april 2013 illinois presslines

April 2013

Official publication of the Illinois Press Association

Illinois

www.illinoispress.org

INSIDE:

Illinois newspapers

lobby in D.C.

AG issues binding opinion

on Open Meetings violation

Farewell to media icon

Roger Ebert

plusILLINOIS

ASSOCIATED PRESS EDITORS ASSOCIATION

Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony

EARLY BIRDDEADLINEMAY 17

June 12-14, 2013Crowne Plaza Hotel, Springfield

Illinois PressLines / April 2013

ILLINOIS PRESSLINES (USPS 006-862) ispublished bimonthly for $30 per year forIllinois Press Association members by theIllinois Press Association, 900 Community

Drive, Springfield, IL, 62703. ©Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.

Volume 20 – April/2013 Number 2 Date of Issue: 4/23/2013

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to ILLINOIS PRESS LINES, 900 CommunityDrive, Springfield, IL 62703. Periodicalpostage paid at Spring field, Illinois and

Peoria, Illinois.

Illinois PressLines is printed and distributed courtesy of GateHouseMedia, Inc. in Peoria and Springfield.

David Porter, EditorE-mail [email protected]

Illinois

BOARD OF DIRECTORS - OFFICERSJohn Galer, President

The Journal-News, HillsboroKaren Flax, Vice PresidentTribune Company, Chicago

John Barron, Immediate Past President

DIRECTORSSam Fisher,

Bureau County Republican, PrincetonBeverly Joyce,

Danville Commercial-News Jim Kirk,

Sun-Times MediaSandy Macfarland,

Chicago Daily Law BulletinWendy Martin,

Mason County Democrat, HavanaNick Monico,

GateHouse Media, Inc.Todd Nelson,

Lee Enterprises, Decatur/BloomingtonCaroll Stacklin, GateHouse Media, Inc.

L. Nicole Trottie, West Suburban Journal, Maywood

Dennis DeRossett, Executive Director

The primary purpose of theIllinois Press Association is to protectthe business and journalistic interestsof the Illinois newspaper industry.Much of that involves legislativeoversight to ensure transparency andaccountability in governmentthrough open records, open meet-ings, the Freedom of Information Actand through public notices.

At the state level this is done pri-marily through the lobbying andlegislative oversight work of ourgovernment relations team, directorJosh Sharp and deputy directorJordan Powell. Any time theLegislature is in session you will findJosh and Jordan at the state capitolmonitoring bills and amendments,testifying in committee hearings andmeeting with state senators and rep-resentatives. When called upon, ourpublishers always step up and assistIPA efforts through personal contactwith their elected officials and bypublishing stories and editorials onthe issues.

Illinois newspapers are alsoimpacted by issues at the national orfederal level. Most recently the topissues involve postal reform, specifi-cally the proposed elimination ofSaturday mail delivery and the nego-tiated service agreement (NSA) withValassis. Neither is good for newspa-pers, nor any business for that matter,and it is important we make our caseto Congress and the U.S. PostalService.

On these national issues the news-paper industry is fortunate to be rep-resented in Washington, D.C., by theNational Newspaper Association(NNA) and the NewspaperAssociation of America (NAA). They,too, often sound the alarm and askpublishers to contact their congress-man or congresswoman and requesttheir support of our side of the issue.

Last month a small delegationfrom Illinois traveled to Washington,D.C., to assist the NNA in lobbyingon Capitol Hill directly to membersof the Illinois congressional delega-tion on these postal reform issues.Over 100 representatives from news-papers across the country descendedon the nation’s capital to lobby onthese important issues. The Illinoisdelegation consisted of:

• Jerry Reppert, Anna Gazette-Democrat; president of the IllinoisPress Foundation

• John Galer, The Journal-News,Hillsboro; president of the IllinoisPress Association

• Jeff Farren, Kendall CountyRecord, Yorkville; regional represen-tative to the NNA board

• Dennis DeRossett, executivedirector, Illinois Press Association

This group has traveled toWashington, D.C., twice in the pastyear to lobby on behalf of Illinoisnewspapers. Not everyone can taketime to go to D.C. to participate inthese lobbying efforts. Just as impor-tant and just as effective is for eachpublisher to meet with their con-gressman or congresswoman whenthey are back in-district. We encour-age all newspaper publishers andeditors to keep in contact with theirelected officials at the local, state andnational level. Invite them to youroffice, explain how the issues willimpact your newspaper and yourcommunity and, most importantly,ask for their support. Building andmaintaining good relationships withelected officials just makes goodsense and is, perhaps, the most effec-tive lobbying tool.

I thank you for your membershipand support of the IPA as we worktogether to protect the business andjournalistic interests of newspapers.This, in turn, helps preserve theFourth Estate and the principles ourdemocracy is based upon.

A photograph of the Illinois dele-gation to Washington, D.C., appearson page 9 of this edition of IllinoisPressLines.

Illinois newspapers lobbyat state and national level

900 Community DriveSpringfield, IL 62703

Ph. 217-241-1300, Fax 217-241-1301www.illinoispress.org

IPA STAFF — PHONE 217-241-1300Dennis DeRossett, Executive Director

Ext. 222 — [email protected] Galloway, Director of Finance

& Business AdministrationExt. 230 — [email protected]

Jeffrey Holman, Director of Advertising

Ext. 248 — [email protected]

Barry Locher, Director of Foundation

& Member Services


David Porter, Director of

Communications & Marketing


Josh Sharp, Director of Government Relations


EXECUTIVEREPORTDennisDeRossettExecutiveDirectordderossett@illinoispress.org

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IPA Board President John Galerhas appointed Beverly Joyce, pub-lisher of the Danville Commercial-News, to fill a vacant seat on theIPA board of directors.

