Members gather at National Newspaper Association 128th Annual Convention

Newspaper publishers, editors and representatives traveled across the country to attend the 128th National Newspaper Association Convention & Trade Show Oct. 2-5 at the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio. 

Attendees were greeted Thursday afternoon with an ice cream social in the exhibition hall where trade show vendors presented their products and services.

Friday morning kicked off with an opening breakfast and Flag Ceremony, where a representative from each state donned their respective flag over their shoulder and walked through the crowd. Randy Mankin, publisher of the Eldorado Success and current TPA president, was the Texas flag-carrier.

The opening ceremony also included keynote speaker Lt. Col. (Ret.) and Texas Senator Brian Birdwell.  A Granbury native, Birdwell is a survivor of the terrorists’ attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. After hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, Birdwell was thrown to the floor and engulfed in flames. Of the burns that consumed 60 percent of his body, nearly half were third degree, resulting in the need for more than 30 operations. Birdwell attributes his remarkable recovery to his faith.

Concurrent sessions on Friday included “Defamation Law: How to Safely Publish the News,” with Laura Lee Prather, Haynes & Boone; “What is Native Advertising,” with Lindsay Jacaman, DMN Media; “A Scout is Frame-ful: Framing, Community Newspapers and the Boy Scouts of America,” with Marcus Funk, University of Texas at Austin; “Farming out the news: an analysis of agriculture coverage in rural newspapers,” with Sandra Robinson, California State University; “Down-home democracy: measuring citizens’ response to changes in small newspapers’ coverage of local elections,” with Landon Woodroof, University of Missouri; “Enterprise Journalism — Why is it important at the community level?” with Mike Leary, San Antonio Express News; “Why community newspapers are burgeoning in China,” with Jock Lauterer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; “Digital delivery: how the way newspapers are reaching young readers is changing,” with Jennifer Greer, University of Alabama at Birmingham; and “Students and the local library partner to revive local news,” with Meg McGuire, Community Reporting Alliance.

During the postal update with Max Heath, postal consultant for NNA, on Friday afternoon, Tonda Rush, chief executive officer at NNA, discussed the possibility of postal legislation being passed in mid-November during the brief lame duck session. She stated this was not a certainty, and details of what is contained in the bill may not be released until shortly before a vote. Most of the action on the bill is taking place behind the scenes. 

In other news, USPS will not seek a rate hike in January 2015. All parties are awaiting a court decision relating to an appeal of the 2014 exigent rate hike of more than 4 percent. The decision is expected next month and will dictate when and by how much USPS can raise postage rates in 2015. In regards to the Statement of Ownership (PS Form 3526), there was some discussion on the USPS definition of electronic subscribers — the requirement is that an electronic subscriber must pay separately for the subscription, and not receive access by being a print subscriber, or from a bundled print and electronic package. 

Additionally, the transition to Full Service Intelligent Mail Barcode was highly encouraged, with benefits being the chance of improved delivery service, the ability to track individual mailpieces, and access to free address changes. There is also another option to obtain free or reduced cost address changes electronically. This would reduce or eliminate the current situation in which a newspaper is often charged multiple times for the same address change.  

Lastly, utilizing Exception Dispatch serves as the best option available to ensure timely delivery and the importance of having a paid electronic edition is considered a necessity for the future success due to inevitable postage increases and service declines.

Friday’s seminars concluded with a panel titled, “Stories from the Front: How the Public’s Right to Know Through Public Notice is Defended,” which delved into newspaper notices as the main mode of keeping the public informed independently, authentically and easily accessible. Tonda Rush moderated the general session, and panelists included Stephen Urquhart, Utah State Senate; Donnis Baggett, Texas Press Association executive vice president; Bradley L. Thompson II, Detroit Legal News; and David Bordewyk, South Dakotah Newspaper Association. 

Friday’s events ended with a Texas-style BBQ at the Rio Cibolo Ranch, where guests were greeted by cowboys and longhorns, learned line-dances, saw an award-winning roper, went on hayrides and more.

On Saturday morning, attendees heard from Mark Horvit of Investigative Reporters & Editors; Samantha Swindler of the Portland Oregonian; Kathy Cruz from the Hood County News; Marshall Helmberger of The Timberjay Towner; and Jonathan Austin of The Yancy County News in a session about investigative reporting. Moderated by Tommy Thomason, director of the Texas Center for Community Journalism, the panelists spoke of investigations that led to breakthroughs in their communities, and stressed that investigative reporting can be done at any level of journalism.

Saturday concluded with idea-sharing seminars from best practices to the “Great Idea Exchange” where attendees were able to bounce around tips and trades they’ve learned over the years. Outgoing NNA President Robert L. Williams, Jr. reflected on his year in the position and passed the gavel on to incoming president, John Edgecombe, Jr. of Edgecombe Publishing Inc. in Geneva, Nebraska.

TPA members that attended the NNA conference include: Sue Brown, Pleasanton Express; John and Frances Buzzetta, Van Zandt Newspapers LLC; Brandi Chionsini, Granite Publications; David Compton, GateHouse Media Texas Holdings; Kathy Cooke, Rockdale Reporter; Kathy Cruz, Hood County News; Lisa Davis, Wise County Messenger; Marshall and Debbie Day, The Gatesville Messenger; Roy and Jeannine Eaton, Wise County Messenger; Ken Esten-Cooke, Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post; Craig Garnett, Uvalde Leader News; Cary and Judy Griffin, Forney Messenger; Harmon and Jean Howze, The Fayette County Record; Murray and Mary Judson, Port Aransas South Jetty; Kim Jung, Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post, Randy Keck, The Community News; Regina Keilers, The Fayette County Record; Randy and Kathy Mankin, Eldorado Success; J.L. Mankin, Big Lake Wildcat; Bill Martin, Rockdale Reporter; Melissa Perner, The Ozona Stockman; Glenn Rea, The Cuero Record; Cyndy Slovak-Barton, Hays Free Press; Taryn Smith-Morales, Wilson County News; Tia Rae Stone, Granite Publications; Ashley Tompkins, Granite Publications; Jeff Wick, The Fayette County Record, and Bill and Jessica Woodall, Bluebonnet Publishing.