Roundabout-2015-03
Transcription
Roundabout-2015-03
Community Newspaper Association of Victoria Representing Community Owned Newspapers Roundabout March 2015 Congratulations to CNAV! 2015 is going to be big year for CNAV for a variety of reasons. Not the least of which will be our 10th year and our tenth annual conference. CNAV’s committee is keen to acknowledge our past and our past key personnel during the course of this year – we want to promote and acknowledge the establishment, growth, success and hard work that has gone into a whole decade of CNAV. CNAV is inviting articles of any memorable highlight, achievement, award, incident, conference or memory you have that you would like to share. Space will be found! CNAV is also researching some of the original CNAV members who may be interested in this initiative too, but if you can suggest anyone else it would be greatly appreciated. The first of these is on page 3... ...thanks to Jo Vondra. And membership secretary Helen Smith has come up with an early 2006-2007 CNAV membership list – and it’s pleasing that so many of these are still members. About Town (Stanhope), Apollo Bay News Sheet Inc., Birregurra Mail, Boronia/The Basin Community News, Bunyip & District Newsletter, Burra Flyer, The Burwood Bulletin, The Carisbrook Mercury, Churchill & District News, Creswick District News, Flemington Kensington News, Glenlyon & District News, Lancefield Mercury, Lockington Community News, Lorne Independent, Mirboo North Times, Mountain Monthly, The New Woodend Star, Stratford Town Crier, Studfield/Wantirna News, Thomson Times, Traf News, Upper Gully News (now The Foothills), Village Bell, Wandong Heathcote Junction What’s News, Waranga News, Warrandyte Diary, The Welcome Record (Dunolly) and Yackity Yak (Yackandanda). Before CNAV How did CNAV come to be? That answer seems to be rooted in Gippsland. The beginnings of a push came from a small rural communities conference held in Omeo in October 2003. This was one of a series of annual conferences convened by the Small Rural Communities Health Consortium – 6 small hospitals across the state that undertook a role in supporting the economic, social and environmental future of their communities. At the Omeo conference there was a panel on community newspapers. A panel on community newspapers was included in the conference because the conference organisers could see more and more community newspapers or newsletters emerging in small towns all across Gippsland and because they felt that these newspapers were able to play an important role in their communities and in the region. In fact, they found there were at least 35 community newspapers or newsletters operating across Gippsland. At the conference, one of the community newspaper presenters, Mick Bourke, raised the concept of a state-wide association for community newspapers. From this spark, a Community Newspapers and Community Journalism Conference was held at Monash University, Churchill on the 19th and 20th of November 2004. It was put together by a working party consisting of Mick Bourke (community newspaper producer), Margaret Guthrie (community association representative), Neil Smith (Rural Transaction Centre support officer), Dr Keith Wilson (Monash University historian Churchill Campus), Justin Kohlman (Manager, Marketing and Public Affairs, Monash University, Churchill Campus) and Elizabeth Hart (Monash University journalism coordinator). The conference keynote speaker was award winning Melbourne Age journalist Melissa Fyfe, who discussed the challenges mainstream media faced in covering regional and local issues. Melissa stressed the importance of journalists linking with local communities to gain insights beyond the simple reporting of events. Thanking Melissa for her presence at the conference, Mick Bourke praised her account of the positive relationship that could occur between the large commercial newspapers and the local community newspapers. “We can work together,” Mick said. “Melissa’s overview of some of her articles also shows that community news is not the sole domain of our community newspapers.” He said the threat to community newspapers had been a common theme in speeches and commentary during the previous night’s Awards presentations, and producers faced challenges not just from large regional newspapers but in the quest for volunteers and for financial viability. Presenters at subsequent CNAV conference sessions included Rachel Dawkins (Department of Sustainability and Environment, Maffra), Gill Heal (Bass Coast Shire), Rosa McManamey (PhD student University of Tasmania), David Schmitt (Monash University historian), Ian Needham (corporate public relations), and Mary Jo Fortuna (Waranga News). At the completion of the conference, Neil Smith spoke of the achievements during the course of the day. Participants were unanimous in their support for an association for community newspapers. As a result, more than 25 people expressed interest in being part of a working party to establish an association. Forty