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Obituaries

Melvin Stone

Melvin Stone, 96, of Portland, Maine, died Nov. 17 at the Cedars retirement community in Portland.

After service in the Army, Stone purchased Rumford (Maine) Publishing Co., which he expanded to publish not only the Rumford Falls Times, but also the former Wilton Times, the then-Westbrook American, and the former Rangeley Record, all in Maine.

Stone later established radio station WLOB-AM in Portland. He eventually owned nine radio stations and Bangor’s Channel 7 TV network, all in Maine. He brokered the sale of dozens of radio stations during his career.

Stone was treasurer of the Maine Press Association and the first president of the New England Press Association.

He retired at age 84.

Stone leaves two sons, Chuck and David, and multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Richard E. Rappoli

Richard E. Rappoli, 71, of Cambridge and Rockport, Mass., and formerly of Belmont, Mass., died Oct. 27 at the home of a brother in Rockport.

Rappoli was a reporter and editor at the then-Malden (Mass.) Evening News and a sister newspaper, the former Medford (Mass.) Daily Mercury.

Rappoli leaves three brothers, Peter, Andrew and Robert; two sisters, Caroline and Janice; three nieces; a nephew; two great-nephews.

William F. Dougherty

William F. Dougherty, 79, of Hartford, Conn., died Nov. 1 in Hartford.

Dougherty began his career in journalism in the early 1960s, and was the head editorial writer for several newspapers, including The Standard Times of New Bedford, Mass., the former Boston Herald-Traveler, the former Hartford (Conn.) Times, The Telegraph of Nashua, N.H., and the Republican-American of Waterbury, Conn. He also was an editorial page editor and columnist at the Charlottesville (Va.) Daily Progress.

He leaves two daughters, Cynthia and Justine; a son, James; three grandchildren.

Anne Marie (Ridley) Scigliano

Anne Marie (Ridley) Scigliano, 81, of Topsham, Maine, died Nov. 20 at Huntington Common in Kennebunk, Maine.

Scigliano was an award-winning reporter and editor. In 1969, she became the first woman editor for the Lexington (Mass.) Minuteman.

She later became the director of community relations with Symmes Hospital in Arlington, Mass., and in 1984 was named vice president for community relations at Choate Symmes Health Services Inc. In 1989, she became the director of public relations for Winchester (Mass.) Hospital. Scigliano retired in 1995.

Scigliano leaves a sister-in-law, Barbara Jellison; eight nieces and nephews; several grandnieces and grandnephews.

Eleanor Gertrude (Olmstead) McMorrow

Eleanor Gertrude (Olmstead) McMorrow, 91, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., died Nov. 8 in her apartment.

McMorrow wrote Around the Town, a weekly column in the Westwood (Mass.) Press, and became editor of the Westwood Press. She also had been editorial assistant at the Norwood (Mass.) Messenger.

She was a member of Westwood’s Ways and Means and Conservation commissions and was chairwoman of the Westwood Council on Aging.

She leaves three sons, John, Stanley and Philip; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren.

Frank Edward Keane

Frank Edward Keane, 88, of Yountville, Calif., died Nov. 10.

Keane was a newspaper journalist for nearly 50 years. He began his career as a reporter in upstate New York for The Syracuse Post Standard, the Oneida Daily Dispatch, and The Buffalo Courier Express.

Keane then joined The Providence (R.I) Journal, where he covered politics and general news. During his 32-year association with the Journal, he eventually became night editor.

He was also the head of the union for reporters and editors. He negotiated contracts with the owners and led a strike in 1973.

Before his career ended in 2003, he was a copy editor at the Providence Business News.

He leaves his wife, Rose; five stepchildren, Christina, James, Margaret, Mary and John; six grandchildren; a brother.

Gillian R. Swart

Gillian R. Swart, 64, of Malden, Mass., died unexpectedly Nov. 18 in her home.

Swart was city and feature editor of the Newburyport (Mass.) Current, a freelancer for The Boston Globe, and a writer for the Malden (Mass.) Observer and for the East Village Magazine of Flint, Mich.

Swart leaves her father, Fred; two sisters, Sarah and Helen; a brother, Myron; five half-brothers and sisters.

Andrew Austin Merdek

Andrew Austin Merdek, 67, of Atlanta, Ga., and formerly of Portland, Maine, died Nov. 18.

After graduating from college in 1972, Merdek was a reporter and copy editor for the company that used to own what has become the Portland Press Herald and its sister Sunday newspaper.

Merdek also had been the principal media lawyer for Dow, Lohnes, and Albertson based in Atlanta.

He later became general manager and vice president at the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

Merdek retired as vice president and general counsel at Cox Enterprises, based in Atlanta.

He leaves his wife, Jeanne; two sons, David and Jonathan; a granddaughter, Abigail; a sister.

Derek C. Gentile

Derek C. Gentile, 62, of Great Barrington, Mass., died unexpectedly Nov. 13 at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass.

Gentile was a reporter and columnist for The Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield for more than 30 years.

He leaves four sisters, Marybeth, Melanie, Hilary and Karla; three nephews, Kane, Kyle and Nicholas; several cousins.

Karlene Kelley Hale

Karlene Kelley Hale, 74, of North Monmouth, Maine, died Nov. 22 at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston after a long battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Hale was a correspondent for the Bangor (Maine) Daily News, covering Eastern Washington County for several years.

Hale later began a 12-year career at the Kennebec Journal of Augusta, Maine, where she wrote mostly statewide and local education stories. She also wrote personal opinion columns there.

After leaving the Kennebec Journal, she became a full-time freelance reporter for the Capital Weekly of Augusta. Her columns and news stories won multiple awards from the Maine Press Association. In 1992, Hale won the Outstanding Media Award from The National Alliance on Mental Illness for her stories about the mentally ill under deinstitutionalization.

