July 2011 3-8 Missouri Press Association has scheduled plenty of sessions and activities for its 145th annual Convention to be held Sept. 8-10 in Branson. Joplin editor talks about covering disaster Carol Stark, left, editor of The Joplin Globe, talks about the paper’s staff and its efforts to keep the community informed after the May 22 tornado. Among the listeners is Doug Crews, standing left, executive director of the Missouri Press Association and treasurer of the Missouri Press Foundation. Crews was in Joplin on June 19 to turn over money raised through the Foundation to help The Globe’s staffers who lost their residences in the tornado. Others in the photo are Globe publisher Michael Beatty, center; Dave Berry of the Bolivar Herald-Free Press and Neighbor Newspapers and the president of MPA in 2003; and Scott Charton of Columbia, who is working on a video documentary of The Globe’s work. The death toll from the storm stood at 155 on June 28. A column by Stark and story of the video are on pages 9 and 10. (Photo by T. Rob Brown, The Joplin Globe) 14 Missouri Press will raffle a quilt to raise money for the Foundation. Tickets are $10 each. Ten tickets will be sent to each member newspaper. More tickets are available. Regular Features President 2 Obituaries 19 On the Move 13 Jean Maneke 22 Scrapbook 15 Missouri Press News, July 2011 Six people will be inducted into the Missouri Press Association’s Newspaper Hall of Fame on Sept. 9. 7 Missouri Press held its annual Porter Fisher Golf Classic in Monroe City on June 9. 17 www.mopress.com Smaller papers earning from digital Publishers expect revenue percentage from print to decline I had the opportunity to see a presentation at Show-Me have online users pay with subscribers having free access. Of the papers that don’t charge, 35 percent say they plan to, Press by Mike Jenner, the Houston Harte Chair at the 50 percent say they may at some point, with only 15 percent University of Missouri School of Journalism. The presentation was titled “The Push to Paid” and dis- saying they have no plans to charge. Two-thirds of publishers believe audiences will pay for cussed the attitudes of publishers toward paid content on online content. Only 14 percent agreed with: “I don’t believe the web. The purpose was to examine print-to-digital revenue expec- we will ever be able to get customers to pay for online content.” tations, to access attitudes toward paid content Two-thirds Nineteen percent surveyed models and to explore paid online, tablet and were neutral. mobile plans. of publishers Of those papers curThe survey was a random sample of all 1,340 rently charging, one-third U.S. dailies and consisted of 301 phone interbelieve readthink the revenue from views with daily newspaper publishers. The charging for access will survey was conducted April 1-18, 2011. ers will pay count for up to 20 percent Responses to the survey skewed the sample for at least of digital revenue and one to papers with 77 percent under 25,000, with in 10 expect content rev18 percent independent, 57 percent in privately some content. enue will be 20 percent owned groups and 25 percent in publicly traded or more. groups. Six in 10 publishers see The survey showed that today more than 50 Joe May no effect on print circulation while 35 percent percent of the newspapers derive 80 percent or The Mexico Ledger believe it will slow or stop decreases in circulamore of their revenue from print. Publishers MPA President tion. Four percent of those surveyed believe they expect that in three years print revenue will fall will have a circulation increase. to 60-80 percent. Thirty-eight percent think a paid content Today, digital revenues represent less than 15 percent of revenue for more than 85 percent of the newspa- model will reduce views by 20 percent. Another 34 percent do not expect much impact on page views. pers surveyed. What does all this mean? In three years, according to the publishers surveyed, more • Newspapers aren’t waiting for others to figure this out. than 60 percent put themselves at or above 15 percent. In digi• Smaller papers are leading the way. tal revenue, some publishers projected as high as 40 percent. our out of 10 newspapers are charging for some online • Publishers are finally expecting a long-awaited shift from content. Of the paid content models, the smaller papers print to digital revenue. seem to be adapting more quickly. Forty-six percent of newsMike Jenner will moderate a “Technology Discussion” panel papers under 25,000 circulation are charging for some online at the convention in September, discussing cutting-edge issues content, while only 24 percent of papers above 25,000 charge. involving social media, paid content, deals of the day to maxiOf the papers that are charging, 15 percent are metered, mize profits and gain more customers and subscribers. 30 percent have all users pay and the remaining 54 percent You don’t want to miss this convention in Branson. F VOL. 79, NO. 7 JULY 2011 Official Publication of Missouri Press Association, Inc. PRESIDENT: Joe May, Mexico Ledger FIRST VICE PRESIDENT: Phil Conger, Bethany Republican-Clipper SECOND VICE PRESIDENT: Mark Maassen, The Kansas City Star SECRETARY: Bill Miller Jr., Washington Missourian TREASURER: Jeff Schrag, Springfield Daily Events EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Doug Crews ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Greg Baker EDITOR: Kent M. Ford DIRECTORS: Kevin Jones, St. Louis American Brad Gentry, Houston Herald Joe Spaar, The Odessan Richard Gard, St. Louis, Missouri Lawyers Media Jon Rust, Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian Dennis Warden, Gasconade County Republican Kate Martin, Perry County Republic-Monitor Jim Robertson, Columbia Daily Tribune Linda Geist, Monroe City Lake Gazette NNA REPRESENTATIVE: Trevor Vernon, Eldon Advertiser MISSOURI PRESS NEWS (ISSN 00266671) is published every month for $12 per year by the Missouri Press Association, Inc., 802 Locust St., Columbia, MO 65201-4888; phone (573) 449-4167; fax (573) 874-5894; e-mail [email protected]; website www.mopress.com. Periodicals postage paid at Columbia, MO 65201-9998. (USPS No. 355620). POSTMASTER: Please send changes of address to Missouri Press Association, 802 Locust St., Columbia, MO 65201-4888. www.mopress.com Missouri Press News, July 2011 145th Annual Missouri Press Association Convention H ilton S eptember 8 - 10, 2011 b ranSon C onvention C enter 200 e aSt m ain S treet b ranSon , mo 65616 417-336-5400 Newspaper or Company Address City Phone State Zip Email Visa Mastercard Credit Card Number Check Signature of Card Holder Exp. Date Printed Name of Card Holder Register Today! — Bring Your Staff! S taff memberS may attend learning SeSSionS for no additional CoSt onCe newSpaper HaS paid one regiStration fee For Hotel Reservations Call 417-336-5400 by August 5, 2011 Ask for Missouri Press Association Rate of $109 per night Registration Fee Select One Category for your Group (pay registration fee once per group) Active Member Newspaper $175 Name/Newspaper Thursday Thursday Friday (as it will appear Golf Viva Las Breakfast on name badge) Payne Vegas Please list names of all Stewart Reception attending, even for free sessions $90 $35 $25 NonMember $200 MPA Associate or Friend Member $185 Retired Member $50 Registration Fee $ Friday Spouses Stone Hill Lunch Outing $35 Friday Luncheon Friday Hall of Fame Banquet Saturday Breakfast Saturday Awards Lunch Saturday Only Sessions & Lunch $35 $60 $25 $35 $45 Total Per Person Saturday Only - Skip Registration Fee and pay only $45 per person to attend sessions and lunch CONVENTION CANCELLATIONS: Cancellations received by Friday, August 26, 2011 WILL be entitled to a refund. Cancellations may be faxed to 573-874-5894 or emailed to [email protected]. Cancellations received after August 26, 2011 are NOT entitled to a refund. Deduct $75 from Active/Friend/Associate Grand Total or $20 for retired member if registration is postmarked or received by August 5th. Spouses are welcome with no additional registration fee, just pay for meals and events. Grand Total Due: Please Return this form along with check or credit card information to Missouri Press Association • 802 Locust St. • Columbia, MO 65201 • 573-449-4167 • Fax: 573-874-5894 • [email protected] Missouri Press News, July 2011 www.mopress.com 3 MPA Convention in Branson 145th annual meeting in September will appeal to all — be there! T he Missouri Press Association calls on its members to rally in Branson in September. Look over the agenda for the annual Convention. You’ll see many sessions that will rekindle your enthusiasm and show you different and better ways to do things. You’ll have some fun, too. “Elvis” will be there! And golfers in the group will enjoy a round on the beautiful, new Payne Stewart tribute golf course. A registration form for the 145th Annual Convention is on page 3. An agenda for the Sept. 8-10 meeting is on page 5. Here are some of the sessions scheduled and the presenters: • Technology Discussion: Social Media, Paid Content, Deals of the Day & Etc. — Jane Haslag, Jefferson City News Tribune; Jeff McNeill, Houston Herald; Jon Rust, Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian; Andy Waters, Columbia Daily Tribune; moderator Mike Jenner, Missouri School of Journalism/Reynolds Journalism Institute. This session you don’t want to miss. Come and see how some of your Missouri newspaper associates are tackling the challenges and exploiting the opportunities of our digital world. This session will be complemented by these: • “The Things I Believe About Newspapers” — Sammy Papert. • “You’re on the Jury: Is Print a Dead Duck?” — Bill Miller Jr. of the Washington Missourian joins community newspaper expert Ken Blum. • “101 Easy Ways to Boost Your Bottom Line” — Ken Blum. This one speaks for itself. Would you like your bottom line to be boosted? • For spouses, tour Stone Hill Winery and lunch at The Gardens. • “Sales by the Numbers” and “Sales Time and Territory Management” — Tim Smith. Are you getting the most out of your sales time and processes? When was the last time you examined how and why you do what you do when you’re working with advertisers? Are you getting all you can from your efforts? Are your advertisers? • “Best Advertising Ideas” — Panel discussions of promotions that work for the advertiser and the newspaper. Bring samples of your best ad ideas to win $$$. • “Get Close, Shoot Fast and Don’t Be Afraid to Bite the Dust” — Ken Blum. Do you have writers on your staff who have to take pictures, and often what they get isn’t as good as it could be? Get them to this session! These sessions and