newsclips MAY 2016
Long-Time Community Newspaper Owner Receives Honourary Recognition Award Mrs. Jean Morrison, Owner/Publisher of the Napanee Beaver and Picton Gazette recently won the first ever Honourary Recognition Award during the 2016 Ad Club Newspaper Day on Thursday, April 7. Jean and her husband Earl bought the Napanee Beaver in 1953. Together, they produced and printed the paper, and also did commercial printing for local businesses. The Morrisons then purchased the Picton Gazette – the oldest continuously published community newspaper in Canada (since 1830) when it went up for sale in 1976. Unfortunately, Earl died suddenly of a heart attack shortly after, and Jean took over the business of publishing on her own. Times have changed since then – everything is done on computers; Mrs. Morrison no longer runs a printing press or hires typographers, but at the age of 93, she continues to be an integral and beloved part of the community, admired for her energy, kindness and contributions. Mrs. Morrison has met Prime Ministers (Diefenbaker in 1959 and Pearson in the mid ‘60s) as well as Indira Ghandi, Queen Elizabeth and Nelson Mandela. She was President of the OCNA in 1987 and a long term member of the CCNA and the International Press. She supports various local business and charities, with a focus on helping youth. Mrs. Morrison loves skiing and golf – and was an avid curler, skipping her team to win the prestigious Sewell Trophy at the annual Montebello Curling Bonspiel, a total of five times. She recently gave this up a few years ago at the age of 90, around the same time she decided to take a ride in a glider plane! She is the mother of 3, grandmother of 8, and a force of nature! With over 60 years of experience and energy contributed to the newspaper industry, Mrs. Morrison very deservingly received the AdClub Honourary Recognition Award.
WHAT’S INSIDE:
2015 BNC WINNERS ANNOUNCED Congratulations to the first, second and third place winners of the BNC Awards.
See Page 3
THE MOST OVERUSED WORD IN ADVERTISING ‘Quality’ is trite and has little meaning in today’s marketplace.
See Page 14
CONSISTENCY IS KEY Design consistency can result in efficiency and credibility.
See Page 16
May 2016 MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE ONTARIO1 COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION www.ocna.org
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Scott Rosts Wins Mary Knowles Award Scott Rosts, Group Managing Editor, Niagara This Week received the 2015 Insurance Bureau of Canada Community Award in Memory of Mary Knowles during the BNC Awards Gala on Friday, April 22 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Vaughan. The Award, coordinated by the Ontario Community Newspapers Foundation, with support from the IBC, recognizes hard work of newspaper employees who are constantly making a difference. Mary Knowles was an active community member who died from breast cancer in 1996. Scott won the award for his dedication to the St. Catharines Female Hockey Association, NEXTNiagara, Dining in the Dark for CNIB and many other initatives. He believes every group could use support, whether with a monetary value or through a newspaper profile. Several Knowles family members attended the event to help present the award, along with IBC Vice President of Ontario, Kim Donaldson.
Pictured left to right (back): Dylan Brisebois, David Traplin, Ben Riche. Pictured left to right (front): Brenda Bogdanski, IBC Vice President of Ontario, Kim Donaldson, Scott Rosts, Managing Editor, Niagara This Week and Mary Knowles Award Recipient, Susan Traplin, Scott’s wife Stephanie Fidler, Ed Bogdanski and Emily Riche.
NEWSCLIPS VOLUME 05, ISSUE 02 890 Yonge Street, Suite 200 Toronto, ON M4W 3P4 p.905.639.8720 f.905-639.6962 w. www.ocna.org
OCNA BOARD PRESIDENT
Dave Adsett
FIRST VP
Ray Stanton
SECOND VP
Anne Marie Creskey
SECRETARY/ TREASURER
John Willems
PAST PRESIDENT
Gordon Cameron
DIRECTORS
Abbas Homayed Alicia McCutcheon Darren Murphy Rick Shaver John Willems
OCNA STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Caroline Medwell
04 ...................................................GUELPH TRIBUNE CHANGES ITS NAME
MEMBER SERVICES
Karen Shardlow Kelly Gorven
05 .........................................................................COPA OPEN FOR ENTRIES
ACCOUNTING
Lucia Shepherd
AD*REACH
Ted Brewer Brad Hopkins Carolyn Press Erica Leyzac
IN THIS ISSUE... 08 ...............................................................................SILVER QUILL AWARDS 10 ..................................................BNC AWARDS GALA PHOTO GALLERGY 12 .................................................PROMOTING A ‘CULTURE OF CONFLICT’ 13 ........................................................ONLINE MEDIA CAMPUS WEBINARS 14 ........................................THE MOST OVERUSED WORD IN ADVERTISING 18 ...............................................................FOUR MUST DO’S WHEN HIRING
May 2016
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
2015 Better Newspapers Competition Winners Announced
OCNA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
OCNA is proud to recognize the outstanding quality of work produced each week by our member newspapers through the 2015 Better Newspapers Competition. Winners of the BNC Awards were announced during the Awards Gala on Friday, April 22 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Vaughan. The BNC Results Book can be found online at www.ocna.org/bnc2015.
