Ad-libs
by John Foust
Newspaper Advertising Trainer – Raleigh, NC
Colleen is a veteran ad manager who has worked with just about every type of advertiser. “One of the most challenging prospects was a second-generation owner of a building supply …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
All newspapers run special sections. It’s part of our routine. For some, it seems, there’s a special section every other week. For others, not so much.
Most are tied in with community events. Question: …
In light of the tragic shooting in the Capital Gazette newsroom, here are some safety tips gleaned from numerous journalism and advocacy sources.…
USA TODAY NETWORK is hosting a nationwide series of screenings of the “The Wall,” a feature-length documentary, part of the Pulitzer-prize winning multiplatform explanatory report, “The Wall: Untold Stories, Unintended Consequences.” The project, led by the Arizona Republic and USA …
by Kevin Slimp,
The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
Governor says audiences are interested in stories, not clicks
Disclosure: I have neither voted for, nor endorsed, any political candidate mentioned in this column.
Spring has come to an end. I could have …
By Marie Fasano
Rim Country’s Chapter Secretary, Arizona Professional Writers
For the fourth year the Payson Book Festival, a major literary event in Northern Arizona, has had as its main media sponsor the Payson Roundup. When Gary Tackett, General Manager …
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2018
Arlington, VA – Seven media organizations representing over 20,000 media publishers and professionals in over 120 countries around the world have come together to express concern over Facebook’s new advertising policy that labels quality …
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arlington, VA – Rep. Kristi Noem, (R-SD) and Charlie Crist (D-FL) yesterday (June 7) introduced legislation to suspend tariffs on Canadian imports of uncoated groundwood paper, which includes newsprint used by newspapers, book publishers, printers and direct …
Ad-libs
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
You may have heard about Volkswagen’s initial ad campaign. At a time when big gas guzzlers were the norm on the roads, a European carmaker had the seemingly impossible job …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
In one of my recent weekly Henninger Helpful Hints, I mentioned that it was important to have a consistent position for the jumps from page 1.
“Decide where your jumps will go,” I said, …
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (June 1, 2018) — Members of the Certified Audit of Circulations voted unanimously to support a merger with the Alliance for Audited Media. One hundred percent of the votes cast were in favor of the merger with …
Professor, former National Geographic editor will replace Cuillier
Carol Schwalbe has been appointed the next director of the University of Arizona School of Journalism, becoming the second woman to lead the school since its inception in 1951.
Schwalbe will replace …
Dangerously blurs the lines between real reporting and propaganda
The News Media Alliance today sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg strongly opposing its plan to label quality news as political advocacy beginning Tuesday, May 22. View the letter …
Bill Would Suspend Newsprint Tariffs While Government Studies Effects on U.S. Industries
May 14, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arlington, VA – Today, in an effort to protect printers and publishers from unwarranted tariffs, Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King…
Ad-libs
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
Carla has been selling advertising for many years. She has researched and tried a variety of techniques to answer objections. “Just about everybody knows the Feel-Felt-Found formula,” she said. “When …
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2018
News Media Alliance Calls on Duopoly to Stop Filtering Quality News, Take Responsibility for News Content on Its Platforms
CEO Testifies before Congress, Says Platforms Are Not Neutral and Should Be Held Accountable
Arlington, …
by Kevin Slimp,
The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
Industry trends spur publishers to give serious thought about the future of newspapers
So much to write about, so little space. It’s been a whirlwind of a week for me, beginning in Knoxville, …
SPJ’s Code of Ethics states that ethical journalism is truthful, compassionate, independent and transparent. We need ethical journalism — and journalists who work each day with the profession’s highest standards in mind — now more than ever.
The goal of …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done…”
The words are spoken by Sydney Carton in the climactic scene of Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities.”
This…is …
Ad-libs
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
Carl is a marketing manager who has been on the receiving end of hundreds of media presentations. He knows a thing or two about effective sales techniques. “Most of the …
Publishers and other newspaper executives know more than anyone about the impact of newsprint tariffs on your newspaper’s ability to provide news and information to your local community. You are in the best position to explain the impact on your …
The Arizona Newspapers Association led the host committee of journalists that brought APME’s NewsTrain workshop to Phoenix on April 6-7.
