McClatchy Announces 10 Awards For Excellence In Specialty And Community Publishing

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- McClatchy (NYSE: MNI) today announced the winners of 10 President's Awards in the specialty publications and community news division, an annual competition honoring the best content at McClatchy's non-daily publications.

Winners included examples of exceptional investigative and feature journalism from small community newsrooms across McClatchy. This year, the awards also recognized a number of successful websites and magazines produced by the company's editorial, advertising and niche publishing divisions.

These publications – ranging from weekly entertainment tabloids to sports websites to custom hotel books – come in multiple formats. But they all feature stunning photography and captivating articles that are a hit with both readers and advertisers.

"These awards recognize the breadth and depth of the content we're producing in all kinds of publications,'' said Pat Talamantes, McClatchy's President and CEO. "We are very proud to honor this important and inspiring work.''

The Raleigh, N.C. News & Observer won for the strikingly beautiful and sophisticated Walter magazine, a publication that aims not just to tell the stories of Raleigh but to make Raleigh better.

The Kansas City Star was honored for Ink in print and inkkc.com, which together provide highly engaging lifestyle and entertainment coverage for young professionals in Kansas City.

The Miami Herald was honored for Destination Marriott, eye-catching and intelligent in-room magazines created for Marriott that showcase Latin American travel and celebrities.

The Tribune of San Luis Obispo, Calif., was recognized for Vintages, the essential guide to the wines and wineries of California's central coast.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram won for the 10th anniversary edition of Indulge, which celebrated one decade's worth of success for the stylish lifestyle magazine and set the stage for the next one.

The State in Columbia, S.C., won for its GoGamecocks.com line of publications – print magazines, newsletters and a website that provide readers with unparalleled coverage of University of South Carolina sports.

The Charlotte Observer was recognized for CharlotteFive, an innovative website and newsletter aimed at millennials that has posted substantial readership gains with unconventional approaches to the news.

The Peninsula Gateway in Gig Harbor, Wash., was recognized for a high-impact investigation into the background of a candidate for the local school board.

The Fort Mill Times in South Carolina was honored for close coverage of controversial impact fees, a series of stories the judges credited with arming readers with the information they needed to make their own decisions on an important local issue.

And reporter Tammy Grubb at The Chapel Hill News won for a series of feature stories that the judges called "powerful, emotional reminders of what community journalism is all about."  

The specialty and community news awards follow the announcement on Feb. 4 of 12 President's Awards for McClatchy's daily publications.

This year's specialty and community news awards were judged by four McClatchy leaders: Anders Gyllenhaal, vice president for news and Washington editor; Mark Zieman, vice president for operations; Kim Nussbaum; vice president for advertising; and Tim Grieve, head of news strategies.

Here are the judges' comments and internet links, where available, for the winning entries:

The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer
Walter magazine
Team

Named after its city's namesake, Walter celebrates the life and soul of North Carolina's capital city. Walter tells the stories of the people who are making Raleigh one of the most dynamic and quickly-growing cities in the country. With solid reporting, great writing, beautiful photography and clean design, the magazine informs and delights readers with engaging profiles of entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, musicians, chefs and civic leaders. Last year the magazine moved even closer to its audience with the launch of Walter Events – a series that features local authors, entrepreneurs, chefs, musicians and other newsmakers.

The Kansas City Star
Ink magazine
Team

Ink magazine is Kansas City's premier lifestyle and entertainment print publication, website and events company for young professionals in their 20s and 30s. Last year inkkc.com and the weekly print edition were redesigned to focus on mobile readers and its biggest coverage strengths: local events, food, drinks and music, including the popular dining and bar guides. It also has launched a signature events series, featuring the annual and highly popular Middle of the Map music festival, building reader loyalty, fostering community partnerships and creating new revenue opportunities. All told, Ink is a terrific model for reaching new audiences through unique content, multiple platforms and aggressive marketing.

The Miami Herald Media Company
Destination/Destino Marriott 2015 magazine
Team

These in-room hotel books created for Marriott hotels are distributed to more than 50 resort properties throughout Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America. Eye-catching, engaging and bilingual (English/Spanish and Portuguese/English), these beautiful publications make use of gorgeous photography and fascinating articles to showcase Latin American celebrities and travel. A great example of a successful and effective custom publication that's also valuable to readers.

