February 16, 2006

By Yellow Springs News

The Yellow Springs News last week received the top prize, the General Excellence Award, among Ohio’s smallest weeklies in the 2006 Osman C. Hooper Newspaper Show, the principal contest for weekly papers in the state.

The News last won a General Excellence Award in 1985.

In addition to the General Excellence prize, the News received six awards — three first-place awards and three third-place prizes — in the Hooper Show, which was sponsored by the Ohio Newspaper Association (ONA) and its Weekly Newspaper Committee.

This is the sixth consecutive year the News has received at least five awards in the Hooper Show.

The results of the contest were announced at the ONA’s annual convention last Thursday, Feb. 9, in Columbus. The 2006 contest included newspapers published between Aug. 1, 2004, and July 31, 2005.

The Hooper Show included 78 newspapers, both paid-for and free-distribution papers. The newspapers were divided into five divisions based on total circulation. The News competed against 15 other newspapers in the division representing the smallest of Ohio’s weeklies, or papers with less than 2,132 circulation.

The 2006 Hooper Show included 13 categories, plus the General Excellence Awards. Three prizes (first, second and third) were awarded in each of the 13 categories, and, like many athletic competitions, points were awarded for each prize level. The newspaper receiving the most points in each of the five divisions received a General Excellence Award.

The News received first-place awards in the categories of “In-Depth Reporting,” “Editorial Writing” and “Advertising.”

The paper’s entry in the “In-Depth Reporting” category was its coverage of the March 2004 Community Forum at Wright State. The News’ coverage included two articles by reporter Diane Chiddister and an article and editorial by Robert Mihalek, the News editor.

“What could have been just a meeting story turned into an omnibus consider-ation of the values and priorities of a community,” the judge wrote of the the paper’s coverage.

This was the first year the Hooper Show included the “In-Depth Reporting” category.

For the second consecutive year, the News received a first-place prize for “Editorial Writing.” Submissions were judged on the overall quality of writing, clarity and local impact.

Three editorials by Mihalek were submitted: one commended Village Council for passing a resolution in March 2005 opposing State Issue 1, a constitutional amendment, passed by voters in the November 2004 election, that banned same-sex marriage in Ohio; another encouraged Council in April 2005 to sell one acre of the Glass Farm to builders for a housing project; and the last, published in May 2005, criticized the Yellow Springs Board of Education for initially keeping secret a proposal to appoint YSHS/McKinney Principal John Gudgel the successor of current superintendent, Tony Armocida, when he retires.

“Well-written editorials with clear and concise arguments,” the judges said of the editorials. “Topics were varied and important to local citizens.”

For fourth time in five years, the News received first place in the “Advertising” category, which was judged on the design and content of paid advertising in a newspaper.

Submissions from the News included ads created by graphic designers Pam Geisel and Matt Minde and coordinated by advertising manager Robert Hasek. “Nice concepts and well-conceived copy,” the judges said of the paper’s ads. “Interesting, simple messages that work well with the graphic design.”

In addition, the News received third-place prizes for “News Coverage,” “Photojournalism” and “Headline Writing.”

The News contained articles with “great ‘local flavor,’” the judges in the “News Coverage” category said. “Stories have strong leads and are well-written with clear writing,” they said. The judges commended the paper for using photos appropriately with articles and singled out a May 2005 article Chiddister wrote on Principal John Gudgel.

The “News Coverage” category was judged on a paper’s overall quality and quantity of community coverage.

For the “Photojournalism” category, the News entered photographs by Chiddister, reporter Lauren Heaton and Mihalek.

The judges in the “Headline Writing” category said the News was selected for recognition because of its “consistent quality” of headlines. This was the second year in a row the News won an award for “Head-line Writing.”

The 2006 Hooper Show was judged by journalism professors at Ohio colleges and universities and professionals in marketing and communication industries.

In addition to the employees mentioned above in this article, the News staff includes office manager Dee Sorrell, classified manager Donna Riley, proofreaders Alice McKinney and Linda Robinson, bookkeepers Peg Champney and Doug Hinkley, and Mike Triplett, who is involved in distribution. Bill Felker contributes a weekly column, “A Yellow Springs Almanack,” and Ken Champney provides support for circulation management.

Contact: ysnews@ysnews.com