Ca$hing out: Blogging for bucks not easy

This money stuff is so frustrating, so hard to understand, to decipher. I'm starting to think it might be part of the way I'm wired, a trait shared by others who once made journalism a big part of their lives.

I started the day reading a post "Tacky or not, here come the ads." I thought it was an unnecessary post, but the writer wanted to warn his audience he'll be promoting his books in his blog. I think there's no better place to post, to promote what you write then your own blog. Still it was interesting to read Joel Thurtell's struggles with other forms of advertising, a donation button and self censorship. The feelings center around what do you owe the person who is paying.

Then up pops up Jim MacMillan, a pretty smart guy/journalist/teacher, who shares what many are learning the hard way about blogging for bucks: It's not enough to blog, you need a plan.

MacMillan shares the insights he picked up at PhIJI, the Philadelphia Initiative for Journalism Innovation at Temple University in a a post Independent journalism – meet practical business practices

First, a confession from MacMillan:

"Until now, I had been both following and preaching the blogger’s if-you-build-it philosophy, which led me to only marginal monetization. I thought that if I had a sharp platform with worthwhile content, I needed only to develop and audience and the revenue would follow. I gathered followers, generated publicity and even some accolades, but I haven’t made a lot of money; barely a fraction of my previous newsroom paychecks."

Then, a quick summary of the presentations with these conclusions:

• Business planning is like story planning: We must identify goals and stakeholders, consider scalability, and constantly evaluate and adapt. Next, journalism entrepreneurs need to learn to articulate and pitch a sustainable value proposition that makes sense.
  

• Identify unmet needs, and find an audience that will pay someone or something to meet that need.
  

To stay up with the Temple University series, add to your bookmarks: http://www.temple.edu/sct/journalism/phiji/ I'd also suggest reading MacMillan as he struggles to figure out how to become an independent journalist with a paycheck big enough to cover what's necessary. His blog is Future of News.

I could send you off to some other blog posts about money or share some links of local journalism efforts, some grant funded and some hope funded. I could send you off to more posts on conferences or Tweets about reports about finding ways to pay for journalism, for journalists, for news. 

Would it matter?

Pulled quote: Words transform nothingness

The right word makes such a difference. It helps us acknowledge something vague as something concrete.

'Words do not label things already there. Words are like the knife of the carver. They free the idea, the thing, from the general formlessness of the outside. As a man speaks, not only is his language in a state of birth, so is the very thing he is talking about.'
--Eskimo saying
From Working with Words

Words are not always enough.  I sometimes find that I need a doctor to agree that I'm sick. A listen to the congestion, a peek at the inner ear, a swab of the throat - those gestures grant permission to collapse under covers.

At first, I want to explain away fatigue and other symptoms by attributing all to multiple sclerosis. Doesn't every treatment for a flareup end up with a few days of weakness? Of tiredness? Who needs a doctor for that!

Fortunately, the the sign that I'm on the road to recovery is easier to read. When I yearn for the shampoo bottle, I know wellness is near.

Deadly bullet points? Mid-Michigan Battle Decks ‘09

How quick are you on your feet in a presentation before people you don't know well? Or is it harder to be quick when you're presenting to people you know? Can you react quickly when the wrong slide comes up on the screen? Does your speech echo the bullet points or are people reading something different?

If you're good, consider a national contest called PowerPoint Karaoke or Battle Decks that is coming to East Lansing on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. The idea behind Battle Decks is that you get up in front of a group to do a PowerPoint presentation that lasts about 5 minutes — with the kicker being that you have no idea what is in the deck you are presenting. Some of the slides may be serious quotes, another could be an Excel spreadsheet graph, some could be silly pictures. Get the details, including the prizes, in Mid-Michigan Battle Decks ‘09

I won't be there, although I am feeling very good about surviving a presentation I did last week. I tried to find a substitute since I wasn't feeling good and am trying to follow my doctor's advice to avoid people. I knew something was wrong when I arrived to a nearly full parking lot. What a joy to learn I was told the wrong time for the class - it started in 15, not 45, minutes. Fortunately, there was an experienced expert to help set up the projector and computer. I started on time, finished on time and left with mostly satisfactory evaluations. Oh yeah, I should have listened to the doctor.

Building a better journalist disappoints

The goal was to become a better journalist by attending a daylong session. But Matt Davis left unimpressed. or maybe it was left disappointed.

Part of the disappointment came from learning what happened after a three part investigative story on how there was a documented evidence of a cover-up in a case where a police officer sexually assaulted a woman while on duty.

Yes, despite the investigation, the published report the two key figures are still working in their departments.

There's more on some other breakout sessions in a column you'll enjoy. Byron Beck misses having an editor, Jack Hart shared some writing stories and the comments help.

Conde Nast hires crisis intervention expert

Things are getting serious. The New York Post reported that Conde Nast is hiring a crisis intervention expert. bUT I must admit that the Gawker report and comments on the hiring of the man who calls himself a "confrontational debate specialist" and "one of the most utilized consultants" are just a bit more fun to read. That piece identifies a picture of Scrooge as chairman S. I. Newhouse.

The Post article says CEO Charles Townsend and Chairman S.I. Newhouse, Jr. hired Washington, DC-based crisis manager and media coach Michael Sheehan to help with PR.

Sheehan has coached Democratic presidential candidates, including Barack Obama and "handled AIG during its near-death experience and JP Morgan in its acquisition of Chase." The magazine branch of Advance Publications has folded six magazines, including Gourmet and Cookie, and fired at least 460 employees.

The Post article also points out the rising influence of the Lucky publisher in the Newhouse family of publications.

AnnArbor.com staff meeting leads to stat reveal

There was this Tweet:

AnnArbor.com just held a full staff meeting after three months in operation. We're a hit. Literally: 1.5 million unique visitors to our site

which led to this:

AnnArbor.com is averaging 170,000-180,000 average weekly unique visitors; 30,000-40,000 average daily unique visitors.

which led to this:

AnnArbor.com has more than 22,000 readers and growing subscribed to its daily e-mail newsletter.: "

which led to this:

Summary: AnnArbor.com has created a sustainable business model that is working.

