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

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

Leadership and culture are linchpins of digital transformation in the newsroom

Little has proven more challenging for newspaper newsrooms than their transformation to digital news and information providers. It takes much more than learning new skills, although those are important. It’s a matter of re-engineering journalists’ attitudes and their relationships with news consumers, as well changing newsroom workflows and priorities. It takes significant culture change; both … Continued

Washington Missourian: Print or be printed

I did a “press check” with Washington Missourian Publisher Bill Miller Sr. and General Manager Bill Miller Jr. during a recent Friday afternoon press run and it brought back decades-old memories to this old newspaper guy. But the technology involved in the Missourian’s printing process — electronic transfer of information directly from computer screen to … Continued

RJI announces its 2015-2016 class of fellows

From exploring journalistic opportunities for wearable technology to helping smaller community newspapers provide digital services for advertisers, the ninth fellowship class of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute continues RJI’s commitment to nurturing and strengthening journalism’s service to citizens and their communities. This year’s residential, nonresidential and institutional fellowships were chosen from among 225 applicants … Continued

Washington Missourian: Striving to survive in print and online

When it comes to applying technology to improve their business, leaders of the Washington Missourian take a best of both worlds approach. The twice-weekly paper in Eastern Missouri has pushed into nearly every new digital communication method — from a website to Twitter to Pinterest. “If we don’t do it,” says Advertising Director Jeanine York, … Continued

The Odessan keeps an eye on digital, but depends on print

When she was a girl, Betty Spaar slept on newsprint. She found this was the best option when her parents brought her to the office at night. Her father was a linotype operator during the Great Depression. Today, Betty is the owner of The Odessan, a weekly paper in Lafayette County, Missouri. She represents the … Continued

RJI Fellow’s oral history website shares stories, challenges and inspirations of female journalists

An oral history website chronicling female journalists’ fight for gender equality in the Fourth Estate launches today. Herstory tells the stories of 34 veteran female journalists and the challenges, struggles and triumphs they faced in a historically male-dominated profession. The women were interviewed as part of the 2013-2014 RJI Fellowship of Yong Volz, an associate … Continued

How to make money on digital: The answer is still elusive

The main story that came out of my first stop on the Potter Listening Tour (#potterlisten) is that a small paper can achieve significant success in building a digital audience. However, figuring out how to make money from that achievement is still a tough task. The Houston Herald serves more than 25,000 people in Texas … Continued