2,627 weekly newspapers in America shuttered their doors between 2004 and 2023. The rise of internet news sources, increased costs of doing business, and other factors have decimated the print media industry. It's not unusual for new technologies to push older ones out of the marketplace. However, the slow disappearance of local newspapers isn't quite the same as the disappearance of the horse drawn buggy industry when the automobile industry drove them from the market. Small town newspapers play an irreplaceable role in local cultures.
The Mountaineer has been a fixture in our community since 1911. Now we, like so many other small town publications are looking to the future with uncertainty. We need Big Sandy to help us continue to fill a vital role in the life of our town.
For years, I have believed that the part played by the paper in our community is in sharing the culture, identity, people, and beauty of our town. The Mountaineer keeps us connected to each other by sharing our victories and heartbreaks with each other. Highlighting the best our town has to offer, we help bind locals together and create a unified culture for the people who love this little town on the prairie. Online news sources simply cannot replace local reporting and Facebook can never really replace the Mountaineer in fulfilling this role. Without it, the ties that bind our close knit town together will loosen.
The difficulty the paper is facing comes about as a result of Havre Daily shuttering its print shop a few months ago. The impact of that event cannot be overstated. The cost of just printing The Mountaineer has skyrocketed as a result. Increased costs exacerbate a problem we are facing due to the scarcity of employees and help to fill certain vital roles. The combination of the two situations has made the future of The Mountaineer uncertain.
It's easy to see the situation as bleak. However, The Mountaineer has spent over a century shining a spotlight on the people and qualities that make our town an exceptional place to live, which is the strength of our local institutions. Our town draws together when life is hard and we get through it as a family. The future of our paper relies on rousing that spirit to aid us as we walk the path before us. We need Big Sandy to help keep The Mountaineer going to press every week.
Our most pressing need is for a person to take on the commission based role of advertising sales. Newspapers live and die by ad revenue. We have struggled to fill that spot for years. The new financial pressure makes the need more urgent. If The Mountaineer is going to remain a Big Sandy institution, we need someone to step forward and take on the role of ad salesperson. An ad salesperson can work full or part time. They will need to be organized, motivated, personable, and willing to develop relationships with businesses in the surrounding areas.
For locals who haven't got the time or inclination to do ad sales, simply asking and/or encouraging businesses you patronize to advertise with The Mountaineer can make a difference. Running ads for local events or thank you spots to the community is another way to keep the paper in Big Sandy.
We have other minor needs we would love to see met, but nothing is on the same level as an ad salesperson and more advertising.
Finally, subscribing to The Mountaineer boosts our circulation numbers, which affects everything else in the business. Local subscriptions also provide you the opportunity to see what is happening in our town.
I have been writing for the paper in Big Sandy in various capacities for over 10 years. The biggest blessing of the work I have done has been playing a small part in making our community more than a bunch of folks that live near each other. I implore you to consider whether or not you would like to join in that service to Big Sandy.