General Excellence Awards
General Excellence Awards recognize overall achievement by circulation class in editorial, advertising and layout. GE01 - Class 1: Circ. 1, 999 & under 1st Minden Times 2nd Barry’s Bay, The Valley Gazette 3rd Blyth/Brussels Citizen
WALKERTON HERALD-TIMES EDITOR AND GENERAL MANAGER RETIRES After more than 13 years working at the Walkerton Herald-Times (including 11 as general manager and editor) John McPhee is heading into semi-retirement. As a parting gift staff bought John an authentic Toronto Blue Jays jersey with his name on the back – John is a self-proclaimed baseball fanatic. He hopes to do some freelance writing and also to finally finish a novel and a play. He wishes everyone involved in community newspapers across Ontario and Canada all the best going forward. “It is and will always be the best and most important form of journalism for a community,” he said.
GE02 - Class 2: Circ. 2, 000 - 3, 499 1st Haliburton County Echo 2nd Fort Frances Times 3rd New Hamburg Independent GE03 - Class 3: Circ. 3, 500 - 6, 499 1st Niagara This Week, Town Crier 2nd Eganville Leader 3rd Nunavut News/North GE04 - Class 4: Circ. 6, 500 - 12, 499 1st Niagara this Week, The Leader 2nd Huntsville Forester 3rd Glanbrook Gazette GE05 - Class 5: Circ. 12, 500 - 22, 499 1st Elmira-Woolwich Observer 2nd Midland/Penetanguishene Mirror 3rd Waterdown Flamborough Review
NEW STAFF MEMBER FOR NEWSNOW
GE06 - Class 6: Circ. 22, 500 - 44, 999 1st Waterloo Chronicle 2nd Norfolk News 3rd Sarnia Journal GE07 - Class 7: Circ. 45, 000 & over 1st Peterborough This Week 2nd Brant News 3rd Oakville Beaver GE08 - Class 8: College & University 1st University of Waterloo 2nd Durham College 3rd Loyalist College May 2016
Continued on Page 6 >>>
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Tom Haire has joined the staff of Grimsby/Lincoln/West Lincoln NewsNow as Advertising Manager. Tom comes to NewsNow with an extensive background in all facets of the newspaper and flyer business, and is the recipient of numerous advertising awards. A Niagara area resident for the last 26 years, Tom spent over a decade with Niagara This Week, and four years with the Grimsby Lincoln News. He is looking forward to working with the staff and clients of NewsNow.
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
OCNA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT VALUABLE KINGSTON WHIG-STANDARD EMPLOYEE RETIRES AFTE 35 YEARS After 35 years, Mike Dwyre will retire from the Kingston WhigStandard. Described by his colleagues as a quiet leader, kind, and fiercely dedicated, there is no doubt Mike will be sorely missed. Mike’s career in advertising sales spans four decades after beginning his journey on April 4, 1981. Prior to joining the Kingston Whig-Standard, Mike held a sales position at the Heritage between 1976-1981. Over the years, Mike has contributed enormously to the newspaper’s success in many ways. He has consistently been a top sales performer and has developed strong and productive partnerships with clients. In recent years, Mike volunteered his time as an Employee Coordinator for the United Way, helping staff help those in the community that are in need. Mike will end his outstanding career at The Kingston WhigStandard on Thursday, June 30, just in time for summer!
FIXTURE AT THE GRIMSBY LINCOLN NEWS SAYS FAREWELL
Guelph Tribune Changes Its Name To Honour Ceased Paper After celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Guelph Tribune has decided to change its name. Going forward, it will now be known as the Guelph Mercury Tribune, to reflect and honour the heritage of the Guelph Mercury, which ceased publishing earlier this year, and its important role documenting life in the community. The Guelph Mercury Tribune will continue to tell the stories that matter. In addition to continued emphasis on delivering Guelph and area residents local news, events, sports, opinion and feature stories, readers can look forward to historical content from the archives of the Guelph Mercury featured in the pages of the Mercury Tribune in coming months. This move does not change what’s important — the Guelph Mercury Tribune’s commitment to community journalism and its dedication to serving such a great community. Web sites will also be merged to www.guelphmercurytribune.com for all news, information, sports and entertainment needs. Visitors to the new site will have 24-hour access to stories from the Guelph Mercury Tribune, in addition to stories from all of Metroland’s daily and weekly papers, The Toronto Star, Canadian Press and the Washington Post. The Guelph Mercury Tribune also has a new app, available soon for Apple, Android and Blackberry users. Download it for full, mobile access to the Guelph Mercury Tribune. The Mercury Tribune is delivered twice weekly to roughly 45,000 homes in Guelph and the surround communities.
Sandy Baillie-Viveiros started her 40-year career in the newspaper industry at the Grimsby Independent in 1974. For the past 18 years she has been ‘Den Mother’ at the Grimsby Lincoln News, but now she’s ready for the next chapter in her life. Baillie-Viveiros retired on Friday, April 29. As for what’s next, Baillie-Viveiros said she isn’t quite sure yet. Originally she had planned to spend more time with her father Jim, but he died shortly before her retirement, so now she’s ready to pursue her own interests.
