See Pages 4-5
FACE TO FACE
TO
with Tom Shaw CEO Shaw Media
T
The Seven Laws
he harvest is nearly complete at this time. Much like the farmers in the Midwest, but our need of the past decade, media companies for significant revenues is ongoare finding themselves facing changing ing. Living in an agricultural area, many conditions that are impacting not only understand some of the basic principles financial results, but some companies' of planting a crop, working hard during very survival. We have made significant the growing season to keep weeds and investments in our businesses, and now, bugs out, and bringing in a big harvest in due to changing market conditions, find the fall. ourselves scramPrinciples that bling to produce work towards a sucthe “crop” we cessful crop, also need to generaffect important ate the return on 1. We reap what has been aspects of our lives those investments. sown. (Good or Bad) as well. Whether However, unlike 2. We reap the same kind as it is relationships, the farmer's plight, we sow. your spiritual life, the changing condi3. We reap in a different seaor our jobs with tions might disrupt son than when we sow. Shaw Media, there our current plans, 4. We reap more than we sow. are ironclad prinbut do not have to 5. We reap in proportion to ciples, like those in inflict long-term what we sow. farming, which will damage. There are 6. We reap the full harvest of significantly affect opportunities for the good (desired results) if we the outcome of achievement yet work hard at it; the bad (undethose endeavors. to be tapped, but it sired results) comes to harvest There are seven takes persistence, on its own. principles, which commitment, and 7. We cannot do anything I came across creative strategic about last year's harvest, but years ago in a thinking to seek we can do something about this book entitled The and find them. year's. (The second chance) Seven Laws of There is trementhe Harvest. I dous truth in the have found the “Seven Laws of the understanding and Harvest”. To let an application of the understanding of it “Laws” to be sure and rewarding. With germinate in the mind, and then to culeach one, take a moment and think tivate that knowledge so as to apply it to about how the principle not only applies a specific job responsibility is a sure fire to farming, but to your job and to you. way of improving your desired results. Whether in circulation, digital & print So co-laborers, as you are driving sales, editorial, production, or general around and witness the miracle of administration, you will find these forces American agriculture basking in its at work and affecting your results. By achievement - the Bountiful Harvest focusing on these “Seven Laws”, it is consider all that went into producing it possible to increase desired results. and how those same principles can make The comparison of farming to our all of us at Shaw Media more productive business is particularly appropriate in each and every thing we do.
The Seven Laws
Shaw Media Reporter is the official magazine of Shaw Media, 444 Pine Hill Drive, Dixon, Illinois 61021. Shaw Media publishes the Reporter three times a year to keep employees and friends informed. If you have any questions or suggestions for articles or would like to be put on the mailing list, please contact one of the editors listed below.
Gerry Burke, Publisher Crystal Lake, IL 815-526-4400 Greg Wallace, Editor Bureau County Republican Princeton, IL 815-875-4461 Peggy Campbell, Content Coordinator Shaw Media Corporate Services Dixon, IL 815-284-4000
Contributing Editors
Rita Roberts, Bureau County Republican Princeton, IL 815-875-4461
Stephani Finley, Creston Publishing Company Creston, IA 641-782-2141
Bob Eschliman, News Printing Company Newton, IA 641-792-3121
Allison McCaleb, Suburban Group Crystal Lake, IL 815-526-4485
Kris Boggs, Sauk Valley Media Sterling, IL 815-625-3600
2 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
The First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
www.ShawMEDIA.com
SIX STAR UPDATE
UPDATE Performance
Face to Face ......................................... pg. 2 Cover Story . .................................. pgs. 4-5
Nine months results are not at plan. 2013 has seen a couple of categories underperform in our suburban markets, adversely impacting results. Although community markets are impacted less, total profit is off last year by over 13%.
Featured Employees ............................. pg. 6
Digital & IT
Human Resources/Safety Update .... pgs. 8-9
To accelerate the growth of the important categories of digital audience and revenue, we recently restructured the Digital and IT Teams. We are intensifying focus and resources in these growth areas company wide, while maintaining the integrity and soundness of our IT infrastructure.
Sweepstakes Of the six Illinois Press Sweepstakes categories, we placed in four…with two firsts, two seconds, and a third place award…extremely impressive. Congratulations to 1st place winners Northwest Herald & Bureau County Republican, runners up Sauk Valley Media & Daily Chronicle, and 3rd place to our new Downers Grove Reporter.
AP Editors
Digital................................................... pg. 7
Graphically Speaking ...........................pg. 10 Technology . ......................................... pg. 11 In Focus ..............................................pg. 12 Sauk Valley Media ........................pgs. 13-18 Suburban Group .......................... pgs. 19-27
For the second time in four years, Sauk Valley Media won the coveted Illinois AP Editors General Excellence Award. Northwest Herald won 14 awards, including six first places, in the same competition. McHenry County Sports and the NWH took four top 10 national awards in the AP Sports Editor's annual contest and Sauk Valley Media won three top ten awards.
Bureau County Republican ..................pg. 28
Prairie City, Iowa
Service Anniversaries .................pgs. 35-38
August 28th Trevis Mayfield and Dan Goetz announced the Iowa acquisition. We are pleased to bring The Prairie City News into our growing family of dedicated, community-based, information companies, and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the community we will be serving.
Why Acquisitions? Our current acquisition strategy dictates that we only acquire adjacent & “bolt-on” media companies at a cost that adds positive cash flow immediately. Such strategic maneuvers gain market share, enable us to weather economic challenges, and position us for prosperity in recovery cycles. www.ShawMEDIA.com
News Printing Co. ........................ pgs. 29-31 Creston Publishing Co. . ..............pgs. 32-34
New Faces ..........................................pg. 38 New Responsibilities . .........................pg. 38 The Back Page .................................. pg. 40
On The Cover The quote on the cover, something newspapers can relate to, was attributed to Mark Twain. Illustration by Greg Wallace. Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 3
COVER STORY
One Great (Sales) Company By Gerry Burke Director of Sales Development Shaw Media
O
n August 20th, ad directors and salespeople from throughout Shaw Media gathered at the Kishwaukee College Conference Center in Malta for a day of workshops and networking. The overall purpose of the meeting was to share the positives currently taking place in our industry. While much is said in the public about the “death” of newspapers, the day highlighted plenty of evidence to disprove that notion. The leadership of each Shaw property worked hard to arrange schedules so their staffs could attend this event which resulted in 100 percent participation from our operations. The morning session was devoted to sales leaders. Ben and J. Tom Shaw opened by providing the group with updates on our mobile strategy and successes in sales of our digital platforms, as well as niche magazine and ecommerce sales. 4 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
Projected spending for small to medium businesses • 64% plan to spend in local newspapers. • 62% will spend online/digitally. • 54% plan to spend the same dollars in advertising and marketing while 20% plan to spend more. Borrell and Associates
Peter Conti, sales and marketing director for the Local Media Association, closed out the morning with a presentation on positive industry trends in the U.S. Conti spoke about the changing business of advertising and gave examples of companies who are successfully responding to the new environment – particularly in the digital category. He also shared research from Borrell and Associates on projected spending for
small to medium businesses (SMB'S). • 64% plan to spend in local newspapers • 62% will spend online/digitally • 54% plan to spend the same dollars in advertising and marketing while 20% plan to spend more Thus far in 2013, local ad spending is up over eight percent while local digital spending is up 30%. Conti also shared seven key takeaways from the recently completed LMA Innovation Mission and stated the companies who had shared these ideas provided good examples of success in adapting to the changing world of advertising. They were: • Create a digital agency to provide expertise and help customers understand and reach out to digital consumers in the best manner possible. • Create a culture of innovation and generate creative ideas as though you are a start-up business. • Custom content is the next big thing. Develop consumer product information for digital and magazine products and sell a business on sponsoring the article. www.ShawMEDIA.com
COVER STORY
Gerry Burke, director of sales development for Shaw Media, addresses advertising salespeople and sales leaders prior to the afternoon session of the ad conference held in August. • Create new revenue streams by capitalizing on opportunities in social media. • Cause marketing=opportunity. • SMB commerce – create a way to help advertisers sell their goods via our websites, mobile, or tablet platforms or help the customer create a website that can do that. • Work hard at developing audiences for all products we offer. After lunch, salespeople and managers were part of a roundtable with the team from Beyond Private Label and discussed successes and challenges in selling website design. BPL is the digital team that works with all Shaw properties to build out websites for our business customers. It was pointed out by the BPL team that the opportunity to have a simple and effective mobile site as part of our package was a key selling point. The day wrapped up with a presentation by Larry Maynard of NGM www.ShawMEDIA.com
Remember this when selling: • Don't talk about the past. Talk about what we do well today. • Each of our properties generates more local content (news and ads) than anyone. Partners entitled The Positive Story For Newspapers Today. Maynard has over 40 years experience as a newspaper and advertising executive. Repeating the message from earlier in the day, he reminded that though our business is evolving, we are alive and kicking and the foundation of our business is very strong. In fact, he said, “our masthead is the most recognizable and well known business in our markets.”
He went on to say that our print and digital readers combined provide advertisers with more audience than we have ever had. Maynard also recalled that newspapers were supposedly dead in the 30's when radio was taking off, the 50's when TV became popular, the 80's when cable was growing, the 90's when the internet was launched, and again now with the popularity of social media. But through it all, newspaper companies are still successful. Over 400 million people purchase a daily or weekly newspaper and millions more await the delivery of a free publication. In closing Maynard offered this advice for those in sales: • Don't talk about the past. Talk about what we do well today. • Each of our properties generates more local content (news and ads) than anyone. Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 5
PEOPLE OF SHAW MEDIA
S
Innovation
haw Media CEO Tom Shaw was quoted in the fall special issue of News and Tech, a magazine that provides “insight, analysis, and technology integration in newspaper, magazine, digital, and hybrid production”. Tom was identified as one of 13 industry innovators “who have been integral to the success of their publications” and collaborated with president John Rung to answer questions submitted by the magazine regarding how to sustain the strength of print and how to keep print strong Tom Shaw within our brand. He indicated for us to sustain our business model it’s necessary to have “a positive vision of the future and plans of action based upon a clear understanding of our company’s business model, which is founded upon the three tenets of our Brand Promise: relevant information, marketing solutions, and community advocacy. Of the three, information is the cornerstone. As long as people in the community rely on us
for a better understanding of the things that are important to them, we believe we will have a viable business model and solid future.” To keep our print brand strong “we are devoting more effort to getting across the message that our brand is print…and a whole lot more. But in addition “we continue to develop more niche information. Sometimes the niche information is part of our print product and sometimes it is targeted
to digital media or glossy magazines. It just depends on the relative size of the audience and the optimum platform (or platforms) for reaching that audience”. Other notable industry leaders included in the article were: Warren Buffett, CEO of BH Media Group, Arianna Huffington, president of the Huffington Post Media Group, and Jim Moroney, publisher of the Dallas Morning News.
