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George Brennan

The Times would like to introduce news editor George Brennan of Falmouth, the newest member of our news team.
The Times would like to introduce news editor George Brennan of Falmouth, the newest member of our news team.

George Brennan joined The Martha’s Vineyard Times March 30 as news editor. Before joining the Times, Brennan curated the Talking Points newsletter for The Boston Globe, a daily summarizing the day’s top business news. Before that, he was a bureau chief and reporter at the Cape Cod Times of Hyannis, where he covered the Upper Cape, casinos, and Joint Base Cape Cod. He has been a frequent contributor to the news roundup at WCAI-FM of Woods Hole. Brennan began his career at the former Memorial Press Group newspapers, based in Plymouth and whose flagship was the Old Colony Memorial of Plymouth. He was employed there for 19 years, and ended up as managing editor.

The Transitions were written, at least in part, from published reports by Bulletin correspondents Ashleane Alabre, Jenna Ciccotelli and Joseph Dussault, undergraduate students at Northeastern University.

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eBulletin Obituaries

Marcia (Damon) Reinke

Marcia (Damon) Reinke, 85, of Cockeysville, Md., died March 26 in her home.

Reinke had been a veteran reporter at the Eagle-Tribune of North Andover, Mass.

She leaves three children, Laura, James and Andrew; eight stepchildren, Pamela, Toni, Lilly, Julian, Cheryl, Cara, Debbie and William; five grandchildren; a great-granddaughter.

Phillip S. Gerow

Phillip S. Gerow, 83, of South Portland, Maine, died March 26.

Gerow was a reporter for the Bangor (Maine) Daily News.

He leaves his wife, Ina; three daughters, Amy, Margaret and Elizabeth; three grandchildren; a sister.

Mary Callahan

Mary Valentine Crowley Callahan, 93, of Worcester, Mass., died April 2 in Worcester.

Callahan’s career began as a journalist at the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester, where she eventually wrote a column.

She leaves a son, Frank; four daughters, Valentine, Sarah, Laura and Luisa; six grandchildren; two great-granddaughters.

Meghan A. Larkin

Meghan A. (McPhillips-Jones) Larkin, 30, of Fitchburg, Mass., and formerly of Ashburnham, Mass., died March 26.

Early in her career, Larkin wrote for The Lunenburg (Mass.) Ledger.

She leaves her husband, Steven; her parents, John and Carol; her mother-in-law, Mary Perreault; her father-in-law, John; two brothers-in-law, Daniel and Kevin; a sister-in-law, Michelle.

Rosalie Susan Fedele

Rosalie Susan (DeAmato) Fedele, 75, of Tewksbury, Mass., died March 31 at Kaplan Hospice House in Danvers, Mass.

Fedele was employed in advertising sales at the then-Community Newspaper Company, based in Needham, Mass., for more than 35 years.

She leaves her husband, Louis; three children, Robert, Deborah and Laura; five grandchildren; two brothers; a sister.

Mary Pauline Manning

Mary Pauline Manning, 100, of Waltham, Mass., died March 27 at Maristhill Nursing Home of Waltham.

She was employed in the advertising department at The Boston Globe for more than 25 years.

She leaves many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

Lorna Gail Littlefield Salisbury

Lorna Gail Littlefield Salisbury, 72, of Falmouth, Maine, died April 5 at the Sedgewood Commons nursing home in Falmouth.

Salisbury wrote a weekly cooking column for the Morning Sentinel of Waterville, Maine.

She leaves a son, Michael; two grandchildren, Alec and Isaac; a sister, Jean; many nieces and nephews.

Gaetano Guy ‘Buddy’ Patrizzi

Gaetano Guy “Buddy” Patrizzi, 87, of Wethersfield, Conn., died April 6.

He was employed part time in The Hartford (Conn.) Courant’s pressroom for many years.

He leaves his wife, Doris; a daughter, Susan; three sons, Michael, Mark and Stephen; five grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; a sister.

Jo Anne B. (Staiger) Foster

Jo Anne B. (Staiger) Foster, 62, of Medway, Mass., died March 29 at the Milford (Mass.) Regional Medical Center.

She was employed at the MetroWest Daily News of Framingham, Mass., and the Bradford (Pa.) Era.

She leaves her mother, Barbara; her husband, James; a daughter, Jamie; a son, Matthew; three grandchildren; a brother; two sisters.

Helen Druan

Helen Druan, 80, of Whitman, Mass., and formerly of Abington, Mass., died April 5.

Druan was employed at a local newspaper.

Druan leaves a brother, Frank; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and a great-great-niece; a significant other, Bob Drew.

