HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-09-30, Page 20The end of a publishing era
Bob Shrier's dreams
alk to Bob Shrier about his career
Tas a businessman, publisher,
speaker, author and entrepreneur
and it quickly becomes evident
why a young man armed with nothing
more than dreams, ambitions and
determination, became successful in the
publishing industry.
On Thursday, Oct. 1, Signal -Star
Publishing became part Of St. Catharines
Standard Limited, ending the 22 year
association between the Shriers and
Signal -Star Publishing of Goderich.
The love affair with newspapers began
many years ago when as a 16 -year -old, -
Bob Shrier discovered he could sell. Two
years later, he realized he wanted his
own newspaper.
It was more than just an idle dream for
the young man who was outselling
veteran salesman in the advertising
departments of Thompson daily
- newspapers. From then on, he turned his
determination and efforts towards that
goal. He never lost sight of the dream.
"I knew I wanted to own my own
newspaper by the time I was 18," Bob
said reflecting on his publishing career.
"I saw that it was a tough job to be a
publisher but I had a feeling. I always
had that feeling."
People don't always trust their inner
feelings and their instincts,,Bob suggests
adding that it was "going with his in-
stincts" that led to the many tough and
arduous, but successful decisions he
made in building the publishing com-
pany. From a single newspaper, he pur-
chased the Signal -Star in 1965 from
George and Gene Ellis, Signal -Star
Publishing has grown into a web offset
company that publishes and prints seven -
community newspaliers and a bi-weekly
newsmagazine.
The company, under the direction of
Bob and his wife, Jo, has grown into one
of the most progressive and respected
publishing firms in Canada.
The relationship between a publisher,
the newspaper and the community can
often be stormy and tenuous, but it is a
were
fueled by ambition and risks
i
R.G. Bob Shrier
reciprocal relationship that helps build a
community.
"A newspaper gives a community a
close knitness and it also keeps people in-
formed of social and political happenings
in the community," Bob explained. "But
it is also the duty of a newspaper to have
the retailers of a community use the
newspaper as an advertising vehicle to _
keep money in that town and therefore to
keep dollaz•s in that town.
Signal -Star president 1966-1987
•'In that way the business community
becomes more vibrant and the business
community is at the heart of any com-
munity. A whole town becomes more
vibrant because money is spent in town."
In that respect, Bob believes that the
community newspaper plays, and will
continue to play, an integral role in the
viability of any community, regardless of
size. It is the newspaper's role to take
that responsibility seriously and to pro -
vide a service for the business
community.
"If the newspaper doesn't do the job
and service the advertiser and treat him
like a part of the business -then business
won't be done," Bob said. "If that rela-
tionship isn't solid, money will flow out of
the community as a result. And as the
advertising vehicle, we have to be
sincere about wanting them to succeed.
"We have to create a vision for the
advertiser of what they can become -if
they want to be."
Readers of Bob's regular column in
Focus newsmagazine, his book "Let's
Think for a Minute" and listeners of his
radio program, know he advocates the
power of a postive mental outlook and
achieving unlimited potential through the
proper focus and frame of mind.
"I have alwaysspoken in terms of 'I
see' because I saw things vividly," Bob
explained in a recent interview. "I have
always advocated that when you can see
it ( something) in your mind, you can hold
it in your hand.
"I could see a building here in In-
dustrial Park before we even bought the
land. But it takes more than vision and
ambition. You have to have good people
that will work with you. not for you."
A great believer in people power, Bob
allowed his staff to grow into the
publishing business with him and to
share in his vision. One of the biggest
risks taken in the publishing business oc-
cured in Goderich when Signal -Star pur-
chased a web offset press.
I"or a young, neophyte publisher, the
move was a major gamble, a risk that -
few people in the industry would be will-
ing to take and one that many labelled as
lunacy.
••We made a lot of first moves in the in-
dustry. I was told I was the biggest idiot
for putting a press in Goderich," he
recalled. ''We had to make the move to
offset and soon we were printing 22 other
papers. We found that people would come
here to get printed.
Turn to page 2 •