presspass - Montana Newspaper Association

PRESSPASS
February 26, 2014
From the blotter to the bottom
line: the Bozeman Daily
Chronicle’s best-seller
By Mark Fitzgerald, NNA, Inlander
An inner tube and a
bowling shoe mistaken for
two dead dogs. A reported
offer to trade a gun for a
puppy. Drunken
bachelorettes flagging
down a police officer so a
bride-to-be can flirt with
him.
If those sound like an
opportunity for
incremental revenue, then
you’re thinking like the
Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
Those items and many
similarly oddball incidents
were culled from the
archives of the 15,000circulation newspaper’s
police blotter and
assembled into a book that
became a runaway
bestseller in the Montana
town.
First published in
2011, “We DON’T Make
This Stuff Up: The Very
Best of the Bozeman
Daily Chronicle Police
Reports,” sold out three
printings for a total of
11,000 copies— and
generated more than
$100,000 in revenue.
This summer, editors
thought it might be a good
idea to bring out a second
edition of the book. It
could be out in time for
Christmas and had already
proved a popular gift item.
The second edition was
published in November,
with the same $10 cover
price as the original.
But that was just the
start of the Daily
Chronicle’s good timing.
In December, reporter
Caroline Porter, who
works out of The W all
Street Journal Chicago
bureau, traveled to
Bozeman for a feature
about the police blotter
book, and the town’s
affection for it.
Her article appeared
Dec. 19 and went, as they
say, viral.
Within a few days,
Daily Chronicle
Managing Editor Nick
Ehli told Jim
Romenesko’s journalism
blog, more than 900
copies were ordered from
people in all 50 states and
from some international
spots such as Prague.
When The Inlander spoke
to Ehli in mid-January,
“We DON’T Make This
Stuff Up” was into its
second printing. “And
obviously, the Journal had
a lot to do with that,” he
said.
It’s easy to see the
appeal of the book. For
one thing, it’s taken from
one of the most read parts
of the Pioneer News
Group-owned newspaper.
Crime reporter Whitney
Bermes compiles the daily
blotter of about 20 items
from as many as 200
police reports.
“It includes serious
stuff that happens,” Ehli
said, “but it also includes
stuff we all know will
make a future police
blotter book.” Items in the
first edition were taken
from archives dating back
to the late 1970s. Since
the success of that first
book, Ehli said,
“Whenever we see a
particularly good entry,
we copy and paste it into a
running list.”
Some of the strange
blotter items could have
happened in any town.
Consider this item from
July 28, 2010: “A caller
reported her neighbor’s
light was shining in her
kitchen window. She
asked that the dispatcher
send the ‘tall, darkhaired,
nice’ officer to
investigate.”
The deadpan style of
blotter entries only makes
them more entertaining.
From April 6, 2008, for
example: “A husband and
wife had an argument.
The wife later took some
cash from the house. The
husband said he was
planning to use the cash to
pay bills; the wife said she
was planning to use it to
hire a lawyer.”
Other items have an
only-in-Montana quality,
such as this blotter entry
from May 21, 2012:
“Several people were
arguing over horses being
tied up to a bike rack
outside a bar on Main
Street.”
And while the
decidedly nonserious
items might suggest
Bozeman’s police officers
spend their time in the
same manner as
The second edition of the
Bozeman Daily Chronicle’s
collection of quirky items from
four decades of local police
blotters was well on its way to
being a big seller when it got a
big boost from a Wall Street
Journal feature.
Mayberry’s Barney Fife,
they take whatever ribbing
they might get in stride.
Indeed, Bozeman Police
Chief Ron Price wrote the
forward to the second
edition.
In addition to the book,
the Daily Chronicle also
sells T-shirts with “We
DON’T Make This Stuff
Up” logos.
The Daily Chronicle
doesn’t make any special
efforts in marketing the
book, Ehli said. “It’s
mostly in-house—we’ve
got this newspaper that
allows us to run ads.” Print
works, he added with a
chuckle. But Bozeman
retailers go for a little more
pizzazz, the Journal’s
Porter reported, with some
bookstores featuring
displays with red and blue
flashing lights resembling
a police car.
SERVING MONTANA NEWSPAPERS SINCE 1885
2014 Master Editor/
Publisher and Hall of
Fame nomination forms
Now is your chance to spotlight your fellow
newspaper men and women for their accomplishments in
Montana journalism by nominating them for the 2014
Montana Newspaper Association Master Editor/
Publisher Award or nominating them for induction into
the Montana Newspaper Hall of Fame. The deadline to
submit your nominations is Friday, April 11, 2014.
