Sept./Oct. 1998 Bulletin

A Letter From The President

Dear Circulation Friends:

Hi! I hope everyone's had a wonderful summer. It's hard to believe it's over. Beautiful spring, great summer and I'm sure it will be a fabulous fall.

Thanks to all of you who contributed to the making of the last bulletin, and a special thanks to the marketing services department of The Buffalo News for creating a new layout conducive to our needs. Look for Will Kustyn's recap of the spring marketing conference in this issue.

I attended the NEACE Conference directly after our conference. I also attended the NAA Conference in Orlando in June. Bill Sara and I spoke with several people who may be involved in one of our two training seminars, or at our annual Sales and Marketing Conference this spring. We are also looking at suggestions put forth by some of you to put together a worthwhile and effective program for this year.

Our 1999 Sales and Marketing Conference will be held in Saratoga Springs, at the Gideon-Putnam Hotel and Conference Center, Sunday to Wednesday, May 16 to 19, 1999. The theme will be Internal/External Tools Necessary for Success.

Mark those dates now. Thanks for your input. As you will notice, we've gone back to the traditional days (Sunday to Wednesday), due largely to scheduling conflicts. The board is just in the planning stages for the agenda. Please call Will to offer your ideas on speakers and/or topics. Please check out our web site. NEACE is also on line with ... www.NEACE.com. You can also access NAA through our home page.

Look for other important dates and events offered through the association:
Friday, October 2: "PACE: The Future," a must for all newspaper executives from all departments (details follow).

Friday, October 16: Past president/fall board meeting in Cooperstown.

Saturday, October 17: Carrier Day, also in Cooperstown.

That's all I have for now. Please call me or any of the board members or committee chairpeople with your comments or suggestions for the conference or anything else you'd like to talk about.
Want an event or date noted? Want an article or news release reprinted? Let us know, we'll post it bimonthly in the bulletin.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Have a great month.

Respectfully,

Nancy Breault
President, NYSCMA

News Around New York

A warm welcome to PAUL GLAESER, who was recently named vice president and circulation director of The Buffalo News.

Congratulation to MARK KUKIELA on his promotion to circulation director at The Auburn Citizen.

JAIME NARANJO has left The Times Herald Record in Middletown and is now circulation director at the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin.
BARB GALLO is at The Home News Tribune in East Brunswick, New Jersey.
TOM HECK is back in New York as senior vice president at The New York Daily News.
ANNE FABRY has left The Philadelphia Enquirer and joins Gannett Suburban Newspapers as marketing director.
RICHARD PROCIDA, formerly with The Poughkeepsie Journal, has joined Gannett Suburban Newspapers as circulation manager.
JIM BOTTI, formerly distribution director at The Times Herald Record, is acting circulation director at The Middletown Times Herald Record.
GEORGE STEVENSON of the Courier Times in Buck County, a past president of NYSCMA, is to be elected president of ISCMA in October at Georgetown University.

Note: Any changes throughout New York State? Please call or fax bulletin information so we can keep everyone informed.

Elaine Sirianni at The Buffalo News
(716) 849-4516
Fax (716) 849-5467

Jaime Naranjo at the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin
(607) 798-1365
Fax (607) 798-0300

Attention Publishers &
Circulation Executives

The future training session being finalized is:

P RODUCTION
A DVERTISING
C IRCULATION
E DITORIAL

Newspaper professionals from across the state will gather on Friday, October 2, 1998 at the Holiday Inn, Farrell Road in the Syracuse area.

Over 75 executives of more than 15 newspapers are expected to attend and hear from nationally known newspaper publishers, circulation, advertising and production professionals.

The day will begin with an address from Roger Samuel, publisher of the Flint (Michigan) Journal, who will discuss the importance of establishing internal partnerships from a newspaper-wide perspective.

Other speakers include Mike Stern, production manager for the Syracuse Newspapers, and Mike Lathon, circulation manager at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. The New York Newspaper Advertising and Marketing Executives (NYNAME), who co-host the event with NYNAME, have planned an afternoon of information-sharing with advertisers and newspaper executives.

The Holiday Inn has reserved a limited number of rooms available to NYSCMA conference attendees at a rock-bottom rate of $59 plus tax for Thursday, October 1. To make reservations, call the hotel at (315) 457-8700.

This low-cost training is perfect for any circulation manager, whether they deal with home delivery, sales or single copy.

The topics covered will be of great interest to anyone with ink in their blood. The price for the session is only $35 per person if you sign up early.

