SD Newspapers - November/December 2015 by South Dakota Newspaper Association

Volume 29 – Number 4

An information publication of the South Dakota Newspaper Association, Brookings, SD

November/December 2015

A career of change, success Cherie Jensen retires after 38 years In today’s world where job hopping is the norm, the average person stays at the same job for about 4.4 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau must not have included Cherie Jensen in their survey. Cherie Jensen is retiring at year’s end after 38 years with SDNA. She started April 1, 1977, in the association’s newspaper clipping department. She retires now as assistant manager. Retirement will allow Cherie and her husband, Keith, to spend more time doing some of the things they love most: spending time with family, traveling, golfing, and following all of the SDSU Jackrabbits athletic teams and sports. Nicole Herrig joined SDNA in October as business manager to transition into the many responsibilities and duties that Cherie has performed. Nicole, a Brookings native, came to SDNA after working several years as general manager for a Taco John’s management office in Brookings. Cherie’s career at SDNA leaves lasting impressions and cherished relationships for many members. As SDNA President Bill Krikac said: “The reason I go to Newspaper Day in Pierre each year is so that I can get a hug from Cherie. She gives great hugs. All kidding aside, she will be dearly missed. When

‘We will miss her’

Cherie Jensen

outsiders in the newspaper industry come to our state conventions, they comment that ours is one of the best in the nation. Cherie gets much credit for ramrodding each and every convention. She has done terrific work on behalf of SDNA and all our newspapers over an incredible 38 years.” At the next SDNA convention (April Continued on page 4.

Two former SDNA presidents offered these words about Cherie and her career at SDNA. Freeman Courier Publisher Tim Waltner: “When I started to attend South Dakota Newspaper Association (then South Dakota Press Association) conventions in the 1970s, I felt a bit out-of-place. I was young, hardly knew a soul, had virtually no journalism background and came from a small weekly. Cherie was one of the first people to make me feel welcome and part of the group. I quickly learned I was not alone; that’s something she did very naturally. Here we are, four decades later, and that’s still the case. “I also quickly learned — particularly during my time on the SDNA Board of Directors — that Cherie was vitally important on the business/organizational side of the SDNA. She’s provided incredible continuity, history, understanding, perspective and connection for SDNA. Her retirement, while well deserved, will leave SDNA with a significant loss of institutional memory. “Cherie has demonstrated a powerful passion for community newspapers and the men and women who are the core of those

papers. I appreciate her direct, forthright approach, her strong work ethic and her genuine sensitivity and compassion. “Part of the reason SDNA is a strong organization is because Cherie has helped maintain a balance of professionalism, stability and fraternity in how we operate. “We’re very fortunate to have had her with us for these years. We will miss her.” Britton Journal Publisher Doug Card: “I wanted to send you a note to congratulate you on your retirement and to thank you for your many years of service to SDNA. “Your smile was always something we looked forward to when going to conventions, and I often wondered at how you kept everything in order and still kept Dave in line! “Your conscientious efforts have been a key part of the growth of SDNA and your knowledge of what had to happen behind the scenes to get results has been invaluable. “You will be missed, but I hope that smile will still be found at SDNA functions for many years to come. “Thanks again for all you’ve done for 38 years.”

Five Questions From Phoenix to the farm: publishing a weekly newspaper Five Minutes In 2015 Kristi Hine became the publisher of the True Dakotan at Wessington Springs, purchasing the 1,300-circulation weekly newspaper from longtime publishers Duke and Penny Wenzel and Craig and Karen Wenzel. Here is a little bit about one of South Dakota’s newest publishers, Kristi Hine. 1. Tell me a little bit about your professional and personal background. I’ve been working in marketing and public relations for the past 20 years. Early on, I developed a passion for photojournalism and was actively involved in my high school yearbook and student paper. I continued working in a reporting realm in college, where I interned at the Flagstaff Daily Sun, serving as a student reporter while I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from Northern Arizona University. After college, I began my career in San Diego on the other side of the news in marketing and public relations. I continued my marketing career in Las Vegas, Phoenix and most recently, South Dakota. My two decades of writing, designing and digital imaging experience aligns well with the day-to-day responsibilities and skills needed to publish

