NewsClips February 2012 by Ontario Community Newspapers Association

newsclips

FEBRUARY 2012

VALLEY GAZETTE RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS AWARD

COURTESY OF BASIA PRINZ SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

Valley Gazette took home an award at the Chamber of Commerce Upper Ottawa Valley Business Achievement Awards 2011 in Pembroke on January 28. Two area businesses were among the top three finalists in the New Business of the Year category, sponsored by the Pembroke Heritage Manor. They were Valley Gazette and Jessica Sernoskie Fitness. The third finalist in the category was Choice Contracting of Eganville. The Gazette received the New Business of the Year Award for 2011.

Photo by ACG Professional Photography The Valley Gazette received the 2011 New Business of the Year Award at the Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Awards Gala held on January 28. Pictured, left to right, Gregory Zawidzki, Production Manager, Christine Hudder, Staff Reporter, Michel Lavigne, Publisher/Owner of The Valley Gazette, and Barbara Caron.

“It takes strong entrepreneurial skills and a good dose of courage to take a dream and turn it into reality, but Michel Lavigne, owner and publisher of The Gazette in Barry’s Bay has proven to have what it takes,” Karen Davies said.

“In just under two years, Mr. Lavigne and his staff of seven have built a weekly newspaper that has garnered the attention of the community; both readers and advertisers. Media, and the newspaper industry in particular, has struggled to find its place in the world of instant as-it-happens breaking news, however three people led by Mr. Lavigne believed there was still a place for a quality community publication that covered local sports, news, and features – stories that matter. The Gazette, in 18 months, has gained the trust and support of the community and its future looks good,” she concluded.

WHAT’S INSIDE:

BNC FINALISTS ANNOUNCED OCNA announces the Better Newspaper Competition Finalists

See Page 4

JOHN WILLEMS APPOINTED GENERAL MANAGER FOR METROLAND’S YORK REGION See Page 9

TAKING CONTROL OF CHANGE The Key to Improving Results

See Page 13

MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE ONTARIO1COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION February 2012 www.ocna.org

INDUSTRY NEWS

OCNA UPDATE

BY ANNE LANNAN OCNA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

We are sorry to see the closure of three community newspapers in the past month or two. The Tecumseh Tribune, which had been publishing for 52 years, and LaSalle Silhouette, both in the Windsor area have ceased publishing. Also the Caledonia Regional News This Week, which started in 1974, closed its doors last week. The association saw six other newspapers cease since May 2011 in Stratford, Halton, Haliburton, Clarence/Rockland, Kemptville and Brockville, and two competing newspapers in small market merge last year. This doesn’t include the consolidation of titles from the sale of the EMC Newspaper Group to Metroland in the Ottawa area late last year that saw a rationalization in communities where they had multiple titles. The news is not all negative as the association has seen 20 new newspapers join in the past year which consist of multicultural newspapers, new start-up publications as well as long-standing traditional newspapers. Most of these newspapers are coming on board to take advantage of the OCNA/CCNA programs, like AdReach and circulation audits, to help them to prosper. -Information about individual newspaper’s commitment to the Blue Box In-Kind Advertising Program for 2012 is now being distributed to publishers and advertising managers. The program is coordinated by OCNA, in conjunction with Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO). The Blue Box Program Plan legislates that businesses generating products that end up in municipal Blue Box programs are responsible for funding 50% of the net cost of running Blue Box programs. The 2012 allocation for Ontario’s daily and weekly newspapers has been set at $3.4 million, up from $1.7 million but similar to the $3.2 million three years ago. Varying costs are impacted by fluctuations in commodity prices for recycled newsprint, estimates set in a three year rolling average of costs, and changes to the municipalities’ programs. WDO also provides an online bank of recycling advertising for use of municipalities in Ontario. In an effort to ensure quality artwork and encourage municipalities to utilize their lineage in a timely fashion, if your newspaper would like to upload artwork to share, please e-mail it to Nicole Lewis [NicoleLewis@wdo.ca].

IN THIS ISSUE... 04

.................................................................BNC FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

........................................................TRAINING - WEBINAR SCHEDULES

..........JOHN WILLEMS APPOINTED REGIONAL GENERAL MANAGER

..............NEW INDUSTRY AD CAMPAIGN FOR USE BY NEWSPAPERS

..............................................................OCNA’S SUPPLIER SHOWCASE

.......TAKING CONTROL OF CHANGE - KEY TO IMPROVING RESULTS

......................................................SELLING IS A BUSINESS OF WORDS

...................................................................................CUSTOM NETWORKS

February 2012

NEWSCLIPS VOLUME 01, ISSUE 8 3050 Harvester Rd. #103 Burlington, ON L7N 3J1 p.905.639.8720 f.905-639.6962 e. info@ocna.org w. www.ocna.org OCNA BOARD PRESIDENT

Don MacLeod

FIRST VP

Mike Mount

SECOND VP

Maureen Keeler

SECRETARY/ TRESURER

Dave Harvey

PAST PRESIDENT

Abbas Homayed

DIRECTORS

Dave Adsett Gordon Cameron Jim Cumming Andrea DeMeer Rick Shaver John Willems

OCNA STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Anne Lannan

CONTROLLER

Todd Frees

MEMBER SERVICES

Karen Shardlow Kelly Gorven

NETWORK CLASSIFIEDS

Carol Lebert Susana Czyrnek

ACCOUNTING

Lucia Shepherd

AD*REACH

Ted Brewer Doug Sexton Carolyn Press Erica Leyzac

www.ocna.org

ASSOCIATION NEWS

PUBLISHER OF MID-NORTH MONITOR, RAY ETHELSTON, PASSES AWAY Mid-North Monitor publisher, Ray Ethelston, sadly passed away on Saturday, February 11 at the age of 60. Ethelston was visiting with friends at a camp near Little Pickering Lake, roughly 40 kilometers north of Thessalon. He departed for his own camp travelling on his snowmobile in the evening and was told to contact his friends once he had arrived safely at his camp. When he failed to do so, his friends went looking for him. They found him along with his snowmobile. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. Ethelston was the publisher of both the Mid-North Monitor and its brother paper, The Elliot Lake Standard for over 20 years. He was set to retire on March 30, 2012. Condolences are extended to his family, the staff of both newspapers and those within the publishing group.

