April 2, 2013 – Issue 14

PDF Version || Member Classifieds || Join the MNI Pages Program

2013 POHLAD INTERNSHIP ENROLLMENT FORMS AVAILABLE

MNA is pleased to announce that it will once again partner with the Pohlad Family Foundation to offer internship grants for high-school aged interns at MNA member newspapers.  Application materials are now available on the MNA website.

• Download 2013 Program Enrollment Form
• Download Frequently Asked Questions
• Download 2013 Program Flyer

How the Pohlad Internship Program Works

• You choose a high school student, age 16-19, who will work for your newspaper in any aspect of the business half-time for 10 weeks; recent high school graduates are eligible.
• Complete an enrollment form stating that you will hire a high school intern and wish to participate in the Summer Youth Employment subsidy program. Forms will be available on the MNA website, and can by submitted by mail, fax, or email.
• College students and relatives of newspaper staff do not qualify for this program.
• The Pohlad Family Foundation requires that newspapers pay a portion to ensure a commitment from the participants and recommends an hourly wage of $8.00/hour for interns participating in the program.
• The reimbursement grant is calculated like this:
  • First time interns: Member newspapers will be reimbursed for 75% of the intern’s wage, up to $1,200. For example: 20 hours per week, for 10 weeks, times $8 an hour (suggested wage) — the Pohlad Family Foundation grant will pay $6 of that $8 wage.
  • Repeat interns: Member newspapers, hiring interns for the second time, will be reimbursed for 40% of the intern’s wage, up to $640. For example: 20 hours per week, for 10 weeks, times $8 an hour (suggested wage) — the Pohlad Family Foundation grant will pay $3.20 of that $8 wage.

Questions? Interested?
Contact MNA Program Director Sarah Bauer at 800-279-2979 | 612-278-0250 or sarah@mna.org

http://mna.org/minnesota-news-media-institute/pohlad-internship-program/

WINKELMAN APPOINTED TO MNA BOARD

Marge Winkelman, president and CEO of ECM Publishers, based in Coon Rapids, was appointed treasurer of the MNA Board of Directors.  She fills the seat vacated by Jeff Coolman last month.

NAA COPYRIGHT UPDATE

AP Wins Copyright Case Against News Aggregator 

On March 20, a federal trial court in New York ruled that aggregator Meltwater News violated Associated Press copyrights in its online news stories. Meltwater News included excerpts of AP articles in its news digests to client-subscribers and refused to pay AP licensing fees.

NAA filed an amicus brief in the case, along with The New York Times Co., Advance Publications Inc., Gannett Co. Inc., The McClatchy Co. and BurrellesLuce. NAA’s views on the decision were included in an article about the ruling.

Relying on the four statutory factors, the district court held that Meltwater News did not engage in “fair use” of AP articles.

Relevant to the first factor (purpose and character of the unauthorized use), Meltwater News argued that it is a search engine and that its use of AP articles was a “transformative use,” entitling it to immunity for technical copyright violations (i.e., copying and redistributing without consent). The court disagreed and found that Meltwater News is in fact a private news clipping service, not a traditional public search engine.

The court found that Meltwater News intends to act as a “substitute” for news articles, rather than pointing readers to the original sources of news. The court noted that Meltwater News provides the “essence” of articles to subscribers, including “title and lede, as well as material surrounding one targeted keyword,” which is more than what search engines or other aggregators such as Google News provide.

Considering the fourth factor (effect of the unauthorized use on the market for the copyrighted work), the court found that:

“By refusing to pay a licensing fee to AP, Meltwater not only deprives AP of a licensing fee in an established market for AP’s work, but also cheapens the value of AP’s work by competing with companies that do pay a licensing fee to use AP content in the way that Meltwater does. The value of AP’s work is further harmed by the fact that Meltwater directly competes with AP for customers.”

In addition, the court included some powerful language about the press, its benefits to society and its investments in journalism:

“Paraphrasing James Madison, the world is indebted to the press for triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over error and oppression. Investigating and writing about newsworthy events occurring around the globe is an expensive undertaking and enforcement of the copyright laws permits AP to earn the revenue that underwrites that work. Permitting Meltwater to take the fruit of AP’s labor for its own profit, without compensating AP, injures AP’s ability to perform this essential function of democracy.”