Joyce is an industry veteranwith over 25 years of experience inadvertising sales managementand as a publisher at newspapersin Indiana, Michigan, Kansas andIllinois. She has been publisher ofthe Danville Commercial-Newssince May 2012.

“We are pleased to haveBeverly join the IPA board ofdirectors,” Galer said. “Her pastwork at both large and smallweekly and daily newspapersmade her an excellent candidatefor this open board seat. We lookforward to her ideas, input andenergies as the board addressescritical issues facing our membersand our industry.”

The Danville newspaper is partof the CNHI newspaper group.Joyce may be reached at:[email protected].

Danville publisher joins

IPA Board

Beverly Joyce

It’s better to have too much infor-mation on an agenda than notenough. That’s what the Chicago ParkDistrict learned in a binding opinionissued April 16 by Attorney GeneralLisa Madigan.

The opinion stated that the ParkDistrict violated the Open MeetingsAct by voting on final actions thatwere not listed on its agenda. TheDistrict argued that it had substantial-ly complied because the items werelisted on committee agendas. Thecommittees meet in the mornings andthe full board votes on committee rec-

ommendations in the afternoon. Thefull board agenda did include a head-ing of “Communications andReports” and a subheading of“Committee on Programs andRecreation.”

The Committee on Programs andRecreation had voted to recommendraising admission fees to two facili-ties. That discussion item was on thecommittee’s agenda.

But under the Open Meetings Act,a committee is a government body inof itself. It takes more than referenc-ing the committee’s agenda for the

Park District to comply with the Acteven when the two meetings tookplace on the same day in the samegeneral area. Madigan’s office recom-mended that the Park District list allof the committee discussion items onits agenda as well. “The Board is notobligated to take up every matter list-ed in its agenda,” wrote MichaelLuke, counsel to the attorney general.

The opinion may be viewed onlinehere: http://foia.ilattorneygeneral.net/pdf/opinions/2013/13-002.pdf

AG issues binding opinion,says Park District violated OMA

Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, right, speaks with IPA Executive Director Dennis DeRossett (center), Bruce Sagan,publisher of the Hyde Park Herald and Sue Walker (partially hidden), general manager of the Hyde Park Herald, behind the backdrop ofan ice sculpture of the IPA logo during the IPA’s Legislative Reception in March.

A year after launching a paid con-tent initiative, the Daily Herald wasnamed one of the fastest growingnewspapers in the country. Accordingto the Alliance for Audited Media —formerly the Audit Bureau ofCirculation — the Daily Heraldranked fifth in audience growth fromSeptember 2011 to September 2012. Inthat time period, the paper's com-bined print and digital audience grewby 13.7 percent, from 820,003 to932,693, according to the Alliance.

"This audience growth recognitioncontinues to reinforce the DailyHerald brand as the leader in theChicago market and in the UnitedStates, and I am convinced it isbecause of the unique suburban-focused content that is so important toour readers," Douglas Ray,Chairman, Publisher and CEO, said.

The Daily Herald was the first inthe Chicago and suburban market inSeptember 2011 to reserve someonline content exclusively for sub-scribers, who also receive access tospecial events and other benefits. TheChicago Sun-Times followed inDecember of that year, and theChicago Tribune announced it wouldbegin charging for online content overthe summer.

•••Author Cindy Reinhardt shared

several local stories and photos fromher recently published book,“Edwardsville Intelligencer: 150Years of Hometown News” at a life-long learning program held at theCenter for Spirituality andSustainability at Southern IllinoisUniversity Edwardsville. The book isfilled with more than 400 photographsand was a year-long project whichfound Reinhardt sifting through morethan one million stories and photospublished by the Intelligencer.

•••Sauk Valley Community College

has a new source for news, sports andentertainment. The Red Tail is thenew, online student newspaper at thecollege. “It’s something we really seeas a way for students to have a voiceas the school and be involved in theschool,” adviser Keith Cameron said.

•••The Education Writers

Association has given a top award toa 2012 Chicago Tribune series thatused internal Chicago attendancedata to reveal a devastating pattern ofschool absences in grades K-8 thatdisproportionately affects African-American youths and children withdisabilities. Chosen from among hun-dreds of submissions across the coun-try, the series won first prize for inves-tigative reporting among large news-papers. It was produced by reportersDavid Jackson and Gary Marx, dataanalyst Alex Richards and photogra-pher Scott Strazzante.

•••Community Media Group of

Illinois has purchased three westernPennsylvania newspapers and relatedpublications. The papers are TheCourier-Express of DuBois, theJeffersonian Democrat of Brookville,and the Leader-Vindicator of NewBethlehem. They were sold to a divi-sion of Community Media Groupbased in West Frankfort, Illinois. Theprivately held Community MediaGroup operates daily and weeklynewspapers and websites inPennsylvania, New York, Indiana,Illinois, Michigan and Iowa.

•••Sun-Times Media, which owns the

Chicago Sun-Times and dozens ofsuburban newspapers, has laid offseveral suburban editors and otherstaffers as it begins to consolidate


Craven law officespringfield, illinois

Craven law officespringfield, illinois

Donald M. Craven • Esther Seitz — Phone 217-544-1777

LIBEL HOTLINE217-544-1777

Free pre-publication advice for members of the Illinois Press Association.

LIBEL HOTLINE217-544-1777

STATELINES —

Daily Herald amongfastest growing papers

April 2013 / Illinois PressLines

operations in its downtown Chicagooffices. There were layoffs at theSouthtownStar, Joliet Herald-News,Merrillville Post-Tribune and AuroraBeacon-News. Timothy Knight, pub-lisher of the Sun-Times and CEO ofthe parent company, Wrapports LLC,said “As part of Sun-Times Media’sdigital first transformation, the com-pany has had to make some very dif-ficult personnel decisions.”

