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Reminder: APA Editorial Contest open for entries through July 31
Guest Column:
Are you reading your own websites By Jim Pumarlo
Arkansas Press Association
Publisher Weekly Vol. 15 | No. 20 | Thursday, May 14, 2020 | Serving Press and State Since 1873
Congress considering more aid for local newspapers Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, announced this week he has cosponsored legislation to expand eligibility for newspapers to obtain forgivable small business loans under the federal Paycheck Protection Program.
Boozman helped introduce the Local News and Emergency Information Act on Wednesday. The proposal makes newspapers eligible for federal PPP loans based on the sizes of their individual outlets, rather than the total number of employees throughout a newspaper corporation. That means that a 30-person newspaper in Arkansas that’s part of a 1,000-plus employee newspaper chain could be eligible for loans. Under the existing structure, that individual newspaper would not. “Arkansans rely on the quality coverage we receive from our local newspapers, television affiliates and radio stations to remain informed throughout this crisis. Local newsrooms are reporting important details residents need that are not included in national coverage. At a time when we need this communication more than ever, these outlets are suffering from a dramatic reduction in advertising revenue leading to decisions to downsize, furlough workers or close. Ensuring the viability of local news outlets is critical to maintaining access to information,” Boozman said. The Arkansas Press Association and other trade associations in the state and at the federal level encouraged Boozman and other members of the state’s congressional delegation to support the bill.
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Sen. John Boozman
Two more Arkansas newspapers receive Facebook grants The Facebook Journalism Project announced earlier this month that two Arkansas newspapers were recipients of grants to support their efforts to inform readers and support their communities. The Arkansas publications were among 200 local newsrooms that received $16 million in grants. The Madison County Record in Huntsville was awarded a grant of $49,000 from Facebook via the social media corporation’s COVID-19 Local News Relief Fund Grant Program. The grant awards ranging
from $25,000 to $100,000 were selected through a process led by the Local Media Association and Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Of the recipients, more than four in five are family- or independentlyowned newspapers.
applications on a tight timeline both illustrated the depth of need, but also highlighted the innovation that these small, independent publishers can provide for their communities when given the resources.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role local news plays in our communities, while simultaneously threatening their very existence,” said Jonathan Kealing, chief network officer with the Institute for Nonprofit News in the news release announcing the grants. “Reviewing hundreds of
Facebook awarded $75,000 to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette from its Local News Accelerator Program. According to Facebook, the Accelerator Program supports local news businesses that are transforming to reader, or subscriber, driven business models. The DemocratGazette last year launched its iPad initiative, providing subscribers with an iPad to read the Monday through Saturday editions and suspending the print edition and home delivery on those days.
Congress considering more aid for local newspapers
Reminder: APA Editorial Contest open for entries through July 31
Arkansas Press Association members are reminded that entries continue to be accepted for the annual Arkansas Press Association Better Newspaper Editorial Awards contest. The deadline for entries, originally in March, has been pushed back to July 31 because of the COVID-19 epidemic.
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The Wall Street Journal reported Congress is “looking to help struggling local newspapers” and broadcast outlets. According to the newspaper report, many news outlets have been rebuffed from obtaining Small Business Administration loans from the Paycheck Protection Program because “affiliation rules that force them to be measured by the size of their parent companies.” Newspapers representing more than 80 percent of the industry cannot receive PPP funds because of the way their companies are structured, the report stated. Since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, more than 33,000 news industry employees have been laid off, furloughed or had pay cuts, the newspaper’s report said.
The contest is open to employees of APA member newspapers for work published any time during the 2019 calendar year. Entries are judged by members of the North Carolina Press Association and awards will be presented during the 2020 APA Convention, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 24-25 at the Marriott in downtown Little Rock. Awards will be presented in multiple categories in five different divisions: Daily circulation under 10,000; daily circulation above 10,000; nondaily circulation of 1,300 or fewer; nondaily circulation between 1,300 and 2,600 and nondaily circulation above 2,600. To read a complete listing of categories and rules, and to enter, visit newspapercontest. com/contests/ArkansasPressAssociation.aspx. APA members with additional questions should contact Terri Cobb at terri@ arkansaspress.org or (501) 374-1500.
More Arkansas newspaper groups offer matching ad programs As a community service to support local businesses and as a way to increase readership and revenue, three more Arkansas newspaper companies have offered a matching grant program for advertisers.
