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Your connection to industry & member news | Oct. 23, 2025
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Executive Committee will meet Nov. 7 to review membership applicationsSCPA has received the following applications for membership, which will be reviewed by the Executive Committee on Nov. 7.
Applications for Monthly Newspaper Membership:
- The Black Voice, a free distribution monthly newspaper in North Charleston. Published by a board including Beverly Gadson-Birch, president; Verna Green, secretary; and Carla Singletary, vice president.
- North Strand News, a free distribution monthly newspaper in North Myrtle Beach. Part of the Waccamaw Publishers Inc./My Horry News group. Stephen Robertson is publisher and Andrew Brown is editor-in-chief.
Application for Online Publication Membership:
- What's Up News! - Based out of Taylors, this online news publication serves the Upstate. Charles Reams is publisher and executive editor. Jackie Reams is the site's editor.
Applications for Associate Membership:
Applications for Individual Membership:
- August Krickel, freelance writer based in Columbia
- Parks Rogers, USC School of Journalism Baldwin Business Fellow, Columbia
- Kim Sherwood, based in Landrum, manages a Facebook page that shares info about local and state government issues.
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Robyn Tomlin named executive director of the American Press Institute
Editor’s Note: During her time as executive editor at The News & Observer, Tomlin served as Southeast regional editor for McClatchy, overseeing five S.C. newsrooms including The State, The Island Packet, The Herald, The Sun News and The Beaufort Gazette.
Veteran journalist Robyn Tomlin has been named the American Press Institute’s next executive director. Tomlin, who will start Dec. 1, will lead API’s work to accelerate innovation, sustainability and trust in local news.
Tomlin joins API after more than three decades in journalism and media leadership, most recently serving as chief news and membership officer at McClatchy, where she managed editorial and audience strategy across 30 local news organizations, including The Miami Herald and The Kansas City Star. She previously held senior leadership roles at The News & Observer, The Dallas Morning News, Pew Research Center, Digital First Media and The New York Times Regional Media Group.
“This is a pivotal moment for journalism,” Tomlin said. “As local news organizations continue to transform how they serve their communities, API’s role as the industry’s solutions lab — turning research and experimentation into practical training and tools — has never been more vital. I’m honored to help lead this next chapter and support the journalists and business leaders building a more resilient, trusted future for local news.”
From American Press Institute | Read more
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|  | Jane Pigg, owner of The Link, presented a special recognition to the Town of Cheraw and Cheraw Arts Commission at the Oct. 14 council meeting. The presentation features S.C. Press Association First Place PALMY Advertising Award in the Events/Entertainment category for the 2024 South Carolina Jazz Festival. Arts Commission Director Lindsay Bennett accepted the award on behalf of the commission, calling it “a reflection of the town’s continued investment in arts and culture.”
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Postal Service delays are making the already tight newspaper business even harder
In late September, a man walked into the office of Jill Friesz, the owner of a newspaper publishing company in North Dakota, in a rage. “He was telling me he was tired of my excuses and that he may as well just quit subscribing to the paper,” said Friesz, whose company, GS Publishing, operates seven weekly newspapers across the southwestern part of the state.
Friesz was surprised by all the “swearing and hollering,” but not the emotion: like many subscribers, the visitor was upset because his paper never seemed to show up on time. “I have so many frustrated people that call and just say, ‘Well, there’s no point in me getting the newspaper because it never gets delivered to me,’” Friesz said.
The problem, according to Friesz and a half dozen other newspaper publishers, editors, and trade association members who spoke to CJR, is significant delays by the US Postal Service, leading to weekly papers arriving at the homes of subscribers as late as nine weeks. Weekly papers have struggled with postal delays for years, but publishers say that recently it has gotten notably worse. In 2014, periodicals were scheduled to be delivered within three days, according to a GAO report, which found that up to a quarter of them were delivered late. This delivery range for periodicals was later increased to up to nine days, and in 2021, a new cost-cutting initiative called “Delivering for America” resulted in the closure of distribution centers across the country, exacerbating the problem.
By Riddhi Setty, Columbia Journalism Review | Read more
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Data insights on news sustainability from FT Strategies
Newsrooms can’t serve their communities with trusted local news if they can’t sustain their business. In an environment where audience pathways to news are changing quickly, traditional revenue models are disrupted and AI creates both new opportunities and threats, it’s essential for news leaders to understand what truly drives success.
FT Strategies, in partnership with Google News Initiative, has analyzed data from over 400 publishers in more than 50 countries, including LMA member newsrooms and other local organizations within the United States. FT Strategies defines sustainability around an organization’s long-term journalistic mission, underpinned by financial resilience and stability. This involves a strong value exchange with the audience, robust foundational elements (people, process, technology) and adaptability within market contexts.
George Edelman, director of partnerships at FT Strategies, shared five key takeaways from the data as part of LMA’s annual conference LMA Fest in August.
By Frank Mungeam, Local Media Association | Read more
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By John Foust Advertising Trainer
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| There’s no such person as 'occupant'
During my freshman year in college, one of my friends wrote a letter home to his parents and addressed it to “Occupants.” In my immature 18-year old brain, I thought that was a cool idea, so I addressed my next letter to my family to “Occupants.”
Bad idea.
My parents didn’t get mad, they just told me it wasn’t a smart thing to do. As a result, that was the first and only time I sent snail mail to an unnamed recipient. Later on, in one of my advertising courses, I learned about direct mail, as well as the other forms of advertising. Of course, we all know the importance of making advertising messages as personal as possible. In direct mail, a name in the address and even in the copy can make a difference. A person’s name is considered the most personal identifier of all.
Dale Carnegie, in his iconic book “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” wrote, “Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”
Our names are near and dear to us. We don’t like it when someone calls us by the wrong name, shortens our name or gives us a nickname without our consent. I used to know someone who called everybody “Bud.” Maybe he felt like it relieved the pressure of remembering names. But in reality, it was lazy and disrespectful. Read more
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