Georgia Press Association 130th Annual Convention June 2-4, 2016 Jekyll Island Club

We’re Peach State Proud! Georgia Press Association 2016 Convention Wednesday, June 1 Noon, Early Registration Aspinwall Room, Jekyll Island Club Hotel

1 to 3 p.m., GPA/GNS Board Meeting Club Ballroom, Jekyll Island Club Hotel

6 to 9:30 p.m., Board Dinner

Sponsored by Georgia EMC and Georgia Transmission Corp.

Thursday, June 2 8 a.m. Early Registration Aspinwall Room, Jekyll Island Club Hotel

8 to 8:45 a.m., Past Presidents’ Breakfast Riverview Lounge, Jekyll Island Club Hotel

8:45 to 9:45 a.m., Circulation Session Jeff Hartley, Publisher, Log Cabin (Ark.) Democrat, Morris Publishing Group (Invited) Club Ballroom, Jekyll Island Club Hotel

9:45 to 10 a.m., Break

10 to 11:45 a.m., Growing Audience & Revenue - Mobile Matthew Ipsan, vice president of CNHI, will discuss the ever-expanding mobile audience and best practices on selling advertising to them. Club Ballroom, Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Noon to 12:30 p.m., Opening Luncheon Reception and Book Sale and Signing of “Fourth and Inches” by Mrs. Barbara Dooley Hard back $25 and paper back $12; cash or checks only Riverfront Veranda, Jekyll Island Club Hotel Sponsored by Georgia EMC

12:30 to 2:15 p.m., Opening Luncheon Opening Luncheon Speaker: Mrs. Barbara Dooley “Back to Basics” Also: Presentation of new GPA Golden Club Inductees. Grand Dining Room, Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Dessert sponsored by Georgia Peanut Commission (Continued on next page) Thursday, June 2 (continued)

2:15 to 3:15 p.m., Legal Update David Hudson, GPA Legal Counsel, and Brooks Hudson on changes to Georgia law affecting . Club Ballroom, Jekyll Island Club Hotel 3:15 to 3:30 p.m., Break

3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Book Sale and Signing of “Fourth and Inches” by Mrs. Barbara Dooley Hard back $25 and paper back $12; cash or checks only

5 to 8 p.m., All-Georgia Products Reception Join us for cocktails and hors d’oeurves and visit with All-Georgia Grown vendors as they share their products. Bring your kids to play on the video-gaming truck! Crane Courtyard, Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Sponsored by Georgia Farm Bureau and University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Friday, June 3 8 to 9 a.m., GPEF Board of Trustees Meeting Pulitzer Room, Jekyll Island Club Hotel

9 to 10:30 a.m., Using Your Research to Support Advertising Sales Tony Casale, CEO, Integrated Marketing Services, will discuss the results of the GPA Readership Survey and how newspapers can use it to sell advertising. DuBignon Room, Jekyll Island Club Hotel

10:30 to 10:45 a.m., Break

10:45 to 11:45 a.m., Recruiting and Retaining Employees Moderated by Susan Catron, executive editor, ; panelists include Charles Davis, Dean, Grady College, University of Georgia; Sherrie Marshall, Executive Editor, The Telegraph, Macon; and Eric NeSmith, Vice President of Development, Community Newspapers Inc. DuBignon Room, Jekyll Island Club Hotel

11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., Balancing Watchdog Reporting & Sustaining the Business Model After The Valdosta Daily Times uncovered violations of the Open Meetings Act by its local hospital authority, the hospi- tal cancelled all advertising and subscriptions. The newspaper’s parent company, CNHI, stood behind . Publisher Jeff Masters and editor Jim Zachary talk about watchdog reporting and running a profi table newspaper. Club Ballroom, Jekyll Island Club Hotel

6 p.m., Past Presidents’ Reception (Invitation Only) President Mesha Wind, The Cairo Messenger, Cairo, will host the Past Presidents’ Reception. Morgan Center Mezzanine, Jekyll Island Club Hotel

6:45 p.m., Better Newspaper Contest Reception Morgan Center Foyer, Jekyll Island Club Hotel (Continued on next page) 7:30 p.m., Better Newspaper Contest Awards Banquet Emceed by Robert Williams, The Blackshear Times, Blackshear Honor the best of Georgia journalism as we present the winners of the 2016 Better Newspaper Contest. Morgan Center, Jekyll Island Club Hotel Sponsored by Norfolk Southern

Saturday, June 4 8:30 a.m., GPA Annual Meeting Come to the meeting to collect your rebate check and recognize the new offi cers and board appointments. Club Ballroom, Jekyll Island Club Hotel

News Swap Be sure to drop off bundles of your newspapers and special sections to share with your fellow journalists dur- ing the convention. There are tables set up in the Federal Reserve and Aldrich Rooms. See how other newspapers present their news get some creative new publishing ideas!

