IN THIS ISSUE: OPA SUMMER CONFERENCE: PG 03 | Come meet the candidates BLACKOUT POETRY: PG 09 | A contest for newspapers of every size SATURDAY MAIL DELIVERY: PG 11 | How the loss of service would affect businesses Official Publication of the Oklahoma Press Association Vol. 81, No. 4 • Sixteen Pages • April 2010

Download The Oklahoma Publisher in PDF format at www.OkPress.com/the-oklahoma-publisher 15 OPEN RECORDS WEEKS until the Primary Election UNDER ATTACK Several bills currently enue of over $65 million in time to take a deep breath Newspapers making their way through the last five years selling and think through all of the Oklahoma Legislature citizens’ names, birth dates the issues this summer and are ready to could directly affect the and addresses in the form come back with a piece of talk to you state’s Open Records Act. of motor vehicle records legislation next year.” to marketers and screening about print DATES OF BIRTH companies. OSSAA and web SB 1753, authored by Also, according to the Senate Bill 1729 would Sen. Debbe Leftwich, Office of State Finance, a subject the Oklahoma advertising. D-OKC, would make pub- spreadsheet of all 40,000 Secondary School Activi- lic employee birth dates public employees’ personal ties Association to open exempt from open records addresses was provided to records. The bill was writ- laws. Rep. Randy Terrill, a mailing firm that works ten after an embezzlement R-Moore, sponsored the with the Oklahoma Public scandal surfaced in 2009 Call your local newspaper or bill in the House. Employees Association, a at the association. It would Oklahoma Press Service at Leftwich wrote the bill private organization, since give the public access to soon after Attorney Gener- records of the non-profit (405) 499-0020 for help June of last year under a The Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame’s exhibition hall is al Drew Edmondson issued organization that regulates with your ad placement. special exemption passed open in its new location in the Nigh University Center on an opinion in response to a by the legislature. high school sports and the University of Central Oklahoma campus in Edmond. dispute between The City The issue of whether a other activities such as The hall was dedicated on April 9 at the 40th anniversary of Oklahoma City and The public employee’s date of music, speech and debate celebration and induction. Oklahoman. The opin- birth is a private fact about competitions in Oklahoma. ion declared that public that person is also the sub- The bill passed through employee birthdates were ject of a court case. The the Senate 41-0 and Get ready to Race for Space “presumed open.” OPEA sued the State of through the House Gen- Leftwich cited concerns Oklahoma to bar release eral Government Commit- Oklahoma Press Service’s Race for Space begins in over identity theft and the of any employee dates of tee 10-0. It next faces the less than three weeks. safety of public employ- birth. Oklahoma District entire House. On May 1, OPS will offer heavily discounted adver- ees. Judge Bryan Dixon issued tising space to candidates in nine statewide races. AUTOPSY RESULTS According to the the injunction and it study- The limited space will be offered for a limited time. House Bill 3155, by Open Records Act, home ing the issue. It’s first-come, first-served in the race for advertising Rep. Leslie Osborn, R-Tut- addresses, phone numbers “There is still time to space. Once the discount package for a particular race tle, would amend the Open and Social Security num- find some compromise lan- is gone, space will revert to regular rates. Records Act allowing the bers of current or former guage or common ground,” Race for Space heavily discounts these ad packages Office of Chief Medi- state employees are to be said Mark Thomas, execu- in exchange for early commitments from the candi- cal Examiner to withhold kept confidential. This bill tive vice president of the dates. information any time a would add birth dates to Oklahoma Press Asso- Don’t miss out! For more information about the death is labeled as homi- that list. ciation, “but now that Race for Space, contact OPS Advertising Director cide, unknown or pending. However, according to the court has temporarily Sarah Barrow at (405) 499-0021 or Account Executive Information could be held the Department of Public barred the release of the Landon Cobb at (405) 499-0022. Safety, Oklahoma had rev- records it may be a good Continued on Page 2 2 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 OPA PRESIDENT’S COLUMN OPA receives application for associate membership Deborah Gooding has applied for an the OPA Board of Directors at their meet- associate membership in the Oklahoma ing on Saturday, June 5, at Western Hills Press Association. State Lodge in Wagoner, Okla. CatseyeBYBY GLORIA TRTROTTER,OTTER, Gooding, who is currently director of Any current member wishing to object PPublisherublisher ooff The CountCountywideywide & SuSunn marketing and communications for Girl to the application must do so in writing to Scouts of Western Oklahoma, previously the OPA at 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd., Okla- worked as a newspaper reporter and edi- homa City, OK 73105-5499, by Tuesday, What a great time Wayne and I had hosting the OPA board in Tecumseh and tor in Oklahoma and Texas. May 25, 2010. Shawnee a couple of weeks ago! The application will be reviewed by We had some fun (checking out the mummy at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art) and a great meal hosted by the Citizen Potawatomi Nation at the beautiful FireLake Grand Casino. The whole group even came to the Countywide & Sun office in Tecumseh for a reception. Charges dropped against Okmulgee County Jail Authority Of course we spent most of our time brainstorming and planning. It was pretty Open Meeting violation charges were Larry D. Moore was appointed by State intense; you all know that finances aren’t what they used to be. And it’s not just the dismissed in February against eight mem- Attorney General Drew Edmondson to recession. The nature of our industry has changed. Print journalism will never return to bers of the Okmulgee County Jail Author- prosecute the case. the good old days. The question is, what does the future hold? ity. Moore cited the “best interests of jus- I wish I could tell you we answered that question. The one answer that was obvious The panel, which included the Okmul- tice” in his dismissal, although Robert is that change is inevitable, for your newspaper and mine, and for our association. The gee County Sheriff, the Okmulgee Police Seacat, attorney for the plaintiffs, told the big truth we have to face at OPA is that advertising revenue from OPS can’t carry the Chief and the mayor of Henryetta, was Okmulgee Times that Moore dismissed cost of member services much longer. accused of improper meetings in 2006 and the charges because there was an attorney 2007. Muskogee County District Attorney present at the meetings in question. SO WHAT DO WE DO? The same thing you’re doing – look at our business model. Short term, we’ve been cutting costs. But long term, we have to decide what we can continue to do and how we’ll pay for it. It won’t be easy. Some fundamental changes are in order, including a look at the Open Records Continued from Page 1 dues structure. Sorry, folks – there just aren’t many options. What we need from you until the case goes to trial and the origi- investigation and footage featuring a dead is some constructive input. What works for you that could be adapted for OPA/OPS? nal bill does not specify a time frame for body. Which member services are the most important to you? What do you expect in return release of the records should the case never for your OPA dues? reach trial. TAX TASK FORCE Don’t say “a big ad check.” You might as well plan your budget based on winning Thomas said some new compromise House Bill 3288 would form a task force the lottery. language is being reviewed that would to examine state incentives and tax credits narrow the number of autopsy reports offered to companies and individuals to THINK ABOUT ALL THE OTHER THINGS YOUR MEMBERSHIP BUYS YOU. This time of year, that would be confidential, and would determine which programs should be kept the one that quickly comes to mind is Mark’s amazing lobbying work. Unless you’re allow access for family members after they and which should be eliminated. However, on the board or the Government Relations Committee, you probably have no idea how were eliminated as suspects in homicides. because of language in the bill stating that many dangerous bills he’s headed off. And don’t forget that legal rate increase a few Additionally, new language would tell the the task force “shall be exempt” from open years ago. That alone was worth several years’ dues. Medical Examiner’s office what informa- meetings and open records laws, Rep. Here are a few more: business members are eligible for the Legal Services Plan, tion could be released when a person died Mike Reynolds says the task force would which can save you thousands. Those who participate in OCAN and the 2x2 program in police custody. be a waste of time. – which is most of us – have the services of Bill Newell, our postal consultant, and A representative of the Oklahoma State The author of the bill, Rep. Skye Wilma Melot, our traveling computer consultant. Take a guess at how much you’d have Bureau of Investigation said the bill was McNeil, R-Bristow, said the task force is paid someone for that technical help or how many fines you might have paid USPS requested by prosecutors because the intended to provide transparency – to “dig without Wilma and Bill. release of certain details could jeopar- a little deeper where our tax dollars are Then there are the trade agreements, newspaper directory, legal notice guide and the dize criminal investigations. Rep. Lucky going.” website. And don’t forget what our Foundation does for you – the summer internship Lamons, D-Tulsa, said the OSBI actu- McNeil said “typical task force lan- program and the affordable educational programs. Business and sustaining members are ally requested the bill after details of two guage” was used in creating the bill. Reynolds, R-OKC, said anytime a eligible for the OPA/MEBT insurance program, low-cost conventions and seminars and, high profile murders were published in group is authorized to be exempt from of course, the contests. the media last year. HB 3155 passed the House 86-7. open meeting/records laws, the group usu- What other professional association offers that much, and at such a low price? If you ally does just that. don’t know, ask your friends – the bankers, the lawyers, anyone. DASH CAM VIDEOS “I don’t know why tax reform would OPA IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE PREMIERE NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATIONS in the country, quite HB 3382 would make audio and video need to be confidential,” said Thomas. possibly the very best. Our challenge now is to keep it that way, so that OPA can continue tapes recorded by the Department of Pub- “There may be a need for some specific its work to keep Oklahoma print journalism strong and healthy. Please do your part by lic Safety Highway Patrol to be subject to tax information provided by a private com- open records requests. It passed the House pany to remain confidential, but just to sharing your thoughts and ideas. Mark or any of the board members would be happy to 96-0 and awaits Senate approval. study a whole tax reform measure and tax hear from you. Two exemptions to open access include credits and who’s getting them and how And don’t delay. Decisions must be made very soon. We’re counting on you to step audio/video that is part of an ongoing much they are and all that – that shouldn’t up to the plate and help us make them. be confidential.” 