publisher’s note: one thursday at a time 2908-B Beach Blvd. S. Gulfport, FL 33707 727-321-6965 Publisher
Cathy Salustri Loper cathy@thegabber.com
Editor
Shelly Wilson
shelly@thegabber.com
Creative Director Joey Neill
Advertising Director Chris Madalena
chris@thegabber.com
Reporters & Contributors Abby Baker, News & Events Jeff Donnelly, Theater Sheree Greer, Advice June Johns, Photographer Jon Kile, Columnist Ryan McGahan, News Gabrielle Reeder, Gabs & News Nano Riley, Environment Jen Ring, Food & Culture Morgan Banno, Food Lynn Taylor, Literary Arts
Social Media & Operations Leah Petrakis
leah@thegabber.com
Good Halp
Calypso, Banyan, Maui & Mickey Serving Gulfport, South Pasadena, St. Petersburg West, Downtown St. Petersburg, Maximo, Tierra Verde, St. Pete Beach, Pass-A-Grille, Treasure Island, Pinellas Point Owners Barry Loper and Cathy Salustri Loper
A year ago this month, my husband and I decided to buy the Gabber Newspaper, which former owners Deb and Ken Reichart closed after the March 26, 2020 issue. Before we finalized the sale, we resumed publishing stories online while we waited to bring back the print version. Now seems a good time to let y’all know how it’s going. I wrote for the Gabber from 20032015. In the dash, I earned my MLA, met the man I would marry, Barry (longtime readers of my “Hard Candy” column remember him as El Cap) and together we bought our current home in Gulfport. Over the past six years I freelanced, published a book and worked as the arts + entertainment editor for Creative Loafing. I have a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, and before working in print, I worked in radio and public relations. Barry retired from his second career as boat captain in 2019, but before that, he retired from television. He hates it when I tell people this, but he has two Emmys. This is significant because one of them is for news. His degree? Broadcasting, with an emphasis on management. At our core, we’re both water people who love Florida and have a news addiction. We bought the paper because hyperlocal journalism matters – it’s part of what builds a strong community. We hope, one day, it will once again turn a profit and we’ll see a reward on our investment. We take no money from the paper – we
promised you we wouldn’t for the first year, but it will likely take longer than that. We earn our living from my writing and speaking and Barry’s retirement. Barry is the board of the Gulfport Merchants Chamber of Commerce; I currently preside over the Gulfport Historical Society. Right now, the paper costs at least $7,000 a week to run. In a perfect world, it would generate $10,000 a week so we could have some extras (right now several of the staff use their personal computers, for example). Most of that money goes to pay staff salaries, and since so many of you donate or have donated to the paper as we ramp up to our needed revenue, it seems fair that we tell you about them. Shelly Wilson started at the Gabber in 2001, and, other than a stint in Denmark and going back to finish her college degree, she’s worked here ever since. She’s our editor-in-chief and one of the two best editors I’ve written for in my life. I trust her implicitly with the editorial content; I technically have veto power, but I have never used it. I stand behind her decisions 100%, even when I disagree (and trust me, we disagree on a lot). Joey Neill and I met when I worked at Creative Loafing. He and I share some neurotic tendencies, which is a great thing in a creative director, because he cares so much about getting everything right. If you love our new look, that’s 100% Joey.
Deadlines Friday at 5 p.m.
thegabber.com @gabbernews @gabbernews @gabberlife The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers, advertisers, or employees of the Gabber. The Gabber is not liable for any errors in advertising beyond the cost of the first printing of any advertisement. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced or copied without permission of the publisher.
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theGabber.com | April 15, 2021 - April 21, 2021
