TPA Mobile Lab trains 346 in 2005

AUSTIN — The Texas Press Association Mobile Lab held 34 on-demand classes in 2005 and trained 346 attendees.

The most popular training was for Adobe InDesign, followed by Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat and QuarkXPress respectively. The lab also taught Mac OS X classes last year.

The Mobile Lab is available free to member newspapers that meet participation requirements.

To schedule a 2006 date contact instructor Fred Anders at 800-749-4793.

River Cities adds 3 days, plans weekend edition

MARBLE FALLS — The River Cities Tribune began publishing four days a week on Dec. 12 and planned to add a weekend edition this month.

The weekly in Marble Falls now is publishing Tuesday-Friday.

“This is the next logical move in the growth of our company. The growth of this area requires us to keep up with the demands and the needs of our readers and advertisers,” Dan Alvey, chief executive officer of Victory Publishing Company, LTD, parent company of the newspaper, said.

Alvey, with wife Lee, launched the Tribune in 1995.

Once the newspaper begins five-day a week publication it will become Texas’ 87th paid daily newspaper.

MediaNews, Gannett expand Texas-NM partnership

EL PASO — MediaNews Group is expanding its partnership with Gannett Co., which includes the El Paso Times.

The Texas-New Mexico Newspapers Partnership will add Pennsylvania newspapers Gannett’s Public Opinion of Chambersburg, and MediaNews’ York Daily Record and York Sunday News, Lebanon Daily News and Evening Sun of Hanover.

MediaNews Group will become the managing partner. The partnership was formed in 2003 with Gannett’s El Paso Times and MediaNews’ New Mexico papers Alamogordo Daily News, Carlsbad Current-Argus, The Deming Headlight, The Daily Times in Farmington, Las Cruces Sun-News and Silver City Sun-News.

The Associated Press reported that  MediaNews, owned by Graham native William Dean Singleton, will have a 59.5 percent financial stake and Gannett a 40.5 percent stake.

Ray Stafford has been named Times president and publisher. Stafford was senior vice president and general manager of the Orange County (Calif.) Register and before that was publisher of The Monitor in McAllen. Stafford also will oversee the New Mexico newspapers in the partnership.

Houston drops Web user registration

HOUSTON — The Houston Chronicle revamped its Web site chron.com and will no longer require users to register to view content.

The home page now highlights more of the site’s content, new features, improved menus and a search tool that will make it easier to navigate.

The redesign project began and ended with readers. Many of the changes came from reader suggestions and a survey of hundreds of visitors to the site.

“In response to passionate pleas from many readers, we no longer require you to register to read stories or access most of the site’s content. Registration is only necessary in specialized areas — to post comments in our forums, access our newspaper archives, get breaking news alerts or build your own comics page,” a note to readers on the site reported.

UT J-school lands program for international journalists

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The University of Texas School of Journalism is one of only six schools nationwide selected to participate in a new international program that will bring foreign journalists to Austin for training.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Dec. 13 announced the program under partnership with the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the non-profit Aspen Institute. UT J-school director Lorraine Branham was on hand for the announcement.

The Edward R. Murrow Journalism Program will invite up to 100 international media professionals to spend time at schools in the United States, honing their skills, sharing ideas and gaining first-hand understanding of American society and democratic institutions.

“The Department of State is determined to forge partnerships with our private sector so that Americans of all stripes, all traditions, all ethnic groups and also all walks of life might be able to help to carry the story of democratic progress and the progress of liberty,” Rice said. “We especially look forward to working with our partners.”

The other five schools are the University of Kentucky, University of Minnesota, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Oklahoma and University of Southern California.