Please email your completed forms to
jim@mtnewspapers.com.
Please follow these links for nomination forms or go
to mtnewspapers.com
http://www.mtnewspapers.com/nomination-form-forthe-2014-montana-newspaper-hall-of-fame/
http://www.mtnewspapers.com/nomination-form-forthe-2014-master-editorpublisher-award/
PAGE 2
MNA digital archiving
progress report
Plans continue to move forward for our May 1
launch of the new MNA Public/Legal Notice website.
As mentioned in the January Press Pass, as we begin
to digitally archive your newspapers we will also be
able to provide a very comprehensive and easy to use
Public /Legal Notice website.
Information and instructions on how to begin coding
all print Public/Legal Notices has been distributed to
those who were designated as the primary contacts at
our newspapers. It is very important to begin coding
Public/Legal Notices now so we have history available
to users of the MNA website. As mentioned in the
instructions, the coding is a very simple process and
nonintrusive to readers.
If you have questions regarding the digital archiving
program or coding of Public/Legal Notices, please
contact Jim Rickman, MNA Executive Director, at 4432850 or jim@mtnewspapers.com.
MNACalendar
February
27
2014 Better Newspaper Contest judging by the Nevada Press Association begins
March
3-7
Newspapers in Education Week
7
U of M School of Journalism 2nd Annual Job and Internship Fair
12-13 NNA’s Leadership Summit: nnaweb.org/events
16-18 Sunshine Week. For planning ideas; sunshineweek.org
16-19 NAA mediaXchange in Denver http://www.naa.org/mediaxchange/program
19
2014 Better Newspaper Contest judging by the Nevada Press Association ends
21
Deadline to submit articles for the March Press Pass
April
11
Deadline for MNA Hall of Fame and Master Editor/Publisher Award nominations
18
Deadline to submit articles for the April Press Pass
25
MNA and MNAS Board of Directors Meetings, Great Falls
May
1
Launch date for the new MNA Public Notice website
16
Deadline to submit articles for the May Press Pass
June
12
MNA and MNAS Board of Directors Meeting, Butte
13-14 129th Annual Convention opens, Best Western Butte Plaza Inn, Butte
13
Montana Newspaper Foundation Annual Banquet and Auction, Campus of MT Tech, Butte
14
MNA and MNAS Annual Meeting and election of officers, Best Western, Butte
14
MNA & MT PBS hosted debates, Campus of MT Tech, Butte
14
Presentation of the 2014 MNA Better Newspaper Contest Awards, Mining City Center, Butte
825 Great Northern Blvd., Suite 202 | Helena, MT 59601
Toll Free in MT 800-325-8276 | Fax 406-443-2860
Jim Rickman, Executive Director | jim@mtnewspapers.com
Linda Fromm, Advertising/Office Manager | mtomgr@mtnewspapers.com
mtnewspapers.com
OUR MISSION: To advance and sustain the news publishing industry in Montana.
February 26, 2014
PAGE 3
MEMBER PROFILE
JOHN CRIBB, Publisher, Carbon County News, Red Lodge and
Stillwater County News, Columbus
Personal Stats
Born: 1986 in Bozeman, MT
First Newspaper Job: Newsroom internship at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle 2003
Family: Father: John Cribb, Mother: Barbara Cribb, Sister: Sunny Cribb, Brother: Jason
Wilkinson
Education: BA in Communications, University of Montana
Community involvement and diversions:
Rotarian, Chamber of Commerce board member in Red Lodge. Avid skier in the winter, amateur
fly fisherman in the summer.
John Cribb
How did your career lead you to Having a father in the business certainly helped (John Cribb of Cribb
Green & Associates)! I have been working towards becoming a
where you are now?
publisher for most of my adult life and that, combined with a deep
yearning to not leave my home state, has brought me to where I am
now.
Listen! Listen to as many opinions as you possibly can before making
What’s the most important
any
decision. The more different perspectives you have, the better
thing you learned along the way
equipped
you are to make a decision.
that prepared you for your
current role?
What aspect of the job do you
find the most rewarding?
The people! I have now worked in five different markets within the
state of Montana and have enjoyed every place I have worked. The
people of Montana are amazing, and that is especially true within the
newspaper industry.
