Latest / The Town Square Podcast / Evan Newton on The Monticello News and the Future of Local Journalism – Episode 109

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Evan Newton on The Monticello News and the Future of Local Journalism – Episode 109 · The Town Square Podcast

0:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to the Town Square podcast where local advocates for a better community bring their different perspectives into the messy middle, where we have a conversation where aim is unity, not uniformity.
0:12
[SPEAKER_01]: At six years old Evan Newton picked up the Monticello news for the football contest and the arrest page, like we all do.
0:19
[SPEAKER_01]: In 2023, he returned as an intern.
0:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Three years later,
0:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he bought the whole newspaper, it became the owner, the publisher and the editor.
0:32
[SPEAKER_01]: That full circle story has drawn national attention, but buying a newspaper is just the beginning of the work.
0:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Not the ending.
0:42
[SPEAKER_01]: So today we want to meet Evan, we want to hear what he's learned in Covington and ask what it will take for a small town newspaper to survive and thrive in a digital age.
0:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Evan Newton, welcome to the Taylor Square podcast, right?
0:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Good to see you, man.
0:55
[SPEAKER_02]: It's been a while.
0:56
[SPEAKER_02]: It's great to see you and be back in Newton County again.
0:59
[SPEAKER_01]: No, we're in a minute.
1:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Your hair has been cut since the last time.
1:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you, Hudson.
1:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, really long hair last time.
1:04
[SPEAKER_01]: That's right.
1:05
[SPEAKER_01]: That's right.
1:05
[SPEAKER_01]: That's right.
1:06
[SPEAKER_01]: You look good.
1:06
[SPEAKER_01]: They're like, you've been working out.
1:08
[SPEAKER_01]: A little bit.
1:09
[SPEAKER_02]: A little bit here and there when I've got time.
1:10
[SPEAKER_02]: I was going to say, I don't know how in the world you have time.
1:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, you know, I get it when I can.
1:16
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so the big head Latin news, national news even is that this young guy bought the hometown newspaper and is now like on this new entrepreneurial like you're just you're doing the thing right like you bought the newspaper that's right your hometown newspaper you're doing the thing it was national news yeah but I want to take us back before we get to all that because that's
1:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Before that, I mean, you just grew up in in Monticello, so just tell me, what was it like growing up in Jasper County, Monticello, Georgia, just for years again.
1:56
[SPEAKER_00]: This episode is brought to you by Headbangers Taphouse.
2:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, right.
2:01
[SPEAKER_00]: What exactly is Headbangers Taphouse?
2:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, Gabriel, imagine cold beer, good food, sports on the TVs, and a bunch of people having entirely too much fun.
2:10
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, I'm listening.
2:11
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, when now you put all of that under one roof on Highway 278 in Covington and let my buddy Casey Durin help run the place.
2:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, now that's...
2:19
[SPEAKER_01]: sounds potentially dangerous it gets even better they've got a rotating lineup of beer on tap craft wine to music bingo laugh music on the weekend Okay, stop stop you have me bro at beer and lies music well there you go.
2:34
[SPEAKER_00]: It's headmingers top house
2:36
[SPEAKER_01]: 51, 25, highway 278 and coming to an across from Bojangles, come thirsty, come hungry, and bring your friends.
2:43
[SPEAKER_00]: And apparently stretch your neck first, too.
2:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Because of the head, the rest of your head.
2:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, good advice.
2:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And then you can drink loud and rock hard.
2:51
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, let me try that.
2:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Bangers tap house.
2:54
[SPEAKER_00]: I get it.
2:55
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, find them on Facebook or check them out online at www.headbangerstaphouse.com.
3:02
[SPEAKER_00]: That's www.headbangerstaphouse.com.
3:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, honestly, you know, had a great childhood, you know, born and raised in Jasper County and two wonderful parents, my mom and my dad, and they've been very supportive of me, you know, throughout my entire life and my brother as well.
3:23
[SPEAKER_02]: And so basically, I mean growing up, you know, it's always, you know, I always thought it to be just, you know,
3:28
[SPEAKER_02]: pretty chill pretty laid back at least for my experience and you know I went to the same school system throughout only one year actually I went to Jones County Schools and that was with as my dad was the interim superintendent over there before he came back my fourth grade year to become the superintendent of Jasper County Schools which is now Jasper County Charter System.
3:51
[SPEAKER_02]: I was always kind of known as like the Superintendents kid and so I kind of like had that shadow a little bit if you will right but you know enough people also like knew me for me to and like how I really stood out was more so kind of like being like the creative kid and whether it was like through music or through like making videos and film
4:13
[SPEAKER_02]: I always had that knack for creativity, and that's something that sort of like carried me throughout my life, and I think I always sort of stood out in that way, and I was able to really, you know, growing up in a small town like that, you know, learning how to make something out of nothing in a lot of ways, and I feel like that's carried me throughout.
4:34
[SPEAKER_02]: And so that's just a little bit about, you know, kind of me growing up in Jasper County,
4:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Great childhood, and it's, you know, great place to spend the start of my adulthood and, and, and, and, forward.
4:47
[SPEAKER_01]: So, um, do you watch Stranger Things?
4:50
[SPEAKER_01]: You're just familiar with the show.
4:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I know the show.
4:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
4:52
[SPEAKER_02]: But I've never actually like sat down.
4:54
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's kind of it.
4:55
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess the time period I was growing up in my brother.
4:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And so when we would make home movies or whatever,
5:01
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm trying to think it would be much later in my childhood.
5:03
[SPEAKER_01]: But we had this big giant, you know, you put the VCR tape in the actual camera and you're carrying around like this.
5:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
5:09
[SPEAKER_01]: So what were you, when you were making movies is that if you like you said the film field, like what were you using?
5:13
[SPEAKER_02]: So we did for a little bit there.
5:15
[SPEAKER_02]: It was like my mom had like this camcorder.
5:17
[SPEAKER_02]: And actually like the first ever film that ever made was for like a middle school like technology fare.
5:23
[SPEAKER_02]: And it was like a stop motion, like NASCAR deal.
5:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Because like I have like a big NASCAR collection.
5:28
[SPEAKER_02]: And I've always been like Kege NASCAR fan.
5:30
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I had that and did that and, you know, it was, yeah, I didn't win anything.
5:36
[SPEAKER_02]: But it was like, it was fun in the moment.
5:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, it was a bad hill to come?
5:39
[SPEAKER_02]: It was like, yeah, something like that.
5:40
[SPEAKER_02]: And then in high school, it kind of graduated to a DSLR camera.
5:44
[SPEAKER_02]: And then obviously, as phones have gotten more advanced somewhat not like I would use my phone for stuff too.
5:49
[SPEAKER_02]: And then I've been using Adobe Premiere, actually, since I was 15 years old.
5:54
[SPEAKER_02]: So Adobe Premiere.
5:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Adobe Premiere, yes, it's a big favor.
5:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Editing software, OK. That's right.
6:00
[SPEAKER_02]: And so, yeah, so I've kind of been used to that actually shout out Tyson Hardy, by the way, the film leader of the film program at Jasper County High School.
6:11
[SPEAKER_02]: I was actually a very first film class, and now it's a state of the art, one of the top ones in the entire state.
6:17
[SPEAKER_02]: You were in Mr. Hardy's film class, right?
6:19
[SPEAKER_02]: It's right, very, very first one.
6:21
[SPEAKER_02]: And now, you know, they just actually at Jasper County High School did the new CTAE wing.
6:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
6:28
[SPEAKER_02]: That was part of a East Bloss project.
6:30
[SPEAKER_02]: And they have, I mean, dude, it is the craziest thing you'll ever see.
