newsclips MAY 2017
Rick Shaver Receives the 2016 Community Award in Memory of Mary Knowles On Friday, April 7 during the BNC Awards Gala, Rick Shaver, General Manager, TC Media Cornwall Market was recognized with the coveted Mary Knowles Award for his generous community contributions and dedication to the newspaper industry. “I am very honoured to have received this award,” said Shaver. “The work I do in my community is to make it a better place to live, to build a stronger foundation for growth, and for the next generation to create a great home for those that live here. None of this would be possible if not for my great family, supportive friends, associates and my staff who work with me daily on helping the community.” Rick may be a familiar face to those attending the OCNA Spring Convention and gala year after year. He has served on From left to right: Brenda Bogdanski; Christine Burke; Liam McGuinty, Director, the association’s board of directors for 16 years, lending his Government Relations, Ontario, Insurance Bureau of Canada; Rick Shaver, 2016 Mary knowledge and passion for the industry and acting as President Knowles Award recipient; Kelli Campeau; Ben Riche; Emily Riche; and Ed Bogdanski. in 2007. Rick has dedicated an incredible 40 years of service to the to raise money for those affected by MS. Rick’s close ties with Big Brothers community newspaper industry. In 1985, he co-founded the Cornwall Big Sisters has seen him participate in bowl-a-thons, and he continues to Seaway News and ensured the community newspaper remained just that support the Boys and Girls Club of Cornwall and the St. Lawrence River – a very large part of its community. Despite changes in technology and Institute of Environmental Sciences. He was recognized for his tremendous the way readers receive their news, Rick’s commitment to the product has volunteer contributions with a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. not changed. He continues to build relationships, encourage his staff to Rick’s daughters, Kelli and Christine both attended the gala and do the same, and provides the community with a gateway to share their watched proudly as their Dad received the monumental award. The stories. siblings recently welcomed children of their own, making Rick a very proud Rick has been nicknamed the ‘Godfather of Pizza’ and continues to Grandpa and putting his wife Brenda on Grandma duty for the night. coordinate the Kinsmen Club of Cornwall’s Annual Pizza Party, which pits The Community Award in Mary Knowles is coordinated by the OCNF, eight local restaurants against each other in a friendly competition to with generous support of the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) and discover Cornwall’s best pizza. Now in its 11th year, the fundraiser has recognizes dedicated newspaper employees who are constantly making collected $140,000 for local charities. a difference within their communities. Mary Knowles was a dedicated He also helps with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Cornwall’s Italian newspaper employee and active community member who died from Night, which typically sells out and attracts roughly 300 guests each year breast cancer in 1996.
WHAT’S INSIDE:
AD*REACH UPDATE How Ad*Reach is working to keep community newspapers top-of-mind within the agencies.
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THE POWER OF REPETITION ‘Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.’
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BODY ODOUR IN THE WORKPLACE The polite way to talk with an employee about body odour.
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May 2017 MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE ONTARIO1 COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION www.ocna.org
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Outgoing OCNA President, Dave Adsett Receives Caricature During OCNA BNC Awards Gala In his two-year term as President of the OCNA, Dave Adsett facilitated a number of lively meetings and discussions among members to define the purpose and value of the association. He increased focus on Ad*Reach, recognizing that advertising revenues are a priority for our members, and oversaw operational developments at the OCNA, including staff changes, a new website and two office moves. He volunteered to represent OCNA on the transitional National CNA/CCNA Board, and was recently elected as a Director of the Canadian News Media Association. During the BNC Awards Gala on Friday, April 7 Dave was thanked by the OCNA board of directors and staff with a commemorative gavel and caricature drawn by recognized BNC Award winner and Canadian cartoonist, Steve Nease. He was presented with the framed portrait by Ray Stanton, President of London Publishing, who will take on the role as OCNA’s President until 2019. Dave will continue to serve the association as Past President for the next couple of years.
37 Front Street E, Ste 200 Toronto, ON M5E 1B3 P. 416-923-7724 w. www.ocna.org e. info@ocna.org
OCNA BOARD PRESIDENT
Ray Stanton
VICE PRESIDENT
Rick Shaver
SECRETARY/ TREASURER
John Willems
PAST PRESIDENT
Dave Adsett
DIRECTORS
Craig Barnard Gordon Cameron Abbas Homayed Alicia McCutcheon Darren Murphy Margaret Zwart
OCNA STAFF
IN THIS ISSUE... 04
................WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THE PRINTED WORD?
