Online registration is open for the 2018 WNA Convention & Trade Show, which will be held April 12-13 at the Sheraton Madison Hotel near downtown Madison.

See the full speaker lineup and the schedule at www.wnaconvention.com

Hotel deadline extended through Friday, March 30

If you missed the hotel reservation deadline for the upcoming WNA convention, you're in luck. The deadline has been extended through Friday, March 30! Book your room at the Sheraton Madison Hotel for $119 per night online or by calling 608-251-2300. 

Do you have some musical talent that you like to share? We're looking for more musicians (especially a piano player) to join the WNA band during the 2018 WNA Convention & Trade Show! The band will perform from 5-6 p.m. Friday, April 13, at the Sheraton Madison Hotel during a reception prior to the Better Newspaper Contest Awards Banquet.

The band plays by ear, but there will be a rehearsal Friday afternoon before the show. So far, the band consists of Peter Weinschenk, editor of The Record-Review in Edgar, on guitar; Tim Lyke, publisher of the Ripon Commonwealth Press, on trombone; and Nathaniel Shuda, editor of The Oshkosh Northwestern, on violin.

All musicians are welcome. Contact WNA Executive Director Beth Bennett at beth.bennett@wnanews.com or 608-283-7621 if you're interested in joining the fun.

Back by popular demand, join us for the WNA Foundation's Casino Night Fundraiser at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 12!

Play poker, blackjack, roulette and craps at the WNA Convention & Trade Show for a chance to win exciting prizes, like an Amazon Echo and more.

For every $10 donation made, players will receive $100 in casino chips. Exchange your winnings at the end of the night for raffle tickets. The more you win at the tables, the more chances you get to win prizes (and everyone gets at least one ticket!)

Download the convention app

Download the Attendify app and search for "2018 WNA Convention" to access the convention registration portal, schedule, speaker bios, trade show vendors and more on your mobile device. Create your own custom schedule, network with your colleagues, receive push notifications and review speakers on your iPhone or Android!

The News Media Alliance, along with other members of the Stop Tariffs on Printers and Publishers (STOPP) Coalition, are fighting the unwarranted preliminary countervailing and antidumping duties imposed this year by the Department of Commerce on Canadian imports of uncoated groundwood paper, which includes newsprint used by newspapers, printers and other publishers. Combined, these duties climb as high as 32 percent.

The government is now collecting these duties at the border, and Canadian manufacturers are already passing these new taxes on to newspapers. The Alliance has heard these tariffs have driven up newsprint prices by 20-30 percent. Newsprint supplies have tightened and some newspapers are being told that orders cannot be met.

As the International Trade Commission (ITC) begins its final investigation in this case, the Alliance and STOPP are working to stop these tariffs from becoming final.

Help Needed Now: Newspapers can help us in this fight by doing two things:

1. Let your readers know what is at stake by publishing the op-ed by Alliance President & CEO David Chavern, and by writing your own editorial. Newspapers such as the Tampa Bay Times and the Green Valley News have run excellent editorials outlining the damaging impact these tariffs will have on newspapers.
2. Contact your governor, and representatives and senators in the U.S. Congress, and ask them to request that the ITC reject these newsprint tariffs. Members of Congress will be in congressional districts/states from March 26-April 6, so this is also a good time for a personal meeting or to contact them in their local offices.

WNA Foundation names five 'Future Headliners'

Five rising stars working in the Wisconsin newspaper industry have been named "Future Headliners" by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation.

The recognition program – first launched in 2014 – honors emerging new leaders (age 30 and under) in the news media industry who display good character, leadership and professionalism not only at work, but in the communities they serve.

The Future Headliners will be honored Friday, April 13 during the annual WNA Convention and Trade Show at the Sheraton Madison Hotel.

The 2018 Future Headliner honorees are:

• Ryan Broege, editor of the Brodhead Independent-Register
• Erin Caughey, special projects designer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• Kasi Greenwood, assistant editor for The Dodgeville Chronicle
• Amber Levenhagen, community reporter for Unified Newspaper Group in Verona
• Bryan Wegter, sports page designer/writer for The Janesville Gazette

Future Headliners show a commitment to impacting the newspaper industry in a positive manner and will serve as ambassadors for the WNA throughout the next year. They were selected from a pool of nominees for performing their jobs to a high standard and being committed to furthering their knowledge and abilities.

The Future Headliners program is made possible by the WNA Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports programs that foster excellence in journalism, engage current and former newspaper leaders and invest in our communities. The Foundation solicits, manages and disburses funds and other resources for the benefit of Wisconsin’s newspaper industry.

