Arkansas Publisher Weekly: September 1, 2022

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Arkansas Press Freedom Gala to be held October 20

Guest Column:

Beyond the 1800s: Revenue model emphasizes moving past penny press era

By Teri Finneman

Arkansas Press Association

Publisher Weekly Vol.17 | No. 35 | Thursday, September 1, 2022 | Serving Press and State Since 1873

Newspapers explore ways to engage young readers Margaret Underwood has donated to the Harrison Daily Times for quite some time. She reads the newspaper, of course, but the donation is for something else entirely.

“I think I’ve given money every year for their program that puts newspapers in classrooms,” Underwood said. “I have given them money since they first started doing it”.

Underwood, now retired, taught for decades in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

She moved to Harrison after retiring when she was reacquainted with a childhood friend. They fell in love and married.

As a teacher, she participated in The Tulsa World’s Newspapers in Education (NIE) program. Every week she would get a new stack of newspapers at no charge to help her mostly under-privileged students learn a little bit more about the world.

“It’s such a help for the teachers who utilize these programs,” she said. “Newspapers expose young people to so many new things happening now that aren’t in textbooks.

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New APA public notice website now live statewide APA’s new public notice website is now live statewide for the benefit of its member newspapers and Arkansas residents.

The site can be found at arkansaspublicnotices.com or under the existing Public Notice tab on APA’s website.

APA partnered with tech company Column earlier this year to create the new website.

“Our new public notice website is a great improvement for our members and the general public,” said APA Executive Director Ashley Kemp Wimberley. “This website bolsters the power of public notice in printed newspapers. All notices on the site are searchable, and having them in one location furthers our goal of increasing government transparency.”

APA joins 16 other state newspaper associations using Column to power its public notice website. Along with its press association partnerships, Column is live in all 50 states.

Newspapers explore ways to engage young readers Continued from Page 1

One year, Underwood had her students theoretically purchase stocks, and they would follow the stocks in their regular supply of newspapers. Some students were very theoretically wealthy at the end of the year.

“It really was wonderful,” she added.

“They enjoyed it so much and hopefully some of them have continued to read the newspaper.”

Phillips Media, which owns the Harrison Daily Times, offers NIE at all 14 of its paid publications. The company provides digital access and/or print copies to local educators at no cost to the school or the teacher.

“Last year we worked with more than 500 classrooms providing access to our newspapers along with access to some curriculum support materials,” said Jason McNeely, director of circulation for Phillips Media.

Phillips Media generates funds for the program through event fundraising, advertising sponsorships and subscriber donations such as Underwood’s.

“I enjoy writing a column each week aimed toward the needs of our students,” Donna Braymer, business editor and NIE content director at the Harrison Daily Times, said.

“The NIE columns originally started out featuring a character word of the week.

Now we’ve expanded into monthly themes of good citizenship, study habits or quotations of encouragement from authors like Jon Gordon. There are times when we focus on the accomplishments of famous people who are recognized during that month. It’s a pleasure having a few moments of input into a student’s life which will hopefully shape them into a lifelong learner and reader of the newspaper.”

“My goal with the NIE page is to familiarize a student with the printed newspaper,” said Lynn Blevins, Harrison Daily Times managing editor. “By the time they have worked with a newspaper for 12 years, they are used to looking at it to get their reliable news. Students learn to get their news from a trusted source. We are the gold standard. Television gives them a two-minute sound bite. We give them the whole story.”

Right now, the Harrison Daily Times’ NIE program alone is capable of supporting more than 1,200 students in 68 classrooms.

Newspapers use a variety of different methods to provide NIE programs. Phillips Media is, of course, not alone in offering NIE programs in Arkansas. WEHCO Media is another newspaper group that offers similar services to teachers and students.

Ashley Phillips, content director for WEHCO’s NIE program, said their program utilizes primarily digital content as the company has shifted to its iPad program with only one weekend print edition. WEHCO partners with a third party, NIEonline, to offer its service.

“We have a whole website (nieonline. com/adgnie) set up for teachers to utilize,” Phillips said. “I send an email out about a month in advance of the school year to get the teachers set up for their classrooms.

Our program also allows each student to access our news content and educational resources whenever the teachers allow during class.”

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, according to Phillips, currently has 94 active teachers in its program, which doesn’t include teachers associated with other WEHCO media outlets.

