In this week’s issue of the Fillmore County Journal, our readers will notice a full page recognizing every member of our recently expanded team.
And, as you scan that page, you’ll probably recognize a few familiar faces — all local people serving local people.
That’s right, our team (and company Christmas party) just got a little bigger.
We gained all of this talent when six local newspapers closed effective March 27, 2020: The Chatfield News, Spring Grove Herald, Spring Valley Tribune, Tri-County Record, Fillmore County News Leader, and Bluff Country Reader.
This was never part of any master plan for our newspaper.
But, David Phillips, owner of the Bluff Country Newspaper Group, wanted to retire, and he deserved to retire.
As was indicated in the April 6, 2020, issue of the Fillmore County Journal, when we first shared this story, “When most people retire from a job, they get to turn in their keys to the office, walk out the door, and start enjoying every day like it’s a Saturday. When a person owns a business, it doesn’t work like that. If they want to retire, they have to find a buyer, which can take many years.”
Phillips had tried to retire with a succession plan in the past that didn’t pan out, and that’s not uncommon.
And, selling a newspaper is particularly challenging. You need to find a buyer who has newspaper experience in all facets of the business along with the financial means and courage to work endless hours.
According to a May 13, 2020, article titled “Twin Cities weekly newspapers are shutting down in the face of pandemic,” published by the Star-Tribune, in 2020 alone, there have been 13 newspapers that have closed their doors throughout the State of Minnesota, including all six newspapers in the Bluff Country Newspaper Group located in Southeast Minnesota. In addition, eight Minnesota newspapers have cut back on their number of publishing days. That’s just in Minnesota. Some states have more casualties. The majority of newspapers, dailies and weeklies, that are struggling are subscription-based newspapers. Most of these newspapers, with more than 100 years of history to share, have lost more than one-third of their readers in the past 10 years. It’s sad, but true.
When Phillips closed his six newspapers, I knew it was going to be a major transition for our communities. I knew that the Fillmore County Journal was going to have to step up its game. And, I knew we needed help in order to accomplish that objective.
We are fortunate to have so many talented writers, designers, photographers, and historians concentrated in such a sparsely populated area. We’ve seen this talent shine in recent weeks with heartfelt feature articles, photos of graduates, and reflections on the history of our people and places.
And, you, as a reader, are part of our team. When you give us feedback, share your story ideas, or write a Letter to the Editor, this helps us publish a better newspaper.