Poughkeepsie | Chasing a celebrity wedding

This morning's Poughkeepsie Journal front page, covering one of the biggest local stories in years: today's 6 p.m. ET wedding ceremony in nearby Rhinebeck, N.Y., for Chelsea Clinton and hedge fund employee Marc Mezvinsky. The story now dominates the paper's homepage, which includes Twitter updates.

Got a Gannett front page to recommend? Find it in the Newseum's page one database, then post a link in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

[Image: Newseum]

Document: More digital publishing revenue gains

Gannett's publishing segment -- the U.S. and U.K. newspapers, principally -- is showing more gains in an important area: digital revenue, according to the new second-quarter financial report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. This is at least the second consecutive report to show year-over-year growth.

That's potentially good news, since digital is the industry's future -- so long as this doesn't involve an accounting sleight-of-hand. By that, I pose the following question: If a newspaper sells a $1,000 advertising contract with Joe's Hardware Store that includes $200 in "free" online banner ads, how is that counted? Is it a $1,000 all-print contract, or is it booked as $800 in print and $200 in digital? More important, are the same digital advertising accounting standards used every quarter, and across all the newspapers?

Following are relevant sections of the four most recent 10-Q quarterly reports to the SEC. (I can't find any similar language in the 10-K report, which includes 2009's fourth-quarter results.) I've highlighted the key information in boldface. Note: the company's Digital Segment, referenced below, comprises the purely digital portfolio, including CareerBuilder, PointRoll, ShopLocal, Planet Discover, Schedule Star and Ripple6.

From the second-quarter 10-Q report, filed yesterday:

The Company’s publishing operations, including its U.S. Community Publishing Group, the USA TODAY Group and the Newsquest Group, generate advertising revenues from the operation of Web sites that are associated with their traditional print businesses. These revenues are reflected within the retail, national and classified categories presented and discussed above, and they are separate and distinct from revenue generated by businesses included in the Company’s Digital Segment. These online/digital advertising revenues increased 12% for the quarter and 9% for the year-to-date period. Online revenue at U.S. Community Publishing grew 14% for the quarter while at Newsquest, digital revenues increased 9%, in pounds.

From the first-quarter 10-Q:

The Company’s publishing operations, including its U.S. Community Publishing Group, the USA TODAY Group and the Newsquest Group, generate advertising revenues from the operation of Web sites that are associated with their traditional print businesses. These revenues are reflected within the retail, national and classified categories presented and discussed above, and they are separate and distinct from revenue generated by businesses included in the Company’s digital segment. These online/digital advertising revenues increased 5% for the quarter, due to strong results from the classified automotive, national and retail categories, offset slightly by a decline in online employment revenue. Excluding employment, online revenues in the U.S. Community Publishing Group were up 11%.

From 2009's third-quarter 10-Q:

The Company’s publishing operations, including its U.S. Community Publishing Group, the USA TODAY Group and the Newsquest Group, generate advertising revenues from the operation of Web sites that are associated with their traditional print businesses. These revenues are reflected within the retail, national and classified categories presented and discussed above, and they are separate and distinct from revenue generated by businesses included in the Company’s new digital segment. These online/digital advertising revenues declined 19% for the quarter and 22% for the year-to-date period, principally due to reduced employment advertising.

From 2009's second-quarter 10-Q:
The Company’s publishing operations, including its U.S. Community Publishing Group, the USA TODAY Group and the Newsquest Group, generate advertising revenues from the operation of Web sites that are associated with their traditional print businesses. These revenues are reflected within the retail, national and classified categories presented and discussed above, and they are separate and distinct from revenue generated by businesses included in the Company’s new digital segment. These online/digital advertising revenues declined 24% for the quarter and 23% for the year-to-date period, due principally to reduced employment advertising. Absent the impact of lower employment advertising, online advertising for U.S. community publishing declined 2% for the quarter and remained flat for the year-to-date period.

For USAT, more secrecy around financial health; Corporate withholds key data from new document

[Table shows revenue data now omitted from two SEC filings]

In a significant departure, Gannett has begun disclosing fewer details about USA Today's financial health, just as investors and employees are looking for more information amid growing questions about the newspaper's future, according to a new review of public documents.

For the second time in two years -- but likely far longer -- Corporate did not report USAT's advertising revenue trend in Gannett's second-quarter report, filed late yesterday afternoon with federal regulators. Instead, it just disclosed the number of paid advertising pages, a figure it had already reported in a statement released on July 16.

Page counts offer only limited information about advertising sales, however, because they don't reveal anything about revenue. That information is better reflected in ad revenue percentage changes -- the figure Corporate omitted in yesterday's SEC filing, called a form 10-Q. In this year's first quarter, for example, the paper's ad revenue dived 11% from last year.

An unusual omission

It's doubtful the omission was merely an oversight; SEC filings are legal documents written with great care, and seen by many expert eyes before they're made public. More likely, Corporate withheld the information out of new competitive concerns amid a growing rivalry with The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. It may also have kept the revenue figures confidential to relieve public pressure on management, as Publisher Dave Hunke (above) plans a reorganization that could be announced to staff any week now.

The omission of USAT's ad revenue changes is unusual. Corporate started reporting the figures in the first quarter of 2002, I found today in a review of 10-Q filings with the SEC. I've tracked the figures every quarter over the past two years except for the fourth quarter of 2009, the only other time they weren't disclosed. (See table, above.)

