| NEWS BRIEFS |
| AP Bureau to get New Chief |
| The new Associated Press bureau chief for Maryland and Delaware had not been named
at press time, following the departure of Fran Mears earlier this month to become managing
editor for Gannett News Service. Mears had been chief of the Baltimore Bureau since 1997, after working for the Associated Press on and off since 1982. She was a general assignment reporter, legislative reporter and news editor in Indianapolis before becoming assistant bureau chief in Kansas City in 1992. |
Times Mirror Sale to Tribune Finalized |
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The purchase of the Times Mirror Co. by the Tribune Co. was
overwhelmingly approved by shareholders in June creating the largest-ever newspaper transaction and completing the transaction that began earlier this year. The deal gives the Tribune Co. a nationwide media presence including The Baltimore Sun, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, 22 television stations and several Internet news sites. In addition to The Sun, the 17 weekly papers constituting the Baltimore Sun Community Newspapers, are involved in the sale. The merger announced March 13, created the third-largest U.S. newspaper company in terms of daily circulation, trailing Gannett Co. and Knight Ridder. Only 1.5 percent of Tribune shareholders voted against the deal. According to Times Mirror, 85.4 percent of its eligible voters favored the takeover. |
NNA Seeks Papers Support for |
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The National Newspaper Association is seeking contributions to
support its participation in the current postal rate case. The U.S. Postal Service has proposed to raise in-county periodical rates at least 10% and out-of-county rates 15%. The proposal currently is being reviewed by the Postal Rate Commission. NNA is participating in this case on behalf of newspapers that use the Postal Service as a delivery channel and has budgeted $100,000 for the case. The Postal Service has indicated that it may begin submitting postal increases every two years and continuing involvement by NNA will only mean more money is needed. To ensure that there are sufficient funds for this rate case and establish an account to support future cases, NNA is seeking assistance from newspapers for the first time since 1994. For additional information on this issue and to find out how to contribute contact Senny Boone, NNA’s vice president of government relations and general counsel, at (703) 907-7930. |
Survey Shows Papers Moving to Smaller Page Size |
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The Newspaper Association of America reported in June that a
recent survey shows a number of newspapers are moving or have already made the move to a
smaller page size. Among the 516 papers that responded to the survey, 24.6% said they already have converted to a narrower web width, and 25.5% are in the process of converting. Another 23% are considering or evaluating their need for a 12 ½ inch broadsheet page, while 25.8% said they would not make the change. Survey results and a list of newspapers in each category are posted on the NAA Web site at www.naa.org/technology/pressweb/index.html. |
Seed Grants to Help High School Newspapers |
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Three high schools in the MDDC region have received
Student-Newspaper Partnership grants as part of the Newspaper Association of America (NAA)
Foundation program. Benjamin Banneker Academic High School and Duke Ellington School for the Arts in Washington DC and The Washington Post is one partnership that received funding. The other group includes Central High School in Capitol Heights, MD, the Maryland Scholastic Press Association in College Park, and The Washington Post Young Journalist Development Project. The schools will receive $2,500 in "seed money" to establish or stabilize school newspapers where needed. Partnerships include the high school, professional newspapers and in some cases colleges and universities. Additional funds from the Open Society Institute made it possible for NAA to double the number of schools receiving grants to 40. |