E&P Reports with Mike Blinder

On Thursday, March 10, 2022, the Florida State Senate voted in favor of a bill (FL HB 7049) that changed state government entities' requirements to place public notices in local newspapers. The amendment that passed changed some language from the existing bill, which was just approved in 2021, allowing public notices to remain in the public domain through newspapers, their websites, and online at www.floridapublicnotices.com. The floridapublicnotices site is a free and independent site operated by the Florida Press Association and provided to Florida and several other states by Column, a public benefit corporation founded by its CEO Jake Seaton.

In short, just approved Florida Senate House Bill 7049, which now heads to Governor DeSantis' desk, will eliminate the requirement for local governments to publish public notices in a newspaper. Instead, governments would be allowed to post them on a county website.

Critics of this latest change argue that, under the new bill, the state's legal notices could be strewn across 67 different county websites instead of the centralized platform run by the Florida Press Association and Column.

In this 128th episode of "E&P Reports," Column founder and CEO Jake Seaton talks with E&P about the compelling data his company compiled, showing how efficiently the current public notice system in Florida is working, as well as his experiences meeting with legislators and giving testimony to try to keep a 68-day old law from being repealed

Rex's first column for Gannett did not disappoint, as he took a comedic swipe at the far-right anti-COVID-mandate truckers by suggesting that he was working with them to help "overturn" the results of the New York Times "totally rigged" Wordle. The exact words he wrote in the debut piece included, "My Wordle victory was stolen from me, and the American people will not stand idly by and let this crime of the century go unnoticed. To paraphrase former President Donald Trump on the day he definitely didn't incite a crowd of angry supporters to violently disrupt the peaceful transfer of power, 'If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a Wordle anymore.'"

But the very next day, during his first week on the job, history stepped in as Russia invaded Ukraine. So, Rex's next pieces start to take an even more serious note, with titles that include (on February 23rd) — "Knock off the ugly partisanship as Ukraine hangs in the balance. We all deserve better." And on February 26th — "America's kids are watching Russia's war on Ukraine. We should pay attention." Finally, on February 28th — "Marjorie Taylor Greene at a white nationalist conference? Probably Joe Biden's fault."

In this 127th episode of "E&P Reports," syndicated columnist Rex Huppke discusses how in his youth, he made a change from a career in chemical engineering to journalism and what it is like today to write his style of political humor in such a polarized country. Plus, E&P Publisher Mike Blinder asks Rex how he comes up with his topics and reviews those debut columns for USA TODAY as war breaks out in Europe.

According to U.S. Census data, even though military veterans make up 7% of the population, approximately 2% percent of those who work in U.S. media are post-9/11 veterans. Why is this important? A recent Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) sponsored study conducted by the RAND Corporation and Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans revealed that organizations gain employees with extensive experience and competencies when they hire veterans. The study states, "Vets deliver subject matter expertise, years of on-the-job training and advanced skills in everything from information technology to transportation logistics and from supply-chain management to public relations. Vets can raise a company's workforce to the next level in many areas."

The MVJ is led and run by military veterans such as Midori and co-founder Zack Baddorf who acts as the Executive Director. Their work includes creating opportunities for veterans to break into the media industry and to also serve as a career pipeline by providing news outlets access to talent and diversity for their members.

In this 126th episode of "E&P Reports," Publisher Mike Blinder is joined by Russell Midori, co-founder and President of Military Veterans in Journalism (MVJ), to discuss the organization's goals of supporting career growth for vets in the news publishing industry and diversifying newsrooms through hiring and promoting more vets. Joining the discussion is Lori King, host and producer of the MVJ podcast "Sword & Pen" and a journalism instructor at The University of Toledo and Kent State University.

Check Out DFW proudly states on the site that it is: "The first-of-its-kind real estate and local recommendations product that helps locals live more enjoyable lives." Launched in the fall of 2021 in a very media crowded Dallas/ Ft. Worth metroplex market, Jed Williams, who spent one year as Chief Revenue Officer at Ken Doctor's experimental start-up Lookout Local and close to four years managing strategy and innovation for the Local Media Association, teamed up with well-known industry veteran David Arkin (who led content initiatives for Gatehouse, Local Media Association, Community Impact Newspapers and others) to go all-in with sponsored content in this new venture. Arkin is Check Out DFW's chief content officer, and Williams is chief revenue officer.

Right now, the platform focuses on the area's most affluent and growing communities offering content "verticals" for each area defined as Schools, Subdivisions, Resources, Guides, Things to do, Profiles, New to town, New to Texas and more. Plus, there is a growing newsletter database as well. However, all content is sponsored by a local business crafted as a marketing partnership between Check Out DFW and the Advertiser.

In this 125th episode of "E&P Reports," Publisher Mike Blinder interviews industry veterans Jed Williams and David Arkin about why they decided to move entirely into the sponsored content space with Check Out DFW. And what they see as the opportunity for initially growing audience and revenue in Dallas, Ft. Worth with this new model, and then moving into other markets as well.

In a recent post from the American Press Institute, they cited: "Concentrated efforts to highlight diversity are necessary for reaching new audiences and staying relevant to younger changing audiences. Readers pay attention to the content that speaks to or serves their identity. Diversity is a journalism imperative."

The API goes on to add that more diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the news publishing industry is imperative because: "Without accounting for the range of lived experiences, we fail to serve parts of our communities. Journalism, in its truest form, should be produced for the benefit of all, not only those who wield a particular power, class or authority."