The obituaries were written, at least in part, from published reports by Bulletin correspondents Sophie Cannon, Jenna Ciccotelli, Nico Hall, Joshua Leaston, Peyton Luxford, Michael Mattson, Mohammed Razzaque and Thomas Ward, undergraduate students at Northeastern University.

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How to create a website

Kevin Slimp technology
Kevin Slimp technology

Kevin Slimp, technology

Kevin Slimp is director of the Institute of Newspaper Technology.

Email questions to him at
kevin@kevinslimp.com

The Newspaper Institute website (left) was created using Adobe Muse, to allow quick design and total control. The Newspaper Academy site (back) was created in WordPress, to take advantage of plug-ins available for online communities. Shelly’s food website (right) was created using GoDaddy.com’s website builder.

Two weeks ago, I found myself awake at 3 a.m., unable to get back to sleep. After tossing and turning for more than an hour, I decided I might as well get some work done. Checking my messages and social media, I quickly found that I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep.

Shelly, a publisher friend in Minnesota, had been up for hours. I soon learned why.

“Ugh! My new website crashed yesterday and I’m trying to fix it,” she told me. “I got it through GoDaddy and I’m trying to chat with them, but nobody seems to be answering. What should I do?”

Fortunately, I’ve got more websites than … well, I’ve got a lot of websites. That means I’ve become a pro at getting to the bottom of problems before they ruin my day or, in this case, night.

Rather than attempting to get through to someone using the chat function, which Shelly had already tried, I called the customer support number on the GoDaddy.com website. Guess what … someone answered, and was a big help.

Shelly had simply forgotten to “publish” her new site, meaning it worked for a few days while the host waited for someone to click the “publish” button. After the allotted time, the host assumed that the site wasn’t meant to go live and took it offline. That is a very common mistake for folks who are new to website design and one I’ve made myself plenty of times.

If you’re new to creating websites, there are a few things to keep in mind before you begin. Keep this list handy. You might need it someday.

1. Will you be creating the site from scratch, or will you use a template-based system to design your website?

Let’s add another option while we’re on the subject. Maybe you will use WordPress, which is template-based, but requires a good bit of programming here and there.

When I’m designing a new website, the answer varies. When NewspaperAcademy.com was being created (my best friend and I designed and programmed the entire site in one weekend), we used WordPress because the site is an “online community,” meaning it is a membership-based site. WordPress had tools and templates created for online communities that we could purchase.

On the other hand, when I was designing the NewspaperInstitute.com site earlier this week, I wanted to have total control of the design and functionality. I also didn’t have a lot of time. With one afternoon to get the site up and functioning, I turned to Adobe Muse, an application in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite.

Designing a website in Muse is a lot like designing a page in InDesign. Websites are made up of groups of pages, much like documents in InDesign.

Muse allows me to place a picture, video or menu on the page, much like I’d place an element on the page in InDesign. When speed and control are my priorities, I often turn to Muse.

If I’m creating a news site, I’ll probably go with a template-based system such as Bondware.com or Town-News.com. Those are just two of dozens from which to choose. If I’m at a metro paper, I’m looking at robust CMS systems that do everything from take online orders to assembling my site, all while creating the newspaper pages.

2. Where will you register your URL?

The steps to getting a site online are basically threefold:

• Design the site (see Question 1 above)
• Register your URL (website name)
• Upload your website files to a host.

If you want the name of your new website to be KevinIsTheBest.com, you’ll need to find out if anyone else is already using it. Two popular places to register a URL are Network Solutions and GoDaddy. You will find these at NetworkSolutions.com and GoDaddy.com.

I’ve learned it’s best to use one company for website registration. By the time you have a dozen or more websites, it can be hard to keep up with all the hosting details, passwords, etc.

I’ve used both Network Solutions and Go Daddy and both have worked fine. These days, I use Go Daddy whenever I need to register a new domain.

3. Who will host your site?

Websites need space on a server. You might have heard a geek say something about “parking” a site.

Unless you’re hosting your own site, you will begin by selecting a host to park it for you. Folks who are new at creating websites often use the same company they used to register their domain name. That’s fine, and certainly makes remembering where everything is located easier.

Having worked with more than my share of hosts over the years, my current favorite is SiteGround.com. You can have a different favorite. That’s OK.

I like using SiteGround.com (no, I don’t receive an endorsement fee) because I’ve always been able to connect with that site in seconds whenever there is an issue. That’s worth a lot to me.

OK, Let’s go over all that again.

It’s not as complicated as it sounds, but you will get better with practice.

First, design a website, using Adobe Muse, WordPress or some other method. Next, register your domain (website name). Third, find a place (host) to park your website.