more are just the training portion of the Convention. Mix in the “Viva Las Vegas!” reception with Dave “Elvis” Ehlert, the Newspaper Hall of Fame Banquet and the Awards Luncheon, and you’ve got a program that will appeal to everyone. Examine the agenda for details and plan to join your colleagues in Branson to enjoy yourself, learn something and support your newspaper. This event is about and for you. Your attendance will be appreciated. See how some Missouri papers are tackling technology A ndy Waters has worked at the Columbia Daily Tribune as a general assignment reporter, business writer/editor, city editor, head of online operations and general manager, his current position. His first exposure to the newsroom came as a reporting intern during summers off from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Va. After graduating with a journalism degree, Waters worked four years for The Andy Waters Associated Press in Kansas City, Los Angeles and Portland, Ore. He came back to 4 Columbia to join other family members at the Tribune full-time in 1995. Waters has been instrumental in the development of new technology applications at the Tribune, including installation of an access paywall for the paper’s online edition. He has spoken at a number of industry meetings about how the Tribune is using technology. Andy is the son of publisher emeritus Hank Waters III. On Dec. 1, Andy and one of his sisters bought the Tribune from four other family members and became the sole owners. Waters will participate on a Friday breakfast panel at the MPA Convention in September. He’ll join several others in a “Technology Discussion” that will include how they use social media, paid content and Deals of the Day to maximize profits, gain clients and build circulation. www.mopress.com Missouri Press News, July 2011 Missouri Press Association 145th Annual Convention Schedule Hilton Branson Convention Center 200 East Main Street, Branson, MO Thursday, Sept. 8 7:30-11:30 a.m. Registration open 8:00-11:00 a.m. Missouri Press Association and Missouri Press Service Boards meet Noon Golf at Payne Stewart Golf Club, a tribute course honoring the life and legacy of golf legend Payne Stewart 6:00-8:00 p.m. Registration open 8:00 p.m. Viva Las Vegas! Reception and Live Entertainment with Dave “Elvis” Ehlert Friday, Sept. 9 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Registration open 8:00-9:30 a.m. Breakfast Program “Technology Discussion” Panel, (Jane Haslag, Jeff McNeill, Jon Rust, Andy Waters; moderator Mike Jenner) discussing cutting edge issues involving social media, paid content, Deals of the Day, to maximize profits and gain more clients and subscribers 9:45-10:45 a.m. Breakout Session 1: “The Ins and Outs of Non-Compete Agreements,” Attorney Jay Dade Breakout Session 2: “Avoiding Advertising Scams,” Better Business Bureau of St. Louis Breakout Session 3: “101 Easy Ways to Boost Your Bottom Line,” Ken Blum 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Spouses Event: Tour Stone Hill Winery, then enjoy lunch at The Gardens Restaurant 10:45-11:00 a.m. Refreshment break 11:00 a.m. - Noon Breakout Session 4: “Sales by Numbers,” Tim Smith Breakout Session 5: “Intellectual Property Issues,” Attorneys Jean Maneke and Jay Dade Noon - 12:30 p.m. MPA Business Meeting and Election of Officers and Directors 12:30-1:45 p.m. Luncheon. “The Things I Believe About Newspapers,” Sammy Papert 2:00-3:45 p.m. Breakout Session 6: “Sales Time and Territory Management,” Tim Smith Breakout Session 7: “You’re on the Jury: Is Print a Dead Duck?,” Ken Blum and Bill Miller, Jr. 4:30-6:00 p.m. Registration open 6:00 p.m. MPA Newspaper Hall of Fame Reception 6:30 p.m. Hall of Fame Banquet, 21st Annual Induction Ceremony 9:30 p.m. Mizzou Football Watch Party, University of Missouri Tigers vs. Arizona State Saturday, Sept. 10 8:00 a.m. - Noon Registration open 8:30-10:15 a.m. Missouri Associated Dailies Breakfast. Discussion led by Sammy Papert Weekly Newspapers Breakfast. “Dr. Blum’s Group Therapy for Community Newspapers,” Ken Blum 10:30-11:45 a.m. Breakout Session 8: “Best Advertising Ideas” Panel. Bring samples of your Best Ad Ideas to win $$$. Breakout Session 9: “Get Close, Shoot Fast and Don’t be Afraid to Bite the Dust,” Ken Blum (Reporter/photographer multi-taskers, bring your cameras to this session!) Noon Missouri Press Better Newspaper Contest Awards Luncheon Tornado: Through the Eyes of The Joplin Globe, Michael Beatty, publisher. Outstanding Young Journalists of the Year Awards, College Media Association Awards, Scholarship Presentations, BNC Awards Presentation Missouri Press News, July 2011 www.mopress.com 5 Will Ken Blum declare print a ‘dead duck’? K en Blum has been involved with paid and free circulation community newspapers and a variety of other publishing ventures for 43 years. For 30 years, he was the editor and manager of a group of newspapers, shoppers and specialty publications operated by Dix Newspapers in Ohio. In 1997, he launched Butterfly Publications, his own publishing, speaking and advising firm related to the community newspaper industry. Blum has written two monthly columns for Publishers’ Auxiliary, the official publication of the National Newspaper Association: Editor’s Notebook and Black Ink, which covers all aspects of running a community newspaper, that has appeared since 1982. He has written more than Ken Blum 400 columns about the operation of hometown newspapers. Numerous state associations run his columns in their newsletters. Blum’s book “Black Ink/The Book” was released in late 1998 and is a best-seller in the community newspaper industry in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Aus- AARP Missouri. Your one-stop source of information for and about people age 50+. tralia. The book focuses on 100 methods to improve hometown newspaper products and profits. His e-mail newsletter, Black Ink/The Newsletter, goes to more than 2,800 newspapers. Blum has been a guest lecturer at The American Press Institute in Reston, Va., and speaks at state press association meetings and seminars across the country every year. He will have four sessions on Sept. 9 and 10 during the MPA Convention in Branson. Blum will speak on “101 Easy Ways to Boost Your Bottom Line” at 9:45 a.m. Friday. At 2 p.m. he’ll join Bill Miller Jr. of the Washington Missourian for a discussion titled “You’re on the Jury: Is Print a Dead Duck?” At the Weekly Newspapers Breakfast on Saturday, Blum will present “Dr. Blum’s Group Therapy for Community Newspapers.” At 10:30 he’ll address reporter/photographers with “Get Close, Shoot Fast and Don’t Be Afraid to Bite the Dust.” Brokers Consultants A tradition of service to community newspapers AARP Missouri has more than 805,000 members statewide. AARP has almost 40 million nationwide. People age 50 and older and their families look to us for advocacy, service and information. If you need to know more about this group, we’re here to help. AARP Missouri 700 W. 47th St., Ste. 110 Kansas City, MO 64112 Call toll-free, 1-866-389-5627. For more information, contact AARP Missouri’s Associate State Director for Public Affairs, Anita K. Parran, at 816-360-2202 or [email protected]. If you have been considering a transaction, and would like to achieve a strong market value, we look forward to an initial conversation with you. We represent a tradition of serving our clients’ best interests and the best interests of each community our clients serve. THOMAS C. BOLITHO P.O. BOX 849 ADA, OK 74821 (580) 421-9600 [email protected] www.mopress.com EDWARD M. ANDERSON P.O. Box 2001 BRANSON, MO 65616 (417) 336-3457 [email protected] nationalmediasales.com EXPERIENCE 6 Appraisers KNOWLEDGE INTEGRITY Missouri Press News, July 2011 6 will enter Hall of Fame on Sept. 9 S Pioneers of black press in St. Louis among 21st group of inductees ix newspaper people, including a husband and wife who were pioneers in the black press in St. Louis, will be inducted this fall into the Missouri Press Association Newspaper Hall of Fame. The induction program will be Sept. 9 during the 145th annual Convention of the Missouri Press Association (MPA). Newspaper people from all over the state will gather for the meeting at the Hilton Branson Convention Hotel. This will be the 21st group to be inducted into the Newspaper Hall of Fame, which was established by MPA in 1991. This year’s inductees are the late Melba and Nathaniel Sweets, longtime publishers of the St. Louis American; the late Norman J. Colman, second president of MPA; Don Warden, retired publisher of the Gasconade County Republican in Owensville; Doug Davis, publisher of The Lamar Democrat; and Ron Jennings, a long-time reporter for The Sedalia Democrat. Hall of Fame inductees or their families receive Pinnacle Awards in honor of their service to the Missouri newspaper industry and their communities. Plaques with their likenesses will join the permanent display of inductees in the MPA office in Columbia and in the student lounge in Lee Hills Hall at the Missouri School of Journalism. Norman J. Colman orman Colman moved to St. Louis in 1852 after practicing law in Indiana for three years. He bought a farm, established a nursery and acquired an interest in a publication that he renamed Colman’s Rural World. Through 56 years of publishing “for Midwestern and southern farmers and N Missouri Press News, July 2011 livestock breeders,” Colman became known as the “dean of agricultural journalism.” He called for cooperation between government, academic researchers, and farmers to improve crop production. The weekly publication became the nation’s most influential proponent of applying scientific ideas and management to agriculture. Colman served as Missouri lieutenant governor in 1874, and he was appointed U.S. commissioner of agriculture in 1885. Pre s i d e n t Grove r Cleveland elevated that office to cabinet level, making Colman the nation’s first secretary of agriculture. In 1870-71 Colman served as the second president of MPA. He died in December 1911. At his funeral, the minister said Colman “had done more than any other to lift the calling of farmers to the level of learned professions.” (Information on Colman is from the 1947 doctoral dissertation by George F. Lemmor.) Doug Davis oug Davis and his wife, Rayma, have owned and published the Lamar Democrat since 1985. He had been sent to the newspaper by his employer, the Boone Group, a few years earlier because the newspaper had lost almost $100,000 the previous year, circulation had plummeted and merchants were boycotting. Since earning his degree in business administration at the University of North Alabama, Davis had become a troubleshooter. He solved