We're sure today's letter to the editor of the Nanton News in Alberta reflects the sentiment of a lot of readers of Sun Media weeklies and dailies across the country.
Folks who are losing the local flavour of their community newspapers as more and more space is devoted to Sun Media's stable of writers and features far from their doorsteps.
It reads:
"Several weeks ago, I eagerly opened my Nanton News to page 4 to get my weekly dose of local writer Linda Maki’s column, Strangely Enough.
Since Linda began submitting her column, I have looked forward each week to her musings on different subjects, both locally relevant topics and general opinion pieces.
To my dismay, the spot which usually featured Linda’s smiling face and witty repartee was filled with a column by someone writing for Sun Media, with a byline I didn’t recognize.
I was disappointed, but assumed Linda’s column had been unavailable for some reason that week, and I looked forward to catching up the following week.
Strangely enough, (ironically), I have since learned local writer Linda Maki has been replaced by various Sun Media columnists.
The reason I read the Nanton News is for local news and local opinions about both Nanton and area events, and topics from farther afield with a local view.
I do not read the Calgary Sun, or any other Sun Media product, by choice, and I do not want to read the opinions of Sun Media columnists from anywhere but Nanton in my local paper, unless it is a topic of specific interest to Nanton residents.
I understand the News is owned by Sun Media, but it is still the Nanton News.
Now that the Nanton News office has closed, Nanton columnists are being replaced by columnists from elsewhere, I am afraid of what the future holds for our local news source.
After more than 100 years in business, that is too bad.
Pam Woodall,
Nanton"
You said it, Pam. Quebecor's centralized, cookie-cutter newspapering is zapping the strength from community newspapers.
We've seen it happen here in Ontario.
Folks who are losing the local flavour of their community newspapers as more and more space is devoted to Sun Media's stable of writers and features far from their doorsteps.
It reads:
"Several weeks ago, I eagerly opened my Nanton News to page 4 to get my weekly dose of local writer Linda Maki’s column, Strangely Enough.
Since Linda began submitting her column, I have looked forward each week to her musings on different subjects, both locally relevant topics and general opinion pieces.
To my dismay, the spot which usually featured Linda’s smiling face and witty repartee was filled with a column by someone writing for Sun Media, with a byline I didn’t recognize.
I was disappointed, but assumed Linda’s column had been unavailable for some reason that week, and I looked forward to catching up the following week.
Strangely enough, (ironically), I have since learned local writer Linda Maki has been replaced by various Sun Media columnists.
The reason I read the Nanton News is for local news and local opinions about both Nanton and area events, and topics from farther afield with a local view.
I do not read the Calgary Sun, or any other Sun Media product, by choice, and I do not want to read the opinions of Sun Media columnists from anywhere but Nanton in my local paper, unless it is a topic of specific interest to Nanton residents.
I understand the News is owned by Sun Media, but it is still the Nanton News.
Now that the Nanton News office has closed, Nanton columnists are being replaced by columnists from elsewhere, I am afraid of what the future holds for our local news source.
After more than 100 years in business, that is too bad.
Pam Woodall,
Nanton"
You said it, Pam. Quebecor's centralized, cookie-cutter newspapering is zapping the strength from community newspapers.
We've seen it happen here in Ontario.
I don't think Sun Media's necessarily evil, but probably lazy, uninventive and short-sighted. If I could make a small plug for myself, I've begun an experiment of the local newspaper in Nanton called the Nanton News Experiment. It's a tiny newspaper optimistically trying to grow at a time when other papers are closing down. I have a hunch people WANT to read a newspaper, but it can't just be space filled between ads. See:
ReplyDeletewordenedgewise.blogspot.com
It will be on CBC too. Sun Media threatened legal restitution unless the Nanton News Experiment changed its name. I begrudgingly obliged ...
Peter Worden