Talented musicians will perform at APME night at Margaritaville

A highlight of September's APME conference will come Thursday night, Sept. 20, when journalists and guests gather at Margaritaville, in the heart of Nashville's honk-tonk district.

There, we'll enjoy music performed by a band whose members have written songs for Ray Charles, Trisha Yearwood, Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Tanya Tucker, and Hootie and the Blowfish.

They’ve performed with Ringo Starr, Cheap Trick and Poco. This line-up of talented singer-songwriters, including Bill Lloyd, Jonell Mosser and Don Henry, will play their own songs along with rock and country classics.

It promises to be a memorable performance. You can be there by purchasing a ticket for $35.

Here’s the link to register for the conference and to sign up for the Margaritaville event. Hope to see you there.

http://www.apme.com/?page=2012Conference

APME adds second hotel for Nashville conference

With rooms filling fast at the host Embassy Suites Vanderbilt, APME now has rooms available at a $139 conference rate at the Hilton Garden Inn Nashville Vanderbilt.

Editors can make reservations by calling the Hilton Garden Inn directly at 615-369-5900 and asking for the APME group rate.

http://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/tennessee/hilton-garden-inn-nashville-vanderbilt-BNANVGI/index.html

Our best advice is to act quickly. There are 15 rooms at this rate available for the busy conference nights of Sept. 18, 19, and 20. There are 4 rooms for Sept. 17 and 21.

Both the Embassy Suites and Hilton Garden Inn are within easy walking distance of the conference venue, the John Seigenthaler Center on the campus of Vanderbilt University.

Bob Heisse

Colorado session added to packed Nashville agenda

Journalists scrambled to cover the carnage when a gunman opened fire last month in a theater in Aurora, Colo. killing 12 people. In the aftermath, however, reporters and editors found themselves dealing with the emotional fallout of the experience.
In a session just added to the APME Nashville 2012 conference agenda, representatives of the Associated Press, Denver Post and the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma will discuss ways in which managers can support staff members grappling with aftereffects of violent news events.
It’s another reason why you should join the Associated Press Media Editors Sept. 19-21 at the John Seigenthaler Center on the campus of Vanderbilt University.
Come to APME in Music City and go home with takeaways for your newsroom. Register today.
http://www.apme.com/?page=2012Conference

Deadline for 'Great Ideas' extended until Aug. 7

            The deadline for submissions to APME’s 2012 “Great Ideas” book has been extended until Tuesday, Aug. 7.

If you haven’t already submitted one or more from your news organization, it’s easy to do and takes only a few minutes. Go to the "Great Ideas” Web page at http://www.apme.com/?page=GreatIdeasform. The form allows you to submit entries and upload images that accompany the “Great Idea.”

         What's a great idea? It can be a new concept for print or online, or a major improvement to something we do every day. This is a chance for your media organization to show off your work in the United States and Canada and help fellow managers by providing ideas that might work in their markets.

         You can submit one or several ideas to the book.  

         If you have questions, contact David Arkin, GateHouse Media vice president of content & audience, at darkin@gatehousemedia.com.

        Work already submitted to the monthly "Great Ideas" and "Innovator" and yearly APME innovator contests will be considered for the book.

 

Webinar to feature Northwestern expert

As a follow to last month’s two-day symposium to educate journalists on how to uncover local stories on the impacts of the current economic crisis on the mental health of North American families and their communities, Dr. Nancy Molitor of Northwestern University will conduct a webinar August 16 at 2 p.m.

The Associated Press Media Editors and the Local Media Foundation were awarded a McCormick Foundation grant to conduct the symposium in Chicago for reporters and editors.

Molitor is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor of clinical psychiatry and behavioral science at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. She is also the public education coordinator for the American Psychological Association and writes and speaks about society’s effect on the mental health of all Americans.

https://www.newsu.org/reporting-economy-mental-health

The webinar cost is only $9.95, with the balance of the normal $29.95 charge funded through the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Community project winner to present at APME conference

A small Wisconsin newspaper will show the impact that a special project had on its community during a workshop at the upcoming APME Nashville 2012.

The Daily Citizen, a newspaper in Beaver Dam, WI., won the first APME Community Public Service Initiative competition for its project on mental health issues. The Daily Citizen received a $1,000 grant and a stipend to present a workshop at the APME conference in September.

 The Daily Citizen has been publishing a three-part series that Megan Sheridan calls "Mental Health on Hold." Sheridan, a staff writer and photographer for the Daily Citizen, has been working with reporter Trista Pruett on the project.

