SNPA Welcomes New Member: Brainworks
SNPA welcomes Brainworks as its newest associate member. Through a single database, Brainworks software is designed to manage all newspaper advertising: display, classified and preprints, as well as billing, accounts receivable, contracts, layout, pagination, marketing, sales force automation and web/palm integration.

Jo Ann Froelich is corporate business manager and can be reached at (631) 963-5502 or jfroelich@brainworks.com. The company's Web site is located at: www.brainworks.com.

John McKeon

James D. Catron

David L. Messick, Jr.

The Dallas (Texas) Morning News has named longtime newspaper executive John McKeon as president and general manager, a newly created position, effective Oct. 1. McKeon will become the newspaper's No. 2 business executive. He will report to Jim Moroney, publisher and chief executive of The News, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Belo Corp. McKeon has 30 years experience in the newspaper industry. His most recent job was as president and CEO of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a unit of Denver-based MediaNews Group Inc., where he oversaw nine newspapers and 1,925 employees.

George H. Cogswell III, who has been president and publisher of the Abilene (Texas) Reporter-News for the past four years, has been named president and publisher of the Ventura County (Calif.) Star. Abilene Reporter-News Vice President of Advertising and Marketing Kim Nussbaum has been named interim president and publisher of the Reporter-News effective immediately. The search for a new publisher will begin immediately.

Jim Penney

James D. Catron and David L. Messick, Jr., have been named to new leadership posts at the Daily Press, headquartered in Newport News, Va. Catron, formerly the company’s printing and engineering manager, was appointed director of operations.  Messick, who had been the paper’s product and marketing manager, is now director of consumer marketing.  Both positions report to Daily Press President and Publisher Digby A. Solomon.

Jim Penney, longtime Georgia newspaperman, died Sept. 6 at Emory Hospital following heart surgery. Penney, 63, worked for News Publishing Company in Rome – the publisher of several newspapers in Northwest Georgia and Alabama – most of his four-decade career, including a variety of positions with the daily Rome News-Tribune and the weekly Cedartown Standard. His career included a 14-year stint with The Cedartown Standard, where he retired in 2006 as editor and publisher. Penney was still working part-time as a reporter for the Rome News-Tribune and on special editions such as Past Times and Prime Time. During his career, Penney covered virtually every news beat for the Rome News-Tribune, from city reporter to general assignment and features. He also worked as a copy editor.

David Barham, Paul Greenberg and Kane Webb

Top Carmage Walls Commentary Awards
Go to Little Rock, Anniston Papers
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock) and the Anniston (Ala.) Star took top honors in SNPA's 2007 Carmage Walls Commentary Prize competition, in their respective circulation brackets. The Dallas (Texas) Morning News and the Bradenton (Fla.) Herald placed second.

There were 78 entries in this year’s contest: 50 entries in the category for newspapers under 50,000 daily circulation and 28 entries in the over 50,000 category.

First Place: Over 50,000 circulation
In the over 50,000 circulation bracket, the award went to four individuals at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Paul Greenberg, editorial page editor; George Arnold, opinion editor, NW edition; David Barham, editorial writer; and Kane Webb, columnist and Perspective feature writer.

George Arnold

On its contest entry form, the paper said: "Arkansas has never had a shortage of demagogues. But Arkansas’ newspapers also have a long, rich tradition of opposing them when they come along.

"Jim Holt, a state lawmaker in 2006, ran for lieutenant governor of Arkansas last year...The main plank in his platform was immigration, immigration, immigration. Or, as we on the editorial staff put it in mock alarm, ILLEGAL ALIENS!

Contest judges said of this entry: “This is editorial writing at its best: tackling an issue of import to the community and doing so in a way that captures the attention of the readers. The writing flows easily and yet has a bite behind it. There is no doubt where this editorial page stood on the issue of the Banks and Holt campaigns for the Republican primary for lieutenant governor. The entries were a pleasure to read, one of those ‘wish I’d written that’ moments.”

First Place: Under 50,000 circulation
In the under 50,000 category, honors went to Bob Davis, editor of the Anniston Star, who wrote about reforming the Alabama Constitution.

