After publishing an editorial in October titled, “Will the last person please turn out the light?” I received a call from Colusa alumnus Stan Goodin. Over the course of a few phone calls, I agreed to set up an impromptu meeting with Stan and his list of community members to discuss the future of this newspaper.
For most of the last century, newspapers operated on a simple premise: build a readership by providing content and then selling the attention of the audience to advertisers. Readers were subsidized by advertising revenue so that they could read their local paper for a nominal fee. However, gone are the days of yesteryear. Advertising dollars have declined in favor of large corporate tech firms with no care for our local communities, leaving newspapers in a position to seek alternative funding or typeset their own obituaries.
The truth is that this newspaper costs about $3.90 to produce. Without the subsidies and support from advertisers, we would have to increase our prices – significantly. In short, readers will not pay $5 for a newspaper that they criticize for its current $1 price tag.
It has become increasingly difficult to keep going at the pace our readers expect. Readers demand that we be at every event, and cover every detail of our community, but with our current resources that can’t happen. The fact is, this newspaper needs additional staff members to keep pace. Our needs include a reporter, an editor-reporter who will replace Susan when she retires; an accountant or bookkeeper; and a secondary advertising/graphic designer who can help with sales, layout of the newspaper and ads. But labor is expensive, and no one is expected to work for free, especially for a for-profit business.
I am self-reliant to a fault, working 100+ hours a week to produce our community’s weekly newspaper,. It is difficult for me to ask for help. This is my business; this is my headache. but it’s taking a toll on my health and my sanity. With the candle burning at both ends, I don’t think I can keep doing this for much longer. I need a solution.
“Talk doesn’t cook rice,” said Goodin during one of our calls. He said that he would work with me to try and figure out what we could do to keep the newspaper in Colusa County. As many newspapers across the nation are shuttering at an alarming rate, Stan argued, “that doesn’t have to be the case for Colusa County.” And I agree.
On Dec. 12, I met with Goodin and about a dozen of his contacts to discuss the outlook of the newspaper, the industry, and to seek possible solutions.
In what felt like an episode of “Shark Tank,” or a sow being auctioned at the county fair, I read the room and private investors didn’t appear to be the solution. After all, why dump money into something that may never turn a return profit?
The decision was made that the Colusa County Pioneer Review needs to be converted to a non-profit organization, to provide sustainability, and longevity. This conversion could attract additional, primarily philanthropic, sources of revenue while still maintaining subscriptions and advertising revenue while it lasts.
Newspapers becoming a non-profit isn’t something new. Publications such as The Salt Lake Tribune, The Texas Tribune, the Tampa Bay Times, and the Sac Valley Mirror in Willows have either succeeded or are transitioning to a non-profit model.
“Talk doesn’t cook rice.”
With the idea in motion, there will be weeks of meetings with Ben Felt, with whom I have been working to entertain the idea of a non-profit business model, and meetings with lawyers as we work to develop the pathway towards our goal of sustainability.
Once we have our plan in place, we will set up a meeting with community members to discuss the process moving forward, and plan out fundraising and volunteer opportunities.
What will happen with my placement at the Pioneer Review? That will be discussed at a later date. For now, I am prepared to gift the publication to the newfound non-profit. This wasn’t an easy decision, and has taken a lot of soul-searching, and many emotions.
From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank everyone who has supported me, and this publication, in the past. It has been truly wonderful ride, and I look forward to building this new endeavor of keeping Colusa County informed; however, this opportunity cannot come without action from our community.
The motto of the Colusa County Pioneer Review since its inception has been, “It’s your community, It’s your news.” My question is, are you willing to keep it?
Talk doesn’t cook rice.
May everyone have a wonderful Christmas, and a Happy New Year. I will keep you all informed over the next few weeks. If you would like to contribute in some manner, or provide assistance as we progress, please feel free to send me an email to lloyd@colusacountynews.com. ■
