HOW WEB + PRINT + CUTBACKS CAN STILL EQUAL SUCCESS
Of all the challenges newspaper editors face, perhaps the most difficult is managing the accelerating pace of change, especially amid steady budget cuts.

Caught in the middle are newsroom managers. Asked to produce more in an environment of shrinking resources, editors must provide comfort and support for others even as they struggle with incredible new demands themselves.

Curt Chandler of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Bill Ostendorf of Creative Circle Media dive into those and other pressing issues and challenges, and provide predictions and recommendations for success in an in-depth story for APME.

You can read the full story at: www.apme.com/news/2006/040806onlinemain.shtml

WHY RADICAL EVOLUTION IS GOOD FOR PRINT, TOO
Curt Chandler of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Bill Ostendorf of Creative Circle Media don't believe declining print circulation is a given, and offer five suggestions for your newsroom and website that will pay dividends for your print product too.

Get the details at: www.apme.com/news/2006/040806online1.shtml

FIVE THINGS NEWSPAPER WEBSITES MUST CHANGE NOW
What five things would you do to make your website more effective? Curt Chandler of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Bill Ostendorf of Creative Circle Media, writing for APME, suggest more pictures, simplifying homepage design, pushing interactivity, stressing individual choice and having fun. Do those things, they say, and you'll be more likely to hold and expand your audiences.

Get their full list and reasoning at: www.apme.com/news/2006/040806online2.shtml

NEW COMPETITORS ARE STRONG AND COMING TO YOUR TURF
Newspapers have strong local foundations, a key leverage point in battling new competitors. However, while local web-based competition has been minimal to date, that's going to change. Curt Chandler of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Bill Ostendorf of Creative Circle Media highlight five of the new competitive forces that are all headed your way.

Get the details at: www.apme.com/news/2006/040806online3.shtml

AP CHAIRMAN SAYS UNITY IS NEEDED TO COMPETE WITH PORTALS
The annual meeting of The Associated Press was held earlier this month, and chairman Burl Osborne addressed a variety of topics, including exempting member-produced content from deals with Internet portals.

"The AP board accepts the proposition that newspapers cannot succeed in a universe of world-wide search engines without recognizing that rules of geography and relationships have changed," Osborne said. "We believe this means we must find alignment on new ways and new rules of the road to preserve our businesses and to dispel the gloom we see and hear."

Read more of Osborne's address to the membership at: www.apme.com/news/2006/040406osborne.shtml

Other coverage of the AP annual meeting includes:

    • AP stories about the meeting: www.ap.org/annual06/#APSTORIES

    • Tom Curley's prepared remarks: www.ap.org/annual06/am06_1.html

    • Audio and video reviews of 2005: www.ap.org/annual06

COOPERATION KUDOS: MEMBERS CITED FOR SHARING STORIES, PHOTOGRAPHS
Member newspapers and broadcast stations are AP's eyes and ears on the ground. When local news breaks they provide tips, stories, quotes, color, directions, photographs and other information to help AP deliver complete, up-to-date content for all AP members. Outstanding cooperation is cited by APME for enhancing the timeliness and thoroughness of AP's news and photo reports. These members will be recognized with APME Instant Citations for their recent contributions:

— The Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald, which shared widely-used photographs of farms, homes and bridges flooded by the Red River.

— The Tribune, Seymour, Ind., for providing news and photographs March 10 when a natural gas pipeline broke beneath a flooding river, leaving 6,000 residents without heat and hot water.

— The Brazil (Ind.) Times, where Managing Editor Frank Phillips gave AP the story March 9 when a man retracted an earlier accusation that the state inspector general tried to dissuade him from running for county sheriff with the promise of a state appointment. The earlier allegation led to an investigation into possible criminal conduct.

— The Morning News, Springdale, Ark., for quickly sharing news and updates when a tornado roared through northwestewrn Arkansas March 12, injuring a dozen people and causing widespread damage.

— The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Ark., for quickly providing photographs and information when a crime spree that began in Massachusetts came to an end Feb. 4 near Mountain Home when a man killed a local policeman during a traffic stop, shot a woman passenger during a subsequent police chase and then took his own life. The man had been sought for using a hatchet to assault others at a gay bar in Massachusetts.

— The Texarkana (Texas) Gazette for help covering the story of when police arrested a woman Jan. 28 for allegedly smothering her three young sons to death in De Queen, Ark. The Gazette also provided photos and details from the boys' funerals Feb. 2.

To receive e-mail notification of new APME Updates, write to APME@ap.org

Previous issues: April 4, 2006 | March 28, 2006 | March 22, 2006 | March 7, 2006 | Archive