In Business

Rapidly increasing digital growth is a key component in the optimistic outlook for Lee Enterprises, offered Wednesday by the Davenport-based company’s CEO.

Mary Junck, Lee’s chairman and chief executive officer, told stockholders and employees attending the company’s annual meeting the optimism is based on factors such as huge audiences for its products, strong digital growth and local news content, and an aggressive sales culture.

But Junck reminded shareholders the print newspaper product remains the main staple in the equation.
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Tim Kulchar, owner of Region Voiceover Co., operates out of his home where he looks to help local business owners promote products through radio advertising, commercials, websites, narrations and other media forms. (Photograph by John Luke/The Times.)

You may never have met Tim Kulchar, but you may know his voice.

As a voiceover artist in the region, Kulchar helps local business owners promote products through radio advertising, commercials, websites, narrations and other media forms.

Though it’s his soft, baritone voice people hear, Kulchar allows his ideas and creativity to do the talking.
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NWITweetup organizer Nat Finn checks his phone at the group's January meeting at Northwoods Restaurant in St John. (Photograph by Tim Hunt/The Times.)

Bringing the region’s online community together offline while helping local businesses learn how to use social media as an effective marketing tool is the goal behind monthly “tweetups” happening in Northwest Indiana.

The gatherings provide a stimulating meeting place for local marketers and designers, said NWITweetup organizers Kathy Sipple, and Dave Woodson and Nat Finn.

“Tweeting and social media in the region will grow with people’s understanding of it,” Finn said.
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The Verizon iPhone went on sale Thursday, but demand appeared to be tepid, with small or no lines at Verizon and Apple stores.

The launch of new iPhone models at AT&T Inc. every summer has meant long overnight lines.

Verizon Wireless may have satisfied most of the demand by allowing online pre-orders for current subscribers. The poor showing in stores, though, could be an indication that Verizon’s phone may not have much power to draw subscribers from other carriers, though freezing temperatures Thursday across much of the country could have played a role.
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A marketing and advertising platform developed at the Times Media Co. last year is being utilized at other newspaper properties owned by its parent, Lee Enterprises Inc.

Kathryn Hepko, online sales manager at the Times Media Co., said “Get It” marketplace was launched in May as a response to growing digital marketing demands of advertisers. She said the marketplace on The Times’ website provides an opportunity for local small and medium-size businesses to be found through search engines and have an online profile.

“The product is a multi-dimensional digital marketing platform that helps advertisers get found online when a potential customer may be searching for them, whether it’s in an organic search capacity or a directory,” Hepko said.
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Lee Enterprises earnings excluding unusual items increased 29 percent in the first fiscal quarter, due mainly to strength in digital advertising.

The parent company of the Times Media Co. earned $13 million in the first quarter when adjusted for unusual items, or 29 cents per diluted share, as compared to $10.1 million, or 22 cents per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter, according to the company’s earnings statement issued Tuesday.
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Tim Miles delivers the keynote address at the 2010 Regional Governor.
(Photograph by Tim Hunt/The Times.)

Not-for-profit organizations must seize the day on social media and other emerging technologies to remain relevant and attract the best volunteers.

That was a theme of the keynote address at Thursday’s regional Governor’s Conference on Service and Volunteerism at Ivy Tech Community College.

Leverage new technologies, respect volunteers and don’t waste their time with disorganization, speaker Tim Miles told the 80 attendees from social, service and civic agencies.
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A customer pumps gas at the Speedway station on U.S. 41 in Schererville. Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst with gasoline price search website GasBuddy.com, said a regular gallon of unleaded gasoline was expected to increase Thursday to between $3.15 and $3.19 in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky. (Photograph by Tony V. Martin, file/The Times.)

One gasoline price watcher said he expects retail stations to boost prices in response to slimming margins and rising wholesale prices.

Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst with gasoline price search website GasBuddy.com, said a regular gallon of unleaded gasoline was expected to increase Thursday to between $3.15 and $3.19 in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky.
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A few months after leaving a job, Kathy Fisher decided to check in with an old co-worker and sent an email that said “Hey, how are you guys doing?”

At least that’s what Fisher, of Whiting, thought it said, which was why she was confused when she got a reply back from her former boss asking why she was spying on the company and if she was now working for a competitor.

“It was totally misconstrued,” said Fisher, who said she had included emoticons in the initial email to convey her friendliness. “Sometimes (email) really does turn around and backfire.”
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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg talks about the new email service at an announcement in San Francisco, Monday, November 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Facebook is betting that one day soon, we’ll all be acting like high school students—more texting and instant-messaging, at the expense of e-mail. Facebook unveiled a new messaging system Monday, and while CEO Mark Zuckerberg didn’t go as far as declaring e-mail dead, he clearly sees the four-decade-old technology being eclipsed by more real-time ways of communicating.

“We don’t think a modern messaging system is going to be e-mail,” Zuckerberg said.

Right now, Facebook’s Messages section is a lot like an e-mail inbox. The overhauled version, which will be rolled out to users by invitation in coming months, brings in cell phone texts, IM chats and e-mails from non-Facebook accounts.
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