What have you done to enhance Well, I’m very new to the Carbon County News and Red Lodge, but I
have always been a big believer in face time within the community.
the brand of your newspapers
Showing a community that we not only are here to cover news and help
in your area?
market businesses, but also that we enjoy living here, is where the
brand of a newspaper begins.
How does the MNA serve you
and your newspaper?
There are numerous ways in which the MNA serves the Carbon
County News, but what it is doing that is most important to me is
opening channels of communication within our industry. It is extremely
likely that a challenge in Red Lodge is also a challenge elsewhere in the
state, and MNA is helping to open up the dialogue between
newspapers.
New MNA invoicing process
This past January, MNA began the process of upgrading our very antiquated accounting system.
One of the new changes is that we will e-mail monthly billing statements instead of mailing hard copies.
This change will help reduce our paper and postage costs.
If you have any questions about the new billing process, please contact Lena Deppmeier, Accounting
Specialist, at (406) 443-2850 or mtbook@mtnewspapers.com.
February 26, 2014
Montana Supreme Court rulings promote
open government
PAGE 4
January 19, 2014
MISSOULIAN EDITORIAL BOARD: Publisher Jim McGowan, Editor Sherry Devlin, and
Opinion Editor Tyler Christensen
The Montana Supreme Court is starting the new year
off on the right foot. It has already struck a couple of
blows for transparency and openness in government that
deserve to be noted - and applauded.
For one, the court put together a proposal to require its
own justices and judicial candidates to follow the same
financial disclosure rules as other elected officials.
For another, it issued a 6-0 ruling that upholds the right
of any average citizen to bring a lawsuit against any
government agency suspected of ignoring Montana’s right
-to-know laws, even if the person bringing the suit cannot
prove that he or she has a personal stake in the agency’s
secret meetings.
Either of these actions is significant on its own. Taken
together, they may very well usher in a whole new era of
open government for Montana's highest court.
The court’s latest decision thankfully undoes a 2006
ruling that required plaintiffs to show some evidence of
direct interest or personal injury relating to an open
government complaint “beyond the common interest or
injury of all citizens or taxpayers.”
This made it difficult for, say, the average county
resident to sue his county commissioners over an action
taken without any prior public notice, without opportunity
for public participation or comment. This is, in fact,
exactly what drove Custer County resident Brian Schoof
to sue his county commissioners. After commissioners
adopted a policy during a closed, unannounced meeting in
2007, Schoof sued to force the commission to undo their
decision, arguing that they had violated right-to-know,
right-to-participate and open meetings laws as described
in the Montana Constitution.
Montana has exceptionally strong right-to-know laws,
but they don’t do a lot of good if the courts prohibit most
Montanans from using them. And in keeping with the
court’s 2006 precedent, Schoof’s suit was rejected at first
by a district judge who determined that Schoof did not
have any standing in the case. On appeal, however, the
Supreme Court was given the opportunity to reverse this
obvious mistake - and did so.
Welcome New Associate Member
“We believe such requirements impose standing
thresholds that are incompatible with the nature of the
particular constitutional rights at issue,” Justice Jim Rice
wrote in the majority opinion.
These “particular constitutional rights” are particularly
important ones. They ensure strong public access and
participation in government. When public information is
kept from the public, the very foundations of our
democracy are weakened.
The same holds true for the judicial branch. Late last
year the Center for Public Integrity, a national nonpartisan
nonprofit, released a report on financial disclosures by
Supreme Court judges in each state. It gave Montana and
two other states - Idaho and Utah - a failing score of zero
for its lack of disclosure.
Montana’s Supreme Court candidates, like other
candidates, must file campaign spending reports during an
election period. Once a candidate is elected, however,
there is no rule requiring public disclosure of potential
financial conflicts. The Code of Judicial Conduct, which
requires justices to recuse themselves from cases in which
they might have a direct personal stake, is entirely selfdetermined. There is no public scrutiny or accountability.
Amazingly, the Supreme Court is taking it upon itself
to rectify this.
If a Jan. 2 proposal signed by Chief Justice Mike
McGrath is ultimately adopted, justices and candidates
alike will turn in financial statements to the state
commissioner of political practices. These statements
would include a list of past and present employers, other
business interests and other sources of financial benefits.
Those who failed to file a statement would not be allowed
to act as a judge until that information was turned in. And
best of all, the information would be made available to the
public.
The court is currently gathering public comment on the
proposal, making this a great time for “average”
Montanans to let it be known just how welcome this
proposal is.
