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TPA Board, Government Affairs Committee to meet Sept. 24 in Knoxville
All TPA members are invited to attend the meeting, dinner and football game

DEADLINE: Tuesday, August 24
TPA President Art Powers has called a fall meeting of the board of directors for Friday, Sept. 24, in Knoxville. The event will include an option to buy tickets to the UT vs. University of Alabama Birmingham football game.

All TPA members are invited to attend the meetings and related activities.

The schedule calls for a Government Affairs Committee meeting at 1:00 p.m., followed by the Board of Directors meeting at 3:00 p.m. and an optional group dinner on Friday evening.

Hotel accommodations will be available through the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Knoxville at a rate of $129 plus tax per night. Please contact the hotel directly to make reservations by calling (865) 522-2600. The deadline for making reservations is Aug. 24.Register online or PDF of TPA registration packet
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Only 5 Institute of Newspaper Technology scholarships remain, claim yours now!

Five of 22 scholarships remain for TPA members to send staff to the October 7-9 session of the Institute of Newspaper Technology in Knoxville.

Thanks to the generosity of the Tennessee Press Association Foundation, these scholarships reduce the registration fees for TPA members from $595 to $145. That's right. TPA members pay only $145 to attend all three days of the Institute.

For more information about the Institute, visit http://www.newspaperinstitute.com.

To register online and receive the TPA discount, visit:
http://www.newspaperinstitute.com/tpa.html

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State Press Contests winners announced

Photo credit: Elenora E. Edwards, The Tennessee Press
Winners of the 2010 University of Tennessee-Tennessee Press Association State Press Contests Awards were announced at a luncheon on Friday, July 16 at the Embassy Suites Nashville Airport Hotel.

Press release Winners' list

The Commercial Appeal (Memphis), The Jackson Sun, the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, The Standard Banner (Jefferson City) and The Erwin Record won the top general excellence awards.

General excellence honors are based on total points accumulated for all award categories. This marks the eighth consecutive year The Erwin Record has won the top award for its category. The Erwin Record also earned the most first-place honors with 12. The Commercial Appeal won eight first-place awards and The Daily Herald (Columbia) won six first-place awards.

Contest awards are given in five divisions based on average weekly circulation, including small and large daily and non-daily papers. The Illinois Press Association judged a total of 1,468 contest entries from 76 TPA member newspapers.

UT has co-sponsored the State Press Contests since 1940 by providing the plaques, certificates and coordination of the awards presentation. Hank Dye, UT vice president for governmental and public relations presented the awards.

The university's Edward J. Meeman Foundation honored 10 newspapers for their accomplishments in editorial writing and public service journalism with $250 awards in the categories of best single editorial, editorials and public service.

Meeman awards were presented to The Commercial Appeal, The Daily Herald, the Union City Daily Messenger, Grainger Today (Bean Station) and the Erwin Record for winning first place in the best single editorial category.

The Advocate & Democrat (Sweetwater) and The Erwin Record won Meeman awards for editorials and the Bristol Herald Courier, The Jackson Sun and Roane County News (Kingston) received Meeman awards for public service.
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Powers, Johnson City, is TPA president
Arthur S. (Art) Powers, vice president and publisher of the Johnson City Press, is president of the Tennessee Press Association (TPA).

Powers succeeded Victor Parkins, editor of The Milan Mirror-Exchange. The installation ceremony will take place on Friday, July 16 in conjunction with the State Press Contests Awards Luncheon at the Embassy Suites in Nashville.

Other officers elected at TPA’s business session during the Tri-State Press Convention June 24 in Tunica, Miss. were Jeff Fishman, publisher of The Tullahoma News, re-elected vice president for non-daily newspapers; Michael Williams, publisher of The Paris Post-Intelligencer, elected vice president for daily newspapers; and Kevin Burcham, publisher of the News-Herald, Lenoir City, re-elected treasurer. continuation
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Web Audience Measurement: IAB Seeking to Set Standards
MediaWeek
By Lucia Moses

Web audience measurement amounts to a Tower of Babel, with various vendors and Web publishers speaking in a multitude of tongues. The result is confusing advertisers and frustrating online publishers who believe the lack of consistency is costing them revenue.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau is quietly trying to change that, spearheading the creation of a gold standard for Web measurement. link to story at www.mediaweek.com

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Powers appoints chairmen of 2010-11 TPA committees
Committee chairmen for July 2010-June 2011 have been selected by TPA President Art Powers. He also has added two committees and combined two.

The new committees are Futures and Membership. The Futures Committee will be given the task of developing a plan for Tennessee Press Association for the next five to seven years. The Membership Committee will work to get more members involved in the association, recruit more associate members and evaluate the TPA dues structure.

The former Public Notice Committee has been combined with the Government Affairs Committee.

