A newspaper is much more than a building
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The recently renovated True Dakotan building on Main Street in Wessington Springs is for sale. The weekly newspaper will continue operations from a different location after the sale.
I’ll get right to the point. Listing my building for sale on Main Street is definitely not the way I envisioned celebrating nine years of True Dakotan newspaper ownership this month. But in light of industry conditions brewing over the last several years, ever-increasing expenses and a building renovation following a fire, I feel it is a necessary business move to ensure the viability of local journalism in our area. Let me be clear, although the real estate is for sale, this newspaper is not going anywhere. After all, a newspaper is much more than a building.
Local newspaper journalism means covering routine government meetings and proceedings but also chronicling everyday life. I love that the newspaper connects people to one another through reporting on the comings and goings of our neighbors — their births, deaths and major celebrations — as well as coverage of community events and local businesses. Community cohesion, our shared culture, is the foundation of what a newspaper provides its readers — and I believe it’s too vital of a service to go without.
It’s no secret that not only the True Dakotan but the newspaper industry as a whole has been facing a barrage of challenges in recent years, in fact, I’ve shared them with you, my valued readers, time and time again.
One-third of the newspapers that existed 20 years ago in the United States are gone, vanishing at a rate of more than two a week. Most of the 6,000 surviving newspapers today get by with slim profit margins in the single digits.
As recent as January, the United States Postal Service (USPS) delivered another blow to the newspaper industry with an 8% increase. Those mailing with a periodicals permit, such as newspapers, have faced a whopping 40% increase over the past three years with additional increases coming, at least twice a year for the foreseeable future, according to USPS officials.
Why do we continue to print and mail? Although we continue to grow our e-edition subscriber base, many of you have shared with me that you still enjoy getting a printed paper delivered to your home or business. In order to cover printing and postage increases, I raised subscription rates last year. I want to thank you for renewing your subscriptions at the increased rate and helping support local journalism in our area.
Right now I often describe the newspaper business as straddling the two worlds of print and digital. We need to carve a path to sustainability while facing increased expenses for the print product and at the same time, invest in technologies that further enhance our digital offerings for readers.
I’ve shared with you before that the business model that supported local news reporting was greatly disrupted by the Internet and social media with a sharp decline in print advertising. As an industry, we don’t yet know where the path will lead, but I’m certain that focusing on goals and solutions rather than doom and gloom will always lead to a better outcome.
Looking to the future, being nimble in the cash flow department is absolutely necessary. And that’s where selling my building comes in.
Following the fire that deemed the True Dakotan uninhabitable in 2020, I made the decision to renovate the historic newspaper building which, since 1915, has always housed a newspaper or print shop.
While most of my readers applauded the decision, some asked why I didn’t simply bulldoze the structure and put up an inexpensive pole shed. Yes, that was a cheaper option, but I couldn’t help but think of the Greek proverb, “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.” Preserving one of the oldest remaining buildings on Main Street continues to be a decision of which I am proud.
Technology today allows us to produce a newspaper with a relatively small footprint — we no longer require the space that was needed to publish the newspapers of yesteryear. We are looking at several rental options in town for the True Dakotan’s new headquarters and as this process progresses, we will keep you in the loop.
So, valued readers, as the “For Sale” sign is placed in the window at 113 Main Street East this week, please know that I am optimistic about the future, dedicated to continuing quality, local community news coverage and energized about the newspaper’s next chapter.
After all, a newspaper is much more than a building.