3 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 Meet the candidates at the OPA Summer Conference Members of the Oklahoma Press Asso- ciation will have the opportunity to meet candidates for statewide office at the June 4-6 Summer Conference at Western Hills ISSN 1526-811X State Lodge in Wagoner. Official Publication of the “All candidates for state offices have been invited to answer your questions OKLAHOMA PRESS and discuss how to turn around the state’s economy,” said OPA Member Services ASSOCIATION Director Lisa Potts. 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd. Gubernatorial candidates begin the ses- Oklahoma City, OK 73105-5499 sion at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 5. Candi- (405) 499-0020 • Fax (405) 499-0048 dates invited include Jari Askins, Randy Toll-Free in Oklahoma: (888) 815-2672 Brogdon, Drew Edmondson, Mary Fallin, Web: www.OkPress.com Roger L. Jackson and Robert Hubbard. E-mail: [email protected] Other candidates invited include John PUBLISHER Wright, Kenneth Corn and Tom Lamb, Mark Thomas candidates for lieutenant governor; Steve [email protected] Burrage, candidate for state auditor; Ryan Leonard, Jim Priest and Scott Pruitt, can- EDITOR didates for attorney general; Owen Laugh- Jennifer Gilliland [email protected] lin and Ken Miller, candidates for state treasurer; Randall Gorman, Janet Bar- resi, Susan Paddack and Shawn Hime, There’s plenty of time for camaraderie at the OPA Summer Conference – whether it’s OPA OFFICERS candidates for superintendent of public meeting candidates or spending time outdoors. Last year’s attendees enjoyed roasting Gloria Trotter, President instruction; Jason Reese, Lloyd Fields, marshmallows over an open fire. Don’t miss this year’s conference June 4-6 at Western The Countywide & Sun Hills State Lodge. Tad Jones and Mark Costello, candidates Rod Serfoss, Vice President for commissioner of labor; Kim Holland, written by none other than Wayne Trot- Clinton Daily News candidate for insurance commissioner; and The conference concludes Saturday ter, co-publisher of The Countywide & Dana Murphy, candidate for corporation morning with the Idea Exchange Breakfast Joe Worley, Treasurer Sun in Tecumseh. By the way, Wayne commissioner. where members share successful revenue Tulsa World is still looking for members to be a part “We’re beginning to receive confirma- ideas. The two people presenting the best Mark Thomas, Executive Vice President of the show. If you’re interested, e-mail ideas will each receive a $50 prize. tions from the candidates and look forward Oklahoma City [email protected]. to seeing them at the Summer Confer- A youth program is available for chil- Other activities include the Clancy ence,” said Potts. dren ages 5 to 12. The program provides Frost Golf Tournament scheduled to begin OPA DIRECTORS All OPA members are invited to attend complete adult supervision with activities at 1 p.m. Friday, June 4, and the always Steve Booher, Past President the candidate forum sessions free of ranging from swimming to pony rides. popular hayride and cookout Friday eve- Cherokee Messenger & Republican charge. Complete program information and ning. There will be plenty of leisure time Rusty Ferguson, Politics continues Saturday evening as registration form are available on the OPA to enjoy activities ranging from tram tours The Cleveland American OPA members perform a political satire website at okpress.com/summerconfer- to board games. ence. Jeff Shultz, The Garvin County News Star Jeff Mayo, Sequoyah County Times OU launches new product Jeff Funk, Enid News & Eagle The University of Oklahoma’s Gay- Robby Trammell, The Oklahoman lord College of Journalism and Mass Dayva Spitzer, Sayre Record & Communication recently launched Beckham County Democrat Routes, a student-only produced online magazine. SUBSCRIBE TO Routes is a not-for-profit publica- Newspaper Brokers THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER tion designed to present the work of the $12 PER YEAR students. Published stories will fall into Appraisers THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER (USPS 406-920) four categories: culture, history, politics is published monthly for $12 per year by the and sports. Oklahoma Press Association, 3601 N. Lincoln Routes draws content from near- Consultants Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105-5499. Periodicals ly one dozen classes and is available postage paid at Oklahoma City, OK. THOMAS C. BOLITHO EDWARD M. ANDERSON online at routes.ou.edu. P.O. BOX 849 We have many years experience in P.O. Box 2001 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE The Webzine updates the second ADA, OK 74821 the community newspaper market BRANSON, MO 65616 OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd., Friday of each month. (580) 421-9600 (417) 336-3457 Oklahoma City, OK 73105-5499. [email protected] www.nationalmediasales.com [email protected] 4 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 OPA CALENDAR OF EVENTS Complete Listing of Events at New Tulsa County policy requires written request for records www.OkPress.com According to a new policy, Tulsa Coun- he and County Commissioner John Sma- Wilson later proposed the policy ty Budget board members must now fill ligo exchanged words. change, stating that her office receives APRIL 29 – OKC out a request form in order to obtain meet- Wilson required Yazel to file an open many records requests from agencies ONF VIDEO EDITING WORKSHOP ing records. records request in order to obtain the inside and outside the county. Rick Lepper will present this workshop on The decision stems from a dispute records. She said the new policy would help her video editing at the Metro Tech Springlake between Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel Yazel complained that he’d never been “provide these records as requested in a campus. and County Clerk Earlene Wilson over asked to fill one out previously, and the timely fashion.” JUNE 4-6 – WAGONER audio recordings of one meeting. other seven county officials on the board The board voted 6-to-1 to approve the OPA SUMMER CONFERENCE Yazel requested copies of tapes from a told the Tulsa World that they hadn’t policy with Yazel being the lone nay vote. Mark your calendar to join your newspaper contentious Feb. 16 meeting, during which either. peers at this family friendly gathering at the Western Hills State Lodge in Wagoner. JUNE 25 – OKC ONF FEATURE WRITING Officials work to reconcile social media and open records WORKSHOP State and local agencies would like to State law requires that records of official conditions to report road closings, snow Terry Clark will present this workshop on use Twitter, Facebook and other social communications be available on request routes, etc. feature writing. media technologies to inform residents of for a much longer period. Officials are Douglas Doe, Web manager for the For more information on upcoming events, visit the website as noted in the calendar, go to the Oklahoma, but may have difficulties due, looking into ways to archive that content Office of State Finance, said his office is OPA website at www.OkPress.com or contact in part, to open records laws. in order to comply. working with the state Libraries Depart- Member Services Director Lisa Potts The problem is that many social media Twitter was used successfully by Okla- ment and private archiving services in an at (405) 499-0026, 1-888-815-2672 or e-mail [email protected]. companies allow content to be searched homa City during emergency weather effort to update systems and policies. only for a limited time.

New sports editor at Sequoyah County Times Mark Evans has been named sports “I look forward to Mark continu- Announcing the all editor at the Sequoyah County Times. ing Mike’s great sports coverage of He replaces longtime sports editor Mike Sequoyah County,” said Jeff Mayo, gen- Erwin, who is moving to Texas. eral manager of the Times. Evans, a native of Bonne Terre, Mo., Erwin came to Sallisaw in August new Recas.com was previously sports editor and man- of 1995 and became sports editor in aging editor of the Blackwell Journal- December of that same year. Tribune. He plans to marry Monica Keen, a He has been in the newspaper field former county reporter for the Times, since 1985, working in both sports after moving to Texas. and general news in several towns in The Erwins will make their home southeastern Missouri, including Cape in Fort Worth, where Mike will pursue Girardeau and Poplar Bluff. freelance opportunities in sports writing Evans earned his degree at Central and photography. Methodist University in Fayette, Mo., “Mike has done a wonderful job at and is the author of a book on the his- the Times,” said Mayo. “He will be toric buildings of Ste. Genevieve, Mo. missed.”

Want to see these brands advertising in your paper? Visit recas.com/new to find out how easy it is to effectively boost your ad revenue with local ad dollars for these brands.

800.348.6485, ext. 5324 • recas.com/new 5 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 Because

HE’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE DAY YOU TAUGHT HIM HOW TO SWING. 6 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 Candidates tout openness at FOI Sunshine Week Conference Candidates for Oklahoma Governor In August, he said that officials should and Attorney General promised to sup- err on the side of transparency regarding port openness in government in a vari- the release of dates of birth of employees. ety of ways at Freedom of Information Edmondson said it’s difficult to contend Oklahoma’s Sunshine Week conference that birth dates are private when they are March 13. found in a number of public records. He All six announced gubernatorial can- has since disclosed the birth dates of his didates participated in a forum moder- own employees. ated by Joey Senat, associate professor at During the Sunshine Week conference Oklahoma State University’s School of luncheon, FOI presented its annual Ben Journalism. It was the first time all six had Blackstock award to the Tulsa World for appeared together at a forum. its 10-year fight to gain access to Depart- Five of the six said that if elected gover- ment of Public Safety records. The World nor, they would veto legislation exempting sued in 2001 after then-Commissioner public employees birth dates from the state Bob Ricks rejected almost an entire open Open Records Act. Only Attorney General records request for computerized and paper Drew Edmondson, a Democratic candi- records on the Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s date, said he would sign the bill. use of force, traffic stops and searches, and Edmondson said the Legislature is enti- agency procedures. The newspaper won tled under the Open Records Act to decide the fight, and the DPS recently paid a sub- which information in the personnel files of stantial portion of the World’s legal fees. public employees would be considered “an “We commend the Tulsa World for unwarranted invasion of privacy.” He said Award winners were recognized at the FOI Oklahoma Sunshine Week conference on being a leader in open records and open that did not mean he would concede his March 13. Joe Worley, left, accepts the annual Ben Blackstock Award for the Tulsa World; meetings issues in this state,’’ said Dick veto power each time legislators write an Kristy Yager, right, was the recipient of FOI’s Sunshine Award. Dick Pryor, center, presented Pryor, president of FOI Oklahoma. “The exemption to the state Open Records Act. the awards. Pryor is deputy director of the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority and World has a strong and significant tradition State Sen. Randy Brogdon, a Republi- president of FOI Oklahoma. of protecting the public’s right to know.’’ can gubernatorial candidate, said he would Kristy Yager, public information and veto SB 1753, which would exempt public Edmondson also told the conference diately declare a state of emergency, cut marketing director for The City of Okla- employee birth dates from personnel files. that if elected he will “designate a contact everyone’s pay and reorganize