December 15, 2023

Registration opens for Mega-Conference, set for April 14-16 in Phoenix, Arizona

Registration has begun for the 2024 News Industry Mega-Conference, to be held April 14-16 in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference will be held at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown — located near the Phoenix Convention Center, just minutes from Sky Harbor Airport.

Newspaper executives: Register early at the lowest discounted rates. And, save an additional $200 by taking part in the popular Roundtable Sessions to be held during the conference.

Solutions Partners: Your early registration also is encouraged.

For information about reserving a hotel room, click here.

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Supporting community news

Two additional bipartisan co-sponsors announced for Community News Act

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE At Large) and Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-OR-2) have signed on as co-sponsors of the Community News & Small Business Support Act (HR 4756). The act was introduced in the 118th Congress by Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) and Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-1), both members of the Ways and Means Committee.

People news

Sarasota Herald-Tribune hires executive editor to lead newsroom operations

Mark J. Rochester has been tapped as the next executive editor at the Sarasota (Florida) Herald-Tribune, where he will lead newsroom operations with a focus on watchdog journalism.

Former IndyStar columnist James Briggs returns as opinion and engagement editor

James Briggs, an award-winning former IndyStar metro columnist, is returning to the newspaper as opinion and community engagement editor, where he'll oversee all opinion content.

What we're reading ...

NewsGuild warms to Journalism Competition and Preservation Act

A key constituent is coming around to support the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act in Congress.

The NewsGuild-CWA labor union is warming to the JCPA now that it may include more specificity about supporting newsroom jobs.

Such changes were discussed this month ahead of a fleeting effort to include the JCPA in this year’s defense spending bill, an approach that almost worked last year.

Now it appears the loose agreement could help queue the JCPA up for action early next year, before Congress gets overly distracted by elections.

NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss told me the 26,000-person union’s priority has been to make sure a portion of revenue that outlets receive under JCPA goes to newsroom jobs.

Thriving as a nonprofit: The Philadelphia Inquirer spreads the news with a robust staff and collaborations

America’s largest newspaper company under nonprofit ownership, the Philadelphia Inquirer has a staff of more than 200 journalists, which dwarfs those of metro newsrooms owned by national chains now controlled by investment funds: Gannett, Lee, Alden and McClatchy.

That newsroom allows the Inquirer and its investigative-news partner, Spotlight PA, to experiment and provide relevant content to draw new audiences and reader support, says Jim Friedlich, CEO of the Lenfest Institute, which owns the Inquirer.

Lenfest also sponsors national programs aimed at spreading best practices for sustaining news and information essential to democracy, led by the Table Stakes Local News Transformation Program.

America's Newspapers calendar

April 14-16, 2024 - News Industry Mega-Conference, Phoenix, Arizona

October 18-19, 2024 - Family and Independent Owners Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina

October 20-22, 2024 - Senior Leadership Conference, Charleston, South Carolina

Get Involved. Be Heard. Invest In Your Future.

Keep up with the latest news, schedule of upcoming events and other information specifically for the newspaper industry. Learn more about America’s Newspapers at www.newspapers.org. And connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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