Knight Ridder Announces 16 Winners in its 13th Annual James K. Batten Excellence Awards Competition



    SAN JOSE, Sept. 21, 1999 - Knight Ridder today announced 16 winners in its
thirteenth annual James K. Batten Excellence Awards competition, designed to
recognize and celebrate the successes of Knight Ridder people.
    The winners will be honored at a special dinner hosted by Chairman and CEO
Tony Ridder on Oct. 25 in San Jose. The winners will receive a total of
$37,500 in prize money.
    The top prize, the John S. Knight Gold Medal, was awarded to Acel Moore,
associate editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Moore was cited for his work in
promoting diversity in newsrooms throughout the industry.
    In a career spanning 37 years at The Inquirer, Moore has worked to see
that more community coverage is done by minority journalists, and that these
journalists receive the kind of mentoring that ensures their success. He was a
founder in 1975 of the National Association of Black Journalists. Thanks in
large part to his pioneering efforts, more and more stories are being told by
African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, Asians and women.
    At The Inquirer, he developed one of the first high school journalism
workshops in the country. It has since been named for him, and a scholarship
is funded in his name. He also started the first internship in the industry
for minority copy editors, introducing young journalists to the production
side of the business.
    He is considered The Inquirer's "moral authority" and its sense of memory,
and he shares his insights with veterans and new staffers alike.
    Moore's own career has been a role model for others. He rose through the
ranks from copyboy to reporter to Pulitzer Prize winner to associate editor.
He has served as senior faculty for journalism education at Berkley; first
director of the Knight Ridder Scholarship Award; and former member of the
American Society of Newspaper Editors board.
    Ridder said: "In so many ways, Acel Moore is what journalism -- and what
the best of Knight Ridder -- is all about. He is passionate, accomplished,
insightful and energetic. He makes a difference. His impact on readers, as a
reporter then columnist, and on the industry, as a tireless advocate for
minority journalists, has been profound. John S. Knight, for whom this award
is named, believed deeply that newspapers should be a force for positive
change in their communities. Acel Moore, by his reporting, and through his
work with minority journalists, has been the embodiment of that spirit. It is
a privilege to honor him in this way."
    The jury said: "Acel Moore has been a force for change within his
newspaper, within Knight Ridder and within the industry. He's been doing it
for years and years and years ... . He has been tireless in his efforts to
improve the industry. There's no way people can know all the things he's
done."
    David Deleeuw, classified voluntary/direct office billing representative
for the San Jose Mercury News, won the Customer Commitment award for his
exemplary handling of billing problem calls from subscribers and classified
advertisers. His work shows what customer service is supposed to be, but all
too rarely is.
    The first person to arrive for work most mornings, Deleeuw handles as many
as 280 calls a day. And he has an extremely high "resolution rate." He is
adept at identifying the caller's concerns and explaining things clearly. In
an area marked by high turnover, the 10-year veteran is a mentor and a role
model.
    The jury said: "Circulation is so important to the newspaper business;
circulation drives your ability to sell advertising and sell the paper.
The fact that he can turn around someone who is ready to drop their
subscription, and make them feel positive about the newspaper -- there's a lot
of value in that. If you can fix a problem, you may have earned a customer for
life."
    John McFarland, marketing services director of The (Biloxi) Sun Herald,
won the Community Service award for his exceptional involvement in a wide
array of community efforts, as well as those related to the newspaper.
    In the wake of Hurricane Georges last year, McFarland was asked to
coordinate local communications and fund-raising efforts for the Red Cross.
Those efforts raised $260,000 statewide in relief funds and added 200
volunteers to Red Cross services. McFarland helped organize events and spoke
to churches and civic clubs.
    McFarland is always out there in the community, not just in times of
critical need. He was a founding director in 1994 of Kids Voting in
Mississippi and of the county's Christmas in April home renovation program. He
is active in the arts, as well -- president of the Gulf Coast Symphony
Orchestra and an actor and director in numerous Gulfport Little Theatre
productions. He's chairman of the Biloxi Bay Scout District, and has served in
top posts for United Way and for Coast21, a group of private sector leaders
that helps develop public policy on key issues.
