2010 is projected to surpass print newspaper ad revenue for the first time.” Ad additional insult noted by Pew: “The problem for news is that by far the largest share of that online revenue goes to non-news sources, particularly to aggregators.” Revenue and audience losses harmed traditional newsrooms. “They are smaller, their aspirations have narrowed
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and their journalists are stretched thinner. But their leaders also say they are more adaptive, younger and more engaged in multimedia presentation, aggregation, blogging and user content,” the report said. “Some also worry that with lower pay, more demand for speed, less training, and more volunteer work, there is a general devaluing and even what scholar Robert Picard has called a ‘de-skilling’ of the profession,” the report added. I recently attended the Mega Conference sponsored by Inland Press, Suburban Newspaper Association and Southern Newspaper Publishers Association. Nearly all the speakers gave gloomy outlooks for the newspaper industry. “Couldn’t we get some positive speakers?” several attendees muttered in private. Every time I pass along gloomy reports – such as this Pew study – I receive emails, etc., wanting to “shoot the messenger.” Is it better to whistle in the dark? Or bury our heads in the sand? One of the Mega Conference speakers, Bill Day, highlighted some of the spin the industry is putting on these tough times. He quoted Gannett CEO Craig Debow saying in January 2011: “We progressed on the year-over-year comparison in our publishing segment.” Gannett’s publishing revenue declined 4.7 percent in 2010. Day quoted McClatchy CEO Gary Pruitt saying in January 2011: “Overall, we made good progress in 2010.” McClatchy print revenue fell 6.9 percent in 2010. Day quoted Media General CEO Marshall Morton as saying in January 2011: “We were pleased to see the benefits of our aggressive digital sales initiatives.” Media General’s print revenues fell 8.4 percent in 2010. Which is better: spinning the story, or looking the problem square in the eye? True, green shoots have emerged. The overall economy is improving, if slowly, and newspapers are reporting substantially higher online revenues. The NAA reported a 10.9 percent increase in online newspaper advertising in 2010. Also, Borrell Associates has predicted increased newspaper revenues – print and online -- for the next several years. And, thankfully, the worst of the layoffs and furloughs may be behind us. Still, we haven’t seen much bounce off the bottom. Hard as it is – if we are talking about the state of the news media and or journalism – I think we need to look the problem square in the eye. And then do whatever is necessary to adjust, survive and thrive.
Newspapers follow Groupon’s suit; Enjoy slice of group-buying pie Kunur Patel, AdAge Even newspapers are following Groupon’s lead. It’s no surprise, considering the 3-year-old startup made a reported $760 million in revenue from local merchants last year -- that’s onequarter of the entire newspaper industry’s online revenue. While it is not yet nearly enough to stop the steady bleed in print ad dollars, media companies are seeing their own Groupon-style deals bring in new revenue. Better yet, the revenue is often from entirely new customers. The San Diego Union-Tribune is now making more money in deals than in interactive advertising. That’s more revenue than LivingSocial in San Diego, said Mike Hodges, Union-Tribune’s VP-interactive. “We’re not up to the Groupon standards but we’re starting to cut into their market share as well,” he added. The New York Times launched its first daily deal, called TimesLimited, last week. Hearst will launch about 70 deals properties in the next month. And McClatchy, which first partnered with Groupon to provide deals to its web readership, will be rolling out its own in April.
Even magazine companies are considering it: Meredith Corp.’s Parents has launched weekly deals on its site for national advertisers. Cable has made moves, too. Belo has seen a slight lift in online revenue after launching its first deals in November under the brand Yollar, largely from a set of advertisers new to the company. Media companies are going up against Groupon and LivingSocial for the $3.9 billion daily-deal revenue projected for 2015, according to BAI/Kelsey Group. After all, they already have the sales forces, relationships with advertisers and cred in the market. “You’ll see even more [local media companies] flock to group buying,” said Jed Williams, analyst and program director for BAI/Kelsey. “It’s a sizable enough opportunity to catch the attention of media execs.” Media companies are taking different routes to daily deals. Some partner with outside firms for white-label ecommerce and email tech. Others, like Meredith, look to partners to sell deals on their behalf. Seeing opportunity, several com-
panies have popped up to get local media companies into deals. Publishers can turn to companies such as Analog Analytics, ReachLocal, Tippr and Group Commerce for everything from technology to sales, but challenges persist. For one, some publishers have had to retool their sales forces. “You learn that it really takes a standalone sales organization,” said Doug Bennett, president of Freedom Interactive. Freedom has 27 dailies, eight TV stations and six properties offering deals of the day. “You can’t use the same people that are out selling your interactive and print customers because you are calling on a lot of smaller advertisers that don’t advertise on print or interactive today. It’s opened up the door to bring in new advertisers.” Should Groupon be worried? Well, it has a more than sizable head-start, with 60 million users in 42 countries, so it’s likely safe for now. It was also the first major deals site and has become synonymous with the entire category. But media companies are betting their oldest assets will be a major draw for merchants.
