. The cost is $20 for APA members and $30 for non-members.
Vol.17 | No. 32 | Thursday, August 11, 2022 | Serving Press and State Since 1873 8 4 Guest Column: By Travis Simpson Real mattersstuff Arkansas Advocate launches Tuesday Continued on Page 2 Arkansas Press Association Publisher Weekly
APA is hosting a live webinar, “Redefining Your Newspaper Business Model”, with Finneman and Joey Young, owner of Kansas Publishing Ventures, on Thursday, August 25 at 1 p.m. Register at arkansaspress.org/events
Registration open for APA webinar to deliver research findings on new community newspaper business model
APA has extended the deadline for the member public notice survey through tomorrow, August 12. All data collected will be used to support APA’s efforts to keep public notices in our print editions. Data collected will be only used in aggregate, and no identifying information will be disclosed. All individual data will be destroyed after aggregation.
APA public notice survey extended through tomorrow
The research study is in collaboration with the University of Kansas, the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Minnesota. Funding and support has Teri Finneman
According to a recently conducted Arkansas readership survey, 70% of Arkansas adults read public notices in newspapers and 65% believe that publishing public notices in newspapers should be required. APA asks that one employee in a management position at each member newspaper complete the survey. If your company owns more than one publication, please complete the survey for APAeach. staff will also be reaching out to members who have not yet completed the survey. The survey can be accessed here: https:// www.surveymonkey. com/r/ARPublicNotices
Finneman is finishing an 18-month research project to test a new model based on data collected from rural publishers and readers to help weekly newspapers adapt, survive and thrive. This webinar will review what publishers and readers had to say, as well as hear from the weekly newspaper publisher piloting the proposed memberships, e-newsletters and events model over the next year to see how it works.
The way many newspapers do business has remained largely unchanged since the first penny press newspaper was founded in 1833. But Dr. Teri Finneman, associate professor in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas, has been doing research into how rural weekly newspapers can change their business model to not only survive, but thrive.
“It’s imperative we hear from all of our member newspapers,” said APA Executive Director Ashley Kemp Wimberley “Public notices are vital for public awareness of government activities. We know from readership studies that the public want those notices in newspapers.”
Finneman recognized the national media and the regional dailies often did not have the bandwidth to cover these small, rural communities. She saw vital information about the pandemic was primarily coming from was the local newspaper. “At the same time, they were having to juggle being 24/7 operations covering the pandemic,” she said. “Some of these newspapers were also having to deal with a significant financial crisis. When you are at a point where it is absolutely almost life or death to get local information, we cannot have newspapers under threat of going under because they don’t have the financial resources to operate. So those interviews are what really spurred me with this project of how to reinvent the business model.”
Joey Young
When Finneman brought the experimental phase of her business model research to Young, he was immediately on board. “Teri asked us to participate, and we decided it would be fun,” Young said. “Our company has a reputation for trying different things, so the idea we would get a grant to try something new was a very nice deal.”
Finneman and her team set up shop with Young’s operation in Newton, Kansas and began to test the results of the prior research. “They met with folks and took part in our first beta test event,” Young said. “We had to rework our e-newsletter and develop another one, something that is still in the process of happening but is going well. We had to take very careful notes and keep track of all promotional materials as they would become public once the experiment was over. We had to agree to make all the findings public, including the money raised, and anything that was relevant to the public.”
Registration open for APA webinar to deliver research findings on new community newspaper business model come from the University of Kansas and newspaper associations in North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska.
Three years ago Finneman started The Eudora Times, in Eudora, Kansas, a community without a local newspaper. One of her many research angles is taking a look at how universities, with their existing infrastructure, equipment, builtin office space and non-stop personnel via students, can fill the news gaps in communities. “It’s gone really well for the most part,” Finneman said. “The community is grateful, because they would be otherwise ignored. The students get a lot of great experience covering the school board, city hall, and so much more. It’s a way for a university to give back and for a community to work with the university in new ways.”
Finneman and her team started by doing surveys with publishers in the heartland about what business models they would consider. Then they conducted surveys with readers in rural areas and asked the readers what financial support they’d be willing to give. The team also conducted focus groups with publishers based on data revealed in the surveys. Now in the final stage, Finneman and Young are experimenting to see how the new business model works in practice. “The webinar will explain the results of all that research,” Finneman said. “It will explain why we came up with the business model that we did.” Finneman first conceived this business model research project during the course of one of her previous research projects. She has been working on oral histories for some time, interviewing journalists throughout the heartland to save their stories for posterity. In 2020, something started coloring all the stories she would hear from journalists–the pandemic. “As I did these interviews with journalists,” Finneman said, “it really struck me how during one of the most critical periods in the last century–when people desperately needed local information–nobody else was covering the town of 2000 people and what their needs were.”
