Mid-Winter returns downtown Feb. 7-9

Make plans now to attend the MPA Mid-Winter Conference Feb. 7-9 in downtown Jackson at the King Edward Hilton Garden Inn. The event will feature a number of roundtable sessions on strengthening newspaper revenue, management and sales topics, and issues such as technology and social media.

The event will kick off Thursday evening with the annual roast to benefit the MPA Education Foundation. Friday is highlighted by the keynote address from Anthony Casale of American Opinion Research discussing recent trends in the industry. Events culminate with the annual Better Newspaper Contest Advertising Division Awards Luncheon on Saturday.

The MPA group rate is $119 nightly. Deadline for making reservations is Jan. 17.

Click here to visit the Mid-Winter webpage.

Tickets now on sale for annual benefit roast

Tickets are now available for the 2013 roast of BancorpSouth Chairman Aubrey Patterson. The event will be held Feb. 7 at the Jackson Marriott Downtown.

Patterson, who recently retired as CEO of the Tupelo-based bank, is a former chairman of the Mississippi Economic Council and served on the board of the state Institutions of Higher Learning.

Roastmaster for the event will again be Sid Salter, director of University Relations at Mississippi State University and longtime syndicated columnist.

This will be the 23rd annual roast, which has honored such noted Mississippians as Sen. Thad Cochran, the late comedian Jerry Clower and former Gov. Haley Barbour. Proceeds benefit the MPA Education Foundation scholarship and internship programs. 

Tickets are $80 each for the general public or $50 for MPA Foundation member newspapers. Tables of eight are available for $600. Contact Kimberly Haydu for additional information or click here to purchase tickets.

Send your rate updates to MPS

Newspaper members are reminded to send their rate updates for 2013 to MPS as soon as possible. Rate adjustments need to be entered into MPS' One System soon so that we can quote accurate figures to clients for the coming year.

Forward rate cards by email to Andrea Ross or by fax to 601-981-3676.

ID badges for 2013-14 now available

MPA is offering photo ID badges for newspaper members for $10 each. The credit-card sized badges are laminated and include a photo of the staffer.

All cards issued bear the signature of the MPA executive director and are valid through Dec. 31, 2014. Click here for more information or to download the order form.

These special order badges do not replace the traditional MPA press cards that are mailed to each publisher in January. For more informartion, contact Member Services Coordinator Monica Gilmer.

Job Bank highlights

New job postings listed with MPA include managing editor for the Starkville Daily News, a government beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American and advertising sales representative for Eat.Drink.Mississippi magazine. Find out more on these jobs and many others at the MPA Job Bank.

Have a posting for the Job Bank? Email member services coordinator Monica Gilmer. It's a free listing for MPA member newspapers or professionals seeking employment in-state.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Dec. 7           Webinar: Will Paywalls Kill Newspaper Web Advertising?
Dec. 24-25    Christmast holiday; MPA-MPS office closed
Jan. 1            New Years holiday; MPA-MPS office closed
Feb. 7            MPA-MPS Board Meetings
Feb. 7            MPAEF Board Meeting
Feb. 7            MPAEF Benefit Roast
Feb. 7-9         MId-Winter Conference
Click here to visit the MPA Calendar

INDUSTRY HEADLINES

Publisher: No paywall at USA Today – for now

From The Wrap
Larry Kramer is not opposed to following the lead of the New York Times and others by constructing a paywall around USA Today's website, he just doesn't think the national newspaper has done enough to differentiate itself from the digital herd. "I don't want to charge for USA Today right now," Kramer said Wednesday at Business Insider's Ignition conference in New York City. "I don't think it's the right thing today to do."

Newspaper delivery man saves family from fire

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Newspaper deliveryman Todd Barrow thought he saw the glow of Christmas lights near a second-floor apartment as he was making his rounds about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. Then, as he got closer, he saw the flames.

Congress may consider Estate Tax this year

From NNA
Estate taxes are high on the priority list of the lame-duck 112th Congress, as inaction would allow the so-called Bush tax cuts to expire. Estates in 2013 would be taxed after they exceed $1 million, compared to $5 million in 2012. In addition, current law that allows the unused portion of an exemption to be used by the surviving spouse would lapse. And, the taxable portion of the state would rise from a 35 percent to a 55 percent tax.

Buffett still bullish on newspapers

From The New York Times
Warren E. Buffett isn’t letting one troubled newspaper color his view of buying what many media experts consider the dinosaurs of the news business. Mr. Buffett said he still planned to buy newspapers, even though he recently announced that he would be shutting down one that he recently bought by the end of the year.