state gov- homa City, won FOI’s Sunshine Award When asked how he had voted when the person in the Governor’s office” to assist ernment. for consistently working to provide useful bill came before the full Senate on Feb. with open meetings/open records prob- The four major candidates all said they information to the public. The award is pre- 18, Brogdon said he didn’t know. Records lems. would support legislation to remove the sented to a governmental organization or show Brogdon voted for the bill when it Fallin, who said she would be “forth- Legislature’s exemption to the Open Meet- individual who has shown a commitment passed the Senate by a 44-0 vote with no right in enforcing open meetings/open ings/Open Records Acts. to FOI. Yager worked with local media in debate on the floor. records,” said she would also have a full- In the morning sessions at the Sun- redesigning her department’s website to After being told how he voted, Brogdon time staff person to handle such issues. shine Week conference, experts on pri- make it easier to find information. said, “I am not in favor of hiding informa- Askins said that televised legislative vacy emphasized that birth dates in public FOI’s Black Hole Award for thwart- tion … I will certainly vote accordingly.” sessions are “great window dressing,” but records do not pose a threat of identity ing the free flow of information went to “I don’t think there’s anything in state “we still have a long way to go” on theft. Oklahoma County District Attorney David government that shouldn’t be open,” he accessibility and accountability. Hubbard In December, Edmondson, as attorney Prater and the Oklahoma City city attor- said later in the program. observed that “we are all under attack” general, issued a formal written opinion ney’s office. For the Black Hole Award, Also saying they would veto the legis- from the public and said public officials stating that government employee birth FOI cited the refusal of the city attorney lation were Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, a Demo- “should be arrested if they don’t comply” dates are presumed open unless the public and district attorney offices to release crat, and Republican candidates Congress- with open meetings/open records laws. body can demonstrate that the employee’s employee birth dates, even after an attor- woman Mary Fallin, Robert Hubbard and Jackson didn’t respond directly to the privacy outweighs the public’s interest in ney general’s opinion said the information Roger L. Jackson. issue, but said if elected he will imme- disclosure. was presumed open. NEWSPAPER & PUBLICATION BINDING LEGAL ADVICE Before you have your next issue bound, give us a call. We offer exceptional quality, competitive pricing and fast turnaround times. With three generations of experi- is just one of the benefits of being a member of the Oklahoma Press ence, we have the knowledge and skill to get your job done. Other services Association’s Legal Services Plan. Remove the worry of needing include Bible binding and restoration, embossing and much more. professional advice by enrolling today. For more information contact: OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION’S ACE BOOKBINDING CO. 825 N. Classen Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73106

LEGAL SERVICES PLAN (405) 525-8888 or Toll-Free at 1-800-525-8896 1-888-815-2672 or 405-499-0020 E-mail: [email protected] • www.AceBookBinding.com 7 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 Embrace your inner blogger and prosper reads not only in Oklahoma but throughout Her April 9 entry focuses on a Houston often as possible without making it obnox- That InterWeb Thing the country. school superintendent who made crucial ious and irritating. by KEITH BURGIN, OPA STAFF Drummond’s focus is country living decisions about failing high schools he had Readers will appreciate it not only delivered in a friendly, conversational yet to visit or inspect. The entry, makes because the information they need is only Blogging is about talking to someone. manner. After five-plus years, she’s good terrific use of Chronicle stories through a click away but also because it gives them It’s that simple. at it; it’s what she does well. the use of links. By design, those links a link to send to friends they’re discussing When you blog (yes, it’s a verb now, The late Jim Chastain – author, attorney send users back to the primary newspaper this issue with. just like Google), you speak to an indi- and screenwriter - wrote a blog connected website, creating traffic. Advertising on your blog is not a bad vidual about something they’re interested to NewsOK, The Oklahoman’s website. No, this is not a local newspaper, but idea, either – and don’t let anyone tell you in. If you don’t say something that interests “Life is Real – Writing the Final Chapters” anyone with a blog can do the same thing. that it’s “bad form” to place ads on your them, they’ll leave, which is not necessar- was a compelling, inspirational journal of The technology is there and it’s free. blog… it’s not. ily the worst thing that could happen. The Chastain’s final battle with cancer. He lost These blogs are wildly different in their Now we come to the $20,000 ques- worst thing that could happen would be to that battle in December 2009. styling, content and audience but they all tion: who’s doing the blogging? If you’re appeal to no one. Chastain made a connection with his share some common elements: the publisher or editor, you may have too Most successful blogs have a narrow readers and talked to them as you might • Each focuses on the reader and pays much on your plate to dedicate the time to focus and concentrate on what the writer or a friend or acquaintance. His subject was them the compliment of addressing a project like this. publisher does well. You’ll never bring in one that he was intimately familiar with. them as an equal. Why not assign it to a young intern? everyone, so I suggest you set your sights Most readers of The Oklahoma Pub- • Each invites the reader to interact with How about someone in the sales depart- on capturing a specific audience, reel them lisher know Dr. Terry Clark, a professor the author. ment with a passion for blogging? Many back on a regular basis and grow your traf- of journalism at the University of Central • Each is updated frequently and regu- newspapers assign reporters to this task. fic month by month. Oklahoma, by the many hats he wears. larly. The subject might be anything from gar- I’ll give you a couple of examples: Some may not know of Coffee with Clark • Each displays the author’s passion for dening to politics to weight loss. The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond (clarkcoffee.blogspot.com), his blog. the subject matter. A blog need only attract readers, bring (a transplant from Los Angeles), journals In it, Clark shares with readers his skill Most successful blogs share these traits. them back and send traffic to the newspa- her way through daily country living, and experience in creating art whether the Incorporating them into yours is within per’s website. It doesn’t require the man- home schooling, recipes and more. Shar- medium is paint, photography or words; your means. A good blog will attract read- aging editor or publisher to do that. ing her knowledge, experiences and sense it’s something he’s passionate about. ers – once you have them, it’s your job to It does require passion, attention, inter- of humor has made her blog (thepioneer- One of the best examples of a newspaper bring them to the newspaper. est in the subject matter and a willingness woman.com) one of the most popular blog is FalkenBlog, by Lisa Falkenberg, a Link, link, link – I can’t say that enough. to talk with the reader. columnist at the Houston Chronicle. Bring them to the newspaper’s website as Elk City News publisher named Attorney General Opinion wreaks havoc on open records chairman of OU board of regents By MICHAEL MINNIS, OPA ATTORNEY as may be required by other statutes. procedure. This will significantly delay Larry Wade, publisher of the Elk City A recent Attorney Public bodies do not need to follow any access to public records, if not result in Daily News, has been selected as chair- General’s opinion has procedures for providing access to public the outright denial of any such requests. man of the University of Oklahoma Board spawned a hysterical records except those specifically required The Oklahoman’s request was submit- of Regents. attack upon the Oklaho- by the Oklahoma Open Records Act.” ted Feb. 19, but no requested documents Wade, who earned his bachelor of ma Open Records Act. In reliance upon this opinion, the have been provided and the OPM has arts degree in journalism from OU, was Under the Act, a pub- Oklahoma Public Employees Association yet to deny access awaiting the results of appointed to the Board of Regents by Gov. lic body must promptly (OPEA) filed suit to enjoin a request by following the AG’s procedure. Brad Henry in 2004. provide access to public records unless The Oklahoman to the Office of Per- Under the Act, it is clear that the only A longtime supporter of OU, Wade is an the records are “specifically required by sonnel Management (OPM) for access parties to an action for access to public endowed member of the President’s Asso- law to be kept confidential.” to public records of public employees records are the public body to which ciates, a lifetime member of the Alumni However, the Attorney General has, including their dates of birth. it was submitted and the party making Association and he has endowed scholar- in effect, opined that a public body must The Oklahoman argued that the the request. Now the court is apparently ships for students. ask each public employee before releas- OPEA had no standing to bring the suit, recognizing that third parties can sue to He served on OU’s Reach for Excel- ing the public employee’s records wheth- but a district court denied The Oklaho- deny access. lence Campaign board and on search com- er they object to such release. man’s Motion to Dismiss and temporar- The shutting down of access to public mittees for two OU deans and the director This AG-created process is directly ily enjoined release of the public records records of public employees is particu- of the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band. contrary to the act, which states that it requested. larly dangerous at a time when those He also is a member of the Touchdown does “not create, directly or indirectly, The OPEA suit is an ominous devel- employed by the government is grow- Club, the Tip-in Club and the Pride of any rights of privacy or any remedies for opment because it portends that hereafter ing in relation to the number of persons Oklahoma Alumni Club. violation of any rights of privacy; nor… all requests for public documents con- employed in the private sector. Wade has served the journalism profes- establish any procedures for protecting taining names of public employees will (EDITOR’S NOTE: The author of this column is the sion and is a past president of the Okla- any person from release of information need to be vetted using the AG-created attorney for The Oklahoman in this suit.) homa Press Association and the Oklahoma contained in public records … except Newspaper Foundation. 8 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 THE OGE PHOTO CONTEST

FEBRUARY 2010 DAILY WINNER: BEN WOLOSZYN Stillwater NewsPress

FEBRUARY 2010 WEEKLY WINNER: RICK HEATON Owasso Reporter Riley Moody, 16, an Owasso Mid-High student, was recently named to the Junior Olympic Skeet Shooting team. Photo by RICK HEATON, Owasso Reporter, Published Feb. 23, 2010 WINNERS OF THE MONTHLY OGE PHOTO CONTEST WIN $100, A CERTIFICATE AND RECOGNITION IN THE