    The jury said: "What he does in the community is just awesome. He is
involved across the board: he was there when they needed him in a disaster; he
provides leadership with cultural groups; he does work with young people. He
is the prototype of that saying, 'If you want to get something done, give it
to the busiest person.' He's also involved in many things that benefit the
newspaper in the community."
    David Yarnold, executive editor of the San Jose Mercury News, won the
Diversity award for improving multi-cultural representation in the newsroom of
the Mercury News and his leadership in helping newspapers throughout the
industry renew their commitment to diversity, as well.
    As chairman of the Associated Press Managing Editors Diversity Task Force,
Yarnold created an ambitious project, National Time-Out for Diversity Week in
May 1999. More than 140 newspapers and several news organizations agreed to
participate, examining diversity in their coverage and discussing its
importance in producing newspapers of relevance to their communities.
    Since 1995, when he was managing editor, Yarnold has worked with others at
the Mercury News to increase the numbers of minorities in the newsroom. Since
1990, minority representation increased from 9 percent to 29.3 percent. It is
a model for other departments at the newspaper.
    The jury said, "His leadership in this area results in having a better
newspaper, one that pays attention to the diverse parts of the community it
serves. National Time Out was a brilliant idea, and he followed through with
it."
    The jury noted that the Mercury News has done more to reach out to a
diverse community than any other newspaper it could think of, citing its
weekly foreign-language publications, Viet Mercury and Nuevo Mundo, and the
fact that the newspaper occasionally publishes articles of particular
importance in Spanish in the main paper.
    Judy Miller, city editor for The Miami Herald, won the Journalism
Excellence award for her leadership and high standards that have shaped The
Herald's coverage of a number of investigative projects in recent years.
    Miller, then projects editor, is credited by her colleagues for being the
driving force behind its expose of massive voter fraud in the 1997 Miami
mayoral elections -- a series that won The Herald the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for
Investigative Reporting. Miller directed the reporting, designed the research
that documented the fraud, and insisted on solid sourcing that held up to
scrutiny.
    She has played an important role in most of The Herald's major news
stories of the decade.
    Currently president of Investigative Reporters and Editors, she also
helped launch the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, which
trains reporters around the country.
    The jury said, "She has a talent for the kind of investigative reporting
that keeps newspapers ahead of other media. She has played an important role
at The Herald in many important stories. She has great reach -- she's a born
editor, a director of people, and really right in the middle of good
journalism ... . The only question is, is it Judy Woodward-Bernstein Miller,
or Judy Bernstein-Woodward Miller?"
    Laura Hemenway, research manager for The Macon Telegraph, won the
Marketing award for her thorough and professional analysis of market potential
to help maximize revenue from the acquisition of The (Warner Robins) Daily
Sun.
    Hemenway analyzed the entire business database for the advertising
division, assessing every potential account by territory and helping to
redefine sales territories based on those findings. She conducted two
different research studies to assess readership potential and duplication for
the products.
    Hemenway also serves as research coordinator for Knight Ridder's
newspapers in Macon and Columbus. She provides market study data for the
imMEDIAte sales presentation system, which helped generate more than $1
million in sales two years in a row. She helps the newsroom analyze and
interpret readership trends and product concerns. She also edits the monthly
employee newsletter.
    Her dedication to seeing these projects through, despite limited
resources, demonstrates her belief that companies must find the time and
expertise to analyze pockets of potential revenue and maximize strategic
advantage.
    The jury said, "She has shown great versatility in her mastery of a
variety of research techniques. She is very devoted to helping her newspaper
succeed. She's bold and innovative and very focused on customer satisfaction."
    The KR Video Team, Chris Mills, Dave Sauls, Kris John and Chris
Jolissaint, of Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc., (PNI) won the New
Business/Innovation award for their success as a team in discovering new
revenue opportunities and new ways to expand on existing work.
    Under their creative guidance, KR Video:
    -- produces TV documentaries based on newspaper series; presents a news
talk program with staffers; teams with other TV stations and local tourist
attractions for co-promotion on the air, in print and online; and provides new
advertising opportunities for customers.
    --  won two Emmy awards for documentaries in 1998
    --  will add more than $1 million to PNI's revenue base this year.

