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May 19, 2005

Dear AP Sounding Board members,

A multi-part query on use of AP stories transmitted in advance for specific dates drew 11 responses. A clear majority favors AP advances. The amount of use ranged from very frequent to moderate to occasional. Some editors stressed the value of advances as planning tools for weekly feature pages, or for laying out pages well ahead of anniversaries. Advances are good for anything requiring allocation of extra space, one editor noted.

If everyone plays by the same rules, embargoes also assure equal access to the story. Unfortunately, jumping the gun can be a problem in some cases — though AP adjusts the release if that happens. One editor said release dates made little sense in his one newspaper town. But in highly competitive situations, others said, embargoes provide editors time to evaluate and localize AP stories, such as major investigative projects.

Where should AP publicize the advancers — on spot news digests or separate features digests? Cross-pollination never hurts, said one editor, who advocated highlighting top advances on AP's spot news digests the day of release. Another said advances should be listed on as many digests as possible to aid departmental coordination. Others like the current system of separate digests for advancers, saying it's easier to identify the stories and doesn't clutter spot digests. Exceptions could be made for listing hard-news advances on spot news digests.

Suggested refinements included setting specific times for release, not just the date, to head off TV networks getting a jump on the material. Another editor said AP should consider labeling advances specifically aimed for Sunday perspective sections, where there's a need for material.

From AP's perspective, advance dates on investigative and weekend stories are very important. But advances may be less important for features transmitted for weekday releases. We'll look closer at possible changes in this practice.

Your responses should make interesting reading for all panelists and for AP's senior editors. Answers also posted in the "Sounding Board" page of the APME Web site (http://www.apme.com), where a complete archive of surveys is also available.

Thanks again for participating. You've provided valuable feedback for the AP. Your detailed responses follow.

— David Minthorn

Reed Eckhardt, managing editor, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Cheyenne:

1, We don't use a lot off the national wire, though we do use some when the topic is of particular interest to our readers. We particularly like — and use — both Western Enterprise pieces as well as the weekend Wyoming package.

2, We don't feel hemmed in, but it is frustrating when the competition proceeds to break an embargo that we observe. I don't know that there is much that can be done about that.

3, I think advances/embargoes always make sense, provided they are announced early enough. Planning has become essential; advances allow that to occur. Advances also allow time to put together a localizer when that is appropriate.

4, I'd like to see both. Certainly the advance digests are great, but we don't always look at them as thoroughly as I would like. It would be cool to see the stories that are advanced for that day be on the daily budget as well to serve as a reminder that the stories are out there and can be used. Perhaps the daily budgets also could refer to best-quality material on the advance budgets. Certainly cross-pollination never hurts.

Rick Hall, managing editor, The Deseret News, Salt Lake City:

1, Knowing what AP has coming is a big help. And I have no problem with AP setting a release day. So, yes, keep us informed about what's coming.

2, Pretty well answered this above. I DON'T feel hemmed in by advance stories. In fact, it's quite the opposite.

3, Works fine in every case — weekend features, weekday features, investigative projects, pre-season sports packages and columns.

4, Please list them on as many digests as possible. This helps immensely with internal coordination and planning. And, yes, DO include them on the daily spot news digest.

Gary Jasinek, managing editor, The Wenatchee World:

1, We use advance stories frequently.

2, We feel hemmed in by embargoes, and think that, particularly in noncompetitive markets, they make little sense. Members would be better served overall by stories being provided when they're ready, not on a schedule to make bureaus look more productive than they are.

We just had an e-mail conversation with the regional (Seattle) bureau about an advance of a hearing that was scheduled for last Monday. The story originally was labeled for use on Monday; we're a p.m. paper, so it would have been useless for us. We prevailed upon the bureau to release the story on the weekend, which they did. But while we were at it, I suggested that most embargoes are useless and didn't really serve member papers. We should be able to use stories whenever they're available, I said.

Louise Seals, managing editor, The Times-Dispatch, Richmond:

1, They are considered as part of the release date's news mix. Weekend advances are especially useful.

2, We see no need to change the current system. If events overtake an advance. usually all we have to do is call and AP releases the story.

3, We can't wait till Friday or Saturday to start planning weekend papers. Same thing applies with a feature like this (opening of Coco Chanel exhibit in New York) — maybe we have a local angle for a sidebar. Having this notice helps. Absolutely need time to consider making the space available when needed and to balance investigative projects; same applies to pre-season sports packages;

4, Would prefer to have just one budget but with ADVANCE very clearly noted.

Bill Betterton, news editor, Arizona Daily Star, Tucson:

1, We make a lot of use of them. We get an idea of how long the stories are and how much they can be cut, if at all. The stories also allow us to get a local angle to go with the stories. Getting advance copies of stories is invaluable.

2, It's tough to do any planning if stories appear only on the day they're ready for release. AP stories are already available from so many sources (internet, TV) that newspapers need these embargoes to provide material that is as fresh as possible. I don't feel I can hold an AP story that is ready for release because so many of our readers can find the story elsewhere.