Bob Davis

Davis said on his entry form: "A portrait of the president of the 1901 Alabama constitutional convention sits in my office. The pen-and-ink drawing of John B. Knox is a reminder. Behind Knox’s smiling face was a bad intent. The 1901 Constitution was 'to establish white supremacy in this state.' He succeeded, though much of the Jim Crow is now rendered a dead letter thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court. The part that locked all but the rich and powerful out of state and local government is still very much alive. The editorial mission of The Anniston Star when it comes to constitutional reform is to explain the problem on a personal level. If finger-wagging was the cure, the document would have been rewritten years ago. Our attempt is to use a variety of styles to urge reform."

Contest judges said:

• "Davis managed to take what might be a dry, yet important, topic – constitutional reform – and turn it into interesting reading with new angles each time he wrote about it. ‘Finding the reform promised land’ is a gem of persuasion, and the rhythm of his writing style is admirable. In addition, poetry generally doesn't work well on the opinion pages, but that didn't stop Davis from proving that sometimes the unconventional can work after all, with ‘A rhyme for Alabama.’”
• “Bob Davis' look at the state's backward constitution not only took on a critical issue head-on, but did so without being preachy or boring. His employment of a variety of writing styles, including poetry, was successful at surprising readers over time, in a persuasive way.”
• “Davis' editorial series on the need to reform the Alabama constitution was engaging, lively and entertaining. I loved his choice of words – ‘All our elected cowboys and cowgirls warily wait ...’ his imagery ‘from controlling tax policy to getting the dead mule in the middle of the creek’ and his colorful assessment ‘Alabama's Constitution is a devil, a thing possessed.’ Good writing, appropriate choice of writing styles to get the legislators ‘to do right by all Alabamians.’”

William McKenzie

Second Place: Over 50,000 circulation
William McKenzie, editorial columnist with The Dallas Morning News, placed second among newspapers with daily circulations over 50,000. Immigration also was the subject of his editorials.

McKenzie says, "The Dallas Morning News has been heralded nationally as an important leader in the debate over immigration.  Our sustained, informed and creative voice on this topic – coming from one of the most conservative regions of the country – infuses our commentary with special resonance with voters and activists of all political stripes."

Judges said, "Immigration is a national issue, but in Texas, it’s also an emotional and hotly debated local issue, more so than almost anywhere else. Bill McKenzie tackled the subject with short editorials over a period of time that sent a clear message. They were easy to read, convincing and the brevity probably attracted more readers (and thus did what all good editorials should do: educate) than would more lengthy examples. In this case, less really was more."

David Klement

Second Place: Under 50,000 circulation
David Klement, editorial page editor of the Bradenton (Fla.) Herald, took second place honors among newspapers with circulations under 50,000. He wrote about life after Katrina.

Joan Krauter, executive editor of the Bradenton Herald, says that when the National Conference of Editorial Writers announced its four-day tour of Katrina's damage zone in Louisiana and Mississippi, "Klement knew what that insight would mean to our own vulnerable Tampa Bay region. Even if it meant going on his own dime, David went after the series like none other. His compelling, heartfelt prose and telling photos made for a powerful five-part editorial series that called our own civic leaders to task. He revisited the enormous damage and analyzed what is – and isn't – working in those states. What we heard from our readers and local decision makers alike: We're still in a false sense of security here, and David's stories put the fear of God back into their demands for urgency at the local, state and level."

Judges said of this entry:

• “Countless writers have tackled ‘Life after Katrina, but Klement's five-part series brought readers to the scene. Even though, as he wrote, ‘The scope is so vast that it is almost more than the mind can take in,’ Klement certainly helped readers do just that with his lively, vivid writing style. As he also noted, journalists have a ‘seen-it-all attitude,’ yet, he soared beyond that, literally sometimes in the Black Hawk helicopter, to show that Katrina's devastation was beyond anything he had imagined.”
• “David Klement was successful at making a national issue a very critical local one. Klement's well-reported look at Hurricane Katrina forced his community to wonder what it would do if faced with a similar situation, and did so in an engaging way.”
• “Klement compellingly brings the Katrina story home for Bradenton Herald readers – and that is not easy given that most Floridians have read way too many hurricane stories. He not only tells what went wrong in New Orleans but offers solutions for preventing similar post-hurricane disasters.”

