Arkansas Publisher Weekly: October 26, 2023

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Judges needed for advertising contest Guest Column: Advertising’s slippery slope

By John Foust

Arkansas Press Association

Publisher Weekly Vol.18 | No. 41 | Thursday, October 26, 2023 | Serving Press and State Since 1873

Award-winning journalist Colvin is watchdog for community • Shed light in the darkness.

• Provide a voice for the voiceless.

• Advocate for justice.

Those are tenets that journalist Eplunus Brooks Colvin encompasses in her role as a reporter at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Pine Bluff Commercial.

Those principles earned Colvin two major honors in 2023 for her work – the Excellence in Journalism Award from the Arkansas Martin Luther King Commission and the Media Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), both for her “watchdog” journalism.

Colvin offers a unique description of what is involved in “watchdog” reporting. “I would compare it to the nosy neighbor, but more in an ethical way. We are the eyes and ears and need to be the resource for the community. It’s democracy. When you take that away, what are you left with? The actual nosy neighbor, who may not get it right.”

Colvin began at the Commercial as a freelance writer and was hired as a full-time reporter in March of 2020. She now covers city and county government for the newspaper.

See Colvin Page 3

Eplunus Colvin provides news coverage in Selma as a media delegate with the Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Commision during the Selma Bridge Crossing Anniversary.

Planned postal changes to be discussed at upcoming conference Two sessions of interest to newspapers which utilize the United States Postal Service for delivery will be presented at the annual ArkLaMiss Audience Development Conference, scheduled for November 9 and 10 in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Interlink CEO Brad Hill is set to present two sessions, “Understanding Periodicals: All Things Mail Entry” and “What Postal Changes Mean for Your Newspaper,” on Thursday, November 9. He will be offering one-on-one postal consultations with Arkansas Publisher Weekly

conference attendees from 9–11 a.m. on Friday, November 10.

Wimberley. “We hope all APA members who are able will plan to attend.”

On October 6, the United States Postal Service announced an expected 7.3 percent increase to the local “within county” mailing rate for newspapers in January 2024.

Interlink is a leading provider of circulation and customer service management software and serves more than 1,500 daily and weekly newspapers nationwide. Hill was named CEO of the company in 2018.

His history with the company began in 2001 when he was hired as a technical contractor. He later became director of customer services for the company before

“Considering the recently announced periodicals postage rate increases, we are looking forward to hearing what Brad has to say on this important subject,” said APA Executive Director Ashley Kemp 1

See Postal Page 10

October 26, 2023

Congratulations on 150 years.

Simmons Bank congratulates the Arkansas Press Association (APA) on 150 years in business and all it has achieved for our state. As Arkansas’s first trade association and the oldest professional association in the state, APA has paved the way for the freedom of press.

Simmons recently celebrated 120 years in business, so we feel a special connection with organizations that share a long history of serving our local communities. We’re proud to be in great company with the APA and look forward to the next 150 years!

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October 13, 2023

Colvin Continued from page 1

controversial stories in the community, “and a lot of people didn’t like that.”

Often called “Mrs. E,” Colvin lives in Stuttgart but regularly travels to Pine Bluff to cover city council and quorum court sessions, as well as various subcommittees.

“’Who is this woman and what is she doing’?” was the reaction of some in the community to her work, Colvin recalls.

She got her start in journalism along a somewhat different path.

She and her husband Paul were living in the Dallas area when he expressed a desire to move back to his hometown of Stuttgart to pursue his goal of becoming a police officer.

Colvin said her personal faith has been the foundation for her work and has kept her strong even during difficult challenges. “It is that faith that gets me through this type of work,” she said. “In fact, I really consider this to be a ministry.”

At the time, Colvin was experiencing success in a television production career and was quite skeptical concerning the move.

“My first reaction was that I wasn’t going to do it,” she said. A person of strong faith, she eventually visited with her pastor and his wife, and they advised her to follow her husband’s dream.

Pine Bluff Commercial Staff Byron Tate, editor; Sandra Hope, clerk; Eplunus Colvin, reporter, content creator; I.C. Murrell, senior reporter.

Colvin grew up in a “melting pot” environment in Wichita Falls, Texas. With that in mind, she experienced occasional challenges in her small Arkansas town with her ascension as a Black woman to the editor’s position.

Some in the community were surprised to see her in that role when they walked into the newspaper office.

