Also in this issue: Tribune Publishing shareholder files law suit against board; Community newspapers are growing stronger; Dispute over iconic Babe Ruth photo ends
Issue: #382
June 3, 2016
Freeman building in Kingston for sale; newspaper operation to continue
From Politico.com - The Daily Freeman building, which the newspaper has occupied for more than four decades, is up for sale.

Freeman Publisher Robert O'Leary said Thursday that the newspaper would continue its daily output of news and advertising, both in print and digital formats, regardless of where employees end up locally.

"We will continue to deliver the news that is important to our readers every day," said O'Leary, who added that the Freeman is healthy. "By every metric, the Daily Freeman is thriving," O'Leary said. More    
Last chance to register for full conference or breakout tracks 

There is still time to register for the Ninth Annual Sales & Marketing Joint Conference of NYNAME and NYSCMA, Inc.!

Set for June 12-14 at the Gideon Putnam in Saratoga Springs, the annual conference features a long list of valuable speakers and topics aimed at improving advertising sales and circulation at your newspaper.

Joint sessions include The Schenectady Gazette's host paper panel, Ross Levi from Empire State Development (the "I Love NY" campaign) and David Chavern, President of the Newspaper Association of America.

Advertising breakout topics include Monetizing Google Grants, Hosting Events for Revenue, Hiring/Onboarding New Reps, Developing a Competitive Multi-Media Advantage, Advanced Social Media Bootcamp, Time is the Currency of Achievement, and the Innovative Ideas and Tips from the Trenches discussions.

Circulation breakout topics include the RouteSmart presentation, Alliance for Audited Media update, and 10 Rules for Retaining Customers, plus roundtable discussions on Audit Verification, New Revenue Streams and Digital Growth Opportunities.

Attendees may register for the full conference at a rate of $175 (includes all meetings, meals, receptions and breaks), or for any of three available Breakout Tracks (advertising managers, ad sales reps, or circulation - all including lunch) for just $75!

Additionally, both NYNAME and NYSCMA, Inc. have extended their registration specials, which allow members of each organization to bring additional attendees at the reduced full conference cost of just $125 - a savings of $50 per additional attendee.

Please click here for the full conference agenda, or visit www.nynewspaperconference.com for registration, hotel reservations and additional information.
Tribune Publishing Shareholder Files Lawsuit Against Board

From WSJ.com - A Tribune Publishing Co. shareholder has filed a lawsuit against the company, accusing its board of breaching its fiduciary duty by selling a large stake to a new investor and creating another barrier to Gannett Co.'s unsolicited takeover attempt.

The shareholder, Capital Structures Realty Advisors LLC, filed the derivative lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court against Chairman Michael W. Ferro Jr. and the rest of the Tribune board, seeking to block the sale of an almost 13% stake in Tribune to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. Last week, Tribune agreed to issue shares to Dr. Soon-Shiong for $15 a share, diluting other shareholders while simultaneously rejecting a takeover offer from Gannett at the same price.

The suit charged that the deal, which also gave Dr. Soon-Shiong a board seat, was done to entrench the control of the board in Mr. Ferro's hands. Dr. Soon-Shiong was named as a defendant for allegedly assisting in the directors' breach of fiduciary duties. More
 
Despite 'Doom and Gloom,' Community Newspapers are Growing Stronger

Messerly
From Editor & Publisher - Small, community newspapers across the country are not just surviving, but-in many cases-actually thriving. Many of them have managed to dodge the layoffs and downsizing that larger papers have had to face.
 
Chip Hutcheson, president of the National Newspaper Association (which represents more than 2,100 community newspaper companies), said, "You don't hear about community papers going out of business. It's not the doom and gloom that major market papers face. At a recent press association meeting, I met several people who say they started a (small) paper two or three years ago. I started one in 2008. Weekly and small dailies are faring better than our major counterparts."

E&P spoke with several of these successful community papers to find out how they've navigated through the storms.  One person profiled included NYNPA member, Michael Messerly. 

Michael Messerly, publisher of Batavia Newspapers Corp., which puts together The Daily News in Batavia, N.Y. (circulation 10,000) said, "Our ROP revenue was up 30.1 percent over the previous year, without raising rates. Through the first quarter of this year, we're again outpacing last year by more than 30 percent. So, yeah, print is still doing well for us." More   

Babe Ruth Image
On June 13, 1948 a frail and dying Babe Ruth stood in uniform with shoulders slumped, holding a hat and bat, by himself near home plate to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Yankee Stadium.

While most photographers lined up along the first-base line, adjacent to an All-Star cast of Yankee greats, the New York Herald Tribune's Nat Fein rolled the dice - and won the Pulitzer Prize.

He stood right behind the Bambino at a sold-out "House that Ruth Built" and snapped an iconic photo, perhaps "the most famous non-action sports photo of all time." The weather was crummy, the skies overcast, and Ruth would die two months later. The photo endures.

And, now, after settlement of a legal dispute between The New York Times and Fein's estate, the paper will own rights to the photo (and 350 others by Fein) while the estate can benefit from its sale to sports fans and others via The New York Times Store. More

From WAMC.org and AP - New York's inspector general has criticized a Board of Elections spokesman for releasing an investigative report about New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to a newspaper.

That report said prosecutors should open a criminal investigation, now under way, into whether a 2014 fundraising effort for Democratic state Senate candidates improperly skirted campaign finance limits by routing large contributions through county political committees. De Blasio has denied any wrongdoing, saying they followed the law and his team has been unfairly singled out for a common practice.

Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott said Tuesday that John Conklin, elections board director of public information, acknowledged giving the investigative documents to the New York Daily News even though they were labeled "privileged and confidential." Calls to the board and Conklin weren't immediately returned.
UPCOMING WEBINARS AND EVENTS

 


6/23 - Watchdog Reporting for all Newsrooms - Online Media Campus - $35

6/24 - Best Practices for Digital Planning - Online Media Campus - $35 
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6/12-6/14 - Ninth Annual Sales & Marketing Joint Conference, Saratoga Springs - NYNAME/NYSCMA, Inc. - $175/$125

7/20 - NYNPA Awards for Excellence Banquet - The State Room, Albany - $40 
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In a New York Minute is the weekly electronic newsletter of  NYNPA, providing you with member news, money-saving and money-generating ideas, and upcoming events. If you would like to contribute to this newsletter please reply to this e-mail or contact [email protected]. For more on NYNPA please visit us on the web at www.nynpa.com.
 
Mary Miller
Education Services Director
New York News Publishers Association
New York News Publishers Association | 518-449-1667| www.nynpa.com

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