Ripley firefighter William OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER! Belford stands next to a burning mobile home fire in the community To review complete contest rules and see all of Mehan. A grass fire burned the vacant winning photos, visit structure and several abandoned vehicles on the property. www.OkPress.com/ Photo by BEN WOLOSZYN, Stillwater NewsPress, OGE-photo-contest Published Feb. 19, 2010 9 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 Foundation selects 2010 scholarship recipients The Oklahoma Newspaper Founda- reporter and produce online content to a junior or senior enrolled full-time at an THANK tion recently selected recipients for the accompany her print stories. Oklahoma college or university. 2010-2011 ONF Scholarships and Breeden “Ultimately, I want to be known as an M.J. Casiano, a broadcast/electronic Scholarship. honest, fair reporter who builds relation- media senior, was selected to receive the Amanda Alfanos, Meredith Moriak and ships with the members of the commu- Bob and Marion Breeden University of YOU Sarah Wilson will each receive a $1,500 nity,” she said. Oklahoma Journalism Student Aid Fund scholarship from the foundation. Moriak serves as a scholastic media Scholarship. for supporting the Alfanos is a junior at Oklahoma City judge for Oklahoma Scholastic Media and “As a young journalist, my ultimate University majoring in mass communica- is a news reporting intern for The Oklaho- goal is to create a public forum and allow tions with an emphasis in print journalism. man and NewsOk.com. the readers the opportunity to be free and OKLAHOMA She said she genuinely enjoys working in Wilson, a junior majoring in journalism self-governing,” he said. the media because it is anything but typi- at Northeastern State University, said, “My Casiano is currently the beat writer and NEWSPAPER cal. career goal is simple. I want to be a suc- columnist for The Oklahoma Daily. “Journalism fulfills my thirst for gain- cessful journalist.” The Bob and Marion Breeden Univer- FOUNDATION ing new knowledge about the world around Wilson currently serves as senior staff sity of Oklahoma Journalism Student Aid me,” she said. writer and editor for The Northeastern Fund Scholarship provides recipients with Alfanos currently serves as editor-in- newspaper. a $500 scholarship. The fund was created chief for OCU Student Publications and as ONF has awarded scholarships since in 2006 by a memorial donation from the president of the Catholic Student Union. 2006. Students receiving the scholarships Breeden family to the Oklahoma Newspa- Moriak, a junior at the University of must be majoring in journalism or an per Foundation. Oklahoma, aspires to work as a news equivalent degree program, and must be Poets make their mark in Oklahoman’s Blackout Poetry Contest Poets of all ages are wielding black Kleon, who lives in Austin, Texas, has markers for The Oklahoman’s second published a book filled with this style annual Blackout Poetry Contest. of poetry. “Newspaper Blackout” was Blackout poems are made by redacting released on April 13 and is available at words from newspaper articles with a per- most major book stores. manent marker. Winners in both divisions of the contest A donation to the Oklahoma Last spring, more than 300 people cre- will receive a copy of Kleon’s book. Newspaper Foundation will ated poetry from a page in The Oklaho- At right is the adult winner of last support its efforts to improve the man. year’s contest. Eighty-year-old Rose Gorr state’s newspaper industry This year, the daily newspaper invited of Oklahoma City put together the follow- and quality of journalism. burgeoning poets to pick any story from ing words for her winning poem: the March 28 issue, black out lines from ONF’s programs include training the story with a marker and create poetry. What if / and education for professional The top adult winner will receive a the apollo astronaut brought back / journalists, scholarship and $100 gift certificate and the top youth win- a large iceberg / internship programs for journalism ner will receive an iPod Nano. a tall church in an ice cave / Poems can rhyme – or not. They can be students, and Newspaper in a haiku, a limerick or free form. three objects that look like rocks / Education efforts. Austin Kleon, who is credited with playing cards, and men with forked staffs / creating blackout poetry, will once again Question its truth / The adult winner in last year’s blackout ONF relies on donations and serve as the final judge for The Oklaho- Only hope and imagination can save us. poetry contest was 80-year-old Rose Gorr. memorial contributions to fund man’s contest. these programs. If you would like to make a Neighbor Newspapers announce promotions of Redden, Markovetz donation, please send a check to: Jenny Redden has been promoted to the specialist and education editor in Broken promoted from pagination to full-time OKLAHOMA position of news editor at the Jenks Journal Arrow. She will continue in her role as reporter for both the Jenks and Glenpool NEWSPAPER and Glenpool Post. online specialist. communities. Redden has been with Neighbor News- Redden replaces former Jenks Journal Markovetz has been with Neighbor FOUNDATION papers, owners of the Journal and Post, editor Josh Driskell, who accepted a job Newspapers for eight months. 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd. for a year. She was previously the Glen- with the Jenks Chamber of Commerce. Both Redden and Markovetz are gradu- Oklahoma City, OK 73105 pool Post editor and more recently online In addition, Jessie Markovetz has been ates of Oklahoma State University. 10 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 USPS plans to charge for sagging papers If your newspaper has drooping issues, the United States Postal Service is going to charge for it. USPS deflection standards take effect on June 7, 2010. Penalties for drooping papers have been deferred until Oct. 3. The postal service has developed a test that measures how far your publica- tion sags. Papers that sag more than three inches fail the test. To test your newspaper’s deflection, follow these steps: 1. Place newspaper on a flat, straight-edged Follow this diagram and the postal surface with the length perpendicular to service’s steps (at left) to see if your the edge of the surface. newspaper passes the deflection test. 2. Extend the piece five inches off the edge sider half- or quarter-folding the publica- of the surface. tion to give it more rigidity. 3. Place ruler on top of the newspaper as If you choose to fold your paper, close to the edge as possible with the check the position of your mail label. length parallel to the edge of the surface. On March 29, 2009, the postal service implemented mandatory delivery address 4. Place a heavy weight (5-pound recom- label location for newspapers. mended) on the center of the ruler to hold Postal regulations require the delivery the newspaper in place, but make sure the address to be in the vertical upper portion weight does not extend past the edge. of all newspapers. 5. Determine the vertical deflection (or droop) Writing awards cover the walls of Wayne Trotter’s office in Tecumseh. Trotter and his wife, The address may be placed either in inches. Gloria, are co-publishers of The Countywide & Sun. What does your office look like? Send parallel or perpendicular to the top edge, a photo to [email protected] (make sure to identify the newspaper and office). Wayne’s 6. Turn the piece around (180 degrees) and but not upside down as read in relation to desk may be a little neater than normal. This photo was taken at a reception for the OPA repeat the process. the top edge. Board of Directors, who were in town for the annual board retreat, on April 1. “Upper portion” is defined as the top To avoid penalties, the piece must not half of a newspaper on either front or droop more than three inches vertically at back. either end. (See graphic above.) Additional costs for publications that Mixed ADC change affects 739 zip code area If your newspaper droops below the exceed the maximum deflection, which three-inch mark, you may want to con- goes into effect Oct. 3, 2010, are shown PS Form 3541 (PDF) effective 3/14/2010 in the charts below. Postal Notes and print. by BILL NEWELL, OPA POSTAL CONSULTANT POSTAL ZONE CHARTS PERIODICALS OUTSIDE COUNTY The processing of Mixed ADC (Area It’s time to obtain updated Postal Zone Piece price eligibility as presented Piece price eligibility with failed deflection Distribution Center) recently was realigned Charts from the Postal Explorer website. Basic Carrier Route flat, if not entered at a DDU Machinable 5-digit flat for the entire country and consolidated into The current Postal Zone Charts are dated Machinable barcoded 5-digit flat Nonmachinable barcoded 5-digit flat National Distribution Centers (NDC). Feb. 1, 2010. Machinable barcoded 3-digit flat Nonmachinable barcoded 3-digit flat This change affected all origins in Machinable barcoded ADC flat Nonmachinable barcoded ADC flat Oklahoma except those in the 739 zip ADDRESS LABEL PLACEMENT Machinable barcoded MADC flat Nonmachinable barcoded MADC flat code area. The change moved mail that If your periodical publication had to previously went to MXD Oklahoma City, be changed in order to meet the new flex- Machinable nonbarcoded 5-digit flat Nonmachinable nonbarcoded 5-digit flat OK 730 to MXD North Texas, TX 750. ibility standards, you may need to relocate Machinable nonbarcoded 3-digit flat Nonmachinable nonbarcoded 3-digit flat Please make sure you have incorporated your address labels. Remember: Hold your Machinable nonbarcoded ADC flat Nonmachinable nonbarcoded ADC flat this change. newspaper with the last fold in front of you Machinable nonbarcoded MADC flat Nonmachinable nonbarcoded MADC flat in your right hand. Nonmachinable barcoded or nonbarcoded flat Price claimed, if otherwise eligible UPDATED POSTAGE STATEMENTS PS 3541 The address label should be in the upper Those of you who manually complete half of the page. The March 2009 issue of PERIODICALS IN-COUNTY your postage statement need to change to the Oklahoma Publisher had instructions Piece price eligibility as presented Piece price eligibility with failed deflection the March 14, 2010 version. on how to determine address label place- Basic Carrier Route flat, if not entered at a DDU Nonautomation (or automation), if barcoded) 5-digit flat This may be obtained by accessing the ment. Automation 5-digit flat Nonautomation 5-digit flat Postal Explorer website at pe.usps.gov. For questions on this or any other postal Automation 3-digit flat Nonautomation 3-digit flat From the options in the left frame of the matters, please call me at (405) 659-9662 page select postage statements. In that or toll-free in Oklahoma at 888-815-2672. Automation basic flat Nonautomation basic flat menu select periodicals forms, then select 11 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 NEWSPAPERS RECEIVED AT OPA IN OKLAHOMA CITY ON SATURDAY, MARCH 6 KEEP SIX-DAY MAIL DELIVERY NEWSPAPER ISSUE DATE DAYS PUBLISHED Ada Evening News March 4 Su, M, T, W, Th, F The U.S. Postal Service is pro- mail arrives. Fortunately, I believe editorialized about the proposal Allen Advocate March 4 Th posing elimination of mail pro- the polls are misreading the pub- saying addressing the question of Antlers American March 4 Th cessing and delivery on Saturday lic’s mood on this topic. As the old high costs with the answer of drop- Apache News March 4 Th beginning in 2011. The proposal is song said, ‘You don’t know what ping another day of weekend deliv- Ardmore - Ardmoreite March 4,5 Su, M, T, W, Th, F Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise March 3 Su, M, T, W, Th, F a budget move the USPS contends you got ’til it’s gone,’” said Heath. ery is short-sighted and threatens Bixby Bulletin March 4 Th will help them stop massive opera- To help Oklahoma newspa- to speed up trend of postal custom- Carnegie Herald March 3 W tional financial losses. pers understand the seriousness of ers fleeing to alternative delivery Chelsea Reporter March 4 Th Many business analysts and oth- the issue, OPA tested how many methods. Chickasha Express-Star March 4 Su, M, T, W, Th, F ers decry the