When people think of Big Media in NWNC, they typically think of the Journal, or of WXII, or maybe even the juggernaut that WFDD/NPR has become. But they don’t think of the Yadkin Ripple.
We published a fascinating story today by Sherry Youngquist about the changing face of Yadkin County and its small but noticeable progressivism. I was thinking of that story yesterday (I had read it before publication...) when I was doing a small canoe trip on the Dan River just north of Danbury. The Dan is like the Yadkin, more muddy than mighty, but still very pretty and an easy place to lose yourself in thought. Stokes and Yadkin are similar places. They’re close to W-S, but it only takes a few turns or a few paddles to feel like you are a long ways away.
The paper in Stokes County is the Stokes News, and like the Ripple, the Elkin Tribune, the Mount Airy News, the Pilot and the Jefferson Post, was just sold by Mid-South Management to Heartland Publications in Old Saybrook, Conn. Reminds me of that salsa commercial where the old-timer says to the other, “This stuff’s made in NEW YORK CITY.”
Jokes aside, out-of-town ownership is a fact of life for many companies these days, media and otherwise. The Journal is owned by Media General, out of Richmond. And I think it will bear watching how Heartland proceeds in these communities. The Tribune, most noticeably, has had a reputation for being a very good non-daily newspaper, and the Ripple, while in my opinion often too controversial for its own good, never seemed to shy away from printing news. How do these papers survive and thrive going forward? By being indispensable. The loss of community has been noted often in big cities and suburbs, but it is slowly hitting smaller towns, particularly those that are finally—due to better roads and people’s willingness to drive longer distances—getting sucked into the urban rhythm.
Some people might think that I want Heartland to fail, that it will help the Journal. I don’t. The Journal and the smaller papers that are in NWNC fill different roles. But strong journalism helps everybody. The papers and the readers AND the communities.
Your host is Ken Otterbourg, the managing editor at the Winston-Salem Journal. It's a forum to discuss the media, from
The Elkin Tribune and Mount Airy News lost 12 people when Heartland Publications took over. You know how these things go—everyone “loses” their jobs with the old company and must apply to the new one. For the new owners it’s an opportunity to cut dead wood and trim the top salaries.
Both managing editors are out, Leighanne Martin Wright at Elkin and Phil Goble at Mount Airy. Mount Airy also cut Eleanor Powell, a long-time society/lifestyles editor, and Mary Good, the senior ad rep. Together the papers lost 12 people—not an auspicious start if you expect to see “strong journalism” coming out of Surry County.
We’re working on a story for tomorrow. I started at a paper not much bigger than the MA News. As a manager who has had to cut costs, I know these decisions aren’t easy. Small newspapers rely heavily on goodwill—of both employees and readers, and sometimes it’s hard to understand and account for that goodwill until it’s gone.
Sir,
I just read that both publishers, Rebel Good at Elkin and Michael Milligan at The Mount Airy News, turned in their resignations on Monday.
You can see former Yadkin Ripple Editor Andy Matthews’ blog post at http://www.yadkinvalleytimes.com/?p=459.
Also, a former employee tells me that much of the Mount Airy staff walked out today at 5:30 p.m., including associate editor Angela Schmoll, who I believe your writer Sherry Youngquist knows.
It must be perplexing to those that report job losses in the region to report about their own demise. In this case the jobs aren’t fleeing to Mexico or Central America as is so often and in some instances erroneously reported to be corporate greed or blamed on NAFTA or globalization. The real reason is usually something more like a bottom line business decision.
At least to some degree Print and traditional electronic media are living the reality of old business models colliding with new business models, the Internet, Blogs and the like.
I’m beginning to believe newspapers are really in a quandary and may continue to struggle until, sadly, there is a purge of “senior” staff to make room for less experienced but flexible, technologically savvy, multi-tasking young people. It almost sounds counterintuitive but experience can be a detriment in todays world in many businesses because of the huge change that is occurring. Experienced staff may not have any real advantage because there is little to draw upon because of the lack of similar past challenges and with the unprecedented changes that are occurring and likely will continue for the foreseeable future.
Having gone out on a limb it will also be essential to also maintain experienced guidance and ethical and editorial management and leadership in order to maintain balanced, honest news delivery.
Sorry for the late responses. I worked a night shift ... my problem, not yours.
Andy M. used to work here many moons ago. His YVT is interesting, probably not a substitute in any real sense of the word. Radiosmuggles raises some good points, and they are being discussed everywhere. Namely, how do institutions value experience going forward into a digital future. Is flexibility a codeword for cheap or a mask for inexperience.
I think the essential characteristics—fairness, news judgment, curiosity, competitiveness—of a good journalist transfer well and are vital skills in the new media world. Some of our most “flexible” journalists are our most experienced. That makes a great combination.
Post a comment
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.