July 2016 Colorado Editor

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editor colorado

July 2016

Official publication of the Colorado Press Association / coloradopressassociation.com / Vol. LXXXVII, No. 7

#newspapersthrive A SERIES #newspapersthrive is a series focused on success and/or transition stories of CPA members. These stories are available for reprint by members. By Joshua Roberts For the Editor

A new era

Denver metro monthlies eye the future under new ownership By Joshua Roberts For the Editor The Washington Park Profile, Life on Capitol Hill and Neighborhood Life, three of Denver’s leading free newspapers, shared a trait even before they were brought under one banner earlier this summer. “The rabid, loyal readership out there,” said Publisher Jill Farschman, who owns the news group, each a tabloid monthly, with her husband, Jay. “They like the hyper focus, they like that it’s neighborhood news.” That take comes from a legit source, considering the Farschmans were loyal readers of the Washington

Park Profile for nearly 20 years before buying the paper in 2015. In June, the couple tacked on Life on Capitol Hill and Neighborhood Life, a logical news and business decision, they said, “given the territorial alignment of the three publications.” The acquisitions gives the group a combined monthly circulation of 50,500, serving the neighborhoods bracketed by Martin Luther King Boulevard, Quebec, Hampden and Santa Fe, and makes it a “significant presence” in the Denver metro, Jill said. The maiden voyage, so to speak, of publishing the three papers for the first time had a few kinks, but was invaluable for the future, she said.

“All of us feel accomplished we were able to produce three papers we’re proud of in this cycle,” Jill said in early July. “… We put together a deal that had a lot of sensitivity to making things as seamless for advertisers and readers as possible. We pulled that off, and we’re very proud.” Overseeing editorial operations for all three monthlies is Haines Eason, who was the Washington Park Profile editor before taking on the expanded role. He explained his content philosophy for the publications, which relies heavily on freelancers and community contributors.

The Denver Metro Media team poses for a photo outside the Washington Park Profile building. From left is Jay Farschman, co-owner; Jill Farschman, co-owner and publisher; Tim Berland, art and production; Lexi Alvarez, production support; Aylana Shores, operations; and Haines Eason, editor. Courtesy photo

See METRO MONTHLIES, Page 7

Berthoud publisher/owner named to CPA board By Joshua Roberts For the Editor It was 2004 when Becky JusticeHemmann recognized opportunity existed within a community need in Berthoud, a small town in Larimer County. The town newspaper at the time, she said, “left a lot to be desired,” and wasn’t serving readers the way a BECKY publication of record should. JUSTICE-HEMMANN Enter Justice-Hemmann and her son, Rob, who launched the Berthoud Weekly Surveyor, an old-fashioned broadsheet that publishes eight to 12 pages each Thursday. A dozen years later, Justice-Hemmann, the paper’s owner

and publisher, said she couldn’t have made a better decision to start the Surveyor. “I’m really proud of our little paper,” she said. “When you have a weekly in a small town like Berthoud and you get to know the people and you write about them, you just fall in love with it. “There are such great people in our town, and I think that’s what I love most about it — the people, they’re just amazing.” Justice-Hemmann, who describes herself as something other than a “typical newspaper person,” is also the owner of Media Innovations, LLC, a sales and marketing company. Her skills as an entrepreneur were beneficial for the Surveyor, and she hopes they’ll also translate into her two-year term as a new Colorado Press Association board member. She was named to the board in May. She’d previously expressed interest in serving the association board, but the timing wasn’t right until this year, when other commitments

ended. “I thought that when this opening came back up, it’d be a good time to help out,” she said. “I can bring some fresh ideas on sales and marketing, perhaps with a different way of looking at things. Newspapers are struggling and need some help. I’m just hoping I can bring some new ideas.” She said she’d like her board service to potentially extend beyond the two-year term and be long-term. “I’d like to be of service as long as I can,” she said. If her work with the Surveyor is any indication, she’ll certainly be an active CPA board member. In addition to her role as owner and publisher, she also designs ads and pages. “We actually all wear a lot of hats,” she said. “Some days I’m Sadie the house cleaner and other days I’m Becky the bookkeeper and sometimes I get to be Rebecca the publisher.”


