By Karen T. Braeckel
HSPA Foundation
Ah, the magnolias show their splendor. The daffodils smile and nod their heads in the showers. (And dandelions compete with chickweed to take over the yard.)
Signs of spring?
No. Actually these natural alarm clocks simply remind you to pull out your clubs for the annual HSPA Foundation golf outing – the 50th no less!
Teams from the North and the South will battle for the Freedom Cannon Thursday, June 6 at Southern Dunes Golf Course in Indianapolis.
Mark your calendar now and start practicing. Don’t miss the golden anniversary of the tournament that helps fund Foundation programming.
After the South crushed the North in 2012, Yankee team captain Randy List pulled up stakes and bolted to Iowa. (He said it had to do with his duties as regional vice president of Rust Communications. Sure …)
Fear not, remaining Yanks! The North sent replacements, doubling the leadership for the 2013 Challenge.
Michael Christman, president and chief executive officer of Fort Wayne Newspapers and publisher of The News-Sentinel, and B.J. Riley, publisher of the Tribune-Star (Terre Haute), will serve as co-captains for the North.
Jack Pate, publisher of the Evansville Courier & Press, will lead the South again and try to defend the title and the Cannon.
More information will follow in a brochure soon, and expect to hear from these team captains as they begin recruiting. (Warning: They rarely accept “I don’t play golf” as a valid excuse.)
The event offers a little outdoor exercise, a way to network using bottles and clubs, both prime rib and fried chicken on the same plate, a enjoyable avenue to donate to the Foundation – and, in some cases, a few excellent opportunities to practice anger management.
Got good ads?
Rules for the 2013 Indiana Newspaper Advertising Executives Association and HSPA Foundation Advertising Contest arrived on ad directors’ desks earlier this week.
In 2012 the number of participating newspapers increased by 57 percent from the previous year. The number of entries rose by 29 percent.
We ask all publishers to encourage their ad directors to submit their best advertising examples so we can continue this trend and recognize your creative talent at the Awards Gala Sept. 27.
Your staff has until June 7 to submit ads.
Need motivation?
State ad directors who know her highly recommend this year’s Advertising Conference speaker.
Kelly Wirges, a 20-year newspaper professional who launched ProMax Training and Consulting Inc., has trained thousands of advertising executives across the country. She specializes in maximizing productivity, profits and people.
As a former educator, I appreciate Wirges’ quote on her website: “The greatest return a business can realize is made when they invest in the people who generate revenue for the business.”
(Translated: Train your sales staff to get better results. The HSPA Foundation subsidizes this event to keep registration fees low. How does this oft-heard line make sense? “We don’t have time to train our people.” Huh?)
The INAEA board got creative when picking the venue for this year’s conference and awards gala.
Instead of meeting in a convention center or hotel, participants will gather at Indiana Downs.
Yes, I did say Indiana Downs – the place where horses run and people bet.
I hear ya. Call me Thomas too.
But after visiting the meeting space, I became a believer. We will save money, have ample space in nice quarters and park free. We adjusted the schedule a bit so those who want to pick a horse or play the slots afterward may do so. Networking time never hurts either.
Summer Reading Program
In a few weeks, we will send information on exciting new materials we will offer teachers and parents – every week – for the next 12 months.
Beginning June 1, users can find lesson plans each week on the HSPA Foundation’s Newspaper in Education webpage. The Indiana NIE Foundation and the Indiana State Reading Association will fund the project to offer new ideas for using the newspaper in the classroom or home throughout the year.
We hope you will run periodic reminders in your paper that the material is available and provide a link on your website to the page.
More information will follow by email in May.
Enjoy the spring!
Karen Braeckel is director of the HSPA Foundation. Her column runs in the second issue of each month.