Meltwater News said publicly that it will likely file an appeal with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
___________

Congress Considers Changes to Copyright Act

On the same day of the court decision, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on potential updates to the Copyright Act. The only witness at the over two-hour hearing was Maria Pallante, the Register of Copyrights at the U.S. Copyright Office. Her testimony focused on the need for a 21st Century copyright law, which she called “the next great copyright act.”

Ms. Pallante advocated for a copyright law that gives the Copyright Office more rulemaking authority. Regarding enforcement, Ms. Pallante said that she believes in a “follow the money” approach. She appeared to carefully avoid mentioning the SOPA/PIPA controversy, but her statement is consistent with NAA’s support of the “follow the money” provisions in those bills, which would have allowed a court to order third-party advertising networks or payment processors to cease doing business with websites found guilty of copyright infringement.

Ms. Pallante also said that “digital rights management” (DRM) and anti-circumvention laws are “critical” to the enforcement equation. This will be increasingly important as more and more newspapers implement digital subscription models.

House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte asked Ms. Pallante why, in her opinion, has the copyright issue become so polarized. She said that there is a perception that copyright is all about big corporations making money. She said that the copyright community needs to regain the respect of the public. This point on public education is well taken given that many people do not understand that violations of newspaper copyrights undercut the ability of newspapers to support high-quality local, national and international journalism.

Finally, Ms. Pallante responded to a question about free speech and “fair use” versus strict copyright enforcement. She said that by enabling creators to make a living from their expression, copyright protection promotes free speech and advances the public interest by giving creators an incentive to create content that benefits society. But she also said that there will always be a place for fair use and access to unlicensed content.

STATEMENT BY NNA ON POSTAL PLANT CLOSINGS

National Newspaper Association President Merle Baranczyk said this week that community newspaper mail service would be further eroded by the U.S. Postal Service’s new announcement of mail plant closings and consolidations. USPS Vice President of Network Operations David Williams announced last week that USPS would accelerate closings originally planned for 2014.

NNA members from 35 states covered Capitol Hill on March 14 to brief Congress about the problems with deteriorating mail service and the need for good solutions for the financially troubled Postal Service. Congress has so far failed to introduce new postal reform legislation. Last year’s Senate passed a reform bill, but legislation died in the House.

A list of currently planned plant closings is available on the NNA website at www.nnaweb.org.

NNA Postal Committee Chair Max Heath said he and his committee have been working overtime at helping NNA members solve new problems cropping up by a tangle of mail service changes. He said it is important for publishers to be aware that USPS may have the option of setting up mail “hubs” in the place of the closing plants, but that some changes in mail preparation would be needed for many newspapers. He will address the options in the May issue of Publishers’ Auxiliary.

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR MINNESOTA JOURNALISM CONFERENCE

Registration is now open for the 2013 Midwest Journalism Conference April 12-13 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel & Suties Airport at 34th Avenue South and American Boulevard in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Go to the conference website to register.

Journalists from across the upper Midwest are invited to attend two busy days of training sessions geared toward professional development, career growth and recognition of the region’s most outstanding work. The Midwest Journalism Conference is the second-largest regional event of its kind in the country, regularly drawing more than 300 working professionals and journalism students for two intense days of seminars, awards programs and networking opportunities.

Special hotel rates are available to MJC attendees at the Crowne Plaza Hotel & Suites Airport. The Deadline to make reservations using our special rates is Tuesday, March 19, 2013.

Make your reservations online HERE or call 877-227-6963 and mention the Midwest Journalism Conference to get the group rate.