Ben Shaw, Chief Digital Officer for Shaw Media, recently spoke three times in Germany to international attendees at the WAN-IFRA 2013 Media Port, which could easily be called the world's largest Newspaper expo. The first presentation, on the workflow stage for Roxen, was entitled: Accelerate the Inevitable: Automate Your Pagination and it described a time savings project we are working on with Roxen. The second presentation was a panel talking about the Top Takeaways from the Local Media Association's 2013 Innovation Mission and the third was a case study on how we use Secondstreet Media at Shaw to facilitate our ecommerce websites. The WAN-IFRA 2013 Media Port, organized by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN-IFRA), was held in Berlin and attended by over 8,000 people.
6 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
www.ShawMEDIA.com
DIGITAL
Responsive web design comes to Shaw Media
T
he latest iteration in our long line of innovative website layouts was launched on Oct. 1st at nwherald.com. Our aim was to take the next step towards creating a rewarding and engaging reading experience - on any device. A couple of years ago, we launched the web design templates that you all know so well today. They were adaptive designs, meaning that if you came to our website and we thought you were on a phone or a tablet, we redirected you to an alternate design that was crafted for a specific device. The problem with this today is that there are just so many different types of devices. There are iPhones, big Android phones, little Android phones, mini iPads, regular iPads, etc. We realized that we needed to
make a design that would provide an optimal viewing experience with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling across a wide range of devices. We convened a team of talented individuals from all corners and departments of the company to ask
how we could make our sites more relevant and more effective through design. After a number of months, the team has created the design you now see at www.nwherald.com. It adjusts itself automatically depending on what you use to view the site. So check it out on nwherald.com
Computer screen Smartphone screen
ShawMEDIADIGITAL.com
Tablet screen
Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 7
HUMAN RESOURCES
NOVAtime comes to Shaw Media By Melanie Clements HR Coordinator Shaw Media Corporate This year, Shaw Media embarked on a project to help streamline the payroll process, an electronic timekeeping system called NOVAtime. It has been phased in over the last few months. Here are some advantages to the new system: • The time consuming paper shuffling of time cards, time sheets, and vacation requests is being cut down, and in many cases eliminated altogether. • No more hand calculating totals on time cards. The time spent correcting errors associated with this goes away, as does trying to decipher illegible handwriting. • Copying and storing paper records is being greatly reduced. It saves space, and there is less waste of paper and ink. • Payroll processing becomes more accurate since nothing has to be rekeyed. Supervisors have new tools, too. They can tell which hourly employees are clocked in or out. NOVAtime helps them manage their employees' time off requests, which is helpful for planning future schedules. They can also see how many hours employees are working, which helps them manage overtime. Employees also see advantages. If they are hourly, they have instant access to their timesheets. NOVAtime system offers hourly employees a convenient way to record their time worked and a paper-free way to request vacation and other time off. Available vacation and sick time available is easy to access as well. Everybody wins with NOVAtime.
8 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
Megan Hampton
Megan Hampton supervises around twenty graphic designers in Crystal Lake, and has welcomed NOVAtime to her busy day. “I can see my whole department at a glance. I can see who didn't punch out, and easily monitor my employees' hours. The vacation requests are great. With NOVAtime it's much easier to manage them than it used to be, both for me and my employees.”
Kathy Woods, who works in the Morris accounting department says, “I find it more convenient than filling out a paper time card. I like that I can see what days I have taken off, what days I have scheduled to take off, and how much vacation time I still have available.” Kathy Woods
Bev Rogman, Graphic Design Team Leader in Crystal Lake, says, “I like the way I can request vacation time, and see the detail of the vacation days I have already taken, and how much I have left.” Bev Rogman
Kathy Gresey, editor for the Kane County Chronicle, is a supervisor that has been using NOVAtime for a few months now. She says, “It's convenient for me because I know when one of my employees submits a time off request. They are easy to approve, and my employees get a notification immediately after I've approved their request.”
Kathy Gresey
www.ShawMEDIA.com
HUMAN RESOURCES & SAFETY UPDATE
New Laws for Drivers in Illinois 1/1/14 Two new laws take effect in Illinois on January 1, 2014. The first one prohibits the use of all hand-held mobile phones while driving on Illinois roads, and the second one increases the penalties where any use of an electronic device while driving causes an accident. Note that in Illinois all drivers are already banned from texting while driving. All employees driving while on company business are required to follow applicable laws. Hands free cell phones will not be prohibited when the new laws take effect, but all the same, they are highly discouraged. Studies have been conducted that demonstrate that there is little difference in the level of distraction between drivers using hand-held cell phones and those using hand-free devices.
A Few Winter Driving Tips Snowy and icy days are just around the corner. But now is the time to prepare. Some items to check on your automobile are battery, lights, belts, brakes, tires, windshield wipers, defroster, heater and exhaust system. Tires should have adequate tread and air pressure. Maintain at least a half tank of gas during the winter season. This insures you have a source of heat if you are stuck or stranded, and keeps water from condensing and building up in your gas tank, which can cause rust. Make sure your vehicle has good wiper blades and that they exert enough pressure to ensure a clean sweep. Keep the windshield wash reservoir full and extra fluid in your trunk. Adjust your speed and increase your following distance as road conditions and visibility get worse. Always drive with headlights on to increase your ability to see and other's ability to see you. www.ShawMEDIA.com
The Winter Waddle: “The Penguin” When the temperature plummets and the sky fills with snow or worse yet, freezing rain, then it's time to do the “winter waddle.” Walk like a penguin: it's the new hot trot for the season. To do it, just point out your toes, relax your knees, and take slow and deliberate steps. Hands should be free.
There were two incidents requiring medical attention in July, August, September and October. Bureau County Republican - 1 Sauk Valley Media - 1
Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 9
GRAPHICALLY SPEAKING
Making Templates in Roxen Work For You
By Brian Hurley Media Applications Coordinator Shaw Media Corporate
One of the features in our recent Roxen upgrade is the ability to create story and page templates. Roxen templates allow you to choose specific pre-made pages and add images and text within the system, minimally using InDesign.
In the Headlines panel. the editor will see pre-set story templates with stylesheets applied. These names correspond to master story templates.
On the left is a tagged page template created in Roxen. This template is then merged with a page in Roxen, which keeps local graphics and text placed on a specific layer (Such as ads, masthead, and/or indexes).
Select a template name, and move stories and images into the story elements listed in the Story panel. Click the preview button in the text editor to see how the story will appear in the story template.
The resulting page is on the right.
Continue the process to complete the page. While you can still use InDesign for any “tweaking” I built the majority of the page above within Roxen. As you select stories and images, press the “Update on Page” button to see a preview of the page within Roxen. 10 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
At this point, publications in Creston, IA., Crystal Lake and Downers Grove have been testing and using both story and page templates.
ShawMEDIADIGITAL.com
TECHNOLOGY
ShawMail safety net By Matt Woodstrup Digital Production Coordinator Shaw Media Corporate
F
rom the dial-up days in 1996 to the mobile devices of today, FirstClass, the ShawMail technology engine, has been part of the speed of our business. It allows us to access such things as meeting schedules and human resource information, chat with other Shaw employees, and share files. You may have saved a few things in the system over the years. We hope you haven't been trying to save ALL your data in FirstClass. Those that have tried, you know who you are, may want to do a little house cleaning. So where is all that data? What are we doing to secure it? The past few months we have developed a system for off-site backup and recovery called NetApp. Our main servers in the suburban Chicago area have a replicating system in Rockford. According to NetApps site: "Our Snapshot and replication technology handles backup, recovery, data growth, virtualization, and big data management." The NetApp system will allow for remote file recovery. In the event of deleted files, we can access the second NetApp system to locate and restore files back to the main system. In the past we would have to drive to the main site and remove drives. Then, create a backup server computer to restore files. In case of a major power or internet outage at the main site, we can transfer all users to the second site without the users noticing a change. It's nice to know that someone won't have to drive in the middle of the night to fix the system because FirstClass now has a first class backup system!
ShawMEDIADIGITAL.com
Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 11
IN FOCUS Every person at Shaw Media plays an important part in the success of this corporation. This segment is designed to introduce you to an employee in the company. It features one of many who makes a difference by striving for excellence.
MEET : Eric Schelkopf
'The Total Scene' Blog puts local musicians in spotlight By Kathy Gresey kgresey@shawmedia.com
N
ot all reporters want to cap off a day – or night – of news writing with more composition. But Kane County Chronicle reporter Eric Schelkopf does just that. Schelkopf, 49, has been writing for his blog, "The Total Scene," since its creation in 2010. The blog, which can be found at www.thetotalscene.blogspot.com, presents "the best of arts and entertainment in the Chicago area." Schelkopf said he started the blog as a way to help promote local musicians who might often be left out of the spotlight. "It's music-based, but I've also done interviews with comedians before," he said. "It's kinda cool because I think, 'Hey, I'm the first one to discover this new music.' And secondly I'm able to turn other people on to the music." It was during high school that Schelkopf really became interested in rock 'n' roll and other types of tunes. He said it was the "infectious melodies" of The Beatles that initially intrigued him. "My favorite was John (Lennon)," he said, "because he was the intellectual Beatle, and he seemed like he really cared about making the world a better place – a great example of how you can inject your politics into music. I really admire artists who can do that." Fast forward to December 1988 when Schelkopf started working as a reporter for what's now known as the Kane County Chronicle. 12 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com
Kane County Chronicle reporter Eric Schelkopf displays his blog, "The Total Scene," on an iPad. Schelkopf started the blog, in part, to help promote area musicians. Working as a journalist allowed Schelkopf to write about arts and entertainment, which he still does for the paper today. But "The Total Scene" blog allows him to do more. Trombone Shorty, a jazz/rock musician; JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound, a soul band; and Ted Neeley, who played the part of Jesus Christ in the 1973 film "Jesus Christ Superstar," are among those whom Schelkopf has interviewed for his blog. He also has interviewed numerous blues musicians, including singer
Shemekia Copeland, noting that he believes it's important to keep the blues alive in Chicago. The blog has generated positive feedback. "I'm sharing this interview of my friend Jeff Brown by Eric Schelkopf," wrote one Facebook poster. "This is one of the best interviews that I've read. Jeff's responses encapsulate with a great deal of honesty exactly what it feels like to be an indie musician in the city of Chicago and the rewards and the challenges that we face in getting our music heard." www.ShawMEDIA.com
SAUK VALLEY MEDIA
Photo by Jenny Young
Working in the spotlight before hundreds of spectators are (from left) Janet Bushman, wife of Telegraph General Manager Ed Bushman; and Jennifer Diehl and Diana Hosler, Sauk Valley Media employees. The women assisted a culinary specialist at Taste of Home Cooking School, a marketing event, Sept. 10 in Sterling.
