National Community Newspaper Week

For some, the dawn of the internet age was like the coming of the meteor for the dinosaurs.News agencies around the world would look to the sky as the ash filled the air, turning newspapers extinct. The only thing, however, is that radio was supposed to mean the end of newspapers. Then television was the doomsday device that would end newspapers.Community newspapers are still around. Still informing the local public on what they need to know about their community. Hyper-local it is called. Local community newspapers have survived for many reasons: a diverse business model, staff that can multi-task, and most importantly, a sense of community.This sense of community is what makes a paper a cornerstone of a community. The local paper covers the good, the bad and everything in-between. A true reflection of that community is the purpose of the local newspaper. Now that Gov. Pillen has declared this week Community Newspaper Week, take a few moments to look at what is all inside the paper. Hard news, features, sports, opinions, social news, legal notices, classifieds, a complete batch of information each and every week.Local papers will survive just as rural America will survive. We might look a little different as the years go on, but we are still here. Rural communities may look a little different than they did years ago, but are still here. Some have shrunk, some have grown. All have changed. Same with newspapers.Technology has altered the business model of small-town newspapers as it has for small rural communities. Papers and rural communities have utilized these technologies to an advantage to stay afloat. Our Friday edition has been a nice addition to what we can provide for readers each week by keeping our costs minimal. When I started in this business, I really didn’t care if I worked for a daily or weekly. I’ve had experience with both and prefer the weekly paper. More time to craft the news, layout and, frankly, early morning deadlines for a daily didn’t appeal to my sleep habits. A weekly paper also has given me the opportunity to get to know sources and keep the history and traditions alive in that community.Thank you all that read this publication each and every week. We hope you are informed, entertained and, in some ways, enlightened by what we provide. We will continue to ‘fight the good fight’ as a small-town business willing to help keep the community informed as a means of keeping the community moving forward.

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