6:34
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, it is a full-on production studio, and it's just so cool.
6:39
[SPEAKER_02]: So, you were just beginning?
6:41
[SPEAKER_02]: I was there at the very beginning.
6:43
[SPEAKER_02]: So, I also, you know, credit that class and Dr. Hardy for a lot of like what I did with film as well.
6:49
[SPEAKER_01]: So you then you went to college to do this to that's right.
6:52
[SPEAKER_02]: So I went to Georgia College State University go about get And I originally yes, I was there for film and I graduated with a degree in mass communication But my specialization was like film TV and radio production.
7:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, yeah, okay.
7:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I didn't know that But that's so you so
7:11
[SPEAKER_01]: You left there, though, when you got out of school, I guess, you came, did you go to the internship?
7:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Right, to the internship.
7:18
[SPEAKER_02]: So I graduated on a Saturday morning, and I started working on monosol and news that next month.
7:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, really?
7:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, right.
7:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
7:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Immediately.
7:26
[SPEAKER_02]: That's correct.
7:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, that's right.
7:27
[SPEAKER_02]: That's right.
7:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Very cool.
7:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
7:28
[SPEAKER_01]: And so you're walked out of college thinking, I'm probably going to make movies, right?
7:34
[SPEAKER_02]: Or something like that.
7:35
[SPEAKER_02]: So it is interesting.
7:36
[SPEAKER_02]: So this was,
7:38
[SPEAKER_02]: you know by last semester and I actually I could have graduated semester early but I still was at the point where I was like I really don't know what I want to do and I wasn't really that great of a student either just recently I got what I was not a great student definitely not on any plaques or anything like that for being a great student.
7:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, but, you know, it's just kind of like workshop and with my dad and like what I could do, like after college and he was the one that actually pitched to me is like if you saw it about possibly seeing what, you know, they probably need someone to run their website or something like that or the monosol and news.
8:12
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, and so we put in some feelers and then what they turned to another and that was my internship.
8:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
8:18
[SPEAKER_02]: And uh, it's supposed to be three months of internship and I really didn't have like any interest other than like writing a couple columns and whatnot.
8:24
[SPEAKER_02]: But, uh, like, I take the back.
8:25
[SPEAKER_02]: I kind of did like want to do it like a little bit of reporting.
8:28
[SPEAKER_02]: But like, obviously never thought it would be.
8:31
[SPEAKER_02]: any of this.
8:32
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
8:33
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
8:33
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, but then, you know, that three month internship turned into a six month internship and I just really grew to love it.
8:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
8:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And so it's more than grabbing a cup of coffee for it.
8:42
[SPEAKER_01]: It was.
8:42
[SPEAKER_01]: It was.
8:43
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
8:44
[SPEAKER_02]: And it kicked off everything that I'm into now and where I've been to.
8:50
[SPEAKER_02]: So you have an intern at Montecilla News and then did you get another role there before you know I went to intern I was intern I'm on a so news and I did that for six months and then I became news editor at coming to news.
9:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
9:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so you started off as a news editor That's right then to managing editor and then and now.
9:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no, I couldn't really get right right, but you were managing editor at coming to news right
9:14
[SPEAKER_02]: for year and a half.
9:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, yes, but you were still snapping photos and doing the interviews and writing the oh yeah, so what is it like when you I'm just curious like so as a guy who writes now your name is all over the monocidal news right now you write a lot of columns and all right so when you go home in the afternoon is it or during the days or in the office is just like
9:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it feels that way sometimes, but that's just like that's that's part of it, especially with a small newspaper and like you can throw a Covington in there too, both Monticelli and Covington and really in his, you know, small newspaper, if you're, you know, you're going to be wearing a lot of hats no matter what and so, you know, even in Covington, I was still as managing editor writing anywhere from, you know, seven and 10 stories a week.
9:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, anywhere like that.
9:59
[SPEAKER_02]: And in Monticelli since we're just weekly, it's probably about five to seven.
10:04
[SPEAKER_02]: But it's still a lot right right for people who are like I hate writing a letter Right, yeah, right all the long yes, yes, and and now it's also too now balancing like writing a business and so on ads and all that so like that's
10:18
[SPEAKER_02]: been a whole new fun thing to learn over the last couple of months, but I've definitely, I feel like I've adjusted pretty well to it.
10:24
[SPEAKER_01]: So, take a sense out the decision to actually buy the monocidal news.
10:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
10:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, when did it go from, well, that's a neat idea to, you know what, I'll stake my savings and every them in the bucket.
10:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
10:37
[SPEAKER_02]: So this is really actually two years the making.
10:40
[SPEAKER_02]: This whole thing is two years in the making, two plus years in the making, I would say.
10:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, I was actually first approached by Kathy and it was June of 2024, um, I was still a news editor at the coming to news and, uh, I was approached, uh, about, you know, going there and, uh, potentially taking over the place and at that point, I was just about to turn 23 and, uh, I was living at home and whatnot and, uh, I was
11:08
[SPEAKER_02]: I just like the idea intrigued me and I did my due diligence and whatnot, but I just didn't know if that was really ready yet, right?
11:18
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I actually, you know, I think everything works out for a reason.
11:24
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm always just like really superstitious about that.
11:27
[SPEAKER_02]: And as I was pondering the decision of whether or not I was going to do this, the managing editor spot came up and coming to him.
11:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
11:36
[SPEAKER_02]: And I was like, well, I have to give this a shot, you know, I mean, I just have to.
11:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
11:43
[SPEAKER_02]: And obviously that worked out for the best.
11:45
[SPEAKER_02]: And I was very, very happy with what I was doing there.
11:49
[SPEAKER_02]: And I still was.
11:50
[SPEAKER_02]: And I feel like, honestly, if this didn't come up, I still would be managing editor over in Covington.
11:57
[SPEAKER_02]: But
11:58
[SPEAKER_02]: It was about April earlier this year.
11:59
[SPEAKER_02]: I was approached again, and the story goes like this.
12:03
[SPEAKER_02]: It was Kathy calling me after her 70th birthday, and she goes, you know, Evan, I just turned 70, and I think it's time for me to retire.
12:12
[SPEAKER_02]: So here's the offer, or I'm going to go market this to some other people, right?
12:18
[SPEAKER_02]: That's what I had to think about.
12:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, there's no way I couldn't.
12:21
[SPEAKER_02]: And there's a tug, right?
12:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Right, this is home-tale, this is...
12:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Right, and I had to think about it.
12:27
[SPEAKER_02]: And weighing everything as well, you know, in that time, I'd since purchased my home in Monticello.
12:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
12:36
[SPEAKER_02]: And, you know, my parents obviously still live there.
12:39
[SPEAKER_02]: A lot of my family still lives there.
12:41
[SPEAKER_02]: And I just knew...
12:44
[SPEAKER_02]: this go around, if I did this, I'm way more prepared, I know what I want in a newspaper and I know what a good newspaper looks like.
12:55
[SPEAKER_02]: And so really it was around like late May, when I finally was like, yeah, probably going to do this.
13:06
[SPEAKER_02]: And then June happened and as most
13:15
[SPEAKER_02]: That wasn't really like the straw that broke the Campbell's back.
13:19
[SPEAKER_02]: It wasn't all because I've had a chance to meet with multiple people over at time, certainly, who now own the COVID-19 news and that all lovely people had great conversations with them, but I also kind of knew
13:34
[SPEAKER_02]: If this was the time to do, I felt like it was a sign of if you're going to do this and really like go out on a limb like now's the time I feel like that's kind of how that was the opportunity to do like this is the time to do that because they're going to come in and and and still what they want to instill.