OAKVILLE TODAY PARTICIPATES IN BOWL FOR KID’S SAKE IN SUPPORT OF BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS HALTON Michael Howie from Oakville Today organized a bowling team to take part in the Halton Bowl for Kids’ Sake in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters Halton. The event took place at Classic Bowl on Friday, February 3. Howie was joined by Oakville Today reporter Ian Holroyd, Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn, Julia McLeod, Karen Majorly and Robyn Connolly. Over $600 From left to right: Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn, Julia McLeod, Michael was raised by the team. Howie, Karen Majorly, Ian Halroyd and Robyn Connolly.

SALAM TORONTO HOSTS CONTEST Salam Toronto has been running a new promotion this past month to gain more readership and fans online. It’s a sweepstakes giveaway project, where Facebook fans are eligible to enter for a chance to win a trip to New York. Those who are interested to enter are asked to visit https://www.facebook.com/#!/Salam Toronto?sk=app_208195102528120 and follow the step by step instructions to enter for a chance to win. From there, the entries are forwarded to Salam Toronto’s website where the promotion is hosted. February 2012

ANNOUNCEMENTS CREEMORE ECHO WELCOMES CHRIS GREER AS EDITORIAL INTERN Chris Greer, a Creemore native currently persuing studies in English at the University of Toronto, is taking the semester to immerse himself in the newsroom at the Echo. He is currently working on a broad range of stories and is planning a series on regional education issues, specifically why Simcoe County District School Board student are less likely to go on to postsecondary school than most in the province and how it is being addressed in the community.

FORT FRANCES EDITOR QUALIFIES FOR NORTHERN ONTARIO BOWLING CHAMPIONSHIP Fort Frances Times editor Mike Behan has qualified for the 2012 Northern Ontario 5-pin bowling Open championships. Mike averaged 226, including a high game of 355, in the 20-game zone rolloffs held Jan. 28-29 at Plaza Lanes in Fort Frances and will be a member of the Sunset Country mixed team at the provincial roll-offs April 4-7 in Thunder Bay. This will be Mike’s first appearance at the Open, although he qualified for the provincials twice previously (in 1990 and 2003) in the pins over average (P.O.A.) category. After graduating from Carleton University in Ottawa, Mike moved to Fort Frances in June, 1987 to take over as the sports reporter and has been editor since May, 1990. He has been five-pin bowling since 1988.

www.ocna.org

ASSOCIATION NEWS

BETTER NEWSPAPER COMPETITION FINALISTS ANNOUNCED OCNA is proud to recognize the outstanding quality of work produced each week by our member newspapers and showcase it to readers and advertisers. Listed below in alphabetical order are the finalists in each category of the 2011 OCNA Better Newspaper Awards. Winners will be recognized during OCNA's BNC Awards Gala held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto on April 27. Congratulations to the winners listed below and thanks to all OCNA members for participating!

General Excellence Awards

General Excellence Awards recognize overall achievement by circulation class in editorial, advertising and layout.

Class 1

Class 5

Class 2

Class 6

Elmira-Woolwich Observer Niagara This Week - Fort Erie Post Waterdown Flamborough Review

Cobden Sun Gravenhurst Banner Minden Times

Sponsored by Northern News Services Clarington This Week Milton Canadian Champion Waterloo Chronicle

Bracebridge Examiner Haliburton County Echo Winchester Press

Class 3

Class 7

Fort Frances Times Huntsville Forester Nunavut News/North

Brantford, Brant News Newmarket Era-Banner Peterborough This Week

Class 4

Class 8

Sponsored by Metro Creative Graphics Arnprior Chronicle-Guide Innisfil Journal Scugog Standard

Algonquin College - Algonquin Times Durham College - The Chronicle Niagara College - Niagara News

College & University

College & University Awards recognize the outstanding work of Journalism students in Photography, News Writing, and Feature Writing.

Student Feature Writing

Student Photography

Student News Writing

Best College/University Newspaper Website Sponsored by Gaulin Media Algonquin College Centennial College Loyalist College

Sponsored by Ontario General Contractors Association Algonquin College - Chantal Mack Algonquin College - Michael Aubry Niagara College - Anton Mwewa

Sponsored by the Journalists of Oshawa This Week Loyalist College - Galit Rodan Loyalist College - Hadas Parush Loyalist College - Leah Myers

Sponsored by Ontario Journalism Educators Association Durham College - Tara Hatherly Niagara College - Sabine Dunac Niagara College - Sarah Ferguson

February 2012

www.ocna.org

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Premier Awards Premier Awards honour individual works in both editorial and advertising categories such as Best Editorial, Best Feature Photo, Best Front Page, Best Local Retail Layout, Best Original Advertising Idea, etc.

Arts & Entertainment

New Hamburg Independent Toronto Beach/Riverdale Mirror Vaughan Today

Best Business & Finance Story

Niagara This Week, Grimsby Parry Sound North Star Toronto Leaside Rosedale Town Crier

Best Editorial (circ 10,000+) Innisfil Journal Newmarket Era-Banner Oakville Today

Best Editorial (circ -9,999)

Blue Mountains Courier-Herald Nunavut News/North Parry Sound Beacon Star

Education Writing

Sponsored by Ontario Journalism Educators Association Caledon Enterprise Guelph Tribune Haliburton County Echo

Environment Ontario Burlington Post Minden Times Scarborough Mirror

Feature Writing (circ 10,000+)

Sponsored by Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell, Robertson & Sanfilippo Almonte/Carleton Place Canadian-Gazette Newmarket Era-Banner Oshawa This Week

Feature Writing (circ -9,999)

Sponsored by Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell, Robertson & Sanfilippo Cobden Sun Haliburton County Echo Vankleek Hill Review

Health & Wellness

Sponsored by SafetyCare Inc. Richmond Hill/Thornhill Liberal Toronto Forest Hill Town Crier Toronto Leaside Rosedale Town Crier