Convention sponsors These companies and organizations support the newspaper industry in Georgia with their sponsorship of activities at GPA’s convention and their associate membership in our organi- zation. Say thanks when you see them at the convention!

• Terri Statham, Georgia EMC • Andy Lucas, Georgia Farm Bureau • Joy Carter Crosby, Georgia Peanut Commission • Tom Parker, Georgia Transmission Corp. • Rick Harris, Norfolk Southern • Faith Peppers, University of Georgia College of Agriculture

Thanks to the 2015-2016 Meetings Committee Chairman: William Bronson, Publisher, The Daily Citizen, Dalton and thanks to the Meetings Committee members: Mesha Wind Jennifer Leavy GPA President The Brunswick News The Cairo Messenger Meet the speakers Based on order of appearance

Matthew Ipsan is executive vice president of Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. He joined CNHI more than fi ve years ago as the company began an aggressive program to dramatically grow its digital platforms. Ipsan oversees all aspects of CNHI’s digital media efforts. From sales to content, marketing to product development, his focus is on strategic multiplatform initiatives that leverage existing and emerging channels and technologies. Ipsan has been honored with multiple Emmy awards for both television and digital production. His areas of expertise range from advertising and revenue to content programming and distribution, audience develop- ment and engagement to design/UX, programmatic sales to consumer marketing. He was previously vice president of interactive media at The State Media Company, a McClatchy subsidiary, in Colum- bia, S.C.

Barbara Dooley is half of one of the most legendary couples in Southern culture. Married to former Uni- versity of Georgia athletic director and head football coach Vince Dooley for nearly 50 years, Mrs. Dooley set out to undeniably support her husband while forging her own success. She is a well-received author, much-beloved radio and television personality, nonprofi t volunteer, career woman (she is a Realtor) and a dynamic speaker. No one connects with an audience better than this hilarious spit-fi re, and no presenter is more gracious in spending time with at- tendees when the event ends. Though she has spent much of her life playing second fi ddle to a football, Barbara has come away with rich stories that thread the fabric of her life and will enthrall the ones who are fortunate to hear her speak.

David Hudson is with the law fi rm Hull Barrett in Augusta, where he practices in the area of general civil litiga- tion with an emphasis on business and commercial disputes, media law and construction law. He has been a trial lawyer since 1974 and has argued numerous appeals in the appellate courts of Georgia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second, Fifth and 11th Circuits, and a case before the Supreme Court of the United States. He is GPA’s legal counsel. David earned his A.B. degree, summa cum laude, from Mercer University, and his J.D. degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1971. He then served as a law clerk to the Honorable Griffi n B. Bell of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Before entering law practice, he was a captain in the U.S. army and senior instructor, law department, U.S. Military Police School, at Fort Gordon for two years. He is a trustee of Mercer University and has been chairman of the university’s board and its executive committee.

Brooks Hudson joined Hull Barrett in 2011 and practices general civil litigation, handling a wide variety of complex litigation matters. Brooks focuses primarily on commercial litigation matters, includ- ing prosecuting and defending claims in complex business disputes, health-care litigation, First Amendment litigation, class actions and criminal litigation. Brooks attended undergraduate studies at University of Georgia and received his law degree from Mercer. Prior to joining Hull Barrett, Brooks served as the Assistant District Attorney for the district attorney’s offi ce, where he conducted prosecutions and court proceedings on behalf of the state of Georgia and was appointed Special Drug Prosecutor. He also worked in the Public Defender’s Offi ce in the Augusta Judicial Circuit, where he represented defendants in numerous court proceedings.

(Continued on next page) Tony Casale, CEO of American Opinion Research, is a former Pulitzer Prize nominee who was on the plan- ning and start-up team of USA TODAY. He served as its fi rst national editor and Director of Research for Co. He is a winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation award for excellence in print journalism. Earlier, he was deputy managing editor of The Times- Union of Rochester, N.Y., while attending The Rochester Institute of Technology and working toward an MBA in research. He continued his education at The George Washington University while serving as Night National Editor of USA Today. He started USA Today’s polling operation, became Director of News Research for USA Today and corporate Director of Research for Gannett Co. Inc. He is author of Tracking Tomorrow’s Trends, a best-selling book examining trends shaping the business world, and author and narrator of a video on branding newspapers produced by Newstar Com- munications.

