2010 Candidate Survey

The 2010 Candidate Surveys have been sent to all candidates for governor, congress, judicial seats and state constitutional offices.  Candidates have been asked to respond by September 17.  As they arrive, answers will be posted to the MNA website.  Members are free to use survey questions for candidates in local races, and publish the results of our survey, as results become available.

CLICK HERE for a copy of the survey questions. 

2009-2010 Better Newspaper Contest

The contest deadline is three weeks away! All entries must be submitted online by Monday, September 20 at 9:00 p.m. 

Have you logged into the online contest system yet? To login for the first time, go to: http://www.betternewspapercontest.com.

On the right-hand side of the page, click the “Are you a newspaper?” link.  A drop down box will appear asking you to choose which contest you want to enter. Select “2010 MNA Better Newspaper Contest.” Select the name of your newspaper from the “News Organization” drop-down list. The first time you login, your temporary password will be, “bnc.”

Click “Login.” You will then be prompted to change the password to a permanent one. Update and verify your contact information, then click “Submit.” You will then be able to begin uploading entries. Be sure to share this password with other staff members. The system allows just one password per newspaper.

Everything you need to know about the 2009-2010 contest is online including official contest entry instructions and rules, a step-by-step tutorial, and access to the contest site.  Please review these materials carefully before you begin submitting contest entries.  All contest materials can also be found on the Better Newspaper Contest page in the “Members Only” section of our website.  The user name is "Member" and password is "Newspaper."  These are case sensitive. 

Still have questions?  The MNA staff is prepared to assist you. To reach us, please call the MNA office, 612-332-8844 or 800-279-2979 or e-mail member@mna.org.  You may also contact Sarah Bauer by phone (612-278-0250) or email (sarah@mna.org).

Data Practices and OAH: What you need to know

Last Thursday, MNA members joined the Minnesota News Media Institute in Mankato to learn more about new legislation that went into law in July.  Beginning July 1, anyone in a dispute with a State agency or local unit of government regarding the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act can seek expedited handling of that matter with Office of Administrative Hearings.

Special thanks to our expert panel:  Mark Anfinson, MNA Attorney; Rustin Cunningham, River Valley News Group; Darrell Ehrlick, Winona Daily News.

Video of the August 26 event, and a summary of the new legislation including an overview of the new procedure, will be available soon at the MNA website.

Deadline to file your Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation with the post office is October 1.

After filing, you must publish your statement according to the following timetable, depending on frequency of publication:

• Publications issued more frequently than weekly… should publish no later than October 10. This applies to dailies, semi-weeklies and three times per week issues.
• Publications issued weekly, or less frequently, but not less than monthly, publish by October 31. This applies to weeklies.
• All other publications publish in the first issue after October 1. This applies to infrequent publications such as quarterlies, bi-monthlies, etc.

All periodical-class authorized publications must publish such a statement. A reproduction of the Form 3526 submitted to the Postal Service may be issued for publication. Failure to file could result in the suspension of the eligibility to mail at the periodicals class rate.

Click here for form: http://www.usps.com/forms/_pdf/ps3526.pdf

After filing and publication, please send a copy of the published form to MNA. 

Looking for a unique story at the Minnesota State Fair? 

The Minnesota Newspaper Museum in Heritage Square is a living, working museum depicting a 1930s era newspaper using letterpress equipment. 

The museum is operated by volunteers (more than 100) during the 12 day run of the fair. Antique equipment such as the amazing linotype machine, newspaper press and job shop are operated all day by skilled craftsman most of whom are now retired. 

The museum is operated by the Minnesota Newspaper Foundation and depends on these volunteers and donations to keep  our doors open. 

We would welcome the chance to share our story. 

Contact information: Julie Bergman, Minnesota Newspaper Foundation Board of Directors, julie@wiktel.com. Phone (218) 230.8943

The Newspaper Museum is off and running

   As you read this, hundreds of people from all socio-economic levels of Minnesota's population are filing through our Newspaper Museum. They are wiping sweat from their foreheads, pausing to talk to  printers about the "good old days," and some of them are telling volunteer editors how they love their newspapers. (That's fine, we say. Now, go back and thank your newspaper's advertisers!)

Again,we find that a lot of people say how much they love their newspapers. (Remember what newspapers do, we say. They print facts, particularly about government. Who's going to pay people to get these facts if newspapers aren't around?)

On opening day, Thursday, a three-person crew from LVI Productions spent the day capturing the museum in action and interviewing the volunteers. This film will be edited to produce a video showing what a special place the museum is and how newspapers were produced using letterpress equipment. The video is funded by a generous grant from Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant, administered by the Minnesota Historical Society. Funding is made possible by the passage of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution in 2008. 