“I decided to just stay in the moment and eventually things started falling into place,” she said. “I was trying to find a job when my husband told me there was a newspaper office right across the street from where he worked.”

“It was very rare for people to see a Black woman in the front,” she said. “I had to prove myself to people, but I just mainly stayed true to who I was.”

Colvin applied at the Stuttgart Daily Leader and was hired as an advertising executive.

“It wasn’t what I really wanted to do, but it was what I needed to do,” she said.

Colvin’s husband has been her biggest supporter, especially when there was occasional backlash in reaction to some of her stories. “Sometimes I would have to calm him down,” she said. “I told him we can’t control what others do, but we can control what we do. Over

She incorporated video Commercial freelancer Richard Ledbetter with Colvin at the 2023 APA Better Newspaper Editorial skills to promote her Awards. customers’ businesses and also provided some unique media presentations at the time, I gained a lot of support.” newspaper. While working three years in sales, Colvin also began Since arriving in 2014, Colvin has been active in the Stuttgart “ghostwriting” articles on the news side. community, including organizing a “unity rally” that brought When the editor’s position later opened, Colvin applied and was people together for a dialogue with various public officials. The event was successful and had a positive impact in the community. hired.

Colvin believes she brought needed transparency to some Arkansas Publisher Weekly

See Colvin Page 4

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October 26, 2023

Colvin Continued from page 3

biggest story of her career as a journalist, involving the corruption charges and shooting death of Pine Bluff attorney and former Urban Renewal Agency director Maurice Taggart.

“We all stayed up there until the mosquitoes came out,” she said.

Various awards and recognitions have come her way in the community, including being named Citizen of the Year in 2019 by the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, she was honored to present the commencement address to the 2022 graduates of the Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas of Stuttgart and DeWitt. She also has provided live streaming for the world-famous Wings Over the Prairie Duck Calling Contest in Stuttgart.

The story reaches across various agencies and community organizations and intensely calls into play all of Colvin’s talent to make certain she covers it professionally and accurately.

The most unusual aspect of the coverage so far is that Colvin recorded “off the record” conversations with Taggart over several months prior to his Aug. 30 death. In his comments he addresses the charges that he misappropriated funds from the agency, adding that the issue was “bigger than him” and he would be implicating others at his trial. Taggart also expressed concern for his personal safety, Colvin said.

During her time at the Stuttgart Daily Leader, Colvin received the Gatehouse Inner Circle Award for Journalism With Impact. She also received awards from the Arkansas Press Association in Headline Writing, Single Feature Photograph, Coverage of Politics/Elections, Coverage of Business/Agriculture, Feature Story, News Story and Overall Excellence.

Colvin recently released the recordings to the public, along with related text messages from Taggart. She subsequently commented at length on the story in a column published this past Sunday, October 22, entitled “On the record at last.”

Colvin remained editor of the Daily Leader until the newspaper ceased operation in 2019. At that point, she continued to provide a voice for the community by establishing In The Loop-Stuttgart, a non-profit online news platform. She also worked with the DeWitt Era-Enterprise to compose printed pages featuring Stuttgart news.

In that column, she also expressed how covering this story has affected her as a journalist: “Just as Maurice shared his fears with me, I battled with the fears of what would come, like threats, setbacks and challenges. I talked about my concerns with my husband, who is a law enforcement official, and we prayed about it on a regular basis.

Colvin’s experiences at Stuttgart, in her view, prepared her well for her current challenging role at the Pine Bluff Commercial.

Numerous major and sometimes controversial stories have emerged during her time there, and she strives to maintain her “fair and factual” approach in her work.

One such article, which eventually was picked up by national news outlets, resulted in the resignation of the Arkansas County Sheriff for racist statements he made in a recording.

“Investigative journalism can stir up a lot in society and it will put a target on my back, I’m sure,” she added. “I’ve always said what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong, no matter who you are and what positions you hold. I’m not looking to be a hero by doing the right thing. Being an advocate for justice and a journalist is a

She currently is working on what she considers perhaps the

See Colvin Page 5

Eplunus Colvin, youth director at Allen Temple Missionary Baptist Church, with some of the young people in the youth ministry.

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October 26, 2023

Colvin Continued from page 4

Colvin explained that she suffered abuse growing up through a psychologically challenging situation. “I certainly didn’t have the picture-perfect upbringing,” she said.

thankless profession and I am learning to be okay with that.”