•••The Southern Illinoisan in

Carbondale has made improvementsto its mobile website, including a newformat that gives readers with smart-phones easier and more extensiveaccess to content.

•••The Rochelle News-Leader has

developed a new design and layout ofits tri-weekly publication. News-Leader Publisher John Shank said thenew look isn’t a “major overhaul” ofthe paper, but more an enhanced ver-sion to improve the current modeland give readers an appealing, betterorganized product.

•••A lengthy series of Journal &

Topics Newspapers’ stories thatdetailed numerous problems withinthe Des Plaines Police Department hasbeen named a finalist in the ChicagoHeadline Club’s Peter Lisagor Awardscompetition. Ten of the approximately35 articles on the subject published inthe Journal & Topics were submittedin the contest. They were written byEditor and Publisher Todd Wesselland Political Editor Tom Robb.

•••An investigative series by two

Belleville News-Democrat reportershas won a national journalism awardfor its coverage of the treatment ofdisabled adults in Illinois. The series,by George Pawlaczyk and BethHunsdorfer, placed first in the 2012IRE Awards from the InvestigativeReporters and Editors organization.“The deaths of severely disabledadults being cared for in their ownhomes were not being investigated bythe state agency designed to protectthem,” judges said.

Illinois Petroleum MarketersAssociation/ Illinois Association of

Convenience StoresContact us when you need

the latest information on thepetroleum marketing and

convenience store industry.phone: 217.544.4609

fax: 217.789.0222

CommunityBankers

Associationof Illinois

www.cbai.com

Especially now,BANKING ISSUESAREN’T SIMPLE

Calling CBAI is.

A professional trade association serving nearly 400 Illinois banks and thrifts since 1976.

Illinois Press AssociationGovernment Relations

Legal & LegislativeJosh Sharp, Director

[email protected]

Jordan Powell, Asst. [email protected]

217-241-1300www.illinoispress.org

800-736-2224217-529-2265


FREE Pre-publication HOTLINE

for IPA members only: 217-544-1777

Have a legal question regarding a story?

Ask Attorney Don Craven first.

ADVERTISEIN THIS SPACE

Mike Flesch217-241-1700

You have questions.We have answers.


Kevin Haezebroeck has beennamed regional publisher forGateHouse SouthernIllinois. He replacesJim Murphy, whohas moved toupstate New Yorkfor GateHouse.Haezebroeck wasmost recently withthe Journal RegisterCompany as a senior publisher.

•••Cathy Griffith has been named

managing editor of the EffinghamDaily News. She is a lifelong residentof Effingham and has worked at thepaper for 13 years. Griffith holds abachelor’s degree in journalism fromEastern Illinois University.

•••The Northwest Herald has named

Jason Schaumburg editor. Theappointment was effective March 4.Schaumburg is a former sports editorand managing editor with theNorthwest Herald. Most recently, heserved as executive editor of PioneerPress. Prior to that he served as editorof the Daily Chronicle. He replacesDan McCaleb, who is taking on anexpanded role with Shaw Media.

•••The Courier in Lincoln has hired

Bill Welt as a news reporter. Welt is aDecember graduate of WesternIllinois University.

•••The Canton Daily Ledger has

named Alyse Thompson editor. Sheholds a Bachelor of Arts degree inSpanish and journalism from WesternIllinois University. Thompson is anative of the Chicago suburbs.

•••Patti Welander has been named

editor of the Gibson City Courier. Shereplaces Doris Benter, who is retiringafter 30 years. Welander is a native ofDeKalb and has been a freelance

writer for The Pantagraph inBloomington for nine years. She holdsa degree in marketing from theUniversity of Illinois.

•••Amy Morgan of Keokuk has joined

the Hancock County Journal-Pilotstaff as advertising sales representa-tive. Most recently she was assistantoperations manager/logistics at theWal-Mart in Keokuk.

•••Carla Spotser has been promoted

to general manager of the CantonDaily Ledger and the Pekin DailyTimes. The announcement was madeby Tony Scott, senior group publisher,Illinois Community Division, forGateHouse Media.

•••The owners of The Beacon-News

and the Chicago Sun-Times are start-ing a video news network whoseinaugural feature will be hosted by ajournalist long familiar to televisionviewers and the papers’ readers.Carol Marin will anchor “The MarinReport,” a 90-second show that willappear at noon Monday throughFriday at SunTimes.com. It will be thefirst venture of a new unit of Sun-Times owner Wrapports LLC that willproduce multimedia videos that drawon the paper’s content.

•••Joey Luecke joined the sales staff of

the Daily Republican Register. A Mt.Carmel native, he is a graduate ofWabash Valley College.

•••Kate N. Grossman, deputy editori-

al page editor of the Chicago Sun-Times, won the Education WritersAssociation’s first-place nationalaward for opinion writing. Grossmanwas honored for work in 2012, a par-ticularly turbulent year in educationin Chicago.

•••Tribune Co. has moved Kathy

Thomson, president and chief operat-ing officer of the Los Angeles Times,to the newly created position of chiefoperating officer of TribunePublishing. She will spearhead theexpansion of digital products andservices across all Tribune Co. news-papers while continuing to overseethe Times.

•••Annie Getsinger joined the Daily

Register reporting staff in Portage,Wis. She previously was health

reporter at the Herald & Review inDecatur.