Find out more at http://midwestjournalism.com/

UPCOMING MNA MEETINGS

MNA Member Services Committee Meeting
April 12, 2013 | 10:00 AM – 11:15 AM
Minnesota Newspaper Association
12 S. 6th St., Ste. 1120, Minneapolis, MN, 55402, United States
(More Details)

MNA New Media Committee Meeting
April 12, 2013 | 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Minnesota Newspaper Association
12 S. 6th St., Ste. 1120, Minneapolis, MN, 55402, United States
(More Details)

MNA Advertising Committee Meeting
April 12, 2013 | 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Minnesota Newspaper Association
12 S. 6th St., Ste. 1120, Minneapolis, MN, 55402, United States
(More Details)

MNA Journalism Education Committee Meeting
April 24, 2013 | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Minnesota Newspaper Association
12 S. 6th St., Ste. 1120, Minneapolis, MN, 55402, United States
(More Details)

MNA/MNI Board Meeting
April 25, 2013 – April 26, 2013
Minnesota Newspaper Association
12 S. 6th St., Ste. 1120, Minneapolis, MN, 55402, United States
(More Details)

PUBLIC NOTICE RESOURCE

MNA has a link to public notice resources on its website www.mna.org under the “Member’s Only” section. The “Public Notice Resources” link has updated talking points, ads, and other sources that can be used as a resource when writing or talking about why it is important to keep public notice in newspapers. It will also feature editorials gathered from Minnesota newspapers.

If you write a column, editorial or letter please send a copy to Lisa at MNA lisa@mna.org. We will continue to update the public notice link as we receive new columns and information.

You must be a member to visit the “Members Only” link on the MNA website. The login is case sensitive.

Username: Member
Password: Newspaper

LOOKING FOR STATE GOVERNMENT OR WASHINGTON COVERAGE?

The Minnesota Newspaper Association and MinnPost have joined forces to offer, at no charge to MNA member newspapers, the right to republish MinnPost’s state government and Washington bureau stories.

Participants will gain access to an RSS feed that includes stories approved for use by MinnPost for MNA members. The stories may be published both in print and on the paper’s website; they may not be re-used in any other way without permission.

Photos and other art are included in this free deal, if created for MinnPost. Photos from Reuters, CORBIS and other photo syndicators are excluded. High resolution images, for use in print, may also be purchased for $90 each, when available.

If you aren’t already taking advantage of this fantastic member benefit, signing up is easy! Fill out the form found at MNA’s website: http://mna.org/services/minnpost-partnership/

If you have questions, please contact Sarah Bauer at MNA: sarah@mna.org OR 612-278-0250.

MOBILE AD GUIDELINES PUBLISHED

The Mobile Marketing Association and the Interactive Advertising Bureau have joined forces to publish a new set of industry standards for mobile advertising, in a bid to streamline ad buying and selling. http://www.iab.net/mobileguidelines

HELP KEEP MNA UP-TO-DATE

In order to keep the MNA Directory and our records up-to-date, we need to hear from you. Email MNA with any changes to your phone number, address, email, fax number and key staff. Contact us at member@mna.org.

VISIT THE MNA MEMBER CLASSIFIEDS

The MNA job board and member classified have been redesigned to make it easier for members to list job and “For Sale” postings. Click here to view the new MNA Member Classifieds.

YOUR AD COULD BE HERE

Advertise in the MNA Bulletin and reach over 750 newspaper professionals each week. Options include:

• 660×150 banner ad
• Story Style Advertisement (like this)

Contact David Kaplan for more information at david@mna.org or click here.

MARCH MCAN, 2X2 AND MINN HONOR ROLLS

Six newspapers placed MCAN ads, four newspapers placed 2×2 ads, and one newspaper places MINN ads in the month of March.

MCAN
Belle Plaine Herald – 2
Benson – Swift County Monitor-News – 1
Crookston Daily Times – 2
ECM/Sun Patriot – 1
Howard Lake, Herald Journal – 7
St. Cloud Times – 2

2×2
ECM-SUN – 2
Howard Lake, Herald Journal – 18
Page 1 Printers – 1
Rochester Post-Bulletin – 4

MINN
Howard Lake, Herald Journal – 4

A bonus went to the following salespeople who sold an ad into the networks. Congratulations!
Judy Barrett
Norma Carstensen
Barb Erickson
Kim Helgeson
Alex Herman
Dallas Luhmann
Bill Norman
Chris Schultz

1ST QUARTER MCAN/2X2 TRACKING FORMS DUE TOMORROW!

The 1st quarter tracking information for 2013 is due back by Wednesday, April 3rd.

The forms were emailed to ALL participating members earlier this year.