SVM tastes success By Jenny Young Sauk Valley Media cooked up a night of food and fun. Taste of Home Cooking School, a popular marketing event, took place Sept. 10 at Centennial Auditorium in Sterling. About 550 people came to watch Guy Klinzing, culinary specialist, demonstrate how to make everything from eggs benedict to German chocolate cake. Ticket sales and sponsorships generated more than $8,500. Robin Norburg, graphic designer, attended with her mother and won herbs. "It was a very fun and entertaining night out, and I always learn something new that I can use in my everyday cooking," she said. All guests received tote bags, thanks to P&D Supervisor John
Fulton and other packaging/distribution and production employees who stuffed them with promotions and recipes. "This event is very labor intensive," organizer and Telegraph General Manager Ed Bushman said. "It would not have happened without all of the wonderful volunteers who helped out." Jennifer Diehl, Amie Mock and Diana Hosler assisted Klinzing with food preparation and live demonstrations. Diehl enjoyed spending time with her coworkers. "We all like to cook," she said. Other volunteers included Dona Marsh, Cindy Dahl, Celeste Lightner-Greenwalt, Lori Walker, Luke Eisenberg, Melanie Brooking, Dawne Bohms, Jerri Siedschlag, Dave Sigafus, Andy Aurand, Jennifer Baratta, and Justin Shuman.
www.SAUKVALLEY.com • www.SAUKVALLEYSPORTS.com
15 years Sauk Valley Printing Manager Dale Todd was recently honored for fifteen years of service with Shaw Media. During that time, Dale worked primarily at Sauk Valley Media but also at News Printing Company in Newton.
Happy Retirement! Sauk Valley Media employee Linda Berogan recently retired after 17 years with the company, having spent most of those years in customer service at the Dixon (Telegraph) office. Linda (seated) is flanked by Dixon office co-workers (from left) Bob Wolf, Jerri Siedschlag, Telegraph GM Ed Bushman and former co-worker Bob Wendt. Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 13
SAUK VALLEY MEDIA
Photo by Alex T. Paschal
Editorial staff members of Sauk Valley Media pose with the two General Excellence awards they have won over the past four years. The award is given each year in statewide competition sponsored by the Illinois Associated Press Editors Association. Sauk Valley Media competes with more than a dozen other mid-size newspapers from around the state. Pictured from left - seated, Larry Lough, David Giuliani, Mike Krabbenhoeft, Pam Eggemeier, Christi Warren, Phil Hartman, Jim Dunn, Phil Marruffo, Jeff Rogers and Lucas Pauley. Standing - Cynthia Dahl, Jenny Young, Matt Mencarini, Derek Barichello, Julie Barichello and Dan Woessner.
And the awards keep coming ... Sauk Valley is "clear winner" for General Excellence Judges called Sauk Valley Media the "clear winner" in the General Excellence category among mid-sized newspapers in statewide competition this year sponsored by the Illinois Associated Press. It was the second time in the past four years that SVM won the award. "A simple yet engaging design allows the staff's excellent writing to take center stage," judges wrote. "The staff appears to have a firm commitment to watchdog journalism that serves their readers well." 14 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
The judges noted that SVM was among the smallest newspapers in the competition. "The paper is thinner than most of the other entrants, but it is jammed with great content," they said. "In an age when local features content is growing rarer all the time, Telegraph readers have several local offerings, ... Very impressive effort." Staff members of the Telegraph and Daily Gazette received 13 awards in all. Other first-place awards were for: • Breaking news reporting (Tara
Becker and Emily Coleman) • Business reporting (David Giuliani) • Feature writing (Coleman) • Headline writing (Jeff Rogers) • Photo illustration (Alex Paschal) Second place awards were won for column writing (David Giuliani), entertainment writing, (Rogers), photo illustration (Paschal), and pictorial photo and sport new photo (both Philip Marruffo). Third place awards were for headline writing (Christopher Heimerman) and feature photo (Paschal).
www.planitsaukVALLEY.com • www.oglecountynews.com
SAUK VALLEY MEDIA
SVM news staff celebrates 37 awards By Jenny Young "FREE FOOD" That was the subject line in Larry Lough's email to the editorial staff announcing an awards celebration. Apparently, if you feed them, they will come. Reporters, editors, photographers, and other newsroom staffers and their families gathered in June at Lowell Park in Dixon to celebrate Sauk Valley Media's 37 editorial awards from the Illinois Press Association and Associated Press Editors Association. Before they chowed down on fried chicken, watermelon, and other picnic favorites, Lough, executive editor, congratulated them on a successful year.
SVM editorial staffers "break bread" with fried chicken during their awards celebration picnic in June. A bean bag tournament followed. Keeping them humble, Lough also pointed out that the word "congratulations" on the banner they hung was misspelled. "It wasn't us that spelled it wrong,"
Mary Near, community assistant, said with a laugh. "I found it in the closet." After cake, staffers com- Executive Editor Larry peted in a Lough leads a toast bean bag tour- of the editorial staff nament. during a picnic at "It was Lowell Park in Dixon fun," Marla to celebrate the many Seidell, niche awards received by publications Sauk Valley Media editor, said. in 2012, including "It was nice General Excellence in out there, you the Illinois AP contest. know, being close to the water and everything. "Mary always makes good food," she added.
SVM tweets garner AP Member of the Year honors The Associated Press has honored Sauk Valley Media as Member of the Year for its use of social media in trial coverage. Illinois bureau chief George Garties said the honor was given in recogni-
tion of SVM's use of Twitter last fall at the murder trial of Nicholas Sheley in Whiteside County. During the trial, reporter Tara Becker kept SVM readers up to date on trial developments from her laptop com-
puter, which the judge allowed in the courtroom. Garties said the AP followed the frequent tweets so it could update members – broadcast as well as print – on the proceedings throughout the trial.
IPA awards for Sauk Valley Media Sauk Valley Media received 25 honors – including four first places – in this year's Excellence in News Contest sponsored by the Illinois Press Association. The awards made SVM the runnerup for the Mabel S. Shaw Memorial Trophy, a sweepstakes award based on the number of awards won in competition among Illinois newspapers of 15,000-40,000 circulation. The staff won two awards for Community Service – a second place for a series on concussions in local high school sports, and honorable mention for two community bookread projects that led to community forums the newspaper sponsored. And, for the sixth straight year, SVM was honored for Best Promotion of the Public's Right to Know for a series of editorials on public access.
First Place
Third Place
• Feature Photo, Photo Editor Alex Paschal • Sports Feature, Sports Editor Dan Woessner • Headline Writing, Managing Editor Jeff Rogers • Local Editorial, Opinion Page Editor Jim Dunn
• General Excellence • Sports Section • Investigative Reporting, reporter David Giuliani • Coverage of Taxation, staff • Illustration, Paschal • Sports Column, Woessner • Sports Feature, Assistant Sports Editor Christopher Heimerman • News Reporting-Series, Heimerman • News Reporting-Single Story, reporters Tara Becker and Emily Coleman
Second Place • Editorial Page • Lifestyles Section • Community Service • Original Column, Executive Editor Larry Lough • Enterprise/Feature Writing, feature writer Jenny Young • Sports Photo, Paschal
www.SAUKVALLEY.com • www.SAUKVALLEYSPORTS.com
Honorable Mention • Community Service • Promotion of Public's Right to Know, Dunn • Personality Portrait, Paschal • Illustration, Paschal • Enterprise/Feature Writing, Coleman Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 15
SAUK VALLEY MEDIA
APSE honors for SVM sports staff By Larry Lough Sauk Valley Media's amazing sports department has extended its impressive streak in national competition sponsored by the Associated Press Sports Editors. By winning Top 10 awards this year for Daily Section, Special Section and Project Reporting, the sports crew has accumulated 16 APSE plaques in the past 6 years. We compete in the class of newspapers with circulations of under 30,000, so we're up against a lot of larger publications. For the sixth consecutive year, the sports guys won Top 10 recognition for their high school football preseason special section. This time the section focused on sports injuries, in addition to providing a comprehensive preview of the teams and players in the Sauk Valley area. It was the fourth time in the past 5 years for Top 10 recognition for Daily Section. Perhaps the most amazing thing about this consistency over the past 5 years is that it has been accomplished under the leadership of three different sports editors: Paul Skrbina,
Photo by SVM photographer Phil Marruffo
It's a rare moment indeed as Sauk Valley Media's sports staffers find themselves in the same place at the same time. Pictured, from left, are reporters Ty Reynolds and Patrick Petrosky, Sports Editor Dan Woessner, reporters Brian Weidman and Larry Brennan, and Asst. Sports Editor Christopher Heimerman. Will Larkin and, now, Dan Woessner. Skrbina and Larkin now work for the Chicago Tribune. Sports reporters Ty Reynolds and
Brian Weidman have been a part of all five award-winning seasons, and reporter Larry Brennan has contributed to the past couple.
