newsONTARIO COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION’S clipsFebruary 2006 VOL. 20, NO. 2 Editor-in-chief wins top North American award Metroland's Joanne Burghardt named SNA Editor of the Year oanne Burghardt, of the Year for non-daily news- Metroland’s Durham papers by the Suburban Region Media Group edi- Newspapers of America. SNA is a tor-in-chief, is no stranger non-profit, professional trade asso- to winning. ciation specifically serving the sub- JBurghardt, who has been at urban newspaper industry. SNA's the editorial helm of the media membership is comprised of group since 1991, has won approximately 2,000 suburban awards from the YWCA, newspapers published by the lead- Durham College, the Durham ing multi-newspaper publishing District School Board and, most companies around North America. recently, earned the 2004 Ontario "It's such a huge honour. So Community Newspapers much of it is a result of the years of Association's Mary Knowles teamwork at the paper and the Award for Community Service. things we've all done together," Now, Burghardt, 44, who cel- said Burghardt. ebrates 25 years with Metroland "Joanne leads a staff of 34, in March, has been chosen Editor Continued on page 7 Brett family celebrates 110 years of ownership By Sarah Fisher rial leadership and ownership was published until the current reached the age of 80 years last Essex Free Press Staff over the years. office on Centre Street was August I couldn't spend the he New Year The Brett family began its constructed in the mid 1940s. hours required to properly marked a notewor- involvement in the newspaper At the Centre Street loca- manage the operation," thy anniversary for business in 1896 when Ed J. tion production of the paper Kenneth E. Brett wrote in an the Brett family - Lovelace sold the business to progressed from the old-fash- announcement about the the 110th year it has W.H. Auld and R.R. Brett. The ioned letterpress ultimately to change of ownership in the Towned and operated The Essex paper had used the name The the digital format used today. Feb. 2, 1979 edition. "So, I Free Press. There is a history of Essex Free Press since 1889. Much of that transition have sold, as of Feb. 1, the newspapers in this town. The partnership between Auld occurred under the tenure of business to my nephew, Wilber According to available records, and Brett continued until 1932 Wilber Brett, who also served R. Brett, associated with a John Milne constructed a two- when Auld died. When R.R. as the town's mayor from 1977 long-time Free Press employ- storey building around 16 Brett passed away five years to 1980 and as a town council ee, Garth W. Ramsay. So the Talbot Street in 1878 where he later, his son, Kenneth E. Brett, representative from 1970 to Brett name will still be in the released the Essex Centre took over the operation. 1980 and from 1985 to 2003. ownership of the Essex Free Chronicle to area readers with In January 1943 a fire Brett and his business partner, Press." his business partner Robert destroyed the Talbot Street Garth Ramsay, bought the Ramsay sold his share in Fair. The Talbot Street office office. The letterpress survived paper together from K.E. Brett 2000. In 2003, Wilber Brett's would be the location of the the blaze and was transferred in 1979. daughter, Laurie Brett, the town's newspaper through to the backroom of the town's "Operating a weekly news- great-granddaughter of R.R. numerous changes in the edito- bowling alley where the paper paper is a full-time job and as I Continued on page 4 WHAT’S INSIDE: OCNA Employee Profile PAGE 4 Common Tech Questions Answered PAGE 6 2 OCNA’S NEWSCLIPS • FEBRUARY 2006 a word from OCNA... Sobering advice for newspapers By Anne Lannan newspapers began producing Wilkinson touched on three as books, CDs, DVD, games. OCNA Member Services controlled-circulation extended areas that newspapers can build Citizen journalism- don’t istening to an indus- market coverage newspapers on to increase both readership cringe editors...your readers can try expert talk about more than 10 years ago, but this and revenues: paid promotions, help you. the state of news- was done mainly to capitalize citizen journalism, and print Multi-media - so you can papers recently was a on the flyer market. These product to multi-media brand. reach younger readers at differ- sobering experience. papers, as I’m sure the dailies OCNA will feature more infor- ent times of the day and week LSimilar to what he told us at are, have continued to struggle mation and examples of these in through various means that meet OCNA’s convention last year, with the fine