Arkansas Publisher Weekly: September 6, 2018

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Intern supported by ANF learns through summer experience ANF, AT&T and Arkansas newspapers kick off “It Can Wait” writing contest

ARKANSAS

Ar kansas

PRESS

Publisher Weekly

Vol. 13 | No. 36 | Thursday, September 6, 2018

ASSOCIATION

Serving Press and State Since 1873

Newspapers in Arkadelphia, Hope and Prescott to publish final editions next week Local newspapers in Arkadelphia, Hope and Prescott will close next week, the three newspapers announced Wednesday on their social media pages. Teresa “Tee” Hicks, the senior group publisher for GateHouse, which owns all three newspapers, confirmed the closures to a reporter from Arkansas Business.

Arkadelphia’s Siftings Herald, which has been published for 150 years, will publish its last paper on Sept. 14. The Hope Star, in print for 145 years, will also print its last issue on Sept. 14. The Nevada County Picayune, based in Prescott, publishes its last issue on Sept. 12.

Subscribers to the newspapers will receive refunds for the balance of their

subscriptions within 30 days, the papers said.

According to the Arkansas Business report, the three southwest Arkansas newspapers were closed for the same financial considerations that prompted the shuttering of the North Little Rock Times and Lonoke County Democrat last month.

Those papers were also owned by GateHouse.

In a statement, Arkansas Press Association Executive Director Ashley Wimberley said: “A community loses part

of its spirit when it loses its newspaper.

We’re saddened for the hard-working employees of these three papers and for the residents of three southwest Arkansas cities who will be without their best source for local news.

While this is a difficult day for those communities, the recent newspaper closings in Arkansas have all been made by the same company. We don’t have any reason to believe this is part of a trend, and in fact, almost all of our member newspapers are thriving, successful businesses dedicated to the areas they serve.”

Arkansas publishers paying more attention to building security Not long after Sept. 11, 2001, David Mosesso was sitting in his office at the Jonesboro Sun when he watched with alarm as his chief photographer unwittingly unlocked the newsroom door for a man carrying a shotgun.

Mosesso, the Sun’s publisher, said his employee never looked up to see who

was standing outside before “buzzing” the man in, a routine action that occurs multiple times a day. Fortunately, the man was part of a local group selling the gun as a fundraiser. He visited the newsroom for a photo that would appear in the following day’s paper. Unfortunately, that incident illustrated to Mosesso just how challenging it can actually be to secure a newspaper office.

‘I’m thinking, ‘That’s the only secure place we have in the entire building and you just let somebody in with a shotgun!’,” Mosesso recalled. “With all the measures we could take, it’s difficult because we’re

running 24 hours a day. We’ve been fortunate that nothing has happened.

Could something happen? Yeah. Are we a soft target? Yeah. But there are a lot of businesses that are.”

Mosesso, Arkansas group publisher for Paxton Media Group, and other newspaper operators across the state are taking a renewed look at security in the aftermath of the June 28 attack at the Annapolis, Md., Capital Gazette and growing number of mass shootings nationwide. Some also say the current political climate leaves Continued on Page 2

Fred Petrucelli, journalist and community icon, dies at 100

Fred Petrucelli, who started work for the Arkansas Democrat as a reporter in 1945 and later wrote articles for the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway for four decades, died on Sunday, Sept. 2. Petrucelli was 100 years old.

A Connecticut native, Petrucelli graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in journalism. In addition to his newspaper work, he served on the staff Gov. Winthrop Fred Petrucelli of Rockefeller and worked for the Arkansas Department of Human Services. He wrote for the Conway paper almost to the time of his death.

He was a longtime member of the Conway Kiwanis Club and was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Conway Morning Rotary Club.

In 2007, the Fred and Lillian Petrucelli Scholarship was established at UCA to honor Petrucelli and his wife Lillian, who survives him. The endowment funds an annual scholarship for a student majoring in journalism, theater or writing. His 100th birthday in March was declared Fred Petrucelli Day in Conway.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Lucy Terranella and Marci Brown, both of Austin, Texas; one son, Peter Petrucelli of San Francisco; and four grandchildren.

