News Release
Hold for release until 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, 2004
For more information contact1001 N. Central Ave., Suite 670
John F. FearingPhoenix AZ 85004-1947
Executive DirectorOffice (602) 261-7655 Ext. 105
Arizona Newspapers Association
East Valley Tribune, Coolidge Examiner, Payson Roundup win top newspaper award
Three newspapers took the coveted award for Arizona Newspaper of the Year for 2004, Saturday. The awards were presented by the Arizona Newspapers Association.
In the daily newspaper division, The East Valley Tribune was a first-time winner. In the non-daily division the Coolidge Examiner and Payson Roundup shared the top honor. Newspaper of the Year honors are earned by scoring in the Better Newspapers and Excellence in Advertising awards contests.
Along with Newspaper of the Year, many other state newspapers and those who create them were recognized for their work and were honored during the annual Better Newspapers Contest awards presentation. The event concluded the 2004 Fall Convention of the Arizona Newspapers Association.
Association membership includes most Arizona newspapers, from the largest to the very small. The association works on behalf of the public on legislative issues concerning public access to government meetings and records.
The Tribune’s publisher is Karen Wittmer. Donovan M. Kramer Jr. publishes the Coolidge Examiner, and Richard Haddad publishes the Payson Roundup.
Awards also were presented for general excellence in five circulation divisions, as well as awards in 22 categories, from reporting and news writing excellence to best page design.
And the winners are:
General Excellence:
The smaller non-daily division was won by The Camp Verde Journal, Robert Larson, publisher, and (second) a tie between The Copper Era (Clifton), Rick Schneider, publisher, and The Coolidge Examiner, Donovan M. Kramer Jr., publisher.
The middle non-daily division was won by The Nogales International, Robert Kimball, publisher, and (second) Payson Roundup, Richard Haddad, publisher.
There was a tie for first place between West Valley View (Avondale), Elliott Freireich, publisher, and Green Valley News & Sun, Pam Mox, publisher, and (second) a tie between Northwest Explorer (Tucson), Melanie Larson, publisher, and Arizona Daily Wildcat (U of A/Tucson).
For the smaller daily division there was a tie for first place between Daily News-Sun (Sun City), Hal J. DeKeyser, publisher, and Sierra Vista Herald, Philip Vega, publisher, and (second) The Sun (Yuma), Julie Moreno, publisher.
The larger daily division was won by The Arizona Republic (Phoenix), Sue Clark-Johnson, publisher, and (second) Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) Jane Amari, publisher.
The following are the categories and winners in the newspaper division (categories 1 to 9):
Reporting and news writing excellence. Non-Daily Under 3,500: 3, Camp Verde Journal;
2, Lake Powell Chronicle (Page); 1, Copper Era (Clifton). Non-Daily 3,500 to 10,000: 3, Fountain Hills Times; 2, Paradise Valley Independent; 1, Sedona Red Rock News. Non-Daily Greater than 10,000: 2 (Tie) Northwest Explorer (Tucson) and West Valley View (Avondale); 1, Tucson Weekly. Daily Less than 25,000: 3, The Sun (Yuma); 2, Sierra Vista Herald; 1, Daily News-Sun (Sun City). Daily Greater than 25,000: 3 None awarded. 2, Arizona Republic, 1, Tribune (East Valley).
Departmental News & Copy Editing Excellence. Non-Daily Under 3,500: Honorable Mention, Copper Era; 3, Arizona Range News (Willcox); 2, San Pedro Valley News-Sun (Benson); 1, Coolidge Examiner. Non-Daily 3,500-10,000: Honorable Mention, White Mountain Independent (Show Low); 3, Wickenburg Sun; 2, Nogales International; 1, Arizona Capitol Times (Phoenix). Non-Daily Greater than 10,000: Honorable Mention, Tucson Weekly; Honorable Mention, West Valley View (Avondale); Honorable Mention, Ahwatukee Foothills News (Phoenix); 3, Green Valley News & Sun; 2, Business Journal (Phoenix); 1, Northwest Valley News, (Peoria, Glendale). Daily less than 25,000: 3, None awarded; 2, The Sun (Yuma); 1, Daily News-Sun (Sun City). Daily greater than 25,000: 3, Tucson Citizen; 2, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson); 1, Arizona Republic.
