MPA/MPS e-Bulletin

A few summer internships are still available for member newspapers who would like to apply. The internships are administered through the MPA Education Foundation.

To provide students with a hands-on experience in newspaper journalism, a stipend of $100 per week is provided to approved interns to help offset housing or use toward tuition, in addition to receiving at least minimum wage from the MS newspaper.

For more information on internships or to apply, contact Member Services Coordinator Beth Boone (bboone@mspress.org) by calling 601-981-3060.

A number of member newspapers reported possible classified scams last week, including ads soliciting prospective babysitters and seeking buyers for a motorhome. These come quick on the heels of a barrage of out-of-state ads for pedigree pets making the rounds over the past few months.

If you or your classified team suspects an ad may be bogus, contact MPA with the information. We may be able to help determine the legitimacy of the ad, as well as put you in touch with fellow members who have already dealt with similar situations.

For more information on the nature and preponderance of the pet scam ads, read this story from a November issue of the Naples Daily News.

The 2007 SNPA NIE/Literacy Conference will be held in Charleston, S.C. March 11-14 and include a full day of programming devoted to technology.

The traditional NIE Conference begins at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 11 and ends at noon Tuesday, March. 13. Topics will include NIE basics, marketing, best practices, sponsorships and more.

The new NIE & Technology Conference convenes at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 13 and runs through Wednesday, March 14. The program will focus on how newspapers use technology to add interest, efficiency and effectiveness to their NIE programs – including the use of electronic editions in the classroom.

Click here for more information and registration materials.

From the Christian Science Monitor: Following a trend at regional newspapers from Louisville, Ky., to Dallas, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which once proclaimed it “Covers Dixie like the Dew,” is the latest newspaper to retrench. The paper decided last week to cut its circulation area in half, abandoning some 70 counties in Georgia and surrounding states to focus on Atlanta’s metro area. Though it didn’t have any rural bureaus to close, media analysts say circulation often dictates news coverage.

From out-law.com: The newspaper industry has brought its financial troubles on itself, according to the chief executive of Craigslist, the company that has been accused of decimating the newspaper industry’s advertising business.

From Media Life Magazine: When media buyers grouse about placing their national clients in local newspapers, they grouse most about the higher rates those clients are charged over local advertisers. Under these premiums, a national advertiser can be socked 30 percent and sometimes more over what local advertisers must pay for the exact same ad space…But in reality, the premium is already being severely trimmed, and over time it could all but disappear.

The Tax Swap issue before the state legislature, potentially cutting grocery taxes in favor of raising them on cigarettes, will be the topic at the next Stennis Capitol Press Luncheon.

Dr. Charles Campbell and Judith Phillips will speak on “Tobacco and Food Taxation: Policy Options in Mississippi” at noon Monday, Feb. 19 at George Street Grocery in Jackson.

George Street Grocery is located at 416 George Street in Jackson (601-354-7050). The cost of the lunch is $12 and includes buffet and gratuity.

It’s not too late for circulation directors, district managers and other personnel to register for the ucpoming Southern Circulation Managers Association training event next week in Vickburg. The conference will be held Thursday, Feb. 22 and Friday, Feb. 23 at the Ameristar Casino. Click here for registration materials and more information.

Toolkits for papers participating in the observance of Sunshine Week March 11-17 are now available. Sunshine Week is a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, non-profits, schools and others interested in the public’s right to know.

From eMarketer.com: The Internet does change everything. Another barrier between media has fallen. Local television stations are now competing with local radio stations and newspaper sites for online video ad revenues.

In recent years, the newspaper industry has experienced a variety of changes. None have been more noticeable than declining profit margins. Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia now have valuable information that could help publishers reverse the downward trend.

From Editor and Publisher: When the editor heads a memo or email message to staffers “Newsroom Realignment,” you know that what follows is likely to be pretty dramatic, both in the details and the reasoning. Such was the case with such a message sent to all newsroom employees by Julia Wallace, editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Final deadline to enter MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest — Editorial Division is Tuesday at 5 p.m. If you need copies of the rules and entry forms, click here. Entries must be postmarked no later than Feb. 6 or be hand-delivered to our office by the close of business that day.

MPA still needs volunteers to help judge the Utah Press Association editorial and advertising contests. We will hold the judging at Hinds Community College in Pearl next Thursday, Feb. 8. If you or someone at your newspaper can join us for the day, please contact member services coordinator Beth Boone (bboone@mspress.org).

Our thanks to the following members for committing to participate: The Daily Leader, Vicksburg Post, The Star-Herald, Rankin County News, Clarion-Ledger, Spirit of Morton, The Northside Sun, The Carthaginian, The Daily Star, The Winona Times, Scott County Times and The Greenwood Commonwealth.

The new edition of “Bright Ideas for Sunshine Week,” the annual collection of examples from the prior Sunshine Week, is now online.

The collection from Sunshine Week 2006 features a variety of news and opinion from print, broadcast and online outlets, photos from events, creative graphic presentations, examples of student work and, new to this edition, The Big Picture, which shows how several newspapers incorporated Sunshine Week into print and online packages.

In addition to showcasing the myriad ways open government was celebrated in 2006, Bright Ideas is designed to be a source of ideas for participation in Sunshine Week 2007, March 11-17.

House Bill 1291, championed by MPA and its membership to make law enforcement incident reports public record, died in committee this week. But the language of the bill has been amended to another, HB 792, which has moved on to the full House.

NAA is launching a multi-million marketing campaign to affirm papers’ importance in the digital age and bolster their public image, which has deteriorated with decreasing ad revenues.

The National Newspaper Association is recruiting judges for its Better Newspaper Contest. NNA’s contests are mostly peer reviews judged by active community newspaper editors and publishers. NNA also taps active and retired university journalism professors and retired or former newspapermen and newspaperwomen. More information.

According to a new study released by Kubas Consultants, daily newspaper executives are expecting an uptick in advertising revenue growth this year, with estimates up to 8 percent. The report, Preview 2007, surveyed more than 200 newspaper publishers and ad directors on their expectations for advertising spending and what their strategic plans for the year entail.

From Editor and Publisher…The Hearst Corp. has recorded $330 million in losses in its investment in the San Francisco Chronicle and attempted to sell the newspaper to MediaNews Group Inc., according to court documents made public Thursday in a media antitrust case.