August 2013 Oklahoma Publisher

The Oklahoma Publisher
Official Publication of the Oklahoma Press Association
Vol. 84, No. 8
16 Pages • August 2013
www.OkPress.com
www.Facebook.com/okpress
INSIDE
NATIONAL WINNERS: Two
Oklahoma newspapers – The
Countywide & Sun and The
Hennessey Clipper – received
awards in the NNA contest.
PAGE 7
MUSEUM OPENS: Pioneer
Woman Museum in Ponca
City recently reopened with a
new exhibit featuring women
journalists.
PAGE 9
DONATE TO ONF to receive
this Will Rogers print. Details at
OkPress.com/will-rogers.
Good things come in small packages
Readers of The Cleveland
American were in for a surprise when their June 12 edition
arrived.
For the first time in its
90-plus year history, The Cleveland American was published in
a tabloid format.
For eight weeks this summer, readers got the same news
content The American has
always provided, but in a different package.
The idea began to form as
publisher Rusty Ferguson was
having trouble finding a newswriting intern for the summer
as part of Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation’s internship
program.
“All my serious leads (for a
writing intern) dissipated, so
I took a fresh look at the list
of available interns,” said Ferguson. “I saw the name Jackie
Dobson – an OSU student. Only
thing is, she was looking for a
photography internship and I
wanted a news writer.”
Ferguson decided to hire
her. With a photography intern
coming to Cleveland, Ferguson
began to think of ideas to not
only give his intern experience
and material for her portfolio,
but also to reinvigorate his passion for the paper.
“First idea: go tab for 8
weeks,” said Ferguson. “Why?
I could use a change. For 3
years now we’ve been ridiculously understaffed due to the
economy, and my motivation
to give my best – week after
week – was waning. I thought
approaching the weekly product a little differently would
help rejuvenate things around
here.”
Rusty’s father, Larry, who
ran the paper for 25 years, was
the inspiration for the ultimate
decision to switch to a tabloid.
“I remembered my dad telling me on a few occasions that
‘back in the day’ he had wanted
to print a tab version of The
American and make the front
Top: The Cleveland American’s summer look splashes across the page
with photography by intern Jackie Dobson, who attends Oklahoma
State University. Bottom: Inside pages also showcase Dobson’s
photography skills. Rusty Ferguson, publisher of The American, said
readers are enjoying the new look.
page nothing but a big photo,”
said Ferguson. “So, the more I
thought about having an intern
who is a photographer and
going tab for the summer, it all
made sense.”
The first tabloid was published June 12, accompanied
by a short column by Ferguson
explaining the change.
“I was truly pleasantly
surprised, or shocked, actually, at the positive response
we received,” said Ferguson.
“Everywhere, and I mean this
quite literally, everywhere I’d
go during the first 2 to 3 weeks
of the new tab paper, people
would stop me and not only
tell me how much they liked
the new look, but they would
explain why.”
Explanations ranged from it
being easier to read in bed to
the ads being more noticeable.
Compliments far outweighed
complaints, Ferguson said, and
some readers were wishing that
he make the tabloid a permanent format.
As for the big front-page
photo, every week Rusty and
Dobson would meet to plan
page one. Often times this
would be accompanied by a
related photo collage on page 2.
Having a staff photographer
on hand also allowed Rusty to
plan some new photo features
for the paper. This included
a travel page called “Jackie’s
Jaunts” where Dobson would
travel on short day trips to landmarks and attractions around
Cleveland and shoot pictures to
give readers ideas for day trips
they could take on their own.
One reaction Rusty received
from readers was the thought
that the paper switched to the
tabloid as a way to save money
on printing costs.
“They didn’t realize that it
was the same size paper, just
turned on its side,” said Ferguson. “Actually, all 8 issues
were 28 pages, which equals 14
broadsheet pages and we were
averaging only 12 broadsheets
pages before that...so they were
actually getting more for their
money.”
The American returned to
a standard broadsheet the first
week of August, but Rusty isn’t
sure he wants to stick with that
forever.
“Honestly, between now and
January, I will be contemplating returning to tab for the
new year,” said Ferguson. “Ideally, I’d prefer a taller tab that
offered more full-color pages,
but would have to find a new
printing location to make that
happen. So, there’s a lot to consider.”
2
The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
INK PIXELS
PAPER POWER
By OPA President JEFF MAYO,
Associate Publisher of the Sequoyah County Times
A
s I sit here writing this column, my
dog, Nemo, is working hard to
catch a fly. Ears up, mouth open,
neck extending and then CHOMP! But
the golden retriever misses. Nemo is
about nine years old and he has slowed
down over the last few years. His interest in things just isn’t what it used to be,
unless you are a fly, that is.
His ears perk back up and with eyes
focused, he CHOMPS again! And misses. And again he CHOMPS, and again
misses. Lots of effort, little perceived
improvement.
For Nemo, this is play instead of
work. His work involves lying under
my desk or patrolling the office for an
employee in need of stress reduction or
emotional reassurance. As I watch him
waste time and energy on this fly, I see
this: A member of an email newspaper
editors forum responding to a question
about how to stop a reporter from posting stories on Facebook that reflect his
own agenda: “You gotta love the way
‘employees’ find their voice on the Internet, the ‘journalism delivery system of
the future,’ as long as they keep getting
paid with print ad dollars.”
I am sure many of us have felt this
sentiment, if not about the agenda, at
least about the free news going on Facebook. It makes Facebook more valuable
to Facebook shareholders, but at best
only delivers traffic to our website.
Just like Nemo and the fly, if we are
not converting ‘fans’ to readers, is Facebook adding to the value of our newspaper? If we take all the time spent chasing
Facebook fans and used it to improve
our newspaper, what would we get?
A SMALL CHANGE
in our newspaper’s
uploading process for OPA will yield
big changes for us as OPS moves from
Arcasearch to Tecnavia to host our clipping service PDFs. The board voted
to move a few months ago. OPA members should have received an email
from Keith Burgin, manager of the clipping bureau, at the beginning of August
instructing them to change the address
they upload pages to via FTP.
This change redirects us to Tecnavia’s servers.
This ends a six-year run with Arcasearch that, when we started, put the
Oklahoma Press Service at the forefront of digital newspaper clipping. This
enabled the OPS to deliver clippings
faster and allow clients to search for
themselves, if desired.
When a reader calls to complain or
compliment(!) me for a story we published, I have gotten in the habit of
quickly searching for it either on our
website or through Arcasearch. That
way I can read the story as we talk.
There have been times where this quick
reference helped me read ahead and
be ready for the complaint during the
discussion.
The move to Tecnavia is another
large step forward. The old capabilities
will remain, but a new interface will
make searching easier and more versatile. You will be able to search on a desktop, laptop, iPad, iPhone, tablet or other
smartphone. Now when you’re sitting in
a city commission meeting and need to
look up an old article to confirm quotes
before asking a new question, you can
use your smartphone.
I have looked at other newspapers
using Tecnavia, and it has a great feature. When you click on a story, the
story is enlarged in its own box to the
right of the full newspaper page. And
you do not have to wait for the whole
page to download to read a story!
For those of us with newspapers that
do not have an active website or other
PDF edition, Tecnavia will be another
vendor to consider.
MARK AND I WILL BE STARTING our
newspaper tours this week with a trip to
northeast Oklahoma on Wednesday and
Thursday, Aug. 14 and 15.
I am excited to visit our member
newspapers and I will be reporting back
to you what I find.
Until then, keep your computer
backed up and your power bill paid.
Records decided on case-by-case basis
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission decided in July that it will determine
the release of telecommunication companies’ records on a case-by-case basis.
This was said to be in an effort to balance the interests of the consumers with
the interest of telecom firms.
The three-member commission voted
2-1 to dismiss a proposal to make a general determination about what records
would be kept confidential while still
complying with the state Open Records
Act.
Commissioner Bob Anthony cast the
“no” vote. He said that while the law
authorizes the quasi-judicial commission
to keep trade secrets and certain records
confidential, he saw nothing in the law
to authorize the commissioners to issue
protective orders to keep a company’s
proprietary information secret.
The commission uses information in
annual reports by telephone companies
to review which companies are doing
business in a particular exchange and to
determine the public utility assessment
fee for each company.
Officials say they want to comply with
the law while providing the protections
needed to sustain a competitive telecommunications market in the state.
“These are difficult, complicated
issues,” Commissioner Dana Murphy
said.
Anthony said consumers need information about a telecom’s company in
order to decide which company’s service
to use.
He also complained that the commission was moving toward keeping more
records secret.
“I think that’s not in the public interest,” Anthony said. “It’s just another way
to block information from the public.
They need to make choices.”
Oklahoma Watch applies for OPA membership
Oklahoma Watch has applied for a
sustaining membership in the Oklahoma
Press Association.
Oklahoma Watch is a nonprofit corporation that produces in-depth and investigative journalism on important public
policy issues facing the state.
The application lists the office address
as 395 W. Lindsey, Suite 3120D, Norman,
OK 73019. The phone number is (405)
325-3529.
David Fritze is executive editor of
Oklahoma Watch.
The Oklahoma Press Association
Board of Directors will vote on the application at its next meeting on Sept. 12,
2013. Any current member wishing to
object to the application of Oklahoma
Watch must do so in writing to the OPA
at 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City,
OK 73105-5499, by Sept. 4, 2013.
OPA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Complete Listing of Events at www.OkPress.com
THURS., SEPT. 26, 10 A.M. TO 4 P.M.
HYATT PLACE – AIRPORT, OKLAHOMA CITY
ONF WORKSHOP
CIRCULATION CONFERENCE
Single copy sales, home delivery, direct mail, crews and kiosks...Newspaper circulation
professionals have their own language and set of problems. Come meet with other circulation managers
and publishers to talk shop, exchange ideas and learn from one of the best in the business at an all-day
event on circulation issues and marketing promotions. Pryor Times and Claremore Daily Progress publisher
Bailey Dabney will discuss how to reach circulation goals along with OPA Postal Consultant John McCann.
Registration $35. For more information or to register, go to www.OkPress.com/events-calendar.
THURS., OCT. 10, 10 A.M. TO 4 P.M.
HYATT PLACE – AIRPORT, OKLAHOMA CITY
ONF WORKSHOP
SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING
Social media can be a great tool to increase connections with sources, bring readers to your website and
print products, and cover breaking news. This workshop will include a number of Web tool demonstrations
and handouts that offer step-by-step instructions. Even if you don’t know a lot about the Web, you can make
a difference with social media at your community paper. Tulsa World web editor Jason Collington directs
award-winning digital media products. Before being named web editor, he was web content coordinator
and a feature writer. He also teaches web and social media classes for the School of Media and Strategic
Communication at OSU. Registration $35. For more information or to register, go to www.OkPress.com/
events-calendar.
For more information on upcoming events,
visit the OPA website at www.OkPress.com or contact Member Services Director Lisa Potts
at (405) 499-0026, 1-888-815-2672 or email [email protected].
