Jan. 12, 2011 — San Mateo Daily Journal offices
Present: Jamie Casini White, Darryl Compton, Jon Mays, Ed Remitz, Melissa McRobbie, Antonia Ehlers, Kristy Blackburn. Absent: Dave Price, Micki Carter, Peter Cleaveland
The meeting was called to order at 6:40 p.m.
FINANCES: Darryl Compton reviewed the latest finance statement; revenues took a hit. On Dec. 31 the Press Club paid $4,000 toward online software that will allow for electronic judging in journalism contests. Darryl planned to approach the RTNDA board about contributing $2,000 to share the services.
MEMBERSHIP: Only five members have paid dues for this year; a membership notice will be sent out.
AWARDS CONTEST: Revisions were made to the call for entries. This year, participants will be able to complete an entry form online and attach a pdf of a story or enter a link. The payment system for entry fees is still being worked out and is expected to be in place by sometime in February.
There was discussion of charging a non-member fee for “staff” entries, in which multiple staff members contributed to a story, and charging a non-member fee for the “overall excellence” category.
Some adjustments were made to the Broadband/Web category, incluing adding a “headline” category.
The idea was raised again to cut costs by eliminating plaques for third place winners. Darryl will also look into the possibility of altering the plaque sizes.
A conference call will likely be held as the entry deadline approaches to answer questions about the contest and the submission process.
The contest will likely be held the third weekend in May.
There was discussion of possible guest speakers. Antonia had several suggestions, including former Chronicle reporter Manny Fernandez, now of the New York Times; Times executive editor Bill Keller, and documentary filmmaker Carla De Luca. Melissa suggested a speaker from Patch.com.
WORKSHOPS: The board further discussed a professional development workshop on public records and the possibility of having two speakers. Marshall may approach MediaNews reporter Sean Webby or Chronicle reporter Jaxon Van Derbeken. Terry Francke was mentioned as another possible presenter.