Area Newspapers Win Press Association Awards

Northwest Arkansas was well represented at the 1998 Arkansas Press Association Better Newspaper Contest held July 25 in Eureka Springs.

The three local daily newspapers in Northwest Arkansas won a total of 49 awards for work during calendar year 1997.

The Northwest Arkansas Times won first place in general excellence for medium-sized daily newspapers in the state (circulation between 8,000 and 15,000). The Times won a total of 21 awards, including eight first-place awards.

The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas won second place in general excellence for larger-sized daily newspapers (circulation more than 15,000) and received a total of 17 awards, including two first-place awards.

The Benton County Daily Record won 11 awards in the medium-sized dailies category with one of those being a first-place award.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which is based in Little Rock and has a Northwest Arkansas bureau, won 18 first-place awards in the larger dailies category, including first place for general excellence.

None of the first-place awards was for work generated specifically by the D-G’s Northwest Arkansas bureau.

Only six newspapers compete in the larger dailies category, with the D-G being the largest of those by far with a daily circulation of 179,609 and Sunday circulation of 292,057 statewide (as of July 1).

The Southwest Times Record of Fort Smith is the second-largest newspaper in the state with a daily circulation of 41,241 and Sunday circulation of 45,132. The Morning News isn’t far behind with a daily circulation of 35,035 and Sunday circulation of 36,443.

In addition, the Rogers Hometown News won second place for general excellence among larger weekly newspapers in Arkansas.

The contest was judged by Mississippi Press Association members.