Research Director On Demand is looking for partners on its national survey to learn more about Millennials and their media habits. The object of the research will be a better understanding of this massive generation, including media usage, sources of information, content preferences and newspaper readership drivers.

An agreement in principal has been reached by the Randall Family, LLC, owners of The Frederick (Md.) News-Post, to explore the sale of the News-Post to Ogden Newspapers, Inc., of Wheeling, W.Va., according to Gary Greene, Cribb, Greene & Cope newspaper brokerage firm.

The Hattiesburg (Miss.) American has announced plans to shift from publishing a print edition seven days a week to three – Wednesday, Friday and Sunday – beginning April 5.

In a letter to readers, Nathan Edwards, president of the Hattiesburg American, said: "The shift, driven by our consumers and advertisers, enables us to invest in new ways of doing business and better position ourselves for the future. Our research shows subscribers are increasingly choosing to access the American online via our website, mobile and tablet devices, with the Hattiesburg American having 8X more digital readers than print readers."

Eighty-two percent of Americans trust prints ads, followed by TV ads (80 percent) and direct mail (76 percent); online pop-ups are the least trusted (25 percent).

According to the 2017 HubCiti Publishers' Confidence & Technology Report, the overall confidence in the sustainability of the local and regional newspaper industry is getting stronger amid new technologies and digital strategies. A full 70 percent of publishers surveyed believe digital services is necessary, with nearly 50 percent planning to implement in the next six months. Consumers of news continue to use the internet as the dominant source for content delivery, but with an increase of more than 10 percent from last year, mobile apps have now become the top method for digital news delivery.

"The new survey shows a definitive movement towards a more modern, digital strategy for news distribution among our local and regional publishers," stated Roy Truitt, CEO of HubCiti. "Implementing digital is now a must-have – compared to a competitive advantage. Training traditional sales staff to focus on digital and finding the right partners to implement new technology will determine how well publishers will meet market and consumer expectations."

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The Associated Press will rank the nation’s all-time top men’s college basketball programs for the first time, as tabulated from its more than 1,100 weekly polls of top basketball teams over the past 68 years.

The New Orleans Advocate's owners expanded their footprint in St. Tammany Parish last week, purchasing The Farmer, a weekly newspaper that has been part of the Northshore's civic life since 1874.

Three SNPA member newspapers are among the "10 Newspapers That Do It Right," as identified by Editor & Publisher Magazine, with another three being recognized with honorable mentions!

"From digital initiatives that are tapping into new audiences to community programs that are fostering stronger relationships, the ideas are as diverse as each market each publication serves," E&P said.

Nashville businesswomen Elizabeth Fox and Liza Graves met for coffee in 2009 to talk about how they could connect busy women to the great things happening in their town. They understood the time constraints women face, and their goal was to build a different business model to reach an audience that often says it's too busy to read a newspaper.

StyleBlueprint began in Nashville just eight years ago, and has become one of the South's fastest-growing online lifestyle brands, anchored by its daily articles, curated local guides in six markets and a newly launched digital app. In a breakout session at the 2017 Key Executives Mega-Conference in Orlando, Fox and Graves explained how they've achieved digital success by focusing solely on women.

"We didn't just blog," said Graves. "We got to know our audiences and focused on original content."

Professors at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications are going beyond just teaching reporting skills. They are currently researching the psychology and physiology of storytelling, according to Matt Sheehan, who spoke at the 2017 Key Executives Mega-Conference in Orlando.

As director of stories and emerging platforms at the College, Sheehan is spearheading efforts to examine the intersection of storytelling, science and the social good. He leads a content and product incubator called "Hatch" that uses the principles of human-centered design to conceptualize, test and launch projects for the future of media and information.

"Storytelling is an art, not a checklist," he said to attendees at the Friday afternoon breakout session. "I'm giving you a headline view of the research we find fascinating."