Hale wrote three books: “Being There,” about the private lives of the mentally ill; “Hometown Champs,” about a high school basketball team; “Tap Dancing and True Confessions,” a collection of essays about her life growing up in Maine.

She leaves her husband, John, a reporter at the Bangor Daily News when they married; a daughter, Elizabeth; a stepson, Jonathan; a sister.

Mildred Cole Péladeau

Mildred Cole Péladeau, 89, of Readfield, Maine, died Nov. 4 in her home after a long bout with Parkinson’s disease.

Péladeau was a reporter for the then-Lewiston (Maine) Daily Sun, with its state department and its society desk.

Péladeau was a founder of the then-Maine Press, TV and Radio Women. She wrote a book, “Rug Hooking in Maine, 1838-1940,” a 2008 publication that explained the historical context of rug hooking.

Péladeau leaves her husband, Marius, also a former reporter with the Lewiston Daily Sun; a cousin; several nieces and nephews.

Elsa R. Josten

Elsa R. Josten, 96, of Old Saybrook, Conn., died Nov. 20 at Apple Rehab in Old Saybrook.

Josten was a reporter at The Hartford (Conn.) Courant.

She later helped publish weekly newspapers for many years with her husband, Henry, who was the owner and managing editor of Curtis Johnson Publication.

She leaves a daughter, Madeline; three grandchildren, Jay, Caroline and Eric; five great-granddaughters.

George Forsythe

George Forsythe, 93, of Framingham, Mass., died Nov. 24.

Forsythe was a staff reporter the former Boston Evening Traveller and for the New Journal of Norfolk, Va.

He later was an on-air news reporter at the then-WHDH-TV, Channel 5 in Boston.

He leaves three daughters, The Rev. Faith, Anne and Leslie; five grandsons, Timothy, Anthony, Christopher Tolson, Russell, and Christopher Booth; six great-grandchildren.

MacGregor Robinson

MacGregor Robinson, 53, of Norfolk, Conn., died Sept. 4 in his home after being diagnosed with liver cancer in August.

MacGregor had been a reporter for the Lakeville (Conn.) Journal.

He leaves two brothers, Belmore and James; three nieces; five nephews; a brother-in-law; two sisters-in-law.

Daniel M. ‘Dan’ Lynch

Daniel M. “Dan” Lynch, 72, of Plainville, Mass., died Oct. 16 after a brief illness.

Lynch was a columnist with Milford (Mass.) Daily News and the MetroWest Daily News of Framingham, Mass. Lynch retired from owning a contracting business and began writing weekly how-to advice about home improvements.

In 2004, Lynch began writing a weekly column for The Boston Globe called Dear Dan, a question-and-answer column on home repairs.

Lynch leaves a son, Daniel Jr.; a brother, James; six nieces; four nephews.

Ronald Edward Keeler

Ronald Edward Keeler, 84, of Centerville, Mass., and formerly of Redding, Conn., died Nov. 11 at his home.

He was a Linotype machinist at The Advocate of Stamford, Conn.

He leaves a wife, Georgette; two sons, Ronald and Jeffrey; a daughter, Susan; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren.

Anthony Randolph ‘Tony’ Jenkins

Anthony Randolph “Tony” Jenkins, 60, of Boston died Nov. 17 in Boston Medical Center.

Jenkins retired from The Boston Globe after 21 years in its travel division.

He leaves a daughter, Amanda.

Ermina ‘Erma’ (Guiditta) Jacovino

Ermina “Erma” (Guiditta) Jacovino, 96, of Waterbury, Conn., and formerly of Wolcott, Conn., died Nov. 18 at Waterbury Hospital.

Jacovina was a bookkeeper for the Republican American of Waterbury for 17 years.

Jacovina leaves a daughter, Mary Ann; four grandchildren, Robert, Danielle, Vincent and Jeffery; three great-grandchildren.

Christina Caturano

Christina Caturano, 41, of Concord, Mass., died Nov. 30 after battling breast cancer.

She was a photojournalist for the Boston Herald and The Boston Globe.

She also wrote a cooking blog and children’s literature.

She leaves her husband, Shane; two children, Rhys and Meriel; her parents, Richard and Barbara; a brother.

Michael E. Shea

Michael E. Shea, 58, of Holyoke, Mass., died Nov. 2.

He was involved with transportation and delivery for The Republican of Springfield, Mass.

Robert J. Kmon Sr.

Robert J. Kmon Sr., 51, of Coventry, R.I., died Nov. 10 at Philip Hulitar Hospice Center in Providence, R.I.

Kmon was a pressman for several newspaper companies.

He leaves his wife, Lory; a son, Robert; two daughters, Sara and Amanda; his biological father, Ernest; two brothers; a sister.

The obituaries were written, at least in part, from published reports by Bulletin correspondents Ajoa Addae, Nadine El-Bawab, Angela Gomba, Nico Hall, Joshua Leaston, Kaitlyn Mangelinkx, Monica Nair, Rebekah Patton, Casey Rochette and Cayley Ross, undergraduate students at Northeastern University.

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Slimp

Kevin Slimp technology
Kevin Slimp technology

Kevin Slimp

Kevin Slimp is director of the Institute of Newspaper Technology.

Email questions to him at
kevin@kevinslimp.com

At the 21st session of the Newspaper Institute last week, Ed Henninger and I did something we’ve never done before. We taught a class together. It must have been a good idea because it was the most attended of the 26 classes offered.

The class was titled “What You Need to Know About Paragraph Styles,” and we took the group through a very fast-paced 90-minute session, covering everything from simple nested styles to advanced nested styles.

Afterward, while discussing our class in the hallway, Ed and I agreed we had learned something from each other concerning paragraph styles. Ed told me he hadn’t seen nested styles created using the method I used.

