The Week Ahead
Well, back to the grind after a very nice holiday. The Health Care
Task Force meets Thursday at 9 a.m. See agenda.
Anyone planning to run for a municipal office
this year needs to file a Declaration of Candidacy with their city
clerk between July 15 and Aug. 15. The municipal election features
numerous mayoral contests this year, as almost all mayors are up
except a handful in the biggest cities. Measured by the number of
candidates, municipal elections are actually bigger than general
elections in the even years.
Media Watch
NAC To UPD: Drop Dead
The Newspaper Agency Corporation, which handles advertising for
both the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret Morning News,
refuses to accept advertising from Utah Policy Daily. This
is, no doubt, not a big deal in anyone’s life (except maybe mine),
but I think it is a highly interesting commentary on Old Media’s
response to New Media: Ignore it and maybe it’ll go away. But it
won’t.
I’m not sure if I should feel rejected/dejected,
or flattered that big, powerful Newspaper Agency Corporation would
somehow feel threatened by little old UPD. Maybe it’s New Media
vs. Old Media. Maybe it’s just old-fashioned arrogance on the part
of NAC.
After all, NAC gladly accepts ads for escort
services and private dancers. Here are a couple recent headlines:
“Hot & Sexy,” “Barely 18 & Very Hot,” “Lunch Special $100 hr.” So
they take ads for party girls, but reject an ad about a public policy
newsletter.
View
the ad
Before I get into the details of this little episode, let me provide
some background. In any other industry, two competitors collaborating
to fix prices and jointly operate some parts of the business would
violate federal anti-trust laws. But many years ago, the newspaper
industry got Congress to pass an exemption for newspapers called
the Newspaper Preservation Act. It was deemed in the public interest
to encourage the publication of two newspapers in a city, rather
than one, so Congress granted newspapers a special exemption to
certain anti-trust laws. Whether that exemption still makes sense
in an era when news is available from multiple sources anytime,
anywhere, I’ll leave for minds far superior to mine, but it has
served to keep two newspapers operating in some markets.
During my 17 years at the Morning News, I heard a lot of
people, including advertisers, complain about NAC and its high-handed
ways. Having a virtual monopoly on print advertising in the Salt
Lake market allows NAC to operate as it pleases.
My own interesting little adventure with NAC began a couple of
months ago when I decided I wanted to advertise Utah Policy Daily
in the Salt Lake papers. I thought newspaper readers would be good
prospects to subscribe to UPD, so I decided to purchase a small
ad that would run frequently. I called NAC and eventually hooked
up with Travis Henderson, a nice sales person who was quite
anxious to sell me an ad. I met with him several times, talked by
phone and corresponded by e-mail. He told me about an excellent
advertising program for small advertisers. If I signed up for a
year, I could purchase a two column-inch ad that would appear every
day for just $6,500 a year. Travis encouraged me to get on that
program. The ad would be very small, but I thought if it was in
the paper every day it would increase the visibility of UPD and
would be worth it.
(Read
More)
More Media Watch
Interesting New
York Times piece on podcasting and whether it is a threat
to traditional media.
Washington Watch
Supreme Praise
Members of Utah’s congressional delegation were quick to praise
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s Supreme Court legacy. A press
release from Rep. Chris Cannon’s office (not yet posted)
said, “She brought the rugged individualism of the west to the Supreme
Court.”
Rep. Jim Matheson said in a press
release, “Through her intellect and hard work, she created her
own brand of pragmatic and centrist-oriented conservatism.”
Sen. Orrin Hatch also weighed in with
a press
release saying nice things.
Speaking of Sen. Hatch, he appeared on CBS’s
Face the Nation Sunday, discussing Justice O’Connor’s announced
retirement and the prospects of a Bush nominee. The Washington
Post reports that
Hatch said “he had spoken to Bush on Saturday and expected a
nominee within a couple of days after Bush's return [from the G8
Summit].”
Hatch Named to Conference Committee
And a Hatch
press release says the Senator has been named as a member of
the House-Senate conference committee that will draw up the final
comprehensive energy bill.
Another Flavor of Flag Protection
And last Friday Sen. Bennett introduced
his own bill protect the flag. Bennett is joined by Senator
Kent Conrad (D-ND), cosponsor of the bill “which secures
legal protection of the flag in the face of attempts to deface and
damage it,” says a Bennett press release. Bennett opposes a constitutional
amendment forbidding flag burnings.
Making the Move on Mill Tailings
Meanwhile, the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2006 Energy and Water Appropriations
bill, approved last week, includes $28 million for the Department
of Energy to begin the process of moving the radioactive mill tailings
pile near Moab, a Hatch
press release reports.
School Choice Watch
Ohio Gov. Bob Taft signs
school voucher law. Children in schools under “academic emergency”
will be eligible for the program, which would allow their parents
to use a voucher ranging from $4,250 to $5,000 to choose another
school – public or private.
The Scream Lives On
Latest gimmick to get people to GOP fundraising events around the
country is to hold a Howard Dean Scream Contest.
Perils of Tardiness
A priest was honored at a retirement dinner after 25 years in the
parish. A leading local politician and who was a member of the congregation
was asked to make the presentation. He was late to the event, so
the priest reminisced a bit while waiting. “I got my first impression
of the parish from the first confession I heard here,” he said.
“I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place because the very
first person who entered my confessional admitted he had embezzled
money from his place of business, had an affair with his boss’s
wife, and had taken illegal drugs. I was appalled. But as the days
went on I realized that not all my people were like that and I had
indeed, come to a fine parish with good and loving people.”
As the priest finished his talk, the politician
arrived, full of apologies for being late. He started out his presentation
by saying, “I’ll never forget the first day our parish priest arrived.
In fact, I had the honor of being the first one to go to him in
confession.” (Source: Campaigns & Elections
magazine)
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