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JTA

2009 Alliance Summary Report

March 30, 2009 Teleconference Participants:

Alliance Leadership Committee: Jody Kaufman Loewenstein (Milwaukee), Lisa Seidel (Boston),
Steve Seiden (Metrowest), Gary Walk (Palm Beach, Chair of Call), Stephan Kline and Karen
Yoskowitz (UJC)

JTA participants: Mark Joffe (publisher and executive editor) and Elisa Spungen Bildner
(President)

JTA has made extraordinary changes this year in response to the economic crisis and in order to
survive. This includes reducing the budget by almost $1 million and asking staff to work for
lower wages. In many cases, key staff members who have left are not being replaced. The
editorial staff is now down to just seven people, a “bare bones” number for the services needed
and provided. Despite these cuts, it remains an exciting time for JTA. Demand for services is
growing, the role of on-line reporting is becoming more important, and they have been able to
establish cutting edge new initiatives on the web.

Survival for JTA is crucial. There is a continuing need for a Jewish “Associated Press.” Why? As
so many of local Jewish newspapers become extinct; the information provided to keep Jewish
professionals and lay leaders current in their understanding of world issues is needed more
during these difficult times than ever before. The support provided to the federation system is
vital; and JTA must be available to help local Jewish newspapers convert more to on-line service.
If JTA ended tomorrow, local papers would no longer have any national or world information to
publish and disseminate to their readers.

Agency Mission and Business Model:

JTA’s mission, last revised in 2003, is to be “an indispensable independent resource to the Jewish
People” by providing “compelling news and analysis about Israel and the global Jewish
community, in a format that is timely, meaningful and relevant.”

JTA seeks to be “the Jewish reference point for non-Jewish and opinion makers — a respected,
reliable source for the Jewish perspective on issues that matter.” Broadly speaking, JTA’s mission
is to educate and inform the Jewish community about news developments and issues that affect
it. JTA is the only agency in the organized Jewish community dedicated exclusively to providing
Jewish leadership, opinion-makers and activists with the information and analysis needed to
make decisions and take action on behalf of the Jewish People.

In September 2007, JTA’s Board of Directors had adopted a far-reaching “Go-Forward Strategy
and Business Plan for 2008-2010.” The culmination of a year-long process, the document,
dubbed “JTA 4.0,” marked the first time in awhile that JTA has taken a multi-year approach to
planning. The plan grew out of the recognition that the Internet has dramatically changed JTA’s
business model, providing both exciting opportunities and enormous challenges. People today

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rely more on free information on the internet as opposed to print newspapers. JTA’s business plan
had called for a $500,000 investment in such infrastructure over the next 3 years — half to be
financed by JTA’s own Board of Directors, and the other half to be financed with private support.
The plan calls for three sets of initiatives: one aimed at building readership and member support;
another aimed at product development and advertising; and a third aimed at increasing support
from private funders.

Headquartered in New York, JTA maintains bureaus in Washington, Jerusalem and Moscow,
and correspondents in two dozen locations around the globe. In 2008, JTA added full-time
development and marketing directors to the New York staff, with special funding raised, from the
Board and private foundations, in support of JTA’s three-year strategic plan. JTA also restored a
second correspondent position in Washington, to assist in coverage of the political campaigns.

JTA’s volunteer base consists largely of its 55-member Board of Directors. The Board
includes Jewish federation and communal leaders, individuals with a strong interest or
expertise in the media, and others with specialized areas of knowledge. JTA consults with
federations when prospecting for new directors in their communities. In November 2008,
JTA elected Elisa Spungen Bildner of Montclair, N.J., as its new Board President.

JTA specifically serves over 100 Jewish publications. It has 200,000 unique visitors to its
website each month, including lay and professional leaders from more than 100 federations,
hundreds of other Jewish organizations, synagogues, day schools and yeshivot, colleges and
universities, libraries and research institutions, and embassies, government and legislative
offices.

Its staff include 14 employees in New York (7 administrative, 5 editorial, 2 Web/production), 1


full-time bureau chief and 1 full-time correspondent in Washington, 3 part-time correspondents
in Israel, 1 full-time bureau chief in Moscow, and 25 stringers around the globe.

