Brainstorming in Boston p.

By: Editorial Staff

The nation's newspaper publishers will descend on

Beantown April 25-28 to discuss their industry's future

""GETTING BACK TO the Future"" is the theme of this year's Newspaper Association of America annual convention, to be held at the Marriott Copley Place and Westin Hotel Copley Place in Boston April 25-28.

""This convention emphasizes a range of core concerns from literacy, diversity and public policy to a new marketing and communications strategy for the industry,"" outgoing NAA chairman Frank Bennack says in the convention program's welcome to attendees.

Bennack will be succeeded as NAA chairman during the convention by Donald E. Newhouse, president of Advance Publications Inc. on New York's Staten Island.

""We'll also embark on a unique exploration of both the opportunities and threats posed by tomorrow's ? and today's ? technology,"" added Bennack, who is president and chief executive officer of the Hearst Corp.

""While the overall economy may appear to be improving, newspapers face an increasingly competitive marketplace and will flourish only if we continue to concentrate on bold, innovative strategies,"" he said.

President Bill Clinton is scheduled to address the convention on Sunday, April 25, at 4 p.m. in the Marriott's Grand Ballroom. Attendees must be seated by 3:45; no one may enter after the president arrives.

A special session, ""Big Ideas for Small Newspapers,"" will be held at 8:30 a.m. the same day. Attendees at this session will share ideas for generating revenue, containing costs and starting new products for newspapers under 75,000 circulation.

Monday, April 26

""Early-bird"" workshops will be held each day, with the first Monday beginning at 7 a.m.

Promotion and event marketing, single-copy sales and newspaper unions will be the topics of Monday's concurrent sessions.

A reception sponsored by Editor & Publisher will be held at 7:30 a.m.

Outgoing chairman Bennack will deliver the convention's keynote address at an 8 a.m. breakfast session Monday, followed by a report from Cathleen Black, president and chief executive officer of the NAA.

The NAA annual business meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. and the Associated Press will conduct its annual meeting at 10 a.m.

AP's former Middle East bureau chief Terry Anderson will address the AP session, and a panel of AP correspondents will discuss President Clinton's first 100 days in office.

Rep. Thomas Foley (D-Wash.), speaker of the House of Representatives, will also speak at the AP luncheon.

Two general sessions will be held Monday afternoon. ""Literacy: Reading Is Our Future"" will be held at 3, followed by a panel on public policy at 4, when telecommunication and recycling issues will be discussed.

Tuesday, April 27

Concurrent early-bird workshops will begin at 7 a.m. One will focus on classified advertising, specifically how newspaper classified sections can combat competition from ""homes"" magazines and how they can liven up private-party ads.

Other workshops will discuss recycling prospects and postal savings opportunities.

The remainder of the day will be spent at Harvard University, where university professors will address an assortment of issues of relevance to newspapers and to society.

Beginning at 9 a.m., Harvard president Neil Rudenstine and Radcliffe College president Linda Wilson will address attendees.

Beginning at 10:15 a.m., publishers will get to choose from four ""classes"" to attend. Black-Jewish relations, youth and moral energy, management and diversity, and strategy for competitive business environment will be the topics.

At 11:30 a.m., classes on health-care reform and the economy will be offered. (continues)

John Kenneth Galbraith will address a 12:45 p.m. class on the Clinton administration and the world economy. A second class at that time will cover the power of language in school reform.

Three 2 p.m. classes include one on religious pluralism, one entitled ""Competitive Advantages of Nations, States and Cities,"" and another called ""From Baseball to Botany: A conversation with Tom Winship,"" former Boston Globe editor. Winship is currently associated with the Center for Foreign Journalists and writes a monthly column for E&P (see Page 24 of this issue).

Attorney and professor of law Alan Dershowitz will address a 3 p.m. general session, ""Journalistic Ethics and the First Amendment.""

Wednesday, April 28

Early-bird concurrent sessions Wednesday will focus on grocery and direct-mail advertising and making the workplace safe and accessible to all.

An 8 a.m. general session on newspaper diversity will be held, followed by an 8:45 a.m. NAA marketing and communications strategy session. A general session on retailing featuring the co-chairman of Nordstrom will commence at 9:45 a.m., and a general session on newspapers and new technology will be held at 10:30 a.m.

The convention will conclude with a luncheon, at which former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger will speak. NAA had originally invited Clinton to speak at the Tuesday or Wednesday luncheons, but he had scheduling conflicts and could address the conference only on Sunday.nE&P

?Photo provided by the Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau

?Boston Harbor

?Attorney Alan Dershowitz is to address publishers on ""Journalistic Ethics and the First Amendment.""