•••South County Publications in

Auburn has added a new outdoorwriter to its lineup of features. MikeRoux, an award-winning and well-known outdoor writer, will share hisinsights into the outdoors with read-ers of the publications. Roux says hisweekly column “focuses on fishing,hunting, boating, camping and allother outdoor activities.”

Haezebroeck

Haezebroeck is GH regional publisherPRESS PEOPLE —

By Ed HenningerYears ago, a client publisher boast-

ed that his classifieds section was sec-ond only to the big area mall in thenumber of customers per month.

Yes, there’s been some downturn inclassifieds lineage, but classifieds arevery much an important part of ourrevenue stream—and the classifiedssection requires the same level ofdesign attention as other pages andpackages in your newspaper.

Some elements to check:THE HEADER: Is it uncluttered, or

are you trying to put too much there?How about clip art, bursts and thelike? Too many elements make a clas-sifieds header unappealing—andmake your paper appear less profes-sional. One element you don’t want toleave out: Your phone number. Give itprominent placement in the header

and make sure you use it largeenough, 24 point at the smallest. Yourphone number is the front door toyour classifieds store. If you want peo-ple to advertise in the classifieds, makeit easy for them to get to you!

NUMBER OF COLUMNS: Ifyou’re charging by the word, columnwidth doesn’t really make a differencein revenue. So you can use sixcolumns, a width that makes classi-fieds easier to read. If you charge bythe line, narrower columns createmore revenue. Still, I wouldn’t go tomore than eight or nine columns.Anything narrower can torture thetype.

TYPOGRAPHY: Ah…here’s thekey to success in classifieds! If you canget the type right, you’ll have a classi-fieds section that advertisers will behappy to support—and readers will be

happy to browse through at length.Items to consider include:

Font: Go for a clean, legible sansserif. Helvetica or Arial will work verywell. Though I would not recommendeither for use elsewhere in your paper,they are highly legible for classifieds.

Size: You really don’t need to go anylarger than 8 point—if you’re usingthat good sans serif font.

Spacing: You can keep classifiedstight. Spacing need be no more than8.5 to 9 points.

Set: If your columns are wideenough, it’s OK to set classifieds justi-fied. But squeezing classifieds intonarrow columns (as in the illustration)and setting them justified creates wordspacing that makes you look careless.Consider going to flush left instead.I’ve seen some classifieds set centeredbut they’re just tough to read.

IN-COLUMN LABELS: Avoid thetemptation to use reverses here. Sure,they stand out better…but they canalso be so strong that they becomemore of a stumbling block than a step-ping stone to easy reading. Instead,just try a bold rule above and below oran Oxford rule border. If you must usea reverse, try screening it back to 40 or50 percent black. One last point: If youcan, rid yourself of the numbers here,like “501-To Rent” or “333-Pets.” Thenumbers usually mean nothing toreaders and can create confusion—especially if they’re out of sequence.

RULES: It’s a good idea to run ahorizontal rule between your classi-fied ads, to help separate them. Theseneed be no more than .5 points wide,unless your advertiser pays an upsellfee for something heavier. And, if yourgutters are narrow, consider running.5-point rules there, too.

BORDERS: If an advertiser is will-ing to pay a premium for a special bor-der, then go ahead and sell it! But let’skeep the options to a few.Puhleeze…no autumn leaves or littlecutesy bunny rabbits!

COLOR: If you have color availablethroughout your classifieds section,it’s a sure way to upsell your advertis-ers. Be careful, again, to control theoptions. You don’t want your classi-fieds pages to look like a hodgepodgeof every color in the rainbow.

Design is important to every pagein your newspaper. Take care to bringinformed design thinking to your clas-sifieds section, too!

Ed Henninger is an independentnewspaper consultant and theDirector of Henninger Consulting.Offering comprehensive newspaperdesign services including redesigns,workshops, staff training and evalu-ations. E-mail: [email protected]. On the web: henninger-consulting.com. Phone: 803-327-3322. He also will present at theIPA’s Convention in June.


Classifieds deserve design attention


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The Illinois newspaper delegation met withofficials in Washington, D.C., last month todiscuss postal issues. Pictured from leftare Jerry Reppert, Anna Gazette-Democratand president of the Illinois PressFoundation; Dennis DeRossett, executivedirector of the IPA; Cong. John Shimkus,R-Collinsville; John Galer, The Journal-News, Hillsboro, and president of the IPA;and Jeff Farren, Kendall County Record,Yorkville, and regional representative tothe National Newspaper Association’sboard of directors.

Illinois newspapers deliver postal message in D.C.

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The IPA is proud to have Caroline Little as keynote speaker on Friday beforethe awards luncheon. Caroline is president and CEO of the NewspaperAssociation of America. She is a seasoned newspaper executive who has ledinnovative digital publishing companies. Her previous positions include publisher and CEO of Washington Post Newsweek Interactive and CEO of TheGuardian’s U.S. operations. She has an extensive law background and wasgeneral counsel for U.S. News & World Report, The Atlantic Monthly and FastCompany. Based in Washington, D.C., NAA has nearly 2,000 members in theU.S. and Canada.

Caroline Little — Friday Keynote

Mark Potts, VP of content at The World Company and Lawrence Journal-World,is a leader in development of innovative strategies and products online and in

print. The Journal-World was named one of “10 Newspapers That Do It Right” byEditor & Publisher in 2013. Mark, who presents Friday morning, created one ofthe first electronic news prototypes and then co-founded The Washington Post

Co.’s digital division. Formerly a reporter and editor at The Washington Post,Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Examiner and the Associated Press, he is the co-

author of two business books, The Leading Edge and Dirty Money.

