The Oklahoma Publisher Official Publication of the Oklahoma Press Association www.OkPress.com Vol. 91, No. 5 www.Facebook.com/okpress 12 Pages • May 2020 INSIDE Annual Award winners to be revealed June 15 at 10 a.m. Winners of the Oklahoma tests will also be announced: “Even though we will be Directors voted to move OPA’s SOUND OF SILENCE: Press Association’s annual Bet- OPA Magazine Contest, ONF presenting these awards online annual convention and awards After more than 90 years, the ter Newspaper Contest will be Ray Lokey Memorial Award for and not in person at the con- banquet to June 2021 but want- sound of the El Reno Tribune’s revealed at 10 a.m. Monday, Excellence in Journalism, ONF vention, we hope you and your ed to find a way to celebrate printing press will be silent. June 15 on OPA’s website and Joseph H. Edwards Outdoor staff join us to celebrate these award winners this summer. PAGE 4 Facebook page. Writer of the Year, OGE-OPA newspaper achievements,” said Plaques and certificates will This will be OPA’s first-ever, Photos of the Year, and ONG- Lisa Sutliff, OPA member ser- be mailed or delivered as per- FRONT PAGES: Quick look at online awards presentation. OPA Editorial and Column vices director. mitted by coronavirus pandem- a few front pages produced during Winners of the following con- Sweepstakes Awards. In April, the OPA Board of ic restrictions. the COVID-19 pandemic. PAGE 7 SANITIZE OFFICE EQUIPMENT: Don’t forget to Oklahoma journalists tell their stories clean your desktop equipment with alcohol to keep it germ-free. PAGE 9 for the Coronavirus Storytelling Project DONATE TO ONF to receive The first stories written by help journalists who are facing the traumas and triumphs of his ple needing meals rising, the this Will Rogers print. Available to journalists for the Coronavirus difficult times. three decades as a reporter for church put out an all-call for order online at okpress.com/store. Storytelling Project describe Each week a journalist is The Oklahoman. more drivers during the pan- personal struggles and tri- selected to write a first-person “… newspapers are not demic. umphs. story about the coronavirus or immune to the economic chaos “Being a sports columnist in Eight stories are currently challenges faced by journalists wrought by the pandemic,” a time without sports, I added available at OklahomaWatch. during the outbreak. In return, Lackmyer wrote. another route to the one I was org. the journalist receives a one- “Yet we continue. Over the already doing,” Carlson wrote. The Coronavirus Storytell- time $500 stipend. past few weeks, under great Lindsey Chastain’s passion ing Project was launched to Steve Lackmyer wrote about strain and uncertainty, I’ve pro- is her community. Chastain is duced what I believe are some editor of the Skiatook Journal. of my best, most meaningful “A pandemic does not stop stories in a long time.” the need for community news, J. D. Meisner tells his story even though it has stopped of buying a community news- seemingly everything else,” paper right before the virus Chastain wrote in her article. outbreak. “As journalists, we are tasked “MaryLee, my wife and busi- with looking at the bad news ness partner, and I closed on every day, weeding through the sale of the Cushing Citizen what is important and what is in February,” wrote Meisner. real, and educating our com- “The first month was success- munities. ful. We showed a fair profit and “But we are also tasked with prepared to move forward with providing hope and bringing our business plan.” the community together as Quoting Mike Tyson, Meis- everyone shelters at home. We ner wrote, “Everybody has a let people know where they plan until they get hit.” can find help and provide a “On March 11, the Cushing haven where they can find accu- Citizen took it right on the chin rate and truthful information — and it hurt,” said Meisner. amongst so many who do not.” Jenni Carlson, a sports Traci Chapman, a freelance columnist for The Oklaho- journalist, wrote about the clo- man, gives a personal account sure of The Edmond Sun and of being a delivery driver for the importance of community Meals on Wheels OKC. newspapers and journalists. St. Luke’s United Method- “It’s important to us to shine ist Church, Carlson’s home a light on the happenings of Jenni Carlson, a sports columnist at The Oklahoman, started delivering church, began overseeing our community. That’s why Meals on Wheels to the south side of Oklahoma City last year. During OKC’s Meals on Wheels pro- we focus on everything, from the coronavirus pandemic, she is driving an extra route each week. gram