Pine Bluff law enforcement initially ruled Taggart’s death was the result of a domestic disturbance between the deceased and his son in which both were shot. Family members have called into question some of the conclusions of local authorities and have requested an FBI investigation into the shooting.

“Basketball was my outlet, and my coach was my saving grace,” Colvin said. “It was the turning point in my life.” Stewart-Lange directed her to professional counseling that helped Colvin realize she “didn’t have to be confined to the hand you were dealt and that you can choose your own path.”

Colvin, a member of an editorial staff of five at the Commercial, believes her job is to “put the facts out there and keep doing what you are called to do” regardless of pressure or even threats.

That experience has led Colvin to become involved with youth in her own community, serving in a mentoring role. She often takes students to the UALR campus, where she has a great relationship with legendary women’s coach Joe Foley. Colvin is an annual attendee at Lady Trojan alumni games and visits regularly with assistant coach Alicia Cash, a former teammate who now serves as an assistant coach in the program.

Commercial editor Byron Tate is effusive in his praise for the work of his dedicated reporter.

“I am routinely amazed at how well she navigates the different stories that come her way,” he said.

“From very complex meeting stories to fun outdoor events to tearjerking interviews with parents who have lost their children, Eplunus always brings her professionalism to bear to get out of a story what should be brought out.

Colvin meets young people “where they are” in Eplunus Colvin with husband SPD Sergeant Paul Colvin when Eplunus was recognized as the 2019 the Stuttgart community Stuttgart Citizen Of The Year. and many times leads “She also fills the role them to participate in the of what tomorrow’s journalist has to be. She has an uncanny ability to find just the program at her church, where she serves as the volunteer youth right person on social media and get them to talk to us. But she director for a group of about 25. doesn’t stop there. She knows it’s not enough to write a story for Her busy schedule at work and at church doesn’t leave Colvin with the next day’s newspaper. a lot of “down time” and she focuses as much as possible on her “And now she has transported our small daily into the future with family, which includes husband Paul, daughter Zaniya, 16, and her production of our video-recorded segment, The Newsroom, son Preston, 7. where we interview public officials and other community leaders Concerning the future, Colvin said that depends on what God calls about the top stories of the day. her to do.

“Her past experiences and her heart for the community have “I thought I was going to be a television producer, but God had shaped her into the incredible journalist that she is today.” other plans for me. I never know what is going to happen. I just Colvin’s path to her current position has been long and winding, trust God that He will lead me on the right journey.” beginning as a child in a military family that traveled extensively, Meanwhile, Colvin is a fervent believer in the critical importance of including one stint in Germany. She eventually graduated from local journalism and the accountability and transparency it helps high school in Wichita Falls and was first introduced to Arkansas bring to communities. when she earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Perhaps few journalists view their work in terms of ministry, but Arkansas - Little Rock. such is the case with Eplunus Colvin, and the subscribers to the She was on a team that helped reinstate the program after a hiatus Pine Bluff Commercial reap the rewards of her unique level of of several years. It was as a college student that Colvin had a critical commitment. “life-changing experience” through the guidance of her coach, Tracy Stewart-Lange.

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October 26, 2023

THANK YOU. Behind every business and bold move were those who made things happen.

We appreciate our communities and customers for letting us serve them.

We thank Arkansas newspapers for sharing our safety education, energy assistance and efficiency resources with readers.

Brasel announced as new ME in Harrison Award-winning sportswriter Jeff Brasel has been announced as the next managing editor of the Harrison Daily Times, succeeding Lynn Blevins. His first day in the role will be November 1.

Judges needed for advertising contest Attention newspaper advertising professionals: your experience is needed to critique the best advertising ideas from Mississippi newspapers in the Mississippi Press Association Better Newspaper Advertising Contest.

Categories available to judge include Single Ads, Series Ads, Theme Pages, Special Sections, Classifieds, Digital Ads, Niche Marketing, Magazines, “Silver Dollar Ideas” and more.

The total time investment should be about a half-hour. Please email Terri Cobb at terri@arkansaspress.org for more information or to volunteer.

“I am excited to make this announcement, and even more excited to work with Jeff in his new capacity,” said Publisher Beth Chism on October 21. “He brings a lot of experience to the position, but more importantly, he has a lot of great ideas I am excited to help him implement.”

Brasel invites community members to stop by the newspaper office to discuss issues important to them.

“I have an open door policy,” he said. “It is not my newspaper; it is our newspaper.”

