The previous day, on Nov. 28, the ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of activist Blaine Coleman, who had sought to purchase an advertisement for the sides of AATA buses. The AATA refused to run the ad. The proposed ad includes the text, “Boycott ‘Israel’ Boycott Apartheid,” and an image depicting a scorpion-like creature with a skull for a head. [.pdf of image and text of proposed ad] The image appears to stem from an original by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada.

The ACLU’s position, as put forth in the Nov. 29 motion, is that the controlling authority for deciding the issue is a 1998 case involving a labor union that had proposed an advertisement on a regional transit authority’s vehicles. The union ad had been rejected on the grounds that it was “too controversial and not aesthetically pleasing.” The case was argued and won by the union in the U.S. Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit. [.pdf of United Food & Commercial Workers Union, Local 1099, v. Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority]

The standard of review for the preliminary injunction, now sought by the ACLU, includes: (1) the likelihood that the party seeking the preliminary injunction will succeed on the merits of the claim; (2) whether the party seeking the injunction will suffer irreparable harm without the grant of the extraordinary relief; (3) the probability that granting the injunction will cause substantial harm to others; and (4) whether the public interest is advanced by the issuance of the injunction.

In the motion for a preliminary injunction, the ACLU’s argument is laid out in greater detail than in the initial lawsuit [.pdf of Nov. 28, 2011 lawsuit]. Among the issues raised by the suit is whether the AATA has created a public forum through its advertising program. The ACLU contends that the AATA has, in fact, created a public forum, but does not rely exclusively on that conclusion in arguing that Coleman’s constitutional rights were violated. In addition to the First Amendment claims (free speech), the suit alleges Fourteenth Amendment violations (due process).

In a similar case in Seattle, the ACLU has now filed a notice of appeal after the federal district court ruled in October 2011 in favor of the transit authority – over an ad with the text, “Israeli War Crimes: Your Tax Dollars at Work,” and featuring a picture of children next to a bomb-damaged building. [.pdf of the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign (SeaMAC) v. King County ruling]

In contrast to the AATA case, the transit authority in Seattle at first accepted the SeaMAC ad. Then, when advance publicity about the prospects of the ad’s future appearance resulted in proposed counter-ads, possible demonstrations, and the specter of violence, the transit authority decided not to allow the ad to appear.

The AATA case evolved after Coleman tried unsuccessfully to place the ad, and the ACLU sent a letter to the AATA in August 2011 supporting Coleman’s position. [.pdf of ACLU Aug. 12, 2011 letter] [.pdf of AATA advertising policy]

At its Nov. 17 meeting, the AATA board affirmed the decision to reject the proposed ad in its current form, and passed a resolution to that effect, inviting Coleman and the ACLU to discuss the advertising policy. [.pdf of AATA board resolution rejecting advertisement] According to ACLU staff attorney Dan Korobkin, communication took place between the ACLU and the AATA’s legal counsel after the board’s resolution was passed. However, that communication did not avert the filing of the lawsuit.

[Coverage of AATA board meeting when action was taken regarding the ad: "Bus Ad Rejection Affirmed"]

The ad features the text “Boycott Israel” and “Boycott Apartheid,” with an image depicting a scorpion-like creature with a skull for a head. At its Nov. 17 meeting, the AATA board voted to affirm the rejection of the ad, inviting Blaine Coleman – whom the ACLU is representing in the case – and the ACLU to discuss the advertising policy. The board’s vote had come in response to a letter the board had received in August 2011 asking the AATA to reverse the decision to reject the ad. [Chronicle coverage of the board's decision, the legal issues and some other similar cases are included in a report of that meeting: "Bus Ad Rejection Affirmed"]

According to Korobkin, after the AATA board’s resolution was passed, there was some communication between the ACLU and the AATA before the suit was filed.

The complaint now filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Southern Division) includes two counts alleging violation of the First Amendment (free speech) and two violating the Fourteenth Amendment (due process) for a total of four counts.

The ACLU is contending that the application of the AATA ad policy to Coleman’s ad, and the AATA’s rejection of the ad under that policy, is a violation of the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech (count 1). The ACLU further contends that the AATA’s advertising policy generally violates the First Amendment on its face – because it is overly broad (count 2).

The Fourteenth Amendment counts can be similarly paired, and are based on vagueness. One count alleges that the way in which Coleman’s specific ad was rejected was vague (count 3). The other Fourteenth Amendment count alleges that the AATA’s ad policy on its face is vague (count 4) and it’s generally not the case that “a person of ordinary intelligence can readily identify the applicable standard for inclusion or exclusion.”

Ben Carlisle mans the laptop for the projection onto the screen as his father Dick Carlisle explains to the unincorporated Act 196 (U196) board how an online community input tool can be used to map out suggestions from attendees at public forums. The men are with Carlisle Wortman Associates, an Ann Arbor consulting firm hired by the AATA to help with district planning meetings. The U196 meeting took place on Nov. 14. (Image links to the online participation tool.)

One item was the ratification of a new policy on public input for changes in bus fares and schedules. When the board arrived at the item on the agenda, board member David Nacht, who was first to speak to the issue, suggested the issue was so straightforward that the board could vote immediately.

The board unanimously approved the new public input policy, which distinguishes between major and minor changes to fares and routes, and provides a range of ways that the public is to be notified about such changes. The policy also includes a range of ways the AATA will receive the public’s feedback on such changes.

Another item generating little controversy at the board table was approval of an increase to the number of buses running on the Washtenaw Avenue corridor – between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, which is served by AATA Route #4. Again, Nacht led off board discussion on the issue, calling it a “no-brainer.” At the conclusion of his brief remarks, he declared, “Let’s vote!” Others had more to say, but the board eventually approved the increased bus frequency – up to eight buses per hour during peak periods.

Nacht’s apparent eagerness to dispatch with those items with extra efficiency could be attributed to a hour-long closed session the board had held before those votes.

The session was held to deliberate on a request from the American Civil Liberties Union that the AATA accept an advertisement for the sides of its buses that had been previously rejected. When the board emerged from the closed session – held to consider a written opinion of its legal counsel, which is allowed under the Michigan Open Meetings Act – the board voted to affirm the rejection of the ad. The ad includes the text, “Boycott ‘Israel’ Boycott Apartheid.”

In addition to taking those three votes, the board entertained its usual range of committee and staff reports, including updates on a possible transition by the AATA into a countywide authority. Those updates included a report on the second meeting of the U196 – an unincorporated board of a countywide transit authority likely to be formed under Michigan’s Act 196 of 1986.

Another update connected to countywide expansion related to progress on a four-way agreement between Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Washtenaw County and the AATA. The four-way agreement would establish the contribution of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti millage funding to the new countywide authority, and set the role of Washtenaw County to incorporate the new authority.

CEO Michael Ford also announced a $2.1 million federal grant the AATA had received (in addition to a previously announced $2.65 million grant in October) to fund the incremental cost of purchasing hybrid-electric buses.

Thursday’s meeting likely marked the penultimate monthly AATA board meeting for Sue McCormick, who is currently public services area administrator for the city of Ann Arbor. She’s leaving that position to take a job, beginning at the start of 2012, leading Detroit’s water and sewerage department.

Public Input Policy

The board considered a new set of guidelines for receiving input on future changes to routes and fare structures.

The new public input policy replaces an older policy that is described in the resolution as “out of date” and not consistent with the way that AATA currently uses public input for decisions on routes and fares, even though the older policy meets the minimum standards required in order to receive federal assistance.

The policy identifies “major” service changes as those affecting more than 25% of riders of a route, or more than 25% of the miles of a route. A “major” service change also includes changes of multiple routes affecting more than 10% of riders or miles of the regular bus service system. The policy identifies “major” fare changes as any change to the base fare – that is, the full adult cash fare – or any change affecting the fare of more than 10% of fare-paying riders.

According to the new policy, notification of major service and fare changes is to be provided through email subscription, printed brochures, the AATA website, social media, posted notices at bus stops, press releases, specific notification of various organizations (housing, educational, civic, and social services, and senior, disabled and minority organizations), as well as other specific organizations that might have membership that would be affected (high schools and colleges, senior citizen housing, apartment complexes, libraries, government offices, or recreation centers).

