Summer - FCPNY

imPRESSions
Free Community Papers of New Yorkk
Association of publishers of free distribution shopping guides, newspapers and periodicals throughout New York State
SUMMER EDITION 2014
In This Issue
Executive Director’s Message ............. 3
President’s Message ............................. 4
Sales & Training Director’s Message ...5
PaperChain Update ................................ 6
SMC Update ......................................... 7, 9
Associate Members .........................10-11
Board of Directors .................................11
SALES 101 ........................................ 12-13
Brought to you by the FCPNY Sales
Management Division, this section of
our association newsletter will prove
to be a valuable resource to you and
your sales team.
Member Fun and Philanthropy ...........14
Legalese .................................................16
News ..........................................17, 19, 20
Kevin Slimp: Working from Home .......18
R
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C Commun E
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F
nity Pa er Month
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I N J ULY
Classified Sales Contest ...................... 21
Classified Discount Offer ......................22
Our mission is to unite
and educate our
members for their
strength and prosperity.
FCPNY
109 Twin Oaks Drive
Suite D
Syracuse, NY 13206
Toll Free: 877-275-2726
Fax: 315-472-5919
www.fcpny.com
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Like us at facebook.com/fcpny
Connect on LinkedIn
See page 6 for details.
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Dan Holmes
Greetings
From the Desk of Your Executive Director
FCPNY IS MOVIN’ AND SHAKIN’...
LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY
After decades of being a tenant in the offices of the Scotsman Press, FCPNY
has moved to new digs. We successfully relocated on Monday, June 23, and
have now settled into our new office. Only our address has changed; all
phone numbers and email addresses remain the same. Please make note
of our new address:
FCPNY – 109 Twin Oaks Drive, Suite D, Syracuse, NY 13206
I want to extend many thanks to past and present leaders of Scotsman Press,
and the owner, John Badoud, for their many, many years of hospitality and
support. We enjoyed a fantastic working relationship with so many fine people
over the years. Even as we moved out of the building, Bill Veit, current
president, provided employees and vehicles to make the move as pleasant
and efficient as possible. Many thanks to Chris Colburn who assisted Tom
Cuskey in the transfer of our electronic files from the Scotsman server to our
new storage systems. We are now truly on our own, and all is going well.
Chase will begin the solicitation of new members with a meeting on July 11th.
Any suggestions of neighboring publications that would make reputable
members of FCPNY are most welcome. Please direct your suggestions to me at
[email protected]. We are also looking to increase the number of Associate
members in the association. If you have a particularly good working relationship
with a vendor who could provide services to your fellow FCPNY members, please
ask them to consider joining the association as an associate member. We will
happily provide all the information a potential associate member needs, just let
me know.
Plans are under development for a multifaceted sales summit during the week
of September 8th. Under the auspices of the Sales Management Division, this
will be an exciting and valuable opportunity to expose your sales teams to three
of our industry’s best sales trainers. Read all about the developing details on
page 15.
Continued on page 8
As we distribute this summer newsletter our industry begins a month-long
celebration of free community papers. Organized by PaperChain, a subcommittee comprised of many FCPNY members has facilitated the creation of
print and electronic promotional ads and a Free Community Paper Month logo
for use throughout July. Proposed wording for local, regional, state and
federal governmental support in the form of a formal proclamation also has
been created. The promotional elements can all be found at http://paperchain.org/communitypapermonth.html). I strongly encourage you to use these
ads and the logo on your masthead, within your publication pages and on
your website all month long. You can find more complete information on
Free Community Paper Month on page 6.
Tom Cuskey and I have worked with a committee of FCPNY graphics and
sales leaders for a number of months to rebrand the advertising arm of FCPNY.
I want to thank Tom and all of the participants in this project. At our May
meeting the FCPNY/CPAN board of directors approved the adoption of a
new “public” name for CPAN. AdNetworkNY will be our new name, and we
have created a new logo and a new website to better promote our network
advertising opportunities. See the article on page 17 for more detailed
information about this exciting new development.
Our membership development committee has also been hard at work with
the development of a new membership category and the creation of promotional collateral materials to solicit new members for FCPNY. The new “specialty publication” membership category was approved at our March annual
meeting allowing the acceptance of publications that distribute from 6 to
49 times per year. Previously only weekly publications qualified for FCPNY
membership, now we can solicit and welcome monthly and other less than
weekly publications. The membership development committee led by Carla
FREE COMMUNITY PAPERS OF NEW YORK
Summer 2014
3
A Message
Randy Shepard
From Your President
SUMMER IS FINALLY HERE! HIP HIP HOORAY!
After an unusually long and cold winter, it’s finally nice
to be outside the office visiting customers and feeling the
warm sun rays on my face instead of the stinging cold
snowflakes. It’s especially nice to see the advertising sales
come back as the summer temperatures continue to rise.
With the changing of the seasons came a change to our
FCPNY board of directors. Back in April, Community Papers
of Western New York (CPWNY) announced that it had
acquired Metro Group, Inc. Metro Group, Inc., is the
publisher of weekly community newspapers and shoppers
serving over 250,000 households in Erie and Niagara
Counties, along with portions of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua,
Allegany and Wyoming counties. CPWNY is owned by
James Austin, a career newspaperman who recently
made his first acquisition of the Angola Pennysaver.
Shortly after this announcement, our Syracuse office
received a letter of resignation from long-time board
member Denny Guastaferro, who was a partner in
Metro Group, Inc., along with Bernard Bradpiece. I’m
going to miss seeing Denny at the board meetings and
hearing his valued insights. Good luck to him on his
future endeavors.
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www.fcpny.com
While we wish Denny all the best, we welcome James
Austin as our newest member of the board. At the May
board meeting, it was unanimously voted to accept
James to the board filling Denny’s vacated seat. James
has been in the newspaper industry for 30 years, and has
a lot of energy and ideas that will help assist the board
on achieving its goals. In fact, one of the board’s goals
is to continually provide its members with a conference
filled with quality content, training and profit-making
ideas. In an effort to achieve this goal, a new Conference
Committee was formed. James volunteered as a member
of this committee, along with Dick Snyder, Bill Brod and
Karen Sawicz, our committee chairperson. You can bet
these talented individuals will put together an outstanding
conference next year—one that you and your staff will
not want to miss. In the meantime, if you have any
speakers or topics you would like to suggest for the
conference, please let us know by emailing the FCPNY
office at [email protected] and putting “conference
suggestions” in the subject line.
Speaking of suggestions, Dan Alexander had a good
one at the May board meeting: In regards to group
purchasing, could we receive better pricing on items like
printers, computers, software, insurance, etc., if we
could buy from a dealer as a group? I’m sure we could.
So, we are going to research the possibilities further.
First, we need you to provide us with the names of vendors
that you use for purchasing items mentioned above. Fax
or email this list to the FCPNY office with “group purchase”
in the subject line: 315-472-5919; [email protected].
Did you hear? Community Paper Advertising Network
(CPAN) is being rebranded as AdNetworkNY. No longer
will advertisers confuse our statewide advertising network with the political cable TV channel CSPAN. For more
information on AdNetworkNY, check out page 17 .
Finally, July is Free Community Paper Month. Go to
http://paperchain.org/communitypapermonth.html
today, download the Free Community Paper Month ad
series and run them in your paper for the month of July.
Together, let’s promote the strength, value and importance that our industry provides to our communities.
Best wishes for a great summer!
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Tom Cuskey
A Message
From Your Sales & Training Director
A MOVING EXPERIENCE
“Summertime ... and the livin’ is easy.” Bull-oney! Maybe summer was an
easy time in 1935 when George Gershwin and crew wrote this famous show
tune, but we all know that you have to work hard every season if you want
to succeed in this business, especially in 2014. Summer at FCPNY is moving
season as we relocated our association headquarters. The moving experience
is one we should all engage in from time to time, even if you have no relocation plans. Let me explain ...
