This summer Facebook announced that it had reached more than a half billion users, just six years after it had started. And South Dakota newspapers are contributing to that social network site phenomenon.

Increasingly weekly and daily newspapers in South Dakota are using Facebook sites to communicate with their subscribers and communities, post breaking news and create teasers for their printed products and websites.

Although we don’t have a complete list of all South Dakota newspapers using Facebook, SDNA did query a sampling of newspapers with pages on the social network site. Those using Facebook are pleased with it.

“We use it as a complement to our print edition and as an extension of our website,” Chamberlain/Oacoma Sun Editor Jessica Giard said. “Between our Facebook page and our website, we can post immediate information that might not make the print edition.”

Others also are using it to bolster their website.

“Since our Facebook feed shows up on our fans’ pages, it allows us to tap our readers on the shoulder, so to speak,” Watertown Public Opinion’s Joe O’Sullivan said. “Instead of waiting for them to visit our

website, we’re letting them know what they might be interested in.”

He added that the Public Opinion’s advertising staff also uses Facebook to let people know about certain events in the

community.LeeAnne Archer, who along with her

husband Greg publishes newspapers in Castlewood, Estelline and Hayti, said Facebook is a great tool for reaching the

generation that is on the computer all the time.

“Our purpose for using Facebook was to direct them to our website and also make them familiar with our newspapers as a source for news,” she said.

Archer said their Facebook page has been useful for posting updates on news that happens in the community between weekly issues. News such as sporting event cancellations and accidents. She also uses it to post photos as teasers for readers to visit the newspaper’s website and buy photos.

The Lennox Independent’s Kelli Bultena estimates that less than half of their 423

Volume 24 – Number 2 An information publication of the South Dakota Newspaper Association, Brookings, SD August/September 2010

Covering local sports is an important part of a community newspaper’s franchise. An SDNA workshop on sports reporting Sept. 17 can help newspapers strengthen that franchise.

SDNA, along with support from the SDSU Journalism Department, will host a panel of three sports journalism authorities who will discuss trends in sports journalism and tips and techniques for covering the game.

The Sept. 17 workshop will run from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the SDNA offi ce in Brookings. Lunch will be provided.

Although there is no registration fee, SDNA members are urged to register by Sept. 13. Either call the SDNA offi ce at 1-800-658-3697 or send an email to daveb@

sdna.com stating who from your newspaper will attend.

The panelists for the workshop:Sioux Falls Argus Leader Sports Reporter

Terry Vandrovec will discuss the tools and techniques he uses to cover much more than just the action on the fi eld and the court.

SDSU Journalism Professor Matthew Cecil will demonstrate how tomorrow’s sports reporters are being equipped and trained to cover the game.

SDSU Sports Information Director Jason Hove will discuss why there is much more to his job than just press releases and media guides in working with reporters.

“We are excited about the lineup for this workshop,” SDNA General Manager David Bordewyk said. “Terry, Matt and Jason will

be terrifi c. Anyone who covers sports will benefi t from their presentations.”

Funding for this workshop is provided by the SDSU Department of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Marian and Casey Fillbrandt Endowment in Journalism. In 1993, Marian Fillbrandt established a journalism continuing education fund

with the SDSU Foundation as a tribute to her husband Casey, a 1935 journalism graduate and onetime general manager of SDNA. With cooperation from SDNA, the department sponsors the Fillbrandt Forum of speakers and training to update skills of working newspaper personnel.

SDNA sports reporting workshop Sept. 17

Terry Vandrovec Matthew Cecil Jason Hove

SDNA co-sponsoring candidate debates this OctoberSDNA has once again partnered with South Dakota Public

Broadcasting and AARP South Dakota to sponsor televised candidate debates this October.

“We are pleased to join again in this effort to help voters statewide be better informed about the candidates in the upcoming election,” said SDNA General Manager David Bordewyk. “We also appreciate the support of our 130 member newspapers in promoting the upcoming debates.”

Watch candidate debates on SDPB TV at the following times:

• Thursday, Oct. 14: Public Utilities Commission candidates

• Tuesday, Oct. 19: Attorney General candidates

• Thursday, Oct. 21: Gubernatorial candidates•Tuesday, Oct. 26: U.S. House candidatesAll debates will be televised live at 8 p.m. Central Time.

Audio from the debates will be rebroadcast on SDPB Radio on Dakota Midday at noon Central Time the day after each televised broadcast.

SDNA, SDPB and AARP South Dakota have worked together the past several election years to host the candidate debates.

S.D. newspapers embrace Facebook technology

(Continued to page 4)

Share your Facebook presence

Is your newspaper on Facebook?

Tell SDNA. Send an email to

sdna@sdna.com.

You can fi nd SDNA on Facebook.

Just search South Dakota Newspaper

Association on Facebook to join in.

Also, you can fi nd SDNA on Twitter

at SD_Newspapers.

While it appears Saturday mail delivery is safe for now, don’t think we are out of the woods yet.

