February 10 & 11
The Hilton Columbus at Easton Town Center

Register Online!
Book Your Room at the Hilton Columbus

New Format! New Reduced Pricing!

The Ohio Newspaper Association is pleased to unveil a new format and new reduced-registration fees for the 2010 ONA Convention. We’re back at the elegant Columbus Hilton at Easton Town Center and we have a program that’s easy on your schedule and your budget!

• Our Wednesday/Thursday format cuts the registration fee to $150 for members and $200 for non-members

• Our special ONA group rate for rooms at the Hilton Columbus is $173 single or double

Just a one-night stay brings you the entire convention program with a valuable opportunity to learn from industry experts and network with your Ohio newspaper colleagues.  And we’ve lowered the pricing so you can bring key staffers with you.

ROOM RESERVATIONS AT THE COLUMBUS HILTON

The special ONA group rate is $173 single or double. Make room reservations online at ohionews.org or by calling the Hilton at (614) 414-5000. Be sure to reference the ONA group code of “PAP.” The cutoff date is Jan. 25, 2010. Please note that rooms at the ONA rate are limited and may sellout before the cutoff date. After that, rooms are subject to availability and quoted rates may be higher.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10

Come early and check out the display of our newspaper contest entries and the offerings of our sponsoring vendors.

10:30 a.m.
Ohio League of Home Dailies Meeting

2 p.m.
ONA Board of Trustees Meeting

5 – 7 p.m.
Welcome Reception Sponsored by The Blade, Toledo
Join us in the Hilton ballroom for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and musical entertainment while connecting with friends and colleagues. We gratefully acknowledge our sponsoring hosts, the Block family, who will begin the year-long celebration of The Blade’s 175th anniversary at our convention. Following the reception, enjoy the many fine restaurants, attractions and shopping in the Easton Town Center entertainment complex.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11

8 – 9:30 a.m.
“Kickoff” Breakfast with Brian Kelly, University of Notre Dame Football Coach
Following our buffet breakfast, we’ll gain some valuable insights from coach Brian Kelly (left), who certainly knows a lot about turning things around.  In just his third season at what a Wall Street Journal article described as “a large but long-overlooked school better-known for basketball,” Kelly has led the Bearcats to Big East dominance and national prominence.  Sports Illustrated says the key has been “a little Dr. Phil tough love.”

9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Pricing Online Content
Our first general session is a panel discussion led by Drew Davis (right), president of the American Press Institute, who will give us an overview of the pricing models being tried in various markets across the country.  Adding details of their own plans for charging subscribers are panelists Joe Gallo, vice president & chief information officer for The Columbus Dispatch; and Jim Shine, publisher of The Lima News.

10:45 – 11:45 a.m.
Breakout Session: Weekly Newspaper Roundtable
Led by chairman Jeff Donahue, ThisWeek Newspapers, and members of the ONA Weekly Newspaper Committee, this session is an open forum for our weekly newspaper members to trade ideas and best practices in such areas as news coverage, advertising, circulation, technology and the Internet.

Breakout Session: Succeeding in the New Digital World
Original news content increasingly is used across the Web without appropriate permission or compensation, and the problem is rapidly spreading to other digital applications. Kate Butler (left), vice president of Newspaper Markets for The Associated Press, will explain how AP is creating a framework to help members protect their valuable and costly news content, track and monitor its usage, and operate more successfully within a new digital framework.

Noon – 1:45 p.m.
Luncheon & Address by Ari Shapiro, NPR correspondent
Ari Shapiro (right), award-winning justice correspondent for National Public Radio, reports on the Department of Justice and national legal affairs for all of NPR’s newsmagazines, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His recent reporting has focused on legal controversies over national security issues, including domestic surveillance, interrogation policies, and access to federal courts by enemy combatants. He has also been a guest host for NPR’s news and talk programs.

1:45 – 2 p.m.
Annual Meeting & Election

2 – 3 p.m.
Detroit Newspapers New Distribution Model
It’s been almost a year since the Detroit Media Partnership announced their revolutionary new concept in newspaper delivery, replacing four days of printed home editions with replica e-editions.  We’ll get a detailed update on results from Janet Hasson (far left), senior vice president/audience development & strategy, and Rich Harshbarger (left), vice president, consumer marketing.

3:15 – 4 p.m.
Breakout Session: Outsourcing and Other Efficiencies
In this era of cost & staff reductions, every manager is looking for ways to not only stretch the budget, but also maintain an efficient operation. We’ll look at the benefits of outsourcing and insourcing.  Our panel includes Joe McKinnon, vice president of operations for Dayton-based Cox Ohio Publishing.

Breakout Session: Hooper & Collegiate Newspaper Contest Winners
Once again we honor the winners in all categories of the Hooper Newspaper Competition for ONA member weekly newspapers. The session will include announcement of the winners in 13 classes and presentation of General Excellence Awards plus the winners in our new Collegiate Newspaper Contest.

4 – 5 p.m.
Emerging New Audience Strategies
With online audience figures now added to traditional circulation figures, new strategies are emerging from shifting demographics. Barbara Cohen, who was involved in the Detroit model, will give us some expert guidance for coming years. As president and founder of Chicago-based Kannon Consulting, Cohen’s career spans 30 years in marketing strategy and consulting. Her clients have included the E.W. Scripps Co., Tribune Co., Washington Post, MediaNews Group, Yahoo! and many others in and outside of the newspaper industry.

5 p.m.
Adjournment