“We offer this program to keep the teachers and the students informed and have the educational resources they need,” she said. “We also have other resources like anti-bullying educational materials and critical thinking exercises.”

From adding child-friendly content to a print edition, to offering specialized educational content online, newspaper across the state and country use numerous methods to deliver news content to the classrooms.

ARKANSAS NEWSPAPER CONNECTION 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.

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Arkansas Press Freedom Gala to be held October 20 The first Arkansas Press Freedom Gala will be held Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.

“The event will be a celebration of both the free press as we head into our 150th year as an association, and of individuals who have supported journalism and brought positive headlines to the state of Arkansas,” said APA Executive Director Ashley Kemp Wimberley. “A strong press keeps democracy strong.”

Governor Asa Hutchinson will receive the 2020 Headliner of the Year Award and Hunter Yurachek, vice chancellor and director of athletics at University of Arkansas, will receive the 2021 Headliner of the Year Award.

The Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Craig Renaud and the late Brent Renaud, documentary filmmakers best known for their character-driven, cinema verite documentaries like “Dope Sick Love,” “Last Chance High,” “Off to War” and “Meth Storm.” Brent Renaud was the first American journalist killed in Ukraine in 2022, while documenting the refugee crisis.

Golden 50 Service Awards will be presented to John Brummett, longtime Arkansas columnist, and Walter E. Hussman, Jr., Chairman of WEHCO Media, Inc. and publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The Gala begins at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception and the dinner and program begin at 7 p.m. More information can be found starting on page 10 in this edition of Arkansas Publisher Weekly. Visit arkansaspress. org/events to purchase tickets.

A look back at Apollo, as Artemis prepares to travel to the moon.

ARKANSAS PRESS ASSOCIATION

THROWBACK THURSDAY

On July 17, 1969, the Arkansas Gazette reserved nearly its entire front page for the Apollo mission that sent Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon. Fifty-six years later, NASA’s Artemis program is getting ready to send humans back to the lunar surface. Artemis I experienced recent weather and mechanical setbacks, and must wait at least until Monday, Sept. 5, for another launch window. This launch will not have a crew, but if all goes as planned, NASA intends to have astronauts – including the first female astronaut – walking on the moon in 2025.

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September 1, 2022

—30­— Paul Scheible

Paul Scheible, a Dover native, journalist and photographer, passed away Aug. 11 at the age of 45.

Scheible wrote sports for The Dover Times. He enjoyed photography and capturing special moments for his family and friends.

“Paul loved people, sports and photography,” Sam Strasner, director of media relations at Arkansas Tech University, said. “He combined those interests to bring joy into the communities in which he lived. Even though he had moved away, it had become commonplace in recent years for him to pop in at Tucker Coliseum and photograph Arkansas Tech basketball when he was home for his holiday break.”

“He was a high school student writing about Dover sports for The Dover Times”, Ginnie Tyson, former owner and publisher, said. “His love of his community and of sports carried throughout his life.”

Scheible was preceded in death by his grandparents, Arthur and Vergie Scheible of Dover, and Olen and Ruth Thomas of Danville.

He is survived by his parents, James Milton and Janna Ruth Thomas Scheible; his sister and brother-in-law, Laura and Ben Bandimere; along with numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

JCPA updates improve negotiating power Note: The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act would allow news organizations to jointly negotiate fair terms for access to their content by Google, Facebook, and other dominant platforms.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN); Senator John Kennedy (R-LA); Representative David Cicilline (D-RI); Representative Ken Buck (R-CO); and Senate and House Judiciary Committee Chairs Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) recently released a revised and expanded version of the bipartisan Journalism Competition and Preservation Act to address dominant online platforms’ power over news organizations. The bill removes legal obstacles to news organizations’ ability to negotiate collectively and secure fair terms from gatekeeper platforms that regularly access news content without paying for its value. The legislation also allows news publishers to demand arbitration if they reach an impasse in those negotiations. The revised bill can be found at https://www.klobuchar.senate. gov/public/_cache/files/0/2/02edbc26debb-41b4-8c19-da7090159e30/60AA 7BF7A217968D95D8CE417B93C06C. sil22a02.pdf “As the daughter of a newspaperman, I understand firsthand the vital role that a free press plays in strengthening our democracy. But local news is facing an existential crisis in our country, with ad revenues plummeting and newspapers closing. To preserve strong, independent journalism, we have to make sure news organizations are able to negotiate on a level playing field with the online platforms that have come to dominate news distribution and digital advertising,” said Klobuchar, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights.

