Your dues support legislative services

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Publishers of HSPA-member newspapers received their 2012 dues notices in the mail in the past week.

Annual dues fund 20 percent of HSPA’s operating costs for expenses such as lobbying representation before the Indiana legislature and state agencies, legal advice on media law issues and educational opportunities in public notice advertising, state access laws and other topics.

HSPA services

Member dues help fund:

• Representing newspaper interests before the Indiana legislature and state agencies.

• Serving as a legal resource for member newspapers.

• Representing newspapers before advertising agencies through HSPA’s Midwest Adver­tising Place­ments service.

• Informing publishers and other news­­­­­­­paper executives about issues that im­­pact the industry.

In a letter to members, HSPA board of directors president Tim Timmons urged members to take advantage of the services the association provides. 

“We believe you will find the benefits your newspaper receives from its HSPA affiliation outweigh the cost of membership,” said Timmons, publisher of The Paper of Montgomery County (Crawfordsville) and The Times (Noblesville).

HSPA lobbying efforts have helped derail numerous attempts to place punitive tax burdens on newspapers, and the association’s efforts protect the ability of citizens and the press to know about government actions, he said.

Timmons also reminded publishers that HSPA represents newspapers before advertising agencies through Midwest Advertising Placements.

This advertising arm of HSPA facilitates the purchase of ad space in Indiana newspapers and promotes such placements with advertising agencies, government units and specific advertisers.

In 2011, MAP will have placed directly more than $400,000 in advertising with Indiana newspapers and facilitated the placement by agencies of thousands of additional advertising, he said.

The dues packet also includes information on a suggested donation for HSPA Foundation and information on a free web-based advertising sales training program the Foundation will offer in 2012.

HSPA Foundation hopes to increase the number of newspapers contributing to the mission of fostering public understanding of a free press and enhancing the ability of Indiana newspapers to educate and inform the public.

Despite the challenges the newspaper industry faces, the majority of members continue to give to the Foundation annually, said Henry Bird, president of the HSPA Foundation board of directors, in a letter to members.

“Please know your donation goes directly toward the Foundation’s 2012 operating fund,” said Bird, senior vice president for CNHI. “We express our gratitude for your generosity as it allows us to continue and improve our educational services, events, contests and programs.”

Please contact Steve Key, HSPA executive director and general counsel, about any dues questions at skey@hspa.com or (317) 624-4427.