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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1991-07-09 - AGENDA REPORTS - CITY NEWSLETTER (2)NEW BUSINESS DATE: SUBJECT: DEPARTMENT: BACKGROUND July 9, 1991 City Newsletter City Manager AGENDA REPORT City Manager Approva Item to be present Gail Foy The City has taken a pro -active approach to community relations, creating and implementing an on-going program of two-way communication, through a variety of techniques. These .include: weekly press conference; monthly Town Hall meetings in the communities of the City; establishing a Concerned Citizen Hotline; 10 pages of community information in every Quarterly Parks & Recreation guide; establishing a Speakers' Bureau, instituting a weekly column in the local Sunday newspaper to answer resident's questions; monthly color public service slides in the Mann 10 Theatre that air before each of the movies in all theatres; regular public service announcements about City events aired on radio stations 'KBET' and KMGX/KGIL; regular public service visuals on local cable stations, valley -wide advertisements in local newspapers; regular mailings to the City's mailing lists of clubs and organizations in the valley, plus regular open houses and information meetings for the public, on a variety of topics. While these techniques are often effective for alerting residents about upcoming events, there still seems to be many residents that the City does not reach through these efforts. It has been suggested that a City citizen's newsletter, mailed to every household, on a regular basis, may help in reaching those residents who may not read a local newspaper, listen to local radio stations, or visit local theatres. A local writer/Aditor has made a proposal to the City that a City citizen's newsletter be published by the City and initially supported by sponsor donations, rather -than advertising revenues. Sponsors would be underwriters, with no vested' interest or- editorial control, and would include local corporations, businesses, foundations and individuals. Sponsorship would entail a lOOX tax deductible, good -will -generating donation to cover the costs of producing and mailing the City newsletter. The proposal calls for the creation of a non-profit corporation to manage the publishing enterprise. This way, the City will not expend any .funds for the newsletter. An editorial. advisory board is suggested to provide a representative _ cross-section of community leadership. In addition to one or two City. staff, members, each Council member could appoint one -or more board members to -the _ editorial board. i %��- Agenda Item:_ ALTERNATIVES: 1. Direct the City Manager to pursue the creation of a non-profit corporation for the purposes of implementing a monthly newsletter, in conjunction with the proposal.submitted by William Otto. (proposal attached) 2. Direct staff to go out to bid for the publication of a monthly City newsletter, partiallysupported by advertising revenue. (Estimated cost for each edition and mailing bulk rate is $8,000 to $10,000) 3. Direct staff to consider other avenues to reach Santa Clarita residents such as re-establishing a yearly calendar; creating a series of videos that can be "checked out" to residents, schools, organizations, etc., about various City endeavors, or expanding ,and improving the Quarterly Parks and Recreation guide by adding more pages, using a higher quality paper and adding color photos. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends number one above. GRF:jjm 390 Santa Clarita Journal The Community Newspaper for Citizens of the City of Santa Clarita and. the Santa Clarita Valley • . • WILLIAM OTTO Creative Corsunant Writer & ASSOCIATES Advertising Sales Pronation 23341 Alamos Lars Newhall California 91321 805/2596321 I suggest that Santa Clarita Journal be initially supported by Sponsor: donations, rather than advertising revenues. Sponsorships will be solicited through a combination of direct marketing and telemarketing. Sponsors will be underwriters only. No Sponsor will have vested interest or editorial control. Sponsors will be local Corporations, Businesses, Foundations and Individuals. Sponsors will be asked to make 100% tag -deductible, good -will - generating donations to cover costs of producing and mailing the City newspaper. Levels of sponsorship will be as follows: • Corporate Sponsors: Corporations - $1,000.00 per month (includes Sponsor Display Space with logo/logotype and slogan) • Contributing Sponsors: Businesses/ Foundations - $500.00 per month (Sponsor Listing) • Individual Sponsors: $250.00 per month (Sponsor Listing) PROBABLE SPONSORS: Gruber Systems, NL&F. American Beauty Homes, Valencia National Bank, B of A, Security Pacific, other financial institutions, HMNMH Foundation, Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation, Center For Women's Health, Sig Flags Magic Mountain, Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Castaic Lake Water Agency, Dean Witter Reynolds, HR Textron, Holy Cross Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, Dale Poe Development Corporation. Carpeteria, C. A. Rasmussen Inc., Hampton Inn, Valencia Country Club, Long's Drug Stores, Thrifty Drug Stores, Supermarket Chains, Los Angeles Times, Valley News, Mr. Video, ad infinitum. Page 2 of 6 NON-PROFIT STATU Santa.Clarita Publications, Inc., a non-profit corporation. will be formed to manage the publishing enterprise. The corporation will serve as a repository for Sponsor donations and as the managing entity responsible for the disbursement of collected monies allocated for salaries/retainers to editorial and production staff members, and for production, printing and postage costs. EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Santa Clarita Journal will have an Editorial Advisory Board: A non -paid board representing a cross section of community leadership. An advisory board of this type will serve as the eyes and ears of the community, providing direct feedback from the citizenry to the Journal's editorial staff. Selected members will serve in an advisory capacity only. No Board member will have influence over editorial policy or content beyond that of an advisor. PROPOSED EDITORIAL CONTENT/DEPARTMENTS: 1. Council Meeting Reports 2. Council Meeting Agendas 2. Community Events Calendar 3. City Department -Head Reports 4. Message from City Manager 5. Message from Mayor 6. Messages from Council Members, if submitted 7. Messages from Chiefs of Police and Fire, if submitted PROPOSED EDITORIAL CONTENT/ARTICLES (SINGLE OR SERIES) 1. Waste Management (objectives, procedures, results; motivational approach) 2. Water Conservation (same as above) 3. Emergency Preparedness (same as above) 4. Rapid Transit 5. General News: roads, water conservation, schools, literacy, student drop- out rate, City staff, City council, selected citizens, City -sponsored events, City goals and objectives - short and long-term,' progress updates regarding citizen committees, i.e.. Waste Management, etc. Additional subjects to address and editorial directions will manifest themselves as the Journal progresses and matures. 