In Brief: May 4, 2009

Gannett Co. Inc. appointed Susie Ellwood chief executive officer of the Detroit Media Partnership, succeeding David Hunke, who was named publisher of USA Today.
DMP also named Paul Anger editor and publisher of the Detroit Free Press and Joyce Jenereaux executive vice president.

USA Today named John Hilkirk editor. He formerly served as executive editor.

Gannett Co. Inc. shareholders re-elected Craig A. Dubow chairman, president and chief executive officer. They also re-elected Howard D. Elias, Marjorie Magner, Scott K. McCune, Duncan M. McFarland, Donna E. Shalala, Neal Shapiro and Karen Hastie Williams to the board of directors.
Meantime, Gannett named Todd A. Mayman senior vice president, general counsel and secretary. He succeeds Kurt Wimmer, who will become a partner at the law firm of Covington & Burling LLP.

The San Francisco Chronicle named Jeff Bergin vice president of advertising.

The Record in Stockton, Calif., said press operator Bert Sampson retired after a 40-year career at the paper. He joined the newspaper in 1969 after working at the Lodi (Calif.) News-Sentinel and served as lead operator and press mechanic on the Record’s letterpress, which was decommissioned in 2004.

PressTerra appointed Ralph Vooys president and chief executive officer and Marta Bohoyo as vice president of marketing. Karina Tettero and Anitra Vooys will remain as director of customer services and Presstige business unit director, respectively.

WRH Marketing AG appointed Marko Roini as managing director at Ferag Suomi.

Eastman Kodak Co named Dave Wigfield worldwide sales and operations director, workflow, business solutions and services group

French daily Paris-Normandie completed the successful rollout of the first installation of Atex AdBaseE in France.
The group selected the Atex AdBaseE as a foundation to allow self-service advertising.

Tensor Group Inc. added a 10-minute informational video on its Web site. The video showcases Tensor’s manufacturing facility and features a demonstration of its presses in action in Turkey.

Harland Simon upgraded drive controls at U.K. publisher Polestar Chantry, swapping out obsolete electronics with a Siemens DC drive unit. Harland Simon performed the conversion on PC’s Baker Perkins G14 press.

Atex and Chyron announced the integration of the Atex Polopoly Content Manager and Polopoly Relationship Manager with Chyron's Axis Web-based content creation services.

Aspermont Ltd. deployed WoodWing’s Enterprise content publishing platform at its publications in Europe and Australia.

Digital Technology International launched a new Web site based on its DTI Lightning content management app.

Reuters.com rolled out software from Apture to allow its reporters to add multimedia element to their blogs.

Controls Group Inc. will convert 18 couples of a manroland Uniman press from open fountain to digital injection at Swiss newspaper printer Centre d’Impression des Ronquoz. The digital inkers will integrate with the press’ existing ABB control software, and operational in September.

U.K. newspaper publisher GMG Regional Media will install Miles 33’s Workflow CMS across all of its newspaper properties. The deployment is scheduled for completion by this fall, Miles 33 said.

New Jersey online-only hyperlocal daily newspaper TheAlternativePress.com said it is expanding to Westfield, its eighth community.

Clarity Media selected Clickability Inc. to underpin its Examiner.com Web sites. The app will allow writers and editors to more easily post content.

The Silverton (Colo.) Standard & the Miner will now be operated as a non-profit newspaper after the weekly’s owner donated it to the local historical society. Thirteenth Street Media Inc. made the move after determining it could no longer profitably operate the 1,000-subscriber Standard. Silverton, a former mining town, is located in the southwest corner of the state.

The Reading (Pa.) Eagle, which earlier this year opened its $33 million production facility, last week laid off about 12 percent of its staff because of declining revenues.

The Wilson (N.C.) Daily Times is moving to morning distribution, effective May 5. The family-owned paper began publishing in 1896.

The (New York) Daily News launched a social network for small businesses. The service, Daily News SmallBiz, is based on software from SaleSpider.com.

Amazon said it will hold a press conference May 6 to unveil a Kindle that’s outfitted with a larger-diameter screen tailored for newspaper distribution.

The Denver Post will eliminate daily distribution and home delivery of the paper to Colorado towns and counties located more than 100 miles from the Mile High City, effective July 12.
The Post will continue to deliver its Sunday edition but customers now receiving seven-day-a-week home delivery of the paper will have to convert to electronic distribution, The Denver Newspaper Agency said.


Ifra said papers can begin registering for the International Newspaper Color Quality Club 2010-2012 competition.
For the first time, Ifra is opening the competition to all newspapers, and membership will not be limited to 50 newspapers, as in prior INCQC competitions.
Papers registering by Oct. 16, 2009, can request a free test evaluation, Ifra said.
Interested newspapers can obtain information, including registration forms, at www.colorqualityclub.org.