CNPA Bulletin

Local news is the community link that continues every day and every week, even if its ink-on-paper routine is disrupted. The COVID-19 environment and Californians’ function within it is a fluid …

With COVID-19 forcing a majority of your audience to stay home, continuing to keep them engaged is key. During this America’s Newspapers webinar, Julie Foley and Liz Crider Huff, directors of …

The Great Western Audience Alliance hosts its third “Business Continuity Planning for COVID-19” roundtable from 11 a.m. to Noon PDT this Friday, March 27. The roundtable will discuss Audience, …

“More than ever, your local businesses look to their community newspaper and ad reps for support and information about consumer shopping intentions,” reads a one-sheet regarding the Pulse COVID-19 …

The weekly East Bay Express is now part of an alt-weekly group that circulates in seven Bay Area counties, the East Bay Times reports. The Express, founded in 1978, joins Metro Silicon Valley, Santa …

Business Continuity: The Great Western Audience Alliance hosted “The COVID 19 Business Continuity Planning Roundtable: Part One” on Friday, March 13. It offered insights about the impacts of COVID-19 …

Lee Enterprises has sold the Santa Maria Times, The Lompoc Record, Santa Ynez Valley News and The Sentinel in Hanford to Santa Maria News Media Inc., the Santa Maria Times reports. Santa Maria News …

Sunshine Week 2020 continues through Saturday. A USA Today op-ed by Ken Paulsen, titled “More government secrets just when we need transparency to detect fake news,” is available for republication by …

Due to coronavirus concerns, planners for NewsTrain, March 27-28 at Fresno State, will aim for a rescheduled event next spring. The NewsTrain workshop is for reporters, editors and other journalists …

Robin Epley is now editor of MediaNews Group’s Fort Bragg Advocate-News and Mendocino Beacon. Robin Epley The Chico State alum had been a reporter at the Chico Enterprise-Record and is a former CNPA …

Tracy A. Wood, noted investigative reporter, editor and war correspondent, died March 12, 2020, due to complications from cancer, Voice of OC reports. She was 76. Wood, a founding editor of Voice of …

Due to the rapidly growing concerns surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, CNPA Services Inc. staff will work remotely for at least the next two weeks beginning today, Monday, March 16. Staff will aim to …

Simon Grieve, a CNPA director since 2015, is the association’s new president as of March 11. Chuck Champion has resigned as CNPA president and is serving as interim executive director at CNPA. Grieve …

The California Journalism Awards Gala, scheduled for May 16 in Long Beach, is canceled. CNPA directors decided Thursday morning to cancel the event as caution and restriction increase over large …

The World Health Organization has officially characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic, and you need to be prepared to address the employer challenges that your company may face. America’s Newspapers and …

The Great Western Audience Alliance hosts a free webinar from 1 to 2 p.m. PDT this Friday covering the impacts of COVID-19 on Distribution Operations, Single Copy, Home Delivery, Sales and …

After a busy few weeks of sorting through 2,969 entries and compiling the judges’ decisions, we are pleased to announce this year’s finalists in the Print, Digital and Campus contests of the 2019 …

Danielle Witten, adviser to the Pepperbox at Arcata High School in Humboldt County, received the Nick Ferentinos Award for Advising Excellence last week at Humboldt State University, Lost Coast …

The Daily Californian, UC Berkeley’s independent newspaper and website, is kicking off its 150th anniversary with an alumni reception honoring co-alumni of the Year Margaret Talbot, staff writer at …

John Crittenden, who founded the Alameda Journal in 1987, died Feb. 21, 2020, in Mission Viejo, the East Bay Times reports. He was 89. Crittenden, an Oakland native, ran a successful real-estate …

In this webinar, Michael Zinser will cover the following three topics: Newsroom Union Organizing – Newsrooms have been organized at many newspapers, large and small, including The Missoula …

From the Secretary of State’s Advisory: The March 3, 2020, Presidential Primary Election is fast approaching, and Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s office can help you with your election night …

Your news products could be reaching more ears. With Audima, a long read on a commute can become a listening experience for your audience. As noted last week, Audima uses artificial intelligence to …

Paulette Brown-Hinds, CNPA’s immediate past-president, has joined the board of directors at CalMatters, a CNPA Digital News Member. She is publisher of the Black Voice News in Riverside and founder …

Jay Harn, former publisher of several California newspapers, is now editor in chief at the San Diego Business Journal. He had been general manager for student media at San Diego State …