It's likely revenue fell again in the second quarter; the number of paid advertising pages fell 4% from a year before, after all. Indeed, revenue appears to have fallen every quarter from the prior year for two years, SEC documents show. Coupled with a sharp, 14% decline in circulation, it's likely the ad revenue tumble spurred Hunke's June 17 disclosure of a pending reorganization.

Yesterday's 10-Q reported only the following about USAT's second-quarter results: "Domestically, national advertising revenues decreased 2% for the quarter and 3% year-to-date due to lower results at USA Today, partially offset by a double-digit increase in national advertising at U.S. Community Publishing. Advertising demand at USA Today continues to be impacted by softness in the travel-related categories. The automotive, retail and packaged goods categories improved during the quarter at USA Today while the entertainment, travel, telecommunications and pharmaceutical categories lagged last year. Paid advertising pages at USA Today totaled 580 compared with 602 in last year’s second quarter."

Now, here's the report from the first-quarter 10-Q; I've highlighted in boldface the revenue details missing from yesterday's filing:

"National advertising revenues declined 3% for the quarter. National advertising revenues increased 8% in the U.S. Community Publishing group and were up 2% in the UK in local currency for the quarter. Ad revenue at USA Today, including usatoday.com, was down 11% for the quarter. Advertising demand at USA TODAY continues to be impacted by the soft travel and lodging markets. Several categories at USA TODAY improved during the quarter including automotive, technology and retail. These revenue gains, however, were more than offset by weakness in the travel, entertainment, financial, telecommunications and pharmaceutical categories."

A secrecy precedent
It's important to note that public companies like Gannett enjoy some leeway in what they report to investors via the SEC. While basic financial data -- revenue, costs, earnings, etc. -- are mandatory, other details are optional, or may be kept secret, with the SEC's permission.

USA Today -- Gannett's marquee title, and the No. 1 print paper in the nation -- is the only individual title for which Gannett breaks out results. While other publishers, including the New York Times Co., also offer such detail on their major papers, I'm not aware of any SEC rules requiring that they do so.

There's precedent for withholding information, too. In February, Gannett revealed that the SEC had agreed to its request that it keep confidential certain targets for digital revenue. The company cited competitive reasons.

In another instance, Corporate stopped publishing monthly statistical reports in late 2008, a step that angered some Wall Street analysts. The reports, made available for many years prior, provided general figures on revenue trends for the company as a whole, giving analysts a snapshot of results between quarterly reports.

It's conceivable that Corporate will resume reports of USAT's revenue changes in future SEC filings. I'm not counting on that, however, which means investors and employees will have even less information to make smart choices about their portfolios and careers.

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

USAT | Pop quiz: Can you find the missing number?

Gannett just filed its second-quarter 10-Q report with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a document rich with details -- except when they aren't there. See if you can find the financial information about USA Today in the first-quarter's 10-Q that isn't included in the second quarter's.

Here's the relevant text from the first-quarter 10-Q, filed on May 4:

"National advertising revenues declined 3% for the quarter. National advertising revenues increased 8% in the U.S. Community Publishing group and were up 2% in the UK in local currency for the quarter. Ad revenue at USA TODAY, including USATODAY.com, was down 11% for the quarter. Advertising demand at USA TODAY continues to be impacted by the soft travel and lodging markets. Several categories at USA TODAY improved during the quarter including automotive, technology and retail. These revenue gains, however, were more than offset by weakness in the travel, entertainment, financial, telecommunications and pharmaceutical categories."

Now, here's the text from the second-quarter 10-Q, filed today:

"National advertising revenues declined 4% for the quarter and year-to-date period. Domestically, national advertising revenues decreased 2% for the quarter and 3% year-to-date due to lower results at USA TODAY, partially offset by a double-digit increase in national advertising at U.S. Community Publishing. Advertising demand at USA TODAY continues to be impacted by softness in the travel-related categories. The automotive, retail and packaged goods categories improved during the quarter at USA TODAY while the entertainment, travel, telecommunications and pharmaceutical categories lagged last year. Paid advertising pages at USA TODAY totaled 580 compared with 602 in last year’s second quarter."

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

Battle Creek | Paper's 'amazing job' on oil spill

The massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has overshadowed a spill in another Gannett community: Battle Creek, Mich., where a Gannett Blog reader today praises the Battle Creek Enquirer's work.

More than 800,000 gallons poured into a creek and flowed into the Kalamazoo River in southern Michigan on Monday, coating birds and fish. The spill started from a 30-inch pipeline built in 1969 that carries about 8 million gallons daily.

"I know you occasionally point out good work coming from Gannett papers," my reader says. "The oil spill in southern Michigan that's become a national story is a major local story for the Battle Creek Enquirer. . . . The Enquirer is honestly doing an amazing job covering this story from every angle."

Know about Gannett work that should be highlighted? (And not just from the editorial side!) Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

[Image: recent screenshot of the paper's homepage]

Phoenix | Photog arrested in immigration protest

Dave Seibert, 53 (left), an Arizona Republic photographer since 1990, said Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputies mistook him for a protester yesterday, handcuffed him for more than two hours, and took him through the booking process. He was later put in a holding cell with about a dozen other people for about 20 minutes, the paper says in a story. The sheriff's office then decided to release him without any charges, but he was warned they could have, the Republic said.

Controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio is well-known for aggressive policing tactics, especially around immigration issues.

Earlier: In ugly confrontation, Muncie, Ind., videographer and other staffers ejected from meeting

[Photo: Republic]

Clinton | Gannett folding Mississippi print weekly

Gannett said today it will stop printing the weekly Clinton (Miss.) News next Thursday, shifting news stories and advertising into its sister newspaper, The Clarion-Ledger, 11 miles away in Jackson.

Publisher Larry Whitaker of the Clarion-Ledger told readers that the weekly had begun losing money. "The Clinton News has been a viable part of this community for many years," he wrote in a note today, "and despite our best efforts to keep the newspaper profitable, the retail advertising base no longer exists to support the publishing of a weekly newspaper."

In its place starting Aug. 12, the Clarion-Ledger will publish a page of Clinton news on Thursdays, "with additional stories throughout the week,'' Whitaker said. Also, Gannett will maintain a separate website for Clinton news, he said.

Whitaker pitched the shift as a benefit for readers: "We see this change as an opportunity to grow with you in the future, to expand your coverage into the pages of the Clarion-Ledger and to have an even larger presence on the web."

Still, the move means Clinton will lose what surely must be a source of community pride: its own, separate print publication.

This is at least the third Gannett weekly to lose its print edition this month. Last Friday marked the final print editions of the U.K.'s Hounslow and Brentford Times and Chiswick Times, two weeklies that are part of Gannett's Newsquest division in the United Kingdom.

[Image: screenshot from the Clinton News website]

As GCI tumbles, a growing squeeze on 'comps'

Gannett's stock closed moments ago at $13.25 a share, down 65 cents, or 4.7%, in concert with several other newspaper shares. By contrast, the S&P 500 index, a broader measure of stock market activity, closed down less than 1%.

To be sure, GCI remains more than twice as high as a year ago vs. a far smaller 13% gain in the S&P 500.

But that favorable ratio is now getting squeezed as the comparables from a year ago get a lot tougher, Google Finance data show.

For example, on July 1, 2009, Gannett stock closed at $3.66 a share. Then it went on a tear, galloping higher the rest of the summer and into the fall.

By July 31, it had nearly doubled, to $7 a share. And by Oct. 7, it had nearly doubled yet again, to $13 -- near where shares closed today. (Table of historical prices.)

Now, all eyes are on the economy, which has been exhibiting a rocky recovery -- pinching results and share prices in all sorts of industries. Gannett has lots of company.

Still, unless investors warm to the company again, bidding shares higher, GCI's percentage rise from a year ago will appear ever slimmer, and therefore less rosy in Wall Street's eyes. Absent that, Corporate will come under increasing pressure to boost revenue, so Gannett's stock starts moving up once more.

Up? Down? Sideways? Where's GCI headed next? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

Phoenix | Playing a big court ruling, really big

Today's Arizona Republic front page, following yesterday's headline-grabbing federal court ruling that threw out key portions of the state's controversial immigration law on the eve it took effect.

Got a Gannett front page to recommend? Find it in the Newseum's page one database, then post a link in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

[Image: Newseum]

Louisville | Memo: Sunday circ. rises from year ago

Following is a memo Publisher Arnie Garson of The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., sent to employees earlier today, according to one of my readers. His note comes amid a big push by U.S. newspaper chief Bob Dickey to increase Sunday sales. As of March 31, the C-J's Sunday circulation was 239,234, according to the most recent Audit Bureau of Circulations data.

Last Sunday, The Courier-Journal's home delivery volume crossed over into positive territory versus prior year. It was the culmination of an enormous effort that began in January and hasn't let up. And it has paid off. On Sunday, July 25, our paid home delivery volume was 0.5% ahead of last year. We are confident that the number will continue to grow.

One of the most important things about this result is that it begins to add some hard evidence to what we've known all along (but some competitors may have doubted) -- that newspapers still have a viable future, even in the face of a troubled economy and even in the face of a transformation in the way people get information. Our message now is that on Sunday, the most important day of the week, and in home delivery, the most important circulation category, The Courier-Journal is growing, not declining. That's a powerful message, and it should make all of us feel good.

Indy | PR firm wants photog to work for free

Following is a help-wanted advertisement posted on Craigslist's Indianapolis page, illustrating how bad things are getting for photojournalists. A reader on Facebook, where I first saw this, have noted that the publicist couldn't even spell the city's name correctly.

Photographer Needed for High Profile Client (Idianapolis)
Date: 2010-07-26, 7:07 PM EDT
Reply to: gigs-jeeqe-1864857734@craigslist.org

New York City based Public Relations Company is seeking a photographer for a small photo shoot with a well known professional tennis player. Great way to add photos to your portfolio and work with a great company. Photos will be used in a marketing campaign geared towards the US Open.

Although there isn't financial compensation for this project, full credit is given as well as opportunity for future work with a magazine. We will work to create a great credit package for the right photographer!

Please email us for details ASAP, as this project would be taking place with-in the next few days.

Thank you.

Note | 'Recent comments' widget inaccurate

The list under the "Recent comments" heading in the green sidebar, right, is suddenly on the fritz. It's actually showing very old comments (which, although interesting, isn't what it's meant to do).