OCNA’s Board of Directors is pleased to welcome the following newspapers as probationary Active Members: Newspaper Dryden Rising Sun Exeter Examiner
Circulation 2,080 (weekly) 4,500 (bi-weekly)
The OCNA is also sad to see the following newspapers go, as they’ve recently ceased publication: Manitouwadge Echo - March 2016 Muskoka, What’s Up Muskoka - January 2016
May 2016
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
Moving Notice Attention OCNA members; Effective Monday, July 4, the OCNA and Ad*Reach office will be relocating from:
Upcoming Webinars PubAux Live: Growing Your Online Presence Using Social Media
890 Yonge Street, Ste 200 Toronto, ON M4W 3P4 TO:
Thursday, June 2
Presenter Chris Rhoades, Enterprise Publishing
37 Front Street East Toronto, ON M5E 1B3 Phone numbers, fax number and e-mail addresses will remain the same. Please update your records accordingly. If you have any questions, please contact us at 905-639-8720
How to Market and Sell in Brutally Competitive Environments Friday, June 3
Presenter Jeff Beals, National Sales and Marketing Trainer
Interactive Storytelling Tools Thursday, June 9
Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPA) Open For Entries OCNA members are invited to participate in the 2016 Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPA) as new categories have been added, including one for community newspapers! Best Web site awards for trade magazines, associations, women’s service, men’s service, small niche, news, community news and radio stations have been introduced to be more inclusive for all digital media. There will be regional winners in the Best of Canada category with finalists from West, Ontario, Quebec and Maritimes. The early bird deadline is June 3 and July 11 marks the final date for entries. Finalists will be announced on September 14. A complete list of COPA 2016 Rules can be found online at: http://www.canadianonlinepublishingawards.com/rules.
Presenter Steve Buttry, Louisiana State University
Watchdog Reporting for all Newsrooms Thursday, June 23
Presenter Chris Coates, The News Journal
Rethinking Your Digital Budget Friday, June 24
Presenter Tim Schmitt, GateHouse Media
Register at onlinemediacampus.com
For more information, please contact: Martin Seto COPA Producer 416-907-6562
Presented in partnership with:
High-quality, low-cost web conferences that help media professionals develop new job skills without leaving their ofces.
May 2016
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
Better Newspaper Competition Results Continued >>> Continued from Page 3
College & University
College & University Awards recognize the outstanding work of Journalism students in Photography, News Writing, and Feature Writing.
PC05 - Education Writing 1st Oshawa This Week 2nd Ottawa Embassy 3rd Barrhaven Independent
CU01 - Student Feature Writing 1st University of Waterloo - Megan Nourse 2nd Niagara College - Joel Ophardt 3rd Loyalist College - Annie Sakkab
PC06 - Environment Ontario 1st Northumberland News 2nd Norfolk News 3rd Uxbridge Times-Journal
CU02 - Student News Writing 1st Sheridan College - Catarina Muia & Jeanylyn Lopez 2nd Loyalist College - Carla Antonio 3rd Niagara College - Joel Ophardt
PC07 - Feature Writing circ. over 10, 000 1st Ottawa Hill Times 2nd Niagara This Week, Fort Erie Post 3rd Orleans News
CU03 - Student Photography 1st Algonquin College - Michael Robinson 2nd Loyalist College - Annie Sakkab 3rd Loyalist College - Alyssa Lloyd CU04 - Best College/University Newspaper Website 1st University of Waterloo - uwimprint.ca 2nd Sheridan College - thesheridansun.ca 3rd Loyalist College - QNetNews.ca
Premier Awards
Premier Awards honour individual works in both editorial and advertising categories. PC01 - Arts & Entertainment 1st Toronto Canadian Jewish News 2nd Norfolk News 3rd Kanata Kourier-Standard PC02 - Best Business and Finance Story 1st Oshawa This Week 2nd Whitby This Week 3rd Brampton Guardian PC03 - Best Editorial circ. over 10 ,000 1st Norfolk News 2nd Brant News 3rd Kitchener Post PC04 - Best Editorial circ. under 9, 999 1st Eganville Leader 2nd New Liskeard Temiskaming Speaker 3rd Deep River North Renfrew Times May 2016
PC08 - Feature Writing circ. under 9, 999 1st Burks Falls Almaguin News 2nd Huntsville Forester 3rd Minden Times PC09 - Health & Wellness 1st Aylmer Express 2nd Barrhaven Independent 3rd Burks Falls Almaguin News PC10 - Heritage 1st Waterloo Chronicle 2nd Oshawa This Week 3rd Norfolk News PC11 - Best Investigative News Story 1st Oshawa This Week 2nd Richmond Hill/Thornhill Liberal 3rd Port Perry Star PC12 - Best News Story circ. over 10, 000 1st Ottawa Hill Times 2nd Collingwood Connection 3rd Oshawa Express PC13 - Best News Story circ. under 9, 999 1st Nunavut News/North 2nd New Hamburg Independent 3rd Barry’s Bay, The Valley Gazette PC14 - Best Rural Story circ. over 10, 000 1st Northumberland News 2nd Clarington This Week 3rd Norfolk News