Welcome New MNA Professional Member
February 26, 2014
PAGE 5
Community newspapers:
numbers to brag about
74 percent of those surveyed* read a local newspaper each week.
Those readers, on average, share their paper with 2.33 persons.
They spend about 38.95 minutes reading their local newspapers.
73 percent read most or all of their community newspapers.
61 percent of readers read local news very often in their community newspapers, while
48 percent say they never read local news online (only 11 percent say they read local
news very often online).
33 percent of those surveyed read local education (school) news very often in their
newspapers, while 68 percent never read local education news online.
27 percent read local sports news very often in their newspapers, while 70 percent
never read local sports online.
40 percent read editorials or letters to the editor
very often in their newspapers, while 64 percent
(nearly three quarters) never read editorials or
letters to the editor online.
80 percent think government should be required to publish public
notices in newspapers, with 23 percent reading public notices very
often in their newspapers.
THE LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER is the primary source of information about the
local community for 51.8 percent of respondents. The next best source runs a distant
second: Friends and relatives for 16 percent of respondents and TV, 13.2 percent.
Readers are seven times more likely to get their local news from their community
newspapers than from the Internet (7.4 percent). Less than 6 percent say their
primary local news source is radio.
*2011 NNA Community Newspaper Readership Survey Report.
February 26, 2014
A day in the life of a newspaper carrier
PAGE 6
By Shawn Raecke—Livingston Enterprise Staff Writer
Enterprise photo by Shawn Raecke
Livingston Enterprise newspaper carrier Oliver Jeffery walks along the Livingston Depot Center building on West Park Street on his paper route
Monday afternoon. Jeffery said having a paper route keeps him out of trouble, and he admits he makes good money.
During the week, after school for about an hour or two,
Oliver Jeffery, a fifth-grader at East Side Elementary
School, hits his paper route just like many other
Livingston Enterprise carriers do Monday through Friday
in good weather and bad.
David Campbell, Enterprise circulation manager, said
he currently has 21 carriers on 24 routes in Park County.
“It keeps me out of trouble and gives me something to
do so I’m not sitting around doing nothing,” Jeffery said.
“I know that I walk way more than a mile because my feet
start to hurt, and they never hurt when I run the mile at
school.”
Jeffery said he delivers 65 papers on the “sunny side”
of town — the southwest side, to be exact, including South
Second and Third streets from West Butte to West Park
streets.
“Even though I’ve been doing this for five months, I
still mess up sometimes,” Jeffery confessed on Monday
afternoon while on his paper route. “I would forget one
house and have to go all the way back to the beginning.
Very frustrating.”
It takes Jeffery at least an hour, sometimes more, to
deliver all of his papers, depending on the weather and
how many people he stops and talks to along the way.
His route is kind of unique because he delivers papers
to a number of downtown businesses, including two banks,
two bars and the Livingston-Park County Public Library.
While dropping off a couple papers at Livingston’s
First Interstate Bank on Callender Street, Jeffery stopped
long enough to say hi and grab a handful of candy from
the jar on the counter.
“I like to talk to people,” Jeffery said. “My brother said
I shouldn’t talk to strangers, but everybody is really nice.”
As Jeffery started to head south on Third Street, he
reflected on the fact he wants to be a professional soccer
player someday.
“If I didn’t have this route, I wouldn’t be exercising and
walking the mile or two every day, so that right there
could help me to be a pro soccer player,” he said.
Jeffery also talked about delivering papers when the
weather is much colder.
“One day I had shorts and it was really cold,” he said.
“It was a real stupid idea because it was like negative 10 or
so, and by the end of my route my legs were numb.”
After Jeffery had hit his last house on his route, he
quickly stuffed his hands into his bag to check one last
time that all his papers were gone and the bag was empty.
“That’s a really good sign when my bag is empty,” he
said. “That means I didn’t forget anybody.”
February 26, 2014
PAGE 7
BNSF train near Cut Bank: A BNSF train crosses a trestle on the west edge of Cut Bank. (Photo by Susie Graetz)
This photo is a great example of the content being provided to MNA member newspapers
by the University of Montana. Special thanks to Cary Shimek, Rick Graetz, Peggy Kuhr and
others at U of M for their continued work on this project. The series is archived and
available to members at the MNA ftp site.
In Memorium
Bruce Takeshi Burk, 53, died at his home in Lolo on Jan. 28, 2014, due to complications from lifelong muscular
dystrophy. He had lived in Lolo for the past 30 yers, where he founded and served as editor-publisher of a community
newspaper, The Lolo Peak News.
