A major session will be offered on Tuesday afternoon (April 8) before the opening reception, and the meeting will end officially with the luncheon on Friday (April 11). In the past, optional Tuesday afternoon sessions have sometimes been offered and the convention has concluded on Friday evening.

The shift in the convention schedule is being made in response to member suggestions and attendance patterns, according to Tim J. McGuire, editor of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and chairman of the Convention Program Committee.

"We hope this schedule will fit natural patterns and keep everyone in town for the Friday luncheon," McGuire said.

He said the program will include a mix of newsworthy figures and sessions addressing newspaper issues:

• A discussion with people who work with editors (peers, employees, bosses) and how editors cope.

• A potpourri of best ideas for newspaper content.

• What newspaper content will look like in 10 years, from the point of view of media people outside of newspapers.

• Reader disaffection with newspapers.

• Major ASNE research project findings based on a media usage study, a survey of the newsroom work force, and a questionnaire returned by the editors of small papers.

The headliners invited include Benjamin Netanyahu, Nelson Mandela, Michael Eisner, Bill Gates, Louis Farakhan, and the president.

ASNE will distribute registration information by Jan. 1. The registration fee for members will be $500, spouses $130, retired members and journalism educators $300, and sponsored guests $650.

A full schedule of evening events is planned, including an opening reception at which The Freedom Forum will unveil its $45 million "Newseum," the world's first museum devoted to news and journalism.