Klement recently announced plans to leave the paper to become director of the Institute for Public Policy and Leadership at the University of South Florida's Sarasota-Manatee campus, effective Oct. 1. His last day with the Bradenton Herald is tomorrow. He has been with the paper since 1975 and served as business editor, news editor and city editor before taking over the editorial page responsibilities. His career will be profiled in Sunday's Herald.

Honorable Mentions
Judges also awarded honorable mentions to three entries in the over-50,000 category. They are:

• Jane Healy, Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel:
  Judges honored Healy for a series of editorials called "Florida's Shame." President and Publisher Kathy Waltz said Healy knew "that the Orlando area was at a critical juncture. Traffic was getting worse by the day; precious lands were being paved over at a frightening pace, and politicians were still routinely caving to developers who financed their campaigns." Judges said her editorials "were the classic combination of strong writing, through research and reporting and attention to detail. There was a well-expressed sense of outrage and the editorials brought the kind of attention to the subject that resulted in change for the better. Yet we believe the length may have discouraged some readers from staying with her throughout this important project."
• Fred Grimm and Ana Menendez, both of the Miami (Fla.) Herald:
  Judges honored them for their collection of columns, saying: "Each of these individuals is a superb writer, passionate, thorough, entertaining and fiery."
  Since 1991, Grimm has written a three-day a week column for The Miami Herald. Patricia Andrews, assistant managing editor/Broward, says Grimm's columns note the "disparate and peculiar craziness nurtured by South Florida. And, his readers have come to expect engaging pieces on worthy topics, searing commentary on human frailties and follies." In her columns, Menendez "challenges the establishment and speaks for the poor," says Manny Garcia, assistant managing editor/metro. He said Miami is "a tough town to question anything Cuban, but Ana does it." And her columns don't spare "our other sacred cows," either – like the University of Miami or local politicians.
• Rodger Jones, Dallas Morning News:
  Judges said of his DART man series: "The writer took what could have been a dull subject and gave it life and humor. We applaud his innovations in a field that is constantly looking for same."
  In nominating Jones for this award, Keven Ann Willey, vice president and editorial page editor of The Dallas Morning News, said: "One editorial position of The Dallas Morning News is improved mobility and mass transit. Editorial writer Rodger Jones found a novel and engaging approach to the subject. Based on his own frustration in reaching his nearby rail stations, Rodger invented a character – DART man – and began a series of columns to agitate for sidewalks. It was 'nuts,' he said, to build train stations that riders couldn’t reach without cars. After months of being hectored, officials at various agencies started to call Rodger 'DART man' on the phone or on sight. They swore progress was being made. Finally, a City Hall official telephoned this year to say a new road is being paved past one of the train stations and will include a sidewalk. One station down, one to go."

The Walls Prize, named for the late Benjamin Carmage Walls whose newspaper career spanned seven decades, recognizes outstanding commentary on local issues. It encourages thoughtful, courageous and constructive editorial page leadership on issues specifically relevant to each newspaper's primary readership. 

Judges for this year's competition are members of the National Conference of Editorial Writers. Judges for the over 50,000 circulation category were: Joann Crupi, editorial page editor, Times Union, Albany, N.Y.; Eddie Roth, editorial writer, Dayton (Ohio) Daily News; and Bonnie Williams, editorial page editor, Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail. Judges for the under 50,000 circulation category were: Larry Reisman, editorial page editor, Scripps Teasure Coast Newspapers, Stuart, Fla; Kay Semion, associate editorial page editor, The Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal; and Mary Youtz, editorial writer, The Morning Call, Allentown, Penn.