More details and a registration form will be coming soon, but if you'd like more information, call Mark Vinciguerra at (315) 470-3114.

Conference Recap

Over 130 people attended the 82nd Annual NYSCMA Sales Conference held at the Lake Placid Hilton Resort from May 13 to 16, 1998. Representatives from newspapers both large and small, covering the full spectrum of papers in the Empire State, met to share ideas about how to improve circulation.

The Olympic Ski Jump facility was the site of the president's reception sponsored by research and Marketing Solutions, which marked the unofficial opening of this year's conference. Three Olympic ski jumpers started off the evening with an exciting jumping exhibition, followed by cocktails, dinner and music.

The conference was called to order on Thursday morning by NYSCMA President Chris Christian. Brenda Talisman, publisher of The Press-Republican in Plattsburgh, gave the opening remarks. The key speaker of the day was John Murray, vice president of circulation and marketing for the Newspaper Association of America. Murray spoke of NAA's "Best Practices of Newspaper Growth and Penetration" report, which will be available from the NAA soon.

Murray stressed that the six newspapers involved in this study are "distinguished less by what they're doing than by how they're doing it."

After the morning session ended, conference attendees enjoyed a free afternoon to soak up the local atmosphere. Several played golf in the tournament sponsored by RAK Systems and International Poly, while others opted for a canoe trip down the Ausable River sponsored by Liman Sales. Still others took a tour of the Lake Placid Olympic venues that was sponsored by Wilson Gregory Agency.

Six newspapers that have experienced growth
in both circulation and readership
all share common threads:

A common goal of elevating market share as an objective with paramount importance
Desire to understand the marketplace and audience
Climate of leadership
High importance placed on customer service
High importance on locally originated content
Recognition of the need to measure market acceptance and adapt to changes

Day two of the conference started off with another member from the NAA's ranks: Randy Bennett, who is vice president of new media. Randy talked about the possibilities of the Internet and what it can offer circulation departments.

Larry Levine from IML Consulting Group followed with a "Just Do It" message. Larry demonstrated how, if we don't believe it, it can't be done. He says that we tend to see circulation benchmarks as impossible, until they are achieved by somebody else, much as people once believed the four-minute mile to be an impossible goal.

The Promotion Awards Luncheon sponsored by Chuck Rickards, Whitlock & Co. was next on the program and broke the day up nicely.

The afternoon session was packed with ideas from three speakers who each gave a presentation separately and then sat collectively on a panel to ask questions from the assembled.

Dave Stolar, single copy director at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, suggested packaging the paper the way readers want it. He displayed unconventional front pages that had been tested in his market to see if design influenced single copy sales. His rapport is so well established that he actually helped editorial design staffers in their work. Not all the designs were successful, but for the most part they worked.

Rick Segel from Rick Segel and Associates is a seasoned retailer and owned one of New England's most successful independent women's specialty stores. He suggested that we compare how our papers are displayed in stores to the placement and presentation of other products, such as Coke and Pepsi.

Last, Jay Westerfield, circulation director at The Herald Times of Bloomington, IN, presented his pre-school NIE program idea, among many others. Pre-schools have become single copy outlets for parents dropping off their children. The pre-school adds the cost of the subscription to the parents' weekly child care bill.

Motivational speaker Yvonne Conte from the Crack-A-Smile Humor Project livened up the Saturday morning Hot Ideas breakfast and suggested that work should be fun, so don't be serious all the time. She even put on a clown nose to emphasize her point.

NYSCMA thanks all the sponsors involved in this year's conference.

Past President's Corner

A lot of changes have taken place since I left office two years ago. First of all, I retired from The Buffalo News and am now enjoying life in Florida and Grand Island. My Florida address is: 19520 Cotton Bay, North Fort Meyers, Florida 33917. If you are planning a trip to Florida this winter, please stop in to see Jackie and me. We will be there from October 10 until May 1, 1999. After that, we will return home to Grand Island, New York.

I suspect most of you have heard The Buffalo News has hired a new director of circulation. His name is Paul Glaeser. I am sure he is very busy reorganizing the department to suit his style. Please join me in wishing Paul the best of luck in his new venture. Hopefully he will support The News' long tradition of working and supporting NYSCMA.

A note of importance in these changing times for newspapers: Make sure you pay particular attention to your single copy sales. The future of your paper's continued success may very well depend on this. Single copy is growing faster than you can imagine. Be sure you are prepared to market your paper in honor boxes and all single copy outlets.

I hope you will continue to support the NYSCMA programs such as Carrier Day, training seminars and, of course, the annual conference that is held in May.