I'm monitoring the software in hopes that it fixes itself. (Update at 10:32 a.m. ET July 30: It's now fixed.)

GCI profit margins -- and that jaw-dropping report

Some of you will recall that I published profit margins and advertising sales figures for each of Gannett's community newspapers in a November 2008 post that drew a lot of attention across the industry.

The data was a year old at the time, covering Periods 1-9 of 2007 -- basically, the first three quarters of that year. I published the figures as Gannett was on the verge of launching its single-biggest layoff, in December 2008.

The figures came from a confidential internal Gannett document called the Cost & Statistical Summary. A reader had supplied a copy to me, so long as I didn't share the full document with anyone. (Here's a glimpse of part of the report.)

Many of the papers listed in the report had eye-popping margins. The Green Bay Press-Gazette led the list, at nearly 43%; it had advertising sales of $25 million over those three quarters, the report said. (The report didn't disclose circulation or other revenues, however.)

I'm recalling that report now because a Gannett Blog reader just sent me an e-mail, wondering if that report is still be published -- or if it was replaced by another report. I said I would put that question to all of you.

What has become of the Cost & Statistical Summary? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

[Image: today's Press-Gazette, Newseum]

Sponsors | Show me a new donor!

I just received a $15 donation from a reader in the "Show-Me" state of Missouri.

I'm trying to earn $4,000 quarterly, mostly through sponsorships of $5 per reader, plus limited ad sales. Please use the "Donate" tool in the green rail, upper right. Or mail cash/checks payable to: Jim Hopkins, 584 Castro St. #823, San Francisco, Calif., 94114-2594.

July 26-Aug. 1 | Your News & Comments: Part 1

Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)

USAT shifts Mississippi printing; 15 jobs eliminated

Gannett's top-selling newspaper is moving its printing to Advance Publications' Mobile Press-Register from GCI's Hattiesburg American, effective Sept. 4 -- a move that will cost 15 jobs, the American reported today.

USA Today production Vice President Ken Kirkhart told the paper the printing contract with the Press-Register is for three years. He cited cost savings in shifting the work. "It has nothing at all to do with the people as why we're leaving," he said. "We're doing the same thing around the country. We looked at a lot of things to consolidate our press window."

USAT is at least the second Gannett paper to move production to Mobile. The Pensacola News Journal shifted its printing there in June 2009. That eliminated 84 full-time and part-time jobs.

The Newhouse family controls Advance.

The American itself moved its printing to Gannett's Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss., in February 2009. That wiped out 38 jobs.

Earlier: Skippy Haik is out; Hattiesburg publisher job eliminated

Sponsors | Thank you, to my two newest donors!

I've just received a $25 contribution from a reader in Delaware, and $5 from one in New Jersey.

I'm trying to earn $4,000 quarterly, mostly through sponsorships of $5 per reader, plus limited ad sales. Please use the "Donate" tool in the green rail, upper right. Or mail cash/checks payable to: Jim Hopkins, 584 Castro St. #823, San Francisco, Calif., 94114-2594.

Stock | Directors announce a regular dividend

Corporate just disclosed the following in a statement:

The board of directors today declared a dividend of 4 cents per share, payable on Oct. 1, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Sept. 10.

This is the sixth consecutive dividend at 4 cents, since the board slashed the payout 90% in February 2009.

Related: a history of GCI dividends

USAT | Amid shift, back to an innovative future?

Two big news stories and one high-profile advertisement this morning illustrate the crossroads USA Today faces as it inches toward a reorganization that may reduce its firepower even more.

Can it continue to compete for traditional news and advertising with the two other national dailies? Or should it radically recast itself in the way it presciently redefined newspapering when it was founded 28 years ago?

The path it chooses will likely be a make-or-break milestone for Gannett's most visible brand, and the nation's top print daily.

The two big news stories are the disclosure of nearly 77,000 classified government reports tracking six years of the Afghanistan war, and the ousting of BP CEO Tony Hayward. The advertisement is today's four-page Jeep pre-print, which for the second time this month wrapped the main news section.

Let me say quickly and firmly that USAT employees are fiercely competitive, and ache to stay ahead of the pack; I saw that first-hand during the eight years I worked there as a reporter and occasional editor, until I took a buyout more than two years ago.

Yet, virtually from its September 1982 launch, and especially in recent years after job cuts and other reductions, the staff's ability to compete on the national stage has been pinched as it sticks to its current business model. In news, it wants to stand shoulder to shoulder with The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, even though those two have newsrooms at least three times bigger. I don't know the ratio in advertising sales, but I imagine it doesn't favor USAT, either.

One edition vs. five?
Now, USAT's resources are to be reduced further, as Publisher Dave Hunke (left) plans a reorganization that he's already said will result in layoffs. In that scenario, does it make sense for the paper to chase the biggest news stories when it becomes even harder to stay even with the competition, much less get ahead? That seems virtually impossible, especially in a media landscape where digital delivery makes traditional news a commodity.

Wouldn't it be smarter for USAT to focus far more on enterprise and investigative journalism, plus unexpected promotions for its advertisers, like the Jeep wrap -- challenging the status quo as it did in 1982? USAT could leave the commodity news to the wire services, and zoom ahead with exclusives and innovative editing and presentation readers will remember long after the latest 24-hour news cycle recedes into the background.