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..................................................THE POWER OF REPETITION
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.......................................BODY ODOUR IN THE WORKPLACE
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..............................60 INCHES? NO VISUAL? NEVER AGAIN.
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................UPCOMING ONLINE MEDIA CAMPUS WEBINARS
May 2017
NEWSCLIPS VOLUME 06, ISSUE 05
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Caroline Medwell
CONTROLLER
Corey Blosser
MEMBER SERVICES
Kelly Gorven Karen Shardlow
ACCOUNTING
Lucia Shepherd
AD*REACH
Erica Leyzac Pam Portt Carolyn Press
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
Ad*Reach Update By Caroline Medwell, Executive Director
We know that Ad*Reach revenues are vitally important to our members. We work very hard every day to build strong business relationships with our customers, in order to truly understand their needs, and stay top-of-mind so that we can deliver the most valuable, powerful sales proposals, in a timely and effective manner. Our fiscal year starts December 1, and to date, Ad*Reach has brought in almost $1.1 million in revenues. This is 14% less revenue than we delivered this time last year, and all the shortfall came in the first three months of the year. While these results are not ideal for our members, we have outperformed both Postmedia and Torstar, whose YTD print advertising revenues are off 22.6% and 19%, respectively. The biggest single declines have come – as you all know – from the Automotive category: Chrysler, Ford and Kia spent $175K less than last year. GM is shifting its spending between plates and markets, but is averaging out about equal to last year. There have been wins (Provincial Government, Eastlink) but overall, the revenue losses have come in the form of slow erosion across a broad base of customers. Analysis shows, for example, that Ad*Reach orders are up slightly VYA (.6%) but the revenue per order is down by 14%, reflecting many business realities: smaller ad sizes, shorter market lists, fewer publications booked. So, what are we doing about this? Many things, including: •
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Sales calls: Our new National Account Manager, Pam Portt, has covered lots of ground since she joined us in November, including 150+ calls, 30+ meetings, 50+ proposals, 30+ presentations and numerous analyses and conversations Building our cross-platform offerings: National advertisers now often want more than just a print page, as they look to enhance their communications with aligned content, multi-platforms, events and other elements that help them extend their budgets and increase campaign effectiveness. We are working on creating print + digital packages, as well as custom content and/ or event opportunities Bundling: Chrysler is an example of an advertiser who claims that they need a lower CPM to reconsider consumer newspapers, so Ad*Reach worked with publishers to develop a CPM offering exclusively designed for Chrysler
We will continue to work hard to keep community newspapers top-ofmind within the agencies. It is important to constantly remind planners that community newspapers have a unique selling proposition versus dailies and are a strong secondary medium to traditional and digital campaigns. At the same time, we have to continue to service the auto category while trying to create new categories of advertisers that will benefit by supporting their brands in community newspapers. We hope to add a second sales person in the early fall who can assist in our new business development efforts and has a strong digital background. May 2017
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OCNA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT WATERDOWN FLAMBOROUGH REVIEW CELEBRATES 99TH BIRTHDAY Ninety-nine years ago the Waterdown Review (renamed the Flamborough Review in 1974 to reflect the implementation of regional government) was established with the following announcement: We have no apologies to make, no excuses to offer and no flowery introduction. We are here and intend to make this paper a benefit and credit to the town and vicinity. “While national newspapers falter in the age of the Internet,” said Nathan Tidridge, Past President, WaterdownEast Flamborough Heritage Society in a recent piece featured on the newspaper’s site, “local newspapers, like the Review remain fixed at the heart of their communities.” “The Flamborough Review continues to be our eyes and ears, and a benefit and credit to our community. In a world that is becoming increasingly tangible and remote, they are physically still here, literally on Main Street, recording the stories that make this place home.” To celebrate its 99th birthday and 150 years of Canadian Confederation, the Flamborough Review is using archived newspapers, census records and local directories to look back at both the publication and township’s evolution, and feature the uncovered information in a seven-week series. Visit www.flamboroughreview.com to follow along.
