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The Oklahoma Publisher Official Publication of the Oklahoma Press Association www.OkPress.com Vol. 88, No. 2 www.Facebook.com/okpress 12 Pages • February 2017 INSIDE OPA members gather for Legislative Summit NNA LOGO CONTEST Members of the Oklahoma WINNER: A staff member Press Association met with at the Bartlesville Examiner- their representatives and sena- Enterprise wins NNA logo tors during the February 9 OPA contest. Legislative Summit at the State PAGE 3 Capitol in Oklahoma City where SUMMIT PHOTOS: front pages of OPA member Members visit their legislators newspapers were displayed in during the OPA Legislative the Rotunda. Summit at the State Capitol in After welcoming members Oklahoma City. to the summit, OPA Executive PAGE 7 Vice President Mark Thomas reviewed a list of bills OPA is GRAB READERS’ watching this year. ATTENTION: Terry Clark “These are just a few of the shows you the importance of bills I pulled out for you to think dominant photos and headlines. about as you visit your elected PAGE 8 officials,” he said. “It’s important that you all be DONATE TO ONF to receive here to see what your legislators this Will Rogers print. Details at are dealing with,” said Thomas. OkPress.com/will-rogers. “It’s a difficult decision-making time for them and it’s great that Editors and publishers gather in a conference room at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City on you come here and see this so February 9 for the Oklahoma Press Association Legislative Summit. Nearly 70 members attended the you understand what they go annual meeting. through every day.” In the afternoon, leaders of the Senate and House of Rep- resentatives addressed press members. OPA President Dayva Spitzer, publisher of the Sayre Record & Beckham County Democrat, introduced Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Schulz, R-Altus, and Speaker of the House Charles McCall, R-Atoka. Schulz and McCall discussed the state legislature’s priorities for 2017. TODD BROOKS, NATHAN THOMPSON, JAMES BRIGHT, CHARLES BIGGS, One of the top priorities this Marlow Review Bartlesville The Express-Star & Tulsa Beacon year is to bring the state in com- “The summit lets our legisla- Examiner-Enterprise The Duncan Banner “I always go to the summit pliance with the federal Real ID ture know that while our town “The OPA Legislative Summit “My staff and I always find the for several reasons. It is so Act. may not be the largest in their is a great way for newspaper summit to be informative and important to hear the sum- Oklahoma opted out of the constituency, we still care, staff to engage with lawmak- entertaining. Our two papers mary of pending bills and to federal act in 2017. The Depart- and we pay attention to what ers. Those casual conversa- cover a large swath of land, be informed when I speak with goes on. For the industry, I our representatives and sena- ment of Homeland Security tions allow me to build trust but many of the legislators’ dis- think it helps show legislatures and accessibility with our tricts are in the coverage areas tors. In Tulsa, we have a long has granted several extensions newspapers are still important lawmakers to have frank — of both papers, so the summit list of lawmakers to visit and I since then, issuing a final exten- to the state. There may be sometimes difficult — discus- gives our reporters an opportu- appreciate the amount of free sion until June 2017 for the state more of us than they realize, sions about the challenges nity to expand their political time to spend with them. Sign to comply. and I think the rotunda display that face Oklahoma. As a knowledge and reach. me up for next year.” Schulz said his goal is to get showed not only the number state government writer, I Always love the newspaper a bill to the governor’s desk by of newspapers we have in this look forward to the Legislative display. Leaves our guys with March 15. state, but also the impact we Summit every year, making a sense of pride.” Other topics discussed were have. I enjoyed my visits with sure to work it into my regular judicial reform, pay raises for our local legislators. A face- visits to the State Capitol. teachers and the state budget to-face meeting can produce Newspapers are alive and more and better information crisis. well. The summit is another than an email or a phone call.” way for us to show that to the public and to our legislators.” 