Hoosier State Press Association - The Indiana Publisher
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/45669
October 27, 2011 Traffic to newspaper websites increases 20 percent in year Newspaper publishers attracted 20 percent more total visits by adults 18 and older to their websites in September, compared to the same month one year ago, according to the Newspaper Association of America. The analysis, performed by comScore Inc. for the asso ciation, also indicates strong performance in other key engagement categories. In a yearoveryear compar ison for newspaper websites, average daily visits were up 21 percent; total pages viewed were up 10 percent; total minutes spent were up 11 percent; and unique visitors were up 9 percent. An increase in newspaper web traffic isn't surprising, said Steve Key, HSPA execu tive director and general counsel. "As people try to navigate a digital universe where searches for information may be skewed by search optimi zation metrics, it's natural audiences in September 2010. "This strong audience growth coincided with the introduction of pay walls at many newspaper companies," said Caroline Little, NAA president and CEO. "Clearly, consumers place high value upon the content that news papers create – and they are seeking out newspaper web sites to get it. The findings also indicate The Newspaper Association of Amer ica reports that unique visitors on newspaper websites are up 9 percent from a year ago. that they seek out a reliable, trusted source for what they need – newspapers," he said. This is the first time the Newspaper Association of America has been able to pro vide an annual comparison since it began tracking Web that in the third quarter newspaper websites attracted an average monthly audience of 110.4 million unique visi tors 18 and older, nearly two thirds (64 percent) of all adult Internet users. As publishers continue to invest in their websites, they are also reaching key audi ences, including: • Three in four adults (74 percent) in households earn ing more than $100,000. • 58 percent of 18 to 34yearolds. • 62 percent of Internet users with children at home. Two papers shorten print schedules Washington Times-Herald and The Goshen News staff reports Two HSPA member news papers will reduce their print products by one day. The Washington Times- Herald began publishing five days a week instead of six on Oct. 17. The Goshen News will adjust its print cycle from seven to six days a week starting Nov. 15. Both newspapers are owned by CNHI Media. The Times-Herald dis continued its Monday print edition as it continues to expand its news coverage on electronic platforms, includ ing washtimesherald.com, an eedition and the newspaper's Seminar Continued from Page 1 A session on covering the Statehouse will be presented by John Krull, who directs the Franklin College Pulliam School of Journalism and the Franklin College Statehouse Bureau, and Lesley Stedman Weidenbener, the program's assistant bureau chief. John Strauss, a journalism instructor at Ball State University, will teach a ses sion on using social media and blogs for breaking news and special events. In a seminar dubbed Jour nalists as Government Watch dogs, the two winners of the 2011 Ray Moscowitz Award for journalistic achieve ment in lifting veils of secrecy will dis Facebook page, Publisher Ron Smith said. "As many of our read ers are aware, local news is posted daily on our website," Smith said. "Collectively across all platforms, the TimesHerald's audience is larger than ever." The Times-Herald's history with the community goes back more than 140 years. The Goshen News will dis continue its Tuesday print edition. Print publication will be on a Wednesdaythrough Monday basis, said Publisher Jim Kroemer. The paper will continue its news coverage and advertising offerings at goshennews.com, in The cuss their work that garnered them the award. The winners are Kristy Deer of the Daily Reporter (Green field) and John Russell of The Indian- apolis Star. Stephen Key, executive director and general council of HSPA, and Joe Hoage, Indiana's public access coun selor, will present a session on access to information. The track for visual journal ism will feature photography and video sessions. Matt Kryger, photojournalist at The Indianapolis Star, and Charlie Riedel, an Associated Press photographer, will dis cuss shooting spot news in their session. Kryger covered the deadly stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair in July, a topic that's sure to come up during Goshen News eedition and through the newspaper's Facebook page and Twitter feeds, he said. Normal business hours at The News will continue on Tuesdays. Local news is posted on the paper's website as it's break ing, and that practice will continue, including Tuesdays, Kroemer said. "As reading habits change and evolve, we at The Goshen News are finding new ways to make sure this community, which has counted on us for nearly 175 years, continues to receive the highquality news coverage and advertis ing it expects and deserves," Kroemer said. the session, Braeckel said. "Matt has a unique perspec tive on the disaster as one of the photographers there who had to balance his time between taking photos and sending them to the news room for web coverage," she said. Jim Brown, executive asso ciate dean emeritus and pro fessor emeritus, IU School of Journalism – Indianapolis, will lead a video seminar for beginners on the basics of shooting technique and how to make a video efficiently. Another video session, led by Indianapolis Star multi media journalist Danese Kenon, will go beyond the basics and explore advanced storytelling with video. For more information visit hspafoundation.org. SAVE THE DATES! Newsroom Seminar • Dec. 3, 2011 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • Annual Meetings • Feb. 16-17, 2012 News in brief Newspaper objects to policy The Connersville News- Examiner expressed opposi tion to proposed changes in school policy regarding ac cess to students at an Oct. 11 Fayette County School Corp. board meeting. News-Examiner Editor Bob Hansen and General Manager Kelly Pierce voiced concerns over a policy requiring parents to sign permission slips allowing their children to talk to the media, except for extracurricular activi ties or when the newspa per has been invited to do a story by the school. Under the old policy, parents could request that their children not be in cluded in news articles by sending a note to the school within two weeks of registration. It also allowed for potentially controversial instances in which parents would be asked before a child could be interviewed. Pierce said the News- Examiner hopes to have the school board act as a mediator between the newspaper and corpora tion administrators, who have been in ongoing dis cussions about the policy for more than a month. She pointed out that positive stories about the schools are frequently fea tured in the newspaper, but that could be limited by the new policy. School board members expressed hope of finding a solution with the news paper, they said. – Connersville News-Examiner Editors, get out the vote message Tina West, pub lisher of The Cour ier-Times (New Albany) and a member of the HSPA board of direc tors, shared the house ad at right encouraging readers in the New Castle area to vote. The ad points out that "American Idol" draws 122 million votes weekly and "Dancing With the Stars" also attracts a large number of voters. Papers may download the ad at hspa.com by clicking on the "Vote" but ton on the homepage and pub lish it with their logos. Or let it spark your creative staffs to de sign your own voting message Page 3 as a way newspapers can promote the importance of civic responsibility. Series earns award for KPC KPC Media Group Inc. received a firstplace explanatory reporting award for the series "Trustees pile up poor relief cash" at the recent Inland Press Association annual conference. The KPC stories and editorials, researched over several months, appeared in The News Sun, The Star and The Herald Republican newspapers on June 5 and June 12. The editorial team included Dave Kurtz, Matt Getts and Grace Housholder. The articles focused on surpluses in poorrelief accounts held by town ship trustees in Noble, LaGrange, DeKalb and Steuben counties. The stories revealed that there was a combined surplus of $1.56 million. Many townships had reserves that would last 10 years or more without collecting more taxes. Sentinel makes staff changes The Rochester Sentinel publisher Sarah O. Wilson has an nounced two news room leader ship changes. Editor W.S. Wil son moved to the executive editor position, and News Editor Christina Seiler became Sarah O. Wilson managing editor. W.S. Wilson, who joined The Sentinel in 1982, will continue to direct overall news cover age and edit the editorial pages. He will spend more time writing and reporting. Seiler, who has been with The Sentinel since 1997, will be in charge of daytoday news opera tions and continue report ing. Send promotions, announcements, staff changes and other corporate news to mtuley@hspa.com.