“Our bipartisan legislation ensures media outlets will be able to engage in good faith negotiations to receive fair compensation from the Big Tech companies that profit from their news content, allowing journalists to continue their critical work of keeping communities informed.”

“Local papers are the heart and soul of journalism, and they break the news that millions of Americans rely on every day,” said Kennedy, Senate Judiciary Committee member and original sponsor of the JCPA. “However, tech giants like Facebook and Google are hammering local publications by keeping them from making a profit on Big Tech platforms—and it’s killing local journalism. This bill supports the little guy

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by allowing local news providers to better negotiate with tech companies for the earnings they deserve.”

“Our democracy is strongest when a free and diverse press can inform citizens and hold power to account,” said Cicilline, Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law. “But today, the free press is in economic freefall—especially local news— thanks to the free-riding of dominant online platforms, who seize news content to enrich their platforms but never pay for the labor and investment required to report the news. We would never expect a platform to stream movies without paying a film’s creators. But because Google and Facebook simply take news content for free and have monopolized the digital advertising market, newsrooms today are in dire economic peril—with regional and local news publishers downsizing or shuttering at alarming pace. The moment is urgent. At a time when journalism is more important than ever, the press is facing an extinction-level event. Congress must act.”

“The Founders envisioned a free press informing democracy,” said Buck, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law. “The Republic needs a media environment that features real information to allow voters to make informed decisions about its affairs.

Allowing local news to band together to negotiate with Big Tech through the JCPA is a reasonable step to ensure that these outlets remain available to provide fair, balanced information to the electorate.”

“Across the country, local newspapers and broadcasters play a critical role in informing the public, ensuring accountability, and promoting civic engagement. Unfortunately, they lack the market power to negotiate with the dominant online platforms for ad dollars, leaving newsrooms with fewer resources to do their critical work,” said Durbin, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “The JCPA will help solve this problem, allowing local newspapers and broadcasters to band together and level the playing field so we can ensure that local news remains Continued on Page 5

September 1, 2022

JCPA updates improve negotiating power Continued from Page 4

a strong, reliable source of information for years to come.”

“Today, more than half of the country has just one local newspaper or no newspaper at all,” said Nadler, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee. “The consequences are bad for everyone: fewer local news providers translates to unchecked governmental corruption, corporate misconduct, and widespread misinformation, plus a raft of other consequences for citizens, taxpayers, and our democracy. The free and diverse press needs a level playing field to do its job. This bill simply provides that level playing field, allowing news publishers to fairly negotiate with dominant online platforms. We have worked on a bipartisan and bicameral basis to strengthen and improve the bill over the past year, and I look forward to marking it up when Congress returns in September.”

As revised, the JCPA would:

● Empower eligible digital journalism providers—that is, news publishers with fewer than 1,500 exclusive fulltime employees and non-network news broadcasters that engage in standard newsgathering practices—to form joint negotiation entities to collectively negotiate with a covered platform over the terms and conditions of the covered platform’s access to digital news content. ● Require covered platforms—which are online platforms that have at least 50 million U.S.-based users or subscribers and are owned or controlled by a person that has either net annual sales or market capitalization greater than $550 billion or at least 1 billion worldwide monthly active users—to negotiate in good faith with the eligible news organizations. ● Enable non-broadcaster news publishers to demand final-offer arbitration if their joint negotiation with a covered platform fails to result in an agreement

after six months. ● Create a limited safe harbor from federal and state antitrust laws for eligible digital journalism providers that allows them to participate in joint negotiations and arbitration and, as part of those negotiations, to jointly withhold their content from a covered platform. ● Prohibit discrimination by a joint negotiation entity or a covered platform against an eligible digital journalism provider based on its size or the view expressed in its content and provide a private right of action for violations of this prohibition. ● Prohibit retaliation by a covered platform against eligible digital journalism providers for participating in joint negotiations or arbitration and provide a private right of action for violations of this prohibition. ● Sunset within eight years.

Agriculture is

Essential Telling the story of our state’s #1 industry.

