Articles

LESSONS LEARNED: PAUL KNAPP CEO, Young & Laramore: ‘Shoot for the Stars ‘

LESSONS LEARNED PAUL KNAPP CEO, Young & Laramore ‘Shoot for the Stars ‘ Paul Knapp isn’t one to declare victory. Nor is he eager to toot his own horn. But even he has to admit that something’s working at Young & Laramore. The Indianapolis advertising agency Knapp leads has a stable of national accounts, is opening a satellite office in Canada, and has projected capitalized billings in 2007 will hit $80 million. So what’s the secret of its success? Y&L’s…

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WRTV to launch massive marketing campaign: New news anchors to tour area in RV ahead of sweeps

With the pending arrival of two new lead anchors, WRTV-TV Channel 6 is preparing to embark on a big marketing campaign that station management hopes will lift it out of third place in the local ratings. The campaign, which is set to begin next month to promote changes within WRTV’s news division, will be marked by a flurry of billboard, radio, newspaper and, of course, television advertising, said WRTV General Manager Don Lundy. But the centerpiece of the campaign takes…

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Some Indiana colleges revolt against survey: U.S. News’ peer assessments called too subjective

The influential U.S. News & World Report college rankings come out next month, a rite of summer that causes many college administrators to groan. Some administrators in Indiana and elsewhere, in fact, have grown so disenchanted with the survey-and see it as so flawed-that they have decided they’ll no longer participate in at least part of it after this year. Nearly 100 private schools nationwide-including DePauw University and Earlham College in Indiana-are pulling out of the peer-assessment portion of the…

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Commentary CHRIS KATTERJOHN: Air rage: on runways, at gates, beyond

The summer of 2007 will likely go down in history as the Summer of Terror in the Skies. Well not exactly terror in the skies, more like terror in the skies as it relates to waiting at the gate area for your plane to arrive, as in sitting on the runway for two hours waiting for your plane to take off, as in wondering if you can possibly make your connecting flight now that your original flight is three hours…

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VIEWPOINT: Art is good for business and the community

The Arts Council of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission recently launched a campaign to encourage individuals and businesses to buy art from local artists. I couldn’t agree more with the message. In addition to the “Be Indypendent, Buy Indy Art” stickers you’ll no doubt see all over town soon, the campaign includes a Web site, www.beindypendent.org, with a downloadable “how to” guide, plus links to the Arts Council’s artist database that includes the work of more than 400…

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Synagogue project a sign of times: Northward migration of Jews brings temple to county

Some folks consider Congregation Shaarey Tefilla’s move to Carmel historic. After all, its new synagogue at 116th Street and Towne Road will be Hamilton County’s first. To others, it’s simply the latest development in the local Jewish community’s century of northward migration. For Rabbi Arnold Bienstock and his members, it’s a homecoming. “There’s a lot of support here,” he said. “People need that if they’ve just moved to an area.” Carmel welcomed Bienstock with open arms 15 years ago, when…

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Advertising in high-definition still fuzzy

Production companies here say advertisements they’ve produced using high-definition technology are being held hostage by local television affiliates that have no way of showing them. The TV stations counter that they’re working as fast as they can to get up to speed.

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Physician assistants taking on larger role: New law allowing prescribing power makes profession more appealing

Indiana’s physician assistants received a collective shot in the arm earlier this month when their authority to prescribe medicine to patients became effective. The profession had long lobbied lawmakers for the right before the Legislature relented with the passage of House Bill 1241 this year. July 1 officially marked the milestone in which Indiana became the last state in the nation to grant prescribing powers to physician assistants. “It’s the right thing to do,” said Dr. John Lucich, director of…

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SPORTS: Tennis tourney healthy but needs a new home

A significant Indianapolis sporting event with international appeal is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2011. The Indianapolis 500? Well, yes, that too. Far less-wellknown and recognized is that the origins of elite-level competitive tennis in Indianapolis also date back to just after the turn of the century … the last century, that is. Records show that the Western Tennis Championships, which led to the U.S. Clay Court Championships, which led to the U.S. Hardcourt Tennis Championships, which led…

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MICKEY MAURER Commentary: Should trysts sink a career?

“There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” – “Anthem,” by Leonard Cohen How outrageous does executive behavior have to be before it should be deemed unacceptable by corporate America? Are we experiencing a trend toward greater scrutiny of our executives’ personal lives and is this a good idea? What should be the peccadillo standard for the executive officers of public companies? Witness the recent forced resignation of David Colby, chief financial officer and…

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SPORTS: Pan Am Games was ‘coming out’ party for city

Twenty years ago, Indianapolis was preparing to take on the world. Or at least half of it. It was a month before the 10th Pan American Games. In my lifetime, I do not recall many times-if any-when there was such a feeling of collective effort. This wasn’t a city rooting for a team, like the Pacers or the Colts. This was a city rooting for itself to pull off this mammoth undertaking, to show not just the country, but the…