Does the paper need to print five editions a week? Could it make a seismic shift toward printing once weekly, Fridays -- its most advertising-heavy day? Then it could focus more on its iPad app and other mobile devices, plus its website.

Now, it's your turn: How should USAT recast itself in the coming reorganization? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

[Image: today's paper, Newseum]

USAT | A front page hidden from 1.8M-plus readers

On one of the biggest news days of the summer, USA Today wrapped its front page in another four-page Jeep advertising preprint, risking single-copy sales -- but perhaps delighting Gannett's board of directors, now in its second day of a quarterly meeting in Des Moines. Here's the front hidden from view:

Earlier: Is today's USA Today full-paper ad "wrap" a first?

[Image: Newseum]

Hubs | Marymont's startling Q&A revelation

In her new Q&A with the Society for News Design, Gannett News Department Vice President Kate Marymont (left) said of the five page design and pagination centers:

"We weighed outside vendors but wanted Gannett designers handling our print journalism."

I wonder how seriously Corporate considered outside vendors, and who they might have been?

Also worth highlighting: "We don’t know how many jobs might be eliminated. We are just beginning this project and a first step is to survey and analyze the work done at each site."

Earlier: SND voices doubts about GCI's hubs

Newsquest | Gannett closes U.K. print weeklies

The final editions of the Hounslow and Brentford Times and Chiswick Times were published Friday, the paper's top editor told readers in a note.

The publications will continue online, Helen Barnes said, and readers can still buy the weekly's sister titles in print, the Richmond and Twickenham Times, which will be on sale at outlets right across the borough.

The Chiswick Times was first published March 29, 1895.

The papers are part of Gannett's U.K. division, Newsquest, which publishes 17 dailies and hundreds of weeklies.

Des Moines | Online, print coverage of failed dam

Gannett's board of directors, meeting today and tomorrow in Des Moines, got an up-close view of The Des Moines Register's coverage of a major natural disaster: Sudden floodwaters on Saturday breached a 92-year-old dam at Delhi, about 162 miles northeast of Des Moines, draining a popular recreational lake. Here's a related video, followed by an image of the paper's front page.



Page One's six-column-wide photo of the now-drained lake, by the paper's Christopher Gannon, is a reminder for board members of the Register's strong record on photography. The paper, which Gannett bought in 1985, won a Pulitzer Prize  in April for breaking news photography.

Got a Gannett front page to recommend? Find it in the Newseum's page one database, then post a link in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

[Image: Newseum]

Des Moines | In search of the missing fifth 'W'

Publisher Laura Hollingsworth of The Des Moines Register hit all but one of the traditional five "Ws" of news story writing in her memo to employees earlier this month:

1. Who: Gannett's board of directors
2. What: a quarterly board meeting held in an unusual venue, one away from Corporate headquarters in McLean, Va.
3. Where: the Register's building in Des Moines
4. When: today and tomorrow
5. Why: ___________________

In this case, why in Des Moines?

Certainly, of Gannett's major regional business centers, Des Moines is near the top. But so is Indianapolis. Both sites have been expanding especially over the past two years, as the company consolidated more work at the two cities: finance, marketing, human resources, advertising art production and, most recently, newspaper page design and pagination.

Given their relatively equal profiles, I can think of one possible reason tipping the scale in favor of the Iowa city: no unionized newsroom employees to make a stink that might embarrass directors.

Not so at The Indianapolis Star, where management and the Newspaper Guild have been fussing for some time. Earlier this month, for example, the union's Indianapolis chapter asked its nearly 180 members to wear union insignia as a form of protest during a visit by CEO Craig Dubow and other top brass. The chapter has been battling management on a range of issues, from the installation of new biometric time clocks to publishing USA Today-produced sports pages in the Star.

Then again, maybe the directors just wanted to glimpse Iowa's big bicycle ride.

Earlier: Des Moines cleans up its act for board of directors

[Image: yesterday's Register, Newseum]

Week July 19-25 | Your News & Comments: Part 2

Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)

Poughkeepsie | Snooki's time: 300K Twitter fans

"Me, I like the pouf. I'm still going to rock it."

-- Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, 22, of Marlboro, N.Y., near Poughkeepsie, speaking to The New York Times about her famous hairdo, in "Snooki's time,'' a feature-length profile today about the break-out star of MTV's Jersey Shore. Polizzi has more than 300,000 followers on Twitter and is launching a haircare line. The reality TV series was last season's highest-rated cable show among young adults, the NYT says.

Related: from the Poughkeepsie Journal's archives, "Princess" rules over Jersey Shore

Des Moines | The board visits an Iowa workhouse

As Des Moines Register workers prepare for Gannett's board of directors visit on Monday and Tuesday, I've been reading David Perdue's Charles Dickens page about Oliver Twist. Here, the workhouse is run by Bumble the Beadle, and Limbkins is chairman of the board of guardians for the workhouse.

The gruel disappeared; the boys whispered each other, and winked at Oliver; while his next neighbours nudged him. Child as he was, he was desperate with hunger, and reckless with misery. He rose from the table; and advancing to the master, basin and spoon in hand, said: somewhat alarmed at his own temerity:

"Please, sir, I want some more."

The master was a fat, healthy man; but he turned very pale. He gazed in stupified astonishment on the small rebel for some seconds, and then clung for support to the copper. The assistants were paralysed with wonder; the boys with fear.

