The Washington Newspaper, August 2022

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THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER August 2022

Getting started selling digital services Page 4

Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association

Online-only members? August vote set Should WNPA allow online-only news websites as regular members?

That question will be on the ballot for WNPA publishers Aug. 26.

“We are getting more inquiries from the publishers of news websites about membership,” said WNPA Executive Director Fred Obee. “The

board discussed the issue and decided that now is the time to make a bylaws change, if the membership thinks it is a good idea.”

A change in WNPA’s bylaws requires a vote by publishers of member newspapers. Each member newspaper gets one vote. Two thirds of those voting must vote in

Newsroom employees at The Daily Herald petition to form union

Newsroom employees at The Daily Herald in Everett announced last month their intent to form a union to bargain collectively on wages, benefits and working conditions at the 121-year-old newspaper.

Eligible reporters, editors, photographers, page designers and web producers asked Sound Publishing Inc., owner of The Herald, to voluntarily recognize the Everett NewsGuild as their union. Days later, the company declined, but a company attorney told reporters: “We respect employees’ right to vote, and will honor that right.”

Isabella Breda, a local government reporter with the Herald, said the group wants to be able to negotiate with Sound over wages and benefits.

“We’re trying to lay the groundwork for our current and future journalists to have not just a fulfilling career, but the ability to stay and invest in the community,” Breda said.

Workers are seeking recognition of a bargaining unit of 23 journalists in non-managerial positions, including reporters, photographers, page designers and web producers.

According to the employees, about 95% of the staff signed authorization cards.

The Everett NewsGuild will be represented by The NewsGuild, a sector of the Communications Workers of America. The NewsGuild is the largest union of journalists and media workers in North America.

Sound publishes newspapers in Washington, Alaska and Canada.

as print publications. The following is the text of the bylaws change: Regular membership is granted to online-only publications, not to individuals. To be granted Regular membership, a publication: • Must have existed for at least a year. (Board can waive this requirement.)

• Must be updated at least weekly.

• Must be principally devoted to the dissemination of original local news and editorial content (not less than 50 percent of overall content).

• Must adhere to the generally accepted principles of journalism and copyright law.

See ONLINE, Page 2

This photo by Andrew Hamil of the Sunnyside Sun is among the entries in this year’s Better Newspaper Contest. Awards are presented Oct. 8 in Bellingham.

Registration is now open, and the list of winners in this year’s Better Newspaper Contest is online as well.

Both are available at wnpa. com.

To register, simply click on the home page tile and follow instructions. There is no “full registration” option this year.

You must select each event you plan to attend.

The list of winners in this year’s Better Newspaper Contest is also available at wnpa. com. Hover over For Members in the navigation bar and choose Documents. In the window that opens select Winners

by Paper 2022 and download the spreadsheet.

The October convention It will be the first in-person meeting in two years, and it will be the first Saturday convention in recent history.

A convention program is available on the registration page at wnpa.com.

favor for the change to pass.

To assure an accurate, fair and confidential vote, ballots will be issued to publishers via Survey Monkey on Aug. 26. Voting closes at 6 p.m.

Sept. 2.

Under this proposed bylaws change, online-only news websites must meet the same criteria for membership

Convention registration now open

ONLINE: Online site requirements listed

Continued from Page 1 • Must have a telephone number and mailing address and be incorporated within the state.

• Must not serve primarily as a platform to promote the interests or opinions of a special interest group, individual or cause.

• WNPA online-only members shall have all the benefits of regular members.

• WNPA online-only members shall pay the same dues as regular members.

To assure maximum opportunity to offer opinions on this proposal, you will have an opportunity to discuss this bylaws amendment at an online meeting at 2 p.m. Aug. 11. An email with the meeting link will go out on the day of the meeting. Written comments are also being accepted from those who cannot attend the meeting. Send those to

WNPA Executive Director Fred Obee at fredobee@wnpa.com.

On Sept. 6, votes will be tallied, and members will be notified.

Before deciding to bring this proposal to the membership, the WNPA staff was in touch with other newspaper associations around the country.

Many already allow online-only members and have allowed them for many years.

Kentucky allowed online only members in 2009. Virginia has also welcomed online only members for many years.

Others who allow online members include New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Arizona.

All states require standards similar to the ones outlined in the text of WNPA’s proposed bylaws change.

Sites must produce original local content, must have local roots and adhere to journalistic ethics and standards.