The New Selling Model
If you’re a student of your sales profession, you no doubt are well aware of
the growing trend in sales training to talk about the new sales model or the
new way of selling. Big names like Jeffrey Gitomer (whom I enjoy and follow
closely) and others have been part of this shift away from what I will call the
traditional training models. I’ve even read things like “cold calling is dead”
and “don’t try to close a sale.” What is this all about? I have two comments:
First, the cynical side: Why does a major sports team change its uniform
design every so often? At least part of the reason is to get fans to buy new
jerseys. And then they can sell you the current one as a “throwback jersey”
It is easier today to stay on top of what we do. Smartphones, tablets and
next year, probably at a higher price. It’s marketing ... revenue creation. If I
laptops give us constant access to our customers, our calendars, email and
write a book on selling, or kayaking for that matter, it better have something
customer relationship management (CRM) software. It can make it easy
new and different for the reader, or it won’t sell. If nothing changes—if the
for us to think that we are in control of everything. At least it gives me that
old model is deemed to be doing just fine—then why
impression; and I find today, in the midst of
invest in the new one? I have been to plenty of sales
prepping to move, that it’s a false impression. I
seminars where the presenter came up with new terms
try to use my iPhone, iPad and laptop with the
Use the new
for prospecting, opening, questioning, presenting,
associated apps and software for anything and
closing and objection handling. There was little or
technology,
new
everything. I use them to the degree where my
nothing new ... just new terminology to describe the
ideas and models to
wife will even grab them out of my hands and
same practices. It’s important to remember that sales
make me go outside and play for a while, even
get better at what
trainers and coaches are in it for the money, as well
though it’s not video games that I’m tuned
as the satisfaction of helping salespeople get better.
you
do
and
to
adapt
into. But in spite of all the reminders and
Be discerning when taking advice on changing up
calendar notes, I still have to file some items
to how the business
your style.
for later follow-up. Some of those go into four
world operates today.
drawer files, accompanied by brochures and
Second, the positive or pragmatic side: It is a different
other hard collateral relating to the event. It’s
world today. Some days, it seems like no one answers
But don’t forget the
been the process of going through these files
their phone anymore and allows you a chance to talk to
and cleaning in anticipation of the move that
old methods ...
them. Current research bears that out. AT&T says 75%
I have found things that still have slipped
of first phone calls to a business don’t get through. Four
through the cracks. Some have been harmless
years ago this past June, the Direct Marketing Associaitems, such as articles I intended to read when
tion released its “2010 Response Rate Trend Report,”
I had a few minutes, or notes about a promo
asserting that cold calling customers yielded the highest response rate for
or idea I thought I might share at the right moment. Others have been names
sales initiation attempts among other methods like direct mail, email, paid
I thought I would contact when the timing was right, or notes on projects that
search and Internet displays. Cold calling was most successful with a 6.16%
I once started but got sidetracked from ... and never made it back. Poooof!
response rate. So, make 100 cold calls and be successful with six of them ...
Forgotten in a brain that I bet is like many—too crammed and too busy to
and that’s the best method? I’ll bet it’s worse today. I’d skip the calls and
actually be doing as good of a job as I might think.
sit on a street corner whacking yourself with a stick. You’ll draw a bigger
crowd and feel less pain. Statistics like these scream for new, innovative
This experience of cleaning out hard-copy paper files also has triggered a
approaches to gain success especially in a time when traditional methods
purging of unnecessary computer files I had created. Gigabytes are cheap;
are simply harder to put to use.
thus, one can get carried away saving digital notes and files on our hard
drives that are easily overlooked and forgotten. In looking through these
My suggestion is to treat this like the moving experience. Use the new techfiles, I have found as many diamonds as I have in the paper files—rough,
nology, new ideas and models to get better at what you do and to adapt to
uncut diamonds, but some could turn into precious gems. So learn from
how the business world operates today. But don’t forget the old methods ...
my experience, and stay on top of those files and folders you’ve created.
the practices that got you here. And take inventory—regularly following up
on prospects, ideas and promotions you may have innocently filed away and
forgotten about.
Until next time!
FREE COMMUNITY PAPERS OF NEW YORK
Summer 2014
5
PaperChain Update
By Scarlette Merfeld, Event Chairperson
BRATE
E
L
E
C e Communit
h
t
n
y Paper Mo
Fre
I N J ULY
Industry insiders know and recognize the valuable service our community papers provide to readers and advertisers; but all too often in the hustle and
bustle of today’s fast-paced world, we become so wrapped up in publishing that those important facts get overlooked. For the benefit of publishers
of this valuable service, and for future generations of community paper publishers who will follow, it’s important to remind those we serve of our
important role in their community and to toot our horn just a little bit. PaperChain is the common link between all the national, regional and state free
community paper organizations, which makes it the logical choice to lead the charge to organize a recognition and celebration of our industry.
The PaperChain leadership believes the noble mission of free community papers fits perfectly with the national celebration of freedom the United
States so proudly enjoys. The concepts of freedom, liberty and the rights we hold so dear provide the nation’s community papers with the perfect
backdrop to remind the country of the valuable services we bring to millions of homes each week. In the spirit of independence and freedom celebrated nationwide every July, we need your help to spread the word and demonstrate the reach of our industry. We will do this through a celebration
of the free community paper industry during the entire month of July.
Here is the agenda for the 2014 celebration rollout:
1. Shown is the Free Community Paper Month logo. Please use this logo often in your
masthead, folios, promotional ads and articles, and also as fillers throughout your paper
during the month of July. For original artwork and PDFs, visit http://paperchain.org/freepapermonth.html.
2. We have also created and released promotional ads for 2014. They also are available
on the website noted above, and will be distributed by your state, regional and national
associations as well.
3. We encourage all free paper publishers to put together a prize package for their readers
to be able to enter and win on the PaperChain website.
4. Publishers are asked not to alter the logo but to use it often. We encourage you to localize the ad and draw your reader’s attention to the important role your paper and staff play
in this industry, and how this industry stimulates the local and national economy.
5. We are all so very busy these days, but we also encourage you to brainstorm with your
staff and find ways to use the month of July to highlight your publications’ accomplishments and the many ways your publications help drive and support the local economy.
6. The 2014 celebration is a national event, but you can provide the local flavor. Ask your
town fathers, city council and county government to consider taking action on a local
proclamation formally recognizing Free Community Paper Month. Suggested proclamation
verbiage also can be found at http://paperchain.org/freepapermonth.html.
Your paper has made a great investment in your community and this industry. Only you and your staff can help us bring that
story alive to your readers in this consolidated industry-wide effort. Please consider active participation in the July 2014 Free
Community Paper Month. Visit us on Facebook, and let us know your plans for Free Community Paper Month. Thank you in
advance for all you do to enhance the industry with every issue you publish and your support with this project.
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SMC Update
by Donna E. Hanbery, Saturation Mailers Coalition
CHRISTMAS IN JULY OR PLANNING FOR PROMOTIONS
Years ago, when Saturation Mailers Coalition (SMC) was involved with
postal rate cases under the old law where every few years all postal
stakeholders—including businesses that use the mail—could appear
before the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to argue about the
allocation of a proposed rate increase, I worked with a witness for
saturation mailers who talked about the importance of advertising. My
witness operated a chain of party stores where planning and preparing
for business promotions was always done six months in advance. For his
business, Christmas was in July, and the traditional holiday or New Years
season was all about graduations and celebrating the 4th.
For many free papers, as well as the advertisers you serve, your customers
are thinking about fall and holiday promotions well in advance.That makes
it a good time now to consider how your free paper can take advantage of
the Postal Service’s Mail Drives Mobile Commerce Promotion.