If you did not get the form, it will be available on the MNA website HERE all year long (http://mna.org/members-only/advertising-forms/

NEW!!! STATEWIDE NETWORK PROMOTIONAL ADS NOW AVAILABLE

Fresh house ads promoting the use of MNA advertising networks are now available for download. Let your readers know just how easy it is to reach the entire state – or specific zones based upon their need – with just one call. You can find a variety of downloadable ads here.

MNA STATEWIDE NETWORKS: HEALTHY MEMBER PARTICIPATION, IDEAL OPTION FOR ALL ADVERTISING CLIENTS

MNA has 343 active newspaper members, with a total circulation of 2,786,916. Of the active newspapers, only 46 do NOT participate in at least one statewide network advertising program! MNA networks provide participating members with a cost effective turn-key advertising option for their clients. Earn more revenue for your newspaper, earn more revenue for your territory, and earn personal sales bonuses also! MNA advertising networks are simple to execute and deliver proven results! For more information on how your newspaper can participate in the MDAN (Display Ad Network), MCAN (Classified Ad Network), or MINN (Interactive Newspaper Network) please contact Randy at 612-278-0225 or randy@mna.org.

PARTICIPATE: MNA REINTRODUCES THE QUARTER-PAGE (QP+) DISPLAY ADVERTISING NETWORK

Originally discussed but temporarily tabled in mid-2011, MNA is excited to reintroduce the Quarter-Page (QP+) Display Advertising Network. Success in other states has proven there is now an appetite for a larger space statewide saturation advertising program aimed directly at non-traditional newspaper advertisers. Sold as a “high reach/low cost multi-market turnkey advertising solution,” the QP+ Network will offer unparalleled reach of Minnesota households, but with larger page presence that advertising clients who are looking to test newspaper campaigns are seeking. If your newspaper is interested in being a part of this exciting new display ad network, you can find the QP+ Agreement Form here. Please contact Dan at 612-278-0223 or dan@mna.org for more details.

EARN EXTRA CASH: SELL A STATEWIDE NETWORK AD AND RECEIVE A CASH BONUS!

A new sales bonus and incentive structure makes it more lucrative than ever for the sales staffs of MNA member newspapers to cash in and earn big bonuses for MDAN and MCAN network sales! New 2×2 advertisers = $150 bonus! New 2×4 advertisers = $300 bonus! New MCAN advertisers = $50 bonus! For all of the details on how you can earn extra cash by selling MNA Advertising Networks, please click here.

PROTECT YOUR REVENUE: AVOID “DID NOT RUN’S” (DNR’S)

We continue to receive complaints from clients about incorrect ad creative running or insertion dates being missed. It’s crucial to provide the highest level of service to ensure our customers are confident in the value they receive from our newspapers. If you have any questions regarding insertion orders, dates, placement, or creative please contact MNA immediately for clarification. We’re here to help!

SMART: NYT IS GROWING DIGITAL REVENUE BY THINKING LIKE A RETAILER

There is light and shade in a successful paid content business model. It’s not as simple as turning on the paywall and counting the cash – the New York Times’ hybrid model is constantly evolving, based on science and market evidence. With 640,000 digital subscriptions, it’s doing something right. When NYTimes.com first launched its metered model its pop-up call-to-action banner advert that forced its way on too everyone’s screen was, ironically, a huge barrier to new sign-ups.

Read more here: http://bit.ly/YQMo9s (Courtesy of TheMediaBriefing.com)

EMARKETER: DIGITAL’S SHARE OF LOCAL AD SPEND POISED FOR GAINS

Digital has a special role to play in local advertising, especially as mobile has come into the picture and offered better opportunities for targeting consumers.

As such, according to BIA/Kelsey’s March 2013 forecast of US local media ad spending, the role of digital in the local ad market will continue to expand. BIA/Kelsey expects total local spending to reach $132.7 billion this year, essentially flat relative to 2012, when it was $132.5 billion. The composition of that spending will shift, however, as traditional spending declines from $109.4 billion to $107 billion in 2013 and digital spending increases from $23 billion to $25.7 billion.