Want to contribute to NewsClips? If you have news you would like to share about your paper, please information to newsclips@ocna.org. Photos are always welcome!
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TECHNOLOGY
What To Believe About The State Of Newspapers What Is The Future Of The Printed Word? It Depends Who You Ask. By Kevin Slimp I don’t know about you, but my life seems to get busier with each passing day. I just finished publishing my second book in a month, began work on a major project to help raise funds for a press association, conducted more webinars than I can remember over the past few weeks, and summer convention season kicks in soon, even though summer is still a few weeks away. My e-mail is filled with messages each day from publishers and other newspaper colleagues who want advice about something going on at their papers. The questions come from the tiniest papers with just one or two folks, including the publisher, staff, or folks running large regional and national groups. If you think it sounds a little overwhelming, you’re right. I recently read a biography of George Washington and learned, not surprisingly, he often felt as if he was in over his head. I know the feeling, George. I’m sure many of us share the same emotion. Like a lot of people in our business, I sometimes want to throw my hands in the air and ask, “Am I really making any difference at all?” Then someone like Joey Young, comes along. You’ve probably heard of Joey, the ‘whiz kid’ from Kansas who keeps creating successful community newspapers in defiance of the choruses of “You can’t do that.” Joey has a habit of reminding me how well things are going out in Kansas Then there are the publishers, editors and ad managers lining up at conventions to tell me how well their papers are doing, while everyone seems to be telling them they should be dying. I remember hearing from the CEO of Adobe Software several years ago. He wrote to thank me for the work I had done to make Acrobat a viable product. He told me, “What you did may have saved our company.” I was looking for an email yesterday and was surprised to find a five year-old message from a business leader in New Orleans who was excited about a plan I had created, at his group’s request, to lure a new daily newspaper to the city after their long-standing daily newspaper moved to a digital-first format, abandoning their traditional daily model. I felt a rush of adrenaline as I read the words he wrote five years ago, “I love it!” Those of you who know me well know that one of my degrees is in theology, and I love keeping up with what various groups believe. I often say I have a little Quaker in me, even though I’m not Quaker, because I love the Quaker belief that a single individual, even when standing alone against great opposition, has a significant chance of being right. When I was being told no one would ever print a newspaper ad or page from a PDF file, by the very people I thought would be most excited about the possibility, those voices didn’t sway me. That’s one of the things the head of Adobe thanked me for all those years ago. May 2017
When I read, as we all do, that newspapers are dying, it doesn’t slow me down, because I know the truth. Two months ago, a friend told me he attended a civic club meeting and the guest speaker was the daily newspaper editor from his town. My friend told me he was shocked when the editor told the group that newspapers were near death and they would be better off to find alternative sources, primarily online news sites, to get their information. My friend was surprised that I wasn’t surprised. It’s enough to get a guy down, but not me. At least not for long. I just think about Roger Holmes and those papers in Western Canada and his work to move them back into local hands. And I think about Victor Parkins in Tennessee, who I just got off the phone with, and his papers. He told me they are doing really well, increasingly better each year. I think about some of the biggest names in the business who contact me to let me know they read my columns and agree with my thoughts that local management of newspapers is the only way to keep them successful. Last night, I was on the phone with legendary newspaper consultant Ed Henninger. We talk almost every day. The conversation moved toward
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TECHNOLOGY
the topic of newspapers, as it always does, and our concern for groups that continually press the “newspaper is dying” message. Then Ed told me about one of the national newspaper groups he works with as a consultant. He said, “You know what the difference is with them, and why I like working with their group?” Obviously I asked. “The difference is, they leave the management of their papers in the hands of the publishers and staffs, and they have good newspapers because they do.” I know I’m preaching to the choir, but sometimes the choir needs to be reminded they sound good. The printed word isn’t dying. You can find the books I publish in bookstores and all the usual online retailers. The printed versions outsell the digital versions by a long-shot. Most of the studies I find show a 4 percent drop in digital book sales over the past year. Why have some of our brethren fallen for the ‘print is dead’ line? Well, that’s another column for another day. My 800 words were used up 90 words ago.