The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
Tourism Department releases sale contract
The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department recently released a
previously-deemed confidential contract
for the sale of 1,000 acres of state park
land at Lake Texoma to a private developer.
The contract was penned in 2008 by
state tourism officials with Oklahoma
City-based Pointe Vista Development
for the sale of 1,022 acres of land in lake
Texoma Sate Park that includes a public
campground with views of the lake.
Pointe Vista planned to build a fourstar hotel, water park and retail areas,
hoping to bring more tourism dollars
to the area. Progress of the project has
been at a standstill since the land was
purchased in 2008.
Until July 31, the tourism department
declined to release the document, citing
a confidentiality clause in the contract.
The Tourism Department voted at a
public meeting in 2008 to approve the
sale, but officials said the agreement
was confidential and cannot be released
without Pointe Vista’s consent.
The Oklahoma Open Records Act
states that most contracts involving taxpayer money and public land are public
documents.
“I don’t see how the state can keep
secret a contract to develop taxpayer
owned property,” said Joey Senat, an
advocate for open records with FOI
Oklahoma Inc. and an associate professor for Oklahoma State University’s
School of Media and Strategic Communications.
Pointe Vista is led by Chaparral Energy CEO Mark Fischer and former Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon. The company already finalized the
purchase of 758 acres of park land at
Lake Texoma for $14.6 million.
The additional sale of 1,022 acres of
park land to Pointe Vista that was negotiated with the Tourism Department in
2008, has yet to be finalized. Pointe Vista
has not completed an environmental
impact study required by the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers to transfer some of
the land that is owned by the federal
government.
This funding of the environmental
impact study has been a point of contention between the developer and the
state. However, Pointe Vista has finally
decided to fund the study.
“In light of our decision to fund
the environmental impact study, we
are hopeful to meet with (the Tourism Department) as soon as possible to
move the project forward,” Pointe Vista
said.
The land was sold after the Tourism
Department was faced with a range of
budget cuts and deferred maintenance
problems at Lake Texoma State Park.
The department thought a private developer creating a resort-like atmosphere
could bring more tourism to the area.
The contract states that there is a
May 2014 deadline for construction of a
hotel, however the only remedy for the
state is a clause that allows the state to
sue Pointe Vista to enforce the contract.
“Unfortunately, due to decisions
made by previous administrations – not
current state leadership or personnel
– the state has little recourse,” the Tourism Department said.
“Nevertheless, the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department and
Commissioners of the Land Office are
pressing forward, trying to find both
short- and long-term resolutions to this
protracted and difficult situation.”
Tulsa World’s long-term strategy includes layoffs
The Tulsa World announced in July
that it would be reducing its workforce
by 50 jobs. Twelve positions in the
administrative, information technology
and production departments were eliminated immediately.
“We looked at all of our expense
streams and made some hard choices
that will allow us to be as efficient
as possible in the future,’’ said World
publisher Bill Masterson. “And despite
those choices, we continue to be in a
position to provide a great product to our
readers, subscribers and advertisers.
You will see in the coming weeks and
months a more dynamic media company
because of this restructuring.”
He added that the World is also making operational changes that are consistent with widespread industry norms.
For example, circulation will develop
Tulsa World changes
comment policy
TulsaWorld.com is now allowing
comments from all readers. However,
all commenters will be required to
use their first and last name as well as
their city and state. Users also can post
comments through their Facebook
accounts. Anonymous comments are
no longer permitted.
“distribution centers” where newspapers
are picked up by carriers. This will
eliminate the need to transport bundles
of newspapers to individual drop points
throughout the region.
The World also will begin to move
toward software systems that are used
throughout the industry, rather than
creating proprietary software.
“The fact that we are separating from
some employees makes this a sad day,”
Masterson said, “but these changes are
an important part of our long-term strategy and will help to strengthen our
newspaper for decades to come.”
During this reorganization process
several positions throughout the com-
pany will be shifted to provide corporate support for BH Media Group, the
World’s parent company.
So far, positions for nine World
employees in Information Technology
were eliminated. However, they have
been transferred to BH Media. Those
employees will still be based in Tulsa.
“The Tulsa World is a franchise with
a respected history in this community,
and that is not changing,” Masterson
said.
“Our management team and our
employees are dedicated to continuing
the proud tradition of this news organization as we continue to provide service
to our community.”
Considering a sale?
W. B. Grimes & Company
has sold over 1,400 newspapers over the years
and appraised thousands of others.
Rollie Hyde handles Texas, the Southwest and Plains States
Rollie D. Hyde | 405.735.7394 | [email protected]
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3
The
Oklahoma
Publisher
ISSN 1526-811X
Official Publication of the
Oklahoma Press Association
PUBLISHER
Mark Thomas
[email protected]
EDITOR
Jennifer Gilliland
[email protected]
OPA OFFICERS
Jeff Mayo, President
Sequoyah County Times
Jeff Funk, Vice President
Enid News & Eagle
Gloria Trotter, Treasurer
The Countywide & Sun
Mark Thomas,
Executive Vice President,
Oklahoma City
OPA DIRECTORS
Jeff Shultz, Past President
The Garvin County News Star
Robby Trammell, The Oklahoman
Dayva Spitzer, Sayre Record &
Beckham County Democrat
Brian Blansett,
Shawnee News-Star
Mike Brown, Neighbor News
Ted Streuli, The Journal Record
Ray Dyer, El Reno Tribune
3601 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-5499
(405) 499-0020
Toll-Free in Oklahoma:
(888) 815-2672
www.OkPress.com
[email protected]
www.Facebook.com/OKPress
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4
The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
Owasso city councilor sues city for open records
An Owasso city councilor filed a lawsuit against the city on Aug. 6, alleging violations of the Open Meeting and
Open Records Acts.
He claims an investigative report
on a former city manager Rodney Ray
was collected from councilors at a June
executive session to sidestep state Open
Records Act inquiries.
Following an executive session at
a special meeting on June 25, the city
council approved a resignation pact for
Ray. The pact included a severance package worth $185,073. Ross was the only
councilor of five that voted against the
agreement.
Ray was suspended with pay on May
24, the same day the council ordered an
investigation into his office to look into
an undisclosed employee complaint.
Tulsa attorney Guy Fortney, who conducted the investigation of Ray, sat in
on about half of a city council executive
session on June 21. Following the meeting, City Attorney Julie Lombardi told
the Tulsa World that neither the council
nor the city has received a written report
from Fortney.
In his lawsuit, Ross alleges that the
findings of Fortney’s investigation were
distributed during the June 21 executive
session, then collected before the session’s end.
Ross also claims in his lawsuit that
Mayor Doug Bonebrake told councilors
that that was the only time the panel
would get to see the report.
“The copies of the report were gathered, in whole or in part, to permit
the City of Owasso in response to any
request of the report under the Open
Records Act, to respond `truthfully’ that
no member of its staff or city council
possessed a copy of the report,” the
lawsuit states.
The Tulsa World and Ross both
sought a copy of the report through an
Open Records Act request, which was
denied by the city. The city cited a section of the Act that says a public body
may keep personnel records secret that
“relate to internal personnel investigations, including examination and selection material for employment, hiring,
promotion, demotion, discipline or resignation...”
In his lawsuit, Ross states that the
report is not subject to the exemption
because the city doesn’t have a copy of
it in the personnel file the city maintains
for Ray.
On June 23, councilor Jeri Moberly
emailed Ross, saying “Doug (Bonebrake) and the rest of us (on the city
council)” had already decided “to do all
in our powers to keep (Ross) from disclosing (the results of Fortney’s investigation).”
Ross’ lawsuit claims that email indicates that Moberly had previously met
and/or communicated individually with
other members of the council to obtain a
consensus decision to make the results
of Fortney’s investigation confidential, in
violation of the Open Meeting Act.
Judge orders town of Disney to release requested records
A Disney resident recently won a lawsuit against the town of Disney for the
release of Open Records.
Ron Coats filed the lawsuit in January,
alleging the town had denied him access
to records that are, by law, public.
He requested records from the Disney Fire Department, which are kept
and can only be obtained at the Disney
City Hall.
Coats is seeking records from several
area towns as well.
He claims his request to the Osage
Fire Department uncovered a $26,000
embezzlement.
The records he requested usually
include budget information, personnel
information, run sheets and gas logs.
Disney Mayor Judy Barger said Coats
originally requested fire department
records, but later asked for city records.
“They are all there, we’ve done nothing wrong,” said Barger. “We’ve only got
one clerk and he requested five years
worth of records and it takes a while to
gather them up.”
Barger also said the town clerk made
copies of some of the records Coats
requested but he never showed up to
retrieve them.
According to the Open Records Act,
“A public body must provide prompt,
reasonable access to its records but may
establish reasonable procedures which
protect the integrity and organization of
its records and prevent excessive disruption of its essential function.”
Barger also said some of the records
Coats was requesting contained sensitive information like Social Security
numbers and that the city would need
time to make a plan for records with
sensitive information.
On Aug. 4, the judge ruled in favor of
Ron Coats.
NewsOK receives first Emmy award
Purcell proceeds with annexation
NewsOK.com took home its first
Emmy award in July.
The Heartland Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced the results of its 2013
Emmy Awards Competition on July 13
at the University of Central Oklahoma’s
Nigh Center in Edmond.
NewsOk.com received its Emmy in
the Commercial-Single Spot Division for
The fight between Purcell and
Goldsby for unincorporated land along
Interstate 35 ended Friday when three
Purcell City Council members voted to
annex the property.
Six years ago, the two municipalities
both vied to annex the property. Purcell
officials staked their annexation claim
through a legal notice in The Oklahoman.
After the notice ran in an Oklahoma
City paper, Goldsby sued Purcell.
The case made it all the way to
the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals,
which in 2010 upheld a McClain County
District Court ruling against Purcell.
Purcell City Manager Dale Bunn
a commercial titled “Thunder Coverage:
Pictures in Motion.”
Kyle Roberts, NewsOK.tv’s video editor/animator, accepted the honor for
NewsOK. He was the lead editor and
animator on the video.
In addition to Roberts, photographers
for The Oklahoman had a large part in
the award, as well as David Morris and
the rest of the NewsOK video team.
NEWSPAPER BROKERS, APPRAISERS, CONSULTANTS
Serving the Newspaper Industry Since 1966
When the time comes to explore the
sale of your community newspaper,
you can count on us. We offer
decades of experience and a
record of success in community
newspaper sales.
Community newspapers still have
good value. If you’re ready to sell,
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(580) 421-9600 • [email protected]
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(417) 336-3457 • [email protected]
NATIONAL EDIA
A SSOC IATES
www.nationalmediasales.com
said the city followed proper legal procedure this time by publishing two
legal notices for the proposed annexation in The Purcell Register.
Officials in both towns say they
sought annexation into their respective
municipalities at the request of citizens
living in the area to be annexed.
