newsclips
September 2011
More bang for your buck OCNA’S PAST PRESIDENT RECEIVES From the parry sound north star PAUL HARRIS FELLOWSHIP AWARD Getting more for your money is always important for consumers. Now Metroland is offering its customers a chance to have their classified ad dollars stretch even further… right across the country, in fact. The company announced this week that it has reached an agreement with Transcontinental Media to partner in the digital general classifieds space. As of last Thursday, September 15, Metroland’s YourClassifieds.ca has a french sister site, located at VosClassees.ca, and will begin collecting content from communities across Quebec, Atlantic Canada and Saskatchewan. “Basically, it means people will be able to search classified ads right across Canada from our community sites, including Quebec,” said Joe Anderson, vicepresident and regional publisher for Metroland North Media. “We are further excited to be working with Transcontinental on this initiative. They have proven to be very thoughtful and amenable partners thus far, and our respective product teams are working well together.”
Photo by Marg Seregelyi, Sudbury Northern Life
Sudbury Northern Life publisher and OCNA Past President Abbas Homayed received the Paul Harris Fellowship Award during the Rotary Club of Sudbury Sunrisers' 20th anniversary celebration at the Holiday Inn on Sept. 22. The award recognizes community-minded people who give service above self.
Metroland is Ontario’s largest community newspaper publisher, providing local news and advertising media/info in Canada’s heartland. The company currently publishes 105 community According to Janice Heidman, regional classified manager for Metroland North Media’s Cottage Country newspapers with a total of 145 editions that are concentrated in southern Ontario and located around Toronto. Group, the partnership means a win-win situation for everyone involved. The combined distribution of the community newspapers published by Metroland is approximately 4.75 million copies per “All of the ad postings on yourclassifieds.ca are free, week. which helps our customers,” she said. “Through local access you can also book your classified ad into our sister and partner publications across Ontario, Quebec, Transcontinental Media is the largest printer in Canada and the fourth-largest in North America. As the leading publisher of Atlantic Canada and Saskatchewan. The partnership consumer magazines and French-language educational resources, also gives excellent opportunities for local businesses and of community newspapers in Quebec and the Atlantic to access a broad market through on-site advertising, such as banners and big box ads on the yourclassified. provinces, it is also one of Canada’s top media groups. ca site.”
What’s Inside:
OCNA’s Disaster Checklist
Are you prepared for a disaster to strike? See Page 10
Developing high- performance organizations What does a high-performance organization look like and how do you develop one? See page 12
Advertising Alerts:
Ontario Provincial Election Advertising/Editorial Guidelines See Page 22
monthly publication of the Ontario1Community Newspapers Association September 2011 www.ocna.org
Association News Newsclips Volume 01, Issue 3
Impressed with quality By Anne Lannan, OCNA
What are community newspapers known for these days from the perspective of advertisers – local and national? The answer to that has quickly become our quality design and colour reproduction. Ontario’s community newspapers are leading the way and impressing advertisers so much so that the inclusion of colour in advertising is now the norm, with few exceptions. Unfortunately there is a but to follow. But, the cost of colour can sometimes be higher than the cost of the ad they are purchasing, and this is becoming a deterrent for serious advertisers, especially at the national level. The majority of quotes provided by Ad*Reach for campaigns in our member newspapers contain a colour component. Publishers are now grappling with how to better control the costs in order to offer competitive rates in the new environment we are in.
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 Ron Dunn Rick Shaver John Willems
Feedback
OCNA would like to thank those who took the time to complete the annual Member Survey. Your feedback provides the board and staff with constructive information about where we are at in regards to the programs and services offered to you. Your responses for your general impression, relevance and satisfaction of OCNA are all quite positive and this motivates us to continue to work on your behalf. It is your insights into the issues and priorities needed for our industry to stay competitive that have proven beneficial for planning next year. Congratulations to respondent Debbie Robinson of the Whitewater Cobden Sun whose name was drawn for a complimentary registration for the joint OCNA/Newspapers Canada Spring Convention in Toronto next April.
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.
In this issue... 03
................................................association/member news
07
..................................................................selling integrity
08
...............................................ocna’s supplier showcase
10
...............................................ocna’s disaster checklist
12
...............developing high-performance organizations
14
.......................................................business negotiations
16
............................................................................technology
18
................................................speed makes a difference
22
......................provincial election advertising guidelines
September 2011
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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 Courtney Watson
Your ad could appear in the next edition of NewsClips! E-mail us for more info: newsclips@ocna.org www.ocna.org
Better Newspaper Competition OCNA is currently preparing for its most popular member program – the Better Newspapers Competition. In 2010, over 1600 entries were received for the 49 Premier and 8 General Excellence categories. Entries were judged by newspaper professionals from across Canada. The 2011 BNC Awards begin on October 1st with the call for entries. Entries must be received no later than October 31st. Entries can be from any member newspaper published between November 2, 2010 and September 30th, 2011. OCNA will again be using the online entry system for most entries. General Excellence, Special Section and Vertical Product tearsheet entries will continue to be sent to the OCNA office for judging. The top three winners of each category will be announced on our website in alphabetical order on February 14th. Final results will be announced at the Awards Gala to be held on Friday April 27th, 2012 at the Royal York Hotel, Toronto. Watch the OCNA website and your inbox for all 2011 entry rules & criteria. Important BNC dates to remember: ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄
Call for Entries period:
October 1st to October 31st, 2011
Date of Entries:
November 2nd, 2010 to September 30th, 2011
Results announced:
February 14th, 2012
Awards Gala:
Friday, April 27th, 2012
National Newspaper Week
Association News
Member News another purchase for london publishing London Publishing has purchased the Kincardine Independent, effective August 31. In Ontario London Publishing now owns: ▄▄ King Township Sentinel ▄▄ Beeton New Tecumseth Times ▄▄ Innisfil Scope ▄▄ New Liskeard Temiskaming Speaker ▄▄ New Liskeard Temiskaming Speaker Weekender ▄▄ Kincardine Independent ▄▄ The Auroran In Ontario - Part ownership of: ▄▄ Caledon Citizen ▄▄ Shelburne Free Press ▄▄ Orangeville Citizen ▄▄ Essex Free Press London Publishing also owns: ▄▄ Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph
Newspapers - Your Number One Source for Local News October 2-8, 2011
Congratulations Rod Jerred!
Newspapers are alive and well. They continue to represent the most trusted source of news in North America, which is why National Newspaper Week’s theme this year is Newspapers - Your Number Once Source for Local News. It’s time to reinforce this message with readers and advertisers. Artwork for this campaign is available for download at www. nationalnewspaperweek.com
Dates & Events Quark App Studio Bootcamp - Get Your APP in Gear
Register for this live event and learn how to create your own iPad App with App Studio and QuarkXPress 9. Thursday October 20, 2011 from 8:30 am - 6:00 pm at The Oxford Hotel in Denver CO. To register visit www.publish.quark.com/content/AppStudioBootCamp Please contact Amanda Thall at athall@quark.com or call 303-894-3418 with any questions.
Graphics canada printing exhibition
November 10-12 at the International Centre in Toronto. This year’s Graphics Canada Show celebrates the power of innovation and print.
Long-time managing editor of The Oakville Beaver, Rod Jerred is leaving the community newspaper and taking on the challenge as group editor of Hamilton Community News. With three decades of experience, Jerred played a significant role in the success of the paper. The Oakville Beaver was named Best Community Newspaper in Ontario by OCNA four years in a row. Last year it was named top weekly in North America. It’s the end of a chapter at the Oakville Beaver, but a new beginning for Jerred as he moves closer to home and puts his skills to work, overseeing community newspapers in Stoney Creek, Dundas, Hamilton Mountain and Ancaster.
