Celebrating our 65th Year


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imPRESSions Free Community Papers of New York

Association of publishers of free distribution shopping guides, newspapers and periodicals throughout New York State

SAVE THE DATES

SPRING 2015

FCPNY Leadership Summit October 5 & 6, 2015 Genesee Grande Hotel, Syracuse

Celebrating our 65th Year

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Director’s Message

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SAVE THE DATES! AW page 4 201 H 5F L C P N E NEW WORLD Y LE ADERS HIP SUMMIT

SALES 101

page 10 AdMall Corner

15

TLI Graduation

14

PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Randy Shepard AD SALES

Tom Cuskey [email protected]

facebook.com/fcpny

Insta

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8 3 Ways to Slay Eeyore Vampires ..................................... 16 Board of Directors .......................................................... 17 Want to go ? e g a p a right to Associate Members.................................................................. 18 Just click Legalese with Nick Fiorenza .......................................... 20 any page # SMC Update with Donna Hanberry ................................ 22 Postal Update .................................................................. 23

GRAPHIC DESIGN/LAYOUT

ADVERTISING, EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION FCPNY 109 Twin Oaks Drive Suite D Syracuse, NY 13206 Toll Free: 877-275-2726 Fax: 877-790-1976 www.fcpny.com

FREE COMMUNITY PAPERS OF NEW YORK

– NEWSLETTER –

Published for the benefit of our members.

Volume 38 Number 2 • Spring 2015 FCPNY is not liable for errors appearing in advertisements beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error, and notification must be made in writing within 10 days of publishing. The right is reserved by FCPNY to edit, reject or cut any copy without notice. NO CASH REFUNDS. The opinions of the individual contributors or correspondents do not necessarily reflect those of the publication or its management.

Connect on LinkedIn @fcpnynow

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Sales & Training Director’s Message

Kevin Slimp - D*#% Printing Problems .............................

Dan Holmes [email protected] PRESIDENT

President’s Message

www.afcp.org

www.ifpa.com www.cvcaudit.com www.paperchain.com

FCPNY may include material produced under copyrighted or syndicated ad service. Permission of the publisher must be obtained before copying any of the material from any issue of the FCPNY Newsletter.

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GREETINGS

Dan Holmes

From the Desk of Your EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Dear FCPNY member:

content and 2nd place for General Excellence with

  I recently returned from the AFCP annual conference held in

10-25% editorial content.

Savannah, GA. It was a pleasure to see a few FCPNY publishers and

including 1st place for Most Improved publication with

employees at the meeting. I enjoy the opportunity to visit with our

10 – 25% editorial content.

members at an outside setting where we can catch up and share



some time together. Congratulations to Brad London, an outside

Most Improved publication with 0-9% editorial content.

sales representative for the Lake Country Media in Albion. Brad was



recognized as a graduate of The Leadership Institute training program.

2nd place General Excellence for publications with 0 – 9%

He started his career in advertising sales 5 years ago and in 2011 he

editorial content.

was honored as the FCPNY “Sales Rep Rookie of the Year.” We



consider training and education a critical purpose of FCPNY so we

General Excellence for publications using all glossy paper.

are pleased to recognize Brad for these accomplishments. Equally



important is the focus Brad’s publisher, Karen Sawicz places on

3rd place General Excellence for publications with 10 – 25%

his continued advancement in advertising sales. This support and

editorial content.



• Community Papers of Western New York – 3 total awards

• All Island Media – 16 total awards including 2nd place for • Norwich/Sydney Pennysaver – 6 total awards including

• Denton Publications – 7 total awards including 3rd place • Turnpike/Oneonta Pennysaver – 2 total awards including

willingness to allow Brad to advance his talents provides her with an important Lake Country Media asset. Congratulations are also in order for the nine FCPNY publications recognized in the AFCP Best of the Best graphic awards contest. New York publications came home with 52 of the approximately 216 awards, nearly 25% of all awards presented. This included 16 of the 72 1st place awards. Of special note are the following:

Your next chance to take advantage of professional training and valuable networking happens on October 5th and 6th when we hold the first FCPNY Leadership Summit. This meeting will be held at the Genesee Grande Hotel on the outskirts of the Syracuse University campus in downtown Syracuse. We will be distributing complete information about speakers and social events in the coming weeks. Watch for the details and mark your calendar now to take advantage of this important FCPNY benefit—it will be a celebration of FCPNY’s 65th Anninversary!

• Genesee Valley Penny Saver – 7 total awards including 1st place for Most Improved publication with 0-9% editorial

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SAVE FCPNY Leadership Summit Promises to be THE an Oktoberfest of Member Value DATES! Where will you be on Monday and Tuesday, October 5 & 6? Syracuse, that’s where! FCPNY’s annual conference – the Leadership Summit – will take place these dates at the beautiful Genesee Grande Hotel near the University area of the city.

CELEBRATE the 65TH ANNIVERSARY of the FOUNDING of FCPNY

AW

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15

SPRING 2015

• Presentations and programs for publishers, managers and key staff leaders • Networking and social opportunities for sharing and learning • Awards presentations and more Details will be in place soon, plans will be finalized and announcements and registration will kick off with the release of our summer newsletter. Please mark down these dates NOW and plan to share and learn with and from your colleagues from around the state this October 5 & 6.