The committees and their chairmen are:
Advertising: Roger Wells, The Lebanon Democrat
Circulation: Don Lovelace, Citizen Tribune, Morristown
Contests: Mark Stevens, The Erwin Record
Futures: Gregg K. Jones, Jones Media Inc., Greeneville
Government Affairs: Clint Brewer, The Tennessean, and Michael Williams, The Paris Post-Intelligencer, co-chairmen
Hall of Fame: Dr. Peter Gross, UTK School of Journalism and Electronic Media
Journalism Education: Keith Wilson, Kingsport Times-News
Membership: Jason Taylor, Chattanooga Times Free Press
NIE/Literacy: Phil Hensley, Johnson City Press, and Lynn Richardson, Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough, co-chairmen
Nominating: Victor Parkins, The Milan Mirror-Exchange
Summer Convention: Jana Thomasson, The Mountain Press, Sevierville
Technology: Scott Critchlow, Union City Daily Messenger

John Finney, Buffalo River Review, Linden, chairs the Press Institute and Winter Convention Committee for 2011. He was appointed by then president Victor Parkins. Powers will appoint a chairman for 2012 during the 2011 convention.

TPA members and associates who are interested in serving on a committee should contact the committee’s chairman. The Hall of Fame and Nominating committees have special procedures for membership.

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TPA board approves new associate members
Athlon Sports and CenturyLink are TPA’s newest associate members. The memberships were approved by the board of directors on June 24.

Athlon Sports is a newspaper-inserted sports magazine that is scheduled to launch in October 2010. Athlon is represented by Jerry Lyles, senior vice president of publisher relations.

CenturyLink is a provider of voice and broadband services to 33 states. CenturyLink is represented by Pat Elmore, market development manager.

Contact information for both of these new members follows.

Athlon Sports
Jerry Lyles
220 25th Ave. North, Ste. 200
Nashville, Tenn. 37203
Phone: (615) 327-0747
Fax: (615) 327-1149
www.athlonsports.com

CenturyLink
Pat Elmore
101 N. Roan Street
Johnson City, TN 37601
Phone: (888) 999-7756
Fax: (828) 328-0396
E-mail:
Pat.Elmore@centurylink.com
www.centurylink.com

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Nominations being accepted for Newspaper Hall of Fame
Nominations will be accepted through Dec. 10 for potential inductees to the Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame. The Hall honors those who have made outstanding contributions to Tennessee newspaper journalism or who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities and region, or the state, through newspaper journalism.

Fifty-three honorees have been inducted since the Hall of Fame was established in 1966 as a joint project of the Tennessee Press Association and the University of Tennessee. All inductions are made posthumously.

The Hall of Fame is located in the Communications Building at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Information about the Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame, biographical sketches of the honorees and nomination information can be found at www.tnpress.com/halloffame.html.

All nominees must be deceased five or more years prior to the nomination. A selection committee of five TPA past presidents will review nominations and announce whether an induction ceremony will be held in 2011.

Previously submitted nominations are kept on file for the selection committee’s review during each nomination cycle.

Dr. Peter Gross, director of the UTK School of Journalism and Electronic Media, serves as the Hall of Fame Committee chairman.

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50 years and counting...
Jim Thompson has served Hardin County at The Courier for half a century

Courier Managing Editor Jim Thompson is celebrating a half century on the job at the newspaper.

"He’s been the one to institutionalize this paper," said Courier Publisher Joe Hurd. "We’ve grown from 1,200 papers a week to about 9,200, which makes us the second largest in Tennessee."

With Thompson at the helm, the newspaper earned 104 awards from the University of Tennessee – Tennessee Press Association in categories including general excellence, local editorials, best news story, best special section, best personal column features, photography, community lifestyles, sports coverage, make-up and appearance, and public service. continuation
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TPAers overwhelmingly vote to change constitution
By Greg Sherrill, TPA executive director

Tennessee Press Association (TPA) member newspapers overwhelmingly voted to allow a change to the TPA Constitution and Bylaws that would make it easier for the Association to amend that same document. The change allows the membership to alter or amend its governing document with a super-majority of those voting, rather than a super-majority of the entire membership.

The independent auditing firm, McFarland and Gann P.C., which conducted the ballot referendum, reported results of the vote to the board of directors at its June 24 meeting. Out of a total membership of 125 newspapers, responses were received from 111 publishers, or 88.8 percent of the membership. Per the then-current bylaws requirements, TPA needed two-thirds of the full membership to approve the proposed change, and 94 votes were returned in favor of the change (75.2 percent). In the spirit of openness, members were told that their voting preference would be made available to the membership after the referendum. continuation

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J. Todd Foster announced as new Times Free Press executive editor
The Chattanooga Times Free Press today named former reporter J. Todd Foster as its executive editor.

Foster, 49, is currently the editor of the Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier, which recently won journalism’s highest honor, the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

“Todd is a seasoned veteran of the newspaper industry with strong, award-winning editorial expertise and a solid record of performance,” said Walter Hussman, Jr. chairman and chief executive officer of WEHCO Media Inc., the Little Rock, Ark.-based parent company of the Times Free Press. “He brings extensive experience in managing a newsroom and producing quality journalism.”
Link to story at www.timesfreepress.com

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Jones Media Inc., of Greeneville, to purchase The Daily Times
From Staff Reports, The Daily Times
An agreement has been reached in principle for the sale of The Daily Times and its related Web sites by Horvitz Newspapers, LLC, to the John M. Jones family, of Greeneville. The Joneses own and operate a fourth-generation family-owned media company, Jones Media Inc., that has published newspapers in Tennessee since 1916.
Link to story at www.dailytimes.com

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1 for All campaign ads available to educate public on 1st Amendment, nationwide promotion July 1
By Ken Paulson

Every July 4th, we celebrate the Founding Fathers who gave America the gift of liberty.

