Mystery ad hints at new Raliegh paper

This ad at Craigslist.org prompted a story in the Raliegh News and Observer. Excerpt below.

Raleigh might soon get a new daily newspaper.
A want ad appearing on the Web site craigslist.org seeks writers for "a daily news operation publishing Monday through Friday to be opened in Raleigh later this year."

The company placing the ad bills itself as an "established newspaper company" but doesn't identify itself. Nor does the ad give a sense of the scale of the planned new venture. Efforts to reach the company through the ad elicited an e-mail response that the venture isn't yet far enough along to talk about its plans.

It's unclear whether a printed newspaper, presumably with a companion online edition, is in the works. Another possibility would be an online- only publication.

More at the N&O website here.

Get the heck out of region 3!

Take some time to regroup with fellow designers at Cleveland's 1A/News Design Quick Course. Details are here. The wonderful David Kordalski also has started a thread over at VizEds. Find it here.

Speakers include:
STEVE DORSEY, AME/Presentation, Detroit Free Press
JULIE ELMAN, Assistant Professor, Ohio University
TIM FRANK, DME Visuals/Creative Director, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
JOSEPH HUTCHINSON, Creative Director, Los Angeles Times
CHRISTINE McNEAL, Deputy Managing Editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
BILL GUGLIOTTA, Director of Photography, The Plain Dealer
EMMET SMITH, Designer, The Plain Dealer

A three-fer!

It was hard to find one page that did it all today, but these three have some good stuff going on. First, the Savannah refer (or is that a stand-alone item?) on coral is just so eye catching you have to read it. The Tennessean made something out of nothing, and I love the photo from Memphis.

You can't win if you don't play!

Today marks the start of the North Carolina Lottery. Here's some samples of how the state handled it. I really like the N&O graphic. It gives the story some context that just showing images of the games does not. In case you can't read it, the graphic shows how much you would have to spend per game to win $10 or more. Carolina Cash weighs in at $35 for 7 tickets at 5 bucks apiece, and at the other end we have Tic Tac Toe at $112 with tickets costing a buck each. Despite these startling revelations, millions of Carolinans will be playing the very bad odds today, I'm sure. Good luck!

Page(s) of the day

I haven't been keeping up with my promise to myself to feature a page a day from the region, maybe April will be my lucky month or something. In any case, in a feeble attempt to make up for my slacking, today I bring you two pages!


















The first is a nice treatment by the Knoxville (Tenn.) News-Sentinel. There's a lot of faces on this page, but hierarchy and color help keep your interest. My only nitpick--the centerpiece photos are too similar.

The second is from the Lake Charles (La.) American Press. They aren't on the Newseum very often, but today was a good day to send. The typography on the picnic story is elegant, and coupled with the cutout of the tree, a static photo becomes inticing. Nice work all around.

Joyful thought of the day

“There must be joy in making the paper if customers are going to find joy in reading it. We’ve made plenty of joy here, and all of you are the joy creators.’’

Gil Thelen, president and publisher
of The Tampa Tribune, in his retirement letter

Read the story here.

Newspapers and beer go together like newsapers and, uh, coffee

The former Raleigh Times building has been turned into a bar. It's also a coffee shop. The N&O reports:

Now downtown Raleigh is attempting another renaissance, and, fittingly enough, the Times building from the '20s is being turned into a watering hole (The Raleigh Times) and a next-door coffee shop (The Morning Times) on Hargett Street.

Read the whole thing here.

While we're at it, what are your favorite post-work watering holes? I recall rather enjoying my times at the Anchor Bar in Detroit, the Heidelberg (which burned down a few years ago and has since been rebuilt) in Columbia, Mo., and you can't have this discussion without mention of the Billy Goat.

Son of Sports Quick Course

Your sports section need some big ideas? Florida is the place to find them. The Sunshine State is home to some of the greatest events, brightest stars and biggest stories in sports. And the competition to cover them can make UF vs. FSU look like an intramural flag football game. The papers here consistently produce some of the deepest, most dynamic sports sections in the country. Our Quick Course speakers will give you an inside look at how these departments work, and the techniques that make them so successful. Plus, the first 25 people to register get a pair of game-worn Shaq sneakers!*

Here's a look at the tentative schedule for a day jam-packed with great sports design ideas:

8:30-9:15 > REGISTRATION / COFFEE / WELCOME

9:15-10:15 > PLAYING BIG AT A SMALL PAPER with Paul Wallen
The Sun Journal — circulation 35,000 — consistently produces work that many larger papers would envy. Wallen, their ME/Visuals, explains how hustle and planning help them play up.

10:30-11:45 > THE CLUTCH HITTER with Chris Courtney
Wanna be the go-to guy in your department? Do you know how to get there? Courtney provides the roadmap to help you meet your goals and tips on how to pick up your team along the way.

NOON-1 > LUNCH & ETHICS SESSION (speaker TBA)

1-2 > CROSS TRAINING with Jonathan Boho and Hiram Henriquez
How the Sun-Sentinel fuses graphics, design and content to create dramatic, informative packages.

