As I listen to the July 4 fireworks outside my window, my thoughts revolve around the newspaper colleagues I’ve met over the past few weeks and the lessons I’ve le.... Read More

If you regularly read my columns, you know that I write about focus groups quite often. Don't worry. I'm not writing bout focus groups today. However, I want to discuss anothe.... Read More

I spent my morning writing about mergers, buyouts, and bankruptcies. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to spend a few minutes on something more fun. For the past three or.... Read More

Like many of you reading this column, I've been in the newspaper business a long time. I began delivering daily papers for the Johnson City (Tennessee) Press-Chronicle when I.... Read More

Andy Warhol once said, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes." I've experienced those fifteen minutes a few times, but it comes less often these da.... Read More

There's a question I get asked a lot by friends, colleagues and audience members at conferences. There are variations, but they all go something like, "How do you find time to.... Read More

It was a lot like other experiences I've had at conventions over the past couple of years. In March, as I gathered my backpack to head out of the room where I'd just spoken in.... Read More

Some of you will remember Facebook. If you're over 40, you probably visit Facebook on a regular basis. If you're like most of the college students in my life, ask a parent or.... Read More

Over the past two weeks, I've traveled from coast to coast speaking at newspaper conferences and meeting with Canadian and American journalists about what is happening at thei.... Read More

..... It's been two hours since I received word concerning the news that tariffs aimed at newsprint had been overturned. The first person to write me was Ron White, a retire.... Read More

I really didn't expect to do much traveling this summer but plans don't always work out as expected and that certainly has been the case for me. The truth is I really love wor.... Read More

Four years ago, I decided I'd had enough. After hearing John Paton of Digital First Media speak at a few conferences, I couldn't take it any more. I wrote a column titled, "Ke.... Read More

Adobe had its own announcement in June: Acrobat 9 is ready for public consumption. I’ve been involved in beta testing version 9 for the past year and plan to write a full revi.... Read More

Is it too little, too late for QuarkXPress? I hope not. The more competition the better, I say. Unless it’s a competing paper in my market, that is. The press releases came.... Read More

Help! My desk used to be under this pile of software somewhere. I keep stacking software boxes on my desk as they arrive from vendors and I can’t put off taking a few of them.... Read More

There seems to be a recurring theme in my e-mail lately. Problems related to outdated and just released applications seem to abound. Fortunately, my e-mail includes enough var.... Read More

We’re in the early stages of completing the schedule for the October 9-11 session of the Institute of Newspaper Technology. If all goes as planned, we’ll have attendees repres.... Read More

I had a journalism teacher in seventh grade who told the class how she once ran into the press room yelling those words. Apparently, she had gotten some facts wrong while writ.... Read More

I asked a couple of buddies - one at a large metro paper, the other at a mid-size daily - what camcorder they were sending with their reporters these days. I got the same answ.... Read More

A funny thing happened to me the other day. Not “ha ha” funny - interesting funny. My wife, who directs a non profit counseling program here in Knoxville, called to say she ha.... Read More

Each year, December offers me the opportunity to do something a little different. Because the convention and training world slows so much between Thanksgiving and New Year’s,.... Read More

Are you sitting? Don’t read any further unless you’re sitting. The news I’m about to share requires that you be in a seated position before reading any further. OK, ready?.... Read More

In all, these videos include 4.5 hours of training for everyone on your staff. Topics include: Designing (and redesigning) better pages Creating more effective ads to imp.... Read More

I had a great time last month, as I got out a little more to visit newspapers in multiple states. What I learned inspired, invigorated, and reminded me of much that is going w.... Read More

It’s late as I write this column, just around midnight. There’s nothing unusual about that. I tend to write my columns, stories, and books late in the evening. App.... Read More

Redesigns. They’ve been on my mind a lot lately. When Ed Henninger, the undisputed guru of newspaper and magazine design, decided to retire three years ago (I never rea.... Read More

In my end-of-year column last month, I mentioned that newspapers and magazines are uniquely positioned to utilize government grants to pay for on-site training. I first became.... Read More

A couple of months ago, I wrote a column referring to the multiple backup drives on my desk, in addition to the off-site backup I utilize. I mentioned that I keep several driv.... Read More

After so many years of consulting and advising newspapers, it still never ceases to surprise me when I find questions from publishers in my email. Still, when I click on Apple.... Read More

Today, I’m going to invite you into my office to see how I work and some of the tools I use. Many folks reading this column have been to my webinars and seen the printer.... Read More

My friend Reed Anfinson, publisher in Minnesota, called in a bind last week. His paper wasn’t going to press on time due to a technical error with the InDesign newspaper.... Read More

About 15 or so years ago, I received a call from a newspaper designer at a small weekly in Tennessee. She was panicked because of a technical issue that was causing a lot of c.... Read More