Eric Meyer of the Marion County Record to speak at NNAF Annual Convention

Feb 1, 2024

The Omaha, Nebraska, skyline is pictured.
Meyer

National Newspaper Association members serving on the program planning sub-commitee of the convention committee met via Zoom on Jan. 18 to discuss member feedback on a recent survey of convention thoughts/requests. The committee is comprised of Rob Dump and Peggy Year, co-publishers of the
Cedar County News in Huntington, Nebraska; LuAnn Schindler, publisher of the Summerland Advocate-Messenge in Clearwater, Nebraska; and Publishers’ Auxiliary Managing Editor Kate Decker of Dallas, Texas.

Following this meeting, the committee extended an invitation to Eric Meyer of the Marion County Record, to speak at the first breakout session on Thursday, Sept. 26, 11:30-12:30 p.m. Meyer is making plans to attend.

The convention survey was distributed online, and shared via an advertisement in Publishers' Auxiliary. Members expressed an interest in a wide array of topics — circulation, editorial, admin/human resources, digital, and advertising sales — and offered the following specific requests:

  • Monetizing social media
  • Short-form storytelling (text & video)
  • Motivational speaker
  • How a newspaper can build trust in a Trump community
  • Have reading habits changed and how can newspapers adapt?
  • Keeping advertisers while needing to raise rates as costs increase
  • Any topic regarding postal
  • Juggling increased coverage with a small staff
  • How to do a paper redesign
  • Using the community to help with news coverage
  • Partnerships with local high school or university journalism programs to cover local news/sports
  • Planning the year for content/advertising campaigns
  • Teaching the next generation of journalists and paper owners
  • How to revive a struggling community paper
  • Ideas on engaging the Gen Z and Gen Y demographics with print newspapers as well as digital
  • A business model beyond print
  • AI (artificial intelligence) and how it can be used in a newsroom ethically
  • AI for writing news articles
  • AI and how it can benefit community newspapers

Members have shared that they want to hear from those who are boots on the ground at community newspapers.

This meeting follows an Oct. 26 convention committee meeting in which sub-committees were established.

Thus far, the committee has planned an Extravaganza evening at the Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium® on Thursday, Sept. 26. This event will be included in full registrations.

Our convention headquarters will be the Embassy Suites by Hilton Omaha Downtown Old Market, 555 South 10th Street, Omaha, NE, 68102