Here's a copy of the agenda for Monday night's council meeting:
WARSAW COMMON COUNCIL
February 2, 2009
7:00 PM
I. ORGANIZATION OF MEETING
1. Call to Order
2. Invocation
3. Pledge of Allegiance
4. Approval of Minutes for: January 20, 2009
II. RECOGNITION OF VISITORS
III. REPORTS / ORAL & WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
1. 2009 Board & Commission Members
2. Warsaw Airport: 2008 Fuel Usage Report
3. Building Dept: 2008 Building Permit Summary
4. Police Dept: Central Dispatch 2008 Report
5. Police Dept: WPD 2008 Activity Analysis
6. New Life Christian Church / Greater Warsaw Ministerial Association /
Salvation Army: Update on Project Refuge & Food Pantry
7. Legislative Services Agency - Info RE: Property Taxes
8. Legislative Services Agency - HEA 1001:
Estimated Circuit Breaker Credits / Current Law
9. Annual Debt Reporting Form – Bond Information
10. Annual Debt Reporting Form – Loan Information
11. Annual Debt Reporting Form – Lease Information
12. January 2009 Investment Report
IV. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
V. NEW BUSINESS
1. Public Hearing: Establishment of a Fire Protection Territory
Ordinance No. 2009-02-04
2. Ordinance No. 2009-02-01: Repealing Sections 2-61 and 2-62
of the Warsaw City Code
3. Ordinance No. 2009-02-02: Adopting a Travel Policy
4. Ordinance No. 2009-02-03: Amending Personnel Policy Handbook
5. Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement: Kevin Denlinger
VI. OTHER MATTERS THAT MAY COME BEFORE THE COUNCIL
VII. MEETING REVIEW
1. Items Carried Forward
2. Visitors’ Questions & Comments
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
New Book (Publisher's Weekly Review)
Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America—and Found Unexpected Peace
William Lobdell. Collins, $25.95 (304p) ISBN 978-0-06-162681-4
A former religion reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Lobdell recounts in this plainly written memoir how he be-came a Protestant evangelical, nearly accepted Catholicism and, in the end, rejected faith altogether.
Central to the arc of this memoir is the unfolding sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church, which Lobdell covered in depth during his time as a religion reporter, beginning in 2000. Despairing of the role of priests and bishops in that scandal, he refashions his identity as a crusading reporter out to cleanse the church of corrupt leaders.
But after finding that his investigative stories about faith healer Benny Hinn and televangelists Jan and Paul Crouch appear to make no difference on the reach of these ministries or the lives of their followers, he gives up on the beat and on religion generally.
Lobdell subjects his faith to the rigors of rationalism. If Christians are no more ethical than atheists, why belong to a church? It’s a curious utilitarian argument that sounds more like a rearview explanation than a revealing account of loss of faith.
Still, the memoir’s strength lies in the wrenching emotional toll exacted by the Catholic abuse scandal. If nothing else, it suggests reporters may have been victimized by the scandal, too. (Mar.)
National Buy a Newspaper Day
Here's a novel (Facebook) approach from www.buyanewspaperday.com
As the economy continues to deteriorate, one of the industries that is going to be most severely affected is the American newspaper industry.
The fact of the matter is that the biggest chains are deeply in debt. Major cities that have had at least two daily newspapers for more than a century, such as Chicago and Seattle, might soon find themselves with only one source of news. Other papers, such as those in Detroit are no longer providing daily home delivery. If things get really bad, some experts say that some small towns might not have any paper by 2010.
And that’s a shame. Unlike radio which has become dominated by opinion or TV news which only looks for the 30 second sound bite, the local newspaper digs deep every day to get you, the reader, the full story on what’s happening in your town.
The newspaper is heavily focused on local news. It keeps you informed about events in your town and keeps local government in-line.
So for one day, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, please make it a point to pick up your local newspaper (reading it online doesn‘t count).
It doesn't matter if it's a daily or weekly, right-leaning or left-leaning. If you're a college student and you get the school paper for free, buy the town paper. If you subscribe, why not pick up a second copy?
Who knows? You might like what you see and come back another day, and another, and another…
Please invite all your friends! Let’s see how many people we can make aware of this!
As the economy continues to deteriorate, one of the industries that is going to be most severely affected is the American newspaper industry.
The fact of the matter is that the biggest chains are deeply in debt. Major cities that have had at least two daily newspapers for more than a century, such as Chicago and Seattle, might soon find themselves with only one source of news. Other papers, such as those in Detroit are no longer providing daily home delivery. If things get really bad, some experts say that some small towns might not have any paper by 2010.