Newsroom security Continued from page 1

journalists more susceptible to violence.

The Sun and other Paxton newspapers have implemented a protocol in place in the event of an emergency, whether it be a suspected shooter or bomb threat.

Likewise, Jim Perry, publisher of the Harrison Daily Times, said his newspaper has a disaster plan that covers everything from a tornado to an active shooter. Perry agrees with Mosesso that securing a business sustained by public interaction is tough to do.

“We have newspapers where customers can enter right into the newsroom,” Perry said. “We haven’t limited access to anyone because we’re their local newspaper.

We’re the friend of the people.”

Mosesso said some types of security measures would be impractical, such as preventing nonemployees from entering the building. The Sun, for instance, has a public art gallery in the hallway leading from the front desk to the newsroom.

In Harrison, there have been discussions of ways to restrict access to the newsroom, where the editorial staff is located and where Perry believes is the greatest safety risk.

“It’s a topic on our mind right now, some of our folks are worried,” Perry said. “My people are well known in the community, and my number one priority is making sure I can keep my people as safe as possible, no matter what happens.”

Let Us Know

Following the Maryland shootings, Daniel Funke with Poynter interviewed two experts who specialize in journalist security who provided Funke with safety tips for newsrooms. Those tips included:

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

• Have emergency exits that are accessible and that are known to be the one escape path for employees exiting the building.

• Work with local law enforcement to have an active-shooter training class for employees, consider offering personal firstaid and self-defense courses, and consider holding an active-shooter drill.

• Install panic buttons at desks that can be connected to a security alarm system or an emergency phone number.

Petrucelli’s funeral is at 2 p.m. Monday, September 10th at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Conway with the Rev. Greg Warren and the Rev. Teri Daily officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Peter’s.

We want to know about your new hires, retires and promotions!

Send your staffing changes to info@ arkansaspress.org to be updated online and included in our weekly bulletin and monthly newsletter.

entrances. The experts told Poynter that video cameras are relatively inexpensive. Seeing a potential intruder on video camera and outside a locked door could give newspapers more time to notify law enforcement before an incident.

• Have a secure door that locks • Update newspaper policies and procedures on visitors, vendors and tenants.

• Install cameras at all newsroom 2

• Have a policy for employees to report to management any threats received electronically or by phone. An expert told Poynter that reporters should also be sure to limit the amount of identifying information they provide over the phone or email to unknown contacts.

Those solutions aren’t inexpensive, but neither should be employee safety, Mosesso said.

John Robert Schirmer, editor and publisher of the Nashville Leader, said keeping the business and its employees secure should be a higher priority.

“It always gets moved down to the bottom of the list, and it should be at the head of the list,” Schirmer said.

September 6, 2018

Veteran outdoors Intern supported by ANF learns writer Charles through summer experience Bridwell dies Grace Talley, a student at Ouachita Fair Tabloid, which consisted of 56 pages Charles Bridwell of Warren, a longtime outdoors writer for the Advance-Monticellonian in Monticello and for other newspapers across southeast Arkansas died Charles Birdwell last week.

According to an obituary written by Harold Coggins of the Advance-Monticellonian, Bridwell had most likely written more words for the newspaper than all other members of the current editorial staff. He had a weekly column, “Arkansas Outdoors,” and was the primary content writer for the paper’s annual special section on hunting.

Bridwell was 63.

He was founder and coach for the Bradley County Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program team.

Bridwell was a Texas native, a retired telecommunications officer for the Arkansas State Police and a deacon of Immanuel Baptist Church in Warren.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon; two sons, Drake Bridwell and Clint Bridwell; his mother, Alma Jean Bridwell; two sisters; and five grandchildren.

The family requests that memorials be made to Immanuel Baptist Church, 701 W. Pine St., Warren, AR, 71671.

Industry Quote of the Week “A good newspaper is a nation talking to itself.”