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BEHIND THE NEWS: Judge in fraud case fines Brightpoint defendant $50,000

A federal judge in a high-profile fraud case has slapped a former Brightpoint Inc. manager with a $50,000 fine-a relatively modest sum, but one the manager says he lacks the resources to pay. Judge Harold Baer of U.S. District Court in Manhattan late last month assessed the fine against Tim Harcharik, the former director of risk management for the wireless phone wholesaler. Harcharik, 53, was the sole remaining defendant in a securities fraud lawsuit the SEC brought in 2003 against…

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WEDJ one year later: Ratings more than double: Revenue growth pushes Hispanic station toward record

After years languishing as a ratings bottom feeder, WEDJ-FM 107.1 is quickly moving up the radio charts with its Hispanic format and is positioned to crack the market’s top 10 stations. Since local radio veteran Russ Dodge was hired as general manager in late April 2006, WEDJ’s rating for area listeners 12 and older has more than doubled, from 1.0 to 2.1, according to New York-based Arbitron Co. WEDJ’s morning show is ranked No. 3 with listeners ages 18 to…

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PROFILE: Piano Solutions Inc.: Shop singing piano’s praises Shop owners want to give community an arts education

Piano Solutions Inc. Shop singing piano’s praises Shop owners want to give community an arts education Piano Solutions Inc. owners Greg Durthaler and Brian Hostetler like to think they’re in tune with the music industry-all the better to help their clients. The key (so to speak) is to offer a full range of products and services. “Today, we offer tuning, moving and storage of pianos while carrying an array of method books, print music and piano accessories,” Durthaler said. “We…

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Happily ever after?: How to avoid the roadblocks to financial security

Happily e ver after? How to avoid the roadblocks to financial security In her new book, “The Feminine Mistake,” author Leslie Bennetts cautions women to seriously consider the financial consequences of exiting the workplace to be a stayat-home wife and mom. The former journalist and Vanity Fair writer says “few intelligent people would sink a lot of money into refurbishing a rental, but stay-athome wives think nothing of subordinating their own financial interests to those of their husbands, blithely assuming…

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City steps up effort to help immigrants: Mayor’s wife spearheading program to better acclimate newcomers

The burgeoning number of immigrants arriving in Indianapolis have a new source available to help them navigate unfamiliar surroundings and the kaleidoscope of social support systems available. The Immigrant Welcome Center is a program launched in October that uses volunteers dubbed “natural helpers” to link foreign newcomers to such basic needs as health care, government and transportation services. Although the effort is nearly 9 months old, it’s just now getting up to speed as organizers are interviewing candidates to lead…

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PROFILE: Georgetown Chiropractic Clinic PC: Demand spurs chiropractor to grow clinic Massage, Pilates, yoga classes round out northwest-side practice

P RO F I L E Georgetown Chiropractic Clinic PC Demand spurs chiropractor to grow clinic Massage, Pilates, yoga classes round out northwest-side practice If life gives you a pain in the neck, chances are you’ve sought relief from a specialist at working out the kinks-like Georgetown Chiropractic Clinic PC. Chiropractic use has tripled in the last two decades, according to research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. To accommodate some of that growth locally, Georgetown Chiropractic has doubled…

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Biz magazine seeks boost from Recorder: Newspaper’s backing should help minority business publication grow

Carolene Mays exited the production area of The Indianapolis Recorder after applying her own elbow grease to ensure a new deadline is met and reflected on the increasingly hectic pace engulfing the newspaper. The publisher of one of the nation’s oldest and most prominent black newspapers is used to carrying a heavy load, considering she moonlights part time as a Democratic member of the state House of Representatives. Yet, she is in uncharted waters as the new owner of Indiana…

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Commentary: Hedda gives a searing Civic review

I cede my column this week to Hedda Hopper, a Hollywood gossip columnist. Hopper died in 1966, but she agreed to come back again to review the Indianapolis Civic Theater benefit performance. HEDDA HOPPER’S HOLLYWOOD-Just detrained in Hoosierland to catch the Indianapolis Civic Theatre benefit. Charlie Morgan played Ed Sullivan in a sendup titled “A Really Big Shooow.” Sullivan, your career is safe. Morgan, general manager and vice president of Cumulus radio stations in Indy, was stiffer than Charlie McCarthy….

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Duke lacrosse publicity a concern to all prosecutors: The ‘Nifong effect’ likely to have an impact on public perception, courtroom strategy, Indiana attorneys say

Indiana prosecutors worry about heightened suspicion of any charging decision they make as a result of the recent highprofile disbarment of a North Carolina prosecutor. Talk started months ago, but banter took a new surge following Michael Nifong’s nationally televised disciplinary proceeding June 16. He was disbarred for violating professional conduct rules in his prosecution of three Duke University lacrosse players falsely accused of rape. “Around the country and here, prosecutors are talking about the Nifong effect,” said Stephen Johnson,…

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