Meanwhile, Michigan media again goes under the microscope, this time at Convergence and Society: The Changing Media Landscape (#cconf09) Doug Fisher writes more about this panel and others.

 

Class party: Words expensive to buy

Amazing. A Michigan writer is learning that his words may be too costly to buy. The New York Times would charge Joel Thurtell more for reprint rights then it paid him to write a story. Details in Class party

Columnist: Mive.com moving into top lists

The progress of Mlive.com, the central home for Michigan newspapers affiliated with Advance Publications, climbing the charts is part of a column on The changing face of news media

Candace Beeke, editor of the Business Review West Michigan, shares that mlive.com reaches "1.77 million unique users per month — making it the largest news site in the state."

She also writes that "the Web site is now in the top 30 for newspaper sites in the country, according to Neislen's Internet ratings."

Oh, and she's looking for feedback on mlive.com's new look, how people use online news and how your news preference is changing.

Oregonian editor: Not enough taking buyout; 70 must go

 A memo from Sandy Rowe, editor of the Oregonian, warns that not enough employees have signed up for a buyout from the Advance Publications newspaper.

Williamette Week published the memo under the headline Layoffs Are "Inevitable"

Rowe says 70 positions need to be eliminated but "only 25 full-time staffers and 6 part-time have either accepted the buyout offer or have indicated to us they are going to sign the paperwork" by the Nov. 9 deadline.

Among those going is the person behind the Portland Arts Watch, who posted "The first words of a long good-bye" online.

The Oregonian newsroom is rearranging its structure to cope with new staffing levels and news requirements.

Other Advance Publications employees weighing buyout offers include those at the Star-Ledger (50 must go), Staten Island Advance (40 must go) and Times-Picayune.

Another Newhouse newspaper says 40 must go

The 'Staten Island Advance' offers a buyout and warns layoffs coming if 40 employees at the New York newspaper don't accept the offer by Dec. 21.

The offer includes two weeks' pay for every year of service up to six months of salary, along with medical coverage.

The Staten Island Advance is part of Advance Publications.

New blog (to me) leads to inspiring story, inspiring site

Gosh, Google Reader figured out I might be interested in blogs about multiple sclerosis. Not sure if it is because I've already subscribed to so many or the words in my blog. So over on MS News Updates: I learn about a new web site using storytelling and also a story about using adaptive devices.

Serono, makers of Rebif and Cladribine and behind MSLifelines, an online support group/website with nifty journals, symptom trackers and information, now is using storytelling by 5 people diagnosed with MS in the 2000 to distribute information and tips. The best part - the company is paying the five bloggers - to be a part of How I Fight MS.

MSLifelines has featured stories before, so what's different here is that there is ongoing storytelling by the individuals.

Also shared on the site was an article about a woman with MS who leads city tours for government officials via wheelchairs. The Star Ledger’s Oct 15th Middlesex County Newswrites about Jackie Jackson and her learn by doing tours.

Save journalism? Or save democracy?

Bill Mitchell of Poynter shares some of the conversation from last month's Community Conversation in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in Four things people miss about newspapers and what can be done about it

You've heard some of the people and conversations before. Mitchell sums it up:

"Much of the discussion involved the role a newspaper plays in facilitating in-person discussion -- in homes as well as broader communities -- in ways that online news might not. Other gaps mentioned by the group included newspaper-as-common-document for the community, the story-telling form of a newspaper article and a popular re-use of newspaper delivery bags."

Interesting conversation about what happens when newspapers stop "creating the space journalism occupies" and its effect on narrative commitments. Will it jar as black-and-white movies do for some teens?

I've been wrestling with journalism and democracy, so the comeback to AnnArbor.com's We're here to save journalism added another round. Do we need journalism to save democracy?

You can read an earlier update on the forum or look at the post to get an idea of what was to happen.

Another Michigan publication switching publication plan

Editor & Publisher says another Michigan newspaper will drop its Monday edition in 2010. The 'Huron Daily Tribune' will publish a Saturday newspaper to meet the customer's demand "for more timely coverage in print of important events, like local sports and breaking news from Friday evening." That quote is from Mark Aldam, senior vice president and group publisher for Hearst Newspapers.

The Huron Daily Tribune also will move printing to its Midland production facility, which also prints the Midland Daily News.

Moving on, moving up

A former Flint Journal employee, Carol D. Rugg, will become vice president-communications at the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in January.  She left the newspaper's lifestyle section in 1985.

One year later: Journalist to lobbyist

For 12 years, David Reinhard was an editorial columnist for The Oregonian. He's spent the last year getting surprised in his new job as a lobbyist. The former journalist talks about what he misses and what is different in his new role in The education of a Salem lobbyist

If you believe the photo bylines and ignore the text byline, you can still read what Reinhard thought he was moving from and to in "And one more thing: David Reinhard says thankyou and goodbye."

"I want to be part of a team that shares a common goal and commitment. I want to work with folks who share my basic values. I no longer want to be the odd man out."

Or maybe the last one out of the newsroom?

Technology 'ruins' night for political geeks - columnist

Many Michigan ex-journalists will need to adjust to something different tonight - an election night without waiting for results, an election night without pizza, an election night outside the newsroom.

Brad Flory of the Jackson Citizen Patriot, who is still collecting a paycheck from a Michigan news organization, mourns the way technology has changed coverage of voting results in Election nights aren't the party they used to be

He calls the gathering and waiting of votes a "fairyland for political junkies." Check it out.

Out front: Do Birmingham publications suffer from a lack of diversity?

Media of Birmingham uses a new landing page for the Birmingham News to ask Do Birmingham publications suffer from a lack of diversity?

Two of the eight columnists featured are women, all are white.

The post prompts comments asking if the columnists match the newspaper's and news site's audience?

Birmingham News is an Advance Publications newspaper. Media of Birmingham is a networking group in Alabama.

CEO: Newhouse business journals suffering cold

Talking Biz Journal pulls some nice quotes out of Whitney Shaw in American City Business Journal CEO talks about the business of business news

The 40 business journals are doing better then the Newhouse newspapers and magazines because of lean staffs, no printing presses and no debt, Shaw tells the Talking Biz Journal.