Page Design Excellence. Non-Daily Under 3,500: 3, San Pedro Valley News-Sun (Benson); 2, Camp Verde Journal; 1, Tombstone Epitaph (University of AZ). Non-Daily 3,500-10,000: 3, Sedona Red Rock News; 2, Payson Roundup; 1, Nogales International. Non-Daily Greater than 10,000: 3, Tucson Weekly; 2, Arizona Daily Wildcat (U of A/Tucson); 1, Business Journal (Phoenix). Daily Less than 25,000: 3, The Sun (Yuma); 2, Today’s News-Herald (Lake Havasu City); 1, Sierra Vista Herald. 3, None Awarded;
2 (Tie), Arizona Daily Star, (Tucson) and, Tribune (East Valley); 1, None Awarded.
Editorial Page Excellence. Non-Daily under 3,500: 3, Parker Pioneer; 2 (Tie), San Pedro Valley News-Sun (Benson) and Arizona Range News (Willcox); 1, Camp Verde Journal. Non-Daily 3,500-10,000: 3, Inside Tucson Business; 2, Payson Roundup; 1, Nogales International. Non-Daily Greater than 10,000: Honorable Mention, Sonoran News; (Cave Creek, Carefree); 3, Navajo Times (Window Rock); 2, Green Valley News & Sun; 1, West Valley View (Avondale). Daily less than 25,000: 3, The Sun, (Yuma); 2, Sierra Vista Herald; 1, Daily Courier (Prescott). Daily greater than 25.000: 3, Tribune (East Valley); 2, Tucson Citizen; 1, Arizona Republic.
Best Use of Photography. Non-Daily under 3,500: 3, Copper Era (Clifton); 2, Camp Verde Journal; 1, Tombstone Epitaph (University of AZ). Non-Daily 3,500 to 10,000: 3, Payson Roundup; 2, Sedona Red Rock News; 1, Nogales International. Non-Daily Greater than 10,000: 3, Green Valley News & Sun; 2, Arizona Daily Wildcat (U of A/Tucson); 1, Ahwatukee Foothills News (Phoenix). Daily less than 25,000: 3, The Sun (Yuma); 2, Daily News-Sun (Sun City); 1, Sierra Vista Herald. Daily greater than 25.000: 3, Tucson Citizen, 2, Tribune (East Valley); 1, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson).
Community Service/Journalistic Achievement. Non-Daily under 3,500: 3, Copper Era (Clifton); 2, Arizona Range News (Willcox); 1, Coolidge Examiner. Non-Daily 3,500-10,000: 3, Payson Roundup; 2, Peoria Times; 1, White Mountain Independent (Show Low). Non-Daily greater than 10,000: 3, Ahwatukee Foothills News (Phoenix); 2, West Valley View (Avondale); 1, Northwest Explorer, Tucson. Daily less than 25,000: Honorable Mention, Today’s News-Herald (Lake Havasu City); 3, None Awarded; 2, Casa Grande Dispatch; 1, Daily Courier (Prescott). Daily greater than 25,000: 3, Tribune (East Valley); 2, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson); 1, Arizona Republic.
Special Section. Non-Daily under 3,500: Honorable Mention, Camp Verde Journal; Lifestyles of the Verde Valley; 3, Arizona Range News (Willcox), Willcox Community Profile; 2, Copper Era, (Clifton), Community Profile 2004; 1, Coolidge Examiner, Coolidge Cotton Days 2004. Non-Daily 3,500 to 10,000: Honorable Mention, Eastern Arizona Courier (Safford), Old West Highway Guide 2004; Honorable Mention, Payson Roundup, Progress 2004; Honorable Mention, White Mountain Independent (Show Low), Progress 2004; 3, Verde Independent (Camp Verde), Visiting the Verde Valley Guide; 2, Nogales International, Profiles 2004; 1, Inside Tucson Business, Tucson’s Up and Comers. Non-Daily greater than 10,000: 3, Northwest Explorer (Tucson), Education adventures in 2003; 2, Ahwatukee Foothills News (Phoenix), The Holly Edition; 1, Green Valley News & Sun, Discover Southern Arizona 2004. Daily less than 25,000: Honorable Mention, Casa Grande Dispatch, O’Odham Tash, Casa Grande’s Indian Days; 3, The Sun (Yuma), The Sun 2003 High school Football preview; 2, Daily News-Sun (Sun City), Activities Directory 2004; 1, Today’s News-Herald (Lake Havasu City), Faces of Havasu. Daily greater than 25,000: 3, Tribune (East Valley), Mourning a soldier, Pat Tillman, a hero’s life remembered; 2, Arizona Republic, FBR Open; 1st Place, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Smoke, Flames & Ash, The story of the Aspen fire.
