Struggle, success mark 30 years of Philadelphia Gay News
Since January 1976, Philadelphia Gay News has been covering the gay and lesbian community. Publisher Mark Segal looks back on 30 years of PGN history and comments on the paper's fight to get it where it is today.

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Knight Ridder May Cut Benefits, Jobs, Size of Papers
Job cuts, benefit reductions, and reduced newspaper sizes are part of a plan to improve margins by as much as $150 million a year at newspaper chain Knight Ridder Inc., according to people familiar with presentations management has been making to potential buyers.

The country's second-largest newspaper chain put itself on the block late last year, under pressure from its biggest shareholders. Now the company's top executives -- including namesake heir Tony Ridder -- are laying out their vision of the company's financial future to a group of private-equity and newspaper-industry suitors.

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Buck Frank is new Altoona Mirror sports editor
Buck Frank has been promoted to Altoona Mirror sports editor.

Frank came to the Mirror in 1990 and has served as assistant sports editor since 1998. He replaces Neil Rudel, who was named the newspaper's managing editor last month.

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Government Affairs Conference can't be missed!
Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2006
The Hilton Harrisburg and Towers
Registrations are still being accepted for the upcoming PNA Government Affairs Conference. Various registration options are available, starting at a mere $39.

It sounds as though the simmering property tax debate will be coming to a boil, and publishers, editors and capitol reporters should not miss this opportunity to hear what's happening in Harrisburg. Leadership from all four caucuses will be on hand for a Q&A as usual, and you’ll have a chance to grab some one-on-one, face-to-face time with your hometown legislators, too.

For more information and to register, please visit the PNA Web site at: www.pa-newspaper.org.

America East: Sweeter than Ever!
March 27-29, 2006
The Hershey Lodge and Convention Center
The America East Newpaper Operations and Technology Conference and Trade Show is on track for another successful year. America East currently features 103 exhibiting companies with more expected to sign up soon. There are 18 companies new to the show in 2006, including Dover Flexo Electronics, Fusion Systems International, Landen Strapping, MyNewsPhotos.com, PrintMail Systems Inc, Relationals and Southern Lithoplate, to name a few. For a complete listing of exhibitors, visit: www.america-east.com/exhibitors/exhibitors.htm.

Registration packets have been mailed and should be in your hands soon. Please plan to attend. For more information on sessions and registration, visit www.america-east.com or call Elissa Doyle at (717) 703-3069.

PNA's Wilson earns Certified Association Executive credential
The American Society of Association Executives has announced that Corinna Vecsey Wilson, the PNA’s senior vice president of operations, has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential. The CAE is the highest professional credential in the association industry. Less than five percent of all association professionals have earned the CAE.

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Keystone Press Awards
Deadline is TODAY: Jan. 27, 2006
Don't miss your chance to enter the 2006 Keystone Press Awards contest. Visit the PNA Web site, www.pa-newspaper.org, for more details.

For any questions, please contact Tracy Metz at (717) 703-3003 or tracym@pa-news.org.

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Newspaper Excellence in Cyberspace
Deadline is TODAY: Jan. 27, 2006
Find out how your newspaper's Web site stacks up against its competitors. This national competition recognizes outstanding newspaper Web sites in 10 categories. Awards are presented at New Media World during America East in Hershey, Pa.

For any questions, please contact Tracy Metz at (717) 703-3003 or tracym@pa-news.org.

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Display Advertising Contest
Deadline: Feb. 13, 2006
Don't miss your chance to enter the 2006 Display Advertising Contest. For any questions, please contact Tracy Metz at (717) 703-3003 or tracym@pa-news.org.

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Visual Journalism Seminar with Charles Apple
Feb. 13, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., PNA headquarters
Cost: $75 member, $100 non-member
This seminar will discuss newspaper design, graphics and how they can compliment one another.

A few beneficial topics will be:
· How working in teams can make a small paper look like a big paper.
· Tips you can take back and use tomorrow in your own paper to improve your visuals.
· How to be creative on deadline.
· Why the most important thing about visuals isn't visual -- it’s the content.

To register or for more information, contact Teresa Shaak at (717) 703-3012 or via e-mail at teresas@pa-news.org.

Borrower Beware for Journalists— Reporting on Frauds, Scams and Other Consumer Concerns: Tools and Ideas for Journalists on Any Beat!
Feb. 15: PA Institute of CPA’s, Philadelphia, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

This interactive session will touch upon key areas of credit and borrowing—including the pitfalls consumers can face as they finance their lives. This program will provide information on hot topics like frauds and scams—and ideas to help journalists on any beat identify personal finance angles for their stories.

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From the Hotline: 
Can an advertisement use the Pittsburgh Steelers logo or the term Pittsburgh Steelers? What about "Superbowl"? Does it matter how the terms are used in the ad ("Good Luck Steelers" vs. "Come to our Superbowl party and win free prizes")?

PNA's General Counsel Teri Henning answers this question.

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Use this link to visit the Headlines & Deadlines page which groups and archives Teri Henning's weekly 'From the Hotline' columns. 

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Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, S. 662 is likely to reach Senate floor
The long-awaited postal reform bill—which would give the Postal Service the ability to initiate price increases without regulatory approval, but require them to remain within inflation index rates—is expected to be voted on in the Senate Jan. 26.

NNA has worked on this bill for 11 years. As in all legislation, there are some things we wish it did that it does not do, and others that we would rather not see. However, there is a lot in the bill that is worthwhile.

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NAA Completes Recycled-Fiber Newsprint Survey
As part of an on-going voluntary agreement with the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), an organization of state legislators and recycling coordinators in the Northeast U.S., NAA recently completed a survey of newspapers to determine the amount of recycled-fiber content used in newsprint consumed in 2004.

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World's Largest Flexible E-paper Introduced
Plastic Logic, a developer of plastic electronics, has fabricated the world's biggest flexible organic active matrix display, reports fit1. The display, which consists of a flexible, high resolution, printed active matrix backplane driving an electronic paper frontplane, was presented at the 12th International Display Workshop in Takamatsu, Japan, on December 7, 2005.

Simon Jones, VP of Business Development, said that the company plans to establish the technology in e-readers and e-signs beginning in 2008. In the area of e-readers, many different applications are imaginable, such as electronic dictionaries, e-mail readers or electronic newspapers.

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Report: Newspapers in Good Position for Help-Wanted Ad Growth
Good news on the recruitment front: Online help-wanted advertising nearly tripled in 2005 growing from $1.3 billion to $3.5 billion. Even better news: Newspapers are well positioned to take their share of advertising, according to a report released by Borrell Associates Jan. 25.

In "2006 Outlook: Online Recruitment Advertising," outlets that serve both job seekers online and in print have the upper hand. "As formidable as the pure-play job boards seem and after a decade of trying, they still can't reach the majority of job seekers who don’t use online services at all," said the report.

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