The International Newspaper Marketing Association (INMA) is changing its name to "reflect the evolution of its member newspapers and lead the newspaper industry toward its multi-media future," according to a statement.
The Dallas-based organization is dropping "newspapers" from its nameplate and will be known as the International Newsmedia Marketing Association, Editor & Publisher reported.
INMA's board of directors unanimously voted on May 6 to make the change after more than a year of internal discussion.
"Our roots and our origins remain intact," Earl Wilkinson, INMA executive director, said in a statement. "Most of our members continue to make the preponderance of their revenues from print newspapers, and we believe this will resume growing in the future. Yet the online, mobile, digital, and niche publishing canvasses are vital, growing and important to news consumers and advertisers who want to reach them."
Wilkinson stressed the 1,300-member association will keep its mission intact.
"We want to be an association inclusive of professionals in our larger industry, not be tied specifically to those of one medium," Wilkinson said in a statement.
Additionally, INMA elected nine members to its board during its annual meeting in Beverly Hills, Calif., on May 8.
Michael Phelps, CEO of Baltimore-Washington Examiner newspapers, was elected to vice president. He has been on the board since 2005. He is scheduled to serve as president in 2009.
James Gold, senior vice president/marketing at The New York Times Regional Media Group, will become president of INMA's North America division. Jose Luis Parra, advertiser to the president at El Mercurio in Chile will become president of the Latin America division.
