Doubletree El Paso
600 N. El Paso St.
April 8-10

Friday, April 8

4-6 p.m. — Student-Editor Meetings. Cactus Flower Room, 201E, in the Union East, UTEP campus.

6:30-8:30 p.m. — Welcoming Reception, Sky Lounge, 17th Floor, Doubletree Hotel

10 p.m.-Midnight — Hospitality Suite, Voir Dire Room, Doubletree Hotel

Saturday, April 9

8-9 a.m. — Continental breakfast, Sky Lounge

9 a.m. — Welcoming remarks: Sergio Salinas, publisher, El Paso Times

9:05-9:50 a.m. — Digital Forward. It’s an industry buzzword, but how does a digital forward-digital first strategy manifest itself in the modern newsroom? We get some perspectives from the front lines. Panelists: John Bridges, managing editor, Austin American-Statesman; Keith Campbell, deputy managing editor, The Dallas Morning News. Moderator: Dino Chiecchi, managing editor-presentation, the El Paso Times

Break

10-10:50 a.m. — Measuring Success: Using Metrics to Shape Editorial Strategies. How should metrics inform storytelling, and why must all newsrooms learn to understand analytics? Panelists: Andrea Mooney, executive producer of Houston Chronicle’s chron.com; Bro Krift, managing editor, Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Moderator: Jamie Stock-well, managing editor, San Antonio Express-News

11 a.m.-Noon — Maintaining Quality in the Mad, Mad, Mad Digital World. As journalists seek to get news online faster and faster — with fewer and fewer eyes on copy — quality can too often take a backseat to “get it right, get it first.” But consumers still want investi-gative and enterprise reporting. Get tips and ideas for how to carve out time for good journalism that’s compelling and connects with your audience. Panelists: Debbie Hiott, editor, Austin American-Statesman; Becky Cooper, managing editor for content, Victoria Advocate; Maud Beelman, regional news editor, The Asso-ciated Press; Moderator: Diana R. Fuentes, San Antonio Express-News

12:15 p.m. — Awards Luncheon. Sky Lounge

Free Time

6-7 p.m. — Silent Auction and reception, Southwest University Ballpark

7 p.m. — Jack Douglas Dinner. Star awards, college newspaper awards, Jack Doug-las Award presentation, Buster Haas scholarship auction.

Sunday, April 10

8:30-9:30 a.m. — AP Report: Chief of Bureau Dale Leach; Q-and-A with Michael Graczyk, Houston-based reporter.

9:30-10:30 a.m. — Focus on FOI: Ask an Attorney. Experts provide insight into freedom of information issues, including open records and open meetings. It’s also a chance to ask an attorney a question – for free! Panelists: State Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso, and attorney J.L. Jay. Moderator: Bob Moore, editor, the El Paso Times

Break

10:30-11:30 a.m. — Covering the Border. The U.S.-Mexican border is a popular political topic once again in the race for the White House. But politics and border realities don’t always mesh. We’ll hear from an editor who knows the challenges firsthand, Bob Moore of the El Paso Times.

11:30 a.m. — Final awards presentations: Star of Star Awards by the Headliners Foundation, Newspaper Awards, AP staff awards and Newspaper of the Year.

Adjourn

It’s almost here! The 2016 Texas APME Convention is taking place in friendly El Paso, April 8-10, at the DoubleTree Hotel, 600 N. El Paso, in the heart of the city.
We haven’t been in West Texas for quite a while, so we’re looking forward to the Sun City’s renowned hospitality.
Editors from across the state will convene in El Paso to find out who’s the best in numerous categories in the annual Texas APME awards, along with the Star of Stars presented by the Headliners.
In panels on Saturday and Sunday, we’re going to discuss and debate key issues, including new digital approaches to boost page views, how to measure whether your online efforts are succeeding, maintaining quality in our mad, mad, mad digital world and all kinds of cases involving freedom of information (or lack thereof). We’ll talk about border affairs, including immigration, the economy and, yes, drugs. What’s really happening with our neighbors to the south and how does it affect us?
We’re also planning a great event at Southwest University Park, home of the El Paso Chihuahuas Triple-A baseball team, on Saturday night. Might even have a guest appearance by Lola, the team’s tough little mascot. At the top of the stands is a beautiful club with comfy seating, a great 360-degree bar and a spectacular view. That will be the site of our annual Jack Douglas Dinner, where we present the Jack Douglas Award, the state’s highest lifetime achievement award for journalists.
The dinner is followed by the ever-popular live auction, featuring everything from round-trip tickets to just about anywhere, vacation packages to numerous top-notch locations in Texas, sports tickets and other one-of-a-kind goods. The bidding can run fast and furious so bring your credit cards! All proceeds benefit the Buster Haas Minority Internship Program, which pays for scholarships and stipends for internships for up-and-coming young journalists.

Speaking of young journalists, editors who arrive on Friday will visit with students from area colleges and universities who are interested in pursuing careers in the news industry. It’s a great opportunity to get a first look at new talent. One of them could be your paper’s next bright hire!
The deadline for the TAP rate at the hotel has passed, but there’s still time to register for the conference. The cost for the conference is $205 per person, and that includes lunch at Saturday’s awards presentation and the Jack Douglas dinner.
Hope to see you there!