proposal as the wrong newspapers arrived at their offices A coalition of business observers Clinton Daily News March 4 T, W, Th, F, Sa first step. The National Newspaper on Saturday for three consecu- worried about the financial welfare Coalgate Record-Register March 3 W Cordell Beacon March 3 W Association Board of Directors has tive weeks in March. The delivery of the USPS has also expressed Cushing Citizen March 3 W, Sa voted to intervene on behalf of delays are an eye-opening look concerns to congressional leaders. Durant Daily Democrat March 3,4 Su, T, W, Th, F community newspapers. The NNA at what will happen to newspa- The Coalition for a 21st Century Elgin - Comanche County Chronicle March 4 Th filing will cost about $50,000. pers that mail their papers, said Postal Service has weighed in Enid News & Eagle March 4,5 Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa OPA Executive Vice President Thomas. Eufaula - Indian Journal March 4 Th Mark Thomas believes this is the “On Saturday, March 6, 41 of Grove Sun March 5 T, F wrong move. the state’s weekly papers – Haskell News March 4 Th Heavener Ledger March 4 Th “Just think of how many local more than 25 percent Holdenville Tribune March 3 W businesses depend on Saturday – arrived at OPA Hominy News-Progress March 3 W transactions. The move to stop (see chart at right). Hugo Daily News March 1 M, T, W, Th, F both mail processing and delivery Twenty-eight of the Hugo - Choctaw County Times March 3 W will mean a major delay in com- 39 daily newspapers Idabel - McCurtain Daily Gazette Feb. 28 Su, T, W, Th, F merce for the entire nation,” said also arrived that Saturday Inola Independent March 3 W Jenks Journal March 4 Th Thomas. at OPA. Just think how that will on matters including flexibility on Konawa Leader March 4 Th “I have asked many people affect the mindset of advertisers restructuring and facility closings, Lawton Constitution March 4 Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa about this. The man on the street and readers if their papers do not labor negotiations and costs, the Lawton - County Times March 4 Th thinks the USPS just delivers junk reach their destination until the fol- extra 75 billion dollars sitting in Marlow Review March 4 Th mail anymore so there is no need lowing Monday. And don’t forget the postal pension fund, and elimi- McAlester News-Capital March 4 Su, M, T, W, Th, F for Saturday mail. The USPS has that 10 times a year those Monday nation of Saturday mail. Miami News-Record March 3,4 Su, M, T, W, Th, F inadvertently created this percep- postal holidays will delay delivery Muskogee Phoenix March 4 Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa “The Coalition believes the ulti- Mustang News March 4 Th, Sa tion that they don’t matter, but they even further,” said Thomas. mate solution is sizing the sys- Norman - The Oklahoma Daily, OU March 4 M, T, W, Th, F matter a great deal, and not just to Many newspapers have sounded tem…to the volume of mail it is Okemah News Leader March 3 W, Sa newspapers but the entire country,” the alarm on their editorial pages. likely to handle and revenue it is OKC - Oklahoman March 6 Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa said Thomas. The Clinton Daily News recent- likely to generate. OKC - Black Chronicle March 4 Th NNA postal expert Max Heath ly published an editorial that clear- “Absent that, other changes will OKC - Capitol Hill Beacon March 4 Th has also commented on the pro- ly stated the feelings of the news- end up as stopgaps that will neither OKC - Sooner Catholic March 7 Su Okmulgee Daily Times March 2 Su, T, W, Th, F posal: “The Postal Service has paper industry. close the USPS deficits fully nor Owasso Reporter March 4 T, Th underestimated the public’s con- “Dropping Saturday mail deliv- assure a path forward for the postal Pauls Valley Daily Democrat March 4 Su, T, W, Th, F cern about the change. I know ery should be the final step, not system as we know and value it. Pawhuska Journal-Capital March 3 W that USPS has persuaded itself the first, in reinventing USPS and “If USPS becomes more expen- Pawnee Chief March 3 W that a lot of Americans believe keeping it viable. We hope the sive, and its quality and service Perry Daily Journal March 4 T, W, Th, F, Sa Saturday delivery is dispensable,” USPS will concentrate on growing diminishes, its alternatives will Piedmont-Surrey Gazette March 4 Th Ponca City News Feb. 28, March 4 Su, M, T, W, Th, F Heath said. a business instead of adopting poli- become that much more attractive Poteau Daily News March 3,4 T, W, Th, F, Sa “To the extent that is true, it cies that drive business – including to already-stressed mailers – busi- Pryor Daily Times March 5 Su, T, W, Th, F is not a good sign for the future newspapers – away,” said the edi- ness users and households alike.” Ringling Eagle March 4 Th of our nation’s universal service torial published last week. Sand Springs Leader March 3 Su, W if people do not care whether the The Enid News and Eagle also Seiling - Dewey County Record March 4 Th Seminole Producer March 4 Su, T, W, Th, F Shawnee News-Star March 4 Su, T, W, Th, F, Sa Shidler - Review March 4 Th Saturday Newspaper Delivery to OPA Stigler News-Sentinel March 4 Th Stillwater - The Daily O’Collegian, OSU March 4,5 M, T, W, Th, F Tahlequah Daily Press March 3, 5 Su, T, W, Th, F MARCH 6 MARCH 13 MARCH 20 Tahlequah - Weekly Leader March 4 Th 41 WEEKLY 47 WEEKLY 19 WEEKLY Tonkawa News March 4 Th Tulsa Daily Commerce & Legal News March 4 M, T, W, Th, F 28 DAILY 29 DAILY 22 DAILY Tulsa - Oklahoma Eagle March 5 F Vici Vision March 4 Th For three weeks in March, the Oklahoma Press Association tracked publications Vinita Daily Journal March 5 T, W, Th, F, Sa it received on Saturday. See complete list of publications received on all three Wagoner Tribune March 4 Th dates on the OPA Website at www.OkPress.com/postal-resources. Weatherford Daily News March 4 T, W, Th, F, Sa 12 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 April showers bring lightning, tornadoes, plugged IN hail, damaging winds … and data loss Adobe Creative Suite 5 drive or flash drive – stored in a storm shelter or your mom’s house or anywhere Adobe Creative Suite 5 was just computer notes reasonably safe – is a great policy. released and for once, the rumor mills Backups should be refreshed at least were right – CS5 does not run on Power from the road every three months, but even if you only PC Macs. by WILMA MELOT back up when I write this annual warning, If you’re running CS3 on a G5 and it’s better than nothing. want to upgrade to CS4 you only have Prepare to back up! That wonder- That brings us to price. External hard until the first part of May to buy it from ful spring rain that makes gardens grow drives have come down in price over the the icons for your folders and any custom Adobe. That means now is the time. sometimes spells trouble for computers years. A terabyte of storage (1000GB) folders you’ve created. You might be able to find copies of and files. You need to be ready. is now only about $100. The data from Thunderbird is similar. Go to User > CS4 from Amazon or eBay, but don’t Severe weather season is on the way. several computers will fit on one of them. Library > Thunderbird > Profiles > your count on it. Oklahoma already had its first tornado of If you don’t need that much, a 4GB flash e-mail folder > Mail > Local Folder and Your only other option is to upgrade 2010 – near Rush Springs. Thankfully, no drive is less than $20. back it all up. to an Intel-based Mac and use CS5. one was hurt and the twister didn’t affect Another option might be online stor- In Entourage, look in Documents > the Gazette. However, with more storms age. With competition, the price on that Microsoft User Data > Office > 200x on the way, off-site backup is a necessity. has come down. Apple has Mobileme. Identities > Main Identity. “You can replace your workstations. com – 10GB of storage for $100/yr. You On a PC, mail is stored in C drive > Useful Free tools You can buy new software. But you can- can also check out Carbonite, at carbonite. UserName > AppData > Local > Micro- not replace your data,” DevX Senior Edi- com. soft > Windows Mail Directory. Out- Lately I’ve seen Gimp working on tor Glen Kunene wrote in a recent article. Do some research and find a service look stores your mail in Personal.pst and Mac and PC computers. That’s advice we all should heed. that’s secure – not necessarily the cheap- Archive.pst. Go ahead and back up both. Gimp is an open-source image pro- The three phrases I hear most when try- est. While you’re backing up, you should cessing software that works “kind of” ing to repair crashed hard drives are: While we’re talking about online stor- export your Web browser bookmarks to like Photoshop. • How do I make backing up fit my age, if you think using online e-mail whatever storage device you’re using. I always recommend Photoshop Ele- budget? makes your messages safe, you’re mis- If you’d like to automate the process ments, which costs less than $100 and • Oh, I’ve already taken care of that. taken. Those servers crash just like any a bit, programs like Carbon Copy Cloner does a lot more than Gimp. However, if • I don’t have time to deal with that other. You should print important e-mails and Retrospect Time Machine are useful. you truly don’t have the $100 to spend, right now. and archive them on your external hard Norton makes online backup software that Gimp may be for you. Let’s discuss them in reverse order. drive – perhaps as PDFs. you can set up for a weekly save. Make On a Mac running OSX 10.4 or First, make time to do it. Even if you work Finding and saving e-mails from your sure whatever automation software you 10.3, you’ll need X11, a Mac plug-in, from a server, your desktop computer mail client can be a hassle if you don’t use can boot itself so you don’t need to to run this program. You’ll find it on stores e-mails, data files, passwords and know where to look. track whether someone accidentally shut your install disk or you can download it miscellaneous software you’ve download- I would begin by creating custom fold- it off during the week. directly from Apple. ed. Having these archived is an important ers for storage. In Mac Mail it’s Mail > Finally, it’s always a good idea to keep Gimp is a little clunky; it reminds time-saver during disaster recovery. New Mail Box or New Smart Mail Box. a copy of software off-site. It will make me of early versions of Photoshop. One Second, if you already back up, are To find where Mac Mail stores your disaster recovery a lot easier if you don’t downside is that it won’t turn photos to your records off-site? This is an absolute messages, look in your user folder > have to hunt for it. CMYK or open EPS files. It’s great for must. I’ve long held that an external hard Library > Mail > Mailboxes. You’ll see correcting black-and-white, though. If you need to open an EPS file, use Mac’s Preview and save it as a TIFF. On a side note, I still see Neo- Office running on newsroom desktops. InDesign gradients easy to create but should be used sparingly It’s great for opening .docx files, if you haven’t upgraded from your old version I’m often asked how to make a gra- menu. Make sure that the “fill” is checked color sliders to create your first color. Do of Office. dient in InDesign. It’s really easy but at the top of the palette and choose “New the same with your second slider. Add Don’t forget to save your program shouldn’t be overused. Gradient Swatch.” more sliders and play with it. download files somewhere. Software First, draw a box and select it with the Click one of the sliders on the gradient Now you can use the gradient tool in companies upgrade all the time and new black pointer tool. Next, go to swatches ramp and make sure that the color stop the tool bar to set the direction and inten- downloads may not work on your older in your palettes or under the Window drop-down is set to CMYK. Use the four sity of your gradient. machine.

