HERSHEY, Pa. — Citing the benefits newspapers have received from modernizing their facilities, Newspaper Association of America Chairman William Dean Singleton continued to challenge newspaper publishers to transform their businesses.

“There is something very important happening in our business,” said Singleton, who gave the keynote speech at March’s America East conference.

William Dean Singleton

“Newspapers have become a technology industry, and I say that with the most forward thinking and the most transformational sense of those words. The only question I have: Do newspapers see themselves as a technology industry?”

Singleton, chief executive officer of MediaNews Group, said it would be hard for anyone to argue with the progress technology has afforded newspaper operations.

“Newspapers are investing in better quality. We are investing in a later close and earlier delivery, which is what readers tell us they must have,” he said. “We are investing in new profit centers such as packaging. We are investing in safer and healthier work environments.”

According to Singleton, it’s time for newspaper publishers to continue to invest in new technologies. Early indications are promising. The 2003 NAA capital spending survey, though still being tabulated, indicates that investment will increase considerably over 2002’s spending, Singleton said.

“Technology is not going to make newspapers’ core business obsolete; however, it will absolutely change the business and make it stronger.”

Singleton also continued his mantra exhorting fellow publishers to refrain from cutting newsroom costs too deeply.

“Newsroom cost cuts have gone far enough — perhaps too far as we damaged our franchises in many cases while Wall Street cheered.

“This is a great time to be in the newspaper business,” he continued. “The industry is more vibrant and offers more opportunity than I’ve seen at any time in my career.”

Other America East developments:

• Anygraaf released ePaper, its electronic paper tools. The new software lets newspapers publish an electronic version of its content on the Internet. Readers can click page elements to view directly any article, image, graphic or ad. A text search engine lets users search for specific keywords in an edition. Keskisuomalainen, in Jyväskylä, Finland, will be the first newspaper to use ePaper this month.

• Baseviewýdisplayed NewsEditPro IQue for Windows and a browser-based circulation program. Baseview also showcased its new Windows management software, CirculationPro and AdManagerPro. NewsEditPro Ique, meanwhile, is now available for Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

• MerlinOne exhibited its electronic tearsheet, archive and assignment system, Merlin Archive. The application can manage a publication’s images, PDFs, pages, graphics and multimedia content.

• Unisys previewed News Content Manager-Hermes 10. Hermes 10 incorporates Adobe InDesign and InCopy.

• OneVision Inc. featured Asura Smart, designed to create a printable EPS file. The company also showed Asura Balance, a new XML-based application that manages clustered Asura servers.

Finally, the America East committee named Lynn Steely 2003 recipient of the group’s Distinguished Service award.

Steely, now retired, is a former vice president of production at Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. and was chairman of the 2000 America East conference.