Hope to see all of you soon!

Best Regards,

George Sullivan
Past Circulation Manager, The Buffalo News
Past President, NYSCMA, Inc.

Dear Members/Friends of NYSCMA:

It is with great sorrow that I must tender my resignation as your chairman of the board. As my husband, Ron, has retired, I feel I must seek new levels.

Over the past nine years both Ron and I have looked forward to conventions and the special times we have shared. We have met so many wonderful people who have become our true friends. My heart will always be with this association and, if possible, we will try to return for the annual convention.

I am moving on to the Mobile Register, a Newhouse publication with a daily circulation of 92,000, and 118,900 on Sunday. My position will be Sales & Marketing Director. I hope we can stay in contact as Ron and I will truly miss all of you.

Best Wishes,

Debra Casciano

P.S. If you are in exciting Mobile you will have a place to stay.

Promotion Awards

We had 47 entries this year and 14 newspapers participated.
A special thanks to the following newspapers for showing their support by submitting entries:
Palladium Times-Oswego; Utica Observer Dispatch; Glens Falls Post Star; Albany Times Union; Gannett Suburban-White Plains; Rome Daily Sentinel; Rochester Democrat & Chronicle; The Buffalo News; Schenectady Daily Gazette; Oneida Daily Dispatch; Star Gazette-Elmira; Watertown Daily Times; Times Herald Record- Middletown; and The Syracuse Newspapers.
We know many of you participated in past years and we missed you this year. We hope to see your entries in 1999. This is another opportunity to share great ideas!

1998 PROMOTION AWARDS WINNERS
	FIRST	SECOND	HONORABLE MENTION
SUBSCRIPTION SALES & PROMOTION	The Palladium Times Star The Post Star The Buffalo News	Daily Sentinel Gannett Suburban Democrat & Chronicle	Schenectady Gazette Times Union
RETENTION	Watertown Daily Times The Syracuse Newspapers	Star Gazette
SINGLE COPY	Oneida Daily Dispatch Times Herald Record Democrat & Chronicle	Daily Sentinel Gannett Suburban The Syracuse Newspapers	Schenectady Gazette The Buffalo News
NIE	Oneida Daily Dispatch Utica Observer Dispatch The Syracuse Newspapers	The Palladium Times Schenectady Gazette
SPECIAL PROJECTS	Oneida Daily Dispatch Watertown Daily Times The Buffalo News	Schenectady Gazette The Syracuse Newspapers
BEST OF SHOW: Prime Time Promotions

Hot Ideas Session
Proves Successful

(9 papers, 21 ideas)

The always-popular NYSCMA "Hot Ideas" session underwent a change this year, moving from an afternoon to a breakfast session on Saturday morning.

Co-hosted by Claudia Hartz of Utica and Mark Vinciguerra from Syracuse, 21 ideas were submitted by nine newspapers.

The ideas ranged from selling newspapers on Utica City buses to promoting autopay and direct checking options in Middletown. Other ideas included Albany's new twist on pre-approved sampling, a recently launched "Deal of the Day" program in Syracuse, a "Lucky License Plate" contest in Glens Falls, and a "Savings of the Green" subscription offer in Wappingers Falls.

Please remember to file your Hot Ideas in the coming year in order to present them to your fellow circulation professionals at next year's conference.

Training Committee Looks Ahead to 1998-99

The NYSCMA Training Committee is already at work planning for Fall 1998 and Spring 1999 Training Sessions. The Training Committee for 1998-99 consists of:

Director Mark Vinciguerra (Syracuse Newspapers)
Dwayne Bivona (Utica Observer Dispatch)
Bruce Christopher (Auburn Citizen)
Mike Jacobs (NY Times)

Your newspaper will be hearing from one of these committee members over the course of the year as they promote the NYSCMA training sessions.
Last fall, in a groundbreaking session, the NYSCMA, The Associated Press Managing Editors and the New York Advertising and Marketing Executives co-hosted the "ACE the Future" seminar. These groups came together to discuss issues of common interest, and issues affecting the future of our industry. Over 70 people took part in the session and the response was overwhelmingly favorable.
On Oct. 2, 1998, these groups will meet again in the Syracuse area. This time, we will be joined by production managers from throughout the state. Titled "PACE the Future," this will be a session you won't want to miss!
Plans for the Spring Training Session are still in infancy, but the date for the event will be March 19, 1999 at a site to be determined. NYSCMA Past President Ron Anderson will be the featured speaker. Mark your calendars now to enjoy low-cost training for you and your staff.