After notification, opportunity for public input will be provided through email, telephone, written letters, social media, and face to face. [.pdf of AATA public input policy on fare and route changes]

In reporting out from the performance monitoring and external relations committee, Sue McCormick said that the policy had been reviewed at the committee level a couple of times. [McCormick was reporting on behalf of committee chair Charles Griffith, who arrived late to the meeting.] McCormick explained that the policy reflects the way the AATA already does its outreach, and said that it goes above and beyond what is required.

When the board landed on the agenda item requiring a vote on the new public input policy, David Nacht led off the deliberations saying that he felt it was such a straightforward issue that the board could vote immediately.

Outcome: The board voted unanimously to approve the new public input policy.

Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti Service Increases

On the agenda was a resolution to authorize a service increase between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti along Washtenaw Avenue – the Route #4 service. The increase, effective Jan. 29, 2012, roughly doubles the frequency of buses traveling along the corridor. The new service levels include up to eight buses per hour during peak periods. [.pdf of Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti schedule] [.pdf of Ypsilanti to Ann Arbor schedule]

David Nacht led off deliberations, calling the increase in service a “no-brainer” and noting that it had been carefully reviewed and argued before the public. The work had been done beautifully, he said, concluding with: “Let’s vote!

Roger Kerson said he wanted to recognize the work of the AATA staff, who called the increase in service a very important improvement. He said it was a good first step in implementing the transit master plan (TMP) with its expanded service. Kerson’s sentiments were echoed by Sue McCormick.

Board chair Jesse Bernstein said that the increase in service levels reflected a decision the board had made to use some reserve funds to get the TMP started right now. [See Chronicle coverage of AATA budget: "AATA to Use One-Time Deficit as Catapult"]

Bernstein said the board had decided to fund the service increase with reserve funds with its “eyes open,” and said it’s the board’s hope and expectation that the AATA will be able to continue that same level of service. Nacht added that the people who pay the Ann Arbor property tax supporting transit should know that Ann Arbor businesses will benefit, many of which are located along the Route 4 corridor.

Outcome: The board voted unanimously to approve the new service levels on Route #4.

As a part of his CEO’s report earlier in the meeting, Michael Ford had said that Chris White, AATA manager of service development, and AATA community outreach coordinator Sarah Pressprich Gryniewicz had attended a recent meeting of the Ypsilanti city council. The council had discussed the fact that the dedicated millage Ypsilanti now levies to cover the cost of its purchase-of-service agreement with the AATA would not be sufficient to cover the 2013 cost. Ford noted that a gap had been anticipated, but that the gap was larger than expected due to continuing decline of Ypsilanti property values on which the millage is based.

Rejection of Ad

The AATA has a commercial advertising program offering space on its buses, bus shelters, and benches. During its meeting, the board held a closed session related to the rejection of an advertisement proposed by local pro-Palestinian activist Blaine Coleman.

The board held its closed session under the provision of the Michigan Open Meetings Act that allows such a session to discuss a written opinion from its legal counsel. The AATA’s legal counsel, Jerry Lax – an attorney with Pear Sperling Eggan and Daniels PC – was also on hand for the closed session.

There is not a time limit for such closed sessions; however, it was noted at the meeting that the Ann Arbor District Library, where the AATA board holds its meetings, closes at 9 p.m. The board started its closed session around 7 p.m. and took a bit over an hour to deliberate on the issue.

Rejection of Ad: Background on Ad Program

The AATA’s advertising program currently accounts for about $80,000 a year in a budget (approved recently for fiscal year 2012) that calls for $29.4 million in total revenues. But in the past, the advertising program has netted up to $169,000 a year.

When first implemented in 2005, it was hoped to generate $200,000 a year [.pdf of 2005 Ann Arbor News Article: "Some AATA Buses to Be Used as 'Movable Billboards'". Ann Arbor News coverage from that era documents some controversy associated with the decision to offer advertising on buses, as well as the initial implementation that allowed for complete wraps. [.pdf of 2007 Ann Arbor News Article: "AATA to Review Bus Ads"]

The letter received by the AATA from the ACLU about Coleman’s proposed ad lists examples of text from past ads accepted and placed by the AATA:

• “Every 9 1/2 minutes someone in the U.S. is infected with HIV”
• “Two-Faced Landlords Can be Stopped. Housing Discrimination is Against the Law.”
• “Domestic Violence. It happens here.”
• “In Washtenaw County black babies are 3x more likely to die than white babies”
• “Breastfeeding makes babies smarter.”
• “NorthRidge Church is for Hypocrites. NorthRidge Church is For Fakes. NorthRidge Church is for Liars. NorthRidge Church is For Losers.” [Advertiser was NorthRidge Church]
• 2WordStory.com, a website featuring the stories of people who “experienced the life changing love and grace of Jesus Christ.”
• Campaign ads supporting Joan Lowenstein and Margaret Connors for district judge.

Acceptance of the campaign ads, during the 2008 campaign for the 15th District Court judgeship eventually won by Chris Easthope, was apparently a mistake. The AATA’s ad policy states that an ad will not be accepted that: “Supports or opposes the election of any person to office or supports or opposes any ballot proposition.”

The AATA’s advertising policy is administered by the company that sells the ads – Transit Advertising Group.

Rejection of Ad: Letter from the ACLU

The ad that was rejected by the AATA, which is the subject of a letter sent by the ACLU to the AATA, reads “Boycott ‘Israel’” and “Boycott Apartheid.” It also features an image of a spider-like creature with a skull for a head. [.pdf of image and text of proposed ad].

The Aug. 12, 2011 letter to the AATA from the ACLU argues that the AATA’s policy on accepting advertising is unconstitutional. The ACLU does concede that the proposed advertisement “arguably subjects Israel to scorn or ridicule,” which is prohibited under the AATA’s ad policy. [From the AATA policy: "Advertising ... which does any of the following shall be prohibited ... 5. Defames or is likely to hold up to scorn or ridicule a person or group of persons."]

However, the ACLU contends that the policy itself is unconstitutional: “An ad paid for by Israel’s tourist bureau encouraging people to visit the county or purchase its products expresses the opposite view and would be accepted under AATA’s policy. A distinction of this kind, based on the message expressed by the speaker, violates the First Amendment.” [.pdf of ACLU Aug. 12 letter] [.pdf of AATA advertising policy]

A key to the ACLU’s position is a 1998 case involving a labor union that had proposed an advertisement on a regional transit authority’s vehicles. The ad had been rejected on the grounds that it was “too controversial and not aesthetically pleasing.” The case was argued and won by the union in the U.S. Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit. [.pdf of United Food & Commercial Workers Union, Local 1099, v. Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority]

In that decision, the Court of Appeals included this statement [emphasis added]:

We note, however, that the Supreme Court has suggested that excluding speech because its controversial nature adversely impacts the forum’s other purposes constitutes a reasonable restriction on access to a nonpublic forum. See Cornelius, 473 U.S. at 811, 105 S.Ct. 3439 (“Although the avoidance of controversy is not a valid ground for restricting speech in a public forum, a nonpublic forum by definition is not dedicated to general debate or the free exchange of ideas. The First Amendment does not forbid a viewpoint-neutral exclusion of speakers who would disrupt a nonpublic forum and hinder its effectiveness for its intended purpose.”);

In the United Food case, the court disagreed with the transit authority’s contention that it maintained a nonpublic forum. The court also disagreed with the transit authority’s position on the reasonableness of its exclusion of the ad, saying that even if the advertising platform were a nonpublic forum, it was not reasonable to exclude the proposed ad on the grounds that the ad would interfere with the transit authority’s purpose.

Part of the ACLU’s argument in the case of the AATA ad relies on the idea that the AATA has, in fact, through its past pattern of accepted ads, established a “public forum,” although the AATA’s ad policy explicitly states that the AATA “does not [with its ad program] intend to create a public forum.”