Shaw also puzzles over why newspapers cut back on business coverage when the economy is such so important today, though says he's never studied if his publications benefited from that decision of newspapers.

Interesting read - more on events, wooing of reporters and editors and more. Head over.

Oakland Press plays it right; picks up circulation from Detroit, Flint

OK, no polish 'cause I am busy, busy, busy trying to translate some reports into one easy-to-read report and I have a deadline. But I can't ignore this:

The Oakland Press took advantage of moves by its  competitors and ended up with more paying customers. In fact, its circulation gains of about 7% pushed the Michigan newspaper into an unusual spot: the third highest increase of all U.S. newspapers with a paid circulation of more than 50,000.

Now, I do find it rather odd that the Oakland Press has an AP story about that achievement. But, maybe that's another indication of its focus on not trying to be everything to everybody.

The Oakland Press continued delivering its newspapers seven days a week in its home market while the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News to the east and the Flint Journal to its north dropped home delivery to three days a week. Other changes in the market included elimination of some weekly newspapers by the Observer-Eccentric company and the replacement of the Ann Arbor News with annarbor.com

The gains came as the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported Monday that average daily circulation dropped 10.6 percent in the April-September period from the same six-month span in 2008.

The gains came after the Oakland Press cut its staff by 20%, started a citizens journalism program and relied on more free-lancers and bloggers to help cover the community.

But, it was the continued daily newspaper delivery that is making a difference - if I had more time, I'd track down a few folks who shared on Facebook last week how they've started liking what's in the Oakland Press enough to drop their long-time subscriptions to the Detroit newspapers. (Yeah, I know it's public if it is out on Facebook but I usually get permission first so ....)

I'd run across that while working on a post on the two executives from the Detroit Media Publication talking  about "What every newspaper can learn from Detroit's bold experiment" at the recent Southern Newspaper Publishers Association News Industry Summit. Paul Anger, editor and publisher of The Detroit Free Press, and Jonathan Wolman, editor and publisher of the Detroit News shared how the new model was developed and how it was impacting business. Now remember, this was a group of publishers so revenue was the focus and ideas included getting more of it from selling content, more print ads on  Mondays-Wednesdays and Saturdays and increasing online reenue. Oh yea, save costs. More later, perhaps.

Meanwhile, back to the Oakland Press....

Joe Strupp of the Editor and Publisher wrote:

The Oakland (Mich.) Press, which saw a 7.26% increase to 68,067 daily from 63,458, attributed much of the upswing to former readers of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News.

"We aggressively pursued the business we knew would be available in Detroit," said Circulation Director John Lazzeri. "We put together a marketing campaign and threw all of our ammunition at the opportunity and as a result got a nice increase."

The company, whose parent company recently came out of bankruptcy, doubled the number of places where you can buy a copy of newspaper and emphasized its daily home delivery to those in its base county.

Crain's Detroit Business also reported that the Macomb Daily is benefiting from the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News decision to limit the number of days the newspapers are delivered  and increase its single-copy price.

By the way, the Detroit newspapers are giving themselves more time to call its new model successful, according to several published reports. Although originally the goal was to have a positive cash flow by the end of this year, the new goal is by the end of 2010.

Also, look for more reliance on readers to help finance the operations. Traditionally, newspaper revenue has been more reliant on advertising then circulation. But advertising is hard to come by in Michigan, still hit hard with the rippling effect of General Motors, Chrysler and Ford's economic woes.

Some of that comes from Poynter Institute's Bill Mitchell who interviewed a number of Detroit Media Partnership execs to pull together numbers and explanations last week.    Numbers like readers will provide 40 percent of the news organization's revenue by Jan. 1, 2011 came from the former Detroit Free Press reporter (1972-92) Bill Mitchell.  

A comment on his post led me to Post Advertising, a blog those explores what replaces the dead model of traditional advertising. Plus, Mitchell does a followup piece on the idea of readers providing more of the revenue.

OK, back to this circulation piece again.

On March 30, The Detroit Free Press and News went to home delivery for Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. On June 1, The Flint Journal, Bay City Times and Saginaw News went to the same three days.

The Oakland Press and Flint Journal coverage areas once lapped in southern Genesee  County and northern Oakland County. But The Journal had started pulling in resources from that area even before its decision to limit the number of publication days.
 
Editor and Publisher was told that the Oakland Press put out about 700,000 pieces to "let people know they have a choice."

"No surprises," he added. "We saw it as an opportunity and took every advantage of it. We expected it to happen. There was no magic, just hard work and aggressive campaigning."

Anderson named publisher at The Oregonian

N. Christian Anderson III, former publisher and CEO of The Orange County Register, has been named publisher of The Oregonian.

The announcement was made today by Wesley Turner, President of Strategic Planning for Advance Publications, Inc., parent company of The Oregonian.

I think it is classy that Advance waited until the week after Fred Stickel's community farewell to announce the appointment.

More later.

Alliteration alert! Britta and Bill battle as 'The Bickersons' raising cash for Girl Scouts

Alliteration alert! Britta and Bill battle as 'The Bickersons' to help Michigan Girl Scouts Shore to Shore raise funds through a program called That's Entertainment.

Learn more about “The Bickersons,” an old-time, live-radio comedy sketch coming to life Oct. 29 in Grand Rapids.

“That’s Entertainment” event is from 6-9 p.m. at the Wealthy Theatre, 1130 Wealthy Street SE, Grand Rapids.

Bill Iddings, who writes Extra Iddings, and is doing the male role says "we’ll stand next to each other at microphones, and give each a hard time."

That's because Girl Scouts throughout Michigan are having a hard time making budget at a time when many girls ages 5 to 17 could use the benefits of becoming leaders.

Michigan city to vote on moving legal notices out of newspapers

Michigan city officials decided not to wait for more newspapers to switch publishing schemes before seeking an alternative to posting legal newspapers in print products.

Voters in Trenton, Michigan, will vote Nov. 3 on a proposal to allow legal notices of meetings, zoning changes and other matters to go on the city web site or the city-operated cable channel instead of a newspaper.

The News-Herald talked to a representative of the Michigan Press Association and city officials in a pre-election article.