To read the columns honored, click on the links below:

CBS News Correspondent, Best-Selling Author Head Spouse Program at Convention
CBS News correspondent Martha Teichner and best-selling author Mary Alice Monroe will present special programs for spouses attending SNPA's 104th Annual Convention next month at The Greenbrier. The convention will be held Oct. 14-16 and this is your last chance to save on convention fees. Registration fees go up after Saturday.

Martha Teichner

Members also should call The Greenbrier immediately to reserve rooms. Rooms are almost sold out! The telephone number for reservations is 1-800-624-6070. Reservations also can be made at www.greenbrier.com.

Mary Alice Monroe

Teichner’s assignments have spanned the globe – from stories on Princess Diana’s death in Paris, the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa, and the earthquake in Mexico City, to the royal wedding in England of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer, the exile of the Shah of Iran to Panama, and the Cuban boat lift to the United States. She has covered wars from Iraq, Bosnia, Kuwait, Israel, and El Salvador as one of only a handful of female battle correspondents. She will address spouses on Monday morning at the convention.

Monroe, who is known for her moving characters, her emotional honesty, and her theme of nature and conservation, will address spouses. Her recent books have featured Lowcountry's indigenous treasures of sweet grass basket makers and the development that threatens their existence, near-extinct birds of prey, the preservation of historic homes and land, and, of course, the loggerhead sea turtles along the South Carolina coast.

The general sessions for convention delegates focus on ways to preserve and strengthen the newspaper franchise. The program opens Sunday afternoon with a workshop about improving newspaper performance led by John Greenman, Carter Professor of Journalism, Grady College of Mass Communications, University of Georgia, Athens. The program is titled "Exploring the New While Exploiting the Old."

General sessions on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 15 and 16, include:

Monday, October 15

• Four Idea Exchange Sessions: under 25,000 circulation, 25-75,000 circulation, over 75,000 circulation and associate members
• The Evolving Needs of Retail Advertisers in the Changing Media Environment – McKay Belk, president and chief merchandising officer, Belk Inc., Charlotte, N.C.
• Growing Readership Among Boomers: Online and On Paper – Tom Griscom, publisher, Chattanooga Times Free-Press, and Tom Warhover, executive editor for innovation, Columbia Missourian
• Do Big Journalism Prizes Drive Community Perceptions of Newspaper Journalism? – Victor Hanson, publisher, Birmingham News, and John Mellott, publisher, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
• Successful Strategies That Grow Circulation – Scott Hunter, publisher, The Aiken Standard; Debbie Meade, publisher, Roanoke Times; and Robert Perona, vice president of circulation, Cleveland Plain-Dealer

Tuesday, October 16

• The Timeless Value of Good Journalism – Walter Hussman Jr., publisher, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock
• Newspaper Next – Next: Revenue Generation Beyond Print Advertising – Andrew B. Davis, president and CEO, American Press Institute
• What Recent Transactions Say about the Value of the Newspaper Franchise – John S. Suhler, founding general partner and president, and James P. Rutherford, executive vice president, Veronis Suhler Stevenson, New York, New York

In addition to networking with members at the convention, a number of additional opportunities exist for associate member companies to be more visible at the Annual Convention. For a complete list of ways companies can "Be Seen!" at this year's convention, click here.

For more information about the Annual Convention and marketing opportunities, call Carole Kallansrude in the SNPA office: 404-256-0444.

• Register for the SNPA Annual Convention
• Reserve hotel rooms at The Greenbrier
• Convention Agenda

Last Chance: Entries in Prototype Contest
Must be Postmarked by Saturday
All entries into SNPA's Prototype Newspaper of the Future Contest must be postmarked no later than Saturday, Sept. 15, to be eligible for the $2,000 cash prize.

Through this contest, we're seeking the best and the brightest take on what “newspapers” will look like in 10 years. We’re looking for revolutionary inventions that connect and engage readers by redefining how news is presented.

For details and an entry form, click here.

Last Chance to Register for SNPA's One-Hour Class on NIE E-Editions
More and more newspapers across the country are making plans to establish NIE e-editions for use by teachers in their classrooms. To help newspapers learn the basics about how to produce an e-edition and introduce it to teachers, SNPA and four industry leaders are offering two training opportunities – each handled across phone lines. Let these industry pros guide your newspaper in the basics of e-editions.