A nested style is a type of paragraph style that combines two or more separate styles into a single paragraph style. For instance, this is an easy way to create a style for classifieds. If the user wanted five bold words at the beginning of each classified, followed by smaller normal text, then followed by a different style of text for the code at the end of the ad, that could be accomplished with a nested style.

I was intrigued by a method Ed used to create a paragraph style based on the style that follows.

For instance, most newspaper designers are used to using paragraph styles to set body text, headlines, cutlines, and other common text styles.

Let me offer a quick explanation for those who don’t design pages. Suppose you’ve placed text under a photo. Without a paragraph style to simplify the process, you would highlight the text, select a font, along with tracking, leading, and other characteristics to create your cutline.

Using a pre-existing paragraph style, the user could simply click anywhere within the cutline and select “cutline” to achieve the same effect.

The same technique could be used to apply styles to headlines, body text, bylines, and other types of text on a page.

Ed discussed a method he uses to create styles for his newspaper clients, using a “next style” method. I noted a few of the styles he created and asked Ed to take a step back and show the class exactly how those styles were created.

Afterward, I went to my computer and experimented with different types of paragraph styles using that method.

“Wouldn’t it be great,” I thought, “if by simply clicking on a paragraph style, the headline, byline, email line, and body text were all set automatically, without having to select different styles for each?”

Let me show you how that can be accomplished. We will begin by placing some text on a page.

For this particular method to work correctly, we will create the body text style first. That is done by creating text exactly the way you want it to appear on the page. Set the font, the justification, the first line indent, etc. I named this font “Body Text” in the Paragraph Styles panel.

Suppose my stories are made up of headines, with bylines below the headlines, followed by email addresses below the bylines, then body text flowing below the email addresses.

Yes, I could place the text, then click on each of the paragraph styles individually, until each type of text was styled. By paying close attention, however, I can create paragraph styles that do all those for me, with one click, rather than having to select each piece individually.

After creating a “Body Text” style, I go about creating a style for the email line. Notice inside the “Next Style” box, I have selected “Body Text.” That will allow me to set two styles at once, an email line followed by body text.

Next, I create my paragraph style for the byline. Again, create text just as you intend for it to look on the page. Note the setting for “Next Style.” After the byline, the next line will be in the Email Address style.

Finally, a style is created for the headline, with Next Style set for “ByLine.”

Now, here is the trick. For this to work, you place your text on the page, then click somewhere within the headline with your Text tool.

Next, right-click on the headline style and select “Apply Headline” then “Next Style.”

The result is a headline, a byline, an email address line, followed by body text.

With a little practice, you’ll be setting up styles for stories with drop caps and more. I know you can’t wait. Go have fun. Remember, the secret is to right-click on the paragraph style if you want to use the “next style” method.

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How pros and amateurs differ

John Foust Advertising

John Foust
john-foust-ad-libs

John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training.

Email for information: john@johnfoust.com

What sets advertising amateurs apart from professionals? Let’s examine some key skill areas.

  1. Amateurs do most of the talking in sales appointments. Professionals do most of the listening. When they meet with prospective advertisers, they work to learn marketing goals. They concentrate on discovering “pain points.” And they learn about the results of previous campaigns. That’s accomplished with questions – along with attentive listening.
  2. Amateurs use puffery in ad copy. Professionals use relevant information. They stay away from empty claims and exaggerations like “unbelievable,” “fantastic” and “incredible.” Instead, they focus on specific features and benefits that mean something to readers.
  3. Amateurs sell one ad at a time. Professionals sell campaigns. The best ads are not stand-alone sales; they are elements of bigger marketing campaigns. By taking the time to develop an overall strategy, professionals have a guideline to follow. There’s no mystery about what to do next. They simply follow the plan.
  4. Amateurs create spec ads before learning the prospect’s needs and developing a marketing strategy. Professionals believe it’s important to diagnose the patient before writing a prescription. I cringe when I hear stories of ad ideas that have been created without doing any homework first. Most of those ads are laughably off target.
  5. Amateurs don’t know the difference between image ads and response ads. Professionals know that distinction can make or break advertisers’ expectations. Image ads are designed to create and strengthen brand identities, while response ads are designed to motivate consumers to “buy now.”
  6. Amateurs see print and digital as separate entities. Professionals know that print and digital work together to project a cohesive brand image for their clients. In today’s multimedia environment, the companies with strong marketplace identities understand that everything must work together. Logos, type fonts, benefit statements, theme colors – they all play important roles.
  7. Amateurs run anything their advertisers request, because they don’t want to risk offending paying customers. Professionals know they’re obligated to stand up for solid advertising principles (with diplomacy, of course). I’ve never seen a salesperson’s business card that listed “Order Taker” as a job title.
  8. Amateurs wing their way through appointments. Professionals provide prospects with a printed agenda and follow it carefully. They know how to keep things on track. They stay away from running down rabbit trails that can derail a presentation. It’s a matter of respecting the other person’s time and making a professional impression.
  9. Amateurs don’t care about typography. Professionals understand that type has been called “the voice of print” for a good reason. They know that all upper-case type should be used sparingly in headlines – and almost never in body copy. They understand the nuances of serif and sans serif fonts. And they know how to use line-breaks to create readable headlines.
  10. Amateurs think they know everything. Professionals are not complacent. They strive to learn more about their prospects, their market, their competitors, and advertising in general. There’s truth in the old saying, “The biggest room in the house is room for improvement.”

 

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Transitions

CONNECTICUT

Jeff Otterbein has retired as sports editor of The Hartford Courant after 27 years. Dan Brechlin has been named to replace Otterbein as sports editor. Otterbein began in the Courant sports department in 1985 and has been sports editor since 1990. Otterbein has won the Associated Press Sports Editors Triple Crown for Top 10 daily section, Sunday section and special section four years in a row. Before his time at the Courant, Otterbein was assistant sports editor at the Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Brechlin was previously the deputy metro editor for the Hartford Courant. Before joining the Courant, he was city editor for the Record-Journal of Meriden for six years. He was a reporter there until 2014 and then city editor from 2014 until 2016. He also has been a reporter for the Southington Citizen and the Plainville Citizen.

