Minutes of NINA Board of Directors Meeting
Jan. 21, 2000
Northern Star office, NIU

Minutes of Jan. 21 Northern Illinois Newspaper Association full board.
President Rick Nagel called to meeting to order at 10:10 a.m. .
Attending: Kim Kubiak, Will Conkis, Ray Karges, Nick Pullia, Pam Lannon, Owen Phelps, Joan Heyers, Tona Kunz, Rick Baert and Phil Jurik (late) along with Killam, Self, Slonoff, Cain, Larsen, Wormley, Etheridge, Ruthart and Nagel.
Minutes: Cain did not have minutes from October full board meeting. Minutes will be approved at next full board meeting.
Treasurer report: Slonoff reported we had $5,591.57 in October in checking, $4,883,27 in November and $1,886.60 in December. $5.81 in savings. NINA revenue in 1999 was $8,170.01 and expenses were $9,567.56 for a debit of $1,388.55 that was covered by previous balance. Etheridge voted to approve report, Wormley seconded. Unanimous.
Executive secretary's report: Self said J program enrollments are up. All classes are full. One professor is on leave for the calendar year. Will need adjunct help next fall. Things are going well. Announced $10,000 grant from Gannett /Gary Watson (alum) to go toward digital photo lab and cameras. Watson has also joined NIU Foundation Board. Self hopes he will also be on Board of Visitors.

Old business:

Larsen moved to accept two new members, Ray Karges in circulation at NI Copley/ Fox Valley and Will Conkis, vp of editorial for Liberty. 2002 members were read. (Kubiak, Etheridge, Phelps, Baert and Pullia.) Larsen moved to accept new members; Cain seconded; unanimous. Ruthart voted to accept 2002 members; Cain seconded; unanimous.
Larsen announced full board 00 meeting dates. April 14, Aug. 11, Oct. 26. Spring conference is April 28 and fall conference is Oct. 27. There will also be an executive board meeting Dec. 1.

New business:

Committee reports:
Program: Cain has several proposals. The first is Thompson Newspapers has a program that trains journalists who are citizens of the community, ie in "own back yard." Xxxx Jennings has agreed to do program at no cost to us. They had 800 applications for their training school, 22 went to "university" for 12 to 14 weeks, 15 graduates.
Also: death defying reporting. Having team who found all the Death Row guys innocent. Self said the law school is having the Trib people come March 23 for program. Should we open up program to NINA membership?
Also: Pulse of the medical beat. Find out the facts behind the press releases. Cain proposes asking that guy who was editor of AMA Journal and maybe some Inland winners in medical reporting category.
Re: Thompson program. Market to publishers and editors who hire. Killam questions if reporters would be interested. Cain said educators certainly would be. Ruthart said we could follow up in fall with some training. The board recommended Cain pursue the Thompson program for spring and medical program for fall.
Cain: goals of program committee are to market outside our membership, to make money (ie keep expenses minimum) and to build new membership.
March 23 program on Death Row: Self asked, does NINA want to be a co-sponsor at no cost? Slonoff: would we put out newsletter before that date then or how would we market this? Larsen said maybe we could spin out a workshop or breakout (at lunch?) for NINA members. Nagel asked Self to get agenda to Etheridge for him to consider.
Education: Etheridge asked for board approval of $500 in high school scholarships, same as last two years. He passed out timeline on scholarships. Last year, every local newspaper matched the money.
Timeline: Applications mailed to NI high schools in early February. March 17 application deadline. Late April: Notify winners. May: present plaques to winners at local schools.
Nagel proposed we have membership piggyback to high school scholarship offerings to get high school advisers as members. Phelps recommended we have a day of training for high school newspaper advisers. Self said there has been talk about reviving this at NIU but can't be done before 2001. Etheridge said education committee could work with Self on that. Ruthart suggested a job shadowing program for advisers offered by our members. Slonoff said IPA is making high school journalism big on its agenda. Ruthart asked if we should start a NINA committee to help with a day for advisers?
Wormley moved we accept $500 for scholarships; Phelps seconded, unanimous.
Membership: Larsen said two new members have accepted membership to board. She said nothing has been done to recruit new newspaper members until dues were decided upon. Membership dues are due in April.
Ruthart said we really should have dues due in November when publishers/editors do budgets. And he said big membership push should be in summer and invite folks to fall conference.
Self asked if we should have two-year memberships. Phelps said that's not a good idea, editors/publishers need to be alerted every year.
Marketing tools discussed. Cost is $125 to print newsletter, $40 to $70 to mail it. Traditionally a newsletter goes out first week in April (and three other times a year). Job site on Web is current, Killam said. We should pitch to E&P about our spring conference. And to IPA. Email is a great marketing tool, Cain said.
Five minute break.
Discussion of membership rates. The proposal approved by executive board is that rates don't go up for current members until 2001 but new rates are for new members.
Larsen protested. Said that's very confusing with all the newspaper groups out there. We need one rate now. Ruthart pointed out that no newspaper has budgeted for this increase. Slonoff said you cut off your nose if you market to the groups instead of individuals. Liberty as a group would pay less slightly. Press would pay less.
Larsen said she wants to market to groups. Slonoff: is that wise? Nagel: it depends on Jan and Jan's committee.
Slonoff said our largest group of members are weeklies not owned by groups. He said the percentage in new rates is too big.
Conkis said you need to market to groups if they make decisions as a unit, or to individuals if the groups don't. Pioneer does it one way; Hollinger another. Membership committee will have to know how to approach groups depending on how they operate.
Cain moved to accept new rates as proposed for this year; Etheridge seconded. All voted yes except for Baert and Slonoff.
Phelps proposed free individual memberships. Self seconded. Discussion. Phelps withdrew motion.
Meeting adjourned 11:50 a.m.; Lannon moved to adjourn, Cain seconded, unanimous.
Announcement: Membership committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. March 3 in NIU J conference room.
Respectfully submitted,
Jan Larsen
Second vice president