The USPS has been offering incentives and promotions for the past several
years. One popular promotion is the year-end “holiday timed” promotion
that allows standard mailers to take advantage of an upfront, 2% postal
rate discount on mail pieces that include a mobile barcode or print/mobile
technology that can be read or scanned by a mobile device, and leads the
consumer to a mobile optimized shopping website. The recipient must be
able to purchase an advertised product from the website. The name of
the promotion is Mail Drives Mobile Commerce Promotion. To be eligible,
mailers must register. The registration period begins September 15, 2014,
and continues through December 31, 2014. You must have registered
before you can claim a discount on a mailing.
Mailers wanting to obtain further information about the program can go
to the Postal Service’s Rapid Information Bulletin Board System website
at https://ribbs.usps.gov/mailingpromotions. When you are there, look
up Mail Drives Mobile Commerce Promotion Requirements.
An additional incentive included with the promotion is the opportunity
for mailers to earn an additional 1% postage rebate, to be credited in
the future, if sufficient purchases made using the mobile barcode or
print mobile technology on the qualifying piece lead to orders fulfilled
by Priority Mail between November 3, 2014, and January 15, 2015.
Registration for the Priority Mail promotion is separate and includes
different requirements. There is a threshold for receiving the 1%
discount for Priority Mail fulfillment of .5% of the discounted mail pieces.
Unlike earlier mobile barcode incentives, this promotion has significantly
more requirements about the copy that must be included with the mobile
barcode, or other qualifying print mobile technology, and the materials and
offers on the website. The incentive requirements include a directional
copy requirement that provides that the text near the barcode or image
must provide guidance to the consumer to scan the barcode or image and
information about the landing page. Examples of qualifying directions or
text include:
FREE COMMUNITY PAPERS OF NEW YORK
Summer 2014
a. Scan here to shop our mobile website.
b. Scan here to see our products.
c. Scan the barcode to reach our mobile website.
Once the consumer lands on the website, the website platform must
contain, or be deeply integrated with, a checkout function that allows
the customer to complete a purchase of the product referenced in the
mail piece through a complete mobile optimized experience.
Consumers must be able to complete the purchase in one of the
following ways:
• An electronic payment (such as a credit, debit or prepaid card)
made through the Internet on the mobile device.
• A person-to-person payment method (e.g., PayPal) made through
the Internet on the mobile device.
• An order placed on the mobile device through the Internet where
the customer is invoiced at a later date (presumably upon delivery).
• An order placed on the mobile device through an Internet browser
where the charge is added to a recurring bill.
The promotion includes a definition of “product” as a “tangible and
physical item” that needs to be distributed or manufactured, and could
be shipped via mailing or other shipping service. Products that can only
be fulfilled via private carrier, such as a local pizza or fast food delivery,
would not meet these requirements.
In some limited instances, the sale of services or charitable donations
will qualify if the mailings meet all other promotional requirements. This
example is given:
• A tangible item such as a hardcopy certificate, thank you note or
voucher is mailed to the recipient upon purchase via the Postal Service.
An invoice billing statement or receipt would not qualify for this exception.
The Postal Service provides several examples of mobile barcode uses that
will not qualify for the promotion, as they do not involve the potential to
purchase a tangible and physical product. Examples of ineligible mobile
barcode uses include paying a bill, signing up for a list, signing up for
online billing or paperless statement services, downloading a deal or
coupon (where no hard-copy certificate or voucher is mailed), taking a
survey, confirming a reservation, viewing a video or even purchasing a
product where there is a requirement for in-store pick-up.
As part of the registration requirements, participants must agree to
promotion terms and promise to participate in a survey at the end of the
promotion period. It is recommended that mailers register several days
in advance of the first qualifying mailing.
7
SMC Update (continued from page 7)
Where the mailing is not to be accomplished by the mail owner, but done so by
a mail service provider, there are several additional requirements. Mailers working
with printers or mail service providers will need to review program requirements,
including registration requirements, well in advance to make sure that all mailings
with the barcode will be eligible. There are requirements for the documentation
and postage statement that accompany the mailing. Generally, mailings must be
submitted electronically via mail.dat, mail.xml or Postal Wizard. Mailings submitted via Postal Wizard cannot exceed 9,999 pieces. Postage must be paid using
a permit imprint or pre-cancelled stamp permit. Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM)
deposited at a Business Mail Entry Unit may qualify, but EDDM retail mailings
taken to the local post office retail units (where a permit is not required) are not
eligible to participate.
For Standard Mail products that must be automated, the full service Intelligent
Mail barcode is required.
For free papers wanting to present the mobile barcode to an advertiser or
customer, the eligible customers will be limited to those that have a website
with tangible products for sale where mail or product delivery (not store pickup)
is an option. Other exceptions would be mobile websites that allow consumers
to complete a purchase of a service or make a charitable donation, and the
donation is confirmed with a thank-you note or certificate of appreciation that
is sent by the Postal Service (it does not appear that a simple receipt acknowl-
From the Desk of Your Executive Director
(continued from page 3)
In closing I want to explain our new method of distributing your quarterly
imPRESSions newsletter. At the May FCPNY/CPAN board of directors meeting the directors approved the dissemination of the newsletter by electronic
transmission only. In order to conserve resources we will no longer print
and mail the newsletter. You will now receive the newsletter via email
and have the ability to view, read and even print a pdf version of every
issue. Or you can follow a link that will be provided in the email and
view, print and conveniently enlarge an on-line version compliments of
our associate member, JB Multimedia. In addition to the cost savings
we will realize, we also hope that we will reach more people with our
electronic distribution, but that depends on you. Please forward every
issue to all members of your publication team. If you email me their names
and email addresses I will see that they are added to our distribution list.
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www.fcpny.com
Historically, SMC has had a number of members—including free paper
publishers—work with their local charities or causes, supported by the business,
to establish a qualifying promotion and a barcode that takes the consumer to the
website; to purchase an incentive or item offered by the supporting the charity; or
to make a qualifying donation and receive a hard-copy certificate of appreciation,
or other premium, mailed or shipped in return.
In working with your sales team or customers, keep in mind that the barcode can
be placed anywhere on, or inside, the paper. The barcode cannot be placed on
a detached address label or card that is not attached to, or enclosed within, the
mail piece. Further, the barcode cannot be placed in the area that is too close to
the area for placement of the mailing piece address. For further details on the
location of a barcode, consult the technical program requirements.
Although the requirements for the program have become considerably more
complex than the initial versions of the holiday barcode promotion, the length
of the promotion (two full months) and the opportunity for an upfront 2%
discount make it worth your while to plan now for holiday savings later this year.
FCPNY has a
new location
I want to recognize and thank Ron Rudolph and Al Dicroce of All Island
Media (AIM) for their willingness to join the CPAN (AdNetworkNY) classified
advertising network. Our network classifieds are now running in the AIM
publications providing a significant boost to our total circulation and to the
advertising results for all of our CPAN (AdNetworkNY) customers.
I wish you a pleasant summer!
edging the donation would qualify). For most charities, the requirement to confirm
to the donor that no tangible goods or services were permitted would allow an
eligible promotion to be created where the thank you included a confirmation or
receipt of the contribution made that the donor can retain for tax purposes.
As of June 23, 2014,
FCPNY’s new office location is:
109 Twin Oaks Drive
Suite D
Syracuse, NY 13206
Got News?
Do you have a news item about someone
or something within your organization that
you would like included in our quarterly
association newsletter?
If so, please pass it along to Deedee Dillingham
at [email protected].