Mark Potts — Doing It Right Online & In Print

Stephanie Zimmermann joined the Brian Ross investigative unit at ABCNews in December 2012 to create a national consumer-help column — “TheABC News Fixer” — and to contribute consumer stories to a new primetime“Nightline” show. She is based in Chicago. She previously was an editor andreporter at the Chicago Sun-Times. As a reporter, her investigations includ-ed uncovering widespread fraud in Chicago’s residential disabled parking pro-gram, toxic levels of lead in children’s jewelry, and glaring deficiencies in pros-ecutions of repeat domestic violence offenders. She is the Illinois AssociatedPress Editors Association’s keynote speaker on Thursday.

Stephanie Zimmerman — IAPEA Keynote

Ed Henninger is a leading newspaper design consultant. He redesigned TheJournal in Tupelo, Miss., The Daily Times in Maryville, Tenn. and the San

Francisco Catholic in San Francisco. Newspapers he has designed have won numerous awards including Best Community Newspaper by the National

Newspaper Association. He recently created a grant program to help newspapers with limited resources afford professional design. On Thursday

morning, he will present a session titled “Advertising — License to printmoney.” Thursday afternoon, he presents “Noticing public notices.”

Ed Henninger — Design expert

By John GalerIf your calendar is blank June 12-14, then you and your

staff should make plans to attend the 2013 annual IllinoisPress Association convention.

Why, you ask? DavidLetterman, I'm not (although weboth seem to be up late), buthere's a list of the top ten reasonswhy you shouldn't miss thisyear's convention.

10. Networking - Here's yourchance to meet other members ofthe working press from all overthe state of Illinois. It's a greatopportunity to share ideas andget to know fellow IPA members.

9. Prizes - Think you'veearned some braggin' rights this year? Then attend theadvertising or editorial awards luncheon to see who's takinghome this year's top awards.

8. Seminars - Each year the IPA staff gathers some of thetop journalism speakers to share their know-how andinspire your staff.

7. Vendors - Want to know the latest from some of the topservices offered to newspapers? Then make sure to stop bythe vendor booths at this year's convention.

6. Dessert - Satisfy that sweet tooth with decadent treatsat the annual dessert auction on Thursday. The best part? Allproceeds go to fund scholarships for journalism students.

5. Ideas - The convention always features an exhibit withall the award winning newspapers, and it's a great chance to"steal" some ideas to take home with you. After all, imitationis the highest form of flattery!

4. Springfield - Since the convention is hosted each year inthe state capital, it's a great chance to see some of the historicLincoln sites including the Presidential Museum.

3. Meet the Prez - Want your chance to share yourthoughts and concerns about the IPA with the head honcho?I'll be on hand throughout the convention for any of yourconcerns.

2. Play Hooky - Convention offers the perfect excuse toget out of the office for a few days.

1. And the number one reason you should attend thisyear's IPA convention is because everyone else is alreadyplanning to be there. Don't be left out – make your reserva-tions today!

John Galer is publisher of The Journal-News in Hillsboroand is president of the Illinois Press Association. He can bereached at [email protected].

John Galer

10 reasons to attend IPA convention

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Joe DeBiak opens the convention as Thursday’s Keynote Speaker. He is theCEO and founder of the Center for Advertising Effectiveness and presenter ofthe nation’s number one print and web advertising strategies. These researched, tested, and scientific strategies are brought to life throughJoe’s dynamic workshop that teaches advertising representatives, man-agers, artists and advertisers how to get instant results from their printand digital advertising. This digital-growth workshop will also introduce a potential new revenue stream to publishers. He will also speak Thursdayafternoon on “How to build ads that get response (and fix the bad ones).”

Joe DeBiak — Growing Digital Ad Revenue

Three years ago, only a handful of newspapers charged for access to onlinecontent. Now, half the dailies in the country have launched pay models, andweeklies are following suit. What are the emerging best practices? What dopublishers need to know about pricing and establishing a paid model? What’sthe best strategy to fit your newspaper and your audience? Mike Jenner isthe Houston Harte Endowed Chair at the Reynolds Journalism Institute, University of Missouri. His research, which he will discuss Friday morning, focuses on best industry practices, opportunities presented by new technology and new revenue models, with a particular focus on paid content.

Mike Jenner — Paid Content Q & A

That’s My Idea — Tom Zalabak & Tim EvansThe dynamic duo is back to moderate That’s My Idea, a popular ses-sion on Thursday afternoon. This interactive session gives partici-pants a chance to share and discuss great advertising ideas, projectsand revenue generators that worked well for your newspaper whilepicking up new ideas to implement when you get home. Bring an idea to share and be eligible to win gift cards worth $100.

Bring your appetite and bring your wallet for the annualIllinois Press Foundation Dessert Auction. Pool your resources with others at your table to outbid othertables. Proceeds benefit journalism scholarships.

Annual dessert auction

Exhibits open throughout conventionRegister online at www.illinoispress.org/Convention using PayPal™

Watch for June edition of Illinois PressLines for convention photos/coverageQuestions? Call Barry Locher or Lynne Lance at 217-241-1300

Hotel information

Crowne Plaza Hotel 3000 South Dirksen Parkway

Springfield, Illinois 62703(217) 529-7777

$125/room +12% taxAsk for the IPA/IPF Room Block

Holiday Inn Express3050 South Dirksen Parkway

Springfield, Illinois 62704(217) 529-7771

$91/room + 12%taxAsk for the IPA/IPF Room Block

Two hotels side-by-side for your convenience. Both hotels are locat-ed off Interstate 55, exit 94 (Stevenson Drive). Additional infor-mation online at www.illinoispress.org/Convention.

