LIVE FROM THE NAA NEWSPAPER OPERATIONS SUPERCONFERENCE
TechNews honors five newspapers that developed innovative operations practices with its annual Best Practices Awards.
In the opening keynote, Quark COO Chuck Bland outlines the desktop-publishing developer's change for the better. Plus a look at three cutting-edge technologies highlighted at the show.
Online Classified Standards Unveiled
A task force of publishers, developers and advertisers hash out new ways to exchange ads online.
An industry observer offers a less-than-resounding assessment of where computer-to-plate stands with newspapers. Or, more accurately, where newspapers stand with computer-to-plate.
In a cautionary tale for newspapers with underground storage tanks, it took the Houston Chronicle a decade to deal with a UST problem -- which wasn't even its fault.
Along with the usual discussion of federal regulations and other regulatory issues, Health & Safety segment attendees took in a fashion show -- of personal safety equipment, that is.
A quarter-century in the making, OSHA's Comprehensive Safety and Health Standard could be in newspapers' hands by early summer.
Saying she wanted to start a long-delayed dialogue, a print-media manager for Best Buy Co. told attendees that papers must give insert advertisers what they demand--targeted, demographic-based zoning--and resolve issues about standardizing product sizes, distribution methods and tracking results.
Post-Press Challenges Multiply
Newspapers aren't the only ones overwhelmed by the rising flood of preprints. Consider the complaint levied by the subscriber of the Naples (Fla.) Daily News whose dog could no longer retrieve the Sunday paper, the post-press segment's keynoter said.
A strong economy driving preprint business also makes it harder to find workers to handle those inserts.
Bolstered by innovative programs, some newspapers break the billion-insert mark -- and in some cases, the post office is helping.
New technology will reduce costs by conserving everything from floorspace to full-time employees, SuperConference post-press segment panelists said Tuesday.
Several newspapers are changing how they work with preprints, packaging and distribution by using software and equipment linking and controlling everything from conveyors to presses.
A Virginia newspaper went online with its second computer-to-plate system this week and expects to gain more cost savings.
Papers, Technology Changing for Better
In the press and materials segment keynote, NAA Chairman Richard D. Gottlieb said that newspapers have rebuilt themselves, investing heavily in equipment and embracing hot new technologies "to deliver on our customers' rising expectations." Also, three technology providers discussed tools to help newspapers do just that.
New recycled-content guidelines, web-width reductions and newsprint dyes were hot topics at a session discussing material issues.
Shaftless technology, keyless presses, whether it's best to manufacture every component of the newspaper-printing process -- all came under scrutiny in one of the conference's most lively exchanges, the press industry outlook session.