H

FCP

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LE N L EA D

EW WORL D

ERSHI

P SUMMIT

A MESSAGE

Randy Shepard

From Your BOARD PRESIDENT

%&@#*&@ USPS!

and they don’t care how much their rate and operational changes impact us as long as their urban services are fine. I can’t believe we are doing this but at our publication we are in the midst of pulling all of our PO Box deliveries out of the mail and

Ooops! I think my fingers had a mind of their own when I started this article because I would never had said anything like that about the USPS. In addition to the rate increase that will take effect on May 31st, do you know that they also just made a ruling change on April 26 where your paper does not qualify for the every door direct mailing rate if it has “loose” flyers inserted into it. One of our weeklies that consistently weighs under 3.3 ounces qualified for the Every Door Direct Mail rates. After weeks of discussion with White Plains USPS officials we were given the green light. You can only imagine our frustration and surprise when after reconfiguring our distribution processes and adjusting staff schedules to drive to ten different post offices that we were notified by the USPS that we could no longer mail it that way.

increasing our bundle drops in those communities to account for the change. It’s a risk as far as ad response goes, but we can’t continue to pay their ridiculous increase in postage. We’ve even been told that we can no longer do bulk mailings out of our hometown post office (I’m not talking about our papers here) because they do not have an appropriate scale. These are the same mailings that our hometown post office has processed for the past thirty years but will no longer accept. No, now we have to drive it to Oneonta which is a half hour away. How many other member publications are mail delivered? Are any of you experiencing delivery concerns via the USPS? Please share your concerns and solutions via the FCPNY office. Dan and Tom will share your comments with the FCPNY membership and with Donna Hanbery at the Saturation Mailers Coalition. It is time we make our voice heard.

We are in such a bad pickle with USPS that I get the feeling that they clearly do not want our business. They are doing everything and anything to make us feel like rural publications are second class citizens

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CONNECT WITH FCPNY Follow us, like us, connect with us at these digital destinations: Be sure to let us know where we can follow you online and in social media, too!

Facebook.com – we connect with members, advertisers, readers and all interested folks. Be sure to visit us and like our page.

www.FCPNY.com – it’s our

www.facebook.com/fcpny

member site and a place where agencies and media buyers come to connect with members. Users can

LinkedIn – FCPNY is there, too.

search for member publications by

Connect with us (as well as personally

name, by county, by zip code and

with Dan Holmes and Tom Cuskey)

more. You can connect with fellow

http://tinyurl.com/lifcpny

free paper professionals, too.

Twitter -- @fcpnynow is our Twitter handle. Follow us and www.AdNetworkNY.com – this is the retail website launched

we’ll follow you. https://twitter.com/fcpnynow

in 2014 that we promote through various space-available promotion ads we send you. Users can place and pay for classified ads in the network, connect with member papers and more.

page 6

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Instagram -- follow us and share your pics…fcpny is our handle. We’ll use Instagram as a sharing tool at upcoming conferences and meetings as well.

A MESSAGE

Tom Cuskey

From Your SALES & TRAINING DIRECTOR Three quick takes:

CLUE: Here I am in 2015, forty years later, during a home improvement project.

#1. Join for Free! Purchase Required.

Ugly! Back then I had no clue I would grow up to look like my mother’s brothers.

I was getting ready for work this morning and had the national network

Thanks, Mom!

morning news on, as usual. I wasn’t paying close attention until the headline caught my eye: “Join for Free! Purchase Required.” It’s a

Moral of the story: you don’t know what

promotion for a well-known weight loss program, produced no doubt

tomorrow will bring let alone a year from

by a high power ad agency. Maybe they intended it to sound stupid.

now or more. Smile, keep your chin up and

Check – got that one right! Be careful when writing ad headlines and

stay educated and energized. Attitude is

copy for your customers.

how you overcome adversity.

CLICK HERE for TLI108; Four Essentials of an Effective Campaign

#3. Sell just one network classified ad

for great advice on building ads that make sense and bring results. Old photos make one feel nostalgic. Well, a slice of the good old days #2. Turning Adversity into Opportunity

is within reach. We at FCPNY are committed to bringing you the best member experience possible, with plenty of benefits and opportunities.

This is the title of a TLI class I had the privilege

If each member publication sold just one network classified each week

to present at the recent MACPA Conference

– just one per member – we could provide more conferences, tools,

in Hershey/Harrisburg, PA. I am living proof

training, revenue sharing and more. And you would have positive cash

that adversity, even when thrust upon you,

flow from the sale of that ad from day one.

can be overcome:

CLICK HERE for a package of materials on selling network Check this photo on the left, a scan from a

classified ads.

newspaper article about a musical fashion show I was part of. It was 1975 and I was 21, slim and with a full head of hair. Cute! Can you find me?

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SPRING 2015

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D*#% PRINTING PROBLEMS By Kevin Slimp, ‘THE NEWS GURU” One positive, at least, is they keep my business booming The second week of April

Most staffs seem to need three skills to avoid

was one crazy week. It

having these issues:

started with a flight from



my home in Knoxville to

for creating PDFs

Minneapolis. After my



arrival in Minnesota, I drove

when they arrive from other sources

three hours to Hampton, Iowa,



a town in the north-central region of the state.

1. Knowledge of the best methods 2. The ability to spot problem PDFs 3. The skills to fix problem PDFs

I spoke to the

before they go on the page

“tightest” group I’ve seen since

The following day, I met with 15 designers

It seems like I hear the same phrase at every

from area papers. We covered several topics

newspaper and conference, “Why did ______

during the day. I was surprised that, once

(fill in the blank with one of a dozen names)

again, PDF issues seemed to dominate a

tell us we could just export a PDF file and it

Craig Ryan runs Page1 Printers in Slayton and

good portion of the day.

would always print right?”

had invited a “few” area newspapers to take

I guess it was so long ago that I developed

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind. Heck, if

the “PDF Remote Printing Method” that I

everyone knew how to create perfect pages,

keep thinking all of the problems have been

I’d get a lot less business. A good percentage

When I showed up, there were already close

solved and newspapers have moved past PDF

of my emergency trips are to help newspapers

to 100 designers, editors and others from both

problems. But the more I visit newspapers,

who are losing significant revenue because

free and paid papers in the room, ready to

and I’ve personally trained more than 100

ads and pages aren’t printing correctly and

learn how to create more attractive pages. Let’s

staffs already this year (plus thousands of

need to be fixed right away.

just say it was tight.

training David Leaman’s staff in New York ten years ago.

part in the training day. He reserved a room for

folks at conventions), the more I realize PDF problems still plague most newspapers. page 8

SPRING 2015

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Following a day of training in Hampton, I drove four hours to Slayton, Minnesota, where

50 and sent out the invites.