Goldsby Town Clerk Virgie Andrews
said the Goldsby town board received a
petition from “several people” requesting to be annexed by the town.
City council members in Purcell
were given documents showing that all
the landowners whose property was to
become part of Purcell supported the
city’s action.
LEGAL ADVICE
is just one of the benefits of being a member of the Oklahoma Press
Association’s Legal Services Plan. Remove the worry of needing
professional advice by enrolling today. For more information contact:
OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION’S
LEGAL SERVICES PLAN
1-888-815-2672 or 405-499-0020
The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
5
PROMOTIONS, NEW HIRES
ADA NEWS
Dan Marsh is the new editor at The
Ada News. He is a 25-year veteran of the
newspaper industry.
He has experience working for papers
in Texas and Arkansas and began his
newspaper career at age 19 as a reporter
while still in college.
“My belief is that nothing matters
more than local news,” said Marsh.
“I also happen to believe, even more
strongly, that the newspaper should
reflect positively on the community it
serves.“
THE ARDMOREITE
The Ardmoreite recently hired Lynn
and Brenda Adams as the paper’s new
managing editor and advertising director, respectively.
Lynn graduated from Waurika High
School and from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1978 with a journalism degree. He started his career at
newspapers in Oklahoma City, Edmond
and Richardson, Texas. He also worked
in the advertising industry and at the
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences
Center. He then worked for a daily
newspaper in Ohio. Lynn and his wife,
Brenda, then owned and published Our
Community, a weekly newspaper in London, Ohio.
Lynn has been a recipient of awards
from Associated Press in Ohio, the
Texas Press Association and the South
Texas Press Association.
Brenda is a Chickasha native. She
graduated from Chickasha High School
in 1973 and started an internship with
the Chickasha Express that same year.
She earned a degree in communications
from the University of Science and Arts
of Oklahoma. Though her career started
on the editorial side, she changed her
focus to advertising and publishing. She
has worked as an advertising consultant
as well as a workshop presenter for a
number of state press associations.
Brenda also served as advertising
manager for newspapers in several
states, garnering a number of awards.
“The addition of Lynn and Brenda
Adams brings a wealth of experience
and new ideas to The Ardmoreite management team,” said Kim Benedict, Ardmoreite publisher.
BROKEN ARROW LEDGER
John A. Ferguson is the Broken
Arrow Ledger’s new news editor. He
moves to the Ledger after 35 years with
the Tulsa World.
Ferguson has experience covering
the area, having worked on the World’s
BA-Coweta section for several years.
“Covering a thriving city will be a
pleasant challenge,” said Ferguson.
“Broken Arrow has much to offer and
my job will be to see that it’s covered in
a fair manner.”
ENID NEWS & EAGLE
Dale Denwalt has joined the Enid
News & Eagle as a city reporter.
Before his time in Enid, Denwalt
spent two years as news editor of The
Daily Elk Citian.
In his new position, Denwalt will primarily cover city government issues.
He has already filled the role of
an investigative reporter for his work
uncovering questionable credit card
charges at a regional council of governments and for investigating a client’s
death at Northern Oklahoma Resource
Center of Enid.
THE LAWTON CONSTITUTION
Blake Colston was recently hired by
The Lawton Constitution as a sports
writer.
Colston began his journalism career
as the sports editor for The Elk City
Daily News. He briefly worked at the
Piedmont-Surrey Gazette before taking
the position with the Constitution.
“I’ve gotten plenty of different
responses from people when I tell them
I’m moving to Lawton, but mine has
stayed the same,” said Colston. “I’m
excited to be a part of the Lawton sports
scene. I’ve followed Lawton sports since
I was young and have always been
impressed with the amount of talent that
the town produces.”
NOWATA PRINTING
Nowata Printing, a division of Community Publishers Inc., has named
David E. Guay as director and senior
executive for Nowata Printing.
Guay is a 24-year veteran of the newspaper and commercial print industry. He
has held multiple positions with Howard
Publications, Community Newspaper
Holdings Inc. (CNHI) and Lee Enterprises, Inc. He was director of production and operations in upstate New York
and Kentucky for Howard, and production director for CNHI at Triangle Press
in southeast Texas.
Guay has a degree from State University of New York/Empire Sate College.
Nowata Printing operates three commercial printing facilities at Nowata,
Okla., Springfield, Mo., and in a partnership with Rust Communications in
Harrison, Ark.
PIEDMONT/OKARCHE
Evan Grice, former assistant sports
editor at The Duncan Banner, has
taken a position as sports editor at the
Piedmont-Surrey Gazette and Okarche
Chieftain.
Grice began his career as a sports
writer for The Prairie at West Texas
A&M University in Canyon, Texas, in
August 2010.
He started working at the Canyon
News in November 2010.
Grice joined The Duncan Banner
staff in August 2011 before moving to
Piedmont/Okarche.
“I would be lying if I didn’t say
that I’m beyond excited to be in Piedmont with this opportunity,” said Grice.
“All I’ve heard about this community is
great things whether it’s the people, the
school or the athletic programs.”
SAND SPRINGS LEADER
Kirk McCracken has been promoted
to managing editor of the Sand Springs
Leader. He was formerly the paper’s
sports editor.
McCracken has worked with Neighbor News for five years.
In 2008, McCracken was hired as
news editor of the Mannford Eagle. He
was promoted to sports editor of the
Sand Springs Leader in 2010.
He began his journalism career in
2000 as a sports writer at the Sapulpa
Daily Herald. There he won multiple
Associated Press Awards. He left in 2007
as the most decorated sports writer in
the paper’s history.
He won four Oklahoma Press Association awards in his first year at the
Mannford Eagle.
McCracken said he wants to make
sure the Leader is accurate in its depiction of the town and its people.
“I understand the importance of
reporting crime, politics, religion, sports
and education and there are so many
stories to be told. I’m ready to get started,” McCracken said.
SEQUOYAH COUNTY TIMES
Carrie Carberry is the new advertising manager at the Sequoyah County
Times. She comes to the Times from
The Duncan Banner, where she had
served as advertising and marketing
director since 2011.
She has been in the newspaper business for more than two decades, starting
at the High Plains Journal in Dodge City,
Kan.. She then spent 10 years with the
Poteau Daily News as advertising and
marketing director, and assistant to the
publisher.
She claims at some point in her career
she has assisted in every department in
a newspaper from circulation and distribution to layout/design and all duties in
between.
“Carrie brings a wealth of experience
and new ideas to the table for us and we
could not be more excited to welcome
her to our team,” said Jeff Mayo, associate publisher and general manager.
TULSA WORLD
Tulsa World publisher Bill Masterson
announced at the end of July that Wayne
Greene has been promoted to lead the
Tulsa World’s editorial team after the
retirement of former editorial page editor David Averill.
Ultimately, Masterson said he decided to promote from within.
Greene joined the World in 1987 after
spending nearly a year as business editor of the Enid Morning News.
In the more than 25 years since he
started at the World, he has been a
police reporter, covered state government and worked as city editor from
1995 to 2008. He spent a stint as editorial
writer before returning to the newsroom
in 2011 as senior writer.
“The Tulsa World’s editorial section
is going to reflect its community, engage
its readers, and lead,” said Greene in his
introductory column.
Executive Editor Joe Worley and
Managing Editor Susan Ellerbach will
also be joining the editorial board.
Also joining the World staff as its new
controller is Martin Reese, a longtime
corporate accountant. Reese previously
spent 12 years as regional controller for
BH Media Group’s North Carolina Community Group.
“We are extremely pleased to add
Martin to our management team at the
Tulsa World,” said Masterson.
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OKPANOW2013
6
The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
OPA/OPS Board covers variety of topics at June meeting
The Oklahoma Press Association
Board of Directors met at 10:30 a.m.
on June 13, 2013, at the Reed Center in
Midwest City.
Officers attending were president Jeff
Shultz, Garvin County News Star; vice
president Jeff Mayo, Sequoyah County
Times; and treasurer Gracie Montgomery, The Purcell Register.
Directors attending were past president Rusty Ferguson, The Cleveland
American; Jeff Funk, Enid News &
Eagle; Robby Trammell, The Oklahoman; Dayva Spitzer, Sayre Record &
Beckham County Democrat; Brian Blansett, Shawnee News-Star; Mike Brown,
Neighbor News; and Ted Streuli, The
Journal Record.
Guests at the meeting were treasurer
nominee Gloria Trotter, The Countywide & Sun, and director nominee Ray
Dyer, El Reno Tribune. Staff members
present were executive vice president/
secretary Mark Thomas; member services director Lisa Potts; and clipping
manager Keith Burgin.
Shultz called the meeting to order and
asked board members to review minutes
of the April 4, 2013, meeting. The minutes were approved as presented.
In a review of the OPA and LSP financial statements, Thomas said OPA professional service legal fees were higher
due to an amicus brief filed in support of
the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise’s
video case. The board acknowledged
receipt of the OPA and LSP financial
statements and investment reports, and
the consolidated cash report.
Board members also reviewed and
acknowledged receipt of year-end projections for FY 2012-13.
The current list of 45 sustaining members and 12 associate members was
reviewed at the meeting. For-profit sustaining members pay annual dues of
$400; non-profit sustaining members pay
$200; and associate (retired) members
pay $65.
A list of dues amounts for the 189 OPA
business members also was reviewed.
OPA is in the fourth year of a five-year
plan to change the dues structure of
OPA. The dues structure is now the cost
of a full-page of advertising at the local
rate, plus 2 percent of net ad payments
sent to the newspaper in the previous
calendar year. To help members financially adjust to the new dues formula,
the board spread the increased cost over
multiple years.
The board also considered the sustaining membership application of eType
Services. The company is a vendor
providing digital newspaper websites
for community newspapers. The protest period to object to the application
ends on July 22. The board unanimously
approved eType Services’ membership
application pending a successful completion of the protest period.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
In the Education Committee report,
Spitzer reviewed the annual convention schedule, budget and amount of
sponsorships. Potts said attendance was
expected to fall below 300 for the second year because college students are
not able to attend the convention in the
summer. However, the number of full
convention registrations increased compared to last year.
Trammell called on Thomas for
the Government Relations Committee
report. Thomas reviewed the status of
bills at the conclusion of the 2013 legislative session, which ended in May.
In the Legal Services Plan Committee report, Brown reviewed the current
cases and the plan’s finances. Thomas
said all LSP members renewed and paid
membership dues for the 2013-14 plan
year.
Funk reported that the Marketing
Committee discussed two house ad campaigns to promote newspaper advertising – power for business and value to
readers.
In other business, Shultz thanked outgoing past president Ferguson and outgoing treasurer Montgomery for their
many years of service to OPA and OPS.
OPS BOARD MEETING
President Shultz called the meeting
to order at 11:42 a.m. Board members
approved the minutes of the April 4,
2013, meeting. Receipt of the financial
statements for the period ending April
30, 2013, and a summary of 2012-13
year-end projections were reviewed and
acknowledged by the board.