Sixty-seven journalists, journalism educators and journalism students attended the 1.5 days of journalism training at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School …
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
Sometimes it’s a good idea to feature a boss in an ad. Sometimes it’s not.
Two ads come to mind. One shows a plumbing company’s president seated at the head of …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
I first heard it years ago…and I’ve remembered ever since: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Some say it originated with Benjamin Franklin. Others aren’t so sure. Regardless, the quote is …
APME’s NewsTrain is bringing affordable training in digital-journalism skills to downtown Phoenix on April 6-7.
For just $85, get a day and a half of training in social, mobile, data, graphics, writing, open records, digital reporting tools and more.…
INNOVATION IN FOCUS – MARCH
Each month the Reynolds Journalism Institute’s Futures Lab launches a series of video segments as part of “Innovation in Focus” showing journalists how to tell stories using emerging tech. Below are March’s three segments on …
by Kevin Slimp,
The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
A closer look indicates significant changes in health over past three years
I’ve noticed a definite trend lately. It might be related to the increased number of industry activities I’m involved in these …
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2018
Arlington, Va. – Today, members of the printing, publishing and paper-producing industries, which employ more than 600,000 workers, are announcing the formation of Stop Tariffs on Printers & Publishers (STOPP), a coalition to fight …
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
A friend told me about the time his mom took him to the shopping mall to help her pick out a birthday present for his father. He was about six years …
Announced this week by the U S Department of Commerce in the form of heavy tariffs on the North American paper supply.
A preliminary decision in an anti-dumping case brought last summer by northwestern US producer NORPAC came from the …
Sunshine Week / March 11-17, 2018
Launched in 2005, Sunshine Week has grown into an enduring annual initiative to promote open government and push back against excessive official secrecy. Join ASNE and the Reporters Committee in the annual nationwide celebration …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
A man, they say, is king of his castle. That may be so, but there’s a word for the man who thinks he’s really in charge at home. “Bachelor.”
The queen rules…and it’s been …
There are three ways for you to participate in the celebration of the inaugural University of Arizona School of
…FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2018
Bill Would Allow Newspapers to Collectively Negotiate with Facebook, Google on Content Monetization
Arlington, Va. – Today, the News Media Alliance – representing almost 2,000 news organizations – again called on Congress to allow …
The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors (ISWNE) board has extended the entry deadline to March 1. This year’s conference is in Portland, Ore.
The ISWNE is trying to include as many local weekly newspapers as possible this year because …
Applications for the 2018 Journalism Diversity Workshop for Arizona High School Students are now open and available! The workshop, hosted at the University of Arizona, will run this year for the week of June 3-9, 2018. It has run continuously …
Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-15), a member of the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, on Monday introduced the Journalist Protection Act to make a federal crime of certain attacks on those reporting the …
APME’s NewsTrain is bringing affordable training in digital-journalism skills to Phoenix on April 6-7.
Early-bird registration is $75 for a day and a half of training at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Sessions include:…
By Dodie Manuel
O’odham Action News
dodie.manuel@srpmic-nsn.gov
The Au-Authm Action News newspaper has been around for a long time, close to half a century, in fact. During that time, the process for writing, printing and distributing the newspaper has undergone …
Celebrated Mexico-based photographers, including one badly beaten by police who took his cameras early in January, will talk about challenges in covering Mexican violence at a panel sponsored by the University of Arizona’s Center for Border & Global Journalism next …
by Jim Pumarlo
Newsroom Writing Trainer
Most reporters can likely relate to this scenario. Someone speaks up at a public meeting to unleash criticism about an individual or organization. Reporters have little difficulty presenting a balanced report – recording all …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
A client recently asked me to put together a presentation for his newspapers on nitty-gritty details that can make or break a design.