In a similar case in Seattle, the ACLU has now filed a notice of appeal after the federal district court ruled in October 2011 in favor of the transit authority over an ad with the text, “Israeli War Crimes: Your Tax Dollars at Work,” and featuring a picture of children next to a bomb-damaged building. [.pdf of the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign (SeaMAC) v. King County ruling]

In contrast to the AATA case, the transit authority in Seattle at first accepted the SeaMAC ad. Then, when advance publicity about the prospects of the ad’s future appearance resulted in proposed counter-ads, possible demonstrations, and the specter of violence, the transit authority decided not to allow the ad to appear.

Rejection of Ad: AATA Board Response

On emerging from the closed session after a bit more than an hour, board members voted on a resolution that affirms the AATA policy on accepting ads and the decision to reject the proposed ad in its current form. [.pdf of AATA board resolution rejecting advertisement]

The resolution invites the ACLU and Coleman to discuss the AATA advertising policy.

The board did not deliberate on the issue after it returned to open session.

Outcome: The AATA board unanimously approved the resolution that affirms the rejection of the ad proposed by Coleman.

Countywide Updates

A number of updates were given at the Nov. 17 board meeting, including updates on a possible transition by the AATA into a countywide authority. Those updates included a report from CEO Michael Ford on the second meeting of the U196 – an unincorporated board of a countywide transit authority likely to be formed under Michigan’s Act 196 of 1986.

Karen Lovejoy Rowe, left, is one of two representatives of the southeast district of an as-yet-unincorporated board for a proposed countywide transit authority. At the board's Nov. 14 meeting, she wanted to know how she was supposed to "sell" her constituents on the idea of the plan, without more robust north-south service in Ypsilanti Township, citing the Whitaker Road corridor in particular. She serves as the township's clerk.

Ford summarized the content of the meeting, held on Nov. 14, highlighting the description of two district meetings that had been held – in the north middle district and in the north east district. Additional meetings are scheduled through the end of the year. [MovingYouForward.org provides a listing of all meetings.] Ford also reported that a community participation tool had been demonstrated by Dick Carlisle of Carlisle Wortman Associates, an Ann Arbor consulting firm.

Ford also summarized some of the material from the last meeting of the financial planning group, held on Oct. 28.

By way of background, at that Oct. 28 meeting the group heard from Dennis Schornack, a special advisor to Gov. Rick Snyder on transportation. Schornack sketched out the contents of a still “somewhat secret” three-bill package that would establish a regional transit authority (RTA), including Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties. Reaction of the financial planning group to the RTA seemed sanguine. The idea of possibly funding transit through vehicle registration fees (enacted on an ad valorem basis) – as an alternative to floating a countywide transit millage – appeared to be the most attractive aspect of the possible RTA.

At that meeting, co-chair Albert Berriz concluded that Schornack’s presentation had thrown the group’s conversation into a state of flux. [More Chronicle coverage: "Washtenaw Transit Talk in Flux"]

Districts of Washtenaw County and their respective representation on the U196 board.

At the U196 meeting on Nov. 14, Jesse Bernstein (who is chairing the group) told members that the financial planning group was enthusiastic about the idea that vehicle registration fees could serve as an alternative to asking voters to approve a millage. On hearing Gov. Snyder’s proposal, Bernstein said, “We were on it like …,” then paused to weigh alternative sentence completions. [More polite versions include "ugly on an ape" and "white on rice."]

Bernstein settled for “icing on a layer cake.” The “layer cake” funding approach to countywide transit is one in which a countywide millage would be layered on top of existing millages levied in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. [For more detail on various funding and governance models for countywide transit, see Chronicle coverage from December 2009: "AATA Gets Advice on Countywide Transit"]

Another countywide-related update from the Nov. 17 meeting involved progress on a four-way agreement between Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Washtenaw County and the AATA. The four-way agreement would establish the contribution of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti millage funding to the new countywide authority and set the role of Washtenaw County to incorporate the new authority.

The agreement would establish an arrangement for Washtenaw County to incorporate a new transit authority under Act 196 and for the two cities (Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti) to pledge their transit tax funds levied currently for use by the AATA to the new Act 196 organization, once its governance and basis for its funding is clear.

The governing bodies of the four entities would need to sign off on the arrangement. Ford’s written report indicates that the four-party agreement is expected to go before the Ann Arbor city council for discussion at a working session on Dec. 12, with a vote possible as soon as Dec. 19.

Communications, Committees, CEO, Commentary

At its Nov. 17 meeting, the AATA board entertained various miscellaneous communications, including its usual reports from the performance monitoring and external relations committee, the planning and development committee, as well as from CEO Michael Ford. The board also heard commentary from the public. Here are some highlights.

Comm/Comm: Airport Service

CEO Michael Ford reported that negotiations continue with the Indian Trails Michigan Flyer service to establish a contract for service between Ann Arbor and the Detroit Metro airport. Ford said it’s hoped that a contract [which would presumably include a proposed fare] would be ready for review by the board’s planning and development committee in December.

Comm/Comm: Website Development

Mary Stasiak, AATA’s manager of community relations, reported on the status of the new website development. At the board’s Aug. 24, 2011 meeting, board members received a short briefing from John Gilkey of Artemis Solutions Group Inc., which won the bid for the website redesign.

Screen shot of the possible layout of a new AATA website design. (Image links to interactive task-based survey on the new design.)

Among the improvements desired by the AATA is a way for staff – who do not have programming skills – to update the website. AATA also wants its new website to be a tool that staff can use to broadcast information to AATA riders via email, text-messaging, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Among the enhanced information the AATA wants available on its website is real-time bus location information that includes a way for third-party developers to create and distribute smart phone applications using AATA’s real-time data.

At the Nov. 17 meeting, Stasiak described how the AATA continued to work with the website developer on two main areas. First, the AATA is working on the agreement, which is close to being finalized, that will make sure all the custom website functionality is owned by AATA and that AATA can make needed updates. The second area is usability testing. The initial part of usability testing, Stasiak said, is to make sure things are in the right place on the web page. [AATA website usability test]

Stasiak explained that an interactive survey task had been developed and that about 70 responses had been collected so far. Some responses had been collected at the Blake Transit Center. Plans are to include a visit to a grocery store to get additional input. It will also be distributed by email and via the AATA Facebook page.

Responding to a question from Sue McCormick, Stasiak said that the email list included people who had expressed an interest in keeping up to date on AATA issues.

Comm/Comm: More Hybrid Bus Funding

CEO Michael Ford announced a $2.1 million federal grant the AATA had received (in addition to a previously announced $2.65 million grant in October) to fund the incremental cost of purchasing hybrid-electric buses. The money was awarded through the Federal Transit Administration’s Clean Fuels grant program.

The announcement means that funds are reserved for the AATA and will be awarded, once the documentation is completed that all requirements are met. Ford anticipated delivery of the new vehicles in August 2012.

Comm/Comm: High-Capacity Connector Alternatives Analysis

CEO Michael Ford gave a clarification on the timeline for completion of the alternatives analysis phase of a high-capacity connector study. Last month it was announced that the AATA had received a $1.2 million federal grant to support that phase of the study. The feasibility portion of the study has been completed, with the conclusion that the corridor – which includes Plymouth Road from US-23 down through downtown Ann Arbor to State Street and southward to I-94 – could for at least its middle portion support public transit that’s higher in capacity than conventional buses. [More Chronicle coverage: "Washtenaw Transit Talk in 'Flux'"]

At the AATA’s Nov. 17 meeting, Ford clarified that the timeline for the alternatives analysis phase – in which a preferred technology and route with stop locations would be identified – would take around 16 months if it begins in April 2012. A final report would be expected in August 2013, he said.

Comm/Comm: Paratransit, Grocery Bags

Speaking during public commentary, Christopher Harris began by thanking the board for allowing him to be heard. He said he’d used the AATA since May, and had a great experience up to Nov. 3. On that day, he was doing his grocery shopping, which he does once a month at Kroger. He told the board that his eight-year-old daughter, who accompanied Harris to the board meeting, is his PCA (personal care attendant). He told the board he has Stargardt’s disease – he’s legally blind.

Harris described the events of Nov. 3. He called the A-Ride program, but was immediately refused because of the number of grocery bags – he allowed that in the past he had been told that might happen. The driver then asked Harris if he wanted a “straight meter” ride. [The A-Ride paratransit service is provided through SelectRide, a taxicab company]. Harris said that he then asked for a different cab, which was refused by the driver at the scene. When he then called himself, he was told it was the cab driver’s decision – no.