EMC on the Tonight Show
On September 19, EMC was featured on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Visit http:// www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/ headlines-part-2-91911/1356508/#.TnjNydX_BGI..facebook to see the clip.
Register online at www.graphicscanada.com September 2011
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Association News
Call for 2011 Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Award Nominations Across Ontario young individuals are taking control and working hard to make a difference within their communities and around the world. The youth of today are our leaders of tomorrow. There’s one in every crowd and they deserve to be recognized for their contributions. Have a look within your community and see who stands out among the rest. The Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA) is currently accepting nominations for the 2011 Ontario Junior Citizens of the Year Awards. Help us by nominating a special individual who invests their spare time into community service, has the courage and drive to overcome the challenges of living with a disability or illness and still dedicates time to help someone else. Most of all these individuals go above and beyond what is expected of someone their age. They take initiative to look passed their own needs and inspire those around them to give rather than take. Nominate someone between the ages of six and 17 today. After all, these individuals are our leaders of tomorrow. They deserve some recognition and encouragement to continue making a difference. Nominations will be accepted until Wednesday, November 30, 2011. Up to 12 nominees will be selected as the final recipients for the 2011 Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Award and will be recognized at a special ceremony in Spring 2012. Nomination forms and further information is available at www.ocna.org/junior_citizen, or by calling the OCNA office at 905-639-8720 ext. 239.
Contact your local newspaper or the Ontario Ontario Community Newspapers Association at www.ocna.org or 905.639.8720 ext. 239
Member News Publisher rides for Big Brothers/Big Sisters
Congratulations to South Grey/Bruce Post Publisher Marie David as she went the extra kilometre to support and raise money for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Hanover and District. Marie participated in the Bike for Kids the weekend of September 17 and completed 56kms in just two hours and thirty-six minutes, raising $735. She and fellow cyclist Sylvia Harvey ($295) were the first ones to arrive at their destination. An avid cyclist, she trained by completing a 604km ride over the summer.
School updates Staff Changes
Joe Banks has taken a one-year professional development leave from his teaching duties at Algonquin College to run a community-funded journalism project and to study how working reporters are using technology. The former Eastern Ontario community newspaper publisher, who was an OCNA board member in the mid1990s, wants to hear from Ontario editors and publishers who are willing to be interviewed about what new technologies and applications they’ve adopted. Results will help upgrade course material to be taught to student journalists. Banks left community newspaper publishing in 2000 to become a journalism professor at Algonquin College in Ottawa. His longtime colleague Julie McCann will oversee the program in his absence.
Ryerson on Twitter!
Ryerson School of Journalism is on Twitter! Follow their account @RyersonJourn to see what they’re up to.
September 2011
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education
Media Law in the Digital Age Conference, Oct. 22, 2011 WikiLeaks aftermaths, privacy laws, copyright laws and even GPS legal complications are having a profound effect on how journalists work. The Center for Sustainable Journalism is hosting a conference on Saturday, October 22 at the Kennesaw State University outside of Atlanta. Media Law in the Digital Age will confront these issues head-on. Register using the link below and use this special code for a 15% discount: MLDA11 http://sustainablejournalism.org/mlda11/ Co-produced by the Citizen Media Law Project at Harvard University’s Berkman Center and the Center for Sustainable Journalism at Kennesaw State University. Produced especially for lawyers, journalists, publishers, librarians, bloggers, web designers, app developers and citizen media activists and practitioners.
Topics to be covered: ▄▄ WikiLeaks aftermath on freedom of information ▄▄ Is Recording in Public a Crime? Mobile Devices and Newsgathering ▄▄ Social Media and the Law: Where Your Personal Life Meets Journalism ▄▄ Generating Revenue Legally via Advertising, Branding, and Buzz ▄▄ Apps and Wireless: Your Unfolding Legal Rights and Liabilities ▄▄ Building, Managing Online Community without Getting Sued ▄▄ Copyright: Using the Work of Others and Licensing Your Own Work
A sampling of speakers: ▄▄ David McCraw, vice president and assistant general counsel of The New York Times ▄▄ Jeff Hermes, director of the Citizen Media Law Project at Harvard University’s Berkman Center ▄▄ Lesli Gaither, libel and invasion of privacy attorney, Dow Lohnes ▄▄ Victor Hernandez, director of domestic newsgathering, CNN ▄▄ Carlos Miller, publisher of Photography is Not a Crime ▄▄ Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom
of the Press
▄▄ Clay Calvert, director, Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project, University of Florida ▄▄ See full speaker line up here: http://sustainablejournalism.org/mlda11/ speakers-2
See the entire agenda here: http://sustainablejournalism.org/mlda11/
Training OCNA’s Fall Webinar Schedule Are you interested in improving your business? Join us for our OCNA Webinar Series. To register visit www.ocna.org. ▄▄ October 20th - Christmas Sales & Promotions (to be confirmed)
Join our panel of newspaper professionals for ideas to promote Christmas sales and creative designs in order to assist with additional sales at this time of year! ▄▄
October 27th - Bad News/Good Judgement Identifying suicide victims and reporting names of suspended high school athletes are among the many challenging news decisions facing community newspapers. Jim Pumarlo, Author of ‘Bad News and Good Judgment: A Guide to Reporting on Sensitive Issues in a Small-Town Newspaper’, will discuss how to handle these stories ethically and professionally . ▄▄ November 10th – Selling Multimedia
Learn how to provide local advertisers with more results by combining print and online in your selling strategy with Katherine Haine, President and CEO of City Media. Receive details on how to sell it, what the competition is like and how effective it can be for advertisers. ▄▄ December 1st - Dot Your I’s and Cross
your T’s: OCNA Grammar Webinar
Recognizing common grammar and spelling errors and how to avoid them. Proofreading techniques that will help you eradicate those insidious spelling and grammar mistakes that plague us all. If there is a particular topic you’re interested in, or if you think you have something to offer OCNA members by way of hosting, let us know. Contact Karen Shardlow (k.shardlow@ ocna.org, 905-639-8720 ext. 232) with your suggestions and we will take them into account as we continue to put together the schedule.
For more information on Media Law in the Digital Age Conference, contact Carole Arnold at 770.423.6924 or carnol27@kennesaw.edu. September 2011
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www.ocna.org
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 1-800387-7982 ext 230.
September 2011
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www.ocna.org
ADvertising
Selling Integrity
By Doug Sexton AD*REACH
The AdReach National Accounts Team faces many challenges through the advertising selling cycle.
their required demographic target.
Hypothesis:
If a planning tool and assistance from our coordinators is used I will be able to get a list of papers to fit that demographic and provide a quotation backed by solid reasoning and present it to the agency/advertiser.
Analogy: Building a house requires ….professional planning….good ground work….a worthy skill set….effective tools…. solid materials and the experience that constructs a place that someone will call their home. The pathway to completing a house even with all these great ingredients is not always smooth. However, it is how these challenges are overcome that produce pleasing outcomes.
Materials:
Market Analyzer, AdReach On line Interactive Media Kit, AdVantage software system (internal rate card system) Geotargeted maps…Google Earth Distribution footprint Maps.
Procedure:
Input a Market Analyzer run to develop list of papers that match demographic. Provide coordinators with the parameters of the plan …ad size, colour, etc. Compile a presentation that includes footprint maps with target (retail outlet) on it. Quote will include LINE RATE, circulation, material deadlines, where to send the material. In some cases we would reach out to papers directly to discuss rates, special positioning etc.
One must-have element is integrity. AdReach faces the same challenges when setting out to build a smooth national advertising flight for our clients. Integrity is the central pillar in the foundation of why advertising agencies/advertisers use our service. (Aside from the convenience) AdReach has provided buying/ planning services to hundreds of advertisers and tens of millions in advertising quotes….each one based on our integrity as professional experienced media people.