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PC15 - Best Rural Story circ. under 9, 999 1st Eganville Leader 2nd Minto Express 3rd Mount Forest Confederate PC16 - Best Feature/News Series circ. over 10, 000 1st Cambridge Times 2nd Ottawa Embassy 3rd Newmarket Era/Aurora Banner PC17 - Best Feature/News Series circ. under 9, 999 1st Barry’s Bay, The Valley Gazette 2nd Petrolia Lambton Independent 3rd Haliburton County Echo PC18 - Sport & Recreation Story 1st Mount Forest Confederate 2nd Clarington This Week 3rd Ottawa South News PC19 - Best Headline Writing 1st Ottawa Embassy 2nd Caledonia, The Sachem 3rd New Hamburg Independent PC20 - Humour Columnist of the Year 1st Manotick Messenger - Jeff Morris 2nd Elmira-Woolwich Observer - Steve Galea 3rd Barry’s Bay, The Valley Gazette - David Goulet PC21 - Columnist of the Year 1st Tilbury Times - Gerry Harvieux 2nd Niagara This Week, Fort Erie Post - James Culic 3rd Markham Economist & Sun - Bernie O’Neill PC22 - Reporter of the Year - Stephen Shaw Award 1st Oshawa Express - Joel Wittnebel 2nd Peterborough This Week - Todd Vandonk 3rd Brampton Guardian - Roger Belgrave PC23 - Editor of the Year 1st Etobicoke Guardian - Grace Peacock 2nd Scarborough Mirror - Al Shackleton 3rd Barry’s Bay, The Valley Gazette - Christine Hudder www.ocna.org
ASSOCIATION NEWS
PC24 - Best Feature Photo circ. over 10, 000 1st New Liskeard Temiskaming Speaker Weekender 2nd Hamilton Mountain News 3rd Norfolk News PC25 - Best Feature Photo circ. under 9, 999 1st New Liskeard Temiskaming Speaker 2nd Niagara This Week, Town Crier 3rd Brock Citizen PC26 - Best Photo Layout 1st Oshawa This Week 2nd Clarington This Week 3rd Manitoulin Expositor PC27 - Best Sports Photo 1st Ajax Pickering News Advertiser 2nd New Liskeard Temiskaming Speaker 3rd Port Perry Star PC28 - Best Spot News Photo 1st Kawartha Lakes This Week 2nd Brock Citizen 3rd Mississauga News PC29 - Best News Photo 1st Hamilton Mountain News 2nd Ottawa South News 3rd Waterloo Chronicle PC30 - Most Creative Grip and Grin Photo 1st Tilbury Times 2nd Kawartha Lakes This Week 3rd Oakville Beaver PC31 - Photographer of the Year 1st Whitby This Week - Ryan Pfeiffer 2nd Peterborough This Week - Lance Anderson 3rd Haliburton County Echo - Darren Lum PC32 - Cartoonist of the Year 1st Ottawa Hill Times - Michael de Adder 2nd Dundas Star News - Mike Vukovich 3rd Cornwall Seaway News - James Lapierre PC33 - Community Service 1st Barrie Advance 2nd Hamilton Mountain News 3rd Parry Sound North Star
May 2016
PC34 - Best Vertical Product 1st Ottawa Hill Times 2nd Innisfil Journal 3rd Bracebridge Examiner
PC45 - Salesperson of the Year 1st Oshawa Express - Lezlie Appleton 2nd Barry’s Bay, The Valley Gazette - Michel Lavigne
PC35 - Best Front Page circ. over 10, 000 1st Sudbury Northern Life 2nd Alliston Herald 3rd Waterloo Chronicle
PC46 - Best Community Website/WebPortal circ. over 10, 000 1st Toronto Canadian Jewish News: www.cjnews.com 2nd Elmira-Woolwich Observer: www.observerxtra.com 3rd Sudbury Northern Life: www.NorthernLife.ca
PC36 - Best Front Page circ. under 9, 999 1st Tilbury Times 2nd Haliburton County Echo 3rd Rainy River Record PC37 - Best Sports Section 1st Brant News 2nd Whitby This Week 3rd Oshawa This Week PC38 - Special Section circ. over 10, 000 1st Cornwall Seaway News 2nd Bracebridge Examiner 3rd Hamilton Mountain News PC39 - Special Section circ. under 9, 999 1st Eganville Leader 2nd Aylmer Express 3rd Petrolia Lambton Independent PC40 - Best Creative Ad 1st Haliburton Highlander 2nd Richmond Hill/Thornhill Liberal 3rd Orillia Today PC41 - In House Promotion 1st Elmira-Woolwich Observer 2nd Parry Sound North Star 3rd Prescott Journal
PC47 - Best Community Website/WebPortal circ. under 9, 999 1st Manitoulin Expositor: www.Manitoulin.ca 2nd Huntsville Forester: www.Muskokaregion.com 3rd Blyth/Brussels Citizen: www.northhuron.on.ca PC48 - ONLINE Special Project/Event/ Breaking News Coverage 1st Oshawa This Week 2nd Brampton Guardian 3rd Ottawa West News
Congratulations and thank you to all of the OCNA members who participated in this year’s program. For more information about the Better Newspapers Competition, please contact Karen Shardlow at k.shardlow@ocna.org.
PC42 - Local Retail Layout 1st Burlington Post 2nd Orillia Today 3rd Fergus Wellington Advertiser PC43 - Original Ad Idea 1st Parry Sound North Star 2nd Orillia Today 3rd Fergus Wellington Advertiser PC44 - Use of Process Colour 1st Haliburton County Echo 2nd Guelph Tribune 3rd Fergus Wellington Advertiser
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Silver Quill Award Recipients Congratulations to the following individuals who received Silver Quill Awards for more than 25 years of service to the community newspaper industry, during the 2015 BNC Awards Gala. The late Fred Loek, former Mississauga News photographer was also recognized for more than three decades of dedicated work before passing away in 2015.