Newspaper Supplement/Magazine. Non-Daily: 3, Payson Roundup, The Rim Review; 2, Sedona Red Rock News, The Scene; 1, Business Journal, Health Care Woes, Commercial Real Estate 2004, Corporate Arizona 2003. Daily: Honorable Mention, Daily News-Sun (Sun City), Plus; Honorable Mention, Arizona Republic, YES; 3, Casa Grande Dispatch, Tri-Valley Dispatch; 2, Tucson Citizen, Calendar; 1, Tribune (East Valley), Independent Newspapers, Get Out.
Newspaper Online Site/Web Page. Non-Daily under 3,500; 3, Lake Powell Chronicle; 2, San Pedro Valley News-Sun (Benson); 1, Arizona Range News (Willcox). Non-Daily 3,500 to 10,000: 3, Fountain Hills Times,
Newspaper Online Site/Web Page, Non-Daily 3,500 to 10,000, 1st Place Tie, Verde Independent (Camp Verde) and Payson Roundup. Non-Daily greater than 10,000: Honorable Mention, Northwest Explorer (Tucson); 3, Navajo Times (Window Rock); 2, Arizona Daily Wildcat (U of A/Tucson); 1, Business Journal (Phoenix). Daily less than 25,000: Honorable Mention, Today’s News-Herald (Lake Havasu City); 3, The Daily Courier (Prescott); 2, Sierra Vista Herald; 1, The Sun (Yuma). Daily greater than 25,000: 3, Tribune (East Valley); 2, Tucson Citizen; 1, Arizona Republic.
The best high school newspapers. Small School (1A, 2A, 3A), 2, The Papoose, Globe High School; Small School
(1A, 2A, 3A), 1, The Green Fields Flyer, Green Fields Country Day School. Large School: (4A, 5A), Honorable Mention, Demon Dispatch, Greenway High School, 3, The Roar, Red Mountain High School; 2, The Millennium Times, Millennium High School, 1, The Crusader, Salpointe Catholic High School.
The individual category winners are:
Best Column, Analysis/ Commentary. Daily greater than 25,000: 1, Arizona Republic, Linda Valdez; 2, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Ernesto Portillo Jr.; 3, Tucson Citizen, Mark Kimble; Honorable Mention, Arizona Republic, E.J. Montini. Daily under 25,000: 1, The Sun (Yuma), Ann Walker; 2, Daily Courier (Prescott), Scott Tittrington; 3, Kingman Daily Miner, Mark Borgard; Honorable Mention, Casa Grande Dispatch, Alan Levine. Non-Daily 3,500 to 10,000: 1, Cottonwood Journal Extra, Lu Stitt; 2, Payson Roundup, Jim Keyworth; 3, Payson Roundup, Jim Keyworth; Honorable Mention, Nogales International, Kathy Scott. Non-Daily greater than 10,000: 1, Ahwatukee Foothills News (Phoenix), Georgann Yara; 2, Tucson Weekly, Tom Danehy; 3, Navajo Times (Window Rock), Rick Abasta. Non-daily under 3,500: 1, Camp Verde Journal, Bekki Van Benthuysen; 2, Copper Era (Clifton), Walter Mares; 3, Coolidge Examiner, Doreen Obermeyer; Honorable Mention, Lake Powell Chronicle, Christopher Sheid.
Best Column, Feature or Critic. Daily Greater than 25,000: 1, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Phil Villarreal, 2, Arizona Republic, Bill Muller; 3, Tucson Citizen, Mark Kimble; Honorable Mention, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Phil Villarreal. Daily under 25,000: 1, Mohave Valley Daily News (Bullhead City) Jena Scheuneman; 2, The Sun (Yuma), Ann Walker; 3, Kingman Daily Miner, Brent Hinkley. Non-Daily 3,500 to 10,000: 1, White Mountain Independent (Show Low), Jo Baeza; 2, Sedona Red Rock News, John Reid; 3, Payson Roundup, Richard Haddad; Honorable Mention, White Mountain Independent (Show Low), Jo Baeza. Non-daily greater than 10,000: 1, Tucson weekly, James Digiovanna; 2, Desert Advocate (New River), Lupito Cornejo; 3, Sonoran News (Cave Creek, Carefree), Mark Brontsema; Honorable Mention, Green Valley News & Sun, Regina Ford. Non-daily under 3,500: 1, Copper Era (Clifton), Walter Mares; 2, Copper Era (Clifton), Walter Mares; 3, The Oracle, Amy Rice.
