2008 TAPME Convention
Redefining the Newspaper
Our industry finds itself at the center of a profound change as it responds to an audience we don't always understand.
Readers tell us they want one thing, yet their behavior often tells us something else. Non-readers are more unpredictable than ever. And they have more choices - even for local content.
Many claim to have the answers, but their methods are largely untested. And as editors feel the pressure to produce immediate results, patience is in short supply.
This year's Texas APME convention doesn't pretend to have the answers to all of your questions. But it will offer plenty of ideas for newsroom managers to take back to their bosses and their staffs.
We'll learn the latest on the American Press Institute's Newspaper Next project and hear about some of the best results-producing ideas by Texas newspapers. A panel of online editors and print reporters will discuss how to mesh the needs of two often different audiences - with fewer resources. We'll examine the benefits and pitfalls of citizen journalism. And we'll discuss the most significant changes in AP service ever.
There will also be time to recognize our accomplishments and celebrate the reason most of us got into this business - to produce great journalism. That will come during the presentation of the TAPME awards, the most prestigious in Texas newspapering.
You'll also have lots of free time for exploring historic Galveston and its Gulf Coast beaches. And you won't want to miss the Jack Douglas Dinner on Saturday night, where we'll raise scholarship money for deserving students.