   There have been three problems: the heat, the Linotype machine, and ink. 

   Four large rotating fans in the museum stir the air. That helps. Chances are, though, that it's hotter inside the museum than the 90-plus temperature outside. Melted type metal at 530 degrees Fahrenheit in the Linotype machine doesn't make things any cooler.  

   The Linotype, "star of the show," was "down" for about a day and a half as Roger Rafferty, co-chairman of the Printers' Committee, searched frantically to find the cause of a mechanical problem. Turned out it was a damaged bearing called a "Vise Safety Paul Roller Bearing" deep in the machine. Problem fixed. Lino back and running. 

   The ink: Too thin. Went right through the newsprint. Had to get the right stuff. Delay in printing the museum's daily newspaper.

   An endless parade of people -- we estimate about 30,000 -- will eventually pass through our museum.

   It's a volunteer activity. Volunteers, about 70 of them, couldn't do if they didn't love it.

Bob Shaw, co-chairman, Museum Printers' Committee.  

August MCAN, 2x2 and MINN Honor Rolls

Ten newspapers placed MCAN ads and four newspapers placed 2x2 ads in the month of August. One paper, the Herald Journal, Howard Lake, placed ads in the MINN network in August.

MCAN
Alexandria Echo Press - 1
Crookston Daily Times - 3
Fargo Forum - 1
Hallock, Kittson County Enterprise – 2
Howard Lake, Herald Journal - 1
Litchfield Independent Review - 1
Little Falls, Morrison County Record – 3
Mankato Free Press - 2
Proctor Journal - 3
St. Cloud Times - 2

2x2
East Grand Forks Exponent - 3
Elbow Lake, Grant County Herald - 2
Howard Lake, Herald Journal – 13
Pipestone County Star - 2

MINN
Howard Lake, Herald Journal – 4

A bonus went to the following salespeople who sold an ad into the networks. Congratulations!
Meghann Boser
Sara Carlson
Roxanne Deegan
Michelle Dennie
Judy Espino
Diane Giuliani
Cheri Luhman
Gail Norland
Bill Norman
Anne O'Flynn
Tessa Rasmussen
Chris Schultz
Lindsay Wegner

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

The Minnesota News Media Institute of the Minnesota Newspaper Association provides regular training opportunities for its members. Visit this section of the Bulletin each week to find information on new programs, in-person training sessions and webinars. Contact Program Director Sarah Bauer with any questions, comments or programming suggestions: sarah@mna.org or 612-278-0250.

Find a full list of training opportunities here: http://www.mna.org/mna-resources/MinnesotaMediaInstitute.html

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SLIDESHOW: 2010 Cohort of the Editors & Publishers Community Leadership Program

View photos from the final meeting of the 2010 Editors & Publishers Community Leadership program here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mn_newspapers/sets/72157624841431390/.

Representatives from six member papers presented plans for projects they will be unveiling in their communities. Participants’ projects will tackle issues such as community member involvement and inclusion, volunteerism and healthy living.

Congratulations to program graduates!

Arlington Enterprise
Karin Ramige & Kurt Menk

Howard Lake – Herald Journal
Chris Schultz & Ryan Gueningsman

Livewire Printing – Jackson & Lakefield
Justin Lessman, Ryan Brinks & Dan Condon

Middle River Honker
Barb Geer & Kaydell Super

Paynesville Press
Michael Jacobson

Pelican Rapids Press
Jeff Meyer & Julie Meyer

The Editors & Publisher’s Community Leadership Program would not be possible without a generous grant from the Blandin Foundation, and the excellent leadership of program facilitators Mirja Hanson and Patrick Marx.

The Minnesota Newspaper Association's Annual Daily Meeting

Mankato, MN | September 16-17, 2010

Don’t forget to make your hotel reservations! To ensure the group rate, make your reservation by Wednesday, September 1. Registration materials are due back to MNA by September 10.

The 2010 Daily Newspaper Meeting will convene Thursday, September 16th at 11:30 a.m. at the Mankato Free Press, and adjourn at noon on Friday, September 17th. Thursday includes a tour of the Mankato Free Press and an afternoon of roundtable discussions; we have confirmed that Mark Anfinson will join us Friday morning to give a legal update, and answer your questions.

The content of this meeting is designed specifically for our daily newspaper members, but all member newspapers are invited to attend.

CLICK HERE for the meeting itinerary.
CLICK HERE for the registration form.
CLICK HERE for a PDF version.

Please contact Sarah Bauer with any questions (612-278-0250 or sarah@mna.org).