Agency’s major accomplishments from 2008:

JTA’s most notable accomplishment in 2008 was the redesign of its web site and e-mail
newsletters. The state-of-the-art web site (www.jta.org) incorporates many new interactive
and multimedia features, such as blogs, podcasts and video, and has an array of resource
links, to ensure the community has access to the best information available.

Editorially, JTA continued its tradition of providing comprehensive and in-depth coverage
of news impacting the Jewish people and Israel across the globe. In addition to continuing to
publish news articles for the agency’s client publications and Internet readers, JTA
expanded its multimedia offerings, launching several must-read blogs and producing video
segments for the first time. This blend of new and old media allowed JTA to take the lead in
supplying the Jewish take on three of the biggest stories of the year in North America: the U.S.
Presidential election campaign, the unraveling of Bernard Mardoff’s Ponzi scheme and the series
of scandals that has rocked the kosher meat industry.

JTA emerged this year as the most highly respected and widely quoted source for Jewish

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news about the U.S. political campaigns. The key to this accomplishment — and a prime
example of the agency’s aggressive new multimedia strategy — was the launch of Election
Central, JTA’s campaign and politics blog. Filled with hourly reports, podcasts and video,
the blog was frequently cited by respected major media outlets and important mainstream
political blogs, including The New York Times, ABC News, Talking Points Memo and
Politico, as well as the campaigns themselves. In an election cycle season plagued by
Internet-based rumor and disinformation campaigns, the blog became a key source for sifting
through fact and fiction. At the same time, through its blogging and conventional news reports,
JTA was there to ask all the campaigns about the tough questions regarding the Jewish
community’s domestic and foreign agendas. JTA reporters provided on-the-ground reporting on
Jewish voters in key states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, as well as the Democratic
convention in Denver and the Republican convention in the Twin Cities. JTA produced daily
video reports from the conventions, as well as a segment on the fight for Jewish votes in Florida.

On the global scene, JTA’s unique and robust network of foreign correspondents allowed the
agency to provide timely, on-the-ground and comprehensive coverage of several key crises
and developments throughout the world: With the eruption of war between Israel and Hamas
fighters in the Gaza Strip, JTA’s three Israeli-based contributors were able to provide on-the-
ground updates from both sides of the border, including reports on how Diaspora Jews were
aiding Israeli citizens living under rocket fire, as well as analysis of the fighting’s impact on
Israeli politics, diplomacy and security. Meanwhile, JTA’s international team tracked the global
battle between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian forces fighting for popular, media and political
support, filing reports from capitals and other major cities in North America, South
America, Europea, Asia, Australia and Africa.

The terror strikes in Mumbai, India, reverberated in Jewish communities throughout the
world, and in Israel. In addition to following the breaking news in India, JTA reported on
the impact that the attacks were having on counterterrorism strategy in Israel and
security planning at Diaspora institutions, and tracked the outpouring of mourning and
support in response to the news that two Chabad emissaries had been killed.

JTA published a major investigative series, titled “Durban’s Descendants,” on the


international movement to divest from Israel and brand it an apartheid state that emerged
from the notorious United Nations conference on racism that took place in South Africa
in 2001. In addition to shining a light on how some of the major groups behind this
international anti-Israel campaign are funded, JTA looked ahead to see what treatment
awaits the Jewish state at 2009’s follow-up parley in Geneva, dubbed “Durban II.” The
series featured reporting on developments in the United States, Europe and the Middle
East.

When war broke out in Georgia, JTA quickly dispatched its Moscow correspondent to
Tbilisi, where he provided reports about the impact of the war on the country’s Jewish
community and analyzed the geopolitical implications for Israel.

In advance coverage of the Beijing Olympics, JTA reported on the Jewish community’s
debate over if and how to use the event as an opportunity to shine a negative light on

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China’s support for pariah regimes in Sudan and Iran, in addition to provided a preview
of Jewish athletes slated to participate. Once the games were under way, JTA was in
Beijing to follow the efforts of Jewish athletes, providing daily coverage on its Telegraph
blog, in addition to producing a video report on the Chinese public’s attitudes toward
Jews and Israel.

