Seattle Times picks Eidos for front-end

The Seattle Times said it intends to adopt EidosMedia’s Methode editorial and publishing software to produce its print and online editions.

The daily — the first U.S. publisher to implement Methode — plans to begin the rollout late this year, with completion slated for the first quarter 2009, according to newsroom IT manager Greg Anderson.

“Methode has a channel-neutral approach and it allows you to view content in different channels,” he said. “I can take a 20-inch story, for example, and view what it would look like in print and then switch my filter (or channel) to view what it would look like if I sent it out as an SMS text message, from 20 inches down to a paragraph, or I can view what it would look like on the Web. You’re able to switch back and forth.”

The new platform replaces the publisher’s current CCI Europe and will serve about 250 users at The Times’ Seattle headquarters.

Look for the full story on The Times’ deployment of Methode in the March issue of Newspapers & Technology.

 

CGI to debut UV ink injector

Controls Group Inc. this month will introduce a device that could open the door for newspapers with ink injection-equipped presses to use UV inks as part of their printing operations.

The patent-pending device, called a UV Extruder, uses a pumping process and materials that eliminate the chance that the UV ink will react before being placed on the web, according to Rick Atwater, CGI president.

Atwater said CGI has been working on the extruder for the past two years to help newspapers with digital ink injection systems to deploy UV inks.

Atwater said the extruder will cost about 20 percent more than standard digital inking systems, but can be installed on any single or doublewide press that uses digital inking.

“It doesn’t use the classic method of propelling ink, but it can be used just like every other digital pump,” he said.

Atwater said the extruder is modular and allows users to clean the fountain portion without taking it all apart.

It also shares electronics with CGI’s existing digital inking systems, which means newspapers can easily swap out a standard system for a UV one. The extruder can also be meshed with the majority of press control systems, Atwater said.

CGI will showcase the extruder at this month’s Metro Users Group conference in Orange County, Calif.

ArcWest gets Grand Junction project

ArcWest Architects Inc. has been handed the architectural and engineering contract to oversee work on a new production plant and office for The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, Colo.

The Cox Newspapers Inc.-owned paper in January said it would build a $35 million, 83,000-square-foot building to house new production equipment and administrative and editorial offices.

“We’re very excited,” said ArcWest partner Kevin H. Anderson. “This is one of the best projects going on.”

The Daily Sentinel is in the midst of selecting the vendors it will use to supply press, prepress and postpress equipment. Chuck Blevins & Associates is assisting the paper in the vendor selection process.

The Daily Sentinel said it hopes to move into its new building early next year.

Wis. daily to cut back publication

The Capital Times in Madison, Wis., said it will end Monday-through-Saturday publication April 26 and switch to a two-day-a-week publication frequency.

The Times said it would beef up its online efforts and distribute its printed edition in the rival, but partner, morning Wisconsin State Journal twice a week. The Times will also change its format from broadsheet to tabloid, the paper reported.

The Times is owned by Capital Times Co. CTC, along with Lee Enterprises, owns Capital Newspapers, which also publishes the State Journal. Each company owns a 50 percent stake. The State Journal oversees production and handles advertising and administrative functions for both papers.

The newspaper said that beginning April 30, a news and opinion edition of The Times will be published on Wednesdays and distributed with home-delivered State Journal subscriptions. It will also be offered free throughout Madison in news racks.

The Times will also produce a weekly entertainment and culture section that will be distributed Thursdays. It, too, will be offered free in racks and replace an existing entertainment section.

Some 60 newsroom employees currently work at The Capital Times. About 20 jobs will be lost as a result of the conversion.

The Times, like most newspapers, has suffered declining circulation. According to the Sept. 30, 2007 Fas-Fax, the newspaper had a circulation of only 16,565. The State Journal reported a circulation of 87,708.

Canwest chooses Saxotech

Saxotech Inc. said that Canwest will use its content and workflow management software groupwide.