And that’s a shame. Unlike radio which has become dominated by opinion or TV news which only looks for the 30 second sound bite, the local newspaper digs deep every day to get you, the reader, the full story on what’s happening in your town.
The newspaper is heavily focused on local news. It keeps you informed about events in your town and keeps local government in-line.
So for one day, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, please make it a point to pick up your local newspaper (reading it online doesn‘t count).
It doesn't matter if it's a daily or weekly, right-leaning or left-leaning. If you're a college student and you get the school paper for free, buy the town paper. If you subscribe, why not pick up a second copy?
Who knows? You might like what you see and come back another day, and another, and another…
Please invite all your friends! Let’s see how many people we can make aware of this!
WashPost Dropping Book World
From Publisher's Lunch:
Washington Post to Drop Book World
As the NBCC first reported on their blog, the Washington Post will drop its standalone book review section: "The last issue of Book World in print will be the February 15, 2009 issue. Thereafter, content will be split between the Outlook section and Style & Arts on Sundays. Daily book reviews in Style will continue. The promise is that there will be four additional broadsheet pages in Outlook for book coverage and one additional page in Style & Arts. That's an equivalent of 12 tabloid pages. (Book World is 16 pages.) Jonathan Yardley's reviews will appear in Outlook. Michael Dirda's will appear in Style. The staff of Book World will be kept together under the editorship of Rachel Shea."
As often happens, the Post got widely scooped on their own news. By the afternoon, their columnist Howard Kurtz posted a piece in which deputy Book World editor Shea (since there is no editor to replace Marie Arana, who took a buyout) says, "It's nice to have a separate section with big display and a big shout-out to what the most important book is. But it's not worth gnashing our teeth about too much." Kurtz adds, "Shea said The Post would publish about three-quarters of the roughly 900 reviews it currently carries each year."
Executive editor Marcus Brauchli makes the argument that "because Style and Outlook have higher readership than Book World, the paper's book coverage will reach more people in those sections."
In a NYT story, Arana says "I think it's going to be a great disappointment to a lot of readers. I just hope that there's enough coverage and emphasis and attention given on the pages where Book World will now appear in print in Outlook and Style and Arts to satisfy those readers."
Consistent with the Times' recent line of reasoning, it's all your fault: "As it happens, Book World never garnered much advertising from publishers, who generally spend very little on newspaper ads. Publishers now [and for many, many years, as the Times loves to "expose"] focus their marketing dollars on cooperative agreements with chain bookstores, which guarantee that certain books will receive prominent display at the front of stores."
At least Shea says, in her own newspaper, "You can't just blame publishers, because they have their own financial constraints. There's pretty much one publication they advertise in, and it's not us." (Even that, by a casual appraisal, seems to be dropping.)
Washington Post to Drop Book World
As the NBCC first reported on their blog, the Washington Post will drop its standalone book review section: "The last issue of Book World in print will be the February 15, 2009 issue. Thereafter, content will be split between the Outlook section and Style & Arts on Sundays. Daily book reviews in Style will continue. The promise is that there will be four additional broadsheet pages in Outlook for book coverage and one additional page in Style & Arts. That's an equivalent of 12 tabloid pages. (Book World is 16 pages.) Jonathan Yardley's reviews will appear in Outlook. Michael Dirda's will appear in Style. The staff of Book World will be kept together under the editorship of Rachel Shea."
As often happens, the Post got widely scooped on their own news. By the afternoon, their columnist Howard Kurtz posted a piece in which deputy Book World editor Shea (since there is no editor to replace Marie Arana, who took a buyout) says, "It's nice to have a separate section with big display and a big shout-out to what the most important book is. But it's not worth gnashing our teeth about too much." Kurtz adds, "Shea said The Post would publish about three-quarters of the roughly 900 reviews it currently carries each year."
Executive editor Marcus Brauchli makes the argument that "because Style and Outlook have higher readership than Book World, the paper's book coverage will reach more people in those sections."
In a NYT story, Arana says "I think it's going to be a great disappointment to a lot of readers. I just hope that there's enough coverage and emphasis and attention given on the pages where Book World will now appear in print in Outlook and Style and Arts to satisfy those readers."
Consistent with the Times' recent line of reasoning, it's all your fault: "As it happens, Book World never garnered much advertising from publishers, who generally spend very little on newspaper ads. Publishers now [and for many, many years, as the Times loves to "expose"] focus their marketing dollars on cooperative agreements with chain bookstores, which guarantee that certain books will receive prominent display at the front of stores."