Chris Horobin, Page Editor, Mississauga News
Robin Inscoe, Sports Editor, Brampton Guardian
John Stewart, Retired Freelance Columnist, Mississauga News
Roger Belgrave, Reporter, Brampton Guardian
Pam Douglas, Reporter, Brampton Guardian
Rob Beintema, Photographer, Mississauga News
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Media Management Simpler & Faster AdWorks® 5.5 Released
News-Net Inc. recently released its latest version of AdWorks 5.5, an advertising management software in one complete system. AdWorks has ad scheduling, billing, live reporting and messaging available in one software solution, which allows employees to focus on closing business instead of administration work. How can AdWorks help you? AdWorks is helpful for the entire ad-booking process. “From booking media to the final invoice billing...it’s a solution perfect for daily, weekly and monthly publications,” said Melissa, Business Analyst at News-Net Inc. “AdWorks is also a great resource for both large and small newspaper teams that need to share information quickly and retrieve information for fast delivery.” News-Net Inc.® has demos every Friday via webinar. Join the conversation at www.newsnet.ca/adworks
Will AdWorks work for your business? AdWorks® allows you to customize your own publications, groupings, zones and issue scheduling. You can define everything from customer ad types to open rates. If there is something in the comprehensive AdWorks® solution that you need for your specific business, News-Net Inc.® is ready to help.
For more information contact Melissa at melissa@newsnet.ca, or see the website at www.newsnet.ca
News-Net Inc.® is a trusted partner and software service provider for newspapers and publications since 1984.
The NEW Metro Creative Connection More Intuitive. Streamlined. Inspirational. We've redesigned our web experience to help you make even more money with easier access to Metro's creative imagery and compelling ad solutions.
Metro brings you new material each month to support your ad sales efforts. Our new SearchBooks™, combined with new search tools, make it easier than ever for creative and sales pros to find and use art, photo and design resources that will be effective and profitable for your advertisers.
SearchBooks give you instant access.
Images, designs and ideas in a unique presentation designed to inspire.
Metro Creative Graphics, Inc.
800.223.1600
www.metrocreativeconnection.com • service@metro-email.com
May 2016
Take a tour now and experience all of the incredible improvements and new designs we've developed just for you.
CONNECT WITH US! @OCNAAdreach Follow us for frequent association updates, industry news, upcoming events and more!
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PHOTO GALLERY
Congratulations to all the 2015 BNC Award winners! May 2016
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PHOTO GALLERY
BNC Awards Gala Red Carpet
OCNA members got dressed up and gathered for the 2015 Better Newspaper Awards Gala on Friday, April 22 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Vaughan. May 2016
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BUSINESS
How Promoting A ‘Culture Of Conflict’ Will Reduce Conflict And Boost Profits By Stefan Voswinkel The Family Business Catalyst Unresolved conflicts carry a high cost in dollar and emotional terms: “There is this aura of passiveaggressiveness surrounding the family. I wish they would have a good fight and get over with it. This would be liberating for all of us. As if we didn’t know!” “The family is at odds about the strategy for the business. They think it’s a secret and shouldn’t be openly discussed. We’d like to know what’s going on with our future and share our ideas.”
employees • Employees will stay • Higher profits
Meetings are at the centre of a Culture of Conflict
Family and non-family managers meet on a regular basis. In order to be productive, controversial discussions need to be encouraged, not stifled! This will accelerate problem solving, create clarity and enhance innovation! Ultimately, it helps both your culture and bottom line.
Pitfalls and how to avoid them:
• Insults, demeaning remarks, abuse of information etc. are off limits • Topics of a private nature should of course not be discussed in front of employees, such as warming up childhood resentments, issues at home, or who will get the family cabin. • Temper tantrums are not on: Conflicts will be handled in the same manner as with any employee: Professionally, proactively and candidly. • Triangulation is off limits: You can’t use employees against a member of your family • This is not about employees resolving conflicts for you – this is about transparency and realistic vs. fake harmony
Keeping conflicts ‘hush hush’ and away from employees
• breeds assumptions and resentment • causes loss of energy, focus and productivity • induces a climate of tip toeing • prevents employees from helping you and your family (some of them are long term loyalists and know you really well) • causes employees to leave • reduces profits
What a Culture of Conflict will do for you:
• Put it on the table and move on: Contentious issues get resolved proactively and swiftly, freeing up time and energy • Everybody feels safe to stand up for what they think • Uncover blind spots in the organization • Constructively address weaknesses of individuals: “Who is strong in this area and can cover for him/her?” Tip toeing around each other’s weaknesses out of false respect will jeopardize competitiveness of your business. Being open to discuss weaknesses also opens doors to help each other. • The best solutions from the synergy of collective expertise • Promote new ideas and accelerate learning and innovation • As a business family, you will get more respect and help from
A Culture of Conflict actually reduces conflict! Have a good argument, make instant improvements and move on!
© All rights reserved, Stefan Voswinkel, President of YLynx Management Consulting, Inc. stefan@voswinkel.ca Direct: 867-456-7506
Want to contribute to NewsClips? If you have news you would like to share about your paper - it could be a new project, recognition from the community, awards you’ve won or an upcoming anniversary, please send them to newsclips@ocna.org. Photos are also welcome!