2 The Oklahoma Publisher // February 2017 ine Burchfiel purchased the paper and has been with The Beacon since 2000, owned it until selling to Wesner Publica- returning home after teaching history in CIMARRON TEXAS BEAVER HARPER tions in 1990. Sister newspapers include Oklahoma and Ohio schools for several Watonga, Hinton, Geary, Walters, Madill years. ELLIS and Bristow. The Cordell Beacon’s publisher, Brett Interesting column subjects of some Wesner, says, “Our goal is to furnish of those early day editions include “A readers with news they really can’t find ROGER Revised List of County Slackers,” printed any other place and do it consistently MILLS in 1918. Other columns worth mention- week after week.” BECKHAM ing were the passage of an ordinance to In addition to Wesner and Rainbolt, forbid German as a language in Cordell The Cordell Beacon has a dedicated BY OPA PRESIDENT DAYVA SPITZER GREER as well as the invasion of the Ku Klux staff that includes Cindy Banks, office Co-Publisher, Sayre Record Klan in 1922. manager; Penelope Gibbons, advertising & Beckham County Democrat HARMON Today’s editor of The Cordell Beacon, manager/legals; Vicki Salley, reporter/ Zonelle Rainbolt, believes the newspa- layout, and Mary Anderson, production. per is the community’s most visible It’s evident that editor Zonelle Rain- cheerleader. bolt believes in small town weekly pub- The Cordell Beacon thriving “There are many more good things lications as she was quoted as saying, happening in Cordell, and the county, “Don’t trust anybody who says news- than bad things, and it gives all of us papers are a dying breed. The weekly in west-central Oklahoma working here great pleasure to report newspaper, especially The Cordell Bea- on the positive,” Rainbolt said. “There con, is a valued product that has stood One of the common threads that after a post office department employee. are certainly times when we have to the test of time and continues to thrive. we have observed through investigat- Congress finally made the decision to write articles about tragic occurrences, “We remain the best, and sometimes ing the history of many of our western move the county seat to Cordell in 1900. but, more often than not, our pages are the only, place to get the news our read- weekly newspapers is that many of those Cordell’s first newspaper was the filled with the accomplishments of our ers want and the advertising avenue our publications are the oldest continuously Cordell Messenger, which first printed friends and neighbors,” she added. merchants need,” added Rainbolt. operated businesses in their respective in June of 1898. It merged with the Rainbolt, who grew up in Cordell, communities. Cordell Herald-Sentinel in 1901. The The Cordell Beacon of Washita Coun- Cordell Beacon’s earliest ancestor pub- ty also claims that very significant fact lication, The Cloud Chief Beacon, was with its beginnings tracing back to 1897. founded in July of 1897. Other early day Washita County, known first as coun- papers were the Cordell Republican and ty H, opened to settlement in the run of a German publication called The Okla- April 19, 1892, and the first newspaper homa Vowartz. Also, the Cordell News- printed in the county was the Tacola Democrat served the community but Chief, published just two days after the consolidated with The Cordell Beacon run. in 1926. The Cloud Chief Beacon, which was Historical archives tell us that a one- founded in 1897, was actually the fore- year subscription to the Beacon was sold runner of the Cordell Beacon. for four bushels of corn. An equivalent Cloud Chief was the original county of 25 cents per bushel also was accept- seat, but with the inception of Cordell as able, as well as oats if need be. The a new town on April 20, 1892, a conten- location of the news office has been at tious battle ensued to move the seat to its present location since 1924. One of The staff at The Cordell Beacon take time to pose for a photo with OPA President Dayva Cordell. With its beginnings as nothing the paper’s longest tenured editors was Spitzer. From left to right, Mary Anderson, Penelope Gibbons, Dayva Spitzer, Zonelle more than a campsite, Cordell was first Burris Penn, who started in 1928 and Rainbolt, Vicki Salley and Cindy Banks. known as Jonestown, and later named served 41 years. In 1969, Ed and Max- Ads promote notices in newspapers OPA CALENDAR OF EVENTS The News Media Alliance, formerly When public notices THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017 the Newspaper Association of America, reach the public, WEBINAR: BEST PRACTICES FOR PUBLIC NOTICE has created three ads promoting public everyone benefits. notices in newspapers. 1:00 PM – Cost: $35 The ads – Fox and Hen (shown at This session will focus on the state of public notice and the best practices that every publisher Some officials want to move notices from should follow to help the industry maintain its rightful position as the publisher of official notice of right), Arrows and Classified Ads – are newspapers to government-run websites, public actions.