Convention returns to the Beau June 20-22

The annual convention of the Mississippi Press Association will return to the Beau Rivage this summer and feature a wide range of editorial and industry topics, as well as the presentation of awards for excellence in news reporting, commentary and visuals in the Better Newspaper Contest. The event will be held June 20-22 in Biloxi.

The convention gets underway with an opening reception Thursday evening, June 20, planned for the Biloxi Town Green. The convention committee met last week to discuss programming topics and social events, including the long-awaited return of the Friday afternoon MPA regatta, missing from the convention since prior to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Programs Friday morning include an expected address by Gov. Phil Bryant.

The hotel will begin accepting group reservations in mid-April. Rooms will be $169 nightly.

Vendors can download the event brochure and overview by clicking here.

Hall of Fame nominations deadline is April 26

The deadline to nominate individuals for induction into the Mississippi Press Association Hall of Fame is Friday, April 26.

Inductees must be natives of Mississippi or have made significant contributions to journalism while working in the state. The 2013 honoree will be inducted during the 147th Annual Convention June 21 in Biloxi.

Click here to download a nomination form for more details.

Reflector, Radionian take top awards at Student BNC

The student newspapers at Jones Count Junior College and Mississippi State University were recognized as the best in class during the Better Newspaper Contest Student Division awards handed out at Thursday at the annual O.C. McDavid Conference in Jackson.

The Radionian at JCJC and MSU's Reflector took top prize in the General Excellence categories. Dozens of journalism and communications students at 12 campus newspapers participated in the annual contest, sponsored by the MPA Education Foundation.

Click here to download a complete list of BNC winners

Cleveland column to be offered to papers May 1

Former Clarion-Ledger sports columnist Rick Cleveland will begin a syndicated column for Mississippi newspapers effective May 1. The column is exclusive to MPA members.

Cleveland shared details about the column offering in a cover letter to state publishers and editors.

A sample offering of columns is available here.

MPS will act as the syndicate for the column, handling billing and distribution of copy to participating papers.

If you newspaper is interested in signing up for the column or learn more about pricing, contact Layne Bruce.

Did you know?

The MPA Education Foundation co-sponsors webinars monthly through a partnership with the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association and Iowa Newspaper Foundation. Topics covered include editorial and journalism, advertising sales, circulation and marketing and more. The cost to MPA member papers to participate is only $35.

Click here to learn more about the Online Media Campus and upcoming programs.

UPCOMING EVENTS

April 18            MPA-MPS Board Meeting, Oxford
May 2-3           MPA-MPS Spring Board Retreat, Biloxi, MS
May 9              Webinar: Close More Sales
May 27            Memorial Day
June 20-22      147th Annual Convention, Beau Rivage Resort, Biloxi

Click here to visit the MPA Calendar

INDUSTRY HEADLINES

Spurred by stabilization, some owners opt for quick sales

From Reuters
Spurred by signs of stabilization, thanks mainly to growing revenue from digital subscriptions, newspaper publishers, including the likes of Tribune Co and New York Times Co, are putting notable dailies - the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and The Boston Globe - up for sale.

Newspaper takes Q&A approach to sensitive coverage

From Poynter
The Register Citizen took a smart approach when reporting on the Torrington, Conn., rape and cyberbullying case this past weekend; it published a Q&A that asks questions such as: “What happened?”, “How does Torrington compare to Steubenville?” “Why did the Register Citizen identify underage bullies?” and “What don’t we know?”

AOL waiting for payoff of HuffPo buy amid depressed ad sales

From Bloomberg Business Week
Two years after their merger, seated side by side in a corner conference room at AOL’s (AOL) Manhattan headquarters on March 20, Chief Executive Officer Tim Armstrong and Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington say they couldn’t be happier. “Our relationship is the strongest it’s ever been,” Armstrong says, adding that he’d happily sign a new contract to keep Huffington past February 2015. She’ll re-up, she says, provided he stops throwing things at her. (She’s joking.)