Earlier in May, Mena Newspaper Group began its Advertising Match Partnership program, offering $50,000 worth of matching advertising dollars to businesses in its coverage areas. The matching funds
These programs are creative and valuable ways to help support businesses that have been impacted by the economic downturn created by COVID-19. They also generate a synergy between the newspaper and its community that can be leveraged in the future. “As a trade association, we support all the interesting and innovative ways our newspapers are taking care of their communities during this crisis,” said Ashley Wimberley, executive director of the Arkansas Press Association. “Successful initiatives such as a matching grant program show a willingness from our industry to be the trusted community servants that we are. APA encourages all its member newspapers to continue this kind of support now and in the future.” Paxton Media Group, which owns several Arkansas daily and weekly newspapers, launched its matching grant program last month.
will range from $200 to $5,000 monthly. “As local businesses ourselves, we understand what businesses are going through, and we are dedicated to serving our community and our customers,” Mena Newspapers stated in its announcement of the program. “ … The recent disruptions to our wellbeing and economy are known all too well by everyone in our community. Today, we are faced with unprecedented challenges and supporting local businesses has never been more important.” The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette features a advertising match program for its customers as part of a “local business stimulus program designed to help local businesses recover and restart after restrictions and closures resulting from the response to COVID-19.”
can be used for the Mena Star, Waldron News, De Queen Bee, Ouachita Trading Post and The Citizen in Mansfield. Awards
That newspaper’s ad match program is making $300,000 of advertising available ranging from a minimum match of $200 to a maximum match of $5,000. The program
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Arkansas Publisher Weekly 2
May 14, 2020
Helena World owners purchase property More Arkansas owners of the Helena World have purchased the downtown Helena building that newspaper groups The served as the newspaper’s offices for more than 58 years until GateHouse Media sold offer matching ad the newspaper last year. Chuck Davis and Andrew Bagley, co-owners and publishers of the World, acquired the programs newspaper but not the property in 2019. Earlier this month, the new owners completed Continued from Page 2
the purchase of the building at 417 York St.
is valid for May, June and July.
“This purchase will allow us to further contribute to the positive future of this community by saving an iconic property and helping to revitalize the downtown business district,” Bagley said. “Chuck and I love Helena, and work hard every day to keep this community informed by providing a topquality community newspaper.”
That newspaper announced the program with advertising in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and other WEHCO Newspapers Inc. properties throughout northwest Arkansas last week. Carroll County Newspapers in northwest Arkansas are also offering its Matching Ad Program for current or new advertisers for its publications, which include the Carroll County News and Lovely County Citizen. “We are committed to the communities we serve and are here to help local businesses get back to full strength,” Carroll County Newspapers Publisher Bob Moore wrote to readers. “A community newspaper is only as strong as the community it serves. We know businesses and workers are hurting – we are hurting too.” The program is open to locally owned businesses and runs through July 31. Admatch grants ranging from $200 to $2,000 are available.
The building’s new owners plan to rehabilitate the structure and relocate the newspaper’s offices there by early The Daily World building in downtown Helena. September.
Advertisers expect to spend more Just over half of advertisers expect to spend more money this summer, an encouraging sign for newspapers as the nation tries to emerge from an economic downturn caused by the coronavirus epidemic. According to MarketingDive.com, 52 percent of advertisers expect to spend more this summer, mostly in July, August and September. Only about five percent said they’d hold off on additional ad spending until next year.
Arkansas Publisher Weekly
MarketingDive’s take: “The return to spending is good news for media companies that depend on advertising sales for revenue, but the findings also point to how the recession brought on by the health crisis is likely to have a longerlasting impact as the window for media planning halves to 90 days or less. … Campaigns for back to school and the holiday season – which would likely be in the works beginning this time of year – are still up in the air as advertisers wait to see when schools reopen and how the economy responds. Advertisers also continue to struggle with pinpointing the right communications strategy during the health crisis, with approximately half saying they are unsure...” 3
Buying or Selling? I can help you with a new purchase or the sale of your publication.
LEWIS FLOYD Senior Associate (850) 532-9466 lfloyd@mediamergers.com
May 14, 2020
Court of Appeals decision supports Arkansas FOIA The Arkansas Court of Appeals this week ruled a photo taken with a cell phone camera can be considered a copy of a public record under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
The appellate court in a 5-1 decision overturned a ruling by Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Mackie Pierce. The lower court judge had said the City of Little Rock was within its authority under FOIA to prohibit a man from copying an accident report by taking a photo of it. Ben Motal of Little Rock sued the city in 2018 when the Little Rock Police Department denied his request to take a photo of a police report related to a hitand-run crash in which he was a victim. The custodian of the public record told Motal she could give him the report for a $10 fee but would not allow him to take a photo of it, according to the court.
The City of Little Rock said Motal had no right to take a photo of the document, because the photo could be easily manipulated or edited and was not an official copy. The lower court, in its decision, said that “copy” is not the same as “photograph” under FOIA and he ruled for the city.
