Feb. 26-27: Annual meeting of North Carolina Press Photographers Association, Asheboro

March 1-5: Newspapers in Education Week

March 5: Webinar on Social Media co-sponsored by NCPA. Get the details

March 14-20: Sunshine Week

March 16: Sunshine Day program at Greensboro

March 18: NCPA Winter Institute at the Dean Dome, Chapel Hill

April 29: Newspaper Academy at UNC-Chapel Hill

May 14-15: North Carolina Newspaper Production Conference at Durham. Details.

Show pride in your winners
It’s awards ceremony time… Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, the Oscars and, of course, the NCPA News, Editorial & Photojournalism Contest. You probably won’t want to spend a lot of your money on congratulating the movie stars, but you can make a real impact on the stars in your newsroom. How? With an advertisement in the winners tab being produced for the 2010 Winter Institute. The folks at Smoky Mountain News are putting this special edition together, listing all the winners. Ads of various sizes are available, but you must act quickly. Click here to download the information.

Speaking of the Winter Institute…
Registration material was put in the mail this week. The material will also be available on the NCPA Web site. We’ve kept the cost low this year to help you send as many people to the gathering as possible. The site this year is the Dean Smith Center on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill. The date is March 18. Early-bird deadline is March 8 (saves you $5 per person) with the final registration deadline of March 12. To make it even easier this year, you can register and pay with a credit card online. Our Web site will have a link to follow for this service.

Opportunity for some comparative data
Now your paper may participate and get results from the Inland Press Association’s annual Newspaper Industry Compensation Survey without having to join! Inland has partnered with NCPA to make this offer. NCPA members only pay the normal circulation-based fee for participation (e.g. under 30,000 is $85). Participants will fill out surveys on total compensation for a variety of newspaper-specific jobs and in return will receive valuable information on what other newspapers are paying based on circulation size and geography. To be eligible to participate, your newspaper must publish at least five times a week. For more information, follow this link to the Inland site. Early-bird deadline is March 1 with the final deadline April 26.

Reminder about the advertising contest
Information and rules for the 2010 Best Ad Contest are now available online at www.ncpress.com. Remember that virtually all categories must be entered online this year rather than mailed or hand delivered. (Editorial folks take note: the same system will be used for your contest this year!) Also, don't forget about the Fred Crisp Award for the top salesperson. The winner not only gets the honor, but $1,000! It's an excellent way to reward your top performers, especially now when money is tight.

• David Crawley is the new publisher of Womack Publishing’s Lake Area Group. The group includes the Lake Gaston Gazette-Observer and the Warren Record.
• N.C. native Gene Roberts, former editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer and former reporter for The News & Observer and the News-Argus, will receive the George Polk Career Award from Long Island University. Roberts was the 2008 NCPA North Carolinian of the Year.

• The Courier-Tribune asks subscribers for feedback on delivery during recent winter weather
• Carolina Journal reports on some loopholes with the state's e-mail retention policy

• Duke University professor answers questions about the future of non-profit newspapers
• Red logos meant you were reading exclusive content
• Online news not denting Australian print newspaper circulation, publishers group says
• Bill in Wisconsin legislature would prohibit schools from membership in state athletic association unless that group abides by open government laws
• Taking a closer look at newspaper companies' reports for Wall Street
• Three newspapers earn Society of News Design's World's Best Designed honors
• Politico reports the White House is using Twitter to counter press reports
• Pittsburgh paper prints barcode that directs smart phones on additional features, stories

• JOHN FOUST: Ads that say "I love myself" don't get response from customers
• JOSHUA BENTON: What should news apps on the iPad look like?
• JILL GEISLER: What great bosses know about true motivation
• RICK EDMONDS: Report finds newpaper inserts "under siege"