the weekly True Dakotan. 2. How did you get started at the True Dakotan? After publishing weekly paper for nearly 40 years, the Wenzels wanted to retire. They worked with me in a public relations and marketing capacity over the past four years and believed I had the unique skill set, industry knowledge and work ethic to continue to publish the True Dakotan in the Wessington Springs community and surrounding areas. They approached me in December 2014 and asked me if I was interested in purchasing the business. I feel incredibly honored that the Wenzel family entrusted me to carry out the True Dakotan legacy they created in 1973. This is a dream come true. I am thrilled to continue to serve the Wessington Springs area with a quality, locally owned newspaper dedicated to telling our community’s story for many years to come. 3. Did you ever envision yourself as a weekly newspaper publisher? I can’t say that I ever envisioned myself as a weekly newspaper publisher but looking back on my experiences in marketing, public

relations, design and photography, I feel that I’ve been training for this opportunity for most of my life. I also never imagined that relocating from Phoenix to live on a farm in rural South Dakota was going to be part of my personal story. But now, I couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of this awesome community. 4. What’s been the biggest challenge for you since taking over as publisher? With two young children and a cattle rancher husband, work-life balance has always been challenging. As everyone in the newspaper business knows, publishing a paper doesn’t always allow for a “normal business hours” work schedule. Each week since taking over in March, however, we’ve been getting to a more balanced place. I actually get to spend more time with my kids and love that through my work I’m able to expose them to many people, places and events that they otherwise wouldn’t experience. 5. What do you find most rewarding as a weekly newspaper publisher? I love the art of communication and have been helping other organizations

Kristi Hine, publisher of the True Dakotan at Wessington Springs

strategically relay their messages my entire career. What I find most rewarding is the opportunity to learn more about our area communities and the people who make their lives here. I love that my job is to seek out and communicate the local stories most important to the people in our area – each and every week.

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South Dakota Newspapers

Newspaper people making a difference

UPCOMING EVENTS January 15, 2016 SDNA Better Newspaper Contest CLOSES 5 p.m. CDT January 28, 2016 Newspaper Day at Legislature Pierre, SD April 28-30, 2016 SDNA Convention Highland Conference Center Mitchell, SD

Published bi-monthly by South Dakota Newspaper Association, 1125 32nd Ave., Brookings, SD 57006, and at additional ofﬁce Telephone: 800-658-3697 Periodicals Class Postage paid at Brookings, SD 57006 Subscription price: $15 per year. SDNA Ofﬁcers President Bill Krikac / Clark County Courier First Vice President Jeremy Waltner / Freeman Courier Second Vice President Kelli Bultena / Lennox Independent & Tea Weekly Third Vice President Shannon Brinker / Rapid City Journal At-large Director Cory Bollinger / Aberdeen American News At-large Director Ken Reiste / Clear Lake Courier Past President John Suhr / Reporter & Farmer, Webster SDNA Staff David C. Bordewyk / General Manager Cherie Jensen / Assistant Manager Nicole Herrig / Business Manager John Brooks / Advertising Sales Manager Sandy DeBeer / Advertising Assistant Darla McCullough / Advertising Assistant Julie Sperlich / Advertising Assistant Grace Lehman / Tearsheeting

Merry Christmas! As your SDNA president, I have an opportunity to say thank you during this special season to members of our association. That thankfulness is for the outstanding dedication and competency newspaper people have for their multifaceted roles as community journalists. What a challenge we have to be a community leader, a government watchdog and the one looked to in our towns to chronicle everything happening. It’s a huge challenge and a big responsibility that I think members of our association handle very well and take very seriously. We all know that the newspaper business is anything but an 8-5 operation and at times we all wonder whether or not it is worth it. And then we open the mail and a wonderful thank you note states, “We have really enjoyed getting the paper the last 50 years and look forward to Thursday, because that is the day the note from home, our hometown paper comes to us.” Or, in a fleeting moment of brilliance we do or write something clever and receive an appreciative phone call. Sometimes we even hear from a resident who thanks us for being at the city council meeting and make sure our elected officials are doing their jobs. However, it may be some of the things we do that are largely taken for granted that have the biggest impact. We will probably never know how that story and photo of the environmental science class trash survey may have inspired her to become a scientist. What about the editorial that ended up giving life to a community project? Or maybe a young person decided