OPA COMPUTER CONSULTANT WILMA MELOT’S COLUMN BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE OKLAHOMA ADVERTISING NETWORK (OAN). FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE OAN PROGRAM, CONTACT OKLAHOMA PRESS SERVICE AT (405) 499-0020. 13 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 Journalism Hall of Fame merges history with future tage Room of the University Center. A 3 p.m. ceremony would be fol- Clark’s Critique lowed by a reception. Attendance BY TERRY CLARK, Journalism Professor, was much larger than expected, and University of Central Oklahoma additional chairs had to be rounded [email protected] up. Another hitch was that one hon- For those of you who attended the oree, Ted Ralston of the Lawton Con- stitution & Morning Press, died a 40th annual celebration and induction cer- couple of days before the ceremony. emony for the Oklahoma Journalism Hall Another who died between selection of Fame April 9, you’ve probably already and the ceremony was Wayne Maxey read Dennie Hall’s history of the first of Oklahoma City. years, provided in the Commemorative February weather can be disas- history we put together. trous for a ceremony. For example, a After 40 years, the hall has moved to a snowstorm in 1983 kept two honorees new location in the Nigh University Center in Washington because their plane on the campus of the University of Central couldn’t take off. They were Allen W. Oklahoma in Edmond. Cromley and Vivian Vahlberg, capitol It was my pleasure to have the founder correspondents of The Daily Oklaho- man & Times. of the hall, Dr. Ray Tassin, and Dennie The room housing the Hall of cut the ribbon to the new display. Come Fame framed citations was designed see us. by Ray Tassin when the Communica- We’ll be mailing books to the other tions Building was opened in 1969. members of the hall who did not attend. However, few outside the department But if you missed it, here’s Dennie’s viewed the citations. Duplicates were history. I’ll follow with comments next supplied for several years to the state month. Capital Publishing Museum in Guth- rie. The building housing the museum BY DENNIE HALL was the one in which Greer published That gleam in the eye of Dr. Ray Tassin in his newspaper. the late 1960s grew brighter as plans to honor When Hall retired from the UCO Oklahoma’s outstanding journalists began to faculty in 1997, he ended his 15 HOW TO GRAB READERS with front pages? Look at the Carnegie Herald and the Elk Citian. hatch. As chairman of the journalism depart- years as director of the Hall of Fame ment at Central State College, now the Uni- and two years later was inducted as versity of Central Oklahoma, he believed an Dunjee, Jim Lucas and E.K. Gaylord. No get, which often was inadequate. When Hall a member. Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame would add women were included at the beginning, but took on the directorship of the Hall of Fame in For most of the Hall of Fame’s early his- stature to the department and aid its visibility. that was soon to change. late 1981, he designed the hall’s first letterhead tory, parchment citations were presented to the He gained an enthusiastic supporter of the The Hall of Fame sought – and received – and brochure. honorees. These were suitable for framing. For plans when Dennie Hall joined the journalism cooperation from the Oklahoma Press Associa- When Hall was looking for 1982 inductees, a few years, the OPA supplied funds for bronze faculty in 1969. Hall had a double major in tion. The OPA gave it publicity and allowed the he was concerned that nominations often had plaques, and later the journalism department journalism and history and was assigned to citations to be presented to the inductees at its come from the ranks of contemporaries of assumed that expense following a $1,000 gift teach the department’s course in journalism annual February meeting. OPA members often present-day journalists. Therefore, some prom- from the Oklahoma City Gridiron Foundation. history. The plan was to use the department’s served on the committee named each year to inent names had been omitted. For instance, chapter of Pi Delta Epsilon, honorary journal- choose the honorees. With a few exceptions, Hall knew that early-day Guthrie had two rival CLARK’S CRITIQUE: History comes ism fraternity, as the early sponsoring group the number named each year has been nine. publishers who were powerful and influential. to life on our front pages. Hooker Advance for the Journalism Hall of Fame. That was the Although the Hall of Fame was well He researched the lives and careers of Frank carries a story on the 75th anniversary case when the first nine members were induct- received in the journalistic community – hon- Hilton Greer of the Oklahoma State Capital ed into the Hall in 1971, four decades ago. of the Dust Bowl’s Black Sunday, April orees seemed delighted with being chosen and Leslie G. Niblack of the Guthrie Daily Meantime, plans were underway to add a 14, 1935, getting local interviews. At the – there were a few problems concerning time Leader and included them in the 1982 class. student chapter of the Society of Professional Seminole Producer, Robert O. Vincent and funding. Tassin directed the Hall of Fame Later he did similar research on scores of Journalists, then known as Sigma Delta Chi, writes of when he was an intern at the as part of his administrative activities in the others. which would become the sponsoring organiza- paper and the “Pony Wire” of AP started department. Those duties were heavy enough Presentation of the honors posed another tion for the Hall of Fame. ringing. He was told to pick it up. FDR had without the added responsibilities of the Hall challenge. The committees planning the Okla- Dennie Hall, who had become a SDX of Fame. After the first 10 years, Tassin asked homa Press Association’s conventions often died. Headline, with photo of FDR on the member in 1963 while working for a Nashville Hall to assume those duties, and for the next relegated the Hall of Fame ceremony to the front page, “The Day the President Died.” newspaper, took a journalism student, Ted 15 years Hall carried them out at the same time OPA’s business meeting, causing it to be April Fool Stunts. At the The Boise Coombes, to the organization’s national con- he was maintaining a full teaching load, serv- rushed several times. Exceptions came a few City News, C.F. David’s front page story vention in Washington in fall 1971, and the two ing in several capacities in the UCO Faculty times when the ceremony followed a dinner was chilling. I bit. He wrote the paper was of them petitioned for a charter to be granted. Senate and was engaged in other professional meeting at the convention. The decision was That was preceded by the extensive paperwork ceasing publication and going to Twitter. I activities. made to separate the Hall of Fame inductions required to gain a chapter of SDX. read the whole thing, and he justified the Another problem was that expenses for from the OPA convention and hold them on the The first year’s inductees into the Hall of change for all the reasons we know news- printing, mailing and other facets had to be UCO campus. Fame included men who had become legends papers are “in trouble.” Then he wrote: supplied by the journalism department’s bud- In 1993, the ceremony was held in the Heri- in journalism such as Will Rogers, Roscoe Continued on Page 15 14 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 AP member newspapers receive awards at AP/One banquet Winners in the AP/Oklahoma News The awards recognize the quality of PUBLIC SERVICE 3rd: James Beaty, McAl- GENERAL DIVISION C: Executives Contest were announced April work done by AP member newspaper REPORTING: ester News-Capital EXCELLENCE: LESS THAN 7,000 10 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in staffs subscribing to the Oklahoma 1st: Andy Rieger, The SPORTS FEATURE: 1st: The Norman DAILY CIRCULATION Norman Transcript Transcript Tulsa. report. 1st: Fred Fehr, SWEEPSTAKES 2nd: Ed Blochowiak, Shawnee News-Star 2nd: Enid News & Eagle WRITING WINNER: DIVISION A: 3rd: Tyrell Albin, 3rd: Scott Cherry, SPORTS PHOTO: Johnna Ray, Mike 2nd: Bob Forrest, 3rd: Bartlesville Randy Cowling, Krystal 18,000 AND OVER The Lawton Tulsa World 1st: Sarah Phipps, McCormick, Ada Evening News Examiner-Enterprise Carman, Rebecca DAILY CIRCULATION Constitution HM: Lana Sweeten- The Oklahoman Shawnee News-Star 3rd: Scott Nulph, WEB SITE |Hattaway, Tom Fink, SWEEPSTAKES HM: Liz McMahan, Shults, Wichita Falls 2nd: Stephen Holman, 3rd: Johnna Ray, Stillwater News Press (DIVISIONS B AND C): Joy Hampton, Clare- WRITING WINNER: Muskogee Phoenix; Times Record News Tulsa World Shawnee News-Star SPORTS COLUMNS: 1st: Shawnee News-Star more Daily Progress Ginnie Graham, 3rd: Stephen Pingry, HM: Chelcey Adami, 2nd: The Journal Record Nolan Clay, NON-PAGE ONE 1st: Clay Horning, The PHOTOGRAPHY The Oklahoman Tulsa World LAYOUT: Tulsa World Laura Wilson, Norman Transcript 3rd: The Norman SWEEPSTAKES PHOTOGRAPHY SPOT SPORTS 1st: Mike Andrews, The HM: David McDaniel, Stillwater News Press; 2nd: Scott Nulph, Transcript WINNER: SWEEPSTAKES REPORT: Lawton Constitution The Oklahoman Randy Mitchell, Stillwater NewsPress HM: Enid News & Eagle Matt Seearengin, WINNER: 1st: Staff, The Oklahoman 2nd: Matt Clayton, GENERAL NEWS Brenda Tollett, Talina 3rd: Bob Forrest, BEST NEW Durant Daily Democrat John Clanton, 2nd: Matt Baker, Barry The Oklahoman PHOTO: Turner Eaker, Ada Ada Evening News JOURNALIST: INVESTIGATIVE The Oklahoman Lewis, Lynn Jacobsen, 3rd: James Royal, 1st: John Clanton, Evening News; Kasey PERSONAL COLUMNS: 1st: Andrew Knittle, The REPORTING: INVESTIGATIVE Mike Strain, Tulsa World The Oklahoman