San Angelo joins sister with 46-inch web size

SAN ANGELO — On Aug. 27 the San Angelo Standard-Times became only the second paper in the state to begin print production on the 46-inch web press.

The Standard-Times also launched a new editorial front-end system and new page design along with the size change.

Sister E.W. Scripps daily the Corpus Christi Caller-Times was the first in Texas to switch to the 46-inch web June 6.

After the switch, Standard-Times readers did express one common complaint — the crossword and Sudoku puzzles also grew smaller. But the newsroom staff reverted to the original, larger sizes. Editor Tim Archuleta cautioned other newspapers heading toward a conversion to not “overlook the puzzles page. The size of the puzzles matters to a lot of core readers.”

3 more offer e-subscriptions

Three more newspapers joined the growing list of publications offering online subscriptions to e-versions of their newspapers.

The Texas Spur launched its new Web site at www.thetexasspur.com and made e-versions payable through PayPal available to subscribers.

The El Campo Leader-News and Wharton Journal-Spectator also planned to launch subscription-based e-versions on their Web sites. The sister newspapers announced the e-versions along with redesigns of their Web sites.

Fort Worth biz paper sold

FORT WORTH — The Fort Worth Business Press has been sold to Brown Publishing Co., a family-owned publishing group based in Cincinnati.

Richard Connor, owner and publisher since October 2001, will remain associated with the newspaper under a consulting agreement with the new owners. Connor last year headed a group of investors to purchase The Times Leader in Wilks-Barre, Pa., and he said serving as publisher and owner there is more time-consuming than he expected.

Brown Publishing was founded in 1920 by Clarence J. Brown and today has about 750 employees at 18 dailies, 27 weeklies and 26 free weeklies.

Moser buys Karnes City

KARNES CITY — Moser Community Media LLC purchased The Countywide from Karnes Multi Media Inc.

Moser also owns the Cuero Record, Yorktown News-View and Jackson County Herald Tribune.

The Countywide will keep the same name but operate under a new company, Karnes County Publishing LP.

In 1998 the Karnes Citation and Kenedy Advance-Times combined into The Countywide.

Waco partners with college for web journalist course

WACO — The Tribune Herald is partnering with McClennan Community College on a new e-journalism program.

The primary focus is to produce journalists skilled in newsgathering, writing, Web site development and journalism ethics. Students completing the year-and-a-half certificate program will be more marketable and benefit small to midsize media outlets by performing the job functions of multiple people, Fred Hills, program director, said.

Interns from the college will create and maintain the MCC Web page on the newspaper’s Web site www.wacotrib.com.

Mount Pleasant creates namesake scholarship

MOUNT PLEASANT — The Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune donated $1,000 to Northeast Texas Community College to create the Mary Bellatti and Robert Blunden Palmer Memorial scholarship. The fund will be for a student majoring in journalism.

Center cracks down on newsrack thefts

CENTER — The Light & Champion is cracking down on newsrack copy theft after losing about $1,700 in sales in August.

Publisher JoAnna Martin said she contacted local law enforcement officials to inform them of the thefts from newsracks around the county. The newspaper also has posted signs in its racks warning potential thieves that the racks are under surveillance.

The county attorney told the newspaper the charge would be a Class 3 Theft punishable by a fine of up to $500.

Deadline Dec. 21 for Jim Lehrer Awards

The deadline is Dec. 21 for entries in the annual Jim Lehrer Awards for Journalism presented by the Victoria Advocate and The Victoria College.

Journalists working for daily or weekly newspapers in Texas are eligible for the award, which is offered in two categories — dailies and weeklies of up to 25,000 circulation and dailies and weeklies of more than 25,000.

The awards are presented to honor print journalists whose writing and reporting reflects the qualities of honesty, fairness and depth Lehrer is known for.

Lehrer is the news anchor for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS. He graduated from The Victoria College and the University of Missouri.

The awards were established in 1999.

Entries must be published between Jan. 1, 2007, and Dec. 1, 2007. Entries must be postmarked no later than Friday, Dec. 21, and mailed to Sandra Drozd, Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, The Victoria College, 2200 East Red River, Victoria, TX, 77901.

For full rules log onto www.texaspress.com/contest/lehrer1007.htm.

The awards will be presented Feb. 8, 2008, and the single award winner in each category will receive a plaque and a $1,000 check.

Entries should include a nomination letter from an editor explaining the piece and any special challenges overcome to produce the article. Specify the circulation category and publication name of the entry in the upper right hand corner of the letter. There is no entry fee.