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May 18-20, 2008
CARMAGE WALLS LEADERSHIP FORUM

Registration has begun for this year's Carmage Walls Leadership Forum, to be held May 18-20 in San Antonio, Texas. The programwill be an updated version of the program conducted last May at the University of Georgia.

The Carmage Walls Leadership Forum is designed to provide senior newspaper managers at small newspapers with tools to improve their company’s performance. The tools will focus on three areas: strategy, organization and leadership.

The approach is both WHY and HOW.

The WHY is that the newspaper business model is under severe pressure. The model has been under pressure before and adapted. Indeed, the model is adapting now. Senior managers must manage these adaptations in their markets.

The HOW is a set of tools that will help senior newspaper managers adapt:

  • Strategy tools to help them figure out what they need to accomplish and to develop a plan.
  • Organization tools to help them align their companies around the plan – and execute.
  • Leadership tools and personal actions they must take to become stronger leaders.

The tools are drawn from best-practice research that has already been applied successfully at smaller newspaper companies. Each tool will be introduced in the context of a smaller-newspaper specific exercise. And, each exercise can be “taken home” for use with key lieutenants.         

So, in addition to why and how, this forum is THINK and DO, mixing the theoretical with the practical in a rigorous but collaborative setting. Participants will learn as much from working through the exercises with each other as they will from the faculty.

Forum presenters will be:

  • John F. Greenman of the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, where he serves as the Carolyn McKenzie and Don E. Carter Professor of Journalism.
  • Diane Murray, director of public service and outreach for the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The program will provide 12 hours of instruction over three days. The 12 hours include:

  • An introductory presentation and exercise.
  • Nine, one-hour modules with exercises.
  • Essential sources of information all senior newspaper managers should tap.

In advance of the conference, participants will be asked to complete a simple, online survey to enable the faculty to better understand their needs and interests. Participants also will be asked to bring a small amount of information from their companies to use in the exercises.

The nine, one-hour modules on leadership, strategy and organization are drawn from best-practice research that has already been applied successfully at smaller newspaper companies.

Here are comments from participants who took part in the program conducted last May at the University of Georgia:

  • “I was interested and engaged all day.”
  • “Fantastic discussion – great info to take home.”
  • “Best leadership conference by far – industry specific.”
  • “This was the best of all three Carmage Walls Leadership Forums I have attended. Some theory but a lot of practical applications were applied.”
  • “I thought it was an excellent conference that was well thought out and put together. A number of the hour-long sessions offered practical advice that I can take home and use at my paper.”
  • “I appreciated the fact that most of this conference focused on improving the core product from a small paper perspective.”

The Carmage Walls Leadership Forum will be held at the Emily Morgan Hotel. Please call SNPA to arrange a hotel room at the SNPA group rate of $139 single or double.