Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Letters & Opinions

Community news is important to readers

By Dale Bryant

An era in American journalism ended June 23 with the sale of Knight Ridder to the McClatchy Company. By virtue of our having been acquired by Knight Ridder shortly before the company put itself up for sale in response to shareholder pressure, Silicon Valley Community Newspapers was a piece of that historic moment.

Discerning readers would have recognized us in the Mercury News stories as one of the "targeted publications" that were included in the sale.

It would be less than honest if I were to say it hasn't been an emotional roller coaster ride for us. After all, just nine months ago, we were an independent newspaper company; we were acquired by Knight Ridder and sold to McClatchy, which immediately announced it was putting 12 of its new papers--including the Mercury News--up for sale. Both the Palo Alto Daily News and the Community Newspapers, which had been part of Knight Ridder's targeted publications group, were included in the sale as part of the Mercury News.

As I write this, we are awaiting word that the sale of the Mercury News and several other Bay Area papers (including us) to MediaNews has been finalized.

What's amazing is that, in spite of the dizzying pace of the past nine months, very little has actually changed for us. In fact, if there had been no announcement that we had been bought by Knight Ridder, I don't think readers would have known we were no longer an independent company.

We continue to provide high-quality local coverage in each of our eight newspaper communities; we recently took many journalism awards in the Peninsula Press Club competition, and we have been notified that we have placed either first or second in a number of categories in the California Newspaper Publishers Association Better Newspaper Contest.

Still, these are changing times. While many of us still enjoy curling up with a cup of coffee to read our newspaper, others now get all their news on the Internet, and even those who still read newspapers turn to the Internet when they want to know the latest on breaking news stories.

To meet the demands of changing habits and changing technology, newspaper companies are increasingly reinventing themselves as media companies offering "multiplatform portfolios." That means in addition to publishing newspapers, former newspaper companies are beginning to offer a wide range of targeted or "niche" publications, Internet sites, podcasts, blogs, videocasts and whatever else the latest technology demands.

As a targeted publication, our primary focus will continue to be the locally based community news upon which we've built our reputation. From time to time, the Mercury News will pick up some of our local stories to make them available to a wider audience. And as our relationship with the Mercury News evolves, readers will be able to read breaking local news stories through our website and on the Mercury News website.

The reality is that weekly newspapers have never been in a very good position to compete with breaking news. We may be on top of a big story on Thursday, but there's not much chance it will still be breaking news when we publish it the next week. That's why we're excited that we'll soon have an avenue for getting timely stories posted in a timely manner.

What's important to realize is that revealing what happened an hour ago is only part of the story. In many ways, the real story--the one that runs in our paper during the next publication cycle--is the version that requires interviews and research that can only be accomplished with time. That's the story that puts the news in the context of the local community. And that's the kind of story we do best.

Important as it is for newspaper companies to redefine themselves as information companies, it's absolutely critical that they also find new business models. When newspapers were the only game in town, classified advertising was a dependable revenue source. These days, websites like Craig's List offer classified ads, but for the most part, they give them away.

Everyone knows that advertising on the Internet is going to be a critical part of the new business model, but it won't replace newspaper advertising--and newspaper advertising doesn't easily translate into Internet advertising.

For both the editorial and the business sides of the newspaper business, there are challenging times ahead. But there's nothing like a challenge to stimulate creativity and innovation.

We at the Community Newspapers are excited to be a part of the revolution, and we feel particularly rewarded that in the fast-paced, multitasking brave new world, good old-fashioned community news will continue to play a vital role.

Dale Bryant is the executive editor of Silicon Valley Community Newspapers.