problems at the newspapers where he worked, and that’s what he did in Lamar. He went to all of the local civic and business lead- D www.mopress.com ers and told them they had the support of their newspaper and the newspaper wanted to be a part of promoting Lamar. But he didn’t stop with fixing the newspaper. While serving on the City Council for 10 years, he led a swimming pool committee to the completion of the first water park in Southwest Missouri. He helped with the design of a community auditorium and with replacing the city landfill. Davis also worked for extension of the runway at the airport. He created five-year and 10-year capital spending plans for the repair and replacement of city infrastructure and helped lead the community’s emergency preparedness. The Democrat has a program to teach journalism to high school students and to provide scholarships for newspaper interns. The first student Davis hired was Russell Viers, who now is an international software trainer and an expert on Adobe products. Davis has served on virtually every civic and service organization in Barton County, and he is on the Board of Governors of Missouri Southern State University in Joplin. He is a past president of the Ozark Press Association and has served on numerous MPA committees. Ron Jennings on Jennings wrote news, reviews and “people” features for The Sedalia Democrat for 35 years. He joined the daily in 1972, fresh from the Missouri School of Journalism. Well before retiring he became the “face” of the newspaper. Since 1990 Jennings has battled brain cancer with repeated surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, but he continued working until 2007. In a letter supporting the nomination of Jennings to the Hall of Fame, Democrat publisher Dave Phillips wrote, “Ron Jennings spent decades covering breaking news and reporting normal small-town events in Sedalia. But his true calling was in telling the stories of everyday people. His community con- R 7 nections ran deep and his love of Sedalia showed in his work.” Jennings was chosen to be the grand marshal of Sedalia’s sesquicentennial parade. A local teacher and writer told about her experience driving the car in the parade. “As we waited for the event to start, Ron had his own procession to his side of the convertible. Person after person — legislators and dignitaries, but mostly ‘regular people’ of all ages — came to greet him or share a memory.” On Jennings’ 30th anniversary at The Democrat, U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton read a tribute to him into the Congressional Record. “Mr. Speaker,” Rep. Skelton read, “Ron Jennings has been dedicated to making the city of Sedalia and the state of Missouri a better place to live...” Melba and Nathaniel Sweets year after its founding in 1928, The St. Louis American recruited Nathaniel Sweets, a Lincoln University graduate, to be its advertising manager. He quickly became business manager, and then in 1932 was named publisher, A County Republican in Owensville in 1949, served as president of MPA in 1993. Before returning to Owensville in the early 1960s, Warden worked for a printing company in St. Louis and for the Richmond Herald, a weekly in Ray County. The Warden families became sole owners of the Republican in 1963, and brothers Tom and Don bought out their parents in 1977. Don handled advertising, Tom focused on news. Tom Warden retired in 2000, and Don became sole publisher. The Wardens adopted quickly any new technology that would allow them to improve the newspaper. They were among the first in Missouri to switch from hot metal typesetting to offset printing and to using computers for news and advertising composition. Don Warden’s son, Dennis, began working at the newspaper in 1987 in advertising sales. When Don retired in 2008 he turned the operation over to Dennis, who represents the third generaDon Warden on Warden, whose parents became tion of Wardens to own and publish the part-owners of the Gasconade Republican. a position he held for more than 50 years. Melba Sweets joined the newspaper in the early 1930s as editor and columnist. Her gossip column “We’re Tellin’” ran for more than 45 years. In addition to keeping the AfroAmerican community informed and hiring young black reporters, Mrs. Sweets mentored them and prepared many to move on to national publications such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and Time magazine. The Sweets established The St. Louis Cab Co. when black residents grew tired of not being able to hail cabs. For more than 50 years the couple initiated and promoted efforts to improve the lives of the black citizens of the community. Their campaigns against discrimination in hiring, promotion and finance are credited with moving St. Louis forward in the struggle for civil rights. Nathaniel Sweets died in 1988, Melba in 2006. D Service, process, time management equal sales T hose who attended the Missouri Advertising Managers’ Association meeting in April in Kansas City know the value of Tim Smith’s presentations. He shares the knowledge he gained during his years working in publishing and over several years as a marketing trainer. Tim Smith Consulting, Allentown, Pa., is an employee and management training organization dedicated to “quality classroom instructor and business skills training.” Smith will present twice during Friday, Sept. 9, breakout sessions at the MPA Convention in Branson. His first session, “Sales by Numbers,” will be at 11 a.m. At 2 p.m. he will present “Sales Time and Territory Management.” “We are very results oriented in our apTim Smith proach and can show our customers specific benefits,” Smith says. “Our approach has been proven over and over so that we can ensure the success of our customers in reaching their specific goals. “At Tim Smith Consulting, our philosophy and our 8 approach are simple: practical proven techniques and customer satisfaction.” Smith worked in the newspaper and print industry for more than nine years. He started out in circulation and was promoted to a supervisory role in the production department due to his work ethic and his results. He has worked in sales, being promoted to sales manager due to his results — especially in revenue — his repeat business and his ability to develop new business. Smith has delivered tailored training programs on management skills, customer service and sales training to the newspaper industry for more than eight years.He has done keynote speeches, conventions, individual newspapers and one-on-one coaching with managers, production, display, editorial and sales people. He has helped organizations create their customer service models and increase sales through more consistent sales processes. www.mopress.com Missouri Press News, July 2011 Video being shot of Joplin Globe work Missouri Press raising funds to finance documentary A n effort supported by the Missouri Press Association is under way to raise $60,000 to finance the production of a documentary video about the efforts of The Joplin Globe to keep its community informed after the May 22 tornado that destroyed about a third of the city. The MPA and the Missouri Press Foundation boards have endorsed the project, and fund-raising is under way. A seven-minute preview of the documentary may be viewed at youtube. com/watch?v=4D37UI3N0Ek. A longer preview will debut in September at the MPA Convention in Branson. Scott Charton, retired Associated Press roving correspondent, will produce the video. Co-producer is documentarian Beth Pike. Veteran videographer Steve Hudnell is shooting the video. That same trio collaborated with MPA on the Missouri PBS documentary, “Trustees for the Public: 200 Years of Missouri Newspapers,” which won the Midwest Regional EMMY Award for Best Documentary in 2009. They hope to have the Joplin video ready for release to general audiences in early 2012. oe May, publisher of The Mexico Ledger and president of MPA, and Betty Spaar, publisher of The Odessan in Odessa and president of the Missouri Press Foundation, describe the project as a way to spread the word, near and far, about community newspapers and the important role they play in our society, J Video journalists Steve Hudnell and Beth Pike interview Anne Kettenbrink, a page designer and copy editor for the News Tribune in Jefferson City. She worked at The Joplin Globe a couple of years ago and went to help at The Globe after the tornado. Hudnell and Pike, along with Scott Charton, have interviewed many of The Globe’s employees during several days of work in Joplin on documenting the newspaper’s efforts to keep the community informed after the disaster, which killed more than 150 people and destroyed about a third of the city. (Photo by Scott Charton) reporting the news and serving as the local news authority. The Press Foundation also has an on-going effort to raise funds to assist the Globe’s employees whose residences were destroyed or damaged by the May 22 catastrophe. More than 20 of the The Globe’s employees lost their residences to the F-5 storm, the worst in Missouri Continuing coverage of the tornado recovery and video of the May 22 storm can be seen at The Joplin Globe’s website, joplinglobe.com. Missouri Press News, July 2011 www.mopress.com history. Globe page designer Bruce Baillie was among the 156 fatalities. MPA executive director Doug Crews, his wife Tricia, and Bolivar publisher Dave Berry, a past president of MPA, went to Joplin on June 19. They attended a gathering of The Globe’s newsroom staff for a memorial dinner in honor of Baillie. Crews presented Globe publisher Mike Beatty with $54,000 in checks from the Missouri Press Foundation. Donations continue arriving from throughout the U.S., with the total of more than $65,000. Those wishing to contribute to the Globe Relief Fund or to production of the documentary may send checks to the Foundation at 802 Locust St., Columbia, MO 65201, or phone 573449-4167. Or, donations may be made online at http://tinyurl.com/44szw5r. 9 Joplin Globe shares in suffering of city Assistance, encouragement arrive from newspapers around country By CAROL STARK / Editor, The Joplin Globe (May 27)—Globe photographer T. Rob Brown walked into my office last week to ask where I thought he could go to buy a good pair of shoes. His laugh turned into a choked-back sob when he pointed down to his waterlogged tennis shoes, covered in grime. T. Rob hadn’t ruined his shoes because he was out photographing some type of weather disaster. He was wearing the only clothes he had left. And for that matter, so were Jeff Lehr and Joe Hadsall and Ryan Atkinson and Jim Fryar and some 22 other employees who work at the Globe. All of them