February 2012

Heritage

Sponsored by Fort Frances Times Manitoulin Expositor New Hamburg Independent Nunavut News/North Best Investigative News Story Caledon Enterprise Peterborough This Week Waterdown Flamborough Review

Columnist of the Year

Markham Economist & Sun Oshawa This Week Toronto Today

Reporter of the Year

Sponsored by Ontario Power Generation Burlington Post Huntsville Forester Waterdown Flamborough Review

Best News Story (circ 10,000+) Sponsored by Hydro One Networks Inc. Mississauga News Peterborough This Week Scarborough Mirror

Best Feature Photo (circ 10,000+)

Best News Story (circ -9,999) Sponsored by Hydro One Networks Inc. Blue Mountains Courier-Herald Gravenhurst Banner Listowel Banner

Bracebridge Examiner Huntsville Forester St. Marys Journal Argus

Best Rural Story (circ 10,000+) Burlington Post Georgetown/Acton Independent & Free Press Ottawa This Week - South

Best Rural Story (circ -9,999) Haliburton County Echo New Hamburg Independent Nunavut News/North

Best Feature/News Series (circ 10,000+) Newmarket Era-Banner Oshawa This Week Peterborough This Week

Best Feature/News Series (circ -9,999) Arnprior Chronicle-Guide Huntsville Forester Wasaga Sun

Sports & Recreation Story

Brighton/East Northumberland Independent Burlington Post Etobicoke Guardian

Humour Columnist of the Year Haliburton County Echo Lindsay Post Uxbridge Standard 5

Northumberland News Richmond Hill/Thornhill Liberal Whitby This Week

Best Feature Photo (circ -9,999)

Best Photo Layout

Alexandria Glengarry News Clarington This Week Orangeville Banner

Best Sports Photo

Markham Economist & Sun Oshawa This Week Port Perry Star

Best Spot News Photo

Georgina Advocate New Liskeard Temiskaming Speaker Weekender Peterborough This Week

Best News Photo

Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser Oakville Today Oshawa This Week

Photographer of the Year

Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser Kingston/Frontenac This Week Mississauga News

Cartoonist of the Year

Guelph Tribune Hamilton Mountain News Parry Sound North Star

www.ocna.org

ASSOCIATION NEWS Community Service

Original Advertising Idea (circ 10,000+)

Sponsored by Young Drivers of Canada Scugog Standard Stoney Creek News Vankleek Hill Review

Special Section (circ 10,000+) Huntsville Forester Listowel Banner Midland Free Press

Sponsored by JCY Associates Alliston Herald Burlington Post Renfrew Mercury

Best Vertical Product

Special Section (circ -9,999)

Original Advertising Idea (circ -9,999)

Best Front Page (circ 10,000+)

Best Creative Ad

Bracebridge Examiner Kincardine Independent Parry Sound Beacon Star

Barry’s Bay, The Valley Gazette Huntsville Forester Parry Sound North Star

Sponsored by JCY Associates Fergus-Elora News Express Listowel Banner Nunavut News/North

Sponsored by Centroid Training & Marketing Listowel Banner Midland/Penetanguishene Mirror Thunder Bays Source

Use of Process Colour

Sponsored by Laurentian Publishing Bracebridge Examiner Burks Falls Almaguin News Gravenhurst Banner

In House Promotion

Best Community Newspaper Web Site

Best Sports Section

Local Retail Layout

Sponsored by Laurentian Publishing Midland Free Press Newmarket Era-Banner Oakville Today

Best Front Page (circ -9,999)

Sponsored by Metroland Media Group Ltd., Southwestern Ontario Division Elmira-Woolwich Observer Oshawa This Week Whitby This Week

Fergus-Elora News Express Midland Free Press Oshawa This Week Sponsored by Metro Creative Graphics Burlington Post Vaughan Citizen Walkerton Herald Times

Belleville EMC Kawartha Lakes/North Durham CAPS Community News Vaughan Citizen Sponsored by Giant Tiger Stores Limited Alliston Herald Mississauga News Sudbury Northern Life

Surfer’s Selection

Elmira-Woolwich Observer Toronto Today Vaughan Today

2012 OCNA Spring Convention To be held in partnership with the Newspapers Canada INK+BEYOND Conference April 25 – 29th, 2012 Fairmont Royal York Hotel To book your hotel room at the conference rate of $185, per night please call 1-800-663-7229. Visit http://www.newspaperscanada.ca/programs/ inkbeyond-conference for more information

Registration is now open for the INK+BEYOND conference and trade show, taking place this year at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto on April 26 to 27. The annual industry conference sees hundreds of newspaper delegates from across the country gather for two days of presentations, workshops, social events, awards galas and more. Don’t miss out on all of the educational benefits and valuable networking opportunities. Sign up before the early-bird deadline of March 26 and you’ll receive a $100 discount on the full convention registration fee and $25 on the BNC Awards Gala Dinner. Visit http://www.newspaperscanada.ca/programs/inkbeyond-conference to register. If you have any questions about registration for INK+BEYOND please contact info@newspapercanada.ca February 2012

www.ocna.org

ASSOCIATION NEWS

TRAINING OCNA’S UPCOMING WEBINAR SCHEDULE April 13 - Twitter for Reporters

This popular social media tool can be a powerful reporting platform and notepad/archive for busy community reporters. While providing ‘live feeds’ to readers, it can bring immediacy to static websites, facilitate ‘live blogs’ from major community events from hockey games to graduations, and further anchor your paper as the community’s information leader. Cost: $50 + HST Space is limited. Reserve your seat today! https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/770844385

NEWSPAPERS CANADA WEBINAR SCHEDULE

From social media and page layouts to FOI requests and paywalls, the 2012 webinar season features relevant and engaging material for your entire staff. This year’s training series includes presentations tailored to a variety of departments including editorial, sales, design and circulation. ▄▄

February 21 - Circ: Paywall Success Stories

▄▄

February 22 - New research launch: Newspapers 24/7

▄▄

March 6 - Sales: Online Sales

▄▄

March 27 - Editorial: The Art of the Obituary

▄▄

April 17 - Design: Multimedia NNA Finalists (FREE)

▄▄

April 24 - Editorial: Better Beat Reporting

▄▄

June 26 - Sales: Newspapers: Newspaper Innovation (FREE)