Once you have those, you simply upload your files (you’ve probably used FTP before) to the host and update them when necessary.

Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?

Seriously, I know creating your first website can feel like learning a foreign language.

Don’t be fooled. It’s not that complicated. You need a website, a domain and a host. And maybe an IT pro, but probably not. Shelly got her site online and it’s working very well. I’ve got confidence in you.

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Qualify your advertising prospects

John Foust Advertising
John Foust Advertising

John Foust, advertising

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

john-foust-ad-libs

You might have heard the old story about the door-to-door salesman who was selling vacuum cleaners way out in the country. When a lady came to the door, he dramatically emptied a bag of dirt onto the floor and boasted, “Ma’am, if this vacuum cleaner doesn’t get rid of every speck of this dirt, I’ll eat it.” She said, “Come on in. We don’t have electricity.”

Although there’s almost no chance that that actually happened, it illustrates the importance of qualifying prospects. Ross, who manages the sales team at his paper, told me that the paper places a lot of emphasis on qualifying the businesses to be approached about advertising.

“There’s no use to try to sell something to someone who is not in a position to buy,” he said. “So we do everything we can to look at our marketing products from the other person’s perspective.”

Ross sticks to the philosophy that there are two times to qualify a prospect: (1) Before the conversation and (2) During the conversation. That’s much better than getting bad news after making a presentation. Here’s a closer look:

1. Before the conversation. “When it comes to financial qualifying, a lot of information is available,” he said. “If the company has advertised with us before, we can easily search the files for previous budgets and invoices. And if we’ve done proposals for them in the past, we can get plenty of insights there.

“We’ve made efforts to learn the ad rates of our competitors, Of course, it’s difficult to learn about special deals and discounts, but at least we have a general idea of their starting points. If our target prospect is advertising in other media outlets, we can put together a pretty good profile of their expenses.”

Beyond the budget, Ross encourages his team members to learn enough about their prospects to figure out what kind of marketing they need. Is this a business that traditionally advertises in print? Do their competitors have a strong online presence? Can their customers be categorized as general interest or business-to-business? Is their marketing based on brand identity or special offers? Do their competitors advertise in Ross’ paper? If so, does the salesperson have access to ad response rates?

2. During the conversation. “Through the years, I’ve heard stories about salespeople who leave appointments feeling optimistic, but find out later that there was no way the person could buy an ad program,” Ross said. “At my paper, we don’t want that to happen to our sales team.

“No matter how much we learn in advance, there’s a lot more to discover,” he said. “So when we have face-to-face meetings, we confirm what we’ve learned ahead of time and ask questions to fill in the blanks. We simply tell them that the more we know, the more we can help.”

Ross makes a lot of sense, doesn’t he? Without the right kind of information to qualify prospects, you might face a big, ugly pile of dirt without electricity.

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Murder Ink 2: Sequel returns to the scene of the crimes — newsrooms

By Alejandro Serrano,
Bulletin Correspondent

Gregory Norris reads his contribution to ‘Murder Ink 2’ to an attentive audience.

Reporters will go to great lengths to get to the bottom of something. Or so went Mark Arsenault’s short story, “Hashtag Splat,” from a new book, “Murder Ink 2.”

Arsenault, a metro reporter at The Boston Globe, read his tale about a man who climbs to the top of a bridge and demands to talk to a reporter. When a reporter showed up to the scene, he was met with more demands – even having to take off his pants, unveiling an embarrassing pair of underwear he was wearing – before getting to climb the bridge.

An audience made up of the book’s contributors and guests laughed after hearing that excerpt from Arsenault’s story at the launch of “Murder Ink 2” at a luncheon during the New England Newspaper and Press Association winter convention.

The book is a collection of pulp fiction murder stories with ties to New England newsrooms and features 16 new tales, a number of them continued from the first book, “Murder Ink.”

“We’re glad you’ve contributed,” George Geers, the book’s publisher, said at the book launch Saturday, Feb. 25.

Dan Szczesny, the book’s editor, provided information about the book and a brief introduction for each of the day’s 14 readers at the luncheon, which was at The Chart House at Long Wharf on Boston Harbor. Each reader had four minutes to read a part, if not all, of their story.

Victor Infante, entertainment editor at the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester, Mass., kicked off the readings by taking members of the audience to the scene of a nightclub shooting with his tale, “That Murder Music.”

Others, including sisters Roxanne Dent and Karen Dent, Gregory Norris and Dan Rothman, read about murders with all sorts of newsroom hooks, varying from a reporter following a lead on a local murder to a setting in the early days of print newspapers.

