Hoosier State Press Association - The Indiana Publisher
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/112290
February 28, 2013 Page 3 Eek! Committee updates editorial contest divisions M y mother warned me about this. Never say never. But red-headed, strongwilled children don���t listen. Yes, I said it. In public. In a committee meeting. We will never touch contest divisions again as long as I���m with the HSPA Foundation. Don���t even mention them. But after a year of watching circulation changes and an already lopsided Division 3 in the editorial contest, the Newsroom Seminar and Better Newspaper Contest Rules Committee (and I) decided we had to act. The smallest daily division simply had too many newspapers competing against each other. And as numbers declined, it only got worse. Other divisions began to show the effect as well. After a lengthy discussion with all divisions represented on the committee, the 2013 Better Newspaper Contest breakdown will look like this: Daily Division 6 ��� 35,000 and more (plus the Indianapolis Business Journal by request) Daily Division 5 ��� 14,000 to 34,999 Daily Division 4 ��� 6,000 to 13,999 Daily Division 3 ��� 5,999 and less. No change will be made in the nondaily divisions. The break will continue at 3,000. We do allow newspapers to move into larger divisions if they choose. Some chains prefer not to compete against their smaller papers in the same division. (Unfortunately, we do not accept requests to move down. Good idea, though.) So how did the committee arrive at these divisions? Carefully. Objectively. Conscientiously. After the Newsroom Seminar in December, each Foundation Front By Karen T. Braeckel committee member received a list of new circulation numbers without newspaper names or current divisions. They studied these individually and came prepared for one of the longest meetings ever held by the group. Darron Cummings, the outgoing committee chairman, volunteered to lead one last discussion. As a photojournalist for the AP, he had no vested interest other than to maintain a fair conversation. During the discussion, some divisions defined themselves naturally. A large break occurs between Divisions 5 and 6. Another shows up between 4 and 5. The biggest challenge fell between 3 and 4. Even after completing the task, the decision-makers did not want to see the list with newspaper names. It kept the process impersonal and unbiased. Will everyone be happy? If so, the committee performed a miracle. Will everyone accept the committee���s decision? We certainly hope so. It just passed through the 12-member (minus one) supreme court of contest divisions. And we will never do it again ��� until we see the need. Thank you, Linda For those who did not attend the recent Annual Meetings and Government Conference, you may not know a founding HSPA Foundation board member stepped down this year. Linda Chandler, publisher of The Versailles Republican and Osgood Journal, came on in 2000 as a liaison between the HSPA and HSPA Foun�� ation boards, d having just completed her term as HSPA president. Over the years she served as president of both boards ��� one of only a handful of people to do it. She received the 2003 HSPA Distinguished Service Award. After serving for 12 years, she decided it was time. We appreciate her long and dedicated service and will miss her candor and leadership. Thank you, journalists On a personal note, I appreciate the tremendous outpouring of support from HSPA members following my husband���s diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. We went ���public��� at the Annual Meeting to ask for your prayers. Believe me, we feel them. John spent his career in health care following active duty in the Navy. Discussing health issues comes naturally in our family. I always believed in lifelong learning, finishing my last graduate certificate in my 60s. But given a choice, we would pass on the medical lessons of the past four weeks. We now truly understand the meaning of living one day at a time. His prognosis is good. He got through the first round of chemo without many side effects. If he responds as they expect, he can go through surgery to remove the cancer. As one of our grandchildren cheers, ���Go-o-o-o-o, Deke. Shrink the tumor.��� Thanks for your continued prayers. Karen Braeckel is director of the HSPA Foundation. Her column runs in the sec�� ond issue of each month. News in brief Changes in Paxton leadership Paxton Media Group has announced some personnel changes. Andy Eads, publisher of the Hunting�� ton HeraldAndy Eads Press, replaces Linda Kelsay as publisher of the Plain Dealer. Eads oversees both newspapers. He has been publisher of the HeraldPress for the past four and a half years and has been employed with Paxton for 12 years. He spent seven of those as a sales representative and advertising director for the Plain Dealer. ���I���ve been heavily involved in both communities and look forward to becoming more involved in the future,��� Eads said. Kelsay is now publisher of Paxton paper the Chronicle-Tribune (Marion), replacing Neal Ronquist. ���It was a delight to work in the Wabash community, and I thank everyone for their support,��� Kelsay said. Ronquist accepted a position with Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. in Traverse City, Mich. Gannett editor moves to Oregon Lafayette Journal & Courier executive editor Michael Davis has accepted the same position at the Statesman Journal in Salem, Michael Davis Ore. He starts there March 4. Both properties are owned by Gannett Co. Davis has been an editor for more than 20 years at a number of newspapers, including the Chicago Sun-Times and the Baltimore Sun. He has worked at newspapers, magazines and radio stations in New York, Chicago and Baltimore. He also has served as a senior editor and Family Page columnist for TV Guide and wrote the New York Times best-seller ���Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street.��� Davis graduated from the University of North Carolina and earned a master���s degree from Northwestern University���s Medill School of Journalism. Upon Davis��� departure, Jim Stafford, senior editor for news and sports, will lead the newsroom until a new editor is named. Circulation seminar set in Indy The Central States Circulation Managers��� Association will host a District Manager Develop�� ment Workshop in March. The event March 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST will take place at The Indianapolis Star���s Pulliam Production Center, 8278 N. George�� town Road, Indianapolis. The workshop will include these and other topics: ��� Route optimization ��� Evaluating your carrier routes to maximize efficiency and minimize costs ��� Carrier basics ��� Recruiting and retaining the carriers who help you grow, restoring and replacing those that don���t ��� Customer service ��� Delivering over-the-top service that surpasses expectations and creates life-long customers. The cost is $40 per person, or $27.50 per person for three or more attendees from the same paper. Reservations are needed by March 8. For a registration form, contact Jill Hen�� derson at (309) 314-3436 or cscma@aol.com. Pulliam intern���s work honored A 2012 HSPA Foun�� a�� d tion Pulliam intern won the College Photo�� rapher g of the Year title from the Indiana News Photo�� graphers Association. Chet Strange, a senior at Indiana University, worked as a photographer at The Indianapolis Star during the summer of 2012 through the Foundation���s Eugene S. Pulliam internship pro- gram. His winning portfolio primarily consisted of work he had done during his 10 weeks at The Star. Mike Fender, director of photography at The Star, said Strange���s time at the paper was well spent. ���It was not only great for us, but I���m sure it has helped his career move in the right direction,��� Fender said. Send promotions, announcements, staff changes and other corporate news to mtuley@hspa.com.