Raymond Cooper, owner of the town’s only radio station, and his ongoing feud with Iris Long, publisher of the small weekly paper in town. In the U.S., the story draws between 1 and 2 million readers weekly at both weekly and daily newspapers in 22 states. While speaking at MCNA recently, numerous attendees asked if they could run the column in their papers. Kate Jackman-Atkinson, my friend at the Neepawa newspaper, volunteered to ‘Canadianize’ (yes, I made that up, but it’s probably a real word) the columns for me, so they would work well in newspapers in your area. ‘Color’ is now ‘Colour’. U.S. holidays are now corresponding Canadian holidays, etc. To learn more about the column, your members can visit www. lennoxvalley.com . To become part of the distribution group, your members should email ennoxvalley@newspaperacademy.com by June 30. There’s no cost. No tricks. My first Lennox Valley book came out last week and I love that the story has become so popular. I see no reason why my Canadian friends can’t enjoy the fun, if they so wish.
Free Syndicated Column Available to Canadian Newspapers Due to popular demand, I’ve decided to release a Canadian version of my popular weekly fictional column, “The Good Folks of Lennox Valley” at no cost to newspapers who are members of the weekly/community newspaper associations in Canada. The column is quite popular in the United States, having run in more than 200 newspapers weekly since its inception in 2015. The Good Folks of Lennox Valley revolves around a small town, population 1,300, and the characters who live there. The primary storyline revolves around
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.
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May 2017
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ADVERTISING
The Power Of Repetition. The Power Of Repetition. The Power Of... By John Foust Raleigh, NC
Catherine climbed the ranks from sales person to sales manager at her paper. “Although I’ve been in the business for a long time,” she told me, “there’s always a new way to look at advertising.” She mentioned a recent trip to a fast food restaurant. “I was between meetings in a nearby town and needed a quick lunch. So I dropped by McDonalds. It had been over a year since my last trip to a McDonalds, and I was trying to choose between two of their trademark products, a Big Mac and a Quarter Pounder. I was planning to ask the cashier about the ingredients in the Big Mac, then all of a sudden I remembered their famous television jingle from my childhood. ‘Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.’ I hadn’t thought about that in years, but it was in my memory bank. I did an online search later and was proud that had I remembered every ingredient in the proper order.” That McDonalds campaign ran for about a year and a half in the mid-Seventies. And 40 years later, Catherine still remembered. That’s the power of repetition. Would she have remembered the jingle if it had run only one time? Not a chance. Did you learn the multiplication tables by going through them one time? What about the alphabet? Can you hear a new song one time and sing along the next time you hear it on the radio? Catherine’s experience reinforced her belief in the importance of repetition in advertising. “I remember one advertiser – an apartment developer – who wanted to run a splashy grand opening ad. But he didn’t want to run anything at all after that. He figured the grand opening would create so much buzz in the market that he wouldn’t need to advertise any more for a long time. In the
short run, it would have been nice for my paper to have that fullpage, full colour ad, but we knew it would have been a waste of his budget. We worked hard to talk him into turning that full-page budget into a mini-campaign that stretched over several weeks. We felt if we could demonstrate the value of repeating his message – with measurable results – then we could talk about extending the campaign. Our strategy worked, and he became a consistent advertiser.” Catherine explained that her team tells advertisers about two key principles of advertising: reach and frequency. How many people will they reach? And how frequently will they reach them? Yes, a business can run one ad one time and reach all the readers in her paper’s distribution base. But without frequency, there’s little chance for success. “Most of the time, it’s a simple concept for advertisers to understand,” she said. “Once they realize that repetition is a solid strategy, they are willing to hear how to make it work. Everybody wins. They get better results and we increase our ad count.”
(c) Copyright 2017 by John Foust. All rights reserved. John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. E-mail for information: john@johnfoust.com
Affordable media insurance for Canadian Community Newspapers Service includes: Libel, Invasion of Privacy, Plagiarism, Piracy, Infringement of Copyright, Pre-Publication Hotline Contact us for a quote: 416-923-7724 ext. 4423
May 2017
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HUMAN RESOURCES
Body Odour In The Workplace A TwoGreySuits Article By Ron Guest, Senior Partner
What to Say When it’s time to talk to the employee about their odour issue, be direct yet tactful. Explain that they may not have realized but you have noticed their body odour. Do not list the names of people who have complained about it because that will likely embarrass the person. Assure them that you understand that it may be the result of a medical issue. However, be firm about the fact that it’s important to the company that they attend to the source of the odour. Close the meeting by asking them if you can do anything to make it easier for them to rectify the situation.