Results:
Follow up for outcome and/or provide additional information to support your proposal. Once approved coordinators will send insertion order to purchased papers.
Conclusion:
Illustrated below are the elements of the AdReach selling cycle …all requiring Integrity:
This procedure worked to provide revenue to 300+ community newspapers. One of the most important elements of this procedure is the rate structure. In order for AdReach to supply integrity in every quote we require the best national advertising line rate that each paper can deliver. We promise our agencies/ advertisers that we provide the same national rate that the paper would give should they go direct. If we do not deliver equality then we don’t deliver integrity. So I urge all our member papers this fall when you are asked to fill in your national rates to AdReach. Do so with equality and integrity in mind. For without it we are just building a house, not a home.
Purpose:
Doug Sexton is a National Account Manager with AdReach. He was a Media Studies / Liberal Arts Professor at Conestoga College and a longtime advertising entrepreneur.
To provide to agency/advertiser a list, advertising quotation of community newspapers and support material that reach September 2011
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supplier showcase
ocna’s supplier showcase Each month, OCNA will be dedicating a section in NewsClips to supplier showcasing. OCNA acts as a gateway to over 300 community newspapers in all areas of the province. Dedicated to helping community newspapers prosper, finding answers to their questions and providing them with the best services and products there are to offer. That’s where suppliers come in. Promote your information to community newspapers here. Send your updates to k.gorven@ocna.org.
News-Net Publishing Solutions announces new products Adworks, MyTearsheet, MyAdflow, MyInvoices
envelopes, newspaper inventory and labour to deal with. The high cost of having employees manually filter through issues, assigning to clients and then mailing is untimely and costly.
In a period where publishers are quickly realizing that we are in the middle industry changes both in readership and production, News-Net launches counter-measure products to substantially cut the physical and manual costs of traditional invoicing and tearsheets. The savings are substantial!
Advertisers can now see their ads the same day they are published. In fact advertisers can go directly to an online repository to retrieve digital proofs cutting even further publisher intervention resulting in yet more savings. Providing proof-of-publication to your advertisers has never been faster and more efficient. A webinar tour is available to show in real-time how these new products will change traditional business economics by doing more, doing it better and by spending less.
AdWorks new products eliminate the cumbersome process of preparing, sending and storing tearsheets and invoices. The process is now done in seconds with no hard costs, stamps,
Available in SAAS (software as a service) monthly plan.
FotoWare releases a new version of Digital Media Management Instant access to your digital assets!
As a follow up on last year’s integration with Microsoft Office the new integration with Adobe Creative Suite completes the integrated workflow functionalities that have been warmly welcomed by media professionals, graphical designers as well as sales and information departments.
Increased productivity with FotoWare’s Extension for Creative Suite. In today’s Service Release 4 of version 7.0 FotoWare announces great time saving functionality that will increase productivity among media professionals. With the new integration with Adobe Creative Suite graphical designers can search for and retrieve pictures and graphics from within the well-known Adobe user interface. The Extension for InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator provides all registered users with instant access to internal and external archives in the web based FotoWare solution, FotoWeb. The retrieved picture or graphic can then seamlessly be placed into the InDesign document or edited on Photoshop or Illustrator.
New iPhone App
With clients like Manchester United, Boeing, 700 European newspapers, and the largest media houses in Brazil and Thailand, Norwegian FotoWare is the world leader in Digital Asset Management.
New iPhone App for instant access to your FotoWare archives In today’s release FotoWare also launches a new iPhone App which allows media professionals to access their archives from anywhere with their iPhone. They can search and browse archives, and professionals out in the field can add metadata to new pictures, and upload to the FotoWare server. Users can get alerts on their iPhone when new pictures from any source arrive, - thus articles can be updated up to the very last minute before deadline. “This is our idea about instant access”, Mr, Frenning concludes. Visit www.fotoware.com or www.candam.com for more information
“For graphical designers searching and placing of visual elements into InDesign has never been as quick and easy as this. Our Extension for Creative Suite will radically simplify the task of adding visual elements to InDesign documents”, says CEO and owner Mr. Ole Christian Frenning.
September 2011
Or contact: Philippe Menu VP, Business Development, CanDAM Phone: +1 (877) 544-5203 or (514) 544-5201 Email: phm@candam.com
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Øystein Syversen Director Marketing & Sal Phone: +47 41 53 97 81 Email: oys@fotoware.com
www.ocna.org
supplier showcase McLaren Press Graphics Ltd. announces their new division - MEDIA SOLUTIONS GROUP Features
What’s the big idea?
No upfront investment. Guarantee that all ads and offers will be discovered by popular search engines. Low price, high value offer. Easy to bundle with current advertising products. Dramatically extends ad reach. Generates immediate revenue.
Generate incremental ad revenue through existing advertising clients while extending online reach and traffic for your publication.
Who is it for?
Any-sized publisher of a recurring newspaper or magazine.
How does it work?
We also offer a web to mobile platform.
Simple. 1 - Upload your press ready ad files. 2 - We optimize the ad for online delivery, so each ad or product is searchable online. 3 We publish to a managed marketplace section within your website.
Email julie@mclarenpress.com to learn more.
Metro’s Ad Development Services Will Save Time and Boost Revenue While Reducing Overhead and Expenses Metro Creative Graphics, Inc. is today’s advertising, creative and editorial resource specifically designed to help media companies make money with their print, Web and mobile products. Through Metro’s Ad Development Services (ADS), sales and production departments can benefit from a comprehensive suite of services that can be used separately or collectively to reduce ad department costs and create new revenue opportunities. By providing timely and relevant content (ready-to-use images, spec ads, stockquality photos, logos/trademarks, auto manufacturer photos, ideas, marketing/ sales materials, and copyright-free editorial features) and integrating it with themed microsites and groundbreaking online ad development tools -- plus custom image, ad design and editorial services -- Metro is able to offer publications unmatched flexibility in fulfilling their staff’s creative needs, resulting in the most cost-effective and cost-efficient way to get the job done. Designed to be the ultimate time-saver and support resource, Metro’s Ad Development Services consists of: Metro’s Family of Creative Services (advertising, creative, editorial and ideas resource): September 2011
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Metro Newspaper Service Classified Dynamics Sales Spectaculars Metro Editorial Services Automotive Photo Library Logos & Trademarks Library
▄▄
Plus Business
▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄
These services offer an unmatched selection of timely and relevant creative content to act as the backbone of ads and projects for print, Web and mobile. Online access through www. metrocreativeconnection.com is available 24/7/365. Metro interactive Ad Designer (MiAD) (online ad design tool): Enables you to increase sales and save time building ads using our intuitive, content-driven online application for making spec ads and producing complicated multi-item ads. All you need is a Web browser and Internet connection. ADS On Demand (on-call ad creation for print and Web): Creates bottom-line savings as you outsource design and production, as needed, with no long-term contracts and no ad-quantity commitments.
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Timely Features MicroSites (special section microsites): Provides you with a schedule of 36 readyto-sell, easy-to-deploy customizable online sections. Included is a free photo gallery option, which allows you to create and include photo slide shows. Templated Special Sections (fullytemplated print sections that coordinate with online sections): A print complement to our online special section microsites, these 24-page print sections come complete with cover designs and pre-designed pages filled with timely, informative editorial content surrounded by ready-to-sell ad positions in full-, half- and quarter-page increments. In combination with our ready-topost microsites, you have a turnkey complementary package to attract print and online readers and advertisers. See how Metro’s creative content and professional, high-quality design and production tools can help you save time and increase profits. Call 800-223-1600 or email service@metro-email.com to set up a free trial of any service included in Metro’s Ad Development Services (ADS). www.ocna.org
OcnA’s Disaster Checklist for Community Newspapers In light of the torando that ripped through Goderich last month, OCNA would like to remind you the importance of being prepared for a disaster. The newspaper has a unique and important responsibility to the community in times of disaster and must plan to operate in a crisis. Developing a checklist of items leads to the development of a disaster plan, which will provide the publisher and staff confidence that they are prepared to fulfill their obligation to their community, neighbours, family and friends. In times of crisis you are needed more than ever!