6. Letters from citizens (limited to 250 words) 7.- Responses to letters, if required Page 3 of 6 The JOURNAL will be inviting to read, i.e., well written, with broad- based editorial, highly visual, well designed, and sprinkled with graphics and photos. Editorial content will be hard and soft news of interest to all segments of Santa Clarita citizenry. Overall focus will be on people and events, personal interviews/profiles, legal issues/mandates, committees, budget items, existing problems, potential problems, quick -fix and long-range solutions, City goals and objectives, accomplishments, proposals, visions and subdivisions. PRIMARY OBJECTIVES/DIFFERENTIATION The Journal will take a proactive, rather than reactive, stance with regard to editorial content, policies and procedures. The publication must be far more than a bland, spiritless "publicity" vehicle through which the City merely imparts information to the citizens. It must establish and maintain a definitive personality for City government, in keeping with the City's stated policies - in a sense, an ongoing public relations effort with clearly defined objectives. Editorial will be structured to influence and mold public opinion through the presentation of facts and realities of life in our City. When stands/positions are taken on issues, they will be staunch and unequivocal, based on quality intelligence. The City, through its newspaper, will be perceived as CONFIDENT, competent and resourceful. With the Journal as its valleywide voice, the City can gain and. hold a supportive constituency -- one that is cognizant of the leadership qualities, dedication and commitment of our City council and staff. The Journal will inform, educate and motivate the citizenry, humanize City staff and council members, foster unity among the citizens by establishing and justifying common goals for Santa Clarita, and be instrumental in supporting our elected, appointed and employed officials in their efforts to effectively advise, counsel, guide and manage the City of Santa Clarita. A City newspaper will provide a solid means of positive communication between City.and citizenry. It will achieve a reputation for unbiased, straight -forward, even-handed journalism. The Journal must be clearly perceived as the antithesis of a propaganda tool for the City of Santa Clarita. It must be acknowledged by the citizens to be a NEWS aper, not a self- serving tool of the ruling class. Page 4 of 6 PRODUCTION COSTS/PER ISSUE Publisher/Editor/Writer $4,500.00 (Includes Design Direction and Production Supervision) Typesetting/Layout/Camera-Ready Composite Film $350.00 per page - 8 -page publication 9 $2;800.00 Printing - Two -Color on Croft Bright stock from supplied film $1,696.00 Eight Pages $2,475.00 Twelve Pages $3,215.00 Sixteen Pages Note: Printing quotes are for 40M quantity. To print 55 to 60M will be slightly more. Will have firm quote shortly. Additional Note: Following the first year of publication,. the advisability of accepting advertisements as an additional or alternate revenue source should be considered. The Journal will then have gained acceptance valleywide and consequently be viewed as a viable advertising medium. on lz William. J. Otto PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Page 5 of 6 SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS: Nature of Background / Scope of Experience My professional background encompasses thirty years experience in all areas of marketing communications and public relations, as well as extensive journalistic experience in publication editorial positions, stringer affiliations, and four years as Editor -in -Chief of Santa Clarita Valley Magazine. Advertising Agency / Graphic Design Experience Creative management positions held at major advertising agencies and graphic design fonts include Copy Supervisor, Kaiser•McEuen Advertising; Associate Creative Director, Tanner Lafitte Advertising, Associate Creative Supervisor, Prelutsky, Hinton & Krichevsky (advertising agency); Vice President Creative Services, Steven Jacobs, Fulton & Green (graphic design firm); Writer/Producer, Hot Air (radio commercial production company); Creative Director, Art & Design Multimedia (CAD multimedia graphics); President, William Otto & Associates (creative consultant/writer); Partner, Marketing Communications Associates. In addition to the aforementioned positions, I have also been active as a freelance creative consultant throughout my career, working on project bases for advertising agencies and public relations firms on both the east and west coasts. Overview of Experience and Capabilities During my career, I have held the positions of copywriter, copy supervisor, public relations director, creative director and supervisor, design director, art director, photo art director and editor-in-chief. I have worked on a comprehensive variety of accounts during my years in the profession, including corporate, industrial, retail, consumer, business -to -business and political, with hands-on experience in both print and broadcast media. Education Bachelor of Arts Degree, Curry College, Boston, Mass. Specialized Training: Business Management/Marketing, New Haven College of Commerce, New Haven, Conn., Music Composition, Hart Conservatory, Hartford, Conn.;.Advertising Design, Chouinard, Los Angeles, Ca. Page 6 of 6 Additional Data While serving as editor-in-chief of Santa Clarita Valley Magazine, I worked closely with members of the City Formation Committee, assisting that body in its efforts to achieve cityhood for Santa Clarita. During that period, I and my editorial staff produced a 21 -page special report on the cityhood issue which appeared in our magazine. The report was acknowledged by committee members and, subsequently, by the Santa Clarita City Council in session as having a major and positive impact on the campaign for cityhood. Our efforts were also praised by Senator Ed Davis, who, through his sponsorship of Senate Resolution 1242, commended me and my staff for our "vigorous and effective support of the cityhood drive." My staff and I also produced the City of Santa Clarita's first Report To The Citizens, which was bound into the March 1989 issue of Santa Clarita Valley Magazine. I also served as editor/writer of the 1990 Annual Report Calendar produced for the City of Santa Clarita. Work o f li • Shown upon request. References: Personal and business references will be provided upon request. Personal Data: Married, excellent health. Homeowner in Santa Clarita Valley since 1968.