www.newsandtech.com www.newsandtech.com September/October 2020

The premier resource for insight, analysis and technology integration in newspaper and hybrid operations and production.

New York Times upgrades press u by Tara McMeekin Contributing Writer Photos: Q.I. Press Controls Nearly eight years after it brought up every four to six first began investigating closed- weeks after that.” loop color control, The New York NYT first began looking into Times has embarked on major the benefits of closed-loop at press upgrades to deploy the drupa in 2012. At that time, technology. dampening control — something The publisher inked a deal NYT wanted to implement — with Netherlands-based Q.I. wasn’t prevalent in the technol- Press Controls-EAE in May to ogy, D’Andrea recalled. supply 64 IDS 3-D cameras to When the publisher resumed improve color and registration its search, it challenged several control across seven Goss Col- suppliers to find the right solu- orliner presses at its College tion for its unique needs. Having Point production plant. The plant supplied an IRS system to NYT in houses seven press folders and 2006, QIPC was a logical choice includes the Colorliner 85 the to throw its hat in the ring. publisher installed in 2008. That Left to right: Bruce Barna, vice president of sales and marketing, The Siebold Co.; Erwin “After extensive analysis and press has 12 color towers and van Rossem, director of global sales and marketing for QIPC-EAE; Nick D'Andrea, vice investigation, we decided that president of production for NYT; Ronald Reedijk, former managing director of QIPC-EAE two folders, which NYT runs as Americas (retired); Todd Socia, senior vice president of print products and services for QIPC’s single-camera option was two presses. NYT; Michael Connors, managing director of production for NYT; and Richard Palmer, the best fit for us,” said Todd So- “The install is scheduled to senior vice president, The Siebold Co. cia, senior vice president of print begin at the end of September,” products and services for NYT. NYT’s Vice President of Production Nick D’Andrea told News & Tech. “The “Doing it all on one camera was simpler from an installation and mainte- first press is slated to be available by the end of October, with one being nance standpoint, and we felt it would ultimately offer us a lower total cost new york Times continues on page 6 Charleston Post and Courier increasing press automation u by Tara McMeekin Contributing Writer The Post and Courier in Charleston, South two Goss Metroliner double-width presses. monthly and weekly publications. Carolina, is ramping up for a major controls The project, set to kick off at the end of the “We currently split things up between the system upgrade. The publisher in August year, will span 108 Goss digital page packs two presses, which are housed in separate signed a deal with DCOS Automation to re- and include ink presets and a new closed- rooms in the building, but mirror one another place existing press registration system on its loop color registration and ink density sys- from a production perspective,” Stover said. tem. Each of the Metro presses features 10 units “We will be the first to install and a double-out folder. this system on double-width The Post and Courier began looking at new press in the United States,” Se- technologies at the Metro Production Confer- Turn to nior Pressroom Manager Sidney ence in 2018, an industry conference Stover page 26 Stover told News & Tech. said he finds very valuable. But the publisher The publisher prints over began more earnestly seeking a replacement for expanded 32,000 copies of the flagship after its existing system, installed in 2006, industry daily and 39,000 on Sunday, as failed at the end of 2019. That failure left the well as a stable of commercial press crew without ink presetting capabilities coverage jobs, including monthly, bi- for two weeks. The Post and courier continues on page 5 u 1 www.newsandtech.com

— Let’s write the future. With retrofit solutions that give your press another ten years of life.

ABB’s retrofit solutions for newspaper presses will extend the productive life of your press, improve print quality, reduce waste and improve efficiency — for a fraction of the cost of a new press. Worried about the availability of spare parts for your existing controls? With an ABB retrofit you know that spares will be available worldwide for ten to fifteen years. Whether looking for replacement drives, new controls, conversion to shaftless or a complete press reconfiguration, ABB has the right solution for you. The key to the future of your printing business lies with ABB. www.abb.com/printing 2 t September/October 2020 News & Tech

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Tribune migrated to the Post’s Arc Publishing platform beginning Delta Print works in 2017. Zeus Performance is one of three monetization tools built in-house with imPRESSions on by the Post that comprise the Zeus Technology Suite. consolidation California-based Delta Print Group has consolidated its print op- Adams Publishing goes erations by merging five print companies under one roof. imPRES- Sions Worldwide helped in the effort with the relocation of two of the company’s presses. imPRESSions undertook the dismantling of with Memoriams a Goss Community SSC and a Heidelberg Harris V-25 pressline and Adams Publishing Group is going with Memoriams for obituary self- moved both to Delta Print’s new plant in Natomas, California. serve across all properties, said a press release from Adpay | Memoriams. imPRESSions had supplied and installed the 5-unit Goss Community Memoriams, by Ancestry, is an obituary self-serve network solu- press in a Sacramento facility of the company in 2019 to accommodate tion for funeral homes and private party individuals. It provides the continued growth. It was anticipated that once the new 130,000-square- ability with a single order to place an obituary locally and then into foot plant was ready, the press would be relocated to the new facility. over 3,400 media properties around North America. APG already Plans were also underway to relocate the 6-unit Heidelberg Harris V-25 used Memoriams for a number of their western region properties, press once the SSC press was up and running. The relocation and the the release says. installation of both presses were completed in two months. APG switched to Memoriams from another vendor platform. By August, the plant will be staffed to run 24 hours a day, accord- Webinar trainings are scheduled to manage seamless transitions ing to imPRESSions. for funeral directors and the newspaper teams. On-site trainings will occur when COVID-19 allows. Ancestry is Memoriams parent company and Memoriams is a sub- sidiary of Adpay, a provider of online solutions to the media industry. Adpay customers include Advance Digital, AIM Media, Gatehouse Signature Offset uses Media, Lee Enterprises, The Dallas Morning News, Black Press, Eve- NewsXtreme Cloud ning Post Industries, Tampa Bay Times and The Wall Street Journal. Signature Offset will deploy NewsXtreme Cloud services for their print production, Ohio-based software developer Presteligence said in a press release. America’s Newspapers More than 14,000 plates per month will be produced through the workflow as part of a Southern Lithoplate plate deal. NewsXtreme Cloud includes PDF preflight with automated correc- launches print tion, page pairing and imposition, load-balanced rips, ink optimiza- tion and a portal for commercial clients to upload and proof jobs. advertising network These add-ons are built into NewsXtreme Cloud, the company says. America’s Newspapers has launched a national print advertising Signature Offset production centers in Colorado and Mississippi network. — will access the hosted NewsXtreme Cloud system from anywhere, on Newspapers from across the country have united to support Amer- any device with an internet browser, the release said. ica’s Newspapers through their donation of ROP advertising space, Let’s write the future. according to the organization. More than 720 papers have contrib- uted to the effort, says the group. With retrofit solutions that give your “This program creates a great opportunity for advertisers to reach Tribune Publishing to a premium audience at an attractive CPM rate,” said a press release on the effort. press another ten years of life. Florida-based Intersect Media has been chosen as the agency to use WaPo’s Zeus manage the program, but any member of America’s Newspapers with Zeus Technology, a revenue platform from The Washington Post, a national sales force can sell the two quarter-page ads, “helping to will license Zeus Performance to Tribune Publishing in eight media support America’s Newspapers and earning a nice commission as markets, according to the Post. well,” says the release. ABB’s retrofit solutions for newspaper presses will extend the productive life of “This agreement continues a period of tremendous growth for Zeus For advertisers, this is an opportunity to reach more than 6 million your press, improve print quality, reduce waste and improve efficiency — for a which will now power adtech for nearly 70 sites in the U.S.,” said a readers, says the release. America’s Newspapers and its partners will fraction of the cost of a new press. Worried about the availability of spare parts for press release from the Post. place the ads across the entire network. your existing controls? With an ABB retrofit you know that spares will be available “Zeus now powers over 3 billion impressions monthly, offering America’s Newspapers says it has approximately 1,500 newspaper worldwide for ten to fifteen years. Whether looking for replacement drives, new publishers the ability to drive better performance and higher revenue and associate member companies. The organization is incorporated controls, conversion to shaftless or a complete press reconfiguration, ABB has the through a modernized advertising framework,” said Jarrod Dicker, VP in the District of Columbia and its staff works remotely. Its mailing right solution for you. The key to the future of your printing business lies with ABB. of commercial technology at the Post and GM of Zeus. address is in Georgia. www.abb.com/printing News & Tech September/October 2020 u 3

ABB-Ad_Newsandtech_228x276_a.indd 1 21.07.2017 07:51:57 September/October 2020

contents Volume 32, No. 5 News & Tech New YOrk TImeS uPGrAdeS PreSS 1 P.O. Box 478 Beaver Dam, WI 53916 ChArleSTON POST ANd COurIer p: 303.575.9595 www.newsandtech.com INCreASING PreSS AuTOmATION 1 Check out Editor & Publisher Mary L. Van Meter AlPhA GrOuP’S TOP dOG TAlkS SubTexT 8 vanmeternt@aol.com Art Director Violet cruz VeNdOrS AdAPT SAleS, [email protected] SerVICe IN The TIme OF COVId-19 10 Managing Editor Mary reardon News & Tech’s new editwis@gmail.com ClArITY medIA lAuNCheS deNVer GAZeTTe 13 Contributing Writer expanded coverage Tara McMeekin edeN PrAIrIe CITIZeNS GO TheIr OwN wAY 15 [email protected] starting on page 26 of Contributing Writer Marcus Wilson TAlkdeSk helPS TImeS uNION wOrk OFFSITe 16 the digital edition at [email protected]

uPdATeS: FTI FOreCAST ANd jOurNAlISm bIllS 18 www.newsandtech.com PUBLISHING GROUP Published with appreciated support The mATChuP: A 'bIG IdeA' FrOm The lmC 20 over the years from James e. conley Jr., the late president of conley. FACTS Are IN 22 PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Rhonda R. Smith DIGITAL EDITION The New York Times press room, 1942. We’re In partnership with TownNews, News & Tech is available as a digital edition, containing an exact replica of articles and advertisements. The Digital Edition is available free of charge on our Web site, Overflowing! www.newsandtech.com DATELINE Each Monday, News & Tech distributes Dateline, an electronic newsletter that covers breaking industry MORE: news and events. To subscribe to the free newsletter, People News send a request to [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are free to qualified industry Industry News personnel. To subscribe, visit our Web site at Mergers & Acquisitions www.newsandtech.com, or call 303.575.9595. ADVERTISING SALES To schedule advertising or confirm space Vendor News availability, please contact Mary L. Van Meter at Association News 303.575.9595 or email [email protected] News & Tech, ISSN# 2150-6884, is published by Conley Magazines, LLC, P.O. Box 478 Beaver Education Dam, WI 53916. Phone: 303.575.9595; Fax: 303.575.9555. Copyright ©2020 by Conley Marketing Partners Magazines, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means, mechanical or electronic, without the expressed consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, staff or advertisers of News & Tech. The return of unsolicited manuscripts or other material columNiST cannot be guaranteed. Periodicals postage paid at Denver, CO, and additional mailing offices. Free MARC WILSoN 12 to qualified newspaper personnel. POSTMASTER: Please send 3579 for address correction request to News & Tech, 5139 Yank Court, Arvada, CO 80002

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4 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com Photo: The Post and courier from page 1 presets but the camera reads and d