Except that they didn’t.

Actually, the operative word is “fathers.” These gentlemen did a fine job of building a nation founded on freedom – unless you happened to be a woman, a slave or poor.

For all the poetic flourish of the Declaration of Independence, the most powerful passage in America’s history can be found in the First Amendment to the Constitution. The five freedoms guaranteed there gave Americans the right to speak out against injustice, to report about inequality, to protest and petition, and to draw strength from freedom of faith.

In the centuries that followed this nation’s founding, the First Amendment was used to free the slaves, extend the vote to women and ensure equal protection under the laws. continuation
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Brewer named Tennessean political editor
By: Chas Sisk
Tennessean.com

Clint Brewer has been named the new political editor of the Tennessean.

Brewer will join the newspaper June 28 after a 14-month tenure at the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, where he served as executive director and edited the Tennessee Watchdog.org website.

Prior to those roles, Brewer worked for more than 12 years for Middle Tennessee news-papers. Brewer has been the executive editor of The City Paper and Nashville Post website, a reporter and editor of The Lebanon Democrat, publisher of the Mt. Juliet News and news editor of the Gallatin News Examiner.

Brewer is a former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, a board member of the Tennessee Press Association and a four-time winner of the Malcolm Law Memorial Award for Investigative Reporting from Tennessee Associated Press Managing Editors. He graduated in 1993 from the University of Tennessee Knoxville.
From Tennessean.com, June 15, 2010

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Sanford is recommended for University of Memphis chair of excellence
By Zack McMillin
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Posted June 15, 2010

If the Tennessee Board of Regents grants its blessing, Otis Sanford's mission, come January, will be hoping to inspire in college students what his own father's newspaper habit instilled in him growing up in segregated Mississippi -- a love of daily journalism.

The University of Memphis' College of Communications and Fine Arts has recommended that Sanford, The Commercial Appeal editor of opinions and editorials, be appointed to its Helen and Jabie Hardin Chair of Economics/Managerial Journalism, one of the 25 chairs of excellence listed on the university's website.
link to story at www.commercialappeal.com.

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Middle Tennessee Times announces new staff
Heartland Media, LLC announced a new management team at The Middle Tennessee Times today (June 8), bringing together two veteran media managers to run DeKalb County's premier weekly newspaper.

The newspaper announced long-time newspaper editor and radio broadcaster Tom Duggin as the newspaper's Editor.

The company also promoted well-known DeKalb County businesswoman Valerie Laprad (House) to General Manager of the paper. continuation

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Cannon Courier announces hiring of new editor
Veteran journalist Tony Stinnett is the newest member of the Cannon Courier’s editorial staff. He will serve as co-editor, sharing duties with current editor Kevin Halpern.

“We are pleased to have someone of ton’s experience and background on our staff as we strive to provide readers of the Courier with the best Cannon County news coverage possible,” Halpern said.

Stinnett is a 1990 graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. He most recently served as assistant athletic director at MTSU.
He worked for The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, from 1988-2004 with duties ranging from beat writer to prep editor.

Prior to working for The Daily News Journal, he was editor of The Ruther Courier, Smyrna.
From the Cannon Courier, June 1, 2010

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Meadows named general manager of Smithville Review
By Pat Zechman, Southern Standard

A veteran of the newspaper industry, a civic activist and DeKalb County native, Angie Meadows today assumes the duties of general manager at the Smithville Review.

Mrs. Meadows began her career at the 199-year-old hometown paper in 200 as an ad builder and was assigned the role of sales representative in 2001. She rose to the position of advertising director in 2009.

Well known for her service to her home community, Meadows has served as president of the Smithville Business and Professional Women’s Club and is now its treasurer.

She is on the DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Smithville Rotary Club and is a member of New Home Baptist Church where she is pianist….

Professionally, she has earned the Morris Multimedia 2004 Shining Star honor and has been instrumental in the Smithville Review consistently being recognized by the Tennessee Press Association with first-place honors in the respective advertising categories….

As general manager, Meadows will oversee the day-to-day operations at the Smithville Review and continue her roles as advertising director.
From the Smithville Review, June 9, 2010

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Griscom resigning as newspaper's chief
Staff Report
Chattanooga Times Free Press

Tom Griscom, executive editor and publisher of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, announced on Wednesday (May 26) that he will resign, effective June 30.

"The opportunity to build the merged newspaper in this community has been a unique experience," Mr. Griscom said. "In a changing media world, it has been gratifying that our readers continue to enjoy the printed newspapers as we expand into other digital formats."

Walter Hussman, president and CEO of Wehco Media Inc., the parent of the Times Free Press, said, "I am pleased with the progress that has been made in Chattanooga. I appreciate the nearly 11 years that Tom has led the newsroom here. He has done an outstanding job, and we hope to find another editor as capable and competent." link to story on www.timesfreepress.com
From the Chattanooga Times Free Press, May 27, 2010

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Mooney retires after 40 years at ETSU
By Heather Richardson
Johnson City Press Staff Writer

After 40 successful, productive and influential years, East Tennessee State University professor of communications Dr. Jack Mooney is taking a bow.

