From the Fall 2023 edition of California Publisher
In my day-to-day work, I represent the little guys: two Wine Country weeklies that make an impact in their communities. Sometimes, it feels a bit more like the “good old days” here, where newspapers are supported by mom-and-pop shops and long-loyal subscribers. These operations, who speak with big voices to small communities, are more poised than ever to make their mark.
In Sacramento
In a recent audience development meeting, a colleague marveled at the way opinion pieces in our weeklies convert readers to subscribers, something rarely seen in our daily paper. In small towns, people care more about what their friends and neighbors have to say, and they tend to read opinion content more closely.
Here’s where I ask you to help spread the word.
Whether our renewed battle to finally settle AB 5, or our efforts to stop bills that would dismantle the Brown Act, or to protect public notice revenue, there is always an opportunity to educate readers about attacks on the First Amendment. We even have opinion pieces written that you can share with your readership.
This is a call, especially to small and ethnic media, to lend us your voice where you can, because readers are listening.
That’s a fact legislators know well. The savvy ones already have relationships with their local media. But regardless, they tend to take our calls because they know who we represent. We encourage you to pick up the phone and share your thoughts on the legislation that could drastically reshape our operations.
If you need a refresher on what we’re working on, visit the “Legislative” tab at cnpa.com.
At home
Anyone who has worked in a hometown newsroom — usually some small office piled high with old papers, reporter’s notebooks and outdated computers — knows the influence it carries. Our relationships tend to be more intimate because we run into our sources at the grocery store.
The power of what we do came roaring home for me last month when I unexpectedly lost a dear colleague, beloved Petaluma Argus-Courier Sports Editor Johnie “JJ” Jackson. JJ was straight out of central casting, a long-timer who first started covering youth sports in 1970 and was never seen without his signature baseball cap, usually for one of the local teams.
While most of his career was with the Petaluma paper covering sports, he also served as the editor of the Novato Advance for two decades.
JJ’s memorial service was like a city party, with people from all walks of his many lives.
Hearing the outpouring of love for JJ was an important reminder that what we do matters. Those late nights on the sidelines, angry parents or last-minute calls from coaches, they all add up in the end. And signify a life well lived.
For Johnie “JJ” Jackson, who was married to the newsroom and loved his life on the sidelines.
CNPA Chairperson Emily Charrier is editor and publisher of Sonoma Media Investments’ Sonoma Index-Tribune and publisher of the Petaluma Argus-Courier.