Young said Finneman also asked him to be available to share his experience with other newspapers, which he looks forward to doing during APA’s webinar. “I am going to be talking about our rollout of Press Club and why we landed on what we did with our flagship newspaper, Harvey County Now,” he said.
Many of Young’s staff are also KU graduates. Young and his staff were also part of Finneman’s oral history project.
Finneman’s first career was as a newspaper reporter, and she brought her love for the profession with her to the university. “There’s long been discussion about the disconnect between the newspaper industry and academia,” Finneman said. “And there has been some criticism from the industry about how well universities are preparing students to be reporters. I really wanted to take my long background working in community journalism into the classroom to better prepare students for the working world.” She also gave her students an opportunity to be working reporters themselves.
Arkansas Publisher Weekly 2 August 11, 2022 Continued on Page 4 Continued from Page 1
Finneman’s oral history project stretched from North Dakota to Louisiana, and she said she was very happy that Arkansas was able to be a part of it. All of her materials from that project are available at the Poynter institute at poynter.org/theessential-workers/ As part of this business model research project, Kansas Publishing Ventures, which publishes four weekly newspapers in South Central Kansas, is experimenting with a membership program that includes e-newsletters and events. Finneman and Young got acquainted through Kansas Press Association activities, and Young would often talk to her students about community journalism.
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Arkansas Advocate is the 28th outlet covering state government as part of States Newsroom, a national nonprofit network funded by tax-deductible donations from readers and philanthropists. The Malvern Daily Record and The Saline Courier of Benton are changing to a sameday mail delivery schedule. Both newspapers are owned by Horizon Publications, and delivery will be through the U.S. Postal Service.
Registration open for APA webinar to deliver research findings on new community newspaper business model @ArkansasPressAssociation @ARPressAssoc
Two newspapers move to USPS delivery
LET’S GET SOCIAL Antoinette Grajeda, Sonny Albarado, Hunter Field (back), and Tess Vrbin.
“Decades ago newspapers were looked at as a conduit for a community,” he said. “A way for the community to connect over information. Now, that is true too, but it is also true that we can be a conduit to connect the community in far more ways than just information. People crave it, at least in our community. They are looking for things to do and reasons to connect. If we give them reasons, they are happy to pay a little extra.” Arkansas Advocate, an online news outlet focusing on reporting on state government and public policy, is launching on Tuesday August 16. The Little Rock basednewsroom is led by Editorin-Chief Sonny Albarado, a former Arkansas DemocratGazette investigations editor who began his journalism career in his native Louisiana. Albarado is joined by deputy editor Hunter Field, most recently the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s projects editor; Antoinette Grejeda, a veteran public radio reporter and freelancer from Fayetteville; and Tess Vrbin, most recently a housing and tenants’ rights reporter at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Arkansas Advocate’s daily reporting and special investigative reports can be found on its website at arkansasadvocate. com and through morning newsletters to subscribers. The service is free with no Thepaywall.stories produced by the Arkansas Advocate are also available at no cost for other Arkansas news organizations. “We intend to provide Arkansans with responsible, ethical reporting about state government and leaders that focuses on the relationship between people, power and policy,” Albarado said. “We aim to hold public officials accountable and to amplify the voices of Arkansans whose lives are most affected by those who manipulate the levers of power. We will do so thoroughly, accurately and without fear or favor.”
“I’m working on two business models at once,” she said. “One for community newspapers and one for news desertuniversity partnerships.” To follow more of Finneman’s research, she has organized the first News Desert University conference on October 21-22 at University of Kansas. She also hosts a podcast Journalism History, which can be found at https://journalism-history.org/ podcast/ Young had a general impression of the results of their business model research.