Tonda Rush, director of public policy for National Newspaper Association, reports that Congress will not allow the end of Saturday mail delivery this year.

She said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, used his position on the Senate Appropriations Committee to block efforts to end Saturday mail delivery this fi scal year. She credited Montana newspapers for helping Sen. Tester solidify his believe in the importance of community newspapers in rural America.

“With this continuing opposition, we can safely say Congress is not going to give the green light to USPS to end Saturday mail delivery this year,” Rush said a few weeks ago. “The appropriations committee controls this question. The 111th Congress is expected to hold a “lame duck” session after November elections. In theory, Congress could still reverse course and give USPS what it seeks. But the odds you will win the lottery this week are better.”

Rush added: “Bottom line: we are OK through the end of the year. Don’t move out of the mail yet. Your voices and NNA’s strong opposition are being heard. This is a great time to discuss the issue with Congressional candidates. Postal reform will be hold in the next Congress.”

Rush also reports that reform of USPS pension funding is being pushed in Congress.

“If Congress allows USPS to forego a $5.5 billion payment to prepay retiree health benefi ts, or it refunds overpayments into the pension fund, the heat on Saturday mail delivery will be turned down considerably,” she said.

SDNA members and the SDNA Board have been active in voicing opposition to the USPS’s desire to end Saturday mail delivery. Our members have articulated well what mail delivery means not only to South Dakota newspapers, but to all of South Dakota.

Keep it up. Don’t assume the mail will always be there, six days a week.

■ ‘Tis the season

President Card has an excellent column (see this page) about political advertising and what all of us can do to help promote newspapers this fall to the candidates and campaigns.

SDNA Advertising Sales Manager John Brooks continues to work full-tilt with all the statewide campaigns, advocating for

newspapers and providing the information the campaigns need to make solid media-buy decisions.

Competition is fi erce for the campaigns’ advertising dollar and SDNA is right there in the mix working hard. It’s even more competitive this election cycle because campaigns are working harder than ever before to raise money because of the economy. Contributions aren’t fl owing as easily as they used to.

At the end of the day, newspaper advertising is the game-changer for a candidate looking for that competitive edge.

■ Sports reporting workshop

We are excited about the Sept. 17 sports reporting workshop at SDNA.

The lineup is terrifi c. If you follow the work of Argus Leader’s Terry Vandrovec, you are like me amazed at his ability to report using print, blog, in-game live online chats, Facebook, Twitter, video and everything else. He is the ultimate at multi-tasking his job.

Presentations by Vandrovec, along with SDSU Journalism Professor Matt Cecil and SDSU Sports Information Director Jason Hove, will make for an exciting workshop.

We don’t often offer training on sports reporting and this will be a good one. We hope you can attend.

2 • August/September 2010 South Dakota Newspapers

Manager’s MessageDavid BordewykSDNA General Manager

N(USPS Permit #003537)

© Copyright 2010

By South Dakota Newspaper Association

David C. Bordewyk ....... Publisher/Editor Sandy DeBeer .............. Pagination

Published bi-monthly by South Dakota Newspa-per Association, 1125 32nd Ave., Brookings, SD 57006, and at additional offi ceTelephone: 800-658-3697Periodicals Class Postage paid at Brookings, SD 57006

Subscription price: $15 per year.

SDNA Offi cers

PresidentDoug Card / The Britton Journal

First Vice PresidentLucy Halverson / Lyman County Herald, Presho

Second Vice PresidentCharley Najacht / Custer County Chronicle

Third Vice PresidentSteve Baker / Capital Journal, Pierre

Past PresidentHollie Stalder / Lawrence County Journal, Deadwood

Board MembersPaul Buum / The Alcester Union & HudsoniteJon Hunter / Daily Leader, Madison

SDNA Staff

David C. Bordewyk / General ManagerCherie Jensen / Assistant ManagerJohn Brooks / Advertising Sales ManagerSandy DeBeer Advertising AssistantCheryl Busch / Advertising AssistantDarla McCullough / Advertising Sales Assistant

SOUTH DAKOTA NEWSPAPERS is the offi cial trade publication for the South Dakota Newspaper Association, representing daily and weekly newspapers in the state.

Postmaster: Send change of address to South Dakota Newspaper Association, 1125 32nd Ave., Brookings, SD 57006

EWSPAPERS

Presidential PerspectivesDoug CardPresident / SDNAThe Britton Journal

It seems like State Fair time is when fall political campaigns begin to really ramp up, and we will soon be inundated with all sorts of political news releases from candidates.

Isn’t it interesting that we seldom go a day without a mailing or e-mail touting somebody? Sometimes a candidate even comes to town for what they think is a “big” news event, but we seldom hear from any of those same candidates about buying advertising in our newspapers? They even want a “news” story to advertise they are coming to our towns.

But when you turn on the television there they are with ad after ad, trying to reach those potential voters that very likely use the occasion to take a bathroom break or grab a snack from the refrigerator.