Harris asked for a supervisor and was put on hold. The public commentary time of two minutes expired as Harris was concluding his remarks. Board chair Jesse Bernstein told him that he wanted to follow up with Harris after the meeting to see what the AATA could do. [The A-Ride paratransit service offered by the AATA is a shared-ride transportation service for those who are not able to ride the fixed route service. There's a limit of "one armload or the equivalent to two (2) grocery bags, or two (2) pieces of luggage." .pdf of A-Ride policy]

Comm/Comm: Local Advisory Council

Cheryl Weber reported out from the AATA’s local advisory council, which provides advice to the AATA on issues related to the senior and disabled community. Highlights included the LAC’s continued work on a driver appreciation program.

Comm/Comm: Center of Independent Living

During public commentary, Carolyn Grawi of the Center for Independent Living thanked the board for its commitment to transit. She also alerted them to the meetings of a Toastmaster group that now meets at the CIL during lunch hours on the first and third Thursdays of the month, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the CIL, 3941 Research Drive.

Comm/Comm: Partridge

Thomas Partridge spoke at both opportunities for public commentary. He introduced himself as an advocate for senior citizens and disabled people and other members of the public who need courteous and competent transportation services. He called on the AATA board to adopt training programs for all drivers, especially those who provide services to seniors and disabled people – training that addresses not only competence, but also the provisions of courteous assistance to seniors and disabled people.

Partridge called on the AATA board to end discrimination by the SelectRide company. He arrived at the meeting via a ride provided by SelectRide through the AATA’s A-Ride program, he said. The vehicle that provided his ride had 400,000 miles on it, he claimed, and was a make and a model that had been subject to recall. Partridge called for full disclosure of vehicle conditions and maintenance records.

Partridge reprised similar themes at the conclusion of the meeting.

Present: Charles Griffith, David Nacht, Jesse Bernstein, Sue McCormick, Roger Kerson, Anya Dale

Absent: Rich Robben

Next regular meeting: Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor [confirm date]

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A scene from the "Back Page" silent film, made by the advertising staff of the Ann Arbor News in 1936 and screened this week at the Michigan Theater, with an original score written and performed by Steven Ball on the theater's organ. The men are standing in front of the Huron Street entrance to the News building – that entrance is no longer functional, and the News was closed in 2009. (Image links to Ann Arbor District Library website where the film is posted.)

For about a dozen years, I was employed by the local newspaper, The Ann Arbor News, a publication that no longer exists. As one of the editors, I had influence but not control over what was published.

Now, as publisher of The Chronicle, it’s liberating to have the discretion to choose exactly what appears in our pages. But that freedom is somewhat checked by an over-arching decision to focus on coverage of local government and civic affairs.

It’s not a cherry-picking approach to journalism, which selects topics that might draw the most controversy. Instead, it relies on a methodical, relentless depiction of what happens at public meetings, where decisions are made about how taxpayer dollars are spent, or about public policy that affects our daily lives, even if we’re not aware of it.

Much of The Chronicle’s time is allocated based on our commitment to this model. If there’s a meeting of the city council or planning commission or county board or library board …  or the humane society construction bond oversight committee … you’ll likely find us there.

On occasion, we do find time for more playful fare. A recent example of that was a Sonic Lunch photo essay, with fake captions, that we published earlier this week.

I was able to take in another event this week that also reflected the playful side of local media – from 1936.

On Tuesday, the silent film “Back Page” was screened at the Michigan Theater, with an original score written and performed by the organist Steven Ball. (Ball wore a tuxedo, as this was the score’s world premiere.) Running about 21 minutes, the film was produced by staff at The Ann Arbor News in 1936, the same year that its Alfred Kahn-designed building at Huron and Division was finished. It was the same year the paper started using its “new” printing press. (Located on the first floor, the presses were still in use when I joined The News 60 years later, in 1996. They shook even the third-floor newsroom when they thundered into motion.)

The film had been re-discovered in 2009, when Ann Arbor District Library staff started sorting through The News archives. The library had taken possession of the archives that year, after owners of the newspaper decided to close the business. Among the bound newspaper copies and clipping files and other miscellanea that had accumulated over the newspaper’s 174-year history was a 16-mm film canister. Without knowing what cinematic treasure it held, library staff took the film to the University of Michigan’s media union, where it was converted to a digital format and later posted on AADL’s website.

Introducing the film on Tuesday at the Michigan Theater was Eli Neiburger, AADL’s associate director of IT and product development. He likened it to a home movie for The News staff, and that’s certainly the tone. A farce that gives a wink to the 1931 classic “The Front Page,” “Back Page” tells the tale of a “typical” day for the paper’s display advertising department – a day that involves beating up a storeowner who won’t buy an ad, and ends with employees drinking themselves into a stupor.

It’s funny – for its slapstick humor, sly wit, and weird debauchery (in one scene, an ad rep absentmindedly fondles the breast of a bikini-clad mannequin).

And as Neiburger pointed out in his introduction, the film is also an inadvertent historical record of what newspapers were like at their peak – an underlying sense of confidence comes through, a sense that they knew their place in the world, even as they were mocking it. You won’t find that attitude in many newsrooms today.

I watched the film with my former colleague, Marianne Rzepka, and we whispered to each other when we recognized parts of the building where we’d spent so many years ourselves. Some of it was bittersweet – those presses are now dismantled, and the building has been purchased by the University of Michigan Credit Union. The Arbor Research Collaborative for Health is leasing the third floor, where the newsroom used to be. (I was able to attend an open house that Arbor Research held recently. They’ve done a spectacular job in renovating that space – it looks like a great place to work – but it’s still hard to believe the transformation.)

In the film, there were obvious cultural transformations between then and now. People are smoking cigarettes in nearly all the scenes. The men wear fedoras and trenchcoats. The few women in the movie are secretaries – except for the cross-dresser, a burly guy dolled up and flirting with a manager. No computers, no TVs, no cell phones – that’s right, kids!

But even 70+ years haven’t altered some things. The film begins with this text: “The advertising department, ruled by that great American business maxim ‘Beat last year’s record’ (no matter what comparative conditions might be) finds itself in a dilemma.” It’s the last day of the month, advertising revenues are lower compared to the previous year – and the newspaper managers are thrashing their staff to do something about it.

For most media organizations, the ad staff faces the same pressures today. Some of the businesses and institutions that advertise with The Chronicle have related anecdotes about the tactics that other publications use to drum up ad sales. Frankly, it’s something I struggle with. Of the two Chronicle co-owners, I’m the one primarily responsible for generating the revenue to support our work, and the role of salesperson is not one I particularly relish. In fact, I’d be much more comfortable making a movie that pokes fun at the process, and of my own efforts to learn the culture of sales.

That’s why I’m so grateful for the advertisers who see value in our work and who aren’t looking for the same kinds of “returns” – measured by raw page views, click-through rates or Groupon-like deals – that many online publications are pushing. Of course advertisers expect – as they should – a benefit from their support. In part, it’s the benefit of knowing that the content published on The Chronicle’s website is a valuable asset to the community, which we couldn’t sustain without advertising support. That’s why we encourage our readers to acknowledge our advertisers whenever they can, by visiting their stores or trying their services. Like The Chronicle, our advertisers are rooted in the community, and dollars that support their businesses aren’t going to an out-of-town owner.

But the other part of the revenue equation – one we view as crucial to our ability to sustain this venture – is the support of our readers, through voluntary subscriptions. Most newspapers get only a small percentage of revenues from their readers. The real value of subscription numbers for printed publications is that those numbers can be parlayed into advertising dollars. We’re fortunate to have many generous subscribers, but individual support accounts for only about 15% of our overall revenue. We hope you’ll consider adding to that number, if you haven’t already. Here’s a link to our subscription page.

I’d like to think that 70 years from now, Chronicle content will be valuable to those future readers too, as a window into what Ann Arbor was like in the early 21st century. Perhaps our chronicled observations will prove as quaint, funny and provocative as some scenes from “Back Page.” But I’m confident our more serious reports will provide a definitive record of our local government from this era – at a level of detail that doesn’t exist anywhere else.