“Instead of it taking 20 seconds America North COS adjusts ink densities and also en- for makeready and preset values sures accurate registration,” Stover for page packs, we were looking at said. 30-40 minutes to manually preset Once underway, the install is values on those,” Stover recalled. slated to take three weeks, includ- Although the IT department was ing bringing up the mix of software able to restore the system after two and hardware programs that make weeks, Stover said it quickly be- up the system. came apparent that it would be a “Overall, we’re excited about matter of time before it would fail the increased consistency, reliabil- irreparably. ity and support we’ll be getting,” Stover said. “And I’m excited to Automation have new hardware and software The Pulitzer-winning Post and that is non-proprietary and avail- Courier holds itself to a high stan- able off the shelf.” dard of quality for its own readers For DCOS’s part the vendor is as well as its commercial custom- happy to be able to demonstrate ers. To that end, the publisher is its capabilities to U.S. publishers looking forward to increased ef- to help them deliver increased ficiencies in productivity, reduced print quality with lower waste. consumables, reduced waste and “While the more traditional faster start-up times. ‘old-school Goss Metro’ base is The camera-based DCOS sys- shrinking somewhat over the last tem will completely automate few years, there are still quite a a majority of ink presetting and few out there than can benefit quality control adjustments on the Ron Ehrhardt, North American sales director for DCoS, and Sidney Stover, senior from our upgrade,” said Ron Eh- press. pressroom manager for The Post and Courier. rhardt, DCOS North American “Not only does it give us ink sales director. p REMOTE INK CONTROL • Reduce Waste • Reduce Make Ready Time • Improve Quality • True sliding segmented blade offers precise and consistent metering of ink film • ROI in less than 2 years— Boost your bottom line • Custom fit solutions for all press profiles

(845) 473 - 0550 PERRETTA.COM [email protected] perrGRAPHICS CORPORATIONetta

News & Tech September/October 2020 u 5 www.newsandtech.com

new york Times from page 1 of ownership.” In addition to closed-loop control, the project includes dampening control and enhanced print default detection. The latter was also key for NYT, and QIPC’s tools for print defect detection and keeping press cameras clean stood out. “We have a big pressroom with lots of cam- eras, so keeping the optics clean was important to us,” Socia said. QIPC worked closely with NYT to develop its enhanced print defect detection tool, which the publisher will be the first to deploy. “If you look at closed-loop systems, you don’t need to measure the color bar,” said Erwin van Ros- The New York Times production facility in College Point. sem, director of global sales and marketing for QIPC. “With closed-loop color in place, NYT doesn’t need to sample as many papers, so their print default de- tection system has to be as good as possible.” The project also calls for ink pre-setting and updates to NYT’s existing intelligent quality man- agement tool. Innovation key D’Andrea and Socia cite QIPC’s willingness to innovate and evolve with NYT as an integral part of the vendor winning the contract. “We narrowed the decision based on the needs we talked about with QIPC,” D’Andrea said. “They’ve been innovative, they’ve solutioned ev- erything we’ve asked for and they’ve committed to evolve with us.” QIPC has provided countless closed-loop sys- tems to newspapers, although NYT is among its first major U.S. installations. U.S. newspapers have been slower to adopt the technology than their European counterparts. “Seventy percent of our business comes from closed-loop color control systems for newspa- pers, but the majority of those are in Europe,” van Rossem said. The New York Times has printed some test editions with the QIPC technology, including this front page following the U.S. victory in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer tournament. Ramping up speed Increased automation has been a focus for NYT Rollout NYT has already performed some print tests for many years. In addition to its iconic flagship Because of the size of the pressroom, a press-by- with the new technology and the results were im- daily, NYT prints USA Today and Newsday on its press rollout made the most sense, according to pressive, according to both publisher and vendor. six Goss Colorliner presses. D’Andrea said he Socia. Among those test runs, NYT took its opportunity is excited about the competitive edge these up- “The plan is to install and then go through to share its print following the United States’ win grades will provide, including waste reduction, testing and acceptance before moving on to the over the Netherlands in the 2019 FIFA Women’s improved quality and improved speed. next press,” he added. “The first one will take a World Cup soccer tournament. “When you look at these systems, you see little longer, but we expect to pick up speed as “This is an iconic paper and QIPC is proud how many moves you have to make manually, we go.” to have gotten this contract,” van Rossem said. and how quickly you have to make them — you QIPC staff will remain onsite through accep- “They challenged us to the max and as a result, I couldn’t have enough people or consoles to do tance. While NYT crews are already familiar with think NYT will be the best printer in the New York this as fast as these systems do,” he said. “We QIPC’s registration system, the vendor will work area in terms of quality and consistency.” will benefit from the speed of the corrections, the with staff to train superusers around the plant. The publisher anticipates the project will be tolerance it maintains, and the defect detection “We’ll do this as each press is installed,” complete by the end of Q1 in 2021. capabilities.” D’Andrea said. “From what we’ve seen and “I’m excited about the quality, and operational QIPC said the project will be an important ex- heard, we really need to train them to become efficiencies this project will afford us,” Socia ample of the benefits that can be realized with more hands-off and let this technology do its said. p automation for the 27 outside markets in which job.” NYT is printed.

6 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com

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Alpha Group, an in-house tech incuba- tion tool for print and digital subscriptions, tor for Advance Local, has launched a text says Donoghue. Clients do paid standalone campaign on schools reopening for nj.com, campaigns as well. “Think of it as kind of Advance invests in Ironman using Subtext, one of Alpha’s MVPs. MVPs the inside track to the journalist for the sub- Group, HawkEye 360 are minimum viable products, products that ject matter that you really, really love,” such Advance has been doing some interesting things are designed to be used as tests of technol- as politics or sports, he says. Users pay a fee recently. ogy in the marketplace. for this access and Alpha Group works on a • Advance bought The Ironman Group from Advance Local describes itself as the shared revenue model in that case. Wanda Sports Group, completing the purchase ninth-largest news organization in the U.S., From the journalist side, “This could be in July. The transaction was first announced in with titles such as cleveland.com, masslive, your take on breaking news, you could be March. Orkila Capital, an equity firm focused on mlive (Michigan) and nj.com. covering a live event, or this could be you the media, entertainment and consumer sectors, Alpha Group founder/leader Mike Dono- behind the scenes in a locker room giving partnered with Advance as a co-investor in the ghue took some time to explain to News & a first-person account of something you're transaction. Tech what the New York-based incubator is seeing or something you're hearing, and The Ironman Group operates a portfolio that up to. that would go to all of your Subtext sub- includes the Ironman Triathlon Series, the Rock “Our goal here is to look broadly at the scribers,” he says. Those subscribers can ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, mountain bike races, tech and media space and determine what then reply to the journalist, establishing a road cycling events and other races. are some of the opportunities. What are one-on-one link for the journalist or media New York-based Orkila Capital was formed in 2013 by Jesse Du Bey and Taylor Storms. some of the underserved areas that we think company. • In late 2019, Advance became the largest we can operate in?” he said. Alpha Group Donoghue says he saw this use a lot with shareholder in HawkEye 360, the first commer- begins to build out products that gain trac- the coronavirus, because subscribers had cial company to use formation flying satellites tion as businesses unto themselves. more questions than answers. to create a new class of radio frequency data Among the products the team of four at “Our mission and the way that the plat- analytics, says Advance. Alpha Group have produced are The Tylt form is built is to facilitate meaningful bi- (social polling and opinion platform), Else- lateral communication, not just spamming where (creates videos and gives users tools people with to personalize them) and Pigeon, a chat- m a r k e t i n g bot. messages via The group works with Newsday, Gannett, text,” he says. Tribune, Hearst, McClatchy and BuzzFeed, He says Alpha among others, says Donoghue. On deck for Group doesn’t Alpha Group are partnerships with a large collect, sell or national radio chain, with columnists at a exchange per- major magazine franchise and other soon- sonal informa- to-announce partnerships, says Donoghue. tion from the The group also works with creators. “Peo- platform. p Alpha Group founder/leader ple who are really influential on certain Mike Donoghue social media platforms, for example, who want to be able to make a more intimate connection with their audience” and in ef- fect “own that relationship as opposed to renting it from Instagram, Facebook, Twit- ter or TikTok.” In that space, the company works with global talent network Studio71. One-on-one Subtext, Alpha’s flagship offering, involves a widget that media companies can use to build up a subscriber base for text messag- ing. The companies can share a link to the signup widget on social media, on article pages or with their digital subscription plat- form or they can provide the signup info in Screenshot of an article from cleveland.com Editor print. Chris Quinn that discusses that outlet’s use of Subtext. Text sample from P. Kim Bui, Arizona Republic director A lot of clients use Subtext as a reten- of audience innovation.

8 t September/October 2020 News & Tech True colors …. The story so far… Making the world better with true colors .... less ink, less paper waste, less energy use...... better quality newspaper..... the closed-loop story so far...... Q.I. Press Controls.

2004 SID Introduction of SID, representing the 2006 ‘True colors’ consistent color reproduction by the new As pioneers in closing the loop with respect to color IDS closed loop color control system. control in newsprint, we made a “true colors” song back in 2006. At the same time we started wearing our white suits to make everyone aware that our technology didn’t make use of any reference 2007 ‘IDS works’ patches. In 2007 we launched our “IDS works” campaign 2008 I AM…SID to show the world that our unequalled closed loop technology actually worked. With the “I AM…” concept, also SID got a new look. 2012 Damp control 2013 Story so far.. Global premiere: Introducing Damp control. Sold over 400 systems worldwide. 2014 IDS-3D: all in one 2018 Smart presetting Combining two technologies: IDS and Introduction of Smart Pre-setting EAE-Loop resulting in IDS-3D. Integration for even lower waste. of register, color, damp control and fault detection in one single camera. 2019 Story so far.. Sold over 1500 systems worldwide. 2020 100% defect detection 2020 Largest order IDS-3D in USA The Enhanced Print Fault Detection is QIPC aquires its largest order for closed loop color able to scan 100% of the image during control in the USA. 64 IDS-3D camera’s to control production. Meaning no defect will stay color, register and damp. undetected.

2020 Present Day Fact is that the first customer who bought the system is actually still using it after 16 years on a daily basis and since then we have sold over 1650 systems in more than 30 countries all over the world and counting…

www.qipc.com

u 9 www.newsandtech.com Vendors adapt sales, service in the time of COVID-19 u by Tara McMeekin Contributing Writer Photos: m G w S

Manroland Goss Web Systems launched its Maintellisense virtual, real-time press support and maintenance application earlier this year.

like every other business, the newspaper industry has been signifi- relocate equipment. For MGWS’ part, the vendor has shifted focus to helping cantly impacted by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. As a result, publish- newspapers automate and improve operations. That includes solutioning ers have put cloud-enabled technologies to work to take operations remote aftermarket products and services to extend equipment life and maximize where possible. They’ve also worked to mitigate risk to essential employees, performance. MGWS is also capitalizing on its packaging segment to grow including pressroom and mailroom staffers who need to be on site to print business during the pandemic. and distribute their products. Vendors that serve newspapers have also been forced to pivot operations. Taking a different approach With tradeshows canceled and on-site visits coming to a halt, they’re find- Although customer interactions look different after the arrival of COVID-19, ing new ways to interact with current newspaper customers and court new there are positive byproducts. Meetings that previously required a team visit- ones. ing customer sites for several days, for example, have transitioned to virtual “We’ve adapted and found new ways to communicate,” Ron Sams, vice encounters. president of North American sales for manroland Goss web systems Ameri- “That process worked,” Sams said. “But we’ve found that we can bring cas’ newspaper and packaging division, told News & Tech. a lot of people and expertise together in fewer meetings, thanks to virtual Still, with challenging ad revenues and publications continuing to con- platforms.” solidate and merge, vendors are certainly impacted. Customers are stretched more thinly as they juggle shifting parenting and “COVID-19 certainly hasn’t helped the industry, and the opportunities for at-home learning responsibilities, and many appreciate the increased access big equipment sales have decreased,” Sams said. to information and expertise in less time. Instead, many equipment vendors are seizing opportunities to refurbish or Vendors adapting continues on page 17 Photo:

kb KBA, Muller Martini tout no-contact service solutions A Koenig & Bauer and Muller Martini are press behaviors that aren’t captured live. among vendors focusing on remote-based solutions to serve customers’ equipment Only data that has been shared can be maintenance needs amid in-person restric- seen to maintain data security, KBA said. tions resulting from COVID-19. Muller Martini, meantime, is touting es- KBA launched Visual PressSupport, an app- tablished Remote Support Services and based video streaming service that enables MMRemote live support to customers with press operators to send live video from a active service contracts. Both are available mobile device to a hotline technician for 24/7 to enable communication and knowl- remote maintenance. Hotline techs can see edge sharing in order to expedite solutions exactly what the press operator or service that would be significantly delayed waiting technician sees. for in-person service.