Best Feature Photo. Daily Greater than 25,000: 1, Arizona Republic, Michael Chow; 2, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), James S. Wood; 3, Arizona Republic, Jack Kurtz. Daily less than 25,000: 1, Sierra Vista Herald, Mark Levy; 2, Casa Grande Dispatch, Oscar Perez; 3, Casa Grande Dispatch, Oscar Perez. Non-Daily 3,500 to 10,000: 1, Payson Roundup, Richard Haddad; 2, Payson Roundup, Richard Haddad; 3, None awarded. Non-daily greater 10,000: 1, Prescott Valley Tribune, Cheryl Hartz; 2, West Valley View (Avondale), Michael Clawson; 3, West Valley View (Avondale), Owen K. Martin. Non-daily under 3,500: 1, Camp Verde Journal, Keith Anderson; 2, Tombstone Epitaph (University of AZ), David Harden; 3, Camp Verde Journal, Keith Anderson.
Best Feature Photo Layout. Daily Greater than 25,000: 1, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Rich-Joseph Facun;
2, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), David Sanders; 3, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), David Sanders, Aaron Latham, Rich-Joseph Facun, Jeffry Scott and Chris Richards; Honorable Mention, Tucson Citizen, Norma Gargasz. Daily less than 25,000: 1, Casa Grande Dispatch, Oscar Perez; 2, The Sun (Yuma), Alfred Hernandez; 3, Daily Courier (Prescott), Jo Keener. Non-Daily 3,500 to 10,000: 1, Cottonwood Journal Extra, Keith Anderson; 2, Cottonwood Journal Extra, Keith Anderson; 3, Nogales International, Kenneth Stone, Ricardo Villarreal and Larry DeVoto. Non-daily greater than 10,000: 1, Ahwatukee Foothills News (Phoenix), Frank Williams; 2, Ahwatukee Foothills News (Phoenix), Craig Macnaughton; 3, West Valley View (Avondale), Owen K. Martin. Non-daily under 3,500: 1, Tombstone Epitaph (University of AZ), David Harden; 2, Camp Verde Journal, Keith Anderson; 3, San Pedro Valley News-Sun (Benson), Thelma Grimes.
Best Headline. Daily greater than 25,000: 1, Arizona Republic, Laura Pimentel; 2, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Ron Solomon; 3, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Kerry McVeigh. Daily Less than 25,000: 1, Mohave Valley Daily News (Bullhead City), Ryan Bevitz; 2, The Sun (Yuma), Randy Hoeft; 3, Sierra Vista Herald, John Guzzon. Non-Daily 3,500 to 10,000: 1, Payson Roundup, Jerry Thebado; 2, Nogales International, Kathleen Vandervoet; 3, None awarded. Non-Daily greater than 10,000; 1, West Valley View (Avondale), Cary S. Hines; 2, None Awarded; 3, None Awarded. Non-Daily under 3,500: 1, Arizona Range News (Willcox), Editorial Staff; 2, Tombstone Epitaph (University of AZ), Lara Foresam; 3, San Pedro Valley News-Sun (Benson), Chris Dabovich.
Best Lifestyle Feature Story. Daily greater than 25,000: 1, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Tom Beal; 2, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Rhonda Bodfield Bloom; 3, Arizona Republic, Scott Craven; Honorable Mention, Arizona Republic, Barbara Yost. Daily under 25,000: 1, Daily Courier (Prescott), Joanna Dodder; 2, Daily News-Sun (Sun City), Annie Karstens; 3, Daily Courier (Prescott), Cindy Barks; Honorable Mention, Casa Grande Dispatch, Susan Randall; Honorable Mention, Casa Grande Dispatch, Temple Stark; Honorable Mention, Daily Courier (Prescott), Joanna Dodder. Non-Daily 3,500 to 10,000: 1, Eastern Arizona Courier (Safford), Aimee Staten; 2, Cottonwood Journal Extra, Lu Stitt; 3, Verde Independent (Camp Verde), Michelle Borgwardt. Non-daily greater than 10,000: 1, Tucson Weekly, Margaret Regan; 2, Green Valley News & Sun, Regina Ford; 3, Arizona Daily Wildcat (U of A/Tucson), Nathan Tafoya; Honorable Mention, Surprise Today, Patrick O’Grady; Honorable Mention, Green Valley News & Sun, Regina Ford; Honorable Mention, Prescott Valley Tribune, Cheryl Hartz. Non-daily under 3,500: 1, The Oracle, Ellie Mattausch; 2, Coolidge Examiner, Doreen Obermeyer; 3, Tombstone Epitaph (University of AZ), Lara Foresman; Honorable Mention, Arizona Range News (Willcox), Ainslee Wittig.