Our words and images on this website are silent. But they also have the power to speak volumes – to our current readers, and those to come. Thanks to everyone – advertisers and readers alike – who are making it possible so far.

Mary Morgan is publisher and co-founder of The Ann Arbor Chronicle.

Notebooks used by The Chronicle, made locally by Kate Kehoe out of recycled paper. The front and back covers are made from movie videotape boxes.

Editor’s Note: The monthly milestone column is published on the second day of each month – the anniversary of The Ann Arbor Chronicle’s Sept. 2, 2008 launch. It’s a chance for either the publisher or the editor of The Chronicle to touch base with readers on topics related to this publication.

There’s something hopeful about an empty notebook.

It’s all about possibilities – events that haven’t yet happened, wonky statements that haven’t yet been recorded. Blank pages don’t yet contain anything that’s indecipherable or uninspiring. All of that is still to come – for now, it’s pristine pages, and no shortage of them.

I just stocked up on a pile of new notebooks for The Chronicle. They’re made by local artisan Kate Kehoe, who fashions them from recycled paper and old movie video boxes. I take a perverse pleasure in doing a serious interview while writing in a Hellraiser III notebook.

Notebooks – empty and full – are a good way to think about starting the new year.

Taking Note

The notebooks for 2009 are now full. And in our first calendar year as a publication, we recorded our own share of unanticipated events. The closing of the Ann Arbor News last year was a story that attracted national interest, with journalists and others who were curious and concerned about what was happening in this market. Because of that, we received some national attention, too – so notes about The Chronicle were jotted down in other reporters’ notebooks as well, from New York to California.

It’s been odd, frankly, to be on the receiving end of interviews, whether in print and on camera. Participating in a broader conversation about how to save an entire industry, while at the same time worrying about what you’ll be publishing tomorrow or if anyone will buy another ad, can create a strange sense of disconnect.

Thankfully, local businesses and organizations have continued to buy ads, and in 2009 we reached the milestone of being able to support ourselves, modestly, from Chronicle revenue. We’ve given a lot of thought about how to continue to do that. Our motto has always been “make a living, not a killing.” While we would love to see ventures like ours emerge in other communities, but we aren’t interested in empire building.

We are interested in finding a sustainable way to allow continuation and expansion of our coverage – and maybe, at some blessed day in the future, a vacation. Even better if it’s a model that others can use to start a similar publication in their own town. But what exactly is that model?

Stones vs. Boulders

Because this is a milestone message, a different analogy from notebooks also seems apt: Building a business with stones versus boulders. When you rely on just a few boulders, you’ll topple if one of them rolls away. Smaller stones can’t sustain you by themselves. But build a foundation with a few thousand stones, and you won’t be as vulnerable if you lose a few now and then.

The analogy of readers to stones is not perfect, I’ll grant you. But our decision to put up a voluntary subscription option soon after we launched was motivated by readers who told us that they, as individuals, wanted to add their weight of financial support to our publication.

And that prompted us to begin thinking about what it is we are selling. In our October 2009 monthly milestone, Chronicle editor Dave Askins put it this way:

Here at The Chronicle, I’d like to think that what gets “sold” is journalism. Many of our advertisers support us because they believe in the kind of journalism we’re providing – we’re extremely grateful for their support. And a couple hundred readers have “bought” the journalism we have on offer through voluntarily sending us some money. …

The fact that many readers have already voluntarily set for themselves an amount they contribute as a subscription fee each and every month is a testament to the fact that people will buy what we’re selling. In retrospect, we might have thought more seriously at the outset about the idea of “selling journalism.”

It’s fair to say that right now, we have a small (and much appreciated!) pile of stones, relative to the boulders of our local advertisers. Don’t get me wrong: We are very thankful for those boulders – without their support, we wouldn’t be here.

But a more sustainable model would be to add a strong foundation of readers, those who value our work enough to support it directly.

That’s obviously not a novel approach – readers are accustomed to paying for print subscriptions. But subscription fees typically make up only a small percentage of total revenue for mainstream newspapers or magazines. In that case, subscribers are valuable in part as leverage with advertisers, who are willing to pay for access to as many potential customers as possible.

What’s trickier about purely online publications like ours is the culture of universal online access. And we’re not unique in having to grapple with this issue. The discussion is a frequent topic on the website for the Poynter Institute for journalists. And here’s just one recent commentary on the issue from the executive editor of the Miami Herald: “Figuring a Way to Pay for News That’s Read Online.”

Several online media ventures have decided to address the issue by becoming nonprofits. I was recently interviewed by someone at J-Lab, an institute for new media ventures, who said his survey of online news publications found far more nonprofit than for-profit models. But here again, it’s the boulder-versus-stones conundrum. Many nonprofits are competing for grant funding from a limited pool – from groups like the Knight Foundation – and to us, that’s not a secure, long-term approach, especially as more nonprofit news sites emerge. We also felt it was important that, as a local publication, our venture be supported by local dollars, not national foundations.

So back to the stones. While subscriptions themselves aren’t novel, what would be novel is to create a sustainable, local news publication funded primarily – perhaps even exclusively – by the voluntary subscriptions of its readers. That might say something powerful about the community, but it would say something about the publication itself, too.

Part of what it would say about the publication is that its revenue requirements – relative to those required by traditional newsgathering organizations – are pretty modest. In the case of The Chronicle, our revenue requirements are small, mostly because that revenue is invested almost exclusively in reporting, writing, and editing. We don’t allocate many resources to marketing and promotion of our own publication, or in bricks-and-mortar infrastructure – The Workantile Exchange provides our editor with space for $100 a month, for example.

But our revenue requirements aren’t zero, and we don’t have a corporate owner to subsidize us if we don’t hit our numbers.

So empty notebooks, full of possibilities, can be daunting. That’s why we give a heartfelt thanks to those of you who already support us – it’s incredibly reassuring to us when you make a voluntary commitment to subscribe, telling us you have confidence in our future.

I don’t know if my notebooks at the end of 2010 will reflect any seismic shift in The Chronicle’s funding sources. But if you aren’t already, I hope you’ll consider being a part our effort to try.

About the writer: Mary Morgan is publisher of The Ann Arbor Chronicle.

Canned meat is a terrible delivery device for icing.

On the second day of each month, The Ann Arbor Chronicle provides a kind of status report about The Chronicle itself in the form of a milestone message written by either the publisher or the editor. We alternate months.

First a note about spam. Long story short, I’ve retrieved many messages from our spam folder in the last month. I may have missed some. My apologies for apparent non-responses.

Two months ago, I wrote about cake. That’s because – as I put it then – “[G]iven a choice between pie and cake, I prefer cake.” Over the years, I’ve put a lot of thought into cake. Deep thought. Nearly 15 years ago I wrote an academic paper in semantics called, “On Having Every Cake and Eating It, Too.” It was 50 pages long and included many diagrams. I bring this up mostly to emphasize that I can go on and on about cake … in a very scholarly way if I have to. No worries, I’m not going to delve into the contents of that old paper – mostly because I don’t know exactly where it is. It would be easier to find if it had been published.

So I’d like to focus now not on my scholarly relationship to cake, but rather on my personal relationship to this, the queen of all desserts. There are two basic parts to cake: the cake part and the icing part. Now, what’s the cake actually there for? In my view – and I’m aware that this is not a majority position, but I remind you that I have written an academic paper on this, so you can’t just dismiss it as crazy talk – the cake part of the cake is merely a delivery device for the icing. The icing, to me, is the essential and enjoyable part of what makes the cake worth eating.

The icing is the part I’m willing to pay for.

In that respect, most people who are willing to pay for the The Ann Arbor Chronicle right now have the same relationship to The Chronicle as I have to cake. The text you’re reading right now is the cake. It’s a delivery device for advertisements.

This idea is the basis of this month’s bits of news: (i) an actual subscription option for The Chronicle – cake, and  (ii) new advertising software – icing.

Why Think About This at All?