In a recent press release, Editor & Publisher (E&P) announced a new partnership with The Diversity Pledge Institute (DPI), a nonprofit organization addressing newsroom diversity by working with employers to improve hiring and retention of journalists of color and by identifying skilled journalists of color and preparing them for news careers. E&P and DPI have launched a new resource site called "Diversity Spotlight" that features exclusive editorial content and links to all relevant resources and stories to help publishers find relevant content in one location and create a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

Also included with that platform is information and access to the many training sessions around diversity, equity and inclusion offered by The Poynter Institute.

In this 124th episode of "E&P Reports," Publisher Mike Blinder interviews Larry Grahm, founder and executive of The Diversity Pledge Institute, along with Doris Truong,

Director of Training and Diversity at The Poynter Institute, about the importance of achieving more diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the news publishing industry and what resources are available now to help executives accomplish those goals.

The new newspaper grew out of a then 5-month-old entertainment-based local website started by 56-year-old air force veteran Joel Langton. Langton relocated to the area 16 years before when he was assigned as a public affairs officer at nearby Laughlin Air Force Base.

Joel states in his LinkedIn profile: "I've got 30 years with the Air Force in Public Affairs where I've been involved in media, internal communications and many consider my strength to be community engagement. However, I've got plenty of experience in all of it, and I'm a big proponent of causes bigger than myself."

Today the Times publishes more than 40 pages a week, with a 50%+ ad count. The newspaper gained national attention uncovering how a proposed Chinese-owned wind farm would disrupt military operations (Chinese Reps Defend Proposed Wind Farm). And with their live coverage of the estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Haitian immigrants who camped under the Del Rio International Bridge last September.

Joel's publishing accomplishments even awarded him national attention in the January 2021 New York Times article: "In a Widening News Desert on the Border, a Tabloid Start-Up Defies the Odds."

In this 123rd episode of "E&P Reports," Publisher Mike Blinder goes one-on-one with Joel Langton, the air force public affairs veteran who saved a Texas border town from becoming a news desert with a thriving, local news outlet publishing an ad packed, free weekly newspaper.

The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) hopes to bring big tech to the bargaining table with U.S. news publishers. On this 122nd episode of E&P Reports, Danielle Coffey, executive vice president and general counsel for the News Media Alliance (NMA), and economist Dr. Hal Singer, managing director, Econ One discuss why this legislation is urgently needed and offer advance insight into this week's Congressional hearing before the Senate's Antitrust Committee, where the JCPA will be debated and Dr. Singer will be testifying.

Kurt started his career in news publishing in 1989 as a circulation executive for the Journal Register Company. As new digital technology was evolving, Kurt's passion for helping innovate compelled him to work in the vendor space. He first traveled to hundreds of newspapers as an installation specialist of advertising systems and eventually found a home as VP of operations at SCS, then owned by Martha and Richard Cichellii. He has been there since. In September of 2021, the Cichelli's sold the company to him, stating, "We are so happy to be able to turn the company over to Kurt who knows the industry so well.."

In this 121st episode of "E&P Reports," Publisher Mike Blinder chats with industry technology veteran Kurt Jackson about his views about all aspects of news publishing, including opinions on those who cut back on print frequency, how he believes selling digital ads CAN support a local newsroom, why Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act should be repealed and lots more.

In this 120th episode of "E&P Reports" American Journalism Project (AJP) CEO Sarabeth Berman and AJP's Co-Founder and Vice President for Portfolio Success Anna Nirmala talk about several AJP grants they recently awarded including $1.6 million given to Block Club Chicago and their contribution to the 20 million in seed being given to a new, nonprofit, Houston based local news outlet. Joining in on the discussion is Block Club Chicago's Publisher and Co-Founder Shamus Toomey and Co-Executive Editor and Co-Founder Stephanie Lulay.

Borrell Associates' latest study: 2022 Local Automotive Advertising Outlook, released on Monday, Jan 7, 2022, predicts significant changes in this highly lucrative media advertising category for the next few years. Within the 30-page report, 18 charts and graphs reveal that local dealers spent an estimated $8.7 billion on advertising in 2021, a 15% increase over 2020.

In 2022, the forecast is for an 8.8% increase in ad spend. However, due to a "steep decline" in available inventory to sell, the dealers will be using these dollars to "rebrand themselves, educate consumers on what their stores have to offer and drive buyers to their websites to interact.

The report states that "the new advertising environment is shifting from excitement around new cars on the lot and manufacturer's rebates – both of which are in short supply – to other things. That opened up new opportunities to advertise." Some of these new reasons that dealers will be advertising will include: Buying back consumer vehicles, meeting online buyers in person, promoting electric cars and ancillary services they offer within their finance and service departments.

The report also predicts a significant shift in what media local auto dealers will be purchasing as they move substantial dollars away from broadcast radio & TV ads into newspapers (an 11.9% increase) and OTT (Over the Top Advertising), where their video message is placed on streaming services that deliver content over the internet.

In this 119th episode of E&P Reports, E&P Publisher Mike Blinder is joined by Jim Brown, President of Borrell Associates, who reviews the findings of their newly released Auto Advertising Outlook study. Joining the discussion is a long-time automotive industry veteran and JDA media's SVP of revenue initiatives Pat Norris along with E&P's "Ad Sales Life" contributor Richard E. Brown, head of digital subscriber churn for Gannett | USA Today.

Slides used during broadcast are available on the Vodcast episode page