I came up with just a bit more than a couple …
The Department of Commerce (Commerce) on January 9 released a preliminary determination assessing countervailing duties on Canadian imports of uncoated groundwood paper, which includes newsprint, book and directory papers. The duties correspond with Commerce’s preliminary findings of subsidies provided by …
by Jim Pumarlo
Newsroom Writing Trainer
The year is winding down, and it’s time to start planning your editorial calendars for 2018 – including plotting coverage for 2018 elections. I can hear the reactions in newsrooms, “Another election, already? The …
Meet your state and district leaders at the ANA 2018 Legislative Reception
The date is set for Tuesday, January 23, from 4 – 6:30 p.m.
ANA along with Arizona Capitol Times are co-hosting the event at the ACT office headquarters:1835 …
by Kevin Slimp,
The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
I suppose any time is the right time to look over your newspaper operation and search for ways to make improvements, but the beginning of the year seems especially appropriate for such a …
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
Testimonials can be convincing elements in advertising campaigns. Will Rogers once said, “Get someone else to blow your horn and the sound will carry twice as far.” It’s true that happy …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
Let’s face it: If you have a “new kid” doing design on your staff…well, you’ll have some design mistakes in your paper from time to time.
It takes a while—perhaps months—for the design rookie …
Arlington, VA – Today, more than 1,100 newspapers in small and medium-sized communities across the United States signed a letter calling on Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to heavily scrutinize the anti-dumping and countervailing duty petitions filed in September by Longview, …
by Kevin Slimp,
The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
Tennessee publisher learns to create his own websites using Adobe Muse
I remember the first time I spoke in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was 1994 and I had just developed a new way to …
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
What sets advertising amateurs apart from professionals? Let’s examine some key skill areas.
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
During a recent phone conversation with a publisher, she told me: “We have a designer who does that.”
I had seen her paper. She doesn’t have a designer.
What she has is a person …
The House Ways & Means Committee just released tax reform legislation that sets the stage for a tax package to move through Congress. We have heard that there is still a risk of Congress limiting the business deduction of advertising …
CEO Says Profits Drive Misinformation on the Internet
October 24, 2017
Arlington, VA – News Media Alliance President and CEO David Chavern today called upon online content distribution platforms – specifically Google and Facebook – “to make the same commitments …
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
Headlines are the entrance ramps to effective advertising. The better the headline, the higher the readership. The key word is “engagement.” How can you engage readers – with just a few …
by Kevin Slimp,
The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
Speeding up your workflow while improving your design in Adobe InDesign
At the 21st session of the Newspaper Institute last week, Ed Henninger and I did something we’ve never done before. We taught …
The U.S. Postal Service has issued a warning that the 2018 postage increase will likely be its last modest increase confined by a 2006 law.
National Newspaper Association President Susan Rowell, publisher of the Lancaster (SC) News, announced to community …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” — Steve Jobs.
That’s it. In one brief sentence.
Of course, readers want a newspaper that looks right…and …
by Kirsten Ballard
Social Media and Blog Editor at the News Media Alliance
This National Newspaper Week, I’d like to call attention to publishers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The utter devastation these islands faced from Hurricane Irma …
by David Chavern
News Media Alliance, CEO
Is your news making you unhealthy?
Think about what you consume: Is it click-bait and garbage shared by a crazy cousin on Facebook? Do you go out of your way to consume nutritious …
by Kevin Slimp,
The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
Focus groups can change the way you create your newspaper
I guess it comes with experience (that sounds better than “age”). In the “old days” when I visited a newspaper, it was almost …
by Ed Henninger
Independent Newspaper Consultant
During the past few years, I’ve used quotes about newspapers to lead off my weekly blog updates. Those of you who follow the blog will recognize some of these. Those of you who don’t…well, …
by John Foust – Newspaper Advertising Trainer
Raleigh, NC
I love golf, but I’m a terrible golfer. I’m the only golfer I know who has lost someone else’s golf ball. On a best-ball round, I mistakenly hit the wrong ball …
1. To meet people
A big reason for going to conferences is to meet and meet up with people. Conferences bring together people from all different geographical areas who share a common profession or field, and are a great way …
by Kevin Slimp, The News Guru
kevin@kevinslimp.com
“If someone has a selling personality, we can teach them the rest.”
“We need to find ways to give our staff the tools they need to get the job done. Training is necessary …