in July 2019. Photo by Chris Lambert/Ending Hunger OKC. Reprinted with permission. With the number of peo- See Storytelling Project, Page 2 2 The Oklahoma Publisher // May 2020 ROOTS ON 66 Bernie Heller named president of Tulsa World Media Company Bernie Heller has Heller joined Tulsa World Media Co. been named presi- in 2019. Prior to that, he served as dent of Tulsa World regional vice president of sales for local Media Co. He also advertising with McClatchy Corp.’s Car- will serve as direc- olinas region. His career also includes tor of local sales and positions as vice president and chief rev- marketing. enue officer of The Charlotte Observer The announce- in Charlotte, North Carolina, and vice BY OPA PRESIDENT RAY DYER, Co-Publisher of the El Reno Tribune ment was made by Nathan Bekke, oper- president of advertising for The State ating vice president and vice president Media Co. in Columbia, South Carolina. of consumer sales and marketing for Lee He was formerly vice president of adver- Here’s to a job well done Enterprises, owner of the Tulsa World. tising for The Dallas Morning News. Heller, who has served as the World’s “I am thrilled to have the opportunity On April 28 we had to tell our pressman of almost a half-century we were going vice president of advertising and mar- to serve Tulsa World Media Co. in this to outsource our printing. keting, takes over the leadership posi- new role and honored to be a part of John Wiggins has been with the El Reno Tribune since 1972. He started in the tion formerly held by Gloria Fletcher, Lee’s unwavering commitment to local mailroom and later was trained to operate the press by the late Joe Keith. publisher, who has left the company. media,” Heller said. “Tulsa is a vibrant John left for a couple of years to work for a printing operation in Oklahoma City. “Bernie is a dynamic leader dedicated community, and I’ve grown very fond of He would grow tired of the commute and eventually said he wanted to return to the to the success of the local businesses this amazing city and the folks that call Tribune. John and I had become friends. I told him I would run it by my dad. and communities we serve,” Bekke said it home.” Dad liked John, but he said he didn’t take people back once they had left. He in an email to World employees. “He’s an Heller has a son who is a student at figured if they left once they could easily do it again. He didn’t want to invest in accomplished executive and ideally suit- the University of South Carolina. people if they weren’t sure they wanted to be here. ed to lead our talented team in Tulsa.” I remember asking Dad what was the most expensive piece of equipment the Tribune owned. Of course he said the press. After having gone through a couple of less than adequate pressmen in the two Edmond Sun shuts down, announces years since John had left, I figured I could press the issue. I remember suggesting that it would probably be a good idea to have someone who had shown they could run and maintain the press, as John had done before leaving. merger with The Norman Transcript I’m not sure why, but Dad agreed. He brought John back and, as they say, the In a front-page column on May 5, The and for us,” the column said. “We thank rest is history. Edmond Sun announced it would be our Edmond Sun subscribers and adver- When brother Sean and I were talking with John he said the only real disap- merging with its sister newspaper, The tisers for their support over the years, pointment he had in his career was not having reached 50 years in the newspaper Norman Transcript, on May 6. and ask that you continue to embrace business. Forty-eight years. So close. But then, Sean reminded him that he had a The column cited loss of advertising our journalism in The Norman Tran- paper route while living as a kid in California. John had thrown papers in Hunting- revenue due to the current coronavirus script.” ton Beach for at least two or three years. crisis as the catalyst to restructure. The Edmond printing facility will Fifty years. The pressman had made it. “These are stressful times for you, remain operational. Some people make a living by providing a service to people. Newspapers make money by providing a connection to people. Our fragmented society has made it a bit more difficult to make those connections. For 48 years John helped us make the connection. He has had plenty of help. Storytelling Project (continued from Page 1) People like Brett Barrett, Vicky Joyner, Judy Hampton, Glen Miller and Lyndsay practical matters like city budgets and interesting finally happened, my pen Bayne have been with us for many years.