people requested that they be kept informed of progress towards formation of such an association. A number of meetings were held to move the concept into reality. Then came an historic meeting on the 16th of July 2005 at Borderlands (the same venue that CNAV’s committee still meets) that had as its purpose to decide whether to proceed with the formation of an association of community newspapers in Victoria. Attendees were listed as Neil Smith, Marg Guthrie, Anne Walters, Helen Smith, Kellie Asmussen, Walter Villagonzalo, Bob Holschier, Mary Jo Fontana, Gill Heal and Mick Bourke. A guest speaker was Jacques Boulet from Borderlands who spoke on his experiences with communities, and in particular, community newspapers. The background which led to this meeting was outlined then an open discussion occurred on the worth of an association of community newspapers. Much of this conversation started with a querying whether there was a need for such an association. However, after much discussion, it was agreed unanimously that an association of community newspapers be formed. An election of an inaugural committee followed. Bob Holschier, Mary Jo Fortuna, Anne Walters, Walter Villagonzalo, Helen Smith, Kellie Asmussen and Mick Bourke. Immediately after the formation meeting, CNAV’s first meeting was held at which the initial office bearers were elected: • President: Mick Bourke • Vice President: Bob Holschier • Secretary: Anne Walters • Public Officer: Anne Walters • Treasurer: Helen Smith The meeting discussed a draft constitution document that had previously been distributed, with amendments to the name of the proposed association from Victorian Community Newspaper Association (VCNA) to Community Newspaper Association of Victoria (CNAV). The mission was amended to read, “We will actively work with our members to enhance the capacity and standing of community newspapers to enable them to fully realise their role in their communities.” The definition of community newspaper was agreed ‘to be one that is owned by its community’. The reason for the change from VCNA to CNAV was that early discussions hoped for a similar organisation in each state. Therefore, if that occurred, each state’s name would start with Community Newspaper Association of [insert state]. For example, South Australia would be CNASA. Those were the first meetings – and as they say, the rest is history! Thanks to Helen Smith and Mick Bourke for material and guidance in the preparation of this article. Both have a long history of involvement with CNAV - and both are current committee members! Reflections on CNAV After nearly forty years in main stream journalism, I was initially puzzled, confused and daunted by the concept of a community newspaper. Back in 200l I was asked by the Lorne community to put together what I considered to be a basic newssheet – the town was going through a period of instability and there were considerable problems with the newly created Surf Coast Shire, the local hospital was in trouble, and large scale development was seemingly out of control. Lorne was in a dramatic period of change and it was trying hard to find directions. Getting the Lorne Independent off the ground was a relatively easy process, in that some very talented and enthusiastic people put up their hands to help, and with most towns folk understanding the importance of a publication, advertising was healthy from the start. The editorial policy and direction, however, was another matter. We published monthly, and therefore could not concentrate on ‘newsy’ items; content had to satisfy what was happening in the community, but most of all it had to keep within the interests and demands of a month-long publishing cycle. We learnt a lot in those days, mostly by trial and error. In 2006, I got a telephone call from Mick Bourke, who was in Lorne to visit a friend, and he explained that he published a ‘community newspaper’ in Gippsland; an association of ‘community newspapers’ has just been formed and would I be interested to know more? I attended my first Community Newspapers Association of Victoria conference in Ballarat that year and suddenly I realised that what we were doing in Lorne was certainly not unique and community newspapers were springing up all over the state. Elected to the CNAV executive committee, I was given the task of organising the 2007 conference at Lorne. It was CNAV’s second annual conference. Our team found the nitty-gritty of the organisational side of things relatively easy, but what about a key- note speaker, forums, and workshops? What would delegates be looking for in terms of information and inspiration? After a long lunch, it so happened that I literally bumped into Eric Beecher at our local supermarket. I had known Eric very casually over the years (at one stage he was editor in chief of The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald) and as he had now embarked on his entrepreneurial publishing career, it suddenly occurred that I should ask him to be keynote speaker. Eric