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SMC Update...more
EXIGENCY, RATES AND REFORM
Exigency and Rates
The United States Court of Appeals has set September 9, 2014, as the date
for oral argument on the exigency appeal case. This week, SMC, along with
the numerous mail associations intervening on the case, will submit a detailed
brief in support of the PRC’s decision limiting the exigency increase to a period
of time that will allow the Postal Service to recoup $2.8 billion in lost contribution.
The likelihood of this proposal going forward is further weakened by the
upset primary vote removing Eric Cantor from his House Majority leadership
role. But this proposal is an example of the type of stand-alone reform
proposals and “gimmicks” that could pop up between now and the end
of the year as ways to “fix” some of the Postal Service’s problems.
The setting of the date for oral argument in early September makes it very
likely that the case will be decided before the end of the year.
The Postal Service continues to seek “comprehensive” reform that would
eliminate Saturday mail delivery, as well as allow health care program
changes, governance changes, and greater than CPI pricing flexibility.
The Postal Service submitted a short response to the PRC order to submit a
“plan” and process for accomplishing a rollback in rates if the PRC decision
limiting the exigency surcharge is upheld.
Individuals in Congress have looked at stand-alone provisions that would
move more quickly to consolidated delivery or cluster boxes, and elimination
of Saturday service as stand-alone sources of savings.
The Postal Service refused to submit any definitive plan, but stated that its
options and decisions would depend upon the overall economy, upcoming
annual price changes, and how the mail mix had changed.
From the standpoint of the industry, most postal stakeholders agree that we
should “KISS” (keep it simple, stupid) and exhort Congress, the unions and all
postal stakeholders to support the two reforms that have the most financial
impact and seem to have the least opposition: 1) that the Federal Employees
Retirement System and Civil Service Retirement System overpayments should
be refunded; and 2) the retirement health benefit funding prepayment schedule
should be restructured.
One of the options the Postal Service floated—that is certainly of interest and
intriguing to the industry—was the possibility that the Postal Service could
alter the schedule of regular rate changes. The USPS wrote:
The Postal Service could delay the next rate adjustment so as to coincide with
the rescission of the exigent surcharge. If the available percentage of rate
authority attributed to inflation were 4.3% or greater, then the surcharge could
simply be absorbed as part of the scheduled rate change. Even if inflation were
less than 4.3%, the Postal Service could, notwithstanding, use available pricing
authority to fold in the exigent surcharge into the basic rate structure of some
products, while adjusting the price of other products so as to come out at the cap.
In Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) meetings, the Postal Service
has stated it will pursue its normal Consumer Price Index (CPI) pricing process
with a filing, presumably this October, for a price adjustment effective by the end
of January 2015. The current CPI pricing authority available to the Postal Service
is 1.471. Based upon the present economy, estimates for 2015 pricing authority
are approximately 1.6%. Depending upon the outcome of the exigency appeal,
the Postal Service could change its plans about an annual pricing adjustment,
and try to retain portions of the exigency increase in existing mail rates as a
way of covering the CPI increases and presenting an overall rollback plan.
Postal Reform
The prospects for comprehensive, or even piecemeal, postal reform that could
pass before the election, or during a lame-duck session, remain uncertain.
The comprehensive Senate Postal Reform bill has not made it to the full
Senate floor, and it does not appear likely to happen soon.
A somewhat “off the wall” proposal was floated by then-House Majority
Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) announcing a GOP leadership plan to eliminate
Saturday mail delivery service as a means to “pay for” a one-year replenishment of the Federal Highway Trust Fund, which is expected to run out of
money this August. The idea of “swapping savings from eliminating Saturday
delivery to provide cash flow” on the federal budget to fund the Highway Trust
Fund for another year was promptly denounced by everyone from all postal
unions to The Washington Post as a budgetary shell game.
FREE COMMUNITY PAPERS OF NEW YORK
Summer 2014
SMC Updates
On the SMC front, I have some sad news to share with all members. Valassis
Communications, Inc., was acquired earlier this year by Harland Clarke. As
part of organizational changes and restructuring following the acquisition, the
postal and government relations in-house department of Valassis has been
eliminated. Our co-chair, Robert Croce, and his team will no longer be on the
SMC Steering Committee. We continue to look for, and will count upon, the
talents of Paul Giampolo as our MTAC representative and a representative
member on our Steering Committee for Valassis.
Robert Croce was on the SMC Steering Committee for 15 years. He always
provided a keen insight on how things work in Washington. As part of the
restructuring, we also have lost the services that were funded in the past by
Valassis of postal counsel Tom McLaughlin and economist Toni Crowder. Their
historic expertise and decades of experience on postal laws, regulations and
strategy helped us to continuously achieve better than “par” results on issues
relating to postal rates, discounts and regulations.
I am currently in the process of revising SMC’s budget and the goals that I can
reasonably achieve for our members this year and the years to come. I think
there is still a need for SMC to be an advocate for saturation shared mail programs, mailed free papers and coupon programs before the Postal Service and
PRC in areas of rates, regulations, operations, delivery, incentives and pricing.
But my ability to continue the association will depend on the participation in
terms of funding and effort of our members.
I will hope that more of you can step up and contribute dues in accordance
with our suggested scale to help SMC continue. If you know of other businesses that mail—or provide print and mailing support—for you or other
saturation mailers, please urge them to join at the $500 associate level.
I will be putting out our second quarter financial report with revisions
showing the recent changes. If anyone has made a pledge or not yet paid
dues, now would be a good time to do so. Thank you.
9
By Patronizing Our Associate Members...
AdMall/Sales Development
Services Inc.
Bryan Carr
1 News Plaza
Buffalo, NY 14240
Phone: 716-849-4171
[email protected]
www.buffalonews.com
Virtual sales assistant for media
advertising.
Denise Gibson
600 N. Cleveland Ave., Suite 260
Westerville, OH 43082
Phone: 304-863-6748
Fax: 800-548-4223
[email protected]
www.admall.com
Circulation Verification
Council (CVC)
Circulation audits and readership studies.
ANOCOIL Corp.
The largest independent manufacturer of
plates in North America. A pioneer in the
development and manufacture of digital
and analog printing plates for the newspaper and commercial printing markets.
Jay Faulkner
60 E. Main St.
P.O. Box 1318
Rockville, CT 06066-1318
Phone: 860-871-1200
[email protected]
www.anocoil.com
CoolerAds.com
Offering Web solutions for community
papers.
Barrett Concepts
Provides an array of web services and
consulting.
Brad Barrett
138 Palm Coast Pkwy., Suite 187
Palm Coast, FL 32137
Phone: 888-567-9483
[email protected]
www.barrettconcepts.com
Joe Nicastro
5 Vista Dr.
Flanders, NJ 07836
Phone: 973-809-4784
Fax: 240-332-7489
[email protected]
www.coolerads.net
Cribb, Greene & Associates
Specializing in brokering, shopper
businesses, consulting and appraisals.
Bartash Printing, Inc.
Printer of weekly newspapers, direct mail
shoppers and niche publications such as
real estate, auto, parenting, boating and
more.
Eric Roberts
5400 Grays Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19143
Phone: 215-724-1700
Fax: 215-724-3313
[email protected]
www.bartash.com
Buffalo News (The)
Newspaper printing, commercial sheet
fed printing, bindery services, website
design, website and search optimization,
distribution services, direct mail, TMC
and insert printing.
10
Tim Bingaman
338 S. Kirkwood Rd., Suite 102
St. Louis, MO 63122
Phone: 800-262-6392
Fax: 314-822-0666
[email protected]
www.cvcaudit.com
John Cribb
7512 Loon Road
Helena, MT 59602
Phone: 406-579-2925
[email protected]
www.cribb.com
Gary Rudy, Executive Director
107 Hemlock Dr.
Rio Grande, NJ 08242
Phone: 800-441-4372
Fax: 609-889-8359
[email protected]
www.ifpa.com
JB Multimedia, Inc.