Fowler, Cindy Allen, 1st: Mandy Carter, McAl- Norman Transcript 1st: Randy Cowling, Krys- REPORTING: Tulsa World PAGE ONE DEADLINE 2nd: Tom Gilbert, Bruce Campbell, Joe ester News-Capital 2nd: Johnna Ray, tal Carman, Rebecca 1st: D.R. Stewart, Omer 3rd: Jake Trotter, LAYOUT: Tulsa World Malan, Violet Hassler, 2nd: Jeff Mullin, Shawnee News-Star Hattaway, Tom Fink, Gillham, Tulsa World The Oklahoman 1st: Amy Raymond, 3rd: Sarah Phipps, Enid News & Eagle Enid News & Eagle 3rd: Abigail Hutchins, Joy Hampton, Clare- 2nd: Vallery Brown, HM: Nick Livingston, The The Oklahoman The Oklahoman BUSINESS SPOT NEWS 3rd: Andy Rieger, The Bartlesville Examiner- more Daily Progress The Oklahoman Lawton Constitution 2nd: Matt Clayton, HM: Chris Landsberger, REPORTING: Norman Transcript Enterprise 2nd: M. Scott Carter, The Oklahoman The Oklahoman No awards 3rd: Randy Ellis, FEATURE WRITING: EDITORIALS: SPOT NEWS PHOTO: The Journal Record 3rd: T.J. Gerlach, The Oklahoman 1st: Ken Raymond, FEATURE PHOTO: BUSINESS FEATURE 1st: Mike McCormick, 1st: Chelcey Adami, 3rd: Brian Brus, Tulsa World REPORTING: PUBLIC SERVICE The Oklahoman 1st: Sarah Phipps, Shawnee News-Star Stillwater NewsPress The Journal Record 1st: Andrew Knittle, REPORTING: 2nd: Cary Aspinwall, HEADLINES: The Oklahoman 2nd: J.B. Bittner, 2nd: Billy Hefton, Enid PUBLIC SERVICE The Norman Transcript 1st: Nolan Clay, Tulsa World 1st: Amanda Fite, 2nd: James Gibbard, Stillwater NewsPress News & Eagle REPORTING: 2nd: James Beaty, The Oklahoman 3rd: James D. Watts Jr., Tulsa World Tulsa World 3rd: Matt Lane, McAlester 3rd: Jason Smith, 1st: Kirby Lee Davis and McAlester 2nd: Omer Gillham, Deon Tulsa World 2nd: Brandi Ball, 3rd: Paul B. Southerland, News-Capital Shawnee News-Star Ted Streuli, News-Capital Hampton, Tulsa World HM: Judith K. McGinnis, Tulsa World The Oklahoman HM: Kim Benedict, SPORTS PHOTO: The Journal Record 3rd: Josh Burton, 3rd: Michael Averill, Wichita Falls Times 3rd: Erica Smith, HM: Paul Hellstern, The Ardmoreite 1st: Ed Blochowiak, 2nd: Renee Fite and Tulsa World Record News The Oklahoman The Oklahoman Shawnee News-Star REVIEWS: Shawnee News-Star Betty Ridge, HM: Ron Jackson, SPOT NEWS SPORTS FEATURE GRAPHICS/ PHOTO PACKAGE: 1st: Randy Mitchell, 2nd: Jerry Laizure, The Tahlequah Press John Clanton, WRITING: ILLUSTRATIONS: REPORTING: 1st: Sarah Phipps, Ada Evening News Norman Transcript 3rd: Staff, The Oklahoman 1st: Ken Raymond, 1st: Jason Powers, 1st: James Beaty, The Oklahoman 2nd: James Beaty, McAl- 3rd: Becky Burch, Woodward News The Oklahoman Tulsa World McAlester BUSINESS SPOT NEWS 2nd: Mike Simons, ester News-Capital Bartlesville Examiner- HM: Rebecca Hattaway, REPORTING: 2nd: Jimmie Tramel, 2nd: Phillip Baeza, News-Capital Tulsa World 3rd: Phil Banker, Enterprise Tom Fink, Krystal 1st: Don Mecoy, Tulsa World The Oklahoman 2nd: Andrew Knittle, The 3rd: Bryan Terry, The Ardmoreite GENERAL NEWS Carman, Joy Hamp- The Oklahoman 3rd: Bill Haisten, 3rd: Susan Cyrus, The Oklahoman Norman Transcript PHOTO: ton, Claremore Daily 2nd: Rod Walton, Tulsa World Tulsa World 3rd: Meghan McCormick, NON-PAGE ONE WEB SITE PHOTO: LAYOUT: 1st: Jerry Laizure, The Progress Tulsa World HM: Mike Kays, The Norman GENERAL 1st: Stephen Holman, 1st: Clay Horning, The Norman Transcript BUSINESS SPOT NEWS 3rd: Steve Lackmeyer, Muskogee Phoenix EXCELLENCE: Transcript Tulsa World Norman Transcript 2nd: Bonnie Vculek, REPORTING: The Oklahoman 1st: The Oklahoman GENERAL NEWS SPORTS COLUMNS: 2nd: Chris Landsberger, 2nd: Shana Adkisson, Enid News & Eagle 1st: Kirby Lee Davis, 2nd: Tulsa World REPORTING: BUSINESS FEATURE 1st: Berry Tramel, The Oklahoman The Norman Transcript 3rd: Ed Blochowiak, The Journal Record REPORTING: 3rd: Muskogee Phoenix 1st: Robert Barron, Jeff The Oklahoman 3rd: Sarah Phipps, 3rd: Pamela Gumaer, Shawnee News-Star 2nd: Kirby Lee Davis, 1st: Don Mecoy, Mullin, Cass Rains, 2nd: Dave Sittler, WEB SITE: The Oklahoman Enid News & Eagle HM: Ed Blochowiak, The Journal Record The Oklahoman Tulsa World 1st: The Oklahoman Chris Dell, Shawnee News-Star 3rd: Bob Gibbins, 2nd: Laurie Winslow, 3rd: Jenni Carlson, Enid News & Eagle PAGE ONE DEADLINE 2nd: Tulsa World DIVISION B: LAYOUT: FEATURE PHOTO: Tahlequah Press Tulsa World The Oklahoman 2nd: Tim Hudson, 3rd: None 7,000 - 17,999 DAILY 1st: Linda Henley, The 1st: Becky Burch, BUSINESS FEATURE 3rd: Don Mecoy, Bartlesville Examiner- PERSONAL COLUMNS: BEST NEW CIRCULATION Norman Transcript Bartlesville Examiner- REPORTING: The Oklahoman 1st: Carrie Coppernoll, JOURNALIST: SWEEPSTAKES Enterprise Enterprise 1st: Brian Brus, 3rd: Philip Jankowski, 2nd: Laura Wilson, SPOT NEWS The Oklahoman 1st: Vallery Brown, WRITING WINNER: Stillwater NewsPress 2nd: Shawn Yorks, The Journal Record REPORTING: Stillwater NewsPress 2nd: David Gerard, The Oklahoman Mandy Carter, McAlester 3rd: Christian Potts, The Enid News & Eagle 2nd: Brian Brus, The 1st: Staff, Wichita Falls HM: Robert Barron, Muskogee Phoenix HM: Matt Baker, Tulsa News-Capital Norman Transcript 3rd: Kevin Ellis, The Journal Record Times Record News Kasey Fowler and 3rd: J.E. McReynolds, World; Dane Beavers, PHOTOGRAPHY HM: Jeff Hall, Norman Transcript 3rd: Brian Brus, 2, Bill Sherman, Cindy Allen, The Oklahoman The Oklahoman SWEEPSTAKES The Ardmoreite PHOTO PACKAGE: The Journal Record Shannon Muchmore, WINNER: Enid News & Eagle HM: John Stancavage, SPOT NEWS PHOTO: HEADLINES: 1st: Chelcey Adami, SPOT NEWS Rhett Morgan, Jerry Laizure, SPOT SPORTS REPORTING: Tulsa World 1st: David McDaniel, 1st: J.B. Bittner, Stillwater NewsPress Brandon Rottmayer, Norman Transcript REPORTING: 1st: Kirby Lee Davis, EDITORIALS: The Oklahoman Stillwater NewsPress 2nd: Billy Hefton, Tulsa World 1st: John Shinn, The The Journal Record 1st: Wayne Greene, 2nd: Chris Landsberger, INVESTIGATIVE 2nd: Vern Salamone, The Enid News & Eagle 3rd: Donna Hales, REPORTING: Norman Transcript 2nd: Marie Price, Tulsa World The Oklahoman Ardmoreite 3rd: Ed Blochowiak, Muskogee Phoenix 1st: Marsha Miller, Steve 2nd: Clay Horning, The The Journal Record 2nd: David Hale, The 3rd: John Clanton, 3rd: Shana Adkisson, Shawnee News-Star HM: Staff, Biehn, The Ardmorite Norman Transcript 3rd: Matt Meason, Lawton Constitution The Oklahoman The Norman Transcript WEB SITE PHOTO: The Oklahoman 2nd: James Beaty, 3rd: Scott Nulph, Elk City Daily News 3rd: David Gerard, HM: Jim Beckel, HM: I.C. Murrell, 1st: Jerry Laizure, The GENERAL NEWS McAlester Stillwater NewsPress Muskogee Phoenix The Oklahoman The Ardmoreite Norman Transcript GENERAL NEWS REPORTING: REVIEWS: News-Capital FEATURE WRITING: 2nd: Jerry Laizure, The REPORTING: 1st: Matt Baker, Clifton 3rd: Kandra Wells, 1st: Meghan McCormick, GRAPHICS/ 1st: Rowynn Ricks, 1st: Jennifer P. Chancel- ILLUSTRATIONS: Norman Transcript Adcock, Tulsa World McAlester The Norman Transcript Woodward News lor, Tulsa World No awards 2nd: Ron Jackson, News-Capital 2nd: Cindy Allen, 2nd: Cary Aspinwall, Continued on Page 15 The Oklahoman Tulsa World Enid News & Eagle 15 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 AP award winners Continued from Page 14 2nd: Kevin Duke, Durant Teddye Snell, OPA STAFF Daily Democrat Tahlequah Press DEATHS 3rd: April Wilkerson, 2nd: Staff, Claremore The Journal Record Daily Progress ROB MARTINDALE, a longtime Tulsa FRANK LEROY SPENCER, 85, former DIRECTORY HM: Brian Brus, 3rd: Kelly Wray, World reporter, died April 8, 2010. He publisher of the Pawhuska Journal-Capital,

The Journal Record The Express-Star was 69. died March 21 in Albuquerque, N.M. ADMINISTRATION SPOT SPORTS HM: Vicky O. Misa, In more than 40 years as a reporter, Spencer was born in Deadwood, S.D., MARK THOMAS, Executive Vice President REPORTING: The Journal Record including 32 with the World, Martindale on Sept. 28, 1924. He married Isla Klatka 1st: Johnny McMahan, HEADLINES: [email protected] • (405) 499-0033 Woodward News 1st: Ted Streuli, covered manhunts, prison breaks and poli- in 1949 in Alliance, Neb. 2nd: Kirby Lee Davis, The Journal Record ticians. He retired in 2006. In 1951, the Spencers moved to ROBERT WALLAR, Accounting Manager The Journal Record 2nd: Kim Poindexter, Born and raised in Blackwell, Martin- Pawhuska where Frank worked as editor, [email protected] • (405) 499-0027 3rd: Michelle Seeber, Tahlequah Press dale served four years in the Air Force, general manager and then publisher of the Woodward News 3rd: Claremore Daily three of them as an announcer on American Pawhuska Journal-Capital until 1980. FEATURE WRITING: Progress SCOTT WILKERSON, Front Office/Building Mgr. 1st: Joy Hampton, Clare- GRAPHICS Forces Radio in Germany. He later attend- He also served as city manager in [email protected] • (405) 499-0020 more Daily Progress /ILLUSTRATIONS: ed the University of Central Oklahoma. Cleveland, Okla. 2nd: Karen Brady, No awards His first newspaper job was in Hold- Spencer served with multiple organi- MEMBER SERVICES The Express-Star GENERAL enville, but he soon moved to zations in Pawhuska including the local 3rd: Brian Brus, EXCELLENCE: the Muskogee Daily Phoenix school board, City Council and Chamber LISA POTTS, Member Services Director The Journal Record 1st: The Journal Record [email protected] • (405) 499-0026 HM: Teddye Snell, 2nd: Tahlequah Press and then, in 1974, to the World. Assigned of Commerce. Tahlequah Press BEST NEW to the state desk, he covered the prison He served in the Medical Corp in SPORTS FEATURE: JOURNALIST: system and also the hunt for Gene Leroy Europe in World War II. EMILY HOOD, Member Services Coordinator 1st: Kirby Lee Davis, 1st: Kevin Duke, Durant Hart and Hart’s subsequent acquittal by He is survived by his wife, Isla, of [email protected] • (405) 499-0040 The Journal Record Daily Democrat 2nd: Candice Budgick, a Mayes County jury in the Girl Scout Bartlesville; eight children, Judy Vaughn 2nd: Brian Brus, ADVERTISING The Journal Record Durant Daily Democrat murders. Martindale was assigned to the of Lake Helen, Fla., Linda of Bartles- 3rd: Jamie Carrick, 3rd: Kelly Wray, World’s Washington Bureau in 1985. He ville, Mark of Bixby, Margaret Bouvier SARAH BARROW, Ad Director The Express-Star Durant Daily Democrat remained in Washington for five years, of Bartlesville, Gregory of Bartlesville, HM: Marie Price, SPOT NEWS PHOTO: returning to Tulsa in 1990. From then until Bernadette of Lake Helen, Fla., John of [email protected] • (405) 499-0021 1st: Matt Swearengin, The Journal Record; his retirement, he covered state politics Forsyth, Mo., and Eric of Capetown, South Kim Poindexter, Durant Daily Democrat CINDY SHEA, Media Manager Tahlequah Press 2nd: Angela L. Cannon, and Indian affairs. Africa; 10 grandchildren and three great- Elk City Daily News [email protected] • (405) 499-0023 SPORTS COLUMNS: Martindale is survived by one brother, grandchildren. 