Body odour can be a very serious matter in the workplace. We have had several calls to our TwoGreySuits HR Hotline in past years asking for help in how to deal with offensive body odour in the workplace. I have experienced this first hand (not as the offender!) and believe me when I say it is no laughing matter, in fact it can make employees outright furious. Perhaps the worst thing managers can do (which many do) is to make a joke about it, in an attempt to try and lighten things up to be able to have a conversation about it. On a somewhat related matter, I was recently on vacation in Melbourne, Australia and upon checking into a hotel room we called maintenance to come and fix something and the person who came had such offensive body odour, we could not stay in our room afterwards, so we opened all the windows and left for the day, stopping by to speak with the hotel manager about it, who apologized and reassured me the matter would be taken very seriously, including offering us a new room. Body odour situations can get serious real fast, with employees refusing to work or go to meetings or converse with the offender. Essentially, people’s livelihoods become involved. Employees with body odour, those who regularly doesn’t wash their hands after using the restroom, and workers who don’t wear deodorant or who don’t properly launder their clothes present scenarios that can trigger significant morale and productivity issues. Employee odour issues generally come to management’s attention because someone complains that their colleague smells. The person emitting or causing the odour often isn’t aware of the problem, but research suggests that most want to know about it.
After the Talk Always follow up with the situation the very next workday and a week or two later. Determine whether the body odour situation has been solved. If it’s a medical issue, consider that the employee can only do so much to fix it. Consider moving their work area or transferring them to another position if they must deal with employees. Research suggests that employees with body odour issues are often repeat offenders, so it is important to closely monitor the situation going forward. If the problem persists, as a manager you may need to venture into such questions as to frequency of deodorant application, bathing and cleaning of clothing. If the problem gets resolved, it is appropriate to offer the person positive feedback and appreciation for addressing the situation. If the problem persists you may get into disciplinary action or if proven to be medically related you should seek legal counsel on your duty to accommodate in such circumstances or the possibility of human rights claims or claims based on possible discrimination claims of some sort.
What Is a Polite Way to Talk With an Employee About Body Odour? Let’s face it – nobody likes to be told that they smell. It is your responsibility as a manager to have the uncomfortable conversations with employees about delicate matters, such as offensive body odour. The key is to politely alert the employee about the problem and initiate a solution while minimizing the embarrassment to the employee. To avoid possible further employee conflicts with other employees, ‘good’ managers should own the responsibility of telling the person that they notice an odour vs. naming employees who might be raising the concern.
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 wellorganized 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.