Concussion series awards from APSE and IPA By Dan Woessner During the summer of 2012, Christopher Heimerman, assistant sports editor for Sauk Valley Media, tackled the subject of youth concussions in a five-part series that spanned 10 weeks. The process began with a think tank that included Heimerman, SVM managing editor Jeff Rogers, editorial page editor Jim Dunn, Christopher Heimerman sports editor Dan Woessner, online editor Angel Sierra and a collection of athletic trainers, coaches and doctors from KSB Hospital in Dixon and Community General Hospital in 16 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
Sterling. Heimerman then divided the topic into five parts. The resulting series "The Hidden Injury" was recognized nationally by The Associated Press Sports Editors and statewide by the Illinois Press Association. The APSE Project Reporting award acknowledged Heimerman with an honorable mention for individual writing. IPA honored the series in three categories - second place in the community service category, third place in the news reporting series category, and third place in the sports feature category. "The amount of time and effort that Christopher spent on the concussion series was unprecedented for our department," Woessner said. "The awards were nice, but I think we were
all so proud of how the series was executed and delivered to readers that the awards were an afterthought." Heimerman also delivered a presentation on the series at the APSE Great Lakes Region meeting at the Chicago Tribune in April.
www.planitsaukVALLEY.com • www.oglecountynews.com
SAUK VALLEY MEDIA
It's a wrap for SVM football preview By Dan Woessner Each August, the Sauk Valley Media sports department hunkers down to produce a 56-page APSE awardwinning high school football preview section. Over the last 7 years, one of the features of that section has been creating campus editions for the six largest markets in the circulation area. The unique thing about these campus editions is a personalized wrap that goes around the outside of the tab. The front of the wrap features six to eight players from that particular team posed in a location. The back-
side of the wrap has a team photo, a roster and a schedule. The wraps also have space for eight advertisers to get on board to support their local school. This year, the front wrap photos were shot in the new weight room at Newman High School. This year's edition was printed on glossy paper for the first time, giving the wrap more of a poster feel. The posters can be seen hanging in many local businesses in the area. The location of the wrap shoot changes each year. In past years, the photo shoot has taken place in spots like the SVM's photo studio, an operating room at KSB Hospital in Dixon,
a barn in rural Sterling, outside an old movie theater, and on the new turf at Sterling High School. "It's a chance to give the communities of Amboy, Dixon, Morrison, Newman, Rock Falls and Sterling something unique for their football teams," sports editor Dan Woessner said. "This is a cooperative effort between the sports staff and the advertising staff to do something that both readers and advertisers like." The success of the wrap is in large part due to the efforts and talents of SVM's photo staff of Alex T. Paschal, Philip Marruffo and Michael Krabbenhoeft.
saukvalleysports.com showcases area sports By Dan Woessner In August, a new website was launched that will allow Sauk Valley Media to showcase its prep sports content. The launch came after a year of planning, tweaking and data entry. Saukvalleysports.com is modeled off the successful template used by McHenrysports.com and DCPreps. com. It is the goal of SVM to equal the success of those two brands. The website features SVM daily prep stories, statistics, rosters, schedules and blogs written by the SVM sports staff. "The template was out there within
Shaw Media to set up a high-quality, user-friendly website," SVM Sports Editor Dan Woessner said. "So it was an easy decision to develop our own
www.SAUKVALLEY.com • www.SAUKVALLEYSPORTS.com
website that was 110 percent local sports. "We realize that the future of journalism is intertwined with the Internet, and that websites have to be accessible to readers at home and on mobile devices. It's now in our court to make sure the content keeps viewers coming back for more." The technology crew consisting of Bob Wendt, Brian Hurley, Matt Woodstrup, Tony Winstead and Angel Sierra assisted in working out the kinks and streamlining the operation. Sports staff members each take time uploading stories, stats and schedules to the site. Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 17
SAUK VALLEY MEDIA
SVM unleashes charitable contest By Jenny Young Sauk Valley Media recently sponsored a competition similar to "American Idol." Contestants, however, did not sing – they barked. Pet Idol, organized by the circulation department in partnership with a local animal hospital, took place May through July to raise money for Newspapers in Education. Pet owners entered their dogs, cats and other critters by submitting a photo and $10 submission fee. Readers paid 25 cents per vote for the animal they liked best. After several rounds of voting, the top 13 out of 120 pets were announced.
All were featured in a calendar, with the grand prize winner on the cover. Circulation Director Sheryl Gulbranson, along with SVM photographers, provided a photo shoot. "It was fun," she said. "People just love their pets." Before calendar sales, the contest raised about $12,000, partially through sponsorships. "It was very successful," Gulbranson said. ... "It was great." Sauk Valley Media also entered dogs and cats from two local animal shelters to promote pet adoption, and donated a portion of the proceeds toward their care.
Senior Showcase Advertising Director Jennifer Baratta and Telegraph General Manager Ed Bushman work at Sauk Valley Media's 15th annual Senior Showcase, held Aug. 6 at Northland Mall in Sterling. Representatives from 53 businesses and organizations shared information and answered questions about everything from health care to retirement planning. Through sponsorships, advertising and booth rentals, the marketing initiative generated more than $14,000 in revenue. More than 400 people attended. Admission was free and included a popular Bingo game. "The over-50 crowd loves this event, and returns year after year to gain knowledge of new companies and products designed just for them," Bushman said.
Twins Christopher Heimerman, assistant sports editor for Sauk Valley Media, and his wife, Kayla Heimerman, former SVM education reporter, welcome twin girls. The first-time parents are pictured with their black labrador, Dexter, and (from left) daughters, Elise Rae and Anna Elisabeth. They were born Aug. 10 - Anna at 3:32 p.m., weighing 5 pounds and 2 ounces, and Elise at 3:33 p.m., weighing 4 pounds and 11 ounces. Both were 18 inches in length. Now 6 pounds, the girls are "happy, healthy and life-changing," according to their daddy. To announce the pregnancy in January, the Heimermans created a fake front page for the Telegraph with the headline "TWO BUNS, ONE OVEN" and emailed it to their coworkers.
Advertising staffers (from left) Jill Reyna, Lori Walker and Tammy Burkholder show off prizes they won during a safety trivia contest at Sauk Valley Media's "Sizzling Summer Safety Selebration" June 20 in the warehouse. The Safety Committee hosted the cookout, and employees who helped included Dona Marsh and Diana Hosler, food planning; Kelly Null and Colleen Garza, prizes and bags tourney; Kris Sands, fliers and popcorn labels; and Dale Todd, grill.
18 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
www.planitsaukVALLEY.com • www.oglecountynews.com
Safety Picnic
SUBURBAN GROUP
Cross-company competition Northwest Herald sales associate Dave Spindler was the winner of the NFL Preview tab contest in August. He competed with reps in Crystal Lake, DeKalb, Sauk Valley and Small papers Dave Spindler in Kankakee and Ottawa to win two tickets to the Bears vs. the Vikings game (coincidentally, he is a Vikings fan), a gift card for Chicago Cut and a night's stay at Renaissance hotel in downtown Chicago. Dave sold more revenue than any other rep and helped the NWH win the office prize of a Bears viewing party. Way to go, Dave!
Suburban Life Media Brand Initiative With 18 different mastheads in the Suburban Life Media operation, a plan was developed to unify the brand and the weekly newspapers within the Suburban Life operation were rebranded as Suburban Life. Each publication now features a specific town in the masthead which will allow the operation to grow top of mind awareness with readers and advertisers. For the launch, columns were written by publisher J. Tom Shaw and editor Dave Lemery announc-
ing the name change and reminding readers of the paper's steadfast commitment to local news. A Suburban Life logo was created to improve brand continuity between newspapers, website, and magazine. Other Shaw Media weeklies became part of the Suburban Life brand after the initial launch, including Lake County Journal, Gurnee Life, and Barrington Life. This strategy will also allow for expansion into adjacent markets.
LCJ is on the air The Lake County Journal and Gurnee Life staff join Paul Lepek of Lepek & Company at 8:10 a.m. every other Thursday to talk all things Lake County at WRLR Radio 98.3. Two of the four staffers join Paul at each session to share what's happening in Lake County and Gurnee and what will be in the paper that day. People are listening as evidenced by the fact that based on the radio show, a Lindenhurst resident contacted the Lake County Journal to write a conservative column and several folks sent in calendar items.
www.NWHERALD.com • www.KCCHRONICLE.com • www.DAILY-CHRONICLE.com
Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 19
SUBURBAN GROUP
Editorial excellence For the fourth consecutive year, the Northwest Herald has been named the best mid-size newspaper in Illinois, winning the Mabel S. Shaw sweepstakes award in the Illinois Press Association's annual Excellence in News contest, competing in Division E, which is for newspapers with a daily circulation of 10,001 to 40,000. In all, the Northwest Herald placed in 33 categories, including 10 first-place awards. Features Editor Scott Helmchen won four first-place awards and two second-place awards. The newspaper's series "Confronting the Bully," led by
reporter Chelsea McDougall, Assistant News Editor Joan Oliver, and Kane County Chronicle News Editor Al Lagattolla, won two firstplace awards: one for community service and one for news reporting series. Former reporter Katie Anderson won a first-place award for enterprise/feature writing for her piece "Imprisoned hearts." The Northwest Herald's Election Central 2012 project took first place in the Best Web Project category. Photo Editor H. Rick Bamman won a first-place award in the sports photo category.
PlanitNorthwest.com, designed by Helmchen, former senior web producer Adam Nekola, and Ryan Glab won a first-place award for most innovative project. The newspaper's special section Everyday Heroes received second- and third-place awards. The associated video profiles received a second-place award. Second-place awards also were awarded to former Night News Editor Dave Lemery, reporter Kevin Craver, Assistant Business Editor Brett Rowland, photographer Sarah Nader, former photographer Josh
8 See Excellence on PAGE 21
Scott Helmchen
Chelsea McDougall
Joan Oliver
Al Lagattolla
H. Rick Bamman
Ryan Glab
Dave Lemery
Keven Craver
Brett Rowland
Sarah Nader
Erick Ward
Les Johnson
Jami Kunzer
20 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
Dan McCaleb
Kevin Lyons
Valerie Katzenstein
Stephen Di Benedetto
www.MORRISDAILYHERALD.com • www.MYSUBURBANLIFE.com
SUBURBAN GROUP 8 Excellence from PAGE 20 Peckler, web producer Erick Ward, videographer Les Johnson and the Northwest Herald sports section. Craver and reporter Jami Kunzer received third-place awards. Honorable mentions went to Shaw Media suburban publications Group Editor Dan McCaleb, former reporter Sarah Sutschek, Craver, News Editor Kevin Lyons, Lifestyle Editor Valerie Katzenstein, reporter Stephen Di Benedetto and the newspaper's website nwherald.com.
Lake County Suburban Life team from left to right: Jesse Carpender, reporter; Cassandra Dowell, managing editor; Sheryl DeVore, editor; Yadira Sanchez Olson, reporter.
