Last week, I learned from a trade newsletter I subscribe to that Spokane’s daily newspaper, The Spokesman-Review, will be transferred to a non-profit.
It’s not being sold. Quite the opposite. The Cowles family, which owns the publication, is paying the non-profit, Comma Community Journalism Lab, $2 million to take ownership of the paper on the condition that it raise $2 million in matching funds. The nonprofit was founded by Rob Curley, who happens to also be the editor of The Spokesman-Review, so it’s staying in the “family”… sort of. The Cowles family will retain ownership of the Spokesman-Review Tower, the paper’s historic building.
Four generations of the Cowles family managed the paper for 132 years. They have done more than well for themselves to hand over their asset and $2 million. Current publisher Stacey Cowles will join Comma’s board, together with Curley, who will lead as Comma’s founder and president.
In the same email, entitled “Hope and Misfortune in Nonprofit News,” the next article was a different kind of shock. The Houston Landing, which launched two years ago with $20 million in seed funding, is shuttering next month and laying off 43 employees. This is a colossal failure for an organization.
You might be wondering why I’m writing about The Spokesman-Review or the Houston Landing. Actually, this article isn’t about either. The headline is intentionally misleading.
If you read this far, this article is about MVE turning one year old today. I included these articles because they were on my mind last week as I took some time to recover and reflect on the past year.
To be fair, the journalism landscape, while having pockets of news deserts, isn’t dying as much as changing. It’s moving toward digital distribution. It’s focusing more on hyperlocal news with regional collaborations. Many newspaper publishers are successfully adapting. The American Journalism Project, which gave $1.5 million to the Houston Landing, reports that more than 80 percent of the organizations they support increased their revenue last year.
I started MVE because I saw stories that didn’t get their deserved attention. My marketing consisted of tacking business cards at a few local hangouts and mentioning it to people. Over time, readership grew substantially. I found myself happy but also exhausted. I had been working nonstop on the project since February last year. Before I could launch, it took me two months to put the site together and write some articles. The article I published on launch date- April 23 last year- about the Snowball event exemplified what I wanted the paper to be- a place for investigative storytelling.
Taking my cue from an independent publisher I know in Southern California who takes an annual week-long publishing break to think about his business, I gave myself permission to do the same. He has two staff members and several contributing writers. I have been doing everything myself for 14 months. Having taken a week and a half off, I can see how stepping back can be beneficial. I was able to evaluate the past year on a number of levels.
One year in, MVE is possible because I have a second job. My daughter, who is homeschooled, works beside me. I’ve come to realize the importance of spending quality time outside of this environment, so I often write late at night or early in the morning, or when she’s engaged in something else. This past year, I realized how unsustainable my work habits have been. Something needed to change. This past week and a half I continued to work, but taking a break from writing made it feel like a vacation.
I will continue to publish MVE, but perhaps slow it down a bit so I can write more investigative pieces. There are several I’ve held on the back burner because of time constraints. They take longer to write than your typical news story.
I debated how much free content to provide. On the one hand, I didn’t want money to be a barrier to accessing information. On the other hand, my expenses for the site are $300 per month. I need to cover my costs at the very least. So, if you’re reading this and are not a subscriber, I hope this explains why there is a paywall. There are some newspapers that can post content for free because they have advertisers or other revenue streams. That’s possible if you actually have a business manager. Writing articles and staying abreast of developments is the most I can tackle right now.
A big thank you to everyone who is a subscriber. Your support has made a difference. If you feel called, please email me your comments about MVE. You can use the contact tab above. I would love to hear your thoughts, both good and bad. I look forward to serving this community and writing more engaging pieces, the stuff that brings us together in conversation.