At least Shea says, in her own newspaper, "You can't just blame publishers, because they have their own financial constraints. There's pretty much one publication they advertise in, and it's not us." (Even that, by a casual appraisal, seems to be dropping.)
Will Warren's New Magazine Find a Niche?
Here are some thoughts from WorldMagBlog's Alisa Harris on Rick Warren's new startup magazine. What do YOU think?
Rick Warren starts magazine
by Alisa Harris
The Wall Street Journal reports that Rick Warren is starting his own quarterly magazine, the Purpose Driven Connection—a publication of the Reader’s Digest Association.
A subscription includes the magazines, DVD study guides, and access to a Christian social networking web site.
This could be a risky venture, particularly since so many print publications are foundering or folding right now.
I have a theory, though, that niche publications—the kind that appeal to a very specific audience — will continue to do well. That seems to the the theory shared by new CEO Mary Berner, who has reorganized the company according to “consumer affinities,” says WSJ:”The idea is to envelop subscribers in a multimedia web of Mr. Warren’s message.”
Rick Warren starts magazine
by Alisa Harris
The Wall Street Journal reports that Rick Warren is starting his own quarterly magazine, the Purpose Driven Connection—a publication of the Reader’s Digest Association.
A subscription includes the magazines, DVD study guides, and access to a Christian social networking web site.
This could be a risky venture, particularly since so many print publications are foundering or folding right now.
I have a theory, though, that niche publications—the kind that appeal to a very specific audience — will continue to do well. That seems to the the theory shared by new CEO Mary Berner, who has reorganized the company according to “consumer affinities,” says WSJ:”The idea is to envelop subscribers in a multimedia web of Mr. Warren’s message.”
Olasky on Who Should Replace Kristol at NYT
Thought-provoking commentary by Marvin Olasky (WorldMagBlog) on who should replace Bill Kristol at the NYT:
Who should replace Bill Kristol? A choice, not an echo?
by Marvin Olasky
With Bill Kristol purged from The New York Times op-ed page, David Brooks is the only non-liberal voice regularly given the most precious real estate in newspapering. Brooks is a clever neoconservative but he doesn’t fundamentally challenge the Times worldview represented most clearly by Maureen Dowd, Paul Krugman, and Frank Rich.
Politico.com and others have been speculating on whether the Times might allow a tad more ideological diversity by adding a conservative or libertarian columnist in the tradition of William Safire or John Tierney. Politico has floated names such as former Bush speechwriter David Frum, the National Review’s Byron York, The Atlantic magazine libertarian Megan McArdle, and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan. The New Republic’s short list included Charles Krauthammer and Max Boot.
If the Times wanted real intellectual diversity it would choose an evangelical columnist, but there’s no indication of the Times‘ openness to anyone questioning its secular fundamentalism. In the absence of real alternatives at least we should have fun: I’d like the Times to hold American Idol-like tryouts during which contestants would read—better yet, croon—their columns to a panel of snickering judges.
How about Dowd as Paula, Rich as Dawg, and—of course—Krugman as Simon? Viewership might not go higher than C-SPAN levels, so don’t expect the Times, which has mortgaged its building, to do anything beyond sticking to its knitting for a while. The mighty are falling fast, and journalists are already speculating about how much time the Times has before it goes bankrupt.
Who should replace Bill Kristol? A choice, not an echo?
by Marvin Olasky
With Bill Kristol purged from The New York Times op-ed page, David Brooks is the only non-liberal voice regularly given the most precious real estate in newspapering. Brooks is a clever neoconservative but he doesn’t fundamentally challenge the Times worldview represented most clearly by Maureen Dowd, Paul Krugman, and Frank Rich.
Politico.com and others have been speculating on whether the Times might allow a tad more ideological diversity by adding a conservative or libertarian columnist in the tradition of William Safire or John Tierney. Politico has floated names such as former Bush speechwriter David Frum, the National Review’s Byron York, The Atlantic magazine libertarian Megan McArdle, and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan. The New Republic’s short list included Charles Krauthammer and Max Boot.
If the Times wanted real intellectual diversity it would choose an evangelical columnist, but there’s no indication of the Times‘ openness to anyone questioning its secular fundamentalism. In the absence of real alternatives at least we should have fun: I’d like the Times to hold American Idol-like tryouts during which contestants would read—better yet, croon—their columns to a panel of snickering judges.