A retirement reception was held for Mooney on Friday afternoon in East Tennessee State University’s D.P. Culp Center ballroom.
Former students, co-workers and friends gathered to celebrate Mooney’s career and to reflect on the influence he has had on the hundreds of students, university faculty and community members who have known and worked with him.
link to story on www.johnsoncitypress.com

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2010 AP Stylebook now available, includes social media guidelines
NEW YORK -- Social media have gained greater recognition in the 2010 edition of The Associated Press Stylebook with a separate section for the first time that also makes "website" one word. Details are available at http://www.apstylebook.com/
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Pulse of America survey research available
Invite your readers and website visitors to participate in the survey between now and June 30. Pulse Research will provide you with the results of the Q2 Pulse of America survey, providing your sales staff with the most current consumer product and service purchasing plans for effective sales presentations. Visit http://www.pulseresearch.com/poa/ for more information. Get a free copy of the First Quarter survey by visiting http://www.pulseresearch.com/results/
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AG's opinion bad for press

AG backs UT restrictions on media at sporting events
News Sentinel, Knoxville
NASHVILLE — Attorney General Bob Cooper has issued a legal opinion that declares the University of Tennessee and other public institutions of higher learning have a right to place restrictions and conditions on media coverage of athletic events.

Football games and the like, the opinion says, are not “public events” and a university “may take any legal measures that are intended to protect its rights under copyright law.” continuation at www.knoxnews.com

Otis L. Sanford: Everyone loses under SEC's media lockdown
Now hear this, Tennessee sports fans and taxpayers:
The two biggest college football games in the state next season -- the Sept. 18 game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida and the Oct. 23 game between the Vols and Alabama -- are not, repeat not, public events. continuation at www.govolsxtra.com

AG gives SEC hold on media
The Daily News Journal
America's Founding Fathers should have contacted Tennessee's attorney general before they wrote the First Amendment. He apparently believes matters such as media credential policies outweigh the freedom of the press. Link to editorial at www.dnj.com

Media are muzzled at games
The Leaf-Chronicle
Tennessee's constitution is clear on guarantees of free speech and free press from government restraint. The framers of that document, however, didn't foresee media coverage at university sporting events. Link to editorial at www.theleafchronicle.com

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Choice Community Newspapers is new company with familiar publications
On Monday, May 10, 2010, newly formed Choice Community Newspapers, LLC, assumed ownership of three weekly newspapers in Macon and Sumner counties: The Macon County Chronicle, The Westmoreland Observer and The Portland Progressive.

The Macon County Chronicle – founded in 1991 by the late Jim Durham and later purchased by Rural Newspapers, Inc. – had been owned by Lebanon-based Main Street Media, LLC, since September 2007.

Both The Westmoreland Observer and The Portland Progressive – which were founded in February 2004 and March 2005, respectively – had previously been owned by Rural Newspapers, Inc.

Kathryne Belle, publisher of The Macon County Chronicle, and John Cook, president of Rural Newspaper, Inc., will serve as the directors for Choice Community Newspapers, LLC.

According to Belle and Cook, the change in ownership is expected to have no affect on the day-to-day operations at any of three newspapers.
From Choice Community Newspapers
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Nashville-based Heartland Media aquires Middle Tennessee Times
Heartland Media acquired The Middle Tennessee Times, Smithville, from Main Street Media in April. Heartland Media was founded in 2009 by Richard Lawson.

The Middle Tennessee Times publishes weekly on Tuesdays and has a paid circulation of 2,460. It is located in DeKalb County in Middle Tennessee.

Heartland Media also owns the NashvilleChatterClass.com subscription based web site, which provides insider news on commercial real estate, development and related local politics to readers in Middle Tennessee.

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Gazette has new flag, narrower page

On the left is the old look of The Gazette and on the right is the new flag and width introduced on May 12.

The Gazette, Trenton, introduced a smaller page width and a new flag to its readers on May 12. Editor Danny Jones said that there has been no reader reaction yet. He said he likes the new width and that it is easier to hold. The newspaper page width decreased from 12.5 inches to 11 inches. The page depth did not change.

Jones said they decided to change the flag when converting to the narrower width. He noted that the staff would have to adjust to such things as creating the headlines in smaller point sizes.

The Gazette is a 2,900 paid circulation weekly that publishes on Wednesdays. It is located in Gibson County in West Tennessee and is printed by the Union City Daily Messenger.

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Tour promotes power of public records
Access to public records was the focus of two training sessions by Dave Cuillier, chairman of the Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) Freedom of Information Committee, on May 17. A combined total of 50 people attended the sessions held in Nashville and Knoxville.

Cuillier is on a 45-day tour around the country presenting “Access Across America.” His presentation was interactive and informative. He offered his handout for TPA to post and share with members.

Cuillier, who is a former city editor and now an assistant professor at Arizona State University, said he learns something at each session. He is posting those items on the blog covering his tour. http://blogs.spjnetwork.org/aaa/

He noted that Tennessee has public records that many states do not allow. Among those records are autopsies, salaries, disciplinary records, 911 calls, police blotters, arrests and mug shots.