Thomas submitted a written request
for the purchase of new computer equipment including a server, nine computer
stations and corresponding software.
Thomas also said staff email will be
moving to an online cloud system. The
board approved the capital expenditure
request.
Board members reviewed the DidNot-Run Advertising Report for March
to May 2013, showing 90 DNRs from 54
newspapers in the amount of $12,693.07.
The board also discussed the OPS clipping department’s proposal to change its
provider from Arcasearch to Tecnavia.
Thomas said Tecnavia would convert
the clipping department’s approximately 2.5 million searchable images, with
fees payable over a three-year period.
The normal monthly fee would be paid
to Arcasearch while Tecnavia creates
the new system. After further discussion, the board unanimously approved a
motion to enter a contract with Tecnavia,
and agreed to pay a transition fee to
Arcasearch.
Booher elected to serve second term as ONF president
The Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation Board of Trustees met on June 13,
2013, at the Reed Center in Midwest City.
Officers attending were president
Steve Booher, Cherokee Messenger &
Republican; vice president Ray Lokey,
Johnston County Capital-Democrat; and
treasurer Gracie Montgomery, The Purcell Register.
Trustees attending were Terry Clark,
University of Central Oklahoma; Sean
Dyer, El Reno Tribune; Carolyn Estes,
Oologah Lake Leader; Rusty Ferguson,
Cleveland American; John Hruby, Marlow Review; Derek Manning, Daily Elk
Citian; John D. Montgomery, Purcell
Register; Tom Muchmore, Ponca City
News; Wayne Trotter, Countywide &
Sun; Barbara Vice, Drumright Gusher;
Barb Walter, Hennessey Clipper; Joe
Worley, Tulsa World; Rod Serfoss, Clinton Daily News; Jeff Shultz, Garvin
County News Star; and Mike Strain,
Tulsa World. Three trustees were absent
– Kim Noe-Lehenbauer, Norman Transcript; Stu Phillips, Seminole Producer;
and Jerry Quinn.
Staff attending was executive vice
president-secretary Mark Thomas and
member services director Lisa Potts.
Booher called the meeting to order
and asked the board to review minutes of
the Nov. 15, 2012, meeting. The minutes
were approved as presented.
The board reviewed financial statements, expense summaries, investment
report and donation report for the period ending April 30, 2013. The board
acknowledged receipt of the financial
statements as presented.
ONF officers were elected at the
meeting. Booher was nominated to serve
a second one-year term as president and
Lokey to serve a second one-year term
as vice president. The nominations were
unanimously approved.
The board also reviewed year-end projections for 2012-13. Thomas said ONF
began spending its funds several years
ago in an effort to build up programs and
stimulate donations. To reduce spending in the coming fiscal year, Thomas
recommended several changes including eliminating $1,500 to OU, OSU and
UCO students in financial need, and
eliminating sponsorships of FOI Oklahoma’s First Amendment Congress and
the Oklahoma City Gridiron. Efforts will
focus on internships, scholarship and
educational programs, as well as requesting donations of dollars and advertising
space. The board unanimously approved
the recommended changes.
To raise funds for the foundation, the
board discussed the Pages for Tomorrow advertising space donation program. After further discussion, the board
approved asking members to donate four
quarter-page ads during a one-year period, allowing the ads a two-week window
in which to publish each ad.
In Activity Reports, trustees reviewed
a calendar of completed and pending
workshops planned by the education
committee.
Board members reviewed the ONF
Internship Program. A grant from the
Ethics and Excellence in Journalism
Foundation funded 18 internship positions for 2012-13. Additional positions
were funded by ONF to guarantee the
success of the program. Potts said 21
interns are currently working at OPA
member newspapers. Potts also said a
grant application to the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation for the
2013-14 internship year would be submitted June 17.
The ONF Scholarship Committee
reviewed the 13 applications received for
ONF’s $1,500 scholarships and to select
the three recipients for 2013-14. Scholarships were awarded to Kyle Hinchey
and Murphy Mitchell, Oklahoma State
University, and Susanna Waite, Oklahoma City University. Two applications
were received for the Bob and Marion
Breeden University of Oklahoma Student Aid Fund $1,000 scholarship. The
scholarship was awarded to Joey Stipek.
Journalism school student aid funds
were established for journalism students attending OU, OSU and UCO.
These funds will not be made available
to the three colleges in 2013-14 per the
board’s vote to decrease expenses. In
2012-13, OSU used its $500 to fund travel
expenses for nine O’Collegian students
to attend the ACP/CSPA national convention. UCO and OU used none of their
student funds.
In other business, Booher said the
next meeting of the ONF Board of Trustees would be held Nov. 14, 2013, at the
OPA office.
The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
OPA members receive awards
in national newspaper contest
Two Oklahoma newspapers received
honors in the National Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.
The Countywide & Sun, a weekly
newspaper in Tecumseh, and The Hennessey Clipper both placed in the national contest.
Wayne Trotter, co-publisher of The
Countywide & Sun, received second
place in the Best Humorous Column
event with his entry titled “Sure, Elvis is
really dead – but so is Siri.” “Just a fun
read,” the judges commented. Trotter
also received honorable mention in the
Best Editorial event with his entry “Just
Fix It.” The judges said Trotter made
good points and his arguments were
presented logically.
Barb Walter, co-publisher of The Hennessey Clipper, received third place in
the Best Humorous Column event. Walter’s entry was titled “Husband brings
home another girl friend.” One judge
commented, “We love our cats. Nice
going.”
All winners in the NNA’s Better
Newspaper Contest and Better Newspaper Advertising Contest will be recognized on Sept. 14 during NNA’s 127th
Annual Convention & Trade Show at the
Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix.
There were 1,777 entries in the Better Newspaper Contest and 375 entries
in the Better Newspaper Advertising
Contest for a total of 2,152 entries. A
total of 544 awards were won by 140
member newspapers in 41 states.
Judging was performed primarily by
active community newspaper editors
and publishers and included retired
university journalism professors and
retired or former newspaper men and
women.
Miami News-Record building for sale
The building housing the Miami
News-Record has been placed on the
real estate market.
Rick Rogers, regional operations
director for the Oklahoma/Kansas
region of American Consolidated Media,
parent company of the News-Record,
said the newspaper and its website are
not for sale — only the building. The
decision to put the building on the market and look for new office space was
based on the needs of employees.
Currently, said Rogers, the NewsRecord staff only uses a little more than
half of the building’s square footage.
“With today’s technology, many of
the job functions that required large
amounts of square footage a decade or
so ago now can be done with a small
desk and a laptop, or even remotely in
the field using an iPad and a wi-fi hot
spot or a cell connection,” Rogers said.
“Today, our reporters no longer need
to spend hours in the office filing their
stories for the print and digital editions.
Now they can do so using mobile technology. Jim Ellis, our sports editor, is a
great example of how using an iPad has
changed his job functions.”
In addition to the News-Record, ACM
also owns the Grove Sun, Delaware
County Journal and Cherokee County
News-Advocate in Oklahoma.
ACM owns and operates more than
80 publications and websites in nine
states.
Phoenix is destination city for
NNA’s convention & trade show
The National Newspaper Association
will hold its 127th Annual Convention &
Trade Show in Phoenix, Ariz., on Sept.
12-15, 2013.
The event will be held at the Arizona
Grand Resort & Spa, an all-suite, AAA
Four-Diamond property situated on the
doorstep of South Mountain Preserve.
Rob Curley from the Orange County
Register will be the keynote speaker. He
will address attendees during the Opening Breakfast and Flag Ceremony on
Friday, Sept. 13.
Curley has a great passion for community journalism and will send you
away with lots of new ideas.
In addition to a great lineup of top-
ics ranging from legal issues to how to
reach the new generation of consumers,
there’s also the annual exhibit hall featuring services geared to the newspaper
industry.
There’s also plenty of time for entertainment including the Friday Night
Extravaganza.
Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the
U.S. and has much to experience from
the Desert Botanical Garden to Camelback Mountain.
For more information about the convention or to register and make your
hotel reservation, visit NNA’s website at
www.nnaweb.org.
7
OSAE presents awards
to Thomas and Burgin
The Oklahoma Society of
Association Executives presented its Key Award to Mark
Thomas, executive director of
the Oklahoma Press Association, at the group’s 50th Anniversary Gala on July 8.
The Key Award recognizes
a significant event or contribution that benefits either the
association community or the
community in general.
Keith Burgin, director of
clipping/archives for Oklahoma Press Service, also was
MARK THOMAS
KEITH BURGIN
honored at the event. Burgin
received the Excellence in
department and was later promoted to
Innovation Award.
Thomas worked for seven years as his current position.
Oklahoma Society of Association
assistant advertising manager at OPA.
Executives
was established in 1963 to
He then accepted the position of execuunite
association
professionals in the
tive director of the Colorado Press
State
of
Oklahoma.
Association where he served from 1989
Today, OSAE has a diverse memberto 1995. He returned to Oklahoma in
ship
sharing the common goal of excel1995 to lead OPA.
lence
in association management.
Burgin joined the OPA staff in 2009
as an assistant in the creative services
8
The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
THE OGE
PHOTO
CONTEST
JUNE 2013 DAILY WINNER:
KYLE PHILLIPS
The Norman Transcript
Members of the Moore Medical Center staff embrace as they tour the damaged building the morning
before it is demolished.
JUNE 2013 WEEKLY WINNER:
Photo by KYLE PHILLIPS,The Norman Transcript, June 6, 2013
TRAVIS AKEHURST
The Delaware County Journal
ENTER AND WIN A $100 CHECK
FROM OGE ENERGY CORP.
The June 2013 contest was judged by a member of
the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
OGE/OPA PHOTO CONTEST RULES
• To be eligible for the contest, photographers must be staff members
of an OPA member newspaper and photos must have been published.
Photographers may enter one photo per month.
• Include name of photographer, name of newspaper, photo cutline and
date photo was published. Email your photo in electronic format (TIF or
JPG, 200 dpi or higher) to [email protected].
• All entries for the previous month must arrive at the OPA office by the
15th of the month. Winners will receive a Certificate of Achievement and
the photo will be published in The Oklahoma Publisher. Sweepstakes
winners will receive a plaque and have photo published in The Publisher.
View contest rules and all winning photos at
www.OkPress.com/OGE-Photo-Contest
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The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
9
Museum honors women journalists
Scenes from Breaking News: Women in Oklahoma Journalism exhibit at the reopened
Pioneer Woman Museum in Ponca City. Photos by Rolf Clements, The Ponca City News.
The Pioneer Woman Museum in
Ponca City reopened last month after
undergoing several months of remodeling.
The museum was closed to the public in January of this year to begin the
approximately $200,000 project. This is
the first time the museum has been
updated since its expansion in 1998.
