Ink Spots
Transitions seem to be a theme for me over the past couple of weeks. Some of these are familyrelated and some involve the newspaper. Some involve both.
I guess transition is just a fancy word for change, and change is happening all the time. So, these transitions shouldn’t be unexpected or a surprise.
Our circulation manager went out on maternity leave last week and we’re working around that with some temporary help and assistance from a previous manager, who continues to help out backing up and filling in when needed. Both of these people have the kind of dedication a business owner always hopes to find when hiring, and we’ve been blessed with both Ashley and Lucretia. Between them and my wife, Lynne, who’s helping out temporarily, I have no worries that everything will be done to get papers out to our subscribers, keep the e-editions coming, and our vendor partners supplied.
Within the past several weeks, my mother decided that it was time for her to move from independent living in an apartment to assisted living. She has fallen several times and injured her back, and realized that she needs a higher level of care. Again, we’re so fortunate that she made this decision on her own, and my siblings and I didn’t have to make it for her. She moved to her new apartment on Monday. Between last week and this week, all of her children, and some of her grand-children will have been here to help make this transition.
For a while now, I’ve been thinking about how to transition the management of the newspaper to a new generation. I have written in the past about my desire to see that The News-Gazette remains under local control, preferably both in management and ownership. How to transition the ownership is still a question, but I’ve started working on management succession.
My thinking is to find either someone who has experience in the media business who wants to get out of the corporate rat-race, or a younger person with a marketing or accounting background who can basically apprentice with us. This person will be expected to sell to selected accounts themselves, and at some point, take over management of all sales and marketing for the company, becoming our general sales manager. Whether that person would eventually also take over the publisher duties would depend on their desires and abilities.
I’ve been reviewing resumes on several of the online job search platforms. I have had conversations with one candidate over the past few weeks, but we weren’t able to come to an agreement. But, having begun this process, I feel confident that we will arrive at the right person. The good thing is we’re not under a deadline. I’m still enjoying what I do and am able to do it.
The News-Gazette has been so fortunate to have had many dedicated people working here, some for their entire careers – a real rarity these days. My goal is to find someone with that same sense of commitment to local journalism and this newspaper to continue its work for years to come.