Audima is a text-to-speech technology that uses artificial intelligence to automatically read websites to its users. It’s a monthly subscription service, installed on the website just one time. …

McClatchy, the Sacramento-based company with 30 newspapers in 14 states, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week. Under the proposed sale, Chatham Asset Management LLC would operate …

Neena Strichart, publisher and former owner of the weekly Signal Tribune in Signal Hill, Los Angeles County, is retiring. Neena Strichart, second from right, and her team were among the celebrants at …

Ben Kenfield is now publisher of Country Media’s Del Norte Triplicate and Curry Coastal Pilot in Brookings, Ore., The Triplicate reports. Ben Kenfield Kenfield had been general manager of the …

Bill Poindexter is now managing editor at Gold Country Media’s Auburn Journal, the newspaper reports. Bill Poindexter has returned to Gold Country Media as the new managing editor of the Auburn …

Sunshine Week 2020 is March 15-21. The annual nationwide celebration of access to public information and what it means is made possible by support from John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The …

Robert Ray Mercer, former journalism educator at Cypress College, died Jan. 21, 2020, in Tulsa, Okla., the Tulsa World reported. He was 72. Mercer was journalism chairman at Cypress College in Orange …

A gallery of photos from the recent CNPA Capital Conference is now on view at the CNPA website. Were you there? Please check your email for a brief survey from the CNPA events department. Save the …

Journalists from The Sacramento Bee, Bay Area News Group and the North Bay Bohemian are among those set to receive James Madison Awards from the SPJ NorCal FOI Committee. The dinner awards banquet is …

Jim Webb, former publisher of McNaughton Newspapers’ Mountain Democrat in Placerville, died Feb. 3, 2020, at home in El Dorado Hills, the newspaper reported. He was 79. Webb was publisher there from …

Paul G. Manolis, former executive editor of The Oakland Tribune, died Feb. 8, 2020, at his Piedmont home,the East Bay Times reports. He was 92. Manolis was an executive aide to Senate Majority Leader …

Larry Press, The Bakersfield Californian’s former sports editor and “In the Press Box” columnist, died Feb. 6, 2020, at home in Ventura, The Californian reports. He was 93. Press joined the newspaper …

CNPA Executive Director Tom Newton has announced his plans to depart the organization. The CNPA Board of Directors will oversee a succession strategy. Tom Newton Newton’s career with CNPA has spanned …

Digital Contest entries were up, but print and campus entries were down in this year’s California Journalism Awards. Overall, the contest received 2,911 entries, down 165 from last year’s 3,076 …

Pacific Community Media has acquired the assets of the twice-monthly Long Beach Business Journal, the Long Beach Post reports. Pacific Community Media operates the Long Beach Post, a CNPA Digital …

Outlook Newspapers has acquired the assets of the San Marino Tribune and South Pasadena Review, Outlook Publisher Charlie Plowman announced. Terms were not disclosed. Andrew and Carie Salter acquired …

Country Media, which acquired the Del Norte Triplicate in Crescent City last July, has acquired the Coos Bay (Ore.) World from Lee Enterprises. Country Media is a Salem (OR)-based group of 15 …

“The Power of Online Journalism: Can It Save Local News?” is the topic of the 2020 Tatarian Symposium at CSU Fresno. The discussion is at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26 on campus. No charge. Speakers; …

CNPA Active Members this morning (Tuesday, Jan. 28) voted approval of a bylaws amendment that, among other actions, potentially broadens and diversifies the CNPA Board of Directors. The CNPA Board …

The CNPA Board of Directors on Monday approved CNPA membership for these applicants: Capital & Main (Digital) Comstock’s Magazine (Monthly) Courthouse News Service (Digital) EdSource (Digital) …

CNPA is interested in stories about the impact of AB 5, both good and bad, on California businesses, independent workers and their families. It has created a new website — AB5stories.com — to allow …

Sonoma Media Investments has acquired the monthly Sonoma County Gazette from Vesta Copestakes, its publisher and owner, The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa reports. The Forestville-based Gazette …

From the Winter 2020 edition of California Publisher CNPA’s governmental affairs staff recently viewed a tweet from non-CNPA member Willits Weekly in which it announced the newspaper had suspended …

If you have not booked your spot for CapCon, Jan. 27-29 at the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel in Sacramento, do not delay. You may view the program, which is a pullout in the new issue of California Publisher. …

The Epoch Times has applied to be a CNPA Active Weekly member. Stephen Gregory is publisher of the El Monte-based newspaper, founded in 2004. Its website bills it as “the fastest-growing independent …