We spent the day covering as many basics and

SLIMP CONTINUED advanced skills in InDesign and Photoshop as

for churches, stories about local citizens and

and blues in photos. Somewhere along the

possible, with a design theory class thrown

photos that reminded me a little of the

line, I was told, they had been told that using

in for good measure. I stuck around for a

great pics I saw when visiting Joe Duty, a

RGB images produced the same results as

while afterwards, answering questions from

well-known newspaper photojournalist in

CMYK images. I don’t know why “experts”

attendees. And what did they most want to

Texas, a few years back.

tell people these things. Anyway, we dealt

discuss? Their PDF issues.

with color issues. John is an incredible John told me that he and I had a conversa-

photojournalist, and I can’t wait to hear how

I left Slayton and headed northeast. There was

tion at a conference six years ago. I wish I

his pages look this week.

a snowstorm in St. Cloud. That’s not unusual

remembered it, but apparently he did. He

in April, I learned. After a night in St. Cloud, I

said he asked for advice on what he would

Before I left his office, John said something

drove two more hours to McGregor, Minnesota.

need to run his paper over the next few years

that I won’t soon forget. “You know,” John

and I acquiesced. John told me that he went

told me, “ten years ago, I heard an expert

If you remember the TV show from the 90s,

out and purchased exactly what I told him

say that there would be no more printed

Northern Exposure, you know McGregor. I

and he has produced his paper, as I suggested,

newspapers in ten years, so I just figured I’d

immediately felt like I’d been transported to

ever since.

stick it out as long as I could. If he had been

Cicily, Alaska, home of the show.

right, we wouldn’t be looking at all those Apparently, my advice was OK. John and

(prints of newspapers) on the wall.”

I took a gravel road, past the cafe, to the

Heidi - there are only two staff persons,

offices of Voyageur Press. John Grones was

including John - have been putting out a

Now, John and Heidi are planning to take the

standing out front when I pulled up, waiting

beautiful newspaper. Now, according to

Voyageur Press into the future. I’m already

with a grin.

John, it was time to start looking to the future

looking forward to another visit in six years or so.

again. That’s why I was there. We discussed The Voyageur Press is the kind of newspaper I

everything from page critiques to digital

After a couple of trips to Canada, I’ll be back

love. Local. Everything is local, from the stories

journalism and prices for printed and online

in Iowa and Minnesota in May to visit with

to the ads. It’s the folks who live within an

subscriptions.

some friends from MFCP. I won’t be surprised

area 50 miles wide and 100 miles long that surrounds McGregor. There are dozens of ads

if those pesky PDF and color issues come up He was having a lot of problems with reds

in our discussions.

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page 9

SALES 101 presented by your FCPNY Sales Management Division Each quarter, this special section features articles written by your fellow FCPNY sales managers and publishers, as well as relevant items of interest from sales trainers, authors and contributors. We expect that you will find these articles informative and timely, and we encourage you to share them with your sales staff when you feel it is appropriate. If you are a sales manager and would like to be involved with the FCPNY Sales Management Division Board, or if there is a particular topic that you would like to see addressed in future editions, please email your request to Tom Cuskey at [email protected]. Gary Hill Lake Country Pennysaver PRESIDENT

Scarlette Merfeld Denton Publications 1ST VICE PRESIDENT

Meg Bourdette RW Publications

Rita Butters Southern Tier Shopper

Daria Reitknecht Genesee Valley Penny Saver Lisa Thomas Chase Media Group

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SPRING 2015 imPRESSions

Finding extra dollars while giving “props” to your local businesses and organizations By Scarlette Merfeld Denton Publications Sales Manager and FCPNY Sales Management Division 1st Vice President

Always keep your eyes and ears open for milestone anniversaries and achievements happening within your local business community as well as new business opening or re-opening under new ownership after a lengthy close that is vital to your community. These kind of events are easy to sell special pages, sections or even magazines around and bring extra revenue to your publication. A lot of the advertisers you will attract to these promotions are new business to your paper. The example that is attached (DOWNLOAD HERE) was brought to our sales staff by the editorial department as a lead. A local business was getting ready to celebrate their 100th year. We approached the customer with our idea to promote his accomplishment in the newspaper to which he was very receptive. He provided us with a list of vendors and his commercial customers. This promotion sold in 3 days and brought in over $3,200. We have sold a lot of these type of promotions including town bicentennials, hospital 100th year celebration; chamber 90th year celebration, reopening of a resort that had been closed for over a year, etc. If anyone is interested in other examples/ samples please email me at [email protected]

   MultiAd is excited to be a part of the Free Community Papers of New York this year! With both Recas and Creative Outlet, we have products that      are custom-designed for small newspapers. We are here to make sure YOUR customers are able to compete with the big box stores.    Creative Outlet is your source for illustrations, photography and spec ad templates designed to make your ads fresh and creative. We offer more than just your traditional art/photo services though. Everything we do in Creative Outlet is designed for both print and online advertising, so you      can successfully use our Royalty-Free material for all of your clients’ needs.

         

     

 

 With one subscription you have access to the best complimentary aspects to help community papers:

- Completed Special Sections (Covers, art and unbiased EDITORIAL content) - Weekly crosswords, horoscopes, other games and more - Online asset management through “My Library”

- Kid’s Page Content - We’ll Create It custom art service - Personal Account Management Team

 Over the last three years, Recas has helped our media clients place over $90 million in co-op advertising dollars across the country.      CO-OP ADVERTISING WORKS!

The all-new Recas.com gives you access to thousands of manufacturer co-op plans along with manufacturer-created content for print and online ads

 that will save time and simplify the approval process. With the right mix of training, we can make sure that your team understands co-op and how      it can help make your newspaper more money.