Dane Hicks, publisher of the Anderson County Review at Garnett, KS, came up with this suggestion for political candidates: “If you shoot your opponent, that’s news…otherwise, buy an ad!”

Here are some facts for us to use when those candidates stop by our offi ces in the next few months – some reasons for using newspapers for political advertising that just make sense.

Study after study has shown that when targeting potential voters, newspapers do

the best job, especially in South Dakota. We think sometimes that part of the problem is that East Coast ad agencies are trying to run South Dakota political campaigns, and it’s a different ballgame here.

According to a 2008 statewide study in South Dakota, almost nine out of 10 residents (88.6 percent) read their local community newspaper. Added to that, nine out of 10 South Dakotans (91.1 percent) who said they plan to vote in this fall’s general election are newspaper readers.

Similar figures pertain to newspaper website visitors. Eight-two percent of adults in South Dakota are registered to vote, and 87 percent of website visitors are eligible voters. Figure in the fact that the penetration of newspapers in a community is sky-high compared to other media, and it really seems like a no-brainer that newspapers should be

a key element in the mix of advertising that any candidate considers.

We are not saying that candidates should not utilize all sorts of methods to get their message to prospective voters. But we think many of our candidates miss the boat when it comes to getting the most bang for their buck by not giving newspapers a bigger share of that pie.

We would freely admit that newspapers should take some of the blame themselves. For whatever reason, we do not do as good a job of promoting ourselves as we do helping other businesses.

But you don’t have to only ask newspapers for the advertising success stories. Check with those who orchestrated Gov. Mike Rounds campaign when he used newspapers heavily to surprise just about everyone with a win in his fi rst run for governor. Or talk to Senator John Thune and the impact newspapers had in his successful bid to unseat Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

The bottom line is that our newspapers have value. The candidates must think so because they will feature editorial endorsements from newspapers in television advertising. Does it make sense to think that has value, but at the same time not advertise

in our newspapers?Linda Denning, president of the Kansas

Press Association, recently wrote about the issue and hit the nail on the head.

“Newspapers need to stop being humble and start telling anyone who will listen how good we are,” Denning said. “We have no trouble standing up for the guy who has been unfairly treated at City Hall. We have more trouble standing up to the competitors who spread the myth that newspapers are dead. We’re still very much alive and – more often than not – the only ones making sure our communities have access to the information they need through our newspapers and our websites.”

Don’t be shy. When political candidates contact you the next few weeks, let them know that our job is to cover the news, not to be their personal PR person. But also tell them that we have a great economical way for them to get their message out to voters around the state. One simple call to our SDNA offi ce (1-800-658-3697) is all it takes to get statewide coverage.

Combining print and online, our newspapers are the most powerful advertising voice in our trade area. Let’s boast a little bit and make sure our political candidates know that!

Don’t be shy. Tell the candidates to buy an ad

Saturday delivery issue won’t go away

UPDATE AND DONATIONS

The South Dakota Newspaper Foundation is devoted to the promotion and betterment of journalism and newspapers in South Dakota and elsewhere. These individuals and businesses made recent contributions to the South Dakota Newspaper Foundation.

Donations to the South Dakota Newspaper Foundation are tax deductible. Consider a contribution in honor of or in memory of an associate or friend. All donations are greatly appreciated. Send to: South Dakota Newspaper Foundation, 1125 32nd Ave., Brookings, SD 57006.

In memory of David Leone, former publisher of Aberdeen American News

Mark and Ronda Roby, WatertownDavid and Sherry Bordewyk, Brookings

To SDNA Building Fund: Mark and Ronda Roby, Watertown

August/September 2010 • 3South Dakota Newspapers

Editorial reprinted with permission from the Aug. 25, 2010, edition of the Argus Leader, Sioux Falls.

It’s not a problem for South Dakota’s

governor to have access to a publicly owned cabin in Custer State Park.

Valhalla is a legitimate tool for the governor to use in economic development and for other legitimate public business.

It’s the secrecy surrounding Gov. Mike Rounds’ use of the cabin that’s unacceptable.

Rounds is fl at wrong when he thinks that South Dakotans have no right to know who has rented the cabin or even see what

it looks like.From the cabin’s exact dimensions, to its

operating costs, to the list of who stays there and when, every detail surrounding Valhalla should be open to the public.

Though that information isn’t publicly known right now, we presume it’s worthwhile for South Dakota to keep Valhalla versus selling it.

That means the governor also needs to ensure that the cabin is used judiciously during economically diffi cult times, such as the period most residents are facing today.

It simply makes sense to reduce the cabin’s operating costs as much as possible during a season when state employees are

being asked to forgo raises and educational money can’t be increased.

Now that Valhalla’s existence is widely known, the next governor will need to drastically alter the philosophy Rounds has used regarding the cabin’s management.

Just to be clear, here are the tenets that should guide that philosophy:

For transparency’s sake, the names of people who rent the property and all related details must be open.

And for fairness’ sake, South Dakotans must have appropriate access to Valhalla so they can see for themselves the cabin they own.