The Transition was written, at least in part, from a published report by Bulletin correspondent Monica Nair.

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Ex-Globe reporter recounts his travels with John Kerry

Ex-Globe reporter recounts
his travels with John Kerry

By Jesse Goodman
Bulletin Correspondent

Glen Johnson was a reporter for The Sun of Lowell, Mass., when he first met John Kerry, then a Democratic U.S. senator from Massachusetts. That brief interaction happened in the Sun newsroom while Kerry was being interviewed by another reporter, but it would be the first of many interactions between Johnson and Kerry. More than 20 years after they first met, Johnson began working for Kerry, who was then U.S. secretary of state.

“If I was sitting in your seat, I know I’d be wondering what this was like because I stepped through a barrier that changes careers,” Johnson said.

At  New England Newspaper Conference in the Crowne Plaza hotel in Natick, Mass., Oct. 12, Johnson gave a talk

on his transition from a political columnist to the four years he spent by Kerry’s side as deputy assistant secretary for strategic communication.

Johnson had always had an interest in politics, beginning with his first coverage of a presidential candidate, when he followed the bid for the Democratic nomination of Paul Tsongas, a former U.S. senator from Lowell. Johnson covered Kerry’s bid for the presidency in 2004.

During the race, Johnson asked Kerry whether he was sick. Kerry said no. It was revealed a day later that Kerry had prostate cancer and needed to have an operation immediately. Johnson thought that Kerry might not be a huge fan of him after that incident, fearing that he had pushed Kerry’s buttons when pressing him about his health. That led to Johnson being even more surprised when he got the call.

“He told me I was his ‘first-round pick’ for the position,” Johnson said.

Johnson and his family agreed that it was an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up. He was working for The Boston Globe at the time. Johnson had doubts; he said resigning from the Globe was one of the hardest things he has ever had to do, professionally and personally. He was also worried that the editor of the Globe, Brian McGrory, would be resentful toward him. But instead, McGrory told Johnson to pursue the opportunity.

“He said, ‘If you told me you were going to work for the Massachusetts Democratic Party, I’d say you’re making a big mistake, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity’,” Johnson said.

After passing background checks, Johnson was officially working for Kerry, and was put to work right away.

“It was more grueling than expected. I worked my tail off as a reporter, but I worked harder as a government official,” Johnson said. “My schedule was too unpredictable while traveling around with the State Department; I had no idea where I’d be.”

Johnson’s main responsibility was planning when and where Kerry would be, but he also ended up taking on more responsibility. He wasn’t happy with the quality of the photos being taken of Kerry, and ended up taking on those photography duties himself. Johnson took more than 100,000 photos during his travels with Kerry.

Johnson also was in charge of crisis communications. One such occasion arose in France, when Kerry broke his leg while riding a bike. Johnson had to help get him to

Geneva, Switzerland, then to Germany, where he got a medical evacuation back to Boston. Johnson made sure that the first photo released of Kerry post-surgery showed him doing well.

All in all, Johnson spent an aggregate 120 days in the air, visited 91 countries, and traveled 1.4 million miles. Johnson was with Kerry when he tried to negotiate a deal between Israel and Palestine, when he was meeting with the former

prime minister of Australia, Tony Abbott, and when Kerry went to the South Pole to see glaciers receding, among plenty of different diplomatic ventures both abroad and at home.

While Johnson’s time working for Kerry has come and gone, and his time at the Globe ended years ago, Johnson still misses being in the newsroom.

“It was a very sad thing for me to stop reporting. It’s been very uplifting for me to be back with this audience and see some familiar faces,” Johnson said. “I knew I always missed reporting, but to see people getting awards makes me so proud to have been part of that fraternity for so long. I hope someday I can get back into reporting of some sort.”

Johnson is writing a book about his time as an aide to Kerry. He hopes for it to be out before the 2018 elections.

Members of the audience at Glen Johnson’s talk listen intently

 

 

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Panelists: Analytics alter approaches to how news is covered, presented

The four panelists at the discussion on using analytics in news decisions, from left: Tom Zuppa, David Colantuono, Jason Tuohey and Carlos Virgen.

Panelists: Analytics alter approaches to how news is covered, presented

By Daniel McLoone
Bulletin Correspondent

A successful newspaper today is a product of combining modern analytics with conventional journalistic thinking, according to Jason Tuohey, deputy managing editor of The Boston Globe.

“We try to have analytics sprinkled throughout everything we do,” said Tuohey, who focuses on digital platforms and audience engagement at the Globe. “Some of it is based on what readers will like … Some of it is old school realizing that a story is good, and if we go at it and tell it the way we want to tell it, then readers will respond.”

Tuohey was a member of a panel invited to talk about the growing use of analytics in the newsroom. The panel discussion, “Using analytics to drive newsroom decisions,” took place during the New England Society of News Editors Journalism Conference portion of the New England Newspaper Conference Oct. 12 at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Natick, Mass.

The panel also featured Carlos Virgen, digital news director of The Day of New London, Conn.; Tom Zuppa, managing editor of The Sun of Lowell; and David Colantuono, audience development and mobile specialist for GateHouse Media New England, the chain that includes more than 100 newspapers in five of the six New England states. The panel was moderated by Tim Cotter, managing editor of the Day.

Most of the panelists discussed how pageviews and social interactions on stories dictate the way that newsrooms have changed how they cover local news.

Zuppa said the key to that is identifying the target audience of the online platform.

“Twenty-five to 45 is the (age) group of readers we’ve been looking at, so we want to find ways to draw those readers in,” he said.

