Top Stories

President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a postal reform bill that provides more than $50 billion in financial relief for USPS and extends a new opportunity for newspapers to use mail sampling to reach nonsubscribers with promotional copies — lifting the cap on the number of nonsubscriber copies newspapers can mail at the lowest rate.

The law doesn't save mailers from steep postage increases, though. The Postal Service said Wednesday that it would increase periodicals postage rates by an average of 8.5%, effective July 10. NNA Chair Brett Wesner notes one bright spot: "USPS is finally recognizing the value of our use of flats trays for newspaper containers by passing along a 3.7% increase instead of the nearly 11% for mailing sacks."

Understanding your audience is a key component to successfully positioning for any advertising sales opportunity. In an effort to support members in this pursuit, the WNA Board of Directors recently voted to contract with research company Coda Ventures to conduct a statewide readership survey.

The study will measure total market coverage across print and digital platforms, collecting purchase profile data for the most important advertising categories. Members also will be provided end-of-campaign assets to help drive revenue success.

Registration is now open for the 2022 Wisconsin Newspaper Association Convention, which will be held virtually on May 5-6.

Sessions will address the how to make the most out of Wisconsin’s public records & open meetings laws, fact checking, how to do impactful work with fewer resources, photojournalism on a budget, building efficient sales teams across generations, making a difference through collaborative journalism, selling into the WNA ad network, how community listening fuels powerful journalism, alternative revenue streams, among other topics.

The WNA Board of Directors voted unanimously at its quarterly meeting on March 24 in Madison to join Competitive Wisconsin, Inc. — a non-partisan coalition that engages business, education, agriculture, and labor in strategic collaborations dedicated to strengthening and growing the Wisconsin economy.

CWI was founded in 1981 and, for more than 30 years, has engaged in strategic analysis of Wisconsin’s economic challenges and opportunities. It’s dedicated to identifying and advocating for policies and activities that will support the retention and creation of family-supporting jobs, sustain prosperity, and protect and enhance Wisconsin’s quality of life.

Newly revamped federal legislation aimed at helping news publishers negotiate deals with tech giants would create an arbitration process to settle disputes and wouldn’t apply to the biggest media companies, Alexandra Bruell and Keach Hagey report for The Wall Street Journal.

Several media organizations had expressed concerns that an earlier proposal, the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, would mostly benefit the largests news companies with the greatest leverage, stifling the voices of smaller outlets. The amended legislation, which would only apply to organizations with fewer than 1,500 employees, seems to take those worries into consideration.

• OPINION: The Local Journalism Sustainability Act is an empty promise that won’t work
• OPINION: The LJSA is no empty promise — it’s a bridge for newspapers that would otherwise close

Ross McDuffie, president of Madison Media Partners and publisher of the Wisconsin State Journal, is the newest member of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Board of Directors. McDuffie was appointed to the board during its quarterly meeting March 24 at The Madison Club.

He replaces Chris White, who formerly served as publisher of the State Journal. 

Nominations are being sought for the annual Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award, recognizing an individual’s extraordinary contributions to open government or investigative journalism in Wisconsin.

Letters of nomination are accepted from journalists, news organizations and other individuals and organizations involved in open government and investigative journalism issues. Self-nominations also are welcomed. The nomination deadline is March 21.