The (San Luis Obispo, CA) Tribune
Vintages magazine
Team

This twice-yearly publication is now the leading wine guide on California's Central Coast, designed to offer local perspectives on emerging trends, artisanal food producers and useful maps and information on more than 200 regional wineries. Vintages is a compelling example of how news and sales teams at even the smallest markets can come together to create a valuable niche product, with more than 125,000 copies distributed in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Fresno counties.

(Fort Worth) Star-Telegram
Indulge magazine
Team

This monthly luxury magazine celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, with a stylish soiree featuring hundreds of readers and advertisers, luxury cars and party photos, food from top local chefs and even a fashion show – basically an animated version of the magazine itself. An instant hit with readers and advertisers since it debuted in 2005, over the years Indulge has added staff and editions, doubled in page count and launched a spinoff magazine. Focusing on the finest in Tarrant County shopping, dining, fashion and home design, this magazine proves that focusing on the good life can also be good business.

The (Columbia, S.C.) State
GoGamecocks magazine
Executive Sports Editor Rick Millians, Assistant Sports Editor-presentation
Meredith Sheffer

GoGamecocks magazine is both a terrific magazine and an important experiment that has evolved constantly since its launch in 2008 as part of Columbia's impressive coverage of athletics. The State's sports leadership has adjusted their approach with both the magazine and the website to find just what readers want. Today, it's a testament to the teams, their many fans and the huge commitment it illustrates on the part of the newspaper.

The Charlotte Observer
CharlotteFive.com
Innovations Editor Jennifer Rothacker, Reporter Corey Inscoe, Reporter Katie Toussaint

Every day since early last year, the CharlotteFive website and newsletter have found ways to come at the news from new angles, highly visual perspectives and a take on local events you don't get anywhere else. The project zeros in on the most interesting and talked-about topics of the day and delivers a dynamic, compelling report that has built terrific traffic for a start up, reaching a quarter million unique visitors and tallying almost 2 million page views during its first year. This is likely to become a model for McClatchy, thanks to the innovation spirit at work behind CharlotteFive.

The Peninsula Gateway
School board candidate investigation
Editor Tyler Hemstreet, Staff Writer Karen Miller

When Garth Jackson began his campaign for the school board, he touted his classroom experience as a substitute teacher as a reason to vote for him. Reporter Karen Miller started hearing about his sketchy record, and petitioned the administration for records that Jackson tried unsuccessfully to block. The story and follow-up editorial told of odd statements he made and refusals to follow lessons plans that disqualified him from future employment. Not long after, voters rejected him for the board.

Fort Mill Times
What's ahead: Fort Mill impact fees at a glance
Reporter John Marks

One of the most contentious issues of the past year in Fort Mill has been whether the municipality should impose impact fees on new development. By the time the decision was made last August, readers of the Times had an exhaustive library of stories explaining the issues, exploring likely costs and answering questions. "This was a study in how to delve deeply into a complex, controversial and clearly very important local issue,'' the judges said.

The Chapel Hill News
"Donut Dolly"
Reporter Tammy Grubb

The breadth of topics, elegant writing and deep reporting combined to make Tammy Grubb's feature work from this past a model of community news journalism. One story took readers out on patrol with a state trooper to understand the pressures officers face. Another helped readers travel back in time to the Vietnam War with a Red Cross nurse. A third introduced Chapel Hill News readers to an immigrant from Chad who is recovering from torture during that country's civil war. "Each of these stories is a powerful, emotional reminder of what community journalism is all about,'' the judges said.

About McClatchy

McClatchy is a leading news and information provider, offering a wide array of print and digital products in each of the markets it serves.  As the third largest newspaper company in the country, McClatchy's operations include 29 daily newspapers, community newspapers, websites, mobile news and advertising, niche publications, direct marketing and direct mail services.  The company's largest newspapers include The Miami Herald, The Sacramento Bee, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Kansas City Star, The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C.  McClatchy is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MNI.

SOURCE The McClatchy Company

Related Links

http://www.mcclatchy.com