When we talk to the public, we continue to inform and remind them that Tennessee newspapers
place public notices in print, on the newspaper website and on a statewide public notice website
—www.tnpublicnotice.com.
To that end, we have created a new Public Notice Awareness campaign. We need our members’ help
promoting our tnpublicnotice.com. Both our 2024 and 2025 Public Notice Awareness Campaign ads are available.
The Tennessee Press Association (TPA) announced the 2024 Ideas Contest awards on Thursday, Oct. 10, during a virtual presentation.
The 2024 Ideas Contest Best of Show was awarded to the Brownsville States-Graphic for its Best Special Section entry, “The Phoenix.” The entry is a special section marking the Bicentennial of Haywood County. View this section at: https://tnpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/BSIS_N1_first.pdf
The First Runner-up was awarded to The Paris Post-Intelligencer for entry in Best Social Media Self Promotion, which encouraged readers to follow the paper on Instagram and offered a Sprockets Coffee giveaway. View the entry at: https://tnpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/35_N2_first.mp4
The Second Runner-up was awarded to the Farragut Press for its niche publication “Kickoff,” which featured high school football. View the publication at: https://tnpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/29_N2_first.pdf
There were 406 entries from 22 newspapers in the 2024 contest, which has three circulation divisions and 41 categories. Entries were for work published in 2023. TPA partnered with the New York Press Association for the judging, which resulted in 187 awards.
The newspaper with the most awards is the Farragut Press with 24 awards, followed by The Greeneville Sun with 19 awards, and the Brownsville States-Graphic with 18 awards.
TPA congratulates all of the winners!
Link to photos of 1st place winners. Photos by Donn Jones, Franklin, Tennessee
FRANKLIN, Tenn.— Newspaper publishers, editors, writers and designers earned top honors today (July 19) in the 2024 Tennessee Press Association (TPA) State Press Contests cosponsored by the University of Tennessee System, a partner in the annual event since 1940.
This contest celebrates and honors excellence in all areas of journalism, including reporting, writing, photography and more. This year, the Tennessean received the most overall wins, going home with 13 first-place awards. The Kingsport Times News followed by winning nine first-place awards.
During the association’s ceremony, The Tennessean, Kingsport Times News, The Knoxville Ledger, The Standard Banner and Carthage Courier claimed the top general excellence awards in their respective divisions.
The Standard Banner secured the general excellence distinction for the fourth consecutive year, while The Tennessean and Kingsport Times News achieved this honor for the third consecutive year. The Knoxville Ledger and Carthage Courier celebrated their second consecutive year as general excellence winners. This is the first time in recent history where all five recipients of the general excellence awards are repeat winners. Newspapers receive points for each winning entry. General excellence honors go to the newspaper in each division with the highest number of points.
As part of the annual contest, newspapers winning first-place awards in the categories of editorials, best single editorial and public service receive $250 prizes from UT’s Edward J. Meeman Foundation. The Meeman Foundation was established in 1968 at UT to fund the contest, provide professional critiques of journalists’ work and support journalism students and educators.
“In an era where information spreads rapidly, the role of news organizations in providing accurate and thorough reporting is crucial,” said Randy Boyd, president of the UT System. “Tennessee is fortunate to have dedicated reporters, photographers and designers who strive to keep the public well-informed and educated. I deeply admire their commitment to truth and transparency in all that they do.”
“I would like to say congratulations, of course, to those who won recognition at the 2024 State Press Contests Awards Luncheon.” wrote TPA President Darrell Richardson. “But, above and beyond that, I would like to congratulate all who entered this year’s contests. The work that journalists continue to do throughout the Volunteer State from day to day and week to week is nothing short of miraculous.”
“Charles Primm, Melissa Tindell and all those from the University of Tennessee did an excellent job — as they always do — with the presentation. The Tennessee Press Association acknowledges and celebrates its 84-year partnership with UT in conducting the Tennessee State Press Contests, providing the plaques and certificates for winning newspapers, and the University of Tennessee’s unrivaled production of the awards presentation,” Richardson added.
Each year, reciprocal judging is done with another state’s association. This year, the New York Press Association judged 1,060 entries from 71 of the Tennessee Press Association’s 131 member newspapers and online publication members.