"What!" said the master at length, in a faint voice.

"Please, sir," replied Oliver, "I want some more."

The master aimed a blow at Oliver's head with the ladle; pinioned him in his arm; and shrieked aloud for the beadle.

The board were sitting in solemn conclave, when Mr. Bumble rushed into the room in great excitement, and addressing the gentleman in the high chair, said,

"Mr. Limbkins, I beg your pardon, sir! Oliver Twist has asked for more!"

There was a general start. Horror was depicted on every countenance.

"For more!" said Mr. Limbkins. "Compose yourself, Bumble, and answer me distinctly. Do I understand that he asked for more, after he had eaten the supper allotted by the dietary?"

"He did, sir," replied Bumble.

"That boy will be hung," said the gentleman in the white waistcoat. "I know that boy will be hung."

[Image, inset: today's Register, Newseum]

In Facebook, a newspaper foe and, now, a film

Here's the creepy trailer for The Social Network, based on the story of Facebook and its youthful founder, Mark Zuckerberg. It opens in October as Facebook surpasses 500 million users, and Zuckerberg, just 26 years old, brashly predicts it will reach one billion.



Does your paper have a Facebook fan page? How many times do you visit your personal page each week? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

How GCI chose to outsource abusive comments

From a new American Journalism Review story about Gannett outsourcing abusive comment moderation to software firm Pluck:

To see if outsourcing moderation would work, Gannett launched a test at 10 of its sites in February in which moderators decided what to do about posts that had been flagged by readers as abusive. The test was a success, and in July Pluck began dealing with challenged posts at all of the company's online operations.

But with an estimated 165,000 abuse reports per month, Pluck still has a full plate. Based on detailed guidelines set by Gannett about what type of comments are suitable, the moderator judges whether or not a disputed post should remain on the site.

Pluck has 20 employees who provide around the clock support to about 100 clients. These moderators make hundreds of thousands of decisions on comments each month.

(Updated at 5:47 p.m. ET to change the original headline saying 165,000 abuse reports were from GCI alone; the AJR story leaves open the possibility that those are from all clients combined.)

Stock | GCI jumps 4%, as GE boosts its dividend

Gannett shares closed today at $14.06, up 58 cents, or 4.3% -- besting the overall market, where the S&P 500 index climbed barely 1%, according to Google Finance.

Earlier in the day, General Electric revived hopes among investors everywhere that dividends may finally be on the upswing again. The giant conglomerate said it was boosting its payout 20%, and will resume stock buybacks sooner than it had predicted, according to Bloomberg News.

Yet, recent remarks by GCI executives don't suggest a dividend increase or share repurchase are on the horizon. During a week-ago teleconference with Wall Street analysts, President Gracia Martore said the following, according to Seeking Alpha's transcript of the Q&A session; she was responding to a question about future cash-spending plans.

"We are going to be using a lot of that cash to pay down debt, although always looking out for great investment and acquisition opportunities that can move the growth trajectory of the company forward. But probably with the uncertainty as I said, probably going to pay down cash before we look at doing share repurchases or other activities like that."

Gannett's dividend wasn't discussed at all during the conference. That quarterly dividend was slashed 90%, to 4 cents a share, in February 2009 as Corporate raced to shore up the company's finances during the global economy's meltdown.

Related: Gannett's dividend history

Des Moines | Veteran journalist Schorr dies at 93

The New York Times reports:

Daniel Schorr (left), whose aggressive reporting over 70 years as a respected broadcast and print journalist brought him into conflict with censors, the Nixon administration and network superiors, died today in Washington. He was 93.

Around the time he was 60, the NYT says, "The Des Moines Register and Tribune engaged him to write a column, but it was apparently not provocative enough, and after two years the paper’s syndicate did not renew his contract."

That would have been around 1977, before Gannett bought the surviving Register, in 1985.

Asheville | Graduate student seeks C-T staffers

A journalism student at the University of California, Berkeley -- Patricia LaHay -- asked me to post the following author's query:

I am a graduate student in journalism working on master's project. The topic is the state of print news in Western North Carolina and particularly how it is facing the challenges of media trends, e.g. the proliferation of free online news sources, as well as general economic trends that are affecting the bottom lines of papers all over the country. The Asheville Citizen-Times is one of the papers I am studying. I would be very interested in talking to C-T employees, either for or not for attribution, about their experiences and their perceptions of the paper's direction. Please e-mail me at plahay@yahoo.com.

USAT | 'What would you change about your twin?'

This is my favorite installment in USA Today's "Voices" video series. The paper apparently no longer allows outside publishers to embed the video player on sites like mine. You can watch it here.

Earlier: "How has the oil spill changed you?"

Got a video to recommend? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

Nashville | Third client solutions group disclosed

Publisher Carol Hudler of Nashville's Tennessean, who also is chief of the South Group, sent the following memo to employees, according to one of my readers. This Client Solutions Group joins at least two others, in Des Moines and Indianapolis; they are designed to serve as a sort of in-house advertising agency, as I understand the concept. I seem to recall that there's a fourth in the works, to be based at Wilmington, Del.; can anyone confirm that?

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

July 22, 2010

TO:  All Staff

FR:  Carol Hudler

RE:  Nashville Based Regional Client Solutions Group

There is some exciting news I'd like to share with you.