The National Newspaper Association, as part of the Affordable Mail Alliance, in mid-August fi led comments with the Postal Regulatory Commission opposing the U.S. Postal Service’s request for a Jan.2 rate increase that would hit all mailers with a 5.6 percent postage increase, and some Periodicals Mail by increases in the 10 percent range.

The nearly 1,000-member alliance told the commission that the Postal Service’s financial woes are not the result of an emergency, but are the result of its inability to gain control over its operating costs.

AMA said the Postal Service admits that it has suffi cient cash to run until Sept. 30, 2011, and that the exigent rate increase will not affect that fact. The increase is expected only to fund its required contribution to retiree health benefits prepayments—a requirement Congress forgave in 2009 and is likely to forgive again this fall.

In separate comments, NNA and other mailers whose mail is considered “under water” for failure to cover its costs noted that the Postal Service has excess capacity. That excess drives heavy use of manual labor, and has propelled Periodicals rates up more than 63.5 percent since 1996, while the infl ation has gone up only 37.4 percent.

The actual cost of Periodicals to the Postal Service has risen more than 82 percent in that period, according to USPS costing data. Meanwhile, USPS has invested heavily in automation and mailers have

shed costs by entering mail deeper into the mailstream. Outside county mail, which is the largest component of the Periodicals mail class, has reached into the destination Sectional Center Facility or Delivery Unit more than 65 percent of the time, compared to 30 percent in 1996. But even with these changes, USPS expenses continue to rise.

“Major contributors to this problem are chronic excess capacity at mail processing facilities, above-inflation compensation increases, and the Postal Services failure to manage its workforce effectively and reduce its size suffi ciently,” the mailers argued. Principal author on the comments was veteran postal rates attorney David Levy of the law fi rm Venable Inc., on behalf of the Alliance.

The alliance said that driving prices up will eject mailers from the system and worsen the Postal Service’s problems. In the case of Periodicals, the publishers heavily use the Postal Service’s more profi table Standard Mail and First-Class Mail products as well as the lower Periodicals rate. If USPS loses money on Periodicals, it more than makes up the difference in the other mail these publishers provide. The alliance noted newspapers’ heavy use of ECRS mail for shoppers and total market coverage products.

NNA President Cheryl Kaechele thanked NNA members who contributed their names to the comments. More than 800 of the alliance participants are newspapers.

“NNA has said before that this increase is a bad idea at a bad time,” Kaechele said. “The Postal Service is admittedly facing challenging times, but even more so are its customers dealing with this economy. Publishers cannot borrow from the US Treasury to meet their payroll, but USPS has the ability to finance itself while it makes the needed changes to deal with Internet competition. If it drives us away, its problems will simply worsen. But it must adapt to the times by changing its workforce—not just trimming services and hiking rates.”

NNA Postal Committee Chairman Max Heath, who is a key NNA witness in the PRC’s concurrent review of six-day mail service, said:

“The Postal Service was born in an era when it was expected to act like a public utility. Its costs went up, and then its rates went up, every three years like clockwork. Now we are in a different time. All of the printing world is adjusting to Internet competition, and the private sector is adapting. The Postal Service has taken over $1 billion in costs out of its system nearly every year, but its workforce and management still have the hardest task ahead. They must make the system fi t the mail, not expect mailers to fi t the old world expenses. Our Alliance has explained the problem forcefully. We hope the PRC hears us.”

NNA opposes USPS’s proposed emergency rate increase

Make cabin records open to public■ South Dakotans deserve access to perk they fi nance

State denies Journal request for Valhalla list of users

Reprinted with permission from the Aug. 25, 2010, edition of the Rapid City Journal.

by Kevin WosterRapid City Journal

The state Game, Fish & Parks Department has rejected a request by the Rapid City Journal for the names of people who have stayed at a state-owned cabin in Custer State Park exclusively reserved for Gov. Mike Rounds, his family and others approved by the governor.

Journal Editor Michael LeFort made the request by e-mail last week, asking Rounds and state parks director Doug Hofer for a list of all individuals who have stayed at the cabin, called Valhalla, since Rounds took offi ce in January 2003. In denying the newspaper’s request in a letter dated Aug. 20, GF&P public records offi cer Chris Petersen said “the Legislature recognizes that people who stay in state park facilities have an expectation of privacy. ...”

Petersen referred to South Dakota Codifi ed Law 1-27-1.5(21), which exempts from public inspection and copying any list of “names or other personally identifying data of occupants of camping or lodging facilities of the Department of Game, Fish and Parks.”

LeFort said Wednesday that he was disappointed by the state’s decision not to release the names and, pursuant to the South Dakota Open Records Law, planned to fi le a written notice of review with the Offi ce of Hearing Examiners.

“Though state law may prevent offi cials from releasing the names of those who camp in state parks, Valhalla is not a regular camping cabin,” LeFort said. “It is a historic facility that is being used exclusively by the governor and those whom he permits to stay there and is not available for rent as is other park lodging.