3rd: Krystal J. Carman, Rod Martindale of Stillwater; nine neph- 1st: Ted Streuli, Claremore Daily LANDON COBB, Account Executive The Journal Record Progress ews; and a niece. [email protected] • (405) 499-0022 2nd: Harold Harmon, SPORTS PHOTO: Durant Daily Democrat 1st: Angela L. Cannon, 3rd: Johnny McMahan, Elk City Daily News MELISSA TORRES, Advertising Assistant & Woodward News 2nd: John W. Cannon, Clark’s Critique OCAN/2X2 Contact PERSONAL COLUMNS: Elk City Daily News Continued from Page 13 Tahlequah Daily Press, “Clowning 1st: Ted Streuli, 3rd: Rowynn Ricks, [email protected] • (405) 499-0035 The Journal Record Woodward News “April Fool!” I hope your readers got all Around,” over a Josh Newton photo of a 2nd: Kim Poindexter, HM: Kelly Wray, the way through it without panicking. The clown at school. CREATIVE SERVICES Tahlequah Press The Express-Star McIntosh County Democrat ran the front Shawnee News-Star, “Imagination 3rd: Jeff Kaley, GENERAL NEWS page with all the type backward, as though Soars During Youth Aviation Adventure,” JENNIFER GILLILAND, Creative Services Director The Duncan Banner PHOTO: over a Kim Morava story. Lawton Consti- [email protected] • (405) 499-0028 HM: Joy Hampton, Clare- 1st: Krystal J. Carman, looking in a mirror. I hope the page was more Daily Progress Claremore Daily reprinted inside. tution, “Horse Soldierin’,” over a Mitch KEITH BURGIN, Editorial Assistant EDITORIALS: Progress I saw two papers do good work on Meador story and Stephen Robertson 1st: Ted Streuli, 2nd: John W. Cannon, National Public Safety Communication photo of the general in charge at Fort Sill, [email protected] • (405) 499-0029 Elk City Daily News The Journal Record 3rd: Karen Brady, Week, interviewing local police dispatch- touring the base on horseback…a fitting 2nd: Kim Poindexter, The Express-Star ers. At the Enid News & Eagle, Cass adventure for sure. COMPUTER ADVICE Tahlequah Press FEATURE PHOTO: Rains wrote the story and Shawn York and Claremore Progress, “Deputy Dawg,” WILMA MELOT, Computer Consultant REVIEWS: 1st: Maike Sabolich, 1st: Tom Fink, Claremore Billy Hefton took the photos, under a good over a Tom Fink story about the sheriff’s The Journal Record new drug dog. [email protected] • (405) 499-0031 Daily Progress 2nd: John W. Cannon, headline: “Taking the Call.” 2nd: Brian Brus, Elk Citian, “Looking for the middle of Elk City Daily News At the Cushing Citizen, the headline POSTAL ADVICE The Journal Record 3rd: John W. Cannon, was “Calling all cars,” over Jim Perry’s the road,” over a fitting layout from the 3rd: Kirby Lee Davis, Elk City Daily News BILL NEWELL, Postal Consultant The Journal Record interview with a 16-year veteran dispatch- middle of main street and Derek Man- PHOTO PACKAGE: ning’s stories on the city council looking [email protected] • (405) 499-0020 NON-PAGE ONE 1st: Maike Sabolich, er. Here’s his terrific lead: “The interview LAYOUT: The Journal Record is interrupted multiple times. Diane Bar- for compromise on brick streets and the 1st: Vicky O. Misa, 2nd: John W. Cannon, nett hardly misses a beat. hospital. OPEN (DIGITAL CLIPPING) The Journal Record Elk City Daily News “‘Cushing Police,’ she chirps into a LOUISE GARVIN, OPEN Manager 2nd: Kim Poindexter, 3rd: Randy Bruce, Durant FAVORITE HEADLINE: The New York Times, Tahlequah Press Daily Democrat telephone that seemingly never ceases its [email protected] • (405) 499-0032 3rd: Tom Fink, Claremore ringing. …” on Tiger at the Masters, with three levels Daily Progress WEB SITE PHOTO: of meaning: 1st: Rowynn Ricks, Other good headlines: Weatherford GENERAL INQUIRIES PAGE ONE DEADLINE Woodward News “Too Many Trees / LAYOUT: Daily News, “All tied up” over a Jeff Bar- (405) 499-0020 • Fax (405) 499-0048 2nd: Johnny McMahan, ron photo of a goat roper at the moment And Not Enough / 1st: Kim Poindexter, Woodward News of release. Birdies for Woods” Toll-Free in Oklahoma: 1-888-815-2672 16 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, April 2010 CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FEBRUARY 2010 CONTEST WINNERS Column: Editorial: SHANA MIKE ADKISSON McCORMICK The Norman Transcript Shawnee News-Star

FEBRUARY 2010 COLUMN WINNER SHANA ADKISSON, THE NORMAN TRANSCRIPT If every belle gets her day, where is mine? Ever get the feeling someone, or some thing, is turned older that the white stuff fell from the sky. out to get you? The year before I can’t be certain, but it does seem I have that feeling. And as a result I’ve offi- as if the storm held off until after my big day. cially taken Mother Nature off my Christmas card So it snowed on my birthday. I got mad, but list. And if I ever see her face at the grocery store eventually got over it. I was ready to wipe the slate I will not be polite. Yes, if I ever meet Mother clean. Call a truce with Mother Nature. Toss it up Nature shopping for frozen corn I’ll give her the to one of those flukes in life. Because seriously, Enter and Win a worst stink eye she’s ever seen. Guaranteed. how could Mother Earth have anything against It started at Christmas. I wrote about that a few me? I recycle. I love trees, too. months ago. Where I was trapped alone at home Then she went there. She messed with my Val- $100 Check from ONG! on Christmas Eve with a frozen pizza while my entine’s Day. 1. Each month, send a tear sheet or photocopy of husband was stranded in a blizzard. I got over that Earlier in the month I gave the Mister an out. pretty quickly because I have a birthday at the end Let’s just go out to eat for Valentine’s Day and your best column and/or editorial to ONG Contest, of January. I figured since I endured such heart- exchange a nice card, I told him. We are trying to c/o OPA, 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK ache at Christmas that surely my birthday would save money so it seemed like a good plan to him, 73105-5499. go off without a hitch. too. The night before Feb. 14 we decided to go out 2. Include the author’s name, name of publication, Guess what happened? It snowed on my birth- to breakfast as our romantic gesture toward one day, too. The days prior to my birthday the weath- date of publication and category entered (column another, because nothing spells out love like eggs erman kept saying it was going to be a doozy or editorial). over easy. I went to bed that night with visions of a storm. And all that week I kept hoping the of hashbrowns, cream gravy and biscuits floating weatherman had gotten it wrong this time. But he 3. Only ONE editorial and/or ONE column per writer hadn’t. So I was stuck at home on yet another day in my head. When daybreak came, my dream got per month will be accepted. that was supposed to be filled with excitement and scrambled. I awoke to my husband standing in the living room staring out the back door exclaiming 4. All entries for the previous month must be at the presents. At least this time I had a husband. But OPA office by the 15th of the current month. there were no romantic dinners at fancy restau- that it was snowing. Mother Nature hit again. For rants. We had a couple of frozen pizzas instead. the third time. 5. Winning entries will be reproduced on the OPA I’m starting to see a pattern here. It was then, in my pajamas, that I forgot my website at www.OkPress.com. There was no big fanfare from friends and fam- sausage dreams. Instead, I raised my fist in the air and declared my hatred for winter. ily, either. I don’t blame them. They were too busy Entries must have been previously published. shoveling, cussing yet another snowstorm and So we stayed home. Waited for the snow to Contest open to all OPA member newspapers. trying to stay warm. The street outside my house melt and this time ordered a couple of pizzas. No was so ice-packed that the mailman was unable to frozen ones this time because, after all, it was the deliver mail for a few days. Which meant no birth- day of love. Although Oklahoma Natural Gas Company selects day wishes in the form of pretty Hallmark cards. I still hold my grudge. I’ve heard that all things representative contest winners’ work for use in this I know I shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve said a happen in threes, so I should be good for awhile. If monthly ad, the views expressed in winning columns and thousand times that it always snows on or around it snows in April, on my wedding anniversary, I’m editorials are those of the writers and don’t necessarily my birthday. Last year it was a few days before I going to assume that Mother Nature has no heart. reflect the Company’s opinions.

Thank you for continued support of “Share The Warmth” Read the Winning Columns and Editorials on the OPA website: www.OkPress.com (Under Contests)