Nashville will headquarter a regional Client Solutions Group (CSG) that will offer marketing services and campaign solutions targeting new and existing customers for papers in the South Group.  Our goal is to grow revenues and market share for properties in the South Group. We will start with Nashville, Fort Myers and Brevard and add other papers over time.

Think of it as a specialized, media agency-styled unit that will be charged with new business development, delivering high customer value and fulfillment.  We'll promote our capabilities and fresh ideas to expand our customer base, reinforce our transformation as a multi-media and marketing services partner, and help our customers grow their businesses.  Des Moines and Indianapolis have already launched this concept for the company.  At the Tennessean, we've gotten off to a head start by offering new marketing services through our 1100 Broadway team. The new Client Solutions Group will help take those efforts to another level as we work to grow market share in key ad segments.

We estimate that our group will initially have eight staffers around launch; and the location of this group in the building will be determined soon.  You will soon see a job posting for the Client Services Director, which will head up this group and will report to me as group president.   You will also begin to see other jobs posted as the staffing plan rolls out.  We will also actively recruit in the market.

Please let me know if you have any questions.   I plan to give everyone a brief update on all of the programs underway that involve adding South Group resources in Nashville at our TIP meeting next Tuesday (7/27 at 4:00 pm in the cafeteria).  Hope to see you there.

Carol

[Image: today's paper, Newseum]

Five Gannett newspapers win features prizes

[Screenshot shows Fort Myers' winning 'Hunger' project]

The American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors today announced winners of its 21st annual Excellence in Feature Writing Contest. They included:

Division 1 (under 90,000 circ.)
Charles Runnells, Fort Myers News-Press, honorable mention, feature speciality reporting

Staff, "Hunger," Fort Myers News-Press, third place, multimedia storytelling

Division 2 (90,001-199,999)
Jessica Bliss, The Tennessean, honorable mention, general feature

Peter Cooper, The Tennessean, first place, feature speciality reporting

Michael Morain, The Des Moines Register, second place, multimedia storytelling

Staff, The Tennessean, third place, social media enterprise

Division 3 (more than 200,000)
Jaimee Rose, The Arizona Republic, second place, general feature

Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press, honorable mention, general feature

Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, honorable mention, a&e feature

Staff, Motown, Freep.com (Detroit Free Press), second place, multimedia storytelling

Des Moines cleans up its act for board of directors

Your newsroom photocopier is dead. Carpeting in the ad department is frayed. The press is on the fritz. And you're still in the hole from last year's wage freeze and furloughs.

But, boy howdy, will The Des Moines Register building look shiny when the board of directors parachutes in for an away-from-Corporate headquarters meeting on Monday and Tuesday!

That's what I've been hearing since word first leaked that Gannett's powerful governing body is taking a rare, in-person peek under the hood of the company that pays its members such lofty annual retainers.

The question: Will directors think that all Gannett sites are this freshly painted and otherwise spiffed up?

What are the most urgent repairs needed at your site? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

Favorite travel tips: How to get high in Holland!

Critics rap news stories from "content farms" such as Demand Media for being no-duh crap. (Example: How to spend long airport layovers? Eat. Read. Sleep on the floor.)

But not so with one of the more detailed travel tips published by USA Today: Amsterdam Smoking Tips.

In Holland's famously libertine city, it says, marijuana has been decriminalized: "Amsterdam's pot salons cater mostly to visitors but feature knowledgeable staff, a comfortable environment and an impressive variety of herbal indulgences."

Sales clerks are friendly, we learn: "Almost everyone speaks English, and they can steer you toward your ideal high. Hash is in brick form, made from the concentrated 'sticky crystals' of the marijuana plant."

But go easy on those pot brownies! "It can take awhile for edible goods to kick in, so don't scarf down three because you don't feel it right away."

Related: How to circumvent American law on travel to Cuba

Mail | 'Looking at my job as a short-term gig'

Amid the latest discussion about the iffy future for print newspapers, Anonymous@12:40 p.m. has posted the following comment:

I actually feel less stress today than I did a year or so ago. I have somehow made it through all the layoffs and consolidations, but I know that more are coming. It's just a matter of when. I've taken the last couple years to make some financial moves that will help me weather the storm if I do get laid off. And I'm now looking at my job as a short-term gig.

Since (in this economy) I haven't found something that pays better than what I'm making at Gannett, I'm keeping my job for now. But if I get laid off tomorrow, I know exactly what I'll do and how I'll go about it. Life wouldn't necessarily be easy but (thanks largely to this blog) I have a good understanding of where the company is and where it's going. And I know that I won't be retiring with Gannett.

People who are still at Gannett and feel terribly stressed might do well to approach things the way I have. Know that there's a good chance (I'd say 50/50) that you won't have a job with Gannett five years from now. Adjust your spending a bit, just as you'd have to if you were laid off. Look into the type of training you would need to move to another career. Start making contacts in other fields. Take the mindset that you are not with Gannett for the longterm. This is just a job that is serving as a bridge to your next move.

This mindset isn't good for the company, but who cares? The company has not been good for our mindset. If Gannett wanted loyal employees intent on taking the company into the future, it would have recognized our value. To the Gannett brass we are all numbers on a sheet. And I think we'll all be happy if we look at the company the same way. Gannett is nothing more than a corporation that writes me a check every two weeks for services rendered. Sure, I like having that check, but if our association ends, it ends.

