The Oklahoma Publisher Vol. 91, No. 10 16 Pages • October 2020 www.OkPress.com www.Facebook.com/okpress New NNA offi cers Russell Perry receives include two state National Radio Award newspaper owners Russell M. Perry, chair- man of Perry Publishing & Broadcasting and publisher of The Black Chronicle in Oklahoma City, recently Brett Wesner Jeff Mayo received the prestigious NNA Chair NNA Treasurer National Radio Award. The National Association Two Oklahoma of Broadcasters presents newspaper owners will the award annually. serve as officers of the “For over four decades National Newspaper Russell Perry has been a Association for the trailblazing media entre- 2020-2021 term. preneur, a champion of Members approved journalism and a celebrat- the new slate of officers ed humanitarian in his at the annual meeting community,” said Gordon on September 25. Smith, president of NAB. New officers are “His success and lead- Chair Brett Wesner, ership in the broadcasting Wesner Publications, Russell M. Perry, chairman of Perry Publishing & Broadcasting, is scheduled to business exemplify the Cordell, Oklahoma; receive the prestigious National Radio Award presented annually by the National spirit of the National Radio Association of Broadcasters. Vice Chair John Galer, Award, and we are delight- The Journal-News, ed to honor him in recogni- Perry has been recog- charities, and on state and Hillsboro, Illinois; and tion of his many contribu- nized for his numerous local commissions. Perry Treasurer Jeff Mayo, tions to the radio industry.” achievements in journalism served as secretary of com- Cookson Hills Publish- Perry founded The Black and the broadcasting indus- merce of Oklahoma, and ers Inc., Sallisaw, Okla- Chronicle in 1979. He pur- try, including inductions as secretary of economic homa. chased KVSP-AM in Okla- into the Oklahoma Journal- development and special Directors are Martha homa City in 1993. ism Hall of Fame, Oklaho- affairs during the admin- Diaz-Azkenazy, San Since then, Perry ma Association of Broad- istration of Gov. Frank Fernando (California) Broadcasting has grown casters Hall of Fame and Keating. Sun; William (Bill) to become the largest the American Urban Radio Perry is currently Jacobs, Jacobs Proper- independently owned and Network Broadcasters Hall involved in projects that ties, Brookhaven, Mis- Black-owned broadcasting of Fame. promote and restore Black- sissippi; Louie Mullen, company in the nation, He has served on boards owned commerce in Okla- Blackbird LLC, Buffalo, with 22 radio stations. of directors of numerous homa City. See NNA Officers, Page 2 House of Representatives Tulsa World names new The final four Oklahoma Durant Democrat passes Fallen Journalists newsroom management Newspaper Foundation editor Matt Memorial Act. The bill team with Jason Collington interns write about Swearengin buys was sponsored by Reps. as editor, assisted by city their experiences at newspaper from Tom Cole (OK) and Grace editor Paul Tyrrell. Oklahoma newspapers. Graystone Media. 4 Napolitano (CA). 7 8 (Pages 8-10) 15 NNA officers From the President Continued from Page 1 Wyoming; and Bradley By Mike Strain, Tulsa World Thompson II, Detroit Legal News. OPA President 2020-2021 Wesner began his news- paper career in 1988 with October might seem like a strange time to be discussing state the purchase of the Walters laws that could affect our industry. Herald and now publishes After all, the elections are coming soon, and those are more newspapers in Oklahoma, politicking than policy making. And the next legislative session Texas and New Mexico. won’t start for another four months. But all is not quiet at the Capitol. Wesner said NNA mem- This is an important time of year. Lawmakers are conducting interim studies as they bers supported the associ- consider bills to file in the next session. OPA Executive Vice President Mark Thomas has ation’s mission this year, been in several of these meetings and will be attending more. even as they faced crises in It’s not uncommon for Thomas to be on the agenda with others speaking with lawmak- their own operations. ers considering legislative changes. In a recent study, legislators were discussing possible “Because you stood with us, NNA begins this new changes to the Open Meeting Act. year with a strengthened During the pandemic, public officials temporarily have been allowed to conduct meet- organization prepared to ings by video or phone from any location, whether the public can access that place or not. fight for our members, even In November, the former law will go back into effect. When that happens, a majority of in these times of pandem- the public officials in a meeting must be together in a public place, while the rest of the ic, economic stress and public officials can connect remotely – but when they connect, they will have to do so national partisanship,” said from a location open to the public. Wesner. As lawmakers considered changes to the Open Meeting Act, they sought input from