JTA’s Video Coverage Project:

JTA received $45,500 from the Alliance in 2008 to launch a video coverage project, aimed at
providing high-quality Jewish video news content on the web. The program was to allow JTA to
begin producing and publishing on location video news reports, supplementary video to support
article content, and a weekly news round-up geared towards younger viewers. This was to be a
start-up program for JTA and would allow it to acquire the needed equipment and hire freelance
videographers. The program also would provide for the integration of video with print on JTA’s
revamped website.

JTA supplemented the Alliance funding with support from an anonymous donor that provided a
total of $100,000 to launch the Video Coverage Project. JTA acquired a suite of video equipment
and software, including 2 HD video cameras; 2 sets of lavaliere microphones; 1 standard
microphone; 1 boom microphone and boom stand; a 1 terabyte hard drive; 1 tripod and 1
monopod; 1 backdrop and backdrop stand; 2 studio lamps; 2 camera bags; 1 copy of Final Cut
Express software; 12 HD video cassettes; 2 battery chargers and cables. Still to be purchased is a
DVD deck.

As of January 2009, JTA had produced 35 original video segments including:

• a special feature from the Beijing Olympics


• “The Big Schlepp,” a report on Sarah Silverman’s voter drive targeting Jewish grandparents
• live coverage of the Democratic and Republican national conventions
• “Next Gen Day” at the UJC General Assembly in Jerusalem
• a look at how young Jewish organizations are being impacted by the economic downturn
• Jewish events surrounding the inauguration of President Obama

All of the JTA videos produced can be seen at http://youtube.com/jtanews.

Future Plans:

JTA’s 2009 Priorities include developing news coverage in four areas --

Washington and Politics — The new presidential administration and new Congress will
mean major changes in power, people and policy in Washington. JTA plans to play a leading
role in educating the Jewish community about the new players at the table and policy
developments likely to impact Jewish interests. JTA’s revamped and expanded
Washington blog will track developments as they unfold. JTA is exploring the possibility of
launching a new weekly D.C. newsletter, as a key tool for keeping journalists, congressional

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staffers, administration officials and Jewish communal policymakers well informed about the
Jewish community’s political agenda.

Social Action — Recent statistics show that Jewish volunteering is proliferating with
participation rising more than 20% over the last five years. Congregations, federations,
other Jewish communal organizations, and smaller single-issue groups provide a wide
range of opportunities for meaningful participation for Jews of all ages, but particularly
the next generation. JTA plans to dedicate significantly more coverage to this area and is
exploring the possibility of creating a social action blog.

Special Israel Coverage — With the national elections and new U.S. diplomatic initiatives,
Israel will continue to be at the center of JTA’s international reporting. JTA plans to provide
special coverage of the Maccabiah games, Israeli scientific and technological advances, and
travel to Israel.

Energy — A recent survey commissioned by the American Jewish Committee found that
virtually 100% of American Jews believe it is important for the United States to achieve
energy independence, with the bulk emphasizing the need to develop new sources rather
than expand domestic oil drilling. JTA is seeking private funding to enhance our
coverage of this issue. JTA plans a major series looking into the efforts to develop
alternative sources of renewable energy, the obstacles to it, and the impact of this issue
on both the environment and Middle East policy.

In addition to focused news coverage, JTA plans to

Enhance interactivity on JTA Web site, including several Web site upgrades with new interactive
features, user-generated content and reader-recommended content, enhanced blogs, and an easier
interface with both social bookmarking and social networking (Facebook, Twitter) applications.
A more attractive Web site will draw more readers and encourage return visits. User-generated
content will increase affinity for the site and encourage viral promotion of user content. These
features are also expected to attract more next-generation visitors to the site, strengthening this
cohort’s connection with the wider Jewish world.