Looking at things this way has really made me a lot happier. Give it a try if you're struggling.

Expect more merging of USAT, small newspapers

"We are looking at additional ways to extend the partnership with USA Today."

-- CEO Craig Dubow, in remarks to Wall Street analysts Friday, said more than half of the 81 U.S. community newspapers now publish a nation-world page and over 60% publish a baseball page -- both produced by USAT.

As GCI falls anew, Martore's explainer is reviewed

Gannett's stock just closed at $13.46, down 66 cents, or 4.7% -- continuing a downward path set Friday, when the company reported second-quarter results. GCI's tumble today came as broader markets fell after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's scary remarks about the economy's slow recovery.

Friday, shares dived nearly 11%, to $13.50, after the second-quarter revenue figures left some Wall Street analysts disappointed, given a statement made in early June by President Gracia Martore. In her statement, Martore said that in publishing, "we continue to see improving trends and the percentage decrease in revenues is anticipated to be in the low-to-mid single digits."

In fact, the quarterly report showed a nearly 6% decline in publishing revenues -- the unwelcome higher end of the range she gave. During a conference call about the second-quarter results, one analyst asked for an explanation. His question, and Martore's response, offers a window on why GCI shares have remained low since Friday.

Martore first referenced Gannett's sale during the quarter of The Honolulu Advertiser and a small directories business. GCI also sold a small commercial printing business in the U.K. last year. Those businesses had about $35 million to $40 million of revenue in the second quarter last year, whereas the company is reporting no revenue in the quarter this year from those businesses, Gannett said.

Martore (left) then said the following, according to a transcript by Seeking Alpha (warning: wonkish language ahead).

"I think that when we talked about low to mid single digits, we were also talking on a constant-currency basis. And as we all know, the currency dropped off a bit towards the end of June and then you are absolutely correct in pointing out that there was about $35 million or $40 million of revenue in the reported revenue numbers that is simply absent because we are now reporting Honolulu and the directories business in discontinued operations and our small commercial printing business in the UK doesn’t have any reported revenues this year."

She continued: "I think the best number to hone in on is that 3.8% pro forma constant currency number as the number that we were focused on when we were looking and speaking about our numbers and so we feel good that we came in at the better end of that range that we talked about."

[Graphic: MarketWatch]

Week July 19-25 | Your News & Comments: Part 1

Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)

Earnings | What's on Martore's shopping list?

"Share repurchases, and additional investments and potential acquisition opportunities are important uses of cash that we will continue to focus on as we get some better sense of where the economy is headed."

-- President Gracia Martore, answering a stock analyst's question on Friday about how Gannett might spend big money in the near future. This came during the second-quarter earnings teleconference's Q&A session, according to Seeking Alpha's transcript.

Earlier: Gannett spent $1.8 billion buying back shares in 2005-2008

Tech 101 | As goes NYT Digital, so goes Gannett's?

Blogger Henry Blodget, the former technology stock picker, offers a sobering analysis of chances that The New York Times will ever be able to support its newsroom on digital revenue alone. Answer: highly, highly unlikely.

"Overall," he writes today, "we think the odds are better than even that about half the folks in the NYT's newsroom and other print news will need to find another job (or career) within five years. We're certainly not rooting for that. But we do think it's the reality."

Note 1: The NYT is widely reported to spend $200 million a year to run its  approximately 1,100-person newsroom.

Note 2: Gannett's non-digital businesses -- mostly, 100 daily newspapers in the U.S., U.K., and Guam, plus 23 TV stations -- generated a combined $98 million in digital revenue during this year's second quarter, according to the just-released financial report.

[Image: today's NYT, Newseum]

Sponsors | Thanks, to a New York reader

I just got a $5 contribution from one of New York's 19.5 million residents!

I'm trying to earn $4,000 quarterly, mostly through sponsorships of $5 per reader, plus limited ad sales. Please use the "Donate" tool in the green rail, upper right. Or mail cash/checks payable to: Jim Hopkins, 584 Castro St. #823, San Francisco, Calif., 94114-2594.

How viral videos are killing television ads: Part 2

Haven't seen the Old Spice commercials on YouTube? I ran across one for the first time last summer, via an ad on Facebook. Since then, the quirky spots starring ex-football player Isaiah Mustafa have only grown more popular.

They've helped burnish the image of a tired old brand owned by Procter & Gamble of Cincinnati, and posed an additional challenge to the type of advertising once found only on television stations, such as the 23 owned by Gannett. Here's one:



Old Spice launched a social media blitz this past week that will have their YouTube videos being replayed for months, and other companies studying how they did it, Bloomberg BusinessWeek said in a recent story. By Friday morning, the videos -- produced by Portland, Ore.-based ad agency Wieden+Kennedy -- accounted for seven of the top 10 videos on YouTube.

"They showed everyone how to create viral videos," Rob Enderle, an analyst with the Enderle Group, told BusinessWeek. "This was surprisingly good work from a brand that most folks had largely written off as obsolete. They created an entertaining video that also made the company appear new and trendy."

Related: Old Spice stories on The Cincinnati Enquirer's site. Plus: Old Spice's YouTube page

Earlier: How viral videos are killing TV ads, Part 1