The Sun now devotes more coverage to restaurants and social events because they were favored by readers in the Sun’s analytics, Zuppa said.

The long-followed formula of covering local events such as elections and town hall meetings with a traditional story is not as successful, Zuppa said. The Sun’s first story on the results of the Lowell elections this past year peaked that day at 297th on the paper’s online traffic list. Finding solutions to keep readers interested and still getting important facts across is a new challenge, he said.

Colantuono discussed changing the approach to certain beats that are suffering from lower readership.

As an example, he said: “Bullet points on what the reader needs to know work” as summaries of meeting action within a narrative.

 Virgen said using analytics is changing the approach to reposting stories on social media.

Zuppa said: “Maybe you take a more conversational tone in the post instead of (copying and pasting) the lead.”

He also recommended reducing the number of posts with story links on social media.

“We’re down from 20 to five to seven posts a day, and we’re seeing much more engagement, Zuppa said.

If 20 stories are posted on the Sun website on a given day, only the top five to seven are posted on Twitter and Facebook posts.

The Sun has cut down on social media posts so as not to overwhelm readers with such posts. With fewer posts, readers regard those as more worthy of attention and therefore those posts get more interaction. Fewer social media posts also cut down on the number of readers who might become annoyed with too many or too frequent posts, Zuppa said.

Colantuono acknowledged the difficulty of getting both a newsroom and audiences to accept changes to formats they are used to.

“It’s like moving a battleship trying to get people to think differently,” he said. “ … I think we’re slow in adopting new technology, and then we keep them around for a long time.”

Tuohey said the difficulty of changing the system should not dissuade papers from trying new things.

“You should always be experimenting,” he said. “I think the key is when something isn’t working, you don’t cling to it.”

Panelists recommended different approaches such as photo albums, podcasts, slideshows, personal pieces, and moving around stories on the front page to drive traffic to social media and the main Web pages of newspapers.

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Customer satisfaction is key in digital marketing


Customer satisfaction is
key in digital marketing

By Alison Berstein
Bulletin Correspondent

“People know what they’re looking for; they just don’t know where to get it from.”

Robert Scanlon, digital director of New England Newspapers Inc., based in Pittsfield, Mass., and publisher of The Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield and its sister publications, discussed that predicament at the New England Newspaper Conference Oct. 12.

Scanlon was one of the panelists at the discussion, titled “Digital marketing services.”

To best reach customers, newspapers should take advantage of all of the marketing tools available to them, the panelists said.

“We’ve really figured out our process,” Scanlon said. “Now we’re in a really good spot where we have digital sellers, multimedia reps, an in-house operation team that helps fulfillment.”

“That’s pretty much the name of the game — making sure the customer is happy with the campaigns,” he said.

The panel was one of three roundtable sessions that kicked off the conference, held at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Natick, Mass.

Tim Brady, advertising director of the Concord (N.H.) Monitor, moderated the session.

“Digital space is a space that we want to challenge,” Brady said. “Everybody has different models, but that can change in minutes or seconds.”

For a newspaper to succeed, it needs to harness today’s panoply of digital assets – especially mobile, the panelists said.

“If you’re not mobile-friendly, you’re getting penalized by Google and you’re not giving your customers a good experience,” said panelist Daryl Hively, founder of digital agency Guarantee Digital, based in Hartland, Wis. “You’re just setting yourself up for a conversation 30 days from now where they say it doesn’t work. It doesn’t work because you gave your customer a crummy experience.”

Added Scanlon: “It’s like having a boarded-up store.”

Newspapers should pay close attention to the need of customers to give them a positive experience, panelist Shawn Palmer said.

“Your best new customers are your current customers,” said Palmer, senior vice president and chief revenue officer of Record-Journal Media Group, based in Meriden, Conn.

“Be the smartest and most educated, with the most options for them. We start with what the customer needs,” he said.

A publication being locally accessible is a huge step in learning and meeting customer needs, Palmer added.

“We’re local and we’re in our markets every day; that’s our advantage,” he said. “We have that credibility. There’s a lot of value to what we do, small weekly or a larger daily.”

New England lends itself to ample opportunities for a publication to build local connections with its clientele, the panelists said.

“This is New England. This is very small; people are very traditional,” Palmer said.

In 2016, Record-Journal Media Group discussed and began conducting more in-house operations, which Palmer found to be “extremely successful.”

“That local connection really helped us,” he said. “Our customer could sit down with the designer and talk about the designs.”

Brady sees potential in digital services as a tool for newspapers.

“There’s a number of opportunities for everybody, and you’re all engaging in some fashion,” he said.

Brady surveyed the audience members to see who worked for a digital-only publication and who worked for a publication that is a mix of traditional and digital.

All of the audience members answered that they worked for publications that are combination traditional and digital.

Hively said he was pleased with such a digitally-minded turnout.

“Be the backstop for newspapers who want to get into digital services,” he said.

A newspaper does not need a full team of digital experts, as long as a small margin of that team is familiar with digital skills, Hively said.

“You don’t have to hire 10 people to make this work,” he said.

“A clear indictor of who’s going to do really well is there’s at least one person who’s responsible and who understands digital,” he said. “If you’re just going to put this as another product for the print rep to sell, you’re going to get very limited results.”

Hively thinks that embracing digital tools of the trade will give publications a bright future.

“We’re looking for big things in ’18,” he said.

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Bouknight elected NESNE president

 

 

 

Bouknight elected NESNE president

Paula Bouknight, assistant managing editor for hiring and development at The Boston Globe, was elected president of the New England Society of News Editors at the society’s annual business meeting during its Journalism Conference, part of the New England Newspaper Conference Oct. 12 at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Natick, Mass.

“I’m honored to accept this promotion,” said Bouknight, who had been vice president. “I have some great ideas for NESNE.”

