Phila. papers' publisher talks layoffs, if pensions don't merge
In a sign of falling fortunes, the owner of Philadelphia's two largest daily newspapers told a judge on Wednesday, April 9, that unraveling the merger of two of its pensions could lead to more layoffs because the company would have to pump at least $8 million into the underfunded plan.

The Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia is suing Philadelphia Newspapers LLC, a unit of Philadelphia Media Holdings and owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News. The union is upset that management merged the fully funded Guild pension plan with an underfunded plan without its consent, charging that it would put the health of the first plan in jeopardy.

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State records-access draft raises alarm
Public access advocates have barely had time to catch their collective breath following the all-out push that led to passage in February of landmark changes to Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law.

Now they are facing a new front in their campaign to protect people's right to learn what their government is doing.

The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts has just released a proposed set of policies for the review and photocopying of paper case records maintained by the 555 magisterial district courts.

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Tribune Co. faces default threat in '09
Tribune Co. is at risk of defaulting on its debt in as little as 18 months if the newspaper business deteriorates further, and it fails to unload more properties.

By some estimates, Tribune could fetch $1.6 billion for the Newsday daily paper and the Chicago Cubs baseball team and related properties, the assets it has already put on the block.

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Journal Register stock plummets on bankruptcy report
Journal Register Co. stock, which already risks delisting because of its low price, fell off the cliff in trading Monday, April 7, tumbling 63% in value an hour before the close of markets.

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From the Legal Hotline:
A local charity is holding an auction to benefit victims of a house fire. Does the charity need to use a licensed auctioneer and include the auctioneer’s name and license number in the ad?

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Use this link to visit the PNA Legal Department's archive of "From the Legal Hotline" columns.  

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PNA survey reveals positive outlook for future journalists in Pennsylvania
The PNA Foundation recently conducted a member survey to get a better feel for what career opportunities lie ahead for future journalists in Pennsylvania. While newspapers tend to get a fair amount of negative press these days, our members revealed a rather healthy industry in Pennsylvania. This data is key for student newspaper advisers and students -- our future journalists.

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Reminder to publishers: Report unclaimed property by April 15
On behalf of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, we would like to remind you to file your unclaimed property reports by April 15. According to the Abandoned and Unclaimed Property Act (72 P.S. Section 1301.1 et seq.), unclaimed property is any financial asset that has become dormant, meaning no contact has been made with the owner after a given time period.

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Carrier Golf Outing
May 15
Fayetteville, Pa.
Spend a day playing golf while benefitting the PNA Foundation's Newspaper Carrier of the Year contest. Each year, carriers of all ages, enter the contest to compete for the title of being named one of the best.

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PNA/IAMA Display Advertising Conference
April 23-25
Seven Springs Mountain Resort
Champion, Pa.
Join us for a schedule packed with great sessions -- negotiation, Newspaper Next 2.0, leadership, getting inside the mind of a media buyer. There's something for everyone. This two-day conference provides informative and interactive sessions featuring retailers and industry leaders discussing how to remain competitive in the changing marketplace. Various registration options are available beginning at just $99!

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The Open Records Act
Get a better understanding for what you’re responsible for under the newly revised Open Records Law. This workshop is designed to help you understand how the Open Records Law has changed and what steps local government officials will need to take to be in compliance with the new law. Here are the dates and locations for the workshop:

April 14: Bedford County
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April 14: Centre County
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April 16: York County
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April 16: Cumberland County
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For additional locations and dates available throughout April and May, view the brochure:

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April 18: Pennsylvania's New Open Records Law (via video teleconference)
Join PNA's General Counsel Teri Henning as she discusses how the new Open Records Law will impact newspapers. This is the first of four video teleconferences.

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April 23-24: Northeast Regional NIE Conference - Mystic, Conn.
Sponsored by the New England Newspaper Association, this is a key conference for NIE managers, circulation directors, publishers ... anyone interested in NIE and its future.

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June 25-26: AP Newstrain - Harrisburg
Frontline editors, bone up on editing and managing the news online. We'll cover news video production, audio slideshow production, ethics and values, and how to set priorities when times are tight.

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ABC director reviews Web counting pros and cons
On April 28, ABC will release the latest wave of newspaper audience activity as part of the Audience-FAX initiative. Newspapers participating in Audience-FAX report a variety of audience data, including in-market print readership, online readers, as well as total Web site activity.

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Poll: Journalism's focus suffering
A majority of journalists now say journalism is going in the wrong direction, according to a recent survey conducted by The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

However, journalists and prospective journalists at Penn State said the industry is simply changing, not getting worse.

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Study: Newspaper Web sites dominate local traditional media, but are losing share
Of all the traditional local media, like television and radio, newspapers capture the most local online advertising dollars. In 2007 newspapers netted 26.9%, or $2 billion of the $7.5 billion total local online ad spend, according to Borrell Associates on behalf of the Newspaper Association of America.

"This survey provides further proof that local advertisers recognize newspaper Web sites as an indispensable way to reach their best customers," John Sturm, president and CEO of the NAA, said in a statement.

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Starbucks embraces newspapers in launching new coffee
Starbucks attracted a ton of free publicity for its nationwide 30-minute giveaway of its new "Pike Place Roast" brew on Tuesday, April 8 -- but the coffee-maker laid the way for the launch with a series of full-page newspaper ads.

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Webby Awards offer inspiration for innovation
Dubbed "the Oscars of the Internet," the 12th annual Webby Awards honor excellence on the Internet. And with the Web becoming increasingly important to newspapers, it never hurts to get a few new ideas. Get inspired by the wide range of Webby nominees and honorees!

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