was delighted and, as we were all to subsequently learn, he had most definite ideas on this new publishing phenomena called community newspapers. He was a most inspirational speaker! Considering our fractious relationship with the Surf Coast Shire council, I had some hesitation to invite the mayor to open the conference. Again, I was surprised at her enthusiasm and we subsequently became firm friends. Most retirees in Lorne had had a previous career, and as luck would have it our Lorne Independent team was able to offer workshops in marketing and salesmanship, journalism and advice on some of the heady demands of the real world. With the help and invaluable input from CNAV committee members (after all they had all done it once before and more than anyone, understood the concept of community newspapers better than we did), the conference opened at Lorne’s historic Grand Pacific Hotel in glorious Spring weather and about 70 keen and enthusiastic people from all over Victoria attended. Apart from a short, vicious spat between the mayor and our own councillor (immediately salved by the MC), the conference was a brilliant success. Because of the curious and individual nature of community newspapers, delegates were as varied as their publications. A feature of the conference was a display of newspapers from all around the State and, boy, was that an eye-opener. Firm friendships were established, there was a meaningful and certainly fruitful exchange of ideas and I know that each of our team came away from the conference greatly invigorated. Interestingly, our own media status changed almost immediately. Even though we still had challenges in dealing with the Surf Coast Shire, and especially the many governmentappointed agencies that had so much say in our little coast town, there was now a marked improvement in our relationships. Open hostility had been replaced by mutual respect. It was also quickly realised that both state and federal politicians started to take an interest in us (and CNAV in general) and it came as no surprise that Spring Street was actually monitoring us and other community and commercial media on which direction the political wind was blowing. On reflection, the Lorne conference was somewhat naive and unsophisticated by the standards of those staged by CNAV in more recent years. New production and printing methods, more and sophisticated IT knowledge, a more professional approach to community newspapers …all the stuff that makes your head spin. You should never, ever stop learning. Jo Vondra. Jo is the editor of the Lorne Independent and is a former Vice-President of CNAV - pictured here focussing on fellow CNAV members during the 2009 Annual Awards dinner at Toolangi. February CNAV Committee meeting Meeting in any of the book-lined rooms of Borderlands is probably a very appropriate setting for the CNAV committee. Words, words, words – but very productive words in the CNAV situation. This meeting saw Noojee Neerim District News join the CNAV fold taking us to a membership of 73 – 71 full members and 2 associate members. In addition, CNAV has had 5 membership enquiries in recent lp He ded nee months – 2 rural and 3 metropolitan (see the separate article on the benefits of CNAV membership). A report from CNAV advertising broker Bill Penrose showed that $11,700 worth of advertising had been placed in CNAV member papers from mid-December through to the beginning of February – with January being a very lean month. It was mentioned by a committee member Are you seeing govt. ads by-passing your paper? CNAV needs to know of state government advertising campaigns that are by-passing CNAV members. This is an on-going issue and will remain that way until we have members emailing the advertisements in on a regular basis. These 3 sighted in commercial press outlets in the Gippsland region during February are examples of the material needed for discussions with the advertisement placers. Email any examples you see to [email protected] that advertisements for pine scale were printed in the commercial press in some parts of Victoria at this time. Bill did pass on a reminder about Tearsheets – they must be provided as proof of publication for a paper to receive payment. Just the page torn out (hence the tearsheet name!) and posted or emailed to Bill is all that is necessary. The 2015 conference venue for the 10th year of CNAV celebration is close to being announced – the idea of holding the conference in CNAV’s roots in Gippsland has proven impractical and an exciting alternative has been visited. Next Roundabout should have the details – but in the meantime do keep the weekend of October 11th free to be part of the CNAV 10th anniversary celebrations. In the meantime, policy development is proceeding with another three draft policies circulated, discussed and approved. A full list of policies developed will be published shortly as the publishers of community newspapers may like access to them. The next committee meeting is planned for Saturday the 11th