“We, therefore, continue to contend that the South Dakota taxpayers who own and maintain the cabin deserve to know who is being given exclusive access.”

Round said in a previous interview with the Journal that he and his family, members of his staff and certain state offi cials, past and present, were allowed to stay at the cabin, which is not open to general public use. Joe Kafka, the governor’s press secretary, said the state didn’t keep a list of people who have used the cabin. And Rounds wouldn’t release the names anyway, Kafka said, out of respect for their privacy.

Following a Journal story on the cabin and its use, LeFort made an offi cial request for the names, citing the state open records law. Petersen denied that request.

Valhalla has been used by a succession of governors and their guests and was previously the location of some GF&P commission and staff meetings or retreats, among other uses.

4 • August/September 2010 South Dakota Newspapers

This issue we profi le Tara Beitelspacher, co-publisher of The Pride of the Prairie at Bowdle and the Northwest Blade at Eureka. The Pride has a circulation of 354 and the Northwest Blade’s circulation is 1,094.

1) How did you get started in newspapering?

Unfortunately, the publisher of our community newspaper, Mary Lou Gauer, was diagnosed with cancer and died. Our community went without a publication for eight months. Because it was impossible to buy the Bowdle Pioneer from Mary Lou’s family, my sister Jada and I created the PRIDE of the Prairie in May 2007. In August 2008, we expanded Pride Publications to include the Northwest Blade in Eureka, which we purchased from longtime Publishers Arlo and Bonnie Mehlhaff.

2) What gives you the most satisfaction from publishing a weekly newspaper?

In addition to being a publisher, I am

also a full-time Agriculture Education teacher. Seeing my students in the spotlight gives me a thrill each week because I see their reaction to getting coverage when I bring the latest issue to class. I also know that this a service that every small town deserves and I am happy that we are able to provide it for Bowdle and Eureka.

3) What gives you the biggest headaches?

Spelling! Seriously, I didn’t know people were so attached to having their names and every single word in every single issue spelled correctly. I really like the email that circulates from time to time with each word incorrectly spelled. I fi gure if I can fi gure out what was meant, that should be good enough, right?! I am just kidding by the way!

4) When you are not working at the newspaper, what do you like to do?

My husband, Mark, and I really enjoy spending time with our boys: Bryce (7)

and Brady (4). We try to fi nd something fun to do with them each weekend. I also LOVE taking pictures and newspapering another way, by scrapbooking for the boys. I think of each issue as a scrapbook for the community, which makes it really fun to put each issue together because it’s like work and my hobby all wrapped in one.

5) Where do you see community

newspapers in fi ve years?I am really new to the industry, so I know

this will probably sound naïve, but I really don’t see much of a change. In our small communities, people can’t stand to miss an issue because we are dedicated to providing coverage to local issues and events that really matter to them. Bowdle knows what it feels like to go without a paper and it is terribly inconvenient to spread the word of the week via fl yers door to door! We will be doing what we are doing with a technology twist to engage the younger crowd via websites, text messaging, tweeting, and maybe “quacking” or whatever else the

new sensation is in fi ve years. No matter the format, our core content will be the same – the places to be, local stories and the smiling faces of people who make our small towns so great.

Publishing weekly a lot like scrapbooking

Tara Beitelspacher

Facebook site fans are newspaper subscribers and many are people with ties to Lennox but no longer live there.

Bultena also uses Twitter for the newspaper, with about 110 followers. She links the newspaper’s Facebook updates to Twitter, sort of a social network messaging tool.

“I like the immediate response we have with both Facebook and Twitter, and being able to make an announcement or correction in real time,” Bultena said. “With the small amount of time spent on both of these online platforms, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to be there. It’s just one free way to get your name out there and to be more engaged with your readers.”

The Sun’s Giard agreed. “Our print edition is our core product – and fi nancial sustenance – and any online presence is frosting on the cake.”

The Public Opinion’s O’Sullivan said the newspaper’s Facebook and Twitter use have helped reach a younger audience that otherwise may be more diffi cult to do through the print edition.

“If we can fi nd ways to deliver content in exciting and new ways for these folks, we’ll be able to general some kind of revenue.

While nobody knows exactly how yet, capturing the eyeballs is the fi rst part of the equation,” he said.

Given their Facebook experience to date, some South Dakota newspapers have mastered that part of the equation.

How to engage readers and fans on your Facebook page:

(Continued from page 1)

Newspapers and Facebook

• Ask more questions of readers and collect input for reader interest.• Use quizzes and polls to engage readers.• Promote contests and giveaways or sponsored events.• Create conversations – reader to staff and reader to reader.• Use breaking news. Link directly to associated stories on the newspaper’s website.• Change newspaper staff outlook on social media from burden to opportunity.• Approach Facebook as a long- term investment in readership.

