May 31, 2012


Notes and Happenings around KPA and the Newspaper Industry

NEWS SERVICE ADDS EDITORIALS

Members participating in the Kentucky Press News Service (formerly the Kentucky News Content Service) had been asking about adding editorials into the mix. Davids Greer and Spencer have been working on this and Tuesday it became a reality. So now in addition to the news scraped from KPNS member websites, we’re adding editorials.

It won’t be as many as KPNS, which can easily go 30 to 35 a day, but we could add one or two editorials each day, that participating newspapers are welcomed to use. It works the same as the news stories posted daily, except there will be no more than one editorial budget a day. And on the first day, David filed five editorials on KPNS for participating newspapers to use.

If you aren’t a member in KPNS and want to join, contact David Greer (dgreer@kypress.com or phone 800-264-5721.) We’re approaching 16,000 stories (15,707 as of Wednesday morning) shared through KPNS since the service went live October 1, 2009.

Here’s the notice from David Greer to KPNS members, sent on Monday:

Dear KPNS members:

Later today, the Kentucky Press News Service will begin distributing editorials in addition to the same Kentucky news stories we’ve carried since October 1, 2009, when this free KPA member service went live. The inclusion of editorials on KPNS is the result of a survey conducted among KPNS members. There was strong support for including editorials.

An editorial budget email will arrive in your in-box once a day Monday through Friday. Just as we post Kentucky news stories from member publications around the state, the editorials will come from the same Kentucky publications. Some will be of regional interest while others will involve issues of statewide interest.

All editorials posted on www.kypressnewsservice.com will be available 24/7, in case you see one you want to use in your paper but forget to save it. Just go to www.kypressnewsservice.com anytime and click the “Editorial” link toward the top of the page. It’s the last one listed among several other KPNS links, including the users agreement and a Users How-to-Guide.

Questions? Feel free to email me at dgreer@kypress.com or call at 800-264-5721.

Thanks,

David Greer

KPNS director

PUBLIC NOTICE WEBSITE

Several publishers, well quite a few actually, will be getting a letter from me, with a second request to commit to uploading the pages from each edition to the KPA public notice website. We started this earlier in the year and had an amazing response. We’ve had right at 100 newspapers commit to uploading their issues. Once that’s done – as simple almost as sending your pages to the printer via pdf – GeoTel then extrapolates the public notices and posts them on kypublicnotice.com.

While that’s the focus right now, eventually there are two added benefits to this procedure. GeoTel and UK Digital Archives will work together so that UK will have copies of all Kentucky newspapers and begin recording digitally Kentucky’s history, as it’s being recorded today through your newspaper. UK previously did microfilming but digital technology has taken over. UK is getting about a dozen newspapers electronically but that’s not even 10 percent of the total number of newspapers in the state. Even the 100 that have committed to the public notice project and have been uploading their pages is only about two-thirds of the membership.

So when you get the letter, read it, sign the commitment form at the bottom and fax that back to KPA. Then pass along the pdf with the instructions and use the “credentials” for your newspaper and begin uploading. It’s a simple – quick and easy – process.

We’ll give you a few days and then those who haven’t responded will be getting a call from KPA Past President Jamie Sizemore. It was Jamie’s idea to get this going and she’s worked diligently for several months to see that it became a reality and that newspapers would commit to uploading.

USPS AND VALASSIS

You’ve undoubtedly read about the sweetheart deal USPS is offering to Valassis, a deal that would not be fair to the many other similar businesses that have to use the postal service for distribution. The Postal Regulatory Commission had been accepting comments, a deadline that’s now past, and Kentucky newspapers, individually or through corporate offices, were not shy about letting the PRC know of the distaste for the offer.

Bob Hendrickson, publisher of the Maysville Ledger Independent, wrote an exceptional letter to the PRC, stating well the case again. Thanx also to Rufus Friday, president and publisher of the Lexington Herald-Leader, for writing a very strong case encouraging the PRC to deny the marriage between USPS and Valassis.

