VEGAS IS CALLING: WHAT TO TELL THE PUBLISHER

So, you're interested in attending APME's annual conference Sept. 8-11 in Las Vegas. But you need some ammo to pitch it to your boss. These five takeaways are sure to make the trip a worthwhile investment:

■ 1. Attend three conferences for the price of one: We're teaming up with the international Society for News Design and Associated Press Photo Managers to make this one of the best journalism conferences ever. Come a day early and attend SND for no extra charge.

■ 2. Steal a great idea: APME's annual "Great Ideas" book is filled with ideas to enhance content and generate revenue.

■ 3. Monetize the Internet: Learn how news outlets have successfully generated revenue with their online operations.

■ 4. Shrinking newsroom? Find out how citizen journalists can expand your local report and help the bottom line.

■ 5. Cutting-edge stuff: An expert multimedia panel discusses how your Web site can keep up with emerging tools of the trade.

Need more? Check out www.apmevegas.com and www.sndvegas.com for complete details.

Ready to book now? Register here. Separately, make your room reservation here. Password: PRESS

Looking forward to seeing you in Vegas!

Rob Humphreys
APME marketing chairman
(540) 825-0771, x128
rhumphreys@starexponent.com

APME ROOM RATE EXPIRES AUG. 4; RESERVE NOW

A "desert chic" room with floor-to-ceiling windows giving panoramic views of either the Strip or beautiful Red Rock Canyon awaits you at the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa for the APME convention. But you need to make your reservation soon in order to get APME's discounted rate of $179 a night. After Aug. 4, rooms will be available at the hotel's higher market rate. Plus they will carry a separate $20 per night resort fee that APME managed to get waived for conference attendees. Click here for a special conference link to reserve your room; use the password PRESS. Learn more about this special conference hotel here.

APME HEADS TO 'GATEWAY CITY' IN 2009

The Associated Press Managing Editors Association has selected St. Louis as the site for its 2009 annual conference. The meeting of hundreds of newspaper, online and photo editors will be held Oct. 28-30 at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis Riverfront. Steps from the famous arch, the hotel blends world-class service with an unparalleled location. Hyatt is giving the former Adams Mark a $63 million makeover. All 910 guest rooms are being refurbished and will include the Hyatt Bed, a 42-inch plasma screen television, the iHome clock radio and sound system, ergonomic chair and working desk and a refinished bathroom that will include a roll-in shower. The meeting space, lobby, fitness center and commercial spaces are also undergoing renovation that is to be completed by the end of 2008. Details about the conference, including registration, are to come. But mark your calendars now and put it in the budget to attend.

NEWSTRAIN ROLLS THROUGH PENNSYLVANIA

Eighty people registered for the June 25-26 NewsTrain video training program at the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association in Harrisburg. Most were from Pennsylvania newspapers, but there also were small delegations from three Maryland papers, including the Baltimore Sun. Robb Montgomery, a former design editor at the Chicago Sun-Times and founder of the Visual Editors Web site for journalism scholars was the main presenter. He walked the group through the various equipment that is needed and how producing video for the Web is much different than shooting for television. The presentation included hands-on experience with video cameras in gathering images for a news video, as well as tips on how to incorporate multimedia into daily news planning and discussions about news ethics in the digital age. Future NewsTrains are scheduled in San Diego (Sept. 23-24) and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (November date TBD.)

KNOW A LEADER IN JOURNALISM DIVERSITY? HELP THEM GET RECOGNIZED FOR GOOD WORK

The Freedom Forum, in partnership with the Associated Press Managing Editors and the American Society of Newspaper Editors, is accepting nominations for the seventh annual Robert G. McGruder Awards for Diversity Leadership. Two awards are given annually: one for newspapers with a circulation up to 75,000; one for newspapers with more than 75,000 circulation. The awards go to individuals, newsrooms or teams of journalists who embody the spirit of McGruder, a former executive editor of the Detroit Free Press and relentless diversity champion. Jurors will be looking for nominees who have made a significant contribution during a given year or over a number of years toward furthering diversity in newspaper content and in recruiting, developing and retaining journalists of color. The deadline to make a nomination is Aug. 1. Click here for more information on the award and how to nominate a deserving recipient.

NEWS PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Gerould W. Kern is the new editor of the Chicago Tribune, taking over for Ann Marie Lipinski. Kern has served as Tribune Publishing vice president of editorial.

■ Nikki Maxwell is the new managing editor of The Gonzales Inquirer in Gonzales County, Texas. She recently left the U.S. Navy, where she was a journalist and communication specialist.

■ Debbie Hiott was promoted to managing editor of the Austin American- Statesman. She started with the paper as a summer intern in 1990.

■ Marcus Brauchli was named executive editor of The Washington Post. He had been managing editor of The Wall Street Journal until April.

■ Mark Fitton is the new managing editor of The Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale. He was previously with The Times of Northwest Indiana.

■ Doug Gass was recently promoted from deputy managing editor to managing editor of the Rockford Register Star.

■ Wyoming native Chad Baldwin was promoted to editor of The Casper Star-Tribune. He had been state editor.

■ Jeff Pratt has been named managing editor of The Sentinel in Cumberland County, Pa. He had been features and online editor.

■ Steve Buttry was welcomed to his new job as editor of The Gazette of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, by several feet of floodwater in the downtown and the newspaper having to operate on emergency power for days as it covered one of its biggest stories ever. (Read all about it in the upcoming issue of APME News, to hit your desks in the next two weeks.) Prior to Cedar Rapids Buttry had been director of tailored programs at the American Press Institute.

■ Terry Eberle is returning to The News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla., as executive editor, a position he held from 1995 to 2001. He left for positions at The Indianapolis Star and then Florida Today.

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