Unleash Your Inner Superhero in the Star City! Virginia’s E-Press for April 4
VPA / April 05, 2012
Are YOU going to shine at VPA's conference in Virginia's Star City? Yes, there's still time to register for VPA's annual conference, April 20-21... even though late-registration rates now apply, it's a great opportunity for networking, professional development -- and yes, awards!
If you're planning to come only for the awards banquet on Saturday night, tack on some extra time: come early in the afternoon and attend our sessions with nationally known speakers Jan Hargrave and Tony Casale for free! And plan to stay around after the banquet for a SUPER after-party -- keep reading below...
Registration Form: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/2012conferenceregistration.pdf
Preliminary Schedule: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/2012schedule.pdf
PARTY LIKE A SUPERHERO!
Coincidence that some of our favorite superheroes are journalists by day? Now more than ever, we should honor our glamorous past and look ahead with the confidence of Clark Kent, Brenda Starr and Peter Parker.
Let's toast our awards with a few pints and mingle with your fellow superheroes during the VPA after-party on the lower level of the Hotel Roanoke, following the awards banquet on Saturday, April 21.
Just be prepared to answer: What's your super power? Capes, fedoras, and/or bright tights welcome. No ... encouraged.
Many thanks to Michael Stowe and The Roanoke Times for planning this event, and to our after-party sponsors: Daily Press, The Free Lance-Star, The Free Press, The News & Advance, Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Roanoke Times, The Virginian-Pilot and The Washington Post.
COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER WORKSHOP
Attention, publishers and editors: you don't want to miss this one-time learning opportunity on April 19!
It's been described by one past participant as "the most informative and inspiring community newspaper workshop I've ever attended."
The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, Missouri School of Journalism-University of Missouri, Walter B. Potter Local Journalism Fund, Washington and Lee University Department of Mass Communications and Virginia Press Association have put together an exciting program for newspaper publishers and editors.
"Community Newspapers: Tomorrow Has Arrived: How to Take Charge of the Opportunities in the Print and Digital Worlds," will be offered on Thursday, April 19, at the Hotel Roanoke Conference Center, one day before VPA's conference which starts April 20.
Other past participants have praised this program for presenting "such cutting-edge info about technology and trends -- and yet so practical and useful 'on the ground,'" and as "a watershed moment in my professional career."
Walter Potter, a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism and a retired community newspaper owner in Virginia, is graciously underwriting the cost of the event in honor of his late father, Walter B. Potter Sr. That is why we are able to offer the following costs to VPA members:
* First 12 to register: One free overnight room at the Hotel Roanoke, free registration, free breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks (one per paper only, must work at a paper with at least an hour's drive to Roanoke). SOLD OUT!
* Next 28 to register: Free registration, free breakfast, free lunch and free coffee breaks (not limited to number of people per paper or location). ***GOING FAST!***
* After first 40 registrations received: Cost $70.00 to cover cost of breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks.
Our goal is to help community newspapers grow and thrive in a new era. This event is proving to be very popular, and so we encourage you to sign up as soon as possible:
Schedule and Registration Form: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/41912regform.pdf
If you have any questions, please contact Kim Woodward at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 804-521-7574.
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Mele named to succeed Jones at The Virginian-Pilot
David Mele, the executive in charge of The Virginian-Pilot's online operations, will become the newspaper's publisher, as well as president of Pilot Media Cos., on April 16.
He has been general manager of Pilot Interactive since June 2008, overseeing businesses such as Pilot-Online.com, HamptonRoads.com and CareerConnection.com.
Mele will succeed Maurice Jones, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Read more at http://hamptonroads.com/2012/04/pilots-online-executive-named-papers-new-publisher.
ACN sells Northern Va. division to HPR Hemlock
American Community Newspapers LLC completed the sale of the company's Northern Virginia division to HPR Hemlock LLC on March 27.
Included in the division's publications are Leesburg Today, Ashburn Today, Loudoun Magazine, Loudoun Business, Middleburg Life, the Arlington Sun Gazette and the Great Falls, McLean, Oakton, Vienna Sun Gazette, with the combined Northern Virginia circulation of more than 191,000. Read more at http://www.leesburg2day.com/business/article_430b192c-786b-11e1-8e0b-0019bb2963f4.html.
ATTENTION AD DIRECTORS!
We need your feedback ASAP for a VPA survey.
You should have recently received a survey for a new proposed online VPA network. Please make sure you complete the survey and return it to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) as quickly as possible. Please contact Diana Shaban with any questions at 804-521-7580.
SPRING TRAINING SPOTLIGHT
MAY 10
Learn How to Put Data Online Without Programming:
This workshop, led by Jeff South, Chris Young and Abdellatif Boudaouch, will show participants how to put data online -- so readers can easily view and search lists of information, such as campaign donations, crime statistics, school test scores and census demographics -- with mostly free tools that don't require programming or computer-server resources.
