Is there such a thing as 'too local'?
Local coverage is not just city hall. It includes school activities, social events, summer sports leagues, church services and events, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Civic Clubs – whatever is important and linked to your community ... your market. Get your editor to start thinking a little like a salesman – what would make someone want to read my column?
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Update on Congressional action to limit U.S. Department of Labor overtime rule
This writer previously reported on Representative Kurt Schrader's bill to phase in the overtime threshold over a four-year period. This legislation now has seven bipartisan co-sponsors and counting.
Senator Lamar Alexander (Republican-Tennessee) has introduced Senate Bill 3464, which also would gradually phase in the Department of Labor's overtime rule over five years, starting with a salary threshold increase to $35,984 on Dec. 1, 2016; the bill provides for salary threshold increases in 2018 and 2019, but no increase in 2017. The bill provides for the Department of Labor's $47,476 threshold to take effect on Dec. 1, 2020. Like the House bill, this legislation would also prohibit the automatic annual increases to the salary threshold dictated by the Department of Labor's Final Rule.
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Power Up Your Profitability: Revenue generation & cost optimization
KPIplus+ is a joint program between SNPA and SLP Solutions and a first-of-its-kind performance tool for newspapers.
Planned for launch early in the fourth quarter of 2016, KPIplus+ will deliver actual newspaper performance data on a variety of production metrics.
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Cribb, Greene & Cope Annual Publisher Confidence Survey
Newspaper owners and executives are encouraged to participate in the Annual Publisher Confidence Survey.
The survey asks 11 questions that provide direct feedback from publishers on revenue, profit and other current trends in the publishing industry.
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Lawsuits filed to stop DOL overtime rule
On Sept. 20, a coalition of more than 55 Texas and national business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Texas. The lawsuit asks the court to vacate and set aside the Department of Labor's new overtime rule, set to take effect Dec. 1. Further, it asks the court to issue an injunction, postpone the effective date of the overtime rule, and to maintain the status quo, pending the court's review of the lawsuit.
A second lawsuit was also filed by the attorney generals of Nevada, Texas and 21 other states to enjoin the new rule.
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SNPA members elect new officers/directors for 2016-17
SNPA members elected officers for 2016-17 at the News Industry Summit in Sarasota, Fla.
Read this article to see who has been elected as additional SNPA officers and as members of the Board of Directors.
Tom Silvestri is elected chairman of SNPA Foundation Board of Trustees
The SNPA Board of Directors elected five trustees for the SNPA Foundation at its meeting in Sarasota on Wednesday, Sept. 14.
The trustees, in turn, elected their officers – also that same morning.
Read this article to see who has been nominated as the three Foundation officers, as well as trustees. MORE
Local advertisers are agitated (and doing something about it)
Borrell Associates has been busy this summer vastly expanding its annual survey of local advertisers. That research is now complete, and the analysis is available for download.
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Nominees announced for SNPA Foundation Board of Trustees
The trustees, in turn, will elect their officers – also that same morning.
Read this article to see who has been nominated as the three Foundation officers, as well as trustees. MORE
Chris Reen nominated as president of SNPA for 2016-17
SNPA members will elect officers for 2016-17 on Thursday morning, Sept. 15, in Sarasota, Fla.
Read this article to see who has been nominated as additional SNPA officers and as members of the Board of Directors.
If you have not registered for the conference yet, please register right away. Costs increase $100 per person on Thursday. MORE
U.S. Department of Labor proposes new overtime rule
This writer and many others predicted that the Department of Labor, under the leadership of Secretary Acosta would publish a new proposed rule in March 2019. The new proposed rule would increase the salary level threshold that must be met in order to be overtime exempt under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
The new proposed rule, announced March 7, will increase that threshold from $23,660 per year (or $455 per week) to $35,308 per year (or $679 per week). This new threshold is far less than the threshold proposed by the Obama administration that was permanently enjoined nationwide by a federal court in Texas.
MoreNew NLRB overrules Obama-era NLRB independent contractor precedent
On Jan. 25, the National Labor Relations Board, in a three-to-one decision, ruled that Super Shuttle drivers at the Dallas Fort Worth Airport were independent contractors and not employees.
This case is especially good news for the newspaper industry. The board in the new Super Shuttle case specifically referenced its decision in St. Joseph News-Press, a 2005 decision. In that decision, the NLRB found that home delivery carriers, single copy carriers and bundle haulers were all independent contractors.
MoreSalary Survey: Your SNPA membership lets you participate free!
Daily newspapers that are members of SNPA have a FREE tool to let them benchmark their salaries against those of other member newspapers.
SNPA daily newspaper members are encouraged to take part in the 2019 Survey of Newspaper Salaries, which includes job listings and several additional introductory questions – all designed to give you better data with which to evaluate your compensation plan. And, it's all FREE – if you share your data for the survey by Friday, May 17.
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