In its decision reversing Mackie, the Court of Appeals stated the key issue in the matter was whether the definition of “copy” in FOIA includes producing a digital image through a photograph. The Court cited
a previous Attorney General’s Opinion (2008-162) which states that “a person requesting records under the FOIA is free to take digital photos of the documents and the records custodian cannot issue a blanket prohibition against that.”
The Court, in its decision, wrote: “... in keeping with our mandate to interpret FOIA liberally to accomplish the purpose of promoting free access to public information, ‘copy’ should be liberally interpreted to include the taking of a photograph.” Judge Kenneth Hixon wrote the majority opinion for the Court of Appeals. Judge Raymond Abramson dissented. View the decision here: https://opinions.arcourts. gov/ark/courtofappeals/en/item/470701/ index.do
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May 14, 2020
Guest Column: Are you reading your own websites? By Jim Pumarlo Digital platforms go a long way toward leveling the playing field among daily and nondaily newspapers. Even the smallest of newsrooms can compete with their larger counterparts by posting news as it happens, and then directing readers to print editions for more complete reports. The value of immediate and continuing reports has escalated during the coronavirus pandemic. Your stories are critical to keeping readers abreast of information valuable to navigating this crisis. One principle remains, however, whether posting news on print or digital platforms, whether reporting in ordinary or extraordinary times: Reports must be timely and relevant. It is more important than ever to keep websites up to date as newspapers are reducing the frequency of, or eliminating altogether, their print editions as part of cost-cutting measures. Editors can readily identify those stories that stand out in the daily churn and warrant additional exposure. I remember reprinting an editorial that struck a chord when first published. It was reprinted to stir the waters again when similar circumstances resurfaced. But would you run the same editorial on consecutive days, weeks, even months? Here’s one sampling from a regular scan of newspaper websites that should make any editor groan: · The top headline under “trending news” reports a foot of fresh snowfall. Weather is always on people’s minds. The story, unfortunately, was a month old and readers were looking outside at green grass. · An editorial page displays the newspaper’s election endorsements. I applaud editorial endorsements; I regard them as an exercise of a newspaper’s highest
Arkansas Publisher Weekly
responsibility. The editorials, however, were advancing recommendations for the November 2018 elections. ·A newspaper’s home page is dominated with photos of the 20-plus candidates originally vying for the Democratic presidential nomination. They remained there for at least three months and were not removed until nearly a week after the race was narrowed to Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. ·A home page carries breaking news of a professional sports team being bounced from the playoffs. The headline was posted Monday; the playoff loss was Saturday. ·An editorial encourages the community to support the school referendum. It remained the lead editorial three months after the fact. Digital platforms admittedly can be a blessing and a curse. They present the opportunity to be timely and compete in the 24/7 news cycle. They also challenge staffs to keep content fresh. At minimum, newsrooms should establish a process and assign responsibilities for posting local news on a regular basis. Identify those items that are collected each day. It sends a poor message to readers and advertisers if the top headlines remain static for a week. Other sections are more challenging. For example, content for the editorial and business pages is not as easily generated on an everyday basis. Readers also may not have the same expectations for seeing a new headline each day. For these sections and others, brainstorm additional content that does not necessarily have to be produced by staff. For example: Editorial page: Most editors receive a steady stream of submissions from a
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variety of trade associations, think tanks, advocacy organization, lawmakers and other policymakers. There’s a good bet a lot of this never sees your printed edition. Is your website a fit? Pay particular attention to contrary viewpoints on the same issue, and publish them side-by-side as a point/ counterpoint. Business page: Here’s an idea to produce fresh content and generate some revenue. Offer businesses a profile – a photo/text package and/or a self-produced video – as part of an advertising package. They’re a great read to rotate on the site. Lifestyle pages: Local residents will likely welcome the opportunity to contribute articles on topics ranging from cooking and gardening to book and movie reviews to a host of other subjects. That’s a start. Brainstorm content within your newspaper family; seek opinions from employees in all departments that likely represent a cross-section of your community. Solicit ideas from readers as well, but make it clear that the final decisions rest with the newspaper. Community newspapers proudly promote themselves as the “go to” source for professional journalism and trustworthy advertising. It’s a great message that should be repeated often – and then delivered in convincing fashion – to readers and advertisers in today’s challenging and fractured media landscape. Promoting your brand rings hollow without following through in daily practice. Jim Pumarlo writes, speaks and provides training on community newsroom success strategies. He can be reached at www. pumarlo.com and welcomes comments and questions at jim@pumarlo.com.
May 14, 2020