Before the Talk Gather as much information about the problem as possible. Familiarize yourself with the circumstances surrounding any complaints made and the employee’s file for clues about the cause of the odour. Schedule a closed-door meeting or sit down with the employee in question in a private space to avoid embarrassing them. Depending on your company’s human resource policies, you may also need a member of the HR department to sit in on the meeting. May 2017
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DESIGN
60 Inches? No Visual? Never Again. By Ed Henninger Henninger Consulting
Poll after study after survey tells us readers will not read a story that’s more than 15-20 inches long. They just won’t. So, what do you think they’ll do with a story that’s 60 inches long? With no visual. That’s right…no visual. No photo. no chart. No map. No pullout. Nothing to draw attention to the story or to break up that 60 inches. Just a dull, gray sea of type. There was no need to rush the story into print. It’s just a backgrounder on the city’s plans to build a new office complex. So, if this happened at a small daily where I was, say, the owner and editor, what would I do about it? Let’s say I’ve been out of town at a press association convention for the past few days. And when I stop by the office on my way home, I go through the latest issue of my paper and I see that 60-inch story…with no visual. It would be a major understatement to say I would be unhappy. I’d be furious! During the past few years, I’ve trained my staff that visuals are critical to good reporting. I have a managing editor, a news editor/designer, a sports editor and his assistant, two features writers and two reporters. And all eight of them have been taught the value of good visual elements. I’ve even made sure the importance of visuals is a key part of our design style guide. There are six pages in that 30-page style guide that talk about the value of visuals and how to use them! But there I am. In my office. Fuming. And now, I have to consider what I’m going to say to the staffers involved in letting that 60-inch story get into my newspaper with no visual. When it comes to moments like this, I try to get through the burn and then find a way to solve the problem. But I do want my staff to know that this is inexcusable. Here’s what I’d do: I would say not-very-nice things (and maybe throw out a planned epithet or two) to the writers and editors who let this happen. I would say those things loudly and forcefully, in the newsroom so everyone else can hear me. I would do this with a purpose and I would probably rehearse what I’m going to say before assembling my staff. I would make it clear that this is NOT the way we are EVER to do things. And then I would have them write a very strongly worded memo setting up steps to guarantee that this never happens again. I would edit that memo as needed and have them rewrite it and then make sure it goes on the bulletin board and in emails or system memos to everyone in the newsroom. I would have everyone on my staff initial a printed copy of the memo as proof that they have read it. And I would keep that initialed copy in my files. May 2017
I would also make sure that a copy of that memo goes into the personnel file of every editor and reporter involved. This is one of those pivotal, important moments in the history of how we do things in a newsroom. A 60-inch story with no art is unacceptable, and the fact that some in the newsroom let it happen is inexcusable. Is this just too much? Am I indulging in overkill? Perhaps. But I’ll bet it will be a long, long time before I see a story that long without a visual again. ED HENNINGER is an independent newspaper consultant and the Director of Henninger Consulting, offering comprehensive newspaper design services at: www.henningerconsulting.com. 8
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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. ▄▄
Wednesday, June 7 - Building A Strong Service Directory To Increase Revenue
Every newspaper can grow consistent core revenue by having a strong Service Directory. The smaller the paper, the bigger the Directory should be! Sign on to this webinar to learn how to double and triple this important revenue base. Meet the Presenter: Janet DeGeorge spent 13 years at the Mercury News– much of it as a manager in the paper’s state-of-the-art classified advertising department. She then relocated to southern California as recruitment advertising manager before moving to Arizona where she was the classified advertising director of the Scottsdale and Mesa Tribune for seven years. DeGeorge is a former vice president of the Western Classified Advertising Association, a key speaker at regional and national advertising conferences and has produced numerous articles and webinars regarding classified advertising. DeGeorge has been the president of Classified Executive Training & Consulting since 2001. She specializes in classified sales training for sales reps and new managers, outbound sales training, the redesigns of print and online products, and rate packages to uncover new revenue sources.
CLASSIFIED AD
▄▄
Thursday, June 15 - How To Start And Market A Podcast
Podcasts continue to grow, and they’re a great way to brand your staff members. But how do you start one up? What equipment do you need? What ideas seem to work best? And how do you market them? Kathy Hanks and Amy Bickel of the Hutchinson (Kansas) News talk about their podcast, Agland, which won an EPPY Award (Editor and Publisher) as one of the industry’s best podcasts. Meet the Presenters: Kathy Hanks has been a multimedia journalist at Kansas’ Hutchinson News for the past 13 years, and a freelance writer for Sunflower Publication since 2010. She interviews people everywhere she goes — from the pilot to Timbuktu or the person taking her order at Taco Bell. She says everyone has a story to tell, and she wants to hear yours. She is the co-host of the Editor and Publisher Award winning, podcast for Best Webcast with fewer than 1 million monthly visitors, Agland. Amy Bickel has been covering Kansas agriculture for over 15 years. She has been the Agricultural Editor and Journalist at the Hutchinson News since 2002. She has also been a freelance writer for the past 7 years. Recently, she’s been chronicling Kansas’ dead towns. She has a passion for telling stories centered on Kansas agriculture, rural life, and history. She is the co-host of the Editor and Publisher Award winning, podcast for Best Webcast with fewer than 1 million monthly visitors, Agland.
For more information and to register, visit: www.onlinemediacampus.com.
May 2017
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WWW.OCNA.ORG
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