PREPLANNING
Preplanning is the most important step in knowing what to do in case of a disaster. Setting a calendar date each year to update the plan, review the list, make a new inventory tape, talk to employees, have a disaster training exercise, and other related matters is the easiest way to ensure this important item doesn’t slip through the cracks in the hectic schedule of a weekly newspaper. Use the following checklist to see if you’re prepared. (This Disaster Checklist is available online at www.ocna.org)
September 2011
Photos courtesy of Goderich Signal Star Online
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This is just a small portion of the checklist, the full document has 11 sections in total. To download the entire Disaster Checklist visit www.ocna.org . September 2011
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Human Resources
Developing High-Performance Organizations 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 service to our members.
Ron Guest, Management/HR Consultant
The Culture of Engagement Every business owner or manager aspires to lead an organization that produces consistent and sustainable high performance. It is people who deliver performance, but just telling or worse, just hoping your employees will perform, will not yield the results that are achievable. Creating a highperformance organization is a deliberate and purposeful act of leadership. Only by instilling a certain set of conditions and behaviors can your employees’ potential be unleashed. What would a High-Performance organization look like and how do you develop this?
In this environment, speaking up is the norm, employees are confident and not at all concerned about thinking and saying things that may be contentious because it is potentially in the interest of the organization. This is management of the brave and confident and requires a different approach than traditional management. In this scenario, managers cannot be controlling. Managers need to understand their role to be one of directing, coaching, supporting, and inspiring the development of their employees. The single most important role of a manager in this environment is to develop employees to become more competent. Managers and employees are working together to achieve shared goals, objectives and outcomes. There is a certain synergy that propels everyone to higher levels of performance and achievement. There is excitement, creativity, measured risk-taking, out of the box thinking, and collaborative harmony. Everyone feels responsible for the organization’s success. What does it take to create this kind of culture?
The High-Performance Organization It is important to understand the behaviours of employees in a high-performance organization. Not only are these employees fully competent in performing their jobs, they also are comfortable with team collaboration in creating innovative solutions. They are committed to the organization’s strategic priorities and understand fully how their performance contributes to its success. They are energized and highly motivated. They know the organizational goal, they know their role in achieving the goal and they consistently deliver on commitments.
Conversations/Dialogue Having ongoing, healthy conversations with employees is the foundation for developing a Culture of Engagement. Employees need to comprehend the context in which the organization operates and what contributes to its success. It is only by having them participate in formulating their own goals and objectives, linked to the organization’s strategy, that they will become truly committed to their jobs and to the organization’s goals.
In High-Performance organizations, employees continually strive to assist one another. They are eager to initiate and participate as a team member responsible for analyzing and solving problems, and in successfully implementing agreed solutions. Innovation and challenging the status quo is encouraged and rewarded. This type thinking is integrated into their jobs everyday.
In this description, conversations mean something very different from telling. Unlike a one-off statement, a conversation is a continuing discussion that creatively explores a wide range of ideas and options. It requires a respectful, safe environment for active listening, measured consideration, mutual learning, and a willingness to be adaptable and not jump to conclusions. It is the role of the organization’s Leader to model this approach and to exemplify this type of behavior consistently. A conversational dialogue with employees does not always mean there has to be a conclusion to a conversation or idea; rather, ideas are explored in a way which encourages employees to keep communications open, ongoing and free flowing.
The employees have been trained and coached extensively in the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to make these kinds of contributions. They come to work expecting and seeking opportunities for engagement, creativity, personal fulfillment and recognition. An organization that has employees who think and behave in this way enjoys a rich Culture of Engagement. Managers are not struggling with the belief that they alone are responsible for possessing all the right answers. Instead, managers are consistently unleashing the incredible potential of their employees. By encouraging and sharing discretionary power, managers have created the environment and conditions for September 2011
employees to participate more fully in the organization’s decision making and ultimately their success. Employees respond to this with enthusiasm, commitment and quality efforts. Talent at all levels is nurtured, valued, and recognized.
Alignment Translating the organization’s strategic priorities into business 12
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Human resources Delegation and Accountability For employees in a high-performance organization, being accountable by delivering on commitments is a fundamental principle. These employees are committed to their performance. They want to make significant contributions and they believe that it is essential that they receive feedback and be subject to evaluation. They know that these are the vital components of their personal growth strategy. Highly achievement oriented employees will actively seek out performance feedback on their own.
operations is a process of development and alignment. This is how competitive opportunities are converted into products or services. Again, actively engaging employees in shaping what this means and how it will be implemented will yield better solutions and will result in embedded ownership at all levels. Employee involvement is closely related to commitment vs. compliance where employees are not as involved. There is a big difference. Committed employees do things because they were involved from the beginning and bought in early on in deciding what has to be done. Compliant employees do just what they are told because they realize that their involvement at a higher level is not valued by the organization.
Because the employees have been properly and thoroughly trained and, therefore, are competent and motivated to perform their jobs, managers are eager to delegate to them. As standard operating procedure, managers assign responsibility and authority to the employees, thereby broadening the scope and richness of work throughout the organization. Conversely, managers hold the employees to deliver on their commitments, accounting for their performance.
Tight alignment throughout the organization eliminates inconsistencies and confusion.
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Having ongoing, healthy conversations with employees is the foundation for developing a Culture of Engagement.
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Leadership As stated earlier, creating a high-performance organization is a deliberate and purposeful act of leadership. The Leader needs to have a clear sense of the directional culture and must communicate this relentlessly and consistently. The Leader’s enthusiasm for the future and its undiscovered opportunities will become virus-like, infecting and infiltrating every aspect of the organization. To support this, the Leader must ensure that all managers also fundamentally believe in the direction and that their behaviors publicly reflect and support this. A highperformance organization is an exciting and vibrant place to work. It becomes the preferred destination, wherein workers experience the opportunity to make meaningful contributions, grow as human beings and explore their full potential. In such an environment, truly incredible things can be accomplished.
It creates a unified and harmonious work environment. This alignment cascades through the organization’s core: from strategy to operations to departmental objectives to each individual employee’s performance. These relationships are transparent and understood. Existing business processes and operating methodologies need to be reviewed, so that improvement opportunities can be harnessed. Finally, where there are internal inconsistencies, they must be identified and resolved. If there are instances where those inconsistencies cannot be resolved, then they must be openly acknowledged as such and thoroughly discussed with the employees. Tight alignment would mean that employees would be able to cite the overall mission and goals of the company and how this relates to their department and their own individual performance objectives.
TWOGREYSUITS’ 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.
Training and Coaching Extensive training and coaching of employees is essential in order to develop the competencies, knowledge and behaviors that are critical to their participating and contributing fully in a high-performance organization. Managers need to be properly trained in managing employees in this new environment and will need to invest significant effort over an extended period of time in the development of their employees. In high-performance organizations, employees have superior technical expertise in performing their jobs and are crosstrained for other roles. Additionally, they will be competent in working effectively in teams; communicating with integrity; analyzing and solving challenging problems; crafting innovative solutions; instilling enthusiasm and participation; explaining and championing strategic priorities; and consistently modeling appropriate, professional behaviors consistent with the values of the organization. September 2011
Signing up is simple and free. OCNA member newspapers can call us today at 1-888-661-9234 or sign up here: http://www.twogreysuits. com/register.asp?assc=AG6EWD62IRDC8BR56GH1DSWO2D3YJ87Z Why wait? Don’t let important people management issues go unresolved when you can deal with them today.