The remodeling project was funded
by the Oklahoma Historical Society,
Friends of the Pioneer Woman Statue
and Museum, Inc., and the Gaylord
Family Foundation.
The remodeled museum features
a new exhibit called Breaking News:
Women in Oklahoma Journalism.
The exhibit features biographies and
photos of 35 women journalists who
have had an impact on Oklahoma and
the world of journalism.
“Most of the women that we focused
on were chosen for their longevity or
significant contribution to journalism,”
said Larry O’Dell, OHS special projects
director. “We consulted with the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, The Oklahoman, and the Tulsa World, as well as
our own knowledgeable staff, notably
Oklahoma Historical Society Executive
Director Dr. Bob Blackburn.”
Those honored in the display include:
Louise Abercrombie, a reporter for
the Ponca City News for 45 years.
Gerry Bonds, a longtime fixture of
the Oklahoma City news media.
Becky Dixon, one of the first females
to report national sports stories for ABC
and the Wide World of Sports.
Pam Henry, the first female news
anchor at WKY-TV, Channel 4 in Oklahoma City.
Joyce Jackson, an African American
woman who broke barriers to establish
a successful career in television in Oklahoma City during the 1970s.
Karen Keith, a 26-year television
news veteran.
Carole Lambert, a Tulsa newswoman
who anchored KTUL, Channel 8 news
for more than 30 years.
Pam Olson, the first woman primetime anchor in Oklahoma City, who then
moved to jobs at CNN and CBS News.
Glenda Silvey, who worked at Tulsa’s
KOTV for 21 years and helped to promote Tulsa’s artistic environment.
Bella Shaw began her career as a TV
reporter in Oklahoma and now works
for CNN.
Vivian Vahlberg, a 40-year journalism
veteran who has worked for newspapers
across the country.
Other women featured in the exhibit
are Ann Marie DeFrange, Beth Rengel,
Billie Rodely, Carole Lambert, Clara
Luper, Drusilla Dunjee Huston, Edith
Kinney Gaylord, Elva Shartel Ferguson,
Freda Ameringer, Ida B. (Blackburn),
Ivy Mae Coffey, Jane Jayroe, Janet Pearson, Jennifer Reynolds, Julie Del Cour,
Kelly Dyer Fry, Linda Cavanaugh, Lola
Hall, Malvina Stephenson, Mary Jo Nelson, Mary Kay Dyer, Ora Eddleman, Sue
Hale, Susan Ellerbach, Teresa Black and
Wauhillau Lahay.
The idea for the project came from
Dr. Bob Blackburn, who is executive
director of the Oklahoma Historical
Society and is part of a larger OHS focus
on more modern history.
“The Oklahoma Historical Society has
recently been focusing on 20th century
history and more pop culture exhibits
as the Society gears up for the proposed
OKPOP museum in Tulsa,” said O’Dell.
“The multitude of successful women
journalists inspired the OHS to start
gathering this part of our history, which
hopefully will be expanded in the new
museum.”
The project also included a reorganization of space within the museum’s
lobby area, an updated gift shop, textile
arts demonstration, new ceilings and
two new exhibit gallery areas that feature displays on the history of the Ponca
City area.
The Pioneer Woman Museum is locat-
ed at 701 Monument Road in Ponca City.
Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday through Saturday. Admission
is $4 for adults, $3.50 for seniors, $1 for
students. Children under 6 are free. For
more information about the museum,
visit the website at pioneerwomanmuseum.com, phone (580) 765-6108 or email
[email protected].
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10
The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
OPS ADVERTISING INSERTION ACCURACY
Oklahoma Press Association recognizes the 139 business member newspapers
that successfully ran all ads placed by Oklahoma Press Service
for the second quarter of 2013 (April through June).
Congratulations for a job well done.
The Ada News
The (Afton) American
The Anadarko
Daily News
The (Barnsdall) Bigheart
Times
Bartlesville ExaminerEnterprise
The (Beaver) HeraldDemocrat
The (Bethany) Tribune
(Bixby) South County
Leader
The Blanchard News
The Bristow News &
Record-Citizen
Broken Bow News
The Canton Times
The Carnegie Herald
The Chelsea Reporter
Cherokee Messenger &
Republican
The Cheyenne Star
Choctaw County Times
Choctaw Times
Claremore Daily
Progress
Clayton Today
The Cleveland American
Collinsville News
The Comanche County
Chronicle
Cordell Beacon
Coweta American
Cushing Citizen
The Davis News
The Delaware County
Journal
Drumright Gusher
The (Eakly) Country
Connection News
The Edmond Sun
The Ellis County Capital
Enid News & Eagle
The Eufaula Indian
Journal
The Fairfax Chief
The Freedom Call
Garfield County
Legal News
The Garvin County
News Star
The Grove Sun
Guthrie News Leader
Guymon Daily Herald
The Haskell News
The Healdton Herald
The Hennessey Clipper
Henryetta Free-Lance
The Hooker Advance
The Hughes County
Times
Hugo Daily News
(Idabel) Southeast Times
Inola Independent
Johnston County
Capital-Democrat
The Kingfisher Times
& Free Press
Kiowa County Democrat
The Konawa Leader
Latimer County
News-Tribune
Latimer County Today
The (Laverne) Leader
Tribune
The Lawton Constitution
The (Lawton) County
Times
OKLAHOMA PRESS
The Lincoln County
News
The Logan County
Courier
The Lone Grove Ledger
The Madill Record
Mangum Star-News
Marietta Monitor
McIntosh County
Democrat
McCurtain Daily Gazette
The Meeker News
The Mooreland Leader
The Mountain View News
Muskogee Phoenix
Mustang News
Mustang Times
The Newcastle Pacer
The Newkirk Herald
Journal
The Norman Transcript
Northwest Oklahoman &
Ellis County News
Nowata Star
The Okarche Chieftain
The Okeene Record
Okemah News Leader
The (Oklahoma City)
Black Chronicle
The (Oklahoma City)
Capitol Hill Beacon
The (Oklahoma City)
City Sentinel
Oklahoma City Friday
The (Oklahoma City)
Journal Record
The (Oklahoma City)
Oklahoman
3601 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahomaa City, OK 73105
(405) 499-0020 • ww
ww.OkPPress.com
m
Oologah Lake Leader
Owasso Reporter
Pauls Valley Democrat
The Pawnee Chief
The Perkins Journal
Perry Daily Journal
The Piedmont-Surrey
Gazette
The Ponca City News
The Prague TimesHerald
The (Pryor) Paper
The (Pryor) Times
The Purcell Register
The Ringling Eagle
The Rush Springs
Gazette
The Ryan Leader
Sand Springs Leader
Sentinel Leader
Sequoyah County Times
The Shawnee News-Star
The (Shidler) Review
Skiatook Journal
Spiro Graphic
Stigler News-Sentinel
Stilwell Democrat-Journal
Stroud American
Sulphur Times-Democrat
Talihina American
Taloga Times-Advocate
The (Tecumseh)
Countywide & Sun
Thomas Tribune
The Tonkawa News
Tulsa Beacon
Tulsa Business &
Legal News
The (Tulsa) Oklahoma
Eagle
Tulsa World
The Tuttle Times
The Valliant Leader
Vian Tenkiller News
The Vici Vision
Vinita Daily Journal
Wagoner Tribune
The Walters Herald
Watonga Republican
Weatherford Daily News
The Westville Reporter
(Westville) Weekly
Express
The Wewoka Times
The Wilson PostDemocrat
Woods County Enterprise
Woodward News
The Wynnewood Gazette
Yukon Review
New editor plans
to boost paper’s
social profile
The Tahlequah Daily Press has created a new position to expand its social
media footprint.
Sheri Gourd has joined the newspaper and its website, tahlequahdailypress.com, as multimedia editor. One of
her primary responsibilities will be to
act as gatekeeper for the Daily Press’s
social media platforms.
Gourd said she was introduced to
social media in 2005, after she and her
husband, Kris, moved to Tahlequah.
As she learned more about other
social media platforms, she began
volunteering to help community organizations boost their profiles on social
media.
She’s acted as a volunteer administrator for the “In Tahlequah” Facebook
page; served on the board of Tahlequah
Mainstreet to help increase its web
presence; served four years on the
Tahlequah Recreational Soccer Club
Board assisting with social media; and
started Facebook and Twitter pages for
The Northeastern, the local university’s
student publication.
Engaged in the Facebook community since 2009, Tahlequah Daily Press
boasts nearly 7,200 “likes” on its page
at facebook.com/tdpress. Recently it
added Twitter (@TahlequahTDP) to its
social media arsenal.
Gourd said Twitter is especially
important because of its immediacy.
“It’s more about micro-blogging in
short bursts, and it’s great for news
updates,” she said. “The demographics
for social media vary, so with a variety
of sources, we’re getting a better reach
into the community and the world.”
Most recently, TDP established a
presence on Instagram and Pinterest,
and Gourd will be brainstorming with
other staff members on how to most
effectively use these sites.
When Publisher David Compton
took the helm in February, he brought
with him the understanding that newspapers must evolve to survive in today’s
rapidly-changing media environment –
and that means offering several ways of
engaging readers.
“Our ultimate goal is to engage readers where they are most comfortable.
Sheri has a proven track record of
community involvement and branding
through social media and digital platforms,” said Compton.
“We are glad to have her on our
team as we continue to be the leader
in Tahlequah and Cherokee County for
news, information and marketing.”
The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
Learn how to keep subscribers at Circulation Conference
One of the major questions newspapers ask is how circulation managers can
make subscriptions grow and preserve
reader loyalty. Getting a new subscriber
is only half the job.
At Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation’s Circulation Conference, “Ideas
That Deliver,” Bailey Dabney will explain
how to keep subscribers.
“I’ll start with a session that will
include cost justifications, some content
and social networking, a little about price
increases and relationship building with
your market,” Dabney said.
The conference will be held Thursday, Sept. 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Hyatt
Place-OKC Airport, 1818 S. Meridian in
Oklahoma City.
The workshop gives you an opportunity to meet with other industry profes-
sionals from all over the state to discuss
circulation problems and solutions.
The day starts with an idea exchange
roundtable where attendees can show
off their own successful direct marketing, telemarketing and sales promotions
ideas. Bring examples of your circulation
campaigns and get ideas to take back to
the newspaper.
John McCann, OPA’s new postal consultant, also will be there to answer
questions on the rules and regulations
of reaching subscribers outside your
community.
Dabney has served as publisher of
the Claremore Daily Progress since
2008, and of The Times in Pryor since
2012. He has 22 years of newspaper
experience. Dabney won the Gannett
President’s Ring for Excellence in 1995
and also is the recipient of the Knight
Ridder “Best Practices” awards. He also
teaches for Inland Press Foundation.
OPA postal consultant McCann
answers member newspapers’ questions on postage rates and circulation.
McCann has 31 years of service with
the USPS, beginning as a letter sorting
machine operator and moving into the
periodicals department.