now are a part of the big picture story of human tragedy that has settled over our city, and will remain with us for years to come. ur stories within the Globe walls are a lot like the ones we’ve been reporting in the community since the EF-5 tornado destroyed a third of Joplin on May 22. We’ve shared hugs of joy and disbelief upon learning that colleagues were spared while they hid in a closet, a bathtub or under their house. And, on Thursday, we cried when we learned that our missing page designer, Bruce Baillie, had been identified among the 126 declared dead so far from this storm. But, the human spirit is an amazing thing to wit- The human ness. And, so is the generosity of those spirit is an in the newspaper industry who have amazing heard about Jopthing to lin’s plight. P a r t i c u l a r l y witness. touching was the care package from the Tuscaloosa News that came with a letter from Douglas Ray, the editor of the paper. It read: “We are sending you these goodies and supplies to sustain you a bit in the coming days. We also want you to know that you and your community are in our thoughts and prayers. I don’t know if tragedies like the one that struck there O 10 With Joplin Globe editor Carol Stark looking on, right, Doug Crews, treasurer of the Missouri Press Foundation and executive director of Missouri Press Association, talks to members of The Globe’s newsroom staff on June 19. Crews went to The Globe to deliver funds raised through the Foundation to assist Globe employees who lost their residences. Accompanying Crews were his wife, Tricia, seated at left in the photo; and Dave Berry of Neighbor Newspapers and the Bolivar Herald-Free Press. The Foundation’s fund-raising effort for Globe employees continues, with a total of more than $65,000 as of late June. Donations can be made by credit card online at http://tinyurl.com/44szw5r, or checks can be mailed to Missouri Press Foundation, 802 Locust St., Columbia, MO 65201. (Photo by Dave Berry) and the one here a month ago can be compared, but I do believe both our cities have been shaken to the core. “We know the physical and emotional strain you are under now, but the work you are doing will play a big part in pulling your community together and helping in the recovery. “We are doing well. The first days are a blur now, and we continue to work at pacing ourselves for the long road ahead. But our schedules are returning nearly to normal. One of our staff members lost his home and several folks suffered property damage, but none of us suffered personal injury or unrecoverable loss. There has been good support internally and from The New York Times Co., so all of that’s in a much better place already. “You should also know that, in sending you this box, we are paying a debt forward. The newsroom in Roanoke, Va., sent us a similar care package in the immediate aftermath of the storm here. It included a letter of encouragement and explained that since the tragedy at Virginia Tech, they have made a pracwww.mopress.com tice of sending support to newsrooms responding to tragedy.” The care package we received included junk food, sunblock and a Crimson Tide Frisbee. A card was signed by many in the newsroom. Our parent company, Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., quickly stepped in last week to provide assistance to our employees. The Missouri Press Association has started a relief fund as has the Suburban Newspapers of America and the National Newspaper Association Foundation. y phone has been ringing with calls from newspaper editors from across the country offering up equipment and even staff as we continue to tackle this story in the long-term. As for T. Rob, he will get his new pair of shoes. Slowly, but surely, he and other staffers will find homes and cars and all those luxuries of life that until now, we’ve taken for granted. But until then, we at the Globe will join you in the community as we all desperately try to find our new “normal.” M Missouri Press News, July 2011 Council will examine legality of email W ILDWOOD—Councilwoman Holly Parks survived a vote June 13 to remove her as mayor pro tem of Wildwood, but she will face an investigation into whether she violated the sunshine law. City officials will look into whether Parks committed such an offense, as well as violated the city charter, when she sent an email to seven other council members that opposed the appointment of another person to the council. The City Council voted 11-2 to investigate, with Parks and another council member voting against the move. They argued that Parks was exercising her right to freedom of speech by sending out the email. The mayor pro tem serves when the mayor is absent. The vote to strip Parks of the title failed, with seven of 13 council members voting against it. Three of the city’s 16 council members were absent. Parks apologized at the meeting for any confusion her email produced. The email, she said, simply represented her personal opinion. She said she didn’t feel the nominee was the best choice for the post. “At no time did I use my title or position in the email to represent this as a council decision ...,” Parks said, reading from a prepared statement. Nevertheless, Mayor Tim Woerther was adamant in denouncing the action of Parks, a veteran council member. “The fact of the matter that this email came from somebody with such experience shows to me a clear intent to avoid the (state’s) Sunshine Law. It puts the city at risk. There’s no question.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) Sources and Resources for Missouri Newspapers Advertise on the websites that people go to — their local newspapers. Across Missouri, across the country. Call Missouri Press Service. 573-449-4167 Call us for one-order, one-bill newspaper advertising placement. Missouri Press will get your news to all the media in Missouri in a flash! Just call 573.449.4167 573.449.4167 For information about agriculture or issues affecting rural Missouri, contact: (573) 893-1467 For information about health care, contact: Lizabeth Fleenor Missouri Farm Bureau Director of Communications Managing Editor, Missouri Medicine 800-869-6762 [email protected] • www.msma.org CenturyLink™ High-Speed Internet, Entertainment, Voice For CenturyLink information, contact: The Missouri Bar Jefferson City 573-635-4128 Missouri Press News, July 2011 Greg Gaffke CenturyLink North Missouri 573.634.1704 [email protected] Pamela Anderson CenturyLink South Missouri 417.334.9253 [email protected] Services not available in all areas. ©2010 CenturyTel, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The name CenturyLink and the pathways logo are trademarks of CenturyTel, Inc. www.mopress.com 11 Southeast Missouri Press meets in Cape Girardeau The Southeast Missouri Press Association elected the above group of officers and directors when it held its 118th annual meeting on June 3 at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. Seated, from the left, are Historian Peggy Scott, Leader Publications, Festus; Director DeAnna Nelson, Sikeston Standard Democrat; Executive Secretary Ann Hayes, Southeast Missouri State University; and Director Gera LeGrand, Southeast Missourian, Cape Girardeau. Standing are President Betty Watkins, Dexter Daily Statesman; Director Scott Seal, Portageville Missourian News; Director Ed Thomason, New Madrid Weekly Record; Secretary/Treasurer Michelle Friedrich, Poplar Bluff Daily American Republic; Director Kate Martin, Perry County Republic-Monitor, Perryville; and Director Amanda Layton of the Republic-Monitor. During the business meeting at lunch, the association presented its Mildred Wallhausen Friend of SEMO Press Association Award to Jean Maneke, the legal hotline counselor for the Missouri Press Association. Newspaper design consultant Ed Henninger gives a quick critique of a layout of the Dexter Daily Statesman to Corey Noles, Norene Hyslop and Teresa Neeley of the paper’s staff during a break in a session at the Southeast Missouri Press Association meeting. Henninger spoke at lunch and then gave a presentation on design basics and why they are important. David Fowler, founder and CEO of Ads-Up, Cardiff by the Sea, Calif., explains an advertising concept to account representative Kate Broekling of the Cape Giradeau Southeast Missourian. Fowler spoke during one of the breakout sessions at the SEMO Press meeting. Newspapers are a “direct response” medium, he said, and most ads in newspapers are not direct response ads. “Would you respond to the ads in your newspaper?” Fowler asked. The purpose of an ad is to buy the customer, not to sell him, he said. Business lives on the back end—repeat sales to current customers. It costs much more to sell a customer the first time, because the first sale should consist of a deeply discounted offer whose main purpose is to gather information about the customer. Once customer information is gathered, a business can use that information to push promotions to them. Fowler suggested ad sales people continue to learn by reading books such as “Marketing Outrageously” by Jon Spoelstra. 