May 2016
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TRAINING
ONLINE MEDIA CAMPUS WEBINARS: OCNA has teamed with the Online Media Campus to help the association fulfill its mission of providing affordable and relevant training to members. ▄▄
June 3 - How to Market and Sell in Brutally Competitive Markets
Today’s marketplace is simultaneously the best and worst in the history of human civilization. It’s the best because untold and unprecedented opportunity awaits savvy and sharp-eyed professionals. It’s the worst because there has never before been a market so loud, crowded and full of competing distractions jockeying for your clients’ attention. In this presentation, award-winning author Jeff Beals shows you how to unearth what your clients truly value while building trusting, career-long relationships. ▄▄
June 9 - Interactive Storytelling Tools: Enhance Your Readers’ Experience
Journalists can tell digital stories with a variety of tools that make the experience more interesting and personal for the reader. This webinar will introduce you to some of these tools, demonstrate why they are effective and explain how to use some of them. Most important, we’ll explain the process behind learning a new tool.
CLASSIFIED AD
▄▄
June 23 - Watchdog Reporting for All Newsrooms
Think you don’t have enough time for watchdog journalism? Stretched way too thin for investigations? Overwhelmed with keeping the daily machine running? We’ve all been there. Chris Coates, the watchdog and investigations editor for The News Journal in Wilmington, Del., will offer practical advice for creating a newsroom culture that values public service and accountability reporting, no matter the staff size. ▄▄
June 24 - Best Practices for Digital Planning
Presented in partnership with GateHouse Media. Do you have a digital posting schedule? You should. We’ve compiled lessons, tips and best practices from three of GateHouse’s top digital editors, on how they plan for web, mobile and social posting. By using analytics and maximizing use of your best content, you can drive audience and build a loyal reader following. ▄▄
July 8 - Goal-Based Networking: How to Turn Your Social Life into Profitable Relationships
Networking has never been more important, yet most professionals don’t do a great job of it. The successful professionals are the ones who cut through all the noise in today’s frenzied world and find ways to build trusting relationships with clients, colleagues and persons of influence. Now is the time to get out and meet new people! This session will introduce you to ‘goal-based networking’, a technique that sharply focuses your communication efforts. You will learn what to say, when to say it and to whom you should say it.
For more information and to register, visit: www.onlinemediacampus.com.
May 2016
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ADVERTISING
The Most Overused Word In Advertising By John Foust Raleigh, NC
I can imagine this scene playing out hundreds of times every day. A sales person sits in an advertiser’s office and says, “Let’s talk about your next ad campaign. What are your thoughts?” That’s a sensible conversation starter. Ask an open-ended question, hear the other person’s ideas and go from there. Let’s say the advertiser answers, “Quality. We’ve got to let people know we believe in quality.” That sounds like a harmless comment, but it’s an example of where bad ideas come from. If the sales person does not probe for an explanation, “We believe in quality” will end up as theme of the advertising. And that ad campaign will get lost in a world of other vague advertising claims. I believe that ‘quality’ is the most overused word in advertising. It’s everywhere. Advertisers boast of quality products, quality customer service, quality people, quality selection, quality traditions and quality reputations. They act as though consumers automatically understand what they are talking about. But in reality, the word ‘quality’ is trite and has little meaning in today’s marketplace. ‘Quality’ is not the answer to a question. It’s another question. It’s your cue to dig for information. Pretend you’re a lawyer on a search for evidence to prove your point. Find where your advertiser’s unique quality comes from, and let that become the idea. Generally speaking, there are two types of evidence that can be used in advertising: product proof and human proof. The right choice can define quality and make it come to life in the consumer’s mind. Let’s take a closer look:
number of years – or miles – of service? This approach presents the product as a hero. If you face a specific problem, don’t you want the product that will save the day? When you want certain benefits, don’t you want the product that is proven to deliver those benefits?
2. Human proof. There are two ways to use human proof: (1) a
testimonial from a happy customer or (2) a statement from someone who works for the advertiser. When an advertiser says, “We’re really good,” that’s just another marketer bragging about themselves. But it means something when a real live customer says, “They’re really good, and here’s why.” That’s the power of a customer testimonial. A statement from someone representing the advertiser is what I call an in-house testimonial. For example, the technician who tells you that – when you buy a car from his dealership – you can count on his 24 years of experience to keep your car in tip-top condition. Or the chef who tells you she would be honoured to prepare a meal for your special event. Proof can make ‘quality’ statements come to life. COPYRIGHT LINE (c) Copyright 2016 by John Foust. All rights reserved.
1. Product proof. To find this kind of evidence, make a list
of features and benefits. Then narrow it to the most relevant information. Are there special ingredients? Is there a unique manufacturing procedure? What about guarantees? Is there a story of a customer who is still using the product after an impressive
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
Affordable media insurance for Canadian Community Newspapers Service includes: Libel, Invasion of Privacy, Plagiarism, Piracy, Infringement of Copyright, Pre-Publication Hotline
We want to hear from you! Please share your news and/or opinions with us: newsclips@ocna.org
Contact us for a quote: 905-639-8720
May 2016
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press card
dave adsett Publisher
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This certifies the individual identified has been awarded Press Credentials by the Publisher of this newspaper, and is to be used for identification purposes.