13:53
[SPEAKER_02]: And
13:54
[SPEAKER_02]: You can train this, but that would be a good generation.
13:56
[SPEAKER_01]: And then here was this opportunity.
13:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
13:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
13:59
[SPEAKER_02]: And so after that happened, again, I was already like 90% sure I was going to do it.
14:05
[SPEAKER_02]: And then I decided, yeah, this is time to do it.
14:10
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I don't know if I can do it.
14:14
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, it's a long time, right?
14:15
[SPEAKER_02]: So she had been working her family bought the paper in 1975.
14:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
14:20
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's because that's what I was really given.
14:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
14:23
[SPEAKER_02]: And it was her dad Bill Hughes who owned it.
14:26
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think she took over actually in the 90s.
14:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
14:30
[SPEAKER_02]: And so she had been over everything for at least, you know, 30, 35 years.
14:36
[SPEAKER_02]: It's not longer, but she had been in the newspaper industry for 50 years.
14:39
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
14:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Wow, that's crazy.
14:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess it's an industry.
14:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Once you do get in it,
14:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, it's the thing, like, the thing you're going to do, right?
14:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, that's what gets me interested here because, I mean, you went to college, you had you saw mass media, right?
14:54
[SPEAKER_01]: So more than just newspapers, you saw podcast and you saw, you know, news anchors and all the different ways in which we consume in a lot of it now is online.
15:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes.
15:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And so where did you go?
15:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Wait a minute.
15:10
[SPEAKER_01]: They're still a space for this, right?
15:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Because you had to weigh that right in there too, right?
15:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, right.
15:15
[SPEAKER_02]: And I feel like it really opened my eyes to it was the internship.
15:20
[SPEAKER_02]: The internship that I took with them on a sewing news.
15:22
[SPEAKER_02]: And I had always grown up reading the paper.
15:26
[SPEAKER_02]: And I realized how important it was.
15:29
[SPEAKER_02]: But a lot of people my age.
15:31
[SPEAKER_02]: don't, right?
15:32
[SPEAKER_02]: And I don't know, it's just something that like really like I grew to love like while I was there in the moment.
15:40
[SPEAKER_02]: And I still can tell like to this day like the local paper really carries a lot of weight, especially Monticello.
15:49
[SPEAKER_02]: And it carries some weight to here in Coveton.
15:51
[SPEAKER_02]: I would say definitely, but more so I feel like in Monticello because like the engagement that we get
16:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah, it's one of those things that I didn't even really expect until I like I really came back and whatnot So that was like what really opened my eyes to like, okay, there's still a spot for this and at the same time However, you know, and this is one of the things that I'm starting to institute is like we can't neglect the online product right Because that's where things are going and I really hope we have a print newspaper in 15 years from now I don't know I don't know the answer to that But I know that online
16:32
[SPEAKER_02]: So that's, but yeah, I still feel like the local print paper holds a lot away in local communities.
16:42
[SPEAKER_02]: I really do feel that way.
16:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Especially when it's the legal organ of the community.
16:46
[SPEAKER_01]: And so maybe explain for people who just heard that term for the first time.
16:49
[SPEAKER_01]: What in the world?
16:50
[SPEAKER_01]: A legal organ.
16:50
[SPEAKER_01]: That sounds so weird.
16:52
[SPEAKER_02]: what is the legal organ so each each county has to have a legal organ in order for legal notices and public notices to be ran and it's done so in a newspaper and each each county has to have one monso and use has been the one in Jasper County for I think forever and in Newton County
17:22
[SPEAKER_02]: before the internet.
17:23
[SPEAKER_02]: That's really where you could go and find, hey, this is what's happening here, this is what's happening here, it's all like in one place and it's still, I mean, I still is that way, but it really is a lifeline for local papers.
17:37
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like without it because it would be tough.
17:41
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, you'd see half the papers unfold.
17:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, immediately half of the newspapers
17:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
17:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, and so, uh, but legislators, if you're watching this, uh, um, yeah, please, please don't mess with that.
18:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, let's, let's, let's keep it, uh, let's give it all for the legal right.
18:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
18:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
18:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
18:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
18:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
18:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
18:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
18:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
18:05
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
18:05
[SPEAKER_01]: In print media.
18:06
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
18:06
[SPEAKER_02]: Print media.
18:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I guess that's where, like so for people with their listening, like if if the military discussions come up, well, all those things have to be printed in the news paper.
18:15
[SPEAKER_01]: The legal organ, I should say, of that community, same for Board of Commissioner announcements, or if there's a tax sale, or any of these things that are legal type documents, they have to be announced in the legal organ, which for Jasper County is the Montecille News.
18:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Correct.
18:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Not just Montecille, but for all Jasper County.
18:33
[SPEAKER_02]: That's correct.
18:34
[SPEAKER_02]: All of Jasper County.
18:34
[SPEAKER_02]: That's right.
18:35
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so how then now do you juggle you're the owner you're also writing a lot of I mean you just skeleton staff right like the small newspaper.
18:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh yeah, you were in multiple hats like you said you got a cat named typo
18:50
[SPEAKER_01]: You have a holy small and you had an intern I guess is for the summer or something that's right So yes, how do you juggle all the like you're managing the actual staff that you have you feed in the cat You're writing the articles.
19:01
[SPEAKER_01]: You're trying to get advertisers.
19:03
[SPEAKER_01]: How do you how do you make time for all of that?
19:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Like do you have to improve it?
19:07
[SPEAKER_02]: I try to at least I try to
19:11
[SPEAKER_02]: A lot of it, very, very early on, was working seven days week, like immediately when I took over, I maybe took one day off in the entire month of July and August, like one day off, maybe starting to scale back a little bit now, but you were building website and that kind of stuff, right, right, I was, you know, and you know, pagesign and all that stuff that you just mentioned.
19:33
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
19:35
[SPEAKER_02]: And so, you know, it can be difficult, but I feel like I learned a lot of that, and I'd give all the credit to the world to my time in the coming to News, because really I was wearing a lot hat as managing the editor there.
19:52
[SPEAKER_02]: And I mean, I'll peel back the curtain a little bit now.
19:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Patrick Graham, who was the former owner of the paper, and also was the, is still the publisher.
20:04
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, he's, he also wore a lot of hats, and he was the publisher and owner of at one point.
20:10
[SPEAKER_02]: Six different papers, which now that I'm owning one paper, I'm like, how in the world did you do?
20:17
[SPEAKER_02]: do that.
20:17
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm sure I'm sure it sometimes he kind of feels the same way.
20:23
[SPEAKER_02]: But, you know, at times he was just, you know, with your owning six papers, you're busy, man.
20:28
[SPEAKER_02]: And so there was times where I had to step up and make some decisions at times and help out in a lot of different ways.
20:34
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I feel like that really prepared me for, for having to really like have the grown up
20:40
[SPEAKER_02]: That's a time to really make some of those decisions and I've been able to carry that over into it.
20:46
[SPEAKER_02]: So I give all the credit in the world for the opportunity that had the coming to news and the time that I spent.
20:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, we miss you in coming to you for sure.
20:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Miss y'all, this is everyone here.
20:56
[SPEAKER_01]: I do.
20:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Because you were at everything and just like you're now at everything and just for counting us.
21:01
[SPEAKER_01]: But in that subscribe, I love subscribing to local newspapers and I'm probably a news junkie.
21:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I hated when the Atlanta Journal Constitution broke my heart.
21:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Printing, you know, there was like, oh, how can you do that?
21:13
[SPEAKER_01]: It's been like an icon of the South for so long.
21:16
[SPEAKER_02]: It broke my heart.