of April at Borderlands. Traf News in the news Working on a community owned newspaper is a privileged position. Apart from immediately placing one in the centre of the local community and its goings-on, it brings one in contact with community newspapers across the state. Some bigger, some smaller, some similar, some very different - but all providing a local voice and documenting the highs, lows and recording the contemporary history of a local community. An important task? Or not? “It’s been a labour of love, and a real commitment to the commu- nity by the people involved. Without that there’s no question it would not have succeeded,” says Traf News editor Mick Bourke in a recent article published in the commercial Latrobe Valley Express. Their colour tabloid comes out monthly (but with a January break), and 2,825 free copies are circulated to a readership that is calculated at 7,000. http://www.latrobevalleyexpress.com. au/story/2928069/one-newspapersbattle-for/?cs=1462 The advantage of community focus... Warren Buffett “Few can deny the industry smarts that Warren Buffett’s got. Chairman and CEO of Berskhire Hathaway, owner of nearly 30 dailies, he knows newspapers. What’s more, he’s confident and encouraged about the importance and profitability of the industry, especially in smaller communities.” The newspaper thoughts of Warren Buffett are outlined in an on-line article on Recruitment Advisor (The Digital Publisher’s Guide to Real Revenue). And “he knows that smaller towns have the advantage of community focus. And you should know that, too. If you believe it, and make a commitment to digging in to give your neighbours something they can’t get anywhere else, your newspaper will gain, or regain, the sort of relevance that a big-city paper could only read about.” http://blog.realmatch.com/ audience-engagement/warrenbuffett-suggests-midsize-newspapers-leg-audience-engagement/?utm_ source=linkedin&utm_ medium=social&utm_ content=linkedin-group&utm_ campaign=oktopost+blog “Small newspapers can be innovative too” More change is coming. And you need to change to survive. A blog by Justin Paprocki grabbed attention because of its heading… Small newspapers can be innovative too. Justin begins, “Over the last month or so, I’ve been talking to editors at small newspapers (and I mean small — some with 2,000 circulation or so) about what they’re doing online. I’ve met some very interesting people, who, despite small staffs and limited resources, are doing some things online that larger papers haven’t even thought of.” https://justinpaprocki.wordpress. com/2015/03/03/small-newspaperscan-be-innovative-too/ Looking further into this blog Justin writes, “I come from a community newspaper background. My parents are journalists, getting their start at smaller dailies and weeklies. My first journalism job was covering high school sports at my small-town weekly.” And, “More change is coming. And you need to change to survive. A lot of community newspapers have been insulated from the worst of the downturn because they’re the only game in town. They’re what people go to because they’ve always gone to them.” Then quoting a book by Penelope Muse Abernathy, author of Saving Community Journalism, he writes, “The average age of print readers is 60. The average age of online readers is about 35. The audience that wants a print publication is aging. The younger audience isn’t automatically going to pick up a newspaper when they get older, as what has traditionally happened. The Internet is a better delivery system. They are not going to abandon it.” And finally, “Community news will always exist. Entities reporting community news will also always exist. It’s up to the existing newspapers to decide if they are going to be the ones doing it.” Saving Community Journalism http://www.savingcommunityjournalism.com/ Community news will always exist. Entities reporting community news will also always exist. The Pinnacle says farewell... The CNAV committee received a copy of the latest publication from French Island – The Pinnacle. With the copy was a letter: Re: Last issue of The Pinnacle magazine Please find enclosed for the CNAV a copy of the March 2015 issue of The Pinnacle, French Island’s magazine. As the cover indicates, that was the final issue of the magazine. We mentioned in Issue 51 last September and at the CNAV Conference last October that we would finish up in June 2016, but unfortunately circumstances have changed, dictating an earlier finish. Roberta and I have retired from our positions as Editor (me), and layout and advertising person (Roberta), and no one has offered to take over the reins. Producing the magazine has been a very rewarding experience for us. Over the past 13 years the magazine has gone from a black-and-white school newsletter, stapled in the corner, to an award-winning full-colour, professionally printed magazine, showcasing French Island’s activities, natural beauty and diversity - and as we always say, all the more impressive, given it is run by a