Fergus Wellington advertiser 519-843-5410 905 Gartshore St. Box 252 Fergus, ON N1M 2W8
This newspaper on the reverse side is, as of date of issue, a member in good standing of the Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA) www.ocna.org
Caroline Medwell, Exec. Director
6 June 3, 2015 Date
x4439
May 2016
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DESIGN
Consistency Is Key By Ed Henninger Henninger Consulting
CREDIBILITY. If you’re careful with your design, it stands to reason that
For years now, I’ve heard quite a few arguments against design consistency, with some dragging out a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds…” Wrong. Emerson never said that. What he said was “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds…” When it comes to newspaper design, consistency is more than just important. It’s critical. Consistent design tells your readers and advertisers that yours is a newspaper that is planned and put together with purpose. Some may argue that they need to be creative with design, that creativity is more important to them than consistency. That may be so, but it is not the mission of a newspaper to satisfy the creative urges of any of its staff. Rather, it is part of the mission of a newspaper to deliver the news and doings of its community in a manner that is clear, concise and comfortable to read. That’s where consistency comes in. Here’s how:
you’re also careful with your reporting and your editing, your ads and all the other things you do.
CLASS. Consistency brings a higher level of sophistication to your
newspaper, giving your readers and advertisers a sense that you offer them a high-quality product. ‘Sophistication’ does not mean ‘snooty’. It means a level of skill and care that’s above the norm. Nothing wrong with that!
EFFICIENCY. Consistent design elements are part of a design system.
Those who assemble pages at your newspaper don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to creating a new standing head or column sig. They just follow the style that’s already in use. There’s no leap of faith involved. If you want your design to appeal to more readers—and to more advertisers—make it cleaner and more comfortable. One of the fastest, easiest ways to do that? Make it more consistent.
COMFORT. Readers find it easier to get through a newspaper that wears the same look from page to page, section to section.
CARE. Consistency reinforces the feeling that yours is a newspaper that
ED HENNINGER is an independent newspaper consultant and the Director of Henninger Consulting, offering comprehensive newspaper design services at: www.henningerconsulting.com.
cares about the details. When it comes to design, you sweat the small stuff.
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TECHNOLOGY
Pressing Issues
Three Common Questions I’m Asked On Site By Kevin Slimp When asked why I receive so many requests for help from newspapers, I simply mark it down to longevity. I’ve been around the business long enough for most publishers, and others, to know me. I recently received requests to visit five newspapers in four states. For some, the most pressing need is training. A few seek advice concerning the overall structure of their operations. Still others are hoping I can find the solution to problems which have plagued their newspapers for too long. Years ago, I might worry before boarding a plane to make a consulting visit. Concerned there might be bigger problems than I could solve, it was always a relief to eventually get on the flight back home. Those days are past. I don’t stress or worry about upcoming trips. There’s not much I haven’t seen after 20 years of consulting, so issues that might be huge in the eyes of a client often have simple solutions when seen through the eyes of experience. Here are some of the most common questions I’m asked while on-site at news-papers:
paper in a long time that didn’t have issues with PDF files. Most don’t realize their trouble is coming from PDF files. A pressman might ask, “Whey do files coming from advertising cause errors when going through the RIP (raster image processor)?” A publisher might ask, “Why are we losing so much money because ads aren’t printing right in our paper?” A page designer might ask, “Why are quotation marks turning to strange symbols?” or “Why are boxes appearing on the page where letters should be?” As much as the good folks at Adobe want you to believe otherwise, the answer is almost always found in the method used to create the PDF files. One of the most common messages I receive after visiting a client is, “We’ve already covered your cost in savings from ads printing correctly.” It’s not rocket science. Ensuring those PDF files are error-free before sending them to the RIP will make everyone sleep better.
Question 3: Will we increase profits and produce better papers by centralizing production? When approached with the idea of moving the productions of multiple newspapers to a central office, I’ve found it wise to do more listening than talking. Most clients are already hoping I will say, “Yes, that’s a good idea,” before I arrive. I figure, however, they’re paying me and want objective answers, rather than having me placate their egos – improving my chances of being invited back. Sometimes the answer is ‘yes’. If they own three papers in one county with a total circulation of 1,600, it probably doesn’t take three full-time design staffs to lay out the pages. However, often the answer is ‘not so fast’. Research indicates often the best way to produce long-term growth is improving the quality of the products. Moving to a central production facility often has more to do with reaching short-term cost reduction goals than achieving long-term growth. As often as not, when faced with this question, I will have serious discussions with a publisher, CEO or other manager, resulting in a decision to use current resources to improve the quality and profits of their newspapers, rather than cutting to grow, which rarely works in the long run.
Question 1: Is there a better way to produce my newspaper? This particular question is one of the most difficult, because there’s almost always someone who doesn’t like my answer. Ponder this: How often do you visit some type of business and think, “There’s got to be a better way?” If you’re like most, the answer would be, “That happens a lot.” That’s what makes this a difficult question. It’s not that I don’t know the answer. Usually, within just a few minutes I’ve noticed several potential improvements to the workflow. It’s natural for people to resist change. So I tread this question gently, hoping to gain the trust of most everyone on staff before sharing my thoughts. For instance, most people enjoy designing pages. The truth, however, is it’s important to have good designers working on pages and good writers writing stories. Sure, photographers sometimes like having total control of their photos, but there’s often someone on staff who is particularly skilled at colour editing, leaving the photographer more time for what they do best, shooting photos. As an adviser, I use experience to guide me in knowing when to advise changes, and when to realize, for the time being, things might work better as they are.