Patrick Sullivan, a general assignment reporter at The Lakeville (Conn.) Journal, read his tale about a beat reporter who longed for a murder in town, to spice up life on the job, until one day a dead body was found.

As authors read their stories, a number of them drew “Oohs” at plot twists from the audience of more than 35 people.

In between the serving of lunch and story readings, Szczesny announced that there will be a “Murder Ink 3” with the same guidelines as the first two books and no deadline (yet) for submissions. Meanwhile, “Murder Ink 2” will be featured at a book event May 2 at the Dunbarton (N.H.) Public Library. Szczesny said other book events are in the works throughout New England.

In 2015, Geers came up with the idea for a New England pulp fiction book. He has published both books through the company he runs with his two daughters, Plaidswede Publishing Co., based in Concord, N.H.

Szczesny said it was not surprising to see a third book being planned because he and Geers had always thought of the book series as having three parts.

“What has been amazing, though, is how much interest and support the series has picked up and how much talent is on display in the first two volumes. That’s what keeps me going and gets me excited about Vol. 3,” he said in an e-mail.

The following read excerpts from “Murder Ink 2”:

Writers Gregory Norris, S.J. Cahill, Robin Baskerville, Judith Janoo, Jeff Deck, and Karen and Roxanne Dent.

Journalists Victor Infante, entertainment editor at the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester, Mass.; Mark Arsenault, metro reporter at The Boston Globe; Patrick Sullivan, a general assignment reporter at The Lakeville (Conn.) Journal; and Dan Rothman, columnist for the New Boston Bulletin.

Teacher Jonathan Dubey, physicist Stephen Wilk, and Sarah Parker, who read for her grandfather, Oreste “Rusty” D’Arconte, retired publisher of The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, Mass.

The individual on the right read excerpts from ‘Murder Ink 2.’ All are the authors of the stories they read except Sarah Parker, who read the story written by her grandfather, Oreste ‘Rusty’ D’Arconte, retired publisher of The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, Mass.

Copies of “Murder Ink 2” — $19 apiece
Available at www.nhbooksellers.com

Murder Ink 2

2017-New-England-Newspaper-Convention-logo
George Geers
Dan Szczesny
Mark Arsenault
Patrick Sullivan
Gregory Norris
Judith Janoo
S.J. Cahill
Karen Dent
Victor Infante
Dan Rothman
Stephen Wilk
Sarah Parker
Jonathan Dubey
Jeff Deck
Roxanne Dent
Robin Baskerville

The audience at the launch of ‘Murder Ink 2’ included writers who contributed to the book and guests.

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Industry News – Mar 2017

Newspaper-industry-news

Headliners

Obituaries

Briefs

Awards and Honors

Advertising News

Advice

Training

Mobile/Online News

Social Media News

Legal Briefs

Industry News

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Giving writers their due

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

Ernest Hemingway: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

W. Somerset Maugham: “There are three rules for writing well. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

William Zinsser: “Our job is to distill the essence.”

Ed Henninger: “News writers need all the help they can get … and most don’t get it.”

No, I don’t dare think of putting myself on the same level as Hemingway, Maugham and Zinsser.

What I am trying to point out with my quote above is that the state of writing in newspapers is directly proportional to the amount of editing and direction that writers receive.

I do not consider myself a friend of writers. Nor do I think of myself as a friend of editors or designers. I have always tried to be a friend — no, actually a champion — of readers. During my entire career in newspapers (now nearing 50 years), I have clung tenaciously to the tenet that the reader must be the focus of everything we do. I still feel that way.

I believe, as Zinsser states in his marvelous book, “On Writing Well,” that we are “ … in the business of bringing meaning to readers’ lives.”

Too many writers, unfortunately, believe that we are in the business of writing. Some, in fact, have told me just that.

I don’t blame them for thinking that. Too few of them have been told otherwise.

They have been allowed to believe that longer stories are better stories.

They have been allowed to write lead paragraphs that go on for word after word after word … and yet never seem to get to the point.

They’ve not been given any instruction or training in visual thinking.

They’ve rarely — if ever — been asked to provide an infobox to accompany their stories.

They’ve rarely — if ever — been asked to request photos or artwork (not even a headshot of their subject!) to go with a profile.

Writers become better at their craft when they’re given sound editing and informed direction. And it’s up to their editors and publishers to see that they get that.

Otherwise, many writers will continue to feel that it is the mission of their newspaper to let them “fulfill” themselves as writers.

To get better writing, better reporting, better editing and better design, we have to train our writers. We need to help them realize that everything we do — writing included — is up for evaluation, and that everything we do is for … the … reader.

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eBulletin Obituaries

Philip Prescott Savory

Philip Prescott Savory, 87, of Goshen, Conn., died March 13 at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, Conn.