Public Relations Contacts Steve Eddington 501-228-1383 | steve.eddington@arfb.com

Rob Anderson 501-228-1640 | rob.anderson@arfb.com

For photos, video, news, commentary and more, visit www.ArFB.com

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

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September 1, 2022

Guest Editorial: A fool’s errand

By Scott Loftis, Editor, Carroll County Newspapers I jumped the gun in this space a couple of weeks ago, it seems. I only thought Eureka Springs city attorney Forrest Jacobi had come to his senses regarding the city’s attempts to overcharge me for responding to a Freedom of Information Act request.

As it turns out, Mr. Jacobi was simply working in silence to double down on his ridiculous attempt to stymie my reporting on Eureka Springs city government.

Without repeating the original story, I’ll give you the Cliff’s Notes: I filed a fairly broad request for electronic information; city officials insisted that the information had to be manually redacted in hard-copy form; attempted to charge me 10 cents a page for nearly 2,100 pages; grew spiteful when I refused to pay that amount; and then finally appeared to give in and let me inspect the documents and take photos without charging me a dime.

I naively equated all that to a victory in principle. Then I arrived at work one morning last week to be informed that Mr. Jacobi had sent our parent company, CherryRoad Media, an invoice for nearly $17,000 for responding to our FOIA requests dating back to 2019.

Along with the invoice, Mr. Jacobi cited

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

a portion of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act that allows respondents to bill requesters for the cost of personnel time in responding to FOIA requests — and here’s the key part — under narrow circumstances in which the requester has asked for information to be provided “in an electronic format to which it is not readily convertible.”

when transparency is lacking, the FOIA is an important tool in bringing public information to light. I have no doubt that fulfilling FOIA requests isn’t especially entertaining for city officials, but the law is clear that the public has a right to certain information. The law is also clear about how the public can be charged for access to that information.

In fact, the portion of the law that Mr. Jacobi cited is included in a section titled: “Special requests for electronic information.” That doesn’t apply to any request I’ve ever made of the Eureka Springs city government.

This whole episode has created a little buzz among journalists around the state, and it may ultimately prove to be more than a little embarrassing for Mr. Jacobi and for the city of Eureka Springs. That’s a shame, but it could have been avoided.

I immediately reached out to the Arkansas Press Association’s director and attorney, as well as to Ellen Kreth, the owner and publisher of the Madison County Record in Huntsville whose FOIA-based journalism has won multiple national awards.

Everyone agreed that Mr. Jacobi’s invoice is preposterous and worthless.

I will acknowledge that I have filed a lot of FOIA requests with the Eureka Springs city government over the years. It’s my job and the mission of our newspapers to keep our readers informed about what’s going on within their government, and

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I suspect Mr. Jacobi’s actions have been motivated in large part by a desire to discourage me from requesting more information or shining any more light into dark corners where the Eureka Springs city government is concerned.

Unfortunately for Mr. Jacobi, as he will likely soon learn, trying to intimidate me or our newspapers is a fool’s errand.

Scott Loftis is managing editor for Carroll County Newspapers. His email address is SLoftis@cherryroad.com. Reprinted with permission.

September 1, 2022

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Guest Column:

Beyond the 1800s: Revenue model emphasizes moving past penny press era

By Dr. Teri Finneman, Assoicate professor of Journalism, University of Kentucky

Andrew Jackson was president when the business model still predominantly used by the newspaper industry today was invented.

When a local store closes, odds are high there’s another with similar merchandise within 60 miles. When a local newspaper closes, there is no replacement. At all.

Let that sink in for a minute. I mean, really sink in.

And yet, 200 years after the penny press model started, numerous weekly newspapers continue to only charge $1 per issue. Let’s talk about that. $1 an issue. That’s 14 cents a day per reader for that week’s content. FOURTEEN. CENTS.

Andrew. Jackson. Was. President.

And we wonder why the newspaper industry’s finances aren’t well.

I’m a journalism historian at the University of Kansas and frequently talk about the importance of historical context. So, let’s talk about it.

In 1833, Benjamin Day started The New York Sun, the first penny press newspaper.

This 23-year-old challenged the prior business model, which charged a steeper 6 cents for a newspaper. He reduced the price to 1 cent and turned the tables so that advertising from the nation’s growing business sector would instead provide the bulk of newspaper revenue.

