News Briefs

Granger folds after rising costs, changes 

GRANGER — The Granger News folded in February after more than 89 years in operation.

Publisher Gayle Bielss, who owned the paper with husband Charles, cited rising printing costs and lack of sufficient advertising revenue as reasons for closing the weekly in Williamson County.

“The Granger News has long struggled to maintain its status, despite inadequate advertising to cover even the printing costs,” the newspaper reported.

Bielss said the Granger News would be integrated into sister newspaper the Bartlett Tribune-Progress and Granger subscribers would start receiving that newspaper.

The Granger News reported 692 paid circulation on its October postal statement.

The Tribune Progress took over ownership of the News in 1993. According to the 1980 TPA Messenger anniversary issue, the News began in 1914 in Hallettsville and moved to Taylor and then Granger in 1937. In 1980 the News was heralded as the only Czech newspaper being published in Texas and was still being published at that time on a 50-year-old Linotype.

New paper joins TPA 

WASKOM — The Stateline Speaker met its membership requirements and joined TPA last month. The weekly launched in 2001 and is owned by Rhea Haston who serves as the publisher. The newspaper reports a circulation of 750.

Star Community Newspapers redesigns, changes name 

DALLAS — DFW Community Newspapers, Inc. announced March 12 that its corporate holding company will conduct business as Star Community Newspapers.

The name change will not affect the local publications owned by Star Community Newspapers, which include The Allen American, Carrollton Leader, The Celina Record, The Colony Courier-Leader, Coppell Gazette, Flower Mound Leader, The Frisco Enterprise, Lewisville Leader, The Little Elm Journal, The McKinney Messenger, The Mesquite News, Plano Star Courier, The Rowlett Lakeshore Times, Southlake Times and other specialty publications.

Star Community Newspapers also introduced a new design and expanded content in the Texas group. The most extensive changes will occur in the Plano Star Courier, the company’s daily flagship publication.

Star Community Newspapers is a subsidiary of American Community Newspapers, L.L.C., a group of two daily and 68 weekly newspapers.

Granite acquires free competitor in Alpine

ALPINE — Granite Publications on March 13 acquired the assets of the Alpine Observer, a free weekly that had launched in the West Texas community about two years ago.

The Observer ceased publication with the March 13 acquisition. Deals of the transaction were not disclosed.

Ice storm freezes newspapers’ delivery

AUSTIN — The surprising ice storm that gripped the upper half of Texas Feb. 24-25 caused delays in delivery and publication of some Texas newspapers.

The Austin American-Statesman reported that 35,000 copies of the Feb. 25 edition could not be delivered to home subscribers that day due to winter weather that caused more than an inch of ice to accumulate on most Austin area roads. The missed subscribers received that issue with the next day’s newspaper.

The Lake Travis View, which is owned by the Statesman and Austin Community Newspapers, was published a day late and was distributed on Feb. 27 and Feb. 28.

Mt. Vernon launches full e-version on Web site 

MT. VERNON — The Mt.Vernon Optic Herald became the latest newspaper to make its entire edition available online.

Publisher Pat Wright said the weekly is available as a PDF that readers can download and view.

PDFs retain the same look as the print version and can be easily produced for newspapers that are paginated.

Initially the PDF version is free but Wright said eventually it will be a fee service offered at the same price as a print subscription.

So far, she said, community response has been favorable.

Almost half — 251 — the 530 paid newspapers in Texas have Web sites and post at least some of their content online.

In recent months several newspapers have begun offering their entire print editions online either as PDFs or true e-version, which use special software to retain the look and format of the print version.

El Paso, New Mexico papers strike deal to share operations 

EL PASO — The El Paso Times and the Las Cruces (N.M.) Sun-News will become partners under an agreement reached between Gannett Co. Inc. and MediaNews Group., the Associated Press reported.

The editorial sections of the Times and MediaNews Group’s seven New Mexico newspapers will remain independent. Advertising and production will merge some operations under the Texas-New Mexico Newspaper Partnership.

Freedom is for sale 

IRVINE, Calif. — Freedom Communications Inc. is considering a possible sale of some or all of its media properties. The company’s board voted to take bids on the family-owned firm’s 28 daily newspapers, eight television stations and other assets.

In Texas, Freedom owns The Monitor in McAllen, Odessa American, Valley Morning Star in Harlingen and The Brownsville Herald.

Classy Guy game gives readers a chance for cruise

NORTH TEXAS — Lone Star News Group has devised a unique way to increase readership and reward subscribers with a 13-week promotion built for the classifieds.

The group, which includes the Cleburne Times-Review, Mineral Wells Index and Weatherford Democrat, is sponsoring a 13-week contest to find a name for the new classifieds mascot now simply dubbed “Classy Guy.”

Weekly winners selected by the newspapers’ staff receive cash prizes that are higher for subscribers than non-subscribers. Readers of the three newspapers will select one winner from the weekly winners to compete for the grand prize cruise for four on Vacation Disney Cruise, which also will be selected via readers’ choice.

2 Train the Trainers fellowships available  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Poynter Institute and the Center for Community Journalism have teamed up to offer a great opportunity for the nation’s top community newspaper leaders to enhance their abilities and share their skills as teachers and editors.

For the first time, the Train the Trainers event at Poynter in St. Petersburg will include community journalists, those from weeklies and smaller dailies (circulation under 25,000) who work in newsrooms with limited resources and with reporters who have no background in journalism.

The May 3-5 session to improve the training and teaching environment in newsrooms starts with a reception May 3 at 6 p.m. and concludes by 3 p.m. May 5. There is no registration fee.

Poynter is offering two fellowships to cover travel and lodging ($600 maximum per person) for community journalists. In return, they ask the fellowship recipients to write an article for Poynter’s Web site, Poynter.org, on some aspect of training for community newspapers.

To apply for a fellowship, e-mail a brief note to the Center for Community Journalism at ccj@oswego.edu. Include your name, title, newspaper, address, frequency of publication and circulation size, and how you intend to use your newly acquired training skills.

The deadline to apply is April 1. Winners will be notified by April 5 so they can immediately make travel plans.