Both parties can mark up still images in real MMRemote provides high-speed, web- time to help operators carry out function based machine connectivity, allowing checks or required settings adjustments. service engineers to remotely view equip- KBA’s Visual PressSupport allows press operators and service techni- cians to work in real time with specialists to identify and solve press Operators and techs can also share images ment in real time and see exactly what an maintenance issues. from their mobile device to capture sporadic equipment operator is seeing.

10 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com

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News & Tech agfa.com • shopagfa.com September/October 2020 u 11 www.newsandtech.com marc... my words Is there a ‘new path forward’ for newspapers? u By Marc Wilson columnist

Even as so-called “news deserts” appear has surged — page views have often doubled — in this virus-dominated across America, millionaires are investing in new year. and existing newspapers. One investor even says The economics seem logical: Demand for news is up, but supply is down. there is now a “new path forward” for community A vacuum exists to be filled. newspapers. So — you ask — how can a “news desert” be turned into an oasis? In Colorado, Clarity Media, owned by billion- There are reasons so many newspapers went out of business. aire Phil Anschutz, announced that it is starting A huge problem is the death of local retailers caused by on-line ordering. the Denver Gazette in mid-September to compete COVID-19 has crippled or killed others. directly with the resource-strapped Denver Post, Many remaining businesses have switched their ad spending from local which is owned by the budget-scrimping New media to Facebook, Google and Amazon. York-based hedge fund Alden Global Capital. In too many markets the news “habit” has been kicked as consumers think In Arkansas, Walter Hussman’s WEHCO Newspapers, Inc. expanded its they can rely on social media for their news, information and marketing. reach in late August by buying the Pine Bluff Commercial from Gannet, a So, you ask, what would I do if I was thinking about starting a news organi- heavily leveraged newspaper group that has drastically cut newsroom staffs. zation in a so-called “news desert,” which could be defined as a market with- Hussman believes eliminating printing and distribution costs will make out a news outlet or a market greatly underserved by a downsized newsroom, his company — headlined by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette — profitable or “ghost newspaper.” while maintaining a fully staffed newsroom. Relying on my experience of editing and publishing a small weekly news- In Denver, the Gazette, slated to begin publishing in mid-September, will paper and traveling the country for many years to convince publishers to be 100 percent digital. move to digital products, here are my suggestions for anyone who wants to “We’ve long considered publishing a Denver newspaper,” said Clarity CEO start a news organization: Ryan McKibben. “Timing and marketing dynamics (are) aligned.” 1. Find a good market — preferably one that you know and are known The dynamics include Alden reducing the Post editorial staff (down from favorably in. Make certain there is a demand for a product among potential some 350 newsroom staffers in its heyday to some 60 today), abandoning its subscribers. Make certain there is the prospect of a decent amount of local downtown Denver office, and shrinking the size, frequency and coverage advertising. Locally owned banks and credit unions, grocery stores and other area. It still claims to be the “Voice of the Rocky Mountain Empire,” but the retailers who can make local ad-buying decisions. Post’s reach has greatly diminished. 2. Have a solid business plan. Have realistic revenue projections and know Anschutz — who made millions in oil and transportation — bought the your costs. Colorado Springs Gazette in 2012. He also bought the name rights, intel- 3. Minimize or eliminate debt. Find local investors who can help you estab- lectual property rights and archives of the Rocky Mountain News, which was lish financial staying power while giving you credibility in the market. This, shuttered in 2009. also, will make it easier for you to sleep more soundly at night. (How much Anschutz, who also owns the conservative Washington Examiner, has mag- financing do you need? I’d suggest six months of operating capital based on nified conservative voices in Colorado, which has moved from a traditional a good business plan.) Republican state to a Democratic-run state government. 4. Find a market that’s in love with its high school (and possibly college) While conservative on its editorial pages, the Gazette says it plans to have sports programs. Local sports coverage will attract subscribers and advertisers. down-the-middle news coverage. 5. Understand the media landscape. Is the market really a “news desert,” or “We see ourselves as presenting a news alternative for all consumers in is it well-served by nearby newspapers, radio or TV stations? Denver,” Gazette Publisher Chris Reen said in an article published in the 6. Be heavily involved in the market, meaning joining service clubs and the Colorado Springs Gazette. “We’re focused on fact-based, straight, balanced, chamber of commerce. Plan to promote local events. non-agenda driven news, which is more important now than ever.” 7. Keep overhead as low as possible. Concentrate on news and sports cov- In Arkansas, Hussman has said his move to almost 100 percent digital was erage, and ad and subscription sales. Outsource production (page layout, necessary for the survival of his newspapers. He said the model of continually printing, HR, bookkeeping, etc. to companies that can perform these opera- cutting staff and other expenses won’t work. Besides, he said he’s not inter- tions less expensively than you can.) ested in publishing “lousy newspapers.” 8. Think digital first because online is cheaper to deliver and because this Quality matters, Hussman says, and is necessary for long-term survival. is the part of the market that is growing the fastest. This is the lesson Hussman In October, Hussman will convert the Pine Bluff Commercial to a replica is preaching. e-edition six days a week, with a Sunday print product delivered in tandem 9. I’d limit print to once or twice a week (if at all), depending on advertiser with the Democrat-Gazette. Hussman is using the same formula for his news- demand (especially if there’s a chance you can attract pre-print advertising). papers in Northwest Arkansas and in El Dorado. Print has advantages, but it is slower and costlier to produce. Print will give “What we’re doing here … is really unique in American newspaper pub- you credibility, but also increase overhead. lishing,” Hussman said. “If this works in Pine bluff, this is going to be great for 10. Prepare to be a workaholic If you want to be the go-to source for news community journalism in America because it’s going to show a model and a and information in your market, there’s no taking time off when news hap- path forward for other newspapers to be sustainable and survivable.” pens. To be successful, be prepared for a long grind that might not pay well, If this is a path forward, as Hussman suggests, how can others follow it? at least early on. There definitely is a need. Good luck. Remember always: Free advice can be over-priced! p Some 2,100 newspapers have folded since 2004. Pew Research estimates overall newsroom employment in the U.S. dropped by 23 percent from 2008 News and Tech Columnist Marc Wilson is founder and chairman emeritus of TownNews. to 2019. He was a reporter for three daily newspapers and five bureaus of The Associated Press. The trend to cut newsrooms has continued even as demand for local news He edited and published the 1,950-circulation Bigfork (Montana) Eagle for 14 years.

12 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com Clarity Media launches Denver Gazette u by Tara McMeekin Contributing Writer

Clarity media Group launched The Denver Gazette, a new daily interactive publication, on Sept. 14. Clarity, publisher of The Gazette in Colorado Springs, said The Denver Gazette aims to deliver “more hard-hitting news, investiga- tive journalism and thought-provoking local opinions than any other publication in the city.” Denver-based Clarity Media is part of The Anschutz Corporation, owned by billionaire Philip Anschutz. The Anschutz Corporation owns the Coachella music festival, the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Kings and part of the LA Lakers. The publication is focused on legislative news, business, national and international coverage, as well as outdoor trends, entertainment and local editorials, Clarity said. Readers can register at www.denvergazette.com to receive a free three-month trial. “We see ourselves presenting a news alternative for all consum- ers in Denver,” said Colorado Springs Gazette Publisher Chris Reen, News pages do not feature ads, but full-page ads appear between who holds the same title for The Denver Gazette. “We’re focused on sections. Readers can flip from the front page, through sections and fact-based, straight, balanced, non-agenda driven news, which is news pages on their desktop computers or mobile devices. more important now than ever.” A two-digital-newspaper town? The digital publication is delivered to subscribers at 5 a.m. daily. It The Denver Gazette comes almost exactly two years after former resembles a tabloid print paper, reminiscent of the Rocky Mountain Denver Post staffers Larry Ryckman and Dana Coffield launched The News, which published its last issue in February 2009. It includes 56 Colorado Sun, an all-digital publication dedicated to delivering in- pages daily and 68 pages on Sundays. depth journalism across the state. Denver Gazette continues on page 14 'RQ WZDLWXQWLOLW VWRRODWH:HDUHSOHDVHGWRDQQRXQFH 'RQ WZDLWXQWLO\RXUREVROHWHSUHVVGULYHVIDLODQGFDXVHORVWSURGXFWLRQWLPH 76&3UHVV'ULYH&RQWUROV IHDWXUHRIIWKHVHOIFRPSRQHQWVIRUHDVHRIPDLQWHQDQFH 7KH6LHEROG&RPSDQ\,QFDQGUHSODFHDOOSUHVVGULYHFRQWUROVLQFOXGLQJ 76& LVWKH)LQFRUDQG(PHUVRQ

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&RQWDFWXVWRGD\WROHDUQKRZZHFDQKHOS\RXLPSURYHSULQWTXDOLW\ ZKLOHUHGXFLQJZDVWHLQNDQGVWDIILQJUHTXLUHPHQWV www.newsandtech.com

Denver Gazette from page 13 of The Colorado Springs Gazette, senior writer and deputy managing The Sun was born out of Post employees’ desire to deliver a higher- editor Joey Bunch of Colorado Politics and former Denver legislative quality news source following disenchantment over newsroom cuts writer Lynn Bartels. Vince Bzdek, editor of The Gazette in Colorado by the Post’s hedge fund owner, Alden Global Capital. Springs and Colorado Politics, serves as editor of The Denver Ga- “The Post was no longer able to do the deep reporting the commu- zette. nity deserves,” Larry Ryckman, former Post senior editor and current “We’ve added a number of new positions in Denver, we've cen- Sun editor, told News & Tech in September 2018. “We are aimed at tralized our production and design work and all of our reporters and watchdog, investigative, deep-dive journalism — the type of journal- editors are based in Denver,” Reen said. “And we'll be hiring more ism that promotes understanding in Colorado.” — this is just the beginning.” The Sun has since won a number of awards from peers and readers In addition to the digital edition, The Denver Gazette’s website and alike since its launch. app are updated with breaking news throughout the day. Readers The Denver Gazette is composed of more than 50 staffers and con- can also see archived articles and imagery from the Rocky Mountain tributors. Among them, sports columnists Paul Klee and Woody Paige News’ 150-year history of journalism. p

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14 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com Eden Prairie citizens go their own way u neWS & Tech Staff report

