2023 Conference Program Guide

(Additional Fee)

Lon Kruger & DJ Allen

College Basketball Hall of Fame coach Lon Kruger and performance/communication coach D.J. Allen will have a unique conversation about “Creating a Winning Environment,” an essential focus for all leaders and teams. Kruger and Allen are the co-authors of the book The Xs & Os of Success: A Playbook for Leaders in Business and Life.

Hamsika Ramani (Mather)

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We will discuss the 4 topics that we as a company feel are important for media publishers to focus on, given the evolution of the new media business model. We will share our insights on the trends and tactics to grow subscription revenue and engagement from what we have seen through our client work over the last several years.

Curtis Huber (Seattle Times), Moderator, Saher Merchant (Dallas Morning News), Erik Zenhausem (Newsday), Tyler Pisani (The Spokeman-Review)

If you build it, will they come? If they come, will they pay? If they pay, will they stay? Three brilliant questions. Curtis Huber will lead a panel discussion with experts in digital growth, engagement and retention.

Dan Christ (Advance Local)

Download Presentation
Using three recent examples, Dan will demonstrate how Advance Local is using subscriber surveys to inform business decisions aimed at positioning it for digital success.

Tom Bates, President Alabama Media Group (via video) & Customer Experience - Susan Probert (Advance)

Download Presentation
As print media moves into the digital world, how do we prepare? The Customer Service skill set will change to accommodate subscriber needs and retain your readers. What retention tactics engage and help retain readers? See an interview with Tom Bates, Alabama’s Regional Group President on the why’s, where’s and how’s to best transition from print to digital. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Erik Zenhausern (Newsday)

Download Presentation
Learn how Newsday improved subscriber engagement through user experience optimization. Based on user feedback, Newsday conducted multiple tests leading to subtle yet powerful design changes that encourage content discovery and interaction. Get an inside look at a year’s worth of testing as they share results from changes made to article layout, navigation, and home page design.

Hosted by Frank Vega (NSS) + Tyler Pisani (The Spokesman-Review)

Download Presentation
The FTC and various states are implementing different policies around online cancellation. The team will discuss best practices and winning strategies around adhering to these laws while serving and retaining customers.

(Free Registration Required)

Derrick Stanford (PostMedia Parcel Services)

Download Presentation
With continued growth in e-commerce, news organizations are finding innovative ways to capitalize on their existing infrastructure and delivery networks. Postmedia Network Inc. in Canada, launched Postmedia Parcel Services in May 2021, partnering with Routesmart Technologies and other newspapers to form a national network. By leveraging their legacy distribution network, Postmedia is defining new revenue streams while continuing to provide high-quality editorial content to their subscribers.

Esther Maina (Adams Publishing Group), Maria Ravera (McClatchy)

How is your company structured for success? How do different departments interact? Esther and Maria will lead an open discussion on organizational structure, evolution, key learnings along the way and more. Please come ready to share and discuss.

JoAnn Gottschalk (Inka Solutions), Tony Ort (TCN), Jeff Ferrazano (UPS), Brad Hill (Interlink), Frank Vega (NSS)

Our top sponsors will host the popular speed roundtable on the solutions their companies offer to help media companies drive revenue and a sustainable future. Insight-packed 15-minute segments will give you takeaways on best practices and lost of interaction.

Brad Hill (Interlink) & The Nuts & Bolts of Exceptional Disptach - Marianne Houston (Gannett)

Download Presentation (How USPS Delivery Works)
Download Presentation (Nuts & Bolts of Dispatch)
As newspapers expand their use of mail to deliver print copies, the U.S. Postal Service is also making changes to how, and sometimes where, papers can be deposited for mailing. In this session, learn about the various options for mail entry, their different advantages, and how to work with the postal service to successfully implement them.

Rob Curley (The Spokesman-Review)

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley explains how Spokane’s oldest and largest news source embraced the concept of “the virtuous circle” – showing how a community grows in innumerable ways when it works Given today’s highly politicized climate and the effects of once-in-a century pandemic, the need to show we’re more alike than different has never been more important. The engaging, fast-moving presentation is filled with lots of laughs that turn into moments of inspiration and practical solutions to complex problems. With his homespun speaking style, Curley makes a powerful case that in today’s overly polarized world, simply being nice is often the overlooked difference between success and failure.

Kevin Rehberg

Sitting near a casino doesn’t mean you have to gamble with your audience-based revenue! High quality media suffers when it doesn’t differentiate itself from everything else. In this session, you will learn about the rise and fall of one of the most egregious fake-audience media companies you probably never heard of (but claimed more newsletter subscribers than the NYT). This is also your chance to learn more about how the Journalism Trust Initiative and Ad Fontes are helping quality publishers. We will also go into greater detail on the merger between AAM and BPA and how it benefits news media organizations.

