Show your team spirit at the 2012 OPA Annual Convention, June 7-9, at the Reed Center and Sheraton in Midwest City. Three headliner speakers – Ed Henninger, newspaper layout & design consultant; Carol Stark, editor of The Joplin Globe; and Max Heath, NNA postal chairman – will coach you to success. OU Heisman Trophy winners Steve Owens, Billy Sims and Jason White will sign autographs at a reception before the awards banquet on Friday, June 8. Don't miss this three-day event, which provides a lot of invaluable networking opportunities and a dozen educational sessions. (The deadline to reserve a hotel room at the Midwest City Sheraton is May 23, call 1-800-325-3535 to reserve yours.)
» Review the convention program and register online

The April issue of The Oklahoma Publisher is online for download. See who was nominated by the OPA Nominating Committee for 2012-2013 slate of OPA officers and director. Also, read who the winners were at FOI Oklahoma's annual award ceremony during Sunshine Week. As always keep up with staff and publisher changes from our members, learn something new from our columns and see the latest installment of OPA President Rusty Ferguson's "Scouting Report." Available for download here http://www.okpress.com/publisher-archives

Two business members and one sustaining member were recently added to the OPA directory. The Board of Directors approved the three membership applications during its meeting on March 29.
     Choctaw Times is a weekly newspaper that began publishing in late 2009 and is printed in Oklahoma County. Staff includes Steven Kizziar as publisher, Ryan Horton as editor and Joel Schmidt as advertising manager.
     The Friday Gazette covers McLoud, Okla. and is printed weekly in Pottawatomie County. Its periodical mailing permit has been in effect since January 2010. Brian Blansett serves as publisher, Matt Montgomery is editor and Reita Easley is ad manager.
     The new sustaining member, OK Jailbirds, is a group of monthly publications distributed throughout Oklahoma featuring photos, names and charges of arrestees.

Ten journalists will be honored during the luncheon and annual induction ceremonies of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame. Master of ceremonies will be Mark Thomas, executive vice president of the Oklahoma Press Association.

When: Thursday, April 26, 11:45 a.m. (note: this is a revised date)
Where: Third floor Ballroom at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Nigh University Center
750 E. Main St, Edmond, Okla. (Get directions from Mapquest)
Tickets: Luncheon reservations are available for $15 a person by calling Dr. Terry Clark or Sherry Sump at (405) 974-5122, or emailing tclark@uco.edu or ssump@uco.edu. Deadline for reservations is Friday, April 20.

This year's inductees are:
• Jim Ellis, sports editor of the Miami News-Record
• Christy Gaylord Everest, former CEO of OPUBCO
• Gerald C. Green, editor of the Clinton Daily News
• Neal Kennedy, Tulsa radio newsman
• William “Bill” Morgan, publisher of The Weleetkan and the Hughes County Times
• Stan Stamper, publisher of the Hugo Daily News
• Anthony Shadid, correspondent for The New York Times
• James Watts, Jr., Tulsa World
• Faith L. Wylie and John M. Wylie II, publishers of the Oologah Lake Leader

See the March issue of The Oklahoma Publisher for bios and photos.

Helen Elizabeth Shultz, former publisher of the Erick Beckham County Democrat, died March 25, 2012. She was 76.
Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, March 29, at the Erick First Baptist Church, 400 Sheb Wooley Ave. Burial at the Erick Cemetery under the direction of Fahteree-Albert Funeral Service in Erick, (580) 526-3328.
Mrs. Shultz was born on July 29, 1935, in Mission, Texas. She grew up in Hobart, Okla., where she met her husband, Charles Ray Shultz.
Charles and Helen were married on April 4, 1954. They lived in Hobart where Charles worked for the Kiowa County Star. In 1957, Charles accepted a position with the Mangum Star.
In 1965, Charles and Helen purchased the Beckham County Democrat in Erick, Okla. After Charles died in 1994, Helen continued to publish the County Democrat for three years.
In 1997, she sold the newspaper and moved to Norman. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Press Association’s Quarter Century Club in 2005.
She is survived by her children, Dana Shultz of Norman, Okla.; Jeff Shultz and his wife Nanette of Pauls Valley, Okla.; three grandchildren, Jon Shultz of Chicago, Illinois, and Chris Shultz and Elizabeth Shultz, both of Oklahoma City. She is also survived by two sisters, Faye Ryder of Lawton, Okla.; Burna Cole and her husband Jim of Lone Wolf, Okla.; one brother, Glenn Briggs and his wife Jenifer of Altus, Okla.; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

The latest issue of The Oklahoma Publisher is online for your viewing pleasure. Read about the sale of several member papers, including Oklahoma's third largest daily paper, The Lawton Constitution. Seewhat is happening in the OPA and take a look at our board meeting recap. Read about the 10 journalists that will be honored as new members of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in April including former OPUBCO CEO Christy Gaylord Everest and the late Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Shadid. Learn something new in our columns and see the eighth edition of President Rusty Ferguson's travels to state newspapers, "Scouting Report".  Download at http://www.okpress.com/publisher-archives.

Bill and Brad Burgess purchased The Lawton Constitution from Don and Steve Bentley in late February. The Burgess brothers are Lawton natives and plan to continue the same commitment to family, community and public service at the third largest newspaper in the state.
     The Tuttle Times was sold by CNHI to The Mustang Times LLC. The publishers are Steve Coulter, Steve Kizziar and Jeff Edwards. The newspaper group has three other newspapers: The Mustang Times, Minco-Union City Times and Choctaw Times. They hope to open a Tuttle office soon.
     Suzy Oberholtz sold Yale's newspaper in late January to local columnist David Lebow and his wife, Kitty. The Lebows changed the name from "For the Record" to "The Phoenix".

ONF and OPA are now accepting nominations for the annual Beachy Musselman Award and Quarter and Half Century Clubs. Any professional journalist is eligible to be nominated for the Musselman Award, which includes a $1,000 cash prize. Extra consideration is given on the basis of service to the community, initiative in reporting, photographing or interpreting the news. The Quarter Century Club and Half Century Club recognize individuals that have served in the newspaper industry for at least 25 or 50 years. Anyone may make nominations, and self-nominations are also welcome.

Nominations must be received by the Oklahoma Press Association by Feb. 27, 2012. Awards will be presented June 8, 2012, at the annual convention's awards banquet.

» More information about Beachy Musselman Award
» More information about Quarter and Half Century Clubs

The latest issue of The Oklahoma Publisher is off the press and online. This month you can read about the 2012 OPA Legislative Summit, where more than 80 publishers and staff convened at the Capitol for a day of speakers and meetings with their representatives. See how one publisher is using inventive promotions to drive paid online subscriptions as well as social media interactions. Also in this issue you can read about Tim Schnoebelen, publisher of The Mooreland Leader and this year's H. Milt Phillips Award Winner. It's a new month so Mark and Rusty went back on the road, this time for a short trip to some southern Oklahoma newspapers. You can find the February 2012 Publisher at http://www.okpress.com/publisher-archives.

Applications to ONF's internship and scholarship programs must be postmarked by Feb. 15, 2012. In the summer internship program students earn at least $8.50 per hour and gain knowledge and experience working full-time at an Oklahoma newspaper. The program is made possible by a grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. ONF's scholarship program will award three $1,500 scholarships to students pursuing newspaper careers. An additional $1,000 scholarship, made possible by a donation from the Breeden family, will be awarded to a senior at the University of Oklahoma.

Download internship application: www.okpress.com/internships
Download scholarship application: www.okpress.com/scholarships