NNA starts ‘Believe’ campaign The National Newspaper Association believes in newspapers—community newspapers, to be exact. That is what NNA President Elizabeth K. Parker, co-publisher of Recorder Community Newspapers in Stirling, NJ, wants the world to know. “We’re so often accused of being great marketers of every business but our own. Guilty as charged. But we are committed to changing that,” Parker said. “NNA’s leadership, which reaches into every state and represents nearly 2,200 newspapers, is determined to tell the world that community newspapers are alive. We are today kicking off the “We Believe in Newspapers”
campaign, and we’ll have more to tell in the months to come. We realized the first essential step is to identify publishers who believe what we believe. That is where we are headed.” Led by NNA’s Membership and Marketing Committee co-chairs Merle Baranczyk, publisher of the Mountain Mail in Salida, CO, and David Puddu, vice president of Number Nine Media Inc. in Belen, NM, NNA engaged in a several-month conversation about NNA and its industry. It concluded that the strength of the community newspaper brand and of NNA went hand-in-hand. “To be honest, we are all tired of hearing the predictions of our imminent
demise,” Parker said. “The news coverage of the decline of larger media not only threatens to create a self-fulfilling prophecy, it also laps onto the decks of our own boat. Community newspapers are not facing an imminent demise. We are in a different business. Our role in our communities is just as important as ever, and we continue to serve.” NNA’s campaign has already begun, with announcement of its 2010 readership survey. Several newspapers have already begun using the new data to put together brochures and ad campaigns. You can view the report on the NNA website at http://nnaweb.org. April 2011 ■ ANAgrams | Page 7
Scripts save time in InDesign Kevin Slimp When a newspaper or group contacts me to ask about training, they usually have something specific in mind. The client might be a publication moving to the InCopy/InDesign workflow. Quite often, there’s a problem with print quality. No matter what the reason for my visit, it’s almost a certainty that I will be asked to give some advanced InDesign training while on site. When I first started using InDesign, then known as “K2,” over 11 years ago, one of the first things I noticed was how easy it was to learn the ins and outs of the application. It became apparent pretty quickly that there’s not a lot of “advanced” to InDesign. There are just tools that users haven’t had the time to learn. To this day, I get a kick out of seeing longtime InDesign users smile when they learn how to create text in various shapes or to fill a letter of the alphabet with small text instead of a color. With that in mind, let me share an InDesign process that will save ad designers serious minutes when they’re laying out realty or auto ads. This task is accomplished using an InDesign script. Scripts are little programs that allow users to accomplish tasks that would otherwise take much longer. Photoshop veterans are used to using actions to get similar results. There are scripts to automate the creation of calendars in InDesign. One of my favorite scripts from the early days of InDesign was called “Pie Graph.” It allowed the user to create a circle, enter a series of values, then sit back and have a snack while InDesign created a beautiful pie chart. The whole process took no more than a few seconds. During a recent session of the Institute of Newspaper Technology, I asked a class of advanced InDesign students if anyone had a time-saving tip to share with the rest of the group. Emily, from Salem, Indiana, was quick to respond with a lesson on the “Make Grid” script in InDesign. Let me tell you how it works. The goal of Make Grid is to create Page 8 | April 2011 ■ ANAgrams
where you want the 15 cars located on the page. 2. Select the frame with your selection tool (black arrow) and go to Object>Fitting>Frame Fitting Options. Set Fitting to “Fill Frame Proportionately” and select the middle dot in the “Align From” option in the Frame Fitting Options window. Click OK to exit that window.
an area filled with frames to be filled with items. In our business, the best example might be the realty add that contains 15 to 30 house photos. Without Make Grid, most designers would probably create one frame, then duplicate it throughout the page using guidelines or the “step and repeat” tool in InDesign. Make Grid speeds the process up significantly and guarantees that your spacing is accurate throughout the area. Here’s how it works: 1. Create a frame (a rectangle) that fills the area where you want your photos to appear on the page. If you’re designing an auto ad with 15 cars, draw a frame (using your rectangle tool)
Set your frame fitting options after creating a frame that covers the entire area for photos.
By setting the initial frame to fill proportionately, all subsequent frames will be filled the same way.