Brasel, who has been in the newspaper industry for more than two decades, currently serves as sports editor for the Daily Times and its sister publication, the Newton County Times in Jasper. He will continue his sports editing duties as he takes on the managing editor role.

“I believe in the power of the local newspaper,” said Brasel in the announcement of his promotion. “If it wasn’t for the staff of the Harrison Daily Times, we would have a crypto mining facility in our community. The press has a responsibility to protect our community.

This is a responsibility that I will not take lightly.”

Jeff Brasel

Connecting People and Communities At the heart of journalism lies an unwavering drive to improve lives.

Whether chronicling the history of a community and its people, or standing as the watchdog for truth and integrity, journalists are passionate about making a difference for others.

We understand.

For over 140 years, AT&T has been investing in Arkansas, connecting people and communities across the state with each other and the world.

Congratulations to the members of the APA on 150 years of outstanding journalism, helping make Arkansas a great place in which to live and work.

© 2023 AT&T Intellectual Property. AT&T, Globe logo, Mobilizing Your World are registered trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

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October 26, 2023

Curbo hired at The Attention senior newspaper executives: Batesville Daily Take the America’s Newspapers ‘Health Guard as news clerk of Local Newspapers’ survey

By Greg Watson America’s Newspapers needs your assistance with a very important project.

Please take 10 minutes to take our Health of Local Newspapers survey. The results of this study are critical to America’s Newspapers advocacy efforts in Congress.

This study will broadly examine the current state of local newspapers and the outlook for the next few years. We are asking you to provide the information for your newspaper, or group of newspapers, to the best of your ability. This is not a deep dive into financials, we are looking for directional information.

Brandi Curbo

Brandi Curbo has been hired as news clerk for The Batesville Daily Guard, the newspaper announced last week.

As news clerk, Curbo will keep the newspaper’s office open weekdays, during which time she will greet visitors, coordinate the community calendar, obituaries and birth announcements as well as help customers with classified advertisements and subscription renewals.

“I am excited to be working at The Guard,” said Curbo in the announcement. “I look forward to being more involved with the people and events in our community. The Paxton Media Group team have made me feel welcomed and let me know they are open to new ideas, and I appreciate the opportunity to be assisting Sara Greene and Julie Maples in providing the news and information for the newspaper.”

LET US KNOW Any updates? Send your staffing changes to info@arkansaspress.org to be updated online and included in the Arkansas Publisher Weekly.

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

As always, time is of the essence. We are having regular discussions with members of the House of Representatives and Senate and would like to provide results as quickly as possible. Please take 10 minutes and answer the survey as soon as you can.

Here is the link to the survey: https:// survey.alchemer-ca.com/s3/50216472/ StateofLocalNewspapers Your answers are completely confidential.

Our partners at Coda Ventures have developed the survey and will be collecting and processing the results. Overall results will be presented in aggregate only.

Postal

• If you represent a group of newspapers, please answer in a manner that represents your newspapers overall.

There is a question that asks specifically how many newspapers you are representing.

• We encourage you to leave comments.

Quotes directly from local publishers add great value to the results. Quotes will not be attributed to any individuals directly.

• Results will be reported in a presentation directly to Congressional leaders to emphasize the need for support of the Community News and Small Business Support Act. America’s Newspapers will report highlights of the results in various communications, as appropriate.

• If you would like a copy of the report, there’s an option to leave your information at the end of the survey.

This does not impact the confidentiality of your answers.

If you have additional questions, please contact Greg Watson at gwatson@ newspapers.org. __________________________________ Greg Watson is Chief Marketing Officer of America’s Newspapers.

Continued from page 1

moving into the general manager role in 2011. In 2017 Hill was named a National Newspaper Association representative on the Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee, joining colleagues from NNA in the important postal issue-related group.

Other sessions planned include the popular Hot Ideas Exchange and a roundtable discussion.

Registration for the conference, which is co-hosted by APA and the Mississippi Press Association, is open online at mspress.org/ events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1773700.

Accommodations at the Ameristar Casino Hotel, where the conference will be 8

held, are available for a discounted rate of $79 nightly by calling 601-638-1000 and referencing code ARKLAMS1123, or booking online with the code at ameristarvicksburg.com.

Additionally, the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation has two grants of $200 each remaining to help defray the cost of APA members who would like to attend the conference and might otherwise not be able. Grants will be awarded one per media group, with priority given to first-time attendees. Information and an application form can be found on page 14 of this week’s Arkansas Publisher Weekly.