With only six reporters, an editor and a layout editor, the Daily Citizen is the newspaper for Beaver Dam, a city of more than 16,000 people about 70 miles west of Milwaukee. Beaver Dam is in Dodge County, which has about 90,000 people.  

Sheridan said the reporting team has found that the waiting list for any kind of mental health care in Dodge County can take from six to nine months. A minor waiting for a psychiatrist may wait for up to 15 months. Anyone needing a medication adjustment may wait three months.

          “Three months is a long time not to feel quite right," Sheridan said. "If you want to get into the system, it's getting more and more difficult.”

Sheridan said she hopes the newspaper can use social media to open up a conversation with readers and find even more residents who are having similar issues, as well as community organizations that are bridging the gap in services.

          “It seems everyone I talk to about the project has a story to tell," she said. "We want to tell about their experiences.”             

          Sheridan and Pruett will present their workshop on the project at 2:15 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20.

          APME president Bob Heisse, executive editor of the State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill., said: “We've taken steps in recent years to recognize innovative work in newsrooms, and this new APME program gave an opportunity to a smaller organization. Our conference attendees will find out the result and have another takeaway from Nashville.”             

Sign up at http://www.apme.com/?page=2012Conference

Wondering what to do in Nashville? Tips from APME president

There's so much to do in our APME 2012 conference city, and we encourage you to stay after the sessions for a great weekend. As an occasional visitor to Nashville and a country music fan, I'll offer a few tips. Give these a try:

Of course you know about the Country Music Hall of Fame, and you should make time to visit. But while there, don't overlook the Studio B tour, which can be added on and is too special to miss. Studio B on Music Row but only accessible through the museum. You'll take a short ride to this landmark where than 35,000 songs came to life, including 200 from Elvis Presley. There's nothing like this for a country fan, and you'll need a couple hours for it on top of your museum visit.

What's a visit to Nashville without a trip to the Grand Ole Opry, and you're in luck. Shows are scheduled Sept. 18, the night before the conference begins, and Sept. 21 and 22, just after the conference. Just get a ticket and enjoy a celebration of country music in four segments that zip along. And who knows, you might pick a night when a big star is on the program. Here's hoping.

The Grand Ole Opry started as a radio show and found a home at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville in 1943. It stayed there for the next 31 years until it moved to its present location. But the Ryman continues to hold rich history and host performances. It's a must tour for any country fan, and don't forget the gift shop. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.

When in Nashville you have to check out a Honky Tonk or two, and you can't walk past Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. Started in 1960, it's a platform for artists with stages upstairs and down and music virtually all the time. Just stop in and look around and listen for a unique experience. You might stay awhile.

How many record stores -- remember them? -- have you been in lately? Well, don't miss a classic when in Nashville. The Ernest Tubbs Record Store downtown has been serving customers for 65 years and is going strong. If you're a country music fan you might spend some quality time -- and money -- in here. If not, you have to at least visit. It's an original.

-- Bob Heisse, APME president

Your T-shirt is waiting: Today is the last day

Today is the last day to get a free APME Nashville Conference T-shirt just for registering for the Sept. 19-21 conference.

These shirts are classy and colorful and a tribute to Music City and APME.

Sign up here: http://www.apme.com/event/2012Conference

More information here: http://www.apme.com/?page=2012Conference

But make sure you do it today!

Hatch print to celebrate APME Nashville 2012

We’re headed to Nashville and we need a Hatch print celebrating APME 2012. We need a Music City special keepsake.

We understand, and a Hatch print is on its way. It will be a redesign of our fantastic conference logo now featured on T-shirts. The logo was designed at The Tennessean.

The Hatch print will be available for sale at the conference, Sept. 19-21. We’ll post a photo when it’s ready.  You’ll probably want one for your office.

Be sure to join us in Nashville. The agenda is almost fully set and you’ll see a lot of takeaways for editors.

http://www.apme.com/?page=2012Conference

n  Bob Heisse

Celebrate your Great Ideas with APME: Deadline Tuesday!

The deadline for submitting content for APME’s 2012 "Great Ideas” book is Tuesday, July 31, which is just a few days away.

Be sure your organization is represented in the annual product, which is always a favorite at the annual APME conference. This is a chance for your media organization to show off your work in the U.S. and Canada and help fellow managers by providing ideas that might work in their markets.


A great idea can be a new concept for print, broadcast or digital, or a major improvement to something we do every day.


It’s easy to submit and takes only a few minutes.

You can submit your idea at this link: http://www.apme.com/?page=GreatIdeasform


If you have questions, contact David Arkin, GateHouse Media vice president of content & audience, at darkin@gatehousemedia.com.