Check-in time is after 4:00 p.m. and check-out time is 11:00 a.m.Guests arriving before 4:00 p.m. will be accommodated as roomsbecome available. Rooms occupied beyond 11:00 a.m. are subjectto one-half the daily rate, until 6:00 p.m., after which the full rateapplies.

Other important convention event times and dates

Early Bird DeadlineMay 17

Registration Desk Open3 p.m. Wednesday, June 12; Opens 8 a.m. Thursday & Friday

Opening Reception6 p.m. Wednesday, June 12

IPF Board meeting9:30 a.m. Thursday, June 13

Advertising Awards11:45 a.m. Thursday, June 13

IPA Board meeting2:15 p.m. Thursday, June 13

Presidents’ Reception 6 p.m. Thursday, June 13

IAPEA Awards7:15 p.m. Thursday, June 13

IPA Annual Business Meeting7:30 a.m. Friday, June 14

IPA Editorial AwardsNoon Friday, June 14

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This installment of the FoundationReport is turned over to Rachel Rodgers,the IPF’s recipient of a Foundation fel-lowship award to attend a NationalNewspaper Association function inWashington, D.C.

By Rachel RodgersOver the course of four days, my

face ached with a sinus infection, asizeable blister protruded from myheel, frustration peaked with theSpringfield airport losing my suitcaseand overall exhaustion eruptedthrough me, but none of that mat-tered.

The journey that led to thoseminute inconveniences was one thatwill never be far from my thoughts.

From March 13 to March 16, I hadthe opportunity to participate in theNational Newspaper AssociationFoundation pilot project on news lit-eracy in Washington D.C. to cover fac-tors that have shaped public opinionon gun control legislation.

Without the generous sponsorshipby the Illinois Press AssociationFoundation, I would not have beenable to even entertain the idea ofbeing a part of such a program.

I was one of five student journalistsin the country to participate in theprogram, the others being KelseyKent of the University of Georgia,Emily Roland of the University ofMississippi, Asha Anchan of theUniversity of Nebraska and DanielYoung of Valdosta State University.

Our mission was to venture toCapitol Hill and reach out toCongressmen and Senators to assessthe political climate of gun controllegislation and its presence in ourstates.

We split up and got a taste of whatpolitical reporters go through on a

daily basis, traveling through theunderbelly of our nation’s govern-ment to House and Senate offices andworking out the channels we had togo through.

However, we were not alone whilestriving to gather more insight on theissue.

Throughout the trip, a select fewseasoned journalists accompanied usand served as our mentors.

The mentors consisted of MarkMagyar, a veteran New JerseyStatehouse reporter and professor atRutgers University; Stan Schwartz,the senior editor and communicationsdirector for the NNA; and DougAnstaett, the executive director of theKansas Press Association.

Their knowledge and advice couldnot have been more helpful. LizParker, the president of the NNAF,and Allen Beermann, the executivedirector of the Nebraska PressAssociation, also played integral rolesin our time in D.C.

With constant schedule changes tothe program, we had difficulty settingup interviews in advance, but person-ally going from office to office had itsadvantages.

In addition to our interviews atCapitol Hill, we had a news briefingwith two members of Vice PresidentJoe Biden’s staff and an interview

with Steve Crabtree, the senior editorand research analyst of Gallup.

The reporting opportunities wewere afforded resulted in incrediblyvaluable information for our articles,but the program offered us muchmore than that.

As a guest at the NNA “We Believein Newspapers” dinner, not only didI meet journalists from across thecountry, but I was able to interactwith a few welcoming Illinois profes-sionals like Jerry Reppert, DennisDeRossett and John Galer, updatingthem on my progress and hearingsome fantastic stories.

One of the peaks of the programfor me was during lunch at the top ofthe Newseum where we had anearnest discussion on the future ofjournalism, a topic I could not feelmore strongly about.

Newseum CEO Jim Duff hosted usalong with Jan Neuharth and her hus-band Joseph Keusch.

Even though most facets of jour-nalism, especially newspapers, arefaced with hard times and difficultdecisions, we are far from seeing thelast days of the journalist.

If anything, journalism is growingwith new opportunities and avenuesto serve the public and satiate itshunger for truthful information.

When I hear talk of how printmedia is dying, I can’t help but smileat the ridiculousness of such a notion.New challenges will always arise, butthat is part of why people strive to bejournalists, being able to face a differ-ent set of challenges each day.

The program reinforced my confi-dence in pursuing a career in journal-ism, and I can’t think of anythingthat would be more satisfying toaspire to.

Rachel Rodgers is editor-in-chiefof The Daily Eastern News at EasternIllinois University, Charleston.

Page 6I liinosnr PLerr/noer A p2Lni 0163

Trip to nation’s capital reaffirms student’s interest in journalism

FOUNDATIONREPORTBarry [email protected]

JOURNALISM STUDENTS (from left) Asha Anchan (University of Nebraska), KelseyKent (University of Georgia), Daniel Young (Valdosta State University), Rachel Rodgers(Eastern Illinois University) and Emily Roland (University of Mississippi) stand in front ofCapitol Hill on their way to the Newseum March 14.


Florence ArsentyFlorence C. Arsenty, 95, Harvard,

died April 5. For 42 years, Mrs.Arsenty worked for the Crystal LakeHerald, which later became theNorthwest Herald, Crystal Lake. Shestarted as a Linotype operator andthen moved to ad design.

Sheridan BaileySheridan Bailey, 82, Coal City, died

March 29. Mr. Bailey was the formerowner of Bailey Printing andPublishing and served as editor andpublisher of The Coal City Courant,The Braidwood Journal, TheWilmington Advocate and Good NewsShopper until his retirement in 1997.

