Abilene daily requires registration on Web site

ABILENE — On Aug. 19 the Abilene Reporter-News’ Web site www.ReporterNews.com began asking users to register to have free access to stories, photographs and other content.

The move follows a growing trend among newspapers that have begun user registration on their Web sites in Texas and nationwide.

Reporter-News users who registered early were eligible for drawings for a $100 grand prize and season tickets to Abilene, Cooper or Wylie high school home football games.

Brownwood daily adds Saturday issue

BROWNWOOD — The Brownwood Bulletin began publishing seven days a week on Sept. 4, adding a Saturday edition.

The Bulletin had been published Sunday through Friday for more than 50 years.

“We felt like our customers, both the readers and the advertisers, as well as this community deserve a seven-day a week newspaper,” publisher Bob Brincefield said.

The Saturday paper will be delivered as a morning publication. Brincefield said the staff spent about six months studying the change.

“With the start of the high school football season, it seemed logical that this was the ideal time to launch the edition,” Brincefield said.

Brincefield said the addition of sports editor Derrick Stuckly, as well as advances in digital photography and the ability to send stories electronically, were contributing factors that made the move possible

In Texas, slightly more than half of all daily newspapers (46 total) publish seven days a week, according to the Texas Press Association database. Twenty-seven dailies publish six days a week and 17 publish five days a week.

Morning dailies outnumber evening publications — 53 to 37 —  however, most evening dailies in Texas also publish morning weekend editions.

Sudan ceases publication

SUDAN — The Sudan Beacon-News published its last issue July 30.

Owners and publishers Jeff and Monica Procter announced in June they were seeking to sell the weekly but they reported last month that they were unable to find a buyer.

The couple, who owned the weekly for two years, said the newspaper will remain for sale and they will help a new owner get it going again.

Boerne adds to nameplate

BOERNE — The Boerne Star adopted a new name, the Boerne Star &Hill Country Recorder, as part of its evolution of the merger of the two semiweeklies.

On June 30 Texas Heritage Newspapers, LLC sold the Hill Country Recorder in Boerne and The Bandera Review to Hill Country Newspapers.

The Recorder merged into the Star and the Review merged into the Bandera Bulletin.

Pecos publisher increases ownership holdings

PECOS — Pecos Enterprise publisher and editor Smokey Briggs now owns 50 percent of the newspaper through a partnership with Phil Buckner.

The new partnership is called Pecos Enterprise LLP.

In May the newspaper began publishing as a weekly after more than 30 years as a daily.

Briggs also owns the Monahans News.

Knight Ridder buys metroplex free weekly

FORT WORTH — Knight Ridder Inc., which owns the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, is buying the Flower Mound Messenger from owner Covenant Publishing Inc.

The biweekly paper is distributed to about 28,500 homes. Knight Ridder officials said plans are to convert the newspaper to a weekly. The Messenger will become part of the Star-Telegram’s Alliance area newspaper group, which  includes weeklies in Argyle, Haslet, Justin, Roanoke, Southlake, Trophy Club and Westlake, and a bimonthly in Ponder.

Greenville offers marketing ad placement services

GREENVILLE — Herald Banner Publications, which includes the daily Greenville Herald-Banner, expanded its business role to include ad agency and direct marketing service.

Local businesses now can put the Herald-Banner to work on direct mail, database and mailing lists, printing and rate negotiation into print and broadcast, event marketing and creative services.

“Why not allow area businesses to cut out the ‘middleman’? We can offer clients the opportunity to have one-stop, one-rep shopping for their marketing needs,” publisher Mike Martoccia said.

Port Arthur travels world; moves into new offices

PORT ARTHUR — The Port Arthur News ran a unique subscriber promotion this summer.

“The News is Everywhere” promo asked readers to submit their summer vacation photos taken at famous landmarks with a copy of the News visible. The newspaper published the vacation photos and had an end of summer contest with one grand prize.

The newspaper also in August moved to a new location after 80 years in downtown Port Arthur.

Publisher Glenn Stifflemire said the move to 3501 Turtle Creek Drive was a more centralized location that would allow the staff to better cover all its communities.