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 If you're with a small-media company, then you should apply for the Community Journalism Public Service Initiative from the Associated Press Media Editors.
Media companies in metropolitan areas (MSA) of 100,000 or fewer people are encouraged to apply for the first-ever grant. The recipient will receive $1,000 to jump-start the initiative and a trip to the annual APME conference to present the project.
"APME is proud to roll out this new opportunity for smaller media outlets," said Bob Heisse, APME president and executive editor of the Centre Daily Times in State College, PA. "We look forward to hearing about and sharing what the winner accomplishes."
It's easy to enter: Just draft a proposal of 500 words or less and include examples of how you would approach the project. It should be multiplatform, include social media and address a long-standing community issue.
To apply, go to http://www.tfaforms.com/232227 and fill out the online form. The deadline for applications is Feb. 26. The grant will be awarded in March.
 The Associated Press Media Editors has selected four locations for NewsTrain workshops in 2012.
Workshops are now being planned for Phoenix, Miami, Toronto and Chapel Hill, N.C.
"We're thrilled to present another great year of NewsTrain, in four outstanding venues. APME has offered this outstanding, low-cost training for nine years, and our visit to Toronto in September will mark our third NewsTrain in Canada," said Bob Heisse, APME president and executive editor of the Centre Daily Times in State College, Pa.
NewsTrain is a national touring workshop sponsored by APME and that serves journalists in their own cities. Programs are designed to provide training in the skills newsroom leaders need in a rapidly changing media setting.
A Michigan newspaper's innovative method to track election results has won The Innovative Great Idea of the Month for November from the Associated Press Media Editors.
The Daily Telegram of Adrian, Mich., won the monthly national award for its usage of Google Docs as a spreadsheet to allow multiple users in its newsroom to input results.
 Special Projects Editor Erik Gable wrote that the usage allowed The Daily Telegram staff members to feed "the data directly from the spreadsheet into a widget on our homepage.”
"The innovation contributed to a nice bump in election night traffic — especially with time on site, which increased roughly 25 percent per visit,” Gable wrote.
One of the judges, Laura Sellers-Earl, director of digital development for the East Oregonian Publishing Co., wrote the Daily Telegram provided "a great example of using technology to make our jobs easier while still providing quality coverage.”
APME combined its monthly Innovator of the Month and Great Idea of the Month for November because of the holiday season. Finalists for the monthly honor were the Centre Daily Times of State College, Penn., for its Twitter coverage in the case of former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky and the Register Mail of Galesburg, Ill., for its community outreach of capturing children's photos during Treat Street on Halloween.
Other judges for November's entries were Jon K. Broadbrooks, executive editor, The State Journal Register in Springfield, Ill; and Kathy Best, managing editor, The Seattle Times. David Arkin, vice president of content/audience, GateHouse Media Inc., and Joe Hight, director of information and development, The Oklahoman/NewsOK.com, coordinate the contest.
 Jon Broadbooks, left, who has been a champion for APME and a super board member, is turning the page and leaving the newspaper business.
Broadbooks, executive editor of the State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill., is moving to a new office in town to work for the Illinois Association of Realtors as communications director.
http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x1157706016/SJ-R-editor-Jon-Broadbooks-resigns-to-take-new-job
We wish him well and thank him for his great work, which included serving as program chair for APME St. Louis, a great conference in 2009.
Taking Broadbooks' seat on the board will be Gary Graham, editor of The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash.
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We’re making it easier than ever to become a member. The cost is only $150, and during December you can pay $75 now and pay the other $75 in the first quarter of 2012. A few editors have asked us to set up a payment plan, reasoning that they could expense a smaller amount two times; we’re pleased to offer this over the holiday season. Just visit our membership page to sign up.
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On Nov. 10, 69 APME members joined Mandy Jenkins, Social News Editor of the Huffington Post, for a webinar on mobile and web reporting tools.
Jenkins gave hands-on advice on ways to attack mobile and web reporting from both in and out of the newsroom, and shared great practical uses for mobile reporting applications, from using Twitter to break news and find sources, to live-streaming video from your smartphone using Qik. She also offered tips for newsroom productivity and workflow, and shared a few of her favorite web tools.
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 OCTOBER'S INNOVATOR OF THE MONTH
Winner: Neill Borowski
Paper: The Press of Atlantic City
Position: Executive Editor and Content Director
Why his paper won: His newspaper created a print, online and mobile product that covers Atlantic City's clubs scene.
Links:Website, Facebook page and mobile site
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OCTOBER'S GREAT IDEA OF THE MONTH  Winner: Andy Hyland
Paper: Lawrence Journal-World/LJWorld.com
Position: Reporter
Why he won: For years, every time Andy had to have a correction in the paper, he would write a check to an organization in need.
Links: About Andy, recent stories
Email Andy here
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We're retooling many things for the coming year. One of which is a new logo to reflect slight name change – from MANAGING editors to MEDIA editors – and to bring in our broadcast partners and journalism educators and students. Thanks to APME VP Brad Dennison and the folks at Gatehouse Media for the design. Stay tuned for more great ideas, training and journalism as we kick off our best year yet. Visit us at www.facebook.com/APMEnews or http://apmeblog.blogspot.com/.
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