2010 Ad Sales Training

Presented by the Minnesota News Media Institute at the Minnesota Newspaper Association

This session is great people starting out in the business of newspaper advertising, as well as seasoned professionals looking for new inspiration in their work.  Tara Brandl will re-energize your ad sales staff, revisiting some basic sales tactics often forgot after a while in the business and also offer suggestions to innovate and improve your ad sales program.  Chris Shultz will train attendees on special MNA member ad networks including 2X2, MCAN and MINN.  Dan Lind will inspire your sales staff to greater success by showing simple ways to set expectations with clients and measure success.

Presenters include:

Tara Brandl, Marshall Independent
“Don't kick me when I'm Down: Selling in today's market”

Chris Shultz, Herald Journal
2X2, MCAN & MINN Program training

Dan Lind, Minnesota Newspaper Association
Setting Expectations and Measuring Success

Workshop Information:

Thursday, September 30 -- St. Cloud, MN
St. Cloud Times Training Room
3000 7th Street North
St. Cloud, MN 56302

10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

REGISTRATION FEE: $40 (includes lunch)
REGISTRATION DEADLINE:  Tuesday, September 28
REGISER ONLINE NOW: http://mna-2010ads.eventbrite.com/ or DOWNLOAD FORM.

QUESTIONS? Please contact Sarah Bauer at sarah@mna.org or 612-278-0250.

Midwest Newspaper Summit 3: Focus on Innovation

Friday, Sept. 10, 2010 | Kansas City, MO

If you haven’t yet registered for the Midwest Newspaper Summit 3, Sept. 10 in Kansas City, you need to act now to reserve your spot and save money on the registration fee. Newspaper professionals from six states have already registered to attend.

The third Summit installment is being presented by eight Midwest press associations and will feature a unique hands-on, learn-by-doing platform. By attending, participants will have the opportunity to implement a new Innovation Project and share the results with other event participants. The program will offer attendees three Innovation Projects in which to participate, based on their newspaper’s current stage of innovation. Under the guidance of a facilitator, teams will work together throughout the day to hone their ideas and discuss implementation.

Continue reading…

Mobile Tools, SEO and More

Here is what’s new at News University. We hope you take advantage of all the training that Poynter has to offer, online and in person. NewsU webinars cost $27.95 and up, depending on whether you register for a one-hour or serial webinar.

Online group seminars are a chance for you to interact with faculty and work on your specific training needs. News University limits the number of seminar participants, so you can get the coaching you want.

Write Your Heart Out: The Craft of the Personal Essay
Discover powerful stories from your life and tell them in ways that will resonate with others, whether in print or online. Aug. 16-Sept. 11
Apply Now

Self-directed Courses: Our largest and most popular form of training just keeps getting better. Here are two new modules you don’t want to miss:

Help! for Writers
What's your biggest writing challenge? Bring us your questions and we will build tools to give you the answers you need.
Enroll Now

Video Storytelling for the Web
The basics you need to plan, shoot and edit video stories for the Web. This is a good introduction to video concepts.
Enroll Now

See the Complete Course List at   www.newsu.org

News University is one of the world's most innovative online journalism training programs ever created. From multimedia techniques to writing and reporting, NewsU has more than 100 courses to help manage your career. As the e-learning project of The Poynter Institute, NewsU extends Poynter’s mission as a school for journalists, future journalists and teachers of journalism. For more information, please visit, www.newsu.org. For information about Poynter, go to www.poynter.org.

API offering fellowships to journalists

The American Press Institute is accepting fellowship applications for its Fall/Winter 2010 seminars from newspaper employees and college-level journalism educators from the United States and Canada.

Deadline to apply is Monday, August 2. Complete details – including an online application -- are available at: http://lists.americanpressinstitute.org/t/51464/1173099/49/0/.

Applicants can select one of the following seminars, five of which will be staged at the Kellogg West Conference Center and Lodge in Pomona, California:

• “Beyond the Newsroom”
  Sept. 13-14, 2010 (Kellogg West)
• “New Revenue Models That Work!”
  Sept. 13-14, 2010 (Kellogg West)
• “Maximizing Sales Force Effectiveness”
  Sept. 15-16, 2010 (Kellogg West)
• “The Next Generation of Media Managers”
  Sept. 15-16, 2010 (Kellogg West)
• “8 Steps to Profitable New Products”
  Sept. 17, 2010 (Kellogg West)
• “Value Optimized Pricing”
  Sept. 20-21, 2010 (API, Reston, Virginia)
• “Digital Delivery”
  Nov. 8-9, 2010 (API, Reston, Virginia)

Applicants need to e-mail an application, a supporting letter of documentation from their supervisor or academic department chair, and a copy of their resume/curriculum vitae.

Materials should be e-mailed to: fellowships@americanpressinstitute.org

TRADE WIND

The Long Prairie Leader recently welcomed new sports editor Nick Gerhardt and graphic artist Heather Zierden to its staff.