The Indiana Publisher

Major accounts make major mistakes Overtime change may raise papers' payroll T he Hoosier State Press Association and the Indiana Newspaper Advertising Executive Association, will host a conference call designed to share some of the best revenue ideas that newspapers from across the state of Indiana have implemented. Discover a great idea while sharing one of your own on the advertising best prac- tices conference call. There is no cost to participate. Please come prepared to share at least one idea with the group. To join, dial 1-857-232-0158, and enter conference code #599522 on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 10 a.m. EST/9 a.m. CST. P ublishers must have processes in place recognizing the Dec. 1 change in the overtime rule implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor. The rule doubles the sal- ary threshold necessary for an employer to even consider the possibility of making an employee salaried, rather than hourly. On Dec. 1, the threshold will double from $23,660 to $46,476. Any employee earning less than the new yearly pay thresh- old, must be paid overtime for work over 40 hours a week. It doesn't matter whether the employee is paid over a two-week payroll Advertisers: Here's how a little public information care can go a long way. Page 4 P&L: Good news for newspapers from the United States Postal Service. Page 2 Hey, can they do that? Steve Key an- swers your legal ques- tions. Page 3 INSIDE Publisher The Indiana Volume 81, Issue 11 • November 10, 2016 Published on second Thursday monthly I f you've worked in an advertis- ing department of a newspaper, you've either had this phone call or know someone that has. It's a major account or their agency, and they are calling to discuss their pre- print schedule for the coming year. These calls rarely end with a positive outcome. Major advertisers and their agen- cies have been on the attack for the better part of the last decade, and the result for newspapers has been bad. Advertisers have dramatically reduced their quantities, frequency and rate. While the financial impact for the newspaper industry has been well documented, the impact on those advertisers has been largely glossed over and rarely discussed. But not here, and not now. The comments and the stories are out there, but they don't gain as much traction as the negative stories. In recent memory, I can think of sev- eral major national retailers report that sales lagged at their stores after cutting newspaper insert programs. Those same retailers announce to Wall Street and their stockhold- ers that one of their strategies to improve sales is to increase frequency of inserts in local newspapers. The latest to make this confession was Stein Mart. Their CEO, Dawn Robertson, resigned amid less than expected sales results. Stein Mart's director of investor relations, when asked about what missteps were made by the company, stated in an article from The Florida Times- Advertising best-practices conference call to be initiated See Major, Page 3 N ow in its 50th year, the annual HSPA Newsroom Seminar and Better Newspaper Contest awards luncheon will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3 at the Indianapolis Marriott North. "Indiana journalists are creating amaz- ing stories as they cover their communities and HSPA honors this excellence with its Better Newsroom Contest," said Steve Key, Hoosier State Press Association executive director and general counsel. "Seeing the award-winning work and helping present the awards – peaking with the presentation of the Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Daily and Non-Daily Newspaper in the state – is a favorite part of my job.The half-day conference will feature an oppor- tunity to attend three-out-of-seven planned sessions over three hours. Topics include public access requirements, using data to accurately tell stories, effective writing for sports pages, how to leverage the ever changing social media landscape, and pho- tojournalism tips. "We worked really hard to put together a program that was relevant to our audi- ence and gave them actionable information that can create positive change when they return to the newsroom," said HSPA adver- tising director and conference coordinator, Pam Lego. The Newsroom Seminar features speak- ers from across the country. The lineup includes USA TODAY columnists, Pulitzer Prize winners, and journalists from the Chicago Tribune. "A coast-to-coast search was conducted to find talented speakers who could reinforce best practices while also help us raise the bar in Indiana," remarked Lego. We will also hear from Midwest experts Luke Britt, Indiana public access counselor, photojournalist Robert Cohen, journal- ism professor, Jeanne Abbott, and Megan Luther from the Investigative Reporters and Editors. The seminar will be followed by the Better Newspaper Contest awards presen- tation. Awards will also be given for the top story, photo, editorial cartoon, and website of the year. Contest judging was completed by the Michigan Press Association, and full coverage of the winning entries will be pre- sented to all attendees in a sixty-page take- home keepsake. Registration for the Newsroom Seminar and Better Newspaper Contest luncheon ends on November 23 rd . Early-bird rates are valid through November 11 th . Register online by visiting the homepage at hspa. com. 50th annual HSPA conference announced Newsroom Seminar & Better Newspaper Contest luncheon promise spectacular show By Pete Van Baalen Fort Wayne Newspapers See Overtime, Page 4

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