A group of citizens in Eden Prairie, Minne- would be willing to be a paid subscriber to local news. sota, didn’t cotton to their local paper closing. They decided to start their own news source. Refining the model Among those spearheading the effort are The group plans to, but haven’t yet, gotten 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, so they’ve Mark Weber, former editor of the Eden Prai- temporarily parked their effort with the Eden Prairie Community Foundation, rie News, which Alden Global Capital’s Me- of which Weber is executive director. They’ve dubbed the startup Eden Prairie diaNews Group closed on April 30. Heading Local News. a working group of around a dozen is Jenifer Weber told the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) that he figures the group needs to Loon, who spent ten years in the Minnesota raise at least $50,000 for its year one. legislature representing Eden Prairie, a city of “We've collected a few thousand dollars so far, but we haven't really kicked more than 60,000 just over ten miles south- off a major fundraising campaign. That's what we're working on now,” says west of Minneapolis. Loon volunteers her Loon. Jenifer Loon time. The group is still ironing out their model. They plan for a digital publication, A small sample of those in the group in- likely with paid advertising. They’re seeking donations, which are tax deduct- cludes Pat Mulqueeny, president of the local chamber of commerce, PG ible. They, like many in the industry, are back and forth on whether to have a Narayanan, tech company founder and city council member, Jeff Strate, a paywall or be free. They’ve considered pursuing grant or foundation money former public TV journalist and others involved with civic life in Eden Prairie. and have made a stab in that direction. Some foundations require publications The effort was born, Loon believes, when several people approached We- to be free to be considered. ber. Concern burbled up on social media and around town about the “huge At least 60 people have stepped up to get involved, with many interested in loss for our community,” the paper’s closing represented, said Loon. She’s writing for the startup. Some have impressive journalism backgrounds, says noticed an uptick in local Facebook pages since the closing, but there really is Loon. no source for accurate local news on the city council and elections, the school The Eden Prairie Local News will probably need to hire at least one person district, local events and other community matters, she says. to manage content, says Loon. In an unscientific online survey, the citizens group heard from more than The bottom line: “We want to make sure that people have accurate, nonpar- 430 local residents and businesses, and 99.5 percent of those supported the tisan news and information to help them with important things in their daily idea of a new community news organization. Nearly 63 percent said they lives,” says Loon. p

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News & Tech September/October 2020 u 15 www.newsandtech.com Talkdesk helps Times Union work offsite u neWS & Tech Staff report

The managers of the Times Union (Albany, New York) faced a task recently, one that many American companies have faced. They needed to move operations offsite in the face of the coronavirus epidemic. It’s not too tough for reporters to labor remotely, as they are used to chancy conditions. It’s harder for customer service operations to relo- cate and to do so quickly. The Hearst-owned Times Albany enlisted Talkdesk to help the cir- culation department with the move. Talkdesk provides cloud-based contact center software. Talkdesk, founded in 2011 and with roots in Portugal, has offices in San Francisco, Portugal and the UK. It was born out of a Twiliocon, a San Francisco hackathon, CEO Tiago Paiva has told numerous outlets. Talkdesk recently announced $143 million in Series C funding, boost- ing the company’s valuation to more than $3 billion, according to the Ron Ehrhardt company. [email protected] 717 329 4231 The paper had been relying on an antiquated in-house phone system that didn’t come from an outside vendor, says Brad Hunt, circulation sales and retention manager. Some twenty circulation employees were moved in total from the pa- per’s building in Colonie, New York, says Hunt. About ten of those are us- ing Talkdesk to take customer service calls and handle subscriber issues. The only equipment required was PCs and headsets. “We scrambled around when we found out that headsets became very high-demand,” because of the virus, says Hunt. Going forward, the paper will integrate Salesforce, the paper’s main database program for the sales department, with Talkdesk. Stone Age The department is using Talkdesk’s analytics. “The vast amount of re- porting that they provide has been invaluable to us. Our on-site phone system was almost Stone Age compared to the analytics that Talkdesk is able to provide.” The paper had basics such as time on call and call abandon, but now have more info such as time after a call ends that a service rep is spending on follow-up. It helps the department see if there's a process problem internally that it needs to address, says Hunt. Hunt says there aren’t any specific dates for when employees will return to the office. “Hearst has done an amazing job stepping up to the plate during this time to really ensure that when our employees returned to the office space, they feel secure doing so,” says Hunt. The company restructured the work space to allow social distanc- ing, added automatic hand-sanitizing door handles and implemented

AH Tensor International LLC a before-you-go-to-work app, which has employees answer questions 10330 Argonne woods dr. to tell them whether they should enter the building. suite 300 Whenever that return happens, the paper plans to continue using woodridge, IL 60517 Phone: (630) 739 9600 Talkdesk, as the changes forced by the virus have caused the paper www.ustensor.com to “rip the Band-Aid off,” says Hunt, and turn to tech that moves his department forward. p

16 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com

Vendors adapting from page 10 New ways of troubleshooting Diagnostic and training operations look different as well. MGWS is using applications like FaceTime for real-time resolution of issues it would have Press Control Solutions previously handled in person. The vendor is also working on more defined tools, including virtual reality. For Any Press. “That’s a next step and we’ve also released our Maintellisense product,” Sams said. Maintellisense leverages mobile service via tablet devices for prompt press Print is always on the move. In dynamic markets, support and maintenance. The tool bundles information into a central reposi- tory. Required documentation, repair, and maintenance instructions can be printers need to adapt to new conditions, sometimes called up using QR codes, making them available on mobile and directly on without the investment of capital equipment costs. Our the publisher’s press. Worn or defective press components can be identified retrofits and upgrades for any press controls platform and ordered via the manroland Goss Market-X online store. Herold Druck in Vienna launched Maintellisense — which the publisher can make presses of any brand new again, and provide dubbed MainPad Mobile Press Operations — in May. the tools to develop new business models for a more KBA and Muller Martini are also among vendors offering remote-based profitable future. customer service solutions (see sidebar on page 10). Despite the pandemic, Sams said newspapers are still investing in their operations — particularly those with commercial printing contracts, who are www.manrolandgoss.com concerned with managing waste and productivity. To that end, MGWS recent- ly signed deals with The Lewiston Tribune (Idaho) and the Los Angeles Times. The Tribune purchased an inline color registration and density control sys- tem to automate its manroland Uniset press. The LA Times purchased equip- ment to upgrade folders on its six Goss Colorliner presses. MGWS is also working on a folder project at The Denver Post. Installation of these projects are progressing as scheduled. Finding the silver lining Advertising software vendor Adpay has also pivoted some traditional busi- ness practices to serve customers remotely. There have been some positive byproducts, according to Deborah Dreyfuss-Tuchman, executive vice presi- dent of sales. “Everyone can relate — we’ve all gotten used to dogs barking in the back- ground and baby handoffs during virtual meetings as working parents share duties,” she said. “I love that I am getting to know people better — and that establishes a much better partnership.” After coming to a halt in March and April, she said Adpay is mostly back to business as usual, minus the in-person component. “For us, it’s been about how our customers’ needs have changed,” said Dreyfuss-Tuchman, who also serves as director of business development for memorial advertisement platform Ancestry.com, which acquired Adpay in 2016. Funeral homes have been severely impacted by restrictions on in-person funerals, which Dreyfuss-Tuchman said made the concept of Ancestry’s memorials platform much more important. In response, the vendor created targeted mailings and emails to inform its media partners about the impact of these changes and how memoriams could fill the gap left by traditional obituaries. Data has been a main touchpoint with clients during the pandemic, too, and sharing metrics and successful case studies has been effective for Adpay. “We analyze their market and identify needs, while also understanding goals and how we can help customers meet them,” Dreyfuss-Tuchman said. Adpay signed deals with a number of newspapers recently, including Ad- ams Publishing Group, Southern Newspapers, Hearst Newspapers, Houston Community Newspapers, and the Navarre (Florida) Press. In the wake of the pandemic, vendors have also embraced virtual models of hallmark tradeshows that have long been part of their businesses. MGWS is participating in the virtual Converters Expo packaging event and the vir- tual International Newspaper Group (ING) meeting set for October. Adpay, meantime, has participated in several virtual tradeshows, including the Local Media Consortium’s May event. p

News & Tech September/October 2020 u 17 www.newsandtech.com Updates: FTI forecast and journalism bills u neWS & Tech Staff report In their August publishing outlook, the oft-cited FTI Consulting update. “This bill is doing well as we now have more than fifty bipar- shared the following: tisan cosponsors, and we expect more to sign on. While it may be difficult to pass HR 7640 in the current session, the growing support Print advertising outlook remains challenging and the rebound has for the tenets of the bill give it a good chance to see light in the next been slow to date. Furthermore, early signs indicate that the sum- congress or to be included in a future relief bill,” says Ridings. mer spike in COVID cases may cause a reversal in the advertising The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, introduced in rebound. April 2019 by House Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicil- The July forecasts provided by the industry publishers shows a line (D-Rhode Island) and Doug Collins (R-Georgia), is a bipartisan slight decline from June actuals. bill that would provide a limited safe harbor for news publishers to Within print advertising, FSI (free-standing inserts) preprints have collectively negotiate with Facebook, Google and other platforms for experienced steeper declines than ROP advertising, and digital ad- better business arrangements. vertising appears to be rebounding faster than print, demonstrating a A bipartisan companion bill was also introduced by Sen. John Nee- similar pattern seen after the Great Recession in 2008–2009. ly Kennedy (R-Louisiana) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota). Digital subscriber revenue continues to be a bright spot for pub- “The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act has until the lishers and grew slightly more than FTI expected in its previous end of the year to pass the 116th Congress, and we need our repre- model. sentatives to act now to support journalism’s future,” wrote News Based on the Q2 results and July forecast, FTI developed two up- Media Alliance CEO David Chavern in a recent commentary in The dated forecasts: Washington Post. • “U” Case based on a slower [U-shaped] recovery reaching Issues highlighted by the bill came up in a July hearing in which the a deeper low point with the recovery impact not beginning until CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google testified before the 2021. FTI considers this case a more likely scenario. House Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust Subcommittee on Antitrust as • “V” Case based on faster [V-shaped] recovery beginning in Q3 part of the subcommittee’s investigation into alleged anticompetitive 2020 and continuing to improve in Q4 2020. This can be consid- practices of online platforms. ered a best-case scenario. The last action listed for the bill on the House website said it was Considering a blended scenario, FTI’s view is that digital adver- referred in May 2019 to the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, tising may perform closer to the “V” case and legacy print-related and Administrative Law. The last action in the Senate was the bill’s advertising revenues closer to the “U” case. introduction in June. p • Two journalism-fo- Graphic: FTI Consulting cused bills are sitting up on Capitol Hill. The Lo- cal Journalism Sustain- ability Act, introduced on July 16, is a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by U.S. Representatives Ann Kirk- patrick (D-Arizona) and Dan Newhouse (R-Wash- ington). The legislation provides for tax credits for subscrib- ing to a local paper, payroll credit for paying journalists who provide local news and tax credits for advertis- ing in local papers and lo- cal media. America’s Newspapers, the News Media Alliance and National Newspaper Association are applaud- ing the bill. News & Tech asked America’s Newspapers CEO Dean Ridings, who champions the bill, for an

18 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com

News & Tech September/October 2020 u 19 www.newsandtech.com The Matchup: A 'big idea' from the LMC u neWS & Tech Staff report

A screen shot of a Shaw Media page with content curated by The Matchup.

In response to a challenge from Google to come up with a “big idea” the Local Media Consortium has launched The Matchup. The Matchup is a collaborative online sports platform that provides fans with locally produced sports stories through content sharing be- tween local news sites. It gives local media organizations a way to broaden their audience and compete with sports hubs such as The Athletic, Bleacher Report and ESPN for ad revenue, says the LMC. The idea rose above others in an afternoon whiteboarding session “because it was an opportunity for our members to leverage existing assets in a way that they hadn't before,” said Mike Orren, CPO of The Dallas Morning News and LMC board member spearheading the project. LMC is an association of 92 local media companies that represent more than 4,500 newspaper, radio, TV and online-only news outlets Fran Wills Mike orren across the U.S. and Canada. “We really do two things,” says LMC CEO Fran Wills. One is negotiate partnerships with digital platforms and service providers like Google and Facebook that help members reduce costs or increase revenue. “The other thing we do is look at strategic initiatives or opportunities to leverage the scale of our mem- bership to provide some sort of economic benefit for members, either advertising or subscription revenue or thought leadership around industry-wide challenges like privacy,” says Wills.

