Daily Republican brings Taste of Home Cooking Show to Marion on Oct. 9

If you read it here today, you read it first. The official announcement is later this week but the Daily Republican is bringing back the ever-popular Taste of Home Cooking Show to the Marion Cultural and Civic Center on Tuesday, Oct. 9.

The Taste of Home Cooking School is America's leading cooking school program, inspiring more than 300,000 passionate consumers each year at 300 events across the country.

At the show, you'll experience a 2-hour demonstration of exciting recipes. A culinary specialist will show step-by-step instructions on how to create satisfying and flavorful dishes. Additionally, everyone will receive a gift bag and a Taste of Home cookbook. You'll also have the opportunity to register for door prizes, including the recipes created on stage that night!

Look for advertisements (such as the shown at the right) and press releases in local newspapers with further details about the show. Tickets are $10 and available at the offices of the Daily Republican (Marion), Daily Register (Harrisburg), Daily American (West Frankfort), Benton Evening News, Murphysboro American and Du Quoin Evening Call during normal business hours. 

Six Southern Illinois newsrooms win GateHouse Inner Circle Awards

GateHouse Media has award six of its Southern Illinois newspapers with the company's prestigious Inner Circle Awards for Q2:

• Daily American (West Frankfort)
• Du Quoin Evening Call

• Murphysboro American

• The Carmi Times

• The Daily Register (Harrisburg)

• The Olney Daily Mail


Inner Circle evaluations focus on prints initiatives such as reader involvement, print and online promotions and alternative story formats; and online initiatives, such as Facebook, website updates, galleries, video and community blogging. This is the most S.I. newspapers that have received this award in a quarter. 

Congrats to all the winning newsrooms.   

Benton Evening News undergoes some design changes

The print edition of the Benton Evening News underwent design changes late last week. (At right is in an image of the new design.) The layout is similar to sister GateHouse Southern Illinois papers in Marion and West Frankfort. 

There are a number of reasons for the change. Having similarly designed newspapers:

•           Allows us to more easily brand our newspapers in the region.  

•           Makes it easier to share stories and projects when there is a common

interest in the subject at one or more Southern Illinois newspapers.

•           Makes it easier to create fixed ad locations that can be delivered for advertisers across multiple newspapers.  

•           Makes it easier to share ancillary products such as news and advertising special sections. 

This is one of a number of changes coming in the next few months as we improve the quality and quantity of coverage in GateHouse Southern Illinois newspapers.