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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-10-29, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1986. First year anniversary The Citizen has been successful BY KEITH ROULSTON EDITOR AND PUBLISHER THE CITIZEN Well, we made.it. That in itself should be news. The Citizen, your community - owned newspaper, is one year old. Actually we celebrated our first anniversary last week (the first issue was Oct. 23, 1985.) but because of conflicting events the celebration was saved until this week. The first year has been fantastically successful. For me personally there has been only one other experience that has been as fulfilling - being involved with the beginning of the Blyth Festival. This first year has been both easier and harder than expected. It has been easier because of the dedication people have shown to their newspaper. From the early days when we talked to the first few community individuals about the idea of a community-owned news­ paper through the heartening response of people who rushed to subscribe to the paper, to the people who dally stop one of our Team puts paper out staff members or board members totellthem how glad they are to have the newspaper, the response of people in.the community has been never less than heartwarm­ ing. Thefirstyear has been easier because from the very beginning the progress of the paper has far outstripped our plans. Our initial budgets were set up for a mere survival basis, just keeping a paper alive in the communities we serve. Our projections said we should breakeven at the end of the first year. We broke even with the very first issue and have kept in the black nearly every week since. That early success came because of a combination of the enthusi­ asms of the communities and the excellent team we’ve been able to put together for the staff. The first key to success we were able to recruit for the team back in the planning stages was Bev Brown as advertising manager. She threw her incredible energy into her own dedication to making this a successful newspaper. After she took up residence in Brussels she also got involved in the community keeping the paper in touch with the grassroots of that community. Bev’s hard work and the support of the community soon opened new horizons to the service The Citizen could provide to the community. As stated earlier/ the initial planning was just for paper to survive but when finances improv­ ed, we were able to look to the future. The board of directQrs, elected from the shareholders, decided that after the promised return on investment to the shareholders was met, the first duty of the paper was to serve the community. Therefore profits could be used to expand coverage and provide better equipment that would make the paper serve readers and advertisers better. One of the next key additions to the staff was Lisa Sherritt who joined the advertising staff last June to design the advertising, making the paper better looking and serve our advertising clients better. The increase in the number of advertisers using the paper has a two-foldeffectinimproving the paper. It means that there are more pages so there is more room for news and it means there is enough money to hire a second writer for the staff. The addition of Toby Rainey to the team this fall has meant we’re able to get into those not-so-readily handy news stories, such as bugging politicians to get their plans for meeting the crisis this falls rains brought on. Our initial planning was that The Citizen would have a staff of four people. That quickly grew to five in the first couple of weeks as we realizedthegrowthofthe paper made it impossible to get the paper out on time with the staff we had. Later we added a proof-reader and Continued on page 27 Citizens on Citizen board FOOD SPECIALS! The publication of each issue of The Citizen wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of 10 different people who give it their best. Here, in no-particular order, are the people who make it happen. BEV BROWN, Advertising mana­ ger: Former pig farmer, former personnell manager, former co­ publisher of Rural Voice, former co-ordinator of the Huron County Historical Atlas, Bev brings formi­ dable experience, enthusiasm and dedication to her job. She’s played a big part in the growth of The Citizen through her thoughtout job of helping advertisers make use of a new advertising medium. JILL ROULSTON, office and pro­ duction manager: Jill is the glue that holds the whole operation together, the cooler head who tries to restore calm in the midst of pre-deadline madness. A former co-publisher of the old Blyth Standard, the Tees water News, the Rural Voice and Village Squire, former general manager with Theatre Circle, one of the team that put out the Huron Historical Atlas, she has brought a lot of experience to a key part of the operation. DIANNE JOSLING, typesetter: Possessor of the fastest fingers in Huron County, Dianne has been w ith The Citizen since day one and it’s hard tothinkof a paper getting out on time without her. It is one of the fortuitous circumstances that came together to make The Citizen a success that Dianne happened to be available when the paper started. Having worked on the old Blyth Standard, Rural Voice and Village Squire, Dianne brought a lot of experience to the team, withoutwhich we couldn’t have made it through the early days. JOAN CALDWELL, composing room: Joan came to The Citizen in the early days when success was threatening to bury us all. She quickly learned the skill of putting ads together, taking the heat off therestofthe harried staff. She also provides a welcome sense of humour when the tension of meeting deadlines gets heavy. MARIE TOLL, proofreader: Marie was another of the people who came to the rescue in the days when growing-pains were becoming nearly terminal. We started out doing proof-reading among vari­ ous staff members but as the workload increased, it became apparent we needed someone else tohelpusmind our P’s and Q’s and Continued on page 27 As a community-owned news­ paper, The Citizen is run by a board of directors representing a cross­ section of the community. Barbara Brown, a Brussels businesswoman, is one of the five board members elected at the first meeting of investors back on Oct. 231astyear. Barbaraisowner of Barbara M. Brown, Yarns and Crafts on Brussels’ main street. Sheila Richards was the original instigator of the scheme to make The Citizen work. Sheila, a super­ active Brussels resident, was not one of the original board members however, but joined the board as a replacement for Max Demaray of Brussels who resigned part way through the year. Sheila is also past-president of the Blyth Festi­ val. Mason Bailey, Blyth business­ man, is the Blyth representative on the Board. A former president of the Blyth Board of Trade, Mr. Bailey is also a member of the Board of the Clinton Community Credit Union. Keith and Jill Roulston serve as president and secretary-treasurer of the board of directors. Both have extensive newspaper experience ■and are part of the team that puts the paper out every week. VAN CAMP BEANS ANDPORK SCHNEIDER’S BACK BACON ENDS o on 250 G. 2.3914 OZ. LIMIT = 4 . 69 • < Tools Equipment HOME-FARM-CONTRACTOR ' House cut out & sore hr future reference. □ Sanders & Saws □ Painting Equipment □ Post Hole Augers □ Auto Tools □ Compaction Equipment □ Concrete and Masonry [Power Trowels Drills and Saws] □ Hoists and Jacks □ Ladders □ Lawn and Garden Equipment □ Handling and Moving Equipment □ Plaster Sprayers □ Scaffolding □ Heaters □ Fastening Tools □ Saws □ Water Pumps □ Generators □ Drills and Rotary Hammer Drills □ Grinders and Sanders □ Miscellaneous □ Demolition Equipment □ Canoes □ Floor Sanders □ Pavement and Concrete Breakers 500 G. 2.19 475 G. 2.99 450 G. 1 -79 340 G.1 -49 200 G. .98 is is IB IsI ** I? is I?|Q_I3 is IZ [i :s Sth_________________________________ _ CLIP’NSAVE... MANY0THERITEMST00 NUMEROUSTO MENTION!! Two great locations to serve you better! NEED IT? RENT IT! CLINTON Hwy. 8 West (519)482-3339 After Hours: (519)482-5355 Shop Hours: 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. WINGHAM. 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