In addition to a phone line, participants will need live access to the Internet during both of these classes.

The first program, scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, Sept. 18, will focus on "NIE E-Edition Basics." Trainers for this session, which will run one hour in length, will be:

• Vicki Whiting, NIE consultant and trainer, Sonoma, Calif.
• Dana Plewka, Denver Newspaper Agency, Denver, Colo.
• Gretchen Letterman, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times

This session will focus on getting started with e-editions, the difference between an e-edition and a Web site, how to process teacher orders, who to market to, plus ideas for success. Plewka and Letterman are both “bright ideas” winners with a wealth of information about e-editions. Whiting will facilitate the conversation and participants will be invited to submit questions in advance.

The second class will offer "E-Edition Workshop Tips." This program will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 2, also at 2 p.m. Eastern time. Again, the class will run one hour in length.

Presenters will be:

• Vicki Whiting, NIE consultant and trainer, Sonoma, Calif.
• Margaret Chance, New Bern (N.C.) Sun-Journal

Chance will take participants through a teacher workshop presentation, providing them with tips and techniques for introducing teachers to e-editions and how they can use e-editions in the classroom. The session will be faciliated by Whiting.

Dr. Sandra McGehee of The Brownsfield (Texas) Herald had this to say about workshops that Chance presented recently to teachers in her area: "Margaret is an excellent presenter! She addressed my teachers at a general session (Learning in the 21st Century) and in two breakout sessions (e-Literacy). The teachers loved her!"

Registered participants will access the session via a toll-free telephone line. Course materials will be e-mailed to individuals in advance and each session will be audio-taped.

One course is $60 (non-member rate is $75). Or, register for both courses for just $100 (non-member rate is $150).

For details about the e-edition programs, as well as a registration form, click here.

Knoxville News-Sentinel Invites Bloggers to Help Cover Sunshine Suit
The Knoxville (Tenn.) News-Sentinel has invited local bloggers to provide independent scrutiny of its coverage of a trial that opens today, involving a lawsuit filed by the newspaper against the Knox County Commission. The suit alleges violations of the Tennessee Open Meetings Act.

In a column published last Sunday, Editor Jack McElroy said: "We journalists are supposed to keep ourselves out of the story. We're trained to be neutral observers, reporting what we see with aloof objectivity. But what do we do when the story is about us? How do we cover that news while maintaining credibility?"

He noted that Jamie Satterfield, the paper's regular courts reporter, will be the lead writer. To read Satterfield's report from today's paper, click here.

"To provide independent scrutiny of our coverage, however," McElroy said, "we also put out a request among local bloggers for volunteers to monitor our reports. Three bloggers stepped forward. Happily, they span the political spectrum."

McElroy said, "Dave Oatney – http://oatneyworld.blogspot.com/ – is fairly conservative. Rich Hailey – http://shotsacrossthebow.com/weblog/ – is basically libertarian. Russ McBee – http://russmcbee.com/default.aspx – is pretty liberal."

He said readers will be able to find links to all of them – and other bloggers commenting on the trial – through "our own Michael Silence’s blog: http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/silence/. On occasion, we may also publish excerpts from these blogs in the print edition."

The Belo Foundation, Philanthropists Commit $15 Million to UT-Austin
The Belo Foundation of Dallas, Robert W. and Maureen H. Decherd, and the estate of James M. Moroney Jr. and the Jim and Lynn Moroney Family Foundation have pledged $15 million to establish the Belo Center for New Media at The University of Texas at Austin College of Communication.

The center will be named in recognition of the role played in Texas history by Colonel Alfred Horatio Belo, the original owner of The Dallas Morning News and among the first class, with three other industry pioneers, inducted into the Texas Newspaper Foundation Hall of Fame.

The gift is the largest donation ever made by The Belo Foundation and is the first pledge made toward the College of Communication to build the new center.