Savory was editor of the Bennington (Vt.) Banner, and, until 1987, executive editor of The Register-Citizen of Torrington for 20 years.

He leaves his wife, Diana; four children, Jessica, Emily, Benedicta and Randolph; two grandsons; his former wife, Harriet.

Victor Hugo Cuenca Borda

Victor Hugo Cuenca Borda, 51, of North Providence, R.I., died March 10.

After immigrating from Bolivia, Borda settled in Rhode Island and established a weekly Spanish-language newspaper, Providence En Espanol, in 1999. The publication won two Metcalf Journalism Awards and recognition from the National Association of Hispanic Newspapers three times for excellence in journalism.

In 2015, Borda created a public relations and digital marketing company, Victor Cuenca Accent Marketing of Providence.

Borda leaves his wife, Vivian, and three daughters, Samantha, Stephanie and Keila.

Mark C. Merenda

Mark C. Merenda, 66, of Naples, Fla., died March 18.

Merenda was a journalist at the Woburn (Mass.) Daily Times and the Medford (Mass.) Mercury. After relocating to Florida, he was employed as a journalist at the Miami News and several small newspapers owned by the New York Times Co. He briefly was editor and publisher of a former alternative newspaper in Naples, The Express.

After leaving the newspaper industry, Merenda founded Smart Marketing, a marketing company for lawyers, in 1994.

Merenda wrote several books on marketing and co-authored a thriller, “Satan’s Harvest.”

Merenda leaves a son, Maxime; two siblings, Bruce and Constance; his former wife, Anne Dare; his longtime friend and companion, Judy Whittingham.

Ronald Wells Page

Ronald Wells Page, 83, formerly of Dover, N.H., and most recently of Rochester (N.H.) Manor, died March 19 in Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester.

Page was a third-generation printer who was employed for many years in printing and publishing, including at the Seacoast newspapers group, whose flagship newspaper is the Portsmouth (N.H.) Herald, but mostly at the family business, Page Printing Co. in Belmont, Mass., which he owned and operated.

He also was employed with Atlantic Printing Co. in Needham, Mass., C&K Printing in Rochester, Strawbery Banke Print Shop in Portsmouth, and Odyssey Press in Rochester.

From 1972–1978, he was city editor of Foster’s Daily Democrat of Dover.

Page leaves two nieces, Penny and Julie; two nephews, Garry and Scott; great-nieces and great-nephews; a sister-in-law, Faye.

Philip L. Pelletier

Philip L. Pelletier, 76, of Andover, Mass., died<where?> March 28.

Pelletier spent 30 years at the Eagle-Tribune of North Andover, Mass., where he was classified advertising manager.

Pelletier was involved for more than a decade with the New England Newspaper Operations Association, securing sponsorships and ads for conferences and publications.

He leaves his wife, Mary; four children, Marcelle, Philip Jr., Wendy and Allon; seven grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; two brothers.

Frances E. ‘Fraffie’ Welch

Frances E. “Fraffie “ Welch, 79, died March 13 after a battle with cancer.

She was a pasteup artist in the real estate advertising department of The Marblehead (Mass.) Reporter. She also was sales manager there.

Welch later established the publication Mass Bay Antiques as part of the former Needham, Mass.-based Community Newspaper Company. She also wrote a column, Dawn Buckets Up for Air, for 30 years for the Marblehead Reporter.

Early in her career, Welch was on the staff of The Newport (R.I.) Navalog during her time in the U.S. Navy when she was stationed in Newport.

After her service, Welch was employed at radio stations, including WTSN-AM of Dover, N.H., and WESX-AM of Marblehead.

She was elected to the Marblehead Parks and Recreation Commission, and was a member of the Marblehead Forever Committee, its Disability Commission, and its Council on Aging

Welch leaves three siblings, Tom, Evan and Annie.

Ruth Brower

Ruth Brower, 94, of Pittsfield, Mass., died March 12 in her home.

For 10 years, Brower was the Lanesboro, Mass., correspondent for the newspaper company that now publishes The Republican of Springfield, Mass., and its sister Sunday newspaper. She was also a reporter and office manager there for 32 years. Brower retired in 1990.

She was on the Lanesboro Finance Committee for 18 years and was a selectman there for nine years.

Brower leaves two daughters, Louise and Marjorie; two sons, Charles and David; 16 grandchildren; many great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; a sister; two brothers.

Janina S. (Smietana) Bryden

Janina S. (Smietana) Bryden, 88, of New Bedford, Mass., died Feb. 27 at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford.

