Innovation and Future Sustainability

As you know I’m the President of the Alberta Weekly Newspaper Association representing all the daily newspapers in Alberta and Northwest Territories.

Recently I received this invitation: 

The Michener Board and the Rideau Hall Foundation (with some assistance from the Public Policy Forum) are bringing together invited guests at a forum called Putting the Local Back in Local News, Oct. 15-17, in Charlottetown, PEI. This conference differs from most as we intend to focus on the role innovation is playing and can play to put local newsrooms on a sustainable basis. Rather than looking only at journalism as a community good, we will examine what’s being tried by local publishers and what’s working in these business and editorial models We will limit attendance to about 60 people, including a couple of participants from the U.S. We have received RSVPs from local newsroom leaders across the country, as well as from select policymakers, politicians, and industry leaders. Your interest in innovation and experiences at the Pass Herald, as well as your knowledge of the political world, would make you an important contributor to the exchange of ideas.

I’m super excited to sit in a room with the leaders in my industry and talk about the future of newspapers in this country as our news landscape has changed. I’ve even been invited to participate in a panel discussion with the theme, ‘Innovation and Future Sustainability’, with three other representatives from local news organizations from across the country.

Also, this year I was invited by Lethbridge College to participate on their Digital Committee Advisory Board. It’s an honour to be asked to help shape the future of this industry from an educational perspective.

When I started working at the Pass Herald 25 years ago, I had no idea this would be my stamp on the industry I so love. Buddy would be so proud! I started working at the paper so that I would have the flexibility to be a mom that could spend tremendous time with my boys. Because of this job I was able to work part time, never missing a sporting or school event. It’s a choice I made to make my priority my children, rather than my career.

Now my boys are men and I’m in the transition part of my life to an empty nester. To do all the new initiatives, I’ve been invited to participate in, and keep the paper, remote work will give me the flexibility to make it all happen.

So, this week I have a big announcement for the Pass Herald. After more than 15 years at our present location, I’ve made the decision to shut down our office and make our business virtual.

Just to give you some background on how I came to this decision: During COVID I realized that we could function as a newspaper without full-time office hours.

Once the pandemic ended, I started tracking how many people came into the office to do Pass Herald business and what I found is that the number was quite small.

I do have a lot of people come into the office, but it’s more to talk about Council issues than about newspaper business. We average around three people a week, two of whom just come in to get a paper.

We are busy in January and February when subscriptions are due, but other than those few months, it’s quiet in the office. People do much of our business through e-mails and phone calls.

I’ve slowly cut back the hours at the office to see how it functions and to my surprise nothing much has changed other than a few upset people, but overall, when I explained why I reduced our hours, people were both understanding and encouraging.

The last two weeks, I was able to put the paper out from Belgium and then Holland. Technology is amazing thanks to Vern Harrison, who has helped me bridge from office to virtual. Now, I’m ready for the move.

So, our last office days will be mid-October. Everything will be the same as far as the paper production, we just won’t have a physical office. You can still contact me by phone on my cell or through email.  You can renew your subscriptions online with e-transfers or a cheque in the mail.  You can let us know about news stories or book an ad by emailing Nick and Tina.

I’ve decided to have regular office hours in a coffee shop at least once a week, unless I’m out of town. The day will most likely be Tuesday from 11-1 at Emilio’s Mercato in Blairmore. I will advertise when and where each week in the paper on the Editorial page.

With the money I’ll save on rent and utilities I will be looking to hire a second part-time reporter.

Several papers in Alberta have their reporter significantly subsidized under the Local Journalism Initiative grant. Shooting the Breeze, in Pincher Creek, has been lucky enough to receive this grant. I’ve never received this grant despite several applications. My business has always paid its reporters out of pocket. With the savings by not having an office, it will free me up to hire a second reporter, part-time.

This business has been so lucky when it comes to the quality of our reporters. With the addition of John Kinnear, we have been able to compete, without subsidy provided by the federal government.

I want to take a moment to thank David and John Vigna for being the best landlords on the planet. Both have made me feel as if the office is owned by me, rather than just rented.

My mom and Buddy never bought a building and for a long time I thought that was a business mistake, now I’m thankful that I can transition to a virtual business by just giving a month’s notice.

So here it is to a new way of doing business and transitioning to a new way of life now that my boys are gone.

Hope you have an amazing week; I’ll be here at the office moving and purging 90 years living in an office and looking forward to creating the Pass Herald every week, from anywhere in the world, including my couch!