 Many of you might remember me, but I wanted to share my contact

information with you to make sure you have my direct line for any of    your customer service needs.

SALES 101

Action Power Memo

Joe’s Knows: Your monthly dose of motivation for winners! The Time Is Now by Joe Bonura,CSP Stop Waiting and Start Doing Farmers who wait for perfect conditions never plant, and farmers who watch the clouds never harvest. (Ecclesiastes 11:4) Weather or Not Today we are having some yard work done in our backyard. When I woke up this morning, I checked the weather report that said there was a 70% chance of rain later today. When I looked out the window, I saw the landscaper’s trucks parked in front of my house. The workers were already in the yard beginning the job. When I told the foreman that it was going to rain today, he responded that if he went by the weather report, he would never leave his facility. It is now 12:00 Noon, the work is half done, and I have not seen a drop of rain. Just Begin Conditions will never be perfect for whatever it is you are putting off. The secret to real success is to Just Begin. “Beginning is half done” is a cliche that I like to quote and live by. I have noticed throughout my life that my mood always follows my action. An action is the first step you take in order to begin. Take Five Whenever I am not in the mood to exercise, I tell myself that I am going to “take five.” I tell myself that I will walk on the treadmill for just five minutes, or I will only do five reps of each exercise on my Total Gym. It never fails that after I have walked the first five minutes, I am ready to go for another 25 minutes. After I have completed my five reps, I am ready to go for the next 10 reps. Lie To You To be honest, I never really feel like starting to exercise; however, by mentally lying to myself, I am able to get myself going even when I do not feel like going. The page 12 SPRING 2015

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same is true for making telephone sales calls. I do not feel like making calls. I have developed another trick to get myself going: I lift the phone and call an existing client to talk about his day or to see if there is anything that I can do for him. It is like a warmup exercise with a friendly respondent on the other line. Warm Up Once I make that first call, I get the ball rolling, and I am ready to continue dialing. I have also found that if I just plan to do ten calls in a row after my warm up, the rest of the calls are easy. Give it a try and watch what happens. Routine Routine also helps to shatter the procrastination ceiling. I have developed a routine every morning with our little dog Maggie. I let her out at the same time every morning, and she has now developed the habit of following my routine. I then clean her dishes and feed her at the same time. She likes the routine, and so do I. Think of the consequences if I did not follow a regular routine with her! I would have to clean up a lot of messes around the house. Just like the Fram air filter commercial warned, “Pay me now, or pay me later.” Rain Or Shine Before you clock out tonight, make a list of all the things that you will need to do tomorrow. Pick the top three must-do things on your list. Set a time on your calendar to begin each task. Then first thing tomorrow morning, come rain or shine, . . . BEGIN.

Joe Bonura is the author of the new number one best seller on Amazon’s Kindle, “Throw the Rabbit and get that Job in 30 days or Less.” Check it out at www.throwtherabbitandgetthatjob.com and get seven FREE videos.

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SALES 101

How to Talk About Your Competitors By John Foust, Raleigh, NC

I was talking to Kyle, an advertiser who has been dealing with media representatives for many years. “I can tell a lot about a sales person by what they say about their competitors,” he said. “It is extremely unprofessional to try to make sales points by trashing the other guys. In fact, negative comments reveal more about the critic than they do about the object of their criticism.” On the other hand, Kyle explained, it pays to be positive and diplomatic. “When a sales person shows sincere respect for the competition, that goes a long way toward winning my trust.” Dale Carnegie said, “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain – and most fools do.” Kyle – and a lot of other advertisers – would agree. Here are three points to keep in mind: 1. Do your homework. Average sales people learn everything they can about their products and services. Exceptional sales people go a step further and learn everything they can about their competitors’ products and services. That puts them in a position to speak with authority when they’re making presentations. “Product knowledge is crucial,” Kyle said. “But it’s hard to take a sales person seriously if all they know is their own product. I advertise in more than one place. So when I meet with an ad representative, I want to hear their perceptions on market trends and how their media outlet can help me accomplish my objectives.” 2. Compare, don’t criticize. No one sells in a vacuum. Whether you live in a large metropolitan area or a small rural market, there are competitors for your prospects’ advertising dollars. As a result, the person across the desk is hearing from – or at least thinking about – other advertising alternatives.

If you’ve done your research – on your prospect and on the media choices in your market – you’ll be able to make fair comparisons. “I like presentations that make point-by-point comparisons,” Kyle said. “For example, if your paper reaches a wider range of people in my target audience, show me. If you have different production capabilities, show me. If your web site has unique ways to measure response, show me.” 3. Focus on facts, not opinion. This takes the emotion – much of which could be interpreted as negative – out of your comments. For example, a blatantly opinionated sales person might say something like this about ad rates: “You get what you pay for. Our competitor’s rates are lower than ours. To me, that’s an obvious sign that advertising in our paper is worth more than running ads in theirs.” That kind of remark would be guaranteed to raise a red flag with an advertiser like Kyle. In fact, he might even be tempted to defend the competitor. It’s much better to say something like: “Let’s compare their rates with ours. Although our rates are a little more, let me show you the extra value we offer for your investment.” This fact-based approach will lead you and your prospect to a lower risk, benefits-oriented discussion.

© 2015 by John Foust. All rights reserved. John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. Email for information: [email protected].

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TLI GRADUATION Lake Country Media’s Brad London Is AAE Certified Savannah, Georgia was the site of the recent Association of Free Community Papers’ annual conference where one of FCPNY’s member salespeople was certified for sales excellence. Brad London (2nd from left) of Lake Country Media in Albion was among the 2015 graduating class of The Leadership Institute, joining the ranks of free paper salespeople across the country to receive Accredited Advertising Executive certification. A candidate must successfully complete a minimum of fifteen credit classes and pass a comprehensive exam in order to qualify for the achievement. Brad joined Lake Country in 2010, being honored one year later as FCPNY’s “Sales Rep Rookie of the Year.” Brad has attended state and national conferences for TLI training and has been a consistent participant in FCPNY sales conferences and conference calls. Brad and his wife Tracey have four children. Congratulations, Brad, on earning your certification and for representing FCPNY as one of the best in the business.

