• Encourage community newspaper excellence;

• Promote a greater awareness of its industry and members;
• Market and promote Alberta’s community newspaper medium;
• Provide educational opportunities for members and staff;
• Be a communication and service link between members and advertisers, agencies and government.

Our organization reflects some special values we feel are worth mentioning

• People make the difference. That is why staff morale is high and member participation is strong. There is evident pride among the members, and our image in the industry is very positive. Member satisfaction levels and standards remain consistently high.
• As an association, we emphasize the importance of education in personal growth. Our seminars and workshops focus on the implementation of meaningful events designed to enhance the abilities of our members. Our annual conventions offer additional opportunities to share information and have fun. Our weekly newsletter, Keeping Up To Date, provides a valuable communication link on timely industry and member information.
• Entrepreneurial spirit. Many of our members approach their daily business with a grassroots attitude. We respect and reflect member values. We realize the necessity of integrity in both product and business dealings. As innovators in an evolving medium, our strong communication network allows us the freedom to try new ideas, and the joint resources to make them a reality on behalf of our members.
• Affiliation with other organizations. Our association has concentrated on building quality relationships over the years with counterpart organizations across Canada, government agencies and advertisers. This has helped us to enhance member benefits and keep us current with trends in the industry. It has also established our image as one of leadership, commitment and involvement.

Blanket Classified Advertising

• AWNA actively markets both Display and Blanket Classified advertising on behalf of members.
• One order for a classified ad will appear in over 120 AWNA member newspapers blanketing Alberta and the Northwest Territories. The cost for the first 25 words is $269 plus GST. Additional words are $8 each. For more on Blanket Advertisiing read here
  

New Business Opportunity Pricing Program

• Introduced in 2006, an aggressive new pricing program called the New Business Opportunity Pricing Program is designed to attract advertising from select, new clients that view community newspapers as being too expensive.
• Under this program, clients will be offered discounts at a level of not more than the existing VIP programs currently in place. To qualify, advertisers must have purchased a negligible amount of advertising in community newspapers during the previous two years, must book a minimum insertion size of 300 lines and agree to terms and conditions outlined in the standard VIP contract. Pricing is offered for a period of not more than six months.

Value Ad Network

• AWNA’s Value Ad Network gives the advertiser small-space campaign access to remnant space in member newspapers at cut-rate prices. All members’ newspapers are obliged to carry Blanket Classified advertisements and up to five (5) business card-sized advertisements each week on behalf of the AWNA at no charge, except in cases where the subject matter of a particular advertisement does not conform, in its wording or form, to the policy of the member newspapers. For more about Value Ads read here.
  

Market Analyzer

Automatic Affiliation with the Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA)

• Group Insurance Program
• Verified Circulation Program (CMCA)
• Mixed Bag Exchange
• Better Newspapers Competition
• Research on community markets across Canada
• Federal government representation, through the Presentation Bureau, and provincial government representation
• The Publisher, a national monthly newsletter

Simplifying your workflow experience

• Online Archive: The AWSOM Archive is a service created by the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association and adopted by AdWest that allows member newspapers to create a digital archive of their newspaper editions.
• Tearsheets and clips: The Association has created a database linked to searchable PDF files that allow these newspapers to provide customers with a number of new services. Chief among these services are the provision of digital tearsheets and digital clips. The AWSOM Archive gives users an accurate, searchable database and delivers the content on screen in a PDF-viewer format.
• Digital subscriptions: Newspapers can also now deliver digital subscriptions, offer electronic access to their archives and provide reproductions of articles and pictures.
• Press release distribution: On the bulletin board system, the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association can deliver your press release to virtually all of Alberta’s weekly newspapers and a few into the Northwest Territories within hours of receiving your order.

Membership privileges we provide

• Seminars, meetings, annual convention and Newspaper Symposium for members;
• 
Industry surveys and market research pertinent to your area;
• Advertising network opportunities;
  
• Weekly e-bulletin and Keeping Up To Date resource area on AWNA web site;
• Access to membership directory;
  
• Free classified ads via the Blanket Classified service;
• Free legal consultation;
  
• Annual newspaper competitions for advertising, photography, writing, promotion and general excellence;
• Canadian Press Style books;
  
• 
Involvement in awards, scholarships and community enrichment;
  
• Programs 
Centralized Information Collection and Distribution Network;

  
• Job placement service via AWNA web site.
  

Alberta Press Council

• The Press Council is an independent, voluntary body that serves to protect the public’s right to full, fair and accurate news reporting.
• As a non-judicial, non-governmental review board, the Press Council considers complaints from the public about the conduct and performance of Alberta’s weekly and daily newspapers.
• The Press Council encourages the highest ethical and professional standards of journalism. It serves to preserve the freedom of the press and to provide a forum for greater understanding and communication between the press and the public.