New community newspaper service approved

The Board of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) has just given its initial nod to launch a new ABC Community Newspaper Audit service, one that it says will lower publisher costs and simplify the audit process. Final approval, expected in November, would see the service made available to the country’s under-25,000 paid circ newspapers as of Jan. 1 next year.

At its meeting last week, the ABC Board also agreed to freeze audit fees for 2010, the third year in a row fees have been held in place. Following a cost-containment program for most of its newspapers and magazines, announced last year the ABC also introduced Audit Fast Track, a new digital audit initiative said to make ABC audit process less intrusive and more efficient.

Click HERE to read the full story.  

The growth of community papers over the years

Just wanted to single out for a moment, the Langley Advance, one of our member papers. This past Tuesday, Editor Bob Groeneveld wrote a column regarding the growth of community papers over the years, as the Advance celebrated its 78th anniversary. In comparison to the life expectancy of humans in Canada, Groeneveld comments how the Advance is doing quite well: “I expect the Advance will be here as long as Langley is. We just keep changing, growing with the community that gave us birth.”

And growing it is.

The history of the Langley Advance is quite similar to many of the BCYCNA member newspapers. Over the years community newspapers have evolved from news that was somewhat verbose in nature with little if any staff, to larger news conglomerates with relevant stories and advertising for communities, such as the community classifieds.

Groeneveld adds, “Business and community trends continue to shape the Advance’s destiny. Today’s big challenge is in the Internet.”

As technology moves forward, the trend in the industry has been online media as it can give the reader the most up-to-date news coverage. Many publications use their community newspaper website as an appendage to the print edition. As Groeneveld alludes to, it may be the print edition, which becomes the appendage to the online edition. In any case, may all the community newspapers continue to have success and growth in the future.

To read Groeneveld’s full story click HERE.

BCYCNA Community Classifieds initiative

The BC and Yukon Community Newspapers Association is pleased to reintroduce its exciting initiative for member newspapers to make more money, while energizing your classifieds sales teams.

Starting this August, the BCYCNA will again be holding a monthly draw valued at $500. ln order to qualify for the cash prize, all you have to do is sell the BCYCNA’s Community Classifieds! Every time you or a member of your team sells an ad, their name automatically goes in the hat for the monthly draw.

Again, we are offering one more fantastic promotion — buy three ads in a row and get the fourth ad free, excluded Alberta. Meaning, if you encourage a client to buy four ads for the price of three, you get your name in the hat with four possible chances to win.

The BCYCNA hopes you and your team will encourage one another and get behind this campaign. The Community Classifieds assist in funding your community newspaper association, the BCYCNA, so we can work for members on such programs as the Ma Murray Community Newspaper Awards, Government Relations, and Industry Training, amongst others.

Differences/Similarities in NA & EU newspaper production

Janelle Jordan, a freelance writer with Canadian Community Newspapers Association, wrote an insightful piece published in the June, 2009 edition of The Publisher entitled “Trends in the global newsroom.”

Jordan entices her readers by the intriguing thought, “It used to be that there was little to distinguish European and North American newspaper production.”

It is apparent much has changed in the industry, but what between the North American and European markets? Jordan quickly points out the reasoning behind the thought introducing an online study by Betrand Pecquerie, director of the World Editors Forum. Over 700 editors-in-chief and newspaper executives were surveyed in the two continents finding similarities and differences in both areas.

With questions covering a variety of arenas in newspaper production, Pecquerie findings showed some interesting information. A commonality between the two, both markets seek to boost audience engagement through interactivity, citizen journalism and new-media devices such as reader voting and polls, maps, videos and slideshows. Much like the ones shown from The Vancouver Courier and Yukon News online sites.

The great differences were in the new development of designs with the European newspapers. One of these is dubbed the “hub and spoke” design, first used by the London Daily Telegraph, improves flexibility and production flow, despite its outdated look.

According to the Jordan, “Content is also transforming dramatically, as “newspapers become viewspapers,” in the words of Simon Kelner, former editor of London’s The Independent. “Newspapers are no longer mass media, but niche media,” Pecquerie said. “It’s the reason why a lot of European newspapers now try to get a strong point of view from a colour page with just one image. It’s a real European trend at the moment I have not found in North American dailies.”

With the developments of technology, it appears several niches are emerging in each market causing newspapers to find creative methods to grab the attention of potential readers.

To read Janelle Jordan’s entire article click HERE.

The future of newspaper advertising?

Curve Communications, a Vancouver based communications firm, recently posted an interesting blog about new technology jointly developed by French company “Total Immersion” and the Australian firm “Dreamscape.” With hopes to revolutionize newspaper advertising, this latest tech advancement called Papermotion appears as an ordinary newspaper ad, however, it comes to life in 3-D when held in front of a webcam.

Will this anomaly of advertising change community advertising? The technology itself is fairly interesting, yet, its use in the medium of newsprint advertising may not necessarily work. If readers require a webcam to trigger content and have to personally hold the newspaper against the camera, it might be that this type of advertising proves too bothersome to be an industry success, not to mention that additional software that must be downloaded to view the ad. Yes, it may be a lot of work to view the ad but the outcome is quite interesting.

To read more about Papermotion and to view the video click HERE.

Reuters’ Handbook of Journalism goes online

Reuters has made its internal Handbook for Journalists available to the public via the Internet. Recently they posted the document online in full. Dean Wright the Global Editor, Ethics, Innovation and News Standards writes : “The handbook is the guidance Reuters journalists live by — and we’re proud of it. Until now, it hasn’t been freely available to the public. In the early 1990s, a printed handbook was published and in 2006 the Reuters Foundation published a relatively short PDF online that gave some basic guidance to reporters. But it’s only now that we’re putting the full handbook online.”

Three main reasons explain why Reuters now decided to make the handbook public:

• Transparency: At a time when trust is an endangered commodity in the financial and media worlds, it’s important that news consumers see the guidelines our journalists follow.
• Service: As we’ve seen over the past decade, the barriers to publishing have dropped so that anyone with an idea and a computer can be a publisher. But it’s also become clear that publishers have a varying standard of truth, fairness and style. Our handbook is a good place for budding journalists to begin.
• Geography: Reuters serves a global audience and the handbook recognises the cultural and political differences that our journalists face in reporting for the world. This is a handbook not just for English-language journalists in the United Kingdom or the United States, but for wherever English is used.

For Wright’s full article click here.

AWNA is holding its 89th annual convention!

On September 10 - 12 The Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association is holding its 89th annual convention at the Marriott Hotel at River Cree Edmonton, Alberta. This year’s theme is “Riverboat Gamblers.” Everyone is encouraged to come dressed up on Friday night for an evening of fun and entertainment by Dixieland ensemble and Gold Dust dancers. Friday’s events do not begin there, as the afternoon will host some great seminars: Publisher’s Panel by Murray Elliott and Newspapers Have Muscle by Suzanne Raitt. If you are planning on attending your hotel room must be booked by Friday, August 14 as per the registration form. To do so click on the link provided, Reserve Now or call Marriott Central Reservation: 1-800-960-4913 and ask for the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Group.

More information on this event can be found at the AWNA Web site, www.awna.com or by downloading the following attachments: Agenda-2009, Registration-Form.

If you need additional information or have any question please contact Maurizia, maurizia@awna.com or 780-434-8746 Ext 225.