Of course, the National Newspaper Association and the Newspaper Association of America have both weighed heavily into the fray. Kudos and thanx to Max Heath, Tonda Rush and Chip Hutcheson for leading the way. But NAA (the organization primarily for daily newspapers) has made its statements known as well. Here’s a report on NAA’s position:

The Newspaper Association of America called for the U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission to reject a proposed negotiated services agreement between the U.S. Postal Service and direct-mail giant Valassis, saying this special rate proposal will cause significant financial harm to newspapers throughout the country, and will not improve the financial condition of the nation’s postal system. NAA’s call was made in comments filed with the PRC, which is reviewing the NSA recently proposed by the Postal Service. NAA’s filing detailed how the proposed Valassis NSA violates the statutory and regulatory requirements under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. It specifically listed several points, including that the NSA:

• would cause unreasonable harm to the marketplace by granting Valassis unprecedented rebates and other terms that would enable and subsidize a direct attack on local newspaper advertising throughout the nation;

• would result in a net financial loss to the Postal Service by driving substantial volumes of newspaper mailings out of the mail system to lower-cost delivery services;

• is tailored so narrowly as effectively to be unavailable to any mailer other than Valassis; and,

• would confer an unreasonable rate discrimination in favor of Valassis granting this one national mailer rebates as high as 36 percent, and a rate advantage up to 72 percent lower compared with rates paid by other mailers in the system, such as local newspaper companies.

AP OFFERING FREE TRIAL FOR WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS

AP introduces new content package for weekly newspapers, websites; offers free trials to Kentucky newspapers

The Associated Press has introduced a new package of text news aimed at weekly newspapers and their websites that emphasizes the ability to select the content that most closely meets their local and real-time needs.

Called AP News Choice, the new product brings together AP’s strengths in breaking news, editorial curation and news judgment to a segment of the U.S. newspaper market that has shown increasing resilience amid economic challenges facing the wider industry.

AP is offering a free trial to Kentucky weekly newspapers. Interested newspapers should contact AP Bureau Chief Adam Yeomans at ayeomans@ap.org or 615-373-9988.

TIE A YELLOW STRING AROUND YOUR INDEX FINGER…

to remember a few things to do:

• go to www.kypress.com/nie to sign up for the 2012 KPA Fall Chapter Series, featuring Woody and Chloe in “Unleashed.” As of Wednesday afternoon, 21 newspapers are signed up to publish the Fall Chapter Series.

• go to www.kypress.com/stateparks for stories and pictures about Kentucky State Parks that you can use a travel special section, appropriate as the summer begins and people will be making vacation plans.

• go to www.kypress.com/survey and fill out the KPA Digital Assessment Survey if you haven’t already. It only takes a couple of minutes but is a survey that will be used and discussed as KPA points to the future and how it will become involved in digital needs of our members. We have 51 completed surveys and that’s really good. (We also have three who started but didn’t get past the first couple of questions and stopped.) But the 51 will help the KPA Digital Committee as it assesses where we are and where our members want to go with technology. However, it would be nice to have several more so take a couple of minutes and fill out the survey, if you haven’t already.

• about one-third of you should be watching for a letter from KPA about signing up to upload your issues to GeoTel to take part in the KPA Public Notice Project. When it arrives, please read, sign the commitment form, fax that back to KPA, and then give the instructions and “credential” slip to the individual(s) responsible for uploading the pages.

KBT INTRODUCES ITS KPA INTERN, KRISTIN RAQUE

The Kentuckians for Better Transportation is one of two KPA Associates members – the other being Kentucky Utilities – receiving an intern this summer from the Associates Division. Modeled similarly to the KPA/Kentucky Journalism Foundation internship program, public relations interns work 10 weeks during the summer with a KPA Associates member. In its online publication to members, KBT acknowledged its 2012 intern, Kristin Raque.

Introducing Kristin Raque, New KBT Intern

We are delighted to introduce a new summer Intern who will be joining us in the KBT office for 10-weeks this summer, beginning right now, until July 27.

