| May 2001 |
Page 1
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Delaware Telemarketing Bill Down, But Not Out
A bill that would set up a statewide "do-not-call" list for telemarketers in
Delaware was tabled May 3 following a 2 1/2 hour debate in the state Senate. But the
bill's sponsor, Senate Majority Whip Robert I. Marshall, vowed to bring the measure back
for consideration later in the month. |
Postal Rates to Increase July 1
The Postal Board of Governors voted May 8 to raise postal rates on July 1. The higher
ounces of first class are increasing by two cents and postcards by one cent. |
| Page 2 |
Court Records Task
Force Holds Organizational Meeting
The expanded court records task force addressing the issue of public access to Maryland
court records held an organizational meeting at the end of April. |
Joint FOI Training
Set for May 24
Maryland's Sunshine Laws will be the focus of a May 24 Freedom of Information Training
Workshop for both press and government at The Baltimore Sun. |
Maryland Campuses
Quiet About Ad
An advertisemnet opposing reparations for slavery that has caused upheavals on campuses
across the country ran in Maryland student newspapers without much fuss. |
| Page 3 |
New Member,
Officers of Board of Directors
The MDDC Board of Directors at its April 27 meeteing nominated a new director and voted
two other into positions of leadership as officers of the association. |
Profile:
Jeff Mezzatesta
Jeff's entire newspaper career has kept him at the
Cecil Whig, where he started as a reporter in 1980. He's been managing editor, circulation
manager, was named general manager in 1988 and saw the Whig through weekly-t0-twice-weekly
and then to daily conversions. He became the Whig's ninth publisher in 1997 and is vice
president of Chesapeake Publishing's Upper Shore Division. Jeff serves as vice president
of the MDDC Board of Directors. |
| Page 4 |
Circulation Claiming Exceptional Dispatch DIscounts
Can Add Up for Your Paper
A new work-sharing discount took effect with the January postal rate changes. If you use
exceptional dispatch to enhance the delivery of your local newspapers and your pieces
qualify, then you should take advantace of the discount. |
FAS-FAX Includes
Reader Profile Info
March 2001 marked the first Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) FAS-FAX report to
incorporate Reader Profile information. |
| Page 5 |
Legal Anecdotes Weaken "Opinion" Defense in D.C.
Libel Case
Paul Weyrich, a founder of the conservative Heritage Foundation, filed a libel case
against The New Republic magazine that was dismissed by the federal trial court after
finding that the material in question was opinion, thus incapable of being defamatory. |
Maryland
to Pay Post's Legal Fees
The Maryland Board of Public Works has approved a request to pay The Washington
Post $140,000 for attorneys' fees arising out of The Post's suit for access to the
governor's phone and appointment records. |
| Page 6 |
Advertising Awards and Creative Workshop are
Highlights of Advertising Day
The best in newspaper advertising in the MDDC region was honored at the recent Advertising
Day at the Hunt Valley Inn where more than 300 awards were presented to advertising
executives and designers. |
| Page 7 |
Family-owned
Papers Join Forces
Nine family-owned newspaper companies have formed a joint venture to pool resources to buy
small newspapers and give other family publishers an option besides selling to major
national groups. |
Producer/Publisher
Newsprint Standoff
Newsprint markets which were strong for much of 2000 have peaked and now appear set for a
period of steady decline. Despite this, the fate of the March newsprint price hike remains
unclear with the producer/publisher stand-off continuing. Producers, particularly the two
largest, Bowater and Abitibi, with hopes of demonstrating that consolidation pays off, are
determined to implement the full $50/ton increase while buyers from major dailies, buoyed
by their own recent consolidation, are increasingly entrenched against any increase at
all. Let me try to provide some insight into this struggle. |
| Page 8 |
Carroll
County Commissioners in Violation of Open Meetings Laws
The Open Meetings Compliance Board found the Carroll County Commissioners in violatino of
Maryland's Open Meetings Law in a May 8 decision. |
Circulation
Numbers Continue to Decline
Recently release figures indicate a decline in newspaper readership and circulation, but
the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) finds readership is still high. |
Top
Journalism Teachers Sought for Awards
Do you know a teacher whose students' work consistently shines with quality reporting and
editing? If so, encourage that teacher to apply to the 2001 National High School
Journalism Teacher Awards Program sponsored by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund. |
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