Prior to joining the OPA team, he
served 11 years as Periodicals Specialist
for the state of Oklahoma.
Registration for the Circulation Conference is $35 per person. For more
information or to register, visit the events
calendar at www.okpress.com. For questions, contact member services coordinator Eli Nichols at (405) 499-0040 (tollfree in Oklahoma at 1-888-815- 2672) or
by email at [email protected].
PLAYER PROFILE
WILLIS JOE LANSDEN, PUBLISHER,
THE HERALD-DEMOCRAT (BEAVER)
NAME:
EDUCATION: Graduated from Beaver High 1958;
Oklahoma State University 1963
NEWSPAPER BACKGROUND: All I have ever done is work for
The Herald-Democrat. My son and daughter-in-law, Brent and Christie
Lansden, help me with the newspaper. The newspaper is 127 years old
and some days, I can feel it.
Q: What’s something most people don’t know
about you?
A: I have been workin’ here since I was 9
years old. A true printer’s devil.
Q: What’s the most unusual/best/remarkable
part of your job?
A: Being able to help my kids with the newspaper.
Q: What civic activities are you involved in?
A: Running a newspaper, one gets involved.
Q: Who’s had the biggest influence on your
career?
A: My Dad and Mom – Willis and Merlee
Lansden, former teachers.
11
Donate
to ONF
A donation to the
Oklahoma Newspaper
Foundation will support
its efforts to improve the
state’s newspaper industry
and quality of journalism.
Q: What about newspaper publishing gets you
out of bed in the morning?
A: Getting to look at past history of Beaver
County from old files. And going over old
photos I took years ago.
Q: What type of annual events is your newspaper involved in?
A: Beaver County Free Fair. Cimarron Territory Celebration and World Championship
Throw. Many Chamber activities.
Q: What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve overcome in your career?
A: Learning how to write. Being consistent.
Q: What challenges are facing your newspaper today and in the future?
A: Keeping up with technology.
ONF’s programs include
training and education for
professional journalists,
scholarship and internship
programs for journalism
students, and Newspaper
in Education efforts.
Q: What are you most proud of?
A: The World Championship Cow Chip Throw
during the Cimarron Territory Celebration.
That draws much interest and people.
Q: What are some area attractions in your
community visitors shouldn’t miss?
A: Beaver Dunes Park. The State of Oklahoma gave the park back to us. Recently
we passed a one cent sales tax to help the
park and to build another swimming pool.
ONF relies on
donations and memorial
contributions to fund these
programs.
Q: What are your hobbies?
A: Newspaper, newspaper, newspaper.
Grandchildren. Fishin’; sometimes Huntin’.
Q: Does your newspaper have a website?
A: Yes, Beavercowchipnews.com and ePaper
Q: What would you describe as the three most
important responsibilities of your job?
A: Providing news and advertising for a small
community; staying healthy; and watching
grandchildren.
Each month, The Publisher will profile a newspaper
executive in this space. Learn more about your peers
from all corners of the state. To request the questionnaire for your Player Profile,
email [email protected].
In memory of our Friends and Colleagues
Lloyd Thomas Clawson, July 24, 2012
Deanna Kay Foster, July 25, 2012
Omer Gillham, July 9, 2012
Jesse Ray Turner, July 10, 2012
Geoffrey Holladay, Aug. 21, 2012
Philip Edwin Stout, Aug. 26, 2012
Geneva B. Wiley, Aug. 13, 2012
If you would like to make
a donation, please send a
check to:
OKLAHOMA
NEWSPAPER
FOUNDATION
3601 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
12
The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
Buying barcodes, building macros and Photoshop settings
Computer Notes
from the road
by Wilma Melot
[email protected]
If you’re selling your newspaper in
retail stores, you may need a UPC barcode.
Purchasing a barcode can be expensive, but one newspaper recently found
a solution that didn’t hit their
pocketbook quite as hard.
This newspaper learned
that Homeland, which was
requiring the code, has an
agreement with The Nexxus
Group.
Nexxus is providing the
UPC barcode for a variety of
stores, including Homeland, Walmart,
Dollar General, Walgreens and about
50 more.
The newspaper we mentioned earlier
worked with The Nexxus Group and
within a day and a half had a barcode
that was working in the store. The total
cost was $39.95 for the barcode and network help.
If you’ve been told you must have a
barcode, call Nexxus at (704) 542-8277
or check their website at www.thenexxusgroup.com. If Nexxus isn’t serving
that particular store, ask the store manager who handles their barcodes and try
to get in touch with that company.
MAKING MACROS IN WORD
A good macro is simply a way to
make many formatting steps happen in
one click.
The software program records the
steps and allows you to push one button
to repeat that series of steps.
Although Microsoft Word has had
macros since the 1980s, it seems less
and less people are using them and I
have to wonder why.
If you just spend a few minutes setting up macros, you can improve the
workflow at your office.
The following instructions are for
Word 2013 > Windows 7. Macros can be
created on the Mac side as well. The
menus are just in different places.
To create a good macro you first have
to know where you are going and what
you want to do.
First, practice the steps you want the
program to perform. Then go to view
macros and tell it to start recording. On
a Mac, go to Tools > Macro.
Name your macro and repeat the
steps you practiced earlier. For example,
your macro might include select all >
change to the newspaper’s body style for
text > put in three-column format > deselect
the type by using the down arrow.
When all the steps are completed,
return to view and stop recording. Remember to select all
copy before you change styles,
even if there’s no text in the
document yet.
You may get an error if you
run the macros with a fixed
column width, especially if you
run the same copy more than
once.
Macros are easier to create with preset paragraph styles.
To change a style go to Change Styles
> Paragraph Spacing > Custom Paragraph
Styles, located under Home. Click Edit
tab and check every place that says New
Documents Based on this Template. When
you change the style, be sure to click the
button that says Add to Quick Style List.
Click the modify button to change the
style, making sure all the above buttons
are checked so all new documents will
have this style.
If you want Word to use the new
styles you create in each new document,
simply change the Normal template file.
PHOTOSHOP SETTINGS & TIPS
In the Photoshop workshop I presented earlier this month, we went over
some basic settings that might work for
your newspaper.
Here are some of the tips we covered
at the workshop, in no particular order:
• First we talked about a good image
resolution for printing photos on newsprint. Color and grayscale should be at
least 200 DPI. Although there are many
formulas for arriving at this number, 200
DPI covers the bases.
• As far as file format goes, you can
use PDF, TIFF, JPEG or EPS. Show new
employees which format your newspaper prefers. TIFF is a simple format
that doesn’t fail often, but it creates a
bigger file than the JPEG, which is a
compressed TIFF file.
• Graphics and line art are often
saved as EPS files at 300 DPI.
• If you’re trying to hold fine screens
while scanning a photo, use 600 to 1200
DPI, then lower that setting after processing the photo for print. The higher
resolution brings in details that are hard
to get otherwise.
• To get the best color, always use
CMYK for final reproduction on a web
press. You can easily make the conversion in Photoshop.
• Setting up the workspace to understand what you want to create will help
Photoshop display and create a photo
that looks better on the web press. In
the latest version of Photoshop, look for
the CMYK setting under Edit > Color,
then go to custom and change the setting to SWOP Newsprint.
• Dot gain for most web presses is
around 30 percent. Maximum total ink coverage
works well at 240 to 280
percent, but ask your
printer. The limit for black
ink is 95 percent.
• Scale or crop images in
Photoshop or other photo
editing software – not in the
layout software.
• Images for all web
press printing need to be
sharpened by using the
Unsharp mask filter in Photoshop.
• Some of the standard web ad sizes are
as follows with 72 dpi
(sizes in pixels): Banner ads 728 x 90; medium
rectangle 300 x 250; 1/2
rectangle 300 x 100.
• If your paper uses
video on its website or is
looking to start, common
recommended video formats are H.264-encoded
MP4 or M4V for all platforms and phones.
We also covered some
of the features in the newest versions of Photoshop.
A new preview panel pops up when
you create an adjustment layer. It’s like
a small version of
the curves or layers dialog box that
shows up in the
panels area. It’s
ver y convenient
and you can return
to it by selecting
that layer.
New versions of
Photoshop allow
you to create folders or groups of layers that can even
be color coded.
And you can duplicate or move whole
groups of layers at
one time.
With Photoshop’s new type feature
you can create paragraph styles along
with 3D features to add depth to the ads
you are creating.
The use of outer glow or drop shadows FX features gives you the ability to
set type off from the background, making it readable in newsprint. Another
new feature lets you wrap text along a
path.
In the workshop, we used some gradient screens as masks for parts of a
photo so the type would show well in
that part of the background. A white to
nothing screen works well to mask the
back part of the photo. Then bring back
the highlights of the photo by erasing
part of the screen with
different brushes. New
brushes in the latest
versions are compatible
with the same basic
keyboard commands
of the bracket keys –
[ ] – to increase or
decrease the size of the
brushes while working.
We also reviewed
the selections tools
that now lets us delete
an object in one step.
Photoshop fills in the
deleted area with a content aware method that
takes the surrounding background of the
photo in just one step.
The example at left
shows how Photoshop
filled in the missing
pumpkin with leaves.
OPA Computer Consultant
Wilma Melot’s column is
brought to you by the
Oklahoma Advertising Network
(OAN). For more information
on the OAN program, contact
Oklahoma Press Service at
(405) 499-0020.
The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
13
Value content regardless of how it’s presented
That InterWeb
Thing
by Keith Burgin
[email protected]
By 2013, between email, social media,
digital photography, texting and cloud
storage, you’d think people would be
beyond the “if you can’t touch it, it’s not
real” mentality. We clearly aren’t.
People still tend to discount the value
– sometimes to zero – of digital content,
not only by behavior but also by attitude, which encourages others to do the
same.
Entire articles lifted without permission find their way to new, virtual homes
without attribution or a link back to the
originator. Thievery abounds. Only a
few recognize it for what it is, though,
because most don’t think of it as thievery.
See, it doesn’t matter whether you
paywall, or lock down your server, or
scream loudly that you’re “mad as hell
and not going to take it anymore.” Secu-
rity and outrage are not the solution
because they have nothing to do with
the problem. The problem is attitude.
I’ve often said that, on the Internet,
perception is reality. It’s never truer than
with digital copyright.
The Internet was not created with
commerce and copyright in mind. The
original intent was the sharing of content amongst those few who had access.
“Browsers of the time,” if you will, didn’t
even display images.
All of that changed, of course. Capitalism forged the technology of the modern web and for better or worse we have
what we have. However, the notion of
free access to information never really
went away.
And when modern content publishers, be it commercial or otherwise,
adopted the attitude that “if you put it
on the Internet, you’re giving it away,”
it wrote that mission statement on the
forehead of our culture in big magic
marker.
A guy may not be able to see it himself… but everyone else can.
As will marker on your face, (yes, I
fell asleep on the bus headed for a high
school wrestling tournament) I think it
will eventually wear off. But the mindset
started with content creators and, in my
opinion, the shift has to start with content creators.