Displays publications online with an
interactive digital edition.
www.fcpny.com
Free distribution newspaper, shopper and
magazine appraisers, and broker and
management consultants.
Providing virtually everything needed to
create and sell retail, classified and co-op
advertising. The industry’s largest selection
of art, ads, photographs and more.
Kevin B. Kamen
626 RXR Plaza, West Tower, 6th floor
Uniondale, NY 11556
Phone: 516-379-2797
Phone FL Office: 727-786-5930
[email protected]
www.kamengroup.com
Mary Armstrong
1720 West Detweiller Dr.
Peoria, IL 61615
Phone: 800-245-9278, ext. 5324
Fax: 309-690-5989
[email protected]
www.multiad.com
MediaBids.com
North American Precis
Syndicate, Inc. (NAPS)
Mediabids’ free, online tools allow
publications to sell ads in print and digital
editions to businesses across the U.S.
Additionally, newspapers can run customsized ads from national, direct-response
advertisers and get paid for each call the
ads generate.
June Peterson
448 Main St.
Winsted, CT 06098
Phone: 860-379-9602
Fax: 860-379-9617
[email protected]
www.mediabids.com
The largest and most comprehensive adbuilding, revenue-generating, art and
advertising service. Available online at
MetroCreativeConnection.com
Community newspaper association of
member publications with independent
owners.
Fax: 515-334-7461
[email protected]
www.msgpay.com
MultiAd
Kamen & Co. Group Services
Metro Creative Graphics, Inc.
Independent Free Papers
of America (IFPA)
Robert Durso
P.O. Box 704
N. Bellmore, NY 11710
Phone/Fax: 888-592-3212
[email protected]
www.jbmultimedia.net
Gwen Tomaselli
519 Eighth Ave.
New York, NY 10018
Phone: 800-223-1600
Fax: 212-967-4602
[email protected]
www.metrocreativegraphics.com
MSG Payment Systems
Comprehensive menu of payment systems,
including credit and debit card processing;
eCommerce; recurring payments; ACH/eCheck processing; mobile payments; payroll;
Customer Information Manager; and more.
Paul Huntley
10555 New York Ave., Suite 101
Urbandale, IA 50322
Phone: 888-697-8831
Nationwide distributor of free, noncopyrighted features (health and fitness,
home improvement, car care, bridal,
holidays, etc.) to newspaper editors.
Gary Lipton
415 Madison Ave., 12th floor
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 212-309-0107
Fax: 800-440-4329
[email protected]
www.napsnet.com
Penny Lane Promotional
Products
An advertising specialty service with over
300,000 products available to display your
company logo, including brand-name
clothing embroidered or screened.
Lorie Browne
1471 Rt. 15
Avon, NY 14414
Phone: 585-226-3103
[email protected]
www.pennylanepromo.com
Saturation Mailers
Coalition (SMC)
SMC represents saturation mailers—
including free papers, shared mailers, and
coupon envelope mailers—that share a
common interest in maintaining fair and
reasonable postal rates and regulations.
Donna Hanbery
33 South 6th St., Suite 4160
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Phone: 612-340-9350
Fax: 612-340-9446
[email protected]
SEE AN INTERACTIVE MAP OF OUR PUBLICATIONS • DOWNLOAD THE FCPNY PUBLICATION AUDIT REPORT • REVIEW MEMBER BENEFITS
...We Say Thank You for Their Support
Software Consulting Services, LLC
A 30-year-old plus systems integrator that
serves the newspaper business worldwide.
Offers newspaper systems for the following
prepress areas: ad order entry and accounting,
ad dummying and pagination, production and
workflow management, editorial and much
more. Specializes in software development,
systems engineering and integration,
technical support and training.
Phil Curtolo
630 Municipal Dr., Suite 420
Nazareth, PA 18064
Phone: 610-746-7700
Fax: 610-746-7900
[email protected]
www.newspapersystems.com
Standard Rate & Data
Service (SRDS)
Connects publishers with media decision
makers all day, everyday. SRDS.com has
powerful functionality to help buyers select
markets and newspapers in which to place
their advertising dollars.
David Crawford
1451 Millmoore Terrace
Dacula, GA 30019
Phone: 770-614-0588
Fax: 847-375-4606
[email protected]
www.srds.com
Trumbull Printing
WorldPay
A full-service commercial printer with complete
prepress, binding, mailing, inserting and
shipping capabilities. Specializing in newspapers, publications, shoppers, catalogs,
magazines, directories, coupon books,
college course catalogs, business and
financial periodicals, free-standing inserts
and advertising supplements. Contact us
for a free quote.
Your trusted partner in payments processing
for over 20 years, enabling businesses of all
sizes to accept payments securely and quickly
to help them make the sale.
Gustave C. Semon
205 Spring Hill Rd.
Trumbull, CT 06611
Phone: 203-261-2548
Fax: 203-261-8310
[email protected]
www.trumbullprinting.com
Jennifer Hendrix
3613 Watervale Rd.
Manlius, NY 13104
Phone: 315-723-9928
Fax: 855-266-6740
[email protected]
www.worldpay.us
Board of Directors
FCPNY is one of the oldest and largest state organizations of free circulation papers. Over the past several years, we have grown to be one of the most
active. The members of our board of directors have donated countless hours to our association, and we take this opportunity to say “thank you” to:
PRESIDENT
1ST VICE PRESIDENT
David Grayson*
Randy Shepard*
County Shopper, Delhi LeRoy Pennysaver,
LeRoy
2ND VICE PRESIDENT
Bridgette Stewart*
The Hi-Lites,
Watkins Glen
TREASURER
Karen Sawicz*
Lake Country
Pennysaver, Albion
Dan Alexander
James Austin
Bill Brod
Denton Publications, Community Papers of Syracuse New Times
Elizabethtown Western NY, Cheektowaga;
Angola Pennysaver, Angola
Carla Chase
Yorktown Pennysaver,
Yorktown Heights
CPAN Directors
Mark Coyle
Fredonia Pennysaver,
Fredonia
Christine Kennedy
Jeff Lambert
Warsaw Penny Saver, Neighbor Newspapers,
Warsaw; Perry Shopper,
Farmingdale
Perry
FREE COMMUNITY PAPERS OF NEW YORK
John Rozeski
RW Publications,
Orchard Park
Summer 2014
Richard Snyder
Snyder Communications,
Norwich
Steve Harrison
Genesee Valley
Publications, Avon
Cheryl Tears
The Merchandiser,
Clifton Springs
* Also officers and directors of CPAN
11
SALES 101 presented by your FCPNY Sales Management Division
Each quarter, this special section
features articles written by your
fellow FCPNY sales managers and
publishers, as well as relevant items
of interest from sales trainers, authors
and contributors. We expect that you
will find these articles informative
and timely, and we encourage you to
share them with your sales staff when
you feel it is appropriate.
If you are a sales manager and would
like to be involved with the FCPNY
Sales Management Division Board, or
if there is a particular topic that you
would like to see addressed in future
editions, please email your request to
Tom Cuskey at [email protected].
The Four P’s of Marketing
By John Foust, Raleigh, NC
Marketing is not a one-note tune. In fact,
most marketing textbooks feature meticulous
descriptions of the Four P’s of marketing—four
elements that work together in the creation of
a successful campaign. If any one of the four is
lacking, failure is a likely possibility.
Media salespeople should have a fundamental
understanding of these Four P’s. Here’s a quick
look:
Gary Hill
Lake Country Pennysaver
PRESIDENT
Product: This represents the product or service
offered to consumers. If the product is something that the public would like to own, there is
a ready-made marketplace.
