An exit and a return

Greetings to anyone discovering or re-discovering my blog. I've been off with good reason, though it is a strange one to admit. For 13 years, I was dedicated to my job as publications editor for Inland Press Association. I worked hard to help newspapers and move the association forward. I pursued both missions with fervent passion. However, an opportunity came along that I simply could not pass up. I now serve the National Parent Teacher Association as its editorial manager. I aim to provide the same level of passion and service to PTA (and to children and parents) as I did to Inland.

I will still be tracking newspaper readership trends and initiatives, since it is still important to my work at PTA. And I will have "Readership 101: How to Get More People Reading Your Newspaper" published next summer.

Anyway, I found this column from David Olson, editor of The Salem News in Massachusetts. In it, he informs readers about the need for both print and online platforms for news delivery. He also makes a good point about hyper-local content when he discusses the recent online voting for the first Halloween costume contest the paper sponsored:

Is a costume contest news? No. Is it valuable? Absolutely. We all enjoy seeing our friends and neighbors in the paper, be they on the football field or in a Tin Man costume.

Good point. Essential.

Research isn't hard

Here is a great quote from Joe O'Toole, assistant circulation director at the Frederick (Md.) News-Post writing in the MDDC Press News (Oct. 2007):

"We can pay for market research and opinions but being out in our communities is one of the greatest sources for getting a feel for the pulse of our markets."

How often do we forget that being an integral part of the community pays very real dividends? To be an essential source of local news and information, the newspaper and its staff must be involved in the inner workings of a community. Events introduce you to new faces and new groups. These opportunities are an open door to learn about readers' needs. As O'Toole points out, have you ever noticed that when you say you work for the newspaper you almost always get an interested response?

News-Post employees are supplied with business cards that entitle non-subscribers to receive the paper free for three weeks. Staffers hand them out liberally. Circulation--and readership--is built using simple, small steps like this one.