The deadline for grant application is Tuesday, October 31.

October 26, 2023

Guest Column: Guest column: Advertising’s slippery slope

By John Foust

I remember taking a day-long ski trip to Virginia. The charter bus was filled with skiers who had different levels of experience: a few were pretty good, most were average, and some were novices like me.

After a morning on the beginners’ slope, I took a break to have a sandwich on the deck of the lodge. From my perch atop a picnic table, I could watch skiers on the trail in front of me. The ski lift lowered at a couple of places along the way, from which skiers could exit. The higher up the mountain the lift went, the steeper the slope. The last exit (which I never saw) was meant for expert skiers only.

As I munched on my turkey sandwich, I noticed a couple of dots way up on the mountain. Instead of gracefully zigzagging their way down like the others, they were traveling in a straight line. As they got closer, I could tell that they had fallen. All I could distinguish were two snow-covered lumps sliding down the mountain, elbows flying and skis dragging behind. As they got closer, one of the lumps shouted, “I can’t stoooooooop!”

Eventually – within about 30 seconds of

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

each other – the lumps slid up against the deck, right in front of me. When they stood up, they looked like snow monsters, covered from head to toe with thick coatings of ice and snow. As they talked, it was obvious that neither had been skiing before. They had driven to the slope that morning, parked their car, rented skis, gotten into the first lift line they saw, rode it to the top, and immediately fell down. They didn’t stand up again until they stopped at the bottom. One enthusiastically asked, “You gonna do it again?” His buddy shook his head and said, “No, I’ll wait in the car.”

We can easily agree that they were fortunate to escape injury, especially since – according to another spectator – they had traveled maybe a mile on their backsides. It was obvious that they needed some knowledge before they jumped into that lift line.

We’re all guilty of that same thing. In our eagerness – or impatience – we’ve jumped into things that required more information than we were willing to seek. Like the old saying, “Sometimes, we don’t know what we don’t know.”

In the advertising business, lack of

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information is a sales killer. When my wife was a communications director, a salesperson called on her to talk about promotional services. Talking is all he did.

When his spiel was over, he asked, “So, what does this company do?” Only when he ran out of things to say did he express any interest in his prospect.

And what about salespeople who present spec ad ideas, before learning about their prospects’ marketing needs? I’ve seen that happen too many times to count – usually with disastrous results. That’s falling at the top of the mountain.

Knowledge is power. And lack of knowledge is a slippery slope. (c) Copyright 2023 by John Foust. All rights reserved. ___________________________________ John Foust of Greensboro, North Carolina 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. Email for information: john@johnfoust.com

October 26, 2023

Nov. 9 – 10, 2023 • Vicksburg, MS

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October 19, 2023

AGENDA Thursday, Nov. 9 12:30 p.m. Lunch 1:30 p.m.

Welcome & Opening Session “Understanding Periodicals: All Things Mail Entry” presented by Brad Hill, CEO, Interlink

2:45 p.m.

Break

3:15 p.m.

General session “What Postal Changes Mean for Your Newspaper” presented by Brad Hill

4:30 p.m.

Break & Check-In

5:30 p.m.

Reception

Friday, Nov. 10 8:30 a.m.

Continental breakfast

9:00 a.m.

Hot Ideas Exchange

One-on-one postal consultations available from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m. Round Table Discussion 11:00 a.m.

Wrap-Up and adjourn

About the Keynote Presenter Brad Hill is Chief Executive Officer at Interlink, a Michigan company that provides circulation and mailing software and services to U.S. newspapers. He also represents the National Newspaper Association on USPS’ Postmaster General’s Mailer’s Technical Advisory Committee, and is a member of USPS’ Periodical Advisory Group. In these roles, Brad supports newspapers in understanding, implementing and troubleshooting mail delivery, and collaborates with USPS to address key issues affecting our industry.

Accommodations Registration for the conference is now open. Accommodations at the Ameristar are available for a nightly rate of $79. Call 601-638-1000 and reference code ARKLAMS1123 or visit ameristarvicksburg.com to make reservations with the group code online.

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October 26, 2023

Hot Ideas Exchange Ideas for making — and saving — money Title of idea __________________________________________________________________ Submitted by _________________________________________________________________ Newspaper___________________________________________________________________ Phone _________________________________ Email _______________________________

Briefly describe your idea _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Tell us the results of your effort _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

What was the revenue/benefit generated? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Use the back of this page for additional comments or ideas. Please enclose samples if available. Send this form and any samples or illustrations along with your conference registration to: By email » terri@arkansaspress.org We will share each of the ideas submitted in a booklet to be presented at the conference.