Lake County Suburban Life receives four first-place NINA awards The Lake County Suburban Life received four first-place plaques at the Oct. 24 Northern Illinois Newspaper Association awards banquet, as well as several second and third place certificates. At the awards entry deadline, the newspaper's name was Lake County Journal. Here is a list of the awards and judge's comments. Category: Best Design, Nondaily First place: Lake County Journal, Designers: Sheryl DeVore and Cassandra Dowell Judge’s comments: “Fresh fonts, use of photos contribute to solid design.” Category: Best Personality Profile, Nondaily First place: Jesse Carpender, “Brad Jenks: My passion won’t change,” Lake County Journal Judge’s comments: “Jesse produced a well-written lead that grabs your attention right away. Getting the subject to talk bluntly about a sensitive subject shows good interview skills. Bringing in quotes from a second source adds meaningful content.” Category: Best Religion Story, Nondaily First place: Cassandra Dowell, “Christian church welcomes all with unconditional love,” Lake County www.LAKECOUNTYSUBURBANLIFE.com • www.MYMCLIFE.com
Journal Judge’s comments: “Ms. Dowell reported a touchy and way-too-often misunderstood topic within the Christian church with a great blend of homework and legwork. By letting a range of people from First Congregational United Church of Christ speak to the issues of love, acceptance, rejection and homosexuality, she took a topic that is almost always political and inflammatory and made it human. That [is] what a good reporter and feature writer ought to do – and what [a] newspaper should encourage their reporters to do more.” Category: Best Spot News Story/ Nondaily First place: Jesse Carpender, Sheryl DeVore, Yadira Sanchez Olson, “Cleanup after ‘worst flood’ could take weeks,” Lake County Journal Other awards received include second place for best spot news story by Cassandra Dowell, second place for best education reporting by Cassandra Dowell, second place for best sports photo by Candace H. Johnson (published in Gurnee Life), third place for best feature photo by Candace H. Johnson and third place for best special section by Jesse Carpender, Sheryl DeVore, Cassandra Dowell and Yadira Sanchez Olson. Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 21
SUBURBAN GROUP
KCC ON TMZ! Photo by Sandy Bressner
Pictured are T.V. personality Kristin (Cavallari) Cutler and Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler walking into the Hotel Baker in St. Charles for Jenny McCarthy's "Dancing with the Stars" charity event for Bridges Montessori Academy of St. Charles. A slew of celebrities attended. Kane County Chronicle Reporter Brenda Schory had the scoop after getting a news tip recently that some Hollywood celebs got busted for public drunkenness in Geneva. GENEVA
— A night out with Hollywood stars at a Jenny McCarthy charity event ended with tickets for public intoxication for some outside a nightspot in Geneva, records show. Among those
cited were actors and dancers. TMZ picked up the story. At first, it was on the TMZ website with no credit to KCC, but editor Kathy Gresey called TMZ and it added a hat tip to KCC!
Paving the way The NWH parking lot underwent a complete renovation during the summer. The old asphalt was removed completely, parts of the dirt underlying it had to be reinforced to prevent the notorious dips in the lot that were so prevalent before, then new asphalt was laid and striped. Crews from Geske and Sons performed the work and all employees are extremely pleased with the results. Photos by H. Rick Bamman
22 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
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Pictured from left are Renee Herrmann, Dave Spindler, Sam Zito, Paula Dudley, Kristin Schwan, John Kranz, Bethany Detert, Kelly Rosenberg, Kelly Robinson, Sue Wales and Sue Jones.
Impressive! A "Let's Make An Impression" sales contest held at NWH concluded with numerous winners. The goal was to get 350,000 Big Box impressions on NWHerald.com for each rep. Further, they were divided into two teams and the first team to sell 1,800,000 Big Box impressions would take home the prize. The prize? A half day off at Arlington Park Racetrack including admission, train fare, lunch and beverage, and $10 "Mad Money." The results were, indeed, impressive: John Kranz got 611,041; Sam Zito got 524,684; Rick Peterson got 385,866; Kristin Schwan got 359,833; and Kelly Robinson got 351,300. Both teams combined sold 3,260,271 impressions for June! Since both teams performed so well, all reps from both teams were invited to attend the outing.
Pictured are (from left) Scott Schafer, Tara Reed, Vince Langman, Maureen Ringness, Jim Ringness and Ron Onesti at the Best of the Fox event in Kane County.
Making the 'Best Of' it The Kane County Chronicle teams comprised of all departments completed a successful 2013 Best of the Fox promotion in early summer. The sales and marketing team exceeded their revenue goal and the previous year's total of $36,000 with great effort from each of the account executives for the BOF section. In addition, the BOF awards reception was held at the historic Arcada Theater. The entire KCC team
helped make the event mixer for the "Best Of" winners a great success. Great job! The Northwest Herald also had a successful Best of the Fox promotion, bringing in more than $88,000 in revenue and featuring 157 categories from which voters could choose. A event honoring the winners was held at the Dole Mansion in Crystal Lake and more than 220 people attended the celebration.
All aboard!!! The new Suburban Life landed on October 2nd, 2013! Sales and Circulation handed out copies of the new paper at the Downers Grove train station. From left to right: Neil Shannon, Kelsey Rakers, Nicole Dakof, Mark Miller, & Bill Korbel. Libby Patton also helped the team.
A large crowd enjoys the presentation at the NWH Best of the Fox awards ceremony held at the Dole Mansion in Crystal Lake.
www.KANECOUNTYMAGAZINE.com • www. SHAWVIDEOWORKS.com
Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 23
SUBURBAN GROUP
20 years Steve Seaburg, single copy collector at Northwest Herald, was presented with a service certificate and a cake as he celebrated 20 years with Shaw Media.
Chuck & Char The Kane County Chronicle had some special visitors in August – Chuck and Char, two scarecrow fingerpuppets from the Greater St. Charles Visitors and Convention Bureau. The VCB is using Chuck and Char to promote businesses around St. Charles, as well as to create hype for the Scarecrow Festival. You can read about their trip to the KCC newsroom on their blog, "Chuck and Char: A Scarecrow's Life," here: http://ascarecrowslife.wordpress. com/2013/08/23/the-newsroom/.
Rounding the bases McHenryCountySports.com's softball team won the Crystal Lake Park District Thursday Night Open League with a 9-1 record. The core of the team has played together for about 15 years. Pictured are, front row: Mike Marx, Ryan Glab, Phil Babchak, Dan McCaleb and Nick Debartolo. Back row: Joe Stevenson, Don Bricker, Spencer Deacon, Aaron Rondeau and Ken Lyons. Not pictured: Keith Lyons and Rich Carter. Glab works in the Crystal Lake office as senior web developer. McCaleb is group editor of Shaw Media's suburban properties. Bricker is regional publisher and general manager of Shaw Media's suburban operations. Stevenson is senior sports writer with the Northwest Herald.
Immaculate Conception's Jack Copher gains a few yards while avoiding a tackle from a Noble Street Charter player during their home game held on August 31, 2013. Suburban Life Media photo by Erica Benson
Photographer's comment "I took this photo, not only because the subject is the quarterback, but it also demonstrates the skill the quarterback used to fight off his opponent while attempting to either gain more yards or find an opportunity to pass the ball." 24 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
www.MCHENRYCOUNTYSPORTS.com • www.HUSKIEWIRE.com
SUBURBAN GROUP
Glenbard West's players including Jermon Kindle Joyner enter the field during their home game against Morton West on September 7, 2013. Suburban Life Media photo by Erica Benson
Photographer's comment "Glenbard West always draws a big crowd to their home games. When the team enters the field from under the bleachers, the crowd gets on their feet to cheer for the team. I happened to be next to a person on the field who mentioned it was her favorite part of the game. I used a technique known in the industry as the "Hail Mary" to get some of the team members heading onto the field during that moment." Chicago's Kyle Long (left) leans in to get instructions from center Roberto Garza as Jay Cutler calls an audible in the first half against Cincinnati at Soldier Field on Sept. 8, 2013. Northwest Herald photo by H. Rick Bamman
Photographer's comment "I try to find a different type of photo from a game. Perhaps it is something before or after the play, or a shot away from the bread and butter action image. For a few plays before, I noticed Bears' center Roberto Garza was giving rookie Kyle Long instructions when they were setting for the snap. I did not notice Jay Cutler's shouting an audible until I was editing the take. Came away with a feature for a future story on the offensive line."
Kane County Chronicle photo by Sandy Bressner Photographer's comment "I ran from my car to the stadium as soon as I saw how the sun looked over the field at St. Charles North as the sophomores were still playing recently."
www.PLANITNORTHWEST.com • www. PLANITDEKALBCOUNTY.com
Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 25
SUBURBAN GROUP Willowbrook's TJ Geritano celebrates catching a touchdown pass with less than a minute in the first half of their game at Lyons Township on Sept. 6, 2013. Suburban Life Media photo by Bill Ackerman
Photographer's comment "Willowbrook was on its way to a 62-49 win with the quarterback setting a state passing record. Like many football fields, this one isn't as well lit near the endzones, so I waited for the opportunity to get a shot of the athlete celebrating another touchdown pass as he turned into the light."
Wheaton St. Francis receiver Adam Hart goes up high trying to catch a pass during their game against Riverside Brookfield on Sept. 1 in Wheaton. The game was postponed Friday night and Saturday morning due to weather. It was the first game on the new field at the High School. Suburban Life Media photo by Mark Busch
Photographer's comment "I always look forward to the opportunity to shoot day football because the quality of the images you are able to get is just much better than you can get at night. Shooting in full sunlight allows you several advantages. The lower ISO setting you can use gives you clearer photos with less "noise" than you would get at higher ISO settings; the faster shutterspeed enables you to freeze action with no motion blur; the smaller aperture settings allow for better depth of field and the brighter conditions make it easier to follow the action on the field better. All of these factors played into having this photo come out as well as it did."
26 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
Kane County Chronicle photo by Sandy Bressner Photographer's comment "I took this photo during a game between St. Charles North and Elgin. I especially love this photo because it shows a true triumph of St. Charles North's defense. Too often, I am focused on the offense and "who has the ball" so I was glad to shine a light on the great defense during this game."
www.PLANITLIFE.com • www.PLANITLAKE.com • www.PLANITKANE.com
SUBURBAN GROUP
It worked so well the first time ... Video by: Dan Santaromita, Sports Reporter, Suburban Life Media
Videographer's comment "I like the video because it showed the similar plays Glenbard West ran to score two touchdowns." This video can be seen at http://www.tinyurl.com/kuzu3cj
Celebration Video by: Jason Rossi, Sports editor, Suburban Life Media
Videographer's comment "I like this video for a couple reasons. One, when shooting football, it is hard to get a good angle on the play, to follow the player with the ball and to do both of those without having someone walk in front of you, but I was lucky enough to pull it off here. Two, the player and his teammates came right over to my area to celebrate, which is also rare and added an element of emotion." This video can be seen at http://shawurl.com/ulj
Online Extra!
Check out these videos online. Winning touchdown Video by: Scott Schmid, Sports writer, Suburban Life Media
Videographer's comment "This was the winning touchdown in the season opening football matchup between Glenbard West and Wheaton Warrenville South, two of the topranked teams in the state." This video can be seen at http://shawurl.com/r4t www.HUBARKUSH.com • www. FOXRIVERBIKETRAILS.com
Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 27
BUREAU COUNTY REPUBLICAN
Delivering the good news BCR Editor Terri Simon (from left), Women of Distinction Award recipient Terri Zearing, BCR Sales Development Manager Pam Pratt-Marsh and BCR Publisher Sam Fisher pose for a photo after delivering a certificate and a bouquet of flowers to Zearing, one of 10 winners of the BCR's inaugural Women of Distinction Award. The BCR trio delivered the good news to all 10 women, who were honored at the Women of Distinction luncheon on Oct. 17 at Deer Park Country Club in Oglesby. Princeton resident and WGN co-host of the "Kathy and Judy Show", Kathy O'Malley, was the keynote speaker.