I suspect we'll see more elections like this. What I worry about is how well and often city websites will be updated.

Goodbye to All That [*updated, unfortunately]

I meant to share this earlier, but by waiting we get an updated version from a writer in Oregon who is grateful there's a non-journalist/person interested in making a living without words we get more. Read Goodbye to All That [*updated, unfortunately]: "

"And yet, I am wistful. I love being a journalist, a long-form journalist who goes off, sometimes for weeks, months, looking for and bringing back the stories."

More then enough links, explaining and good writing to make a click worthwhile.

Oregon reddit is different, better starting today | Idaho's Portugal - – OregonLive.com

Reddit changed and OregonLive has adapted its presentation and use of a tool that can highlight interesting links in/about Oregon. See Oregon reddit is different, better starting today It's in Idaho's Portugal over on OregonLive.com

(and hey, isn't Idaho's Portual, the title of a blog based in Oregon a wonderful description. There's even a link to why.)

New York Observer explains "The Si Way'

The New York Observer takes a long look at what changed in the Newhouse company to make magazines gold in the The Si Way |

It's a decent big picture overview in light of the layoffs, closures and buyouts in Advance Publications, Advance Internet, Conde Nast and other entites under the Newhouse umbrella.

Update on Ann Arbor citizen journalism forum, workshop

A commitment made months ago kept me away from the Citizen Journalism workshop in Ann Arbor but I found some coverage. First, Arbor Update had a post before the event and comments tell you about a low turnout.

Shawn Smith, who taught (led?) a session,  shared a self-promo toolkit via a Tweet. 

Tools for Self Promotion Research: TwitScoop>WhatTheTrend>Twitter Search>Google Alerts
Sharing: Tumblr Bookmarklet>Facebook Bookmarklet>Bit.ly Bookmarklet>Ping.fm>Hootsuite
Messaging: Wordpress>Tumblr>Twitter/Facebook Fan Page>FriendFeed> Facebook Tumblr App>Facebook Selective Tweets App
Consistency: Gravatar>BackType>SocialOomph
LIVE: Google Mail>YouTube
Syndicate: Feedburner>MyBlogLog>LinkedIn

Read, Listen, Watch.
Penolope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist
CopyBlogger
Gary Vaynerchuk’s Keynotes
Freelance Switch (+Podcast)
Seth Godin

 Two Tweets from @TonyDearing:
At Poynter forum on community news needs. Welcome to the world of traditional, social, partisan and passive news consumers.

Among the ways the Fifth Estate differs: it sees opinion as more important and values crowd wisdom.

AnnArbor.com put up a video showcasing Kelly McBride of Poynter Institute talking (see below)..

Lost in clutter? Or a Renaissance woman?

Am I filling my days with the crack of good writing scrapped from the Internet so that I don't have to face my own to-do lists or figure out the passion I should pursue aggressively in blogging? Did reading the wisdom of others replace racing through romantic novels or living in Cheers/ER/MASH?  Is all of this just a mask hiding what it is that I'm going to do tomorrow?

Or is my collection of linking, reflecting, sharing something more valuable that I tarnish by refusing to focus or promote or ... Goodness, why haven't I bumped the link blog out of the blog space on any of my many domains since I know the value of an online reputation and an easy URL. Whose permission am I waiting for to move to the next level?

Yes, I'm still thinking about Louis Gray's Why And Where We Share: Distributing Quality With Impact, Intent

Perhaps it is the timeliness of his post while I'm still saturated with the new ways Girl Scouts: Leading with purpose. The Girl Scout saturation comes from reading through the two newest national documents, Volunteer Essentials and Troop Module, and my local council's adaptations, while working to create a two-hour introduction to Girl Scouts in southeastern Michigan. New lingo - check-in, group agreements, purposeful leadership, etc. - becomes engraved after leading the class five times in three weeks.

It comes from being waist-deep in studying research to help the local council's board of directors decide what to do with its properties to further its purpose of developing courageous girls capable of leading with confidence today and tomorrow. What can we learn from the Ten Emerging Truths or the research that led to creating six pathways through Girl Scouts or other studies that will help others decide how to use buildings and grounds wisely, efficiently and respectfully.

The hue is deepened as I try to finish pulling together first-five-meeting outlines for new Daisy, Brownie and Junior leaders by seeing what other councils and woman have pulled together, reviewing Volunteer Essentials and Troop Module, and reading again two sets of Journeys for each level. (Journeys are books/programs designed to deliver the richness of Girl Scouts in a fun, consistent way.)

I come back time and time again to the desired outcome of Girls Scouts: leadership.  That's why we camped, sold cookies, made crafts, learned first aid and mastered other subjects years ago. We learned what was comfortable and uncomfortable, growing until we could share what we knew without thinking.

Check out how many female elected officials or CEOs once were Girl Scouts, pulling in the values and skills of good leaders unknowingly. Then check how many sent their daughters into gymnastics, soccer and volleyball or after-school choir, cheerleading and confidence-building programs led by newer organizations.

All of that is a reminder that if you don't know where you are going, nowhere is where you go. Or perhaps, the reminder is to stop putting the lit candle under a bushel basket.

In my comment over on Gray's post on sharing, I thanked him for another explanation that is a thought-provoker. Days later, I see my comment as a plea to understand the randomness of what I share:

"Even though you do share more then the "average" person, I think you could occasionally share some of your non-tech finds. A post that had exceptionally "good writing, reporting and quality" in your baseball, humor, politics or food entries might expand our horizons. If we are intrigued enough we can subscribe ourselves."

Followed later by:

And in that vein of honesty you inspire, I end up feeling so worried about my feed when I go off on a tangent - Girl Scouts, perhaps - I start new Twitter and Google Reader personalities.

 Maybe it is time for a new blog.

You can die any day in mid-Michigan as TV offers obituary services

Obituary from Michigan's WNEM television station

 OK, I know death is serious but if I got a quarter every time a Flint-area person joked about not dying on a Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday I could stop worrying about the health of my pension fund.