Officers: Steve Powell, President; Michelle Nedved, First Vice President; Donna Etchey, Second Vice President; Trustees: Roger Harnack, Heather Hernandez, Teresa Myers, Rudi Alcott, Sean Flaherty, Matt Winters and Bob Richardson.

THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER is the offical publication of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. It is published monthly by WNPA, PO Box 389, Port Townsend, WA 98368.

Fred Obee: Executive Director: 360-344-2938 Email: fredobee@wnpa.com Janay Collins, Member Services Director: 360-344-2938. Email: ads@wnpa.com

2 The Washington Newspaper August 2022

FROM THE PRESIDENT

You got to know when to hold ‘em; the enduring love of baseball cards

By Steve Powell It has come to my attention that many of my columns this year have been pretty negative. So, this month I decided to write about something fun.

At least I think it’s fun. It’s a trip down memory lane on the hobby side of life.

If I still had my Johnny Bench rookie card, it would be worth at least $1,500.

But I thought his picture looked stupid with this goofy cap on, so I did what Powell other kids did — clothespinned it so when it hit my bicycle spokes it would sound like a motor.

Guess who feels stupid now.

But money is not why I got into collecting baseball cards in 1967 at the age of 10 years old. The Seattle Pilots came to town — just for one year — and I became a fan, listening to games on the radio. I did it for fun, because they were my heroes. I watched Major League Baseball games on many Saturdays with my Grandpa Powell, and we’d play catch in the front yard. I loved sports. I actually wanted to be a pro basketball player.

My first pack had Matty Alou in it, but early on I also obtained one of Tommy Harper of the Pilots. But the Pilots quickly moved to Milwaukee, so I became more of a general baseball fan. I loved Mickey Mantle and have a couple of his cards that are valuable today. I was a big fan of “Yaz,” Carl Yastrzemsky, I think maybe because of his odd batting style. So cool that his grandson is playing in the pros today.

Some of my cards I can relate to personally. Some of my friends used to call me “Boog” after the Powell who played for the Orioles. I also saw one of the greatest hitters of all

time in person — Rod Carew — hit two line-drive home runs out of the Kingdome. I saw Randy Johnson pitch many times — man he could throw darts. And then there’s Gaylord Perry, the “Ancient Mariner,” who I interviewed in person his final season. I’ll never forget standing on the floor of the Kingdome to take a photo behind a catcher as Perry warmed up before the game. The ball went off the catcher’s mitt and hit me in the shin. It felt like Perry still threw pretty hard for an old guy.

Pitchers that had unique styles were a favorite of mine — like Juan Marichal and Luis Tiant. I also have a Denny McLain, who won 31 games in 1968, and everybody has heard of Tommy John, but mostly because of the surgery. I also appreciated great defensive stars -- like Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken and Brooks Robinson. Later on I became a fan of Mr. October — Reggie Jackson.

Of course when Seattle got another team years later — the Mariners — I went back to being a hometown fan.

I’m certainly not one of the haters of Alex Rodriguez. I loved watching him hit. I also have an Edgar Martinez.

Loved shortstop Omar Vizquel. I’ll always remember the first bare-handed play I saw him make.

No Ken Griffey though, a disappointment of mine, along with no Willie Mays, my favorite player ever. My son Chris took up collecting for awhile and does have a few Griffeys, along with a bunch of Nolan Ryan, his favorite pitcher, whom I got to see pitch his final game — also in the Kingdome.

Some of my cards remind me of tragic times — like my rookie card of Thurman Munson, who died in a plane crash. Also sad for me is my card of “Charlie Hustle” Pete Rose, who played as hard as anyone ever in the game.

Others truly are downright heroes of mine, like Jim Abbott, who had a deformed right hand, and Carlton Fisk, who hit one of the most- memo-

rable homers in history.

Though not really big fans of these players — don’t really know why — I do have cards of other famous players: Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Frank Robinson, Tom Seaver, Albert Pujols, Tony Gwynn, Jose Canseco, Kirby Puckett and Mariano Rivera.

I don’t have many football cards, but the ones I do have are of some all-time greats: Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Fran Tarkenton, Gayle Sayers and Dick Butkus. And while I was a big fan of his when he was at USC and again when he was in the pros I’m not such a big fan any more of O. J. Simpson.