The digital age John Saal (right), Xerox systems analyst, instructs BCR staff member Dave Johnson (center) about some of the new features on the Bureau County Republican's new C75 digital printer. BCR Commercial Manager Mona Cruse (left) said she's excited about the new Simple Image Quality Adjustment (SIQA) feature, which yields improved alignment and registration. Cruse said this digital press is ideal for small quantity press runs,
including those for brochures, 8.5-by-11-inch booklets (and smaller), posters and business cards. Cruse also said
28 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
the new digital press is great for printing postcards, tickets and non-carbonless business forms to name a few.
Homestead helpers BCR staff members Ashley Oliver (front), Tom Long (back left) and Angie Jones (back right) helped pass out Homestead Festival parade line-ups prior to the Sept. 14 parade. The BCR advertising department sells sponsorships on the handouts each year.
30 years Bureau County Republican Publisher Sam Fisher celebrates 30 years of service.
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Daily News completes community service project The Newton Daily News' yearlong community service project to promote Iowa Workforce Development's Skilled Iowa Initiative in Newton culminated Thursday, Sept. 26, with a community testing day for the National Career Readiness Certification assessment at Des Moines Area Community College-Newton Campus. Community and business leaders joined with a handful of local residents who were seeking to improve their employment prospects by taking the three hour-long assessments in Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information and Locating Information. Scores on the assessments can help future employers determine if certificants possess the skills necessary to fulfill highpaying, high-skill jobs. Daily News Editor Bob Eschliman took the test as part of a head-tohead challenge issued by Greater Newton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Darrell Sarmento. He received perfect scores in Applied Mathematics and Reading for Information, and scored an 81 out of 90 on Locating Information to achieve an overall “gold” rating on the NCRC. Sarmento received a “silver” rating. Other community leaders will
Daily News Editor Bob Eschliman takes part in the test. be taking the NCRC assessment in the weeks ahead as part of the challenge, which is meant to continue promoting the Skilled Iowa program in Newton, which experienced a substantial loss of jobs following the departure of Maytag/ Whirlpool in 2007.
Nosco, Rushing serve as judges at the Jasper County Fair Jasper County Tribune News Editor Matthew Nosco and Newton Daily News staff writer Ty Rushing both served as judges this year for the Jasper County Fair's firstever tailgating contest. Rushing wrote about the experience in his weekly Ty's Take column: Matthew Nosco “Picking a winner was one of the hardest things I've had to do in the last few months. It ranks right up there with the agonizing task of selecting only four children to take part in our Kids Say segment every Friday.” The winners were “A Tailgate Divided,” Ty Rushing which captured the judges hearts and stomachs with their bacon-wrappedshrimp kabobs. Their set-up also featured a bags game, and a “secret recipe” punch that was popular with Nosco.
Daily News, IFOIC fight for courtroom transparency The Newton Daily News stood alongside the Iowa Freedom of Information Council in resisting a Jasper County prosecutor's motion to keep cameras and audio recording devices out of the courtroom during a recent attempted murder trial. The Jasper County Attorney's Office asked that the Daily News' request for expanded media coverage – which would allow the use of still and video cameras and digital audio recording equipment – be denied because the victim in the case objected. The victim told the court he didn't want his name
or face to appear in the newspaper. Kathleen Richardson, Kathleen Richardson Executive Director of the IFOIC and a journalism law professor at Drake University, argued on the newspa-
www.NEWTONDAILYNEWS.com • www.JASPERCOUNTYADVERTISER.com
per's behalf that the expanded media request was both routine and appropriate, given the nature of the case. The victim had previously appeared in the newspaper in prior coverage of the case. The judge hearing the case eventually approved the expanded media coverage request when the victim rescinded his objection. The trial eventually ended shortly after it began when the defendant accepted a plea agreement. Subsequent expanded media requests from the Daily News have been approved without objection. Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 29
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Newton's sideline erupts into celebration on the final play of the freshman game at South Tama. The Cardinal freshmen held on a defensive stand to win 36-30 in Tama.
Feature Shots
New Sports Editor talks about capturing moments Jocelyn Sheets, who joined the Newton Daily News, Jasper County Tribune and Prairie City News as sports editor in July, has made a substantial impact on the appearance of those newspapers' sports sections. One day in late-September, she published these three photos of sub-varsity football competition, a new point of emphasis for the newspapers for the 2013-14 school year. “Sports is about action and reaction. The seventh-grade football photo has both in it. Sometimes you get lucky when you follow the action and get that reaction with it. When this 30 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
Newton's Josh Miller (15) dashes down the sideline away from South Tama defenders with teammates on the sideline telling him to "Go! Go!" Miller scored a touchdown on the play in the seventh-grade opener on Sept. 12 at home. running back broke away, I led him a bit with the camera as he began racing down the sideline so he would have space in the frame to run into plus show the defenders being left behind. It was right down in front of his teammates on the sideline, who urged him to 'Go! Go!' “With the freshman sideline photo, I knew this would tell the story on the final play of the game. Newton was playing defense, protecting a lead. The guys on the sideline would tell
me all I needed to know about the action. I focused, and hit the button as the players looked on and just kept shooting throughout the play. “The oneNewton's Dalton handed catch was Nevels (4) makes a about knowing one-handed grab of the game. It was a pass from Blake a fourth-and-goal Anderson on a play. I figured it fourth-down play would be a pass at the South Tama play, so I followed eight-yard line durthe receivers out ing junior varsity of the formation, action at H.A. Lynn also watching Stadium. Fisher the quarterback, pulled in the football pulled back on and scored a touchthe zoom as it down on the play. appeared the play was coming to my side of the field, re-focused and began shooting as the ball was in the air.”
www.NEWTONDAILYNEWS.com • www.JASPERCOUNTYADVERTISER.com
NEWS PRINTING COMPANY
NPC purchases Prairie City News Friday, Aug. 30, News Printing Company completed the purchase of the Prairie City News weekly newspaper from Peter and Criste Scarnati. The Prairie City News is the oldest continually operating business in Prairie City, located approximately 11 miles southwest of Newton. The Scarnatis had been the owners, publishers and editors of the Prairie City News since 2005. The newspaper has won numerous awards from the Iowa Newspaper Association under their leadership, including the Harrison “Skip” Weber Investigative Reporting Award in each of the past two years. Newton Daily News publisher Dan Goetz also serves as publisher of the Prairie City News. Bob Eschliman now serves as editor, while staff writer Matthew Nosco was promoted to news editor of the Prairie City News, as well as its sister weekly, the Jasper County Tribune in nearby Colfax. NPC has made a commitment to maintaining an office presence in Prairie City. The Scarnatis said they were confident the Prairie City News' tradition of excellence will continue. “We wish Dan Goetz and his staff all the best going forward,” Peter Scarnati said. “We're very confident they will continue to provide readers and advertisers the very best in service as they have proven over the years.”
Eschliman serves on INA Contest Committee For a fifth year, Newton Daily News Editor Bob Eschliman served on the Iowa Newspaper Association's Contest Committee. The committee is charged with establishing the rules for each year's Better Newspaper Contest. This year, the committee made a number of recommended changes to contest categories. The committee also is in the process of determining ways to recognize Iowa newspapers' efforts on multiple media platforms. Eschliman also serves on the Newspapers In Education Committee.
Bob Eschliman
www.NEWTONDAILYNEWS.com • www.JASPERCOUNTYADVERTISER.com
NPC takes part in Young Professionals' Thanks With Franks On a very hot day, Newton businesses and organizations, including News Printing Company, participated in the Jasper County Young Professionals' annual “Thanks With Franks” event on the courthouse square. By the end, 11,000 hot dogs were given away to residents. Organizer Amanda Price said she is typically so busy, she doesn't get to check out any of the hot dog spectacles. Former News Printing Company sales representative Skyler Wedeking, left, got into the spirit of the event — despite the stifling late-afternoon heat — by wearing a hot dog costume. NPC business manager and human resources director Brenda Lamb gets a good laugh out of his costume. Proceeds from the event benefited the Newton Senior High School Drama Department and studentrun Red Pride Day organization. Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 31
CRESTON PUBLISHING CO.
Girl on Fire
By Sarah Brown CNA staff reporter sbrown@crestonnews.com The first time CNA Staff Reporter Bailey Poolman responded to a motorvehicle crash, she was nervous. Poolman, 24, originally of Centerville, joined Creston's Volunteer Fire Department in March and was certified in Firefighter I in July. "I didn't know anyone and thought it would be a great way to meet people, make friends and be part of the community" said Poolman. "I thought it would also keep me motivated to stay in shape." Additionally, Poolman feels the experience has made her a better reporter. "When I cover certain things (for the paper), I know what's going on," said Poolman. "The knowledge makes my cutlines better because I understand what's going on and I can explain it better." Poolman, who is one of two females at the fire department, said it's not a big deal being involved in what some consider "a boy's club."
CNA photo by Sarah Brown
"They don't really treat me different," said Poolman. "They are really helpful and it doesn't matter that I am a girl." The experience has had a meaning-
ful impact on her life. "It's so cool to be part of something, especially when you are helping out," said Poolman. "It's just a perk the experience makes my life better."
Bird's-eye view Osceola News Editor Amy Hansen captures aerial images of southern Iowa This summer, Osceola News Editor Amy Hansen took to the skies for her job. She received a free flight from local Osceola residents Dr. Jim and Mary Ellen Kimball to take aerial photos of southern Iowa in July. "It was an amazing experience," Hansen said. "I've been in hot-air balloons before, but never in a smallengine plane to take pictures." The Kimballs are pilots and have invited former Osceola news editors to go on flights with them. "It was so generous of the Kimballs to extend an invita-
tion to me to see southern Iowa with a birds-eye view," Hansen said. The Kimballs flew Hansen over the towns of Osceola, Murray, Leon and Creston. They also flew over Sun Valley Lake in Ringgold County, Iowa. It was an early-morning flight since the early morning and late evening are the best times of the day to take aerial photos. Pictures from the flight ran in the Osceola SentinelTribune and Creston News Advertiser. "This was definitely an experience I'll never forget," Hansen said.
32 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
OST photo by Amy Hansen
This is an aerial photo of downtown Osceola taken from a plane July 6. Dr. Jim and Mary Ellen Kimball of Osceola took Osceola News Editor Amy Hansen on a plane ride to take pictures of Osceola and southern Iowa. www.CRESTONNEWS.com • www.OSCEOLAIOWA.com
CRESTON PUBLISHING CO.
Balloon Days CNA photo by Jake Waddingham
CNA Advertising Representative Teresa Pendegraft, left, and CNA Systems Administrator Dorine Peterson help open the skirt of a hot air balloon to fill the envelope with air during preparations Sept. 21 at Creston Balloon Days celebration.