CONTACTS
Charles Primm
charles.primm@tennessee.edu
865-974-5180
Robyn Gentile
rgentile@tnpress.com
865-584-5761
https://tnpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/50-Year-Club-Nomination-Form-2024.pdf
Tennessee Press Association seeks nominations for the 50-Year Club to recognize those with 50 years of service to the Tennessee newspaper industry. Nominations are being sought and recognition will be given at the State Press Contests Awards Luncheon on Friday, July 19 in Franklin.
Nominees should still be active with a TPA member newspaper and may work in any department.
The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, June 19. The nomination form is available online or by contacting rgentile@tnpress.com.
According to TPA records, the 50-Year-Club was established to coincide with TPA’s 100th anniversary and recognition spanned from 1969-1971. TPA reactivated the club with recognitions in 2015 and 2016.
The following people were recognized during the 2015-2016 events:
Bill Bowden, Marie H. Cox, Charlie Daniel, R. Jack Fishman, Danny Jones, Sam D. Kennedy, Arthur Melton, John Molley, Shirley Nanney, Joe A. Officer, Carson Oliver, Arthur D. (Butch) Rhea, Dean Stone, Georgiana Vines, Marion Wilhoite, Bill Williams, Jimmy Williams, Morris Winfrey and Paul Young.
Download the package of ads promoting public notices in newspapers and www.tnpublicnotice.com.
It is time to showcase your best ideas and work and compete in the 2024 Advertising/Circulation Ideas Contest. 2024 Rules and Entry Brochure
Who will take Best of Show? Perhaps it will be your newspaper. Plan your entries now. The entry website will open on Feb. 9. The deadline to enter is Monday, March 18.
(updated 3/4/24)
TPA State Press Contests portal to open Jan. 29, deadline extended through Monday, March 11 at 10:59 p.m. Central Time.
The entry rules are now available and the entry portal is being prepared for the 2024 University of Tennessee System—Tennessee Press Association Tennessee State Press Contests. All entries will be entered by PDF or URL links on the BetterBNC.com website.
The TPA Board of Directors voted in November to again freeze the contests competition divisions for 2024 so that each newspaper submitting entries will be placed in the same circulation division it was for the 2022 and 2023 contests.
The Divisions are based on 2021 circulation data as follows:
Group One—Non-Dailies under 3,000 total weekly print circulation
Group Two—Non-Dailies with a combined total weekly print circulation of 3,000 to 7,999
Group Three—Mixed: Non-dailies with a total weekly print circulation above 7,999 and dailies under 19,999.
Group Four—Dailies with a combined total weekly print circulation of 20,000 to 149,999
Group Five—Dailies with a combined total weekly print circulation of 150,000 and above
The total weekly print circulation is calculated by multiplying the 2021 circulation by the number of publication days. Online news sites will compete in Group Four, unless they choose to compete up in Group Five.
The deadline to enter the 2024 State Press Contests is Monday, March 11, 2024.
Registration is now open for the 2024 TPA Winter Convention.
The convention will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 21, with “A Day on the Hill” including meetings scheduled between TPA members and legislators throughout the day. There will be a Concurrent TPA Board of Directors and Business session over lunch at the DoubleTree Nashville Downtown Hotel. The annual convention opening reception, to which all convention attendees and state legislators are invited, will be held at 5:30 p.m. that evening at a venue near the Capitol. Dinner will be on one’s own.
Thursday, Feb. 22, kicks off with a TPA Foundation Board of Trustees Meeting. Educational sessions will follow. College students in journalism programs will be invited to attend the convention and their registration will be covered by a grant from the TPA Foundation. Thursday includes a luncheon followed by additional sessions.
Sessions include Open Government, Giving Your Newsroom a Digital Boost, Revenue Ideas for Publishers, Tennessee leaders Lt. Governor Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, Attorney General Skrmetti and more.
The convention will also have opportunities for industry vendors to participate with an exhibit booth.
The convention hotel is the DoubleTree Nashville Downtown Hotel, located at 315 Fourth Avenue North. The convention rate is $259 plus tax and parking per night. Contact Robyn Gentile, TPA member services manager, with questions at rgentile@tnpress.com.
