MPA eBulletin

Tri-State Committee meets in Tunica

Layne — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:06:59 +0000

The presidents of the three state press associations participating in the Tri-State Press Convention met in Tunica for an afternoon session planning the upcoming event. Pictured (from left) are MPA President Reece Terry, publisher of the Daily Corinthian; Arkansas Press Association President Barney White, publisher of the Ashley News Observer in Crossett; and Tennessee Press Association President Victor Parkins, publisher of The Mirror-Exchange in Milan. The convention kicks of June 23. Full details and registration information will be mailed to members in April and also available from the Tri-State Web site.

Sunshine Week is March 14-20

Layne — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:54:40 +0000

An annual observance promoting transparency in government is coming up and MPA will coordinate shared editorials and commentary for the use of member newspapers. Sunshine Week is March 14-20 and a number of editorials written by contributing members and FOI advocates will be available for release in the days prior.

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, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public’s right to know.

Sunshine Week is led by the American Society of News Editors and is funded primarily by a challenge grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation of Miami.

Information on the editorial series will be emailed to members in the coming days. For more information, email Layne Bruce.

Internship grants now available

Layne — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:31:59 +0000

Member newspapers who are contributors to the MPA Education Foundation are eligible to receive a grant up to $1,100 for the employment of summer interns at their newspapers. The program is funded annually by MPAEF; up to 21 grants will be awarded this year.

Members interested in applying for a summer internship can download the form here.

In 2009, 18 member newspapers participated in the program, which allows journalism, communications or media students to work at member locations for a period up to 11 weeks. As long as members employ the interns at a rate of no less than minimum wage, MPAEF contributes an additional $100 per week to help offset living and other expenses.

Deadline to apply is April 31. For more information, contact Beth Boone.

Registration open for McDavid event

Layne — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:27:05 +0000

Registration is open for college and university students attending the annual O.C. McDavid Journalism Conference later this month at the Mississippi Craft Center in Ridgeland. Around 100 students, educators and MPA members are expected to attend.

The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Will Norton and visiting Professor Michael Stricklin of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at Ole Miss. The Student Better Newspaper Contest Awards will also be presented during the program.

MPA members are invited to attend and lunch will be served. There is no registration fee. The program begins at 10 am March 25. For more information, email MPA Education Foundation coordinator Beth Boone.

Newspaper stocks rise on quarterly results

Layne — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:04:03 +0000

AP | Shares of newspaper companies rose last week, helped by a series of positive quarterly results. In the most recent round of financial reporting, publishers have generally shown that they can cut enough costs to deal with drastic declines in ad revenue. Many say they see things trending in the right direction despite an uncertain economy and online competition for ad dollars.

Saturday postal delivery back in crosshairs

Layne — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:02:00 +0000

USA Today | The U.S. Postal Service must make drastic changes to avert a projected loss of $238 billion over the next decade, including closing post office branches and raising prices, Postmaster General John Potter said Tuesday. The Postal Service also released further details about its proposal to scale back to five-day delivery, saying it wants to eliminate Saturday deliveries. The move from six days to five could save the Postal Service $3.3 billion a year, Potter said.

AP reaching direct to consumers

Layne — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:59:50 +0000

The Associated Press is setting up a division to help the news cooperative, newspapers and broadcasters sell digital products directly to readers on the next wave of Internet-connected devices such as Apple’s iPad. The AP’s chief executive, Tom Curley, announced the new business unit, called AP Gateway, during a speech Friday to the Colorado Press Association.

McDavid Conference is March 25

Layne — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:22:36 +0000

The annual O.C. McDavid Journalism Conference, sponsored by the MPA Education Foundation, will be held Thursday, March 25 from 10am-2pm at the Mississippi Crafts Center in Ridgeland.

Dr. Will Norton (right), Dean of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at Ole Miss, will be the keynote speaker.

About 100 students from journalism and communication programs at Mississippi’s universities and colleges are expected to attend. The program will culminate with the presentation of the Better Newspaper Contest – Student Division awards at 1pm. MPA members and Foundation supporters are welcome to attend; there is no registration fee and lunch will be served. The cost is underwritten by MPAEF.

This is the 11th anniversary of the conference, established in 1999 via the O.C. McDavid Memorial Fund administered by the Foundation. The event is named after the late O.C. McDavid, a former editor of the Jackson Daily News who actively pursued a second career as an artist and sculptor after retiring from journalism. Attendees receive a copy of McDavid’s autobiography, “My Name is O.C.”

For more information on the conference, email Beth Boone or call 601-981-3060.

Publisher rountable set for March 11

Layne — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:18:26 +0000

A Publishers Roundtable, sponsored by MPA and the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, will be held in Tupelo March 11, the first of a series the Association will host over the next couple of years.

MPA executive director Layne Bruce said the purpose of the sessions is to hold an open conversation between publishers and general managers concerning common goals and challenges currently facing the industry. “This program will be somewhat informal and conversational in its style,” Bruce said. “And it is open to managers at newspapers of any size; we want everyone to participate.”

SNPA has been hosting roundtables across the southeast for some time. The first Mississippi meeting will be held at the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. If successful, future sessions will be held at several other points in the state. The sessions will begin mid-morning, include lunch and adjourn by mid-afternoon so those attending will be home by the end of the work day.

“We’ll be sending invitations to publishers, owners and general managers within a couple hours drive to Tupelo,” Bruce said. “But any member is invited to these sessions.”

Invitations will be mailed to members in the next 10 days. For more information, email Bruce.

Volunteers needed for APA contest

Layne — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:11:29 +0000

MPA is looking for volunteers to help judge the Arkansas Press Association editorial Better Newspaper Contest in April. The judgings will take in two locations – April 22 in Jackson and April 23 in Grenada.

Judging sessions will begin around 9 am and end by 4 pm each day. Lunch will be provided for volunteers.

About 30 judges, 15 per location, are needed for this contest. Please consider volunteering; it is a very important component for reciprocal judging between states. If you are someone on your staff is interested in helping, please contact MPA contest coordinator Monica Gilmer.