The annual awards competition of the International Newspaper Marketing Association is divided into two broad genres: "Use of a Medium In Marketing Newspapers," which rewards creative use of various marketing media, and "Customers and Audiences," which rewards the overall effectiveness of multimedia campaigns. This year, the latter genre includes a new category, "Promotion of the Newspaper As An Advertising Medium," which is open to newspapers, advertising agencies, media buyers, and press associations. The contest deadline is Jan. 24; the awards will be presented at the INMA World Congress, from April 5-7, 2006 in Chicago.

Continue ReadingINMA Newspaper Marketing Awards Add New Category

Amy Gill's primary responsibility will be the association's aan.org Web site. She comes to AAN from the Gulf Restoration Network, an environmental advocacy nonprofit where she had been the director of operations. She was also previously a staff writer at Impact News/Southern Voice, a New Orleans-based GLBT weekly.

Continue ReadingAAN Hires New Assistant Editor

A 33 percent increase in the monthly traffic count enabled AAN's collaborative news site to pass the quarter-million mark in unique visitors. AltWeeklies.com traffic has increased exponentially since April, when the number of unique visitors was less than 10,000. Most of that growth has come from AAN members who run AltWeeklies.com teasers, which have also increased traffic on their own sites.

Continue ReadingAltWeeklies.com’s September Traffic Surpasses 250,000

This year AAN put out no ordinary awards book. Among the honored first-place entries is a Pulitzer Prize-winning story by Willamette Week's Nigel Jaquiss. "Best AltWeekly Writing and Design 2005" offers a wide selection of riveting reading, produced by some seasoned writers and others just beginning to make their mark. The bookstore-quality volume is designed to reach a wider audience than ever.

Continue ReadingAltWeekly Awards Book Released

Yeah, the hotel elevators were slow and some of the speakers rambled. But according to the results of an online survey, AAN members overwhelmingly considered this year's convention in San Diego an overall success -- thanks largely to informative seminars and lively parties like the one pictured above. Here's a rundown of members' responses.

Continue ReadingSurvey Says: 2005 AAN Convention a Success