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business
Doing Unto Others… in Business Negotiations By Patrick Tinney, Managing Partner Centroid Training & Marketing
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All lasting business is built on friendship.
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- Alfred A. Montapert (American
A group of buyers I trained a while ago asked me the following questions… Are relationships really needed or should I be harsher in business negotiations?
one of Canada’s largest department stores I made a mistake in a very quick verbal exchange with a buyer. It was an honest misunderstanding. It meant our side would end up banking hundreds of thousands of incentive dollars that my department store buyer would not know about until we were very deep into the contract. I was really happy to have signed the contract ending a long negotiation but as I started to recount the mistaken exchange on the way back to the office I knew I had a huge problem. Approaching my sales manager at the time, I explained the situation. He told me not to worry and just wait for time to expose the problem and we’d deal with it then. This didn’t sit right with me. I knew this was a career defining moment. With my sales manager’s reluctant blessing I set up another meeting with my department store buyer. I exposed the mistake and extended apologies. The buyer quietly mulled the situation over for a minute and asked me to correct the mistake in the contract and he’d resign it. He also told me my quick action clearly saved him a lot of budgeting grief later in the contract. Problem solved. End of story. Well….not quite.
Am I exposed if I have a relationship with a negotiation partner? These queries underline the pressure and tumoil buyers face in the uncertainty of our current economic conditions. Buyers start to second guess their core business beliefs and values in an effort to excel at the bargaining table.
Years later, our company changed ownership and was embroiled in a painful restructuring. Many jobs at my firm were lost in restructuring and there were stories in the news about more to come. My phone rang at the office. It was the same department store buyer mentioned above. He asked me how I was doing and was there any uncertainty around my future. He told me not to worry. He explained that he had already started making calls on my behalf and that if my job was lost I would be working within days with his industry influence. Negotiation relationships matter!
As long as buyers are respectful and have a degree of empathy for their seller negotiation partners, acting firmly or weak is just part of the dance. Compressing or decompressing time is just an everyday tactic used in a negotiation. There are dozens of tactics and strategies that professional buyers use in negotiations to unbalance the seller. The buyer’s job is to move the seller off their script quickly so the buyer can start asking armour piercing questions that the seller may not have prepared for. This helps pull the seller closer to the buyer’s negotiation objectives.
As a buyer, I would rather have a negotiation relationship with the seller than not. My reasoning is simple. I am responsible for how much the other side knows about the inner workings of my company. In this, my exposure is measured and calculated.
However, we must not leave our bargaining partners unfulfilled by a negotiation. Sellers who feel like they have been ‘taken to the cleaners’ may start to resent a negotiated deal. Once resentment sets in, the deal will start leaking oil. Problems that inevitably pop up may not be handled well, placing the contract fulfillment at risk. Solving problems is just part of business life. However, solving a problem for someone we have a positive, trusting relationship with will get greater attention. It’s more than just a problem, it is a creative process to try and help a friend in need.
My goal is to reduce negative risk and raise positive risk with information sharing. As partners we move toward positive two- way communication. I do this to pull them closer to my buyer negotiation objectives. Ultimately, this will strengthen the relationship and raise the spectrum of getting a long lasting, smart deal done.
At the end of a multi-million dollar contract negotiation with
Final thoughts…I recently polled some seller colleagues
September 2011
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business about being treated harshly or being commoditized at the negotiation table… almost all had a similar response.
TIDBITS (LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION)
As a seller, do I take my best creative ideas to a buyer with whom I have a good relationship or to someone who thinks nothing of my company and has taken advantage of me?
inma 10 secrets of success for news executives trying to create mobile presence: An article featuring tips to not only focus on when creating a mobile presence, but things to remember that will help you succeed http://www.inma.org/blogs/mobile-tablets/post.cfm/ the-secrets-of-success-in-ever-defining-the-mobileworld
The seller group was not filled with alacrity about the notion of sharing great ideas with negotiation users and abusers. Negotiation relationships matter!!
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True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it is lost. - Charles Caleb Colton (English Sportsman and Writer)
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Editor & Publisher Display 2012: Hottest-Selling Premium Ads A look at the best-selling display ad formats online http://www.editorandpublisher.com/Newsletter/ Article/Display-2012--Hottest-Selling-Premium-Ads Business of news smartbrief Google + is potentially a powerful tool for journalists: Google+ can be a great tool for journalists, but the key to developing its potential professionally is to understand it personally, write Jen Lee Reeves, interative director at KOMU-TV. http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2011/09/a-journalistsprimer-to-google265.html
For more information or to comment, please contact patrick@centroidmarketing.com 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. 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.
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:
Contact us for a quote: Todd Frees, General Manager 905-639-8720 ext. 234 t.frees@ocna.org
newsclips@ocna.org September 2011
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Technology
Polar Mobile powers 500 new apps for Metroland Media PlayBooks and BlackBerry’s, Androids, iPads and iPhones technology is forever changing and newspapers are being brought along for the ride, encouraged to adapt to these new devices. These platforms provide readers easy access to information and news without having to pick up a printed newspaper. A deal between Torstar Corp’s Metroland Media Group Ltd. and Toronto’s Polar Mobile will allow readers of Metroland community newspapers across Canada to access news stories from their mobile devices. Polar Mobile will be creating more than 500 smartphone and tablet applications in total for Metroland. These will run on a wide range of platforms including Apple Inc.’s iPad and iPhone, BlackBerry’s and PlayBooks, Google Inc’s Android and Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Phone 7 software. Polar Mobile chief executive Kunal Gupta.
(Peter J. Thompson/National Post)
“We are truly excited to take our leading community brands into the mobile application space with this unique and comprehensive solution, giving our readers and customers new ways to interact with our award-winning local content,” Ian Oliver, president of Metroland Media Group, said in a statement. Metroland will take advantage of the same Polar technology that is used by publications like Sports Illustrated, Vogue and MacLean’s. “The local newspaper space is an untapped opportunity in mobile, as the content is exclusive and the advertisers needs are unique,” Kunal Gupta, chief executive of Polar Mobile, said in a statement. “We are proud that Metroland selected Polar Mobile to partner with to launch over 500 mobile apps and plan to grow our presence in the local newspaper market globally.” Gupta believes these mobile applications will open new advertising opportunities for local newspapers. Much like technology, they will likely evolve over time and gain popularity amongst readers.
Just the facts, Ma’am Blog by Russel Viers
“Printed newspapers will thrive for decades to come,” I hear publishers say. Kevin Slimp writes in his columns that this newspaper crisis is just like Y2K…nothing to worry about… just keep doing what your doing.
characters, and arguing, as objectively as possible, for each side. After his arguments for and against, he left the room while the jury debated. From where I was sitting, both Blum and members of the jury used facts when presenting a case that print is on its way out, but when it came to reasons print will live on, the arguments were based on opinions. The final vote was 28 to 12…print will live on after 2020.
I want to believe it…I really do. But the data says something else. The data shows we need to begin now to adapt to a changing business model. It’s my view that the majority of today’s community newspaper publishers are making ten year plans based on emotion, not facts. This view was supported recently at a state newspaper convention.
We have an exciting ten years ahead of us, and things are changing quickly. We can’t rely exclusively on what’s worked for us in the past and we can’t judge the industry by what we see out our windows. We need to look at trends in our industry, as well as other industries, to try to plan a course that will not only keep us in business, but allow us to thrive.
