Pumpkin Center Charlie’s Girl: Newspaper production is not for the weak of heart

By Kay Wilson

I was surprised by the Maryville Daily Forum’s management decision to shutdown the production of the 149-year-old daily newspaper.

In my past newspapering life, I have walked the walk of putting out a daily news product. When I served the newspaper gods in the 1980s down at the MDF, it was not for the weak of heart. It’s like the adage, “If it were easy, anyone would do it.” In fact, we came out six days a week and that was a bit over the top. And yes, we also had a two-section weekly shopper, if you remember the era of Country and Country Food. Plus, there were 13 other newspapers printing on our press every week. So, we were cutting down trees by buying truckloads of newsprint and chasing our tails in a frenzy that required lots of hot coffee and late nights. In hindsight, that may have contributed to several of my colleagues and my own heart conditions.

So to see the MDF, a regional daily news source icon, come to once-a-week production is sad to me. Since their decision down on Jenkins, many people have asked if the Nodaway News Leader is going to print more often to fill this gap. I have studied that move many times within our 22-year history and the market does not support that decision. Others think we here at the NNL are in celebration mode due to the competitiveness of the news biz. But I am not.

To finish this column let me reiterate, the Nodaway News Leader is not changing its mission to provide you with a convenient, accurate news product each week. We will keep you informed about your neighbors, school and government entities to allow you to be an active citizen. Plus, each week we throw in some fun with entertaining features. We’ve been at it now for 1,130 weeks and you can depend on us for the future. You so deserve that.