The news of EO Media Group’s plan to sell the company, or to potentially restructure as a non-profit certainly got our attention. To be honest, it was a scary week.
The Times-Journal has been printed weekly by the EO Media Group for decades. We communicate with their staff weekly and depend on them for printing The Times-Journal.
We have also looked to the EO Media Group and its many publications as a guide. We have admired their work in sustaining legacy newspapers in Eastern Oregon.
Since we became the publishers of the newspaper in 2019, the industry has been turned upside down. Newspapers were already in a tight spot. But the COVID pandemic, followed by soaring inflation, created a perfect storm. Now, 2.5 newspapers are closing each week across the country.
Since we started at The Times-Journal, prices for printing have climbed and climbed – going from about $280 a week in 2019 to $400 a week today. Mailing the newspaper through the USPS is also now running close to $400 a week. Our circulation and subscription base have crept higher since we started, and we are now just shy of 1,300 subscribers. I shutter to think what the East Oregonian was paying to mail newspapers each week.
But while the news of EO Media came as a shock, it is not all doom and gloom. The same goes for Pamplin.
It is still possible that both EO Media and Pamplin can come out of this in a better place.
Pamplin could get a welcomed restart and reinvestment from the Carpenter Media firm. The company is well-regarded in the industry.
The EO Media Group could also still have another life.
In 2019, the Salt Lake Tribune became the first legacy newspaper to transition to non-profit status. The newspaper is thriving and created a playbook for other newspapers who were exploring a transition.
The same consultants and people that helped the Salt Lake Tribune transition to non-profit status are working with the EO Media Group right now.
The shipping fees for non-profit periodicals are a fraction of the cost. It can also be argued that newspapers are essentially non-profits, and are in existence for the public benefit. And nonprofit status is something that many small publishers are familiar with – as earnings are rolled back into the business to sustain it.
With the cesspool that is Facebook and other online echo chambers like Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) – newspapers are more important than ever before.
For our part, we will print. We will print no matter what. We won’t miss a single week. It is print or die.
There is no doubt that digital media is prominent – but print newspapers will never completely go away and we are fortunate to have a dedicated support network.
To our print advertisers – thank you for your commitment and for seeing the value in advertising.
To subscribers who have been with The Times-Journal for decades – the newspaper belongs to you just as much as anyone. And to new subscribers, thank you for your support as well.
We’re approaching our five-year anniversary at The Times-Journal. Occasionally, someone will introduce me as the “owner” of The Times-Journal. I’m always quick to point out that I am the publisher and editor. The Times-Journal is owned by the community.
And while much of the world has decided to move away from print – we know many never will. After all, The Days of Yore just aren’t the same on a computer screen.
Thank you,
Stephen and Renee Allen
Publishers and Editors of The Times-Journal
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