Bouknight replaces Richard Lodge, managing editor of The Daily News of Newburyport, who served as NESNE’s president for the past two years. Emily Sweeney, a staff reporter for The Boston Globe, was elected vice president. Charles St. Amand, a member of the society’s board of governors and former editor of the Sentinel & Enterprise of Fitchburg, Mass., was elected to the vacant position of secretary-treasurer.

 

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Design is: How it works

Ed Henninger design
Ed Henninger design

Ed Henninger
Design

ED HENNINGER is an independent newspaper consultant and the director of Henninger Consulting.

Website: www.henningerconsulting.com
Phone: (803) 327-3322

WANT A FREE evaluation of your newspaper’s design?
Just contact Ed: edh@henningerconsulting.com | (803) 327-3322

IF THIS COLUMN has been helpful, you might be interested in Ed’s books: “Henninger on Design” and “101 Henninger Helpful Hints.” With the help of Ed’s books, you’ll immediately have a better idea how to design for your readers. Find out more about “Henninger on Design” and “101 Henninger Helpful Hints” by visiting Ed’s website: www.henningerconsulting.com

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” — Steve Jobs.

That’s it. In one brief sentence.

Of course, readers want a newspaper that looks right … and feels right. They want the look and feel of their paper to reflect their community.

But what they want most of all is for their newspaper to work right for them.

Ask readers, and they will tell you they want:

TEXT that is legible, with size and spacing that makes it comfortable to read.

DESIGN ELEMENTS like standing heads, section flags and columns sigs that are simple and clean.

CONSISTENCY of those design elements throughout the entire newspaper.

DISPLAY FONTS that are readable, crisp and appealing.

SHORTER STORIES that are written clearly and flow easily.

EDITING that makes those stories even easier to follow.

PHOTOS that grab reader attention because they have interest, information and impact.

PAGE STRUCTURE that makes it easier for readers to see what goes with what.

SPACING between packages that helps readers see that structure.

COLOR USE that makes sense.

TINT BLOCKS that add impact — but don’t make type difficult to read.

SEQUENCING that makes the different content areas of your newspaper (e.g., news, opinion, sports, features … ) easy to follow.

CONSISTENT placement of that content from issue to issue.

We can give readers all of those. And, in the process of doing that, we can rid our newspapers of those elements that create clutter and confusion.

If we start with how design works, it just makes sense that we’ll create a better design.

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Obituaries

Francis John ‘Frank’ McKenna

Francis John “Frank” McKenna, 65, of Dalton, Mass., and formerly of Newark, N.J., died Oct. 28 at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass., after a brief illness.

McKenna was chief financial officer for The Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield, Mass., and its parent company, New England Newspapers Inc., based in Pittsfield. He had been employed there for 14 years, beginning in 2003.

McKenna began his career at the Herald News of West Paterson, N.J. He later was chief financial officer of the North Jersey Newspaper, based in Somerville, N.J., and then vice president and director of internal audit at the Media News Group headquarters in Denver.

He participated in the handling of Media News Group’s buying of the Berkshire Eagle and its two sister newspapers in Vermont, the Bennington Banner and Brattleboro Reformer in 1995.

Martin Langeveld, former publisher of New England Newspapers and now a board member, said in the Berkshire Eagle’s obituary on McKenna: “What Media News Group would do during the 1990s when they bought an operation — or would just kick the tires — they brought Frank along. He was the guy they trusted for the numbers.”

McKenna’s daughter Amie Brown said in his obituary: “He just had a head for numbers. It was amazing what he could do with numbers and a spreadsheet … He was all self-taught on computers.” Alan English, publisher of New England Newspapers, said in the obituary: “He was an irreplaceable resource for this company with his knowledge.”

Besides his daughter Amie, McKenna leaves his mother, Sarah; his wife, Sharon; a son, John; four grandchildren; a brother.

David Norman Walsh

David Norman Walsh, 75, of Bangor, Maine, and formerly of Mount Desert Island, Maine, died Oct. 20 in his home.

He was a reporter, photographer and editor for The Bar Harbor (Maine) Times; Portsmouth (N.H.) Herald; The Weekly Packet, based in Blue Hill, Maine; Island Ad-Vantages; based in Stonington, Maine; and the Castine (Maine) Patriot.

In 2002, Walsh and his wife, Marcia, launched a weekly newspaper, The Bangor Broadside.

He leaves a son, Noel; a daughter, Rachel; two grandchildren, Jonathon and Sarah; two sisters; two brothers.

Lois Marston Duquette

Lois Marston Duquette, 68, of Old Orchard Beach, Maine, died of a cerebral aneurysm Oct. 3 at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine.

Duquette founded the then-Old Orchard Beach Sun Times, a weekly, in 1989 with her husband, Ralph, and sold it in 1991.

She leaves three children, William, Nicholas and Heather, and five grandchildren, Emmanuel, Annabella, Andrew, Evan and Vivienne.

Calhoun J. ‘Cal’ Killeen, Jr.

Calhoun J. “Cal” Killeen, Jr., 67, of West Newbury, Mass., died Oct. 31 at Portsmouth (N.H.) Regional Hospital.

From 1980 to 2002, he was editor of The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass. From 2004 to 2010, he then was an editor at Seacoast Media Group, based in Portsmouth, until he became an editor from 2011 to 2015 for the Packet Media Group, based in Manalapan, N.J.

“Cal was a good editor, and had us working as a team,” Victor Tine, who was city editor under Killeen for 21 years and is now retired, said in Killeen’s obituary in the Daily News. “We became a better newspaper under his leadership. He was very reader-oriented, and organized the paper so readers could navigate easily.”

Jim Vaiknoras, a Daily News photographer, said in the obituary: “Cal was a good leader in the newsroom, and reporters who worked under him went on to The Boston Globe, New York Times, and many other publications.”

