When was the last time you called your own phone system? If you don’t remember, now is the time to make that call. Literally, stop reading right now and call your own main number—not somebody’s office, call the one that rings to your auto attendant. more

Every single sales call with an advertiser is valuable. So valuable that you do not want to waste time asking questions that will not help you close the deal. After 30 years of selling and marketing media, I find that you have three to five questions and that is about it on every sales call. more

Recently, my name popped up on Google Alerts, a rare event these days. The reason was that Editor & Publisher columnist John Newby had been kind enough to recall my observation made 15 years ago, “How do you acquire a small local newspaper? Buy a large one and wait five years.” It was funny once, but some of us don’t have memories as good as John’s. more

As editor-in-chief, I’m proud of every E&P issue we put out, but I’m particularly proud of this month’s issue, where we highlight 10 Women to Watch. Selected by our editorial staff, we focused on accomplished women from different backgrounds working at various news organizations and platforms. more

The light at the end of the pandemic tunnel continues to get brighter. Everyday more and more people get vaccinated, while most of the nastier metrics of COVID-19 continue to decline. The coronavirus pandemic has been both a boon for journalism and the most disruptive event in more than 100 years. more

The time has come to expand our footprint outside of traditional journalism and information realm and into a total market is our playground approach. Providing non-journalism and informational products is a must. more

The most crucial thing a newsroom can have is transparency, balance, accuracy, and practical steps to respond to public concerns and complaints. Newsroom ombudsmen are the channel newsrooms can have to create credibility and two-way communication between the mainstream media and the public. more

Last month, Washingtonian CEO Cathy Merrill wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post originally titled “As a CEO, I want my employees to understand the risks of not returning to work in the office,” where she discussed the disadvantages if employees chose to continue to work from home. more

While managing different companies over the years, I learned a few tricks with onboarding new employees. One of my favorites could help a lot of people in the coming months. more

Around every corner is a new digital media marketing option: OTT, audio/podcasting, CCT, video, and more. These new marketing technology ideas are awesome, but as salespeople, we often have new marketing solutions dropped on us and we are expected to work our sales magic. more

On the day I’m sitting down to write this column, the center story on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer (where I work) is a long enterprise piece exploring how the COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder for struggling workers across the region fighting for stronger work protections. more

It may seem impossible after dealing with the pandemic for so long, but we are finally on the cusp of the world reopening. There’s some variance depending on where you are, your vaccination rates, and other important factors, but the overall trend is that we're certainly inching closer to a post-pandemic world. more

All research points to a buying bump that is set to occur soon. We are seeing citizens getting back to some level of normalcy. Many buying habits will soon come back into play. Yet, our advertisers are still throwing us the same COVID-based objections. Do they not want to get back to business? Why is it so hard for them to grasp that advertising starts the process to get customers back in the door? more

Over my years in the news media industry, I have often been accused of not being a traditional thinker and spending too much time outside the proverbial box of traditional ideas and strategies. I will confess I take this accusation as a badge of honor and must ask, “How are those traditional ideas working for us these days?” more

Alexi McCammond’s resignation is a missed opportunity to encourage growth and change. While McCammond’s past tweets are completely unacceptable, it is not right to allow things she said in 2011 to end her career, one which is focused on uplifting people. By apologizing for her words and actively addressing the harm that was caused, McCammond and Teen Vogue would promote the idea that change is possible. more

After more than 12 months of getting by in a pandemic, I think it’s fair to say that we’ve all learned a lot. We’ve all but made it through one of the biggest business disruptions in contemporary history, and that has required a lot of adaptation and flexibility from all of us. more

When asked what the most critical component of their business model is, I believe most news media executives will indicate that their audience is what sets them apart. That makes perfect sense as our audience is the foundation upon which all other aspects such as advertising (both traditional and digital), editorial, events and so forth rest upon... more

Even in the age of social media, The New York Times boasted a few years back that they receive hundreds of letters a day, spread across the gamut of society, all addressed to the same person: “To the Editor.” Newspapers have been publishing letters to the editors for nearly 300 years, allowing readers a safe space to vent and opine about the news of the day. more

Objection handling is a skill that every media salesperson must master. Amidst selling during this global pandemic, objection handling has taken a little bit of a different twist. Having worked with almost 30,000 salespeople around the globe, I would say that objection handling is a skill that most salespeople think they have mastered, but most fail when they are put on the spot. more

This is a situation best handled on a case-by-case basis by the editors of the newsroom. They are in the best position to know the importance and relation of a crime story to their community. Crime stories about minors, minor crimes and victimless crimes such as drug possession are cases where it may be appropriate to unpublish or modify the articles to conceal the identity of the defendant. more