Chip Hutcheson

Chip Hutcheson is the retired publisher of The Times Leader in Princeton, Kentucky. He was NNA president in 2015. He currently serves as a content strategist for Kentucky Today, the online news website of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. chiphutcheson@yahoo.com

Work hard AND make good decisions

The road might be difficult and rocky, but determination to overcome obstacles is necessary to provide a newspaper that will serve your community well.

How to attract readers and subscribers

Consider these possibilities.

Ad reps must know the community and the paper

A conversation on “Everything Advertising” should include expanding the conversation to include below-the-surface elements instrumental in growing advertising revenue.

Being a leader instead of just a boss

Without the benefit of a designated HR person, here’s some advice for community newspaper leaders relating to HR needs.

Generate income from non-traditional sources

Having a game plan early will be vital because you don’t know what unexpected situations you will face when the fourth quarter arrives. Planning early will pay handsome rewards.

What are some ways to be a fountain?

Validation is important. By noticing the good work someone does and acknowledging it, you are a fountain that will result in the person being motivated to do even better work. Not acknowledging the efforts ...

More ideas on how to generate income for your local newspaper

Newspapers must make money to survive, and the principle that “you cannot cut your way to prosperity” should incentivize newspapers to focus on how to bring in more money.

Overcome these obstacles to help the community and the newspaper's bottom line

Grave danger exists when newspapers navigate away from what has made them successful throughout this country’s history. A newspaper is in grave danger when it ...

A newspaper will always be significant if it has made a difference

... The challenge is how to keep the newspaper’s focus local by tapping into other resources.

A lesson every newspaper owner needs to understand

... In my mind, those “how tos” take second place to advice passed along years ago by a man who was remarkably successful in his profession — Paul “Bear” Bryant, legendary ...

Newspapers are vital for civic democracy — being the watchdog of local government, the safeguard for the public good and the treasury of memories that last a lifetime

There’s not a quick-and-easy solution to recovering from the demise of local news in a publication, but consider these observations.

Consider principles by Walter Williams

The creed maintains that “advertising, news and editorial columns alike should serve the best interests of readers; that a single standard of helpful truth and cleanness should prevail for all; that ...

Making the most of the time you have

As we head into the busy holiday season, it seems to be the opportune time to examine how we use our time. Does our time usage reflect the most effective way to produce a newspaper?

Two options to increase circulation

That same conclusion could be reached by newspaper folks when considering how they can reverse the circulation decline that faces many newspapers across the land. It’s time to learn a different way.

Tips on what to do and what NOT to do

For independently owned papers, thinking ahead is crucial.

Plan these holiday promotions

Like that crossword, the obvious might not seem so obvious. Let’s consider some obvious projects that could be helpful to your bottom line during November and December.

Today, ad reps must be recruited

There’s no scarcity of ad ideas, but one facet of the advertising dynamic that could be the most overlooked involves personnel.

Avoid the 8 typical mistakes made in newspaper operations

There are many common sense aspects involved in a newspaper operation — yet there are times that written rules would come in handy because the obvious is being overlooked. Here are my top eight “do ...

Here are some ideas to increase your advertising dollars

It seems that many newspapers — particularly chain newspapers — are obsessed with cutting expenses. But I fall in the camp of those who insist “you cannot cut your way to prosperity.”