I sat in on a ‘mock trial’ session where the future of print was to be decided by a ‘jury’ of newspaper people in the audience. The ‘defendant’ was. By the year 2020, the majority of community newspapers will be electronic only and the ‘plaintiff’ was Print will live on!
For example, I wrote a blog article recently, Let Your Fingers Do The Googling, talking about the death of printed Yellow Pages. In that article I mention how the city of San Francisco is not allowing the free distribution of Yellow Pages to residents unless
The attorney for both sides was Ken Blum, playing different September 2011
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Technology they sign an opt-in card. How would that same ordinance in your city for your shopper or other TMC product, like special tabs, etc. affect you? It’s important we look cross media, as well as what’s going on nationally with papers, to make hard decisions. The good news is we’re not alone. There are many resources out there to give us the information we need, and today’s publisher should be following them regularly.
how long will it stay that way? And now we get to your subscribers. Yes, I said YOUR subscribers. Most weekly and small daily papers I meet today tell me their average subscriber is over the age of 65.
A good example is Pew Research Center. They have a lot of stuff you can gloss over, but there is good research on the trends in our industry and the people who are our readers. Recently they published some very useful information, with nice pretty charts, showing how various age groups get their news today, compared with the past ten years.
There you go…if this trend holds, and the subscribers in this demographic stay alive, you should be able to keep these subscribers for a long time. There doesn’t seem to be much threat of the Internet taking over this group any time soon. But if you were to tell your advertisers that the majority of your subscribers are over the age of 65, would they still advertise?
When I saw the following graphs I flashed back to my advertising sales days, remembering the importance of the prime consuming demographic to local advertisers. These days I would set that age at about ages 20-60. With this age group in mind, look at these figures: According to Pew Research, 18 to 29-yearolds get most of their news online now, even beyond television and WAY beyond printed newspapers…um…21 to 65 percent.
If you saw these exact same figures for the population of our county, and they showed this type of growth in the Hispanic community, would you start a Spanish edition or pages of your paper? If you knew that 65 percent of the people in your county were over the age of 55, would you start a Senior page in your paper? If you knew that 65 percent of the people in your community were hunters, would you start a hunting page…or whatever? Point is, these are important numbers and shouldn’t be ignored.
For the 30 to 49-yearolds market, what I would consider the prime market for most advertisers, the Internet hasn’t passed TV, yet, but it’s on its way…and fast. But what matters more is how many more people in this key demographic get their news today from Internet vs. printed newspapers. I’m in this group (barely) and I find it interesting how many people my age, who didn’t grow up with computers, are really connected with iPods, smart phones and tablets. Most even play Angry Birds on one device or another.
The majority of the people in your community are getting their news online! What are you doing to reach them? Take these graphs and a box of crayons…extend the lines further. Assuming there is NO CHANGE in the trend, what does the next nine years look like. Also take into account the attrition in the 65+ graph and it starts staring you in the face. Oh, by the way, these charts are pre-tablet, so throw that in the mix. Now all of a sudden, 2020 comes into perspective. Someone in the ‘jury’ commented that “nine years is a blink of an eye…I don’t see it happening that fast.” Brian Steffens, Director of Communications at Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, retorted, “Nine years to us is the blink of an eye, but in the technology world it’s an eternity.” Good point. The iPad has been out barely more than a year. The iPhone has been out only since ’07.
For 50 to 64-year-olds print is still the primary source of news, but look at the angle of that jump from ’09 to 2010… September 2011
Continued on Page 21 >>>
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Technology
Speed Makes a Difference
By Kevin Slimp institute of newspaper technology
Talk about different situations. Last week, I spent two days in the city that never sleeps, visiting with a staff who produce large weeklies, shoppers and more. This week, I’m in a southern town, working with the staff of a small daily paper for two days. In New York, the pace was incredibly hectic. Staff moved at a frantic pace, working to complete the next assignment. No time to visit. No time to waste. People yelled. Supervisors barked orders. It was the classic big city situation. My first task upon arriving was to sit around a conference table with an editor, ad director and two other managers and discuss what was happening at their paper and what we hoped to accomplish. No hurry. No fuss. Just a relaxing conversation, with my Diet Mountain Dew in hand, that provided most of the information I needed to understand my assignment. You would think the situations couldn’t be more different. In fact, these two newspapers hold much in common. While a little more than half of my time at both offices was spent training staff in software applications, the other half was spent analyzing the workflow and making recommendations concerning things that could be improved.
Photo Credit: Photo by Robyn Gentile, Tennessee Press Association Kevin Slimp works on computers at a client's office in September. He says keeping equipment up to date is one of the easiest way to improve the bottom line at newspapers.
new computers and software, the staff worked diligently to get their products out. The building had recently been equipped with new network wiring. The problem wasn’t in the equipment or the wires. It was with the Internet speed itself.
The paper in New York was moving to the InCopy/InDesign workflow system. That required training in both applications. We also dealt with problem PDF files (yes, they were all created the wrong way) and held a session on creating animated Flash files for the paper’s website.
I visited with key managers and explained that the workflow was being hampered significantly by slow Internet. While I was there, phone calls were already being made to find a new provider who could offer faster service.
Here at the daily paper, we’ve focused our training on advanced InDesign, photo editing and correcting problem PDF files. It’s almost funny that so many of the PDF files we create and receive from others still cause so many printing problems.
I’m amazed at the number of newspapers I visit that are still working with DSL. Sure, it’s still the only thing available in some places, but in most areas much faster options are available. In Knoxville, where I live, cable Internet can be over 100 times as fast as DSL. That’s a difference that makes an impact on the bottom line.
What I learned, however, was that these two papers hold more than PDF issues in common. Both papers have something in the workflow that is slowing their production efforts to a snail’s pace at times. Slow Internet service is a killer for newspaper productions staffs. Check your speed regularly using a free Website like Speedtest.net.
September 2011
Cable Internet, when available, can also be more than 50 times as fast as a T1 line. If you’ve noticed that you have to wait on the Internet, it might be a good time to see if you have a faster option available. And, fortunately, cable Internet is usually less expensive than T1. The group in New York was also looking into a vendor who could provide quality newspaper management software at an affordable price. I find it interesting that most papers I’ve visited in the past two years have been in search of new management software. There are many options at various price points. This is another area that can increase efficiency greatly.
In New York, it was the Internet. Outfitted with
This week, at the small daily paper, I’m noticing a common 18
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thread. Speed is also hindering production efforts. It’s not slow Internet that’s causing delays and disruptions. It’s old computers and software. Nothing pains me more than to see a staff working to produce quality publications, on strict deadlines, with slow equipment. As I go from workstation to workstation and watch the staff, I can’t help but think that efficiency could easily increase by a third or more with new hardware and software. Publishers sometimes balk at the idea of having to spend tens of thousands of dollars on new computers and software. I balk at the idea of staff sitting around, through new fault of their own, waiting for the spinner to stop spinning in InDesign or for a file to open in Photoshop. The truth is that many newspapers could almost double their efficiency with new equipment. That’s hard to disregard. I love newspapers like these. Both are working hard to create quality publications for their communities. And both are reaching out for help in understanding what they can do to increase both quality and efficiency. The newspapers in New York and the newspaper here in the South have bright futures. Ad revenue is coming in at a healthy pace. Great staffs are in place and efficiency is improving. Those are winning combinations.