SPJ, the local chapters of SPJ and the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government sponsored the events.

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Obama signs law promoting worldwide press freedom
President Barack Obama signed legislation on Monday that will promote press freedom around the world and honor a Wall Street Journal reporter who was murdered in Pakistan in 2002.

The Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act requires the State Department to identify countries that violate press freedoms by subjecting journalists to physical attacks, imprisonment and censorship. In countries where opposition to the press is particularly severe, the department will determine whether foreign governments are directly participating in or condoning the treatment of journalists.
story at www.rcfp.org

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Reporters Committee releases summary of Kagan's media law background
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press released a report on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan's background with media law issues, from her time as an associate at a Washington law firm with a well-respected media law practice to her current role as the solicitor general. story and report at www.rcfp.org

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Halls Graphic's 116-year run ends

The Halls Graphic, published weekly since 1893, ceases publication this week (May 6, 2010).

Lauderdale County from the Earliest Times, edited by Kate J. Peters (1957), says the Graphic was founded by “a man named Davis.”

“Publishers through the years have been Emmett Newport, A. B. Witt, Walter Durham, Ike Smith, Guy Jordan, and Henry and Nell Murchison.”

Walter “Bull” Durham was later Plant-To-Prosper editor for the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

When the Murchisons could no longer manage independently, The Lauderdale County Enterprise kept the Graphic going by providing content, already produced by the Enterprise, which would otherwise have required duplication, and by producing additional content in Ripley.

In 2009, The Graphic had the least circulation (230) of any newspaper in the state, except The Harriman Record (108), now merged with The Rockwood Times (246).

With Halls advertising shrinking towards zero, and production and delivery costs soaring, the Graphic has hemorrhaged substantial losses for several years.

Subscriptions will be automatically converted to subscriptions to The Lauderdale County Enterprise, or extend an existing Enterprise subscription, for the value of the unfulfilled $10 subscription to the Graphic.
From The Halls Graphic, May 6, 2010
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Wilhoite, veteran sports editor, honored
Scholarship endowment in works
Photo by Chris Fletcher/The Daily Herald, Columbia
Marion Wilhoite, sports editor of The (Columbia) Daily Herald since 1962, shares a laugh with Bernard Childress, executive director of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, and Alan Pedigo, commander of American Legion Post 19. Wilhoite was honored for his decades of service to the community by about a 160 people at a May 8 dinner hosted by the American Legion Post 19 baseball team. Childress, 54, who as a high school athlete was covered by Wilhoite, called him a great sports writer, a man of great integrity and a close friend.

Marion Wilhoite, sports editor of The Daily Herald, Columbia, was honored Saturday, May 8, by the American Legion Post 19 baseball team.

Wilhoite’s ties to American Legion baseball date back to the mid 1950s. First he was the team’s batboy, later an official scorer and as a reporter for The Daily Herald while in high school.

Wilhoite is an icon in Maury County sports. Not only has he covered sports, he has been a coach, umpire and organizer as well. He was named sports editor of the newspaper on his 21st birthday, June 9, 1962.

The fundraiser is part of efforts to raise funds for the creation of the Marion Wilhoite Endowment for Excellence in Sports Journalism at Columbia State Community College. To make a donation to help establish the Marion Wilhoite Endowment for Excellence in Sports Journalism, please visit www.ColumbiaState.edu/Wilhoite.
From multiple stories in The Daily Herald

Why they ask: ‘The Icon’ and his fans
By Chris Fletcher, Editor, The Daily Herald

During my 10 years as editor of The Daily Herald I have been asked one question related to my job more than any other. It’s a question I’ve heard numerous times from people in this community and beyond:

“How’s ol’ Marion Wilhoite doing?” they want to know.
“I haven’t seen him in ages,” some will say, or something very like it, and then they’ll add, “When my boys played baseball we’d see him every week in the stands.” continuation
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Advocate & Democrat has new editor, Wilson returns as publisher

Longtime staff writer Tommy Millsaps has been promoted to editor of The Advocate & Democrat. Tommy Wilson is returning as publisher.

Millsaps will replace Mia Rhodarmer, who has been with the paper since 2000.

Wilson, publisher of the paper from 1990 - 2002, has returned to fill the publisher's position. Wilson is also the current publisher of The Daily Post-Athenian in McMinn County and Vice President of Jones Media's Valley Region, which also includes the newspapers in Rhea and Loudon counties.
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Sports magazine launched, Duggan and Lyles join Athlon Sports

Athlon Sports Communication, Inc. (“Athlon”), the Nashville, Tenn. based integrated sports media company, announced April 23, that it will launch a monthly sports magazine in October 2010. Called Athlon Sports, the title is expected to debut with 7 million circulation, making it the largest sports magazine in the United States.

Athlon Sports will profile America’s elite athletes, provide preseason insights from America’s premier sports editors, and tell compelling sports stories from around the country.

In connection with this new venture, Stephen Duggan is acquiring a minority stake in Athlon and assuming the role of President, Athlon Media. Duggan was previously Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Media Group, publisher of Maxim magazine and a founder of Publishing Group of America, publisher of American Profile, Relish and Spry magazines.

Jerry Lyles is also joining Athlon as Senior Vice President, Publisher Relations. Lyles previously held the same position at Publishing Group of America.