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colorado editor

July 2016

Colorado Newspapers

colorado editor ISSN #162-0010 USPS # 0122-940 Vol. LXXXVII, Issue 7 July 2016

Colorado Editor is the official publication of the Colorado Press Association and is published monthly at 1120 Lincoln St., Suite 912 Denver, CO 80203 p: 303-571-5117 f: 303-571-1803 coloradopressassociation.com

Subscription rate: $10 per year, $1 single copy Staff Jerry Raehal Chief Executive Officer jraehal@colopress.net Board of Directors OFFICERS President Bart Smith The Tribune bsmith@greeleytribune.com Vice President Matt Lubich The Johnstown Breeze mlubich@johnstownbreeze.com Treasurer Larry Ryckman The Denver Post lryckman@denverpost.com Secretary Lisa Schlichtman Steamboat Pilot & Today lschlichtman@steamboattoday.com Past President Keith Cerny Alamosa Valley Courier krcemail56@gmail.com DIRECTORS Mike Wiggins Grand Junction Daily Sentinel mike.wiggins@gjsentinel.com Beecher Threatt Ouray County Plaindealer beecher@ouraynews.com Jason Woodside Colorado Community Media jwoodside@ coloradocommunitymedia.com Vincent Laboy The Montrose Daily Press vincentl@montrosepress.com Matt Sandberg The Summit Daily News msandberg@cmnm.com Becky Justice-Hemmann Berthoud Weekly Surveyor becky@berthoudsurveyor.com Periodical postage paid at Denver, CO 80202. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Colorado Editor 1120 Lincoln St., Suite 912 Denver, CO 80203

In the News

CMNM buys Steamboat, Craig newspapers

Colorado Mountain News Media, a division of Swift Communications, is adding two newspapers to the group: Steamboat Pilot & Today and sister publication the Craig Daily Press. BOB The Simons BROWN family of Lawrence, Kan., owners of WorldWest Limited Liability Company, announced the purchase last month. WorldWest CoManagers Dolph and Dan Simons negotiated terms of the sale. OwnerSUZANNE ship is expected to SCHLICHT change on Aug. 1. The buy also includes Steamboat TV, three Steamboat websites (SteamboatToday.com, ExploreSteamboat.com and SteamboatHomeFinder.com) and websites in Craig, and both cities Total Market Coverage publications. Swift President and COO Bob Brown and Steamboat Publisher Suzanne Schlicht announced the sale to Steamboat and Craig staff on June 17. Said Brown: "I have had the privilege of a 20-plus years' relationship with Suzanne and have admired what she and her teams … have achieved."

Denver Post videographer wins National Murrow Award A prestigious 2016 National Murrow Award (broadcasting's version of the Pulitzer Prize) for sports reporting has been won by The Denver Post and videographer Lindsay Pierce, who LINDSAY produced and filmed PIERCE "Kailyn's Spirit." Murrow Award winners for 2016 will be recognized at a gala Oct. 10 in New York. The video report was based on a year-long series of stories by Jason Blevins on the recovery of 15-year-old athlete Kailyn Forsberg, who was paralyzed in 2014 during a national USA Snowboard and Freeski Association competition at Copper Mountain. Photographers Helen H. Richardson and AAron Ontiveroz and former Post videographer Mahala Gaylord also contributed to the project.

Leininger new managing editor at Fort Morgan Robert Leininger recently took over as the new managing editor at the daily Fort Morgan Times, a Prairie Mountain Publishing newspaper, following the departure of editor Thomas Martinez. A University of ROBERT LEININGER Colorado-Boulder grad, Leininger previously was president of Wind Ridge Press, Inc., and publisher of the Mountain Jackpot newspaper in Woodland Park, both from April 1991-January 2016. From 1997-2008, he was editor for ABATE of Colorado, a political organization promoting the rights of motorcyclists state- and nationwide, and an editor, writer and advertising support/design staffer for the Ute Pass Courier newspaper, 19841987. After nearly a year as editor for the daily Fort Morgan Times, Martinez accepted a new position as editor of the Palestine HeraldPress and Corsicana Daily Sun, two small dailies in Palestine, Texas.