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
September 2011
Honouring the Media’s Best Websites and the People Who Create Them The 2011 Call for Entries is under way! The deadline to enter the 2011 EPPY Awards is on Friday, September 30, 2011 - at midnight. A non-refundable $150 entry fee is required per category, each submission thereafter is $135. In College/University category, all entries are $50. Listed below are the categories of awards to be won. Before entering, visit http:// eppyawards.com/Content/Contest_Rules-3-.aspx and read the competition rules for the site eligibility requirements, international entry information and other details. ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄
Best Classified Website Best Online Media Advertising/Marketing Campaign Best Community Service on a Media-Affiliated Website Best Overall Website Design Best Redesign/Relaunch Best Use of Photography on a Website Best Animation on a Media-Affiliated Website Best Enterprise Feature on a Website Best Automotive Website Best Business/Finance Website Best Entertainment Website Best Food Website Best Travel Website Best Sports Website (stand alone/section of a larger website) Best Journalism Website Best Investigative Website Best News Website Best Daily Newspaper Website Best Weekly Newspaper Website Best Online Only Newspaper Website Best News or Event Feature on a Website Best e-Newsletter/Media Affiliated Best Crowd Sourcing or Citizen Journalism Best Spanish-Language Newspaper Website Best Business Blog Best Consumer Technology Blog Best Entertainment Blog Best News/Political Blog Best Sports Blog (Professional) Best National Magazine-Affiliated Website Best Regional Magazine-Affiliated Website Best Home Page Best Local Radio-Affiliated Website Best National Radio-Affiliated Website Best Webcast Best Navigation/Structural Architecture Best Social Media Platform Best Mobile Website Best TV Website Best News Video Best Enterprise/Investigative Video Best Sports Video Best College/University Websites 19
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online
2011 Benchmarking update The crunch is on to finalize the budget for 2012 at many local media properties. To make forecasting a little easier we have compiled a FREE "2011 Benchmarking Update: Local Online Media Revenue" report which includes local online-ad spending numbers for every local market in the U.S. The update also contains the Table of Contents and all Appendices from our April release, "Benchmarking Local Online Media, 2010 Revenue Survey" (this data was part of the $995 report). It is free to download, just visit http://www.borrellassociates.com/index.php After Labor Day, we will release a new, full report, "Budgeting for 2012: Local Online Advertising Forecasts & Key Growth Opportunities." This report is a must-have tool for budgeting at the local-level. The report is $995 or free as part of an annual subscription plan. 15% OFF SUBSCRIPTION SPECIAL Sign up now for an annual subscription at 15% off (use discount code "SUB15BAI") and you'll get next week's NEW report, "Budgeting for 2012: Local Online Ad Forecasts & Key Growth Opportunities" and a seat on the report's Webinar along with a year's worth of local ad revenue reports, Webinars and discounts on Borrell products and services. If you have any questions just call or contact me by e-mail. Regards, Peter Conti, Executive VP
Borrell Associates pconti@borrellassociates.com 804-360-9434 office
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.
September 2011
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design
Testing 1...2...3...
BY ED HENNINGER henninger consulting You’ve been working on a redesign for a few months now. Most of your i’s are dotted and most of your t’s crossed. Only a few details are left to work out. Problem is, you haven’t tested many of the items you expect to introduce with the new look. Will the red you’ve chosen for the nameplate work on your press...or does it need to be tweaked? How about that light italic typeface for the subheads? And those gradient screens... well, they look fine off your colour printer but how well will they hold up on the press? When these questions arise, I recommend to my clients that they run a press prototype so they can see for themselves if the elements are going to print well...or not. But sometimes a prototype isn’t very practical or it’s just too costly. Then I suggest that the testing be done during regular press runs in the weeks preceding the redesign launch. The best way I know to test redesign elements – without them actually being used to deliver the news – is in house ads. Most newspapers run house ads for classifieds, upcoming features and series – some more liberally than others. Why not take advantage
of those ads and do them using new elements such as typefaces, colours, gradients, logos and the like? Yes, it may take a bit more effort on the part of your staff to create the test ads, but the payoff is that you get to see the new elements in print – off your press and during a regular press run, where they won’t get the extra-special attention they may receive during a prototype run. Here are some ideas: Keep it simple: Don’t try to run every new element in one ad. Keep the number of items low and don’t overdo with gradients and colours. Give it some size: If the house ad is too small, it’s going to be difficult to see if the elements are working as you had hoped. Pump up the size on these ads to four – or even six – columns wide. Use all of your colours: In various ads throughout the testing process, use all the colours you plan to introduce in the new look. You really don’t want any unfortunate surprises. Try Black and White: This will give you the opportunity to see
if the rule weights you’ve selected will be OK, for example. And you can determine whether you want to use that bold or semi bold font for captions. Be selective on type faces: If your new typefaces include some odd fonts such as ‘extra condensed italic poster bold,’ it’s probably not necessary to test those. (And you probably should toss those out, anyway!) Retest as needed: If something isn’t working quite right – say, that khaki colour you want to use in some section labels – rework the colour values and retest. Testing in house ads is a sure-fire method to check out the elements you want in your new design. Take the effort – and give yourself the time – you need to do it right.
ED HENNINGER is an independent newspaper consultant and the Director of Henninger Consulting, offering comprehensive newspaper design services and design evaluations at www.henningerconsulting.com.
Continued from Page 17
So what do we do about it? Get serious about your website. Get as serious about your website as you are about your Back to School tab, or County Fair tab, or Progress Edition. Get as serious about your website as you were when you launched your shopper.
But what if I’m wrong? What if you put all this energy into a website and it’s making you an additional income…and your print product is still strong. Wow. You now have an edition that’s making money, targeting one demographic, while still making money from your established print product.
I have a customer using my Atomic News Tools product who had empty ad spaces on her website. I asked her if she would ever publish an edition of the paper with empty spots or if she would fill them with house ads and PSAs. She immediately filled the site.
The jury vote determined that print is alive and well and will thrive for decades to come. I would like that to be true, too. I would like the businesses that have prospered for years on newspapers to continue to do so, as well. I love print. I love helping newspapers improve their print product while working faster…it’s my business, too. But if I step away from my wants and look at the facts, I have to be ready to adapt in the direction of the trends…and that starts today.
I have other Atomic customers who I’ve asked, “Did you do a story on your new website in your paper? Are you promoting it? Are you getting the word out?” Many said they have never thought of it. It’s important we recognize the threat and potential of the internet and get busy making it work for us.
This doesnt have to be seen as a negative – it’s an opportunity. If I could offer news as it happens, without the cost and hassle of printing and dealing with the Post Office…at a profit…I would do it in a heartbeat. But just because internet news hasn’t proven profitable by itself, yet, doesn’t mean it won’t. And if you wait until it IS profitable to get into the game, I’m afraid you’ll find
This isn’t my opinion…there is a mountain of evidence to support that print will be dead by the year 2020 (read my article Viva la Print) September 2011
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Advertising alerts: Ontario Provincial Election Advertising and Editorial Guidelines This information is provided by the Ontario Community Newspapers Association as information for our member newspapers. Specific questions about conforming to the legislation relating to election advertising or editorial guidelines should be directed to Elections Ontario. The next provincial general election will take place on October 6, 2011. The Elections Ontario site has a list of guidelines posted online. Read them here: http://www. elections.on.ca/en‐ CA/Media/ InformationforAdvertisingDepartments. htm For additional information on the electoral process, or to book an interview with an authorized spokesperson at Elections Ontario, please contact Media Centre at 416‐212‐6186 or 1‐866‐252‐2152, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST. www. elections.on.ca
Important information for all editorial departments Limits for still and video photography: Media are also reminded that filming is not permitted in a provincial polling place. Media must film from outside the voting location and not from the doorway of the polling place. An exception has been allowed by the Chief Electoral Officer for media who wish to obtain still or video photography of a candidate casting his or her ballot. Candidates must make prior arrangements with the local returning officer for written consent to be provided for admission to a polling place. Still/video cameras are not permitted in the polling place without advance permission. Any media admitted to the polling place for the above purpose must be aware that they are not to approach, September 2011
film or photograph any other voters, even if the voters give their consent. Close of polls and election night results: News media representatives may be in attendance at the local returning offices at the close of polls. Media are advised to make arrangements with the returning officer in advance. Live election results will be available on the Elections Ontario website www. elections.on.ca. The website will detail the number of votes cast for each candidate and the number of polling places reporting. Live results on polling night are unofficial.