Scarlette Merfeld
Denton Publications
1ST VICE PRESIDENT
I must mention that there is a big difference between a want and a need. Just because someone
needs a product or service doesn’t mean that he
or she will want to buy it. And just because that
person needs a particular product doesn’t mean
that any brand in that category will do.
Meg Bourdette
RW Publications
You may need basic transportation, but you
want a certain kind of sports car. You may need
athletic shoes, but you want a certain brand.
You may need a house, but you want to live in
a particular neighborhood.
Kristine Morseman
The Hi-Lites/Seneca
County Area Shopper
Price: Think of the classic television show
“The Price Is Right.” Pricing strategies create
delicate balances. From the seller’s perspective,
pricing should meet desired profit margins.
From the consumer’s point of view, a price
that seems too high for perceived value will
seem out of line. And a price that is too low for
perceived value will suggest poor quality.
the store or online? How will they receive it?
Does the store have convenient hours? What
if inventories are low and the product is out of
stock? If it has to be ordered, how long will
delivery take?
Product availability is a huge key. Many a sale
has been lost because of distribution delays.
Promotion: Essentially, promotion is communication. How do you let your target audience
know about the advantages of the product or
service? Here’s where advertising enters the
picture. Promotion is one piece of the marketing puzzle. And advertising is one component
of promotion—just as public relations, special
events and sponsorships are components of
promotion.
Recent textbooks have added a fifth P to the
formula:
People. Without adequate customer service, all
of the other P’s don’t add up to a hill of beans
or—ahem—peas.
Sadly, some smaller businesses have little or no
understanding of the marketing P’s. Of course
they know the importance of each individual
element, but they don’t see the connections.
That’s where you can help them see the big
picture and set reasonable expectations for their
advertising. After all, the best ad campaign
in the world can’t sell a product that is not
available or priced incorrectly or lacking in
customer service.
© 2014 by John Foust. All rights reserved.
Daria Reitknecht
Genesee Valley
Penny Saver
12
www.fcpny.com
Whatever the price, discounts can be offered to
boost sales.
Place: This concerns distribution. Where can
consumers find the product? Can they try it
on or test drive it in a local store, then buy it
and take it home? Do they have to order it in
John Foust has conducted training programs
for thousands of newspaper advertising
professionals. Many ad departments are
using his training videos to save time and get
quick results from in-house training. Email
for information: [email protected].
SEE AN INTERACTIVE MAP OF OUR PUBLICATIONS • DOWNLOAD THE FCPNY PUBLICATION AUDIT REPORT • REVIEW MEMBER BENEFITS
Good Gossip
By Kristine Morseman, The Hi-Lites
You call it GOSSIPING. I call it
NETWORKING.
I’m not sure if you can be successful with sales
if you are not a “people person.” The reason
I don’t know this is because I have never tried!
People do business with people they like, so I
strive to be personable.
Now, I have clients who I dread seeing and
thus quickly breeze in and out of their locations, offering current opportunities and making changes to their current ad campaigns.
These are not the people who make me want
to get out of bed in the morning.
On the other hand, I have clients who I enjoy
seeing. They get pretty much the same service
with little bits and pieces thrown in asking,
“How are the kids?” or “Did you beat your
sales from last year’s Memorial Day Weekend?” to prolong the conversation and build
the relationship.
There are also business owners and marketing managers whom I truly look forward to
working with, and I plan these visits at the
end of my day or before lunch so I can take
them at a leisurely pace. Why? Because I love
to gossip ... ahem ... NETWORK!
Several months ago, the director of marketing
for the Gaffer District in Corning, N.Y.—my
neighbors to the south—took another job. I was
disappointed because I thought by getting to
know him he would open doors to many of the
businesses there for me, and I saw a lot of potential. It took me two months of unanswered
emails and unreturned phone calls until I was
finally able to score a sit-down meeting with
his replacement. When I spoke with her by
phone, I got a vibe that we might just hit it off,
so I suggested we meet at a coffee shop in the
business district and chat about what her needs
were and how my publications could help her.
I was right! We talked for an hour and a half.
I was able to present all the products we had to
offer, and left with a year’s worth of advertising scheduled and another client who fell into
my third category—people I liked to gossip/
network with!
Three weeks later, my new client called and
asked if I would work up a proposal for a
business directory/guide exclusively to the
businesses in her district and then present it
to her executive director. As it turned out, my
product was deeply needed in their area, and
the director loved it. They both loved it so much
that they committed to paying for three of the
premium spots and sold the fourth one for me
before I left the building. More importantly,
they were willing to personally open the door
to all the businesses in their district by emailing them about the project and discussing it
during meetings. Nothing is more valuable
than an introduction followed by an endorsement from trusted marketing professionals.
I share my tale with you to offer my sales
advice, which is to take time to “like” your
clients. When someone new comes into a
position or opens a business, find the time to
listen to their needs and let them know about
everything you have to offer because it may
be their solution. Gossip a bit over coffee if you
can. This particular cup happened to have a
$10,000 print project and 180 new contacts in it!
And by all means, if you get a chance to take
a weekend excursion this summer, come visit
Corning, N.Y. There is even a handy Gaffer
Guide that we published which “Hi-Lites”
all the amazing businesses that make it Rand
McNally’s Best of the Road, Most Fun Small
Town in America for 2013!
Three Strategies to Avoid Vacation Anxiety
By Dr. Joey Faucette
“Dr. Joey,” she asked, “to be gone on vacation for
one week, why is it that I have to do two extra
weeks of work—one before I leave, and the
other when I get back?” Have you ever wondered that? Sure seems that way, doesn’t it?
Here are three strategies to avoid vacation
anxiety:
1. Describe Status
Have a meeting with yourself and describe the
status of each of the projects currently receiving
your primary attention. How far along are you?
Where are you on the project timeline? Will
any status reports require filing while you’re
gone? What must you accomplish before you
leave? By describing the status of each project,
you clearly detail expectations. This clarity
focuses your mind to specifically address relevant matters, a cognitive function. Such mental
processing keeps at arm’s length the emotive
“vacation anxiety” which may sabotage your
productivity the week before you leave. Once
you describe the project statuses, update your
coworker and/or supervisor with this information. This proactive approach calms any concerns they may have and, if anyone is to cover
FREE COMMUNITY PAPERS OF NEW YORK
your position, offers them all of the information they require to work positive.
2. Define “Emergency”
By describing the project statuses and sharing
the information, you very likely eliminate any
“emergency” communications while you’re
on vacation. However, to insure you truly leave
town physically and mentally, define “emergency” when you meet with your coworker
and/or supervisor. Ask questions like, “Now,
what have we yet to discuss that could possibly arise while I’m gone?” and “Any potential
emergencies come to mind?” By doing this,
you avoid a frantic call asking, “Where are the
coffee filters?” Well, even if someone else is
in charge of the coffee filters, you understand.
Define “emergency” with them.
3. Delineate Re-Entry
Work goes on while you’re gone. Just because
you clean your desk before you leave doesn’t
insure it will remain so. On one level, it’s
comforting to be missed for your unique contributions you bring to the team. On another
level, “vacation anxiety” can creep into your
head as you travel back home. You imagine
Summer 2014
everything that could possibly have gone
wrong while you were away. Your racing
thoughts keep you awake on Sunday night
while anticipating Monday morning.
Before you leave for vacation, delineate your
re-entry process. Remember those projects
for which you described their status? Schedule pick-up points for your week back.
Also, that meeting you had with your
coworker and/or supervisor before leaving?
Schedule a status update meeting when you
return, preferably early Monday. Such information is vital for your secure re-entry and
a work-positive week.
Describe status, define “emergency” and
delineate re-entry to avoid vacation anxiety
and work positive!