Arkansas Advocate launches Tuesday
Continued from Page 2 Arkansas Publisher Weekly 4 August 11, 2022 Arkadelphia, recently experimented with this model after The Daily Siftings Herald shuttered and the Arkadelphia Dispatch, launched in 2019, struggled to find financial viability. Henderson State University students began producing the Arkadelphia Dispatch in 2020 and then later transitioned the print edition of their student newspaper into a community edition. The recent funding disruption at HSU has put the project in limbo. Finneman acknowledged the funding model for this type of collaboration is complicated, because it’s not a typical for-profit enterprise. However, she feels university partnerships and new business models for the professional industry are vital to stave off more news deserts.
The free email newsletter, “Arkansas Morning”, will offer easy access to the day’s top news and commentary. News tips, story suggestions and inquiries about commentary and opinion pieces should be sent by email to info@arkansasadvocate. com
The Malvern Daily Record will begin same- day mail delivery on Tuesday, Sept. 6. The newspaper will continue publishing Tuesday through Saturday. The Saline Courier will also begin sameday mail delivery on the same date. The newspaper will print Tuesday through Saturday, eliminating the Sunday edition in favor of a Saturday Weekend Edition.
An announcement in The Saline Courier stated that while the decision to move to mail delivery was not an easy one, the goal is to provide better customer service to its readers.
Axios; $525 million deal includes news expansion
Arkansas Publisher Weekly 6 August 11, 2022 Cox Enterprises announced the acquisition of Axios Media Inc. The deal was signed on August 6. Cox was the lead investor in Axios prior to the acquisition. The cash deal values the company at $525 million, according to sources familiar with the deal. “With so much happening in the world, Axios plays a critical role in delivering balanced, trusted news that people need,” said Cox Enterprises Chairman and CEO Alex Taylor, who will join the Axios board. “Our company started in the media business, and we have always had a passion for journalism. Bringing a forward-thinking organization like Axios into Cox Enterprises is exciting for us on many levels, and we look forward to helping them continue to scale and grow.”
The deal includes an additional new investment of $25 million in Axios’ media arm, which, according to the company, will help Axios expand across its local, national and subscription news products. Axios Local currently operates in 24 cities and plans to expand its coverage to 30 U.S. cities by the end of 2022. Axios will also spin off its software arm, Axios HQ, into a separate, stand-alone company led by Axios president Roy Schwartz
The deal values Axios at $525 million, the sources said. It has been reported that Axios projects it will reach $100 million in revenue for 2022. Cox will control the board of Axios’ media arm with four board seats, and Axios’ three co-founders Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen and Schwartz will continue to hold substantial stakes in the company and will lead editorial and dayto-day business decisions, according to the company. Axios’ management will maintain control of the company’s editorial direction and dayto-day operations. The deal is structured to incentivize Axios’ management and current employees to stay with the outlet and continue growing its business. “We have found our kindred spirit for creating a great, trusted, consequential media company that can outlast us all,” said VandeHei. “Our shared ambitions should be clear: to spread clinical, nonpartisan, trusted journalism to as many cities and as many topics as fast as Axiospossible.”launched in January 2017. Cox Enterprises’ current media companies — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dayton Daily News and other Ohio newspapers — are not impacted by the deal and each will continue to operate independently. The Axios communications software business, Axios HQ, will become an independent company majority-owned by the founders and will include Cox as sole minority investor. VandeHei will be chairman of the board of Axios HQ and Schwartz will be its CEO. “We are excited about entering into this new chapter with Cox and the opportunities we can explore with Axios HQ as a separate business,” said Schwartz, president of Axios. “For both companies, our mission is to help as many people and companies get smarter, faster on what matters.”
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Cox acquires
Makers to discontinue professional digital single lens cameras
In the end, Phares said that for most publishers the best solution meets these approaches somewhere in the middle. “Even if you aren’t approaching Walmart Founder levels of cash flow, you can still probably afford a few select investments to expand your market share right now,” he Readsaid.the full article in Editor & Publisher at this link: https://www.editorandpublisher. plan,235762com/stories/put-away-the-covid-business-
“This means no longer looking for someone to fill that position you’ve been searching to fill, scaling back product offerings and business hours or maybe even re-evaluating your supply chain and seeing where you can trim some fat — if indeed you still even have a supply chain,” Phares said. Whichever way you go, Phares’ said, “Your industry’s overall tone will also influence this playbook’s efficacy during a recession. If you see demand for your products increasing, then sure, lean into it and expand your market share. But if customers are pulling back and you’re working on a tight budget, maybe you should be pulling back with them.”