Read more at http://www.vpa.net/index.php/education/article/23703/
Registration Form: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/51012DataOnline.pdf
JUNE 21-22
Community Journalism Workshop:
The Community Journalism Workshop (CJW) is an intensive two-day program aimed at beginning journalists and those who want to refresh their skills. Interns and copy editors also benefit from the workshop. The emphasis is on the fundamentals of reporting and writing, with special attention to ethics. CJW alumnus Mike Jones, Washington Redskins beat writer for The Washington Post, will be this year's keynote speaker.
Read more at http://www.vpa.net/index.php/education/article/23202/
Registration Form: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/2012CJWregis.pdf
For more information about these and other training opportunities, please visit our Training page at http://www.vpa.net, or contact Kim Woodward at 804-521-7574.
FEATURES CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED
SFJ will meet Aug. 22-25 at University of Maryland
The Society for Features Journalism (formerly the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors) will hold its annual conference August 22-25 at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism, its headquarters.
The conference is a great way to connect with features editors and reporters from across the nation and, better yet, to take home ideas that you can reproduce at your paper. (One of the most popular sessions is the Show & Steal slideshow.) Also, count on a trip into nearby Washington, D.C., to get your journalism juices flowing.
For more information, visit http://www.featuresjournalism.org or contact SFJ's executive director, Merrilee Cox, at 301-314-2631 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
VPA LEGISLATIVE / PUBLIC NOTICE UPDATES
For a recap of VPA's 2012 legislative efforts and their results, please see our online legislative charts for access and public notice bills. For additional information about the General Assembly, visit the Legislative Information System or the General Assembly website.
Visit the Public Notice Resources page for VPA members on http://www.vpa.net to access online and print ads, our general information page, and more!
Coming soon: Executive Management Retreat registration information!
Watch for it in future editions of Virginia's E-Press.
Va. Communications Hall of Fame induction is April 12 in Richmond
The Virginia Communications Hall of Fame marks its 25th anniversary this year by inducting 14 print and broadcast journalists and managers, corporate and advertising executives, educators and a noted photographer. This newest class of 14 inductees, including four posthumous honorees, will bring the total number of Hall of Fame members to 140.
The 2012 inductees are as follows:
This year's honorees will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on April 12 at the Hotel John Marshall in Richmond. The reception begins at 6 p.m. and the induction ceremony follows, beginning at 7:15 p.m. Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Mass Communications will host the ceremony. Television journalist Roger Mudd, one of the inaugural inductees in 1986, will serve as emcee.
Tickets are $100 each and can be reserved by calling Lauren Stewart at the School of Mass Communications at 804-827-3761. Proceeds of the evening will benefit the Hall of Fame scholarship fund at VCU and the Hall of Fame's endowment.
RT-D hosts 'Deadline' premiere on April 17
The Richmond Times-Dispatch will host the April 17 Richmond premiere of "Deadline," a movie inspired by the true story of journalists investigating the decades-old unsolved murder of a young black man. Proceeds from ticket sales will support the Science Museum of Virginia Foundation.
The movie is based on the book Grievances by former Charlotte Observer Managing Editor Mark Ethridge, who also wrote the screenplay. "Deadline" stars Eric Roberts and Steve Talley and was directed by Curt Hahn.
Tickets for the "Deadline" premiere on April 17 at the Regal Short Pump start at $25, with larger sponsor contributions available. Red-carpet arrivals start at 6 p.m., the movie begins at 7 p.m. and there will be a Q&A panel afterward with Ethridge, Hahn and select cast members.
For more information, visit http://www.deadlinefilm.com/richmond.
Ad networks pay rewards -- join today!
The Statewide Classified Ad (SCAN) and 2x2 Networks recently welcomed the following new members:
SCAN: The Lebanon News, Martinsville Bulletin, The Richmond Voice
2x2: The Lebanon News, Page News & Courier, The Richmond Voice, Shenandoah Valley-Herald, The Smithfield Times, The Valley Banner
By joining the networks, they are eligible for the network reward programs. Are YOU? If you are not participating in the network reward programs and would like to begin, or if you are only participating in one of the networks and would like to participate in both, please contact Adriane Long, Statewide Classified/2x2 Coordinator, at 804-521-7585 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Job hunting? Start with VPA Classifieds!
If you're job hunting, VPA's online classifieds at http://www.vpa.net/index.php/classifieds/ are a great place to start. Listings are added each week; check back often to see the latest opportunities. And if you have a position to fill, remember that VPA members can post classifieds for free.
Know a student who's just starting out? VPA also lists daily (http://www.vpa.net/index.php/services/article/daily_internships/) and non-daily (http://www.vpa.net/index.php/services/article/non_daily_internships/). Keep your listing up to date to attract the best and brightest!
Expert Advice: Ask the Columnists
Newspaper Technology: Kevin Slimp
Common Sense Journalism: Doug Fisher
Writing Matters: Jim Stasiowski
Design for Readers: Ed Henninger
Ad-libs: John Foust
Visit http://www.vpa.net/index.php/education/article/expert_advice_ask_the_columnists1/ for contact information!
