1.2.17
The talk surrounding the newspaper business in recent years has been pretty much along the lines of an inevitable, internet-inflicted, slow and painful death. Which begs the question, why would anyone of half-sound mind and body invest their hard-earned to buy a small business in a dying industry, in a small country town?
We’ve heard similar talk about the inevitable demise of country towns in Australia for the past few decades. Yet, for those not blinded by the accepted wisdom issued by distant desk-bound bureaucrats or the unimaginative angles preferred by a predictable urban press, there are still signs of life in small towns. Not only not dead yet, but there are distinct clues that communities throughout western NSW are, in fact, alive and kicking.
You may not be surprised to hear that your new Editor is not a subscriber to the Hanrahan’s view on the future of regional Australia, or that I have a quiet optimism around the potential of independent, localised media. But surprisingly, I am not alone.
Not only are we seeing a changing of the guard in the ownership and operation of the weekly newspapers of country NSW (Gilgandra, Bourke, Warren, and Lightning Ridge to name a few), and a growing loyal following of independent ‘papers’ in the regional cities.
Even Coonamble’s Australia Day Ambassador, Yianni Johns, described to me how he “has been predicting a resurgence in the regional media” for some years, as communications becomes more ‘globalised’ and the regional press responds creatively to keep their communities connected.
For someone who has new bills to pay, perhaps even more encouraging is the fact that the world-famous, oft-quoted American squillionaire, Warren Buffett, agrees that the future for regional press is not all doom and gloom.
In a letter to the Publishers and Editors of a series of regional newspapers he had just acquired (for not much money) in 2012, Buffett stated: “I believe newspapers that intensively cover their communities will have a good future,” and “… the papers are every bit as important to me – and, for that matter, to society – as other businesses we have purchased for many billions of dollars.”
According to Warren Buffett, “Strong interest in community affairs varies inversely with population size…” and “If a citizenry cares little about its community, it will eventually care little about its newspaper.” I am pleased to report that, from the detailed responses to our quick facebook reader survey, along with hundreds of conversations around why people read The Coonamble Times and what they want to see, the ‘care factor’ for this local rag is off the charts. Our stories matter and I am quickly learning that it takes a whole community to run a newspaper.
So, the little team in the Times Office have strapped on our training wheels and are peering over the edge. It might take a while, but if we all keep pedalling, we’ll see if this thing flies.
Editor-in-Training