He graduated from the University of Montana in 1985 with a degree in radio and television, with a minor in
international studies. He subsequently earned a Master of Science in education counseling from Portland State
University in 1993. He then returned to Montana and his cherished home in Lolo, where he continued to write and
established The Lolo Peak News.
- 30 -
February 26, 2014
PEOPLEandPAPERS
Beefed-up coverage in
store for Tribune
readers
Whether you read us in print, online,
mobile or all three, we’re working to
bring you a series of improvements in this
new year.
During the second half of last year, we
Jim Strauss is surveyed more than 500 of you to find out
editor and
what you liked about our coverage and
what areas you wanted us to cover even
publisher of
the Great Falls more. We were gratified to hear that, for
the most part, we are covering the topics
Tribune
you most want to read about.
But you want even more on those topics, which include
experiencing Montana’s outdoors, jobs and business,
community news, preserving Montana’s quality of life and
things to do and places to go.
We formed teams to evaluate all of our coverage areas
and over the next two to three months will be introducing
numerous changes. Changes already hitting our pages and
website include:
* Expanded outdoors coverage: Our Thursday Outdoors
section was among readers’ favorite parts of the paper.
With outdoors as big as Montana’s to cover, we needed
more space, though, and are adding an additional page to
page and a half of content each Thursday to bring you
more news about how to enjoy Montana’s outdoors.
* Expanded high school sports coverage: Throughout
the week, the Great Falls Tribune works to bring the game
results from more than 100 north central Montana high
schools. On Thursday, we look at the players and coaches
behind the scores. Prep Plus delivers a lively collection of
quick-read stories, Q&A interviews and news nuggets
about prep athletes and coaches in Great Falls and
throughout the region.
* Vote on the prep athletes of the week: Our boys and
girls prep athletes of the week have long been a popular
feature. Now you can help make those picks. Each
Monday our sports crew will highlight several of the top
boys and girls prep sports performances from the previous
week and allow you to cast your votes for athletes of the
week. This allows us to highlight more outstanding prep
performances Monday and give our readers a voice in the
final picks that appear Thursday.
 New Wednesday careers and jobs emphasis:
Montana is long on scenery but short on average
wages, so it’s no surprise that creating and finding
better-paying jobs is among our readers’ top topics.
Our business team will be bringing you stories
every Wednesday about how Montanans are
furthering their careers, what local employers are
looking for in their hires and where graduates of
Montana universities and colleges are finding jobs
and at what pay level.
PAGE 8
Oregonian announces move to
compact format later this year
oregonlive.com
The Oregonian will transition from a broadsheet size to
a compact format this year, the Oregonian Media Group
announced Tuesday, January 21.
“The new format will allow for a stronger visual
presentation of editorial content and advertising,” said N.
Christian Anderson III, president of Oregonian Media
Group and publisher of The Oregonian. “With color on
every page and a streamlined design, the compact will be a
richer experience for our readers.”
The compact size will measure about 15 inches tall by
11 inches wide. The new format will have individual
sections, which will be stapled.
Montana Standard hires
Al Balderas as sports
editor
Born and raised in the Los Angeles
area, Balderas has more than 20 years of
newspaper experience. He spent 13 years
reporting for the Orange County Register,
where he covered professional sports
including the Los Angeles Dodgers,
Kings, Galaxy and Angels. He also
Al Balderas
covered football and men’s basketball teams at the
University of California-Los Angeles and the University
of Southern California.
Most recently, Balderas worked at an English-language
newspaper in Indonesia and upon his return to the United
States wrote for the Associated Press. He started Monday
at the Standard.
“We’re thrilled to have another experienced leader in
the newsroom,” Editor Matt Christensen said. “Al is sure
to only improve a sports department that already delivers
more news than any media in the region.”
Balderas is a veteran of the Air Force and received a
commendation medal for saving a life.
His favorite sport to play is baseball, and he likes
watching hockey and basketball.
Joe Eaton joins
J-School
Joe Eaton
Joe Eaton, the University of Montana
journalism school’s newest professor, is
known around Don Anderson Hall as an
investigative journalist. But he didn’t
always dream of being one.
After graduating from the University of
Michigan with a degree in English
literature, Joe moved to South Korea to
teach English. He says he came across
continued >>
February 26, 2014
PAGE 9
journalism by accident once he realized he wanted to
travel throughout his life.