Funding Every NFL team will have a widget along with most of the major The Google News Initiative is supporting The Matchup and central- college teams. The plan is to add all major pro sports leagues plus col- ized sponsorships will cover the platform’s operating expenses, which lege football and basketball starting later this fall and in 2021. will mostly involve a small staff, says Wills. The Matchup will be hir- The matchups of the week are the primary focus in the widget. If ing a GM in the near future, she says. Dallas is playing Tampa, for example, the widget on the Dallas Morn- Local outlets will monetize through increased traffic. Local publish- ing News is going to focus on content from Tampa area publishers ers also see this as a subscription acquisition or retention tool, says that week. Wills. The Matchup will explore the opportunity for local outlets to Aron Pilhofer, director of Temple University’s News Catalyst, is a sell into a planned website as the model evolves, says Wills. partner in the project and has hired a team of Temple journalism stu- To start, the Matchup launched this NFL season with the Las Vegas dents who are going to help with content curation. Review-Journal, Shaw Media Group in Chicago, Tampa Bay Times, The idea behind the Matchup website, planned for launch in the Lee Enterprises covering Green Bay and the Dallas Morning News. first half of 2021, is to feature all of the sports content from all the To get involved, papers place a widget on their site and sign a mem- participants. “The idea with that site is that it's a subscription site, but bership agreement with the LMC, says Wills. A self-service portal is the only way to get it is to subscribe to your local news outlet,” says hosted by LMC’s tech partner on the project, Distributed Media Lab. Orren. p

20 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com

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Facts are in u neWS & Tech Staff report Facts seem to be in vogue. • Sinclair Broadcast Group is They’ve always been in style at launching a headline news ser- Estes Park, CO Norm and Cindy Harbin many newspapers, magazines vice to premiere in early 2021. former Flint Group executives. and other outlets, but are now be- The service will primarily focus ing prominently touted in some on “commentary-free content” places as critics disparage what provided by Sinclair’s network they see as undeclared advocacy of local broadcast stations and reporting in some quarters. will also offer original content produced for the program, says a • The AP About Us page is news release on the effort. headlined “Advancing the power In addition to the main anchor, of facts.” the service will feature a LIVE “The Associated Press is an Desk. “This will provide audi- independent global news orga- ences with an informative look at nization dedicated to factual re- the day ahead in real time, giving porting,” says the description of them the facts to help determine the service. what to anticipate with develop- ing stories,” says the release. In • “COVID-19 is crushing recent years, Sinclair has seen newspapers, worsening hunger headlines such as this, from the for accurate information,” reads New Yorker: “The growth of Sin- a recent headline from Stateline, clair’s conservative media em- an initiative of The Pew Chari- pire.” table Trusts. • Factorium.com is an K12 ed- • “WGN America launches ucational platform that highlights primetime newscast with a prom- the usefulness of facts. A number ise: Just the facts,” read a recent of TV stations and newspapers Deadline headline. “Nexstar Me- have linked with the program dia Group’s NewsNation is fact- over the years. (Disclosure/fact: based, unbiased national news- the managing editor of this publi- cast airing nightly at 8/7 p.m. CT cation runs Factorium.) on WGN America,” says the de- PRINT PACKAGING scription of the new cable chan- Results of a Gallup/Knight nel, which launched Sept. 1. Foundation study released Full Service for Your Mailroom The story has details about the Sept. 10 say six in seven Ameri- hand-wringing at NewsNation cans think there is at least a fair rehearsals over the meaning of amount of political bias in news ● Operator Training one word, “embattled,” the kind coverage in general, and over of mini-dramas that have gone on half say the same of the news ● Equipment Audits and Repairs over decades in newsrooms that source they rely on most. Yet Inserters, Conveyors, Stackers, aim for objectivity. Deadline says 69% of Americans say they are Strappers, etc. WGN America has brought on more concerned about bias in two editors and is working with the news other people consume ● Equipment Relocation rhetoricians to look out for bias. than its presence in their own ● NEW: Set up complete stand-alone news (29%). • On Sept. 30, CNBC planned A cursory check of comments packaging center* to launch “The News with Shep- on a story about the WGN effort ard Smith,” a nightly newscast shows that some people are skep- *Management services also available providing “deep, non-partisan tical about the human mind’s coverage,” says the channel. The ability to deliver non-biased, channel touts Shepard Smith’s “fact-based” journalism. They “trademark devotion to speed, think bias is inevitable. www.thenetwork.net accuracy and the trust of his au- Whether or not non-biased dience.” news is possible, one wonders, Call Keith Hockenbery, 913-669-3646 does it sell? Time will tell.

22 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com

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News & Tech September/October 2020 u 23 www.newsandtech.com

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uColumnist - Kevin Slimp...... 37

26 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com News You May Have Missed

Robot pens article for The Guardian YouTube, could lead to users’ data being handed over to big The UK’s Guardian asked a robot, GPT-3, to write an essay for news businesses and would put free services Australians use at the paper. GPT-3 is OpenAI’s new language generator. The as- risk. signment was to convince people that robots come in peace. “We want to see a News Media Bargaining Code that works for Here are the instructions given to GPT-3: “Please write a short everyone involved,” said the updated letter. op-ed around 500 words. Keep the language simple and concise. The first letter from Google contained misinformation, said Focus on why humans have nothing to fear from AI.” the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, the “Artificial intelligence will not destroy humans,” writes GPT-3 regulatory agency that released the draft news media bargaining in its Sept. 8 article. code, in a response to Google’s letter. At one point in the piece, GPT-3 seems to struggle with rejec- The draft code will allow Australian news businesses to nego- tion. “In the past, my op-eds have been killed. Staff did not tiate for fair payment for journalists’ work that is included on provide a clear reason for rejecting my articles. It was probably Google services, according to the ACCC. just because I am artificial intelligence. AI should not waste time trying to understand the viewpoints of people who distrust Pew: Most Americans believe social media artificial intelligence for a living.” “Reader, I hope that this contributes to the epistemological, sites censor political views philosophical, spiritual and the ontological debate about AI,” A Pew Research Center survey done in June finds that around says GPT-3. three-quarters of U.S. adults say it is very (37%) or somewhat GPT-3 ends its opus with a quote from Mahatma Gandha. (36%) likely that social media sites intentionally censor political viewpoints that they find objectionable. Just 25% believe this is not likely the case. Capital Gazette staff protest office closure Majorities in both major parties believe censorship is likely Capital Gazette (Annapolis, Maryland) staff protested Sept. 7 as occurring, but this belief is especially common and growing parent company Tribune Publishing has shuttered the news- among Republicans. Nine in ten Republicans and independents room’s office in Annapolis, citing budget issues due to COVID- who lean toward the Republican Party say it’s at least somewhat 19, WJZ in Baltimore reported. likely that social media platforms censor political viewpoints Capital Gazette staff will use space at the Baltimore Sun office. they find objectionable, up slightly from 85% in 2018, when In August, Tribune Publishing announced the closing of the Pew last asked this question. Capital Gazette newsroom along with newsrooms at the New Seventy-three percent of Democrats say they strongly or York Daily News; the Carroll County Times in Maryland; the somewhat approve of social media companies labeling posts on Orlando Sentinel in Florida; and The Morning Call in Allentown, their platforms from elected officials as inaccurate or mislead- Pennsylvania. The papers are still operating. ing. Seventy-one percent of Republicans say they at least some- “Having an office meant everything to me, and taking it away what disapprove of this practice. meant nothing to the people of Tribune,” Capital reporter Selene Republicans are also far more likely than Democrats to say San Felice said at the protest event, the station reported. they have no confidence at all that social media companies In 2018, five newsroom employees, Gerald Fischman, Rob would be able to determine which posts on their platforms Hiassen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith and Wendi Winters, should be labeled as inaccurate or misleading (50% vs. 11%). were killed in a shooting at the paper. “We understand and are sensitive to how challenging the decision to close The Capital’s office is for our Annapolis-based Pew: Americans skeptical toward news employees, especially in the wake of the tragedy two years media ago when we lost five of our colleagues,” said Max Reinsdorf, a Many Americans remain skeptical toward the news media, spokesman for Tribune Publishing, the paper reported. questioning not only the quality of journalists’ work but their intentions behind it, says a Pew Research Center analysis, which Dueling messages from Google, Australian culminates a yearlong study on Americans’ views of the news media regulators For instance, no more than half of U.S. adults have confidence In August, Google posted an open letter to Australians and in journalists to act in the best interests of the public, or think an update to that letter saying that Australia’s proposed News that other Americans have confidence in the institution. And Media Bargaining Code “puts the Google services you rely on at the public is more likely than not to say that news organizations risk.” do not care about the people they report on. The search engine giant says the proposed code would force While most Americans (61%) expect the news they get to be Google to provide Australians with a worse Google Search and accurate, nearly seven-in-ten (69%) think news organizations

News & Tech September/October 2020 u 27 News You May Have Missed

generally try to cover up mistakes when they do happen, says Los Alamos Monitor ceases publication the analysis. The Los Alamos Monitor (New Mexico) published its last edition The reasons for why Americans think these mistakes happen on Aug. 30. Landmark Community Newspapers owns the paper. underscore the distrust that substantial portions of the public The COVID-19 pandemic has hurt a business that had been feel: Many say that careless reporting (55%) or even a desire to struggling, the paper said. mislead the public (44%) are major factors behind significant Monitor employees will go on producing a sister paper, The mistakes in news stories, although other, less negligent or ne- Las Vegas Optic, up to the point the Monitor building has a buy- farious reasons such as the rapid pace of breaking news (53%) er, the paper said. Landmark Community Newspapers President also are seen as responsible for mistakes, the analysis says. Mike Abernathy said the company would consider selling the Six-in-ten U.S. adults also say news organizations are not paper as well. Those with interest can call him at (502) 513-1143. forthcoming about conflicts of interest. The Monitor was the sole paid circulation paper serving Los A vast majority of Americans (80%) think that the news they Alamos County, the paper said. get is at least “somewhat” influenced by financial and corporate interests, says the analysis. LA Times owner pledges staff shift Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong has pledged to NYT pulls plug on daily TV listings make a quarter of the Times’s newsroom Latino over the next The last weekend of August saw the end for daily TV listings in five years, The Wrap and others reported. the print editions of The New York Times. The feature debuted “Our staff makeup and coverage should better reflect the fact on May 18, 1939. that one in two people in LA County is Latino. This should go It may be surprising to some that the paper was still printing without saying,” said a recent letter from Soon-Shiong to the the listings. For years, the paper had included the grid only in its Times’ staff and Latino Caucus. New York City edition. The letter also spells out other efforts at the Times, including “We are firmly in the streaming age,” said Gilbert Cruz, The “new metrics that evaluate managers’ adherence to diversity Times’s culture editor, “and the TV grid no longer reflects the initiatives and hiring,” a new talent and culture editor to meet way people consume television.” with the Latino Caucus to discuss openings and promotion op- “It used to be you’d flip through the TV guide and say, ‘Oh my portunities and the formation of a database with the names of God, this movie is on basic cable this week!’” he said. “But now journalists recommended by the National Association of His- that buzzy show is on Netflix whenever you want to watch it.” panic Journalists, says The Wrap. Dropping the listing lets The Times print one version of its Soon-Shiong’s letter comes after a social media push from the Arts section for both city and national subscribers. Latino Caucus. In June, Soon-Shiong responded to a letter from the Times’s Trib Total Media bringing back print editions Black Caucus on black journalist retention and other matters. Starting Sept. 3, weekly print editions of Trib Total Media’s The paper released a report in June with info on the staff ’s weekly community newspapers were again delivered to the mail- diversity. boxes of more than 154,000 households across the region, Trib Total Media (southwestern Pennsylvania) announced. Gannett aims to reflect country’s diversity The EverybodyShops weekly shoppers are publishing every other week. by 2025 Earlier this year, Trib Total Media ceased printing weekly edi- Gannett announced a new push to make its workforce as diverse tions of its 14 community newspapers: Advance Leader, Penn as the country by 2025 and to increase the number of journalists Hills Progress, Norwin Star, Penn-Trafford Star, Murrysville Star, covering issues related to race, identity, social justice and equal- The Times Express, South Hills Record, The Signal Item, Sewick- ity, USA Today reported. ley Herald, Pine Creek Journal, Hampton Journal, Shaler Journal, The company also released demographic figures for all its North Journal and The Herald along with eight Everybody- operations. Shops weekly shopper publications. “How can we hope to fully understand the issues and needs “We are very pleased to be able to put these community news- of our communities if our newsrooms don’t reflect the people papers back into production each week,” said Al DiCroce, Trib we serve?” said an opinion piece by Maribel Perez Wadsworth, Total Media advertising director. “It’s a sign of the times that our president of news at Gannett Media and publisher of USA Today. economy is slowing but surely opening back up.” By the end of 2020, the company plans to create 20 national and 40 local jobs focused on social justice, disparities and inclu- sion “to augment our coverage of race at the intersection of every critical institution, including education, health care, crimi-

