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Tom Byrd named publisher of Mena Newspapers, Inc. Silent auction to again raise funds for ANF
ARKANSAS
PRESS
Ar kansas
Publisher Weekly
ASSOCIATION
Serving Press and State Since 1873
Vol. 13 | No. 26 | Thursday, June 28, 2018
Innovator Walter E. Hussman Jr. to receive Distinguished Service Award
Tomorrow evening at the Honors Banquet during the APA SuperConvention, Walter E. Hussman Jr. will receive the 2018 APA Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his significant contribution to the newspaper industry.
Camden News. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina and an M.B.A. from Columbia University in New York, finding work as a reporter for Forbes magazine after graduation.
“Growing up in Camden, my first job at age 10 was inserting newspapers in the mail room. My first full-time job after graduating from high school was as a reporter for the El Dorado News Times,” said Hussman.
He returned to Arkansas in 1970 to work as the administrative assistant to his father at Palmer Newspapers, and later became general manager of the Camden News. He advanced to the position of vice president and general manager of Palmer Newspapers in 1973.
“Somewhere along the way I had a dream of becoming the publisher of the largest and best newspaper in Arkansas. Not everyone gets to live their dream. I have been indeed fortunate and grateful to have been able to do it,” he said. A Texarkana native, Hussman grew up in Camden where his father, Walter Hussman Sr., was publisher of the
In 1974, Walter E. Hussman Media Company (WEHCO) bought the Arkansas Democrat, an afternoon daily newspaper with an approximate 62,000 circulation, slightly more than half the circulation of the competing Arkansas Gazette. Hussman Continued on Page 2
Walter E. Hussman, Jr.
2018 APA SuperConvention off and running
“Press On” is the theme of the 2018 Arkansas Press Association SuperConvention now underway at Best Western Inn of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs. More than 220 APA members and guests have registered to participate in the annual event. The 2018 convention continues the long-standing tradition of APA members coming together which began shortly after the APA was founded in 1873. Convention events run through the Saturday lunch where the editorial awards will be presented. President Byron Tate, publisher of the Sheridan Headlight, will preside over the convention, one of his last official acts as president. He will hand over the gavel at the Friday luncheon to Tom White, publisher of The Advance Monticellonian, who will take over as president at the conclusion of the convention. In addition to the passing of the gavel, a gubernatorial debate between Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), Jared Henderson (D) and Mark West (L) will be held at the luncheon on Friday. Awards from the golf tournament also will be presented. APA’s special achievement awards will be presented Friday evening at the annual Honors Banquet. The awards to be presented include Golden 50 Service Awards, the FOI Award, the Distinguished Service Award and the Headliner of the Year Award. The convention wraps up Saturday when the 2018 Better Newspaper Editorial Contest awards are presented. More than 50 newspapers participated in this year’s contest.