2007 January

Oil Prices to Drop Sharply During 2007

by Randy Hines

Newspapers often start off the new year with predictions about energy, global warming, the economy, terrorism and politics. Many publications also use the January transition to recap the year and bring their readers what they perceived to be the biggest stories from 2006. Going one step further, with an eye for accurate prognostication, here are the top 10 stories you probably won’t see during 2007 in Utah papers.

10. O.J. Simpson, thwarted in publishing “If I Did It” three months ago, announced his plans to write another book this year. This one will omit the previous book’s explicit topic of the murder of his ex-wife in which he explained how he would have murdered her if he had committed the crime. The new book, tentatively titled “I Spy,” will focus on the former football player’s new vocation of being a full-time private investigator.

9. The U.S. oil industry, after record-setting 75 percent profit margins during the third quarter of 2006, pledged Monday before Congress that it would readjust prices immediately to reflect a maximum 10 percent profit for all of 2007. Gasoline stations across the country were besieged by long lines of motorists as prices dropped an average of $1 per gallon.

8. The International Olympic Committee, in its continual pledge to support additional nonathletic events, approved watermelon seed spitting as a new competitive sport in the 2012 Olympic Games to be hosted in London. Others being considered for the 2016 games are loudest burp, smelliest sweat socks and catching the most popcorn in one’s mouth.

7. Suicide terrorists agreed to meet for an international convention next Thursday at an undisclosed desert location. Following a keynote address by Osama Bin Laden, according to an anonymous spokesman, they will simultaneously blow themselves up without damage to innocent civilians or property.

6. The contentious Bowl Championship Series has been eliminated after continual controversy in selecting the top team in major college football. The new system to take effect for the coming season will see the regular schedule start the weekend following July 4 and conclude the weekend before Thanksgiving. Playoff games will then begin and the two winners will square off March 22, 2008, in Puerto Rico.

5. Britney Spears will write a monthly guest column starting this March for Working Mother magazine on tips for balancing a busy career with the responsibilities of motherhood. Her 500-word articles will be titled “Driving to Success.”

4. In a move seen by many to be taking political correctness too far, the NCAA on Friday banned all school nicknames associated with any colors starting this fall. Georgia Tech, current home of the Yellow Jackets, immediately filed a class action lawsuit in federal court. Other affected schools, both public and private, joined the legal battle.

“We’re going to sting those yellow-bellied NCAA two-faced eggheads where the sun don’t shine,” said Tech Athletic Director Kirk “Red” Green.

3. The Dixie Chicks, controversial country trio, surprised the music and political world last night by announcing they would perform at the Republican National Convention’s opening night reception on Sept. 1, 2008. The group will present an internationally televised 20-minute concert in the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., host site of the four-day convention.

“We truly consider this a patriotic honor to get to play at the esteemed Republican gathering next fall,” said 32-year-old Natalie Maines, the youngest member of the outspoken trio.

2. Donald Trump, New York real estate mogul, television producer and author, will begin construction by the end of this year on a 64-floor skyscraper in Salt Lake City. In a surprise move, he said the downtown structure will not bear his name.

1. President George Bush, anticipating a second career after his presidency ends, said he would enjoy serving as a university speech professor during his first year away from the Oval Office.

“I, uh, I think I could, uh, you know, really help the, uh, the students learn how to talk good at all of the, uh, Utah college campuses, uh, campi,” the president told reporters Saturday during a stop in Provo.

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Dr. Randy Hines teaches in the Department of Communications at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. He can be reached at (570) 372-4079 or randyhinesapr@yahoo.com.

It's what you say and how you say it

By John Foust
Raleigh, NC

"Early in my selling career," Robin told me, "I focused so much attention on what I was saying that I didn't realize the importance of non-verbal communication. Then I heard about the Mehrabian Study. That completely changed my approach."

She was referring to UCLA professor Albert Mehrabian, who began a widely-acclaimed study of communication in the 1960s. He established the classic statistical breakdown of communication: seven percent of a message is communicated through words, 38 percent through our speaking voice, and 55 percent through body language.

Don't believe it? Try a little experiment with one of your co-workers. Say the word "yes," while shaking your head "no." Then ask which message is stronger. "No" usually wins.

"Don't get me wrong," Robin said. "Words are important. Without the right words, there's no chance to convince a prospect to advertise in my paper. But I work hard to make sure my non-verbal messages match what I say."

Here are some points to keep in mind:

1. Posture. "Sitting up straight is only the first step," Robin said. "I keep movements to a minimum. That way, I stay focused on the other person, and they're not distracted by any unnecessary moving around. No fumbling with papers in my briefcase, no fidgeting in my chair, no click-click-click with my ball-point pen."

Political insiders noted that President Kennedy was so interested in what others were saying that he leaned forward in his chair as they talked. White House visitors – even those with opposing viewpoints – often remarked that they sensed his eagerness to hear their ideas.

