Closure of one of the state’s oldest news sources would shutter a community cornerstone
The clock is ticking on the town of La Conner’s efforts to save their local newspaper ahead of the owner’s plans to sell it or shut down by mid-December.
It would mark the end of one of the longest continuously published weekly news sources in the state and — more importantly — the loss of a community cornerstone, said Mayor Marna Hanneman.
“I know people absolutely look forward to receiving their papers. …It gives a real sense of community,” she said. “Unfortunately, there are some people that say, ‘Well, just let the paper die and resurrect it in a different form.’ But I’m afraid that if you lose that momentum, it’ll never move forward.”
Several residents, however, have stepped up to save the La Conner Weekly News. They’ve formed a nonprofit, dubbed La Conner Community News, to purchase the paper and eventually oversee it.
A community meeting in late September drew several dozen residents. Attendees were asked to fill out a form detailing their interest and experience for the possible nonprofit. From there, community members formed the nonprofit board.
That board consists of seven members whose experience ranges from business management and city council to nonprofits. The members are president Andrew Ashmore; vice president Jerry Willins; secretary Julie Jones; treasurer John Leaver; and board members Troy Olason, Lynn Beebe and Tony Harrah.
“I thought this is definitely something that we need to save, so I wholeheartedly kind of jumped right in,” said Jones, who was previously involved with an environmental nonprofit. “It’s an absolutely wonderful little newspaper, and there’s so many people here in the community that read the newspaper.”
Ashmore, who has a background managing catalog circulation for an outdoor company and experience on nonprofit boards, felt he had to step up after reading the paper’s seventh-anniversary edition under its current publisher.
“It was just something inside,” he said, adding with a chuckle that his wife initially thought the idea was a wild one. “I guess it would be atypical, something I might do … I’ve served on nonprofit boards and I’ve certainly volunteered for different organizations, but the newspaper was a different ball game.”
The promising nonprofit model
He initially had the idea for a community-owned newspaper but eventually settled on the idea of a nonprofit.
Nonprofit newsrooms are springing up across the country at a rate of about one per month, according to the Insitute for Nonprofit News. The Institute lists 450 such newsrooms, with about half focusing on local news. [Ed.: Salish Current is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News.]
It’s a glimmer of hope in a news landscape that’s seen the closure of over 2,900 newspapers since 2005.
“It’s not like we’re the first one or we’re all by ourselves. There’s a model there to replicate,” Ashmore said. “I think there’s no question there’s enough will in this community to have some kind of local news reporting — as to what scale it’s going to be going forward, who knows whether we’re going to be able to replicate Ken’s paper or not. But I really think there will be something come out of this.”
Jones and Ashmore said the nonprofit is looking to other nonprofit news organizations, including the nearby Gig Harbor Now and Key Peninsula News.
“To this point, what I’ve been drawing off the other newspapers is more organizational,” said Ashmore, explaining that the outlets have been a resource for things like articles of incorporation. “I think as we move forward, we’ll start going a little bit deeper into what they’re accomplishing in their communities and what they can do.”
For the time being, however, the nonprofit plans to continue the subscription- and advertising-based model the newspaper currently operates under.
Ironing out the details
Both Ashmore and Weekly News owner and publisher Ken Stern expressed optimism about the ability to come to an agreement.
“It is a big task. … Organizationally they’re going well,” Stern said. “They’ve got a lot of work to do, and I’m encouraged and hopeful.”
Stern said there may be some wiggle room on the price and December cutoff as long as there is a specific plan in place that includes deadlines and responsibilities for all involved. Part of that includes finding a new general manager to run the editorial side of the paper.
“(The new general manager is) going to have their own stamp on the newspaper,” Ashmore said. “It’s obviously going to change.”
The nonprofit has yet to find someone to take up that position, but Stern said he’s willing to find a handful of candidates for the nonprofit board to interview.
“It is important for me to state that it is not my responsibility to keep a newspaper open in La Conner,” Stern said. “I am dedicated to my work and to newspapers and democracy but am out of steam for managing the Weekly News.”
Ahead for the nonprofit is the task of raising funds for Stern’s $250,000 asking price. That number is based on a 2023 valuation report. Stern shared parts of that report with The Salish Current.
The price is double what Stern bought the paper for in 2017, but he believes the paper hasn’t reached its full potential and could make $400,000 with the right manager and marketing plan.
He said last year the paper brought in $287,000 and netted about $79,000.
Stern said the paper has about 900 subscribers, up from about 775 when he bought it. The 2022 U.S. census data estimated just under 1,500 households in La Conner.
If the nonprofit can’t come up with the money, however, it’s likely lights out for the La Conner Weekly.
The paper has been up for sale for over a year. Stern said an online ad for the paper received over 800 views but only generated four calls from interested parties. Only one, he added, was very serious.
Stern worries the mid- to late-career journalists who could successfully manage the paper aren’t in the financial position to purchase it, and he said selling to a large newspaper corporation would go against his values
“They’re going to pressure to get the dimes on the dollar. …The whole newspaper would change, and my name would be mud in the community, and people would want to hang me,” he said.
Ashmore, however, believes the team is up to the task of raising the funds and said the board has set a Dec. 1 goal to do so. In the meantime, Ashmore and the board are putting together a business plan and hope to sit down with Stern and pencil out the financials.
“There’s people out there who said they want to donate, and we just haven’t had a vehicle for them to donate to. And so now it’s really getting that in place so we can start fundraising,” he said. “The best to me, is the overwhelming show of support in the community, and that’s really what has been encouraging.”
— By Sydnee Chapman