Before Seattle had the Seahawks, I was an Oakland Raiders fan — the closest team to us, I guess. Early on my favorite was the “Mad Bomber” Daryle Lamonica throwing deep to Warren Wells and short to Fred Biletnik off, the predesssor of Steve Largent. I don’t have a Largent card, but I do have one of a QB who threw to him — Dave Krieg.

I don’t have many basketball cards, either, but I do have one of my favorite all-time player, Wilt Chamberlain. He could score, assist, rebound and block shots like nobody else ever has. And of course I was a Seattle Supersonics fan and have a Tom Meschery card from the expansion team in 1967.

I was a big UCLA fan of college basketball during the John Wooden years — I actually got to interview him while attending school at Green River Community College in Auburn.

So I was excited when I got a Lew Alcindor rookie card. Of course, you all know him as Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

I’m really excited that I didn’t put that card in my spokes. It’s worth at least $750 up to thousands of dollars.

So, yeah, it’s not just about collecting them anymore.

Steve Powell is the editor of the Bainbridge Island Review, a huge sports fan, and this year’s WNPA President.

WNPA PEOPLE Elisha Meyer has been named the new reporter for the Port Orchard Independent, replacing longtime editor Robert Smith, who is retiring.

Meyer At the same time, Steve Powell, editor of the Bainbridge Island Review, North Kitsap Herald and Kingston Community News, will replace Smith as editor of the Independent, along with the Central Kitsap Reporter, which like Kingston comes out monthly.

The other three papers are published weekly.

On his retirement, Smith said he is looking forward to a change.

“I’m leaving Kitsap News Group at the end of this month for new ad-

“I know Port Orchard is going to miss Bob. He was an important part of the community for seven years,” Powell said. “But I’m very excited about what Eli brings to the table.

He’s hit the ground running, and has already done some good stuff for us.”

Meyer comes to the Kitsap papers Smith Powell after just graduating from Concordia University in Seward, Neb. His deventures away from the grind of the gree is in journalism-public relations. perpetual news cycle,” Smith said.

He was managing editor of the “In my place, reporter Eli Meyer will college newspaper, where he ran keep you informed on news relevant the newsroom, edited stories and to Port Orchard, and South and Cen- designed the paper. Prior to that he tral Kitsap. was the sports editor, where he led “My tenure (seven years) here as that staff, along with writing stories editor in Port Orchard has been the and features. most meaningful time of my profesHe also was a broadcasting intern sional career. To our readers who doing play by play for local high have joined me for the ride since school events.

2015 -- thank you and continue to Meyer’s wife, Aimee, is a teacher stay informed,” Smith said. at a private school in Bremerton.

Nominations now open for WNPA board seats

Members of WNPA each year have the opportunity to nominate people to serve on the organization’s board.

The board consists of a President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President and seven trustees.

Already nominated and in line to serve as officers are Michelle Nedved for President, Donna Etchey for 1st Vice President and Sean Flaherty for 2nd Vice President.

But our bylaws allow members to weigh in with their own nominations if they so choose.

Nominations for any

of the elected positions can be submitted but at least 10 regular members must support each nomination.

Officers and trustees are elected at the association’s business meeting during the annual convention, to be held this year in Bellingham, Oct. 8.

A call for nominations is published in the newsletter each year, with the final call issued at least 45 days prior to the the convention.

Please submit nominations to Executive Director Fred Obee at fredobee@wnpa.com.

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The Washington Newspaper August 2022 3

Getting started selling digital services in your town You hear a lot of talk about newspapers embracing digital sales, but for many the idea is daunting.

Where do you start?

The best first step is to have a website where you can post ads. Most community newspapers do that, but if you haven’t, that is step one.

Step two is to help your print customers maximize their online performance.

The graph above shows how customers make buying decisions.

First they get the itch to buy something through word of mouth, or advertising of some sort.

Next, they search on-

line to see who sells that item and at what price.

When they find a price they like, they buy online or visit the store and leave reviews of the item and the buying experience after the purchase.

For your customers, it is important that their online performance is hitting all the high notes: • Searchability -- Is their store easily found?

• Good reviews -- are they getting five star feedback?

• Social media -- Are they showing up where people hang out?

All of that and more has to be humming along for your customer to make

4 The Washington Newspaper August 2022

sales -- either online or in their store.

And guess what?

Managing an online presence is no easy chore. There are more than 70 social media sites to review, dozens if not hundreds of sites with reviews, from Yelp

to Facebook to booking sites and beyond.

