Generating excitement among readers and advertisers
Generations is an 8 ½ by 11 glossy magazine that is intended to look like a magazine, not like part of a newspaper, says Brenda Bennett, regional sales manager for the SCNI newspapers in Conyers, Covington, McDonough, Jackson and Jonesboro, Ga. "I think the key to the success of the book is that we're reaching outside of our media markets and looking for stories and travel ideas and food, and it also helps to have a major retailer in the mix."
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Upgrades that save money
Cost cutting at media companies doesn't have to involve the news product. Several participants in an SNPA video conference in April presented ideas that saved money on everyday business operations.
Keeping the lights on costs a lot less than it used to cost at The Jonesboro Sun in Arkansas. Publisher David Mosesso said the switch from fluorescent light bulbs to LED lights has cut the utility bill by 28 percent, or $1,000 month, and the lighting part of the bill by 68 percent. "It's strictly math," he said.
Mosesso credits his production manager, Roger Brumley, with taking the initiative and being skillful enough to do much of the work in-house.
MORECarmage Walls Commentary Prizes awarded
Editorial staff members from The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville and the former editorial page editor of The Ledger in Lakeland, Fla., have been awarded top honors by SNPA in the Carmage Walls Commentary Prize competition.
First-place in the "over 50,000" circulation category went to Mike Clark, Roger Brown, Wayne Ezell and Ron Littlepage of The Florida Times-Union. First-place in the "under 50,000" circulation category was awarded to Glenn Marston, former editorial page editor of The Ledger.
Second-place honors went to John Railey, editorial page editor of the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal, and Anita Shelburne, opinion page editor of The Daily Progress, Charlottesville, Va.
The awards were presented by Lissa Walls Vahldiek, CEO of Southern Newspapers, Inc., Houston, Texas. Vahldiek is the daughter of the late Benjamin Carmage Walls, for whom this award is named.
Walls, whose newspaper career spanned seven decades, primarily owned community newspapers and advocated strong, courageous and positive editorial page leadership.
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Jobs with SNPA members!
Read about the latest job openings posted on the SNPA website. And, send us your listings to post at no cost.
MoreBuy it from the newspaper
Newspaper companies know how to sell subscriptions and ads, but they don't necessarily think about selling their own merchandise. Go online to The Post and Courier store in Charleston, S.C., and you'll find all sorts of items that make money.
MoreThree-Month Trial Memberships
Companies that are not current members of Inland, SNPA or the Local Media Association can save hundreds of dollars when registering for sponsorships or exhibit space for the Mega-Conference by taking advantage of a special trial membership offer.
When purchased at the time of registration, this special three-month membership package saves exhibitors and sponsors between $321 and $1,321 and gives your company and its employees the opportunity to experience the benefits of membership in all three of the sponsoring associations.
The trial memberships begin on the opening day of the Mega-Conference and end on May 23.
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