Anderson moves into publisher role for Wick Dennis Anderson, former advertising director for Wick Communication's Montrose Daily Press, has accepted a new position with the company as publisher and DENNIS advertising manager ANDERSON of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman in Wasilla, Alaska. Anderson made the move in April. He had been ad director for Montrose since September 2012, where he had also worked as an advertising representative since August 2004. Located 45 miles northeast of Anchorage, the Frontiersman covers the MatanuskaSusitna Valley, including cities Wasilla and Palmer.

SPJ, Auraria SPJ chapters host Diversity in Media program The Colorado Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the Auraria SPJ campus chapter hosted a Diversity in Media program recently at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Program moderator was Ed Otte, president of SPJ Colorado Pro. Panelists included Steve Haigh, director of Met Media; Nic Garcia, deputy bureau chief of Chalkbeat Colorado; and Gabrielle Bryant, president of the Colo-

rado Association of Black Journalists and Colorado Public Television 12 producer. Participants included Daniel Day, Michel Hanson, Dayna Himot, Angela Jackson and Brandon Sanchez. The Colorado Pro Chapter previously hosted a Diversity in Media program at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, including Fort Collins Coloradoan Executive Editor Lauren Gustus, KUNC public radio Director of News Content Michael de Yoanna, and Rocky Mountain Collegian News Editor Sady Swanson as panelists.

NIC GARCIA

LAUREN GUSTUS

Colorado Student Media Association hands out awards Nearly 1,500 award certificates were recently mailed out by the Colorado Student Media Association to schools, honoring the best student journalism work of the year. Entries were judged within enrollment classifications and included 1,205 judged entries: 68 (in 15 categories) in video; 610 (in 22 categories) in news publications, and 595 (in 21 categories) in yearbooks. Entries could credit up to 10 student names. Classes and schools included: News Publication Class I (up to 849 students), 11 schools entered; News Publication Class II (8501,700), 15 schools; News Publication Class III (over 1,700), 17 schools; Yearbook Class I (up to 849), 12 schools; Yearbook Class II (8501,800), 12 schools; Yearbook Class III (over 1,800), nine schools; Middle School Yearbook, eight schools; and Video Broadcast, 11 schools. For full results visit colostudentmedia.com, and look for winning entries posted on the association's Pinterest site. Samples will include overall comments from judges, with specific advice and observations. The Colorado Editor wants to hear from you. Send us your "breaking news" on: • New Hires • Promotions • People Moving On • Anniversaries • Retirements • Contest or Staff Awards & Honors • New Building or Equipment Projects or Updates • Meetings, Seminars and Training • Community Projects • College-Related News and Events • Industry news that affects you • And any other personal news your staff members might want to share Send your news items of 150 words or fewer (photo also welcome) to Cheryl Ghrist – caghrist@comcast.net – using subject line “Colorado Editor News.”


colorado editor

July 2016

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Q&A 10 questions with Eric Larsen This issue, “10 Questions” checked in with Eric Larsen, content strategist for the Fort Collins Coloradoan. A graduate of Oregon State University, Larsen has worked his way up the writing and editing ladders from sports to the newsroom, and now to a position as a digital news proponent at the Coloradoan. He lives in Fort Collins with his wife Megan.

Courtesy photos Eric Larsen is content w strategist at the Fort Collins Coloradoan. Eric Larsen and his wife Megan after r finishing the 2016 Horsetooth Half Marathon in Fort Collins on April 17. You grew up in Astoria, Ore., near the mouth of the Columbia River a couple of hours northwest of Portland, then earned a bachelor of science in Exercise and Sport Science with a minor in Writing at Oregon State University. Did you have plans for a very different career, or did the writing bug cause you to consider other job options? I started out college with the intention of becoming a doctor, but those plans changed each time my grades came back. For as much as I loved anatomy and physiology, I just couldn’t get interested in chemistry. My idea of being a doctor shifted to one of being an athletic trainer, and when my chemistry grades derailed that plan, I finally had to do some soul-searching about what I was actually good at. I knew I wanted to be around sports, and despite my fondness for science I had always been a better writer. Midway through my junior year I started writing sports columns for The Daily Barometer, Oregon State’s student newspaper, and pitched freelance articles to whoever would take them. I spent six months after graduation receiving rejection letters from newspapers and athletic departments around the country before I landed my first job on what I think was sheer potential and general ignorance of deadline pressure. You started out as a sports reporter for the TimesNews in Twin Falls, Idaho, for five-plus years, covering 32 high-school programs at first, then college. Sounds like a lot of detailed reporting, legwork and coordination. How did that training ground shape your career? I learned to do a bit of everything covering sports in an eight-county area that can take up to 2 ½ hours to drive across. I used an alligator clip to attach my stat book to a belt loop so I could drop it and put both hands on the camera around my neck. Internet service was spotty in rural southcentral Idaho, so I’d dictate stories to myself on the drive home to the point where I had them memorized when I reached a keyboard. I wrote a lot of stories in 15 minutes or less and authored some of the most mediocre page design you’ll ever see. The necessity of being a generalist kept my first experience in daily journalism broad, challenging me in places where I’d be tested more regularly in subsequent positions.

