The Kansas Publisher Official monthly publication of the Kansas Press Association April 13, 2016 Inside Today Page 2 Where others see decline, Kevin Slimp sees innovation and recovery in the newspaper industry. Page 3 John Foust says a good adver- tising sales executive needs to listen more, talk less. Page 4 KPA president Susan Lynn decided to ask her news staff to swap jobs. Richard Gannon, director of governmental affairs for the Open Kansas rally at the Kansas Statehouse during Sun- Kansas Press Association, discusses open government shine Week . KPA has joined with other media organiza- Page 6-7 initiatives with Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick, at an tions and several other groups in the effort in Kansas. Kansas newspapers are search- ing for staff members in news, advertising, circulation, press- Register now for next week’s convention room and more. egistrations for next week’s Kansas Press Saturday functions,” Bradbury said. Email her at Association annual convention are still ebradbury@kspress or call her at (785) 271-5304 Page 8 Rbeing accepted, but please get them in to make nail down your reservation. Doug Anstaett says the road to by 5 p.m. Thursday (April 14) so KPA’s staff The registration form is appended to today’s good legislation is filled with can nail down the number of meals that will be Publisher. potholes from those who prefer needed. The convention theme this year is “Newspa- secrecy. Emily Bradbury, director of member services pers: Power of the Press.” for KPA and the convention coordinator, said “The convention is shaping up to be a tremen- confirmations will be sent out to those who have dous event,” said Doug Anstaett, KPA executive KPA Calendar signed up on Thursday morning. director. “We’ve got top notch programming, “We want everyone who wants to attend to with Russell Viers presenting on photography on have the opportunity, but KPA must confirm the Friday and Ed Henninger presenting on newspa- April 14-15 number of meals it needs for the Friday night and William Allen White Foun- See CONVENTION on Page 5 dation events, University of Kansas, including presentation Hawkins family legacy boosts Osawatomie of the National Citation and Burton Marvin awards. By Tom Eblen, Kansas Press Association The Hawkinses had no children, and s he neared the end of his newspa- they viewed their good business fortune as April 22-23 per career in the late 1990s, Web an opportunity rather than a problem. Kansas Press Association an- AHawkins learned something that he Web and his life partner determined to nual convention, Overland Park had never expected. make a few specific gifts – to the Kansas DoubleTree by Hilton. He was rich, or at least comfortably Newspaper Foundation; his alma mater, the well-off. University of Missouri School of Journal- SEPT. 22-24 While Web had been focused on cover- ism; the Osawatomie YMCA, among National Newspaper Associa- ing the news in Osawatomie, Kan., his wife others, but there was plenty left. tion 130th annual Convention & Schmitty had kept the books, ridden herd So Web and Schmitty decided to- Trade Show, Franklin, Tenn. on the staff and invested wisely. But that’s Web Hawkins another story. Stay tuned. See HAWKINS on Page 8 Kansas Press Association, 5423 S.W. 7th, Topeka, KS 66606 • www.kspress.com • (855) 572-1863 2 Kansas Press Association, 5423 S.W. 7th, Topeka, KS 66606 • www.kspress.com • (855) 572-1863 2015-16 KPA Board Want to increase readership? Susan Lynn President Quality should be your goal Iola Register he past four weeks have been a blur. 2016 ... or so I thought. In Kasson, Minn., my [email protected] I remember driving along a beach in next stop after Des Moines, I woke up to find Florida, using a snow shovel for the my car buried under a mound of snow. Sarah Kessinger T First Vice President first time during a blizzard in Minnesota, We almost cancelled the trip due to the eating pizza with old friends in Des Moines approaching weather. We agreed at the last Marysville Advocate and standing in front of audiences in both moment I would board the flight in Knoxville [email protected] Rochester and Saratoga Springs, and head to Minnesota, arriving just M. Olaf Frandsen New York. before the storm. Second Vice President As blurry as the weeks seem, We spent three days running Salina Journal there are several moments that were press tests, holding classes and [email protected] memorable. At one newspaper in discussing workflow. I love it when Florida, the plan changed from lead- a staff wants to learn. The group in Andy Taylor ing classes to gathering the entire Kasson asked me to stay late each Treasurer staff together for several hours of day so we could look at