She’s Kristin Raque.  Kristin has just completed her sophomore year at Centre College in Danville, where she is majoring in English, and her minor is Creative Writing.  Kristin graduated from Louisville’s Assumption High School in 2010, and she has a distinct interest in writing, an interest that KBT will encourage this summer. At Centre, Kristin is a member of  Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, and this Spring she served as the Recruitment Vice President.

Among dozens of other projects that Kristin will address this summer, we will ask her to visit some of our KBT members, and write an article for KBT Transportation News, each week. It should be both interesting and fun!

We should mention that we are deeply grateful to the Kentucky Press Association, who funded Kristin’s 10-week internship with a $3,000 grant. KBT feels a close sense of partnership with the Kentucky Press Association staff, along with the dozens of editors and publishers who operate daily newspapers and weekly newspapers across the Commonwealth. While most weekly newspapers are mailed in the U.S. mail to their subscribers, don’t forget that daily newspapers are delivered to your home or business.

Yes, unlike the television industry or the radio industry, the newspaper industry relies on transportation to get their product to their customers.

Kristin’s parents, Kevin and Carla Raque, live in Louisville. In the spirit of disclosure, we want to mention that Kristin’s Dad, Kevin, is a first cousin of State Representative Julie Raque Adams (Louisville). The KBT office is located in Rep. Adam’s legislative district.  We spoke with Rep. Adams after selecting Kristin to be our summer Intern, and she was unabashed in her praise for her second cousin. “Krissy will dazzle you with intellect and her inner beauty,” Rep. Adams told KBT.    

So what was Kristin’s first task?  She sorted through hundreds of old black-and-white photos from the 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s, so they can be electronically stored on a jump stick. Yes, boring, but necessary work.

Kristin will attend many KBT Legislative Committee meetings that will be held in the coming weeks, so you can meet her face-to-face, then. Kristin will also be attending the Transportation Night At The Races on Saturday, June 16, at Churchill Downs. Or, if you are in Louisville, drop by the KBT office to say ‘hi’.  And as we mentioned earlier, watch for her articles in this newsletter.

Oh, by the way, Kristin is also a pet lover. Last fall, she volunteered for CentrePAWS, and the Boyle County Humane Society in Danville. She helped organize a Halloween fundraiser for the not-for-profit organization.

Welcome to KBT, Kristin!

STILL LOOKING FOR INVESTIGATIVE FREELANCER

I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago and understand the London (England) TV producer is still looking for an investigative freelancer. If you’re interested, know of a journalist interested, please get in touch with Emma. Her contact information as below her email.

Hi David,

Thanks for speaking with me and helping me on this.

I am a Producer working from London on a new show for Discovery ID in the US. It’s a Drama Documentary about people who’ve been brainwashed and coerced into behaviour that would normally be totally out of character.

We have a story that we’re particularly interested in, but are having difficulty tracking down the people involved. The last known addresses we have for them are in Murray, Kentucky.

We would want to hire a local reporter for at least a day, possibly more- to assist us with finding them and some further research. The subject matter is sensitive, so ideally someone experienced with tricky stories/interviewees. We can negotiate a daily rate with them.

I can provide further details to any interested Journalists.

Best,

Emma

Emma SmithStory Producer

Third Floor, 13 – 21 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3LT

DL: + 44 (0) 207 456 0865 | Fax: + 44 (0) 207 456 0801

www.rawtelevision.co.uk

UK Company Reg.  4305751

VAT: 788 4624 73

KHSJA CONTEST AWARDS

David Greer has sent a release to editors about the results from the Kentucky High School Journalism Association contest. We have a contest for KHSJA member newspapers in broadcast, newspapers and yearbooks.

Here’s the text of his email to editors with the link to a list of all students/schools winning in the contest:

Editor’s Note: Students from schools in these counties won awards in the 2011-2012 journalism contest sponsored by the Kentucky High School Journalism Association: Jefferson, Ballard, Nelson, Madison, Boone, Warren, Butler, Hardin, Whitley, Crittenden, Boyle, Fleming, Clark, Graves, Fayette, Henry, Nicholas, Campbell, Oldham, McCracken, Russell, Shelby, Union and Washington counties.