Mayo is a third-genera- Thomas and others. He will speak at another interim study related to the Open Records tion newspaper publisher. Act in October. It’s a busy time of year, and he told me recently: His grandparents, the late “When you get to the [legislative] session, all these ideas have been argued out and Wheeler and Florence vetted and talked about. If you just show up then, everybody at the Capitol says: ‘Where Mayo, started the Sequoyah were you in October when we met and talked about all this?’” County Times in 1932. His I appreciate the fact that lawmakers include Thomas in these discussions, but he’s not father, Jim Mayo, who alone in his efforts at the Capitol. Papers across the state have relationships with their died in 2019, took over local lawmakers, and those make a difference. A call, an email, a meeting in the office or a the newspaper in the early meeting at the Capitol are all important. 1970s. Jeff returned to We want our voice to be heard when important topics for our industry (and the public) the business in 2003 and are being discussed – whether it’s transparency laws, the possible taxation of advertising/ became publisher in 2016. subscriptions or the importance of legal notices. Cookson Hills Publishers OPA recently sent out a survey to its members, and the board will meet in October to Inc. now owns seven news- discuss those results. One of the services that ranked highly among survey respondents? papers in three Oklahoma OPA’s work at the Capitol. counties. That makes sense. Having someone at the Capitol who knows the needs of our papers Mayo served as presi- dent of the Oklahoma Press and has gained the respect of lawmakers is valuable – whether it’s in May or October. Association in 2013. He was presented with NNA’s Daniel M. Phillips Leader- Tulsa World carrier spots house fire ship Award in 2010. A Tulsa World carrier at 91st Street and Sheridan cupied at the time, would NNA, established in alerted firefighters of a Road, she stopped and likely be deemed a total loss 1885, works closely with blaze after noticing smoke called 911. due to the severity of roof policy officials to create shortly after 5 a.m. Sept. Barnhart then began damage. No injuries were an environment conducive 27. knocking on the front doors reported. to the growth of commu- “You could smell the of the neighbors’ houses “I’m just thankful nity newspapers. It also smoke. It was so thick I had to wake them up and alert nobody was in there and provides business and a hard time breathing,” said them of the fire. thankful nobody got hurt,” educational programs and carrier Jerri Barnhart. Tulsa Fire Department Barnhart said. services to improve the When Barnhart saw a spokesman Andy Little said quality, reach and relevance home engulfed in flames the home, which was unoc- of community newspapers October 2020 | The OklahomaPublisher | October 2020 throughout the country. 2 OPA board votes Oklahoma Supreme Court on membership The Oklahoma application to hear open records case Publisher Barbara Vice, former Custer County Sheriff vide them for Wagner’s ISSN 1526-811X owner and publisher of Kenneth Tidwell’s office view in person. Official Publication of the the Drumright Gusher was sued by a Marquette This summer, Custer OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION and Yale News, has University assistant profes- County District Judge Jill OPA OFFICERS applied for an associ- sor in 2019 for refusing to Weedon ruled in favor of President ate membership in the email police reports. Tidwell on the basis that MIKE STRAIN Oklahoma Press Asso- A. Jay Wagner sent the open records laws Tulsa World ciation. requests to 39 counties in did not entitle anyone to Vice said although Oklahoma as part of a grad- receive public records via Vice President JOHN DENNY MONTGOMERY she is no longer offi- uate-level project exploring email. The Purcell Register cially affiliated with the effectiveness of public “The court … agrees that a business member records laws in 10 states. it would be more efficient Treasurer newspaper of the OPA, Tidwell made the reports to produce the requested JEFF MAYO “after being a part of available to Wagner, but documents electronically,” Sequoyah County Times the association for just said they must be picked up she said, “however [the act] Executive Vice President over 24 years, I would in person instead of being does not require that the MARK THOMAS like to continue doing emailed. sheriff do so. The remedy … OPA DIRECTORS my part to protect and Wagner sued, alleging is in the Legislature, not the promote journalism in Tidwell’s office violat- courts.” RAY DYER, Past President our state.” ed the Oklahoma Open The case has now been El Reno Tribune The Oklahoma Press Records Act by not provid- sent to the Oklahoma MARK MILLSAP Association Board of ing records in a suitable Supreme Court, which has The Norman Transcript Directors voted on the manner, and that Tidwell decided to do an accelerat- application at its Oct.