June 2002, News Briefs |
Forney wins national holiday tearsheet contest
FORNEY — The Forney Messenger came out on top of the 2001 Holiday Tearsheet Contest winning the grand prize. The contest is sponsored by Metro Creative Graphics.
The newspaper expanded its Letters to Santa section to include essays written by third-, fourth- and fifth-graders on “What Christmas means to me.” The 68-page section was distributed Dec. 20.
Grapeland weekly changes owners after 34 years
GRAPELAND — The Grapeland Messenger changed owners last month.
Nicol Publishing Co. purchased the newspaper from Weldon and Sandra Kerby, who had owned Grapeland Printing Co. for the last 34 years.
Tom Nicol is the publisher and Kay Boothe is editor. Lawanda Pennington works in advertising.
Sudan weekly gets new owner
SUDAN — LeRoy Wilson retired as publisher and editor of the Sudan Beacon News and sold the newspaper to local residents Jeff and Monica Procter. Wilson, who bought the newspaper last year, retired due to health reasons.
Fort Worth daily, TV station combine forces
FORT WORTH — The Fort Worth Star-Telegram and NBC 5/KXAS-TV are the latest Texas media outlets to join the convergence trend.
The newspaper and station signed a two-year agreement to begin sharing story-planning budgets. Station meteorologists will appear in the newspaper’s weather pages and some reporters and columnists may also appear on TV.
Media convergence is gaining steam nationwide. The trend creates media partnerships to gain more market share.
Victoria shrinks width
VICTORIA — The Victoria Advocate completed its switch to the narrower web width last month. More than 300 Texas newspapers are now non-SAU.
FOIFT lets sun shine on annual conference
AUSTIN — The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas will host its annual state conference Sept. 20-21 at the Inter-Continental Stephen F. Austin Hotel.
The theme is “Sunshine in Crisis” and addresses security and privacy issues as they impact an open government in a free society.
Program topics include “FOI in the Post Sept. 11 World” and “The Privacy Paradox,” a discussion with the State Privacy Task Force and its recommendations for the 78th legislative session.
For more information visit www.foift.org or call 214-977-6658. Watch the July 1 TPA Confidential Bulletin for a registration form.
Hearst pledges $1 million to create Bennack chair at UT
AUSTIN — The Hearst Corp. has pledged $1 million to create the Frank A. Bennack Jr. Chair at the School of Journalism at the University of Texas.
Bennack served as Hearst’s president and chief executive officer for 23 years.
The gift will support a scholar or professional who is nationally recognized for his or her success in the field of journalism and has produced extensive work and/or research in the field.
Bennack, a native of San Antonio, was publisher and editor of the San Antonio Light and a television pioneer before moving to New York to become general manager of Hearst Newspapers.
He still is chairman of Hearst’s executive committee and vice chairman of Hearst’s board of directors and holds other posts within the corporation, family trust and foundations.
2 found guilty in True slaying
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Jalisco state magistrates overseeing the appeal of two Huichol Indians accused of killing San Antonio Express-News Mexico City bureau chief Philip True ruled unanimously that the men were guilty of homicide and sentenced them to 13 years in prison.
The three magistrates of the Supreme Court Tribunal found the two guilty of “intentional homicide” and delivered their findings to the state prosecutor of Jalisco.
The case involved the first U.S. journalist killed in Mexico.
Express-News editor Robert Rivard said: “Three and a half long years after Philip was killed, it appears justice will be done. But we will guard our emotions a little longer. The defendants have a final appeal, and they remain free.”
True’s body was found in an advanced state of decomposition Dec. 16, 1998, in a remote and deep canyon of the Sierra Madre Occidental. True had been on a hike there to study the Huichol culture.
The Huicholes are Juan Chivarra de la Cruz and Miguel Hernández de la Cruz. confessed they strangled True, because he was on their land taking photographs without permission from Huichol authorities. They later recanted, saying Mexican soldiers tortured them into confessing.
Newsprint prices may increase later this year
The CEO of Abitibi-Consolidated, the world’s largest newsprint maker, told the Associated Press that newsprint prices should start to pick up in the second half of the year. Prices hit rock bottom and are expected to recover “sometime in the second half,” John Weaver told AP.