The World Association of Newspapers conference, to be held on March 13 and 14 in Budapest, Hungary, will examine the latest cross-media audience measurement techniques and include a report from the Media Measurement Integration Task Force, a global alliance dedicated to promoting new cross-media measurement standards.

The Guild of Agricultural Journalists Writer/Broadcaster of the Year is BBC Scotland presenter, Nancy Nicolson.
She was awarded the accolade for an item broadcast on BBC Scotland’s Landward rural affairs programme which explored critical aspects of farm animal health, welfare and management. Farmers Weekly’s livestock editor, Jonathan Long was runner up.

Andy Robbins has joined The Argus in Brighton as a senior reporter.
He trained on the in-house Midland News Association scheme, based in Wolverhampton, in March 2003 and started work at the Bridgnorth Journal, in Shropshire, in August 2003. He then moved to the North Shropshire Chronicle in February 2004.
After 16 months he progressed onto the Shropshire Star, a daily paper owned by Midland News Association, and the sister publication to the Express and Star. He worked at the newspaper’s head office in Telford for two months before going to the Shrewsbury office prior joining The Argus.

Merseyside businesses have pledged to give something back to the community as part of a Capital of Culture volunteering project.
The Business in the Community Cares initiative is joining forces with Trinity Mirror NW², owners of the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo, to encourage businesses to pledge their support for employee volunteering during the city’s special year.
Sara Wilde, regional MD of Trinity Mirror NW², said: “We hope to make a real difference not just providing benefits in 2008 but hopefully helping some community organisations provide an ongoing legacy, either creating new facilities, learning new skills or developing better services through their partnership with ourselves.”

More than 200 council homes in Wolverhampton are sitting empty and ready for new tenants, while 7,303 people are told they have to wait, figures obtained under an FoI request by the Express & Star reveal.
Many have been empty for so long they are boarded-up to prevent vandals attacking. Among the other 230, some are waiting for sales to go through under the right-to-buy process.

Johnston Press is launching a nationwide short story writing competition in conjunction with Novel Ideas and publisher Quince Books. The winners will have their entry published in a compendium of short stories.