The current three-building College of Communication complex was completed in 1974 to serve 1,000 students. Today, the college serves more than 4,200 students. The Belo Center for New Media will augment teaching and research space for the college. The two-year construction project should break ground in January 2009. Construction costs for the center, projected to be between 100,000 and 125,000 square feet, are estimated to be $45 million.

The Belo Center for New Media will enable students to combine traditional and progressive media methods to shape the ideas and create the techniques that will change the face of communication in the future. The facility will be at the northeast corner of Dean Keeton and Guadalupe streets, now a parking lot across from the College of Communication.

Several new and existing research centers and institutes will be in the Belo Center for New Media, including the Center for Childhood Communication, the Executive Communication Institute, the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, the Speech and Hearing Center, the University of Texas Documentary Center and the University of Texas Film Institute, among others.

The new building will feature state-of-the-art classrooms, advanced production labs and seminar rooms, along with large auditorium spaces for introductory classes, film showings and conferences.

The majority of the gift – $12 million – is pledged from The Belo Foundation, established in 1952 to support journalism education, urban public parks and green spaces. The balance of the gift is pledged from Robert W. Decherd and Maureen H. Decherd, and the estate of James M. Moroney Jr. and the Jim and Lynn Moroney Family Foundation.

The business reporting program originated in 1995 recruiting minority college sophomores and juniors. Continuing its commitment to diversity, the program will accept applications from seniors.

News organizations can enroll now in the 2008 summer internship programs to bring talented college sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students to their newsrooms. More than 600 students apply for DJNF internships each year.

The Fund expects to select more than 100 interns as online editors and general news and sports copy editors. At least 12 internships will be offered to business reporters at news organizations.

Participating newspapers agree to pay a minimum of $350 a week in regular wages and provide meaningful work. They support the cost of training interns through grants of $1,000 per intern for online and business reporting interns and of $1,800 per intern for general news and sports copy editors. Editors may request an intern by completing an enrollment form mailed to them this summer, calling the Fund at 609-452-2820 or on the Web in the Forms section for News Professionals.

For additional information, contact Linda Shockley, deputy director of the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, at (609) 452-2820 or newsfund@wsj.dowjones.com.

News Briefs

• NELA has announced the completion of 28 different web reduction projects. Newspapers, including the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, The Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News and The New York Times, have contracted with NELA for new punchbending equipment, bender modifications and lock-ups.

• The Audit Bureau of Circulations reports that its Audience-FAX initiative continues to move forward in preparation for the release of U.S. daily newspaper audience FAS-FAX data in November. Now that the Aug. 27 opt-out notification deadline has passed, newspapers should notes two upcoming dates. On Oct. 1, ABC’s Publisher’s Statement online filing tool opens to members. The tool will be prepopulated with all available Audience-FAX data. This is the first time members will have the opportunity to view their data in “read-only” mode. On Nov. 5, Audience-FAX data is scheduled to be released in conjunction with ABC’s circulation FAS-FAX report.

Ask the Editor
The Dallas (Texas) Morning News has introduced "Ask The Editor," a new online-only column that will appear each Thursday on dallasnews.com. George Rodrigue, managing editor of The Dallas Morning News, and Keven Ann Willey, editor of the newspaper’s editorial page, will take turns answering questions from readers about their areas of responsibility. In this first column, Rodrigue responds to a phone caller who believes The News is anti-Christian, anti-fundamentalist, pro-multiculturalism and generally too quick to call everything into question. Read more

CG to Withhold Names of People it Rescues
Capping a two-year review of a policy on disclosing the names of people saved in rescue cases, the Coast Guard announced Aug. 24 it now will release rescued peoples’ names only during an active operation – a guideline media experts say exceeds privacy interests and could hamper objective reporting of the service’s performance. Read more from Navy Times

Walking the Tightrope: Difficult Conversations
For managers, handling difficult conversations is a lot like walking a tightrope. You know where you want to end up, but you also know that the path is precarious, you must keep your balance and you need a safety net in case things go wrong. In this collumn, Jill Geisler of The Poynter Institute, offers 10 tips for handling difficult conversations. Read more

Reader's Corner contains, from time to time, links that require registration on another site. Registration rules and requirements are established by the host site and participation by eBulletin readers is entirely voluntary. Articles cited here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SNPA or its Board of Directors. Links refer the reader to the source material.