CNA photo by Kyle Wilson
CNA Managing Editor Stephani Finley, middle, and CNA reporter Sarah Brown, standing, interview a contestant during a pet show Sept. 21 during the 36th Annual Southwest Iowa Hot Air Balloon Days held in Creston.
CNA photo by Stephani Finley
CNA photo by Stephani Finley
More than 100 people entered YMCA's Balloon Day 5K Sept. 21, however, it was CNA Staff Reporter Jake Waddingham who took firstplace with a time of 18 minutes, 16 seconds.
CNA Assistant Managing Editor Kyle Wilson and his wife Stormy push three-month-old Harper during the Southern Prairie YMCA's Balloon Days 5K Sept. 21 at McKinley Lake in Creston.
www.CRESTONNEWS.com • www.OSCEOLAIOWA.com
Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 33
CRESTON PUBLISHING CO. CNA photo by Stephani Finley
Chalk walk
The Creston News Advertiser was a business sponsor of Creston Arts Fourth of July chalk walk. The paper boy in the CNA parking lot was completed July 3 by Tyler Downey, and Bailey and Blake FrySchnormeier.
CNA photo by Kyle Wilson CNA photo by Sarah Brown CNA photo by Kyle Wilson
Safety award CNA Systems Administrator Dorine Peterson, left, awards CNA pressman Kevin Drake with a safety certificate and $50 for meeting safety compliance standards.
True colors CNA staff members, from left, Jeff Levine, Craig Mittag, Brooke McIntosh, Bailey Poolman, Mary Jo Borcherding and Amber Hayes don team colors Sept. 9 to show support for their favorite college football teams during day one of Des Moines TV station WHO-TV Channel 13's RVTV, a week-long tailgate tour, which rallies fans leading up to the CyHawk rivalry game between Iowa and Iowa State universities Sept. 14.
CNA Advertising Director and cattleman Craig Mittag holds up his birthday cake during an in office birthday celebration for his 50th birthday at the Creston News Advertiser in July.
The big
5-0
CNA photo by Stephani Finley
Customer appreciation CNA staff members Teresa Pendegraft, Craig Mittag, Lori Fletcher and Jeff Levine show their appreciation to customers by serving pulled-pork sandwiches for lunch Sept. 27. 34 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
CNA photo by Bailey Poolman
The spoils of victory After defeating Kevin Drake (center) and Scott Vicker during a hotdog eating contest July 4, CNA production staff member Dustin Allison wins a package of hotdogs and buns.
Pictured, from left, are Osceola Sentinel-Tribune staff members Amy Hansen, Mary Peterson and Ed Buesch wearing black to recognize staff member Craig Mittag's 50th birthday. Staff in Osceola wore black to mourn the passing of Mittag's "youth."
www.CRESTONNEWS.com • www.OSCEOLAIOWA.com
PEOPLE OF SHAW MEDIA
5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Name: Yadira Sanchez Olson Newspaper: Lake County Journal Years of Service: 5 Years in the newspaper business: 6 Position: Reporter Job description: Pitch stories, report, photography, write, edit, proof, web and design. In our paper, we do it all and we love it! What I like best about my job: I love working with a team of ladies who love the job as much as I do. I love how a day can start slow Yadira Sanchez Olson and end up crazy and hectic, or the other way around. I love telling people's stories. Family: Husband, Michael; pups, Monty and Blue. Hobbies/Interests: I love to read. I'm into film noir. I like being around nature and animals. Fun Fact: I have probably rescued more than three dozen pups off the road. I don't know how they find their way to me but they do. A couple of birds, too.
Name: Ben Shaw Newspaper: Corporate Services Years of Service: 10 Years in the newspaper business: 10 Position: Chief Digital Officer Job description: I am responsible for audience growth and digital revenue strategies. What I like best about my job: Working with my team and trying to solve the challenges of a changing digital landscape bring me in each and every day. Ben Shaw Are there any Boards or Committees you serve? I serve on the Board of Directors for Local Media Association and on the Board of Directors of Pioneer Newsgroup. Family: Wife- Joon Hobbies/Interests: I love stand up paddleboarding, homebrewing and traveling. Fun fact: I have actually taught a class on homebrewing at Kishwaukee Community College!
25 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Name: Sandra Petti Newspaper: Kane County Chronicle Years of Service: 25 Years in the newspaper business: 28 Position: Account Rep for Magazines Job description: SALES - I create magazine advertising schedules to benefit my customers businesses growth while continuing to grow the revenues to meet the magazine goals. I provide the highest level of customer service possible. Sandra Petti What I like best about my job: Hearing my customers telling me about the sales they have made due to their magazine advertising. Also, love the flexibility of planning my days. Family: Husband / 5 children / 11 grandchildren Hobbies/Interests: Golf - Gardening - Reading Fun fact: A street is named after my family in St. Charles - Allen Lane. (Asked my daughter for a suggestion on a fun fact; her reply "Best Mom". LOL)
Name: Kyle Wilson Newspaper: Creston News Advertiser Years of Service: 5 Years in the newspaper business: 7 Position: Assistant Managing Editor Job description: I have a wide range of responsibilities including story writing, paginating, photography and website and social media management. What I like best about my job: Creating a front page that is both informative and enKyle Wilson tertaining for our readers. Are there any Boards or Committees you serve? Creston Mentoring Program/Creston Elks Lodge Family: Wife, Stormy, and 3 month old daughter, Harper. Hobbies/Interests: Being active, whether that be running, biking, racquetball, disc golf, basketball, etc. Fun fact: My brother, Korey, and I are four years apart, but have the same birthday. (March 11)
40 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Sam Zito
Name: Sam Zito Newspaper: Northwest Herald Years of Service: 40 Years in the newspaper business: 40 Position: Senior Multimedia Account Manager Job description: Advertising sales; primarily banks, health systems & political clients. What I like best about my job: The variety of products we have to offer. There is always something new and exciting to share with our advertisers.
www.ShawMEDIA.com
Are there any Boards or Committees you serve? Served on several McHenry Chamber of Commerce committees over the past 40 years. Family: Wife, Cheryl; son, Peter; daughters, Stephanie and Amanda, and her husband, Brian, and daughter, Madilynn Grace. Hobbies/Interests: Like to travel, visit anywhere in Wisconsin, spend time with family, granddaughter and granddogs.
Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 35
PEOPLE OF SHAW MEDIA
25 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Name: Joe Stevenson Newspaper: Northwest Herald Years of Service: 25 Years in the newspaper business: 32 Position: Sports writer Job description: I cover high school sports, with an emphasis on football, cross country, boys basketball, baseball and boys and girls track and field. I have covered some college sports during my stint here and some pro sports. One of the highlights of my career Joe Stevenson was covering Super Bowl XLI in Miami between the Bears and Colts. What I like best about my job: I look forward to finding that subject with a compelling story who is willing to share it with everyone. When you find that and get to know the person about whom you're writing, then get to convey what has happened with them, it is the best feeling I derive from writing. I also love the variety the job provides, with different sports, different teams and different athletes all the time. It does not get boring. Family: Wife, Beckie, and daughters, Lexi (24) and Tori (21). Hobbies/Interests: Lifting weights, running, slow-pitch softball and spending time with our two Chocolate Labs, Nike and Jacoby. Fun fact: When I was at Truman State (then Northeast Missouri State) I was very involved with music (I played trumpet). I played in marching band and jazz band and twice had my picture taken with Dizzy Gillespie. He was a very cool dude both times.
Name: Victoria Foley Newspaper: Kane County Chronicle Years of Service: 5 Years in the newspaper business: 33 Position: Ad Order Entry Job description: Entering ads into Vision for Kane County Chronicle and Suburban Life Publications plus misc. duties. What I like best about my job: The people I work with and being busy. Are there any Boards or Committees you Victoria Foley serve? President of Chris Walk Against Substance Abuse, a 501c charity that raises awareness of substance abuse, provides resources for help and raises funds for other 501c organizations working together to prevent substance abuse. Family: Husband, Larry; sons, Robb & Chris; daughter, Valerie; grand daughter, Caylee (9); grandsons, Rafa (5) and Zach (2). Hobbies/Interests: Reading, doing volunteer at local jails & youth center, swing dancing. Fun fact: I've written a book with my four sisters that was published by Tate Publishing in Dec. 2012. It is entitled "Fluffy, Funny, and Fabulous - A Tale of Five Sisters". The book is the story of five sisters growing up in the small farming community of Virgil, IL. The book contains humorous as well as inspirational stories. It is a book reminiscent of simpler times that will make you want to start writing your own! You can purchase the book online at Amazon, direct through Tate Publishing or get an autographed copy from Vicki. Cost is $14.95 plus tax.
20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Name: Robert (Bob) Jacobs Newspaper: Sauk Valley Media Years of Service: 20 Years in the newspaper business: 20 Position: Lead Output Technician Job description: I process files from customer to plate for various presses, maintain equipment, troubleshoot issues with files and equipment, and oversee all plate production for all of our presses. Bob Jacobs What I like best about my job: the people I work with and that no two days are ever the same. Are there any Boards or Committees you serve? I am a member of SVM's safety team. Family: Fiancée, Amy, and her three wonderful boys, Colton (16), Cam (14), Chanlor (10). Hobbies/Interests: Attending Cam's Amboy Jr. Tackle game, also help in the concession stand during the other games; attending Colton's Amboy Varsity games; attending Chanlor's Amboy youth soccer games; spending time with my family is my fun and wouldn't change it for anything. Fun fact: Everything about me is fun!!!! And that's a fact!!!!!!!