12 www.mopress.com Missouri Press News, July 2011 On the Move • Ste. Genevieve — Jean Feld Rissover, managing editor of the Ste. Genevieve Herald since December 1994, retired from the weekly on May 13. Fulton Sun’s marketing manager. She previously worked for the Columbia Daily Tribune as classified advertising manager for 16 years. McDonald is a Milwaukee native and worked 12 years for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as a sales representative. • Lee’s Summit — Andrea Hewitt, editor-in-chief of The Index, the student-produced newspaper at Truman State University, is an editorial intern at the Lee’s Summit Journal. Jean Feld Rissover Rissover said she plans to do some painting and to work on several projects with some of the people she has gotten to know over the years. She had worked for the Herald for more than two years in the 1980s before doing other things, including running a small business and working for Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital’s administration. Janet Mace owns the Herald. Bob Burr is the publisher. • Monroe City — John Verser joined The Lake Gazette as editor in mid-May. A native of Greers Ferry, Ark., and graduate of Arkansas State University, Verser, 31, spent the past year at St. Meinrad Seminary in southern Indiana. He previously served as the manJohn Verser aging editor at the Port Lavaca Wave in Texas. He also was sports editor at the Glasgow Daily Times in Kentucky, the Tri County Leader in Whitehouse, Texas, and the Centerville Daily Iowegian. • Fulton — Central Missouri Newspapers hired Pati McDonald as The Missouri Press News, July 2011 • St. James — Greg Edwards, a lifelong resident of St. James, has been named editor of the St. James Leader-Journal. Edwards’ experience with the weekly dates back almost a decade, when he helped his mother, Martha Prine Edwards, a former editor of the paper, search the archives for interesting historical items. Si n c e t h e n h e worked as a reporter for The Standard, the student-produced newspaper at Missouri State University. He graduated recently magna cum laude. He also served an internship with the Greg Edwards Missouri House of Representatives. Edwards replaced Kathleen Meyer, who left to work for the Meramec Regional Planning Commission. • Neosho — Steve Boggs, a 27-year journalism veteran, was named publisher of GateHouse Media’s Neosho Daily News effective May 9. A native of Oklahoma, Boggs began working for newspapers in 1984 as a sports writer. He earned a degree from East Central University in Ada, Okla., and then served as city editor of the Ada Evening News for about 15 years. Boggs then spent some time as publisher at three Oklahoma newspapers before being named publisher of the www.mopress.com Weatherford Democrat in Texas in 2007. He joined the Neosho Daily News from there. Boggs replaced Rick Rogers, who left the paper in April to become director of product development for American Consolidated Media in Texas. Boggs and his Steve Boggs wife, Christy, a surgical nurse, have two daughters. Both of them will attend the University of Houston this fall. • Moberly — After almost 59 years working for the Moberly Monitor-Index, Virginia Forsyth retired on May 13. She began working for the newspaper in 1952 as a Teletype operator. Forsyth served as composing room foreman for many years, making up pages, proofreading and inputting stories. She worked with the newsroom and ad department to make sure pages reached the production crew by deadline. Virginia Forsyth poses with Moberly MonitorIndex publisher Bob Cunningham at the retirement reception for Forsyth. Information about the MPA Convention in September and a registration form are at mopress.com. 13 Foundation raising funds with quilt raffle Every newspaper will be asked to buy and/or sell at least 10 tickets at $10 each M issouri Press has created a oneof-a-kind handmade collectible quilt that features the flags of all current Missouri Press Association newspaper members. Newspapers’ nameplates are grouped in 11 blocks around a block that features the Missouri Press Association and Missouri Press Foundation logos. The quilt measures 72” x 56” – a perfect size for displaying on a wall. The quilt will be raffled to raise money for the Foundation to support its projects, which benefit all newspapers represented on the quilt. Raffle tickets are on sale for $10 each. Tickets will be sold until the Saturday awards luncheon on Sept. 10 at the MPA Convention in Branson. The drawing The flags of every member newspaper of Missouri Press Association will be displayed on one of the 12 panels in a quilt that was created to raise funds for the Missouri Press Foundation. Each of the panels can be seen on the Missouri Press website, mopress.com/ med_form_test.php. will be held during the luncheon. The winner will not have to be present. Missouri Press will mail 10 tickets to each member newspaper. These can be sold to employees or the public or purchased by the newspaper. More tickets are available by contacting Mis- souri Press. The newspapers will return the ticket stubs with the donations, and the stubs will be included in the drawing at the convention. Tickets also will be sold at the convention. Purchased tickets are donations to the Foundation, so they are tax-deductible. Star’s new publisher from Idaho Statesman T he McClatchy Co. named Mi-Ai Parrish publisher and president of The Kansas City Star, effective June 20. Parrish, publisher of McClatchy’s Idaho Statesman since July 2006, succeeds Mark Zieman, who recently became a vice president of operations at McClatchy after 25 years at The Star. Parrish, 40, had been deputy managing editor for features and visuals at the Minneapolis Star Tribune when promoted to the publisher’s post in Boise, Idaho. Her journalism career has included work at the San Francisco Chronicle, Arizona Republic, Chicago Sun-Times and Virginian-Pilot. Parrish, whose first name is pronounced MEE-uh, said she welcomed a return to the Midwest with its “welcoming spirit and can-do attitude” and 14 Parrish’s journalism career has included work at the San Francisco Chronicle, Arizona Republic, Chicago SunTimes and Virginian-Pilot. that she is enticed by the city’s barbecue, music and history. “Mi-Ai is an innovative, intelligent and enthusiastic publisher — all qualities you need to make a great newspaper even better,” said Zieman, who announced the appointment and introduced Parrish to Star employees. At the Idaho Statesman, Parrish led the effort to diversify business operations, introduce new products, grow digital revenue and enhance the paper’s reputation for quality journalism. www.mopress.com Among the dozens of new advertising and editorial products and services introduced during Parrish’s tenure at the Idaho Statesman was “Business Insider,” a weekly business-to-business magazine. The paper also formed a partnership with Boise State University to provide students, faculty and staff with a special, electronic edition of the Idaho Statesman tailored for the university audience. In 2008, the Statesman was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in the breaking news category for its leading coverage of events triggered by the men’s room arrest of U.S. Sen. Larry Craig. Parrish holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. She was born in New York City and raised in Washington, D.C. She is married to David Parrish, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter. Missouri Press News, July 2011 Scrapbook • Platte City — The Landmark held a Patio Kickoff party at the end of May at Nick and Jake’s-Parkville. Acoustic guitarist/vocalist Sean McNown of Kansas City provided entertainment. The Landmark ran photos from the party in the newspaper and on publisher Ivan Foley’s Facebook page. • Moberly — Corey Embree, the son of Monitor-Index sports editor Chuck Embree, was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the recent Major League Baseball first-year player draft. Embree was selected in the 47th round of the 50-round draft, the 1,418th selection overall. Embree told the Monitor-Index he would join the Indian’s Rookie League • Nevada — Nevada police arrested team, the Arizona League Indians in two local men in connection with the theft of money from newspaper vending machines owned by the Daily Mail and The Joplin Globe. The two were charged with stealing, property damaged and possession of burglary tools. Ste. Genevieve — The Herald is holding drawings each week for two tickets to the Friday performances in the Ste. Genevieve Summer Music Festival Series. Readers had to provide their names and phone numbers to enter the drawing each week. • Boonville — Daily News circulation manager Edward Lang and other members of the newspaper staff went door-to-door in May selling subscriptions. New subscribers could sign up for more than 50 percent off the regular subscription price. While meeting residents, the staffers asked people what they like about the Daily News and what the paper should be doing differently. • Steelville — Three Rivers Publishing, publisher of the Steelville Star/ Crawford Mirror, donated $600 worth of advertising to the Steelville High School senior class’s 2nd Annual Yadkin Creek Duck Race. Individuals could buy ducks for $5 each, and businesses could buy them for $25. The advertising went to the three businesses whose ducks finished first through third in the May 7 race. All funds raised in the event, which included vendors at the community park and the seniors selling sandwiches, benefited project graduation. Missouri Press News, July 2011 Goodyear, Ariz. Embree is believed to be the first athlete straight out of high school from Randolph County drafted by a major league sports team. He heard his name called in the draft while sitting in his living room with his father and his mother, Jannell, and two friends. • Sedalia — The Sedalia Democrat will cease publication of its Sunday edition and replace it with an expanded weekend edition on Saturday, effective July 2. Publisher Dave Phillips said advertising revenue no longer can support seven-day publication. The weekend edition will be printed and delivered Saturday mornings. Accepting the Newspaper of the Year Award for the Lee’s Summit Journal were, from the left, Andrea Hewitt, Miranda Wycoff, Julie Scheidegger and Emily Jarrett. Lee’s Summit Journal named Newspaper of Year T he Lee’s Summit Journal was named Newspaper of the Year on June 4 at the annual Heart of America awards, an awards ceremony for regional media outlets hosted by the Kansas City Press Club, the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The Newspaper of the Year designation was bestowed upon the Journal as the publication that earned the most points during the individual award presentations, regardless of circulation or size. The Journal took home 29 individual awards, including seven first-place awards, and photographer Julie Scheidegger swept all three photojournalism categories. John Beaudoin is the publisher of The Journal. Scheidegger, reporter/photographer, earned nine awards; Miranda Wycoff, assistant editor, received seven; Emily Jarrett, reporter, received seven; Stephen Bubalo, former sports reporter, received four; and Beaudoin received two. www.mopress.com • St. Louis — Five newspaper journalists were inducted into the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame on June 8 at Gio’s Ristorante & Bar in downtown St. Louis. Print inductees were: the late Alice Belcher, the first woman employed by the St. Louis Democrat, forerunner of the GlobeDemocrat; Linda Eardley, the first w o m e n h i re d specifically to work on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch city desk; the late Selwyn Pepper, longtime Po s t - D i s p a t c h reporter and editor credited with helping the newspaper win 15 three Pulitzer Prizes; the late Carl Schurz, founder of several newspapers including the St. Louis German-language paper, the Westliche Post, and who hired Joseph Pulitzer as a cub reporter; and Elaine Viets, former Post-Dispatch columnist and now a mystery author. nett newspaper in Missouri, will provide a $10,000 disaster relief grant to Convoy of Hope for the Joplin tornado recovery effort. The Foundation, sponsored