Arkansas Publisher Weekly 7 August 11, 2022
Editor & Publisher columnist Doug Phares, CEO of Sandusky News Group, cited Walmart founder Sam Walton’s approach of acting aggressively in a down market as a possible solution for newspaper publishers. Phares said publishers have learned to be frugal during the pandemic, but as the nation faces what might be a recession, newspapers can take one of two approaches: Use their pandemic skills or go big. “This playbook is probably older than my source, but I first learned of this approach in reading about Sam Walton,” Phares said. “During tough times, Walton would over-invest and seek to expand his market share. He expanded discounts, offered more products and generally did everything he could to provide more to his customers.”
The more conservative path is the other option, Phares said. Cutting back and weathering the storm may be necessary.
Walton could do this because he knew that his competitors were scaling back in response to external pressures. And the economy, like nature, abhors a vacuum, which gave Walton the perfect opportunity to fill the roles from which his competitors were sheepishly backing away.”
NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS
ARKANSAS CONNECTIONNEWSPAPER Are you hiring? Let us know! The Arkansas Newspaper Connection is a weekly newsletter published by APA connecting freelance and independent writers, editors, photographers and designers with Arkansas newspapers in need. The publication also lists available job openings and other opportunities at Arkansas newspapers and associate member organizations
Camera maker Nikon reportedly will discontinue further development of its single-lens reflex (SLR) camera lineup, instead focusing on its efforts to develop smaller mirrorless models. The company’s last new DSLR, the Nikon D6, was released in February 2020, and the company discontinued its entrylevel D3500 and D5600 DSLR cameras in June 2022. Nikon’s direct competitor in the dedicated camera business, Canon, also indicated that it is winding down its DSLR development efforts. Canon announced in late 2021 that its EOS-1D X Mark III would be its last professional DSLR model. Canon will also shift focus to its mirrorless lineup, though it will continue developing and producing entry-level DSLR cameras. Newer mirrorless cameras have addressed shortcomings, such as lower image quality, lens selection and electronic viewfinder lag, while retaining their smaller sizes and lighter weights. Mirrorless cameras also usually offer superior video quality, which is useful for journalists who need their cameras to multitask.
Post-pandemic, pre-recession business plan for publishers
Arkansas Publisher Weekly 8 August 11, 2022 Guest Column: Real stuff still matters
When I was a kid, everyone I knew loved “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” It was on television, and you watched it because there was nothing else on. You either tuned in or you didn’t. For better or for worse, television did that for us for a while. Everyone was watching Seinfeld. “The Simpsons.” “American Idol.” Sports. Now, everyone is watching… whatever they decide to click on that day. For my wife and me, it’s old episodes of “30 Rock” for the 10,000th time. There are still a few shows out there that seem to grab everyone’s attention at once – “Stranger Things,” major sporting events, whatever Marvel movie just came out. But they are fewer and further between, it seems like. But even those are gone after a few binge-viewing hours.
By Travis Simpson
I’ve been the editor of The Courier for a few weeks now, and the response I’ve seen reminds me that even in this digital age there is still something special about the printed newspaper. In the age of all you can watch streaming services, here and then gone social media posts, the latest outrage, the dankest meme – it’s hard for any of it to feel real. For one thing, once it falls off your feed, it’s gone forever. For another, since the world wide web truly is world wide and so much of it is dictated by algorithms attempting to guess what kind of content we like, none of it really contributes to a common cultural identity.
Newspapers, local newspapers especially, still give communities a cultural identity. They’re like a mirror held up to a community. “This is you. This is what you look like.” And even though it might not seem like it sometimes, there is still a desire for that kind of togetherness. “This is us.” There are a lot of things going on in our community you might not know about unless your Facebook feed algorithm happened to put it in front of you. But pick up a newspaper… and it’s all right there. Folks my age are reaching the point where popular culture is at least aimed in part at our childhoods. “Stranger Things” is set in the 80s for a reason. With that comes the rose-colored nostalgia effect. People my age still buy vinyl records even though streaming services are technically easier. There’s value in the album art. There’s value in that fireside crackle, that lo-fi There’ssound.value in things not being digital. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve published a story or a photo and seen people snap a photo of it and upload it to Facebook. It Realmatters.stuff you can touch matters. Newspapers aren’t dead. Newspapers are vintage. Newspapers are modern. Newspapers are cool. Travis Simpson is the editor of The Courier in Russellville, Arkansas. He can be reached at tsimpson@couriernews.com.