21:17
[SPEAKER_01]: And I try, I try to do the app, but you know, on a phone, it's just so.
21:21
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just the same as old the news.
21:23
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
21:23
[SPEAKER_02]: That's exactly how I feel too.
21:24
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I love reading the AJC too, but I remember like when the announcement came out,
21:32
[SPEAKER_02]: I was like, what do you mean they're not printing anymore?
21:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, these are the big boys, right?
21:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so I mean, that was a scary day, for sure, but um, but um, but there's optimism I feel like on the other side.
21:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so take me through the process because I have, you know, all I know is from like black and white films or something.
21:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Sure.
21:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Seeing how the newspaper goes across the rollers or whatever.
21:52
[SPEAKER_01]: So currently, when you have it ready and you've had it laid out or whatever you decide, it's right.
21:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Which it looks fantastic.
21:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, thank you.
22:00
[SPEAKER_01]: I do like the new reason.
22:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.
22:01
[SPEAKER_01]: It's clean.
22:02
[SPEAKER_01]: It's easy to read.
22:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.
22:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.
22:03
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
22:04
[SPEAKER_01]: So you got it laid out.
22:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Where does it go?
22:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Like computer.
22:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Where does it go to be printed?
22:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, that's such a great question.
22:10
[SPEAKER_02]: Because, you know, a lot of people don't know how much work it really takes to put in a paper, but the production side of things is just as much work as far as how do we get it to the printer?
22:22
[SPEAKER_02]: How do we get it back to put in the stands?
22:24
[SPEAKER_02]: So here's a little bit how goes.
22:26
[SPEAKER_02]: We send the pages off to, after we're done editing and all that stuff, we send it off to our printer, which is actually in South Carolina and Westminster South Carolina is where we print at.
22:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Send the pages.
22:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, I'm trying to lead to them.
22:41
[SPEAKER_02]: they then run it through their press and whatnot and it's two thousand copies and then in or in our case at least we then get the paper they they bloated up and somebody's truck.
22:57
[SPEAKER_02]: they actually drive it down to our front door.
23:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and it's different.
23:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Again, it's different of each papers.
23:03
[SPEAKER_02]: It's different here coming to different at all all places, but this is just you know how we how we do ours, but they come and drop it off.
23:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Um somebody meets
23:13
[SPEAKER_02]: the truck there and then it's unloaded from there truck and then loaded into our van, and then we have one guy who's kind of in charge of all that as a contractor and then from there, he's the one that goes to all the different stores and then goes to the post office and males everything off, but then also got a little head of myself.
23:34
[SPEAKER_02]: Then goes to the stores,
23:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that's how it happened.
23:42
[SPEAKER_01]: So a lot of goes in part to South Carolina, viticially, and then print it out a little.
23:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that probably print several papers right now.
23:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, I'm sure.
23:50
[SPEAKER_02]: And actually, you know, when so AJC used to print it in Gainesville, right?
23:54
[SPEAKER_02]: There were with the Gainesville times when they stopped printing.
23:57
[SPEAKER_02]: That was their biggest customer.
23:59
[SPEAKER_02]: And so Gainesville stopped printing.
24:01
[SPEAKER_02]: muscle and news was they gained full of times custom really and so we had to make the decision to go or not we but Kathy had to make the decision to you know move somewhere that which is our case was Edward's printing and in South Carolina and I'm sure many others followed right but that's just it that also really is is a bit of an epidemic in itself that you know local newspapers are dying but the local press is
24:29
[SPEAKER_02]: are dying too.
24:31
[SPEAKER_02]: And without those, you can't get the local paper.
24:34
[SPEAKER_02]: So that's definitely a storyline in the watch over the next decade and years to come to see how many of them will stick around.
24:42
[SPEAKER_01]: So when you said the truck shows up at your front door, this route, I immediately get a flashback.
24:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, when I first got married, I was, I was doing a paper route and for the I.J.C.
24:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
24:54
[SPEAKER_01]: And we had this warehouse over on like city pond road somewhere.
24:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
24:59
[SPEAKER_01]: And the truck would back up and all of the A.J.C.
25:01
[SPEAKER_01]: papers would pull out, you know.
25:03
[SPEAKER_01]: And we would have to set them on these big giant tables.
25:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
25:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Because the ad papers were separate.
25:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Wow.
25:08
[SPEAKER_01]: So all the ad papers were separate and stacks of.
25:11
[SPEAKER_01]: And so you had to, as a, as a, if you're a paper guy.
25:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
25:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Paper boy.
25:15
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, you'd take that take the agency unfold it.
25:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Put Six of whatever's in there roll it up put it in the bag over like and whatever my route was Let's say I had 300 papers.
25:25
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
25:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I had to do that 300 times and on Sundays The same day and on a magic you had to get their two hours early because of all of that Now thankfully our papers are all inserted.
25:35
[SPEAKER_02]: They're ready to care about that But I know papers that have to do the same thing.
25:39
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, that's just full
25:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that's a headache.
25:41
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, crazy question.
25:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I just think this is fun.
25:44
[SPEAKER_01]: What do you think was your your worst type of that you've had?
25:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, it's comfortable worst type of as in like Monticello or worst type of like all time.
25:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I mean, just like any newspapers, it went out and you're like, oh, my gosh, I can't believe that's in.
25:57
[SPEAKER_02]: There was a pretty bad one recently, actually, a few weeks ago.
26:03
[SPEAKER_02]: We actually did our first 16 page paper in quite some time.
26:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Wow.
26:07
[SPEAKER_02]: And actually, it's our plan to continue to do 16 page paper starting next week and on forward.
26:14
[SPEAKER_02]: But we went ahead and did one just to start it.
26:16
[SPEAKER_02]: And I wrote a column in that paper.
26:18
[SPEAKER_02]: And I was basically like, there's too much stuff.
26:20
[SPEAKER_02]: And I don't know.
26:20
[SPEAKER_02]: of space.
26:21
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
26:22
[SPEAKER_02]: And basically it's like, well, this is why we're we're doing this because there's too much stuff and not enough space.
26:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, they were very, there were two planning and zoning stories that were in this paper.
26:32
[SPEAKER_02]: But they were very, very similarly like headline and very similar.
26:36
[SPEAKER_02]: So
26:39
[SPEAKER_01]: I may, or they not, allegedly, put the same story in their twice.
26:47
[SPEAKER_02]: Under two different headlines, but thankfully, our great readers reached out to me and you're like, did you know you put that in their twice, and you're like, hey, new guys.
26:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Sorry about that.
26:57
[SPEAKER_02]: So we, I've really seen, you know, we re-ran it the next week and whatnot, so that was a pretty bad one.
27:01
[SPEAKER_02]: It's funny.
27:03
[SPEAKER_02]: I didn't encourage it.
27:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
27:05
[SPEAKER_02]: I didn't either.
27:06
[SPEAKER_02]: I none of us did at first and let's see, trying to think of there's one in Covington that people can, especially like, local, new county people can think of that was like, really, really bad.
27:16
[SPEAKER_01]: You always come back to the week after with corrections and we were right, there's actually, right, right, right, right, right, right.
27:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, nothing like I don't think there was anything as bad as that when I was in coming to But you did more you had more eyes on it to ride more eyes on it before it was absolutely absolutely so But those things happen, you know, and that's why like
27:39
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's frustrating in the moment, but eventually you just kind of have to like get over it.
27:43
[SPEAKER_02]: I guess.
27:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
27:45
[SPEAKER_02]: No, no one newspaper.
27:47
[SPEAKER_02]: I guarantee is 100% perfect.
