Newscoma

I’m worried about Squirrel Queen. The woman has worked herself non-stop this weekend. Several hours yesterday and then another event tonight. She was going to take off Friday but the Titans Caravan came into town so she couldn’t and a coach requested photos that had to be processed and sent to him. In the end, with events happening next weekend, she’s not looking at a day off for a couple of weeks.  She’ll come in a bit later, but things have been crazy lately and in high-tension mode so she’s had her hiney to the wall. And she’s been helping me in her spare time with this project (accompanying me last Friday to a meeting in Nashville was a life-saver.)

She hasn’t taken much time than grabbing a beer occasionally when she gets off from work or a quick meal.  You can tell she’s groovy as hell.

This day was spent with her writing stories and working on photos that she will send to the daily that they may or may not use. I helped as much as I could. I was type-setting some items and putting a couple of generic editorials in the hole in case I get where I can’t get to it more timely with my new additional responsibilities.

This, my friends, is the life of a small town newspaper that has one sports reporter who is also the sports editor. With a college, four high schools and five junior highs plus the various sporting events held in the community, it can be overwhelming.

On top of this, with things coming up and me working on another project that includes the daily, she’s looking at a larger workload. I met with the staff and asked for patience last week and everyone was quite wonderful for the most part. This isn’t uncommon for small media outlets, but it’s a big schedule, you take what time you can and then you hope everyone is patient. Because news doesn’t wait. And our staff is small. We don’t need criticism within our forces, we need action with warmth and understanding and I’ve tried to help guide that comfortably but I get frustrated as well sometimes. On top of this, we are moving to a new computer system on Tuesday and a new software program in a couple of weeks.

Change, for the most part, and transition is hard on the toughest folks. It will be challenging these next few weeks.

This time of year is a killer and will most likely last until the end of May. As my bosses are leaving for a trip later this week, I have to be at their offices tomorrow morning to hammer up some last minute details before they leave.
Dang scheduling.

A community festival is beginning this evening (last night actually) called the Tennessee Iris Festival. For a solid week, it’s several events daily that we have to keep up with for the newspaper. I was lucky that I had yesterday to sit and veg out and then visit with friends last night but that will end as the next four weeks are going to be filled. The next four Friday nights I will be working. Checking my agenda today, I realized that everyone needs two of each other. I’ve already been called to come to several events as have the rest of the staff which is an additional work-load for all of the editorial and design staff. The office staff will also be busy as they have to work ahead and everyone will have to join hands to get things together. As this is not an election season, advertising has to shift. We have to determine the differences in ad revenues from two years ago in comparison with election monies that come in during an election year. If those things aren’t communicated in-house, then tension arises. People, everyone, has to make adjustments editorially and within the confines that we are, in fact, a business. Having run my own media business before, this I can assure you is a reality.

The yearly budgets have to be scrutinized to deal with those adjustments. Most rural newspapers have to take this into consideration. This, of course, makes the editorial staff nuts. We aren’t an AP newspaper, so everything is either written or submitted for publication.  This is the time of year that advertising and editorial starts growling at each other because both sides have arguments that are of value. When one side, or the other (both sides do this) start thinking their side is the only right side, problems do occur.

Let’s break it down to an analogy I use with the staff sometimes.  If you’re selling lawn mowers, then those lawn mowers have to be manufactured. The salespeople are selling the product. The manufacturers (writers) are making the product. If you sell too many lawn mowers, then the workload goes up. If you make too many lawn mowers that aren’t moving, then you have that issue as well. And when folks are spending more time at work than they are with their families, you have to weigh that in as well. It’s a fine balance.

It can make you crazy.

I like this time of year however. There’s a lot going on, fresh vegetables are coming in, there is an excitement in the air where children are looking forward to getting out of school and the weather is lovely.

But it can be grueling, but I try to remember that I could be standing over a grill asking you if you want fries with that, you know what I mean.

A little window into the world of a small-town newspaper for you. Thought you might find it interesting.

Or not

Now going to celebrate Big Daddy’s 66th birthday.