Bryden was a fashion writer for The Standard-Times of New Bedford and later was employed for many years at the Publicity Club of Boston until her retirement.

She leaves three daughters, Kristine, Francesca and Elizabeth; two sons, Barry and Norman; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; a brother; three sisters.

Esther L. Shaw

Esther L. Shaw, 92, of Chelsea, Maine, died March 16 at the Alfond Center for Health in Augusta, Maine.

Early in Shaw’s career she was a reporter-photographer for the Kennebec Journal of Augusta.

Shaw was state president of Maine Press and Radio-TV Women, now Maine Media Women.

After Shaw’s time at the Kennebec Journal, she was the first woman in Kennebec County elected to legislative office when she became a state representative for Chelsea, Farmingdale and Randolph.

Shaw remained active in state service until 1985, and had been a social secretary to Maine Gov. John H. Reed and a business manager and administrative secretary for the Maine State Museum. Later, she was a board member of the Maine State Museum Commission and an appointed member of the Maine Historical Records Advisory Board.

Shaw was active on town, county and state committees for the Republican Party in Maine, and was secretary of the Maine Republican Party in 1987. In 1988, she was a member of the College of Electors in the election of George H.W. Bush for president.

Shaw retired in 2000 after serving as town clerk for Chelsea.

She leaves a niece, Sandra; a grandnephew, John; a brother-in-law, Joe.

Susan Ann Keith Nichols

Susan Ann Keith Nichols, 88, died Feb. 12.

Nichols was a newspaper reporter in Old Saybrook, Conn., for the New Haven (Conn.) Register.

She later was executive assistant to the Connecticut commissioner of consumer protection.

She leaves two daughters, Joanna and Aimee, and nieces and nephews.

James R. Marston

James R. Marston, 80, of Cumberland, Maine, died Jan. 6 at Gosnell House in Scarborough, Maine.

Marston was employed with the Portland (Maine) Newspapers for 40 years, which at one time included the Portland Press Herald, the Evening Express and the Maine Sunday Telegram. He began in advertising before he transferred to the composing room, where he did a six-year apprenticeship.

He leaves his wife, Anita; two children, Jennifer and James; two grandchildren; a sister.Jeanne L. Zingale, 90, of Rutland, Vt. died Jan. 14 in Mountain View Center Genesis Nursing Home in Rutland.

For 31 years, Zingale was a classified advertising sales employee for the Rutland Herald. She retired in 1990.

She leaves three children, Nancy, Joseph and Laura; two grandsons, Eric and Alex.

Stephen M. Clooney

Stephen M. Clooney, 60, of Natick, Mass., died March 17 at the Metro West Medical Center in Framingham, Mass.

Clooney was circulation sales coordinator for the MetroWest Daily News of Framingham. Previously, he was a master control operator at WBPX-TV Boston, operations supervisor at New England Cable News of Boston, broadcast operations manager at WUNI-TV in Boston and Needham, Mass., and executive director of Medford (Mass.) Community Cablevision.

He leaves his wife, Lori; a daughter, Katherine; his mother, Doris; two brothers.

Daniel H. Canfield

Daniel H. Canfield, 57, of Hampton, N.H.., died March 8 in Hampton.

Canfield was a manager for many years at The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.

He leaves his wife, Debra; two children, Danielle and Dena; four grandchildren; six siblings.

Richard J. ‘Dick’ Briand

Richard J. “Dick” Briand, 89, of Arlington, Mass., died March 16 in his home.

Briand was employed for 38 years at The Boston Globe, where he did various jobs, including Linotype machine operator and tradesman printer. He retired in 1994.

Briand leaves his wife, Anne F. “Nancy”; four children, Rosemary, Gail, Richard and Lawrence; nine grandchildren; a sister.

James E. Jacques Sr.

James E. Jacques Sr., 88, of Waterville, Maine, died March 10 at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine.

Jacques was employed for 37 years on a Linotype machine in the composing room alongside his father and two of his brothers at the Morning Sentinel of Waterville. He retired in 1990.

He leaves two sons, James and Allen; two grandsons, Michael and Thomas; a sister; a brother.

Claudia (Rossiter) Peterson

Claudia (Rossiter) Peterson, 81, of Bristol, Conn., died March 20 in Bristol.

She was secretary to the publisher of the Bristol Press for several years before she retired.

She leaves four children, Richard, Jeffrey, Scott and Kristen; 11 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; a sister.

Arthur C. Barschdorf

Arthur C. Barschdorf, 100, of Duluth, Minn., and formerly of Bennington, Vt., died Feb. 16.

Barschdorf was an editor of newspapers during his five years of service in World War II. In 1940 with the National Guard at Camp Blanding, Fla., he wrote a column, Happy Blandings, about hometown soldiers for the Bennington Banner.