Rutledge named Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog

Raquel Rutledge, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, has been named the 2018 recipient of the Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award. The award recognizes an individual’s extraordinary contributions to open government or investigative journalism in Wisconsin and is a highlight of the eighth annual Wisconsin Watchdog Awards reception and dinner, set for April 19.

The WNA is seeking historical information on former Wisconsin newspapers that are being added to the National Digital Newspaper Program, a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress. The information will be used to create brief historical essays on each of the following titles:

If you have any historical information to share, please contact WNA Communications Director James Debilzen at james.debilzen@wnanews.com.

Get the scoop on Wisconsin's water

How has the state's rich water heritage shaped the resource of today, its regulation and use? What are the issues we face with both quantity and quality? What solutions will assure clean and plentiful water for the future? Where do we find and how do we use data that allow us to understand and further the story of Wisconsin's water?

"Beyond the Headlines: Wisconsin's Water Future" is a half-day workshop that will provide reporters and interested public with background, resources and tips for covering news about Wisconsin's water. The workshop will be held from 1-5:30 p.m. on April 26 at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St., Madison.

"Beyond the Headliners: Wisconsin's Water Future" is a project of the Wisconsin Humanities Council, in partnership with the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, and others in Madison. It is funded in part by a grant from the Mellon Foundation, in partnership with the Pulitzer Prizes.

The workshop will be moderated by Ron Seely, an award-winning science and environmental journalist who wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal for nearly 35 years. There is no fee to register.

The National Newspaper Association is seeking nominations for the Amos, McKinney & Phillips Awards, which are the highest honors awarded to working and retired newspapermen and women who have exhibited distinguished service to the community press.
 
For more information and forms, visit http://www.nnaweb.org/contests-awards

Kenosha News names new executive editor

The Kenosha News announced last week that Bob Heisse has been hired as the newspaper's executive editor. Most recently, Heisse was executive editor of The Times of Northwest Indiana, based in Munster. He also served as executive editor of the State Journal-Register of Springfield, Ill.; the Centre Daily Times of State College, Pa.; and city editor of The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa. He served as president of the Associated Press Media Editors in 2012 and president of the Associated Press Media Editors Foundation in 2013 and 2014. His new duties with the News begin April 23.

There is no charge for members of the WNA to place help wanted ads on the WNA's website. Use the submission form on the website to post your ad or submit your ad by email to james.debilzen@wnanews.com. Ads will appear online for 30 days and are included in the Weekly Briefing.

Letterpress engravings, wood type, California job case tray – Golden Members Dave and Gretchen Skoloda have downsized so there’s no wall space for their collection of letterpress engravings, wood type and a California job case tray. We have about two dozen examples of wood type and a dozen or so engravings. Make an offer to gskol@centurytel.net or 608 781 7502.

Small town community newspaper for sale. The Marion Advertiser has published weekly without interruption since 1895. It is now time to turn the business over to someone else. Owner has been with the business since 1967 and along with his wife, has owned it since 1985. Currently run as a mom and pop business with a part time salesman. Good cash flow from a 16 page broadsheet with nearly 1900 subscribers plus around 200 over the counter sales each week. If you are interested, please contact Dan at marionad@frontiernet.net

• 2013 Cheshire 7000 with 2″ Videojet addressing head, computer and software. Asking $15,000
• 2006 Cheshire 7000 with 2″ Videojet addressing head, computer and software. Asking $7,500
• 2013 Bunn 1691 tying machine. $2000
• Bunn 1691 tying machine. $1000
• 2000 Screen Katana 5055 FTP imagesetter, Xitron Navigator RIP. $2500
• 2001 Screen Katana 5055 FTP imagesetter, Xitron Navigator RIP, no dongle. $2000
• Southern Lithoplate subtractive aluminum plates 36x24x.008 $1.75 ea. 1800 available
• Southern LIthoplate plate developer 5 gal. cubes $40 ea. 10 available
• Southern LIthoplate plate finisher 5 gal. cubes $40 ea. 14 available
• Nu-Arc Flip-Top 6000 watt plate exposure machines $500 2 available.
• Nu-Arc Flip-Top 3000 watt plate exposure machine $500.
• Graham plate processor $500

Copy waxer – We are searching for a Daige-type copy waxer in working order. We occasionally use the waxer for mocking up a special section. Contact garyr@vcnewsreview.com or call Gary Ridderbusch at Vilas County News-Review at 715-479-4421.

Electrical parts (sensors) for a hand-fed Auto Labe labeling machine, or if anyone has a hand-fed labeler they would like to get rid of, the Courier Press in Prairie du Chien is looking. Please call (608) 326-2441. Ask for Steve.