A full list is available on the Newspapers Canada website: www.newspaperscanada.ca

You are invited to attend a complimentary webinar on March 8, 2012 - 4:00 Eastern Time. REGISTER BY FEBRUARY 29,2012 Gary Conner, Executive Director, World Speakers Association will interview Bob Berting, ‘Mr. Community Paper’ from Berting Communications. Berting has 40 years of experience in the newspaper industry, is nationally known as a sales training expert who has conducted over 1500 seminars for the newspaper industry. He is a columnist for several print media trade association publications and is author of the best selling e-book ‘Dynamic Advertising Sales and Image Power’. Here’s what you can learn in this FREE webinar:

1. Three Call Selling System 2. Selling against media competition 3. Creating eye-catching ads 4. Working with hard to please costumers 5. Selling merchant groups To register visit http://www.telspanvenue.com/PIID=EA53D689894F. Registrations deadline is February 29, 2012. February 2012

www.ocna.org

Would you like free advertising? Help make the OCN Foundation Silent Auction a success! Seeking your support Here’s your chance to get your product or service known to newspaper publishers and editors from across Ontario by donating an item for the OCN Foundation auction. We’re looking for a minimum donation value of $125 but beyond the excellent exposure...

You’ll also receive

A complimentary Classified Ad through our Network Classified Advertising program which will run in over 170 papers throughout Ontario and reach more than 2.2 million homes. Your 25 word ad, valued at $475, can be placed anytime in 2012.

About the Foundation:

The Ontario Community Newspapers Foundation is the charitable arm of the Ontario Community Newspapers Association which represents 310 newspapers across the province. The Foundation supports educational endeavours including grants for journalism student and is hosting a Silent Auction at the Newspapers Canada Spring Convention, April 26-27 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto to raise funds for the Ontario Community Newspapers Foundation projects.

For more information or to donate please contact Anne Lannan by March 30, 2012 at OCNA to confirm your participation, 905-639-8720 x228 or e-mail a.lannan@ocna.org.

Thank You for your support of the Foundation

Make it a fantastic fundraiser! February 2012

Let’s make it fun! www.ocna.org

ASSOCIATION NEWS

NEWSPAPERS CANADA CAREER FAIR Dear Newspaper Professional: Newspapers Canada has developed a value-added program to this year’s Ink and Beyond Conference and invites you to participate in our Newspapers Canada Career Fair. The event will be held from 10am to noon on Friday, April 27 onsite at the convention at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. It’s a great opportunity to showcase your newspaper and community to eager potential employees, collect some CVs and meet them face-to-face. You don’t have to have any positions available at that time to participate. Simply earn a leg up when the time comes. The Newspapers Canada Career Fair will attract journalists, photographers, editors, sales associates, graphic designers, and web designers, mainly from the Ontario market. Before invitations are sent to universities, community colleges, and industry-related associates, we require our member newspapers from across Canada to RSVP by March 1 with their interest in reserving a table at the Career Fair. Space is limited. Cost to participate is $20 and requires a two-hour commitment for one or two people from your company at the event. The results for our next generation of employees are priceless. Please RSVP with name of Newspaper(s), those attending, and contact information to Anne Lannan at a.lannan@ocna.org or 905-639-8720 ext 228 or Karen Shardlow at k.shardlow@ocna.org or 905-639-8720 ext 232.

JOHN WILLEMS APPOINTED REGIONAL GENERAL MANAGER

METROLAND MEDIA

John Willems was recently appointed Regional General Manager of York Region for Metroland Media Group. Willems began his media career in 1989 through a contract position with Grey Retail - a Toronto-based advertising agency. The following year, he joined Thomson Newspapers as an advertising account manager. In 1991, Willems joined Metroland Durham Region as an advertising consultant and worked through progressive positions including advertising manager and director of advertising. From 2002 to 2005, Willems worked within Metroland’s corporate team as director of interactive media where he greatly expanded his new media skills and helped shape the company’s fledging efforts in the digital space. After returning to his roots in publishing, Willems spent the last four years as Regional General Manager within Metroland’s Ottawa division. Prior to joining Metroland, Willems studied business at McMaster University and corporate communications at Centennial College. Willems is a dedicated board member of the Ontario Community Newspapers Association. February 2012

www.ocna.org

ASSOCIATION NEWS

INDUSTRY AD CAMPAIGN Dear OCNA member newspaper:

have InDesign at your newspaper, please contact OCNA Member Services Coordinator Kelly Gorven at k.gorven@ocna.org and send her your newspaper flag. She can then send you PDFs of the ads customized for you.

The Ontario Community Newspapers Association is pleased to provide its members with a new industry advertising campaign – fully adaptable to include newspaper flags.

3. The seven ads reflect – news, entertainment, advertising, sports, seniors, community events. Respecting copyright, trademarks, and libelous material, you may change the text and images to better reflect something in your own community, without having them look like an ad for a specific local advertiser or event.

The campaign includes a series of 7 ads and an editorial and has been designed to remind readers and advertisers that Community Newspapers are the original Local Social Network. With Did you see the tagline ‘Did you see in the paper…’, in the paper... the series reflects that articles and ads get people connecting with one another and calls them to action, and this is what builds community.

What to do: 1. Go to www.ocna.org

and log into the Member’s site (user: member, password: ocmb2010) Under the left hand navigation bar under ‘member’, go to the OCNA Programs & Services folder. Here you will find the folder ‘2011 Social Media Ads’ which contains a subfolder for each of the ads and contains the necessary fonts and graphics.

4. Timing – feel free to begin publishing the series at any time; in any order; and at intervals that suit your page count (eg. one per week, every other week).

about the wine tasting event on Saturday?

See you there!

Community Newspapers Your Local Social Network

2. Download the files. Ads have been created in CS2 – InDesign so they should be accessible to most newspapers. If you do not

5. Translation – member newspapers publishing in other languages may translate the ads. 6. The bubble ‘Did you see in the paper…’ can be used as an online icon on your web site if you would like to have it link directly to your ad material or editorial. A special note of appreciation to the Marketing Task Force for their input in this campaign.

PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Dave Armstrong shown above with his wife Trudi is The Temiskaming Speaker’s Personality of 2011. The photo was taken at the October 20 evening for Mr. Armstrong held at the Haileybury Golf Club. Mr. Armstrong was chosen as he was a newsmaker in the top business story in the area of this past year – the sale of the 105 year old Temiskaming Printing Company – and for a quarter of a century of philanthropic work in the community. Mr. Armstrong retired in the autumn after the sale of his business. See page 3a for full story. (Staff photo by Sue Nielsen)

February 2012

Dave Armstrong, shown above with his wife Trudi is the Temiskaming Speaker’s Personality of 2011. The photo was taken at the October 20 evening for Armstrong held at the Haileybury Golf Club. Armstrong was chosen as he was a newsmaker in the top business story in the area this past year - the sale of the 105 year old Temiskaming Printing Company - and for a quarter of a century of philanthropic work in the community. Armstrong retired in the fall after the sale of his business.

www.ocna.org

ASSOCIATION NEWS

NOMINATE A WORTHY INDIVIDUAL FOR A QUILL AWARD OCNA is now accepting nominations for Gold and Silver Quill Awards for 2011. These prestigious awards recognize newspaper owners and employees for their long time dedication to the industry. Nominations for Bronze Quills should be submitted directly to CCNA. To download a nomination form, log in to the Members Area of our website. You can find the PDF under OCNA Programs and Services > Quill Awards. For more information, please contact Anne Lannan at a.lannan@ocna.org or call 905-639-8720 ext 228.

NOW ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2011 MOLSON COORS COMMUNITY AWARD IN The Molson Coors Community Award in Memory of Mary Knowles was created by the Ontario Community Newspapers Foundation in memory of Mary Knowles, a dedicated newspaper employee and active community member who died from breast cancer in 1996. This award recognizes both the contributions of individuals and the intimate connection community newspapers have with their communities. Nominations will be accepted until Thursday, March 15, 2012 so please take the time to nominate a co-worker and recognize them for all they do for their community and for the image of your newspaper. The recipient of the Molson Coors Community Award will be invited to attend the OCNA Better Newspapers Awards Gala on Friday April 27, 2012 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. All nominees will receive a certificate acknowledging their contributions to their communities. If you need more information about the Molson Coors Community Award or the nomination process, please contact Kelly Gorven at k.gorven@ocna.org, or call 905-639-8720 ext. 239.

NEW INDUSTRY AD CAMPAIGN FOR USE BY NEWSPAPERS NEWSPAPERS CANADA

Newspapers Canada is excited to launch our new print and online advertising campaign for your newspaperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use. Recently, Newspapers Canada began advertising in media trade publications including Marketing, Strategy/Media in Canada and Infopresse in both their print and e-newsletter publications. The same campaign is now available for newspapers to use in their publications. The goal of the campaign is to highlight that our readership is very strong in a positive and upbeat way to potential advertisers. Unfortunately, there is a lot of false information about newspapers out in the public arena, most of from the United States, and it does not apply to the Canadian market. It was agreed that we should highlight the industry and our strength. The campaign currently has the Newspapers Canada logo on it. Newspapers are welcome to add their own logo to these executions as well. Visit http://www.newspaperscanada.ca/industry-campaign to access the new campaign. If you have any questions about the campaign please contact Suzanne Raitt, vice-president of marketing and innovation, Newspapers Canada at sraitt@newspaperscanada.ca or 416-923-3567.

February 2012

www.ocna.org

SUPPLIER SHOWCASE

OCNA’S SUPPLIER SHOWCASE ADWORKS – ALL THE TOOLS FOR EFFICIENT PRINT AND DIGITAL AD SALES AdWorks® is a full featured advertising management system designed for daily and weekly publications. It provides all of the tools necessary for efficient print and digital ad sales, accounts receivables, powerful live reporting, messaging and builtin integration with many ad layout and classified pagination systems, including Adobe Indesign, Quark, AdForce, Classforce, ALS, CLS - all in one complete system. A few powerful, time and money saving features:

Email Invoices and Statements - Give your customers the option to receive invoices and statements by email. While

posting invoices & statements, let AdWorks automatically PDF invoices and batch email elected customers. AdWorks will notify you of undelivered and discontinued emails prompting for printed copies.

Real Time Credit Authorization - AdWorks gives you the option to authorize credit cards in real time, either per transaction from the ad entry window with the customer on the phone or in a batch at the end of the day. No phone lines, modems or exporting to third party applications required.

Consolidate Your Newspapers to Save Money and Maximize Revenue - AdWorks is designed to leverage your group strengths by sharing resources, and reducing costs by linking multiple ad databases together across your newspaper group. This enables cross-selling and group reporting. AdWorks is built to handle hundreds of remote ad reps, newspaper branches and office connections.

About News-Net Inc.

News-Net Inc (www.news-net.ca) provides first-class software solutions, programming, integration and development to over 1,500 newspapers throughout North America. A trusted supplier to the publishing industry since its inception over 25 years ago, News-Net has continually grown market share and develops affordable cost-cutting and leading-edge technologies for the publishing industry.

OCNA acts as a gateway to over 300 community newspapers in all areas of the province. Promote your information to our members here. Send your updates to newsclips@ocna.org.

February 2012

www.ocna.org

HUMAN RESOURCES

TAKING CONTROL OF CHANGE – THE KEY TO IMPROVING RESULTS A TWOGREYSUITS ARTICLE These articles are part of the TwoGreySuits Employee Performance Management Series and is offered by our partner, the TwoGreySuits HR Power Centre as a free service to our members.

Ron Guest, Management/HR Consultant

For organizations to survive and thrive in the new economy, employees at all levels need to develop and practice the qualities of Personal Leadership. Personal Leadership is essential to success.

2. It doesn’t matter where you are coming from, only where you are going.

How do we define success? The aim of all human life is to be happy and the ingredients of happiness are the things we all have in common. We want to be healthy, have good relationships, meaningful work, financial independence, a feeling of growth and peace of mind.

any goal you can set for yourself.

3. Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first. 4. You can learn anything you need to learn and achieve 5. You are only as free as your options. 6. Within every difficulty you face is the

equal or greater opportunity.

seed of an

7. The only real limits on what you can do are selfimposed.

The results of success are self-esteem (feeling good and valuable and important to yourself), self-respect and personal pride. This improves our ability to get along with others, our performance and our overall productivity. There are four major qualities of Personal Leadership.

Imagine if employees developed and practiced the qualities of Personal Leadership. Productivity would improve and, importantly, the need for costly and disruptive terminations could be reduced. Think about it!

The first is vision. Your vision is based on values and virtues. Leaders know who they are and what they stand for. The second quality of leadership is courage. Leaders have the ability to face their fears and act in spite of them. The third quality of leadership is realism. Realism is the ability to see the world as it is, not as you wish it were. The essence of realism is integrity. The fourth quality of leadership is responsibility. Responsibility means self-reliance. Leaders volunteer for responsibility.

The HR Power Centre and HR Hot Line is a one-of-a-kind product specifically designed to get you the answers you need fast, in hundreds of different HR situations. Signing up is simple. Just visit https://www.twogreysuits.com/ sign_up/regform/index.html?r=OCNA complete the signup page and you’ll have immediate access. Why wait? Don’t let important people management issues go unresolved when you can deal with them today.

There are seven rules for Personal Leadership: 1. Your life only gets better when you get better.

OCNA WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU! OCNA asks members to please keep us posted on what is happening at your newspaper so we can share it with over 300 community newspapers across the province through NewsClips, or on our website. Feel free to tell us a little about your community or your staff. Have you done something different lately? Has your community recognized you? Do you have any upcoming anniversaries or celebrations? A picture also says a thousand words. Why not send us photos of your team out and about in your community, or busy in the office, or photos you’ve taken for your newspaper that you are proud of. Send your updates and photos to Kelly Gorven at k.gorven@ocna.org. We look forward to your responses! February 2012

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ADVERTISING

SELLING IS A BUSINESS OF WORDS

BY JOHN FOUST RALEIGH, NC

Ad agency legend David Ogilvy once wrote, “Advertising is a business of words.” The same can be said for selling. The right word can make a sale, and the wrong word can lose a sale.

4. Waffle words. ‘Kinda,’ ‘sorta,’ and ‘basically’ are puny words that have joined ‘you know’ in the fuzzy thinker’s vocabulary.

Sharp sales people are aware that certain words call for special handling. Generally speaking, these are common expressions that seem harmless at first glance – but can communicate the wrong message or the wrong tone. Let’s take a look at a few examples:

What do these words say about a sales person? At best, they are evidence of bad communication habits. At worst, they suggest that he or she is an indecisive person who has a hard time being specific.

1. ‘Advertising cost.’ Cost suggests spending.

I laugh every time I hear an athlete say, ‘Basically, we were trying to keep our momentum going.’ What does ‘basically’ add to this sentence? Nothing.

Don’t send the wrong signal. Talk about investing, instead of spending. After all, ROI (return on investment) has been a hot business acronym for years.

lot of conversations:

When it comes to money, business people don’t like to think of spending. ‘Investment’ is a better word, because it indicates that there will be a return on their money.

5. ‘You’ll have to...’ This phrase creeps into a

Advertiser: “I need help with my ad design.” Sales person: “You’ll have to talk to someone in our creative department.”

2. ‘Sign here.’ When it’s time to close the sale, some prospects flinch at words that suggest an iron-clad, formal agreement. ‘Sign’ is cold. It makes the document sound like a treaty.

In reality, your advertisers don’t ‘have to’ do anything. By placing ads in your publication – or on your website – they have put their trust in you to help them grow their businesses. It’s more respectful to substitute ‘I’ll be glad to’ for ‘You’ll have to.’

It’s better to say, ‘Just approve here,’ or ‘All we need is your autograph here.’ It’s even stronger to follow up with a benefit statement like, ‘...and we’ll get to work on that ad idea we’ve worked out.’

Advertiser: “I need help with my ad design.” Sales person: “I’ll be glad to introduce you to our design team. Let’s set an appointment.”

3. ‘But.’ This little word has big implications.

Consider what happens when a sales person says, ‘I like your idea, BUT it might work better with a change in the headline.’

It’s all a matter of using the right words.

The word ‘but’ voids the first part of the statement. It says, ‘Forget what I just said. Here’s the bad news.’ And it can make the speaker sound condescending and corrective.

It’s better to substitute ‘and’ for ‘but.’ The statement now becomes, ‘I like your idea, AND it might work even better with a change in the headline.’ See the difference? Although only one word has changed, the statement is less confrontational. February 2012

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: jfoust@mindspring.com

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February 2012

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ADVERTISING

CUSTOM NETWORKS

BY TED BREWER AD*REACH I realize this newsletter goes to all our members and what you really care about is what I can do that will inject positive energy into your bottom line. Today I want to speak to some ideas that have me energized. You would think it so simple for us to sit here and rake in the big multimarket orders from vast media buying conglomerates with unlimited budgets from their national client roster. Unfortunately that brochure got burned a long time ago. There are still clients and agencies that use us for multimarket print ad planning and execution but as everyone knows budget pressure is getting worse and worse as media fragments, so new clients are fewer and far between.

to mid-sized manufacturer to be able to support products across the province in a turnkey manner by simply selecting the retail channel. From there, with the tools we have in place I can provide portfolios of tools with composite coverage maps, costing options that could either maximize coverage, or minimize cost while still covering all the markets. I can offer enhanced impact plans by varying size, format, or adding some colour. All the stuff they would expect from an agency, prepackaged and ready to go. Now if a boutique marketing agency or PR house wants to use these tools to integrate into their client’s business plan I’m sure we would all support them completely. I’ve also recently been shown some tools that will allow any print ad to be located with common search engines, so not only could this be an added feature, but it could drive traffic to the local news site, and seamlessly integrate in social media as a Tweet or Like whenever someone views the product. If this social traffic is driven by print ads, then the argument that the market is changing fades away. We have always measured brand success as to whether a brand is a household name. How do you do that? Get the brand into the households. They may just begin the conversation with ‘I saw it in my local paper…’ Any thoughts? Send them to t.brewer@adreach.ca.