Wish I had remembered this when a bunch of people with Flint-area ties got together recently. Fortunately, a comment over on the Free From Editors blog reminded me that Michigan television stations are taking advantage of local newspapers' decisions to limit the frequency of publication by offering daily obituaries. The success of the venture may mean televised obits are coming to your town.

The Free From Editors comment  directed readers to an Advertising Age article: Local TV Garners Revenue From Obituaries From WNEM:

For $100, the station will run the deceased's name and photo on-air and publish a full-length obituary on ObitMichigan.com. Full-screen graphics listing names of people who have passed away are broadcast during the local station's morning and noon shows Monday through Friday, as well as on weekend morning shows. Viewers are pushed to the website for more information about the deceased as well as funeral-services information.

The article was about the CBS affiliate in Michiga, but the local ABC station also offers obituaries online and onair. Here's a sample online listing:

ABC12's obituary listing

 
 Three of the local newspapers, which publish Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays offer obituaries by phone on the other days. For instance, if you call  (810) 835-4444.you hear the name, age, city and funeral home for the most recent deaths in the Flint Journal area. That service was launched in June.  Executive editor John Hiner talked about the service. in a radio interview

Eight publications affliated with mlive.com deliver a daily email of death notices to those who sign up. and publish the obituaries online.

So, see, it doesn't matter what day you die. The notice can be published in multiple ways.

More awards: SNPA says yes to two Birmingham News photos

A photographer at The Birmingham News in Alabama won two photography awards from the Southern Newspapers Publishers  Association. Click on the thumbnails and you'll see why.

Bernard Troncale, a staff photographer for the Birmingham News,which  is part of the Advance Publications group, won second place in sports and honorable mention in the spot news category.  The new web features on al.com make it easy to see many of Troncale's photos. He also has his own web site

Bernard Troncale's second-place photo shows Fred Funk reacting to a missed putt in the first round of the Regions Charity Classic in Birmingham. Judges said:

“The strong horizontal lines of the golfer’s unusual gesture lead the viewer’s eye through the composition of this image, while the hint of a grimacing expression adds an element of emotion. It¹s the golfer’s body language that makes this image rise above sometimes passive golf photos, while the photographer added a feeling of anticipation to the image by placing the teetering ball near the edge of the frame.   The clean background and horizontal crop of this photograph also helps in leading the eye to the golfer’s partially shadowed face.”

The spot news photo    is part of package on Slain soldier Army Spc. Charles D. Dusty Parrish coming home.

Judges said: “This image is both sad and endearing. The pain of the soldier’s death is obvious in the emotional gestures of the adults, but the young son’s attempting to be stoic while he salutes is perhaps more powerful. While the photographer was covering a scene that is somewhat commonplace in recent years, the emotional layers of this image tell not just of a soldier’s death, but also of the legacy left behind.

Mac Thrower, editorial writer with the Mobile Press-Register was awarded first prize for eidtorials on a grocery tax in SNPA's 2009 Carmage Walls Commentary Prize competition at the SNPA News Industry Summit in Naples, Fla.

Judges said:

"Thrower's analysis of the need for reform of Alabama's antiquated tax system was exhaustive and convincing.  His excellent writing made compelling a subject that in less skilled hands could have been dry and lifeless.  The Press-Register, through its editorial page, provided excellent leadership on an issue that is critical to all who live in Alabama."

Read the entry  to see why the series of editorials seeks reform. For instance:

Poor families in Alabama are a little better off than they were two years ago, when the Legislature and Gov. Bob Riley agreed on raising the income tax threshold for a family of four from an obscenely low $4,600 a year to the slightly less repugnant level of $12,600. But, according to a new study, Alabama still levies the nation's highest income taxes on poor families.

I like that the contest links to the originals and/or entries.

I wrote earlier about some printing awards for four newspapers in the private Advance Publications group. I've written about the Birminham News and the Press Register.

Lineup changes at ONA workshop in Ann Arbor

Jim Brady, a consultant for the Guardian and former executive editor of the Washington Post, will lead a session Going Mobile at the Online News Association's parachute training in Ann Arbor.

Cory Haik, assistant manager editor of  seattletimes.com  is off the schedule.


The schedule and details about the speakers are in this post.

Launch time: California site ready for an audience

Collaboration is key in California where  Oakland Local, a news and community site for Oakland focusing on social justice issues, launched Monday. This is the grant-funded hyperlocal site headed up by Susan Mernit
that I said I'd be watching. I especially like that it launched just as a "Report on the Reconstruction of Journalism" began circulating.

The report's authors published some findings in the Washington Post, including recommendations such as:

• Permit local news organizations to operate as nonprofit or low-profit entities able to receive tax-deductible donation. (Actually, a Harvard University study - Can NonProfits Save Journalism - also just released says this already is possible.)
• Encourage philanthropists and foundations to increased support for local news reporting
  
•  Require public radio and television stations to provide local news reporting.
• Encourage universities and colleges to "become institutional sources of local, state and accountability news reporting, following the lead of pioneering journalism schools whose faculty and student journalists staff community news and investigative reporting Web sites"
• Make the Federal Communications Commission use some of its fees to create a national fund for local, innovative news reporting.  
• Increase access to and usefulness of public information collected by federal, state and local government  

You can download the report, although I suspect it will become a hot topic on many blogs if you just want to wait.

Meanwhile, head through the Internet to check out the OaklandLocal site.



From the about page:

"Centered on topics including environmental justice, food distribution, transportation, development & housing, arts & education, and gender & identity, Oakland Local aggregates information and news from local non-profits and community organizations working on these topics within a range of Oakland neighborhoods.

"We seek to create a unique local forum for sharing information, building community, speaking truth to power and working together for positive social change. We are committed to diverse voices, reader engagement, deep issue coverage and local commentary."

The Twitter tag of "talking to the people" doesn't seem to reflect the spirit of a site that described itself as "launching in partnership with 35 local nonprofit, neighborhood and community organizations."

Perhaps I'm oversensitive to the wording as the site' mood is one of the people instead of talking to anyone. There are forums, a directory of 320 local nonprofits and a blog directory. You'll also find a link to Get Satisfaction, plus plenty of email addresses to share feedback.