By Cheryl Ghrist Contributing Editor

In February you traveled to Gannett headquarters near Washington, D.C., for the inaugural virtual reality Vision VR/AR Summit. What did you take away from that? Then you moved up to Assistant City Editor and then City Editor for the same newspaper for the next four years, leading teams of reporters on breaking and "watchdog" news. What did you learn during that time, and how did it lead to a job as Editor for Government and Growth with the Coloradoan in 2012? I learned just how much I didn’t know about journalism, but that was the point of moving out of sports. I was one of those “sports guys” who flinched at a meeting agenda or a municipal budget, but I realized it was a weakness. Those four years were spent making every mistake in the book, and I’m grateful to the people who allowed me to grow on the job. One of those people was Josh Awtry, who’s now in a corporate position with Gannett. He came to the Times-News in 2010 and was someone who was transformative to my career in the short time he was executive editor. When the chance to work with him in Fort Collins came up, I knew it was the right next step. Next you became Senior Editor for Content for the Coloradoan, managing another team of reporters. And now you're Content Strategist, with an even larger team plus a focus on digital. What does that job description look like? I think everybody in the Coloradoan newsroom has a pretty defined digital focus, so that’s one space where I get to be more of a collaborator than a leader. But the brass tacks of my job include helping a team of 14 reporters and two content coaches focus on how best to reach and grow our audience by reaching them with engaging, relevant content. Part of that is setting strategy – how we focus on growing our paid digital audience while honoring our print legacy – but a lot of it is still managing the daily grind of bringing stories from ideation, through the editing process, and into a place where what we’ve done makes the most sense across our various display platforms.

That anyone with a Ricoh Theta S or a GoPro Array is at the tip of the spear of another potentially interesting storytelling medium, though nobody really knows where these tools will take us. The Coloradoan has dabbled in VR and 360-degree video since last year’s cycling USA Pro Challenge, and it’s been a blast to see people’s reactions to being “in” another space through the VR goggles, or being able to determine what they want to see while a 360-degree video plays. It’s hard to say exactly where the technology will take us, but right now it’s another tool to reach for when we want to tell a visual story. You're a member of the Leadership Team at the newspaper. There are also teams for Growth, Storytelling, Outreach and Production, and Visuals. How did these teams come about, and what is your role with your team? Our newsroom structure was born out of months of research and reflection on what Fort Collins-area readers told us they wanted. Folks who’ve heard about Gannett’s “Newsroom of the Future” reorganization will know that we clustered reporters around “passion topics,” or areas that readers tell us they’re interested in through their consumption of our digital and print products. So instead of having a traditional city desk, features desk, sports desk structure, we try to center our people around areas of reader interest. In Fort Collins, where the population is expected to expand to 250,000 by around 2040, the consequences of that growth are an area of great reader interest. Part of my role is to lead a five-reporter team in providing coverage of government, business and other aspects of living in Northern Colorado through that lens. What kind of information or support do you get from your membership with the Investigative Reporters and Editors grassroots nonprofit organization? I was able to attend IRE 2015 in Philadelphia and have been to a few other regional conferences over the years. IRE is an incredible resource.

