Arkansas Publisher Weekly: May 31, 2018

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‘Legal, Libel and FOIA’ topic for convention session

Guest Column:

Social Media is Neither Social Nor Media, People are Learning By Peter Wagner

ARKANSAS

PRESS

Ar kansas

Publisher Weekly

ASSOCIATION

Serving Press and State Since 1873

Vol. 13 | No. 22 | Thursday, May 31, 2018

Rusty Fraser still working on a lifetime newspaper career When Rusty Fraser is asked if he’s been in newspapers his whole life, he says, “Well, not yet.”

The 76-year-old publisher of the Stone County Leader in Mountain View will receive a Golden 50 Service Award at the upcoming Arkansas Press Association (APA) SuperConvention to mark his 50plus years in the newspaper business. He has no plans to retire, although he says he doesn’t work as hard as he used to because of his experienced staff, including four full-time editorial positions at a weekly with 4,200 circulation. Fraser was president of the APA just a couple of years ago and believes APA is more important than ever. “I’ve made lots of good friends, close friends, through APA, and the networking continues to be valuable today. Sharing our problems, keeping up with the changes in the profession and taking advantage of the

excellent training are big reasons why,” he said. During his career he’s seen difficult transitions from hot type to cold type to digital. Though many blame problems in today’s newspaper industry on the Internet, Fraser is not so sure technology is always the culprit. He recalls that in the 1970s he paid about $2,000 each month for film and chemistry for his cold type operation. That cost went away when he moved to digital. Fraser started as a paperboy for the Troy Messenger in Troy, Alabama. When his parents moved to Montgomery, he delivered papers for the afternoon Alabama Journal. During college at the University of Alabama, he worked summers for the Montgomery Advertiser Journal in the dispatch department. He was the liaison between the union composing room and

Fraser with his first place Sweepstakes Award at the 2018 APA Ad Conference awards presentation.

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APA election concluded; Three new board members added The 2018 APA election is now in the books as the deadline passed last week for ballots to be returned to the APA office by designated voters at APA member newspapers.

They will join these existing board members who also appeared on the 2018 ballot:

A total of 54 signed ballots were cast in the annual election, which will add three new names to the APA Board of Directors roster.

• Sue Silliman of the Camden News

Kelly Freudensprung of The Saline Courier in Benton, John Robert Schirmer of the Nashville News-Leader and Crystal Costa of the Times Record in Fort Smith are the new additions to the board.

• Ellen Kreth of the Madison County Record in Huntsville • Lori Freeze of the Stone County Leader in Mountain View • Eliza Gaines of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock Under the APA bylaws, board members stand for election each year with the exception of the president, vice president, immediate past president and second vice

president. Those slots are held by:

• President, Tom White of the Advance Monticellonian in Monticello. • Vice President, John Bland of The Times Dispatch in Walnut Ridge • Immediate Past President, Byron Tate of The Sheridan Headlight and • Second Vice President, Rusty Turner of the Northwest Arkansas DemocratGazette in Fayetteville. The new board members will assume their seats on the board at the conclusion of the 2017 APA convention June 27-30.


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Arkansas Publisher Weekly: May 31, 2018 by Arkansas Press Association - Issuu