In the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking about the way The Chronicle pays its bills (advertising plus voluntary “subscriptions”), mostly because of an essay written by Bill Tozier, who’s a Workantile Exchange colleague: “Grasping at Golden Straws.” In that piece he suggests that newspapers might actually survive if they focused on selling journalism instead of selling advertising. Translating Tozier’s point to the cake conceit: newspapers might actually survive as actual newspapers, if they focused on selling the cake and not the icing.

Here at The Chronicle, I’d like to think that what gets “sold” is journalism. Many of our advertisers support us because they believe in the kind of journalism we’re providing – we’re extremely grateful for their support. And a couple hundred readers have “bought” the journalism we have on offer through voluntarily sending us some money.

But the idea of providing an option for voluntary subscriptions was not a part of our original game plan.

Subscription Option

Because we’d like to more strongly emphasize that we’re trying to “sell” journalism here at The Chronicle, we’ve installed an actual online subscription option. Using the “Subscribe” button below will set you up to have $10 billed to your account each and every month. We’ve also installed the button on the Subscription page.

It’s not required that you use the “Subscribe” button. If you don’t like the amount we’ve set, or if you’d prefer to make a conscious choice each and every month – or week, or year – the regular “Donate” button is still available:

The fact that many readers have already voluntarily set for themselves an amount they contribute as a subscription fee each and every month is a testament to the fact that people will buy what we’re selling. In retrospect, we might have thought more seriously at the outset about the idea of “selling journalism.” The “Subscribe” button is a nod in the right direction, I think.

New Advertising Software

Because Chronicle advertisers also support and believe in our work, we’ve overhauled our advertising software. We paid Trek Glowacki, who’s another colleague from the Workantile Exchange, to program a new module for the website that causes the advertisements to appear – in the left and right sidebars. Until now, we’d been using a free WordPress plug-in for that.

Glowacki has given us the flexibility to make more ads appear than before. We are using this new power to cause our current advertisers’ ads to appear more frequently. This benefit to advertisers does not cost them more.

That’s because, as Glowacki puts it, “You guys don’t do advertising on the internet like most people.” We don’t bill for ads based on the number of times an ad appears or the number of clicks. Advertisers pay for a slot for a month at a time. So the fact that their ads appear more often now just means that readers can view them more frequently.

It also means that the left and right sidebars don’t seem quite as empty as they did before. They’re now filled with some really pretty ads.

Another feature of Glowacki’s ad server: We now have the flexibility to throw up a page of nothing but ads. It’s  for folks who just want to look at ads.

So for those readers like me, who like to eat just the icing, without the cake, here you go: [Chronicle Advertisers]

Coming soon to the Michigan Theater marquee: "The Ann Arbor Chronicle."

Giddy doesn’t begin to describe the first time I saw my byline in a newspaper – slobberingly gaga comes closer – and I’m anticipating a similar can’t-help-grinning-stupidly jolt when The Chronicle’s name goes up on the Michigan Theater marquee on Sunday.

As our publication grows, we’re looking for ways to let people know what we do. And we’re looking to do that in ways that make sense for us. For example, you probably won’t see us putting flyers on car windshields in the Walmart parking lot – unless, perhaps, we’re doing it as performance art. What’s more our speed? An ad in the program for Burns Park Players’ “Annie Get Your Gun” in February. I was pretty gaga over that, too.

But when I met with the Michigan Theater’s Lee Berry a few weeks ago over breakfast at the Broken Egg and he told me about the possibility of sponsoring the 1939 classic “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” – well, the fit seemed just about perfect.

Why is “Mr. Smith” a good fit? It’s a movie where the workings of government take center stage – regular Chronicle readers will recognize that watching government is one of our things. Then there’s the whole sleep-deprived angle. If you’ve never seen the film and have no idea what I’m talking about, now’s your chance. We’re thrilled to be sponsoring three showings of the Jimmy Stewart film, as part of Michigan Theater’s Summer Classic Film Series: On Sunday, June 28 at 1:30 p.m., and on Tuesday, June 30, at 4:30 and 7 p.m. The film’s 1939 premiere was sponsored by the National Press Club, and we don’t mind the parallel.

As part of the sponsorship, we’ll be giving away some free passes to each show. If you come to the ticket office and see us lurking outside, mention that you’re a Chronicle reader and we’ll give you a pass to the movie, until we run out. We hope to see you there.

We’ll have more giveaways later this summer at another event that we’re geeked about – the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair’s Townie Street Party. This is the fifth year the party has been held, on the Monday evening before the town is mobbed by art fair-goers. This year, it falls on July 13. The event is free, and runs from 5-9:30 p.m. on North University between Thayer and Fletcher. There’ll be live music, food vendors, fun stuff for kids – and the opportunity for you to ride a teeter totter.

The Chronicle’s table in the street party’s Townie Hall will include a raffle of gift baskets packed with swag that’s been generously donated by some of our Chronicle advertisers. (I just picked up some very cool camo caps from Fingerle Lumber yesterday.) Drop by to enter the free raffle, sign up for our weekly email list or just to say hi – we love meeting Chronicle readers in person.

Here’s a few more things we’ll be doing in the coming weeks:

Dave Askins, my partner at The Chronicle, will be speaking at the inaugural Ignite Ann Arbor event on June 30, where he’ll present an “origin story” for this publication. Two guys in Seattle started the first Ignite event in 2006, and it’s a concept that has spread (yeah, we get it – like fire). Each speaker gets five minutes and 20 slides, with each slide advancing automatically every 15 seconds. The idea is to keep things lively, and to pack each event with a broad range of speakers and topics – Tuesday’s Ignite definitely fits that description. I met the organizer, Ryan Burns, at a recent Friday Mornings @ Selma – Amy Milligan, development director for the Neutral Zone, introduced us, and it turns out NZ is hosting the event. It begins at 7 p.m. at 310 E. Washington St.

I’ll be part of a panel discussion with other journalists at the Michigan Leaders Breakfast on Thursday, July 9. Hosted by the Ann Arbor Business Review and the Washtenaw Economic Club, it’s being billed as a look at the “evolution of local media.” Evolution, devolution, revolution – I’ve heard what’s happening in the field of journalism described in all these ways, and generally not in a laudatory tone. Even though The Chronicle is in the thick of doing it – whatever it is – I waver between being intensely interested and just downright sick of navel-gazing. But if journalistic navels are to be gazed at, this is a good group to do it: Other panelists include John Hilton of the Ann Arbor Observer, Lucy Ann Lance of the Lucy Ann Lance Business Insider on WLBY-AM, Tony Dearing of AnnArbor.com and Paula Gardner of the Ann Arbor Business Review. The event runs from 7-9 a.m. at Kensington Court, 610 Hilton Blvd. and costs $30.

Also on July 9, I’ll be the speaker at the NetWorks! lunch series put on by the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce. The topic will also be local news – specifically, how The Chronicle fits into the media landscape. I’ll be describing how I think The Chronicle’s approach to local journalism makes us different from everyone else. The lunch is held at the Ann Arbor Country Club, 4699 East Loch Alpine Drive, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. It costs $25 for chamber members, $35 for non-members.

About the writer: Mary Morgan is publisher of The Ann Arbor Chronicle.

Mary Morgan, Ann Arbor Chronicle publisher

Walking home in the drenching rain last week, soaked to the bone and feeling a little sorry for myself, I noted that at least I wasn’t cold – it finally felt like spring. And spring marks the third season of the year for The Ann Arbor Chronicle, another milestone as we check in with our eighth monthly update to readers.

This month we have a few things on the horizon, plus a reminder and some thank yous.

Talking the Talk

Ever since I fell into the orchestra pit during my high school’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” I’ve had no fear of public speaking – what could possibly be worse than that? (Well, once my leg fell asleep waiting to speak at a ceremony in college, and when I got out of my seat I toppled into the lap of the president of Indiana University – but that’s another story.)

Since launching The Chronicle last year, I’ve had the chance to speak to many community groups about the future of local news. Interest in the topic has heightened since mid-March, when the Ann Arbor News announced its plans to close, while its owners set out to start a new, primarily online business, AnnArbor.com.

In May I’ll participate in some additional public forums where I’ll do my best not to careen unintentionally into the audience. If you’re interested in these topics, I hope you’ll drop by – it’s always great to meet Chronicle readers in person.