Read more here: http://bit.ly/101nsfy (Courtesy of eMarketer.com)

COMMENTARY: HOW TO MAKE ALL AD DOLLARS WORK

He opened the first department store in Philadelphia, is credited with inventing the price tag, and he may well have created the idea of the seasonal sale. In 1874, he became the first retailer to place a half-page newspaper ad, and the first full-page ad five years later. John Wanamaker is widely considered to be among the fathers of modern advertising. While he never had the opportunity to experience commercial radio or television, I’m sure he would have understood and approved of them both.

Read more here: http://bit.ly/10i3ehX (Courtesy of MediaPost.com)

TACKABLE: 6 THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT LOCAL BY FAILING AT LOCAL

I remember the bright-eyed conversation I had with my eventual partner Ed Lucero that sparked Tackable. It was 2009, and Instagram was being born somewhere else. The iPhone was brand new, and developers were racing to build apps that captured the power of local information. There are two worlds out there, I told Ed, the physical world and the digital world. Overlay the two, and things get interesting. Along the way, I learned a lot about what doesn’t work in local. If I could go back in time, I’d deliver this list to myself:

Read more here: http://bit.ly/XGqpPT (Courtesy of StreetFightMag.com)

DIGITAL NEWSPAPER: SAME ADVERTISING IMPACT AND SO MUCH MORE

Dutch news media have invested heavily in editions for such devices as smartphones, tablets, and e-readers. A good decision because the penetration of tablets doubled last year.About one-third of the Dutch population uses a tablet nowadays. With this growth, an enormous market opens up for mobile news. In December 2012, 21% percent of the Dutch used the iPad for reading a newspaper, and this number is growing every day.Working in the advertising sector, the first question that comes to mind is, “Do the ads on a tablet work as well as on paper?”

Read more here: http://bit.ly/WWwgTW (Courtesy of INMA.org)

REALITY: DIGITAL ADVERTISING IS NOW VIEWER’S CHOICE

Being a consumer is all about making choices. We choose products and brands. We choose TV programming, when to watch it, and what device to use when we do. We choose which sites we want to visit, and whether or not to refer our friends to them. Sometimes we even choose our advertising. Online, this last point is becoming increasingly relevant. Site users don’t yet have control over the entire online ad experience, and many sites continue to force ads on them with little consideration for their interests or needs. Still, consumers have more options with regard to brand messaging than ever before.

Read more here: http://bit.ly/Zr50cU (Courtesy of Clickz.com)

PREVIEW: WHAT DIGITAL ADVERTISING WILL LOOK LIKE IN FIVE YEARS

In this exclusive interview, Intel futurist Brian David Johnson gives us some startling predictions on how life for marketers is about to change dramatically. This conversation will make your hair stand on end.

Read more here: http://bit.ly/YPuNwj (Courtesy of iMediaConnection.com)

MNA SALES QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“You don’t win prospects to your side by talking over their heads or about things they don’t care about.” –  Mike Sigers, sales and marketing consultant

WINNING BACK FORMER CUSTOMERS

Before you spend considerable time and resources chasing new customers, make sure you’re making a solid effort to revisit former clients who have slipped off the radar. Former customers know your newspaper, your products, and your capabilities – after all, they once made the decision to purchase advertising from you (or one of your colleagues). So it may take less effort to persuade them to buy from you again than it will to develop a new customer from scratch.

Step 1: When, What, and How Much?
Ask your sales manager to run reports from the past couple of years. This will give you data to analyze so you can recognize former customer buying habits and seasonal trends. Before approaching old clients, you need to know when they are likely to purchase and how much they have spent when they do buy. Also, be sure to familiarize yourself with what their advertising content looked like (branding, price & product, specific sales, etc.).

Step 2: Why Did They Stop?
It’s crucial to find out why a customer decided to stop buying from your newspaper. The only way to do this is to re-establish contact with them and ask the question. Of course, you need to massage the approach a little bit. I would suggest something like “I’ve been reviewing our former advertising accounts and noticed that you used to run weekly ads during May, June and July for many years before suddenly stopping in 2010. I’m wondering if you can explain why you may have stopped using our newspaper as a marketing vehicle?” The goal is to figure out what you have to do to regain their business.