So, how do you help your customer manage all of that?

In today’s digital marketplace, companies can sell you a platform that will anylyze how your customers are performing

online in all the critical areas, and what can be done to fix problems.

This is the ground floor for selling digital services.

It works like this: • You subscribe to a web platform that allows you to search for customers in your market.

• You look up one of your customers and get an analysis of their online performance.

• You discover where they rate highly and where performance is weak. You might find their website scores are high but their social media performance is not so good, and the description of their store is inconsis-

tent across the web. Even worse, people are leaving bad reviews that get no response.

With that report in hand, you go to that customer and sell them a solution for their problems.

It is likely that someone in your community is already doing this and taking dollars for advertising out of your pocket.

If you want to learn more about selling digital services, let us know.

Contact WNPA Executive Director Fred Obee and he can direct you to places where you can learn more about selling digital services.

Statewide ad network has been updated!

New ad prices, & state regions

Take note! Your WNPA co-op ad network has just two regions, Western and Eastern Washington, and ad pricing has been adjusted accordingly. Now it is simpler than ever to use the network to bring in new revenue!

Now that the pandemic is receding and public health directives are relaxing, people will be itching to get out and mingle and community events will once again take to the streets.

But after two years of relative inactivity, how will people know your town is open for business and welcoming tourists?

Online advertising is an option, but with ad blocking software and distrust growing over social media, it isn’t the solution it used to be. In this changing environment, trusted community newspapers across the state serving a highly educated, affluent and involved readership are a perfect place to get a message out.

Every ad salesperson knows it is wise to identify the entities in your community with fat ad budgets. At this moment in time, don’t overlook the folks with hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend – your local governments!

Every city and county in the state has a pool of money generated by local lodging taxes, and that money is supposed to reach beyond local markets and bring people to town.

If you have not already, you should ask your city and county governments (each has separate Continued on Page 6 5 The Washington Newspaper August 2022

Ad network: Continued from Page 5 funds) for a report on where the lodging tax money is going (usually chambers of commerce and local non-profits) and then propose a marketing plan that reaches out across the region.

WNPA ads are a perfect match for boosting community events because you can choose to advertise regionally or statewide.

Here’s how the WNPA program works: • You sell the ad to a local organization.

• You charge your client for the full cost of the ad and send an insertion order to WNPA. WNPA then invoices you for half the cost of the ad, splitting the revenue on the ad sale. The advertising salesperson gets their regular commission on the sale and $50 direct from WNPA. • WNPA uses our share of the money to provide your legal hotline, professional services, Legislative Day, the Better Newspaper Contest and the annual convention.

• We keep the price to the client affordable by asking all member newspapers to publish the ads sold by other newspapers for free. The ads are small – just two columns wide by either two or four inches tall. One column by four or eight inches is also OK. They need to be produced in two different widths, to accommodate different column widths.

Potential customers include festivals, fairs, resorts, real estate offices, state agencies, statewide or regional political candidates – anyone who desires a cost effective regional or statewide campaign.

Because member newspapers publish these ads for free, we can only promise that they will run as black and white ads.

If you include a color version, many papers will use it instead, but there is no guarantee of this.

Need more information? Contact Janay at WNPA by emailing ads@wnpa.com or by calling 360-344-2938.

6 The Washington Newspaper August 2022

JOB BOARD REPORTER The Vashon Beachcomber, is seeking a general assignment reporter with a minimum of 1-2 years of writing experience and photography skills.

This position is based out of the Vashon Island office. The primary coverage will be city government, business, sports, arts and general assignment stories.

The schedule includes evening and/or weekend work.

As a reporter you will be expected to: • Produce 5 bylined stories per week; • Use a digital camera to take photographs of the stories you cover; • Post on the publication’s website; • Blog and use Twitter on the web; • Shoot and edit videos for the web.

This is a full-time position. We offer a competitive hourly wage and benefits package including health insurance, paid time off (vacation, sick, and holidays), and 401K (currently with an

employer match.)

Email us your cover letter, resume, and include five examples of your best work showcasing your reporting skills and writing chops to: careers@ soundpublishing.com ATTN: VMB Reporter.

SPORTS REPORTER The Whitman County Gazette — Washington state’s oldest continually published newspaper — is looking for a sports reporter to cover numerous small towns where athletics are the highlight of the week.