I’m quite sure Day himself would be flabbergasted to know the newspaper industry is still using the same cheap subscription/advertising reliant business model nearly 200 years later.

It’s why I’m leading a research project looking to change the model for rural weeklies.

The Need to Be Proactive The problem is clear and one that researcher Penny Abernathy has tabulated: The nation has 1,800 fewer newspapers than it did almost 20 years ago. Pew’s own research notes there were 30,000 fewer newsroom employees in 2020 than in 2008 –and that’s data before the pandemic’s full effect.

Additional research has found over and over again how problematic that is for the civic nature of a community, for the upholding of democracy, for the historical preservation of a community, for the social capital of community ties.

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In 200 years, the cost of many a newspaper has gone up only 99 cents despite the fact that journalists are immensely more professionalized and accurate than those in the 1800s – and that virtually no other product around in the 1800s that still exists today has only gone up 99 cents.

One can’t buy a bottle of pop, coffee or a candy bar for $1 anymore, yet newsrooms consistently devalue themselves by begging people to pay pennies for their product and showing how cheap they are.

This narrative must turn around. It is simply no longer logical for journalists in 2022 to be asking readers to only pay 14 cents a day to support local news, and readers need to be told so in those terms.

You work way too hard for that and provide way too valuable of a product for that.

Furthermore, in this age of misinformation and disinformation, journalists should be stepping up public relations and differentiating themselves by telling the public that, if they pay for information, they can better guarantee that it was professionally done and accurate.

Not to mention, it’s hard to know what the future of legal notices may bring.

Identifying new revenue potential now is critical to avoid even further possible disaster in the future.

Launching a New Model In the past six months, I’ve partnered with Pat Ferrucci of the University of Colorado-Boulder and Nick Mathews of 8

the University of Minnesota to conduct significant research to guide us in creating a new business model. We’ve received input from about 600 people throughout the Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas.

Here’s what we found: There is a significant disconnect between what publishers say the model should be and what readers say they are willing to support. While publishers were overwhelmingly in favor of keeping the 1800s model of advertising, print subscriptions and legal notices, readers instead had different (and more modern) priorities: events, print subscriptions, e-newsletters and memberships.

The reader responses really aren’t surprising. In small towns, a common refrain is “There’s nothing to do” and, historically, newspapers have served as a centralized community gathering.

Regular consumers sign up for all kinds of memberships nowadays. And readers, even more so since the pandemic, are now used to getting immediate information rather than waiting a week.

Therefore, in mid-June, we worked with Joey Young and his staff at Harvey County Now in south-central Kansas to launch a business model that emphasizes memberships, e-newsletters and events to test-run how this model could work for other weekly newspapers.

Harvey County Now will continue to sell advertising and run other revenue streams but will prioritize this new model called Press Club for the next year. Readers will still be able to purchase a regular subscription for $60 a year. However, they can now also pay an additional $60 to become a member of Press Club. (Still a bargain only asking readers for the equivalent of $2.31 a week but this is a starting point on the road to increasing circulation revenue.)

Newspapers across the country can do whatever spin and pricing they like to form their own Press Clubs and think

September 1, 2022

Beyond the 1800s: Revenue model emphasizes moving past penny press era about what perks they could offer under a membership platform. It could be as simple as a coffee mug, T-shirt, discount card to local businesses, an annual Press Club luncheon, etc.

When creating their Press Club, Harvey County Now first identified a crucial gap in its community: Little to do at night and on the weekends, and young people who struggle socially living in smaller communities. Therefore, its Press Club will function as a social club.

Members will have exclusive access to monthly mingles, activity opportunities and group field trips. While this may sound like a lot for a newspaper to take on, Harvey County Now has created a cooperative structure that minimizes its time commitment. In addition to selling individual Press Club memberships, the newspaper is also selling corporate sponsorships for about $1,500 per year.

The business sponsor receives some individual memberships for employees, publicity from the newspaper and serves

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as host of a monthly mingle in charge of all food, drinks, etc., for that event.

For the field trips, Harvey County Now is reaching out to a local brewery for a tour for Press Club members, as one example. In other words, the newspaper is using its connections in the community to create opportunities for Press Club members, with its sponsors taking turns doing most of the on-the-ground-work while the newspaper sells the access and generates the Press Club profit.