He leaves a wife, Wendy; two daughters, Kelsey and Kara; a sister; a brother.

Lewis Carter Cuyler

Lewis Carter Cuyler, 84, of Pittsfield, Mass., died Nov. 3 at his home.

Cuyler began his more than 20-year career with the former North Adams (Mass.) Transcript, eventually becoming its executive editor.

In 1980, Cuyler resigned from the Transcript in a dispute with management after he refused to reduce the number of staff members.

He then established his own business, Cuyler Ink, which provided freelance writing services and sound slide shows.

In 1987, Cuyler became the business editor for The Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield. Cuyler also wrote a weekly ski column and was a member of the New England Ski Writers Association for many years.

He taught journalism at the University of Massachusetts and the then-North Adams State College.

He wrote several books, including “Short Bike Rides in the Berkshires” and “Ernestine Bayer, the Mother of Women’s Rowing in the United States.” He co-authored “Skiing in the Berkshire Hills” with Lauren Stephens. He self-published his memoirs, titled “On Being a Human Verb.”

He leaves his wife, Harriet, two daughters, Alexandra and Juliana; four grandchildren; two sisters; a brother.

Michael P. Saucier

Michael P. Saucier, 46, of Phoenix, Ariz., and formerly of Whitinsville, Mass., died at home Nov. 1 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.

Saucier began his career at Stonebridge Press Inc., based in Southbridge, Mass. He was editor in chief of its Southbridge Evening News.

He had been a copy editor for the Boston Herald, TheStreet.com, based in New York City, and the Naples (Fla.) Daily News. He was foreign and city editor at The New York Sun.

He also had been a press secretary for New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

He moved five years ago to Phoenix, where he founded and owned Soss Communications, a public relations consulting business. He also was editor of Frontdoors magazine, based in Phoenix and focused on philanthropy.

He leaves his wife, Fernanda; his parents, John and Betsy; a daughter, Flora; a brother.

Rosemary A. Hanson

Rosemary A. (Donohue) Hanson, 78, of Westford, Mass., died Oct. 7.

For many years, she was editor in chief of the Westford Eagle.

She leaves her husband, Ronald; three children, Rosemary, Darrin and Monica; four grandchildren; a great-grandson, Jack.

William Robertson

William Robertson, 90, of Dayton, Maine, formerly of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, died Oct. 19 at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

He was a reporter and an assistant city desk editor for a year at the then-Evening Gazette of Worcester, Mass.

He leaves his wife, Cheryl; two sons, Jeffrey and Jamie; two daughters, Bonnie and Lori; a stepson, Shawn; a stepdaughter, Lianne.

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Paul ‘Sully’ Sullivan

Paul “Sully” Sullivan, 78, of Amesbury, Mass., died Oct. 28 in Amesbury.

Sullivan began his journalism career at a newspaper in Beverly, Mass., and then was a reporter at The Daily Item of Lynn, Mass. He later became a reporter and columnist for the Boston Herald for 32 years. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was known for his daily Celebrity column at the Herald. He interviewed many celebrities, including Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise and Mother Teresa. His stories varied from breaking news events to updates on retired celebrities.

Joe Sciacca, the Herald’s editor in chief, described Sullivan in the Herald’s obituary on him as “one of those people who was born to be in a newsroom. As a young reporter, I would watch Paul bang away at the keyboard and knew that the end result would always be incredible writing. There was always an energy, a passion, a sense of humor, a populist style.”

Also in the Boston Herald obituary, Herald columnist Peter Gelzinis, said Sullivan was “an all-around sort of deadline wizard. He was a great rewrite. With every short window, he could turn out great prose … (W)hen stuff broke, editors went to him. He was such a wordsmith.”

After retiring from the Herald in 2001, Sullivan taught journalism and media ethics courses at Middlesex Community College in Lowell, Mass., for 14 years.

He leaves his wife, Carol; two sons, Jim and Scott; two grandchildren.

A tribute to Paul Sullivan from a Boston Herald columnist and former colleague, Joe Fitzgerald

Elaine Budd

Elaine Rounds Budd, a former resident of East Haddam and Clinton, Conn., died Sept. 25.

She was a mystery book reviewer for The Hartford (Conn.) Courant and Lakeville (Conn.) Journal.

Budd also was a beauty editor for the Scholastic Inc.’s Co-Ed Magazine.

She was a longtime Mystery Writers of America member and won an Edgar for her first book, “Thirteen Mistresses of Murder.”

Budd leaves a son, Jonathan, and a daughter, Tracy.

Thomas J. Donovan 

Thomas J, Donovan, 78, of Easton, Mass., and formerly of Medway, Mass., died Oct. 12 at Morton Hospital in Taunton, Mass.

He was a reporter for the former Boston Record American and its successor, the Boston Herald, for 25 years.

Thomas leaves two children, Kerry and James; a granddaughter, Kristen; a sister, Mary; his former wife, Eileen Sarah Walsh.

Lynn Reale Wolbarst

Lynn Reale Wolbarst, 67, of Sharon, Mass., died Oct. 11 at home.

She was an investigative reporter at the former Canton (Mass.) Courier.

She leaves two children, Amy and David, and 11 brothers and sisters.

Rita Henley Jensen

Rita Henley Jensen, 70, of New York City, died Oct. 18 in Manhattan.

She had written for The Advocate of Stamford, Conn.

Before that and after graduate school, Jensen was a general assignment reporter for the Paterson (N.J.) News. She won eight awards for investigative journalism.

Soon afterward, she wrote for The Advocate and for the American Lawyer, based in New York City and the National Law Journal, based in Washington, D.C. She also freelanced for The New York Times, the Chicago-based ABA Journal, and Ms. Magazine.