On Wednesday, May 13, I’ll be speaking to LA2M (Lunch Ann Arbor Marketing), a group of local marketing professionals who meet each Wednesday from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Conor O’Neill’s. I’ll draw from my experience of 12 years at The Ann Arbor News as well as our entrepreneurial journey with The Ann Arbor Chronicle to talk about the media landscape and what the future might hold for the coverage of local news. The event is open to anyone – there’s no charge, but you’ll need to pay for your own lunch.

Later that week, the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw is holding a daylong forum on Friday, May 15. At 1:15 p.m. I’ll be moderating a panel discussion of local business leaders: Debi Scroggins, CEO of Bearclaw Coffee; Maria Thompson, president of the Government Solutions Group of A123Systems, Inc. (formerly T/J Technologies, Inc.); and  Kimberly Cumming, executive director of The Women’s Center of Southeastern Michigan. These women are sharp and savvy, and I expect we’ll have a provocative exchange about the challenges and bliss of starting and running a business or nonprofit. (The WXW website has details about other sessions, as well as cost.)

And at this month’s annual Ann Arbor Book Festival, I’ll be part of a panel discussion on the future of newspapers. I’m looking forward to hearing other panelists’ perspectives on that issue. The forum will be moderated by my former colleague Jim Knight, managing editor of The Ann Arbor News. Other panelists are John Beckett of OpinionArtillery.org, Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press and Niall Stanage, a reporter and author of Redemption Song: An Irish Reporter Inside the Obama Campaign. That event will be at the Michgian League’s Hussey Stage on Saturday, May 16, starting at noon.

Weekly Chronicle E-mail

If you aren’t able to keep up with a daily dose of The Chronicle, but you want to make sure that you don’t miss anything, you might want to sign up for our weekly e-mail, which provides brief descriptions of articles from the previous week and direct links to those articles. The update includes links to our popular Stopped.Watched section, as well as the week’s New Media Watch and Old Media Watch items and a link to our advertisers.

These e-mails go out each Saturday. If you’d like to sign up, just send an note to me (mary.morgan@annarborchronicle.com) or Dave Askins (dave.askins@annarborchronicle.com) and we’ll add you to our list.

Welcome to New Advertisers, and Thanks to Long-Timers

As always, we want to give a shout out to the local businesses and organizations that support us with their advertising dollars, as well as to readers who contribute their equivalent of a voluntary subscription via our Tip Jar. Since last month’s milestone message, we’ve had several new advertisers sign up – we welcome them, and urge you to consider them as you shop, look for entertainment, seek lodging for visitors, and decide where to allocate your philanthropic giving. New within the past month are:

• Ann Arbor Bed & Breakfast
• Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation
• Anna Daigle of Salon Vertigo
• Avalon Housing
• Good Scents Gardens
• Main Street Area Association Restaurant Week
• Matthaei Botanical Gardens
• Pioneer Theatre Guild
• Organic Bliss
• University of Michigan Press

As we welcome new advertisers, we also want to recognize and thank advertisers who’ve been with us before – some of them, like the Bank of Ann Arbor, Books by Chance, Ann Arbor Public Schools and Ypsilanti Public Schools, have been with us since nearly the beginning of our venture in September 2008. That’s huge. We could not continue to do what we do without that kind of long-term support. So  if you find value in our work, you have our advertisers to thank for making it possible. Check out our complete list of advertisers here. If  you’ve seen their ads on The Chronicle and it prompts you to patronize their business, please let them know that we played a role in that.

Finally, I’d like to thank every reader who has offered up a word of encouragement, a suggestion, a correction or clarification, a comment, a joke, a poke – either in person, on our site, via e-mail, Twitter or Facebook.

It’s springtime at The Chronicle, and you’ve helped us get this far.

I used this canvas bag to deliver the morning paper in Columbus, Indiana, from 1974 to 1980. The circulation area for the Louisville Courier-Journal extended only as far north as Columbus. More people in Columbus subscribed to the Indianapolis Star, or else the local afternoon paper, The Republic. But some people subscribed to all three.

It’s my turn to write the monthly milestone – an update about The Chronicle. Here’s a nuts-and-bolts outline, with a longer version after the break.

• Events: List them yourself on The Chronicle by registering for an account on Upcoming and creating the event listings there. Let us know when you’ve done that, and we’ll add them to our “watch list,” which will make them appear on The Chronicle’s event listing. It’s free.
• Emailed updates: Shoot us an email saying you’d like to receive weekly story summaries, and we’ll send them to you – with links to the complete story.
• Advertising crew: As part of our ongoing effort to increase revenues to support expanded coverage in The Chronicle, there’ll be some folks out there in the community earning commissions by convincing advertisers to place ads in The Chronicle. If you think you’ve got what it takes to sell ads into The Chronicle, let us know.
• Print and thoughts on newspapers: Printing off a page from The Chronicle should look a bit better than it used to. Regarding the contrast between news on-screen versus printed on paper, Del Dunbar’s column that we ran back in September 2008, our first month of publication, is a better read than ever. [Link to Del Dunbar's column.]

Events

Here’s how to set up your own event listings on The Chronicle.

1. Register for an account on Upcoming (http://upcoming.yahoo.com). Some readers might already have an account with Yahoo!
2. Create the event using +Add An Event on Upcoming. It’s a form-filling exercise that asks for what you’d expect: Title, venue, time, date, description, cost (if any). Many if not most of the venues in Ann Arbor are already in the Upcoming system – start typing and the auto-fill will take over. If you wind up needing to add a venue, once you type in the address, a link to a map of that location gets automatically created.
3. Let us know you’ve created the event. Email us the link. Or just tell us the title. We’ll find it. Then we’ll add it to our “watch list” and it will show up on The Chronicle’s event listing. Plus, your event will potentially show up in other places that use Upcoming. ArborUpdate‘s right sidebar is one example.

To  people with events to promote, the advantages of this approach include: total control over accuracy, tone and language of description; total control of any needed revisions (what if the time, date or venue changes due to circumstances beyond your control?); potentially wider distribution across the web.

For us, one advantage is that it saves work – one click adds an event to our “watch list.” Another is that we retain editorial control over which events appear on our website. A final advantage is that Upcoming uses the nomenclature “watch list.” We’re all about watches and clocks here at The Chronicle, for heaven’s sake.

Why events? Our approach to chronicling the community is to show up somewhere and give a first-hand eyewitness account.  That approach doesn’t necessarily serve the promotional interests of people who are holding events. It also doesn’t necessarily directly serve the public interest in knowing when important events are going to take place: “Thanks, Ann Arbor Chronicle, for telling me what happened, but how about telling me next time that it’s going to happen so I can go myself if I want.” A mostly reader-driven event listing allows us to focus resources on reporting and writing, while serving readers’ interest in knowing what’s coming up.

For readers who are familiar with microformats, our event listing has them.

Emailed Updates

We’ve heard from several readers that their preferred way to read The Chronicle is to receive a warm, friendly electronic nuzzle – an email message – with links to stories. So we’ve begun sending out weekly updates (Saturday or Sunday) with short synopses of the main stories from the past week, including links to the whole story. It’s just text, no pretty pictures. We also include in the weekly update a link to our list of advertisers.

If you’d like to be added to the list, shoot us an email at dave.askins@annarborchronicle.com. If you decide, after receiving some of these updates, that this is not what you wanted after all, just send us an email and we’ll take you off the list.

Advertising

It’s always been our intention to expand coverage of The Chronicle as revenues allow. With the recent developments in the local media landscape – most notably, The Ann Arbor News is ceasing publication this summer – expectations from our readers have risen. We’ve heard from several of you that you’d like us to step up and expand the breadth of our coverage. We don’t intend to disappoint.

For a few months now, our efforts to grow revenues have included some other folks who’ve been working with us to increase the number of advertisers in The Chronicle. Readers might have noticed the effect of those efforts. In addition to thanking our long-time advertisers, we’d like to welcome the following advertisers who’ve joined us since our last monthly milestone (and see the full list of all our advertisers here):

• Courtyard Shops
• Downtown Home & Garden
• Emergent Arts
• FestiFools
• Fourth Avenue Birkenstock
• getDowntown
• Legacy Land Conservancy
• Potters Guild
• Real Seafood Co.
• Washington Street Gallery

We’re also ready to add some additional advertising representatives. If you want to take a shot selling ads into The Chronicle on a straight commission basis, send Mary Morgan an email at mary.morgan@annarborchronicle.com.