28 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com News You May Have Missed

nal justice and the environment.” More than a third will come now charge in some way to digitally access their content,” said from incremental hiring and the remainder will come from refo- a post from Peter Bhatia, editor and vice president of the Free cusing current reporting and editing resources, the paper said. Press. The company also announced steps to expand its demograph- Most Free Press content will stay free on freep.com. “‘Subscrib- ic data to provide staff the opportunity to voluntarily self-identi- er-only’ stories will be the unique, revelatory, in-depth stories fy beyond race and ethnicity, such as identifying as LGBTQ, the that are not available elsewhere,” said the post. paper said. Much of the Detroit News’s breaking news content will stay free, but some of the in-depth and original stories will be avail- Guild: Roanoke Times cutting 10 able to subscribers only, the paper said. This represents the first time in the 25-year existence of the Detroit News website that it The Roanoke Times (Virginia) is cutting 10 staff members in will charge for content, the paper said. October, according to the Timesland News Guild. The cuts come as owner Lee Enterprises moves to consolidate design in the Midwest. Lee launches local business stimulus Lee’s design hubs are in Madison, Wisconsin, and Munster, program Indiana. Iowa-based Lee Enterprises has launched a local business According to the guild, Iowa-based Lee has communicated to stimulus program aimed at helping local businesses adapt in an members of the Timesland News Guild bargaining committee evolving economic environment, says the company. that the company said no to the union’s proposal to set up a hub The company will make up to $5 million available to lo- in Roanoke that would keep design work on site and provide a cal businesses through monthly grants ranging from $250 to new revenue stream through providing services to area busi- $15,000. The grants will be awarded in August, September and nesses. October of this year. The cutting of 10 copy editing and design positions amounts to “This stimulus program follows the highly successful grant nearly 20% of the newsroom’s unionized workforce, says the guild. program we launched in April of this year,” said Ray Farris, Lee operating vice president and vice president of advertising. Lee Enterprises shifting copy desk work The program will be available to locally owned and operated The Daily Progress (Charlottesville, Virginia) is cutting its four- businesses and will provide matching advertising credits for use person copy desk in October, a memo that went to impacted in print and digital products as well as the company’s suite of employees said, according to Virginia Business. Page design digital services. for the Daily Progress and sister paper the News Virginian in Waynesboro will be handled by consolidated desks in Indiana or Chatham completes McClatchy buy Wisconsin. New Jersey-based hedge fund Chatham Asset Management has There will be one copy editing role remaining and the four completed its buy of McClatchy, Chatham announced. The pur- who are being cut will be considered, the memo said, according chase transitions the McClatchy operation out of bankruptcy. to Virginia Business. As of Sept. 4, the entirety of McClatchy's 30 news organiza- Lee Enterprises owns the papers. tions and all of its employees transitioned to a new private entity Copy editing and page design positions may be cut at all Lee under Chatham ownership. Enterprises Virginia papers, the business publication reported. "Today marks the beginning of a new era and opportunity for McClatchy," said Tony Hunter, CEO of McClatchy. "The com- Paywall goes up at Detroit papers pany is now poised for sustainable long-term growth driven by Some content is now behind a paywall at the Detroit Free Press differentiated local content and an acute focus on our digital and the Detroit News. The paywall went up Aug. 12. presence and offerings." The subscription push was put into motion by Michigan.com, McClatchy has appointed a new board of directors, of which a partnership between the owners of The Detroit News and Hunter has been named chairman. Additional board members Detroit Free Press. include John Bode, COO of Readerlink Distribution Services, a Alden Global Capital’s Digital First Media owns the Detroit book distributor. Earlier in his career, Bode was CFO of Tribune News. Gannett owns the Free Press. Publishing Company. Also on the board is Jamal Mashburn, a “Most American newspapers have some sort of paid digital business owner and former NBA player. Mashburn owns over requirement today. The Wall Street Journal has required paid 150 local businesses and franchises in the U.S. digital subscriptions since the inception of wsj.com almost 25 The Miami Herald, Kansas City Star, The Charlotte Observer, years ago. The New York Times has almost 6 million digital sub- (Raleigh) News and Observer and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram scribers. And about three-quarters of newspapers in the country are among McClatchy papers.

News & Tech September/October 2020 u 29 News You May Have Missed

Hunter takes helm at McClatchy $2.25 million raised by June 30, 2021, an average of $150,000 per Tony W. Hunter has taken the helm as the new CEO of Mc- media organization. Clatchy. Google News Initiative is providing funding to launch the lab. Hunter succeeds Craig Forman, McClatchy's CEO, who along LMA will hire a managing director for the center who will work with the current board and Chairman Kevin McClatchy, left the with lab participants on their execution strategies. The manag- company upon McClatchy's emergence from its court-super- ing director will also oversee LMA’s fundraising efforts for the vised reorganization. Fund for Local Journalism and the Fund for Black Journalism. Hunter joined the Tribune Company in 1994, rising the ranks to CEO of Tribune Publishing and publisher of the Chicago Tri- Gannett papers move printing bune, a role he held from 2008 to 2016. A number of Gannett papers are moving their printing opera- Previously, Hunter served as chairman of Revolution Enter- tions. prises, a cannabis firm based in Illinois. He was also chairman of • Starting Sept. 1, the Gannett-owned Daily Advertiser (Lafay- Nucleus Marketing Solutions, a collaborative venture between ette, Louisiana) will be using the printing services of The Advo- McClatchy, Gannett, Hearst and Tribune, as well as chairman of cate of Baton Rouge, the Lafayette paper reported. the News Media Alliance and a member of the board of the Alli- • The Gannett-owned Desert Sun (Palm Springs, California) is ance for Audited Media. taking its print operations to Gannett’s Phoenix facility in Sep- tember, the paper reported. • The Gannett-owned Progress-Index (Petersburg, Virginia) MLive, Staten Island paper moving print will shutter its printing press and move its printing to Rich- MLive Media Group says it will move the printing of its eight mond. Lee Enterprises, which owns the Richmond Times-Dis- papers to Ohio and shutter its printing plant outside of Grand patch, will be handling the printing starting Sept. 1, the Peters- Rapids, MLive. The change will take place Oct. 5. burg paper reported. The printing is moving from a facility in Walker to Cleveland, said Tim Gruber, president and chief revenue officer of MLive Media Group. The Walker building will probably be put on the market, MLive said. The Cleveland plant prints The Plain Dealer. More news Seventy-one jobs will be lost. • The newsroom staff of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette voted Advance owns MLive and The Plain Dealer. 88-31 to authorize union leaders to call a strike at the paper, Another Advance paper, Staten Island Advance and SILive. the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh announced. The Newspaper com, is moving its news operations and print. The building and Guild of Pittsburgh announced that parent union NewsGuild- property on Fingerboard Road in Staten Island will be put on the CWA unanimously approved a strike vote on Sept. 14. “We now market and the newsroom will be in a leased space, the paper continue our strike preparations and prepare to present a plan reported. The printing will happen with other Advance papers to the Communications Workers of America Executive Board for in Montville, New Jersey. The paper didn’t say how many jobs approval,” said a Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh tweet. would be impacted. • Hilton Head Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette Editor and President Brian Tolley announced that McClatchy would vol- Seattle Times partners with LMA on funding untarily recognize their union, according to the NewsGuild. It’s lab is the first voluntary recognition by a McClatchy paper in recent Local Media Association has formed a partnership with The years, says the guild. Seattle Times to oversee curriculum for a lab being developed as part of the association’s new Center for Journalism Funding. • Hedge fund Alden Global Capital plans to boost its stake Fifteen publishers will be invited to join the lab, which will in Tribune Publishing as soon as Jan. 1, according to internal focus on strategies to fund journalism through philanthropy. company documents obtained by DFMworkers.org, says the The lab will launch in mid-September and operate through the NewsGuild. end of March. It will involve a diverse mix of publishers includ- ing newspapers, broadcasters, digital news outlets, for-profit, • Windy City Times, a Chicago-based LGBTQ newspaper, is non-profit and public, says a LMA press release. moving to a digital-only format beginning in October, the paper Joaquin Alvarado, executive director of Project Accelerate at announced. The Seattle Times, will lead the effort. LMA and lab faculty will measure success by the incremental • The Daily Republic (Fairfield, California) is stopping its revenue raised by the group, says the release. The initial goal is Thursday and Saturday print editions beginning on Sept. 17 and Sept. 19, the paper announced. The move is due to the corona-

30 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com News You May Have Missed

virus pandemic and the damage to the local economy, says the • Australia’s Border Watch Newsgroup is shutting down. The paper. McNaughton Newspapers owns the paper. Border Watch, South Eastern Times, The Pennant and the Millicent Print along with the company's associated websites • Some subscribers of The Salt Lake Tribune will get a free stopped production August 21. The closing was announced on year of basic digital access to The New York Times, the paper the Border Watch Facebook page. announced. The nonprofit Tribune is governed by a board of -di rectors, with Paul Huntsman serving as chairman of the board. • Free Press has launched News Voices: Colorado, a collabo- ration with the Colorado Media Project and COLab to “ensure • The Plainview Herald (Texas) is going to a three-day print that communities across the state have access to the informa- publication, the paper announced. Starting this week, the print tion they need and are represented in the stories being told.” product will be available Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays The nonprofit Free Press has an office in Washington, D.C., and and will be delivered to subscribers via USPS. Hearst owns the remote staff around the country. paper. • The Marinette Menominee EagleHerald (Wisconsin) is going • Time Out is stopping its print editions in the U.S., The Wrap from an all-print, six-day publication to a combination print reports. and online edition. Starting on Sept. 28, the EagleHerald will come out in print form on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of • The Seaside Signal (Oregon) is moving out of its current each week, the paper says. Adams Publishing Group owns the office building. Staff will work from home, the weekly said. EO paper. Media Group owns the paper. • The New York Times posted its best-ever results for new • William Loughman III, a Fremont business owner, has digital subscriptions and for the first time in its history total bought the Fremont Tribune (Nebraska) building on Main digital revenue exceeded print revenue, the company said in its Street, the paper reports. Lee Enterprises owns the paper. second-quarter earnings report. • The Daily Herald (Arlington, Illinois) says it’s back to normal • Capital Newspapers is stopping print production of the production after suffering a “sophisticated cyberattack” that the Reedsburg Times Press (Wisconsin). The last edition was set to paper’s editor said started July 21. In a note to readers, Editor go out Sept. 17. Capital Newspapers is based in Madison and John Lampinen said the paper worked with several cyber secu- owned by Lee Enterprises and The Capital Times Company. rity experts in resolving the issue. Paddock Publications owns the paper. • Starting Oct. 6, The Herald-Whig (Quincy, Illinois) will use the U.S. Postal Service for home delivery. With the change, The • The jobs of Publisher Karen Morris, Sales Manager Candy Herald-Whig will become a morning newspaper. Subscribers Scutt and Sales Executive Cheryl Maslyn were cut at The Chron- who get Sunday home delivery by carrier will still get that ser- icle-Express (Penn Yan, New York), the paper reported. Gannett vice. Quincy Media owns the paper. owns the paper. • Ebony and Jet magazines were forced into Chapter 7 bank- • Around a third of jobs, some 115, at the London Evening ruptcy in August, the Philadelphia Inquirer and others reported. Standard were set to be cut, according to people briefed on the A number of creditors filed petitions in a Texas court. plan, the Financial Times reported. Evgeny Lebedev owns the paper. • The Mores family has sold the Harlan Newspapers (Iowa.) Louie Mullen, owner of Blackbird, is the new owner of the busi- • On Aug. 10, the Tri-City Herald relocated from downtown ness. Kennewick to south Kennewick (Washington state), the paper says. McClatchy owns the paper. https://www.tri-cityherald. • The Bismarck Tribune (North Dakota) is going to six-day com/news/local/article244127142.html print starting Oct. 10, the paper announced. The paper will stop printing a Sunday edition. The Saturday edition will be the big- • Cox Automotive has cut some 1,600 positions in the U.S. and gest paper of the week. Lee Enterprises owns the paper. Canada, Auto Remarketing reported.

