Morris newspaper part of an eroding landscape

(Hollywood Reporter image)

The headwinds have not let up for the legacy media industry. People my age have felt that whatever headwinds were out there, the legacy products would be there. Even at the hyper-local level? The Morris newspaper has in fact been through cuts. So the question is whether the causes of that will continue having a corrosive force. 

Looks to me like the "Canary" publication is a mere shadow of its former self. Hasn't that been an integral part of the business? 

The publisher writes ad nauseam about how we all need to support the paper with our business. Rather a self-interested person, n'est-ce pas? I gather from some of his extended writing that he'd like to see government help. Special favors for newspapers because they're so important. Again, people my age might be receptive because we are so accustomed to the "local paper." 

We want to continue assuming there will be an adequate base for the paper's continued existence, somehow. 

Somehow. The Morris paper published twice a week when I was there for my 27-year career. We all knew it was difficult to maintain this regimen. We had a visitor from the Wadena paper during our time under Fargo Forum ownership. He sort of wondered how we did it. I recall Jim Morrison saying something to the effect "we just do." It was definitely like sausage-making sometimes. We bore down and filled the space with product that at least reflected our sweat. 

 

Out of proportion

I look back and I know clear as day that we put out way too much "sports." Do not think that aspect escaped me. Relatively speaking, sports material is easy to obtain and process. Relative to alternative types of news. So it's easy to get that ball rolling and to keep it that way. 

Two issues of the paper every week! Yes it looks even more daunting now in retrospect. 

The times were so different, our UMM did not even think it essential to have a sports communications bureau. I am making a factual statement here, even though it sounds rather like a diss of UMM. I have no such intent. The UMM athletic director at the time would not dispute me if I said UMM had a sports info department in name only. The department would consist of an assistant football coach who was gone recruiting most of the time anyway. I remember one of these people with the last name Powell, another Griffin. Probably did fine work as it was spelled out for them. 

No finger-pointing intended here, not at the AD or administration even. The administration assessed the institution's needs and priorities at the time. I think it's accurate to say that Jack Imholte "the Silver Fox" did not prioritize PR outreach with a media bureau of some type, whereas today it's a huge priority for UMM to have its dynamic "website."

Jack Imholte "the Silver Fox"

I'll emphasize again that times have simply changed. Call it a sea change. In Imholte's time I don't think "selling" the campus with PR ranked up there, might in fact have been seen as a little crass. UMM was completely about the lofty ideal of liberal arts instruction. In fact - this was always strange - UMM was schizophrenic on athletics, happy for some of the obvious success we attained at times, while wanting to send the message "we're not about athletics, and we're prepared to pull the rug out from under sports if that becomes essential for showing how committed we are to academics." 

Let me just giggle here for a moment. Today I think UMM will do whatever it takes to simply sell itself. If sports can figure in with such a regime, well let's pump up sports unapologetically. And that's what UMM does now even with competitive standards considerably lower than when it was in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. We had bigger and stronger athletes then. Now we've fallen to a level where we can hold our own, and no one is going to notice, right? Are the young people having a good time? Well it appears so. So congrats UMM, not that you won't continue to face considerable headwinds, because I'm sure you are. 

 

A self-starter

Sea change! I'm talking now about media coverage of UMM sports. And this is accomplished with 100 percent precision and quality without the legacy media involved at all! Not one bit! How would Jack Imholte "the Silver Fox" react to this? Dumbfounded maybe? All the bells and whistles are with UMM's own "website." 

Website? No such animal in Imholte's days. And here's a super big irony, mind-boggling: in spite of UMM having all its sports media needs met by its own website - I mean 100 percent - take a look at the Morris newspaper's website. Really. Look, the sports link there is dominated nearly 100 percent by UMM sports! It's a terrible redundancy. The paper could have a lively and valuable outlet for showering attention on our many MACA teams (and of course MBA and MAHACA).  

So many teams, so many kids. 

The little MACA coverage you find on the newspaper's website is old, of little or no value. So why don't people speak up about this? Maybe the paper does get calls. I don't know what the person in charge would say. Our boys basketball team played an exciting game against Osakis on Monday night. We happened to lose in the very close final score. I struggled reporting on that game myself. For my blog post, I found some game info from the Alexandria newspaper website. I was thankful to even find that. 

One big problem is that my source material included no names of MACA players and none of their stats. I put up a post as best I could, a post that included no mention of MACA individuals. And of course that was a problem. Has the Morris newspaper even reported on that game yet? We're supposed to wait until next Tuesday?

I know of a former Morris school administrator who would lose his temper over this. Of course, losing one's temper is never a constructive thing. That's another matter to weigh here I guess. Meanwhile yours truly keeps his cool. (My post on the Osakis game is on "I Love Morris.")

Newspapers are erecting more barriers, not less, for the stuff they are willing to post online. My old "tricks" for accessing the West Central Tribune website aren't working now. And you won't find much MACA material there anyway, hardly any really. 

The Willmar newspaper has been sent reeling from all the corrosive changes for the newspaper industry. The industry is slowly losing its creds. People my age assume it will always be around. But stop and consider the retrenchment that has already happened. 

On this Friday morning I have a "Drudge Report" article in front of me on my laptop screen, an article updating on how the legacy media continues to be thrown on its heels. Change continues unabated. So look for Reed to keep on pleading for financial support of his business, maybe to the point where he and others are groveling at our feet. Maybe we're there now.

Addendum: Anfinson argues that newspapers need special help because they are "watchdogs" on government. But this is not a given! I would argue that the Morris paper itself is no "watchdog." I have half-joked that "lapdog" is more like it. So the argument is just rhetorical? Anyway, there is no assurance that a community paper anywhere will behave like a watchdog, because they are free to be the total opposite if they wish. 

So government should grant no special favors for newspapers. In fact, I can't think of anything worse than a symbiotic relationship between newspapers and the government. We are awash in "media" now, inundated, with no special need for the paper media at all. If the paper media in various forms can continue to hold their own, all the more power to them. They'll have to fend for themselves.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com