Presidential Perspectives Bill Krikac President / SDNA Clark County Courier, Clark to come back to your hometown to work and raise a family because his newspaper was a community booster. As newspaper owners we are not just another business in the community; we are partners with our community. That is what is so inspiring when we get a group of newspaper people together as we will the last weekend of April in Mitchell. It’s a partnership that is working in South Dakota, despite what we hear about the slow death of newspapers. And it’s working because of dedicated people like you. And so, as we head into 2016, thanks again for all you do and for giving me the opportunity to lead our association into 2016 until our convention in Mitchell. nA Record to Celebrate When SDNA advertising sales manager John Brooks called me a week ago, I didn’t hear “newspapers are dying” in his voice. I heard satisfaction and excitement as he wanted me to be the first to know that 2015 was the best year EVER for SDNA advertising sales. Congratulations, John and SDNA staff!

nActive Voices Needed A bulwark of community journalism is the “right to know for all citizens.” As we enter January and February, those are two months we’d like to get through for more than one reason. The association continues to work hard to protect the public’s right to know by maintaining government public notices where they belong – in the local newspaper. Association partners can help by talking to legislators about the importance of keeping the public best informed by the publication of public notices in the local newspaper. Dave does a great job in Pierre, but he can’t do it alone. The more newspaper people who can come to Pierre for Newspaper Day at the Capitol on Jan. 28, all the better. Be in Pierre that day to show your solidarity for the newspaper industry in South Dakota. nHear from You In closing, we want to stress to all members as the New Year approaches that any part of any partnership is good communication. We will do our best to continue to keep you informed of things happening in our business and in our association, but we need to hear from you and we need you to be active in the association. How can we partner with you to grow your business and serve your communities better? And, how can we involve you better in the association? We would love to hear from you. We’d love to see you at convention. Feel free to drop Dave an email (daveb@sdna.com) or contact me (courier@itctel.com).

See you in Pierre Jan. 28 for Newspaper Day I know SDNA President Bill Krikac has mentioned it in his column, but I want to add my emphasis about the importance of attending Newspaper Day at the Capitol on Jan. 28. We hope to see many of you in Pierre that day. Why is it so important? First, legislators truly appreciate it when people from “back home” in their district come to Pierre to see them. Legislators want to hear from constituents on issues and our event in Pierre is an excellent opportunity for them to hear from you. Not only do they want to hear from you about newspaper and open government issues we are working on, they want to know what you are thinking about the many hot button issues circulating during the session. As publishers and editors, you often have a good pulse on what folks back home are discussing about the issues and you are in a good position to relay those thoughts and concerns during Newspaper Day. Second, our Newspaper Day at the Capitol event provides an opportunity for you to take a few photos and generate a story or two, especially with our press conferences we arrange. We will plan to host press conferences with legislative leaders and the governor.

Manager’s Message David Bordewyk SDNA General Manager

nAn incredible tenure It seems rather incredible that at year’s end we will see Cherie Jensen’s 38-year tenure come to a close. Actually, it’s difficult to believe. It probably won’t seem real until sometime after the New Year. SDNA has been blessed to have Cherie’s steady hand at work here all these years. From her start in the clipping department in 1977 to her present position as assistant manager, Cherie has been so instrumental over the years in SDNA’s success. Personally I have been fortunate to have her office next to mine for my 20 years here. I can’t tell you the number of times over the years I’ve relied on Cherie and her institutional knowledge and acumen with my questions about so many things. Although retirement will allow Cherie and Keith some freedom to travel more (follow the Jackrabbits even more so!) and enjoy time on the golf course, we are glad

they will continue to reside in Brookings and be close by. Cherie shouldn’t be surprised if her phone rings and it’s me on the other end with a question or two. We are excited to have Nicole Herrig on board as our business manager to take over for Cherie. Nicole is a Brookings native who worked several years for the corporate office of a Taco John’s franchisee in Brookings before joining our team in October. We also welcomed Julie Sperlich to the SDNA staff in October. Julie, who also works part-time for the RFD News Group (Volga, Elkton and White newspapers) is assisting part-time in our ad-placement business. And finally, we welcome Grace Lehman to SDNA. Grace, who started here this past summer, is responsible for the tear-sheeting duties. nContest deadline approaching Finally, a reminder that the deadline for entering the SDNA Better Newspapers Contest is Friday, Jan. 15, 5 p.m. Central time. We have sent information about the contest to all members and you can find the links on the SDNA website as well. Don’t delay.