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2010 Ideas Contest winners announced, Robertson County Times takes top prize
Awards in the 2010 Tennessee Press Association Ideas Contest were presented on Friday, April 16, in conjunction with the Advertising/Circulation Conference in Chattanooga, Tenn.
List of winners

The Robertson County Times won the top prize—the Jack Freeland Memorial Award Best of Show— for its ad, “Home,” entered in the Best Use of Multi Color category. The newspaper also took the top prize in the 2005 contest and was first runner up in 2007.

Runners-up for 2010 were the Chattanooga Times Free Press for its entry in Best Use of Multi Color and The Greeneville Sun, for its “Magnavox” special section entry.

The Lebanon Democrat received the most awards at 27, sweeping the awards in its division for Best Use of Multi Color, Best Automotive Ad and Best Real Estate Ad. The Shelbyville Times-Gazette achieved the second highest number of awards at 22.

Members of the Illinois Press Association judged the contest on March 12 in Springfield, Ill.

A total of 871 entries from 35 newspapers were submitted in the 2010 Ideas Contest. Entries were down by 20 percent from the 2009 total number of entries.

The contest has 27 categories, with each divided into five circulation divisions, two for non-dailies and three for dailies.

Jack Freeland, for whom the Best of Show award was named, was advertising manager of The Daily Herald, Columbia, and was active with the TPA Advertising Committee.

The Ideas Contest was established in 1978. Proceeds from the Ideas Contest help to offset the speaker costs for the Advertising/Circulation Conference. All conference attendees and Ideas Contest entrants will receive a CD of the PowerPoint presentation.

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Bristol Herald Courier wins Pulitzer Prize
The Bristol Herald Courier has won the Pulitzer Prize in Public Service for the work of Daniel Gilbert in illuminating the murky mismanagement of natural-gas royalties owed to thousands of land owners in southwest Virginia, spurring remedial action by state lawmakers.

Columbia University announced the 94th Annual Pulitzer Prizes on April 12. Awards will be presented on May 24 at Columbia University. About the Pulitzer Prizes
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TPA Foundation fundraising committee meets

Photo caption: Participating from the TPAF offices in Knoxville were Susan Horne and Doug Horne, Republic Newspapers, Greg Sherrill, TPAF secretary-treasurer and Laurie Alford, TPA controller. Jay Albrecht, MMA Creative, Cookeville, and Eric Barnes, The Daily News, Memphis, participated in the meeting via teleconference.

The Tennessee Press Association Foundation Development Committee met April 22 via teleconference. Doug Horne, a trustee of the Foundation, is chairman of the committee. Other committee members are trustees Jay Albrecht, MMA Creative, Cookeville, and Eric Barnes, The Daily News, Memphis.

The committee is working on plans for another TPAF capital campaign.

The Foundation provided $46,400 for project funding in 2009. Many of the projects directly benefited TPA member newspapers.

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Kill Saturday mail? Not so fast!
By Max Heath, NNA Postal Committee Chair

National media report that Saturday mail delivery may go the way of the milk wagon, and that a wide majority of Americans think that’s ok.

Hold on.

Congress must act first, and that is not likely to happen soon. Some Congressional leaders worry about trimming mail service, even if only 35 percent of people surveyed by Gallup last summer disapprove.

Poll results are guided by the way questions are asked. They don’t give a full picture. Knowing that, Congress is not yet ready to decide. continuation
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New ad contest can mean money in sales reps’ pockets
By Beth Elliott, TPS ad networks coordinator

A new Tennessee Press Service (TPS) contest for sales reps will run May 1 through July 31. Sales reps, this is your turn to put money in your pocket. Plus, your newspaper makes an excellent commission.

For every TnScan and/or TnDAN ad you sell, you will get 10 points. For each TnNET ad you sell, you will get 20 points. At the end of July, the rep with the most points will get $250, the rep with the second most points will get $150, and the rep with the third most points will get $100.

Are you looking for the catch? There are a couple of restrictions. Only participating newspapers can sell TnScan, TnDAN and TnNET ads and keep 40 percent commission.

Don’t know if your newspaper participates? Contact TPS or go to www.tnadvertising.biz and download the list of participating newspapers. Enrollment is open, so you can join the 92 TnScan, 89 TnDAN and 45 TnNET participants as early as today.

The other restriction is that ads cannot be sold and then resubmitted to TPS for placement. In other words, ads should be from your direct client to qualify for contest points.

Rate sheets, ad placement details, even house ads can be downloaded from www.tnpress.com/statewides or by contacting TPS at (865) 584-5761 x 117. Good luck!
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Newspapers are not non-profit
By Victor Parkins, TPA President

Remind politicians that newspapers are not non-profit
As the campaign trails heat up this election year, take a moment to remind every politician that walks through the front door of your newspaper that we also have an advertising department.

For the first time ever, every employee at the Mirror-Exchange has been well schooled to direct our potential lawmakers to the advertising department when they call the office.
continuation

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Publishers and ad directors: Beware of possible scam ads!
I've had a report of a possible scam advertising campaign. This goes without saying, but please use diligence in checking references and credit card information for new customers that want large, daily full-color ads. If you have been approached by a new customer with a campaign that seems too good to be true, please give us a call so that we can look into it.