by Gannett Co., Inc., since 1977 has provided through the News-Leader more than $2.7 million in grants to local nonprofits in • Belton — The main road through the Springfield area through its ComBelton’s Memorial Park, which is closed munity Grant Program. for major renovations, will reopen as Maurer Parkway in honor of Dodie • Sedalia — Sedalia Democrat publishMaurer and her late husband, Joe, for- er and Chamber of Commerce president mer owners and publishers of The Belton Dave Phillips was the host for the annual Star Herald. award ceremony May 26. A photo of Dodie Maurer thanking Phillips, dressed as a pirate, presented the Belton Park Board for the honor ran awards to the honorees, who included in the May 12 issue of the weekly, its Democrat classified manager Eddie last issue after 120 years of publication. Crouch. Crouch received the AmbasThe photo was taken by Maurer’s son- sador of the Year award for time spent in-law, Joe Ledford, assistant managing representing the group to the membereditor of The Kansas City Star. Ledford ship and the community. began his photojournalism career at The Star Herald. • St. Louis — Donald M. Suggs, publisher of The St. Louis American, was • Springfield — The Gannett Foun- among the recipients of the 2011 Leaderdation, on recommendation of the ship award from FOCUS St. Louis. Springfield News-Leader, the only GanSuggs made a pitch for the project to develop Lambert-St. Louis Airport into an air cargo hub for trade with China. The project could mean thousands of new jobs for St. Louis, Suggs said. • Seneca — The Seneca News-Dispatch has moved into a new office at 1210 Cherokee Ave., a block away from its previous location. • Warrensburg — Veterans at the Missouri Veterans Home in Warrensburg receive free subscriptions to The Daily Star-Journal through subscriber donations. Two residents of the home deliver the daily papers to the veterans. • St. James — The Leader-Journal has moved its office to 104 N. Jefferson St. in St. James. • Eldon — The Advertiser gave prizes in three age categories in a “draw your dad” contest for Father’s Day. • Sweet Springs — A recent issue of the Sweet Springs Herald included this item: “NOTICE, If you find mistakes Where do your readers get their energy? More than ever, Missouri’s rural and suburban families use propane to fuel their active lifestyles. For cooking, heating, hot water, drying clothes or fireplaces...nothing matches the Exceptional Energy of propane! Propane is safe, clean-burning, affordable and dependable; it’s the perfect fuel for your readers and their busy families! Visit the Missouri Propane Education and Research Council at MissouriPropane.com or call (573) 893-8298. 16 www.mopress.com Missouri Press News, July 2011 Porter Fisher Classic visits Monroe City O ne of the storms in the parade of weather that rolled across the Midwest this spring washed out the last few holes of the MPA Porter Fisher Golf Classic on June 9. The pro shop horn called all of the golfers in before the fierce storm struck, so prizes were awarded according to nine-hole scores. The Mound City/Tarkio team of Will Johnson, Haley Johnson, Gary Vette and Ryan Glynn posted the low score at Mosswood Meadows Golf Course in Mound City. Six other teams participated: ✩Kevin Jones/Keith Mancinelli/Jeff Schrag/Trevor Vernon. ✩Doug Crews/Tricia Crews/Joe May/Phyllis May. ✩Vicki Russell/Jim Robertson/Suzie Wilson/Dave Berry. ✩Rep. Paul Quinn/Rep. Tom Shively/Mark Maassen/ Greg Baker. ✩Dennis Warden/Don Warden/Mike Sell/John Spaar. ✩Greg Gaffke/Karen Crabtree/Tony Hoffman/Lyle Whitaker. The last team listed represented CenturyLink, which sponsored the trophies for the Classic. CenturyLink also donated to the prize fund for the outing and to the ShowMe Press Association for its annual meeting. The Monroe City Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau provided and served lunch to the golfers before tee-off. Others who contributed prizes to the tournament or donated to the prize fund were: Missouri Propane Gas Association Trevor Vernon/Vernon Publishing, Inc. The Kansas City Star Dave Berry/Neighbor Newspapers Holt County Publishing Jeff Schrag/Springfield Daily Events St. Louis American Missouri Press Service in this publication, please consider that they are there for a reason. “We try to publish ‘Something for Everyone’ and some people are always looking for mistakes.” • LaPlata — The Home Press held a luncheon at a local restaurant on June 9 for correspondents and employees so they and the new owner, Bob Ely, could get acquainted. Attending: Ely, Sharron Burns, Marsha Hammons, Pam Burris, Verna Buck, editor and former owner Becky Jeffcoat, Randy Bunch, Tej Gosh and Paula Heming. Missouri Press News, July 2011 Jeff Schrag of the Springfield Daily Events watches his putt track toward the hole during the MPA Porter Fisher Golf Classic on June 9 at Mosswood Meadows Golf Course in Monroe City. Schrag’s partners in the four-person scramble were, from left, Kevin Jones, St. Louis American; Keith Mancinelli of St. Louis; and Trevor Vernon, Eldon Advertiser. Twentyeight golfers participated. LaPlata weekly sold to people who bought Canton newspaper P ublisher Becky Jeffcoat sold her LaPlata Home Press to Lewis Press News Journal, LLC, effective May 1. That is the same company owned by Bob Ely and Phil Calian that purchased the Canton Press-News Journal last year. Paula Christner is the publisher of the Canton and LaPlata weeklies. Jeffcoat bought the Home Press in www.mopress.com January 1999. She continues as editor. Jeffcoat also works as a PRN at a Kirksville hospital. “I was just running myself ragged, so I decided to get out from under some paperwork and responsibilities,” she said. Many cosmetic changes have been made to the paper, including the use of color, Jeffcoat said. 17 Viers headlines at Show-Me Press meeting Monroe County Appeal editor David Eales elected president Guests enjoy wine, panoramic view at Mark Twain Lake S oftware trainer Russell Viers headlined the annual meeting of the Show-Me Press Association June 9-11 in Hannibal. He presented sessions on Friday and Saturday at the Quality Inn. Viers demonstrated various techniques in design and workflow using InDesign, Photoshop, Bridge and Illustrator. Before the Show-Me meeting started, the boards of Missouri Press Association and Missouri Press Service held their spring meeting Thursday morning, June 9, at the hotel. After that meeting adjourned the golfers in the bunch headed to Mosswood Meadows Golf Course in Monroe City for the MPA Porter Fisher Golf Classic. Guests at the Show-Me Press meeting had Thursday dinner at restaurants in Hannibal. In addition to Viers on the Friday program was Ryan Murray, marketing director of Mark Twain Home & Museum. He spoke during lunch about the Hannibal attraction and its activities. Friends of Arrow Rock present highest honor T he Friends of Arrow Rock presented its highest honor — the Distinguished Service Award — to Dr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Hall III at its 52nd Annual Meeting on June 12. The organization also celebrated the completion of a capital campaign that raised $1.1 million for building preservation, educational programs, curator services and operating support. Missouri Press Association has been a partner of Friends of Arrow Rock since 1966. MPA’s Print Shop Museum is one of the historic attractions in Arrow Rock. Tom Hall became president of Friends in 2004. 18 Adobe trainer Russell Viers, right, visits at the Show-Me Press Association meeting in Hannibal with Dennis Warden of the Gasconade County Republican, Owensville, and Paula Christner of the Canton Press-News Journal. Friday evening, Show-Me guests boarded a small bus and traveled to the Mark Twain Lake Visitor Center for wine tasting, dinner and musical entertainment. A violent thunderstorm provided some tension during the ride back to the hotel. Saturday’s program included a presentation by Mike Jenner from the Missouri School of Journalism and the Reynolds Journalism Institute in Columbia. He talked about his research on how newspapers are generating revenue from the internet. Missouri Press ad director Greg Baker also presented. He talked about the in- formation newspapers must be able to provide if they want to get the attention of advertising agencies. Show-Me members elected their officers for the year. David Eales, editor of the Monroe County Appeal in Paris, succeeds Linda Geist of the Lake Gazette in Monroe City as president. Filling the vice president position is Jeff Grimes of The Centralia Fireside Guard. Sandy Nelson of the News-Press & Gazette Co. remains secretary-treasurer, and Geist will serve as past president on the board of directors. Other directors are Dennis Warden of Owensville and Stacy Rice of Drexel. Looking for a Complete Combination Solution ? for Print and Online Special Sections Now you can get fully-templated, full-color print special sections and companion, ready-to-post online MicroSite sections from Metro Editorial Services! Ready to sell Professional, eye-catching designs Timely, relevant editorial content + Metro Creative Graphics, Inc. 1.800.223.1600 www.metrocreativeconnection.com www.mopress.com Extremely Cost Effective! View samples and get more information from metrocreativeconnection.com, call Metro Client Services at 1-800-223-1600, or send an e-mail to [email protected] Missouri Press News, July 2011 Obituaries Kansas City G Gary D. Warner ary D. Warner, 75, former outdoors editor for The Kansas City Star, died April 24, 2011. Mr. Warner joined The Star in the mid-1960s. He was named outdoors editor in 1972 and continued in that role through 1979. Mr. Warner later served as editor of Fins and Feathers magazine and later as public information director for the Army Corps of Engineers at Table Rock Lake. He was living in Eureka Springs, Ark., at the time of his death. Excelsior Springs J Joe Morgan oseph Eugene Morgan, 91, Excelsior Springs, died May 26, 2011, at his home. Mr. Morgan was publisher of the Town & Country Leader, The Daily Standard and other Leader publications. He sold the papers and retired in 1986. Survivors include his wife, Shirley; two sons, three daughters, two stepsons, nine grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren. The Excelsior Springs Standard published a series of stories about Morgan’s life and tributes to Morgan by former publisher Jim Bouldin and current publisher Brian Rice. Joplin B Bruce M. Baillie ruce M. Baillie, 56, a page designer for The Joplin Globe, died May 22, 2011, in the tornado that devastated the city of Joplin, killing more than 150 people. Mr. Baillie was a native of Canada and worked for several newspapers there before buying a bed-and-breakfast in Sedona, Ariz. He later worked for the Benton County Daily Record in Arkansas. He joined The Globe in 2003. Retirement reception in Hannibal Jack and Sarah Whitaker, center, were the guests of honor on May 20 for a retirement reception at the Hannibal Courier-Post. Whitaker retired recently as publisher of the paper. Among the Whitakers’ Missouri Press newspaper friends and associates who dropped in to congratulate them were, from left, JoAnn Steinbeck, Dan Steinbeck and Jennifer Pegler from Canton; Joe and Phyllis May, Mexico, and Tricia and Doug Crews, Columbia. (Submitted photo) T hese individuals and organizations made recent contributions to Missouri Press Foundation. Donations advance the journalism training and historical preservation projects of Missouri Press. All are greatly appreciated. Donations to the Foundation are wonderful tributes to Missouri newspaper people, and they make excellent memorials to friends and associates who made careers out of working at newspapers. To make a donation with a credit card, call (573) 449-4167, or send checks to Missouri Press Foundation, 802 Locust St., Columbia, MO 65201. Show-Me Press Association Annual Meeting The Lake Gazette, Monroe City St. Louis Post-Dispatch Newspaper In Education Program Missouri Valley Conference, St. Louis Washington Missourian Newspaper In Education Program Wal-Mart, Bentonville, Ark. Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame Mr. and Mrs. William L. Miller, Washington, Mo. Missouri Press News, July 2011 www.mopress.com 19 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Source: ETC Institute (2011) 72% learn about issues in newspaper I n Columbia, Mo., more people get Primary Sources of Information about City Issues, information about city issues from local newspapers than from any Services, and Events 2011 vs 2007 vs 2005 other medium. by percentage of respondents (multiple answers allowed) The city gathered that bit of informa72% tion during its fourth DirectionFinder 79% Local newspaper 75% survey conducted this spring. The pur65% 69% Television news 75% pose of this survey was to help identify 38% 61% City newsletter included w/ monthly utility bills and respond to resident concerns while 56% 46% assessing citizen satisfaction with the 48% Radio 56% delivery of major city services and to help 40% 40% Friends/neighbors determine priorities for the community. 42% 40% A random sample of 1,800 households 22% City website 13% in Columbia received the survey, which 8% 21% City cable channel 18% was conducted by ETC Institute. Of that 6% Social networking sites not asked in 2005 or 2007 number, 834 households from all areas 2% of the city completed the survey. 3% Other 5% Seventy-two percent of the respon0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% dents said the local newspaper is the 2011 2007 2005 primary source of information about Trends city issues. That percentage was 75% in Source: ETC Institute (2011) 2005 and 79% in 2007. Sixty-five percent of those responding said television news was their primary of city information for 46% of the survey • City newsletter sent with monthly (2011) respondents. utility bills: 38% source of information about theETC city.Institute Other sources of city information • City cable channel: 8% Local affiliates of three networks serve were: • Social networking sites: 6% the Columbia television market. • Friends and neighbors: 40% • Other: 2%. Radio stations, of which there are • City website: 40% many in the market, were the top source Readers asked to not steal Sunday papers W e have made it a point to promote the amount of savings readers can achieve through the coupons in our Sunday print edition. Couponing is a valid way to stretch your family’s dollars, but every positive force seems to have a dark side. … ...Unfortunately, surveillance video and news rack audits show some of our residents paying for one newspaper but taking all of the papers in the box, or taking one paper and the coupon inserts from all of the other papers in the box. Newspaper racks are, in essence, a “gentlemen’s agreement” between the publisher and readers... We realize not everyone will honor the agreement, but lately the increase in theft has prompted us to remind people that taking more papers than you have paid for is ... theft, punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000 or any combination 20 of the two. We are glad that people find value in the Democrat. While the bulk of our revenue comes from advertising, subscriptions and rack purchases help us continue to deliver meaningful local news to our readers. We believe what we produce is well worth paying for, and ask our readers to take only their fair share. (The Sedalia Democrat) Missouri Press Association / Missouri Press Service 802 Locust St., Columbia, MO 65201-4888 (573) 449-4167 / Fax: (573) 874-5894 / www.mopress.com STAFF Doug Crews: Executive Director, [email protected] Greg Baker: Advertising Director, [email protected] Kent M. Ford: Editor, [email protected] Connie Whitney: [email protected] and Jennifer Plourde: [email protected]: Advertising Sales & Placement Karen Philp: Receptionist, Bookkeeping, [email protected] Kristie Williams: Member Services, Meeting Planning, [email protected] Rachael Heffner: Graphic Designer, [email protected] www.mopress.com Missouri Press News, July 2011 15 Consumers look to papers when planning purchases A RLINGTON, Va. – Newspaper advertising is the leading advertising medium cited by consumers in planning, shopping and making purchasing decisions, according to data from a Frank N. Magid Associates survey of 2,500 adults. The findings were announced recently by the Newspaper Association of America. “This important new research reaffirms the power of newspaper advertising to engage consumers and drive them to take action,” said NAA President and CEO John Sturm. “More than all other media, adults continue to turn to newspapers to inform shopping decisions that lead to purchases.” This study, titled “How America Shops and Spends 2011,” is the latest in an ongoing series of NAA research investigating consumer shopping habits and the influence media has on shopping today. Highlights include: — Four-in-five adults (79 percent) of those surveyed said they “took action” as a result of newspaper advertising in the past month, including: •Clipping a coupon (54 percent) •Buying something (46 percent) •Visiting websites to learn more (37 percent) R.B. “Bob” Smith III running for legislature R .B. “Bob” Smith III, a past president of Missouri Press Association, has filed as a Republican candidate for the 146th District of the Missouri House of Representatives. Incumbent Rep. Darrell Pollock cannot run again because of term limits. Smith is a former publisher of several Missouri newspapers, including publications in Branson, Forsyth, Kimberling City and Hermann. He was the publisher of the Lebanon Daily Record when elected president of MPA for 1991. Smith retired last summer after 20 years working for the Missouri Division of Tourism, serving as interim director for his last two years. Missouri Press News, July 2011 •Trying something for the first time (20 percent) — 52 percent of all adults identify newspapers as the medium they use to help plan shopping or make purchase decisions — 72 percent of all adults regularly or occasionally read newspaper preprints (For Sunday inserts, this figure increases to 90 percent). — Over the course of 30 days, 79 percent of adults acted on newspaper preprint advertising. — 38 percent of adults who identify themselves as newspaper “non-readers” recalled other forms of engagement with newspapers in the past week, including checking sales in local stores, clipping coupons, comparing prices, checking movie or TV listings and classified, and also various forms of editorial content. — Advertising on local newspaper websites ranked second (behind only e-mailed store or product information) among online options for advertising sources, beating general interest websites, or portals, paid ads that appear on the right side of the search engine screens, ads on social network pages, and ads on mobile devices. Newspapers also lead other media on the following advertising benefits: •Checking for your regular shopping (41 percent). •Having advertising that you consult from stores that you regularly shop (36 percent). •Being the most believable and trustworthy (36 percent). •Being the best for bringing sales to your attention (38 percent). •Being the most valuable in planning your shopping (36 percent). •Preferred for receiving advertising information (36 percent). •You look forward to this kind of advertising (30 percent). Other media trailed well behind newspapers as the primary medium for checking advertising. The closest competitor – the Internet – trailed newspapers by seven percentwww.mopress.com James Curry (seated) receives a plaque from Judge John Moody. (Photo provided by Curry’s daughter, Sue Jones.) Attorneys honor Curry for community service A ttorneys in the Ava region on May 2 honored James E. Curry, owner and publisher of the Douglas County Herald, for a lifetime of service to the community. An attorney in Ava for more than 60 years, Curry has held a membership in nearly every civic and service organization the community has known. The Douglas County Commission proclaimed May 2 as James E. Curry Day. Curry served as Ava city attorney for 44 years and as Douglas County prosecuting attorney for six years. Curry bought stock in his family’s Douglas County Herald in 1946 and became a partner with his father, Elmer Curry. When Elmer retired in 1969, Curry became publisher. Curry practiced law until he retired at age 84. Today at age 90, he still goes to the newspaper office each morning, and each week waits for the paper to roll off the press. age points (35 percent vs. 28 percent). Direct mail mustered only a 12 percent response in the survey, and television was cited by only 9 percent of respondents. The numbers for other media trail off from that point. 