He decided to go to graduate school in journalism at the
University of Maryland. “Everyone questions whether you
should go to journalism school,” he says. “For me, the
value of journalism school is that I had some professors
who served as editors of my work, who in five minutes
could teach me things that could have taken me five years
to learn.”
He has worked as a staffer for The Roanoke Times,
D.C.’s Washington City Paper and the nonprofit Center for
Public Integrity, also in D.C., where he became an
investigative reporter, specializing in health care
investigations. His writing has appeared in The
Washington Post, USA Today and The Huffington Post,
among other publications.
His next adventure took him across the country to
Missoula. In the spirit of travel and new experiences, he,
his wife and infant son packed up and moved from
Baltimore to the Big Sky country last summer. As a
professor at UM, where he prefers that his students call
him “Joe,” he teaches public affairs reporting, editing and
investigative journalism.
“This really offers me a unique opportunity,” he says.
“I really like teaching and I really value the process of
helping people get better at something they’re trying really
hard to do. I remember myself being in those shoes.”
The job also allows him to continue to work as a
freelancer for outlets that include NationalGeographic.com
and AARP The Magazine.
“I want to be a writer who teaches,” he says. “Both of
those things are equally important to me. I feel a lot like
my students: I still have a goal I want to reach as a writer,
as a journalist. I don't feel like I’m done with that. Not
even close.”
As a teacher and journalist, Joe says that it is important
for young journalists to be creative about their careers and
to look for opportunities, most of which lie beyond
Montana.
“You have to be very open to moving,” he says.
And he offers one more piece of advice.
“Work really hard.”
Lena Deppmeier joins
MNA as accounting
specialist
Lena replaces Jeanne Bouma, who
retired in January after 20 years of
service.
Lena’s education includes a B.S.
degree in Business Management and
Lena Deppmeier Accounting Options and she has earned
certificates in Bookkeeping, Small
Business and Entrepreneurship.
Lena can be reached at mtbook@mtnewspapers.com or
by calling (406) 443-2850.
Hagadone announces
leadership changes
The Hagadone Corporation announced
that longtime publisher Dan Drewry has
been reassigned to The Whitefish Pilot,
where he will assume leadership for the
Hungry Horse News, (Columbia Falls)
and Bigfork Eagle. Drewry comes from
the Shoshone News-Press, Osburn, ID,
Dan Drewry
where he served as publisher for the past
21 years. For the past 10 years he also served as publisher
of the Hagadone newspapers located in Polson, Plains and
Superior.
Rick Weaver, regional publisher for Hagadone Montana
Newspapers said, “Dan’s experience and strong work ethic
is going to help those newspapers continue to grow in the
future.”
Laurie Ramos, general manager and
advertising director, will provide
oversight for The Lake County Leader,
Polson; Clark Fork Valley Press, Plains
and the Mineral Independent, Superior.
Ramos is a Polson resident who has
strong family ties to Plains. She has been
with the company since 2000. Rick
Weaver said he was very happy that
Ramos was assuming day-to-day
Laurie Ramos
operations of the newspapers.
Supreme Court: Monitor vs. JHS
sent back to district court
The Montana Supreme Court has sent a lawsuit filed by
the Boulder Monitor against the Jefferson High School
District back to the district court.
In a 4-1 decision, the high Court overturned a district
court ruling that the school board violated the state’s open
meeting laws.
The lawsuit involved a budget committee meeting
attended by four of the board’s seven trustees. The Monitor
alleged that the committee broke the open meeting and
public participation requirements of Montana law. District
Court Judge Loren Tucker ruled in favor of the Monitor on
summary judgment and awarded attorney fees in excess of
$7000 to the newspaper. There were no hearings in the
case.
On appeal, the Supreme Court found the district court
should not have ruled on summary judgment because there
were “genuine issues of material fact.”
The majority opinion said, “While the Monitor’s factual
contentions may ultimately prove out, The District Court
should have have resolved factual disputes between the
parties when granting summary judgment.”
Joining in the majority opinion were Chief Justice Mike
McGrath and Justices Michael Wheat, Patricia Cotter and
Jim Rice. Justice Laurie McKinnon dissented.
The Supreme Court said because the district court erred
granting summary judgment it was also wrong to award
attorney fees to the Monitor. The district court action was
reversed and the case remanded to the district court for
further proceedings.