Focusing in on Your Work

Ed Hennigner

By Ed Henninger

Focus groups are an opportunity for us to meet with readers and advertisers one-on-one.
 
They give us the chance to chat with those readers and advertisers and learn – directly from them – what matters most to them about your newspaper.
 
I know of no survey that can do that. Moreover, surveys don’t give us the option of stopping in the middle of a conversation and doing a 180-degree shift, allowing readers to question us about what we do and why we do it.
 
During a recent round of focus groups, I realized once again that our readers and advertisers really want us to succeed on two levels:

• Readers rely on us for honest, complete and balanced reporting of what’s going on in their town.
• Advertisers want us to be a popular, well-read newspaper so they can be sure they’re reaching all of their target audience.

A focus group can help you bring your work into…well…focus.

Focus groups are a conversation with our readers and advertisers that help us to succeed – and to respond to their needs on both levels.
 
Here are some suggestions for focus groups:

• Identify what it is you want to learn – even before you begin listing questions you want to ask. Do you want to know about reaction to your opinion page? Do you want to know about the quality of your reporting? What if your questions are about home delivery concerns?
• Create a list of key questions you want answered. If you’re organizing a group of sessions to consider your content, don’t let the design of your newspaper…or circulation problems…or other issues onto the list. Stay on target.
• Decide upon the makeup of the group. Do you want a cross-section of your demographics? Do you want readers only? How about advertisers? Is gender a factor? Age?
• Set up a venue for your session. I prefer something on “neutral ground” – a nearby restaurant, a library conference room or the like. Make sure it’s comfortable and quiet, with items you may need such as a whiteboard or an easel with flip paper.
• Choose a good facilitator. You need someone who can keep the conversation going and keep the discussion on topic. Occasionally, there’s someone in the group who wants to dominate the discussion – or someone else who shies away from the conversation. It’s the facilitator’s job to make sure the session doesn’t get bogged down by personalities – and to ensure the steady flow of the discussion.
• Take good notes. Designate someone from your staff to keep a steady flow of notes. And it’s OK – provided the participants approve – to record or videotape the session, too. If a tape recorder or videotape camera seems threatening to the participants, don’t hesitate to turn it off. Note-taking is usually expected as part of the process.
• Take care to follow up. Evaluate what you’ve learned. No, you don’t have to act on it if a reader tells you she just isn’t interested in sports and thinks it’s a waste of time and paper. But you may want to consider increased coverage of real estate if there are suggestions that your paper just doesn’t do a good job of covering the real estate boom in your town.

A focus group is an effective tool you can use when you’re taking a close look at your product and your work. And your readers and advertisers will applaud your efforts to stay in touch.

Ed Henninger is an independent newspaper consultant and the director of Henninger Consulting. Offering comprehensive newspaper design services including redesigns, workshops, training and evaluations. E-mail: edh@henningerconsulting.com. On the web: www.henningerconsulting.com. Phone: (803) 327-3322.

eBulletin Archives Now Available
Can't remember when you saw it in the SNPA eBulletin? Find it in the eBulletin archives. All of the SNPA eBulletins from November 2000 to the present are just a few clicks away. Here's how to access them:

• Log into the members section of the SNPA Web site – www.snpa.org. If you need your password, contact cindy@snpa.org. Choose "eBulletin" from the menu on the left rail of the home page.Enter your search term and press "Enter." Links to all the eBulletins in which that term appears will be listed. If you'd like to see all of the eBulletins, enter "eBulletin" as the search term.
• Have more questions? Contact anyone on the SNPA staff at (404) 256-0444.

List Newspaper Job Openings on the SNPA Web Site
SNPA member newspapers can post job openings free of charge on the SNPA Web site. To post your job, send the text of the ad to cindy@snpa.org. Most announcements will stay on the site for a month, but you can request shorter or longer runs. Click here to access the SNPA Jobs Board.