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ADMALL CORNER Become AdMall Certified Our friends at AdMall and Sales Development Service (an FCPNY member benefit) continue to strive to help ad sales pros become more successful and more knowledgeable about the marketplace. One way to do that, and to separate yourself from your competitors, is to become AdMall Certified. To learn more, simply login to AdMall with your username and password and then click on the green button at the bottom of the screen frame that rotates through information pertaining to the Learning Center and How-To-Videos and Webinars. AdMall Certification” is on the second tab of the Learning Center page that will open when you click that link. If you need a login to AdMall simply call or email Tom for assistance. (877-275-2726 or [email protected]) The State of Media Sales 2015 In case you missed it, AdMall and their partners have produced an informative report that benchmarks the current state of ad media.

CLICK HERE to access the State of Media Sales 2015.

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3 WAYS TO SLAY EEYORE VAMPIRES By Dr. Joey Faucette Your stomach churns when they walk in the door. Your blood pressure goes up as you see their name on caller id. You groan when their email arrives. Regardless of whether it’s a customer, employee, or boss, they are all the same: negative people at work.

Here are 3 Ways to Slay Eeyore Vampires: Focus like Garlic Begin your day with a dose of high-flavor positivity. Listen to upbeat, positive lyric tunes. Read a litany of positive quotes or a chapter of an encouraging book. You hardwire your brain for success and tap your motivation to achieve the positive regardless of how

They all go by the same name—Eeyore Vampire. “Eeyore” because like the storybook character, “It’ll never work” is their mantra. “Vampire” because once the sun goes down and you leave work, “Eeyore” morphs into mental, dark shadows that suck your time, energy, and attention away from your family and friends. We all have Eeyore Vampires at work. The question is, “How do we deal with them without becoming infected ourselves?”

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many Eeyore Vampires you encounter that day. Eeyore Vampires detest it when you focus. They’re looking for someone to validate their miserable existence. Their lives suck. Just as a little garlic flavors an entire dish, a little positivity leavens your entire day. Mix positivity in your daily attitude as you focus like garlic.

Filter like Holy Water Expect Eeyore Vampires to waltz into your day consistently. Be ready to douse them with filtered holy water.

Filter your encounters by expediting the experience as quickly as possible. Refuse to be held captive. Prevent their pessimistic words and negative attitude from passing through your emotional filter. Trap them. Holy means “set apart.” See yourself as resistant to the bite of negativity, above his/her reach. Water is life-giving instead of life-sucking. Reverse their negative effects. Choose to be impervious to the negativity. Observe the misery without participating. Filter like holy water.

Find a Stake Jim Rohn was correct—you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Got an Eeyore Vampire in that group? Stake her/ him in the heart. Be an active stakeholder in meaningful relationships with positive people. Give positivity to receive it.

3 TIPS.. (CONT.) When you experience an Eeyore Vampire, immediately message or call a positive friend. Drive the negative experience home quickly with your friend. Then move on to relate a counter-balancing Work Positive engagement. Watch as the Eeyore Vampire disappears.

FCPNY BOARD OF DIRECTORS FCPNY is one of the oldest and largest state organizations of free circulation papers. Over the past several years, we have grown to be one of the most active. The members

Sure, we all experience Eeyore Vampires at work.

of our board of directors have donated countless hours to our association, and we take this opportunity to say “thank you” to:

Choose to Work Positive as you focus like garlic, filter like holy water, and find a stake so you can increase your sales with greater productivity and get out of the office earlier to do what you love with those you positively love.

Summary How do you deal with negative people at work? Here are “3

PRESIDENT Randy Shepard*

1ST VICE PRESIDENT David Grayson*

2ND VICE PRESIDENT Bridgette Stewart*

TREASURER Karen Sawicz*

County Shopper, Delhi

LeRoy Pennysaver, LeRoy

The Hi-Lites, Watkins Glen

Lake Country Media, Albion

Ways to Slay Eeyore Vampires” from Dr. Joey Faucette, #1 best-

Dan Alexander Denton Publications, Elizabethtown

selling author of Work Positive in a Negative World. Dr. Joey Faucette is the #1 best-selling author of Work Positive in a Negative World (Entrepreneur Press), Positive Success Coach, & speaker who helps business professionals increase sales with greater productivity so they get out of the office earlier to do what they love with those they love. Discover more at www.GetPositive.Today.

FAREWELL TO MARK COYLE We want to take this opportunity to say good-bye to board member Mark Coyle of the Fredonia Pennysaver as he transitions out of the free paper industry. Mark has accepted a position with a company in the aluminum extrusion manufacturing industry. On behalf of our membership, we thank Mark for his many years of participation and service to our industry and wish the best to him and his family.

James Austin

Bill Brod

Carla Chase

Mark Coyle

Christine Kennedy

Community Papers of Western NY, Cheektowaga; Angola Pennysaver, Angola

Syracuse New Times

Yorktown Pennysaver, Yorktown Heights

Fredonia Pennysaver, Fredonia

Warsaw Penny Saver, Warsaw; Perry Shopper, Perry

CPAN Directors

Jeff Lambert

John Rozeski

Richard Snyder

Steve Harrison

Cheryl Tears

Neighbor Newspapers, Farmingdale

RW Publications, Orchard Park

Snyder Communications, Norwich

Genesee Valley Publications, Avon

The Merchandiser, Clifton Springs

* Also officers and directors of CPAN

imPRESSions

SPRING 2015 page 17

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS By Patronizing Our Associate Members... We Say Thank You for Their Support AdMall/Sales Development Services Inc. Virtual sales assistant for media advertising.