Recently I met with a friend who was getting into the product distribution game, and their gripe was that though it was great to get a few products into a national chain store, unless you pay to be in the flyer occasionally (either through discounts or cash), there was very little driving consumers to the product. Since these manufacturers will never have pockets as deep as those of P&G (or at least their arms are a lot shorter) I believe there is a large and fairly untapped market for custom network selling as long as the price is right.

TED BREWER is a National Accounts Manager for Ad*Reach, the sales and advertising arm of the Ontario Community Newspapers Association. Since joining OCNA and Ad*Reach in 2007, Ted has sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of advertisements in OCNA’s member newspapers.

ad * reach

I have on occasion been asked by a manufacturer to help plan a print ad campaign targeting markets where their major retail distribution partners are located. So I have a few lists around that are matched to the newspaper options available. What I really need is a tool chest of a significant selection of these retail networks. This is one of the projects I am working on, creating the tools for a small February 2012

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ADVERTISING ALERTS: ONLINE GAMBLING The following is a summary produced by the Outdoor Marketing Association of Canada, compiled from the statutes and regulations from the corresponding government websites. It is meant as a guide to assist in placing campaigns related to online gambling advertising. It is recommended that the official legislation and legal counsel be consulted before undertaking or accepting any advertising for all purposes of interpretation and application of the law. Governed by the Canadian Criminal Code, federal jurisdiction. The Criminal Code of Canada (Code)defines what types of gaming activities are illegal in Canada, and the provinces are assigned responsibility to operate, license and regulate legal forms of gaming. Part VII of the Code prohibits gaming in general, while section 207 allows for a number of exceptions to the general prohibition. Specifically, it permits ‘lottery schemes’ provided that they are: ▄▄

Lottery schemes ‘conducted and managed’ by the province in accordance with any law enacted by that province ▄▄

Lottery schemes ‘conducted and managed’ by a licensed charitable or religious organization pursuant to a license issued by a provincial authority, provided that the proceeds of the lottery scheme are used for a charitable or religious purpose ▄▄

Lottery schemes ‘conducted and managed’ by a licensed board of a fair or exhibition or by an operator of a concession leased by that board Canadian laws allow provincial governments to conduct and manage lotteries and games of chance that are operated on or through a computer, such as Internet casinos; however, in most circumstances, it is a crime in Canada for anyone else to run an online gaming operation. Advertising of online gaming services, involving the exchange of money, according to Canadian authorities is illegal. There are some who disagree citing loopholes like the location of the hosting server, while deemed illegal by the attorney general, no legal action has been taken. There are not many media outlets who would risk criminal prosecution to test the validity of this position. Based on member company experience, advertising promoting the following appear to be acceptable, but do not constitute official gambling sites: ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄

Free game play websites Promoting gaming websites ending in ‘.net’ No official documentation was found to support this

For detailed information, visit: Part VII, Sections 201, 206 and 207 of the Canadian Criminal Code: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/C-46/page-5.html#anchorbo-ga:l_VII-gb:s_201

February 2012

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BUSINESS

OPPORTUNITY OBJECTIONS DURING SALES AND NEGOTIATIONS

BY PATRICK TINNEY MANAGING PARTNER CENTROID TRAINING & MARKETING Opportunity objections in a sale or negotiation are the gateway to truly understanding what the customer really believes and wants. An opportunity objections is also what is standing between a great proposal sale and a converted customer who is happy with a sales negotiation and the purchase they are about to make.

Listen

If there are no objections in a sale or negotiation then we as sales people and negotiators have become nothing more than clerks writing orders that have absolutely no stretch or positive risk associated with them. In other words we are managing transactions of commoditized stuff!

Empathy

If a customer raises a concern or worry they are doing so to mitigate risk. Listening intensely to our customers is paramount. Don’t interrupt. As a customer if I get the sense that my salesperson does not care about my risk I will slow down the sales process until I feel the risk is in check or worse yet just walk away.

Rephrase

By rephrasing the customer’s concern or worry we as sales people have acknowledged that there is a potential blocker to a sale that must be addressed. It also means we a getting a clearer sense of the customers objectives. Letting the customer know that we empathize with their worry or concerns brings us closer to them. It’s a relationship builder. It’s a trust builder. No amount of money in the world can buy trust. It must be earned and protected.

Most sales people do not practice handling objections and so they try to manage this process by thinking on their feet. By doing so they are counter punching with customers, packed with personal anxiety using phases such as ‘we’ve already thought of that…’ This does not take the customers worries away but rather shelves them and to a degree makes the customer look uneducated for asking a legitimate question with potential personal exposure. Making the customer feel dumb is not a great way to close a sale or build a much needed relationship.

Query

Asking well crafted high gain questions will get to the bottom of most concerns. The worry could be safety, financial, past bad experiences. We must uncover the nature of the concern to have any hope of neutralizing it so this blockage opens up again so the sales and negotiation processes can move forward.

Creative Solutions

Now that we have a better understanding of our customer’s worry by asking great high gain questions we can set to work our ability as a sales person to reshape the offer or proposal to fit the customer’s eye. Think scale, innovation, service, quality, delivery timelines, payment plans. Leave price as a last resort and only if we are profitable.

Here is the way to succeed with opportunity objections:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Listen Rephrase Empathy Query Creative Solutions Collaboration Our POD Benefits Trial Close

February 2012

Collaboration

Openly problem solving with a customer is the pinnacle of consultative selling. It signals that customer and sales person are opening up their minds to arrive at a greater good and fulfillment for both. Collaboration is actually the ‘green shoot’ of a future and profitable transaction.

Our POD

Our ability to truly express our ‘Point of Difference’ at this stage of solving opportunity objections is what will separate 18

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BUSINESS

us from our competitors. Our POD also has the ability to reduce commoditization.

Benefits

When addressing an opportunity objection and having explored the core of the customers concerns, needs with an array of solutions we are now able to talk about benefits. Not just any benefits. They must connect us emotionally to the customer and make them feel safer, more creative, smarter, more efficient, relaxed and or less exposed. Think of these benefits as benefits on steroids.

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.