See 10 QUESTIONS, Page 7


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colorado editor

July 2016

KEEP CALM AND

PRESS ON 2016 Colorado Press Association Annual Convention May 12-14 • Denver West Sheraton #CPAPressOn

Convention receives 'great' feedback

On the number of contest categories: %

Staff report Fifty-three people took a survey seeking feedback on the 2016 Colorado Press Association Annual Convention, and the overall consensus was the event went well. Actually, more than well: the majority of respondents said the May 13-14 event at the Denver West Sheraton was great. All but one survey question saw an increase in the number of ratings for “Good or Great” over the 2015 Convention, and all survey questions saw increases for the rating of “Great.” “I promise I didn’t just pick great all the way because I am lazy,” one person responded. “I truly enjoyed pretty much everything about the convention.”

22.8%

Convention and Contest by the numbers:

95 % 98 % 98 % 84 % 93 % 91 74% %

rated the Convention Overall as good or great, with 61 percent rating it as great. Last year, 86 percent rated the Convention Overall as good or great, with 28 percent rating it as great. rated the Speaker Line-up as good or great, with 52 percent rating it as great. Last year, 77 percent rated the Speaker Line-up as good or great, with 25 percent rating it as great. rated the CPA Staff Service as good or great, with 86 percent rating it as great. Last year. Last year, 95 percent rated CPA Staff Service as good or great, with 70 percent rating it as great. rated the Hotel Service as good or great, with 54 percent rating it as great. Last year, 91 percent rated the Hotel Service as good or great, with 43 percent rating it as great. rated the Convention program as good or great, with 53 percent rating it as great. Last year, 88 percent rated it good or great with 25 percent rating it as great. rated the Awards Dinner as good or great, with 50 percent rating it as great. Last year, 51 percent rated it as good or great, with 16 percent rating it as great. rated the Food at the Convention as good or great, with 35 percent rating it as great. Last year, 67 percent rated Food at the Convention as good or great, with 16 percent rating it as great.

51.4

8.5% 2.8% 14.2%

like the contest as is.

responded that more categories need to be eliminated. responded that more categories need to be added. responded that we should bring back third-place winners. responded to not bring back third place, but to offer honorable mention awards. Multiple people requested the Public Service Award be brought back to the contest.

60 minute sessions vs. 90 minutes sessions: % said they liked the change

81.6

7.9% 10.5

%

to 60-minute sessions.

said they would prefer to back to go 90-minute sessions. replied other, with the most frequent suggestion being that some sessions should be 60 minutes and some should be 90 minutes.

5 Highest rated speakers/sessions: (minimum of 4 reviews)

• Steve Zansberg • Gordon Borrell (both sessions) • Russell Viers (both sessions) • Tim Smith (Selling Personality Styles) • Media Buyers Panel

Suggested areas of improvement: • Better job of titling sessions (multiple requests) • More free alcohol (two requests)


colorado editor

July 2016

From left, former Gazette staffers Tom Kimmell, Dave Curtin, Dave Phillipps and Michael Ciaglo take questions during the July 16 event at UCCS celebrating the Gazette’s Pulitzers.

On June 16, four former Gazette journalists who have gone their separate ways came together in Colorado Spring and took to the University of Colorado Coloardo Springs stage in event meant to celebrate 100th anniversary of the Pulitzer. They discussed the months and months of work behind The Gazette's two Pulitzer Prize-winning stories — the 1990 feature, “Adam and Megan,” and the 2014 series, “Other Than Honorable.” They lamented heart-wrenching moments in the process. They shared in-

Dave Curtin — former Gazette reporter who now works in CU communications — and Tom Kimmell — former Gazette photographer who now owns his own photography business in Colorado Springs — talk about the reporting and photography behind their Pulitzer winning story, “Adam and Megan,” during the June 16 event at UCCS.

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Photos courtesy of A.J. Curtin

sights they learned about the job, about their subjects and about each other. And they showed the power that good journalism can have in people’s lives and their community. To read the Pulitzer Prize winning stories as well as follow-ups on those stories, go to http://gazette.com/pulitzerprize. The event was presented by The Gazette and UCCS, in partnership with the Colorado Press Association, The Denver Post and the Colorado Chapter of Society of Professional Journalists.

Dave Philipps — former Gazette reporter and now a New York Times national correspondent — presents about the reporting of the Gazette’s 2014 Pulitizer Prize winning series, “Other than honorable,” during the June 16 event at UCCS.