Dr. Joey Faucette is the #1 Amazon best-selling
author of Work Positive in a Negative World (Entrepreneur Press), and work-positive coach and
speaker who helps business professionals increase
sales with greater productivity so they leave the
office earlier to do what they love with those they
love. Discover more at www.ListentoLife.org.
13
Member Fun and Philanthropy
The Syracuse New Times staff “going red” for heart health in
support of the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women”
campaign this past February.
Tom Cuskey, FCPNY’s sales & training director,
on Father’s Day (June 15) with his immediate and
extended family at Alliance Bank Stadium, home
of the Syracuse Chiefs Triple-A baseball team.
Christopher Harrison (son of Steven Harrison of Genesee
Valley Publications) about to enjoy the Richard Petty experience
at Daytona Speedway, where he reached a speed of 172 mph
on the straightaway in May.
Vladimir Liba from Slovakia; Jerry Rolison of Mount Morris
Shopper, Rochester, N.Y.; and Sasa Jezdimirovic from
Serbia taking in the view of Niagara Falls (American side)
at night on June 6. Both Vladimir and Sasa (pronounced
Sasha) are in the U.S. on work visas until November.
Eric Shay of The Hi-Lites with Idris Elba, star of
the movies “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
and “Pacific Rim,” in Watkins Glen, N.Y., where
Elba and NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Rusty Wallace
were shooting a documentary last summer.
14
www.fcpny.com
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Upcoming FCPNY Events
ALES SUMMIT
S
Y
N
P
F C atch your Email for Details and Dates!
W
Plans are in the works for an FCPNY Sales Summit to be held this September.
Dan Holmes and Tom Cuskey have reviewed results of surveys on the
proposed idea as completed by association members, and have had
preliminary discussions with potential speakers and presenters.
A decision on a date and presenters is expected shortly. The format
for the one-day event will offer something for all levels of sales.
FREE COMMUNITY PAPERS OF NEW YORK
Summer 2014
A high-energy opening with a keynote kick-off presentation will
be followed by breakout sessions for each of these three groups:
1) newer/recent hire salespeople;
2) experienced/senior salespeople; and
3) sales managers and publishers.
Plans right now put the summit sometime the week of
September 8, so mark your calendars and keep an eye
open for our official announcement.
15
Legalese
by Joseph J. Steflik, Jr., Esq. Coughlin & Gerhart, LLP
AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING
Mark Twain wrote, “No man’s life,
liberty or property are safe while the
legislature is in session.” Legislation
deadlock would seem to alleviate this
problem. However, it appears that
executive and administrative fiat has
altered the quote to “No man’s life,
liberty, or property are safe when executives and administrative agencies
may unilaterally change the rules.”
The following are current examples:
Executive Orders/Presidential Memoranda. President Obama has
issued several executive orders (EOs) and presidential memoranda
that may affect your business. EO 13658, issued on February 12, 2014,
requires federal contractors to pay their employees $10.10/hour for
contracts issued after January 1, 2015. Thereafter, the wage will be
indexed to the Consumer Price Index. The U.S. Department of Labor
(USDOL) will issue regulations by October 1, 2014. EO 11246, issued
on April 8, 2014, was amended to prohibit federal contractors from
retaliating against applicants or employees who inquire about, disclose
or discuss compensation. Interestingly, the National Labor Relations
Board (NLRB) has already held that discussion of wages is protected
concerted activity and employers may not take adverse employment
action against employees who exercise that right. President Obama,
on March 13, 2014, issued a presidential memorandum directing the
USDOL to “update and modernize” overtime regulations under the Fair
Labor Standards Act. It is anticipated that these new regulations will
raise the minimum salary requirement for exempt employees (possibly
from $455/week to $1000/week) and change the job duties necessary to
qualify for the overtime exemptions. This change likely will make many
employees now exempt from overtime rules as executives, managers
and administrators to be considered non-exempt.
Affordable Care Act Regulations. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS),
on March 10, 2014, issued two new regulations detailing an employer’s
obligation to report health insurance coverage information. Regulations
pursuant to 26 U.S. Code (USC) § 6055 for self-insured plans requires
every person who provides minimum essential coverage to individuals,
including self-insured employers, to provide a return to the IRS with
certain information about the individuals covered so that the IRS can
confirm that they have the required minimum coverage. Information
that must be reported includes identifying information regarding the
employer (name, address and employer identification number); identifying information for the primary insured individual and each covered
individual (such as date of birth and tax identification numbers); and the
months for which, for at least one day, the individual was enrolled in
coverage and entitled to receive benefits. Pursuant to 26 USC § 6056,
large employers (50+ employees) must file a return with the IRS that
16
www.fcpny.com
reports for each employee, who was a full-time employee for one or
more months during the calendar year, certain information about the
health care coverage the employer offered to that employee, or, if
applicable, that the employer did not offer health care coverage to
that employee. The new regulations indicate that a return meets the
law’s requirements if it is in the form as the IRS prescribes and contains:
1) the employer’s name, address, and employer identification number;
2) the name and telephone number of the employer’s contact person;
3) the calendar year for which the employer is reporting; 4) a certification as to whether the employer offers to its full-time employees and
their dependents the opportunity to enroll in minimum essential coverage under an eligible employer-sponsored plan; 5) the months during
the calendar year for which minimum essential coverage under the plan
was available; 6) each full-time employee’s share of the lowest cost
monthly premium (individual only) for coverage providing minimum value
offered to that full-time employee under an eligible employer-sponsored
plan, by calendar month; 7) the number of full-time employees for each
month during the calendar year; and 8) the name, address and taxpayer
identification number of each full-time employee during the calendar
year and the months, if any, during which the employee was covered
under the plan. The regulations indicate that if the employer files Form
1095-C for each employee, as well as a transmittal Form 1094-C with
the IRS, it will fulfill its obligation.
National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB continues, by administrative decisions, to impose additional obligations on employers:
1.
Photography bans – The NLRB has found that rules prohibiting
employees photographing work areas or allowing employers
to photograph employees may violate the National Labor Relations
Act. Employers must carefully draft their social media policies to
regulate only specific photography—trade secrets, manufacturing
processes, etc.
2.
Non-work regulations – The NLRB held that a rule requiring
employees “to represent the employer in the community in a
positive and professional manner” unlawful as overbroad and
ambiguous. Prior decisions have held “positive and professional”
language is acceptable. Company policies should be carefully
reviewed and, if necessary, made more specific.
3.
Wage discussions – A trucking company’s rule that required
employees to sign a pledge not to disclose confidential matters
including “personnel information” and documents was held invalid.
Conclusion. Employers must monitor not only legislative enactments,
but also executive orders and administrative determinations. They
must be prepared to modify personnel policies to comply and avoid
substantial penalties.
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CPAN Rebranded As AdNetworkNY
What’s in a name? Just ask Madonna Louise Ciccone.
You probably know her by her first name only. Or how
about making a copy on a Haloid machine? Never
heard of it? You may know it better as Xerox, the name
adopted some 55 years after the Haloid Company was
founded in Rochester back in 1906.
Your brand name says it all.That’s why FCPNY recently
unveiled AdNetworkNY as its new brand name for
the advertising sales arm of our business, replacing the
Community Papers Advertising Network (CPAN) brand.
Our new logo accompanies this article. The effort to
make a change started in discussions about a year ago,
recognizing that the CPAN brand probably had little
recognition value outside of our membership, and did not
speak to potential advertisers about the products and
value that we offer. Our CPAN Sales Committee, headed
by Genesee Valley Pennysavers publisher Steve Harrison, knew we needed a brand that better connected
with our customers and prospects.