February 26, 2014
SALESandMARKETING
PAGE 10
MNA partners with MMG to focus
on political advertising
On February 7, 2014, the Montana Newspaper Advertising
Service board of directors voted unanimously to enter into a
partnership with the Montana Marketing Group (MMG) to sell
political advertising on behalf of MNA.
The open U.S House and U.S. Senate seats in Montana offer very
significant advertising potential for our association. MMG brings
the experience and expertise to make professional sales
presentations to the numerous agencies and political action groups
that will be involved in this high-stakes political year.
MMG was launched nearly a decade ago by the Missoulian as a
full service advertising and marketing firm. MMG is developing
advertising packages that will deliver political candidates the
maximum audience possible in Montana through the print and
digital capabilities of our member newspapers.
To learn more about MMG, please go to: http://
www.mmgmontana.com/
As MMG develops sales and marketing collateral, members will
be contacted for details regarding print and digital capabilities and
advertising rates.
We look forward to our partnership with MMG, and hope to
deliver positive advertising results to our members.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact Jim Rickman,
MNA Executive Director, at 443-2850 or jim@mtnewspapers.com.
Dayna Vic, Marketing
Specialist with the Great
Falls Tribune, designed this
great example of a
newspaper promotional ad.
Dayna said “Our goal is to
connect with readers by
letting them know who is
hard at work bringing the
news to them, while inviting
them to reach out to us.”
February 26, 2014
SALESandMARKETING
PAGE 11
Ten Reasons Why Newspapers Deliver for Political
Campaigns
There was a time when political and issue campaigns could buy 1,000 gross rating points per week of television
advertising and be done with it. But today’s political climate is different. With so many choices for news and
information, reaching voters with your message is becoming more and more challenging. A diversified marketplace of
ideas demands a targeted mix of media to get your message across efficiently and effectively. Of course, for many
campaigns, television is still a vital element for success. But to be successful, consultants also have to employ other
time-tested advertising mediums.
1. Newspaper readers are voters
In the 2000 presidential election, 9 out of 10 newspaper
readers cast a ballot. In the 2002 mid-term elections, when
voting is typically much lighter, newspaper readers still
delivered the vote, with more than 8 out of 10 newspaper readers
going to the polls.
2. Newspapers are credible
Voters look to newspapers for the information they need to
make up their minds about candidates and issues. Newspapers
rank second only to television among voters when it comes to
providing the most helpful information about state and local
elections. Newspaper advertising gives your campaign an aura of
credibility and respectability that’s unmatched.
3. Newspapers consistently reach
voters
6. Newspapers make targeting easy
Today’s newspapers can deliver your message right to the
doorsteps of the voters you need to reach. Most major
metropolitan newspapers have established sections based on
geographic zones and can target a pre-printed flier or brochure
for insertion and delivery within a specific zip code. Many can
target delivery down to the census tract, block, or even house by
house. You can have your message delivered in a flyer or
brochure, on a “Post-it” note placed on the front page, or even on
the poly/delivery bag in which the newspaper arrives. Poly/
delivery bags are especially useful for getting out the vote on
Election Day.
7. Newspapers can provide more
information to voters
Use newspapers to highlight endorsements, issue
clarification, and candidate comparisons. Your candidate can
Voters consistently look to newspapers to help make up their also use a compelling newspaper ad to generate interest from the
minds about how they’ll vote. While the perceived usefulness of press and garner valuable earned media opportunities.
other media rises and falls as the campaign progresses,
newspapers maintain their strength for influencing voter opinion. 8. It’s easy to advertise in newspapers
Voters count on newspapers to deliver the whole story about the
Placing political ads in newspapers has never been easier.
candidates and issues, from the earliest moments of the
Typically, the media buy can be completed with a single order
campaign right up until Election Day.
and check. Nearly every state has its own press association that
can help you with all of your planning and buying needs. You
4. Newspapers reach crucial undecided can always call newspapers directly. Most have their own trained
political sales staff.
voters http://www.completecampaigns.com/
VoterManager.asp
The conventional wisdom among consultants says that only
10-15 percent of the electorate is typically up for grabs at the end
of any campaign. But in reality, that number is much higher.
That’s because while only 10-15 percent of voters may be truly
“undecided,” many more are far from certain about their vote.
Among those who say they experience some indecision, three
out of four are regular newspaper readers. Newspapers can put
your message in the hands of this crucial constituency.
5. Newspapers are reliable
Nobody reads the newspaper to escape from reality, as is
often the case with television and radio. And unlike annoying
telephone calls, people actually enjoy reading newspapers.
