News & Announcements

Hieb elected president of Newspaper Association Managers

Laurie Hieb, executive director of the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association, was elected president of Newspaper Association Managers, Inc. (NAM), for 2022-23 during the organization's annual summer conference on Aug. 5 in Austin, Texas.

Beth Bennett, executive director of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, becomes immediate past president. Continuing directors are Susan Patterson Plank, executive director of the Iowa Newspaper Association, and Phil Lucey, executive director of the North Carolina Press Association.

Summit to address Wisconsin’s urgent workforce shortages slated for Aug. 11 in Eau Claire

Leaders from Momentum West, the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce and Competitive Wisconsin Inc. will convene a statewide summit on how to best strengthen community recruitment and retention of workers needed to protect the state's economic future and wellbeing. In April, the WNA Board of Directors voted unanimously to join CWI, a non-partisan coalition dedicated to strengthening Wisconsin's economy, and members are encouraged to share information about the summit.

The in-person and virtual event for local government officials, employers, community leaders and interested residents will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Aug. 11, at UW-Eau Claire. 

Jim Pumarlo

Plan now to recognize first responders

Are you looking for a project that can energize your news staffs, generate new advertising revenue and underscore the value of a local newspaper to potential new subscribers?

pat reilly at podium

Dodgeville publisher Pat Reilly elected WNA president

J. Patrick "Pat" Reilly, co-owner of The Dodgeville Chronicle, has been named president of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.

WNA Past President Gregg Walker passed the gavel to Reilly during the Better Newspaper Contest awards banquet on Friday, June 24, in Madison, and the appointment became official on Thursday following a unanimous vote at the WNA annual meeting, which was held virtually. In addition to Reilly and Walker, who will serve a term as past president, the following members were elected to serve as officers on the WNA Board: George Stanley, editor and senior vice president of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Kris O’Leary, publisher of The (Edgar) Record Review and Jeff Patterson, president of APG Media of Wisconsin.

us capitol

Help pass the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act

The next two weeks are crucial for getting the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA)— a bipartisan bill that would allow news publishers to collectively negotiate with Facebook and Google for fair compensation for the use of their content — over the finish line. The bill is going to markup in the House the last two weeks in July, and we are asking you to help us with a BIG push to get support from as many members of Congress as possible.

Nelson Media Company purchases The Denmark News

Nelson Media Company has purchased The Denmark News, the newspaper has announced. The sale was effective as of July 1. NMC was founded two years ago by Chris Nelson, a 2003 graduate of Denmark High School. It is headquartered in St. Ansgar, Iowa, and includes properties in Wisconsin, Iowa and Arizona.

The Denmark News began as a joint venture between local businessmen Ryan Radue and Mark Hansen, who decided to start the newspaper soon after the former Denmark Press ceased publication in 2008.

WNA seeking nominations for Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association is accepting nominations for the 2022 Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame class through Monday, Aug. 15.

Nominations are open to anyone — living or deceased — who has contributed above and beyond the call of duty to the Wisconsin newspaper industry. It is expected that the individual should have dedicated at least 15 years to newspapering. However, length of service is not a major determinant.

The Monroe Times, EagleHerald named 2021 Newspapers of the Year

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation honored the work of newspapers across the state during the WNA Foundation Better Newspaper Contest Awards Banquet on Friday, June 24, at The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club in downtown Madison, Wis.

Recipients of 2021 Newspaper of the Year Awards were Publisher Todd Colling and the EagleHerald, Marinette, (Daily Division) and Publisher John Ingebritsen and The Monroe Times (Weekly Division).

Jim Pumarlo

What’s happened to nuts and bolts of public safety reporting?

Crime and public safety are garnering more headlines across the country. Law enforcement and racial disparities in the criminal justice system are under increasing scrutiny. Newspapers play a key role in examining the dynamics in their own communities.

memorial pylon ceremony

Members pay tribute to industry leaders during 2022 WNA Trees Retreat

Members of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, family and friends gathered Thursday and Friday in Eagle River, Wis., to pay tribute to industry leaders during the 2022 WNA Trees Retreat and Memorial Pylon Ceremony. It's the first time the event has been held in-person since 2019, and inductees who were honored virtually in 2020 and 2021 were also memorialized.

In addition to being enshrined on granite pylons at the WNA Memorial Grove on the Trees For Tomorrow campus in Eagle River, this year's honorees also have been added to the WNA's virtual pylon.

Wisconsin Newspaper Association