Chattanooga Times Free Press wins Best of Show
The Tennessee Press Association (TPA) announced the winners of the 2023 Ideas Contest for advertising and circulation on Thursday, Oct. 12, during the virtual Revenue Summit for newspaper advertising and circulation staff members.
There were 405 entries from 20 newspapers in the 2023 contest, which has four circulation divisions and 41 categories. TPA partnered with the Virginia Press Association for the judging.
The 2023 Ideas Contest Best of Show was awarded to the Chattanooga Times Free Press for its August 2022 High School Football special section.
The First Runner-Up was awarded to the Brownsville Press for its entry in black and white ad “What happens when you don’t advertise?Very little.”
The Second-Runner-Up was awarded to the Chattanooga Times Free Press for its self-promotion ad “High School Football is Back.”
The newspaper with the most awards is The Greeneville Sun with 52 awards, followed by the farragutpress with 32, and the Kingsport Times News with 20.
Darrell Richardson, advertising director of The Daily Times, Maryville who is also TPA first vice president and chair of the Advertising Committee, served as the emcee for the awards announcement.
List of 2023 winning entries
https://tnpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023_Ideas_Contest_Winners_Release.xls
Slideshow of 2023 winning entries (PDF 50 megabytes)
https://tnpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IDEAS_2023_Powerpoint_10.11.23.pdf
August 17, 2023
Veteran newspaper publisher Mark Millsap has been hired to serve in the roles of Tennessee Press Association (TPA) executive director and Tennessee Press Service (TPS) executive vice president. He officially begins on Sept. 11.
“We are extremely excited that Mark will be joining us and working on behalf of Tennessee’s newspapers,” said Dave Gould, TPS president. “His background and experience are a perfect fit. Mark will have very big shoes to fill following after Carol Daniels, who served the organizations so well, but we have no doubt he will be up to the task.”
TPA President Daniel Williams added, “I’m excited to work with Mark as the new executive director of TPA. He has an impressive background leading groups of newspapers, and I feel confident that will translate well to being the head of our organization. I look forward to getting to know him and getting to work.”
Millsap started his newspaper career at his hometown newspaper in Muskogee, Oklahoma as an advertising sales rep in 1996. Over the next 15 years, he climbed the advertising management ranks with Gannett and led advertising departments in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Montgomery, Alabama and Shreveport, Louisiana.
“I am excited to begin work as the executive director of the Tennessee Press Association and Tennessee Press Service,” Millsap said. “I have been a champion for newspapers for my entire career, and I will continue to advocate for their success.”
In 2011, Millsap joined Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. (CNHI) so he could return to Oklahoma. He took his first publisher’s job in Chickasha, Oklahoma. After three successful years, he was promoted to publisher of the Norman, Oklahoma newspaper. In 2017, he was promoted again to group publisher for CNHI Central Oklahoma newspapers.
Last year, he joined WEHCO Media as the general manager for Central Missouri Newspaper Group, managing the News Tribune in Jefferson City and newspapers in California and Fulton, Missouri.
Millsap was also active in the Oklahoma and Missouri press associations. He served on the Oklahoma Press Association Board of Directors for six years.
He is married to his high school sweetheart, Melanie. They have two adult children, daughter Makenzie and son Mason. Their family includes a basset hound named Molly.
The search to fill the TPA/TPS positions was conducted by TPS President Dave Gould, then-TPA President Chris Vass and TPA Foundation President Victor Parkins. The three also currently serve on the TPA Board of Directors. Millsap’s hire was also approved by the TPS Board of Directors, which is responsible for providing staffing for the organizations.
It is anticipated that Millsap will also be named to fill the Tennessee Press Association Foundation role of secretary/treasurer.
The Tennessee Press Association was founded in 1870-71 for the purpose of creating a unified voice for the newspaper industry in Tennessee. Today, TPA continues to provide assistance to its 131 members by monitoring legislative activities, providing training programs and providing regular meetings and forums to foster the exchange of information and ideas.
Tennessee Press Service was founded in 1947 to serve clients and to drive revenue to newspapers. Every TPA member newspaper is a TPS Stockholder.
“Newspapers are viable,” Millsap said, “and newspapers still have strong readership, both in print and digital versions. Local newspapers matter now more than ever.”