Susan Catron is the executive editor of the Savannah Morning News and its award-winning website, savannahnow.com. She is also responsible for the staff and news content in area newspapers and websites for Business in Savannah, Bryan County Now, Effi ngham Now, The Sun Today, Jasper County Sun Times and Bluffton Today. Catron came to the newspaper and Savannah in November 2005 from Columbus, where she was managing editor of -Enquirer for eight years. She is a North Carolina native and graduated from the University of North Caro- lina in Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1982. Catron currently serves as the president of the Georgia Associated Press Media Editors and as an open government and transparency contributor to training curricula for the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia. She has served on the board of Rebuilding Together Savannah and as a project house captain for the group. She is a trustee for the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

Charles Davis is the Dean of the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. He was appointed in 2013, after a long career in journalism. Davis worked for 10 years as a journalist after his graduation from North Georgia College, working for newspapers, magazines and a news service in Georgia and Florida before leaving full-time journalism to complete a masters degree from the University of Georgia’s Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and to earn a doctorate in mass communi- cation from the University of Florida. He spent 14 years as a faculty member, including four as department chair at the Missouri School of Journalism. Davis also spent fi ve years at Miz- zou as Executive Director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. His teaching awards include the Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Teacher of the Year Award in 2008, the Provost’s Award for Junior Faculty Teaching in 2001, and the University of Missouri Alumni Association’s Faculty/Alumni Award in 2008.

Sherrie Marshall Sherrie Marshall has been Vice President and Executive Editor of The Telegraph of Ma- con since February 2001. She is responsible for leading the newsroom to journalistic excel- lence. This includes setting vision and direction for news coverage and working with other Telegraph division directors to establish companywide policies and initiatives that will help grow a successful business. Before joining the Telegraph, Sherrie spent nearly 23 years in various positions at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. Her last job there was Deputy Managing Editor, responsible, with the Managing Editor, for daily newsroom operations. She also helped lead newsroom-wide diversity efforts. Sherrie received a B.A. in English from Spelman Col- lege in Atlanta, Ga., and an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has attended numerous industry training and development seminars. In 2011, she received the Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity Leadership, sponsored by the Associated Press Media Editors. Sherrie is a member of the Na- tional Association of Black Journalists and is on the board of the Macon Rotary Club. (Continued on next page) Eric NeSmith got ink in his blood through his fi ngertips. He was 8 years old when he started inserting at his father’s weekly newspaper, The Press-Sentinel, in Jesup, Ga. Later, a seasonal reporting job for the Community Newspapers Inc.-owned papers turned into a 10-year career in the mountains where he also served as a sales representative and later became publisher of CNI’s fi rst real estate magazine. He was then promoted to publisher and editor of the Highlands paper, The Highlander, in 2007. Three years ago, NeSmith was promoted to vice president of development for CNI and moved to Athens, Ga., where CNI is based, and was named to the company’s board of directors. In his current role, Eric develops and implements strategies to guide the growth of CNI’s publications in the digital age. Eric’s other honors and activities have included: being recognized nationally as one of Editor & Publisher magazine’s 25 under 35; serving on various boards, including Leadership Highlands, Highlands Rotary Club, the Highlands Chamber of Commerce, the Highlands Histori- cal Society and Big Brothers Big Sisters. In 2012, his last year in Highlands, the chamber of commece named him one of two Lifetime Honorary Members, and the community chose him for the Robert B. Dupree Award for “outstanding community service.” In 2013, Eric received the National Newspaper Association’s Daniel M. Phillips Leadership Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership to the community newspaper profes- sion. Last year, Eric and his wife, Connell, were members of the Leadership Georgia class of 2015. And Eric continues to serve on the alumni board of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at The University of Georgia, where he currently serves as its past chairman.

Jeff Masters is the publisher of The Valdosta Daily Times, publisher of the Thomasville Times-Enterprise, and a regional executive for Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., the parent company for The Times and the Times-Enterprise. He is a longstanding newspaper publisher and regional executive who has worked with newspapers throughout south Georgia and the United States. Masters began his newspaper career in Cordele in 1985 and since that time has worked in advertising sales, as an advertising director, a sales trainer, regional manager and publisher.

Jim Zachary is an award-winning newspaper veteran, editor of The Valdosta Daily Times, vice-chairman of the Red & Black serving UGA and director of the Transparency Project of Georgia and is on the board of directors of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation. Zachary is known for defending the First Amendment and championing open government. His recognitions include 2015 APME Freedom of Information Award, and fi rst-, second, and third-place for Best Edito- rial Writing in Georgia Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest; 2015 GPA Community Service Award for open-government advocacy; 2015 Best Editorial Page; 2014 GPA Freedom of Information Award; and 2013 GPA Freedom of Information Award.

Robert M. Williams Jr. of Blackshear is publisher of the SouthFire Newspapers Group and editor of The Blackshear Times. He has won more than 300 state and national awards for journalistic ex- cellence. Robert is a past recipient of the National Newspaper Association’s James O. Amos Award, the highest honor given nationally by the community newspaper industry. He was the 2013-2014 president of NNA, America’s largest alliance of daily and weekly newspapers, and is among 58 journalists from around the nation chosen for the inaugural class of The Grady Fellowship, an honor given by the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communi- cation at the University of Georgia. Robert is the youngest person to ever serve as president of our association, taking offi ce on his 30th birthday sometime very far back in the last century. He is now the longest-serving “old-fogey” at our head tables. To Georgia Press Association’s 130th Annual Convention sponsors:

Thank you!