About 50 people attended the Press Club launch event in mid-June, including at least five people who had just moved to the community this summer, saw the ad and story in the paper/on Facebook and were hoping to meet new friends. The newspaper has secured early corporate sponsors eager to partner and get local residents inside their businesses for a mingle.

Furthermore, the newspaper is in the process of revamping its e-newsletter and what the future may bring with

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sponsorships and additional readership there. It’s an experiment that is just starting and that will be tracked in the months to come. A modified version of Press Club will also launch at another rural weekly this fall to see how it fares in a smaller community.

We’ll be reporting out as the year goes along and keeping track of the successes and challenges of this Press Club experiment. The overall goal is to try something. Because doing nothing is not a viable future for the next generation of journalists.

Dr. Teri Finneman is an associate professor of journalism at the University of Kansas and founder/publisher/editor of The Eudora Times. She is spending 18 months analyzing how weekly newspapers can bring in more revenue through a grantfunded research project.

September 1, 2022

Event Event Event Details Details Details

Statehouse StatehouseConvention ConventionCenter Centerin inthe theWally WallyAllen AllenBallroom Ballroom Statehouse Convention Center in the Wally Allen Ballroom 101 101East EastMarkham MarkhamStreet, Street,Little LittleRock, Rock,AR AR72201 72201 101 East Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72201

Thursday, Thursday,October October20 20 Thursday, October 20 Cocktail Reception at 6 p.m. | Dinner & Program 7 p.m.

Cocktail Reception at 6 p.m. | Program at 7 at p.m.

Cocktail Reception at 6 p.m. | Program at 7 p.m.

Cocktail/Formal Cocktail/Formal(black (blacktie tieoptional) optional) Cocktail/Formal (black tie optional) $200 $200each eachor orTable Tableof of88for for$1,500 $1,500 $200 each or Table of 8 for $1,500 To Topurchase purchasetickets ticketsor oraatable, table,visit: visit:arkansaspress.org/events. arkansaspress.org/events.

To purchase tickets or a table, visit: arkansaspress.org/events.

About the Honorees

Headliner of the Year 2020 Headliner of the Year Asa Hutchinson, Governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson is the 46th governor of the State of Arkansas. In 2018, he was re-elected with 65% of the vote, having received more votes than any other candidate for governor in the state’s history.

He has won recognition for the state as a leader in computer science education, cut taxes by over $250 million, and signed a law that exempts the retirement pay of veterans from state income tax.

President Ronald Reagan appointed Governor Hutchinson as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. In 1996, he won the first of three successive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. During his third term in Congress, President George W. Bush appointed him director of the Drug Enforcement Administration and later as an undersecretary in the newly created Department of Homeland Security.

His experience has established him as a national resource for his expertise on trade, energy, national security and education. The governor has been invited to the White House several times to join discussions about health care, Medicaid and education issues.

The Governor is the former Chairman of the National Governors Association. He is also the former co-chair of the Council of Governors and the former chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) and the Southern Regional Education Board.

Governor Hutchinson grew up on a small farm in Gravette. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas law school. He and his wife, Susan, have been married 49 years. They have four children and seven grandchildren.

2021 Headliner of the Year Hunter Yurachek, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics University of Arkansas In his fifth full year as vice chancellor and director of athletics at the University of Arkansas, Hunter Yurachek has solidified the Razorbacks as one of the nation’s elite intercollegiate athletics programs.

Since December 2017 Yurachek has worked tirelessly to foster athletics success in 19 sports, restore the tradition of a storied program and enhance the student-athlete experience for 465 student-athletes.

In the 2021-22 academic year, Arkansas recorded the most successful collective year in the program’s history, winning eight Southeastern Conference championships and finishing seventh in the Learfield IMG Directors’ Cup, the competition that tracks the nation’s most successful intercollegiate athletics programs. This bested the eighth place finish Razorback Athletics posted in 2020-21. Arkansas’s previous best finish prior to 2020-21 was 14th in the competition.

The Razorbacks finished first among programs with 19 or fewer sports, second among SEC schools and earned only its second top-10 Directors’ Cup finish, following a then-record eighth place finish in 2020-21. Despite sponsoring only 19 sport programs, Arkansas (Continued)

Hunter Yurachek, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics University of Arkansas earned a total of nine top-10 NCAA finishes and 12 top-20 NCAA finishes.

