The Indiana Publisher

The 2016 HSPA & Foundation conference and advertising awards gala is approaching quickly. Hundreds from the industry will gather at the Alexander Hotel in Indianapolis on September 15 & 16 to celebrate, learn, and network. Here is what Ferdinand News editor, Kathy Tretter, had to say about her experience at last years conference, "We found the 2015 conference extremely beneficial. Advertising ideas flowed fast and furious, and the tech sessions were eye opening. However, possibly my favorite part was networking with others in our industry. I am again looking forward to seeing everyone, enjoying the camaraderie with fellow publishers, learning what is new, what is "out," what the future holds and of course, meeting suppliers and oth- ers who bring innovative ideas. I really enjoyed the pair who outlined how they developed an entire marketing plan for a furniture company." Register before August 19 to take advantage of early-bird conference rates at www.hspa.com/conference. Newspaper advertising valued, not ignored Ads are sought af- ter and demanded by readers I 've had a subscription to Netflix for a couple years now. Primarily my wife and son have used this monthly service, but even I have become a binge TV watcher this summer. The TV show Lost has been off the air since 2010, but it has been must see TV in my home this summer. Binge watching, according to a quick Internet search, is when you watch two or three episodes of a TV show in one sitting. To watch Lost as it first appeared on the ABC Network would have been a weekly investment of 60 min- utes. With the magic of Netflix, I can do two full episodes in less than 90 minutes. Ahh, the magic of no commercial interruptions. Commercial interruptions are a reality of TV, cable and radio outlets. Just the very name of it shows that the community per- ceives advertising as a nuisance- -interruptions. No one likes being interrupted. I've become a fan of watching TV on Netflix due to that lack of interruption. Newspaper advertising, by contrast, is welcome and in many respects demanded by our readers. Need proof of this? Talk to the circulation depart- ment about calls they receive because of missing inserts from the local grocery store. People can get passionate about the need for advertising in their newspaper. Newspaper readers actively use the advertising content. According to the Newspaper Association of America's recent survey, 57% of people used advertising in newspapers to plan shopping or make a pur- chase decision in the past seven days. People buy newspapers for lots of reasons, including the advertising within it. That is See Ads Value, Page 3 Interim Committee: What is open data and how does it affect our industry? Page 4 Records: The definition of "public agency" gives reporters access to pri- vate crime data. Page 2 Hey, can they do that? Steve Key an- swers your legal questions. Page 5 Electronic Posts: Will the disposition of cases be avail- able online? Page 3 INSIDE Publisher The Indiana Volume 81, Issue 8 • August 11, 2016 Published on second Thursday monthly New publications carry public notice ads By Pete Van Baalen Fort Wayne Newspapers A competing free publication may start making noise with local govern- ment officials about its "new" eligibility to carry public notice advertis- ing with a law change that went into effect on July 1. Publishers need to arm themselves with an understanding of what H.E.A. 1017, authored by Rep. Jerry Torr, R-Carmel, did to change eligibility rules. The legislation creates a new category of publications called "locality newspa- pers." This is added to the existing categories of "newspapers" and "qualified publications." The following is an explanation of the impact of H.E.A. 1017 for county and local government units: There are differences between the three types of publications in the law. A "newspaper" is a paid-circulation newspaper. It must be printed at least once a week and have a circulation of at least 200 copies. This can be verified by the Statement of Ownership that it must publish in its newspaper in October as required by the United States Postal Service. That form publication is part of the newspapers' eligibility to have a Periodicals mail permit, which is also required to be defined as a newspaper. More than 50 percent of the newspapers distributed must be purchased newspapers, either through subscriptions or single-copy purchases. Generally, a newspaper has had to have been published for three years before it becomes eligible to carry public notice advertisements. [See IC 5-3-1-0.4]. A "locality newspaper" is a free-circulation newspaper that is distributed to customers by the United States Postal Service under a Standard mail permit. It must have an office in the county and be published at least once a week. It also has to have been printed for three years to be eligible to carry public notice advertisements. Its circulation must be verified annually by an independent audit. There are some other specification concerning content, advertising per- centage and ownership. [See IC 5-3-1-0.2]. See Public Notice, Page 6 Deadline nears for early conference registration PHOTO BY THE ALEXANDER HOTEL Van Baalen Would you invest $5 per month for sales training for your ad staff or any staff members involved in selling subscriptions, ads or print- ing? Would you invest that if the sales reps didn't have to leave their desks and only had to access an email sent directly to them once each week? No travel, no time out of the office. Just open an email once each week and listen to approximately two and a half min- utes of sales training. The Hoosier State Press Association is partnering with Walt Slaughter Associates of Nashville to bring this service to your staff. Two and a half minutes, once a week, for a year. All for $60 per year/$5 per month–for the whole staff. Don't let the title, "SalesRadio," mislead you–it's not about radio at all but is named so because it is sent through email, directly to your sales rep(s), and is all audio. Recognized as a top-tier trainer, Walt Slaughter is a frequent pre- senter at association and corporate events throughout North America. He has commanded the lecture hall at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and has taken his training to three European counties and India. Prior to launching his consult- ing practice in 1980, Walt served on the corporate staffs of Motorola, Inc. and FedEx. United Way of America appointed him to its National Communications Advisory Committee. Here's what you get for $60 per year per newspaper: •Specialized topics in bite-sized, two and a half minute A/V clips • Weekly training to your sales staff delivered via email • No downtime, travel or lodging required • A single subject, nuts-and-bolts selling skill • Time-Spaced, continuing educa- tion for your people Walt values your input and would be glad to put your selling skills needs into one of the pro- grams. If you are interested, send HSPA Office Manager Yvonne Yeadon an email at yyeadon@hspa.com with the names and email addresses of each staff member you want to receive the SalesRadio connection. HSPA will bill you, and each week's training will be sent on Tuesday. Sales Training for HSPA members

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