their indi- Montgomery County Chronicle brainstorming, changing the editorial vidual workstations, find solutions to [email protected] and design workflow in the process. technical problems and discuss hard- While at the offices of Coastal ware upgrades and improvements. Dan Thalmann Breeze News in Marco Island, Fla., Kevin Slimp Imagine my thrill a week later, Past President I had the chance to meet Gary Elliot. when I heard from one of my new Washington County News Gary has been everything from president of Kasson friends. [email protected] the Chamber of Commerce to board member “Everyone is singing your praises,” she of the island’s realtors’ association. Val Simon, began. Apparently the press called to report John Baetz publisher, invited the printing quality of Northwest District Director local writers and their newspaper had Lincoln Sentinel-Republican advertisers to stop by What seemed to interest at- improved drastically. [email protected] and meet me while tendees the most? Improving “They said the I was at the newspa- pictures are crisp, the Peter Cook Southeast District Director per, and Gary took the quality of their papers. I dot gain is perfect Parsons Sun her up on the offer. didn’t hear any talk of reduc- and the color settings [email protected] As we visited, ing staff sizes or cutting costs. are right on target.” Gary took the op- Borrowing an Mary Hoisington portunity to share This group seemed to know old line from Ford, Daily Membership Director why Coastal Breeze the secret: Improving quality. “Quality” really “is Great Bend Tribune News is so popular job one.” Reduce [email protected] in a town with three Quality of design. Quality of quality, and the result newspapers. writing. Quality of service. is fewer readers. Tim Kellenberger “People want lo- Reduce readers, and Northeast District Director cal news,” Gary told the result is fewer Sabetha Herald me. “The big daily advertisers. Reduce [email protected] doesn’t carry local news like the [Coastal] advertisers, and the result is fewer pages. Breeze. People who live here pick up this Reduce pages, and the result is even fewer Denice Kuhns paper, see the faces of the writers and say, ‘I readers. It’s a never-ending cycle. Southwest District Director know him’ or ‘I know her.’ It makes a real dif- Finally, there was The Empire State. I Meade County News ference. That’s why people love this newspa- made stops in New York to speak at two [email protected] per, and that’s why advertisers want their ads newspaper conferences over the past eight in this paper.” days. Travis Mounts The following week, I found myself in In Rochester, I spoke to the entire group Nondaily Membership Director Des Moines, speaking at one of my favorite about my latest research. Afterwards, one pub- Times-Sentinel Newspapers [email protected] conferences. What seemed to interest attend- lisher after another stopped me to tell me how ees the most? Improving the quality of their the research mirrors what is happening at their Scott Stanford papers. I didn’t hear any talk of reducing staff own papers. The key, most everyone seems to Legislative Director sizes or cutting costs. This group seemed to agree, is improving, not cutting. Lawrence Journal-World know the secret: Improving quality. Quality of A few days later, in Saratoga Springs, I [email protected] design. Quality of writing. Quality of service. led eight classes for editors, designers and Do you want to increase readers, adver- others. Between each class, I found publishers Joey Young tisers and profitability? The first and most waiting in the lobby, wanting to ask my advice Central District Director important step is improving quality. about where they should take their papers. The Clarion (Andale) The year 2015 was the “year of blizzards” [email protected] in my life, but I dodged the weather bullet in See SLIMP on Page 5 Kansas Press Association, 5423 S.W. 7th, Topeka, KS 66606 • www.kspress.com • (855) 572-1863 3 Less talk, more listening, can lead to more sales ndy was telling me about his enough.” Here are some points to keep in carefully to the answers. Ask questions dealings with media sales people. mind: to get details about their marketing. Ask A“Since I run a local business, I 1. This is probably not your prospect’s questions to find out what has worked for hear from a lot of people,” he said. “One first advertising appointment. The longer them in the past. Ask questions to discover particular meeting really stands out, he or she has been in business, the greater needs. because he talked himself out of a sale. the likelihood that it has all been heard be- There’s nothing wrong with asking, “Is As soon as he said ‘hello,’ he jumped fore.