The answers you receive may sting a little bit if the customer received less than stellar service and still holds a grudge. But then again, you may simply discover that advertising budgets ran dry, there was a change in management, or advertising strategies shifted. Whatever the case, re-establishing contact provides you with an opportunity to build a fresh relationship with a client that, at one point in time, believed in the effectiveness of newspaper advertising. It’s up to you to regain their trust, overcome their objections, and convince them that your newspaper is still the most cost-efficient and effective manner to communicate a marketing message in your community.

Step 3: Make Them Feel Valued
Sometimes customers drift away simply because they did not have consistent contact with your business. Sales were made, but no follow up occurred. If this is the case, you’ll want to make that client feel special – even if they are not yet ready to buy from you again. Send them an email every few weeks with marketing information about their business category or other information they may find valuable. Let them know that you’re thinking about them. You never know when their marketing strategy may change, or one of your competitors may disappoint them, leading to a change in their advertising plans. If you’re top-of-mind, you may just be the first person they call asking for help.

Have a terrific week,
Dan

If there are specific topics you’d like to see discussed in a future issue of The Sales Cycle, please contact me at 612-278-0223 or dan@mna.org. You can also view The Sales Cycle archive here.

The Minnesota News Media Institute of the Minnesota Newspaper Association provides regular training opportunities for its members. Visit this section of the Bulletin each week to find information on new programs, in-person training sessions and webinars. Check out the MNA/MNI Event Calendar for a full directory of upcoming training opportunities in person, and online. Contact Program Director Sarah Bauer with any questions, comments or programming suggestions: sarah@mna.org or 612-278-0250.

WEBINAR: LOCALIZING INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Presented by Online Media Campus in Partnership with the Minnesota News Media Institute
April 11, 2013 | 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | $35

Thanks to the Internet and 24-hour news channels, your readers are interested in national and international news. However, they want to understand better how that news impacts them. This session has tips to help you think like the smart business and cultural leaders in your community think. They know that events happening around the world can impact the local community.

Deadline to register for the $35 fee is Monday, April 8th. A$10 late registration fee begins on Tuesday, April 9th.

Click here for more information or to register

WEBINAR: THE POWER OF SELLING THEIR STORY

Presented by Online Media Campus in Partnership with the Minnesota News Media Institute
April 18, 2013 | 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | $35

How, and why, should newspapers add local business storytelling to their mix of products?  The simple premise is, storytelling is one of the hottest tools in corporate marketing today…for good reason.  Marketers are finding traditional ads are getting such low recall scores that they’re trying everything to get engagement.  The bright spot is Corporate Storytelling.

Stories are welcomed. Good stories have lasting impact.  Stories can communicate brand positioning and emotion.  AND…. Who has the trust of the local community when it comes to telling stories? Newspapers. Newspapers have a real opportunity to take the lead in packaging and promoting the stories of their local business community and using their products and others to spread those stories to the community.

What we’ll cover:

• Evolution of the marketing ecosystem
• Why stories engage the target market
• Newspaper’s big advantage over other media
• The magic questions to ask your advertiser
• Distributing and selling the story

Deadline to register for the $35 fee is Monday, April 15th. A $10 late registration fee begins on Tuesday, April 16th.

Click here for more information or to register

WEBINAR: OVERCOME OBJECTIONS AND CLOSE MORE SALES!

Presented by Online Media Campus in Partnership with the Minnesota News Media Institute
May 9, 2013 | 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | $35

In order to overcome objections effectively, you need to understand the value proposition between the newspaper and the advertiser. Advertisers view advertising as a risk — there is no guarantee they will get the results they are looking for. Reps who understand this dynamic can reassure advertisers that advertising in the newspaper is well worth their investment.

Following the techniques introduced and discussed in this webinar will help you develop grace under pressure!

Topics we will cover:

• Viewing objections as buying signals
• Understanding the difference between a condition and a true objection
• Using your negotiation skills to minimize the power of the most difficult objections
• Learning specific techniques for overcoming the most common objections

Deadline to register for the $35 fee is Monday, April 15th. A $10 late registration fee begins on Tuesday, April 16th.

Click here for more information or to register

MOBILE SALES TRAINING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

Presented by Online Media Campus in Partnership with the Minnesota News Media Institute
Program previously held in 2012. Archive Viewing Fee: $99

The Mobile Sales Training program is designed to increase the skill sets and knowledge of advertising sales professionals, managers and anyone involved in the sales process, through a short concentrated series of webinar trainings.