In the classroom, Razorback student-athletes earned a program-record 3.27 GPA and a total of 97 Razorback student-athletes earned their degrees in the 2021-22 academic year.

The University of Arkansas and Yurachek are being nationally recognized for those accomplishments. Yurachek was selected as a 202122 Football Bowl Subdivision Cushman & Wakefield Athletics Director of the Year by his peers, and was also a finalist for the Sports Business Journal 2022 Athletics Director of the Year.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson named Yurachek to the Governor’s Economic Recovery Task Force to help guide state reopening in the wake of COVID-19. In April 2021, Yurachek was named to the NCAA Football Oversight Committee, after previously serving on the NCAA Football Competition Committee

Distinguished Service Award Craig and Brent Renaud, Documentary Filmmakers, Television Producers and Film Programmers Renaud Brothers The Renaud Brothers are best known for their character driven, cinema verité documentaries like Dope Sick Love, Last Chance High, Off to War and Meth Storm.

The Renauds also co-founded the Little Rock Film Festival, which was named one of the top film festivals in the country by Filmmaker Magazine.

Brent Renaud was the first American journalist killed in Ukraine in 2022, while documenting the refugee crisis. The Renaud Brothers’ work has won a Peabody Award, two Columbia DuPont Awards, two Overseas Press Club Awards, an IDA award, a Webby and an Edward R. Murrow Award. Craig Renaud is currently in production on a number of film projects, including a documentary about his late brother Brent and a national PBS series called Southern Storytellers.

Brent Renaud pictured in a Libyan Desert. Photo courtesy of Jeff Newton.

Golden Golden 50 50 Service Service Award Award John Brummett, Columnist John Brummett, Columnist In December 1969, a few days after his 16th birthday, John Brummett , a junior at McClellan High School

in Little Rock and of hishis school went to work ,part-time the then-afternoon In December 1969,sports a feweditor days after 16th newspaper, birthday, John Brummett a junior atforMcClellan High School Arkansas Democrat in theeditor sportsofdepartment. in Little Rock and sports his school newspaper, went to work part-time for the then-afternoon Arkansas Democrat in the sports He worked before school, from 6department. a.m. to 8 a.m., helping produce the afternoon sports pages. He covered local high school events the evenings localproduce golf, tennis swimming events summer.

He worked beforesports school, from in 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., and helping the and afternoon sports pages.inHe covered local high school sports events in the evenings and local golf, tennis and swimming events in summer.

He has worked continuously since—more than 52 years—for newspapers or news services in Arkansas.

He hasattending worked continuously since—more than 52 years—for newspapers services in Arkansas.

While the University of Central Arkansas, he was sports editor of or thenews Log Cabin Democrat in Conway and laterthe a news reporter for the paper.

He he joined Arkansas in July 1977 as a stateWhile attending University of Central Arkansas, wasthe sports editorGazette of the Log Cabin Democrat in desk general assignment reporter.for Hethe became state Capitol the paper in 1980, and, as the Conway and later a news reporter paper.a He joined thereporter ArkansasforGazette in July 1977 as a statenewspaper between the Gazette Democrat heated up,reporter a columnist beginning 1986. desk generalwar assignment reporter.

Heand became a state Capitol for the paper in in 1980, and, as the war between the Gazette and Democrat heated a columnist beginning in 1986.

He became a senior editor ofnewspaper the Arkansas Times and Arkansas Business in 1990 while alsoup, a contract columnist for the Democrat.

Then, in 1993, he wrote columns for the Democrat and Times whileinin1990 Washington writing a book, called “Highwire, ” about Bill He became a senior editor of the both Arkansas Times and Arkansas Business while also a contract columnist for the Democrat.

Clinton’s first year as president.

Then, in 1993, he wrote columns both for the Democrat and Times while in Washington writing a book, called “Highwire,” about Bill Clinton’s first Rock year as Back in Little in president.

1994, he became exclusively a columnist for the surviving Arkansas-Democrat-Gazette, leaving in 2000 to become a columnist for thehe Arkansas Bureau aofcolumnist Stephensfor Media.