Expand readership to reach a critical mass of our potential audience -- The Internet and the low
cost of electronic distribution (relative to print) afford JTA an unprecedented opportunity to reach
a much greater portion of the Jewish community than ever before. By upgrading our Web site
with new interactive features, we will be able to draw more readers and encourage return visits.
Partnerships with other Jewish organizations will allow JTA to provide customized publications
for targeted audiences. And an in-kind grant from Google Adwords, will enable JTA to draw
more readers from the wider Web through online advertising and search-engine optimization.

Develop a state-of-the-art Digital News Database -- this year JTA hopes to realize a long-held
dream to digitize nearly a century of its reportage and build a state-of-the-art database and Web
site, where JTA news stories, dating back to the early 1920s, can be accessed by anyone with an
Internet connection. The JTA Digital News Database will be an invaluable resource for serious
scholars, educators, students and casual Web surfers alike, providing first-hand reportage on

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pivotal Jewish events of the 20 and early 21 centuries. A teacher looking to enhance the
curriculum on the Holocaust with first-hand reports from Nazi-occupied Europe; a rabbi
looking for historical material for a sermon; a girl curious to find out what happened on
her Bat Mitzvah 50 years ago; a graduate student doing a thesis on the Yom Kippur War;
a museum doing an exhibit on Catholic-Jewish relations — all will find a treasure trove
of material in the JTA Digital News Database.

The agency’s budget and relative percentages of Alliance funding and other revenue:

JTA enters 2009 amid bleak economic conditions that have a direct impact on the agency’s
finances. These include the decline of traditional media and the soft advertising market, so
newspaper clients are hurting financially. Federation campaigns are down. And private
foundations, which had become a major source of financial support for JTA are considering few
new requests.

JTA’s Board has adopted a FY 2009 budget with sharp cutbacks in staffing and conservative
assumptions about income. The Board also approved a contingency plan, should those
assumptions turn out to be even rosier than reality.

JTA had budgeted rolling over $223,000 of the funds raised for the three-year strategic plan for
use in 2009 and 2010. Instead the projections show JTA rolling over only the $144,500.
Moreover, the 4th quarter of 2008 turned out to be worse than was projected in September,
meaning this number will likely shrink further pending audited results. JTA spent down
multiyear grants last year, which have not yet been replaced with new grants, so restricted assets
will decline sharply.

JTA’s FY 2009 budget of $2,666,117 in available funds and $2,655,038 in expenses is


approximately $1 million (28%) lower than last year’s budget. The budget is based on the
following major assumptions about revenue and support:

• 10% drop in fees from client newspapers


• 15% decline in allocations from the Alliance;
• 10% drop from last year’s budget in organizational service fees
• 60% increase in revenue from customized products, to $20,000
• 66% increase in sponsorship revenue (advertising), to $72,000
• 9% increase in contributions to the regular Board campaign, to $300,000
• 66% increase in online and general contributions, to $100,000
• 100% increase in unrestricted grant support, to $200,000
• $300,000 in new restricted grants, which we believe to be realistic

On the expense side, the budget includes the following significant cutbacks:
• not filling the senior editor position, which has been vacant since December
• not filling the editorial assistant position, which has been vacant since October
• no salary increase for management
• a negotiated 2.5% raise for all unionized employees (the lowest in JTA’s recent history)
• a decrease in the management pension from the customary 5% to 3%

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The JTA Board has adopted a contingency plan should additional savings become necessary. It
calls for:
• cutting back 2 management positions from 5 to 4 days per week
• 10% pay reduction for 4 senior members of the management team
• cutbacks in budgets for Web site development, resource development and marketing
JTA is also exploring cost-sharing opportunities with other organizations, renegotiating rent on
its offices and subleasing desk space in the New York headquarters.

Questioned by the Alliance team that even so, this budget looks ambitious, it is based on a
strategic plan from the Board of the JTA that was designed to “beef up” the business
infrastructure of JTA. As part of that plan, a full time development director and marketing
director were hired. The results of those new positions, after just six months, are that online fund
raising has doubled and there has been some early year-end success in financial support from the
work of the development director. These positions, along with the fund raising projections
developed because of them, have remained in the budget because of the early success realized.
Their board feels strongly that JTA is finally “primed” to raise money, but the marketing and
development positions are expensive and so they are watching progress carefully. Contingency
plans are in place if it looks as if JTA will not reach it’s fund raising target. The budget and
finance committee will meet monthly to review the financials, and they will monitor and adjust
the budget accordingly. If necessary, contingency plans call for lay-offs, additional cuts in salary,
and other benefit cuts to eliminate $100,000 or more from the budget. JTA has no endowment or
cash reserves, but achieving substantial savings (cuts) is also challenging, given how thin JTA’s
staff already is and the need to “cover the globe” as an international news agency.