Individual students and the awards they won can be found at this link: www.khsja.com/contest/results_11-12/school_index.php?y=2011-2012&s=The%20Schools

TAX REFORM COMMISSION GOES PUBLIC

The Governor’s Blue Ribbon Tax Reform Commission went to the public Tuesday with an Open Meeting in Paducah. The schedule for the remaining public comment periods was included in the May 25 Update Email to members.

The report from our lobbying partner, Southern Strategy, is available as a pdf, if you’re interested. Click here to access a copy of the report I received from Southern Strategy.

Gov’s Tax Commission notes_May 29, 2012

It was a two-hour session with each commentator given five minutes to speak their minds on tax reform.

In the comments from the public, you’ll find one from a CPA in Paducah, suggesting the commission might want to consider something like what Ilinois and Ohio has. I’ve asked my counterparts in those states – Dennis Hetzel in Ohio; Dennis DeRossett in Illinois – what these taxes mean and how they might affect newspapers.

Here are their responses:

Dennis Hetzel, Ohio — The CAT tax is a ridiculous, business-unfriendly tax based upon gross receipts. You don’t want it.

http://tax.ohio.gov/divisions/commercial_activities/index.stm

All business with gross receipts over $150K pay it.

Dennis DeRossett, Illinois — There are two separate taxes imposed on the net income of Corporations in Illinois, both calculated on the Form IL-1120.  For 2011 the rates were as follows:

Income Tax – 7%

Replacement tax – 2.5%,

so the total effective Illinois Corporate income tax rate in 2011 was 9.5%

The term “Net Replacement Tax” appears on the Illinois corporate tax return and just represents the replacement tax, less any investment credits from form IL-477 allowed against this tax.

I think the term “Replacement Tax” came from the fact this tax was imposed when Illinois repealed the Personal Property Tax.  This new tax was to “replace” the revenue stream lost by the state.

Personally it makes no sense to me to have two separate rates — other than the fact it allows Illinois to attempt to look more favorable to business because its corporate “income tax” rate is lower than other states.  Also, they can grant tax credits that apply to one of the two taxes but not both and appear to have given more than they really have.  In other words, its just a shell game.

SOUTH CAROLINA NOW TAKES CLAIM AS OLDEST

For most all of my nearly 29 years in this job, I’ve heard that the Wisconsin Newspaper Association is not just the nation’s oldest, it’s also the WORLD’s oldest. WNA lays claim to having been founded in 1853. FYI – that’s 16 years before the organizational meeting of the Kentucky Press Society, now Kentucky Press Association that took place January 13, 1869. The discussion about forming a press society in Kentucky was held in Frankfort. Only males attended.

But a discussion the last couple of days on the list serve for the Newspaper Association Managers put a curve into Wisconsin’s worldwide claim. South Carolina’s executive director Bill Rogers said South Carolina is a year older, founded in 1852. So that would also make it the world’s oldest press association. Bill gives no basis for the claim other than to say that’s what South Carolina claims.

Regardless, I think Kentucky would remain as the 10th oldest state press association.

‘UNLEASHED’

I mentioned above the 21 newspapers who have signed up for the Fall Chapter Series and thought it might be a good idea to list them. This way, if your newspaper isn’t listed, you now you haven’t signed up yet.

Messenger-Inquirer • Booneville Sentinel • Citizen Voice & Times • Lexington Herald-Leader • The Advocate-Messenger • Dawson Springs Progress • Garrard Central Record • The Gleaner • The Independent • Jessamine Journal • Kentucky Standard • Lebanon Enterprise • The Meade County Messenger • The Oldham Era • The Pioneer News • The Record • The Sentinel-Echo • The State Journal • The Wayne County Outlook • The Winchester Sun • Times Leader

MY SCHEDULE

You’re getting this early because I’ll be leaving at noon Thursday and will be back in the office on Thursday, June 7. I’m getting married Saturday, to Teresa Kraner, who used to be the GM at the Russell Register.

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