27:49
[SPEAKER_02]: I think you can open up any newspaper and you're bound to catch at least one mistake.
27:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
27:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Or some weird layout.
27:56
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
27:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Even if it's something that the reader can't tell, it might be something that only the staff knows.
28:02
[SPEAKER_02]: So it's just bound to happen.
28:04
[SPEAKER_02]: So obviously you strive for friction, but obviously humans are perfect.
28:11
[SPEAKER_02]: That's right.
28:12
[SPEAKER_02]: That's right.
28:12
[SPEAKER_02]: That's a good article right there, probably.
28:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, all right, right.
28:15
[SPEAKER_01]: So here's something I've always wondered too.
28:18
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is just from being around.
28:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, it's to write a few, I used to write a few op-eds and we'll occasionally do it and still if it's something that really got in my crawl, you know, is some legislative thing I might speak up about.
28:31
[SPEAKER_01]: You don't mind making an editorial comment, but yet when you do, when you report,
28:38
[SPEAKER_01]: the facts or the story or the news, you have to be right neutral as possible.
28:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
28:43
[SPEAKER_01]: And then how do you how do you dance that dance of like, well, you know what, I'm going to write the facts on this one.
28:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And then in the editorial section, I'm right what I think.
28:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
28:52
[SPEAKER_02]: So, is that like and why?
28:54
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that's it.
28:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, that's for me that that's how I feel about it.
28:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Right?
28:58
[SPEAKER_02]: And it is a fine line you have to walk and
29:05
[SPEAKER_02]: And I make sure to do it as far as writing editorials about stuff that I report on.
29:10
[SPEAKER_02]: I make sure I do it if it's really something that either bothers me or bothers like a citizen base or something like that.
29:17
[SPEAKER_02]: There has to be a good reason for me to do it.
29:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Like I'm not going to willingly just throw out a take just because I kind of feel like it.
29:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Like it's something that I have to really feel strongly about.
29:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
29:28
[SPEAKER_02]: And so that's really kind of like what my
29:32
[SPEAKER_02]: decision making is like whether or not I write an editorial about something that I'm reporting on but I also make sure that when I'm reporting on something it is down the middle and and straight down the middle and I pride myself on that and objectivity is really yeah and here's the thing too like because if you're not and
29:54
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like to like media gets kind of like wrapped into like one bubble at times, or you know, the mainstream media gets a lot of bads flag and then by default like the local papers get like a bad.
30:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I guess have some kind of agenda.
30:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
30:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
30:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
30:07
[SPEAKER_02]: But I mean really no like that is that is never.
30:11
[SPEAKER_02]: ever been the case.
30:13
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's why I like to add that disclaimer both in the coming to paper when I was editor and now in Monticello, and it basically says in the editorial page, it's like these opinions are of the author unless it says it is of the paper.
30:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
30:27
[SPEAKER_02]: And I make sure to make that very, very clear up to the reader whether or not they wouldn't read that or not, but I make sure I make that clear ahead of time.
30:34
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
30:36
[SPEAKER_02]: But but kind of, you know, circling back to
30:42
[SPEAKER_02]: It can be difficult to decide, you know, do I really want to write about this and stir the pot here, but at the same time, it's, um, I don't know, sometimes it things are, are worth saying.
30:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, all right.
30:54
[SPEAKER_01]: So here's where, and I don't have to call the exact article, in editorial, but.
30:59
[SPEAKER_01]: You were passionate about a topic recently.
31:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Now you were covering it in my front page stuff.
31:04
[SPEAKER_01]: You're like covering it.
31:05
[SPEAKER_01]: This was the, it was the news of Jasper County.
31:08
[SPEAKER_01]: If you have been following a longer Jasper County.
31:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Here's some good stuff going on down from annexation with so you got county and city disagreeing on things to.
31:17
[SPEAKER_01]: to the whole suit and that is right.
31:19
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a you will hear more from the the mine lake area there was annexation trying to be so that created a other dust storm about potential data centers or like there's something going on underneath the table which I don't know if you can report all the fact sure but you were at least reporting in like front page that you were just given the stat the information about the meetings that you had been to you had taken the notes
31:46
[SPEAKER_01]: about, you know, we'll, we'll basically elect people attention.
31:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
31:51
[SPEAKER_01]: But it had a that kind of this, hey, I grew up here kind of feel, you know, like, it wasn't a hey, I've been here for right six months with the newspaper.
31:59
[SPEAKER_01]: It was like, hey, I grew up here and this feels like an ongoing thing.
32:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes.
32:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, and not necessarily just specific to Jasper can sure, but it did feel like, hey, when will people listen, right?
32:10
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
32:10
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, that's, and that was a very interesting one.
32:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And that was, did you like have a little tension like is your right do you like her?
32:17
[SPEAKER_02]: I, I mean, certainly, I mean, you hear the paper itself, or you hear the term, it sells papers.
32:22
[SPEAKER_02]: And I mean, it's, it does sell papers.
32:26
[SPEAKER_02]: But relating, I guess talking about that specific column, like that one to me, I think kind of also was like more broad to like,
32:38
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't mind and this I feel like this is objective what happened and I don't mind saying this.
32:42
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, the citizens in the room that day clearly wanted one thing, the council made a separate decision.
32:48
[SPEAKER_02]: It was clear as day in the room and that's objective.
32:51
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I kind of made the the argument of, well,
32:56
[SPEAKER_02]: Are you sure you want to go down the road council because I mean these are your boss is on the other side of the room right if you don't listen to your boss well yeah they've got the right to hire a fire you said that was just more of like
33:12
[SPEAKER_02]: Remember we came from right and that's sort of like why I wrote that because and again, there's there's a lot that is that is going on there and that is still I think left to be Done with that Because you know, of course, there's the talk of will it be a data center will it won't it be a data center?
33:31
[SPEAKER_02]: truthfully nobody really knows that, but it's one of those things that's going to be ongoing, but I mean, it's very clear that in that specific case, the council made one decision that the sentence didn't like.
33:47
[SPEAKER_01]: I loved reading the editorial because I like a little like a little he and it really did and I think that's a good editorial.
33:53
[SPEAKER_01]: By the way, thank you.
33:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Good editorial is when people get finished reading it, they feel an opinion too.
33:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
33:58
[SPEAKER_01]: They're like, yeah, that's right
34:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, what's wrong with that guy?
34:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, right.
34:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, there should be some heat after you read an op-ed.
34:06
[SPEAKER_01]: It shouldn't be like, yeah.
34:07
[SPEAKER_02]: And here's the thing I found very interesting just about this entire case, too.
34:11
[SPEAKER_02]: It's like, this is definitely, this is the true definition of a bipartisan issue.
34:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Talking specifically with data centers, but also,
34:19
[SPEAKER_02]: with this particular annexation, you have the Republican chair of Jasper County and the Democratic chair of Jasper County sitting side-bossed together.
34:27
[SPEAKER_02]: They wrote an letter to the editor together and they were really fighting this.
34:31
[SPEAKER_02]: And so this is an issue that really a lot of Jasper County and citizens of Monticello are really united on.
34:39
[SPEAKER_02]: And I just found it very fascinating that
34:42
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, they're all together on one side and the city council was on the complete opposite side and you know, why in the world, the council members made that decision.
34:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, that's, you know, for the four who said yes, you know, that's for them to tell and.
34:58
[SPEAKER_02]: I, again, it's so very interesting.
35:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, well, but as certainly it was specific to what was happening in the moment, they're right, right.
35:05
[SPEAKER_01]: But I could, I could feel the overtones of really what's was bringing out in the United States, right?
35:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, right.
35:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I heard, well, you know, if you're in elected official, you need to listen to the people.
35:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
35:17
[SPEAKER_01]: And if, if they're a majority of them are saying one thing and you're doing something different, then are you truly representative government?
35:23
[SPEAKER_02]: Exactly.
35:23
[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, I, I'm telling you again, I enjoyed it.
35:26
[SPEAKER_01]: And I would thank you.
35:27
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're not already a subscriber to the Monticello news, you should at least check it out because there's some really good stuff in there.
35:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.
35:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.
35:33
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so what do you see now coming up for the next, let's say, 10 years?
35:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I know you'll be like 29 then, but let's just, okay, okay, I'm kidding.
35:44
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, what do you think?
35:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Like DC, the Monticello news to continue to be a hard copy paper?
35:52
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36:57
[SPEAKER_02]: I really hope so.
36:58
[SPEAKER_02]: That is the goal.
36:59
[SPEAKER_02]: That is the goal again.
37:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Why we talk about earlier, it's going to come down to our printing press.
37:03
[SPEAKER_02]: It's still going to exist.
37:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
37:06
[SPEAKER_02]: Are they still going to be affordable?
37:07
[SPEAKER_02]: That's right.
37:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
37:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
37:09
[SPEAKER_02]: But I still see no matter what.
37:11
[SPEAKER_02]: I still see them on a cell of news as the leading source and the only source of reliable straight to the point news that our readers can trust.
37:21
[SPEAKER_02]: And that is so, so important.
37:23
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's where I really see a no matter what whether it's print, whether it's hard copy or put print digital.
37:31
[SPEAKER_02]: That's where I still see Monticello and who's being, but I really hope by then that we have grown in terms of.
37:40
[SPEAKER_02]: staff, production, whatnot.
37:43
[SPEAKER_02]: And I'll give a really good example.
37:45
[SPEAKER_02]: I've never met the guy, but I'll shout him out here.
37:47
[SPEAKER_02]: And that is Will Davis with the Monroe County Reporter in for size.
37:52
[SPEAKER_02]: He's a local paper owner himself and he's owned that paper, I think since 2007 or 2008, something like that.
38:00
[SPEAKER_02]: But what was very interesting that what he did,
38:03
[SPEAKER_02]: is that he was running, he was running a like once a month make-in section because people when making were asking come, hey, you know, you should do a bit of coverage of making because obviously they're making telegraph.
38:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
38:16
[SPEAKER_02]: really would it once was although they just got bought out to that's a whole another subject but these papers getting right all right but that's yeah but basically he um he did one section as and this is how I read it he did one section of the make-in section and he didn't run it in his next paper and immediately he had like ten Hall of St. Hay was the make-in section.
38:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh really?
38:37
[SPEAKER_02]: So then he started doing weekly reporting.
38:39
[SPEAKER_02]: He had a weekly making reporter section in his Monroe County reporter section.
38:44
[SPEAKER_02]: And just beginning this year, the Monroe County, or now it's called the Monroe Making Reporter, became the new eagle organ of making the world and beat up the telegraph.
38:54
[SPEAKER_02]: How about that?
38:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, another long standing paper.
38:56
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, so is that part of the vision?
38:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Do you see like adding?
38:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I
39:04
[SPEAKER_02]: I won't go as far as say I want to add another legal organ because that is just a super long long process and you know, I got to taper the expectations, but do I see myself eventually maybe expanding a coverage area in another outlet or in another particular where there's a void.
39:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, yes, I do see that and maybe I don't know if that's six months from now or six years from now I don't know but it's certainly something I've given a lot of thought about and I've gotten requests about after people you know seeing what I'm doing in Monticello and
39:45
[SPEAKER_02]: So I definitely think that that would be in in the cards down down the road.
39:51
[SPEAKER_02]: But we'll see.
39:54
[SPEAKER_01]: So I've noticed the with the coverage of news now being bought out in a different entity.
40:00
[SPEAKER_01]: I've noticed they have a little kind of national section and regional section or a state section.
40:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Is that something that would be interesting like,
40:08
[SPEAKER_02]: national regional AP type stuff, it could be, and I think it serves its purpose, and I think people will read that enough, but where really would I've come to find out in my experience both in Covington and I'm on a solo is that people really really gravitate to what's the local news, right?
40:28
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what they gravitate to.
40:30
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
40:31
[SPEAKER_02]: you can find what's going on like statewide and in the TV stations and agency and the big papers and you can find what's going on nationally, really just trying to tell a vision station, but you're not finding what's happening in, you know, with the mind like annexation issue, you're not finding that.
40:47
[SPEAKER_02]: over there, you're finding that in the monocleanase says right.
40:50
[SPEAKER_02]: I definitely my priority at least is to keep the news local and and keep it fair.
40:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
40:56
[SPEAKER_02]: But you know, I mean, that's I would not mind that some have in a little bit of like national news and they're especially if that national news has some sort of effect.
41:06
[SPEAKER_02]: And I often did that when I was in Covington too, I mean, the now cancelled ice facility and so it was a big application of that.
41:18
[SPEAKER_02]: And so, you know, something like that ever arose and it had implications on the local community that were then, of course, I think that would be so interesting.
41:26
[SPEAKER_01]: And I love it going back to local.
41:28
[SPEAKER_01]: That's great.
41:29
[SPEAKER_01]: That remind me that's what this is about.
41:30
[SPEAKER_01]: It's about local users, exactly what it's about.
41:32
[SPEAKER_01]: This is what this podcast is about.
41:35
[SPEAKER_01]: So what do you think is missing when a community doesn't have that?
41:39
[SPEAKER_01]: When they don't have somebody, you know, they're on Friday nights at the ball games and talking about the kids in the school system.
41:46
[SPEAKER_01]: What happens when they're not at the school board meeting and they're not at the commissioners or council meetings?
41:49
[SPEAKER_01]: What does that community lose when that,
41:52
[SPEAKER_02]: You miss being informed.
41:54
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, it's as simple as that now as tell people the less informed you are the less educated you are and the less, you know, educated of a society, the less likely, you know, stuff is going to happen like they're not going to know who their local politicians are.
42:08
[SPEAKER_02]: They're not going to know what's happening at like local council meetings and whatnot.
42:12
[SPEAKER_02]: They're not going to be like stuff that really matters to them.
42:14
[SPEAKER_02]: It affects their day.
42:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
42:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
42:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
42:16
[SPEAKER_02]: And like here's the thing too.
42:18
[SPEAKER_02]: Like national politics and and state politics like that matters, right.
42:21
[SPEAKER_02]: But like really it's the people in your community, like your local politicians, like.
42:26
[SPEAKER_02]: they're the ones that you know and see.
42:29
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's what really matters on a day-to-day basis.
42:33
[SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely.
42:34
[SPEAKER_02]: And that needs coverage.
42:35
[SPEAKER_02]: People need to know what's happening.
42:37
[SPEAKER_02]: And if you take away that in the form of local news, I mean, you're really running the risk of it being, and on an educated society, I feel like that's how I feel about it.
42:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, or if you leave it to the Facebook, where you're released in your life, and I don't know how much to believe in that.
42:53
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's the thing too.
42:56
[SPEAKER_02]: this is something that I've battled with a little bit of everywhere where you have the people that try to either like cosplayers a journalist or or they they try to like report some facts but they throw their opinion in there like and mix facts and opinion and unfortunately some people take that as the word and that's just not the case and so I mean if you
43:26
[SPEAKER_02]: no matter what you're not going to get anything more down the middle than reading what's in your local paper.
43:30
[SPEAKER_02]: And I 100% wholeheartedly feel that way.
43:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
43:34
[SPEAKER_01]: You've been in two different places and you've seen the same thing both places.