Stephen BarclayStephen Barclay, 66, Peoria, died

March 25. Mr. Barclay worked at thePeoria Journal Star for over 30 years.

Janet BennettJanet Lichtenwalner Covert Bennett,

83, Rockford, died March 10. She onceworked in the circulation departmentat the Rockford Register Star.

Noreen BiermanNoreen Bierman, 60, Centralia,

died March 23. She worked for theCentralia Sentinel.

Erma BridgewaterErma Bridgewater, 99, Champaign,

died April 2. Mrs. Bridgewater wasonce employed as a proofreader for theCourier Newspapers, Washington.

Earl CateEarl J. “Jack” Cate, Jr., 73, Aurora,

died February 17. Mr. Cate wasemployed at one time by the AuroraBeacon-News.

IndustryDeaths

Continued next page

Elizabeth CoyElizabeth “Betty” Bock Coy, 95,

Casper, Wy., died December 31.Journalism was her passion. Mrs.Coy was a junior editor of theDaily Illini, Champaign, where sheinterviewed Eleanor Roosevelt.She later became managing editorof the County Review inEffingham.

Marilyn ElliottMarilyn I. Elliott, 83, formerly of

Loda, died April 1. Mrs. Elliott didsecretarial work most of her work-ing years, having worked at thePaxton Record and The News-Gazette, Champaign.

Richard EngelkeRichard A. Engelke, 71, Shattuc,

died March 4. Mr. Engelke workedfor the Advertiser Press PrintingCo. in Collinsville, the BellevilleNews-Democrat, and the Journalsof Southern Illinois in Belleville.

Fern FisherFern Virginia Fisher, 94,

Monticello, died March 17. Mrs.Fisher worked with her husband forseveral years at the DeLandTribune.

Charles FosterCharles E. “Chuck” Foster, 49,

Elmwood, died February 15. Mr.Foster was a newspaper carrier forthe Peoria Journal Star.

Dave GibsonDavid C. “Dave” Gibson, 51,

Kewanee, died March 11. Mr.Gibson was the “Great Outdoors”columnist for the Kewanee Star-Courier since 1995. Fellow writerDave Clarke wrote, “Dave was aman of many talents – a living forceof nature.”

Irenne GiebelhausIrenne F. Giebelhaus, 93, Antioch,

died February 25. Her newspaperwriting career started with the col-umn titled, “Meaningful andRelevant Trivia,” by Irenne Gable.She later served as an editor for theLakeland Press Newspaper. Mrs.Giebelhaus had the opportunity totravel with President Carter to theMiddle East as a reporter.

Gaydeen GilkersonGaydeen J. Gilkerson, 64,

Ottawa, died March 12. She oncedelivered the Ottawa Daily Times.

Tom GriegerTom Grieger, 83, Arlington

Heights, died February 23. Mr.Grieger started with PaddockPublications in 1963 and was direc-tor of photography from 1975 untilhis retirement in 1995. JohnLampinen, senior vice presidentand editor of the Daily Herald, saidthe photography department wasmolded in Grieger’s image. “Herecruited and mentored an award-winning staff. He set high stan-

dards for ethics and photojournalis-tic excellence.”

Mary HerndonMary Elizabeth “Mary Lee”

Herndon, Springfield, died March6. Mrs. Herndon worked at onetime for the Chicago Tribune.

Charles HollandCharles Benjamin Holland, 68,

Centralia, died March 10. Mr.Holland worked for a brief periodas a reporter for the Carlyle UnionBanner.

Michael HutmacherMichael P. Hutmacher, 50,

Rockford, died March 6. Mr.Hutmacher worked for theRockford Register Star since 1997.

Joanne JohnsonJoanne “Josie” Snodgrass

Johnson, 84, Morrison, died January29. Mrs. Johnson was onceemployed by the Whiteside NewsSentinel in Morrison.

Patrick KealeyPatrick Joseph Kealey, 69,

Wonder Lake, died March 15. Mr.Kealey was a photojournalist whodeveloped his love for photographywhile working for the NorthwestHerald, Crystal Lake.

Ralph KemperRalph J. Kemper, 81, Mansfield,

died April 6. Mr. Kemper started asa young man working beside hisfather in the newspaper business,working for many years at TheNews-Gazette, Champaign andGraphic Press, Champaign.

Patricia LauritzenPatricia Lauritzen, 83,

Collinsville, died February 6. In1965, Mrs. Lauritzen started hercareer in the newspaper business asa general reporter for The DoingsNewspaper, Inc., Hinsdale. During

her tenure there she was promotedto managing editor.

Margaret LysenMargaret D. Long Lysen, 94,

Orland Park, died February 28. Mrs.Lysen was the President andPublisher of Southwest MessengerPress Newspapers, Inc.

Ruth McGinnisRuth B. McGinnis, 102, Palos

Park, died April 7. Mrs. McGinnishad been a columnist for TheRegional News in Palos Heightsuntil her retirement in 2010 at age 99.

Morgan NearyMorgan J. Neary, Chicago, died

March 30. Mr. Neary was a long-time employee of the ChicagoTribune.

Ruby SarverRuby M. Sarver, 95, Davenport,

died March 12. Mrs. Sarver was awriter for the “Seams Easy”columns in The Dispatch, Moline.

Richard SchneiderRichard G. “Dick” Schneider, 84,

Peoria, died March 7. Mr. Schneiderretired from the Peoria Journal Starin 1991 after 35 years of service. Hehad overseen an estimated 10,000newspaper carriers.

Robert JohnstenRobert John Johnsten, 96,

Princeton, died February 10. Mr.Johnsten had been editor and pub-lisher of the Alsip Highlights news-paper.