    The team is exploring ways to expand their work beyond the Philadelphia
market into other Knight Ridder markets.
    The jury said, "This team really knows how to take advantage of
opportunities to extend the business, utilize cross-promotion and generate new
revenue. They are extending the papers' journalism beyond the newspaper to a
new audience -- and as anyone in the business knows, that is no small feat."
    Rajiv Pant, director of technology and implementation for Philly.com at
Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc., won the Technology Innovation award for his
ingenuity in devising solutions that have allowed Knight Ridder's online
products to move ahead with new features.
    Pant performed his first feat when he was a college freshman hired part-
time to tackle a problem that had stumped the technical staff at Philadelphia
Newspapers for weeks: how to get the contents of the two daily newspapers
automatically posted online. His solution, developed in the next 36 hours, is
still in use. Other newspapers continue to ask to purchase this system.
    Now 24, Pant has racked up a long list of accomplishments. In 1997, he
developed PhillyFinder, a unique portal software for the Web, and still the
only product that integrates a search engine with a directory, helping users
narrow their searches in useful ways. He added a component to Philadelphia's
Web publishing software that automatically serves as a "handheld edition" of
the newspaper for devices such as Palm Pilot. Early on, he developed a
personalized newspaper that could be read on the Web or delivered via e-mail.
He developed powerful AdManager software, Yellow Pages software, an e-mail
gateway to PNI's legacy Atex system ... the list goes on.
    His nomination cites his "rare ability to see through complex problems and
find effective, often highly creative answers," and describes his devotion to
his work and his generosity with his time for others working with challenging
problems.
    The jury said, "He does an exceptional job and has a wide range of
accomplishments. His work is phenomenal. He's done more in four years than
some do in a lifetime. He's bright, enthusiastic and willing to do things to
help other parts of the company."
    Ann Caulkins, vice president/advertising for the Lexington Herald-Leader,
won the Advertising Excellence award for her leadership in reinvigorating the
advertising department, which turned in a superior performance during her
first year there.
    Ad revenue increased 13.8% in 1998 with much of the growth in retail and
classified. Market share gained an impressive 1% after a five-year downward
trend.
    Caulkins, formerly with the Fort Worth Star Telegram, led a
reorganization, bringing the "ad builders" into the advertising department to
improve communication and implementing a new compensation plan and sales award
and recognition program. She also implemented an annual strategic process.
    Special sections were revitalized and sold in packages so that account
reps were not just selling one-time ads. This was tremendously successful: the
football sections brought in more than $148,000 compared to $17,000 in 1997;
the basketball sections brought in more than $149,000 compared to $23,000 the
year before.
    Caulkins' enthusiasm for the challenge and ability to devise ways to
motivate the sales staff clearly are paying off.
    The jury said, "She's a whirlwind! She has demonstrated what leadership
can accomplish, even in a very short time; she's accomplished a great deal in
one year on this job, and has had fun with it -- she's a great manager."
    Jeff Brinley, vice president/operations and circulation for The (San Luis
Obispo) Tribune, won the Circulation Excellence award for his marketing savvy
and leadership in growing circulation.
    In Brinley's six years in charge, Tribune circulation has grown 22
percent, while households have grown just 5.7 percent. Circulation revenue
grew 75 percent. This strong performance qualified The Tribune as one of the
nation's top 18 newspapers for penetration growth in the country, and one of
the top five in California.
    Brinley's strategies have included aggressive sales efforts, utilizing a
family-operated telemarketing firm and door-to-door solicitation by well-
trained adults. A strong retention program converts 35 percent of permanent
stops back into immediate paying subscribers.
    The Newspaper Association of America named Brinley the 1998-99 Circulation
Sales Executive of the Year.
    The jury said, "He's the consummate circulator. His versatility is
tremendously impressive -- he's been involved with Newspaper in Education,
telemarketing -- every aspect of the circulation and distribution process."
    Three awards were given in General Excellence.
    Doug Ryle, assistant controller at Contra Costa Newspapers (CCN), won for
his consistent contributions to the strategic planning of new revenue
opportunities.
    He was instrumental in developing the financial model for the acquisition
of Hills Newspapers -- a group of six suburban Bay Area newspapers -- and
served as the point person in converting them, and their advertising
customers, to Knight Ridder's financial systems.