small band of volunteers operating ‘off the grid’. We have thoroughly enjoyed the journey, we have expanded our skills and met some wonderfully talented people along the way, but unfortunately we have come to the end of our road as far as The Pinnacle is concerned. We appreciate all your efforts organising those wonderfully rewarding annual conferences; we enjoyed our participation, and came away from them each year full of information and inspiration. On behalf of ourselves and our contributors, we thank you for the awards The Pinnacle has received. It was indeed an honour to receive recognition from our peers for all the hard work we put in. Fay Gordes. It was a collective touch of sadness that committee members felt on receipt of the letter. Although preempted during 2014, it is the finality of a last issue when the real impact is felt. Perhaps, and let’s hope, that’s the case with the French Islanders who have been served so well by The Pinnacle over many years. Maybe the looming hole left by The Pinnacle’s closure will provoke something… it seems that the more successful a community newspaper is, the more daunting and intimidating the work involved in its production is viewed. And The Pinnacle has been an impressive and successful publication for a long time. The Pinnacle was often mentioned at CNAV committee meetings because the editor of Lorne’s community newspaper Jo Vondra would, meeting after meeting, either pop a copy on the table or have some interesting snippet of information about it. Jo was an unashamed fan in those days, and his enthusiasm was infectious. Since then the Pinnacle has been a regular presence at conferences, and there was a well-remembered time when the CNAV committee ferried across to the island for a regional meeting and the weather left us fearful we were going to be French Island residents for at least a few days. Congratulations to The Pinnacle for serving the French Island community so well and for so long. Fay and Roberta receiving an award from Mary Jo Fortuna at the 2011 Geelong conference, another award celebrated at Frankston in 2013 - and the front page of The Pinnacle’s 10th anniversary edition back in December 2011. Welcome to Noojee Neerim District News Published by the incorporated Noojee Development League, this newsletter began in 1974 and comes out quarterly. 500 copies are circulated through the Noojee, Neerim and Neerim South districts. The latest publication can be seen at: http://www.noojeenews.org.au/wpcontent/uploads/2012/12/NNDN-Autumn-2015.pdf Current issues include... Anzac “Keep up Anzac Tradition,” MLC urged at an Anzac ceremony at Murchison 1965. “The Anzacs had set off a memory that has lasted 50 years and which I think will last another fifty,” Mr Michael Clarke MLC said at the Murchison Anzac service last Sunday afternoon. This quote was originally reported in the Rushworth Chronicle and is reprised by the Waranga News as the 100th anniversary of Anzac Day draws close. Another fifty years on and that prediction has proved to be spot on! And now, as the big anniversary is on the horizon, we may not have the ranks of Anzac veterans any longer but community newspapers across Victoria are marking the occasion with coverage. Localised Anzac stories have already appeared in many community newspapers already. The Winchelsea Star featuring locals off to a dawn service at Gallipoli is one such example. the post office, as a mixed business, is the last business standing in our small towns," was one of the quotes, and "One of the things I think we can do is look at how we distribute government services back to regional communities using this network of stores.” The article then picked up the Chewton Post Office as an example – it has been serving the Chewton community since 1879! Have any community newspapers picked up this story? http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-0310/call-for-country-post-offices-to-becommunications-hubs/6291294 bushfire risk area that ran out of fuel totally during the summer Australia Day weekend? Definitely a variation on the usual theme... European Wasps Ice - a question... European wasps seem to be a topic across many parts of Victoria at present. They were certainly a huge menace around the food vans and restaurants during the just concluded Castlemaine State Festival! This issue was covered in Winchesea Star’s latest edition with some good reference sources. With the scourge of Ice being screamed from government sources and media of all forms, is it an issue within the communities that boast community newspapers too? http://issuu.com/winchelseastar/docs/ winchelsea_star_vol38_ed11_web Aussie Post And a variation on a perennial - fuel! Mooted changes to Australia Post have the potential to have a great effect on the communities CNAV member newspapers serve. The ABC has posted a story on-line… "That's a really important part of regional Australia. Often The issue of fuel stations closing down has badly affected some communities, and has led to some communities