3, Advances make a lot of sense as long as the embargoes are honored.

4, I'd prefer to see all advances on a separate digest.

5, Embargoes should have specific times for release. I get very upset seeing stories set for Sunday release being used Saturday on CNN.

Bill Rose, managing editor, The Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach:

1, In the news sections, we use them occasionally, but usually not on stories within our state. We use them primarily in Sunday papers and sometimes in Wednesday or Thursday papers that are bigger than usual. We are more likely to use them to help fill those big papers inside. But in the features sections we are much more likely to make use of them.

2, If there is a good reason to have an advance date and delay people from running with it, I don't mind. But if it's just a good feature, for example, the advance date can be irritating. It's six of one and half a dozen of another. However, in the features sections the advance planning they afford is invaluable.

3, Features probably appreciates advances more than any other part of the newspaper. Weekend features are invaluable and allow editors options when they are planning sections that must be printed in advance. We are less likely to run them (features for weekdays) in the news pages, of course, but features likes to know about them and will occasionally make use of them. Use of large AP investigative projects depends. We are frankly, less likely to use a large AP investigative project unless we are confident that it breaks new ground and has national implications or strong application to our state. The fact is, we haven't used very many. We aren't likely to run many (pre-season sports packages), if any, because our sports section is so heavily local. Local pro football, pro baseball, pro hockey, pro basketball, pro tennis are all very local stories. And there are the college sports from several different major and minor colleges, the high schools, etc. We may run the rare package and we like to see them because they help us plan and sometimes help us assess or confirm our own judgments. Columns, not likely.

4, I prefer the separate digests. It's easier to keep things separate and identify them. Better for planning purposes, too.

Rick Everett, managing editor for news, The Star-Ledger, Newark:

1, We use quite a few ADV-labeled stories. Around the holidays, when newshole is large and staff is depleted, we stockpile these in advance directories.

2, The release dates are useful and help in planning. In a market with many competing dailies, it helps to know that no one will publish a wire feature story or project before anyone else.

3, The dates makes sense for everything except weekly features.

4, I like the separate digests and advisories. It makes no sense to have these offerings suddenly appear on the daily digest like spot news.

Steve Roberts, news editor, Dayton Daily News:

1, It obviously depends on the story but the advance enables us to both plan for proper play, ensure adequate space and to initiate possible local stories to be used with the package.

2, I have no problem with the advances as long as everyone adheres to the date. I do think it's important that any major series have a release date on Sunday (our largest circulation) as opposed to any other day of the week. That's of course if the story or stories are not tied to a specific time element.

3, Anything that requires us to allocate additional space or enables us to localize stories are good advance material. Stories generally targeted for our Life section work well as advances since it enables them to give some extra time to designing the page. On investigative projects, these need to move as advances for all the above reasons. On pre-season sports packages, These are often used as part of special sections so it is extremely helpful to have them move in advance. On columns, this also helps in getting pages designed early.

4, I would prefer them more often on the spot news digest as well.

5, As far as I'm concerned the more (digests listings) the better.

Deanna Sands, managing editor, Omaha World-Herald:

1, We make modest use of ADV stories. The hold dates are occasionally frustrating, particularly on a timeless story.

2, We tend to plan for the use of ADV stories only when they are tied to a date, such as an anniversary, in which case a hold date makes sense and is not troublesome.

3, In general, we don't find current practices to be particularly burdensome.

John P. Neville, assistant managing editor, The Buffalo News:

1, We don't make much use of the advances in the regular news sections. I do look them over, mostly to alert us to upcoming anniversaries that we might do from a local perspective. Sometimes we squirrel away a few features for days with too much space/not enough time.

2, Advance notice on your investigative projects is welcome because it gives the editors time to read and evaluate.

4, Our wire editors look through all the digests, so I don't think you need to clutter up your news digest with a bunch of advance. An exception would be a hard-news project that moved in advance. A reminder on the news digest the day of release would be welcome.

Jody Seaborn, national editor, Austin American-Statesman:

1, We use AP advance stories fairly often. We find them particularly useful as ledes or off-ledes on the fronts of second A sections.

2, We often wish we could ignore the time label and use the story when we need it or when we want to run it. Generally, I'd favor dropping the release dates.

3, They make sense for features pegged to certain historical or upcoming events and for stories AP thinks are worth Sunday A1 consideration.

They make less sense for other types of stories — news features that have no peg, for example.

4, Prefer listing advancers on spot news digests.

5, AP should consider labeling in some fashion any advances worth considering for Sunday perspective sections and perhaps even write occasional advances specifically for Sunday perspective sections. I think there's a real need for such copy.

Dave Minthorn, manager, AP News Administration, coordinates the questions and answers. Newspaper editors wishing to suggest a topic can send an e-mail to Minthorn at dminthorn@ap.org.

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