State FOP joins the city of Hazleton to deny Times Leader access to test scores, ratings of police candidates
The state Fraternal Order of Police has joined the city of Hazleton in a legal fight with the Times Leader regarding making police officer candidates’ test scores and rankings public.

The newspaper said the city and commission violated the state Right to Know Act with their refusal to release to a Times Leader reporter a ranking of potential candidates for police officer positions who took the civil service exam.

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Times-Shamrock Communications introduces new shopping service
A shopping service designed to help a consumer find local products by making one phone call will debut in Northeastern Pennsylvania the week of July 17.

The search service, called mWIRE, aims to connect people in need of products with local merchants who can supply them.

Its co-owner is Times-Shamrock Communications, which publishes The Times-Tribune and The Citizens’ Voice.

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Defamation suit from 1995 against Daily Local News settled
In April 1995, a Parkesburg politician's epithet-ridden rant against two colleagues prompted a local newspaper article, which in turn generated a defamation suit against the paper that ultimately made national headlines.

More than a decade later -- after appellate detours that included the U.S. Supreme Court -- the case returned to Chester County, where a confidential settlement July 13 ended three days of testimony.

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Davenport: Whom to trust?
Dale Davenport, opinion page editor of The Patriot-News, weighs in on the battle being waged between government and media.

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From the Hotline:
What are the rules regarding “emergency meetings” under the Sunshine Act?

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. 

[HOTLINE ARCHIVE]

James Towner named general manager in Scranton; George Lynett Jr. takes over in Towanda
A new publisher, George Lynett Jr., will take charge of The Daily & Sunday Review in Towanda when James E. Towner assumes a new position at the Times-Tribune in Scranton.

Towner, who has overseen major changes at The Review since being named publisher 21 years ago, has been promoted to general manager of the flagship newspaper of Times-Shamrock Communications.

George Lynett Jr. is the son of George Lynett, one of the owners of Times-Shamrock Communications. He is a member of the fourth generation of Times-Shamrock family ownership.

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McNally named executive editor of News Gleaner group
Patrick McNally has been appointed as the new executive editor. He succeeds Donald Brennan, who left the paper to pursue a career with the Philadelphia Port Authority.

McNally began working in newspapers in 1983, as a Field Supervisor for the Northeast Times. He started at the News Gleaner in 1989, as the company's circulation manager.

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The (Carlisle) Sentinel names Hope Stephan executive editor
Hope Stephan, a Western Pennsylvania native who most recently oversaw day-to-day newsroom operations at the Times West Virginian in Fairmont, W.Va., has assumed the executive editor position at The Sentinel.

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Record Herald (Waynesboro) loses 'numbers guy'
After a career that's spanned five decades and seen the presses roll some 12,000 times, The Record Herald's Business Manager George McKee retired June 30, ending a 39-year tenure that began in 1967 in the circulation department.

His successor is Nicole Kipe who began at The Record Herald as a receptionist and then moved to the circulation department.

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Former Potter Leader-Enterprise publisher Jill Fish dies at 83
Former Potter Enterprise publisher Jill Fish, 83, of Coudersport died Monday, July 17 at St. Vincent’s Health Center in Erie.

Fish worked as a reporter and editor of The Potter Enterprise for many years. Following her husband’s death in 1977, she assumed the duties of publisher, serving as corporation president until the business was sold in 1983 to Stauffer Media Inc.

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LAST CALL! PNA Foundation is accepting entries for:

Newspaper Carrier of the Year
Deadline: July 21, 2006
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Calling all entrants for first-ever Reader Initiative Award
Deadline: Aug. 18, 2006

The PNA Foundation's Reader Initiative Award was developed to recognize efforts by Pennsylvania member newspapers to create a community of readers through innovative initiatives. The award recognizes significant and innovative efforts that produce results contributing to the advancement of readership.

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Circulation Excellence Awards
Deadline: Aug. 4

Realizing that circulation is key to gaining and retaining readers, and in recognition of the vital role circulation departments play in the newspaper business, the PNA Foundation has created a series of awards to honor the best in the state.

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Classified Advertising Tearsheet Contest
Deadline: Aug. 11

The Classified Advertising Tearsheet Contest honors the best use and promotion of classified advertising in newspapers. Awards are presented at the annual Classified Sales Workshop.

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Grant money available to assist PNA members with community financial literacy fairs
Lack of financial literacy is a crucial problem facing Pennsylvania and the country as a whole. That's why the PNA Foundation proposes your newspaper host a community financial literacy health fair. We can work together to educate every community in Pennsylvania on matters of personal finance.

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Pa. newspapers: Send us your voter's guides
We're collecting voter's guides that have run in Pennsylvania newspapers during the primary or general elections, and we need your help! If your paper published a voter's guide, please send a digital or hard copy to: PNA c/o Beverly Hendry, 3899 North Front Street; Harrisburg, PA 17110; beverlyh@pa-news.org.

Online registration now available!

Learn how to dress up your Web site with Soundslides
Aug. 8, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Penn State University Campus, 006 Carnegie Building
Cost: $60 PNA members, $85 Non-members
Lunch at the Nittany Lion Inn included
Hosted by PSU College of Communications.
Space is limited in the digital lab.

This seminar will include a demonstration combining Flash and the Soundslides program to further enhance slide shows. Soundslides is a very simple audio slideshow program for the Macintosh platform that enables you to create compelling and dynamic audio slideshows for your newspaper's Web site. With an investment of about $200 (for the programs and a digital audio recorder) and what you learn in this seminar, you can be using Soundslides.

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Newspaper chains deliver mixed news
Newspaper publishers reported a mixed bag of results July 13, with McClatchy Co. surprising Wall Street with better-than-expected figures, while Tribune Co.'s earnings fell on lower circulation revenue and the sale of some television stations.

The results at both companies -- McClatchy, the No. 2 player in the newspaper industry, and Tribune, No. 3 -- reflected an overall sluggishness in the advertising environment, which has been weighing down media companies across the board in recent months.

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Wall Street Journal to carry front page ads
The Wall Street Journal plans to start printing an ad on its front page starting in September, parent company Dow Jones & Co. announced July 18. The advertisement will appear as either a "jewel box" in the lower right-hand corner or a banner running along the bottom of the page.

Dow Jones did not disclose the size of the planned ads, which will leave less space for news, but not alter the layout or number of stories on the front page, a spokesman said.

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New York Times to reduce page size and close a plant in 2008
The New York Times is planning to reduce the size of the newspaper, making it narrower by one and a half inches, and to close its printing operation in Edison, N.J., company officials said July 17.

The changes, to go into effect in April 2008, will be accompanied by a phased-in redesign of the paper and will mean the loss of 250 production-related jobs.

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Storytelling, not journalism, spurs most blogs
Many people see Web journals or "blogs" as alternatives to the mainstream media, but most Americans who run them do so as a hobby rather than a vocation, according to a report released on July 19.

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