(Additional Fee)

(Free Registration Required)

Lon Kruger & DJ Allen

College Basketball Hall of Fame coach Lon Kruger and performance/communication coach D.J. Allen will have a unique conversation about “Creating a Winning Environment,” an essential focus for all leaders and teams. Kruger and Allen are the co-authors of the book The Xs & Os of Success: A Playbook for Leaders in Business and Life.

Curtis Huber (Seattle Times), Moderator, Saher Merchant (Dallas Morning News), Erik Zenhausem (Newsday), Tyler Pisani (The Spokeman-Review)

If you build it, will they come? If they come, will they pay? If they pay, will they stay? Three brilliant questions. Curtis Huber will lead a panel discussion with experts in digital growth, engagement and retention.

Tom Bates, President Alabama Media Group (via video) & Customer Experience - Susan Probert (Advance)

Download Presentation
As print media moves into the digital world, how do we prepare? The Customer Service skill set will change to accommodate subscriber needs and retain your readers. What retention tactics engage and help retain readers? See an interview with Tom Bates, Alabama’s Regional Group President on the why’s, where’s and how’s to best transition from print to digital. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Derrick Stanford (PostMedia Parcel Services)

Download Presentation
With continued growth in e-commerce, news organizations are finding innovative ways to capitalize on their existing infrastructure and delivery networks. Postmedia Network Inc. in Canada, launched Postmedia Parcel Services in May 2021, partnering with Routesmart Technologies and other newspapers to form a national network. By leveraging their legacy distribution network, Postmedia is defining new revenue streams while continuing to provide high-quality editorial content to their subscribers.

Brad Hill (Interlink) & The Nuts & Bolts of Exceptional Disptach - Marianne Houston (Gannett)

Download Presentation (How USPS Delivery Works)
Download Presentation (Nuts & Bolts of Dispatch)
As newspapers expand their use of mail to deliver print copies, the U.S. Postal Service is also making changes to how, and sometimes where, papers can be deposited for mailing. In this session, learn about the various options for mail entry, their different advantages, and how to work with the postal service to successfully implement them.

Kevin Rehberg

Sitting near a casino doesn’t mean you have to gamble with your audience-based revenue! High quality media suffers when it doesn’t differentiate itself from everything else. In this session, you will learn about the rise and fall of one of the most egregious fake-audience media companies you probably never heard of (but claimed more newsletter subscribers than the NYT). This is also your chance to learn more about how the Journalism Trust Initiative and Ad Fontes are helping quality publishers. We will also go into greater detail on the merger between AAM and BPA and how it benefits news media organizations.

Hamsika Ramani (Mather)

Download Presentation
We will discuss the 4 topics that we as a company feel are important for media publishers to focus on, given the evolution of the new media business model. We will share our insights on the trends and tactics to grow subscription revenue and engagement from what we have seen through our client work over the last several years.

Dan Christ (Advance Local)

Download Presentation
Using three recent examples, Dan will demonstrate how Advance Local is using subscriber surveys to inform business decisions aimed at positioning it for digital success.

Erik Zenhausern (Newsday)

Download Presentation
Learn how Newsday improved subscriber engagement through user experience optimization. Based on user feedback, Newsday conducted multiple tests leading to subtle yet powerful design changes that encourage content discovery and interaction. Get an inside look at a year’s worth of testing as they share results from changes made to article layout, navigation, and home page design.

Hosted by Frank Vega (NSS) + Tyler Pisani (The Spokesman-Review)

Download Presentation
The FTC and various states are implementing different policies around online cancellation. The team will discuss best practices and winning strategies around adhering to these laws while serving and retaining customers.

Esther Maina (Adams Publishing Group), Maria Ravera (McClatchy)

How is your company structured for success? How do different departments interact? Esther and Maria will lead an open discussion on organizational structure, evolution, key learnings along the way and more. Please come ready to share and discuss.

JoAnn Gottschalk (Inka Solutions), Tony Ort (TCN), Jeff Ferrazano (UPS), Brad Hill (Interlink), Frank Vega (NSS)

Our top sponsors will host the popular speed roundtable on the solutions their companies offer to help media companies drive revenue and a sustainable future. Insight-packed 15-minute segments will give you takeaways on best practices and lost of interaction.

Rob Curley (The Spokesman-Review)

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley explains how Spokane’s oldest and largest news source embraced the concept of “the virtuous circle” – showing how a community grows in innumerable ways when it works Given today’s highly politicized climate and the effects of once-in-a century pandemic, the need to show we’re more alike than different has never been more important. The engaging, fast-moving presentation is filled with lots of laughs that turn into moments of inspiration and practical solutions to complex problems. With his homespun speaking style, Curley makes a powerful case that in today’s overly polarized world, simply being nice is often the overlooked difference between success and failure.