Saxotech’s Mediaware Center app will be deployed across Canwest’s News Service, online sites, 13 daily newspapers including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Ottawa Citizen and the Vancouver Sun, and its community daily and weekly papers.

The Saxotech app will enable each news organization to plan and share content with other Canwest entities in a creative and collaborative production environment, Saxotech said.

“The implementation of the Saxotech Mediaware Center will aggregate our digital assets; provide efficient tools for publishing to print and digital channels; reduce our total cost of production; provide a platform for new products and cost-saving options and immediately put tangible tools in the hands of our people to ensure the work they do adds value to the content creation process,” said Edward Brouwer, Canwest’s chief information officer.

Caspio sets pact with NYTRMG

The New York Times Regional Media Group said it will roll out Caspio Inc.’s online database software across its 14 newspapers. The deployment follows testing at three Florida papers, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the Gainesville Sun and the Star-Banner in Ocala.

“This technology will allow us to create more searchable databases for our readers on a wide variety of topics,” said Jeff Moriarty, NYTRMG’s vice president of new media, in a statement.

Manugraph DGM sells presses to Mexican publisher

Manugraph DGM Inc. said it sold press equipment to Mexican newspaper publisher El Debate.

The publisher will install the equipment in two sites, including a new plant in Culiacan, which will house two DGM 440UV four-high towers, a 1035 folder and quarter folder. The press will be equipped with UV systems from Prime UV that will enable the publisher to attract commercial accounts.

The machine will feature footprint shaftless drive, fan-out correction, spiral brush dampening, an ultrasonic web break detection, a Perretta remote inking system, AWS oil-cooling system and a QTI color-to-color, cutoff and register control. Jardis is providing infeeds and splicers and Prisco is installing a chilled water system package. The press will be installed later this year after completion of the Culiacan facility.

In Los Mochis, MDGM is installing a 14-unit 430 press, configured as a four-high tower, seven floor units and three stacked units. Installation will conclude in April.

El Debate owns newspapers in Los Mochis, Mazatlan and Culiacan, with a combined circulation of more than 145,000 daily.

Trib to print WSJ?

The Wall Street Journal reported that top executives of Tribune Co. and News Corp. talked about Tribune newspapers taking over some of the production of southern Florida and Los Angeles editions of The Journal.

Dow Jones has 17 plants nationwide, including one in Orlando, Fla., and Riverside, Calif.

Calls seeking additional comment about the reported discussions weren’t returned before deadline.

Bismarck Tribune opts for online photo service

The Bismarck (N.D.) Tribune purchased Morris DigitalWorks' online photo-sharing tool, Spotted, as an ASP-hosted addition to its Web site.

Spotted allows users to upload, edit and manipulate their own photos onto the newspaper's Web site.

“We believe that Spotted will work well in connecting our print readers and online viewers by being able to publish photos from events, activities and other gatherings throughout the communities we serve,” said Rod Austin, online manager for The Tribune.

Fusion to show enhanced workflow at America East

Fusion Systems will demonstrate its latest Apple Mac OS X prepress workflow software, Workflow ESP, at the America East Newspaper Conference, in Hershey, Pa., March 11-12. Features include advanced controls for automated post-RIP page-pairing and imposition, job approval/rejection control, file-flow automation based on standardized publication naming conventions, workflow automation decoupled from the need for communications to an upfront publication planning system and ease of use, Fusion said.

FSI will be in booth 76 at the conference.

Presteligence posts sales

Presteligence announced a number of recent installs of its NewsXtreme workflow and Adinfinitum electronic tearsheets apps. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in Tupelo and Wooster (Ohio) Daily Record purchased NewsXtreme for their production workflows.

The (Little Rock) Arkansas Democrat Gazette meantime, is live with NewsXtreme following its deployment of the app at the end of 2007. The daily also implemented three RIPs and Blackmagic News Extra.