He returned in 2011 to the Democrat-Gazette a contract Back in Little Rock in 1994, becameNew exclusively the surviving Arkansas-Democrat-Gazette, leaving as in 2000 to columnist, and he continues in that role today. become a columnist for the Arkansas New Bureau of Stephens Media. He returned in 2011 to the Democrat-Gazette as a contract columnist, he state continues in that role awards, today. a few regional ones and two national ones from the association of state Capitol He has wonand many column-writing reporters.

He has won many state column-writing awards, a few regional ones and two national ones from the association of state Capitol reporters.

In 2017, he was inducted into the Arkansas Writers Hall of Fame.

In 2017, he was inducted into the Arkansas Writers Hall of Fame.

Walter E. Hussman, Jr., Chairman of WEHCO Media, Inc. Walter E. Democrat-Gazette Hussman, Jr., Chairman of WEHCO Media, Inc. Arkansas Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Walter E. Hussman, Jr., a third-generation newspaperman, was born January 5, 1947, in Texarkana and

grew upE.in Camden.Jr., Hisa father was publisher of the Camden News, his grandfather publisher Hussman, third-generation newspaperman, was bornand January 5, 1947, inwas Texarkana andof Walter the Texarkana Gazette. earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the grew up in Camden.

HisHussman father was publisher of the Camden News, and his grandfather wasUniversity publisher of North CarolinaGazette. and an M.B.A. from Columbia University New York.inHejournalism began hisfrom carerer a reporterof the Texarkana Hussman earned his Bachelor of in Arts degree theasUniversity for Forbes magazine returned ArkansasUniversity in September, 1970 toHe work in the business, and North Carolina and anbut M.B.A. fromto Columbia in New York. began hisfamily carerer as a reporter became general manager of the Camden NewsininSeptember, 1971. for Forbes magazine but returned to Arkansas 1970 to work in the family business, and became general managerbattle of thethat Camden News in 1971.

In a David-versus-Goliath few predicted he would survive, Hussman went head-to-head with thea established, dominantbattle Arkansas and won.

1974, Hussman persuaded his fatherwith to In David-versus-Goliath thatGazette few predicted he Earlier would in survive, went head-to-head buyestablished, the Arkansasdominant Democrat,Arkansas the afternoon After persuaded a protractedhisand heated the Gazettedaily andnewspaper won. EarlierininLittle 1974,Rock.

Hussman father to newspaper war, legal battlesbuy andthe even with theDemocrat, sale of thethe Arkansas Gazette Gannett inin1986, emerged the winner and Arkansas afternoon dailyto newspaper LittleHussman Rock. After a protracted and heated bought the war, assets of the rivaland newspaper in 1991, creating Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. newspaper legal battles even with the sale of the the Arkansas Gazette to Gannett in 1986, Hussman emerged the winner and bought the assets of the rival newspaper in 1991, creating the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Today, WEHCO Media operates 10 daily newspapers, eight weekly newspapers and nine cable television companies in six states.

Today, WEHCO Media operates newspapers, weekly newspapers andHe nine cable television companies six states.

Hussman was named Publisher10 of daily the Year

by Editor &eight Publisher magazine in 2009. was a member of the board ofindirectors of The Associated Press from 2000 to 2009 and C-SPAN from 1995 to 2003.

Hussman championed education and after-school programs in Hussman was named Publisher of the Year by Editor & Publisher magazine in 2009. He was a member of the board of directors of The Little Rock and the state of Arkansas.

He also served on the Arkansas Arts Center board of directors, on the board of the Arkansas Associated Press from 2000 to 2009 and C-SPAN from 1995 to 2003. Hussman championed education and after-school programs in Repertory Arkansas Society Arts board of directors.

While on theonsymphony started Little RockTheater and theand stateonofthe Arkansas.

HeSymphony also servedOrchestra on the Arkansas Center board of directors, the boardboard, of the he Arkansas Pops on the River, a patriotic symphony and fireworks show on the Arkansas River in Little Rock each 4th of July.

In 2017, the UNC Repertory Theater and on the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Society board of directors. While on the symphony board, he started Hussman School and Media was named show in recognition of four generations the family committed journalism.

Pops on the River,ofa Journalism patriotic symphony and fireworks on the Arkansas River in LittleofRock each 4th of July. Into2017, the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media was named in recognition of four generations of the family committed to journalism.

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