Surveys that measure consumers' confidence in the economy are a vital benchmark of economic development.

By asking a few key questions in a survey about your local economy and consumers' future spending, your survey can be an important resource for your branding and marketing initiatives.

Newspapers are all about storytelling and, yet, "with the crisis that we face as an industry, we don't do a great job of telling our very, very compelling story," Terry Egger, publisher and CEO of Philadelphia Media Network, told attendees at the Mega-Conference last week.

In his keynote address to 700 industry executives in Las Vegas, Egger called on newspapers across the country to establish conversations with local community and business leaders about the important role that newspapers play.

As an industry, he said we have suffered a lot of self-inflicted wounds. "We wish we had do-overs," he said, "but we don't. What we do have, though, is a compelling story that needs to be told."

A new advertising support position at the Northwest Florida Daily News is paying off, according to Ethan Aden, digital sales manager for the paper based in Fort Walton Beach.

The job title is sales engineer, and the goal is to put together multimedia proposals for the sales reps to present to clients – complete proposals backed by research into markets, demographics and other factors.

The first two pieces of Brainworks Software's new Stratica platform drew a lot of attention during the trade show at the Key Executives Mega-Conference in Las Vegas.

"We were constantly busy," said Rick Sanders, president and CEO of Brainworks. "It was terrific."

Brainworks rolled out its new Stratica Advertising and CRM products at the conference and offered demonstrations. Stratica is web- and browser-based and combines print and digital transactions. It will improve a media company's ability to make revenue forecasts and track whether projections are being met, among many other functions.

GateHouse Live was the recipient of the 2019 Mega-Innovation Award presented at the Key Executives Mega-Conference.

Putting on events has much in common with publishing, according to Jason Taylor, president of GateHouse Live and New Media Group Ventures.

Publishers, he said, create content that attracts an audience, and they try to monetize that audience. "An event does the exact same thing."

Statesman Media (Studio Sessions) was a finalist for the Mega-Innovation Award presented Tuesday afternoon at the Key Executives Mega-Conference.

Top honors went to GateHouse LIVE. The Buffalo News also was a finalist.

Austin, Texas, calls itself the "Live Music Capital of the World," and Statesman Media capitalizes on music to make money with Austin360 Studio Sessions.

Studio Sessions is a live-stream half-hour music show produced in the Statesman Media studio used by both the American-Statesman newsroom and the company's advertising and production agency. It mainly showcases local music but also features up-and-coming regional bands, bands passing through town and the occasional national act.

The Buffalo News was a finalist for the Mega-Innovation Award presented Tuesday afternoon at the Key Executives Mega-Conference.

Top honors went to GateHouse LIVE. Statesman Media also was a finalist.

On his first day in the newsroom of The Buffalo News, David Adkins asked about the paywall that was then operated by a third-party paywall technology company. Someone who was trying to be helpful told him, "Don't worry, you can get around it."

Having just come from a Florida paper that also operated with a problematic paywall, Adkins looked into the matter further. The result was the development of a proprietary paywall that largely closed the "leakiness" and brought dramatic increases in digital subscription revenue.

During its meeting on Monday, Feb. 25, the SNPA Board of Directors welcomed two new members: The Guam Daily Post and Transparensee.

AffinityX and TownNews have announced a partnership to help move the newspaper industry forward. As part of the partnership, AffinityX works within TownNews' BLOX Total CMS (content management system) for newspapers that choose to outsource editorial page design/production. AffinityX will actively promote BLOX Total CMS to its clients who do not already have a preferred solution in place.

The Washington Post has announced the launch of the Jamal Khashoggi Fellowship, a new global opinions program established to honor the late Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi. The fellowship will provide an independent platform for journalists and writers to cover and offer their perspectives from parts of the world where freedom of expression is threatened or suppressed. The Post has named Hala Al-Dosari, an award-winning activist, scholar and writer from Saudi Arabia, the first Jamal Khashoggi fellow.