– Arthur Miller

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Baptist University, participated in this year’s summer internship program sponsored by the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation. Talley worked at the Nashville News-Leader. Here, she talks about her experiences at the newspaper.

This past summer I was blessed with the opportunity to intern at my hometown newspaper through the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation.

The Nashville Leader has been printing since 2003 and bought out Nashville’s other paper in 2016 to form The Nashville News-Leader.

I am a Graphic Design/Mass Communications double major at Ouachita Baptist University, so I was thrilled to get the chance to intern in my field of interest.

This newspaper means so much to my community, and I am grateful to have had the chance to spend a summer here.

Before working at the newspaper, I had no idea what all went into building, printing and distributing a paper. I appreciated the chance to get a sneak peek at what goes on before and after printing day. I would have never imagined the amount of planning and behind the scenes work that goes into making a weekly paper happen.

While at the News-Leader, I spent most of my time working under Advertising Manager Tracy Denny-Bailey. Using my skills in Photoshop and InDesign, I built ads of various sizes for a wide variety of events and businesses. I thoroughly enjoyed building the ads because they gave me a chance to hone my design skills while picking up new ones. This opportunity also allowed me to network with other area newspapers and customers in regard to ads and other information in the paper. Working under Tracy was so much fun, and I learned tons about page building, ad construction and much more.

The largest project that I worked on this summer was the Howard County 3

filled with ads, pictures, and information about the upcoming Howard County Fair. This project took a week and a half to complete, and involved reconstruction of ads and pages, plus editing old information. This project taught me so much about ad building and page layout, as well as working with others and communicating about changes that need to be made.

In addition to advertisements, I was also presented with opportunities to use my photography skills during my time in this internship position. I photographed several events, like local Vacation Bible Schools, the Ebenezer Camp Meeting, and backto-school ceremonies. I also took pictures for the 2018 Howard County Farm Family, which were published along with the feature story for this year’s family. My photography skills grew tremendously this summer, and even though I still have massive amounts to learn, I’m glad that this internship allowed me to broaden my skill set.

My time at the News-Leader has taught me valuable skills and lessons that I will use for the rest of my time as a Graphic Designer. I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to spend a small amount of time in the journalism world and will treasure the memories that I made this summer for the rest of my life.

Grace Talley

September 6, 2018

t s e t n o C ANF, AT&T and Arkansas newspapers kick off “It Can Wait” writing contest

The Arkansas Newspaper Foundation (ANF), AT&T and local newspapers are partnering again this year to discourage texting and driving by sponsoring the “It Can Wait” editorial contest for Arkansas students.

Students ages 14-19 across the state are encouraged to write an editorial or opinion column highlighting the dangers of distracted driving and encouraging others to take the “It Can Wait” pledge.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that distracted driving claimed 3,450 lives in 2016 alone.

The 2016 contest had entries from across the state. Last year’s winner, from Van Buren, received $500 in prize money, a luncheon with Arkansas Press Association, AT&T and ANF leadership and personal tours of the state Capitol and Clinton Library.

Newspapers are encouraged to participate Arkansas Publisher Weekly

as a way to connect with readers about the dangers of distracted driving. Appropriate local sponsors could pay for the space or provide local prizes. Sponsors could include insurance agencies, medical centers, emergency services, dentists, doctors, car dealerships, police and fire departments, school boards or chambers of commerce.

Prohibited sponsors include any businesses that sell and promote adult material, tobacco or alcohol-related items.

2018 “It Can Wait” Contest Schedule Now-Sept 13 – Contest announced by Local Newspapers and/or directly with schools.

September 13 – Contest Begins (Contest may begin anytime after this date at the discretion of the newspaper.)

October 25 – Contest ends at local level. Local winner announced by Local 4

Newspaper after this date.

November 2 – Deadline for newspaper’s local winning entry to be received by the ANF Executive Director. Mailing address: Arkansas Newspaper Foundation, 411 S. Victory, Little Rock, AR 72201. Email address: arknewspaperfoundation@ gmail.com.