2:15-3:15 > TACKLING THE BIG STORY with Michael Babin
From the World Series to national championship games, from the Shaq trade to the Ricky Williams debacle to the Daunte Culpepper trade. Planning -- and executing -- coverage of the Big News Story.

3:30-4:45 > PHOTO EYE FOR THE SPORTS GUY with Mark Edelson
Selecting the right photos — and using them properly — can make or break your pages. Edelson, a seven-time newspaper picture editor of the year, shows you what to look for.

4:45-6 > CRITIQUE SESSION
Bring your work to have it critiqued by members of our panel.


Register now!


* - Not an actual offer.

New sections in Atlanta

Will Alford is design leader for new products in Atlanta (what a great job!) and he passes along images from the AJC's new sections. NorthSide Weekend launches this weekend and is a 16-page all-color (!) broadsheet. Will points out some "dynamic ad shapes (such as the triangle-shaped ad on the calendar page)" What does it all mean?

Readers in the north/northwest suburbs (approx. circ. 100,000) will now get a zoned community section three times a week. A similar concept will also launch for readers in the Gwinnett County suburbs as a stand-alone supplement to their daily Gwinnett News section (approx. circ. 70,000).

The Better Health section launches April 19. Will says:

It'll be a weekly lifestyle all-color broadsheet (generally 12-16 pages), printed on 35 lb./80 brite paper stock and will wrap our Wednesday ad inserts. It'll be distributed only in the 20-county metro area.

Director of editing & presentation Ray Cox headed up the whole NorthSide initiative.
Director of innovations Stacy Lynch headed up the Better Health initiative.
NorthSide Weekend designed by Rachel Conger.

Savannah redesign zoomified

Robb's got the exhibit up here.

New sections debut in Atlanta

Charles Apple passes this news on from Rick Crotts at the Journal-Constitution:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is adding two new sections in the next few weeks. The first will be NorthSide Weekend, which debuts March 17. The other is Better Health section, launching April 19.

Read the whole note here.

Asian American Journalists Association Awards

Sun-Sentinel graphics reporter Belinda Long passes this along:

You are cordially invited to submit nominations for the Asian American Journalists Association National Awards in Online and Graphics (as well as in Photography, Print, Radio and Television). You can also send in your entries for our Special Recognition and Lifetime Achievement awards as well as our Dr Suzanne Ahn Award for Civil Rights and Social Justice for Asian Americans.

Entries must be received by March 15, 2006.

For more information visit: http://www.aaja.org/programs/awards/

Award winning pages

Over in the sidebar there's a new link to Region 3 SND award winners. Check out your collegues work and send me your own award-winning pages! nicole.bogdas@gmail.com

SMN pages--check 'em out, and talk about them, too.

In no particular order: Enjoy!

SMN pages

Are in my inbox, however, and this is more than you ever wanted to know, my boyfriend's kids just moved down here with us yesterday and tomorrow is thier first day of school. They have to be there at 7:30 and I have to take them. In fact, I always will take them (What was I thinking when I volunteered for that!?! Oh yeah, they'd never see me otherwise.) So, I'm being a good "parent" and going to be earlier than usual, never mind that I got up earlier than usual today. So, you can expect the extra pages around 8:30-9 when I get back. Thank you for your patience and understanding. All representative are currently assisting other customers. Please continue to hold.

Awards and redesigns

I seriously hope you aren't learning this from me, but I'll post it anyway. The SND Awards database is up! If you won something send it to nicole.bogdas@gmail.com and when I get enough I'll create a new, alphabetical-by-state, region 3 winners blog.

REDESIGN of THE WEEK

















The other news of the day is that Savannah's redesign launched this morning. Here, completey hijacked from Visual Editors, is what SMD designer Francie Krantz had to say about it (hopefully she'll send me or Robb more pages):

Our new fonts are Caslon FB, BigCaslon for section flags, Relay and Miller for body copy. The covers have a nine column grid, then two picas of white space, and then a 13p7 rail.

Our color palate reflects the community: each section has an assigned color. Coastal Empire, our local section, is hain blue, also known as Josh Jackson Blue, as he created the color. Exchange, or business, which is now a standalone section, is Spanish Moss Green. Sports is Red Door Red, to reflect the red doors on the mansions around town. Accent, which is now a tab every day, is Mulberry Purple, to reflect the azaleas that bloom around town. Classifieds is brass, like the brass doorknobs you see everywhere. Closeups, our weekly neighborhood sections, have expanded and are now tabs as well. They also get the hain (Josh) blue color.

We redesigned the weather page, which is finally a color page everyday, with expanded people items. Each page topper has extra information promoting to the web or other 'treat information.' Each section also has a rail, with additional briefs and promotable items. We really built navigation into the redesign, because readers complained that they could never find a damn thing.

It's been a long process, replete with RBS scores and committees and reader focus groups. We're glad it's finally here.

AND WE ARE LOOKING FOR A DESIGNER!! Please come play. PM me for details.

Liars! Bastards! Con Artists!

Well, not really, but SND has pushed back the release date of Awards Database 2006 to Monday.

SND Awards Database

Is expected to be up at 7 p.m. Keep an eye on www.snd.org for more!