Newspaper readers seek out in-depth, detailed political
information. With newspaper in your media mix, you can be sure
your ad dollars have been well spent.
9. All politics is local
Voters know newspapers are the place to go to find out
what’s going on in their communities. They know that unlike
television or radio news programs, newspapers cover local issues
every day of the week. And they know with a newspaper, they’ll
get real, in-depth coverage of the local issues most important to
them. The same issues that often determine how they’ll vote on
Election Day.
10. Newspapers are an essential part
of a successful media mix
Broadcast, direct mail, and phone calls are all still important,
but you also have to put money into other proven and effective
advertising mediums like newspaper. In fact, newspaper ranks
second only to television among voters when it comes to
providing the most helpful information about state and local
elections.
February 26, 2014
ADVICEfrom theEXPERTS
PAGE 12
Super successful companies
Sam Altman Blog ● January 15, 2014
By Sam Altman
I spent some time recently thinking about what
companies that grow up to be extremely successful do
when they are very young. I came up with the following
list. It’s from personal experience and I’m sure there are
plenty of exceptions. While plenty of non-successful
startups do some of these things too, I think there is value
in trying to match the patterns.
● They are obsessed with the quality of the product/
experience. Almost a little too obsessed—they spend a lot
of time on details that at first glance wouldn’t seem to be
really important. The founders of these companies react as
if they feel physical pain when something isn’t quite right
with the product or a user has a bad customer support
experience. … As part of this, they don’t put anyone
between the founders and the users. The founders of these
companies do things like sales and customer support
themselves.
● They are obsessed with talent. Everyone says they
only want to hire the best people, but the best founders
don’t compromise on this point. If they do make a hiring
mistake, they fix it very quickly.
And they hire very slowly. They don’t get any thrill out
of having employees for their own sake, and they do the
dirty work themselves at the beginning.
As part of this, they really focus on getting the culture of
the company right.
● They can explain the vision for the company in a few
clear words. Also, they can articulate why they’re going to
succeed, even if others going after the problem have failed,
and they have a clear insight about why their market is a
great one.
● They generate revenue very early on in their lives.
Often as soon as they get their first user.
● They are tough and calm. Founders of great
companies are always tough and unflappable. Every startup
seems like it’s going to die—sometimes multiple times in a
single day—and founders of really successful companies
just seem to pull out a gun and shoot the villain without
losing their train of thought.
Formidableness can be developed; I’ve seen weakseeming founders grow into it fast.
● They keep expenses low. After everything is working
really well, they will sometimes ramp up expenses a lot,
but manage to still only spend where it matters.
● They make something a small number of users really
love. Successful startups nearly always start with an initial
core of super happy users that become very dependent on
their product, and then expand from there.
● They grow organically. And they are generally
skeptical of inorganic strategies like big partnership deals
and, to a lesser extent, PR.
● They are focused on growth. The founders always
know their user and revenue numbers. There’s never any
hesitation when you ask them. They have targets they are
trying to hit for the next week, month, and year.
● They balance a focus on growth with strategic
thinking about the future. They have clear plans and strong
opinions about what they’re going to build that no one can
talk them out of. But they focus more on execution in the
moment than building out multi-year strategic plans.
● They have a whatever-it-takes attitude. There are
some things about running a startup that are not fun.
Mediocre founders try to hire people for the parts that they
don’t like. Great founders just do whatever they think is in
the best interest of the company, even if they’re not
“passionate” about that part of the business.
● They prioritize well. In any given day there are 100
reasonable things that you could work on. The founders
that are really successful are relentless about making sure
they get to their top two or three priorities each day (as part
of this, they figure out what the right priorities are), and
ignoring other items.
● The founders are nice. I’m sure this doesn’t always
apply, but the most successful founders I know are nicer
than average. They’re tough, they’re very competitive, and
they are ruthless, but they are fundamentally nice people.
● They don’t get excited about pretending to run a
startup. They care about being successful, not going
through the motions to look successful.
They get no thrill from having a ‘real’ company; they
don’t spend a lot of time interviewing lawyers and
accountants or going to network events or anything like
that. They want to win and don’t care much about how they
look doing so.
● They get stuff done. Mediocre founders spend a lot of
time talking about grand plans; the best founders may be
working on things that seem small, but get them done
extraordinarily quickly.
● They move fast. They make quick decisions on
everything. They respond to emails quickly. This is one of
the most striking differences between great and mediocre
founders. Great founders are execution machines.
February 26, 2014