fighting back with the establishment of cooperatives. LPG being cut at Lorne is one issue - but a tourist town in a high CNAV Facebook... One of the advantages of the Facebook presence is that information about issues such as these can be shared! Joining the Facebook group is by invitation – CNAV members should email Marina Cook [email protected] If you would like to access this group using your personal email then simply email Marina your personal email address and the newspaper you are from and she will send an invitation to that address. The more people we have, the more content and information we can share. If you would like more than one member from your paper to be involved – just email the extra address so an invitation can be arranged. ... join, stay up to date - and participate! Why become a CNAV member? The easy response is why not? But looking seriously at the question you note that CNAV is a whole network of community owned newspapers. Membership of CNAV costs individual community papers only $30 a year. Members of CNAV remain independent organisations, but by joining CNAV they: • gain access to the annual CNAV conference with its speakers, workshops and information sharing, • can enter the annual CNAV awards, • receive constant updates of what is happening in the community newspaper world via the e-mailed Roundabout, • can take advantage of unlimited access to the CNAV website, • can become an observer of, or a participant in, the CNAV FaceBook page discussions and threads (a group that is closed to nonmembers), • can use the CNAV logo in their publications, • are eligible to have members elected to the CNAV committee, • and can access the services of the CNAV Broker at no cost. Financially, the broker access is the big advantage. By registering publication details with the broker, the state government advertising purchasing agencies (Mitchell and Partners and Zenith Optimedia) have access to them and CNAV members are in the mix for targeted advertising campaigns. There is no charge for this service for CNAV members. Non-members don’t access such exposure on the Broker’s site. All state government advertising for community owned newspapers is directed through the CNAV Broker and if state government advertising were to be offered to non-member papers a percentage fee for the broker’s services service will be charged (N.B. still discussing this with solicitor). CNAV is currently in its tenth year and now has 73 members. 29 of our current members have had continuous membership since 2007. Annual conferences have been held in Ballarat (2006), Lorne (2007), Castlemaine (2008), Kinglake/Tool- angi (2009), Warragul (2010), Geelong (2011), Nagambie (2012), Frankston (2013) and Caroline Springs (2014). Since 2006 the annual conferences have attracted a range of high profile keynote speakers, hosted a series of workshops relevant to the organisation, administration and production of community owned newspapers, held many open microphone sessions and facilitated networking opportunities. In conjunction with conferences the annual CNAV Awards have been conducted with changing teams of independent judges. The overall standard of community newspaper output has increased noticeably during the 10 years of CNAV’s existence as members have taken advantage of the opportunities CNAV offers. Whilst CNAV membership is a decision for each independent paper we would encourage all community newspapers to consider joining CNAV for the above reasons, and also to increase the voice CNAV has when negotiating with all levels of government and government agencies. Each member makes CNAV stronger! Congratulations to The Core... Fantastic to see the Harcourt Core reach its first anniversary - 12 editions out in print with the promise of many more to come. A terrific publication that certainly justifies the obvious pride in editor Robyn Miller’s “From the Editor’s Desk.” Fairfax cuts ‘We need local journalists’: communities plead for their papers is a Crikey. com article by Myriam Robin (March 17). This is in response to the recently announced Fairfax “rationalisation” that is to take place. Apparently journalists will report local news across multi-media, as well as be trained to write headlines, captions and fact-boxes. An earlier Crikey account quoted details of an advertised vacancy for a reporter – a reporter should be required to typically write “six stories a day, two leads, two down pagers and two briefs”, while ensuring all copy is “error free” and published immediately to the web, and taking and archiving images for future usage. What’s news? This Fairfax feature appeared on March 19th - it shows great diversity as the front page articles go more “local”. Could this be something for CNAV to consider - a monthly collection or some such? http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com. au/story/2952502/fairfax-front-pagesmarch-18-2015/?cs=2452 Next Roundabout due April Forward any news or a link to your latest edition to [email protected] or [email protected]