The Bay City (Mich.) News, Saginaw News, The (Portland) Oregonian, Sioux City (Iowa) Journal and the Mobile (Ala.) Register each selected Adinfinitum for electronic tearsheet and invoice delivery.

Finally, The Dallas Morning News purchased Blackmagic.

Clickability launches new Web content packages

Clickability Inc. launched its On Demand WCM platform and three new product packages designed for the company’s media and publishing customers.

The software, which lets non-technical users create and manage their Web sites, is offered as a hosted service.

The versions and their costs:

• Clickability Express Edition, with a one-time implementation fee ranging from $15,000 to $20,000 and a $2,999 per-month subscription fee.

• Clickability Professional Edition, for mid-range sites, with a one-time implementation fee ranging from $30,000 to $75,000 and a $4,999 per-month subscription fee.

• Clickability Enterprise Edition, for global publishing and complex enterprises, with a one-time implementation fee beginning at $75,000 and a $7,999 per-month subscription fee.

Canadian paper picks Harland Simon for upgrade

The Star Phoenix in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, picked Harland Simon to upgrade the controls of its Goss International Corp. Universal press. The vendor will replace main press controls, upgrade two Prima consoles and also switch out an Allen Bradley MPU. The project, slated for completion this summer, also includes management reporting software and direct ink presetting.

Norske Skog to shut down mills

Newsprint vendor Norske Skog said it would shut down machines in Europe and Asia after it posted losses for the fourth quarter and full year.

The manufacturer will cut production by 504,000 metric tons annually, 7 percent of its capacity. North American newspaper demand for newsprint, the company said, declined 9 percent in the fourth quarter.

Norske Skog said it lost more than $124 million in 2007 on revenues of $4.9 billion.

Flint creates flexo unit

Flint Group said it would create a new flexographic product unit to serve customers worldwide. Flint Group Flexographic Products combines Flint Group Printing Plates with the firm’s rotec sleeve business, which was included when Flint Group purchased Day International in 2007.

“The new business unit is a logical step following the acquisition of Day International in 2007 in order to create real added value from the combined businesses,” said Charles Knott, Flint Group’s chief executive officer, in a statement.

Thomas Telser was appointed president of the unit; North American sales will be headed by Jim Rogers, who was named vice president, North America.

Lowell Publishing taps MetaCarta

Lowell Publishing Co. said it will roll out software from MetaCarta Inc. to underpin its Web operations.

The software, Local Alerts, delivers users personalized news and information about their local communities.

LPC publishes the Sun and the Valley Dispatch, both in Lowell, Mass., as well as the Sentinel & Enterprise in Fitchburg, Mass., the Broadcaster in Nashua, N.H., and a number of weekly publications.

Inland awards print quality winners

The Daily Telegram in Adrian, Mich., and The Villages (Fla.) Daily Sun earned best in show honors in the 2008 Inland Print Quality Competition, the Inland Press Association said.

The Daily Telegram won for black-and-white reproduction and The Daily Sun won for color reproduction. The competition was co-sponsored by the Kodak Graphic Communications Group.

In the black-and-white category, circulation division winners were:

Under 15,000 – Venice (Fla.) Gondolier Sun

Runner-up: Owatonna (Minn.) People’s Press

15,000-35,000 – The Daily Telegram, Adrian, Mich.

Runner-up: Star-Herald, Scottsbluff, Neb.

35,001-100,000 – Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Runner-up: The Eagle Tribune, Andover, Mass.

Over 100,000 – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Runner-up: Tampa (Fla.) Tribune

In the color category, circulation division winners were:

Under 15,000 – Faribault (Minn.) Daily News

Runner-up: Owatonna (Minn.) People’s Press

15,000-35,000 – The Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio

Runner-up: Bozeman (Mt.) Daily Chronicle

35,001-100,000 – The Villages (Fla.) Daily Sun

Runner-up: The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Over 100,000 – Tampa (Fla.) Tribune

Runner-up: The (Portland) Oregonian

Judges were Mary L. Van Meter, publisher of Newspapers & Technology; Elinor Midlik, president of Prime UV Inc., and John Nicoli, vice president of Britton Press Services.