The effort to examine our opportunities really got
underway in November 2013 when our Rebranding Committee was formed from member volunteers. Special
thanks goes to our committee: Caterina Cacace of Chase
Multimedia, Deedee Dillingham of FCPNY, Gary Hill of
Lake Country Pennysaver, Colleen Kennedy of the Warsaw and Perry Pennysavers, Kristine Morseman of The
Hi-Lites, and Sandy Nichols of the Community Papers of
Western New York. These good people gave us the initial
direction we needed to start the rebranding effort.
After consideration of a number of possible names,
AdNetworkNY was selected as the new brand. Execu-
tive director Dan Holmes says, “It speaks to what we do,
how we do it, and where we serve readers and potential
customers.” The AdNetworkNY.com URL was already
owned by FCPNY, a definite benefit attached to this name.
The effort then focused on developing a new logo to
capture the energy of the brand. The call went out to
graphic artists from our member publications, asking
for ideas and designs for the new brand. A contest was
introduced, offering a $100 American Express gift card
prize to the person who designed the winning logo. We
were very fortunate to have received a number of excellent designs from the following group of talented people:
Rita Butters, Southern Tier Shopper
Caterina Cacace, Chase Multimedia
Tom Heffernan, Steuben Courier Advocate
Leslie Hendrix, The Hi-Lites
Jayme Privitera, Lake Country Pennysaver
Rachel Richter, LeRoy Pennysaver
Eric Shay, The Hi-Lites
Cheryl Tears, The Merchandiser
a $50 gift card was awarded to Tom Heffernan, of the
Steuben Courier Advocate, whose name was selected
at random from the remaining participating artists. The
effort now turns to implementation and development of
brand awareness. Currently, we are actively developing
a new retail-oriented website, AdNetworkNY.com, to
present our products. We also are working on a campaign of various promotional ads for member papers’
remnant space that soon will be available for use in
promoting network classifieds, display ads and inserts.
r; Jayme
of Lake Country Pennysave
Karen Sawicz, publisher
ctor.
dire
art
s,
Olle
a
riss
Ma
er; and
Privitera, graphic design
The designs were reviewed by our CPAN and Rebranding Committees, as well as FCPNY staff. This review
produced a “Final Four” of designs that was presented
to our board of directors during their May 2014 meeting.
In a close competition, the design submitted by Jayme
Privitera of Lake Country Pennysaver was selected as
our new brand logo. Jayme won the $100 gift card, and
The sale of network ads is critical to our members’
success. It’s network advertising sales that fund
your CVC audit, AdMall sales tools, conferences,
training and much more, as well as provide another
potentially significant stream of cash flow to our
selling members. Many thanks to all involved in
this effort, and thanks to our members for helping
to promote the AdNetworkNY name.
– NEWSLETTER –
Published for the benefit of our members.
FREE COMMUNITY PAPERS OF NEW YORK
Publisher/Executive Director
Graphic Design/Layout
FCPNY is not liable for errors appearing in advertisements beyond the
cost of the space occupied by the error, and notification must be made in
writing within 10 days of publishing. The right is reserved by FCPNY
to edit, reject or cut any copy without notice.
Advertising, Editorial & Production
FCPNY
109 Twin Oaks Drive
Suite D
Syracuse, NY 13206
Toll Free: 877-275-2726
Fax: 315-472-5919
www.fcpny.com
NO CASH REFUNDS.
Dan Holmes
[email protected]
President
Randy Shepard
Managing Editor
Deedee Dillingham
[email protected]
Ad Sales
Tom Cuskey
Volume 37 Number 3 • Summer 2014
The opinions of the individual contributors or correspondents do not
necessarily reflect those of the publication or its management.
FCPNY may include material produced under copyrighted or syndicated ad
service. Permission of the publisher must be obtained before copying any
of the material from any issue of the FCPNY Newsletter.
[email protected]
FREE COMMUNITY PAPERS OF NEW YORK
Summer 2014
17
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www.fcpny.com
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News
DAVID FITZMORRIS PROMOTED TO VP AND COO OF CHASE MEDIA GROUP
In late May, David (“Dave”) Fitzmorris was
named vice president (VP) and chief operations officer (COO) of Chase Media Group
(CMG). Mr. Fitzmorris, a 25-year expert in
printing and media services, is now leading
all functional departments and product
groups at the marketing services provider,
including commercial printing, digital advertising and tools, website development,
direct mail, email, social media and mobile
marketing.
“While the title is new, Dave has been
acting in this capacity for quite awhile,”
said Carla Chase, chief executive officer. “His results-oriented work ethic and
organizational skills continue to create growth opportunities that benefit our
entire company.”
Mr. Fitzmorris joined CMG in 2003. Since 2008, as operations manager for
the company, he has overseen steady and sizable revenue growth in the
firm’s Chase Press division, the largest printing and direct mail operation in
Westchester County, N.Y.
FREE COMMUNITY PAPERS OF NEW YORK
Summer 2014
Prior to Chase, Mr. Fitzmorris was director of operations at Miracle Press, a
manufacturer of Web offset printing equipment and services in Naugatuck,
Conn., where he was responsible for the development and production of its
M-series presses, marketed in the U.S., Europe, South America and Asia. He
started his career in 1989 at Miracle.
Dave Fitzmorris is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a
B.S. in IT Electrical Systems. He lives with wife Tracey and son Matthew in
Wolcott, Conn.
Chase Media Group serves the Hudson Valley and beyond with “Multimedia
Marketing Solutions for an Omnichannel Marketplace.” Founded in 1958 by
John W. Chase, the company publishes the 200,000+ circulation PennySaver,
now in its 56th year. Its full range of services for businesses of any size and
location include graphic design, direct mail, Every Door Direct Mail, freestanding
inserts, low-cost websites, email marketing, promotional merchandise and
commercial printing. The company’s headquarters are in Yorktown Heights,
N.Y., with a branch office in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. For more information
about Chase Media Group, please call 914-962-3871 or visit
www.chasemediagroup.com.
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News
FCPNY MEMBERS WIN AGAIN AT AFCP
Once again, FCPNY member publications were big winners in the awards
ceremony of the recent AFCP annual meeting in April in Orlando, Fla. Eleven
FCPNY publications received a total of 52 of the 242 awards presented in the
2014 AFCP Best of the Best awards competition. The 52 awards included 13
for first place, 20 for second place, 12 for third place and seven honorable
mentions in various categories. Three big winners included Genesee Valley
Penny Saver with 10 awards, including four for first place; All Island Media
with 10 awards, including two for first place; and The Merchandiser with 9
awards, including one for first place.
Other winners included Chase Media Group: two awards; Angola Pennysaver: two awards; Times of Ti: four awards, including a sweep of the
Best Original Photography B&W Sports category; Today’s CNY Woman:
6 awards; Valley News, one award; and Snyder Communications publications: eight awards.
FCPNY publications swept the Best Online Presentation of News category
with entries from The Merchandiser, Angola Pennysaver and Genesee
Valley Penny Saver. You can visit their respective websites to see awardwinning ideas for your online presence.
In the Most Improved Publication categories, Genesee Valley Penny Saver
took first place for publications with 10% to 25% editorial content. Denton
Publications received an honorable mention for their Exquisite Bridal Guide,
and Today’s CNY Woman received third place for Most Improved Glossy
publication.
In the General Excellence categories, All Island Media took first place; and
Genesee Valley Penny Saver took third place for publications with 10% to
25% editorial content.
The winner for Best of Show in the 10 to 25% editorial content category was
the Genesee Valley Penny Saver.
Congratulations to all of these fine FCPNY publications. You have made your
association proud!
FCPNY on the Move
As of June 23, 2014,
FCPNY’s new office
location is:
109 Twin Oaks Drive
Suite D
Syracuse, NY 13206
20
www.fcpny.com
“Hello” from
Cheryl and Tom!
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Summer 2014
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