• Post as often as feasible in order to maintain readers’ interest.• Use multiple staff members to update Facebook.• Respond to reader questions in a timely fashion, within 24 hours.• Update community events on both website and Facebook.• Use photos to increase visibility and connect to readers.• Promote Facebook page and newspaper’s website in the print edition regularly.• Brand your page with a logo that is easily identifi ed with your newspaper.

• Website links to Facebook should link directly to the newspaper’s fan page, not to Facebook’s home page.• Monitor Facebook for damaging posts such as spam, personal attacks and gross grammatical errors.• Promote major stories appearing in this week’s print issue and encourage readers to buy a copy.• Post during the day when most readers are visiting Facebook. Late-night posts are less likely to be seen.

--The Oklahoma Publisher, August 2010.

per ies

he s. k k

e d r

nger ore

NNA refocuses and explores headquarters options

National Newspaper Association President Cheryl Kaechele announced this summer the intention of the NNA Board of Directors to seek a new headquarters location at the conclusion of its current management agreement with the University of Missouri.

Kaechele said, “The board of directors determined in June that NNA’s marketing focus must sharpen and change, in light of the slow economic recovery and changes in newspaper business needs. We explored our future needs with the dean of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, with whom NNA contracts for management services, to request a change in management focus to guide NNA’s mission. We did not reach an agreement. The directors of NNA have engaged American PressWorks Inc., manager of our Washington offi ce, to provide interim management services while management and headquarters options are considered.

“Our tenure at the University has been a time of reconsolidation for NNA and we have enjoyed the hospitality of the school. It has been our headquarters since 2002, and we hope to continue a working relationship with the many fine professionals at the school. It is time for NNA to reposition itself. There are many interesting opportunities ahead for community newspapers which have weathered the economic storm overall with their usual innovative spirit and determination. We will be looking ahead to new pathways for NNA and its member newspapers.”

Kaechele said that during the interim management period, the NNA board would re-examine its management needs and entertain discussions with interested parties.

NNA’s executive director since 2002, Brian Steffens, is an employee of the Journalism School under NNA’s management contract. His service concluded with the end of NNA’s regular contract this summer. The agreement with the school calls for a 60-day transition period during which the Missouri staff will continue to provide association services.

August/September 2010 • 5South Dakota Newspapers

2010 Annual Convention & Trade ShowSept. 30–Oct. 3, 2010

Omaha Hilton and Qwest CenterOmaha, NE

Celebrating NNA Celebrating NNA

Past • Present • FuturePast • Present • Future

Nat ional ly d is t inguished media executives Cathie Black, chairman of Hearst Magazines, and Frank Vega, chairman and publisher of the San Francisco Chronicle, will be honored as recipients of the Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media, 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 30, at USD in Vermillion.

Black and Vega will be the 23rd and 24th individuals honored by the university and the Freedom Forum since the Al Neuharth Award program began in 1989. The award, recognizing lifetime achievement, is named for USA TODAY and Freedom Forum founder Al Neuharth, a South Dakota native and 1950 USD journalism graduate, who will be on campus to make the presentation.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Wayne S. Knutson Theatre at USD’s Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. for general seating, fi rst come, fi rst served. Colton Recital Hall, equipped with a large video screen, will be available for overfl ow.

The 90-minute program will be telecast live on South Dakota Public Broadcasting, 7 p.m. Central Time, Thursday, Sept. 30. SDPB-Television will repeat the program at 1 p.m. Central Time, Sunday, Oct. 3.

“Cath ie Black and Frank Vega demonstrate that success in the news and information business requires not only great journalism, but also bold ideas, innovation, focus, determination, hard work and skillful execution,” said Neuharth. In the 1980s, as executives of USA TODAY working directly with Neuharth, each played a crucial role in the success of the Nation’s Newspaper.

Neuharth credits Black with winning acceptance of the newspaper from advertisers. Neuharth credits Vega for devising and implementing a national distribution and sales plan that made USA TODAY the highest circulation newspaper in the United States.

As chairman of Hearst Magazines,

Black manages the fi nancial performance and development of some of the industry’s best-known titles including O, The Oprah Magazine; Popular Mechanics; Esquire; Cosmopolitan and Town & Country. She also oversees nearly 200 international editions of those and nine additional magazines in more than 100 countries.

Her book, “Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life)” reached No. 1 on the Wall Street Journal Business Books list and Business Week best-seller list and No. 3 on the New York Times Business Books list. “Basic Black” is now in its eighth printing.

Black began her career in advertising sales with several magazines. In 1979, she became the fi rst woman publisher of a weekly consumer magazine: New York. She left that position to become president of USA TODAY in September 1983, and over the next eight years was the newspaper’s president, then publisher, as well as board member and executive vice president/marketing of Gannett, its parent company. In 1991, she became president and CEO of the Newspaper Association of America, where she served for fi ve years before joining Hearst. Black is one of only three women to have appeared on Fortune magazine’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” list each year since it debuted in 1998.