Best News Feature Story. Daily greater than 25,000: 1, Tribune (East Valley), Gary Nelson; 2, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Stephanie Innes; 3, Arizona Republic, John D’Anna; Honorable Mention, Arizona Republic, Karina Bland. Daily less than 25,000: 1, The Sun (Yuma), Louie Villalobos; 2, Casa Grande Dispatch, Temple Stark; 3, Sierra Vista Herald, Nate Searing; Honorable Mention, Casa Grande Dispatch, Alan Levine. Non-Daily 3,500 to 10,000: 1, Arizona Capitol Times (Phoenix), Don Harris; 2, Payson Roundup, Teresa McQuerrey; 3, Fountain Hills Times, Al Stevens. Non-daily greater than 10,000: 1, Tucson Weekly, Renee Downing; 2, Navajo Times (Window Rock), Marley Shebala. 3, Tucson Weekly, Margaret Regan; Honorable Mention, Business Journal (Phoenix), Mike Padgett. Non-daily under 3,500: 1, Tombstone Epitaph (University of AZ), Ty Young; 2, Camp Verde Journal, Bekki Van Benthuysen; 3, Coolidge Examiner, Temple Stark.
Best News Photograph. Daily greater than 25,000: 1, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Max Becherer; 2, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), David Sanders; 3, Arizona Republic, Tom Tingle. Daily under 25,000: 1, Casa Grande Dispatch, Oscar Perez; 2, Casa Grande Dispatch, Oscar Perez; 3, Sierra Vista Herald, Mark Levy. Non-Daily 3,500 to 10,000: 1, White Mountain Independent (Show Low), Terence Corrigan; 2, White Mountain Independent (Show Low), Tom Schafer; 3, Cottonwood Journal Extra, Keith Anderson. Non-daily greater than 10,000: 1, Arizona Daily Wildcat (U of A/Tucson), David Harden; 2, Ahwatukee Foothills News (Phoenix), Craig Macnaughton; 3, West Valley View (Avondale), Gwen Martin. Non-daily under 3,500: 1, Arizona Range News (Willcox), Ainslee Wittig; 2, San Pedro Valley News-Sun (Benson), Thelma Grimes; 3, Arizona Range News (Willcox), Ainslee Wittig.
Best News Story. Daily greater than 25,000: 1, Arizona Republic, Joseph Reaves; 2, Arizona Republic, Judi Villa, Amanda Crawford, Dennis Wagner, Kerry Fehr-Snyder, Emily Bittner, David Cieslak; 3, Tucson Citizen, Anne T. Denogean; Honorable Mention, Tribune (East Valley), Paul Giblin; Honorable Mention, Tucson Citizen, Gabriela Rico; Honorable Mention, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Michael Marizco, Daily Less than 25,000: 1, Daily News-Sun (Sun City), Mitchell Vantrease; 2, Sierra Vista Herald, Bill Hess; 3, Daily News-Sun (Sun City), Katy O’Grady. Non-Daily 3,500 to 10,000: 1, Payson Roundup, Kelly Crowley; 2, Payson Roundup, Teresa McQuerrey and Max Foster; 3, Nogales International, Patti Lewis; Honorable Mention, Verde Independent (Camp Verde), Angela De Welles; Honorable Mention, Payson Roundup, Richard Haddad; Honorable Mention, White Mountain Independent (Show Low), Mara Reyes. Non-Daily greater than 10,000: 1, Arizona Daily Wildcat (U of A/Tucson), Jessica Lee; 2, Tucson Weekly, Jim Nintzel; 3, Green Valley News & Sun, Philip Franchine; Honorable Mention, Tucson Weekly, James Reel. Non-Daily under 3,500: 1, San Pedro Valley News-Sun (Benson), Thelma Grimes; 2, San Pedro Valley News-Sun (Benson), Thelma Grimes; 3, The Oracle, Evaline Auerbach.