In Brief:

MediaNews Group named Michael “Mac” Tully president and publisher of the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News and group vice president of the Bay Area News Group, which also includes the Oakland Tribune, Marin Independent Journal and other publications. Tully formerly served as publisher of The Kansas City (Mo.) Star.

Screen (USA) named Mike Stone regional sales manager, Northeast region. Screen also named Thomas Leibrandt to the newly created position of print-on-demand product manager.

Westfalia Technologies Inc. named James Miller to business development and Bill Daniels as an account executive.

WoodWing Asia Pacific named Joel Ingulsrud as sales director for Japan.

Clickability Inc. named Robert Carroll vice president of marketing; Pat School vice president of human resources and Amy McCarthy director of channels.

The Inland Press Association is holding a Weekly Newspaper Conference, aimed at owners, publishers and other executives of non-daily newspapers. The meeting will be held Feb. 21-23 in Fort Myers, Fla.

Fujifilm hiked the price of conventional plates, film and related chemicals across Europe and Africa. Prices in the United Kingdom will increase from 10 percent to 20 percent. The company didn’t specify how much it would raise prices in other parts of the region. www.fujifilm.com

Advanced Vision Technology Ltd., which last year acquired Graphics Microsystems Inc. said it posted record revenues in 2007. The Israeli-based firm recorded revenues of $40 million and earnings of $4.8 million.

www.avt-inc.com

Journal Register Co. said that its newspapers received a total of 142 editorial awards from Suburban Newspapers of America. JRC led the field with 18 of its 22 daily newspapers and 13 different weekly newspaper groups acquiring the honors.

The Daily Oakland Press in Pontiac, Mich., took 10 total awards, while other top daily winners included the Daily Freeman in Kingston, N.Y., the Saratogian of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and the Mercury of Pottstown, Pa., with six awards each. www.journalregister.com

Belo Corp. last week completed the spin-off of its newspaper businesses and related assets into a publicly-traded company called A.H. Belo Corp. The new company owns the Dallas Morning News, the Providence (R.I.) Journal, the Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif., the Denton (Texas) Record-Chronicle and a number of specialty publications.

Publishers Circulation Fulfillment Inc. said it’s been chosen by The New Haven (Conn.) Register as its sole subscription distribution partner.

PCF will home-deliver 41,000 daily copies of the paper.

www.pcfcorp.com

Kodak said it contributed $85,000 to the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, which will provide full funding to build a house in an area devastated by Hurricane Katrina. www.graphics.kodak.com

Lee Enterprises launched a companywide promotional campaign to tout the effectiveness of advertising supplements. The Lee Preprint Power Program will include ads, displays, online promotions and contests.

www.lee.net

AbitibiBowater Inc. will sell a newsprint mill in Snowflake, Ariz., to Catalyst Paper Corp. for $161 million. The mill can produce up to 375,000 metric tons of newsprint annually. The U.S. Dept. of Justice required AbitibiBowater to sell the mill as part of its approval of Abitibi’s merger with Bowater last year.

Transcontinental Media closed The Daily News of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and instead will launch a free daily newspaper in partnership with Metro International S.A. and Torstar Corp. Transcontinental said the paper was unprofitable and that circulation never exceeded 20,000 copies. The first edition of Metro in Halifax will be published Feb. 14.

The Austin Co. opened an office in Tokyo, under the direction of Seiji Ishibashi. Austin said it opened the facility to meet the growing demand by Japanese companies that want to open U.S. facilities.

www.theaustin.com

The Newseum said it will open its $450 million building April 11. The 250,000-square-foot facility, located on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., will feature 15 theaters, 14 galleries, two broadcast studios and a time-travel experience.

www.newseum.org