News Briefs

Idalou Beacon changes ownership again

IDALOU — Scott and Judy Luce have sold the Idalou Beacon to Jona Janét.

The couple had just reacquired the weekly in December 2002 from Chris Wilkerson.

They first purchased it in 1993 from Wilkerson’s mother, Bea, and Chris became publisher in 2000. The Luces also publish the Abernathy Weekly Review, which they bought in 1989.

Janét took over as owner Feb. 1 and will serve as editor, publisher and ad director. The Beacon is her first newspaper to own but her family owned the Lynn County News in Tahoka while she was growing up and her father John Valentine currently owns the Crosby County Reporter Examiner in Ralls.

Wylie is biz of the year

WYLIE — In January, The Wylie News was honored with the Wylie Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year award. A local business for the past 60 years, The Wylie News was honored for its support of new chamber members and commitment to service.

Copperas Cove adds free paper

HARKER HEIGHTS — Copperas Cove Newspapers, Inc., publishers of the Copperas Cove Leader Press, Jan. 31 purchased the Evening Star from Paul Anderson, a former TV newsman who had owned it since 1999.

The free weekly is in Harker Heights only a few miles from Copperas Cove. Larry Hauk will serve as publisher of both newspapers. John Eubanks will be the general manager.

The buyer and seller were brought together by Bill Berger of Associated Texas Newspapers in Austin.

Dallas tops 1 million mark

DALLAS — Belo Interactive, the Internet subsidiary of Belo Corp., announced that DallasNews.com has registered more than 1 million unique users. The Web site is affiliated with The Dallas Morning News.

Access to the Web site is free but registration is required to access various content sections, personalized products and services as well as promotions and online surveys. The one-time registration requires users to fill in name, gender, age, e-mail address and hobbies. Users also can sign up to receive e-mail messages, and describe their pattern of news and information consumption with affiliated Belo media properties.

“With strategic data capture at all significant touchpoints within DallasNews.com, we can begin serving real-time communication, advertising, and personalization options to our customers electronically,” said Gerry Barker, general manager of DallasNews.com. “Through registration, we can offer more targeted content and communication that will represent uniquely relevant and useful information for each individual user.”

19 journalists killed in 2002

NEW YORK — Nineteen journalists were killed worldwide in the line of journalistic duties in 2002, down sharply from 37 in 2001, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The total is the lowest since the group began tracking such deaths in 1985. The highest was 66 in 1994.

The group said a factor in the decline could be the international attention paid to the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan.