Three take on new responsibilities for Independent, Delaware State News

Pictured left to right, Toni Ayers, Wanda Ford-Waring and
Heather Cregar

Three Dover executives have accepted expanded responsibilities at Independent Newspapers and its flagship daily newspaper, the Delaware State News.

Accounting Manager Toni L. Ayers will add Corporate Treasurer to her duties, Credit Director Wanda Ford-Waring who also serves as Corporate Secretary will also become Trustee of the company’s 401k Plan, and Heather Cregar will become interim Advertising Director at the Delaware State News.

All three appointments are effective Oct. 21, according to President & Publisher Ed Dulin, who made the announcement. The three positions are currently filled by Chris Engel, who is leaving to pursue other interests.

“We are grateful that Chris Engel has served this company well for more than 31 years in a wide variety of roles, and we wish him all the best”, Mr. Dulin said. “We are so fortunate to have top-notch executives like Toni Ayers, Wanda Ford-Waring and Heather Cregar ready to step up to added responsibilities.”

Newspapers are the leading ad medium cited by consumers

According to MORI Research, 59% of adults identify newspapers as the medium they use for planning, shopping and purchase decisions:

73% of adults regularly or occasionally
read newspaper inserts

82% of those surveyed said they "took action"
as a result of newspaper advertising, including ...

shopped from a newspaper insert (82%), clipped a coupon (61%), bought something (50%), visited a website to learn more (33%), tried something for the first time (27%).

Other media trails well behind newspapers as the primary medium for checking advertising. The closest competitor, the Internet, trailed newspapers by 20 percentage points, direct mail gained a 14% response in the survey, and television was cited by only 8% of respondents.

According to preliminary data from MORI Research who conducted this phone and Internet survey of more than 3,000 adults for the Newspaper Association of America.

***

From McClatchy-Tribune Information Services...

Seven myth-busters about newspapers

The newspaper media -- print and digital -- will emerge from the current environment an even stronger multi-platform force. Here are some reasons why based on common myths about the industry.

Myth: No one reads newspapers anymore.

Reality: More than 104 million adults read a print newspaper every day, more than 115 million on Sundays. That's more people than watch the Super Bowl (94 million), "American Idol" (23 million) or that typically watch the late local news (65 million).

Myth: Young people no longer read newspapers.

Reality: 61 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds and 25- to 34-year-olds read a newspaper in an average week and 65 percent of them read a newspaper or visited a newspaper Web site in the past week.

Myth: Newspaper readership is tanking.

Reality: Average weekday newspaper readership declined a mere 1.8 percent between 2007 and 2008, and about 7 percent since its peak in 2002. Compare that to the 10 percent decline seen in the prime time TV audience in 2007 alone. Meanwhile, newspapers' Web audience has grown nearly 75 percent since 2004, to 73 million unique visitors a month.

Myth: Many newspapers are going out of business.

Reality: Newspapers, as individual businesses, by and large remain profitable enterprises -- with operating margins that Wall Street analysts estimate will generally average in the low- to mid-teens during 2009. While that may be down from historical highs, such margins would be the envy of many other industries today.

Myth: Newspaper advertising doesn't work.

Reality: Google's own research shows that 56 percent of consumers researched or purchased products they saw in a newspaper.

Myth: There are no creative options in newspapers.

Reality: Newspaper advertising options have exploded and now include shape and polybag ads, post-it notes, "we prints," shingle spadeas, scented ads, taste-it ads, glow-in-the-dark, belly bands and temporary tattoos, as well as event and database marketing, behavioral targeting, e-mail blasts, e-newsletters and more.

Myth: If newspapers close, you will still be able to get news from other sources.

Reality: Newspapers make a larger investment in journalism than any other medium. Most of the content from "aggregators" and other media originated with newspapers.

Annual benefits renewal announcement

HEALTH BENEFITS OPEN ENROLLMENT ...
You must make a change because health and prescription benefits have been combined.

Log onto Ceridian Self Service and select Please Enroll Here. This appears under the ENROLLMENT flag at the top of the Self Service screen.

PLEASE CLICK HERE for a PDF file of your 2009 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS GUIDE.

New plan year begins August 1, 2009.

There will be no change in premiums for members of INI’s Blue Cross & Blue Shield health insurance plan who are also covered by INI’s prescription plan. The few employees who opted out of our prescription plan, however, will see an increase since
prescription coverage will now be included in the basic coverage.

• The premium for medical and prescription coverage will be $114 per person per pay period (or $106 per person per pay for who qualify for the tobacco-free discount).

• The premium for our optional Dental plan will decrease from $12.50 to $12.00 per person per pay period. Even existing participants will have to enroll for the new plan year.

• The premium for the optional voluntary life insurance is age banded. Dependent life insurance premium varies by the age of the dependent and the amount of the insurance elected.

• The premium for the optional long term disability is $0.320 per $100 of covered payroll per month.

As health care costs increase, we want to encourage all of our employees and their dependents to be as healthy as they can be. We encourage you to schedule your annual physical and follow the preventive guidelines based on your age and gender. We value the benefit of preventive care. That is why these benefits remain covered at 100% and NO deductible.

For a summary of the benefit plans, go to

initoolbox.newszap.com

or log on to read the

Benefits section of Ceridian Self Service at

sourceselfservice2.ceridian.com/independentnewspapers

Contact inipayroll@newszap.com

if you have difficulty with Open Enrollment.

Stretch Yourself ...

Make stretching at your desk a daily habit

Reprinted with permission from Shaw Newspapers

Submitted by Melanie Clements
Human Resources Coordinator,
Shaw Newspapers Corporate Services

Feeling the aches and pains of spending too many hours tackling the pile of work on your desk or leaning forward hunched over the keyboard? Sitting at a desk all day puts pressure on your lower back, neck and shoulders. When the day is over, you may feel the effects with symptoms like soreness or exhaustion.

Fortunately, proper stretching is something you can do to give your muscles and tendons the rest, recovery and nutrients they need for health and injury prevention. Even if you have a comfy, well-adjusted chair, it’s still necessary to stretch and change positions because your body is designed to move.

Relieve common aches and pains by taking one-minute breaks every 20 minutes or so to relieve tension and loosen stiff muscles. Make sure to stretch your arm, shoulder and back muscles. Here are a few helpful stretches to get you started:

Finger stretch

Separate and straighten your fingers until you feel a stretch, keeping your hand in alignment with your wrist. Hold for 10 seconds. Next, bend the end and middle knuckles of your fingers, keeping your hand and wrist in the same position. Hold for 10 seconds. Relax and repeat.

Back scratch

Give yourself a pat on the back, and gently stretch the back of your arm at the same time. Reach behind your head and place your hand on your upper back, keeping your arm close to your ear. Gently hold your elbow with your opposite hand. Pull your elbow toward the back of your head and reach your hand toward the middle of your back until you feel a gentle stretch. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds. Relax. Repeat on the other side.

Chin tuck

Start by facing straight ahead. Keep your back straight, and pull your chin toward your chest until you feel a stretch along the back of your neck. Hold for five to 10 seconds. Relax and return to your starting position. Repeat two to three times.

Shoulder shrug

Slowly bring your shoulders up toward your ears. Hold for three to five seconds, then roll your shoulders back and down. Relax. Repeat five to 10 times.

Daily stretching can help you feel better, boost your energy level and reduce the pain caused by prolonged sitting at your desk. For more great stretching exercises, take a stretch break today and log on to Blue Access for Members at www.bcbsil.com.

Source: 1998-2006 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research 45312.0306

A Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

Independent changes format

Independent Newspapers, Inc. has announced plans to convert the size of its community newspapers from the traditional broadsheet format to a new “compact” format.

The biggest change, says Bret McKeand, the company’s vice president of Arizona’s operations, will be in the size of the page.

“ The width of the page re­mains relatively the same, but the height of the page will be reduced from 22 inches to 12 inches,” says Mr. McKeand.

The new format is meant to appeal to readers and advertisers. “ We’re confident readers will find the new format convenient to read and much more attrac­tive,” says Mr. McKeand.

“Advertisers will immediately notice that their ads stand out more and they will see greater impact from their ads in this new format,” added Mr. McKeand.

The compact size also pro­vides more opportunity for color throughout the entire newspaper Each newspaper’s commit­ment to local news remains the same.

“ We will continue to be the No. 1 source for local news in each of the communities we serve,” stated Mr. McKeand. “ We’re con­fident our new-and-improved newspapers, along with our ex­isting online community sites, allow us to be the leader in local news.”

***

The following story ran in the last broadsheet issues of Independent’s Arizona weeklies, announcing the format change that took place the following week.

Coming soon:
A new look to an old friend

By Bret McKeand

Nothing is permanent except change.

That statement is true more so today than ever before. We live in a changing world. We’re all struggling to come to grips with a changing economy. Citizens are adapting to new technology that is supposed to change our lives for the better.

The newspaper you’re hold­ing in your hands is also making a change. It’s a major change for us, but one we’re confident will be positive for our readers and advertisers.

Beginning with next week’s edition, your favorite commu­nity newspaper may appear just a little bit different to you.

Independent Newspapers, the Valley’s most popular group of lo­cal, community newspapers, will begin publishing its newspapers that week in the new, modern “compact” format vs. the tradi­tional “broadsheet” format.

It marks the first major format change in 23 years for the com­pany and refl ects a design that studies have shown is preferred by readers and advertisers alike.

But no matter how you look at it, it’s still your hometown news­paper!

The most noticeable differ­ence, of course, is the size of the product. The new “compact” is smaller -- but don’t let its size fool you. The new “compact” offers tremendous advantages over the broadsheet and more and more newspaper companies are start­ing to take notice:

• The new size provides great­er convenience to readers. It’s easier to hold, easier to read.

• The new format allows us greater fl exibility when it comes to packaging and design. We’re very confident you’ll like the way content and features are or­ganized and presented in next week’s edition.

• Most important, the new compact will allow us to expand the use of color throughout the publication. With the new for­mat, you’ll see much, much more color! The pages will be more exciting and the photographs will be much vibrant!

We’re also confident the new format will be attractive to our advertisers. We recognize times are tough and many businesses are struggling to survive. We are constantly in search of ways to improve our products and pro­vide advertisers with an effective and cost-affordable way to reach consumers in their market. We think the new format gives our advertisers more “bang for their buck!”

The new compacts provide greater impact for advertisers. Again studies have shown that readers tend to recall — and react — to advertisements in compacts at a greater rate than they do in traditional broadsheets.

The No. 1 complaint from our local advertisers over the years in­volved “ad clutter.” Frankly, there were too many ads on a page — and the more ads on the page, the less likely their ad was to be spot­ted by a reader.

Compacts conquer that chal­lenge. The overall page size is smaller. There are fewer ads on a page, so each ad stands out much more than if it were on a page crowded with dozens of small ads.

Finally, the new compact is much more efficient for us to pro­duce. That’s important in these tough economic times. We’ve been the Valley’s No. 1 commu­nity newspaper publisher for over three decades and we have every intention of continuing in that role.

We’re not ashamed in the least bit to say this move will help us streamline our efforts. That’s ben­efi cial to our readers and advertis­ers, not to mention our company and its employees.

Despite the new look, rest as­sured everything else you’ve come to expect from the Independent remains the same. We’re still your hometown newspaper providing you with the same great news and information you’ve come to expect from us.

We hope you like our new look. Please us know your thoughts and suggestions for im­provements. We appreciate your continued support and look for­ward to serving you in the future!

Editor’s note: Bret McKeand is vice president of operations for Independent Newspapers, Inc. Bret welcomes your com­ments and suggestions and can be reached at

azpublisher@newszap.com.

***

Why the change?

WHAT IS COMPACT?

The term “compact” was coined in the 1970s by the editors at the British newspaper, the “Daily Mail,” when it converted from broadsheet to tabloid. Interestingly, the “Daily Mail” has come to call itself a “tabloid.” The term “compact” is now often used to differentiate newspapers with more traditional content from those with a more flamboyant publishing style, the former being a “compact” and the latter, a “tabloid.”

SAME GREAT NEWSPAPERS!

We have taken great care in our conversion to retain all of the important elements in our newspapers so that our “brand” will remain in tact. We want to assure readers that even though their paper looks different, this is just a new and improved version of the same hometown product they’ve been receiving on their driveway or mailbox for years.

READERS LOVE IT!

Study after study demonstrates that readers overwhelmingly prefer compact, more convenient formats. The smaller size lends itself well to our busy lifestyles. A compact edition is more portable, easier to handle and navigate; it is more like a magazine. The format allows more pages and more stories.

ADVERTISERS PREFER IT!

Our advertisers are the BIG winners with this conversion, because ads run in compact editions uniformly produce better results than ads run in a broadsheet format. When considering the benefits of the compact vs. traditional broadsheet, keep these points in mind: Advertisers want to buy impact and results, not “advertising inches.” What matters the most is the relative portion of the page that the ad occupies and not the physical size of the ad or the newspaper page. Put simply: Reader recall is a function of the relative dominance of the ad on the page.

Our new rate structure is greatly simplified and easier to grasp, providing advertisers with more flexibility to determine their marketing campaigns and making it easier for them to upgrade to color, larger ads and/or additional newspapers. Modular ads result in improved layout, which promotes readership and recall. You should think of modular ads on a compact page as being “super-sized,” something true even for smaller advertisers.

For example, an advertiser now buying a 2-column-by-2-inch ad in a broadsheet is paying for roughly 1/32 of a page, but the equivalent on a compact page is a sixteenth, or proportionately twice the page dominance and twice the
impact.

Selling to advertisers who claim ‘No money” left

By Darel LaPrade

With the recession deepening, our sales teams are hearing a common refrain more and more often – clients or would-be clients claiming they can’t afford to advertise.

As an objection, it seems logical enough, at least at first glance – consumers are cutting their spending, so a business should cut its advertising commensurately.

For businesses seeking to survive, or thrive, during an economic down-turn, eliminating advertising is a serious mistake. In fact, most research on the topic suggests advertising in difficult economic times can actually provide a significant opportunity to capture market share:

* In a study of U.S. recessions, McGraw-Hill Research analyzed 600 companies from 1980-1985. The results showed that business-to-business firms that maintained or increased their advertising expenditures during the recession from 1981 to 1982 averaged significantly higher sales growth, both during the recession and for the following three years, than those that eliminated or decreased advertising. By 1985, sales of companies that were aggressive recession advertisers had risen 256 percent over those that didn' advertising.

* Businesses that aggressively increased media advertising expenditures during the last recession (just 25% of all businesses) increased their market share 2 1/2 times the average for all businesses in the post-recession period.

* Another study documented a 1.5 point increase in market share among businesses increasing ad spending during recessionary periods. By contrast, during expansion periods, 80 percent of businesses increased advertising budgets with no improvement in market share, since most competitors did the same thing.

In other words, cutting an advertising budget in a recession is actually counter-productive. Advertising now is, in reality, one of the best ways to weather the storm.

Cost-Effective Ways a Business Can Make Advertising Work in a Recession

* Placing advertising in complimentary media can save money and produce results. For example, combination ads in multiple newspapers, supported by a sensible internet campaign on newszap.com, can reduce costs and reach thousands of extra readers.

* Paying attention to trends and taking advantage of how these trends shape our media can pay big dividends during a recession. In our company, the conversion of our newspapers to a compact format provides wary advertisers with just this sort of opportunity to take advantage of a new approach in print advertising that can positively affect the bottom-line.

* Don’t go black or drop out of sight. In an attempt to optimize spending, some advertisers may decide to spend for advertising in waves figuring that periodic spending in bursts is the key to driving sales. This is not the case. Other advertisers will simply discontinue their advertising – another strategy that ends up costing more money – in lost sales – than it saves in the long-run. If you reduce your advertising budget, avoid spending the rest of it in bursts, because continuous spending even at lower levels is more effective.

The bottom-line is that advertising during a recession presents a business with unique opportunities to solidify an existing customer base while building new customers. By maintaining a consistent advertising campaign, a recession can give a business a chance to make serious in-roads against its competitors that may have cut back advertising.

Excuses for not Advertising

The three most commonly mentioned excuses for not advertising during a recession are these:

* People do not have money, so our advertising would be wasted

* We can afford to slash, since competitors are doing the same

* The money saved on advertising helps our profits.

People do not have the money, so our advertising would be wasted: Studies of every recession since 1940 indicate that recessions have little adverse impact on total employment (the size of the employed labor force has never declined by more than 2 percent) and, similarly, little adverse impact on disposable income. (Real disposable personal income per capita has never declined by more than 2 percent.) The pessimism among advertisers is mainly myth, hardly warranted by facts. Because families start curtailing their purchases during a recession, not less but more advertising is required to prevent consumption from eroding.

We can afford to slash, since competitors are doing the same: Equally fallacious is the rationale that a company can afford reducing its advertising spending because everybody else is cutting back. Rather than waiting for business to return to normal, owners and managers should cash in on the opportunity that the rival companies are creating for them. The company courageous enough to stay in and fight when everyone else is playing safe can bring about a dramatic improvement in market position. Some progressive small companies have recognized this. Instead of withdrawing “into their shells” and waiting for something to happen, they expand their programs during slowdowns. As a result, they better position themselves to benefit when the eventual upturn occurs.

The money saved on advertising helps our profits: Even more tenuous is this excuse: Advertising should be cut to help sagging profits. Attempts to retain the same profit margin during a recession, as a business enjoyed prior to the recession, actually costs more in the long run than continuing to advertise. There is likely to be a fast erosion of the customer-base that the advertiser has taken years, even decades, to build. It is nearly impossible to regain the old customers once they have switched to competitive businesses.

***

Recognition decreases when advertising decreases. But an increase in advertising, especially during a recession when others are cutting back, causes an increase in recognition. The bottom-line is our clients need to advertise more now than ever before.

Newszap.com features online newspaper archive

Independent has partnered with NewsBank.com to create an online newspaper archive for newszap.com visitors to purchase previously published material from our group newspapers.

This archive is advertised in the lower left-hand corner of the newszap.com community home pages. Clicking the button takes visitors to a co-branded e-commerce site where individual articles or subscriptions of varying lengths can be purchased.

Independent’s newsrooms have free unlimited access to these archives. Our newspapers, including all the back issues we had converted and stored in a digital format, are now readily accessible in a single place on the Internet where they can be searched and sorted by keywords and dates. While the archives do not include photos, artwork, or ads, they still have the potential to be a great research tool.