Whatever your politics, JFK's posture sets a good example to follow.

2. Eye contact. This is perhaps the most difficult non-verbal factor to analyze. The person who avoids eye contact altogether may be perceived as dishonest, arrogant or even timid. And the person who holds eye contact for too long can be seen as confrontational.

"The best advice I've heard," Robin explained, "is to use your common sense. Make eye contact, but not too much and not too little. Successful salespeople instinctively know the limits."

3. Vocal animation. We've all met people who speak in a lifeless monotone, There's no spark, no enthusiasm. We have a hard time believing what they say, because they sound like they don't believe it themselves.

Voice quality is even more important when the other person can't see us. Dr. Mehrabian's research on telephone communication shows that 16 percent of a message depends on the words themselves, and 84 percent depends on our tone of voice and the feelings that people get when listening to us.

The easiest way to create a pleasant voice is to smile. Some salespeople put a small mirror by their phones, to remind them to smile while they're talking.

"Whether I'm talking face-to-face or on the phone, I try to put a smile in my voice," Robin said. "I want my clients to know I'm excited to tell them about my advertising product."

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(c) Copyright 2007 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

John Foust conducts on-site and video training for newspaper advertising departments. His three new video programs are designed to help ad managers conduct in-house training for their sales teams. For information, contact: John Foust, PO Box 97606, Raleigh, NC 27624 USA, E-mail: jfoust@mindspring.com, Phone 919-848-2401

The changing scene in newspaper recruitment advertising

By Peter M. Zollman

The Monster.com newspaper classifieds? Yup, it’s true. Likewise, it’s true about Yahoo HotJobs classifieds.
Following the lead of Tribune and Knight Ridder, which began branding their newspaper recruitment classifieds sections as CareerBuilder way back in September 2001, Monster and Yahoo have gotten into the act. Yahoo HotJobs has signed hundreds of newspaper alliances during the past few months; Monster.com is in the dozens. Hundreds more are likely in 2007.

Clearly, newspaper recruitment advertising is changing.

Branding and critical mass have been important for a while, but they’re becoming more important than ever.

To recap briefly, in case you missed the announcements: Eight newspaper companies in the U.S. (at this writing) have signed agreements with Yahoo for wide-ranging relationships including a branding and technology relationship with HotJobs. While most of the potential benefits are still in the “to be determined” category, all of the newspapers will brand their online recruitment sites – and perhaps their print recruitment sections – with the Yahoo HotJobs name. Yahoo will add listings from HotJobs to the newspapers’ sites, and vice versa; both sides may upsell into the others’ products. (However, don’t hold your breath waiting for HotJobs sales reps to ask their advertisers, “Would you like us to run your ad in the local newspaper as well?”)

Monster, meantime, has also been forming relationships with newspapers, starting with the Philadelphia Inquirer and incorporating the Freedom newspapers, among others. (It also signed with the eight Freedom television stations – more evidence that broadcasters are muscling in on classifieds.)

The changes show branding is gaining importance as newspapers try to hang on to recruitment advertising, both in print and online. Print recruitment ads in the U.S. still generated about $4.5 billion in revenue in 2006, almost twice as much revenue as online recruitment advertising. (We dispute reports to the contrary – the research methodology is murky and highly suspect.) But the growth in online is fast, while print recruitment revenue is sinking like a stone at major dailies and tapering off slowly or steadily at most small and mid-size dailies.

But what about “branding” with your own newspaper’s brand? Certainly The New York Times and The Washington Post have done so successfully, while the Boston Globe and its BostonWorks brand has developed a strong presence in its area. Will that work for small newspapers which don’t have major external competition?

One element of branding is name recognition, and if you hope to gain name recognition you have to realize “promoting in the paper” isn’t enough. In fact, to a recruiter who sees a Monster commercial on television, hears an ad for the local RegionalHelpWanted.com site on the radio, and watches CareerBuilder’s monkey ads on the Super Bowl, in-paper promotion pales. In-paper promotion is “preaching to the choir,” and the choir in most markets is shrinking.

Beyond branding, critical mass and multiple products are two more crucial elements of a recruitment advertising business. If there are too few jobs in a newspaper or on a local paper’s Web site, the business quickly loses the element of “marketplace” and people go elsewhere. So if Monster, CareerBuilder and / or Yahoo HotJobs have more jobs in your area than you do, it’s time for an immediate strategy check and an immediate tactical push to improve your standing.

Multiple products? It’s no longer enough to offer just “the newspaper and our Web site” for recruitment ads. Perhaps a stand-alone Spanish-language publication would be valuable in your market. Or job-seeker kiosks, or video clips or a daily or weekly broadcast or cable TV recruitment program. Or a direct-mail program. And certainly, participation in a national network is a must – whether it’s CareerBuilder’s, Monster’s, HotJobs’, or Adicio’s private-labeled network.