When Frank Vega became the publisher of the San Francisco Chronicle in January 2005, he was the Chronicle’s third new publisher in four years. Today, the Chronicle and its website, SFGate.com, reach 1.9 million Bay Area adults each week. The San Francisco Chronicle is the largest newspaper in Northern California and one of the largest on the West Coast. SFGate.com is among the nation’s top 10 newspaper websites, attracting more than 12 million unique visitors each month.

As a teenager, Vega had a paper route for the Tampa Times. As a young thirty-something, Vega was tapped to be part

of a research team exploring the launch of a national daily newspaper. Vega was responsible for identifying and solving the challenges of daily distribution of a newspaper on an unprecedented, coast-to-coast scale. After the launch of USA TODAY, Vega became publisher of Florida Today in 1984 and a Gannett regional president, responsible for several newspapers in the southeast U.S.

In 1991, Vega went to Detroit where he became president and chief executive offi cer of the Detroit Newspaper Agency, responsible for overseeing the joint operations of the Detroit News and Detroit

Free Press. Past Al Neuharth Award recipients

include: Walter Cronkite (1989), Carl T. Rowan (1990), Helen Thomas (1991), Tom Brokaw (1992), Larry King (1993), Charles Kuralt (1994), Albert R. Hunt and Judy Woodruff (1995), Robert MacNeil (1996), Cokie Roberts (1997), Tim Russert and Louis D. Boccardi (1998), John Seigenthaler (1999), Jim Lehrer (2001), Tom Curley (2002), Don Hewitt (2004), Garrison Keillor (2005), Bob Schieffer (2006), John Quinn and Ken Paulson (2007), Charles Overby (2008) and Katie Couric (2009).

Neuharth Award to honor two media executives

Cathie Black Frank Vega

6 • August/September 2010 South Dakota Newspapers

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SDNA Board meets at Fort Sisseton State

ParkSDNA President Doug Card and his

wife Carla hosted the SDNA Board for

its summer board meeting at Sisseton

in July. The board held its meeting in a

historic building at Fort Sisseton State

Park. After the meeting, board members

toured the grounds.

From left: SDNA President Card, an

unidentifi ed state park guide, SDNA

First Vice President Lucy Halverson,

SDNA Director Jon Hunter, SDNA Past

President Hollie Stalder, SDNA Director

Paul Buum and SDNA Third Vice

President Steve Baker. SDNA Second

Vice President Charley Najacht had

departed before the tour began.

Kevin SlimpDirector, Institute of Newspaper Technology

OK. You might want to put this column down without reading it.

At the very least, close your door so no one hears the venting. It might be safest just to turn the page now.

Yesterday afternoon, on a website visited by several well-known Adobe-related staff and trainers, I posted that I had discovered a simple work-around to the Snow Leopard PDF driver issue.

In the simplest of terms, when Apple released their latest operating system, dubbed “Snow Leopard,” a few months ago, people quickly realized that they couldn’t create Postscript fi les using the PDF printer driver. This is only a problem if you believe, as I do, that perfect PDF fi les are imperative.

Anyhow, on a recent trip to Minnesota to work with a small newspaper, I found a way to make the process work as it always had. Since then, the publisher tells me she’s had nothing but perfect results. Not always the case when she was exporting her PDFs.

On the Website, trainers and authors shared their views that it isn’t necessary to make PDFs the “old fashioned way,” because InDesign exports perfect PDF fi les. No mess. No fuss.

If it were only that simple.A few minutes later, I received an e-mail

from a pretty famous guy. He’s not related to the newspaper industry, but you’d probably recognize his name. He writes a lot of books about design and software.

He was a tad upset with me. First, he wanted me to know that it’s just stupid to create PDFs using Acrobat Distiller, when it’s so much simpler to export them from InDesign. Then he went on to remind me that there are no problems of any type with fi les exported from InDesign.

When I disagreed, he wished me good luck in dealing with my “twentieth century technology,” which I took as an insult to my industry, and was gone.

Next I visited with a good friend who also does a lot of training in the publishing world. He agreed that using the Postscript/Distiller method is sometimes unnecessary.

“After CS2, InDesign doesn’t export CID fonts.”

CID fonts, you see, are one of the big issues with exported fi les. They come out of nowhere and haunt your fi les, creating printing issues, characters that print as squares and numbers that change from a 5 to a 2, for example. I’ll never forget when Gregg Jones, publisher of The Greeneville (Tenn.) Sun, called in a panic because an ad printed with strawberries listed at 5 for $1 instead of 2 for $1. The advertiser was not pleased.

Later, I heard back from the author. He challenged me to show him one PDF fi le from a recent version of InDesign that included a CID font.

My fi rst instinct was to tell him where to put his PDF fi le, but I came to my senses and decided to close this debate once and for all.

This is what I did. Yesterday, I led a training event for a New York ad agency. During the course of the training, we created a few pages of a magazine. The pages we created included no fi les from anyone else. Just simple text, entered in InCopy, and a few photos.

This morning I opened the file and exported it, using the setting that all these experts told me works perfectly every time. Before looking at the results, I decided that I would try this one time only. If exporting the fi le converted any of the fonts to CID, I was right. This would indicated that using Distiller is, indeed, the best method for creating a PDF.