Jensen then founded Women’s eNews in 1999 as a project of the National Organization for Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund. In 2002, Women’s eNews became an independent organization, based in New York City. In 2016, Jensen left Women’s eNews, retaining the title of editor-in-chief emerita.

She received many awards, including the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Alumni award.

She leaves two daughters, Ariel and Shasta, and four grandchildren, Anthony, Emily, Henry and Jane.

Nancy Hess Spencer

Nancy Hess Spencer, 94, of Providence, R.I., died Oct. 22 in Rhode Island.

Hess was a writer at the then-Providence (R.I.) Journal-Bulletin in 1943 while her father was sports editor there.

After that, she was employed in the advertising business and was the first woman in Rhode Island to obtain an executive position in an advertising agency.

She leaves two daughters, Deborah and Susan; two nephews, Peter and William; a niece, Nancy.

Carlene R. (Hagen) Miller

Carlene R. (Hagen) Miller, 82, of Andover, Mass., died Oct. 14 after a brief illness.

Miller was a writer after college for the former Boston American.

She leaves four children, Paul, Ruth Ann, Karen and Susan; eight grandchildren; three great-grandchildren.

Frederick M. ‘Fred’ Walsh

Frederick M. “Fred” Walsh, 74, of Quincy, Mass., died Oct. 13 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

His 50 years in the newspaper industry began at the former Boston Record American.

At the time he retired, he was employed in the composing room of the Boston Herald, a successor of the Record American.

He was a member of the Boston Newspaper Printing Pressmen’s Union Local 3.

Walsh leaves his wife, Elaine; three children, Dr. Karen, Mark and Linda; six grandchildren; a brother.

Leo J. Jean

Leo J. Jean, 92, of Ayer, Mass., died Oct. 23 at Apple Valley Center in Ayer.

Jean was a Linotype operator for several years at the Waltham (Mass.) News Tribune and the former L’Etoile Star of Lowell, Mass.

He leaves a wife, Margaret; two sons, Kenneth and Michael; a daughter, Kathleen; six grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; five siblings.

Virginia Campbell Downs

Virginia Campbell Downs, 92, of Ossining, N.Y., died Oct. 10 at Victoria Home in Ossining.

Downs wrote feature stories for publications, including the Vermont Life of Montpelier, Vt,, Yankee Magazine, based in Dublin, N.H., and The Boston Globe.

She was a writer for more than 50 years and an author of books, including “Life by the Tracks: When Passenger Trains Steamed through the Notch,” “Mansions and Meadows: Lyndon the Way It Was,” and “Voices from the Kingdom.” She was a co-author of “A Prison Story.”

Downs was a trade publication editor in New York City.

She wrote numerous oral histories, including profiles of residents of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and fellow residents of her retirement home in Shelburne, Vt.

She leaves a daughter, Margaret; two sons, Peter and Tom; four grandchildren.

Ray Barron

Ray Barron, 93, of Nahant, Mass., died Oct. 15 at Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford, Mass.

He had been a columnist for the Boston Herald; New England Ad Week, based in New York City; Downbeat Magazine, based in Chicago; and the Boston Post Gazette.

He was the founder and for almost 40 years president of Barron, Hillman and Mellnick of Nahant, Mass. After that, he was public relations director for the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Barron also was a television and radio commentator and the author of several books.

He leaves two daughters, Robin and Karen; a granddaughter, Kerry; a grandson, Kyle; a great-granddaughter; two sisters.

Charles Turek Robinson  

Charles Turek “Chip” Robinson, 55, of Rehoboth, Mass., died Oct. 14 in Seekonk, Mass. 

He had columns published in Yankee Magazine, based in Dublin, N.H., and the Rehoboth Seekonk (Mass.) Reporter. Stories of his appeared in The Providence (R.I.) Journal.

Robinson wrote “Asleep Beneath the Meadows: The Indian Archaeology of Rehoboth, Massachusetts,” “True New England Mysteries, Ghosts, Crimes, and Oddities,” “Native New England – The Long Journey,” “The Turn-of-the-Century Rehoboth Memoirs of Anna (Hass) Morgan,” and “The New England Ghost Files.”

He leaves his mother, Bea; sister, Anna; an uncle, Stephen; an aunt, Lila; cousins.

Alan Lancaster

Alan Lancaster, 74, of Saxtons River, Vt,, and formerly of New York City and Long Valley, N.J., died Feb. 5.in his home after a lengthy illness.

He was a newspaper columnist for the former Valley Times Journal from 1994 through 1996.

He leaves his wife, Constance; his stepmother, Ellen Whitman; two children, Christopher and Sarah; three grandchildren.

Patricia Mulford Ahrens

Patricia Mulford Ahrens, 95, of Gladwyne, Pa., and formerly of Suffield, Conn., died Oct. 24.

Ahrens was the Suffield correspondent for the former Hartford (Conn.) Times.

She leaves a son, Leavitt; two daughters, Mary-Margaret and Patricia; nine grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren.

M.K. Merelice

M.K. Merelice, 77, of Brookline Village, Mass., died Oct. 1 at her home.

Merelice contributed articles, essays and poems to The Christian Science Monitor, based in Boston, before she retired.

She had no survivors.

Natalie Wallace Murphy

Natalie Wallace Murphy, 97, of Reading, Mass., died Sept. 12 at the Sawtelle Family Hospice House in Reading, Mass. 

She was employed with The Christian Science Monitor, based in Boston.

She leaves three children, Douglas, Nancy and James; eight grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren.

The obituaries were written, at least in part, from published reports by Bulletin correspondents Ajoa Addae, Jenna Ciccotelli, Nadine El-Bawab, Angela Gomba, Nico Hall, Joshua Leaston, Kaitlyn Mangelinkx, Monica Nair, Georgeanne Oliver, Rebekah Patton, Casey Rochette and Cayley Ross, undergraduate students at Northeastern University.

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