Citizen and community news
Potter resumes newspaper listening tour this month in Virginia
Walter B. “Walt” Potter Jr., a retired newspaper publisher who works with the University of Missouri School of Journalism’s Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, will tour community newspapers again this spring. A year ago, Potter visited Missouri weeklies and small dailies during what became known as the Potter Listening Tour. He wrote a series of … Continued
Listening to community newspapers with Walt Potter
A retired newspaper exec looks to give back to the community newspapers that raised him with an ear to the ground for change.
Lessons learned and questions raised during the Potter Listening Tour, Part 2
As an old hand in print newspapers, I was struck by the contrast between the often days-long reporting process I remember and the instantaneous production I strived for during the tour (I posted to Facebook and Twitter). I had to create my words almost at the same time I was recording the words of my … Continued
Despite challenges, Southeast Missourian improves print product, grows online presence
Last year the Local Media Association named the Southeast Missourian the second-best daily newspaper with a circulation under 30,000 in North America. Bob Miller, editor of the Cape Girardeau paper, wants to build on that success, but he acknowledges the challenges posed by the convergence of print and digital technologies. First, there’s figuring out what … Continued
Legacy media company’s focus on the positive brings flood of new profit possibilities
As many legacy mass media company leaders worry about what they can’t do in the new digital age, Rust Communications Inc. is finding a cornucopia of things it can do. “We constantly look for new revenue streams,” says Co-President Jon K. Rust. The Cape Girardeau, Missouri-based company has capitalized on its resources, which include 49 … Continued
Print vs. Web: Community publisher more concerned about quality of news than its method of delivery
Dalton Wright is no stranger to the impact of younger technologies on newspapers. The Lebanon (Mo.) Daily Record publisher grew up watching family members run radio stations. The young Wright was first exposed to print in 1953 when his father, O.R. Wright, bought the parent company of the Daily Record. “Dad saw a combination of … Continued
For the love of print: Second ‘job’ pays the bills
For Darryl Wilkinson, running a community newspaper is a labor of love, like running a farm is a labor of love for many of his Northwest Missouri neighbors. “It’s my farm,” says the publisher of The North Missourian, a 1,400-paid-circulation weekly he and his wife Liz have run for more than three decades in Gallatin. … Continued
Don’t count out print yet
An advertiser recently asked Gasconade County Republican Publisher Dennis Warden how he was doing. The inquirer’s tone indicated, “He thought newspapers aren’t too long for this world,” Warden recalled. Representing the third generation of his family to run the East Central Missouri weekly, Warden disagrees. “I really do not have competitors, an advantage our big … Continued
Fearless focus on local news is Unterrified Democrat’s defense against future foes
Jerrilynn S. Voss has two telephones on her desk, and together they say something about the longtime newspaper editor’s attitude toward new technology. One phone has an old-fashioned rotary dial and she takes incoming calls on that one. “People calling in can’t tell the difference,” she notes. The other phone has a more modern touch-tone … Continued
Washington Missourian: Digital offerings growing faster than print
The Washington Missourian’s digital ventures have been evolutionary, picking up steam as the company gets further and further into the effort. The newspaper started with a website more than a decade ago, recalls General Manager Bill Miller Jr., “mostly because everybody else was doing it.” Now the company has a presence on social media sites … Continued