43:38
[SPEAKER_01]: It's supposed to be the trusted source for what happened in that meeting and that meeting and that ball field or whatever.
43:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
43:44
[SPEAKER_01]: This is the trusted source.
43:46
[SPEAKER_02]: then you can go yeah and it's not always perfect either and that's the thing that people need to to realize I mean we all try to do our best but I mean it's never going to be a hundred percent perfect and there and there's going to be mistakes at times that happens right that's just human nature but it's not for lack of effort and lack of trying right I feel that way at least.
44:06
[SPEAKER_01]: all right so on that on that front where you want to be neutral as possible but you got to do fearless journalism to get there like you've got to ask some hard questions and now I remember I remember sitting in media day or whatever for the school board and you were like you were just I got this question got this question like like we see a little bit right like oh my gosh I hope you've got the answer over that because I don't remember what that was right um but how do you do that kind of like fearless journalism asking the hard questions
44:32
[SPEAKER_01]: when they're the people in your community, when they're like, maybe they're even an advertiser or like, you know, they're reading the paper.
44:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, how do you do that?
44:39
[SPEAKER_02]: It's remembering who you do it for, and that's the readers.
44:42
[SPEAKER_02]: And the readers deserve to know the answers to these questions.
44:47
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's our job as journalists to ask those questions.
44:51
[SPEAKER_02]: And...
44:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, of course we're in an era where, you know, this, you have sponsorship dollars or some like that matters and and relationships matters too.
45:02
[SPEAKER_02]: Unfortunately, I mean, I've had to do reporting on things where I've lost relationships because of it.
45:08
[SPEAKER_02]: And unfortunately, that just happens with the nature of the business.
45:13
[SPEAKER_02]: But I, at the end of the day.
45:16
[SPEAKER_02]: really what's how you build trust in a paper, especially like I mentioned before, and a time where media has a lot of this trust is really being as fair and as accurate as possible.
45:28
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's by asking the hard questions.
45:30
[SPEAKER_02]: You have to do it.
45:31
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's not comfortable for the the interview.
45:36
[SPEAKER_02]: And sometimes it's not comfortable for us either.
45:39
[SPEAKER_02]: But it's something that has to be done
45:45
[SPEAKER_02]: The only way to do that is to prove you're trying to find it.
45:48
[SPEAKER_02]: That's exactly right.
45:49
[SPEAKER_01]: And so how do you determine like what makes it to the front page then?
45:53
[SPEAKER_01]: So now you've done this work.
45:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Now you've got these stories.
45:56
[SPEAKER_01]: How do you determine what's on the front page?
45:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
45:58
[SPEAKER_02]: So it's a combination of newsworthiness.
46:03
[SPEAKER_02]: big thing really is art like if there's something that has like art yeah actually in tomorrow's paper as we're recording this actually the top pictures uh you know there's a big storm that actually happened on Saturday I think it took but through here too um but someone took like a really really cool photo I'll shout out his name's Greg Wyatt he uh shot like this really cool photo of the storm and so um so I put that on the front page as well but it's also like
46:30
[SPEAKER_02]: newsworthiness, what would you say that what is like, how do you determine the news worthiness?
46:36
[SPEAKER_01]: What makes it worthy?
46:37
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, it makes it worthy is it there's a few different ways, but I think it's like public interest is one, but I'll say this too.
46:45
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I mean, just like a shock factor of things, too, is another thing.
46:48
[SPEAKER_02]: If it's something that's out of the ordinary,
46:56
[SPEAKER_02]: That's newsworthy.
46:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
46:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
46:58
[SPEAKER_02]: And so, um, and unfortunately, I mean, I'm sure you've heard the saying before if it bleeds it leads.
47:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if you've heard that before.
47:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
47:07
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't really like it.
47:08
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't like that saying either, but.
47:11
[SPEAKER_02]: And this is something Kathy and I always talked about I mean negative news sales more than positive news and and I hate that's how that is I hate but that's just us being inquisitive as as as humans.
47:20
[SPEAKER_02]: This human nature like we want to know like what's going on like But I also try to balance it.
47:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I try to put the good news on the front whenever I can Sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn't it just depends But generally in the paper there's a good news story right usually
47:39
[SPEAKER_02]: And then I would say usually there's a good, well in the paper we try to get one like every every edition.
47:43
[SPEAKER_02]: But on the front, usually I'm trying to, I mean we recently actually featured the Humane Society on the front page of our paper and so that was a big thing.
47:52
[SPEAKER_01]: We've done some others as well, but then it was specific for me like, you're not gonna let me put this one here because it's, that's a good news story.
47:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Right, right.
48:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
48:01
[SPEAKER_01]: You feel it.
48:01
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like it's hard.
48:03
[SPEAKER_02]: It's definitely a feel.
48:04
[SPEAKER_02]: It's definitely a feel for,
48:06
[SPEAKER_02]: for, you know, either what could attract the most attention, what would have the most public interest.
48:13
[SPEAKER_02]: It really, there's no one set formula.
48:15
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think that's honestly like the magic about all of this, that there's really like not a set.
48:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
48:19
[SPEAKER_02]: That's the orbit, right?
48:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
48:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
48:21
[SPEAKER_01]: And then there's always, and this is this is a little deeper inside or baseball here.
48:24
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like then there's above the fold and below the fold.
48:27
[SPEAKER_02]: That's so right.
48:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
48:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
48:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, the paper like what's the big as far
48:30
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a big deal.
48:32
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a big deal.
48:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
48:33
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
48:34
[SPEAKER_01]: So let's let's we'll kind of round out this conversation here because this is the celebrity Evan Newton.
48:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's talk about celebrity Evan Newton.
48:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh my god
48:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Not far.
48:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, double on WSBTV, the free press, MSNL, WABE, like this story of you purchasing, like being a young man, purchasing the hometown newspaper, became almost like this rallying cry for newspaper.
49:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, right, whatever you guys are called, yeah, that's right, that's right, that's good way to put it.
49:08
[SPEAKER_01]: But like, people were going, man, what a great story.
49:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I love that.
49:12
[SPEAKER_01]: our community can do the same, or the R news paper, or survives.
49:16
[SPEAKER_01]: What has that been like first of all, like the kind of the celebrity of it?
49:19
[SPEAKER_01]: And then, has it gotten in the way?
49:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Or has it helped things, do you think?
49:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, it certainly something that I didn't expect.
49:26
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll put it that way.
49:29
[SPEAKER_02]: I think the craziest thing that I've heard of all this like I've obviously got messages like great messages from people all across the country, and I'm extremely thankful for all of that.
49:38
[SPEAKER_02]: But it was honestly like the first time where someone was like you're here, and I'm like I'm not a hero, I do, like I'm just, I just bought a paper, right?
49:45
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I just, I just bought a paper, but in all seriousness, like the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, and I never,
49:54
[SPEAKER_02]: would have expected people to resonate with it like they have and so I'm just over the moon grateful that that people are really invest in what's going on and there were times especially like there you know there are times where you like you print a story or you do a story and unless just say either a it doesn't get the like the interactions you want or worse you get negative interaction on the reporting that you're doing and that's happened many times right and it's
50:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Dang, I'm not really doing the right thing or do people really care like enough about this And I feel like you're like really reinforced like yeah, there's a group of people that really cares about a lot of people care about local journalism And what it's about and
50:37
[SPEAKER_02]: I think really, you know, that started with, like, I guess the media tours, what I call it, the media guy being on the media tour was certainly, it was interesting being, like, on the other side of things, because again, it usually I'm the one doing the interview, right?
50:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, and so it's just, yeah, it was definitely an adjustment, really kind of like,
50:55
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, is this real like, is this real like what is happening, but uh, but yeah, I've had the peace with the free press that came out.
51:02
[SPEAKER_02]: They were really like the first big outlet.
51:06
[SPEAKER_02]: And then, you know, had the parents on MS now on national television.
51:10
[SPEAKER_02]: And that led to our biggest sales day in our papers history with subscriptions.
51:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Our papers history.
51:17
[SPEAKER_02]: That's a
51:20
[SPEAKER_02]: So the whole thing has been great.
51:21
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, hasn't been overwhelming at times, sure.
51:24
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's just still weird.
51:27
[SPEAKER_02]: But it's not even just that, too.
51:28
[SPEAKER_02]: It's like also, even though Monticello is a small town, there's still a lot of people I don't know, right?
51:33
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I'll run in somebody sometimes that I've never met before.
51:37
[SPEAKER_02]: And they knew me, because they've seen my face everywhere and they see my name.
51:40
[SPEAKER_02]: They're like, papers looking great, man, or something.
51:43
[SPEAKER_02]: Like that, and it's like thanks.
51:44
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's just, I don't know, it's definitely, yeah,
51:49
[SPEAKER_02]: I talk, I still talk pretty regularly with my former sports editor, Garrett Pitt, several in Covington, and burning corner over at the commune, and they're like, local celebrity status, and yeah, so it's just been well bad.
52:07
[SPEAKER_02]: But yeah, it's been a wild ride, but I wouldn't honestly wouldn't trade any of it because yes, it's been
52:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, that's great.
52:19
[SPEAKER_01]: And I do hope a lot of people are following and subscribing now because of it.
52:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Because it is a great story.
52:25
[SPEAKER_01]: It is a great story.
52:28
[SPEAKER_01]: So if people wanted to subscribe either online or, or it, you know, physical paper, how would they do that?
52:34
[SPEAKER_02]: Give us give us stuff.
52:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Here's here's how you do it.
52:37
[SPEAKER_02]: Here's how you do it.
52:37
[SPEAKER_02]: There's there's many ways, but this is the most easy way.
52:41
[SPEAKER_02]: www dot the model so a news.com is the easiest way you can go and then there's literally when you click on the front page there is a subscribe now, but it gives you an options you could do online only print out of county and then print in county and then print and online many options there and that very very affordable options in 2020 sake.
53:01
[SPEAKER_02]: I agree.
53:03
[SPEAKER_01]: The model so news.com
53:05
[SPEAKER_02]: the monocelunus.com that's right and that's right and yeah that's a way if you want to subscribe and you know our papers once a week it's 52 weeks out of the year and then also we're on social media too.
53:16
[SPEAKER_02]: monocelunus on Facebook, monocelunus on Instagram and the monocelunus on TikTok.
53:22
[SPEAKER_02]: as well.
53:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Wait a minute.
53:24
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
53:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
53:25
[SPEAKER_02]: And I tell you, that actually has been the most interesting part, because I've actually built that from the ground up, and I do basically do weekly recap videos of stuff that happens in the paper.
53:34
[SPEAKER_02]: And I just did like one, just to see how it would do, and it got like over a thousand like a generated over a thousand followers.
53:41
[SPEAKER_02]: This is week one, by the way.
53:43
[SPEAKER_02]: So now it's up to like 1,500 followers and it's just you giving me the highlights and then if I take a video at something I'll post that But it's very like low production low budget But it's a bit of love it.
53:56
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, my people love it.
53:57
[SPEAKER_02]: People love it and it's great and so it's something I dabbled with here and then and been able to incorporate that here and Our irreverent and monocela as well, but those are the ways to stay in touch.
54:09
[SPEAKER_01]: What's going on again?
54:11
[SPEAKER_02]: the monosolines are actually yeah I think that's if it's something like that if we look at it right right it's easy to find the same logo every time same yeah every year on top of it so yeah those those are the ways to to stay in touch and yeah I hope everyone listen and joins in for the the wild ride and uh and as I say I've said it several times uh keeps reporting locally journalism that's that's my mantra okay and that's what I'm saying by
54:38
[SPEAKER_01]: if if you could create a headline here you go is a test yeah if you create a headline
54:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Like in any remember headline like you can't be like a paragraph, but a headline that explains why it's important to Subscribe to local news.
54:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's see.
54:54
[SPEAKER_01]: What are you gonna get us something catchy?
54:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, man.
54:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Look at this This is how the business.
55:00
[SPEAKER_01]: How it does is made right here guys, right?
55:02
[SPEAKER_01]: See this could take four hours We don't know you made an ad break somewhere in there Made an ad break.
55:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's see
55:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, repeat the question one more time.
55:19
[SPEAKER_01]: So you won't be able to subscribe to the local paper.
55:22
[SPEAKER_01]: It's important.
55:24
[SPEAKER_01]: How was the headline?
55:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Local journalism is the foundation of the community.
55:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I like it.
55:33
[SPEAKER_01]: See how it looked.
55:34
[SPEAKER_01]: There you go.
55:35
[SPEAKER_01]: That's that's probably the best second.
55:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
55:36
[SPEAKER_02]: That's the best I could do it.
55:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
55:38
[SPEAKER_02]: It on top of you.
55:39
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, like 96.
55:40
[SPEAKER_01]: The foundation of the community is right.
55:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Why?
55:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Because it's the truth.
55:44
[SPEAKER_01]: That's right.
55:44
[SPEAKER_01]: You're supporting the truth.
55:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Here's what happened to you.
55:46
[SPEAKER_01]: That's it.
55:47
[SPEAKER_01]: That's all right.
55:47
[SPEAKER_01]: May I will look.
55:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I appreciate you being here.
55:49
[SPEAKER_01]: And I just if I can.
55:51
[SPEAKER_01]: How do you not 25 25 if I could just say as someone twice your age or more, more than twice your age.
55:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Man, I appreciate what you're doing.
56:00
[SPEAKER_01]: I really do.
56:01
[SPEAKER_01]: I also believe in local news.
56:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I believe that an informed citizenry is an educated citizenry.
56:08
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they're better voters.
56:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they're better, more connected.
56:11
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think all that happens so much better at the local level than it does at the national level.
56:16
[SPEAKER_01]: And we can talk national politics all you want to.
56:18
[SPEAKER_01]: But you can affect change in your local community.
56:22
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think the fact that you're doing what you're doing helps people affect that change.
56:26
[SPEAKER_01]: So you are.
56:27
[SPEAKER_01]: You're making.
56:28
[SPEAKER_01]: You're moving the needle in Jesper County.
56:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, thanks man.
56:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm glad I know you.
56:31
[SPEAKER_01]: I can't wait to watch this rocket ride to success.
56:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and who knows, you know, what's what's in the future for a new in Jesper County.
56:39
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll see you.
56:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Thanks.
56:40
[SPEAKER_02]: And thank you for for those kind of words, Tray.
56:42
[SPEAKER_02]: And, and on
56:43
[SPEAKER_02]: like I shout out towns where podcast too, like I've been listening to it ever since, y'all started it and this serves a very important purpose because like again, having those conversations right where you have to meet in the messy middle is much needed and and so I'm very thankful for what y'all are doing as well for for Newton County and beyond now and that y'all are branching out and
57:07
[SPEAKER_02]: I likewise hope to see this podcast exceed down the road and any time you ever want to have me back on I'm here, man.
57:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, when the cutting new and the breaking news That's for County.
57:17
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll get you back on.
57:18
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, that's right.
57:19
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, man.
57:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, thanks a lot for being awesome.
57:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks, try all right appreciate it