Ernest Hemingway famously wrote in "The Sun Also Rises" that there are two ways to go bankrupt: gradually, then suddenly. And while the loss is in information as opposed to dollars, it was that second way for our local community, indeed, three different local communities. You may or not be in one of the affected, but if you are reading this in the ether, you have your feet in two worlds, and so the tsunami might have escaped your notice. Actually, tsunami may be too strong a word, as it implies impact over a wide range of territory. Were we talking New York City and its Times, Houston and its Chronicle, or Miami and its Herald, the fallout might indeed be far reaching. But we are talking small communities in New York like Bedford and its Record-Review, Scarsdale and its Inquirer, and the Rivertowns and their Enterprise. And overnight those three weekly community newspapers are no more.
When I asked the editor of one (indeed the home base for this very column) what happened with the publisher of the three papers, he said simply "she ran out of money." He offered no insight beyond that fact. But it's not a difficult concept to grasp. Indeed, anyone who has ever run any commercial venture from a lemonade stand to a multi-national firm gets the drift. Add up the cost of reporters, office space, printing fees and the rest of it, and match that against subscriptions, advertising and newsstand sales. If the second exceeds the first, you make a profit. If it's the other way around, well, demise is eventually going to be the outcome, unless you're the government.
It is no secret that the press, like many institutions that people used to look up to and depend on, is under attack and stress as never before. To be sure some of it is self-inflicted, where in some cases editorial standards have been bent or sacrificed in pursuit of agendas or profits or speed. Market forces also play a huge part, reshaping the underlying economics in the business models that worked for years but which didn't adapt to the changing media landscape. And in a world where governments and leaders relay their decisions and rationales in bits and bytes, anything over 240 characters long is considered practically book-length, and struggles to find an audience.
The problem is that the press, and more specifically a local paper, isn't just another grocery store or carwash or dry cleaner in a community. It serves a higher purpose befitting its designation as the fourth estate, offering a window and a billboard, a sounding board and a town square. Like water and power, they have become singular resources that many rely upon for updates on school sports and town meetings and local get-togethers. And while larger towns and cities might have multiple avenues for citizens to get their information, the same cannot be said for many of the places we call home.
That's why in each of the affected communities there has been an anguished cry from many. As of this writing, while the print editions have been shut down, the online sites are at least functioning as zombies if not being updated with news. That has allowed some users to post comments. One reader: "I would feel disconnected from the community without it. I rely on it, I would be at loose ends without it." Another: "This is awful news. We would be willing to pay over four times the current subscription rate - we get such value out of it, and it is such a critical part of this community." One more: "It's where we turn to the Letters to the Editor section to see what our neighbors are sounding off about, where we get information on new local laws, grants awarded to our towns, decisions made by our school and town boards, and much more." Or the most succinct one: "Please do not allow this community jewel to disappear."
In each community some readers and residents are seeking ways to help and keep them going. The publisher has been publicly silent as to the situation, so no telling if there is movement behind the scenes with investors or partnerships, or if it is all just wishful thinking. However, even if you weren't a reader, as an objective matter, the loss is a real one which is one more in the death-by-a-thousand-cuts that helps contribute to the ongoing degradation of neighborly society. It might be too much to invoke the words of John Donne, but you be the judge if this bell tolls not just for others but for each of us.
In the meantime, astute regular readers of this space might notice that at the top it no longer says "As published in The Record-Review and The Scarsdale Inquirer" because, well, it ain't. That situation might be restored, and I hope it is. However, for all of you who get it electronically, with either thanks or apologies as I continue to invade your space, my parade shall continue. I can only hope that you will continue to come to the curb and watch the show, and if so inclined, occasionally wave back so I know you're out there.
-END-
Marc Wollin of Bedford plans to keep this effort going, if you'll have it. His column appears weekly via email and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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