December 1 – Statewide contest judging ends. Statewide winner announced.

January Awards TBA – Statewide winner awards and luncheon will be scheduled to coincide with the legislative session.

Materials may be easily downloaded at the following locations: Ad Clearinghouse on APA website: • Go to folder: ANF - ‘It Can Wait’ Contest Materials are also posted on the ANF Facebook page at: www.facebook. com/pages/Arkansas-NewspaperFoundation/157891060935155.

September 6, 2018

Camden News hires communications veteran Shea Wilson

Shea Wilson, the former managing editor for the El Dorado NewsTimes, has joined the Camden News staff. The newspaper reports that Wilson will work parttime and will write Shea Wilson features and in-depth stories as she pursues a master’s degree in social administration/social work.

Wilson is a graduate of Southern Arkansas University. She has a bachelor’s degree in communications/journalism and a bachelor’s degree in social work from that institution. In addition to her time in El Dorado, Wilson has worked as public information officer and legislative liaison for the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC). At ADC, she helped launch the Paws in Prison program, which pairs shelter animals with inmate trainers preparing the dogs for adoption.

She’s a past president of the state’s Associated Press Managing Editors association and served on the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce board. She was an Arkansas Business 40 under 40 honoree in 2004 and was named to the Arkansas Jaycees 10 Outstanding Young Arkansans of the Year in 1999.

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Guest Column: “Showing” beats “telling” every time

By John Foust, Raleigh, NC On a visit to my eye doctor for a checkup, I noticed a poster on the wall in the examination room. It featured a series of photographs of the same scene. The first photo depicted the scene through “normal” vision, and the other photos showed how that scene would be viewed by people with various eye conditions, like glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts.

It was a powerful exhibit. In one simple poster – with a series of pictures and only a few words – a patient could get a clear idea of the effects of certain conditions.

If we think beyond the subject matter of the poster, we’ll find some important lessons about communication. In the sales profession, “showing” beats “telling” every time. Here are some key points: 1. Use strong visual images. There is a famous Chinese proverb that states, “One time seeing is worth a thousand times hearing.” Newspapers have a real advantage here. Newspaper ads – in print and digital formats – are visual.

If you’re going to show something, make it worth seeing. Kirk, a long-time sales person, once told me, “I never go into a client meeting without some kind of exhibit.

It might be a copy of their most recent ad.

It might be a chart illustrating readership figures. Or it might be a selection of stock photos that could be used in the next campaign. Sometimes I just use a felt-tip marker to make a back-of-the-napkin type diagram on a legal pad.

2. When possible, use comparisons.

When I saw the eye poster, it was easy to compare my eyesight to the photos. I immediately understood the differences.

There are plenty of possible comparisons

in a sales presentation. You can compare typography samples to demonstrate how one font is more readable than another.

You can compare a cluttered layout to a clean layout. And you can compare headline samples.

3. Keep it simple. It’s important to make it easy for prospects to reach their own conclusions. The purpose of a visual exhibit is to clarify a sales point.

“I’m careful about what I show to people in meetings,” Kirk said. “Using too many examples can create brain freeze. It’s a lot easier for them to understand the differences between Choice A and Choice B than to understand the differences between Choices A through D or E. “I learned a lesson early in my career, when I presented a marketing manager with a selection of four completely different ad ideas,” he explained. “The presentation was a disaster, because there were too many choices. The manager couldn’t decide, so he called several other people into the room. No one could agree on anything and the meeting hit a stalemate. I ended up going back to the drawing board to create two different choices. A week or so later, I presented those two options, and they quickly made a decision.”

The bottom line: When it comes to persuasive communication, think of ways to show what you’re saying. (c) Copyright 2018 by John Foust. All rights reserved. John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals.

Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. E-mail for information: john@johnfoust.com.

Ads are run for six weeks free for APA members and students, and only $20 a week for nonmembers. This is an excellent opportunity to get your positions out to newspapers and associate members.

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

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September 6, 2018