Also contributing are Spot.us, Newsdesk.org, The Center for Investigative Reporting, New America Media, Endless Canvas, Youth Rising, Youth Radio and Youth Outlook.

The site offers plenty to like - clear navigation, writer bios/links, a Daily Brief that is a roundup of articles from other news sources..

The site's seed money comes from a New Voices grant from J-Lab, funded by The Knight Foundation.

'Encore fellows' to look for next opportunity via CJR

How did I miss this "encore opportunity?" Most fellowships for journalists are offered for those midcareer. But Columbia Journalism Review just appointed four 'down-sized  journalists not ready for retirement yet "Encore Fellows."

The journalists, ages 47 to 59 and with as much as 30 years experience, will write for the magazine and spend time figuring out what's next. over the next nine months.

“CJR is thrilled to be able to play a critical role not only in assisting these distinguished journalists, but our hope is that they will inspire downsized journalists across the county, who will benefit from the examples set by this inaugural class of fellows in developing their encore careers,” said Victor Navasky, chairman of the Columbia Journalism Review.

Some estimate 16,000 journalists lost their jobs in 2008.

'Adman' tells tale of newpaper's death

Most blogs and articles about the end of newspapers are by those who once filled or are filling the newsroom. But in Arkansas, the "Gazette Adman" wants to tell the battle of how the Arkansas Gazette lost the battle. Start with The Arkansas Newspaper War: 1. Seeds of defeat. and go on to see how many times you nod your head.

"Ever tried to get into your vehicle, see lots of clients and work up ad programs while chained to your desk? Neat trick. Try it sometime."

It's timely as The Morning News and Arkansas seek approval of a merger from the U.S. Department of Justice. Catch up with that story (and more history) courtesy of the Fayetteville Flyer. Besides telling us that the blog’s author appears to have worked in classified, retail and management  from 1970 to the closing of the doors in 1991, the Flyer leads us to links of other employees' memories.

'Parade' appoints new publisher

Editor & Publisher reported today that Brett Wilson is now publisher of Parade magazine. He'll focus on advertising sales and marketing efforts.

Parade also created a new position - vice president of integrated sales - this month and appointed Kristen Fairback.

Parade is part of the Advance group.

The releases:

New York, October 19, 2009 -- Brett Wilson has been named publisher of PARADE, the largest circulation magazine in the U.S., it was announced today by Parade Publications CEO Jack Haire. Wilson will be responsible for all advertising sales and marketing efforts.

Wilson comes to PARADE from USA TODAY, where he was senior vice president of advertising sales. Prior to that, he spent more than 20 years at Time, Inc., where he was most recently publisher of Money magazine. He held various other positions, including associate publisher and advertising director for TIME, advertising director for Sports Illustrated, and advertising manager for Southern Living magazine. He started his career as regional marketing manager for Southern Living in 1987.

"Brett's leadership skills and proven experience in both the newspaper and magazine industries make him uniquely qualified to assume the responsibilities of publisher of PARADE," says Haire. "We believe he will help grow our business across key categories, in print and digitally. He is a really great person, and we are delighted to have him on our team." Wilson will report to PARADE President Randy Siegel.

Brett and his wife, Patricia, live in Connecticut with their two children, Taylor, 16, and Sara, 14. Please join us in welcoming him to PARADE.

KRISTEN FAIRBACK NAMED VP/INTEGRATED SALES FOR PARADE

October 7, 2009 -- Kristen Fairback has joined Parade in the newly created position of Vice President, Integrated Sales, it was announced today by Randy Siegel, Parade's President & Publisher.
Fairback will play a leading role in integrating the company's print and digital sales efforts.

"As our digital presence continues to grow, it's more important than ever to provide our customers with a wide array of integrated sales solutions," says Siegel. "Kristen has proven experience in the field, and we're delighted to have her on board."

Kristen comes to PARADE from Entertainment Weekly and EW.com where most recently she was Associate Publisher. Prior to that, she was the Eastern Advertising Director for LIFE magazine.

Four Advance Publications newspapers get printing awards

The Southern Newspapers Publishers Association honored four Newhouse newspapers for their printing quality.

The Grand Rapids Press and The Oregonian earned first place awards in their categories.

The Michigan Muskegon Chronicle and the Alabama Birmingham News earned second place awards.

The SNPA site says the "Judges evaluated entries only for those quality attributes that can be objectively measured: black ink density and uniformity, color ink density and uniformity, color register, page alignment, litho defects and other defects."

One more Advance tie - Randy O'Neill of the Times-Picayune in New Orleans was one of the judges.

Online News Association offers 'Parachute Training' in Ann Arbor (updated)

Two Three former Advance Internet employees are among the instructors who will lead sessions on video and blogging skills at ONA Parachute Training this week in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The training for independent, community, non-profit and displaced journalists and bloggers is Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Campus Inn and sponsored by the Online News Association. It is part of the organization's Parachute Training Initiative, supported by a $50,000 seed grant from the Gannett Foundation. I wrote about this when the group sought feedback on skills needed.

There are two tracks - beginner and intermediate - covering multimedia, blogging, mobile, legal and business issues, marketing through social networks and finding your niche on the Web. There also will be two half-day video sessions, limited to 25 participants on a first-come, first-served basis (on-site), and a session on legal issues.

It's a great price - $10 to cover food.

See my other post about a Community Conversation taking place on Wednesday.  Here's more about the Thursday lineup, which I'm picking up from the ONA site: (OK, I added the links and some details about folks since I wanted to know who they were. I especially wanted to see the blogs of people teaching blogging.).

8 a.m.: Registration


Video Session 1: 9 a.m.-Noon (limited to 25 participants)


The Fundamentals of Shooting, Editing and Posting Video: We’ll discuss why and when video is needed as a storytelling tool. This is a hands-on tutorial with an experienced videographer, intended for beginners who should bring their own cameras. Professional-quality equipment is not necessary. (An inexpensive Flip video camcorder, for example, will work just fine.)
Trainers: Tiffany Campbell, Producer for Enterprise, and Cory Haik, Assistant Managing Editor, seattletimes.com

Tiffany led a video workshop at the recent ONA convention, where the program description included this: Lately, she's been developing Web video and a growing multimedia team, while heading up special projects, interactives and enterprise development for seattletimes.com.