SOUTH DAKOTA NEWSPAPERS is the ofﬁcial trade publication for the South Dakota Newspaper Association, representing daily and weekly newspapers in the state.

Postmaster: Send change of address to South Dakota Newspaper Association, 1125 32nd Ave., Brookings, SD 57006

PUBLIC NOTICES Public Notice Advertising • Protects Your Right to Know

November/December 2015 • 3

South Dakota Newspapers

Representatives Lee Schoenbeck, Steve McCleerey, Dennis Feickert and Roger Solum were among those attending the Dec. 4 meeting of northeastern South Dakota newspaper publishers and legislators in Watertown. Other legislators attending were: Sen. Jason Frerichs, Rep. Lana Greenﬁeld, Rep. Burt Tulson, Rep. Fred Deutsch and Sen. Ried Holien.

Lawmakers preview 2016 Session Reprinted with permission from the Dec. 5, 2015, edition of the Watertown Public Opinion. by Wayne Hammond, Public Opinion News Editor

The South Dakota Newspaper Association and northeast South Dakota legislators met Friday in Watertown to discuss the upcoming session, particularly bills that will be pursued by the SDNA. In attendance Friday were District 1 Democrat Reps. Dennis Feickert and Steve McCleerey and Sen. Jason Frerichs; District 2 Republican Reps. Lana Greenfield and Burt Tulson; District 5 Republican Reps. Lee Schoenbeck and Roger Solum and Sen. Ried Holien; and District 4 Republican Rep. Fred Deutsch. They were joined by a group of six publishers and editors from area newspapers. SDNA General Manager David Bordewyk laid out his organization’s top priorities going into next month. He said the key piece of legislation will be an amendment to the open meetings law designed to clarify the definition of the use of electronic communications by public boards. “In some respects, technology is easier today. It’s easy to text. It’s easy to email. It’s the world we live in,” Bordewyk said. “So, I think we need to upgrade our open meetings laws to deal with that, just as we’ve done in the past with phone conference calls and teleconferencing.” “More business gets done via text in Pierre than any other medium,” Holien said. Holien opened a discussion that dealt specifically with email, and potential issues with a change in the law. Schoenbeck likened the issue to that of quorums. Specifically, when local board members had to learn that they couldn’t meet in numbers that constituted a quorum. “It’s training,” he said. “They (would) have to be trained that they can’t hit reply all.” Bordewyk said that the bill to be introduced is modeled after a law in Missouri. He said a serial discussion over email can constitute a meeting. Bordewyk explained that a version of the law has been introduced in Pierre the last two years. He said that there hasn’t been opposition to the concept of the idea: that if a quorum of a public board is discussing public business, it should be following the open meeting law. He said the spirit is in the law, but not codified. “We want to hear from you as well as those who represent local government

entities,” he said. “It’s coming. As with any legislation, we need to question it and need to test it.” Also discussed Friday: • Public notice of meetings, which stands at a 24-hour requirement for a public meeting. Bordewyk talked about a change form the 24 hours to two business days. • A possible bill dealing with public employees. Currently if a public employee has a potential conflict of interest, the notice of the conflict is placed in a personnel file and kept confidential. A bill make come forward to make such conflicts public records. • Public notices. Bordewyk said that the city of Sioux Falls will again be pursuing a bill to eliminate requiring public notices to be published in newspapers. Bordewyk said that the position of the SDNA against such a bill has not changed. The session ended with a spirited backand-forth on a number of topics, including auditing, specifically as it relates to the GEAR UP controversy. Bordewyk broached the idea of an anonymous tip line in the Department of Legislative Audit to report fraud and waste. Schoenbeck said that the state has to be proactive and that a tip line would in effective deputize the state citizens as auditors. The legislators said they are fielding a lot of questions as it relates to the scandal. “I has assumed, and maybe I’m naive, that people doing the auditing aren’t doing it ahead of time,” Tulson said. “We’re getting blamed for a lot of this, but we know nothing of those financials until after it happens.” McCleerey, a member of the education committee, foresees a lot more questions throughout the process. “Have we learned anything from the process?” he said. “That (the deaths in Platte) never should have happened. Should there not be an awareness? To me this is a burden that’s no put on department heads. This is a disaster that has fallen on us as a state and as legislators.” Greenfield said it’s an issue of common sense. “I don’t think you need people to be the call-in police,” she said. “If you’re in charge of something, if you get the money, we need you to do the job. “The problem isn’t why didn’t you know, it’s what you are going to do about it,” she added. “These people are doing things without an early audit,” Feickert added. “They take that opportunity to be corrupt. Somehow that’s got to be policed.”

