Tag: Walt Potter Jr.
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
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
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
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
Houston Herald: Weekly in print, daily online
When something newsworthy happens in Houston, Missouri, residents expect their local weekly paper to tell them about it — now. “If people hear sirens,” says Publisher Brad Gentry, “they expect us to have the story.” That’s the way the Houston Herald likes it. When its reporters learn of an event, the Herald sends out a … Continued
Small-town paper wish list: Time-efficient means to analyze and implement innovations
What Houston (Mo.) Herald folks want from the Potter Conferences was something of a surprise. Publisher Brad Gentry and his team aren’t shy about dedicating resources to digital innovation although they want to do it in the most cost-efficient way. But with only eight employees to serve 25,000-plus souls in Texas County, they’re spread thin. … Continued