Important information for all advertising departments: LEGISLATIVE AMENDMENTS: Advertising outlets in broadcast, publishing and other mediums must meet certain legal obligations when conducting business. The Election Finances Act has recently been amended with changes to the rules affecting advertising by candidates and political parties and now, third parties. During a campaign period, political advertising (defined by the Election Finances Act) may be arranged only by a registered political party, constituency association, candidate or third party, or by any person, corporation, or trade union acting with or without the knowledge and consent of the political party, constituency association, candidate or third party. In addition to rules around political advertising within the Election Finances Act, Ontario Regulation 211/07 under the Electoral System Referendum Act, 2007 imposes rules on advertising in the referendum. Below is a summary of the most important points for political and referendum advertising. 22
BLACKOUT PERIOD The Election Finances Act imposes a blackout period on political advertising on the day before polling day and on polling day itself. With the amendments to the Act, there is no longer an initial advertising blackout at the outset of a regularly scheduled general election. The initial advertising blackout remains in effect for non‐fixed date general elections and by‐elections. The prohibition against the publication of political and referendum advertisements does not apply to: ▄▄
genuine news reporting the publication of advertising, on polling day or the day before polling day, in a newspaper that is ▄▄ published once a week or less often and whose regular day of publication falls on that day ▄▄ an advertisement on the Internet or in a similar electronic medium, if posted before and not altered during a blackout period ▄▄ an advertisement in the form of a poster or billboard, if posted before and not altered during a blackout period ▄▄ a blackout period restriction does not apply to: ▄▄ advertising of public meetings in constituencies, including fund‐ raising events or those related to the referendum ▄▄ announcing the location of candidate, constituency association or referendum campaign organizers headquarters ▄▄ advertising for volunteer campaign workers ▄▄ announcing services for electors by candidates or constituency associations respecting ▄▄ enumeration and revision of lists of electors ▄▄ announcing services for electors on polling day ▄▄
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any other matter respecting administrative functions of constituency associations or referendum ▄▄ campaign organizers. The above is based on the provision that such advertisements, announcements and other matters are done in accordance with the guidelines of the Chief Electoral Officer. Act reference 37(5) The Chief Electoral Officer has determined, therefore, that while it is permissible for such an advertisement or announcement to contain the name of the candidate and/or the political party, and to include a picture of the candidate and/or the logo of the political party, a reference to the particular exempt service or activity listed in subsection 37(5) of the Election Finances Act must constitute the dominant feature of such advertisement or announcement. Further, such advertisement or announcement must not contain any slogan, motto or other wording promoting the candidate or registered party, or opposing another candidate or registered party, such as “join the winning team”, “work for continued good government”, “our candidate is best qualified”, etc. Note that a blackout period restriction on advertising does not apply to fund‐raising activities or campaigns and conventions carried on or held in relation to contested constituency nominations for endorsement of official party candidates provided the advertisement content conforms with this guideline. LIMITS ON RATES TO BE CHARGED During a campaign, no person or corporation shall charge a registered party, constituency association, candidate, third party, or referendum campaign organizer, or any person, corporation or trade union acting with the party’s, association’s, candidate’s, third party’s or referendum campaign organizer’s consent, a rate for making political or referendum advertising available in any broadcast, print, electronic or other September 2011
medium that exceeds the lowest rate the person or corporation charges anyone else for the same amount of equivalent advertising space or time during that period. It is recognized that, in certain media, advertising rates may depend upon the volume of time or space purchased over the year. For the purposes of the Election Finances Act, the lowest rate shall refer to the lowest rate available to any other customer purchasing advertising equivalent to the total volume of political advertising carried on by or on behalf of a registered political party, constituency association, candidate or third party during a blackout period. AUTHORIZATION OF POLITICAL ADVERTISING AND REFERENDUM ADVERTISING All political and referendum printed advertising, handbills, placards, posters and broadcast or telecast advertisements shall bear or make reference to the name of the registered party, constituency association, third party, referendum campaign organizer or person, corporation or trade union authorizing the political or referendum advertising. No person, corporation, trade union, registered party, constituency association, third party or referendum campaign organizer shall cause a political or referendum advertisement to appear without providing the following information to the broadcaster or publisher, in writing:
1. The name of the person, corporation, trade union, registered party, registered constituency association, registered third party or registered referendum campaign organizer that is causing the political advertisement to appear. 2. The name, business address and telephone number of the individual who deals with the broadcaster or publisher on behalf of the person or entity mentioned in paragraph 1. 3. The name of any other person, corporation, trade union, registered 23
party, constituency association, third party or referendum campaign organizer that is sponsoring or paying for the political or referendum advertisement. No broadcaster or publisher shall allow a political or referendum advertisement to appear without ensuring compliance with the Election Finances Act and the Regulation 211/07 under the Electoral System Referendum Act, 2007. The broadcaster or publisher of a political advertisement shall maintain records for a period of two years after the date the political or referendum advertisement appeared and shall permit the public to inspect the records during normal office hours. A record maintained shall contain the following: ▄▄
the information required in paragraphs 1., 2. and 3. above
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a copy of the political or referendum advertisement, or the means of reproducing it for inspection
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a statement of the charge made for its appearance
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a political or referendum advertisement in any medium shall name:
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the person, corporation, trade union, registered party, constituency association, third party or referendum campaign organizer that is causing it to appear; and
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any other person, corporation, trade union, registered party, constituency association, third party or referendum campaign organizer that is sponsoring or paying for it. For further information contact: Election Finances Division Telephone: (416) 325‐9401 Toll Free: 1‐866‐566‐9066 E-mail: electfin@elections.on.ca www.ocna.org
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DON MACLEOD
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Photo Gallery
Independent Publishers Lunch in Ottawa
Independent Publishers joined OCNA President Don MacLeod and Executive Director Anne Lannan in Ottawa on August 24 and enjoyed conversing about the successes and challenges of the newspaper industry. Launched by the Board of Directors last year as a forum for open communication and networking, the Independent Publishers Lunch was a success once again this summer. Jim Creskey (shown in the top picture) was recognized for his long-time involvement with the newspaper industry and received a Silver Quill Award. Creskey was the Editor and Publisher of the West Quebec Post from 1981-1987. He was City Editor of the Ottawa Herald from 1987-1988, the City and Foreign Editor of the Ottawa Sun from 1988 -1990 and has since been the Publisher and Senior Editor of Hill Times Publishing. He successfully transformed the Buckingham Post into a regional English language weekly, The West Quebec Post. In addition he has launched three successful weeklies, built dynamic award winning newsrooms and professional sales teams that can sell unique niche community newspapers. Over the past several years as a columnist Creskey has specialized in refugee issues, telling the stories of individual asylum seekers and unveiling the realities that exist behind the official face of immigration and refugee policy Creskey has also been actively involved within his community. He was the President of the Association of Quebec Regional English Media from 1984-1985 and has been a judge and speaker at many publishing and jounralism conferences. Congratulations to Collingwood Enterprise-Bulletin Publisher Doreen Sykes (right) who has earned her Silver Quill Award. Doreen began her newspaper career at the Toronto Star in 1969 and has held successive positions across the province, including the Mississauga News and Windsor Star. She has been publisher of the Collingwood Enterprise-Bulletin and Midland Free Press for the past 10 years. She is also a former director of OCNA. Doreen is shown here with South Grey/Bruce Post Publisher Marie David. September 2011
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