3. Next, go to the Scripts panel. In the most recent version of InDesign, it is found by selecting Window>Utilities>Scripts. In some earlier versions, you found this script by selecting Windows>Scripting>Scripts. You may have to look through the options under the Windows menu to find “Scripts,” but it will be there. 4. Beginning with InDesign CS3, users will find scripts already built into the Scripts menu. To find them, look under Applications>Sample>Javascript in the Scripts panel. Prior to CS3, InDesign didn’t supply any scripts to go in the panel. Users can download scripts at no cost from Adobe. com>Downloads>Exchanges. Click on the InDesign option to select from hundreds of scripts and plug-ins. 5. Double-click on the script “Make Grid.” 6. A window will appear on the screen, prompting the user to input the desired number of rows and columns, along with the space between them. After entering the number of columns, rows and gutters, click OK. continued on p. 9
From the ANA jobbank REPORTER. The Lake Powell Chronicle has an immediate opening for a full time reporter. We are a community weekly newspaper in Page, Ariz. — adjacent to a national recreation area, beautiful Lake Powell, the Grand Canyon and several national parks. Applicants for the positions must have a working knowledge of AP style, excellent writing skills and proficient photography skills. Applicants must
have experience in page layout and InDesign. Good oral and written communication and creativity a necessity. Those interested in applying must submit the following: Résumé, cover letter, and five to seven clips. All of these items must be included for consideration. Send résumés and clips to publisher Sue Shinneman by e-mail to ss@lakepowellchronicle.com or P.O. Box 1716, Page, AZ 86040.
Search job listings at:
www.ananews.com/ jobbank Have a job opening? Place your ad with us for free! Email p.collins@ananews.com.
Con’t: InDesign scripts continued from p. 8 7. You should see the area filled with frames, ready to be filled with pictures of houses, cars or whatever. Go to File>Place and select the photos that you want to use. Click on each frame individually to fill it with one of the corresponding photos. That’s it. You’ve now accomplished a task in a matter of seconds that would have taken several minutes without the use of the Make Grid script.
The Make Grid tool fills the designate area with frames that are ready to be filled with photos.
If you’re not already using scripts in InDesign, you are about to find out just how valuable they can be. A few other good ones to try in InDesign include “Split Story,” which allows the user to break jumps into separate stories, no longer linked together; “Image Catalog,” which creates a visual catalog of all the images in a designated folder; and “Sort Paragraph,” which alphabetizes a list of items. So what are you waiting for?
The completed area of the InDesign page, created using the Make Grid script. April 2011 ■ ANAgrams | Page 9
Upcoming Webinars Alternative Story Forms
WHEN: Thurs., March 31 | 10:30 a.m. Central DESCRIPTION: It’s not that people don’t have time to read. The problem is we’re boring and they are choosing to read something else. More people spend more time reading than in any time in human history, yet newspaper readership is on the decline. Why? Readers want more variety and interest in what they read and alternative story forms can be a faster, better, easier way to get information out there. It also can make writing and editing easier and faster. Learn how you could tell stories differently and how to save space and time through new writing techniques. Great for reporters, desk and assigning editors, designers and managers. PRESENTER: With Bill Ostendorf, Creative Circle Media Solutions | Inland Press COST: $75 MORE INFO: 847-795-0380 | inland@inlandpress.org
Social Media Ethics
WHEN: Thursday, April 21 | 2-3 p.m. EDT DESCRIPTION: As social media becomes more and more of a staple in businesses and media today, it brings an entirely new set of questions about how to handle comments and posts, as well as monitoring employees time. Join One Social Media’s Vice President of Social Solutions and business developer Sean Conboy as he takes you through the following questions and topics: -Ethics refresher-How is your compass working? -How do you apply ethics in social media? -Its about intellect not emotion-”Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger” -Thou shalt not copy-Is linking copying? -Transparency is the new touchstone of journalistic capital. PRESENTER: Sean Conboy, One Social Media | Online Media Campus COST: $35 MORE INFO: http://www.onlinemediacampus.com/
Digital News Content: Copyrights, Trademarks and Right of Publicity
WHEN: Friday, May 6 | 2-3 p.m. EDT DESCRIPTION: This webinar will discuss: -How to protect your online content from being taken and used by a third party to make money. -How to protect your newspaper and staff from illegally using information posted to your website. -How to craft your website’s terms of use to protect your content. -How to avoid copyright claims. It is critical for newspapers to understand how their digital news operations can invite new and different forms of legal scrutiny so that newspapers can develop more effective means to protect themselves and their content. PRESENTER: Attorneys John Bussian & Charles Marshall | Online Media Campus COST: $35 MORE INFO: http://www.onlinemediacampus.com/
Beyond Google: Mining the web for company intelligence
WHEN: May 17-18 | Noon EDT DESCRIPTION: Here’s a chance to learn the tools and techniques that competitive intelligence experts use every day — and that you can use to keep tabs on the companies on your beat. The principals in a competitive-intelligence firm will teach you how to find both sources for and hidden news about your companies by mining the Web. PRESENTER: Sean Campbell & Scott Swigart, Cascade Insights | Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism COST: Free MORE INFO: http://businessjournalism.org/
Looking for more webinars? Check out the ANA training calendar at:
http://ananews.com/calendar