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colorado editor

July 2016

obituaries

Terrence Francis Bochatey

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Harold Laufle

Wayne Allen Valero

Retired Reuters, UPI news photographer

Retired Denver Post advertising employee

Mailer for Rocky Mountain News, Denver Post

Terrence F. Bochatey, 65, died April 29, 2016, in Lakewood, Colo., after a long battle with cancer. He was a veteran news photographer until his retirement in 2012, working nationally and internationally. Bochatey was born to the late Francis R. Bochatey and Pauline Kasun Bochatey on Sept. 12, 1950, in Leadville. He graduated from Colorado State University with a B.A. in journalism. He married fellow journalism student Penelope Sanabria in 1972. Bochatey began his photography career in the early 1960s, working as a teenager for his father's newspaper, The Herald Democrat. He then worked as lead photographer for CSU's newspaper, The Rocky Mountain Collegian. During this time he was hired as a photo stringer by UPI's Joe Marquette to cover sports and the Vietnam campus protests. Bochatey later traveled the world for UPI, then for Reuters as the U.S. Chief Photographer based in Washington, D.C., covering the Olympics, Super Bowls, World Series and world leader summits, as well as floods, blizzards and coal mine disasters. He also trained and mentored numerous wire photographers in the business. He is survived by his wife; and daughters Thomasine, Rebecca ( Jeremie Talbot) and Melissa. A rosary and mass took place May 5 at Archdiocese of Denver Mortuary in Wheat Ridge, followed by interment in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Leadville. AD - Colorado 10.25w x 6.5h copy.pdf 1 1/9/2015 8:36:57 AM

Harold "Hal" Laufle, 79, of Denver, died April 27, 2016. He was born in 1936 in Austin, Minn. He was employed by The Denver Post in the advertising department for 34 years, retiring Feb. 28, 1997. He loved to travel, and enjoyed sports in Denver, particularly the Denver Broncos and the Colorado Rockies. He is survived by his wife Sandee; daughter Deanna Laufle White; son David Laufle; and three grandchildren, Rochelle White and Troy and Keira Laufle. Services took place May 3, 2016, at Fairmount Mortuary, Denver, Colo. Donations may be made to two of his favorite places in Denver, the Denver Zoo and the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Wayne Allen Valero, a member of the Mailers Local #8 and Communication Workers of America (CWA) who worked for both major dailies in Denver, died recently. Valero was born in 1958 in Coral Gables, Calif., to Ralph Hamilton and Rhoba Elouise Valero. He and his wife Cristie had three children, Jessica (Dave) Hogan, Meagan ( Joe) Phillips and Ryan Valero, and grandchildren Freddie and Emmarie Phillips. He had two brothers, Ralph S. and Kenneth E. Valero. Valero worked for the former Rocky Mountain News and retired from the Denver Post. He also loved to travel, and was an author, an artist, a playwright, and a collector of books, art and watches. He was a member of Crossroads Church in Northglenn, Colo., where services took place Friday, March 25, 2016.

John Joseph Ludlow

Retired Rocky Mountain News printer John Joseph Ludlow of Broomfield, Colo. – who retired after 30 years as a printer in the composing room at the former Rocky Mountain News in Denver – died March 16, 2016, at age 81 after a long battle with dementia. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Charlene Archer Ludlow; a son, Michael; a daughter, Mary; a sister, Grace Ables; and a grandson, Shane. Services took place April 8 at Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church, Broomfield. Donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association of Colorado.

Martin Franklin Zajac

Former Denver Post circulation worker Martin Franklin "Marty" Zajac, 71, of Littleton, died this April after a long illness. He was a 23-year employee in Street Circulation for the Denver Post. He is survived by his wife Jessica and daughter Tina.


colorado editor

July 2016

METRO MONTHLIES Continued from page 1

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10 QUESTIONS Continued from page 3

I have a stash of tip sheets saved on my desktop that I turn to for inspiration from time to time. There are still plenty that I’ve saved just because they looked interesting. Ideas are the currency that we deal in as journalists, and IRE provides a wealth of ideas about how to improve our craft. You just graduated from the 2015-2016 Leadership Fort Collins class, run by the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce "to educate and motivate leaders committed to shaping the future of the community." How do you think that will enhance your current work, or shape your career? Life in a newsroom can be a bit isolating, and for the past eight years I’ve experienced a lot of what happens in my community through the reporters I work with. I wanted to purposefully do something to enhance my connection to Fort Collins, and the leadership class was a great way to do that in person – not over the phone or email. It was a great reminder of just how talented and passionate people here are, and I’d say it filled my bucket with an even greater appreciation of the place in which I live.