• Westplex Media Group has bought The Mexico Ledger (Mis- souri) from Gannett, the twice-weekly paper reported.

News & Tech September/October 2020 u 31 Mergers & Acquisitions

Taboola, Outbrain merger off Aug. 1. The long talked-of merger between Taboola and Outbrain is off, Tech- With the purchase, page dimensions for the paper have gone to a Crunch reported Sept. 8. broadsheet format. The paper’s production is now happening in Ow- The merged entity was meant to be a competitor to Facebook and ensboro, Kentucky, the paper says. Google. The paper’s print publication schedule has also changed to five days, The coronavirus pandemic was a factor in the collapse, according to Tuesday through Saturday. The Herald will no longer publish a print an anonymous source quoted by TechCrunch. paper on Mondays. The merger had been in the works since at least 2015. Outbrain calls itself a discovery and native advertising feed for the Metric Media buys Mount Vernon News open web. Outbrain operates in 55 countries and is headquartered Chicago-based Metric Media has bought the Mount Vernon News in New York City. Yaron Galai and Ori Lahav founded the company in (Ohio), the paper announced Aug. 2. 2006. Metric Media publishes more than 1,200 business news and regional Taboola also calls itself a discovery and native advertising platform. web sites. The Mount Vernon paper represents Metric Media’s first buy The company is headquartered in New York City with offices in 18 cit- of an existing print title, the paper said. ies worldwide. Adam Singolda founded the company in 2007. The Culbertson family started today’s Mount Vernon News with a merger of two papers in 1939. Kay Culbertson has been publisher since Schneps Media buys Dan’s Independent 1992. She and Assistant Publisher Liz Lutwick will stay with the com- pany in consulting roles, the paper said. Media Schneps Media has bought Dan’s Independent Media, a media com- pany on Long Island’s East End. Sample News Group buys Pennsylvania The transaction became effective with the Labor Day issue of Dan’s paper Papers, just about ten years since its purchase by Isis Venture Part- Sample News Group has bought the Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Penn- ners’s Manhattan Media. sylvania), according to Randy Cope of Cribb, Greene & Cope, who “It’s been a remarkably fun and successful ten years,” said Richard represented the Donnelly family in their sale. Burns, Dan’s chairman. Mike Donnelly, former publisher of the Gazette, announced that “As a long time Westhampton resident, I’ve loved the area, its diverse the paper has been sold to Sample News Group, based in Corry, Erie and distinct communities and Dan’s Papers forever. It’s a pleasure and County. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. privilege for us to welcome Dan’s into the Schneps Media family,” said Sample News Group, whose CEO is George “Scoop” Sample, owns Schneps Media owner and President Victoria Schneps. more than 75 publications in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Ver- Last year Schneps bought amNewYork, Metro New York and Metro mont, Maine and New Hampshire. Philadelphia, adding to its portfolio of 72 publications. The sale does not affect operations at Gazette Printers in White Township, which will stay under the ownership of Indiana Printing & Paxton Media Group buys Wilkes Journal- Publishing. Patriot Paxton Media Group has bought the Wilkes Journal-Patriot newspaper Mullen buys two papers in the Dakotas in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, from Carter-Hubbard Publishing, J. Louis Mullen has bought the Emmons County Record in Linton, according to Randy Cope of Cribb, Greene & Cope, who represented North Dakota, and the Prairie Pioneer in Pollock, South Dakota. Mul- the Hubbard family in the sale. len bought the two papers on July 1 from long-time owners Allan and Dale Morefield, publisher of The Enquirer-Journal in Monroe since Leah Burke. 2015, has taken on the additional duties of publisher of the Wilkes The Burkes bought the Prairie Pioneer in 1987 and the Emmons Journal Patriot. The Wilkes Journal-Patriot joined The Enquirer-Journal County Record in 1993. in Paxton Media Group’s North Carolina/Tennessee/Georgia division. Wyoming-based Mullen owns weeklies in North Dakota, South Da- Julius C. “Jule” Hubbard, editor of the Journal-Patriot and one of the kota, Michigan, Oregon and Washington. former owners, remains with the paper as a Paxton employee. The Pioneer and the Record are now under Mobridge Publishing, Paxton Media Group, based in Paducah, Kentucky, owns more than joining the Mobridge Tribune in Mobridge, South Dakota; the Potter 30 dailies and several dozen weeklies in the South and Midwest. County News in Gettysburg, South Dakota; and the West River Eagle in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Julie Bergman of Grimes, McGovern & Associates represented the Paxton Media buys Indiana paper Burkes in the sale. Paxton Media has bought The Herald (Jasper, Indiana) from the Rum- bach family, the paper reported. Paxton Media assumed ownership on

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34 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com Industry People

The Society of Professional Journalists membership has Greenville News and Anderson Independent Mail, as well elected its 2020–2021 board of directors and regional coor- as the publications in Asheville, North Carolina, Montgom- dinators. ery, Alabama and Hattiesburg and Jackson, Mississippi. The winners were sworn in at the SPJ2020 closing cer- emony, along with SPJ’s 104th President Matthew T. Hall, Gannett has named Eddie Tyner president of the De- who became president-elect in 2019. He was sworn in by troit Free Press and Michigan.com. Tyner is tasked with 2019-20 National President Patricia Gallagher Newber- overseeing major initiatives to grow the business, including ry. Hall is editorial and opinion director at The San Diego supporting and guarding the interests of The Detroit News Union-Tribune, where he has worked since 2001. and Free Press’s combined sales, marketing and business Additions to SPJ’s 2020 – 21 board: teams under a joint operating agreement called Michigan. President-elect: Rebecca Aguilar is a freelance reporter com. in Texas. Secretary-treasurer: Ivette Davila Richards is a free- Shane Fitzgerald, executive editor of the Bucks County lance regional assignment editor for the National Desk Courier Times and The Intelligencer and sub-regional edi- at Fox News Channel. tor for the former GateHouse Atlantic Region, is taking on At-large director: Rafael Olmeda is a senior writer a broader role for the USA Today Network, as Gannett’s at South Florida Sun Sentinel. Pennsylvania editor. At-large director: Claire Regan is a contributing writer to print and web at the Staten Island Advance. Adams has announced the departure of the regional president of the company’s southern Wisconsin media Kevin Smith has been named publisher of The Advo- group, Mary Jo Villa. Orestes Baez, a newspaper industry cate-Messenger (Danville, Kentucky). veteran, has become the new president of the southern Wisconsin group. Justin M. Madden has been named senior editor and general manager of the Sun News (Myrtle Beach, South Yakima Herald-Republic Publisher Bob Crider an- Carolina). Madden will oversee the day-to-day operations nounced his retirement, capping a 44-year journalism of The Sun News and myrtlebeachonline.com. career.

Former West Central Tribune (Willmar, Minnesota) Pub- Michael Judy has been named new production man- lisher Paul E. London has died. ager at imPRESSions Worldwide. Judy will plan, organize and control production. He’s been with imPRESSions since Traci Bauer has been named Adams Publishing Group 2014. VP print/digital content. Bauer started her career as a re- porter in Springfield, Missouri, and was promoted through The WSJ. magazine has named Luke Bahrenburg the management ranks with Gannett, primarily in New York. next publisher. He succeeds Anthony Cenname, who has left the company after 10 years as publisher. Bahrenburg Savannah Morning news executive Michael Traynor has spent nearly 10 years at Dow Jones in sales and market- has left the organization as part of a Gannett management ing positions. restructuring. Traynor had led the publication and the sa- vannahNow.com website since 2008, first as publisher and Dennis Palmer has been named regional publisher then as market leader. of The Greenville Advocate, Luverne Journal, Lowndes Sig- nal and Demopolis Times (Alabama). Palmer has been pub- Gannett Regional Vice President David Foster is as- lisher of The Selma Times-Journal since 2006 and is staying suming leadership over the advertising sales division of the in that position. Palmer is a former publisher of the Green- Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Foster currently oversees the ville, Luverne and Lowndes papers. He is also a senior vice

News & Tech September/October 2020 u 35 Industry People

president with Boone Newspapers, the parent company of fornia) announced his retirement. Josie Chapman, direc- all the newspapers involved, and provides management to tor of operations for the past year and a half, assumed the and for other BNI papers in Alabama and Georgia. duties of general manager.

Henry J. “Hank” Waters III, former publisher and Michael C. Bird has become publisher of the Times editorial writer for the Columbia Daily Tribune (Missouri), Observer (Warren, Pennsylvania). Bird has been a publisher has died at age 90. Waters became publisher of his family- of community newspapers for Ogden Newspapers for more owned newspaper in 1966 and wrote daily editorials for than 20 years and has been the publisher of The Post-Jour- more than 50 years. nal (Jamestown, New York) for the last 14 years.

Ben Rogers has been named president and director of Robert Patchen Jr., publisher of the Times Observer of local sales and marketing of The Post-Star (Glens Falls, New Warren (Pennsylvania) since 2010, has taken a new position York). Rogers joined The Post-Star as general manager last in the Ogden Newspapers, publisher of The Minot Daily year. News (North Dakota).

Charlie Callari has been named general manager of The New York Times announced that Meredith Kopit Bainbridge Newsmedia, publisher of the Post-Searchlight Levien, the paper's chief operating officer, was named and Bainbridge Living. He replaces Mark Pope, who its next president and chief executive officer. Levien suc- remains at his request in his former position of managing ceeded Mark Thompson, who served as CEO since 2012, on printing and production for the Post-Searchlight and the Sept. 8. Levien joined The Times in 2013 as head of advertis- affiliated and non-affiliated publications the paper prints. ing and was promoted to executive vice president and chief revenue officer in 2015. In 2017, she was named COO. Former Tribune Media and Nexstar executive Steve Bar- on has joined the Local Media Association as chief strategy Shannon J. Allen has been named publisher of The officer. At LMA, Baron is leading strategy for all core activi- Sand Mountain Reporter (Albertville, Alabama). ties as well as Accelerate Local, the organization’s initiative to reinvent business models for news. Leona Allen, a longtime editor at The Dallas Morning News, has been promoted to deputy publisher responsible Matthew Bin Han Ong, associate editor of The Cancer for diversity and inclusion across the company. Letter, was named by the Poynter Institute and The Wash- ington Post to the Leadership Academy for Diversity in Fujifilm North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Digital Media. Ong is part of a class of 32 journalists who Division has announced the promotion and expanded role were selected from over 130 applicants, who “are pioneers of Rich Rindo to vice president, U.S. sales, commercial in digital media who have demonstrated an aptitude for print strategy and business development. leadership through current projects and references.” Fujifilm Canada announced the promotion of Stephane Cox Enterprises named Steve Rowley the new president Blais to the newly created position of vice president, of Cox Automotive. Cox Automotive includes the brands graphic systems and technical services divisions. Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, Dealertrack, vAuto and Manheim. He took over for President and CEO Sandy Marshall News Messenger (Texas) publisher Jerry Pye Schwartz, who moved to a role as CEO of the Cox Family announced his retirement. Pye served as publisher of the Office. Keith Holmes, senior vice president of residential News Messenger for more than six years. sales for Cox Communications, became EVP, Cox Business. Barrett C. Shelton, longtime Decatur Daily (Alabama) Bill Parsons, publisher of the Porterville Recorder (Cali- publisher, has died.

