Thank you |
| August 22, 2013 |
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By Mike Weland Publisher News Bonners Ferry is a truly small business. Most of what you see and read on these pages is created on a single computer in a bedroom in a nondescript home north of Three Mile, by a guy sitting in a mobility scooter, using one hand only. You would think this site would be an asset to those entrusted to serve, and I would be awash in public information to share. Not to say I don't have help, I very much do. I am constantly amazed at how much help I get, and I sincerely thank all who've helped build this site. I couldn't do any of this alone. But so little I hear is from servants of the public working to inform, so much from a public feeling ignored. Readers are the number one factor for the success of this site; no other. Readers who've visited newsbf since it was launched in March, 2011, as a mere hobby; a way to continue doing what I love when all other outlets dried up. No subscription cost, no fee. No pop up ads or log-in. You can look at ads, and I hope you do, but you're free to ignore them, too. A "free" press. Though I worked full time for Boundary County, I felt that timely news was important, and that all the outlets I'd worked for in the past had dried up; news was getting more regional, global. No one was here, now. When I came to Bonners Ferry more than 20 years ago, I left a good job I'd held at the Spokesman Review as an editorial assistant. I wanted to be a reporter, but I didn't have the credentials; no college, no clip file. The Bonners Ferry Herald gave me a chance, for less than a third of what I'd been earning, but I came to despair. My efforts at writing news took second place to selling ads. What I did wasn't the reason for publishing, but a necessary expense to get the ads out at the least cost. The Kootenai Valley Times tried and did admirably, but the life blood of a free press, its advertisers, tended toward the media with the greatest reach, and they would drop a dependent upstart with the gall to try to publish honest news if it threatened or, forbid, wrote news that threatened advertisers. When I went to KBFI. I worked for people like Pete Wilson and Muff Howe, who launched that station knowing how important a local media is. Sure, not much might happen for awhile, and comments broadcast in the interest of keeping people listening might have upset some, might even cost an advertiser; but listeners flocked back when in need of immediate and accurate information. In the day, KBFI saved lives when tragedy happened. That most timely source of news went away, too. I grew up reading and loving local papers. As an Army brat, I picked them up near and far. Regional publications were thicker, and offered more ads, but mention of what was important right here, right now, seemed lacking. In the local papers, I learned who my neighbors were, where they went, what they did. A local birthday party or wedding was front page news. Most radio stations then were similar; they had a small reach and had to cater to those who would hear them. They ran by a rule; keep interest. Entertain if you have to; keep them reading and listening, build trust. A time will come when what you do will make a difference, and your reason for being will matter; public service. "A life time ago radio stations in cities and towns around the nation employed people to broadcast what was called local news," Bill Clatworthy wrote in the wake of a recent tragic accident. "If there was a fire, a flood or an accident that impacted the public at large, these reporters found out what was going on and put it on the air. RIGHT NOW! "I was one of those people and I always considered what I did as a public service. "Radio stations don't do that any more. Instead, fortunately, we have social media. In addition to allowing us to keep track of our friends post political diatribes and play games, social media has become an outlet for local news such as Amber Alerts, weather advisories and traffic warnings. "Last night, hundreds of cars were backed up in both directions for hours while first responders cleared the scene of a tragic accident on Highway 95 at the north end of Naples. "Our only source of information was News Bonners Ferry and Mike on Facebook. Thanks for keeping us posted Mike, and keep up the good work. We appreciate it." I could play up numbers and reach; 1,100 "hits" an hour, 26,401 average hits a day, from eight continents and 113 countries. But that's not what's important. What's important is that this is a place readers can trust and turn to when local and timely news can make a difference. Numbers and ad sales mean nothing if I don't earn the trust of those who read this site that it can be relied upon when it's public service that matters most. I'm not pleasing everyone, but I am doing the best I can. It's not me making this site a success, it's you. |