Synergy between Alliance, JTA and the Federation System:

The Alliance constitutes the second largest source of unrestricted income to JTA. The funding
allows JTA to maximize resources so the organization is not spending time soliciting federations
from across the country in asking for support. They have seen a decrease in subscription and
newspaper revenue and fees/subscriptions they receive, making the Alliance support even more
vital.

JTA feels as though its serves as an invaluable asset to the federation system and the organized
Jewish community. While JTA has a diverse product line, it wants to work with federations to
ensure they are cognizant of and take advantage of the JTA product lines. JTA wants to
customize products to federations where appropriate and have produced specific news additions
for particular federations. It has done this for UJA Federation of New York and other smaller
federations, which then distributes the product to subscribers on the federations’ own mailing list.
Other federation Web sites make use of JTA’s News Update ticker.

Significant Challenges facing JTA

Whereas newspaper readership is in decline and content aggregation is in ascendancy, JTA is


challenged both by the decline of local Jewish newspapers and by the fact that individuals are
increasingly less likely to spend a substantial amount of time on any single news organization’s

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Website. By making a foray into online information services that extend beyond the realm of
traditional news production and delivery, JTA has an opportunity to diversify its holdings,
increase its market share, address a growing Jewish communal need and stay relevant for years
to come.

In addition to its own financial challenges, many of the community newspapers JTA serves are
facing severe financial distress, as circulation and advertising both decline. Newspapers are
smaller in size, as both readers and advertisers flock to the Web. Several newspapers can no
longer afford or find space for JTA content. JTA is addressing these challenges in several ways:
When possible, JTA has adjusted the rates it charges to financially distressed newspapers. It has
developed a variety of content aimed at strengthening these newspapers’ web sites. And in cases
where there is no newspaper or the paper no longer receives JTA content, JTA works with the
federation to provide service directly, through JTA’s various newsletters. JTA is also playing a
leading role in the American Jewish Press Association’s visioning process, aimed at developing
new platforms for Jewish media.

It’s hard to tell the exact outreach of the Daily Briefing because the World Report goes to
Federations as well. However, there are about 30,000 registered users, some of them corporate.
JTA has been successfully customizing the Daily Briefing to meet the needs of specific, large
organizations such as the NY Federation and the URJ. The website has 55,000 registered users,
and averages about 200,000 unique visitors a month, which is the widest reach of any JTA
publication. 25% of registered website users are 35 or younger, and use of videos, blogs and
bookmarking is increasing although they can’t pinpoint demographics for these vehicles.

If the number of newspaper customers/readers were to be cut in half, JTA would need to cut back
on the type of stories available that take time and research to produce. A condensed print edition
would have to be considered or even ended in order to save staff time. A very real concern is the
fine line JTA is approaching in going down so far in the editorial and news staff that the
organization can no longer function well. Right now, JTA is getting close to just one person in
every position; there isn’t much more room to cut without a drastic change in product.

The video project funded through the Alliance has been very successful, producing over 30
videos to date with three blogs/social networking features on the website and a bookmarking
utility called Kavod. There is no funding for this project beyond this June, so the project’s future
is threatened. JTA has also launched a digital news database, funded by foundations. It is
uncertain whether the funding for this project, all provided outside of the budget, will continue.