If, on the other hand, no CID fonts were created, I would admit I was wrong and had been living in the past. I would no longer consider myself the PDF Guru, as so many people have come to know me over the years.

You guessed it. CID font. I sent the fi le directly to the author. He

admitted he was surprised. Said he couldn’t make it happen. Imagine that.

OK. I’ll say my piece and then be gone. It makes me angry when people refer

to newspapers as dinosaurs and primitive. The last time I checked, most of us were doing pretty well. I’m contacted regularly by people wanting to buy newspapers and asking for my advice on good opportunities. My daily paper is delivered every day. My community paper is delivered every week.

My business is as good as it has ever been. Just yesterday, I received requests to train newspaper groups in Los Angeles, Toronto and New York. Newspapers are investing in new equipment and training.

Strange behavior for a dying industry. OK, I’ve said enough.

Who said newspapers are dinosaurs?

PUBLIC NOTICESPublic Notice Advertising • Protects Your Right to Know

Cartoon work available for any newspaper

A Colorado cartoonist whose work appears on page three of this issue of South Dakota Newspapers will do cartoon work for your newspaper if you are interested.

Alan Vitello is an award-winning newspaper cartoonist who has been honored by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Colorado Press Association. His work was included in “The Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year” every year from 1990 to 2008.

His clients include Colorado Press Assoc i a t i on and many Co lo rado newspapers.

You can reach Vitello at alanvitello@msn.com.

by John FoustRaleigh, NC

I was talking to Vic about the challenges of selling frequency. “In today’s economy, advertisers are looking for ways to trim costs,” he said. “Frequency is one of the fi rst places they look. No matter how many ads they have run within the past year – a hundred or a dozen – they are putting everything under the microscope.”

Vic explained that his position as sales manager puts him on the front lines with his ad staff. “The thing I emphasize is that all of our newspaper’s clients are trying to justify frequency, whether they bring up the subject or not. This means that we’d better be prepared to address the issue.”

It all comes down to this: Why is it better to run more, not fewer, ads? And how can we show penny-pinching decision makers that the money they spend on more advertising will pay big dividends?

Here are two reasons to advertise as frequently as possible:

1. Daily market changes. “Years ago, I heard about Dan Gaynor’s thin market concept, and that changed the way I see the role of advertising,” Vic said. “About half the time, a typical consumer makes the decision to shop and buy on the same day. At fi rst that was hard to believe, but when I looked at my family’s buying habits, I realized that it’s true.

“What this means is that the market for any given product is small in the short term

and large in the long term. In other words, if you’re advertising tires today, your message will be relevant primarily to those people who are thinking about tires today. If you want to reach the entire market for tires, you have to advertise all year. Otherwise, you’ll miss most of your prospects.”

2. Top-of-mind-awareness. “In addition,” Vic said, “businesses have to advertise consistently in order to break through the clutter in the marketplace.”

Vic is right. I used to quote research which showed that the average consumer is exposed to 2,000 selling messages every day. But in recent years, the numbers have

climbed much higher; some estimates put the number closer to 5,000 commercial messages per day. No matter how you slice and dice the fi gures, that’s a lot. And all of those messages are competing for consumers’ attention.

How many commercial images are in your field of vision at this moment? Probably too many to count. Look around your offi ce and you’ll see logos and slogans on pens, pencils, computer screens, mouse pads, coffee mugs, and the papers on your desk.

I may not be in the market to buy a new home today. But when I do enter the

market, I will naturally think of companies that come to mind quickly. How do they become familiar? By keeping their names and their selling messages in front of me all year long. Familiarity creates top-of-mind-awareness.

Frequency is more than a word on a newspaper’s rate card. It’s a solid advertising strategy to generate more customers.

(c) Copyright 2010 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

E-mail John Foust for information about his training videos for ad departments: jfoust@mindspring.com

August/September 2010 • 7South Dakota Newspapers

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SDNA and Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota this summer announced a new partnership to implement an innovative Newspapers In Education program called Healthy Newz 4U.

Through this collaboration, participating South Dakota newspapers will provide a comprehensive health education program free of charge to their local school.

The Healthy Newz 4U program provides middle school students and their families with up-to-date nutrition and wellness curriculum and information.

The initiative is launching this fall. Several South Dakota newspapers and schools have already signed up to participate.

The curriculum includes guides for teachers and students, take-home materials

South Dakota newspapers launch NIE program

and a public website – www.healthynewzsd.com, fi lled with helpful content.

“We are pleased to partner with Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota to offer this program to South Dakota newspapers and schools,” SDNA General Manager David Bordewyk said. “This program will allow South Dakota’s

newspapers to be used as living textbooks to help combat negative behaviors that lead to obesity in children.”

South Dakota newspapers or schools wanting more information about the program can contact SDNA (1-800-658-3697) or visit www.healthynewzsd.com.

8 • August/September 2010 South Dakota Newspapers