Training flash sessions address issues in admin, advertising, circulation, digital and editorial

Kate Decker

Sep 1, 2025

In 2024, Austin Lewter (right), director of the Texas Center for Community Journalism, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, Texas, presented a flash session on Creating an AI policy at the NNAF s Annual Convention & Trade Show. This year, Lewter will present on the promises and pitfalls on AI in a breakout session on Friday. Click the link for information about the event.

Newspaper training sessions will take place on both days of the upcoming NNAF Annual Convention & Trade Show, both in the form of flash sessions — quick, 30-minute, casual roundtables — and breakout sessions — hour-long dives addressed to the full group.

Five flash session tables will run concurrently, organized by Admin, Advertising, Circulation, Digital, and Editorial.

The first block is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 9, 12:40-1:10 p.m.

  • Admin: You’re Not Their Bank: Reduce A/R and Get Paid Faster Lisa Pfeifer, Fake Brains Software, Littleton, Colorado (ARZero, a term introduced by Fake Brains, represents a shift in how publishers approach billing. Imagine a world where unpaid invoices are a thing of the past — no more chasing checks, managing aging A/R, or waiting 30+ days to get paid. With ARZero, you can receive payments in advance or at runtime, securely store payment methods, automate collections, and take full control of your cash flow. Credit limits and automated holds help safeguard operations while keeping ad production on track — and even encourage your sales team to treat collections as a seamless part of the sales and service process. Let’s talk about how publishers can reduce financial friction and move toward predictable, streamlined revenue.)
  • Advertising: Make a Media Kit that Sells Kenny Katzgrau, Broadstreet, Red Bank, New Jersey (Join Kenny Katzgrau, publisher of RedBankGreen.com and creator of Broadstreet, for a hands-on workshop on creating effective media kits. Learn the seven must-haves for any media kit, see real examples from successful publishers, and get a ready-to-use template in Google Slides. This session will help you design a media kit that is simple, engaging, and effective in converting leads into clients. Perfect for publishers, editors, and sales managers looking to optimize their advertising strategy.)
  • Circulation: Postal Tips NNA Postal Chair Matt Paxton, publisher of The News-Gazette, Lexington, Virginia (Let’s talk Periodicals permits, interpretations of postal rules, how to enter mail properly, steps to possibly improve slow service, etc.)
  • Digital: Smarter Workflows for Small Teams — Discover the AI Advantage Stephanie Carey, BLOX Digital, East Moline, Illinois (Ready to turn your small newsroom into a lean, creative powerhouse? Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at how AI can unburden your staff, accelerate content creation, and give your team back the bandwidth to chase big stories. This energetic flash session is packed with actionable ideas, real-world examples, and the kind of insights that help local newsrooms punch above their weight. Come see how even the smallest team can make a giant leap with AI!)
  • Editorial: Six Best Ways to Help You Upgrade Your Editorial Game Bill Ostendorf, president and founder, Creative Circle, East Providence, Rhode Island (Bill Ostendorf, president and founder of Creative Circle Media Solutions, who has helped thousands of newspapers on three continents improve their content, design, advertising, strategy, technology and websites will offer up the six steps you can take that will have the most impact on the quality and relevance of your content. He’ll also take time during this session to answer some of your challenges and questions about how to manage your content and newsrooms.)

The second flash session block is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 10, 11:40 a.m.- 12:10 p.m.

  • Admin: It's All About Audience, Rick L. Bussler, Steele County Times, Blooming Prairie, Minnesota (In 2025, the NNA Foundation launched a new Better Newspaper Contes class to share newspaper circulation growth and tactics. The award is funded by a scholarship from NNA legal counsel Tonda Rush. Join Bussler for this roundtable session where he will describe the overall campaign and its successes.)
  • Advertising: Stay Agile, Competitive, and Future-Ready, Bill Ryker, Anygraf, Allentown, Pennsylvania (With Anygraaf’s AProfit, a CRM-based advertising platform for managing display and classified campaigns, and CProfit, a comprehensive circulation and subscription management system, publishers are empowered to improve collaboration, boost efficiency, and deliver high-quality content consistently across all platforms.)
  • Circulation: Get 'Em Hooked with Free Samples! Brad Hill, CEO, Interlink, Berrien Springs, Michigan (Increase print subscriptions by mailing sample papers to non-subscribers. This session covers how to do it and stay right with USPS rules. Everyone likes something for free!)
  • Digital: Selling Total Audience Thad Swiderski, eType Services, Austin, Texas (The future of the newspaper business in rural America is dependent on newspapers ability to transition to digital formats. Despite this, newspaper sales professionals have struggled to understand and sell digital ads. This hands-on seminar helps publishers and sales representatives understand how to sell your total audience. This session includes the basics of digital advertising and how to position a digital audience to advertisers. Participants will leave the session with “the pitch” that they can take home and discuss with advertisers.)
  • Editorial: Leveraging the Full Value of Ready-to-Publish Content, Darrell Davis, Metro Creative Graphics, Roslyn Heights, New York (Discover all the ways Metro’s ready-to-run editorial solutions are helping publications save time and grow sales in this revenue-focused session. Explore fully templated special sections and ready-to-sell editorial page layouts that bring in thousands of print and online advertising dollars. Delve into native advertising with copyright-free, unbranded features for virtually any business type. See how to instantly fill unsold ad spots with eye-catching tidbits using drop-in editorial image files. Get inspired by the ideas and content presented in this workshop, and ensure you’re not missing out on any of the versatile opportunities to attract and upsell advertisers using Metro editorial features!)

Full event details are available at NNA.org.

Registration is currently open for the event in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Oct. 9-10, 2025.

 

Kate Decker is the managing editor of Publishers' Auxiliary and the associate director of the National Newspaper Association. kate@nna.org.