    Known as a strategic thinker, keen financial analyst and adviser, he is
adept at "shifting his perspective from that of an accountant to that of a
newspaper entrepreneur," his nomination said. With CCN facing a competitive
threat, he helped implement new online advertising products. He also helped
develop a new policy for handling events and media trades.
He encourages those who work with him to experiment with possible uses of
technology to improve the way they do business, which has resulted in the
automation of several manual processes.
    The jury said, "He is far more than just a numbers man; he has shown
initiative and vision about the business of newspapering. He is a great
supporter of teamwork, and has demonstrated leadership in finding ways to
generate new revenue."
    Lily Chin, director of Knight Ridder Tribune/Interactive, a division of
Knight Ridder Tribune Information Services, won for her central role in the
development and success of KRT's online products.
    Chin was the force behind the launch of KRT Interactive in 1996, and has
been a hands-on part of it ever since. She has helped shape the focus on
content needed by clients, including content specifically targeted at groups
of readers newspapers and Web publishers are trying to reach -- women, young
people and minorities. Her diligence in getting feedback from customers helped
KRT Interactive focus on hot topics for online sites. She has done the
research and writing on more than 400 of the 600 Web packages produced in that
time.
    KRT Interactive's distinctive products incorporate interactivity,
animation, sound and other multimedia effects.
    The jury said, "She has brought her journalistic skills to bear on this
new format for newspapers to reach readers. The research and creating of
material for online publication is an important part of the new media effort.
Her work has been very helpful to hundreds of newspapers."
    John Wolin, assistant city editor for The Miami Herald, won for his
professionalism and personal courage in maintaining top journalistic
performance in the face of health problems that would have derailed many
others.
    Wolin is known by his colleagues as an excellent wordsmith and as an
editor who can coach superior performance from young reporters just learning
the ropes. He cares about the newspaper, about the communities it serves,
about the people around him.
    He has worked in many areas of the newsroom: as an assistant department
head in sports and on the city desk; editing in Neighbors and business; and as
a columnist for the Broward edition and a reporter, winning three national
prizes.  And he has done it in the face of significant personal challenges,
including five spinal surgeries since coming to The Herald 20 years ago. He
now utilizes a wheelchair and electric cart. Three days a week, he edits from
home through a computer hookup, and three days he works in the office. He
edits two of The Herald's top local columnists. On Saturdays, he is day slot
on the city desk.
    Two years ago, when a ValuJet plane crashed into the Everglades, Wolin was
in the slot. He had nine reporters on the move before TV stations began
broadcasting the story. He worked 14 hours, and wrote two stories - on the
families and the scene -- using feeds from a reporting cast that eventually
grew to about two dozen.
    Wolin's willingness to work through pain is legendary, and an inspiration
to those around him.
    The jury said, "This is an outstanding example of personal courage and
devotion to the newspaper. He has pursued a professional career in the face of
personal challenge; his accomplishments are impressive in any event. His work
in developing young journalists is important to the continued strength of our
business."
    A 12-member judging panel led by Knight Ridder Director Joan Ridder
Challinor selected the winners. Other panel members were Jeanne Fox Alston,
executive director, National Association of Minority Media Executives; Leo
Bogart, columnist, PressTime magazine; Don E. Carter, retired vice president,
Knight Ridder; Mr. Felix Gutierrez, senior vice president, Freedom Forum;
Larry Jinks, retired publisher, San Jose Mercury News; Carl Morris, editor,
The Morris Memo and former executive director, National Association of
Minority Media Executives; Ken Noble, Noble Consultants, Inc.; Linda O'Bryon,
senior vice president, Nightly Business Report/WPBT; Orage Quarles III,
publisher, The Modesto Bee; Rochelle Riley, associated editor and columnist,
Louisville Courier-Journal; and Roberto Suarez, retired publisher, el Nuevo
(Miami) Herald.
    For more information, call Vice President/Corporate Relations Polk Laffoon
IV at 408-938-7838 or Director of Corporate Communications Lee Ann Schlatter
at 408-938-7839.
CONTACT: Polk Laffoon IV, Knight Ridder, 408-938-7838