How about Dowd as Paula, Rich as Dawg, and—of course—Krugman as Simon? Viewership might not go higher than C-SPAN levels, so don’t expect the Times, which has mortgaged its building, to do anything beyond sticking to its knitting for a while. The mighty are falling fast, and journalists are already speculating about how much time the Times has before it goes bankrupt.
Ten Who Are Making It
From Editor & Publisher:
Who Says 2008 Was a Washout? Here Are 10 Papers That Bucked the Trends
By Jon Whiten
NEW YORK It seems like anytime you visit Editor & Publisher or Romenesko these days, it's all doom and gloom, all the time, regarding the newspaper business. Aging readers, slumping sales, declining circulation, salary freezes, unpaid furloughs, layoffs, bankruptcies, liquidations -- it's a veritable Moebius strip of woe.
In the old days, when the media reported on problems in the newspaper industry, alternative newspapers weren't included. But alt-weeklies are immune no longer: In 2008, many Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN) papers faced some of the same issues afflicting their mainstream brethren in the print media.
However, if you look to small- and medium-sized markets, you can still find alternative newspapers that had a pretty good year in 2008.
In the space below, we've written about 10 AAN papers that increased revenue last year. Most of the increases were in the single digits, and for a few of these papers the growth was less than they had grown accustomed to. However, in the final year of the disastrous Bush presidency, when the economy reached depths unseen since FDR was in office, any growth at all must be considered an accomplishment.
1. The Athens News in Athens, Ohio, finished 2008 with revenue up 3.14 percent over the prior year with profitability also growing by 7.75 percent. While the paper took a hit in insert advertising due to the loss of one major client, classified and display sales were up a combined 4.19 percent and special-issue sales were up 11.67 percent, according to publisher Bruce Mitchell.
He says he remains optimistic about opportunities in the new year. “It’s all in the people you hire and work environment you create," Mitchell says. "Try to overlook the doom and gloom and look for opportunity and great people.”
2. Boulder (Colo.) Weekly ended up growing its top line by about 5 percent in 2008, after being up by 11 percent at mid-year and 8 percent at the end of the third quarter, publisher Stewart Sallo says. He says the paper's profits grew substantially more than revenue, and may have doubled. (The Weekly's year-end financials are not yet complete.) The growth was mostly in special issues, with a newly added Annual Manual accounting for about half of all special-issue growth.
"It appears that our 15-year-old paper has finally matured to the point where we are doing a much better job in most areas," Sallo says. "Our organization has never been as stable as it is right now in terms of attrition -- particularly in our advertising department -- and the local community seems to finally be taking notice of our longevity."
3. The Illinois Times grew its top line by 1.5 percent in 2008, according to publisher Sharon Whalen. She says the Springfield, Ill., alt-weekly grew via a combination of new special issues (e.g., a winter guide), new niche products (e.g., a wedding planner) and an influx of revenue from legal ads from foreclosures.
The paper changed printers late in 2008 and as a result expects to cut printing expenses in 2009, even though it went to a larger page and a stitch-and-trim format. The Times also hopes its new look will help it land regional advertising accounts that have thus far eluded the paper.
4. North Carolina's Mountain Xpress was up 3 percent last year, due to growth in display advertising and two new standalone publications -- a green-building directory and a dining guide, publisher Jeff Fobes says. "It helps [the Xpress] to be in a small market and to depend almost entirely on local advertising," he notes.
Fobes also notes that the Xpress may have been boosted by other factors unique to its market that have allowed the paper to expand its role: "Whatever success Xpress has had might ... be tied in part to our historic effort to approximate a paper of record, which has given our daily, increasingly, a run for its money."
5. "It's easy to be negative right now," Josh Schuler says. "But negativity in the sales force can lead to sloppiness, laziness. The 'economy excuse' can be somewhat self-fulfilling." The director of sales and marketing at the Indianapolis alt-weekly NUVO says sales are up more than 5 percent in its fiscal year 2008 (which ends in March), with most of that growth coming from local display advertising. The paper also increased web revenue by 100 percent for the second year straight.
Schuler says that NUVO has succeeded by "reinforcing the consultative approach." It has increased its page yield by about 25 percent since this time last year, so while his account executives may not be selling as much volume, they are earning more in less space. The paper has also increased the number of accounts purchasing multi-platform packages encompassing print, web, email, and texting services.
