WHAT IS GONGWER NEWS SERVICE? |
What is Gongwer and how long has the Michigan Report been
published?
Gongwer News Service, Inc. was established in 1906 by Charles S. Gongwer who was a Statehouse correspondent for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Publication of the Ohio Report has continued uninterrupted since that time, making Gongwer News Service one of the oldest legislative news services in the nation.
Publication continued under the ownership of the Gongwer family until the 1960's when it was purchased by William F. Baird. Mr. Baird subsequently established the Gongwer News Service Michigan Report in 1961 to coincide with the State of Michigan's last constitutional convention. Mr. Baird remained as the company's principal owner until his death in 1991 when the company came under the ownership of Larry Lee, Robert Drumheller and Alan Miller, each of whom has been with the company for more than 25 years. Mr. Drumheller retired in 2005.
In Michigan, the Gongwer staff includes four full-time reporters, one part-time assistant and a summer intern. Joining Larry Lee are John Lindstrom, Chris Klaver and Stephanie Korneffel, who each have several years of experience covering state government and politics, and Breanna Camarillo who provides additional coverage on a parttime basis. They also have backgrounds that include professional training and reporting for other publications. In Ohio, the Gongwer staff includes five full-time reporters and one part-time reporter. Gongwer's seasoned staff of professional journalists has nearly 175 years in combined experience reporting on state government.
The exclusive mission of Gongwer News Service has been and will be to provide comprehensive, accurate, timely and balanced daily news reports on the activities of state government, with a particular emphasis on legislative activities. Gongwer employees do not engage in any lobbying activities nor does the company employ or otherwise compensate any person who is engaged in any lobbying activities. Gongwer News Service does not accept advertising in either Ohio or Michigan.
Gongwer's subscribers include corporate America, state and local government agencies, trade and nonprofit associations, law firms, consulting firms, utilities, institutions of higher education, public and private schools, public libraries, state and local courts, state elected officials and state lawmakers, and individuals. See the sample copy of the Michigan Report to find out why these subscribers have relied upon Gongwer News Service for a century to provide the most comprehensive, balanced package of information about state government available anywhere. Please note that some of the links within the document require password access to the Gongwer website.
What will I receive if I become a subscriber?
A single subscription rate provides you with a complete package of information about Michigan's state government as well as a gateway to information from the other 49 states and federal government.
The Michigan Report is published each weekday so you will receive approximately 245 issues each year, in addition to numerous special reports.
While the Legislature is in session, Gongwer publishes the Michigan Report in three parts. The main Michigan Report itself contains news articles on the day's government and political events, stories our staff digs up, meeting notices, and much more. Separate reports are published on Senate Activities and House Activities that provide lists of all actions taken during floor sessions. You also receive weekly schedules of Committees for the House and Senate that provide advance notices of the date, time, location of all committees and subcommittees, as well as a list of the bills or resolutions scheduled for hearings. An early version of the schedules is e-mailed around mid-day on Fridays during legislative sessions to provide a jump start on planning for the upcoming meetings. These committee schedules are revised online as warranted. The online versions of the schedules are available at the left under "Expanded Schedules" for subscribers with password access to the site and under "Schedules/Events" for the public.
You will also receive Gongwer's biweekly Political Planner that provides notices of fundraising events, association and trade conventions, monthly Agency Calendar that provides a list of executive agency meetings, the legislative session schedule, and other important events. Subscribers also receive a pocket-sized directory of elected officials and legislative committee members, which may also be printed with your own association logo. Again, online versions can be found using the menus to the left.
You also will be provided with Gongwer's same-day reports on primary and general election results.
You also will have unlimited access to all areas of Gongwer's superior Web site. The database-driven site is designed to provide comprehensive information easily retrieved on matters most important to you. Searches of news stories (the Web archives date to 1993) produce results limited to each story on the searched topic or topics rather than a day’s complete report. In our legislative tracking pages, you can easily see and display all related stories for each bill you are researching.
A feature found only on the Gongwer Website allows subscribers to receive personalized emails containing stories and bill tracking information of priority interest. Simply by entering key words, bill numbers, sponsor names, committee names or other detail, subscribers receive emails summarizing anything new occurring each day.
What is the subscription rate, do I sign a contract, and how do
I cancel?
A basic subscription rate of $195 per month or $2,000 per year brings you approximately 245 issues of the Michigan Report as well as all of our other services. The basic subscription rate provides each subscriber with a single copy of each report, regardless of the format in which it is delivered. Subscribers do not sign a subscription contract and may subscribe for any period of time. You may cancel your subscription simply by notifying Gongwer in writing.
Can I get a trial subscription?
Yes. Simply complete the trial subscription subscription form and your two-week of service will begin immediately. There is no obligation whatsoever on your part to continue beyond the trial period.
How will you deliver the Michigan Report to me?
Subscribers may order delivery of the report via e-mail and/or access it on the Gongwer web site.
In the event your Internet access is interrupted, call Gongwer at (517) 482-3500 and request that the day's report be faxed to you. Your request is processed immediately and fax service will be maintained until your Internet service is reestablished.
If you are receiving the Michigan Report via e-mail and wish to have it sent elsewhere for a certain period, simply notify Gongwer via e-mail at gongwer@gongwer.com and provide the temporary address and the period you want service to begin and end.
Where can I find the Michigan Report if I am not a subscriber?
Many of Michigan's public libraries, including the State Library in Lansing, subscribe to the Michigan Report. These libraries have Web access to the Michigan Report and maintain current and past issues, usually in the library's reference section. Many public libraries also provide free Internet access that will allow you to visit the Gongwer web site, although you will not be permitted to view the daily Michigan Report which is maintained in a secure area.
What is Gongwer's copyright policy?
Gongwer News Service publications are protected by federal copyright. However, we have placed reports in the public access area of the Gongwer web site and allow reproduction of these reports consistent with the notice that appears at the end of each.
All other reports are strictly copyright protected. Without copyright protection, Gongwer simply would cease to exist.
Can I reprint excerpts of articles published by Gongwer?
Gongwer grants permission to reproduce excerpts of articles published in the Michigan Report for informational purposes with appropriate attribution to Gongwer as the source of the article. In no case, however, may a subscriber receive either a fee or anything of value in exchange for providing the excerpted article to another party. Simply call Gongwer at (517) 482-3500 or toll-free at (800) 482-3502 and specify the article you wish to excerpt and the date of its publication. The restriction on the use of documents placed in the public access area of the Gongwer web site appears at the end of each document.
How do I obtain authorization to reproduce Gongwer publications?
Gongwer makes it simple and inexpensive for you to obtain authorization to reproduce our reports in any quantity.
Gongwer also offers a special subscription rate for subscribers who wish to redistribute the daily Michigan Report to members of their organizations, associations and affiliates. Details on this special rate are available by calling Gongwer.
Does Gongwer publish reports in any other states?
Gongwer also publishes a daily report in Ohio. A combined discounted rate to receive both the Michigan Report and Ohio Report is available. The annual rate can be billed on a quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis. You may visit Gongwer's Ohio web site by choosing the selection on the Gongwer home page.