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South Dakota Newspapers

Fall board meeting The SDNA Board held its fall meeting at the SDNA office at Brookings in early November. SDNA staff members participated in the meeting as well, with a demonstration of the association’s ad placement services and software. Members of the SDNA Board are: President Bill Krikac of Clark, First Vice President Jeremy Waltner of Freeman, Second Vice President Kelli Bultena of Lennox, Third Vice President Shannon Brinker of Rapid City, Director Ken Reiste of Clear Lake, Director Cory Bollinger of Aberdeen and Immediate Past President John Suhr of Webster. Members of the SDNA staff are: General Manager David Bordewyk, Assistant Manager Cherie Jensen, Sales Manager John Brooks, Advertising Assistants Sandy DeBeer, Darla McCullough and Julie Sperlich and Business Manager Nicole Herrig. Not pictured: Tearsheeting assistant Grace Lehman.

Jensen

(Continued from page 1.)

29-30 at Mitchell), we will be recognizing Cherie and celebrating her career at SDNA. For now, we asked Cherie to look back a bit and share a few things about her time at SDNA: How did you get started at SDNA? After high school, I attended Stewart's School of Cosmetology in Sioux Falls. I was managing a shop in Brookings when I developed an allergy to the products I was working with. My hands split wide open, so I had to find a new job. I saw an ad in the local newspaper for a company, South Dakota Press Association, looking for a person in their Clipping Dept. Their office was a block from my home. I knew nothing about newspapers, but I could read. All I had to do was cut articles out of a newspaper and pull something called a tearsheet. I was always a quick study so I thought I'd give it a try. What are some of the noticeable trends you saw over the years? First, for the association: When I started at SDPA, there was a manager, an office manager who had just started there, a bookkeeper about to become a part-time position, and two part-time people in the clipping department. The office manager was a secretary for the manager, and did things like help with convention planning and send out advertising to the newspapers

when there were ads to send. She had to figure out the cost of the ad, and the commission taken by the agency and SDPA. Then she typed an order for each newspaper. At that time, most of the ad copy was sent by the agency to the newspaper. She had to type out the invoices, and enter the information by hand into a ledger. Now, just like all other businesses, everything is handled through computer. We have specially designed software that handles all of the advertising portion of our business. And since this year when SDNA placed $2.9 million in newspaper advertising, it would have taken many more people to do all that by hand! Other changes included: In the 1980s, we developed Statewide Classifieds and the income allowed us to hire a sales person, which led to much more advertising for our member newspapers. It also allowed SDNA to develop the software we use today for advertising placement and that is used by many newspaper associations across the United States and Canada. As for changes among our member newspapers, we had about 150 newspapers in the association when I started, and today we still are near that figure. The biggest difference today is that there were about 150 publishers when I started, and now we have about 80 publishers, because of the multiple

newspaper ownership trend over the years. What has not changed over the years? Our newspapers remain dedicated to their communities and dedicated to the public's right to know. We continue to be the watchdogs for the public we serve. What have you enjoyed the most about your time at SDNA? Every day is different. My co-workers -- the love and respect we share in far more than a job. Each one is very near and dear to my heart. Thank you for being my friend. The customers -- when you hear the smile on their face when you ask how their day is going. I can't say how much I will miss that.

My newspaper friends -- they are family. Many of them have been part of my life for 38 years. They truly are like family. I will miss them terribly. Based on your experience working for SDNA and the South Dakota newspapers for almost four decades, what do you see as the future for newspapers? I believe newspapers will be here forever. It may not look like the newspaper of today, and the form may not be on paper, but we will be here! We are the eyes and ears for the nation, and the feet on the ground for keeping our readers informed.

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info@kamengroup.com With Cherie Jensen’s pending retirement, Nicole Herrig (right) joined SDNA in October as business manager. Nicole has been working closely with Cherie since then to learn the various duties and responsibilities. Also joining the SDNA team this year were: Grace Lehman (left) as a tearsheeting assistant and Julie Sperlich (middle) as an advertising assistant.

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