Denise Gibson 600 N. Cleveland Ave., Suite 260 Westerville, OH 43082 Phone: 304-863-6748 Fax: 800-548-4223 [email protected] www.admall.com

ANOCOIL Corp. The largest independent manufacturer of plates in North America. A pioneer in the development and manufacture of digital and analog printing plates for the newspaper and commercial printing markets.

Jay Faulkner 60 E. Main St. P.O. Box 1318 Rockville, CT 06066-1318 Phone: 860-871-1200 [email protected] www.anocoil.com

Barrett Concepts Provides an array of web services and consulting.

Brad Barrett 138 Palm Coast Pkwy., Suite 187 Palm Coast, FL 32137 Phone: 888-567-9483 [email protected] www.barrettconcepts.com

page 18

SPRING 2015 imPRESSions

Bartash Printing, Inc.

CoolerAds.com

JB Multimedia, Inc.

Printer of weekly newspapers, direct mail shoppers and niche publications such as real estate, auto, parenting, boating and more.

Offering Web solutions for community papers.

Displays publications online with an interactive digital edition.

Joe Nicastro 5 Vista Dr. Flanders, NJ 07836 Phone: 973-809-4784 Fax: 240-332-7489 [email protected] www.coolerads.net

Robert Durso P.O. Box 704 N. Bellmore, NY 11710 Phone/Fax: 888-592-3212 [email protected] www.jbmultimedia.net

Eric Roberts 5400 Grays Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19143 Phone: 215-724-1700 Fax: 215-724-3313 [email protected] www.bartash.com

Buffalo News (The) Newspaper printing, commercial sheet fed printing, bindery services, website design, website and search optimization, distribution services, direct mail, TMC and insert printing.

Bryan Carr 1 News Plaza Buffalo, NY 14240 Phone: 716-849-4171 [email protected] www.buffalonews.com

Circulation Verification Council (CVC) Circulation audits and readership studies.

Tim Bingaman 338 S. Kirkwood Rd., Suite 102 St. Louis, MO 63122 Phone: 800-262-6392 Fax: 314-822-0666 [email protected] www.cvcaudit.com

Cribb, Greene & Associates Specializing in brokering, shopper businesses, consulting and appraisals.

John Cribb 7512 Loon Road Helena, MT 59602 Phone: 406-579-2925 [email protected] www.cribb.com

Independent Free Papers of America (IFPA) Community newspaper association of member publications with independent owners.

Gary Rudy, Executive Director 107 Hemlock Dr. Rio Grande, NJ 08242 Phone: 800-441-4372 Fax: 609-889-8359 [email protected] www.ifpa.com

Kamen & Co. Group Services Free distribution newspaper, shopper and magazine appraisers, and broker and management consultants.

Kevin B. Kamen 626 RXR Plaza, West Tower, 6th floor Uniondale, NY 11556 Phone: 516-379-2797 Phone FL Office: 727-786-5930 [email protected] www.kamengroup.com

MediaBids.com Mediabids’ free, online tools allow publications to sell ads in print and digital editions to businesses across the U.S. Additionally, newspapers can run customsized ads from national, direct-response advertisers and get paid for each call the ads generate.

June Peterson 448 Main St. Winsted, CT 06098 Phone: 860-379-9602 Fax: 860-379-9617 [email protected] www.mediabids.com

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Metro Creative Graphics, Inc. The largest and most comprehensive adbuilding, revenue-generating, art and advertising service. Available online at MetroCreativeConnection.com

Gwen Tomaselli 519 Eighth Ave. New York, NY 10018 Phone: 800-223-1600 Fax: 212-967-4602 [email protected] www.metrocreativegraphics.com

MSG Payment Systems

North American Precis Syndicate, Inc. (NAPS) Nationwide distributor of free, noncopyrighted features (health and fitness, home improvement, car care, bridal, holidays, etc.) to newspaper editors.

Gary Lipton 415 Madison Ave., 12th floor New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-309-0107 Fax: 800-440-4329 [email protected] www.napsnet.com

Software Consulting Services, LLC

Trumbull Printing

A 30-year-old plus systems integrator that serves the newspaper business worldwide. Offers newspaper systems for the following prepress areas: ad order entry and accounting, ad dummying and pagination, production and workflow management, editorial and much more. Specializes in software development, systems engineering and integration, technical support and training.

A full-service commercial printer with complete prepress, binding, mailing, inserting and shipping capabilities. Specializing in news-papers, publications, shoppers, catalogs, magazines, directories, coupon books, college course catalogs, business and financial periodicals, freestanding inserts and advertising supplements. Contact us for a free quote.

Phil Curtolo 630 Municipal Dr., Suite 420 Nazareth, PA 18064 Phone: 610-746-7700 Fax: 610-746-7900 [email protected] www.newspapersystems.com

Comprehensive menu of payment systems, including credit and debit card processing; eCommerce; recurring payments; ACH/eCheck processing; mobile payments; payroll; Customer Information Manager; and more.

Penny Lane Promotional Products

Paul Huntley 10555 New York Ave., Suite 101 Urbandale, IA 50322 Phone: 888-697-8831 Fax: 515-334-7461 [email protected] www.msgpay.com

Lorie Browne 1471 Rt. 15 Avon, NY 14414 Phone: 585-226-3103 [email protected] www.pennylanepromo.com

Standard Rate & Data Service (SRDS)

Saturation Mailers Coalition (SMC)

David Crawford 1451 Millmoore Terrace Dacula, GA 30019 Phone: 770-614-0588 Fax: 847-375-4606 [email protected] www.srds.com

MultiAd Providing virtually everything needed to create and sell retail, classified and co-op advertising. The industry’s largest selection of art, ads, photographs and more.

Mary Armstrong 1720 West Detweiller Dr. Peoria, IL 61615 Phone: 800-245-9278, ext. 5324 Fax: 309-690-5989 [email protected] www.multiad.com

An advertising specialty service with over 300,000 products available to display your company logo, including brand-name clothing embroidered or screened.

