Members present: (13) Lonny Cain, John Etheredge, Jan Larsen, Richard
Parmater, Lois Self, Jim Slonoff, Owen Phelps, Kim Kubiak, Tom Martin, Ray
Karges, Jim Killam, Cheryl Wormley, Roger Ruthhart.
Members absent: (5) Gale Baldwin, Phil Jurik, Joe Corrado, Rick Nagel, Pam Lannom.
Guests present: Dana Kunkel, Wally Haas (new-member designee).
Cain called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m.
October 25 board minutes were approved.
Treasurer's report: Slonoff distributed a budget recap sheet and said NINA's financial picture held steady in 2001, with an anticipated balance of about $500 by year's end. About $3,200 in dues were received. Main expenditures were for scholarships and spring & fall conferences. In light of continued consolidation of member newspapers and a potential decrease in dues collection, he asked the board to consider funding $2,500 in scholarships to NIU students for 2002, instead of the $3,000 given in 2001. Board approved this unanimously (Larsen motion, Kubiak second).
Self mentioned that the reduction posed no problem for NIU journalism, because other scholarship funds have grown this year. For instance, a new scholarship in memory of journalism and Northern Star alum David Onak already has become endowed, thanks to a $17,500 donation from the Professional Golf Association. This will result in an initial scholarship of about $400 a year to a Northern Star student. Self also suggested that NINA look for more ways to involve NIU students in its conferences and workshops.
The board unanimously decided (Self motion, Etheredge second) that the amount earmarked for high school scholarships should remain at $600, with strong encouragement to look for matching funds from community newspapers and other organizations. Self added that if any of the winners decide to come to NIU, her department will match the scholarship amount.
Treasurer's report accepted unanimously (Phelps motion, Kubiak second).
Fall conference report: Slonoff (in Lannom's absence) reported on finances from the Fall Conference Oct. 26. Revenue so far is $2,625, with about $1,000 yet to come. Expenses are pending, but the conference did make money, he said. "Math for Journalists" speaker Matt Baron has agreed to to do an additional, free workshop in 2002. Slonoff suggested it be held in the suburbs, possibly Oak Brook Terrace.
93 people attended this year's conference, compared to 87 last year.
The board thanked communication department secretary Dana Kunkel for organizing rooms, food and other conference details, and thanked Lannom for organizing the convention program.
Executive secretary's report: Self said contest revenues were better than initially expected. Overall entries were about the same in quantity.
The NIU communication department is conducting a search for a photojournalism/graphics professor. One candidate is on campus this week; another will be here in January. In the meantime, the department is looking for someone to teach the Monday-night advanced photojournalism course for the spring semester beginning in January.
Self said NIU alumnus David Albright, a senior editor at ESPN.com who worked with the NIU Journalism and Media Camp last summer, visited campus recently and is interested in continued involvement. The department is developing a course in sports journalism that would be offered in spring 2003. The course, Self added, would be a blueprint for a plan to develop one specialized course every year taught by visiting faculty and industry experts.
President's report: Cain proposed, and the board approved, the
following board meeting and conference dates for 2002:
Board meetings: Jan. 18, April 5, Aug. 9, Oct. 24 and Dec. 6.
Spring Conference: April 26.
Fall Conference: Oct. 25.
Slonoff relayed a suggestion from Lannom that committee meetings take place at 9 a.m. prior to all regular, quarterly board meetings at 10 a.m. (possibly with a short executive board meeting sandwiched between). Board agreed by consensus (no vote needed).
1st Vice President's report: Larsen said this has been "one of the darkest years in NINA history" for membership recruitment. Longtime board members reminded her that, in their day, there were plenty of darker years. Before the meeting could lapse into talk about walking 40 miles to meetings in a blizzard, uphill both ways, Larsen listed new members: the Evanston Roundtable, the Rockford Register Star and the Northwest Herald. Members who did not renew were Star Newspapers of Tinley Park, and La Raza. A goal for 2002 is to recruit the downstate Liberty newspapers.
Two board vacancies were filled by unanimous vote. New members are:
Two more board vacancies have existed this year. Several potential members will be contacted before the January meeting.
Committee assignments for 2002 were approved unanimously (Larsen
motion, Etheredge second). They are:
Program Committee: Pam Lannom, chair. Members Jim Slonoff, Richard
Parmater, Tom Martin, Colin O'Donnell.
Membership Committee: Kim Kubiak, chair. Members Ray Karges, Joe
Corrado, Roger Ruthhart, Owen Phelps, Lonny Cain.
Education Committee: Wally Haas, chair. Members John Etheredge, Cheryl
Wormley, Randy Swikle, Lonny Cain.
Colin O'Donnell was appointed member at large on the executive committee. Other members are Jan Larsen, Kim Kubiak, Lonny Cain, Pam Lannom, Jim Slonoff, Lois Self.
Communications coordinator's report: Killam said he hopes to have the winter newsletter finished in another week or two, and asked Cain and Larsen to write columns.
New business:
Lannom is looking for program ideas for the spring conference. E-mail her
at plannom@pioneerlocal.com. Board members listed numerous potential topics
(and thank you to Joe Corrado and staff, who sent ideas in absentia), including:
Interviewing, lead writing, researching stories, property taxes/tax caps,
public records, local political reporting, business reporting, education
reporting, real estate & development reporting, making briefs more effective,
hands-on photo and design workshops, how to read a budget, localizing national
stories, nationalizing local stories, helping copy editors deal with reporters,
individual writing critiques/coaching, working with statistics, personal
productivity/time management, sports reporting, public figures on what it's
like to BE covered, incorporating teens into your newspaper, improving local
news coverage, war coverage, religion reporting, coverage of regional planning
commissions and growth trends, and service & circulation efforts.
Slonoff suggested considering holding the Spring Conference in the Chicago suburbs, and maybe partnering with the Chicago Headline Club, with whom Parmater has had discussions about combined efforts.
Cain and (incoming president) Larsen said the program committee should have targeted dates and topics ready for the January board meeting.
Shop talk: Biggest "wow" item was Slonoff having written a "Dear Neighbor" letter to nonsubscribers in LaGrange and gaining 800 new subscribers. Several member papers, including Joliet and Sycamore, are benefiting from decentralized news operations and a return to intensely local emphasis. Martin mentioned an effort to improve sports writing at the Bureau County Republican, by realizing that current stories are 40 to 50 percent quotes. is paper Killam said the Illinois College Press Association's annual job fair in Chicago is Friday, Feb. 15. Cain talked about a "Write Team" organized by the Ottawa Daily Times. It's a group of 10 people from the community who take turns writing a daily column on anything they want.
Meeting adjourned at 12:25 p.m. Next board meeting is Friday, Jan. 18.
Minutes submitted by Jim Killam,
communications coordinator.