Campbell began her journalism career at CNN. She held several positions during her years there, including video journalist and broadcast writer. She switched to Web journalism in late 2004 when she relocated back to the Pacific Northwest to work for the Seattle Times.

In addition to her journalism career, Campbell teaches at the university level and at regional and national journalism conferences.She lives with her husband, Curt Woodward of the Associated Press, in Tacoma, Wash.

Cory (who was eliminated from the schedule sometime Monday at the registration site) was part of a "Four Cool New Web Tools for Journalists" session at ONA. The bio description included:

"she is an online journalist who has spent her last decade managing the disruption of Web media — which she likes. From running operations and development to reporting, editing and
production, Haik has her hands in most things that make online journalism work. She sits on the Board of Directors for the Online News Association and is currently the Assistant Managing Editor at seattletimes.com

 She spent many years following the storms of the Gulf Coast at NOLA.com, site of the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, where she was the Managing Editor. She shared in two Pulitzer Prizes for covering Hurricane Katrina. Haik holds a master's degree in communication theory from the University of New Orleans."

Session 1: 9-10:25 a.m.
Track 1
Finding Your Niche: How individual journalists can take advantage of the unique attributes of the Web to identify and deliver the news and information that folks need and want. We’ll first take a look at how you define your niche in a crowded media landscape. Then we’ll discuss immediacy, aggregation, interactivity, multimedia, database utility and social networking.
Trainers: Ken Sands, ONA Board member and self-employed digital media strategist, and Kelly McBride, Poynter Faculty and ethics group leader

Ken has worked for Congressional Quarterly and spokesman.com and currently is self employed, according to a bio posted on Poynter. He is a contributor to Poynter's E-Media Tidbits, with his latest article a look at how news organzations are using social media and improving site design.   He's also written about how tools to ease sharing of online finds can affect the user's experience.

I found a story that tells how a fake headline that made it into the newspaper led to Kelly's post as ethics group leader at Poynter. She was a reporter at the Spokesman-Review and blogged for awhile as The Imperfect Parent. Today, the blogging focus is Everyday Ethics. and other pieces for Poynter.

Track 2
Reporting with the Web: How reporters can use social media/aggregators/RSS/Web tools to be better reporters and how editors can use them to distribute their content. You’ll learn the skill of reporting with the Web, using sourcing and crowding-sourcing and engaging with users who are working alongside you. Learn how to uncover stories that only exist because of the Web, and gain more depth and context from the Web for your traditional content.

Trainers: T.J. Ortenzi, Associate News Editor, The Huffington Post; and Cory Haik, Assistant Managing Editor, seattletimes.com (Both are former Advance Internet employees, including a stint in New Orleans at NOLA.com. Haik was as managing editor during Katrina, Ortenzi a web producer.)

Ortenzi did a session called "Enterprising with Twitter" at the ONA convention. The bio for that included:

"Ortenzi , associate news editor editor, is responsible for the homepage of The Huffington Post. Before joining the staff in August of 2009, Ortenzi was an Associate News Producer at seattletimes.com and a homepage producer at NOLA.com, the Web site of The Times- Picayune in New Orleans.

At seattletimes.com, Ortenzi scanned the wires, wrote headlines and summaries, and ultimately acted as a journalistic liaison between the newsroom and readers. He also managed The Seattle Times' Twitter account.

Ortenzi honed his news judgment in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as a homepage producer for NOLA.com. He is a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans, where he received a BA in Communications and French. Ortenzi lives in New York City with his fiancee and is a proud native of Hershey, Pa."

Session 2: 10:35 a.m.-Noon
Track 1
Blogging Effectively: We’ll narrow our focus in this second session, discussing blog software, frequency of posting, interacting with readers, a corrections policy, how blog writing is different and turning your life over to the blog.
Trainer: Ken Sands, ONA Board member, and Kelly McBride, Poynter Faculty

Track 2 Jim Brady, U.S. Consulting Editor, The Guardian
Going Mobile: Up to 70 percent of all mobile Web browsing is done on an iPhone. What does that mean for news providers? When will folks monetize mobile? What phone should a journalist have? When is it a good idea to develop an app on the side? Should you blog/take video or live-stream from your phone? What is the percentage of mobile readers vs. computer-based readers?
Trainer: Cory Haik, Assistant Managing Editor, seattletimes.com Jim Brady, U.S. consulting editor for the Guardian was substituted sometime Monday on the registration site.  Columbia Journalism Review interviewed the former Washington Post executive editor on why he left the Post and now is consuling for the Guardian as well as branding, web innovation and building audiences in September.



 Noon-1:30 p.m. Lunch and networking:


Video Session 2: 1:30-4:30 p.m. (limited to 25 participants)
 Production Values: From the 30 seconds of the burning house to a produced tier three that gives you context, b-roll and true narrative, this class will arm every journalist with good Web video production values. We’ll also talk about the technical side — editing programs, camera choices and production/hosting solutions.Trainer: Tiffany Campbell, Producer for Enterprise, seattletimes.com

Session 3: 1:30-2:55 p.m.

Tracks 1 and 2
Legal Issues: Jon Hart, a founding member and ONA counsel, will focus on basic issues involving aggregation, plagiarism, libel, comments and group insurance for bloggers. When can you be liable for content that your readers post? Are you better off policing user postings or remaining hands-off? Can other sites really post your headlines without your permission? What can you “borrow” from other sites? Why do Web sites display privacy policies and visitor agreements? Where can you find affordable libel insurance?
Trainer: Jon Hart, Dow Lohnes PLLC in Washington, D.C. (via Skype)

Hart was part of the legal panel at the 2009 ONA convention. His bio for that included he practices in the Media and Information Technologies group. He specializes in the representation of media and technology companies on a broad range of commercial, transactional, operational and content matters. Hart is the author of "Internet Law: A Field Guide" (BNA Books, 6th Edition, 2008). He's been on the faculty of the Stanford Professional Publishing Courses since 1994, and serves as general counsel to the Online News Association. He clerked for U.S. Circuit Judge Jerome Farris and U.S. District Judge Almeric Christian. Hart is a graduate of Middlebury College and Stanford Law School.