SMC represents saturation mailers— including free papers, shared mailers, and coupon envelope mailers—that share a common interest in maintaining fair and reasonable postal rates and regulations.

Connects publishers with media decision makers all day, everyday. SRDS.com has powerful functionality to help buyers select markets and newspapers in which to place their advertising dollars.

Gustave C. Semon 205 Spring Hill Rd. Trumbull, CT 06611 Phone: 203-261-2548 Fax: 203-261-8310 [email protected] www.trumbullprinting.com

WorldPay Your trusted partner in payments processing for over 20 years, enabling businesses of all sizes to accept payments securely and quickly to help them make the sale.

Jennifer Hendrix 3613 Watervale Rd. Manlius, NY 13104 Phone: 315-723-9928 Fax: 855-266-6740 [email protected] www.worldpay.us

Donna Hanbery 33 South 6th St., Suite 4160 Minneapolis, MN 55402 Phone: 612-340-9350 Fax: 612-340-9446 [email protected]

imPRESSions

SPRING 2015 page 19

LEGALESE By Nick Fiorenza FERRARA, FIORENZA, LARRISON, BARRETT & REITZ Disciplining Employee Who Complains about Wages/Hours may be Unlawful Retaliation, Federal Appeals Court Rules A federal appeals court in

disciplinary action taken against employees

for unlawful retaliation have done more than

New York has ruled that if

who filed formal written complaints with

voice a wage/hour complaint to a supervisor.

an employer disciplines an

a government agency. The new decision

Specifically, the court had held that a complaint

employee for complaining

necessitates that employers review their

must be: 1) in writing and 2) filed with a

(to that employer or one

policies/practices to ensure that they have clear

government agency. (See Lambert v. Genesee

of its supervisors) about

rules for receiving and processing employee

Hospital, 10 F.3d 46 (2d Cir. 1993).)

a suspected wage or

wage/hour complaints.

hour violation under the federal Fair Labor

This interpretation was called into question

Standards Act (FLSA), the employer will be

FLSA Anti-Retaliation Law and Prior

in 2011 when the U.S. Supreme Court held

liable for unlawful retaliation under that

Interpretations

that the section’s pivotal phrase —“filed any

law. (Greathouse v. JHS Sec. Inc., --- F.3d

complaint”—encompasses oral as well as

---- (2d Cir. April 20, 2015).) For example, if

The FLSA regulates wage rates, overtime pay

written complaints, so long as the complaint

an organization were to discharge one of its

and hours of work. Its anti-retaliation provision

is “sufficiently clear and detailed for a

employees for complaining to a supervisor that

forbids an employer from “discharg[ing] or in

reasonable employer to understand it, in light

he/she was not receiving properly-calculated

any other manner discriminat[ing] against any

of both content and context, as an assertion

overtime payments, the new ruling would

employee because such employee has filed any

of rights protected by the statute and a call

find the organization liable for retaliation

complaint … under or related to this [law]....”

for their protection.” (Kasten v. Saint–Gobain

(regardless of whether the overtime payments

(29 U.S.C. § 215(a)(3) (emphasis added).) Prior

Performance Plastics Corp., ––– U.S. ––––,

were actually properly calculated). This is a

to its ruling in Greathouse, the Second Circuit

131 S.Ct. 1325, 1335 (2011).) However, the

reversal of the court’s prior rulings that only

Court of Appeals had read this provision to

Supreme Court refrained from addressing

applied the FLSA’s anti-retaliation section to

require that an employee pursuing a claim

page 20 SPRING 2015

imPRESSions

LEGALESE (CONT.) whether the complaint must be directed to a

him in retaliation for his complaint, thereby

government agency or merely to a supervisor

violating section 215(a)(3).

employee is asserting his/her FLSA rights. Bottom Line for Employers in New York

of the employer. Internal Employee Complaints Must Clearly New Case Involves Oral Complaint

Notify Employer of FLSA Issue

to Supervisor In Greathouse, the plaintiff (Darnell

Based on this, employers should review their policies and practices to ensure that they have

In reaching its decision, the Second Circuit

clearly-defined procedures for their employees

noted that:

to bring any complaints about wages/hours

Greathouse) worked as a security guard

and that those procedures are plainly communi-

for defendant JHS Security Inc. (“JHS”).

“Prohibiting retaliation against employees who

cated to employees. The procedures should

During the course of his employment

make internal complaints furthers the purposes

state which supervisors are authorized by

with JHS, Greathouse was the victim of a

of FLSA by encouraging speedier and more

the organization to receive, investigate and

number of improper employment practices,

efficient resolution of employee grievances,

resolve those complaints. Having such well-

including non-payment and late payment

and resolving FLSA-related issues before

communicated standards in your organization

of wages, and improper payroll deductions.

employees have lost significant wages or

could lead to fewer payroll mistakes as well

Although a company supervisor repeatedly

other benefits.”

as reduce the potential for an FLSA-retaliation

told Greathouse that he would receive his

complaint.

outstanding paychecks, those checks never

This led the Court to its ultimate conclusion

arrived. Ultimately, in late 2011, Greathouse

that, “[t]he protective purpose of FLSA …

The Ferrara Fiorenza Law Firm has been assisting

complained to the supervisor that he had not

counsels unmistakably in favor of adopting

employers in effectively addressing such issues for many

been paid in several months. The supervisor

a reading of the statutory phrase ‘filed any

responded, “I’ll pay you when I feel like it,”

complaint’ that includes lodging an internal

and, without warning, drew a gun and pointed

complaint with an employer.” However, the

it at Greathouse. Greathouse understood that

Court clarified that a “grumble in the hallway

response as ending his employment with JHS.

