Should You Start
a Local Newspaper?
With the U.S. economy seemingly coming down all
around us, you may find yourself in need of a new career. If
you spend a lot of time listening to the news (of how bad it is, and
how many businesses are failing every week), you may not think this
is a good time to start a new publishing business. If that's
what you think, you are wrong.
It is always a good time to start a business that
will serve the needs of the community you live in. And now is
a very good time to get involved with news and information.
People need a source of real news now more than ever.
A good newspaper is central to the growth and
success of the community it serves. This website touches on the
good that a local paper can do. You have the opportunity to provide
encouragement and the praise for the good being accomplished by
everyday citizens. Your newspaper can help bring attention where it
is most needed and help the people to get things done.
If you do your job well, your paper will help
the good people of your area to bring about many positive changes.
You will encourage and uplift and warn and entertain your readers.
You will know, in the end, that it was worth the effort and time and
whatever challenges you face.
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The News Business
As you may already have figured out, newspaper publishing
is not just an activity, it's an enterprise, a business. It needs to be set up properly from
the beginning. You will need a bank account, a way to keep the books
(or someone to keep the books for you), a business plan of some
kind, and a place to work. Deadlines and schedules are also
important, even for a very informal paper.
The basic work of starting out in newspaper
publishing is not
complicated. Here it is in a nutshell:
You will need to go out and gather news and
information about your area that is of interest to your readers.
This is the work of a reporter. Call and visit the local businesses,
schools, governing agencies and community leaders. Get their
stories, collecting news, notices, announcements. As you go, collect
ads (and money) from advertisers. Take pictures of the people you
talk to, and of the events you cover. Arrange the information and
the pictures into pages. Have the publication printed as a tabloid
or journal-sized paper. Distribute the papers. Rest up for a day or
so, and start the whole process again.
If you enjoy this kind of work, you will be
very happy as a newspaper publisher. If it seems like a lot of hard
work, and you’d rather be painting houses or building barns, then
you may want to consider a different career.
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What You Need to Know
Many successful news publishers have little or
no background in journalism. Obviously, a lack of formal
journalistic training or experience does not automatically make one
a better reporter, writer or publisher. Still, you don't need a
degree to start and run a great local newspaper.
If you start a newspaper in a small town you
may end up doing most of the work yourself. This website answers
questions about how to get your newspaper going. You can use the
search box (available on most pages) to look for specific topics on
this site, such as building ads, reporting the news, and so on.
These pages contain basic information on many
aspects of starting and operating a small newspaper: reporting,
interviewing, useful photos, ad rates (setting up your rate sheet),
page layout, selling ads, building ads, necessary equipment and
software, and more. I have also listed books and guides that you
may find helpful in planning and building your newspaper business.
These tips and bits of advice can help you to
plan and operate the business side of your publishing venture. I
also urge you to meet with your banker, to check out books at the
public library, and to become familiar with local laws and required
permits.
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