36 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Name: Kelly Null Newspaper: Sauk Valley Media Years of Service: 15 Years in the newspaper business: 15 Position: Advertising Customer Service Representative Job description: I mainly work with Real Estate & Automotive Ads, Niche Pubs, Major Accounts, and a handful of Retail Accounts. My job includes scheduling ads & inserts, Kelly Null proofreading & getting ads approved, creating spreadsheets, etc. What I like best about my job: The people I work closely with every day. Are there any Boards or Committees you serve? I have been on the Safety Committee for several years. Family: Husband, Matthew, and two sons, Justin 9, and Karson 5. Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with my family, scrapbooking, and watching NFL football. Fun fact: My family knows the assistant equipment manager for the Green Bay Packers, so we got a personal tour of Lambeau Field in 2005. I have pictures of my oldest son sitting in the lockers belonging to Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.
www.ShawMEDIA.com
PEOPLE OF SHAW MEDIA
25 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Name: Matt Woodstrup Newspaper: Corporate Services Years of Service: 25 Years in the newspaper business: 30 Position: Digital Production Coordinator Job description: Coordinating technology support for production of print and digital products, as well as research and development of same. Company asset tracking. What I like best about my job: Working with IT support members. Matt Woodstrup Are there any Boards or Committees you serve? Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, American Motors Owners Association. Family: Wife Kim and 2 sons, Kevin and Patrick. Hobbies/Interests: Automotive history, Restoration of items, Civil War History, Genealogy, Drawing/Painting. Fun fact: I drove my 1969 AMX on the track of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Name: Tom Clegg Newspaper: Northwest Herald Years of Service: 20 Years in the newspaper business: 26ish Position: Assistant Sports Editor Job description: I budget the sports section every day, design pages, edit copy, write headlines and cutlines, post stories to our various websites and tweet as needed. What I like best about my job: The teamwork between the writers, copy desk and editors. And Tom Clegg the free food and TV. Family: Wife, Karen; son, Dustin, 14. Hobbies/Interests: Playing fantasy football, attending my son's musical and sports events. Fun fact: The cheapest way to entertain a cat is to let a large moth into your house.
25 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Name: Eric Schelkopf Newspaper: Kane County Chronicle Years of Service: 25 years Years in the newspaper business: 27 years Position: Reporter What I like best about my job: I like bringing people's stories to life. Family: Wife, Sonya. Hobbies/Interests: Going to concerts and plays. Fun fact: My dad worked on the first advertising campaign for Pop Rocks.
Eric Schelkopf
10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Name: Jennifer Winder Newspaper: Kane County Chronicle Years of Service: 10 Years in the newspaper business: 10 Position: Sales Assistant Job description: A little bit of everything. Help sales staff, make calls, pull reports, think like the manager to best assist them. What I like best about my job: Never gets boring because each day brings something new. Jennifer Winder Are there any Boards or Committees you serve? Safety Committee & Social Connection Family: Husband; Son, Aric, 15; Daughter, Cassidy, 7; and stepson, Logan, 13. Hobbies/Interests: Cheering my son on playing sports, watching my daughter do dance, and cooking. Fun fact: Whenever I have a snake dream, someone I know, usually someone close to me, is pregnant. Just trying to find out who is the challenge.
www.ShawMEDIA.com
20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Name: Bette Knott Newspaper: News Printing Company Years of Service: 20 Years in the newspaper business: 20 Position: Multi Media Sales Executive Job description: Sell advertising. What I like best about my job: working with customers, both old and new, and earning their trust and confidence. Family: Husband Bob, blended family of 4 children and 5 grandchildren. Hobbies/Interests: We love to camp and I love to fish. Fun fact: I love to play poker and Texas Holdem'.
Bette Knott
20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Name: Greg Wallace Newspaper: Bureau County Republican Years of Service: 20 Years in the newspaper business: 20 Position: Editorial Graphic Designer Job description: Mainly laying out pages and coming up with graphics to accompany news stories. I also try to write a semi-regular humor column in the BCR. Well ... semi-humorous. What I like best about my job: Just trying to figure out new and different ways to present Greg Wallace information. Family: Wife: Joyce, Son: Zachary, Daughter: Izabel, Cat: Chubby. Hobbies/Interests: Restoring, renovating and repurposing old items using some creativity and my airbrush. I also like to create artwork on wood with my wood burner. Fun fact: I have a comic strip called "Nothing is not Something" which appears on the Go Comics website. (http://www.gocomics. com/nothing-is-not-something)
Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 37
PEOPLE OF SHAW MEDIA
S
ERVICE ANNIVERSARIES 5 Years
Vicki Foley 12/25/13 Yadira Sanchez Olson 2/1/14 Kyle Wilson 3/23/14
15 Years St. Charles Grayslake Creston
10 Years Jennifer Winder Ben Shaw
2/16/14 2/23/14
St. Charles Dixon
Kelly Null
3/29/14
25 Years Sterling
20 Years Robert Jacobs Greg Wallace Thomas Clegg Bette Knott
1/14/14 2/1/14 2/6/14 2/14/14
Sterling Princeton Crystal Lake Newton
Sandy Petti Eric Schelkopf Phyllis Burnett Matt Woodstrup Joseph Stevenson
1/1/14 1/1/14 1/1/14 1/1/14 1/29/14
St. Charles St. Charles Crystal Lake Dixon Crystal Lake
40 Years Sam Zito
2/7/14
Crystal Lake
N
EW FACES June
Matthew Mencarini
6/24
Sterling
7/1 7/1 7/8 7/15 7/18 7/22 7/29
Newton Sterling Sterling Crystal Lake Creston Crystal Lake Sterling
July Jocelyn Sheets Christi Warren Stephen Razo Hub Arkush Jacob Waddingham Kevin Fishbain Joann Sheridan
August Raymond Wakenight
8/5
Sterling
Cynthia Caleca Kevin Meyer Samantha Kiesel Crystal Haff Debra Janssen
8/9 8/12 8/14 8/20 8/29
Crystal Lake Crystal Lake Crystal Lake Morris Dixon
September Jessica Sanfilippo Stephen Sarley Neil Shannon Ryan Dixon Kathleen Sergent Maranda Hansen Mary Vojtech Ryan Buchan
9/3 Grayslake 9/3 Grayslake 9/3 Downers Grove 9/6 Crystal Lake 9/9 Downers Grove 9/16 Newton 9/23 St Charles 9/25 Crystal Lake
Richard Holevoet Jo Ellen McIntosh
9/30 9/30
Crystal Lake Crystal Lake
October Jennifer Douglas David Cain Desire' Omann Jessica Sivak Ashley Walters Kelly Shroyer Jessica Bourque Bruce Helgeson Jacqueline Burdess Samantha Van Dusseldorp
10/2 10/7 10/7 10/7 10/7 10/14 10/17 10/22 10/28 10/30
Newton Princeton Newton Crystal Lake Princeton Sterling Morris Morris Newton Newton
N
EW RESPONSIBILITIES
Daniel Farnham, Reporter, Suburban Life Media................................................................................................................. 6/10/13 Anna Schier, Editor, Suburban Life Media............................................................................................................................. 6/10/13 Maureen Ringness, Director Major/National Advertising, Suburban Life Media...............................................................7/1/13 Ryan Glab, Senior Web Developer, Shaw Media suburban....................................................................................................7/4/13 David Good, News Editor, Suburban Life Media......................................................................................................................7/8/13 Tara Branscum, Corporate Accountant, Corporate Services............................................................................................ 7/29/13 Laura Pass, Advertising Director, Kane County Chronicle................................................................................................. 7/29/13 J. Tom Shaw, Publisher Suburban Life Media and Lake County Journal........................................................................ 7/29/13 Jason Rossi, Sports Editor, Suburban Life Media................................................................................................................ 8/12/13 Samuel Hollis, Classified Inside Sales, Suburban Life Media............................................................................................ 8/19/13 Don Bricker, Regional Publisher, Shaw Media suburban...................................................................................................... 9/3/13 Karen Pletsch, General Manager, Daily Chronicle................................................................................................................. 9/3/13 38 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
www.ShawMEDIA.com
THE BACK PAGE 8 Arkush from PAGE 40 the Small Newspaper Group, the Daily Journal in Kankakee, The Dispatch in Moline and The Times in Ottawa all have helped to promote the new brand. In partnership with the Small papers, we sold and produced a 56-page preview edition that was distributed to more than 100,000 households. Advertising positions were templated, and all ad spots sold out in 24 hours, generating more than $29,000 in revenue. Our sales team also secured Chevrolet and ChevyDrivesChicago.com as the signature sponsor for the duration of the NFL season, Alexander Lumber as the platinum sponsor, and Tilted Kilt as the gold sponsor. With each market also selling local sponsorships, this initiative generated well over $100,000 in revenue. More than 2,400 people are picking against Arkush and retired Bears Hall of Famer Dan Hampton in our weekly UPickem contest, and we send a weekly Bears e-magazine to more than 600 emails. In year two, we plan to expand on the successes we're already experiencing in year one. "Going forward, we believe we have an opportunity to expand our niche," Rung said. "Football has never been more popular, and we plan to cover Chicago football like no one else." If you're not already, make sure you're following our Bears team on Twitter: @Hub_Arkush, @kfishbain, @tcmusick, @Bears_Insider and @ ProFootballWkly.
www.HUBARKUSH.com
Cover by Northwest Herald Editor Jason Schaumburg
Shaw Media produced a 56-page Bears preview edition that was distributed to nearly 110,000 households in Shaw and Small Newspaper Group markets and generated almost $30,000 in revenue.
Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013 • 39
THE BACK PAGE
Photo by H. Rick Bamman, Northwest Herald photo editor
The Bears coverage team includes, from left, Tom Musick, Hub Arkush and Kevin Fishbain.
Triple coverage By Dan McCaleb Group Editor, Shaw Media suburban publications Diehard NFL fans know Hub Arkush as a nationally recognized football expert who can break down the Xs and Os with the best in the business. Chicago Bears fans know Arkush as a no-holds-barred analyst who tells it like it is, regardless what anyone thinks. Shaw Media employees know Arkush as, well, their colleague. The longtime editor and publisher of Pro Football Weekly, Arkush joined Shaw Media in July as part of an initiative to expand our coverage of the Bears, grow our audience into markets we had not reached before, and generate new revenue as a result. "We are thrilled to have Hub on our team," Shaw Media President John Rung said. "He is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable personalities in football journalism. The exposure for Shaw 40 • Volume 27 — No. 3 • Fall 2013
Some background: Arkush joined Pro Football Weekly in 1976 and became editor and publisher in 1979. At its peak, Pro Football Weekly was the largest NFL publication in the country with more than 750,000 readers. An award-winning broadcaster, Arkush was hired by the Chicago Bears Radio Network in 1987 to be color commentator during Bears game broadcasts, a position he held until 2004. In addition to his employment with Shaw, he also is a senior football analyst on the Score and a sideline reporter and NFL Insider on Dial Global Sports' national radio broadcasts of NFL games. Media has been terrific." Arkush brought former Pro Football Weekly staffer Kevin Fishbain with him to Shaw Media. They joined Shaw's Chicago sports columnist Tom Musick in covering the Bears. In late July, we launched HubArkush. com, the go-to website for everything Bears, but also a place for news and analysis from around the NFL, regional college football teams, and fantasy football.
In August, the website received a staggering 155,275 unique visitors and 591,900 page views. And that was before the season started. In September, those numbers grew to 196,975 unique visitors and 727,664 page views. As part of the project, Shaw Media partnered with several Chicago and suburban media companies in a content-sharing arrangement. The Chicago Sun-Times, the Daily Herald and, from
8 See Arkush on PAGE 39 www.HUBARKUSH.com