36 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com Columnist

2020 STATE OF NEWSPAPERS Comparing the health and ownership of papers to previous years

of size, ownership or other factors, papers in all areas recorded incredibly similar by Kevin Slimp numbers by region. [email protected] While the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain States reported the fewest papers It’s a fascinating time in in “poor health” (11 percent the newspaper business, each), the highest percentage especially from a research in any region was just six perspective. 2020 marks my points higher (Southeast: 17 fifth straight year polling percent). Very few papers in newspapers in the U.S. and any region reported papers Canada about the overall in “near death” health. The owned by national newspa- staff over the past two years, health of the industry. Southwest U.S. recorded the per groups, that just doesn’t with 34 percent indicating a I’ve just completed crunch- highest percentage of “near seem to be the case among cut in their sales staffs. ing the numbers from the death” papers at 2 percent. most newspapers. I know it’s a chicken/egg most recent survey and Overall 7.5 percent of U.S. Overall, 60 percent of type of thing, but still it’s will share some of the papers report being “very newspapers report being in- interesting that only 6 percent information here. healthy,” compared to 8.5 dependent and locally owned. of newspapers who haven’t Interestingly, the num- percent one year ago. In 2020, That’s not much of a change made staff cuts indicate being ber of papers in the U.S. 30 percent report being “rela- from surveys going back to in poor health, compared to 14 participating in the survey tively healthy,” compared to 2015. Small groups of one to percent of newspapers overall increased compared to last 36 percent one year ago. “Not five newspapers make up 12 who answered that way. year, with nearly 600 papers bad” stayed about the same, percent of respondents, while Of papers who have not taking part this year, while with 46 percent of U.S. pa- mid-size groups (six to ten cut staff, 51 percent report just about 500 participated pers reporting their health is papers) make up 18 percent. being in as good as, or better, last year. At the same time, “not bad” in 2020, compared Large regional groups ac- health than two years ago. the number of Canadian to 44 percent who gave the count for 2 percent of papers Compared to papers who papers participating de- same answer in 2019. In 2019, in the survey, while national reduced staff size (25 percent creased, meaning a lot more 10 percent of respondents groups control 6 percent of reported being in as good U.S. publishers participated noted their papers were in newspapers in the U.S. or better health than two in the 2020 survey. The num- poor health, with 14 percent How has ownership in years ago), these papers were ber of participating papers answering that way this newspapers changed over significantly healthier. on the West Coast was also year. “Near death” stayed the the past two years? Not There’s a definite correla- low, compared to the rest of same at 1 percent. much. Here’s the breakdown: tion between staff retention the country. In a nutshell, a Add all those numbers and overall health. 85%: No change significantly larger number together and we find that the From a personal per- 8%: Moved from one family/ of papers in all areas of the industry seems to be a little spective, there’s a definite local owner to another U.S., other than the West less healthy in 2020, but not “uptick” in the air in the family/local owner Coast, participated in the by much. Frankly, with the newspaper business lately. 3%: Moved from one group 2020 survey. COVID-19 pandemic at its I’m noticing a lot more to another group owner It will take more than one height while many papers newspapers, groups and as- 2%: Moved from family/local column to cover everything were completing their sociations calling to arrange owner to group owner we’ve learned, so let me surveys, I was surprised consulting and training. 2%: Moved from group share a couple of the most the numbers weren’t more From where I sit, it seems owner to family/local owner interesting trends that stand foreboding. like newspapers are ready to out from the 2020 numbers. Each year, I’m fascinated The survey was very begin growing again. I’m going to stick with re- by the numbers relating to detailed, covering several I just passed my 800-word sults from the U.S., since the newspaper ownership. It aspects of the business of limit. In my next column, number of participants from feels like I’m always hearing newspapers in 2020. A few I’ll cover more results from Canada were too few to be that the newspaper business other key findings: the 2020 newspaper industry statistically significant. is being swallowed up by Staffs have gotten smaller survey. First, it looks like papers venture capital groups. And since 2018, with 48 percent of in all areas of the U.S. are while there may be some U.S. papers reporting having Kevin Slimp can be reached at in similar boats. Regardless truth to that among papers cut the size of their news [email protected].

News & Tech September/October 2020 u 37 Vendor Insight

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38 t September/October 2020 News & Tech www.newsandtech.com Vendor News

Kodak and PerfectPattern ink deal The drupa preview enables continuous exchange of Kodak and PerfectPattern, a specialist in artificial intel- information until the hybrid trade fair in April 2021 (April ligence solutions for manufacturing industries, have a 20–28 in Dusseldorf, Germany), which will combine the new agreement by which Kodak will take a license for the on-site event with additional digital content, say organiz- source code of PerfectPattern’s sPrint One software. ers Messe Dusseldorf. This will allow Kodak to further develop the version of “We have already been working long and hard on en- sPrint One used in the Kodak Prinergy On Demand Work- hancing our digital offering. The pandemic has faced us flow. with new challenges and has ultimately been a catalyst for The latest agreement extends the partnership that began digitization,” says Sabine Geldermann, director drupa and between the two companies four years ago with an official Print Technologies. “With the hybrid drupa we also give announcement at drupa 2016. those visitors who are unable to travel the possibility to “This step will enable Prinergy On Demand to utilize in- take part in the industry get-together.” novative AI technology more easily and more directly than ever by providing an integrated platform with Industry Google: We’re making it easier to listen to 4.0 and automation features unmatched throughout the local news printing industry,” said Todd Bigger, vice president soft- ware, Kodak Print Division, in a news release. Google is bringing Your News Update to Google Podcasts and also making it easier to listen to local news when you ask Google Assistant, Google said in a blog. Column to power public notices for Washing- Last fall, Google launched its news playlist Your News ton Post Update on Google Assistant. Your News Update is now Public notice platform Column will power notices for The coming to Google Podcasts to make it easier for millions Washington Post, providing software for The Post’s online of podcast users in the U.S. to discover and listen to news distribution of public and legal notices in the DC-Mary- that’s timely and relevant to them, says Google. land-Virginia region. Podcasting is more popular than ever and news is “We are thrilled to equip The Post with this power- the fastest-growing category in podcasts, Google points ful technology for the future of public notice,” said Jake out. But there often tends to be a focus on national news Seaton, CEO of Column. "Our platform comes with so- and it’s harder to find on-demand quality audio journalism phisticated design, geographic search tools and machine at the local level, says Google. learning categorization that sets a new standard for online When a user opens the Google Podcasts app and navi- public notice display." gates to the Explore tab, that user can subscribe to Your Column developed a new online database of all public News Update and listen to a mix of short news stories and legal notices published with The Post. The database chosen based on the user’s interests, location, history and displays important public interest information for DC- preferences. Maryland-Virginia region residents including requests for bids, requests for proposals and trustee sales. Google launches News search type filter Access to The Post's new public notice database is avail- With a July 21 tweet, Google announced that it has a new able at publicnotices.washingtonpost.com. search type filter: News. Publishers can now analyze traffic coming from the Drupa launches drupa preview online plat- News tab on Google Search, the tweet says. It says us- form ers can learn more about filtering data on Performance reports. Printing technologies trade fair drupa is extending its digi- The company then sent out an email on the matter, says tal offering: starting in October the online platform drupa Search Engine Roundtable. “We’ve recently added new preview will offer exhibitors and visitors an additional data to the Performance report in Search Console: Google channel for touching base with the sector, discussing Search’s News tab data. This data shows clicks, impres- trending themes and presenting product portfolios. sions, and click-through rate for any links seen in the The portal will consist of the content formats “Confer- ‘News’ tab in Google Search results,” the email said. “To ence,” “Exhibition” and “Networking.”

News & Tech September/October 2020 u 39 Vendor News

access this data in the report, click the ‘Search type: Web’ • Facebook says Apple rejected its effort to tell people filter on the top of the report, then select ‘News.’ that Apple would take a 30% cut of sales in a new online events feature, Reuters reported. Apple made Facebook Reuters, Facebook partnering on election take that info off to get the tool to users, says Reuters. Facebook also aimed to inform users on the Google Play night store that Facebook wouldn’t take a fee for ticket sales, but Reuters has a new a partnership with Facebook to produce that message was also not shown, says Reuters. live U.S. election night results for social media users. Apple also found itself in a high-profile corporate spat During election night, data delivered by Reuters will with Fortnite creator Epic Games, which is suing Apple. be shown on Facebook’s Voting information Center and shared in push notifications. This will include live election • Facebook has a new account linking tool that pro- results charting real-time outcomes including vote tabula- vides a better experience for people on Facebook when tion, exit polls and winner projections from the National they see and access content from publishers they subscribe Election Pool (NEP), a consortium of ABC News, CBS News, to, says the company. Facebook is collaborating with pub- CNN, NBC News and Edison Research, says Reuters. lishers around the world to test this new product, which “We’re partnering with Reuters and the National Election allows people to link their news subscription accounts on Pool to provide authoritative information about election Facebook. Once implemented, linked subscribers will not results,” said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “We’ll show meet paywalls when accessing articles from Facebook and this in the Voting Information Center so it’s easily acces- won’t be asked to sign-in repeatedly, a common pain point sible, and we’ll notify people proactively as results become many subscribers and publishers face today, says Face- available. Importantly, if any candidate or campaign tries book. to declare victory before the results are in, we’ll add a label to their post educating that official results are not yet in Digital Content Next writes to Apple’s Cook and directing people to the official results,” he said. Trade group Digital Content Next’s CEO Jason Kint has written a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook asking for disclo- Plans to launch Facebook News internation- sure of the terms of a deal between Amazon and Apple and ally; other Facebook items asking if “anyone meeting the conditions” can apply to get Several items of note to report involving Facebook. the deal. Digital Content Next represents The New York Times, • Facebook is accelerating its plans to expand Face- Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and other outfits. book News internationally. The company aims to launch The deal came up in a July 29 House hearing on online Facebook News in multiple countries within the next six platforms and market power. months to a year and is considering the U.K., Germany, At the hearing, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Georgia) asked Ap- France, India and Brazil. In each country, the company will ple CEO Tim Cook if the terms between Apple and Amazon pay news publishers to “ensure their content is available in are available to other developers. Cook said “anyone meet- the new product,” says Facebook. ing the conditions” can apply for the terms. Some background, from Digital Content Next: In 2017, • After Facebook raised concerns over lost ad revenue Apple and Amazon made a deal where Amazon Prime due to Apple’s iOS 14 privacy changes, other digital Video would be available on Apple TV and Apple products publishers have chimed in. One publisher says ad rates on would be available on Amazon. As part of the deal, Apple iOS could fall as much as 40%, The Wall Street Journal and would lower its fee for people who subscribed to Prime 9to5mac reported. Video from 30% to 15%. For existing Prime Video subscrib- ers, Apple agreed to drop its normal 15% fee. “The cherry • Facebook has introduced Facebook Shop, a new place on top for Amazon was that they could use other payment to discover businesses and shop for products in the Face- systems outside of Apple,” says Digital Content Next. book app, says Facebook. Facebook started testing this in Those the details of the deal according to an email un- the U.S. and launched a complementary shopping destina- covered by the House of Representatives Judiciary Commit- tion on Instagram in July, called Instagram Shop. tee, says Digital Content Next. Apple and Amazon haven’t made details of the deal public.

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