Even as news reports forecast the collapse of print journalism in the U.S., a late-night visit to the offices of the Valley News offers a glimpse into a distinctly lively newsroom writers frantically type amidst a flurry of papers as the 11 p.m. deadline looms near, and three stories of monstrously large machinery gear up to begin the nighttime printing process. Despite the threat of a nationwide recession, this routine at the Valley News is unlikely to change, Mark Travis, publisher of the Valley News told The Dartmouth this week.
"People assume that because some newspapers are in trouble, all newspapers are in trouble," Travis said. "The past few months have shown that a strong demand exists for local newspapers."
In spite of the financial climate, circulation at the Valley News has increased "considerably" over the past year, Travis said. During the past few months, the Valley News has gained between 1,500 and 2,000 new readers, he said.
Many of the new readers subscribed after The Eagle Times of Claremont, N.H., filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy this summer, Travis said.
The closing of the Eagle Times also reaffirmed the importance of local news coverage of the Upper Valley community, Travis said.
"We had upset Claremont residents calling us in, telling us they couldn't imagine not having a local paper," Travis said. "It really reminded us why what we do matters."
After closing on July 10, The Eagle Times resumed publication on Oct. 12 after it was purchased by the Sample News Group of Pennsylvania. Current publisher Harry Hartman said that there has been an overwhelmingly positive response to the newspaper's return.
"Two weeks into the project, we're doing better than we imagined," Hartman said. "Subscriptions are higher than before, and we've gotten a great response from the community. In the first issue, I placed my personal e-mail address and received over 400 comments and questions from excited readers."
Travis said that The Eagle Times' recent struggle should not be used as an indicator of the overall industry's health.
"The closing of The Eagle Times is a story about a newspaper that died, not of dying newspapers," he said.
Still, these local papers have not been immune to the economic downturn. The economic climate has most directly affected the Valley News' advertising revenue, Travis said. The number of advertisements printed in the paper has decreased by 5 percent, he said, and several advertisers have sought to cut costs by using less color or requesting smaller advertisements.
In response to this declining revenue source, the Valley News has worked to reduce its own spending without obstructing the publishing process of the paper, Travis said.
"We have had to economize," Travis said. "But we've done it in ways that have spread the impact through our entire operation."
Part-time workers have been laid off, and the number of positions at the paper has been reduced over time, Travis said.
The paper currently operates with a staff of 90 people, he said.
Travis said that these decisions have not affected nighttime production of the paper. The Valley News also oversees the printing of other Upper Valley publications, including The Dartmouth.
"It's not a black and white picture," Travis said. "In fact, it's a pretty bright picture."
Hartman shared Travis' confidence about prospects for the local newspaper industry, pointing to the particular interests catered to by those newspapers,
"Yes, U.S. News is a great paper," Hartman said. "But it's not going to cover the Claremont Boy Scouts or the Baptist Church Spaghetti Dinner. There is going to be a need for local coverage in small town America for a long, long time."
The overall trends for the industry, however, paint a darker picture. In its 2009 annual report on American journalism, the PEW Project for Excellence in Journalism found that, nationally, circulation for daily and non-weekend newspapers has fallen by 4.6 percent, while advertising revenues for national newspapers have fallen 23 percent in the last two years. The PEW Project for Excellence in Journalism is sponsored by the PEW Research Center and studies the performance of American media outlets.
Aine Donovan, professor of business administration and executive director of The Ethics Institute at Tuck Business School voiced concerns about the future of the newspaper industry.
"Local newspapers are collapsing at an alarming rate," Donovan said. "Newspapers were developed so that people could know what was happening to make educated decisions, yet people just don't read anymore."