Ellen RidenhowerEllen Mary Ridenhower, 87,

Godfrey, died March 14. She oncewrote columns for the Wood RiverJournal.

Cooper RollowCooper Rollow, 87, Elmhurst, died

Page 8I liinosnr PLerr/noer A p2Lni 0183

Industry Deathscontinued from page 17

Memorial & Recognition bricks area great way to permanently honorthose who have contributed so muchto the newspaper industry. Why notmake your mark this year with abrick to honor a loved one, a mentor,a co-worker or yourself?

FOR INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Barry Locher217-241-1300

[email protected]

March 29. During a 35-year career inthe Chicago Tribune’s sports depart-ment that included eight years as thepaper’s sports editor, Mr. Rollow dis-tinguished himself as an award-win-ning writer with a passion forattending sporting events andrecounting them to readers. “Cooperwas first and foremost a terrificreporter, and he had more fun insports journalism than anybody Iever saw,” retired Tribune pro foot-ball reporter Don Pierson said.

Joseph RuddJoseph “Gene” Rudd, 55, Alton,

died March 14. Mr. Rudd was alongtime mailroom worker at TheTelegraph, Alton.

Lorraine SchultzLorraine M. Schultz, 89, Decatur,

died January 20. Ms. Schultz soldadvertising and subscriptions forthe Decatur Tribune for 20 years.

Patricia SheltonPatricia Shelton, 84, Shreveport,

La., died March 11. Ms. Shelton wasa former fashion editor of theChicago Sun-Times and theChicago Daily News.

Russell ShermanRussell L. “Rusty” Sherman, 92,

Ottawa, died March 6. Mr. Shermanworked for The Times Newspaper,Ottawa, for four years.

Miriam SiefkenMiriam F. Siefken, 89, Morrison,

died March 23. Mrs. Siefken wasemployed by the Whiteside NewsSentinel in Morrison.

Hubert SmithHubert Calvin “Hubie” Smith,

75, Springfield, died March 31.After serving two years in theUnited States Navy, Mr. Smithapprenticed at the Lincoln Courierfor typesetting. He worked for TheState Journal-Register inSpringfield for 34 years in the com-posing room.

Mario SorrentinoMario S. Sorrentino, 80, Loves

Park, died February 6. Mr.

Sorrentino once worked as a press-man for the Rockford Register Star.

C.L. ThompsonC.L. Thompson, 92, Rockford, died

April 4. He was employed as a type-setter in the composing room of theRockford Register Star for 25 years.

Anna TudorAnna S. Tudor, 96, Watseka, died

March 31. Mrs. Tudor once workedfor the Daily Times, Watseka.

Francis WoodrumFrancis Mae Woodrum, 80,

Normal, died March 21. Mrs.Woodrum wrote “Gotta Go FindChristmas,” which was publishedas a December serial in thePantagraph, Bloomington.


Chicago Sun-Times film critic andmedia legend Roger Ebert died April4 at the age of 70.

“Roger Ebert was an icon of ourindustry,” said Dennis DeRossett,executive director of the Illinois PressAssociation. “Throughout his longand difficult illness, he remained aninspiration to others. But long beforehe became an emblem of graciousperseverance, he was well respectedfor his craft as evidenced by hisPulitzer Prize, journalism’s highestAmerican honor. We salute him andoffer our condolences to his familyand fans.”

Mr. Ebert began his career at theage of 15 at The News-Gazette inChampaign. Tom Kacich, a News-Gazette editor, said Mr. Ebert “wasan extraordinary talent” at thatyoung age. “By the summer of 1959— between his junior and senioryears of high school — the kid wascovering stories that college gradu-

ates twice his age normally wouldhave written.”

Mr. Ebert eventually became afilm critic for the Chicago Sun-Timesand teamed up with Chicago Tribunecritic the late Gene Siskel for a broad-cast film review program that pro-pelled the pair to national fame.They trademarked their signature“two thumbs up” gesture.

Mr. Ebert was the first film critic toearn a Pulitzer Prize and also wasawarded a star on the HollywoodWalk of Fame. In Chicago, he wonseveral Peter Lisagor awards andwas inducted into the ChicagoJournalism Hall of Fame. Hereviewed movies for the Sun-Timesfor 46 years and on television for 31years.

When cancer left his face disfig-ured, Mr. Ebert insisted on returningto broadcast work and also wroteabout his illness and publishedunflattering photographs of himself.

“I ain’t a pretty boy no more,” hewrote in 2007, paraphrasing a linefrom the movie Raging Bull. “Wespend too much time hiding illness.There is an assumption that I mustalways look the same. I hope to lookbetter than I look now. But I’m notgoing to miss my Festival,” he wrote,referring to what is commonlyknown as EbertFest in Urbana.

Dann Gire, a film critic for theDaily Herald in Arlington Heights,noted that Mr. Ebert was “utterlyfearless” in this regard. “(He) bat-tered down a dark door of social per-ception so that others less confidentabout their physical afflictions mightfeel more accepted in public.”

Gire said Mr. Ebert demonstratedthat same fearlessness in fighting forthe rank-and-file employees at thenewspaper. “Here was the Sun-Times employee with the most tolose, yet Ebert became the first tojump into the trenches …”

Mr. Ebert wrote 17 books and acontroversial screenplay (Beyond theValley of the Dolls). His autobiogra-phy is being made into a movie bydirector Martin Scorsese.

Ebert

Legendary film critic Ebert was‘emblem of gracious perseverance’

Questions? Contact executive editor Lisa Glowinski at 630-348-3350 or [email protected].

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