“We want everybody to hear us when we say we intend to treat all three papers equally, that they’re all on equal footing,” Eason said. “We’ve got to go deeper. We’re not going to sit here and say we’ll go deeper than, say, Westword, on a feature, but we have to bring an issue to our readers through the lens of their concerns, and do it in a way that makes the reader feel they’re an actor in the story. “That’s the first and probably most important rule. Anybody can write about a ballot initiative. The (Denver) Post does a good job covering all the hot topics of the day, and they do it quickly. Our take has to be, ‘OK, how is this going to effect the neighborhood specifically?’” He also discussed the challenge of publishing monthly, as opposed to the more standard daily or weekly. The grind, he said, doesn’t really change even if the publication days do. “With monthlies, it can be that first week, especially after laying out three papers, when you totally want to zone out for a few days. That’s a natural challenge,” he said. “You’ve got to enjoy what you just wrote and see how the public reacts to it, you’ve got to do the things with Twitter and Facebook to pump it … but you’ve got to keep moving, too.” The ownership change represents a new chapter for the three monthlies, though each of the newspapers have been established for some time now. Life on Capitol Hill, circulation 21,000, was founded in 1974, the senior institution among the group. Washington Park Profile, circulation 18,500, was founded in 1978. The youngest is Neighborhood Life, circulation 11,000, launched in 1999. Eason said the two older papers are “much more cemented,” while Neighborhood Life is “still truly looking for its identity.” He said his main goal is pushing content that enhances the three papers’ relevancy, and finding the right balance between stories appealing to an older demographic while building its online presence for a younger audience. “Incorporating that local, human aspect into every story is a must,” Eason said. “You’ve got to find the right people, they have to be local, and have to have some stake in the neighborhood.” “Readers have moved away from slow news, that’s the truth. But at the same time, readers really love that we do news slow. We take our time with things, we make sure our stories have the human element, the local and neighborhood focus. … We’re working against the trend, and that puts us in an interesting place in the minds of our readers because we’re not just grinding things out.” Jill said one of the news group’s priorities will be developing a web and social media presence for Life on Capitol Hill and Neighborhood Life, adding to its established traits of editorial substance and visual appeal. “There is opportunity for us on the web,” she said. Eason said his team of 15 to 20 freelancers and community contributors will also be vital in moving the three newspapers forward. “We have a dependable core we can build around, and we don’t have to tell them to do anything,” he said. “We’ve basically let them off the leash. … As long as it’s relevant, we’ll run with it.”

Just wondering how many times people call you thinking you're the polar explorer Eric Larsen, who lives in Boulder, and do you do outdoor sports that you could tell them about? I totally follow polar explorer Eric Larsen on Facebook. I’m not sure he follows me back. I get a lot more “In the Garden of Beasts” and Erik Larson questions, actually. But come on, how do you top polar explorer Eric Larsen? I’ve completed a couple Tough Mudders and a handful of half-marathons, but I’m a kid from the Oregon Coast. I get uncomfortable if the weather dips below 40 or above 75.

Courtesy photo Eric Larsen found his namesake beverage at New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins in the summer of 2015. The beer wasn't actually named after him, but he refuses to believe it. Neat desk or not, and what would we see there? Unsettlingly neat, some would say. Neat to the point that some might wonder if my wife just changes my oil every 2,000 miles. But aside from the requisite neatly-stacked papers, there are a few Broncos mementos and photos from our wedding and honeymoon. Journalism has been my life since 2003, and I’m grateful it brought me to an amazing organization in the Coloradoan, and a wonderful place to live where I met an even more amazing partner in crime. I just hope I can keep up with all these good things.

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colorado editor

July 2016

New Colorado Press Association and SYNC2 Media Website

August 2016

Highlights include: • Three sites in one • Mobile adaptive • Easy navigation • And more

Members only: • Best practice docs • Webinars & On-Demand Videos • Resources • And more


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