ONPA Membership - Join Us!
There are four membership categories in the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association as outlined in the Bylaws:
- General Members
- Associate Members
- Collegiate Members
- Honorary Members
- Privileges of Membership
- Requirements to Carry Legal Notices
- Contact Us Today!
General Members
General Members are familiar general-interest newspapers published in each community in the state. They make up the majority of the Association's members. The requirements for General Membership are:
1. Paid circulation
2. General interest (not special interest newspapers for a specific audience)
3. Have "Periodical" mailing privileges with the US Postal Service
4. Publish at least weekly
Dues for General Members are assessed annually.
Associate Members
Associate Members are people or companies that have an interest in the newspaper publishing industry, or they are publications that do not qualify for General Membership. Typically, these include:
Suppliers, such as companies or representatives of manufacturers of paper, presses, mailroom equipment, or front-end computer systems, web developers, photo and advertising art suppliers, etc.
Advertising and public relations companies or representatives.
Publications that are published less often than weekly, are offered free to the public, or have specialized editorial and advertising content instead of local community general-interest news and advertising. These publications must have a minimum of 25 percent news content to qualify for membership in ONPA.
Dues for Associate Members were set in 2003 at $350 per member annually.
Collegiate Members
Collegiate Membership is offered to high school, community college, college and university newspapers which operate similarly to General Membership newspapers. Membership is in the name of the newspaper, which may be issued daily, weekly, monthly, or as announced by the students. The newspaper must contain news and information generated by students and be distributed free or paid to students on the campus. Dues for Collegiate Members are $50 per newspaper annually.
Honorary Members
Honorary Membership is awarded by the Board of Directors to people who have distinguished themselves in the Oregon newspaper industry or who have rendered conspicuous service to the Association. Honorary Members have lifetime membership in the Association and are not required to pay dues.
Privileges of Membership
Membership in any classification entitles the member to receive ONPA publications, be listed in the Annual Directory, attend Association and Foundation functions, and participate on committees. Only the designated representative of each General Member may cast votes in Association business and serve on the ONPA board. Separate news contests are held annually for both General Members and Associate Members. An annual advertising contest is open to all publication members, whether General or Associate Members. Associate Members may also serve on the Foundation board. Publications enjoying membership are required to give a commission to ONPA for advertising they receive through ONPA's advertising placement service (RAMP). Non-member publications may also receive advertising placements from RAMP upon agreement to recognize a stipulated commission with the order.
Requirements to Carry Legal Notices
Newspapers must fulfill certain statutory requirements to be eligible to carry legal notices for any government entity in Oregon. All General Members in ONPA currently are qualified to carry legal notices. Those requirements are contained in ORS 193 and can be viewed by clicking here.
Contact Us Today!
For more information about membership in ONPA, or an application for membership, please contact ONPA executive director Laurie Hieb (ext 25) at 503-624-6397.