about an employer’s payroll practice” would

About two weeks later, Greathouse sued JHS

not qualify for FLSA-retaliation protection. The

charging that it had effectively discharged

Court stated that even an oral complaint must

years. If you have any questions regarding this or any other labor/employment law matters, please feel free to contact Nick by email at [email protected] or by phone at 315-437-7600.

clearly put the employer on notice that the

imPRESSions

SPRING 2015 page 21

SMC UPDATE By Donna E. Hanbery, SATURATION MAILERS COALITION Dear SMC Members:

The top two “wish lists” on Brennan’s list are

Brennan’s approach may get further with

areas where the mailing industry and labor

Congress where prior reform efforts have

On Friday, March 6, Me-

may be able to find broad agreement. Num-

failed to pass both Houses.

gan Brennan was officially

ber one is the elimination of the pre-funding

sworn in as the first fe-

of retiree health care benefits. She stated

As an association leader, I have had an

male Postmaster General

“if we are able to eliminate that onerous an-

opportunity to participate in monthly or

for the United States Postal Service. Shortly

nual pre-funding requirement it frankly gives

bi-monthly meetings with other association

after this swearing in ceremony, Megan sat

us some breathing space to talk about the

leaders and the PMG and executive staff. For

down with a small group of reporters to

issues.”

several years mailer associations have been

outline her approach to Congressional legisla-

urging the Postal Service to focus on the top

tion and the need for reform. In Washington,

A second priority would be the establishment

two to five agenda items where the industry

PMG Brennan is talking much more about

of a separate Postal Service health plan that

and the Postal Service can find consensus.

working on consensus, and a smaller ap-

could be integrated with Medicare. Under

We can be optimistic that Megan Brennan

proach to a reform bill, than the prior Postal

current law, Postal Service employees pay

is focusing on the big money, broad support

Service position seeking an “all or nothing”

Medicare taxes but do not participate in

items, that could form a basis for consensus

approach to approval of the Postal Service’s

Medicare Parts A, B and D. A recent white

reform legislation.

full business plan.

paper by the Office of Inspector General showed that the integration of Medicare with USPS

Donna E. Hanbery

Brennan said “my approach with our key

retiree health care plans would immediately

Saturation Mailers Coalition

stakeholders is to sit down and have a con-

reduce Postal Service liabilities by almost $43B.

33 South Sixth Street, Suite 4160

structive dialogue about the provisions of a

Minneapolis, MN 55402

bill that we can agree on.” With the Postal

Brennan refrained from commenting about

(612) 340-9350/Direct Dial

Service in negotiations with two of its unions,

a move to 5-day delivery or reductions in

(612) 340-9446/Fax

Brennan is focusing on efforts to get support

the workforce. On these more controversial

from key stakeholders.

issues, she simply stated that these are provisions that need to be discussed with key stakeholders.

page 22 SPRING 2015

imPRESSions

POSTAL PRICES APPROVED By Donna E. Hanbery, SATURATION MAILERS COALITION On May 7, 2015, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) approved the USPS amended prices for Standard Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services to be implemented on May 31, 2015. The PRC had previously approved the January 15, 2015 filing of the USPS to adjust First Class Mail and special service prices to reflect increases in the CPI.

Download the rate sheet >>

Overall, the price changes for free papers that use Saturation Mail either with the Commercial EDDM (simplified) format or with an address remained very close, or just under, the overall CPI rate adjustment of 1.966%. The rate increase for heavier pieces, mailed at the pound rate, was closer to 1%. For EDDM Retail, the rate increase was higher with an increase of almost 5% bringing the single piece retail rate to 18.34. For the Postal Service, the third attempt at filing proposed Standard, Periodical, and Parcel service rates proved “the charm.” After two separate PRC orders finding legal deficiencies in the Postal Service filing, the PRC found the last round of rate adjustments, filed on April 16, 2015, were consistent with the law by fit-

ting within the CPI price cap, on a class basis, provided for work share discounts that did not exceed limitations on discounts (or fall into one of the work share discount limitations) and that proposed classification changes were consistent with applicable law and regulations.

Mail and Periodicals, several major changes in preparation, including the creation of new regulation and pricing classification for FSS mail, and separate prices for Periodical and Standard Mail flats that are entered on 5-digit pallets of carrier route bundles, were approved.

The PRC order also approved the application of 2015 promotions as they will apply to Standard Mail. Two of the promotions, Advanced and Emerging Technologies Promotion (June 1 November 30) and Mail Drive Mobile Engagement Promotion (July 1 - December 31) had been approved previously for First Class Mail. The Advanced and Emerging Technologies Promotion had been scheduled to begin in May 2015. With the delay in obtaining final approval of its entire pricing proposal, the USPS postponed the implementation of all rate changes from April 26, 2015 until May 31, 2015. It also pushed back the beginning and ending timetable for the Advance and Emerging Technologies Promotion to give mailers the benefit of the full six month promotion schedule.

The chart that accompanies this article, provided with thanks to PostCom and its rate and regulation expert Postal Consulting Services, Inc., shows the current rates, the new CPI increase rates, and the percentage increase by product.

On May 4, 2015, the USPS published its final Federal Register Rules outlining changes in regulations that would accompany the pricing change. For mailers of ECR Saturation letters and flats there were not many significant changes in regulations. For mailers of Standard

As of May 11, 2015, the Court of Appeals had not yet issued a decision on the exigency appeal. Under the December 24, 2013 PRC Order concerning the 4.3% exigency surcharge, the Postal Service must rollback its postal rates to remove the 4.3% surcharge when it has recouped the revenues the PRC found the USPS lost “due to” the Great Recession. Under PRC Orders, the USPS is to begin filing bi-weekly financials shortly before it has recouped the lost revenue limit so that mailers can plan for the next price change. The PRC decision, and the USPS filing, included the reduced, rollback rates, that would go into effect sometime later this summer if the DC Court Appeals upholds the PRC order. It appears this rollback could occur sometime in August or September based on USPS financials to date.

imPRESSions

SPRING 2015 page 23

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