Question 2: Why are we having so many problems with ads clogging up the system or printing incorrectly? KEVIN SLIMP serves as director of the Institute of Newspaper Technology. He is a faculty member of the University of Tennessee College of Communication and Information. www.kevinslimp.com
I don’t like bringing up issues with PDF files. Sometimes it seems like I’ve spent my life dealing with them. But the truth is I haven’t visited a May 2016
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HUMAN RESOURCES
Four MUST-DO’s When Hiring
A TwoGreySuits Article by Ron Guest, Senior Partner Here are four very important things to consider if you are serious about getting a really good hire; the one other managers will be asking “how did you hire that person?”
company?
Know What You Are Looking For Culturally In my HR experience, more employees are terminated for ‘fit’
Hiring Good People Takes Time – There Are No Shortcuts than for anything else, even required job skills or competencies. ‘Fit’
is how the employee fits in with the way you do business, the ‘how’, not the ‘what’ you do. Of course key job skills and experience are important and that is the easier thing to assess in an interview. However, cultural fit is especially important for small and medium-sized businesses. Small and medium-sized businesses need versatile people with a certain will to succeed and an ability to hit the ground running, so to speak. Effects of a poor fit employee will result in lower organizational effectiveness, employee morale, and even creativity. As an example, hiring someone into a five person office from a very large company may be problematic, and the opposite may be true, if hiring small office employees into a very large company. These generalizations are just some of the things companies look for when going after the right ‘fit’ employees. Poor fit employees essentially are not giving you all they have in terms of effort, teamwork, responsibility and attaining required results. The best way to screen for cultural fit is to conduct behaviouralbased interviews. Ask questions that uncover competencies that you can’t train for, like being conscientious, a self-starter, having good judgment, or having high levels of integrity.
For some reason, many managers tend to see recruitment as an extra or add-on job responsibility, when in fact it’s the opposite. Recruitment is a key component of any manager’s job. Planning the proper time in your daily schedule for all steps in the hiring process is critical. Managers who don’t do this tend to rush the process. A pre-planned allotment of time in your daily schedule is a MUST. During the first week after posting a job, take 30-45 minutes each morning to download resumes and cover letters; and set aside potential candidates for follow-up. At the end of the week, review your selections and short-list a group of candidates to phone screen. The phone screen must be scripted and you MUST take detailed notes of key questions (ie. salary expectations, distance from your company, reason for looking, key strengths, what attracted them to the job, how does the job fit with their long term goals, where are they in their job search, what are they ideally looking for in their next job, what do they enjoy most about their current or most recent job, availability, etc). Relying on your memory without notes is not recommended. For candidates who pass the phone screen, take an hour at the end of the day to e-mail or phone (preferably) and invite them to a face-to-face job interview. Let them know the times you have available. The length of an interview will vary with relation to the job you are hiring. An initial 60 minute interview for most office jobs is the norm. This 60 minute period is extremely valuable time and you must be well organized in the interview itself.
Check References My clients can’t believe it when I send them my 12 page completed reference check. If you really know what you are doing here there is a form available on our website at www.twogreysuits.com. You can often glean as much information in reference checks as you can in a face to face interview with the candidate. This is yet another example where there are no shortcuts, you MUST do reference and background checks if you are serious about hiring best fit candidate
Write A Better Job Posting Simply stated – your job posting needs to stand out. Job seekers will read between the lines, they will quickly size up your company based on the way the posting is worded and formatted. Very rigid, textbook like postings mean something to the job seeker in terms of company culture. To the contrary, well worded, contemporary job postings speak to how you value people. First impressions are lasting and this is your first impression with a job seeker. Is your company real hip, innovative, and entrepreneurial? Perhaps your company relies on its household well-known name or reputation? The type of employee who will be a good fit in each of these two cultures will be different. If the posting is not accurate about your company’s culture and the job requirements, chances are you will not be attracting the right ‘FIT’ employees. What would catch the attention of a potentially very good employee? What would inspire them, and what would they want to know about your May 2016
TwoGreySuits is a leading edge provider of on-line human resource management information, processes, tools and forms servicing the North American market. They have linked the HR practices associated with the key drivers of Employee Engagement in the form of an online training application for managers utilizing the vast amount of well-organized information on the website. The HR Power Centre and HR Hot Line is simple and free for OCNA members. Visit https://ocna.twogreysuits.com/sign-up/ to sign up today.
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HUMAN RESOURCES
TwoGreySuits Introduces Powerful New Benefit TwoGreySuits (TGS) has had an innovation breakthrough that can have a tremendous impact on your company’s success! Check out their new website at www.twogreysuits.com to learn more about how focusing on employee engagement can have a direct impact on profitability. The whiteboard video on the home page explains it all in less than two minutes. If you are already using the service, just log in and take advantage of one Individual Plan online training access absolutely free for OCNA members. If you are not currently taking advantage of this free member benefit, now’s the time to sign up. After experiencing the training, you will likely want all your managers and supervisors involved. You can subscribe to the TGS Corporate Plan online and enroll additional employees for only $39.50 per month per employee, a 20% discount from retail. And, you’ll be able to manage the training through an online administrative platform and measure your results using the TGS metrics package. Don’t wait! Improve Employee Engagement...Improve Profitability…by starting your training now to take advantage of this unique opportunity.
May 2016
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WWW.OCNA.ORG
May 2016
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