Sometimes, by checking with other newspapers or through our network of state press services, we may be able to provide more information. Happy selling!

-Greg Sherrill, TPS Executive Vice President

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Memphis company buys Nashville community newspaper
The Daily News Publishing Company purchased the Westview, a weekly newspaper in Davidson County, in February. The Westview was a member of Tennessee Press Association until it converted to free circulation in 2003.

Eric Barnes, publisher of The Daily News, Memphis, is also publisher of The Westview. Barnes serves on the TPA Board of Directors as director of district ten.

Paula Underwood Winters, daughter of the newspaper’s founder, the late Doug Underwood and Evelyn Underwood, continues as editor of The Westview.

The publication began countywide distribution on March 26. It is available in Davidson,Cheatham and Dickson Counties and part of Williamson County.

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Fryar adds Murfreesboro Post publisher duties to plate
W. R. (Ron) Fryar, owner and publisher of the Cannon Courier has also been named publisher of The Murfreesboro Post, a free circulation newspaper in Rutherford County. link to story on murfreesboropost.com

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Bylaws Committee proposal to be voted on by TPA membership
The TPA Constitution & Bylaws Committee proposed an amendment to Article IX of the TPA Constitution at the Feb. 10 TPA Board of Directors Meeting in Nashville. The Board voted to send the proposed change to be voted on by the full membership of TPA. An independent auditing firm will distribute the ballots and collect the votes.

It specifically proposes that the words "full-membership" be replaced with "participating member", meaning future amendments be approved by a two-thirds majority of the voting membership, rather than a two-thirds majority vote of the full membership.
Details, list of TPA regional directors, TPA districts and case statement

Ballots were mailed on February 24 to the publisher or general manager of each TPA member newspaper. TPA's regional directors are available to answer questions and will contact newspapers for which a ballot has not been received.
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Political ad disclaimer law

Publishers,

Recently, our Legal Hotline has fielded several calls regarding Tennessee's "political disclaimer law," which requires disclosure of who paid for any political advertisement. In this election year, many newspapers will be accepting political ads from the gubernatorial race on down. It's something we all need to watch, and communicate with ad staffs as to the importance of checking ads for a "paid for" disclaimer.

Tennessee Code 2-19-120 requires a clear and conspicuous disclaimer on any political ad. The statute carries a criminal provision (misdemeanor punishable by a $50 file or six months or both), which is normally targeted at a candidate, campaign, or PAC. In speaking with our attorney Rick Hollow, however, he cautioned that this could potentially apply to a newspaper publishing the ad.

"Since the section has no limiting provisions it could be interpreted as applying to anyone in the chain of publication," Hollow said.

This could especially be true, heaven forbid, if a newspaper ever omitted the disclaimer line from the ad. It's definitely advisable to counsel your staff to double check that each political ad includes an appropriate disclaimer. I have included the text of TCA 2-19-120 below for your reference. If you have specific questions about the law, please remember that each TPA member newspaper has access to the TPA Legal Hotline.
Greg Sherrill, TPA Executive Director

Tennessee Code Annotated: 2-19-120. Political communications, advertising and solicitations — Contents — Applicability — Penalties. —

link to TCA 2-19-120

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TPS provides sample letters for reaching political ad dollars
By Greg Sherrill, TPA Executive Director/TPS Executive Vice President

This is an important mid-term political year, as well as being a gubernatorial showdown in our own state.

Unfortunately, the past several election cycles have seen significant declines in political advertising in newspapers. Many speculate that it's because candidates know that newspapers will likely run campaign and platform information as news (for FREE.) Newspapers have the unique ability to deliver in-depth information that broadcast and outdoor cannot. And when it comes to reaching rural and non-metro counties, newspapers have the edge!

I know many of you will be visiting or hosting candidates at your papers in the upcoming weeks. At the request of the TPS Board of Directors, our sales agents have drafted some letters that you may use for contacting candidates and/or their campaigns in your local races. Link to four letters These letters explain the benefits of using print advertising in their campaign's media mix, and could be a good way to get your foot in the door or at least start a dialogue about the effectiveness of newspaper advertising.

TPS is reaching out to Tennessee's gubernatorial candidates in hopes of securing more print advertising for you, our stockholder newspapers. Please keep TPS in mind as a resource for any candidate and/or campaign that may wish to advertise in many newspapers across our state.

Thanks for your help in representing the newspaper industry of Tennessee. Happy selling!
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Do you want campaign ads in your paper?
By Art Powers, TPA vice president for dailies
Publisher, Johnson City Press

Like most newspapers across the state, candidates for next year’s gubernatorial race have been dropping by the Johnson City Press to discuss issues in an attempt to set themselves apart from their opponents. In doing so they know we will write a story about their visit and report their responses to the questions fielded by our editorial board. We always do that as it is news for our readers. Candid photos always accompany the story. Of course, in subsequent months they will return one-by-one for more coverage as well as asking for our editorial endorsement since we are the only medium that does that anymore. continuation

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Newseum CEO issues a call to action to newspapers
Charles Overby, CEO of the Newseum and Freedom Forum urges the newspaper industry to Act, Believe, Compete, Differentiate and Evolve for the Future. complete article
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How Much Stimulus Funding is Going to Your County?
by Jennifer LaFleur, Dan Nguyen, Michael Grabell, and Jeff Larson
http://projects.propublica.org/recovery
We’ve taken all the data used on the government’s stimulus Web site, Recovery.gov, cleaned out the cobwebs and added thousands of records the feds didn't include — the law doesn't require all recipients to report to Recovery.gov — to create the most comprehensive publicly available analysis of stimulus spending that we know of.