Session 4: 3:05-4:30 p.m.
Track 1

Self Promotion: How do you market yourself through social networking and find pay for your work? How do you connect with an audience on Twitter and Facebook and grow traffic to your blog? This session will focus on developing recognition for your blog by branding, or developing a distinctive voice, as well as managing your online reputation/personal brand.
Trainer: Shawn Smith, Optimal Webworks and New Media Bytes blogger. 

The Michigan State University graduate also was an Advance Internet employee, working his way up to senior producer mlive.com He describes himself on LinkedIn as an Internet marketer with journalism roots.  He also participated in ReThink News at Michigan State University, where he suggested news organizations need to look at a variety of content and test at niche products.

 
Track 2
How to Turn Your Blog Into a Business: At a time when staff and dollars are stretched and venture capital is scarce, a good business plan is essential to getting the resources you need or attracting the investors you want. This session poses the questions you must answer and how you should organize a business plan that will clearly lay out the elements of your project, along with strategies for growth and success, including change management.
Trainer: Neil Chase, Federated Media

Neil is vice president of author services for Federated Media, which is described on LinkedIn as providing "online marketing services for creators, audiences, and marketers. The company operates a network of author-driven Websites, including Digg, Boing Boing, and Dooce. Its federations include sports, technology, automotive, business & marketing, media & entertainment, momentum, travel and leisure, and parenting."

Neil also has worked for The Arizona Republic, San Francisco Examiner, and the New York Times. He's familiar with Ann Arbor, having spent four years at the University of Michigan and worked for the student newspaper the Michigan Daily. He launched the new media program at Northwestern University, according to a Knight Digital Media Center biography.

Poynter to host Community Conversation in Ann Arbor

What does Ann Arbor, Michigan, think it wants in media? Poynter Institute is hosting a Community Conversation the night before ONA Parachute Training

The Online News Association describes this part of the event as a bonus, "an evening of conversation to unearth the news and information needs of the local community" on Oct. 21,

The Poynter Institute's conversation is set for 7 to 9 p.m. and described as:

"What Now?: What’s working in other communities not served by a newspaper? What are the immediate and long-term remedies in Ann Arbor? Where can other organizations step in and serve the community?"

There's a reception at 6 p.m, which follows a workshop for citizen journalism.

Update: I was told Monday morning there is no charge and an update with more details coming.

All events will be held at the Campus Inn in Ann Arbor.

Faith watching: Newsrom to pulpit plus under the eyes

It's Sunday so let's use some of this day once reserved strictly for God to reflect on journalists who preach - in churches, in newspapers and online.

The Associated Press wrote about Steve Scott, who used a buyout from the St. Paul Pioneer Press to move from religion reporter to his own pulpit in Wisconsin. I reacted much like Amanda Greene, who blogs as the Divine Diva for the Wilmington Star News: This is not a man bites dog story. Just as some reporters who once covered politics become politicians and former education beat reporters move to the front of the classroom, some with enough interest in religion go to the seminary.

The writer of Religion reporter to pastor — not an uncommon path says she knows at least five religion reporters who have either gotten into newspapers after the ministry or entered the ministry after newspapers. She did not name them.

Let's see, in Michigan I think the latest to exchange the paper for the pulpit is Mike Wendland. The former Detroit Free Press technology columnist started a weekly broadcast "Get Real: A Christian Take on Current Events," a combination of a talk show, live band and Bible study. PCMike now is the communications pastor for Woodside Bible Church in Troy. Most of his career was in the media but since "becoming a Christian in 1989" he has become more active in the church. He joined the Woodside Bible Church staff in 2004.

Michigan also had an editor who left to preach: D. Gunnar Carlson, who retired from the Muskegon Chronicle in January 2006 (he also was editor of the Saginaw News) He became pastor of Grass Lake United Methodist Church on 7/1/07. He joined the Chronicle in 1972,and expected to retire from there. But he left at age 58 to pursue a new career.

“God often has something quite different in store for us than we expect, and that’s what’s happened here” Carlson told Clayton Hardiman for a Dec. 20, 2005 article in the newspaper where he had been a reporter, features editor, metro editor as well as editor.

Not quite the pulpit but close is what David Crumm, another former Detroit Free Press staff person, is doing. There's  David Crumm Media LLC, a multi-media publishing company focusing on religion and spirituality that is headed by partners Crumm and John Hile. I especially like  www.ReadTheSpirit.com that Crumm describes as an online home for readers who believe that diverse spiritual connections between people of faith build stronger communities. The online magazine includes inspirational stories, fresh voices, reviews of books and films—and much more.
 
Robert Herguth, who worked for the Chicago Sun Times , Daily Herald and briefly at the Business Journal in Milwaukee before a buyout, pulled together ChicagoCatholicNews.com Get some of the background on why and how in this post.  (Herguth also is behind Chicago Wildlife News  and a site about organized labor, Chicago Union News.)

While out looking for these names, I ran across a few other blog posts about journalists and religion. I started with another take on Steve Scott on GetReligion.org

But it was Journalism, Jesus and (Tim) Tebow that kept my attention. I didn't know about this Florida Gator who was using that empty space under his eyes to promote a religious theme. Nor did I know how that upsets some sports columnists and that Tebow's words and actions prompt journalism issues. Terry Mattingly looks at:

"increased mainstream media coverage of (a) the content of Florida Gator superstar Tim Tebow’s faith, (b) the impact of that faith on how people (including reporters) perceive him and (c) the impact of that perception on, oh, his chances to receive another Heisman Trophy?"

GetReligon.org, by the way, is designed to critique mainstream media's coverage of religion.

Do read Patrick Condon's Associated Press story Steve Scott story that led to this post. I found some posts of Scott's posts over on MinnPost, written while he was on his way to the pulpit.

Here's Mike Wendland's first broadcast. That was followed by "Is America a Christian Nation?." The latest one was "Is Marriage Meant to Last Forever?" Keep up with them online.


GetReal - Episode 1 - A Christian Take on Current Events from Woodside Bible on Vimeo.