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Consider a new way to select NCEW's convention cities: bidders are getting harder to come by.


NCEW NCEW National Conference of Editorial Writers  members may be surprised to see in this issue of The Masthead mast·head  
n.
1. Nautical The top of a mast.

2. The listing in a newspaper or periodical of information about its staff, operation, and circulation.

3.
 only one bid for our convention in 2010.

If you read the pitch by Keven Ann Willey of the Dallas Morning News, you'll see that she has begun the heavy work of exploring her city's offerings for the benefit of NCEW. In September, she'll make a formal presentation at the convention in Kansas City Kansas City, two adjacent cities of the same name, one (1990 pop. 149,767), seat of Wyandotte co., NE Kansas (inc. 1859), the other (1990 pop. 435,146), Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties, NW Mo. (inc. 1850). , after which members will decide where to hold our annual event in 2010.

Except this time, there won't be a competitor, unless a last-minute bid comes in. No offense to Keven or Dallas, but that's disappointing, if only because NCEW members are used to having choices.

When I first put Pittsburgh forward as a host city, while at the Madison convention in 1997, members actually had three bids to consider. But, given the new pressures on our industry, anyone who has since served on the Site Selection Committee knows what a luxury that was.

The current members of the committee--Vanessa Gallman, Dick Hughes
    Richard Henry Hughes (born February 13, 1938, in Stephens, Arkansas) is a retired professional baseball player who played 3 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. References
    • Baseball-Reference.
     and I--tried mightily might·i·ly  
    adv.
    1. In a mighty manner; powerfully.

    2. To a great degree; greatly.

    Adv. 1. mightily - powerfully or vigorously; "he strove mightily to achieve a better position in life"
    2.
     to drum up at least two convention bids for our members in 2007. We promoted it in NCEW's e-newsletter. We sent an email pitch, with a last-call followup, to all members. We did the usual one-to-one behind-the-scenes work performed by Site Selection Committee members to try to recruit committed NCEW members to "volunteer" for planning and executing a national convention.

    In all but one case, our invitations were turned down--politely, of course. What's heartening heart·en  
    tr.v. heart·ened, heart·en·ing, heart·ens
    To give strength, courage, or hope to; encourage. See Synonyms at encourage.

    Adj. 1.
     is it was not for lack of affection for NCEW. What's discouraging is most of the reasons reflected the difficulties of the news business. Members said they were coping with shrinking staffs and unable to take on such a task; some were unsure their publishers could make the significant financial contribution required of a convention; some were not certain they would even be with the same newspaper in several years.

    This is the first time in recent years that NCEW has had only one formal bidder for a convention. Truth be told, it follows several years when the Site Selection Committee had difficulty rounding up two bids. This is an unusual way for a 550-member national organization to choose convention sites, and this year's committee wonders if it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a  for a change.

    It might be worth amending the bylaws The rules and regulations enacted by an association or a corporation to provide a framework for its operation and management.

    Bylaws may specify the qualifications, rights, and liabilities of membership, and the powers, duties, and grounds for the dissolution of an
     to authorize a group of members--like the Site Selection Committee or the NCEW board--to select the next location, with consideration given to geography, cost, and certainly host commitment (both financial and labor-wise).

    Site selection would then become an ongoing pursuit for NCEW. What's more, potential hosts would not suffer the frustration of losing out to another bidder, after doing the considerable work of inspecting hotels, exploring offsite venues, and securing the promise of a convention contribution from one's publisher. Eliminating that unsavory outcome might even produce more potential convention hosts.

    It's unfortunate that NCEW does not have at least one other bidder for the 2010 convention. But this could be a blessing in disguise, if it leads to a more rational, dependable method for selecting convention hosts. Let the discussion begin.

    Tom Waseleski is NCEW secretary and editorial page editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the PG, is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Early history . Email: twaseleski@ post-gazette.com
    COPYRIGHT 2007 National Conference of Editorial Writers
    No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
    Copyright 2007, Gale Group. All rights reserved.

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    Title Annotation:FUTURE CONVENTIONS
    Author:Waseleski, Tom
    Publication:The Masthead
    Date:Sep 22, 2007
    Words:534
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    Next Article:NCEW does Dallas in 2010: don't let the boots and big hair fool you--Dallas is 'a big city where people do big things'.



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