Creators have to value content regardless of how it’s presented.
If you’re printing on paper, there’s
a cost involved: ink, paper, personnel,
delivery, etc. You know, overhead. But
the paper and ink, while part of the product, is not what makes the publication
marketable.
It’s the content you’re selling; it’s the
culmination of the footwork, the interviews, the research, the experience it
takes to tell a story and the talented writing. So why is any of that less valuable
on the Web?
The good news is that the culture
is shifting, albeit slowly. The value of
online content is beginning to make its
way to the marketplace, due in large part
to publishers.
Folks who see value in their work are
sharing the responsibility of protecting
and marketing that work. One creator
might call out a thief to the community,
link to a well-written opinion from another or promote a discussion.
In short, publishers are networking…
using what the Internet does best, what
it was created for, to build buzz, community and value. Consumers love belonging to a community. That’s why social
media is such a phenomenon.
What’s the future business model for
online content? Who can say? Perhaps
it’s a subscription-based community
made of multiple content creators each
taking a piece of the pie, each contributing to the unique makeup of the whole.
Perhaps it’ll be something entirely different.
I’ll say this: in my opinion, the foundation will be an acceptance of just how
valuable your work is, regardless of the
form in which it appears. And whether
you can touch it or not… that’s real.
Animals to fear in the newsroom jungle
BY ED HENNINGER
You’ve heard the expression before:
“It’s a jungle out there!”
Sometimes, it’s a jungle in here. And
“here” is our own newsroom.
During my more than 24 years as a
consultant, I’ve encountered just about
every animal in the newsroom zoo.
You may not have all of these in your
newsroom...but I’m willing to bet you’ve
identified at least a couple of these
where you work.
Here they are:
Ursa obstructionensis: The obstructionist is best recognized by body position:
sitting back, arms folded, a quiet yet
defiant sneer. This is the newsroom animal who dares you to try to accomplish
anything – especially in its square acre
of jungle.
Mentus nongottus disguisus: This mammal is distinguished by the fact that it
mimics real motion and thought. However it has been brain-dead for years.
Esteemus nongottus survivus: This bottom-dwelling organism chooses to go
through life like a clam, always closing
tightly when challenged.
Meetingus eternalissimus: Its body locked
in a permanent sitting position, this
organism survives by attending every
gathering of the group – and then going
into a self-induced coma between those
gatherings.
Nonparticipatimus bitchiensis: This jungle
denizen lies in wait for others to create
something of value – never taking part
in their effort but always first to find
fault with the result.
Writissimus compulsus: Distinguished by
a deep and passionate love for creating
written documents of inordinate length,
this vertebrate lives with the illusion
that the sole purpose of newswriting
is the act of writing itself, and not the
imparting of useful information to readers.
Paralyzus perpetualiis: This hairy arachnid makes a lifelong endeavor of devising ways to forestall movement. Instead,
it outwaits its victims, tiring them with
its infinite patience and its inbred inability to make the first move. It rarely
leaves its web. However, it kills just as
effectively – if more agonizingly and
slowly – by practiced delay.
Tempus fugitardimus: A mollusk whose
chief characteristic is the ability to
always take much more time than is
allotted for a specific task. Researchers
have observed this being driving others in the newsroom to insanity by its
instinct for doing everything at a pace
so slow that it cannot be measured by
even the most sophisticated scientific
instruments.
Dezynus whinissimus: This invertebrate
surrounds itself with colorful objects
(usually produced by others of its type)
and is known to emit harsh and drawnout nasal sounds when approached.
Those sounds are its defense mechanism against any being or event that
challenges it to consider designing
something different.
Paginatus assemblitudicus: A voiceless
mammal possessing two legs and only a
vestigial brain. This being will respond
only when given clear and point-bypoint instructions on placement of elements in its area of responsibility. It is
absolutely incapable of coloring outside
the lines.
Managissimus micronos: A crustacean
easily recognized by its elongated
neck – the result of eons spent peering
over the shoulders of other newsroom
inhabitants and constantly criticizing
and altering their work. This being has
never been known to have an original
thought, yet it spends its days belittling
the work of others.
So...there you have it. The newsroom
zoo. Perhaps there are other animals
who should join them. Suggestions?
ED HENNINGER, an independent newspaper consultant and the Director of Henninger Consulting,
offers comprehensive newspaper design services
including redesigns, workshops, staff training and
evaluations. Email: [email protected].
On the web: www.henningerconsulting.com. Phone:
803-327-3322.
14
The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
Dig deep for answers during interview
Clark’s Critique
by Terry Clark
Journalism Professor,
University of Central Oklahoma,
[email protected]
Your job is to get them talking.
I’m talking about the key to your
good reporting – interviewing.
I’m convinced our readers are hungry for answers, and for stories, and as
journalists we’re responsible for providing those, so we should pay more attention to getting that information.
I see two basic types of interviewing
– those for straight news stories, and
those for feature stories, but the techniques have common ground.
There’s too much news release writing today that readers just skip over.
They want human answers, just like they
don’t want to talk to a recording on the
phone.
If it’s breaking news, or more routine
news such as a city council meeting, providing readers with basic facts involves
more than just the “who-what-whenwhere” answers. Readers need and want
the “why” and “how.”
Here are a few tips on getting the
“why” and “how” that give newspapers a
distinctive advantage over other media.
Be prepared. If it’s a city council
story, you should have the agenda ahead
of time, and know what the main issues
are. You should make a list of what your
readers want to know, and have time to
ask officials those questions. That may
involve some Internet work if it’s a trend
story, or it may just be reading related
stories in past issues.
If it’s breaking news, like a car wreck
or fire, your best hope is to be prepared
by having cultivated the sources you
need to answer questions.
Think about what you want to find
out. Make a list, and put it in an order
that gets to the most compelling part
of the story. Remember, you want good
quotes – not the long official PR quotes,
but those direct from your sources. You
must be alert to those in every interview
– they may be the heart of the story.
They’ll certainly be the best read parts
of the story.
Are you going to bring a shovel or a
plastic spoon to the interview? By that I
mean, if you just ask simple “Yes,” and
“No,” questions, you won’t have much
depth. You need a shovel to dig for open
ended questions.
The less you know about a subject
or story, the more important it is to find
good sources, and to get a conversation
going.
If it’s a formal interview, you need a
couple of throw-away questions to establish rapport and put them at ease. People
are afraid of being misquoted, but they
In the spotlight this month is a great
headline on the front page of The
Country Connection News in Eakly; a
dramatic front page in The Oklahoma
Eagle; The Pawnee Chief’s 4th of July
photo; another great headline from the
Spiro Graphic, and a nice rodeo layout in
The Dewey County Record.
love to talk about what they’re interested
in. In setting up such an interview, tell
them ahead of time how much time you
need (30 minutes maximum, and the
purpose of the interview). Frame it by
telling them you need the answers to
write an accurate story.
If you want to use a recorder, ask,
explaining that it’s only to ensure you
get the quotes and facts right, and put
it unobtrusively to the side. But that
doesn’t mean not to take notes. Notetaking is essential to your thinking and
organizing the story. Your notes are
gold. Besides, you don’t want to have to
listen to the entire recording again.
To be a good interviewer you have to
multitask. You have to listen, and write
and make eye contact all at once. You
have to be listening for other questions.
You have to be able to mark up your
notes with stars or boxes when something really stands out.
If possible, don’t start with the difficult or controversial questions. Ease
into them.
Always have a couple of throw away
questions ready. When they’re through
talking but you’re still writing, ask the
question and keep writing. They don’t
know the difference.
Never be afraid to stop them and
ask them to repeat what they said. Or
to explain what you don’t understand,
or to get terms absolutely right. This
reinforces their impression that you’re
determined to get the facts right.
As they are talking, keep asking yourself “why,” and “how” from your readers’
viewpoints…that will lead to follow up
questions.
Toward the end of the interview, ask
if there’s anything else you should have
asked, or anything else they want to say.
My experience is that some of your
best quotes and material come toward
the end of interviews when they’ve loosened up and warmed to the topic.
If it’s a fairly long interview for news
and or feature, go back through your
notes and confirm what they’ve told you
that you’re considering as direct quotes.
Ask for contact information – phone,
email – so you can contact them later if
you have questions.
Go back home or to the office, and
transcribe your notes immediately.
LOOKIN’EM OVER:
Oleta McDowell
95, Dallas cowboy fan,
Made ‘famous’ pecan pies
Wayne Bulidek
71, loved building things
With his hands
Those obituaries caught my eye in
the Chafee County Times at Buena Vista,
Colo., last month.
Continued on Page 15
The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
15
Per se libel cannot rely on supposition or innuendo
A per se libel is a publication to a
third party that is clearly defamatory on
its face without resorting to any other
information outside of the publication
itself.
All other libels are per quod. If the
libel alleged is per quod, the plaintiff
must allege and prove special damages;
that is, be able to prove a direct monetary loss from the publication of the
per quod libel.
In the Texas case, the plaintiff
alleged per se libel and argued that
the defendant’s publication “insinuated
Legal Notes
by Michael Minnis
OPA Attorney
A recent Texas appellate decision
succinctly discusses the differences
between libel per se and libel per quod.
Most libel plaintiffs allege that they
have been per se libeled because the
proof of damages allowed for per se
libel is considerably looser than for a
per quod libel.
that she embezzled over $3 million
and therefore falsely imputed criminal
behavior to her.”
In response to the insinuation-imputed argument, the court pointed out
that “media defendants cannot be liable
for varying subjective impressions that
may have been generated from the
broadcast of true statements.”
The defendant also contended that
damage to her reputation was shown
by reliance on third party comments
posted on a website.
Rejecting the website argument,
the court stated that in a per se libel,
“the defamatory nature of the alleged
statement must be apparent on its face
without reference to extrinsic facts or
‘innuendo’”.
Accordingly, the court, in an interlocutory appeal authorized by the Texas
SLAPP law, reversed the trial court’s
denial of a motion to dismiss and was
ordered to dismiss the suit.
von Martin story? Everybody had an
opinion. Headline in the Oklahoma
City Black Chronicle: “JUSTICE NOT
DONE!” In Tulsa’s Oklahoma Eagle, the
front page was dramatic and devoted to
local reaction.
Shannon Kile of The Wynnewood
Gazette showed real guts in reporting
the emotions revolving the display of a
Confederate flag in town, under “Hidden hatred or heritage?” including two
images of Confederate flags.
Kudos to Caleb Brabham at the Bristow Record-Citizen, and to Bryan Dean
of The Oklahoman for interviewing local
Korean War vets on the 60th anniversary
of the end of that “police action.”
Tulsa World’s Sara Plummer wrote
about a story everyone should be considering this time of year, “Easing cost
of school supplies.” How much does
it cost to get a child prepared to go to
school, and what happens if you’re on
food stamps?