Trial Close

If as a top level sales person you have guided your concerned customer through her/his opportunity objection using the above process you are ready and the customer is primed for a trial close. See if the sale and negotiation can now be closed with a question such as ‘valued customer… when and where would you like to begin to enjoy this great program?’

Photos are also welcome!

As a sales manager and mentor said to me many years ago….

“

When a customer says no…they are just asking for more information. Until that point we are all just taking orders. -Bobby Hillier

” Affordable media insurance for Canadian Community Newspapers

PATRICK TINNEY is the founder of Centroid Training and Marketing, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations make and save money through consultative selling, sales prospecting and business negotiation training.

Service includes: •Libel • Invasion of Privacy • Plagiarism • Piracy • Infringement of Copyright • Pre-Publication Hotline

Prior to Centroid, Patrick held various corporate sales and management positions at The Southam Newspaper Group, Hollinger Inc. and CanWest Media. Over his 30 year career Patrick has concluded multi-million dollar media sales and negotiation solutions for many of Canada’s largest advertisers. As an expert on the topic of business negotiations, techniques and trends, Patrick is frequently published in online and print business journals.

Patrick is a Certified Print Production Practitioner (CPPP). He is a double graduate of Sheridan College, a founding Director of the Flyer Distribution Standards Association of Canada and a member of the Canadian Society of Training and Development. Patrick is also an active Advisory Committee member for the Sheridan College, Advertising Program. For more on Patrick….Google Patrick Tinney….Centroid Training, Patrick Tinney ….LinkedIn Canada or visit centroidmarketing.com February 2012

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TECHNOLOGY

ARE THERE SUCCESSFUL PAPERS OUT THERE? BY KEVIN SLIMP INSTITUTE OF NEWSPAPER TECHNOLOGY I’ve had an interesting couple of weeks. For the first time, I was invited to speak at the Michigan Press Association’s convention in Grand Rapids. I never know what to expect when I’m with a new group. Will the group be somber and quiet or will the attendees be lively and responsive? My worries were relieved after just a few minutes. Publishers who arrived early waited to tell me how excited they were to hear what I had to say about our industry’s future. Others came by while I was setting up to tell me how much they enjoy reading my columns. With ample ego strokes, I presented two topics on Friday, related to online revenue and customer service, then went on to set up for a morning keynote on Saturday. The president of the association came by to say ‘hi’ and to let me know I shouldn’t be disappointed in the turnout. “It’s always a light crowd on Saturday morning,” he said. “No problem,” I responded, “I never expect a crowd on Saturday morning at 8:00.” The room was substantial and had seats arranged in eight or ten rows, maybe 20 to 25 chairs in a row. It was a wide room, but not very deep. I figured maybe 30 people would show up and I’d speak in front of an empty room.

Kevin Slimp speaks to a group of newspaper publishers in Lexington, KY in late January.

Just as happened in Kentucky the week before, when dozens of chairs had to be added, the room began to fill and before I knew it, all the seats were taken. The topic was ‘What I’ve learned this year from successful newspapers.’

When the Michigan keynote ended, a line formed. One publisher after another wanted to talk about their situations. College students (there were probably 30 or 40 in attendance) asked me for advice concerning their futures.

I talked about papers I had visited in Ontario, Kentucky, Tennessee, Minnesota and points all over the map. I shared some of the commonalities among these papers. Things like:

Finally, after visiting with at least two dozen folks, the line was gone. From my left appeared a man who asked if he could speak with me. He shared that he published a newspaper in the state and was already making plans to cease his printed newspaper and go with an online version.

▄▄ ▄▄

Investment in staff, training and equipment

Trust between staff, publishers and other managers ▄▄

“I’ve got to tell you,” he said. “You may have changed my mind.”

Keeping staff in place, whenever possible

Like thousands of other publishers, he’s heard the reports of gloom and doom. And like some others, he was ready to accept his newspaper’s fate.

The audience laughed out loud when I told of some of the things I had seen at newspapers and wrote furiously as I shared advice as they plan for the future. February 2012

It’s not my job to talk people into anything. I just present 20

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TECHNOLOGY

the facts and share what I see at newspapers all over North America. I’m constantly amazed that anyone has any interest in hearing anything I have to say. It surprises me even more when I hear from publishers that tell me they’ve changed their future plans after reading or hearing what I think.

Let me suggest that for most of us, it’s time to move ahead. Sure, you’ll pick up some new tools along the way. But the introduction of mobile media, social media and competing sources for news doesn’t mean that newspapers are outdated or history. Be careful when you come to that crossroad. Straight ahead might be the best route for your newspaper.

Iowa was more of the same the week after Michigan. Another convention. More chairs had to be added to the already large room. That was three weeks in a row. Next up are conventions in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Kansas and back to Iowa.

KEVIN SLIMP serves as the director of the Institute of Newspaper Technology. He is a faculty member of the University of Tennessee College of Communication and Information and makes his home in Knoxville, Tennessee. Kevin’s insight on technology is highly sought after at various industry events across North America. www.kevinslimp.com

We keep hearing that our industry is at a crossroads. Coming to a crossroad doesn’t mean it’s best to take a hard right or hard left turn. Sometimes you move ahead.

Make Money with Network Classifieds OCNA’s Network Classified Advertising is an easy way for you to earn additional revenue. Upsell your retail and classified advertisers and earn a 35% commission. An All Ontario 25-word ad is $475. You earn $166.25 each time you upsell your client into the program. You already know that advertisers in community newspapers get results. Help your advertisers extend their reach into a region of the province, across Ontario, or right across the country. They Win – You Win. The possibilities are endless: »Online revenue – any retailer with a web site. Let the Networks drive traffic to their site for increased sales »Real estate – any agent with vacation properties, commercial properties, and luxury homes. Buyers from outside your newspaper distribution area need to know »Events – Fairs, Markets, Shows, Theatre, Concerts, Sports. Spread the word to draw more people »Help Wanted – Trades and other positions that individuals would relocate or commute to should be advertised here

Contact OCNA Network Classified Coordinator Susana Czyrnek for full details at s.czyrnek@ocna.org or 1-800-387-7982 ext 230.

February 2012

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February 2012