Barschdorf was awarded a Nieman Fellowship for journalism to Harvard University in 1952. He then moved to pursue a career as director of public information for the Minnesota Power and Light Co.

Barschdorf leaves three siblings, Ethel, Jim and Bill, and other immediate family members who live in Minnesota.

George P. Gosselin

George P. Gosselin, 96, of Manchester, N.H., died March 18 after an illness.

Gosselin wrote columns for the Stars & Stripes military newspaper, as well as for the Veterans page of the New Hampshire Union Leader of Manchester as recently as 2011. He also contributed to the senior lifestyle publication Senior Beacon, based in Milford, N.H.

He leaves a daughter, Louise; a son, Robert; five grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; a sister.

Robert R. Guillemette Jr.

Robert R. Guillemette Jr., 46, of Beverly, Mass., and formerly of Lynn. Mass., died March 16 at Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers, Mass.

For many years, Guillemette delivered The Daily Item of Lynn, Mass., and The Boston Globe, and, later in his career, The Salem (Mass.) News.

He leaves his wife, Stephanie; his mother, Jacqueline; a daughter, Rebecca.

Ruth A. Messier

Ruth A. Messier, 86, of Alton, N.H., died of ovarian cancer March 12 at Lakes Region General Hospital in Laconia, N.H., after a brief battle with ovarian cancer

Messier was a newspaper reporter for a few years in Connecticut.

She leaves six children, Gordon Jr., Bill, Marie, Suzanne, Terry and Lynn; 20 grandchildren; 33 great-grandchildren.

Bernard Clifford Decker Jr.

Bernard Clifford Decker Jr., 86, of Hanover, N.H., died March 16 in hospice care in Hanover.

Decker was a reporter for the then-Springfield (Mass.) Union. He wrote a humor column, On My Mind, for the Daily Hampshire Gazette of Northampton, Mass.

He later was employed at the Knickerbocker News of Albany, N.Y. until the early 1970s. He then became a journalism professor at Eastern Michigan University. He retired from there in 1995.

He also was employed part-time at the Ypsilanti (Mich.) Press as arts and entertainment editor and as a reporter covering the Ann Arbor, Mich., and Detroit arts scene. He briefly was a copy editor at the Detroit News during the 1980 Republican National Convention.

He leaves two sons, Christopher and Dr. Paul; two daughters, Carolyn and Elizabeth; three stepchildren, Dr. Linda, Christopher and David; five grandchildren; three step-grandchildren.

The obituaries were written, at least in part, from published reports by Bulletin correspondents Ashleane Alabre, Sophie Cannon, Jenna Ciccotelli, Joseph Dussault, Nico Hall, Bailey Knecht, Joshua Leaston, Peyton Luxford, Michael Mattson, Eloni Porcher, Mohammed Razzaque and Thomas Ward, undergraduate students at Northeastern University.

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Treading the often thin line at private schools on free speech for student newspapers

By Morgan Mapstone,
Bulletin Correspondent

The U.S. Constitution may make no laws about limiting free speech, but that doesn’t mean a university can’t do so in its rules of conduct, according to Rob Bertsche, a lawyer with Prince Lobel Tye in Boston.

Bertsche was one of four panelists at the New England Newspaper and Press Association winter convention workshop titled “Protecting the student press: Legal Issues facing student journalists.”

The workshop, held Friday, Feb. 24, and moderated by Mike Donoghue, vice president of the New England First Amendment Coalition, gave advice to the 15 audience members about what to do when their reporting becomes inhibited by school policies.

Although students have freedom of speech under federal law, a university can punish a student journalist for not abiding by the policies of the university, Bertsche said. That creates a gray area over what restrictions private universities can enforce, he said.

“A lot of these cases are about collisions of rights, and who has the right to decide what speech is going to be acceptable or allowed in the student publication,” Bertsche said.

Bertsche, who handles free speech cases, encouraged students to learn the rights they have as student journalists. He suggested the Washington, D.C.-based Student Press Law Center as a resource for any student journalist facing difficulties with free speech in his or her school’s publication.

Other panelists gave examples of how they handled experiences with those policy gray areas as student journalists.

Meg Bernhard, former managing editor of the Harvard Crimson at Harvard University, discussed her response to the university’s pressure to control the Crimson, a publication financially and editorially independent from the university.

“We act as reporters first and students second,” Bernhard said.

In her time at the publication, the Crimson abolished a quote review policy where administrators could review and edit quotations of their words. As a result, administrators, including the dean of Harvard’s Law School, refused to speak with the publication, Bernhard said.