line between the news clips throughout the year. their needs, eg. newspaper, web Earl Wilkinson, Executive amount and type of news and Paid promotions - sell your site, mobile. Director of the International feature coverage published in paper for more on a single day Watch for more next month. Newspaper Marketing Associ- the free product for fear of los- with the inclusion of such things ation (INMA), says this is one ing the paid subscriber mid of the most exciting times to be week. Last month, the involved in newspapers - Caledonia Grand River Sachem despite continued circulation merged its paid and free publi- News from this declines and sustained prof- cations into one controlled cir- itability without revenue culation publication. Could this growth. be the start of a new trend for side of the tar pit His discussion and statistics community papers? were mainly about daily news- Paid versus controlled is Let's hope newspapers choose wisely as papers, but we can draw some always a hot topic amongst pub- they navigate a new, sometimes scary river parallels and conclusions for lishers. Currently 54 per cent of community newspapers as well. OCNA members publish con- of information In order to revolutionize the trolled or free publications for By Jeff Mahoney industry, we must know what their first editions, and a number The Hamilton Spectator - January 24, 2006 our value is and who our readers of the paid newspapers publish y the time you read this, Canada will probably have a and advertisers are; understand secondary controlled publica- newly elected prime minister, unless the vote got can- that less is more; package our tions. celled on account of the enslavement of Halifax last brand; and promote it in differ- Big news with the dailies night by a 90-foot tall Dandie Dinmont Terrier ent mediums. worldwide in the past year or so demanding that the cast of Cheers be reassembled for His statistics show us that has been the switch from broad- Bone last season. paid circulation for daily news- sheet to tabloid. This is being You see, that's the whole problem with newspapers. I'm writing papers in established, democrat- done in an attempt to secure to you from yesterday. And today is, well, today. So. How's the ic countries is declining at an younger readers. weather? Should I buy up more Dofasco shares? And have they alarming rate. This is happening Yet for Ontario’s community figured out yet who's responsible for scooping up after a 90-foot at a time when young adults are newspapers, the switch to tall Dandie Dinmont Terrier? obtaining their information tabloids began many years ago, through a multitude of media mainly for cost-saving reasons. My deadline is 3 p.m., and so here I am at 4:15 p.m. on Monday habits, and while multi-tasking. Today, only 23 per cent of mem- -- Oh, what are they gonna do? Fire me? -- trying to anticipate what The trend with dailies is bers (67 of our 290) remain as the world will be like when you read this, more than 12 hours with free or ‘lite’ newspapers broadsheet. Once the switch hence. popping up to grab the younger started to gain momentum, the There's a really, really good chance that Halifax did not get readers such as Metro. Although domino effect started as more enslaved last night. And even if it did, we're Canadians. We're pret- profitable, Wilkinson says it’s publishers were encouraged to ty calm. Our death-by-stampede rate is one of the lowest in the still too early to gauge their switch for efficiences for print- world. We wouldn't have had to cancel the election. We can handle overall impact. ers who were then switching roll an election Paid circulation community sizes between jobs. Continued on page 3 OCNA’S NEWSCLIPS • FEBRUARY 2006 3 New media journalism Continued from page 2 One expert says that every time news- creeks that are known to be infested with and a municipal enslavement, without get- paper people do journalism the old way, piranhas? (This is something I read on the ting all harried and freaked out about it. they are an animal lurching one step clos- Internet, so it must be true.) They take But I still can't tell you the name of last er to the tar pit. their weakest animal far from the crossing night's election winner. Actually, you I don't think this was meant as a com- point and leave it bleeding in the water for could tell me. You've already read tomor- pliment. Tar pits, apparently, are places the piranhas to feast on, distracting them row's (I mean today's) front page. where animals go to quietly lie down and while the rest of the herd fords the current You watched the TV news last night or just be extinct.