How agency advances Alliance Priorities:

The Alliance has five priorities for 2009 – building capacity and servicing local agencies;
engaging the next generations; formal and informal Jewish education; Israel; and strengthening
Jewish identity. JTA demonstrates its case for furthering each of these priorities:

Building Capacity and Servicing Local Agencies

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By providing both Jewish communal professionals and lay leadership with “need-to-know”
information, in a variety of formats, including a special edition for mobile devices, JTA is
educating Jewish leadership about news developments affecting Jews around the world and
about issues of importance to the community. JTA also provides a variety of news services that
strengthen federation Web sites and federation-supported newspapers. By providing these
services, JTA believes it is educating present and future communal leaders, enabling them to
more effectively respond to the challenges facing Jews.

JTA believes that its entire operation is dedicated to building capacity, with 21 FTEs and
$1,879,953 for institution building and 1.75 FTEs and $239,185 for human resources
development.

Engaging the Next Generation

JTA has reported extensively on issues and programs dedicated to engaging the next generation
of Jews. JTA has covered the experiences of young Jews participating in Birthright Israel, has
covered the Federation system’s foray into Facebook with the Team SuperJews Color Wars, and
has written about Jewish camping as a vehicle for strengthening the commitment of young Jews
to Judaism. JTA has also engaged the next generation by incorporating more Web 2.0
applications into its web site. The jta.org features blogs, podcasts and other interactive
content of special appeal to younger readers. JTA developed a news application on
Facebook. JTA believes that the 2008 supplemental grant from the Alliance, allowing it to
incorporate more video into the site has been helpful in attracting the next generation.

JTA believes that 1.3 FTEs and $123,308 is dedicated to engaging the next generation.

Formal and Informal Jewish Education

JTA has reported extensively on this topic, publishing a number of special series covering issues
faced both in Israel and in North America. JTA has reported on such concerns as the impact of
the economic crisis on day schools and the ongoing developments surrounding New York state
approval of a Hebrew charter school. JTA will continue to report on developing issues and new
trends in formal and informal Jewish education in North America, Israel and around the globe.
JTA is developing a state-of-the-art Digital News Database that will be a major resource for
educators seeking to enliven modern Jewish history with daily reports on the events
that have shaped the last century of Jewish life. JTA hopes to have completed much of this
project by the end of 2009.

JTA believes that .1 FTEs and $8,103 is specifically dedicated to reporting on Jewish education,
although, arguably the entire JTA product line is a type of informal Jewish education.

Israel

JTA devotes significant resources to coverage of news developments, trends and issues in Israel.
JTA’s in-depth analysis of diplomatic and political developments facing the Jewish state is
among the best-read and most influential components of JTA’s work. The images provided by

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JTA’s (award winning) photojournalist in Israel is a unique service to newspapers, Web sites,
federations and organizations making use of the JTA content. With the war in Gaza, JTA reported
extensively on the Israel emergency operation and the efforts to support the beleaguered
communities in southern Israel. With the continued threat of Iran’s nuclear development
program, the tension between Israel and Hamas, coverage of Israel will remain a major focus of
JTA activity.

JTA believes that 2.25 FTEs and $284,400 is dedicated to Israel.

Jewish Identity

Four years ago JTA launched a special program to intensify coverage of issues relating to Jewish
identity and affiliation. JTA sought and hired a reporter who would be devoted exclusively to
exploring such issues as why younger Jews choose to be Jewish and how they affiliate. JTA
based the correspondent on the West Coast, where the challenges of assimilation are great and
the solutions are less traditional. During the past year, JTA added two correspondents to augment
coverage: one, based in Los Angeles, to provide additional features, and a family living
columnist in New York. Together these correspondents have written numerous groundbreaking
features on new paths to Judaism and the ways younger and less-affiliated Jews are connecting to
their people and traditions.

JTA believes that 1.35 FTEs and $82,088 is dedicated to strengthening Jewish identity.

Review:

Based on the materials presented to it and the conversation with senior JTA professional and lay
leaders, the members of the Alliance review team agree with the following statements. JTA
appears to be well run with competent professional leadership and engaged board members.
Because of the recession, JTA’s finances appear shaky and there does not appear to be a
significant amount of fat that can be cut to maintain JTA as the press organization for the Jewish
community. JTA advances all of the Alliance priorities.

Submitted by Sheryl Primakow, Milwaukee Jewish Federation, and Stephan Kline, United
Jewish Communities

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