Even when administrators cooperate with the student press, spokespeople tend to intercept communication with professors, Bernhard said. That is a part of Harvard’s wanting to spin a particular image of itself, she said.

Madeline Hughes, a panelist and executive online editor of Colchester, Vt.-based Saint Michael’s College’s student publication, The Defender, experienced similar challenges with administration restrictions, specifically in financing the publication.

The Defender is financed through Saint Michael’s College’s annual budget. Because the publication is not financially independent from the university, the challenge of reporting becomes even greater, Hughes said.

Hughes said that, in her experience, negative reports about the college can threaten the relationship between the administration and the student press. Advocating each year for money in the student budget becomes difficult when those types of stories are published, Hughes said.

Having faced reporting roadblocks during his time as a student journalist at Boston University, panelist Ed Cafasso, now senior vice president of WinnCompanies, based in Boston, advised how to deal effectively with a difficult university administration.

Cafasso suggested that student journalists should understand:

• How public-access laws apply to and at the university they attend.

• That if open reporting and a free student press is restricted, students are not fully able to practice journalism at its fullest.

• That they must make clear to the university that if they do not provide information, it will be difficult to get the facts right in reports about the university.

“Universities want to be able to trust that student reports will report responsibly,” Cafasso said. “Don’t make mistakes, but don’t give up.”

LEGAL

2017-New-England-Newspaper-Convention-logo

‘A lot of these cases are about collisions of rights, and who has the right to decide what speech is going to be acceptable or allowed in the student publication.’

—Rob Bertsche, Lawyer
Prince Lobel Tye, Boston

‘We act as reporters first and students second.’

—Meg Bernhard, Former managing editor
Harvard Crimson, Harvard University

Madeline Hughes

‘Universities want to be able to trust that student reports will report responsibly. Don’t make mistakes, but don’t give up.’

—Ed Cafasso, Senior VP
WinnCompanies, Boston

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Personalized outreach, data drive newspapers to improved retention

By Alejandro Serrano,
Bulletin Correspondent

Mather Economics uses a data-driven churn analysis to help newspapers develop a targeted, effective and efficient retention strategy, according to Matthew Lulay, a director at Atlanta-based Mather.

“I know retention isn’t the most glamorous subject in the world,” Lulay told people at his Saturday, Feb. 25, presentation at the New England Newspaper and Press Association winter convention.

But Lulay said it is important to identify characteristics of a subscriber who might unsubscribe so that the newspaper can target that subscriber with a personalized retention strategy, rather than a holistic retention strategy applied to all of a newspaper’s subscribers.

“You have to be targeted, you have to have a personalized message. That is the key,” Lulay said.

To try to identify such characteristics, Mather analyzes several years’ worth of a paper’s transactional data, complaints, types of complaints, a subscriber’s payment history as well as digital data such as page views, stories read and amount of time spent by a subscriber.

Each element contributes to a comprehensive look of at-risk subscribers. For example, if a subscriber always pays his or her bill within a seven-day grace period for a year, and the following year he or she does so within a 15-day grace period, and the year after he or she does so within a 20-day period, then that subscriber is susceptible to churn, Lulay said.

Other information, such as the number of days a subscriber gets a newspaper delivered, is also indicative of churn behavior.

Once Mather analyzes such data, it can help a newspaper create an optimal retention campaign using the churn score produced by the analysis.

Lulay discussed different types of campaigns, including an incentive-based one and a dynamic messaging one.

Lulay used a case study of three different incentives — a $10 gift card, a smartphone charger, and a personalized postcard — to demonstrate the incentive-based campaign,

“Incentives matter across the board, regardless of what they are,” he said.

The effectiveness of the incentives varied, and Lulay noted that it is important to factor in the cost of the incentive into results. An almost $20 difference in cost between the charger and the postcard made the postcard a great deal.

Lulay said a dynamic messaging campaign consists of personalized messages to subscribers who are in danger of dropping their subscription. The first message is generic, whereas the third message is more direct and personal. Lulay said he likes dynamic messaging campaigns because they have practically no cost.

Mather’s system is like art and science: the science is the model and the art is how it is applied.

A well-defined churn model will predict churn rate, and that score has to be applied early and accurately to optimize its success, Lulay said.

“The key here is to start early,” he said.

A dozen people attended the workshop on “Circulation 2017: Moving toward data-driven retention” in the Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel.

CIRCULATION

2017-New-England-Newspaper-Convention-logo

‘You have to be targeted, you have to have a personalized message. That is the key.’

—Matthew Lulay, Director
Mather Economics, Atlanta

‘Incentives matter across the board, regardless of what they are.’

—Matthew Lulay

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