Recent rains in the central part of the
state make people think the drought
is over. But not the far western part of
the state. There are stories here. Cattle
numbers are their lowest since 1953
because there’s no pasture. On the way
to Colorado, we stopped at Black Mesa.
One rancher told me they’d had just over
an inch of rain since January, the worst
drought he’d ever seen.
Nice rodeo layout in The Dewey County Record. I usually don’t like fireworks
photos, but The Pawnee Chief did it right,
in color. Congrats to Melissa Grace,
marking her 22nd year as owner of The
Ringling Eagle.
Clark’s Critique Continued from Page 14
They were about 14-point name lines
with 12-point bold Helvetica sub lines, at
the top of traditional obituaries of ordinary people.
Instead of just running a person’s
name at the top of an obituary, and
saving real headlines for the so-called
“prominent” people in town, why not do
it this way? Everybody’s got something
people remember them for. Doesn’t have
to be mushy, just factual.
Thought you’d like to see this. Time
was, anytime I stopped in a town, I’d
buy a newspaper. Don’t do it as much
anymore, but this one added value to the
vacation trip. Don’t you know the paper’s
readers love this?
Other ideas? Check Sarah Shefferd’s
compelling lead on social media impact
in Bethany’s The Tribune, under “Yolo –
So why learn to spel?”
“Has communicative technology created a society of people unable to communicate?
“As someone who as recently as last
week deleted the Facebook and Pinterest apps from my phone, I’ve been pondering over the use of social media and
technology and how they affect our daily
communication.
“Young people today get phones early,
often smartphones with an inexhaust-
ADMINISTRATION
MARK THOMAS
Executive Vice President
[email protected]
(405) 499-0033
ROBERT WALLAR
Accounting Manager
[email protected]
(405) 499-0027
SCOTT WILKERSON
Front Office/Building Mgr.
[email protected]
(405) 499-0020
ible wifi connection. They’re able to be
reached anywhere at any time. With
children, this is probably the point. Some
parents go so far as to put GPS tracking
on their child’s phone in order to know
their whereabouts at all times.
“The issue with technology, however, isn’t that we can be reached. The
issue is that we can reach the expanse of
information available to us at a moment’s
notice, and more importantly how we
use the technology that produces it.
“Have you been out to dinner with
friends lately?
“How many times did they look down
at their phone?”
Here’s a good lead in the The Seminole Producer by Cheryl Phillips and
Karen Anson with excerpts from Cole
Perryman: “Lucy Hill is a lady of few
words. At almost 101, she’s heard them
all and used most of the words in the
English language. / “‘I became a teacher
because…’”
The Sequoyah County Times is doing
what newspapers are supposed to do,
because it can’t be done by anybody else.
Gina Smith is writing a series on felonies
that have taken longer than three years
to prosecute. Headline – “From the eyes
of a victim.”
Did you report anything on the Tray-
MEMBER
SERVICES
LISA POTTS
Member Services
Director
[email protected]
(405) 499-0026
ELI NICHOLS
Member Services
Coordinator
[email protected]
(405) 499-0040
OPA STAFF DIRECTORY
ADVERTISING
CINDY SHEA
Media Manager
[email protected]
(405) 499-0023
LANDON COBB
Account Executive
[email protected]
(405) 499-0022
COURTNI SPOON
Advertising Assistant &
OCAN/2X2 Contact
[email protected]
(405) 499-0035
CREATIVE
SERVICES
COMPUTER
ADVICE
JENNIFER GILLILAND
WILMA MELOT
Creative Services Director
[email protected]
(405) 499-0028
Computer Consultant
[email protected]
(405) 499-0031
MORGAN BROWNE
POSTAL
ADVICE
Creative Assistant
[email protected]
(405) 499-0029
JOHN McCANN
Postal Consultant
[email protected]
(405) 499-0020
HEAD’EM UP AWARDS: First place, The
Country Connection News in Eakly,
Oh Noah! Didn’t it rain!!!!
Second place, The Bigheart Times,
One man, one vote: No way
on a Louise Red Corn story about Osage
Nation politics.
Third place, The Journal Record
Muddying the waters
on an M. Scott Carter story about state
and tribal water claims and the Kerr
perspective.
Honorable mentions: Spiro Graphic,
“Tom’s Tractors ‘Run Like A Deere,’”
on a Jim Fienup feature story; The Ardmoreite, “Too little, too late?” on a Kevin
Kerr story about county commissions
reacting to Gov. Fallin’s comments to the
Lake Texoma resort; Wagoner Tribune,
“Sweet dreams become big business” on
a Lesa Jones story about a 20 year old’s
cake business.
OPEN
(DIGITAL CLIPPING)
KEITH BURGIN
OPEN Manager
[email protected]
(405) 499-0024
KYLE GRANT
Digital Clipping Dept.
[email protected]
(405) 499-0032
OPEN (CONT’D)
CRYSTAL FOREMAN
Digital Clipping Dept.
[email protected]
(405) 499-0030
JENNIFER
BEATLEY-CATES
Digital Clipping Dept.
[email protected]
(405) 499-0030
GENERAL INQUIRIES
(405) 499-0020 • Fax: (405) 499-0048
Toll-free in OK: 1-888-815-2672
16
The Oklahoma Publisher // August 2013
ONG / OPA CONTEST WINNERS
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE JUNE 2013 WINNERS
Column: JEFF
MULLIN, Enid News & Eagle
Editorial: NANCY KLETECKA, Guymon Daily Herald
JUNE 2013 COLUMN WINNER
JEFF MULLIN, ENID NEWS & EAGLE
Dark moments in a clean, well-lighted place
It was time. I had dwelt in the dark ages
long enough.
It was time for me to join millions of my fellow humans and enter the world of the mobile,
the connected, the tech-savvy.
It was time for me to obtain a tablet.
Granted, when I was first confronted by the
possibility of obtaining a tablet, my first question was, “Big Chief or aspirin?”
For those of you too young to remember,
the Big Chief tablet was a writing notebook
utilized by generations of young Americans.
And aspirin you know, you take it when you
get a headache.
Which is exactly what I had when I contemplated purchasing a computer tablet. I didn’t
know an iPad from a mattress pad. Even the
name iPad sounds vaguely like something
you’d wear in the wake of an ocular injury. I
just knew I wanted one, and I was not alone.
This year, for the first time, there is a greater demand for tablets than there is for laptops,
according to CNN Money. Experts from DC, a
technology research group, say they expect
about 41.9 million more tablets than laptops to
be shipped this year.
By 2015, the number of tablets shipped
are expected to surpass all PCs — laptops
and desktops.
I decided I had to have a tablet. Tablets
are light, portable, powerful, fast and besides,
you can download apps for them. I have very
little idea what that means, but it sounds cool.
Since I’ve always been a Mac guy rather than
a PC guy, there was no question where I would
go for my new toy, er, vital piece of computing
equipment — the Apple Store.
So there we were, my bride and I, sauntering into the Apple Store in Oklahoma City’s
Penn Square Mall. Upon entering we imme-
diately skewed the age demographic of those
inside a notch or two upward.
Apple Stores are rather like Ernest Hemingway’s “Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” open, bright
and airy, awash in the latest must-have gadgets.
In Hemingway’s classic short story, two
waiters judge an old, deaf man sitting drinking
brandy in their cafe. Scholars say Hemingway
uses the old man’s deafness as a symbol of
the isolation from the rest of the world, a condition imposed upon him by his advanced age.
As my bride and I walked into the Apple
Store, I could relate. Looking at all the callow,
well-scrubbed faces surrounding me, I felt like
I’d mistakenly wandered into a senior prom.
Presently we were greeted by an assistant
manager, an impossibly young, earnest fellow
whose name I didn’t quite catch. He asked
how he could help us. His expression said he
thought we had merely become lost looking for
the food court. But when told we were interested in an iPad, his face brightened.
He turned us over to a girl even younger
than he. She was an iPad specialist, who
could answer my every question. I didn’t even
know enough about the thing to ask intelligent
questions, a fact I attempted to hide from her,
without much success. No matter, she seemed
cheerily content to point out the device’s various features.
So I decided to buy one of the things, plus
a case. Instead of leading me to a cash register, she whipped out an iPhone and punched
in some numbers.
Immediately one appeared, as if by magic.
She then swiped my credit card through a
device attached to the phone. That’s all it took.
Then she asked if I would like help setting
up my iPad. I jumped at the offer. Lord knows
I need all the help I can get.
She turned me over to another puerile
fellow who couldn’t have been old enough to
drive. He was the setup assistant, and he was
already engaged with a 40ish woman trying to
master her own iPad.
“I’ll be with you in a moment sir,” said the
young fellow. “Why don’t you go ahead and
turn your new iPad on?”
I hadn’t even taken the darn thing out of
the box yet.
That was no easy feat in itself, since
the container was shrouded in plastic. As I
struggled to open the box I saw the young man
shoot me a look. I swear I saw pity in his eyes.
Finally I freed the device from its cardboard
carton and held it proudly in my hands. In a
moment of panic I realized I had no clue how
to bring the thing to life. I turned it over. No
on-off switch on the back. On one end there is
an indented circle. I pushed it, nothing. I tried
it again. Again, nothing. I tapped the screen.
Zippo. So there I stood, turning the thing over
in my hands like a Neanderthal encountering
a Big Mac.
At once, the young man turned his attention from the woman, who was trying to download a cookbook or some such, and indicated
a small, elongated black button on one end of
the thing. He pushed it and the device sprang
to life. I nearly cried. Gently, calmly, in a tone
one would use with an especially slow child,
he walked me through setting up my new iPad.
After a time he helped me put the thing into
its carton, then a shopping bag, and bid me
adieu. I had more questions than before, but
at least I knew how to turn it on.
Since I’ve gotten it home I’ve learned the
iPad is a great piece of technology. I don’t
know a fraction of the things it will do, but I can
use it for email and to surf the Internet. And it
makes a really cool paperweight.
Enter and Win
a $100 Check
from ONG!
The June OPA/ONG Column
and Editorial Contest was judged
by a member of the
Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
1. Each month, send a tear sheet or
photocopy of your best column and/or
editorial to ONG Contest, c/o OPA, 3601
N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK
73105-5499.
2. Include the author’s name, name of
publication, date of publication and
category entered (column or editorial).
3. Only ONE editorial and/or ONE column
per writer per month will be accepted.
4. All entries for the previous month must
be at the OPA office by the 15th of the
current month.
5. Winning entries will be reproduced on
the OPA website at www.OkPress.com.
Entries must have been previously
published. Contest open to
all OPA member newspapers.
Although Oklahoma Natural Gas Company
selects representative contest winners’
work for use in this monthly ad, the views
expressed in winning columns and editorials
are those of the writers and don’t necessarily
reflect the Company’s opinions.
Thank you for continued
support of “Share The Warmth”
Read the Winning Columns & Editorials on the OPA website:
www.OkPress.com (Under Contests)