NOV. 9 – 10 • VICKSBURG, MS AMERISTAR CASINO & HOTEL Arkansas Publisher Weekly

LAST DAY TO SUBMIT IDEAS IS NOV. 3.

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October 26, 2023

REGISTRATION FORM Or register online @ arklamissconference.com November 9 – 10, 2023 AmeriStar Hotel & Casino, Vicksburg, MS Room rate: $79 • Call (601) 638-1000 Group code: ARKLAMS1123 Newspaper/Company Name ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Street Address _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone _________________________________________________ Fax _________________________________________________________

REGISTRANTS Name ______________________________________________ Email ________________________________________________________ Name ______________________________________________ Email ________________________________________________________ Name ______________________________________________ Email ________________________________________________________ TOTAL REGISTRANTS

______ x $139.00 =

$______

Vendor sponsorship contribution:

$______

Total Amount Due:

$______

PAYMENT ___Visa

___Mastercard

___AMEX

___Check enclosed

___Bill me

Card No: _________________________________________________________________________________ Exp. Date: ________________ CID # ___________________ Signature ________________________________________________________________________________

REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS MONDAY, NOV. 6, 2023 REGISTER ONLINE AT ARKLAMISSCONFERENCE.COM Or return form with payment to: 411 South Victory Street, Suite 100, Little Rock, AR 72201 Questions? Contact Terri Cobb, 501-374-1500, terri@arkansaspress.org Arkansas Publisher Weekly

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October 26, 2023

2023 ArkLaMiss Marketing & Audience Development Conference Arkansas Newspaper Foundation Continuing Education Grant Application

Arkansas Newspaper Foundation (ANF) has available three (3) continuing education grants in the amount of $200 each for the 2023 ArkLaMiss Conference, to be held Nov. 9 and 10 at the Ameristar Hotel and Casino in Vicksburg. MS. Each grant of up to $200 will help defray the cost of registration and hotel expenses for one attendee from a qualifying Arkansas Press Association member newspaper/media group.

There will be one grant awarded per Arkansas media group, with priority going to first time attendees. If all grants have not been awarded based on this criterion, the remaining grants will be awarded on a first- come-first-served basis.

Criteria • Application is required. Grants will be awarded to one person within one media group.

• Grantee must be a current employee of an Arkansas Press Association member newspaper in good standing, and must be a resident of Arkansas.

• The Continuing Education Grant will be funded up to $200 for Conference costs, for the reimbursement of registration fees, food, lodging and/or mileage.

• Attendance at the Conference is required for grant recipients. Should a recipient become unable to attend, ANF should be notified no later than November 6.

• Receipts are required for reimbursement, including conference registration receipt. No monies will be disbursed without a receipt.

• Applicants are encouraged to retain conference receipts up to 30 days after attending the Conference. In the event a grant recipient becomes unable to attend, the award will move to the next eligible applicant.

• Grantees agree to write a summary of the Conference for publication in the Arkansas Publisher Weekly.

• Receipts, verification of attendance, and summaries must be turned in no later than December 8, 2023. Once receipts have been received and reviews, disbursement of funds will be made within 10 business days.

Application should be emailed to Terri Cobb at terri@arkansaspress.org no later than October 31, 2023. For more information, email Terri at the address above or call (501) 374-1500.

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October 26, 2023

2023 ArkLaMiss Marketing & Audience Development Conference Arkansas Newspaper Foundation Continuing Education Grant Application

First Name

Last Name

Newspaper Name

City

Newspaper Address

Work Phone

Applicant’s Email

Publisher Signature

Date

I, ------------ have read and agree to the ANF Education Reimbursement Grant specifications and terms. I agree to attend the conference and provide the required invoices, receipts, and verification of attendance, plus a written summary of my experience at the conference.

Reimbursement of Grant Awards Submit an itemized, dated invoice with copies of receipts to the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation for reimbursement to terri@arkansaspress.org. Invoice and receipts are to be submitted within thirty (30) days of the conference.

For conference information: www.arklamissconference.com Any grant for which required information has not been received within thirty days after the conference will be considered expired. The Arkansas Newspaper Foundation is not liable or responsible for injuries, additional expenses, or other unexpected occurrences.

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