Mike Blinder
"Online Sales Training for Smaller Newspapers"
9:30 a.m. Friday June 20

Mike Blinder is president of The Blinder Group. Blinder is known nationally and internationally for his expertise in media, sales and marketing. As owner and manager of The Blinder Group performs training, designs sales programs and conducts seminars for clients all over the world. Read more about his training programs for media companies.

Martha Jean McHaney
"Hiring, Firing & other labor issues"
Noon Friday June 20

Martha Jean is vice president for human resources for Morris Communications headquartered in Augusta, Ga.

Prior to her moving to Augusta to work for Morris, she had worked for newspapers in Little Rock, Denver, and Wichita and had worked with several Texas newspapers while employed by Westward Communications in Dallas.

With 20 years of experience, McHaney helps Morris businesses with labor legal issues and  leads the Corporate Human Resources team which is responsible for employee relations, employee benefits, legal and labor compliance, learning and development, compensation, and conflict resolution for the 5500 employees that work for Morris companies across the United States.

David Stevens
"Online Success for Small Newspapers"
8:30 a.m. Saturday June 21

David Stevens has been writing about small towns in the Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico for almost 30 years. He worked for the Amarillo Globe-News from 1979-99, spent two years freelancing and became editor for Freedom New Mexico on Sept. 10, 2001, covering the communities of Clovis, Portales and Tucumcari along the Texas border.

Stevens is a self-described old-school storyteller with ink running through his veins. But he's embracing the online world because of its immediacy and opportunities for reader interaction. And he's coming to terms with video ... well, at least he's not afraid of it anymore.

His session will focus on small-town newspaper opportunities for success in the new media -- online.

Lane DeGregory
"20 Tips Your Editor Won't Tell You" & "20 Tips your Reporters Won't Tell You"
11 a.m. Friday, June 20 & 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 21

LaneDeGregory is a St. Petersburg Times features writer who has won 12 national awards. Her stories have appeared in The Best Newspaper Writing 2000, 2004 and 2006 editions, Reader’s Digest and a variety of specialty publications. She has been a speaker at Harvard's Nieman Narrative Conference, National Writers Workshops, The Poynter Institute and the American Association of Sunday and Features Editors’. Read a sample of her columns and stories.

David Nail
6 p.m. Saturday
TNF dinner fundraiser entertainment

Photo by Andrew Southam