We have a variety of high school sports, as well as outdoor recreational activities. In addition to traditional sports, our reporter will cover rodeo, sprint boat racing, trail riding, shooting, fishing on the Snake River, and more.

When local sports are slow, there’s also a possibility of covering Washington State University athletics.

The Gazette is the most-read newspaper in Whitman County, reaching multiple rural communities where more than 80% of homes

receive the newspaper. It is also part of Free Press Publishing, which offers an opportunity to be part of a regional news team across five counties in Eastern Washington wheat country.

If you live and breathe sports, and strive to reach a dedicated print, digital and social media readership, we want to hear from you. Email a cover letter, resume, three professional references and clips to Owner/Publisher Roger Harnack at roger@ cheneyfreepress.com.

EDITOR The award-winning Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle, is seeking a top-notch managing editor to lead the newsroom in the largest community newspaper in beautiful North-Central Washington.

The successful candidate will lead a team of journalists dedicated to providing the best coverage of people, places and events in Okanogan and Ferry counties, from the Cascade Mountains to the Columbia River.

Effective communication and strong leadership skills

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are necessary, as well as enthusiasm, creativity and organizational skills.

This opportunity affords a full-time position with generous benefits after a 60-day new hire period.

Benefits include health care, paid holidays, sick, vacation and personal days, as well as 401(k) and Flexible Spending (FSA) Must have a valid driver’s license, proof of insurability.

Send resume, cover letter, and writing samples and professional references to: tmyers@ omakchronicle.com with “Managing Editor” in the subject line. If you prefer to mail the information, do so to: The Chronicle - Attn: Teresa Myers, PO Box 553, Omak, WA 98841. No phone calls please.

the Nisqually Valley News as the primary source of news and information for the community. We cover the communities of Yelm, Rainier, Roy, McKenna, the Nisqually Tribe and Tenino, in addition to Mount Rainier National Park and surrounding areas.

The Nisqually Valley News is a family-owned newspaper with 100 years of history. Experience with basic photography, general assignment reporting and

city council coverage is valued.

Recent college graduates are encouraged to apply.

To be considered, please send a resume, cover letter and at least three writing samples to CT Publishing Regional Editor Justyna Tomtas at justyna@ yelmonline.com.

EDITOR Free Press Publishing is looking for an experienced managing editor to Continued on Page 8

REPORTER The Nisqually Valley News in Yelm, Washington, is looking for a reporter to lead its local news coverage. We’re looking for an energetic self-starter who can take ownership of the coverage area, enterprise stories and maintain the position of

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The Washington Newspaper August 2022 7

What happens to your archives when newspapers consolidate?

Sometimes the selling publisher will retain ownership, sometimes the archives are passed on to the new owners. In either case, it is important that all parties agree and understand what is going to happen with the bound, loose or microfilm archives.

Historical stakeholders will continue your stewardship!

There’s no downside to scanning your newspaper's archive but there is a singular hurdle so daunting that most publishers simply cannot foresee any way to overcome it – cost. Luckily, there are organizations determined to help. ArchiveInABox works with historical societies and museums who can provide funding to digitize and index small-town newspapers, while publisher retains all ownership and rights.

ArchiveInABox can help you: Carry on Stewardship Mission Maintain Ownership of Copyrights Digitize Archives for Community Access

ArchiveInABox.com 8 The Washington Newspaper August 2022

Continued from Page 7 oversee one of our weekly newspapers, niche publications, web-based news and social media.

This is an inperson, hands-on position requiring reporting, paginating, photography and managing reporters.

Strong time management is a must.

The managing editor will coordinate and lead news and sports coverage for our community weekly newspaper. The successful candidate will be able to maintain a weekly news budget, assign and manage reporters, write and edit stories, shoot photos and paginate.

You’ll work with our graphics staff to design and paginate compelling publications, and juggle digital and social media. You’ll also work with our editors in our other nearby publications, coordinating comprehensive coverage of regional news, activities and sports.

Free Press is headquartered in Cheney, Wash., on the edge of the rolling Palouse farm region. The city is home to Eastern Washington University and only 15 minutes away from the state’s second-largest city, Spokane. We also have offices in Colfax, Davenport, Ritzville and Odessa, Wash. Our company covers multiple rural communities in Spokane, Lincoln, Adams, Whitman and Franklin counties.

If you have what it takes to be a news leader in a five-county region, we want to hear from you. Email cover letter, resume and clips to Publisher Roger Harnack at Roger@ cheneyfreepress.com.