6. In Spokane, Wash., the Pacific Northwest Inlander increased sales by 11.6 percent and also boosted profitability in 2008, according to editor and publisher Ted McGregor. He says that local display advertising grew, but the biggest difference was in the free glossy magazines the paper publishes. The Inlander now publishes a bimonthly health magazine in addition to an annual manual, and they both added to the bottom line.
"We need to make sure we don’t get dragged down with the Titanic,"McGregor says. "Many people want to link us to dailies since we are all print, but we -- as an industry -- saw the problems in the daily model long ago, which is why we have personality, loyalty and were free way before the internet made it cool."
7. Maine's Portland Phoenix grew the top line by about 3 percent in 2008, and also increased profitability, according to associate publisher Marc Shepard. He says that most of the growth came from local display and niche publications and events targeting new demographics and new advertisers. The Phoenix increased the publication frequency of its local fashion and style guide from biannual to quarterly, launched a series of DIY arts & crafts fairs, and opened an online auction site targeting new businesses.
8. Central California's San Luis Obispo New Times moved the sales needle up slightly from 2007, but it also increased profitability, publisher Bob Rucker says. The growth came from local display ads, and from new publications. Rucker says the paper took four special sections -- best of, brides, holiday guide and student guide -- and turned them into separate publications, and all except the best-of tripled in revenue.
While he admits that papers on the Central California coast "tend to be a little insulated from the rest of the world," Rucker says he still "believes there are plenty of advertising dollars out there -- just work harder and stay focused on print products."
9. "Keep the faith," says Santa Fe Reporter publisher Andy Dudzik. "Print is not dead." He says his paper's sales were up by 4 percent last year, but profitability declined as a result of the creation of two new staff positions -- a special-sections editor and a web editor. The sales growth derived from increases in both local display and classified advertising, as well as a boost in revenue from events like a block party, a Valentine's Day party, and a free drive-in movie series.
10. Seven Days co-editor and publisher Paula Routly says the Burlington, Vt., alt-weekly's annual growth is usually in the 10 to 20 percent range, but that it will settle for a revenue increase of 1 percent in 2008. "November and December eroded all our growth gains," she says, "but if we hadn't gotten creative earlier in the year, it would have been much worse."
Seven Days launched an annual student guide in 2008. It also created a new revenue-generating event, Vermont 3.0, which was "basically a job fair for creative technology companies." In addition, web ad revenue was up 50 percent. "Try to figure out ways to be useful to your advertisers that go beyond a weekly eighth of a page," Routly says. "Look for opportunities that relate to the mission but feel a little bit like a stretch."
Who Says 2008 Was a Washout? Here Are 10 Papers That Bucked the Trends
By Jon Whiten
NEW YORK It seems like anytime you visit Editor & Publisher or Romenesko these days, it's all doom and gloom, all the time, regarding the newspaper business. Aging readers, slumping sales, declining circulation, salary freezes, unpaid furloughs, layoffs, bankruptcies, liquidations -- it's a veritable Moebius strip of woe.
In the old days, when the media reported on problems in the newspaper industry, alternative newspapers weren't included. But alt-weeklies are immune no longer: In 2008, many Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN) papers faced some of the same issues afflicting their mainstream brethren in the print media.
However, if you look to small- and medium-sized markets, you can still find alternative newspapers that had a pretty good year in 2008.
In the space below, we've written about 10 AAN papers that increased revenue last year. Most of the increases were in the single digits, and for a few of these papers the growth was less than they had grown accustomed to. However, in the final year of the disastrous Bush presidency, when the economy reached depths unseen since FDR was in office, any growth at all must be considered an accomplishment.
1. The Athens News in Athens, Ohio, finished 2008 with revenue up 3.14 percent over the prior year with profitability also growing by 7.75 percent. While the paper took a hit in insert advertising due to the loss of one major client, classified and display sales were up a combined 4.19 percent and special-issue sales were up 11.67 percent, according to publisher Bruce Mitchell.
He says he remains optimistic about opportunities in the new year. “It’s all in the people you hire and work environment you create," Mitchell says. "Try to overlook the doom and gloom and look for opportunity and great people.”
2. Boulder (Colo.) Weekly ended up growing its top line by about 5 percent in 2008, after being up by 11 percent at mid-year and 8 percent at the end of the third quarter, publisher Stewart Sallo says. He says the paper's profits grew substantially more than revenue, and may have doubled. (The Weekly's year-end financials are not yet complete.) The growth was mostly in special issues, with a newly added Annual Manual accounting for about half of all special-issue growth.