Type in your county or click on your state to find local projects, and check out how per capita spending compares with poverty, income and unemployment in your area. http://projects.propublica.org/recovery

APME, AP, Sunlight offer help digging into Stimulus
APME is partnering with The Associated Press and the Sunlight Foundation on a national investigative project looking at the effectiveness of the billions of dollars of federal stimulus spending. A database you can use to look up projects in your area is available at apme.com. The site also contains questions you might pursue as you look into these projects. www.apme.com For more information about the Sunlight Foundation visit www.sunlightfoundation.com.
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Newspapers DEAD? Print still big medium for advertisers
By Brian Steffens, National Newspaper Association

The report of my death was an exaggeration — Mark Twain

If I’m to believe the national media, newspapers are dead or dying. What do they base that on?

Paid circulation is down? How’s that different from broadcast TV viewership? Or magazine subscriptions? Or radio listeners? But I can’t recall many or any headlines or cable or Internet shout-outs heralding the passing of TV, radio or magazines. Ignored in the cacophony are the self-imposed cutbacks of inefficient distribution to outlying areas with few readers and fewer advertisers, or the growing number of free distribution newspapers. link to story on NNA.org

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HIPAA Resource for Reporters
HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, a law intended to make it easier for people to keep their health insurance when they change jobs. The law set standards for the electronic exchange of patient information, including protecting the privacy of such records. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the Privacy Rule to implement that aspect of the law, and its Office of Civil Rights is in charge of enforcing it.

Since the Privacy Rule went into effect in April 2003, it has become more difficult for reporters to get information about individuals' health care. The Association of Health Care Journalists has a resource to aid reporters.

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Updating public notices keeps information in newspapers
Since the inception of tnpublicnotice.com, a majority of our members have joined the effort to create a database of public notices found in Tennessee newspapers. One of our chief tools in fighting efforts to remove public notices from newspapers has been this site, giving Tennesseans the ability to search online for notices found in our newspapers.

When members fail to upload their notices, our argument to keep notices in newspapers is weakened. It’s important that every TPA member upload their public notices to this site. Most of our daily newspapers do an excellent job of uploading their notices each day. It’s easier to forget when publishing dates are further apart.

If you’d like to know if your paper is doing its part to keep public notices in newspapers, email Greg Sherrill at or Kevin Slimp at for a report on how frequently and how many notices your paper has uploaded.

Forces to remove public notices away from newspapers haven’t slowed down. It’s more important than ever to upload your notices with every issue of your newspaper.

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Current legislation & the First Amendment
By Gordon T. Belt, First Amendment Center Library manager
In the 111th Congress, a number of bills being considered could affect First Amendment freedoms. The following summary provides brief explanations of these measures and their current status. link to Belt's summary on fac.org

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Reporters' Guide to Multimedia Proficiency available online
Mindy McAdams is a journalist, journalism educator and Web developer. She has compiled a Reporters' Guide to Multimedia Proficiency. Guide
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Americans rely on newspaper advertising as essential shopping tool
Newspaper Association of America

When Consumers Read Newspaper Ads, They Take Action
Arlington , Va. – Newspaper advertising remains the leading advertising medium cited by consumers in planning, shopping and making purchasing decisions, according to early data from a MORI Research survey of more than 3,000 adults. The findings, announced today by the Newspaper Association of America, provide conclusive evidence of the ongoing value newspaper ads deliver for marketers trying to reach consumers who are ready to shop and spend. full release

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Have a job opening?
Post your open positions and search for resumes in TPA's employment area at http://www.tnpress.com/employment.html.
Only authorized personnel from member newspapers can post jobs or review résumés. First time users will need to register with a user name and password. Once you complete your online registration, please contact Robyn Gentile, member services manager, for access—(865) 584-5761, ext. 105 or via e-mail to .

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Training videos online for members
TPS offers free training videos online for TPA members. New videos include five segments on Adobe Flash and a segment on new features in Adobe Creative Suite (CS4). Other topics include: InDesign, Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat, QuarkXpress and OS X. The videos can be accessed through the training page at www.tnpress.com/training.html. A username and password are required. Contact TPA at (865) 584-5761 if you need the access information.

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First Amendment ads available
Former TPA President Tom Griscom has made house ads promoting the First Amendment available to TPA member newspapers. Click here to access the files.

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Find older TPA News
TPA news items moved from this home page may be found at TPA News

Save these dates

June 23-26, 2010, Tri-State Press Convention, Tunica, Miss.
July 16, 2010, State Press Contests Awards Luncheon, Nashville
details on these events and other calendar items

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2010
Press credentials
  TPA now offers members a more
   professional press card.
   View details and order form

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TPA is a primary media sponsor of the Governor's Books from Birth Foundation Imagination Library project.