21 Check your political ad attribution policy now! Beware of discrimination in housing ads S everal issues relating to advertising makes a decision about this! I suggest have come up this month that I your folks just make this change now. It’s want to address to those of you a simple change of policy, and now is a handling the newspaper’s ad content. good time to take action, go over this You will want to keep this column in staff meetings and get notes up in handy. your advertising department so staff First, if you regularly will mentally make the read the Bulletin from shift. Before you know it, Missouri Press Associait’ll be election time again. tion, you saw my brief Speaking of advertising note about issues relating issues, I cannot remind to attribution in political you often enough about advertising. your housing ads and It has become common what needs to be done practice among many of to avoid discrimination the smaller newspapers in issues. e sure you have the the state to use the words statement of non“Paid for by the candidate” discrimination in an adin political advertising of vertising box (I’m assumlocal races, where the caning most of you run it as didates come in and pay for Jean Maneke, MPA’s Legal a box) at the top of your the ad themselves. Hotline attorney, can be I would suggest you alert reached at (816) 753-9000, Housing advertising secyour ad staff that they need [email protected]. tion. If you are NOT runto change that practice. ning The Equal Housing Section 130.031 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri relates to the statement and if it doesn’t contain the attribution that is required on political Equal Housing logo in it, CALL ME campaign ads. It says, when an ad is paid NOW! Seriously, stop reading right for by the candidate from personal funds now and go check if you don’t know for and where no candidate campaign com- absolutely sure. And then, be sure everyone writing mittee exists, such ads must say “Paid for by” and include the first and last name copy for those ads understands the simple rule to Describe The Property, by which the candidate is known. ewspapers have adopted the incor- NOT the Renter or Buyer. rect attribution habit just because About a month ago, a Missouri newsit’s easy. But in early May, the members paper got a letter from a city’s Human of the Missouri Ethics Commission Relations Department advising that they requested a study be done as to whether were investigating a complaint about a the language “Paid for by the Candidate” fair housing issue regarding an ad that complies with state statutes. was running. he ad said an apartment was “Perfect I’ll bet they decide it does not comfor senior or retired.” The comply. If that happens, then those running such attribution in campaign ads could plaint stated: “These advertisements be cited by the Commission, and they suggest that families with children may might be fined. That would not be a not be welcome.” It is clear that these complaints that good thing for you. But why wait until the Commission are filed are done by organizations that B N T 22 www.mopress.com use the fines that are assessed to fund their non-discrimination activities. These are not filed by persons who have actually been discriminated against, in most cases. Most of the time, these are groups seeking ads just like this to use to make their complaints. That doesn’t mean these groups are bad, but it DOES mean that someone is watching what you are The attorney doing. T h e s e c a t e g o r i e s general has notio f a d s a re fied a city that important to monitor, repeated generic because the n e w s p a p e r meeting notice has as much entries do not liability as your adver- comply with the tiser for discriminatory statute requirlanguage in housing ads. ing notice that a Warn your meeting will be folks about language like closed. Call if you this in your ads. Call me want a copy of anytime you the AG’s letter. have a question. The call to me is free. The fine or settlement you may have to pay will NOT be free. Before I close, let me add one last note for those on the news side of the paper. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office recently sent a letter to a city advising that its notice of a meeting, which listed items such as “ordinance reports” and “new business,” was insufficient to meet the standard under the Sunshine Law. And it also stated that listing the same three subsections for closure each time the city met was NOT complying with the Sunshine Law. “Simply listing these same subsections for meeting after meeting is not creating an agenda that is reasonably calculated ‘to advise the public of the matters to be considered,’” the letter said. If you believe your city would benefit from seeing this letter, let me know and I’ll send you a copy! Missouri Press News, July 2011 Missouri Newspaper Organizations NORTHWEST MISSOURI PRESS ASSOCIATION: President, Matt Daugherty, Smithville/ Kearney/Libertyv; Vice President, Phil Cobb, Maryville; Secretary, Kathy Conger, Bethany; Treasurer, W.C. Farmer, Rock Port. Directors: Past President Jim Fall, Maryville; Dennis Ellsworth, St. Joseph; Jim McPherson, Weston; Chuck Haney, Chillicothe; Adam Johnson, Mound City; Steve Tinnen, Plattsburg; Kay Wilson, Maryville; Steve Booher, St. Joseph; D’Anna Balliett, Cameron. SHOW-ME PRESS ASSOCIATION: President, David Eales, Paris; Vice President, Jeff Grimes, Centralia; Secretary-Treasurer, Sandy Nelson, News-Press & Gazette Co. Directors: Dennis Warden, Owensville; Stacy Rice, Drexel; Past President/Director, Linda Geist, Monroe City. OZARK PRESS ASSOCIATION: President, Keith Moore, Ava; Vice President, Whitney Anderson, Crane; Secretary-Treasurer, Dala Whittaker, Cabool. Directors: Roger Dillon, Eminence; Brad Gentry, Houston; Jeff Schrag, Springfield; Chris Case, Cuba; Tianna Brooks, Mountain View; Sharon Vaughn, Summersville. SOUTHEAST MISSOURI PRESS ASSOCIATION: President, Betty Watkins, Dexter; First Vice President, Amanda Layton, Perryville; Second Vice President, Donna Denson, Cape Girardeau; Secretary-Treasurer, Michelle Friedrich, Poplar Bluff; Executive Secretary, Ann Hayes, Southeast Missouri State University; Historian, Peggy Scott, Festus. Directors: Gera LeGrand, Cape Girardeau; Kim Combs, Piedmont; H. Scott Seal, Portageville; Kate Martin, Perryville; Deanna Nelson, Sikeston; Ed Thomason, New Madrid. DEMOCRATIC EDITORS OF MISSOURI: President, Richard Fredrick, Paris; First Vice President, Bob Cunningham, Moberly; Secretary, Beth McPherson, Weston; Treasurer, Linda Geist, Monroe City. MISSOURI CIRCULATION MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION: President, Brenda Carney, Harrisonville; First Vice President, Jack Kaminsky, Joplin; Second Vice President, Steve Edwards, St. Joseph; Secretary, David Pine, Kansas City; Treasurer, Doug Crews, Columbia. Directors: Jim Kennedy, Bolivar; Ken Carpenter, Kansas City; Rob Siebeneck, Jefferson City. MISSOURI ADVERTISING MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION: President, Dennis Warden, Owensville; First Vice President, Jane Haslag, Jefferson City; Second Vice President, Jana Todd, Warrenton; Secretary, Jeanine York, Washington; Treasurer, Kristie Williams, Columbia. Directors: Suzie Wilson, Milan; Bruce Wallace, Ashland; Brian Rice, Excelsior Springs; Lisa Miller, Camdenton; Kevin Jones, St. Louis. Past President, Stacy Rice, Drexel. MISSOURI ASSOCIATED DAILIES: President, Joe May, Mexico; Vice President, vacant; Secretary, Shelly Arth, Marshall; Treasurer, Doug Crews, Columbia; Past President, Larry Freels, Kirksville. Directors: Jack Whitaker, Hannibal; Arnie Robbins, St. Louis; Dan Potter, Columbia. MISSOURI PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATORS: President, Colene McEntee, St. Charles; President-Elect, vacant; Secretary, Peggy Koch, Barnhart; Treasurer, Roxanne Miller, Ballwin; Public Relations Officer, Suzanne Corbett, St. Louis; Membership Officer, Linda Briggs-Harty, St. Louis; Contest Director, Janice Denham, Kirkwood; Quest Awards Directors, Susan Fadem, St. Louis, and Marge Polcyn, St. Louis; Conference Director, vacant; Archivist, Dee Rabey, Granite City, Ill.; Past President, Fran Mannino, Kirkwood. MISSOURI PRESS SERVICE: President, Vicki Russell, Columbia; Vice President, Jack Whitaker, Hannibal; Secretary-Treasurer, Dave Bradley, St. Joseph. Directors: Steve Oldfield, Adrian, John Spaar, Odessa. MISSOURI PRESS FOUNDATION, INC.: President, Mrs. Betty Spaar, Odessa; First Vice President, Wendell Lenhart, Trenton; Second Vice President, Kirk Powell, Pleasant Hill; Secretary-Treasurer, Doug Crews, Columbia. Directors: R.B. Smith III, Lebanon; Rogers Hewitt, Shelbyville; James Sterling, Columbia; Edward Steele, Columbia; Robert Wilson, Milan; Dane Vernon, Eldon; Vicki Russell, Columbia; Bill James, Harrisonville; Bill Miller Sr., Washington, Tom Miller, Washington; Chuck Haney, Chillicothe. Directors Emeritus: Mrs. Wanda Brown, Harrisonville; Wallace Vernon, Eldon. MISSOURI-KANSAS AP PUBLISHERS AND EDITORS: Chairman, Susan Lynn, Iola, Kan. Missouri AP Managing Editors: Chairman, vacant; Past Chairman, Carol Stark, Joplin. MISSOURI COLLEGE MEDIA ASSOCIATION: President, Dave Hon, Missouri Western State University; Vice President, Andrea Sisney, Webster University; Secretary, Janaca Scherer, University of Missouri, St. Louis; MPA Liaison, Jack Dimond, Missouri State University; Adviser, Dr. Robert Bergland, Missouri Western State University. Missouri Press News, July 2011 www.mopress.com CALENDAR July 20-23 — 50th Annual National Newspaper Association Government Affairs Conference, Washington, D.C. September 8 — MPA/MPA Board meeting, Hilton Convention Center, Branson 8-10 — 145th Annual MPA Convention, Hilton Convention Center at Branson Landing, Branson 22-25 — National Newspaper Association Annual Convention and Trade Show, Albuquerque, N.M. October 20 — Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame Induction Program, Washington, Mo. November 19 — Mizzou football v. Texas Tech, Columbia; MPA Tailgate party in Hearnes Fieldhouse two hours before kickoff (time not yet set) Missouri Employers Mutual claims it isn’t subject to Sunshine Law M issouri Employers Mutual Insurance Co., a state governmentfinanced startup created to provide competition in the unemployment insurance industry, and which has three of its five board of director positions under the effective control of the governor, contends it is not subject to the Sunshine Law. MEM has denied the Columbia Daily Tribune’s repeated requests that it open its records for inspection. MEM put its director, Roger Wilson, a former Missouri govemor, on administrative leave (several) weeks ago, and two board members, one current and one who resigned last year, have been indicted by federal grand juries for financial crimes. The criminal accusations do not touch Missouri Employers Mutual. Jean Maneke, Missouri Press Association’s legal hotline counselor, is convinced MEM is covered by the open records and open meetings law. (Columbia Daily Tribune) 19 Teachers are part of our electric co-op. Missouri’s Electric Cooperatives Touchstone Energy® Missouri Press News, July 2011 www.mopress.com 21
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