"It appears that our 15-year-old paper has finally matured to the point where we are doing a much better job in most areas," Sallo says. "Our organization has never been as stable as it is right now in terms of attrition -- particularly in our advertising department -- and the local community seems to finally be taking notice of our longevity."
3. The Illinois Times grew its top line by 1.5 percent in 2008, according to publisher Sharon Whalen. She says the Springfield, Ill., alt-weekly grew via a combination of new special issues (e.g., a winter guide), new niche products (e.g., a wedding planner) and an influx of revenue from legal ads from foreclosures.
The paper changed printers late in 2008 and as a result expects to cut printing expenses in 2009, even though it went to a larger page and a stitch-and-trim format. The Times also hopes its new look will help it land regional advertising accounts that have thus far eluded the paper.
4. North Carolina's Mountain Xpress was up 3 percent last year, due to growth in display advertising and two new standalone publications -- a green-building directory and a dining guide, publisher Jeff Fobes says. "It helps [the Xpress] to be in a small market and to depend almost entirely on local advertising," he notes.
Fobes also notes that the Xpress may have been boosted by other factors unique to its market that have allowed the paper to expand its role: "Whatever success Xpress has had might ... be tied in part to our historic effort to approximate a paper of record, which has given our daily, increasingly, a run for its money."
5. "It's easy to be negative right now," Josh Schuler says. "But negativity in the sales force can lead to sloppiness, laziness. The 'economy excuse' can be somewhat self-fulfilling." The director of sales and marketing at the Indianapolis alt-weekly NUVO says sales are up more than 5 percent in its fiscal year 2008 (which ends in March), with most of that growth coming from local display advertising. The paper also increased web revenue by 100 percent for the second year straight.
Schuler says that NUVO has succeeded by "reinforcing the consultative approach." It has increased its page yield by about 25 percent since this time last year, so while his account executives may not be selling as much volume, they are earning more in less space. The paper has also increased the number of accounts purchasing multi-platform packages encompassing print, web, email, and texting services.
6. In Spokane, Wash., the Pacific Northwest Inlander increased sales by 11.6 percent and also boosted profitability in 2008, according to editor and publisher Ted McGregor. He says that local display advertising grew, but the biggest difference was in the free glossy magazines the paper publishes. The Inlander now publishes a bimonthly health magazine in addition to an annual manual, and they both added to the bottom line.
"We need to make sure we don’t get dragged down with the Titanic,"McGregor says. "Many people want to link us to dailies since we are all print, but we -- as an industry -- saw the problems in the daily model long ago, which is why we have personality, loyalty and were free way before the internet made it cool."
7. Maine's Portland Phoenix grew the top line by about 3 percent in 2008, and also increased profitability, according to associate publisher Marc Shepard. He says that most of the growth came from local display and niche publications and events targeting new demographics and new advertisers. The Phoenix increased the publication frequency of its local fashion and style guide from biannual to quarterly, launched a series of DIY arts & crafts fairs, and opened an online auction site targeting new businesses.
8. Central California's San Luis Obispo New Times moved the sales needle up slightly from 2007, but it also increased profitability, publisher Bob Rucker says. The growth came from local display ads, and from new publications. Rucker says the paper took four special sections -- best of, brides, holiday guide and student guide -- and turned them into separate publications, and all except the best-of tripled in revenue.
While he admits that papers on the Central California coast "tend to be a little insulated from the rest of the world," Rucker says he still "believes there are plenty of advertising dollars out there -- just work harder and stay focused on print products."
9. "Keep the faith," says Santa Fe Reporter publisher Andy Dudzik. "Print is not dead." He says his paper's sales were up by 4 percent last year, but profitability declined as a result of the creation of two new staff positions -- a special-sections editor and a web editor. The sales growth derived from increases in both local display and classified advertising, as well as a boost in revenue from events like a block party, a Valentine's Day party, and a free drive-in movie series.
10. Seven Days co-editor and publisher Paula Routly says the Burlington, Vt., alt-weekly's annual growth is usually in the 10 to 20 percent range, but that it will settle for a revenue increase of 1 percent in 2008. "November and December eroded all our growth gains," she says, "but if we hadn't gotten creative earlier in the year, it would have been much worse."
Seven Days launched an annual student guide in 2008. It also created a new revenue-generating event, Vermont 3.0, which was "basically a job fair for creative technology companies." In addition, web ad revenue was up 50 percent. "Try to figure out ways to be useful to your advertisers that go beyond a weekly eighth of a page," Routly says. "Look for opportunities that relate to the mission but feel a little bit like a stretch."
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