Recruiters are increasingly finding alternatives to the daily and weekend papers for reaching potential candidates for the positions they have to fill. Here’s a bet we’ll make for 2007: If your recruitment advertising products look at the end of the year exactly as they did at the beginning of the year, you’ll be well on your way to getting out of the recruitment advertising business.

Make sure you’re offering the latest, most innovative, effective recruitment options in your market – or risk losing that business entirely.

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Peter M. Zollman is founding principal of Classified Intelligence and the Advanced Interactive Media Group, consulting groups that work with media companies to develop profitable interactive media services. They provide research, strategic and tactical support, product reviews, competitive analysis, and sales training. Zollman can be reached at pzollman@classifiedintelligence.com, 407-788-2780.

UPA Legislative Monitor

By Joel Campbell

Public Notice: Two bills aimed at placing voter information, unclaimed property lists on Internet Open meetings another hot topic for 2007 Legislature

While advocates for open government and a free press are likely to breathe a little easier this legislative session, there are still some issues to watch as the Utah Legislature begins Jan. 15.

Gone, it is hoped, are protracted struggles over Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act seen last year. And it appears that a move to retract the newspaper sales tax exemption has been put to rest, at least for a few years.

At the same, the creep of public notice toward the Internet is evident in two bills. One bill, HB219, anticipates Website notification of unclaimed property and reduces the amount of information required in a newspaper advertisement about the unclaimed property. Also, the Legislature is proposed that the information currently compiled in the Voter Information Guide be made available on a state web site. Under the bill, HB223, the information guide distributed by newspapers would remain intact, but could be eliminated in the future.

These two bills follow previous moves by the state to create a hybrid public notice system that uses a scaled-down public notice in the newspaper and then posts more detailed information on a website listed in the ad. This has been used for water notices, sale of surplus property and building bids. UPA’s legislative committee will need to consider ways to counter these two bills and curb this overall trend including why a newspaper-distributed voter information pamphlet is needed.

Utah’s Open and Public Meetings Act is likely to gain some attention as two bills have emerged from the legislative interim that would expand the definition of bodies covered by the act and clarify other language. Both bills would be helpful. What may be the downside is the opportunity for amendments as the bills go through the legislative process.

For example, don’t be surprised if Utah’s school districts try to water down a stronger definition of covered bodies in the act. New language added last session makes “advisory” groups covered by the act. Davis School District is still stinging after parents filed suit to stop the closed process to realign school boundaries. The District said that the advisory group should not be covered by the law. School officials across the state say don’t like the new changes in the Open Meetings Act, saying that the new language makes it difficult to form advisory groups include school community councils.

Another open meetings bill would require Internet posting of meeting notices. Currently, public bodies are only urged to post notices online.

Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake, will also reintroduce a bill to eliminate Utah’s outdated and unconstitutional criminal libel statute. The bill repeals the criminal libel statute, which was found unconstitutional by the Utah Supreme Court; repeals the definition and presumptions relating to the criminal libel offense; and repeals the Criminal Code offense of slander regarding female chastity. Last year, the Legislature failed to pass a watered-down version of the bill.

Identity theft is also a growing issue affecting records. While most of the proposed bills are palatable, it means restrictions on Social Security numbers released with death certificates and other ways to protect identification. Another bill also protects records when family members or friends tell the state about their concerns about an older driver.

Here’s UPA’s current watch list of prefiled legislative bills with Web links to the bills:


Public Notice

HB219 Unclaimed Property Act, Rep. Hunsaker

HB223 Voter Information Website, Rep. Harper


Records

SB85, Confidentiality of Drivers License Records, Sen. Christensen

Bill Request, Sex Offender Registry Amendments, Rep. Folke

Bill Request, Modification to Campaign Finance Reporting, Rep. Hughes


Records/Identify Theft

SB15, Reporting of Misuse of Personal Identifying Information, Sen. Walker

SCR1Identity Theft Resolution, Sen. Walker

SB89 Revising Death Certificates, Sen. Walker


Open Meetings

HB10, Open Meetings Act Amendments, Rep. Harper.

HB204, Open Meetings Act Amendments, Rep. Wyatt.

HB222 Open and Public Meetings - Electronic Notice, Rep. Dougall

Bill Request, Local School Board Hearing Requirements, Sen. Jones


Free Press

SB86 Repeal of Libel and Slander Provisions, Sen McCoy


Sales Tax

Box Car, Sales and Use Tax Amendments, Rep. Harper

Don't forget Better Newspaper Contest Deadline

January 23rd 2007

Need Entry Forms? Download PDF Forms here!

Daily Entry Forms and Rules

Weekly Entry Forms and Rules
(please note, weekly papers should be on color paper according to circulation group)