Additional revenues will support additional reporting and writing. I think there’ll be a variety of local enterprises over the next few months that launch because people see an opportunity to fill a void. I think that The Chronicle and annarbor.com will likely be just two of a host of media alternatives – from other purely online ventures with rolling publication times, to printed weekly publications, to other combined print-web initiatives. It could be that several survive longer term.

Whether one of those is a daily printed publication is possible, I’d say yes, but doubtful. Still, The Republic, which is the local paper in my hometown of Columbus, Indiana (pop. 35,000), seems to be printing a paper every day.

Newspapers and Print

Related to printing is one recent success here at The Chronicle: When you print off a story from The Chronicle, the result now looks pretty close to the way the screen looks. One exception is that the advertisements are lined up along the bottom. So if you know someone who’s just never ever ever going to go online to read local news, and there’s  some Chronicle content you think they’d enjoy, we’d encourage you to print off a page and hand it along to them. Or just post it somewhere prominent.

We know that a sheaf of 8.5 x 11 sheets isn’t going to replace the feel of a newspaper. But it’s better than nothing – which to paraphrase Del Dunbar in the column he wrote for The Chronicle back in September, is exactly what you paid to read this.

In the wake of last  week’s news I found myself re-reading that column. I’d like to invite you to do the same: “I miss my daily newspaper as I remember it.”

After reading Del’s piece, Twitter it, Facebook it, MySpace it, email it.  Or … print it out and staple it to a telephone pole.

The Chronicle's ad in the Burns Park Players program for "Annie Get Your Gun." It was the first-ever ad that we'd purchased, and gave us a thrill to see it when we attended the Feb. 7 show.

I generally brace myself when February rolls around – it doesn’t have a great track record of bringing the best of times, in my experience.

This year was different.

February treated The Chronicle okay. In spite of continued grim economic news, we’ve signed on new advertisers. In spite of the media’s general belief  that readers have super-short attention spans, we’ve gained new readers – and you might have noticed that we don’t always write short.

Yeah, this sounds pretty self-congratulatory. I can’t help it. Each business, nonprofit or professional who spends their advertising dollars with us or contributes via our Tip Jar, each person who spends some of their time reading The Chronicle – when they have a hundred other things calling out for their attention – is a precious thing to us, and we celebrate that unabashedly.

A lot happened in February, including several things we’re doing aimed at spreading the word about our publication. For our sixth monthly milestone message, here’s an update on what we’ve been up to.

“Er, uh…we’re on the radio!”

After being off the airwaves for more than a year, Lucy Ann Lance launched a new radio show in late January on WLBY, 1290-AM. The show runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Saturday, totally focused on people and issues in the Ann Arbor area – she’s had some great interviews, including one that revealed exactly where she stashes her cellphone for handy access.

On Jan. 31 Dave and I did an in-studio interview for the show, and since then I’ve been doing a regular segment with Lucy Ann sometime between 11:30 and noon each week. It’s great fun talking with her about what’s going on in the community and what we’re covering in The Chronicle, but I’ve got to say the downside is my discovery that I can’t speak more than a few words without injecting an “um,” “uh,” or “er.” Let’s just say those speech mannerisms get amplified when recorded, and my limited radio experience makes me admire Lucy Ann’s talents all the more. You can hear for yourself: Lucy Ann and her business partner Dean Erskine post digital recordings of each show on their website, or  tune in to listen live on Saturday.

Dave Askins and Lucy Ann Lance at the WLBY studio on Jan.31 following the Lucy Ann Lance Show, which airs each Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

What we’re doing on Facebook

When we went to the WLBY studios, we took our camera along and snapped a few shots to put on The Chronicle’s Facebook page. Bill Tozier kindly formed The Ann Arbor Chronicle group, which about 250 people have joined so far. Like any club, being a member should get you something. We’re just not sure what.

One thing we’re doing is posting some behind-the-scenes photos that don’t get posted on The Chronicle, like this one of Dave and Lucy Ann. (Why is one of the microphones green and the others brown? I have no idea – but I picked the green one.)

So if you’re on Facebook, check out The Ann Arbor Chronicle group and join us! And drop us a line with suggestions about what we can do with or for group members, aside from photos with goofy captions.

Skyclock

Decidedly ungoofy is a new feature that appeared on our site in early February: Skyclock. We think this clock is supercool, but even more so because an Ann Arbor inventor designed it. Though he’s been working on the concept since the 1960s, John Rosevear launched the Skyclock company in 1986, and contacted us late last year asking if we’d be interested in putting his clock on our site. That was a no-brainer. We are all about watches and clocks. (You’ll find Skyclock at the bottom of the righthand sidebar, and if you only read The Chronicle by RSS feedreader, you probably haven’t seen it yet. Keep reading by feedreader, but once in a while check out what you might be missing.)

There are several remarkable features in Skyclock, chief among them the fact that it indicates the periods of dawn and dusk each day. You can also set it to show as a 12- or 24-hour clock, and it has both an analog and digital readout. Nice.

So nice, in fact, that it’s also a piece of art. You can see for yourself at the University of Michigan’s Jean Paul Slusser Gallery, where the work is part of an exhibit called “Imagining the Universe,” which runs through March 5. (The gallery is located at UM’s School of Art & Design, 2000 Bonisteel Blvd. It’s open weekdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 7 p.m.) Tracy Davis of the Ann Arbor News did an article on John and Skyclock that was published over the weekend. We’re glad to see his work is getting the attention it deserves.

Our First Ad: Burns Park Players

We spend a lot of time thinking about advertising, and usually we’re not the ones placing the ad. But that’s exactly what we did in February, and our first-ever ad for The Chronicle appeared in the program for this year’s Burns Park Players show, “Annie Get Your Gun.” Since we’re all about community, this quintessential community effort seemed like just the right place for our first ad, and we had a lot of fun putting it together.

We also enjoyed reading through the program before the performance, initially for the cheap thrill of finding our own ad, then to check out the other businesses and individuals who also supported BPP. Most of them were professionals or small, local businesses like ours, who clearly value the “community” aspect of community theater. The Burns Park Players are just one of myriad examples in which people come together to create something unique and memorable in this small slice of the world. We’ll be looking for more promotional opportunities like this in the coming months.

New advertisers

Speaking of advertising, we’ve had several local businesses and individuals join our ranks of advertisers over the past month. As always, we encourage our readers to give all our advertisers a shout out and, if they sell products or services that you need, we hope you’ll throw your business their way. If you like what you read on The Chronicle, you have our advertisers to thank for keeping us in business. We certainly thank them, too.

Advertisers who joined us since our last monthly milestone message are: Acme Mercantile, Ann Arbor Biscuit Co., Ann Arbor SPARK, Ann Arbor State Bank, Arbor Teas, Blue Nile Restaurant, Community Farm Kitchen, attorney Robert Dawid, Fingerle Lumber, Four Directions, Grafaktri, the Main Street Area Association, attorney David Nacht (promoting his WLBY radio show), and therapist/life coach Nancy Quay.

Interested in being part of this venture too? Let us know.

Some final thoughts

It’s hard to believe it’s been six months since we started down this road. Since then, there hasn’t been a lot of good news about the economy in general, or the media industry in particular – in fact, a lot of the news has been downright depressing. Just last week, owners of the Rocky Mountain News decided to shut down the paper completely, and major metros like the San Francisco Chronicle are on the ropes. Closer to home, obviously, the Ann Arbor News and Detroit dailies are struggling as well, as we’ve noted here before.

And yet, despite the challenges in our industry and the certain difficulties to come in our economy at the local, state and national levels, I remain hopeful. I’m hopeful because so often I encounter people who aren’t being beaten down by bad news. They have a vision – like John Rosevear or Lucy Ann Lance – and are working every day to make cool things happen in our community.

We’re trying to do the same. I hope you’re enjoying the ride as much as we are.