• Webinars are presented as a series and participation is expected in each program.
• Content is focused on sales training and managing.
• Each course is recorded to allow for better flexibility of scheduling.
• Presenters of each course will be available for questions during webinars.
• Each participant will be awarded a certificate of completion following the successful conclusion of the training program.

Click here for more information or to register

CHECK OUT THE REYNOLDS CENTER’S UPCOMING FREE TRAINING

From finding investigative stories to interviewing to branding yourself and setting up your own business, we’ve got you covered with online training you can do at your desk. Please check out offerings – online and in-person — from the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism and sign.

Learn in just one hour a day with these free webinars:

• Getting the Goods – Interviews that Work, May 8-9, with Pulitzer winner and Knight Chair Jacqui Banaszynski
• The Business of Me, June 4-6, with 10,000 Words blog founder Mark S. Luckie

POYNTER’S NEWS UNIVERSITY

The Poynter Institute’s News University serves more than 130,000 users through courses, group seminars, and Webinars, covering subjects from multimedia techniques, to writing, to reporting, and beyond.

Some interesting upcoming training events:

• April 10: Content Curation and Creation with Spundge: A Digital Tools Tutorial
• April 18:  Using Analytics to Drive Website Success
• April 22: Editors Boot Camp 2013: A Poynter Broadcast
• April 26:  Five Steps to Stronger Data Visualization
• On Demand: State of the News Media 2013

CLICK HERE for a complete list of upcoming training opportunities.

CRYSTAL MILLER, ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE, RECOGNIZED BY E & P AS ONE OF THE 25 UNDER 35 RISING STARS OF NEWSPAPER PUBLISHING

Crystal Miller, 35
Advertising director, Albert Lea Tribune
Albert Lea, Minn.
Education: graphic design

As advertising director of the Albert Lea Tribune, Crystal Miller excels in driving others to perform at the top of their game. For more than 10 years Miller has focused on hiring and developing the “right” people, transforming them into a top-notch sales team. This strategy has helped the company generate operating revenue of $2.8 million, with EBITDA at a 38 percent margin. Miller’s sales-generating ideas have also led to the launch of a glossy magazine titled Southern Minnesota.

One of Miller’s greatest successes is the Tribune’s annual Progress edition, a collection of 100 stories and photos covering only good news about the people and businesses in Freeborn County and Albert Lea, Minn. This year, for the sixth time under Miller’s watch, the Progress edition surpassed the paper’s goal of $100,000 in advertising revenue. The 2013 Progress edition was published Feb. 24 and brought in a final total of $111,187. Good news indeed.

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the newspaper industry?
Take the time to listen to individual successes and problems. It helps you to be familiar with customers, any problems your employees are facing, and the direction in which your company is moving.

What has been one of your most successful sales strategies given the current economic climate?
Build customer relationships by taking care of the customer, and be involved in their interests and community. There is a very good chance that your competitor is too busy to do this, and it shows the customer that they can trust you.

E&P’s 25 Under 35 2013

by: Kristina Ackermann and Nu Yang

In 2012, CareerCast listed newspaper reporter as the fifth worst job in America — slightly better than working on an oil rig, but worse than, say, waiting tables for a living. With this kind of negative publicity, one might expect that the well of talented, young publishing professionals would be drying up as recent graduates seek out careers in software or healthcare instead. Not so.

Perhaps more than ever, it is the younger generation that is leading newspapers to embrace sustainable business models, challenge conventional ways of thinking, and make this industry an exciting place to work again. Digital redesigns, paywall strategies, niche coverage opportunities, and unique advertiser partnerships are just a few of the ways this year’s 25 Under 35 are leaving their mark on the business of selling news.

The 25 young men and women featured on the following pages do their work with a level of passion and excitement that exists in few other industries. Their commitment to their craft is what keeps the lights on at many newspapers, and the communities they serve are better for it. As always, we received more nominations than we could possibly include in one feature. And while each nominee had an inspiring story to tell, these 25 are representative of the type of talent this industry needs in order to thrive.