Laura Elder

GALVESTON – Laura Elder has been named managing editor of The Galveston County Daily News.

In her new role, Elder will directly supervise the newspaper’s reporters and assist the editor in planning and managing special news projects such as investigative and enterprise articles. She will continue editing Coast Monthly magazine, the newspaper’s business pages, its League City and Clear Lake Connection publications and continue to report and write Biz Buzz.

Donald Mace Williams, former owner and publisher of The Miami Chief, announced the publication of his newest book, “The Sparrow and the Hall.”

Williams and his wife, Nell Osborne Williams, owned and published The Miami Chief in Roberts County during the early 1980s. After working on newspapers for 12 years, Williams returned to college to finish his bachelor’s degree and went on to get a Ph.D. from the University of Texas. He is the author of two nonfiction books, another novel, and a single-poem chapbook, “Wolfe,” which is a retelling of the Beowulf story.

Welcome Patty Gardner

Texas Press Advertising Sales Manager

Contact Patty at  (512) 477-6755 or pgardner@texaspress.com

Scott Wesner and Scott Wood have purchased the Coleman Chronicle & Democrat-Voice in a transaction which included colemannews.com and Coleman Pack & Ship.

“We’re really excited to be the new owners of the Chronicle & DV,” Wood said. “We’re looking forward to being involved with such a wonderful community.

Publisher Evan Autry, whose great-grandparents started the Chronicle in 1933, announced the change in a Dec. 2 newspaper column. 

The deadline for filing your Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (PS Form 3526) with the U.S. Postal Service is October 1 of each year. The filing and publication of this form is a requirement for maintaining Periodicals mailing privileges. Dailies must publish a completed copy of this form in their newspaper by October 10, and non-dailies by October 31.
USPS has revised PS form 3526. The new form has a July 2014 date at the very bottom of the form. The ability to claim electronic subscribers has been incorporated into the new form. PS Form 3526x (worksheet) is no longer necessary. Completing the form the last two years was confusing, especially having to use the worksheet. The new form is more straight forward and easier to complete.
PS Form 3526 is a three page form with a fourth page of instructions. Page one has not changed, and includes information on ownership and management. Page two will look familiar. The figures on this page relate only to print copies. Page three is for claiming Paid Electronic Copies. The entries there are very straight forward. Claiming electronic paid subscribers is voluntary. If you choose to not claim electronic copies, page three has a box to certify that at least 50% of all distributed copies are paid for above a nominal price, and a signature section.
There are specific requirements as to what defines a paid electronic subscriber. A print subscriber that is given free access to your electronic version is not a paid electronic subscriber. A paid electronic subscriber must pay a separate subscription rate that you have established for electronic subscribers. You are allowed to offer discounts to this rate but there are limitations.
Additionally, reporting less than 60% total paid subscribers on your Statement of Ownership could trigger a USPS circulation audit to verify your Periodicals eligibility. Also, at least 40% of your paid circulation must consist of printed copies.
An interactive template of the PS Form 3526 is available on the Texas Press Association website under Statement of Ownership in the dropdown menu under the tab Other Services. If you are submitting your Statement of Ownership through PostalOne, the new form should be there.
Please fax or mail a completed copy of you Statement of Ownership to the Texas Press Association office. Fax number is 512-477-6759. Mailing address is 305 S. Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78704. If you have any questions please contact TPA Periodicals Consultant Joel Allis at jallis@texaspress.com or at 512-585-6239.

Finding the massive (and growing) online clearinghouse for public notices just got easier, thanks to an attractive new "doorway" interactive graphic. Click here to view the instructions and download the graphic.
Your newspaper's website visitors need only click the doorway graphic to find the searchable database of public notices — at texaslegalnotices.com — that yours and hundreds of other Texas newspapers upload on a daily, weekly or semiweekly basis.
This convenient way for readers to tap into required notices that local and state governmental bodies place can boost readership while providing a powerful augmentation to the classified- and display-style notices that newspapers publish in print. Plus, it's a pleasing and effective way to draw more readers to websites, with very little effort.
Demand for this kind of feature on websites is rooted in an array of current market conditions. First, non-newspaper lobbying organizations, over the last decade, have pushed members and committees of the Texas Legislature to remove printed public notice requirements in state law in favor of placing those notices on governmental bodies' websites, or on private and even out-of-state websites.

Members of the West Texas Press Association traveled to Decatur for the association’s 83rd annual convention, July 18-20, at the Hampton Inn & Suites with meetings at Decatur Civic Center. 

One of the highlights of the event was the presentation of the Harold Hudson Memorial Award to Marshall Day, publisher of The Gatesville Messenger. The award is presented annually to an outstanding member for his or her commitment to their community and the newspaper profession in West Texas.

Day began his newspaper career as a sports reporter for the Hereford Brand and later served as publisher in Seminole and Edna before taking his current position in Gatesville. He is a past president of WTPA, the Texas Press Association and the North & East Texas Press Association.  He was honored with the WTPA Dewane Kelly Memorial “Friend of the Newspaper” Award in 2008.

New officers and directors were also elected by the membership. To serve in 2013-14 are Mark Engebretson, Lake Country Sun (Graford), Chairman of the Board; Lisa Davis, Wise County Messenger (Decatur), President; Mindi Kimbro, Olney Enterprise, First Vice President; Carlina Villalpando, Kerrville Daily Times, Second Vice President; and Mary Dudley, The Perryton Herald, Secretary-Treasurer.