Morris newspaper being sold

You never know when a nugget of significant community news will come at you. This happened to me yesterday and it had the effect of a couple cups of strong coffee. It comes forth during the slow summer months when we depend on the county fair to sense some semblance of real community activity. Otherwise we're just yawning as so many of us retreat to "the lake" on weekends.
Many of the more economically disadvantaged people do not have "the lake" as an option in summer. But no matter, we can try to find fulfillment right within our community of Morris. The lake people are probably incredulous about that. But they are happy to keep their professional ties going in Morris, so as to make money. They seem to overlook whatever inherent joy might be felt by living here.
I try to seek that inherent enjoyment. But it doesn't help that the community allowed the summer Prairie Pioneer Days to just die. It died and no replacement came forth. And, informed sources tell me it was wiped off the summer slate because so many of the more influential people in Morris didn't want to bother with it during that time of year when they wanted to "go to the lake."
 
Here's the news:
Yesterday (Thursday) I found out from totally well-placed sources that the Morris newspaper has been sold. Or, it's in the process of being sold. Is this a big deal? Not sure about that, because I suspect that the younger adults have grown up in a world so full of communication options, the status of "the local newspaper" probably means little to them. It means more to people my age, n'est-ce pas?
So, I don't wish to fall into a rut of generational thinking.
Surely there is nothing wrong with having a good community newspaper. Over the recent past our paper has been run by a non-local chain. The chain is based in Fargo ND. After they had been in charge for a while, a local businessperson said to me: "All they're interested in doing is selling advertising." It's incontrovertible that Forum Communications made cuts with the obvious motive of maximizing profit while the window was still open for newspapers to make a decent profit.
The cutting strategy appears not to have worked. A well-placed source tells me that Forum has never made money from its acquisition of the Morris paper. Actually the Forum bought both the Morris and Hancock papers, but the latter became a victim of their slash and burn approach.
A source tells me that the new owner, the esteemed Reed Anfinson of the Elbow Lake and Benson papers, will strive to completely reverse course and re-shape the Morris paper along traditional lines. So, the paper will have a heart and soul again.
But is it too late? We all know about the headwinds that the print media are facing everywhere. Much of this is a blessing of course: the easy availability of information online that is free. Anfinson will have to bolster investment in the product, an investment of both money and sheer effort. All of this is totally laudable. But will it work in a business context? That is a huge question and one which may well not have a favorable answer.
I remember the day when we had an open house for the new newspaper building, under Forum's ownership. We had moved from our sweet location in east Morris, across from the Post Office, to a place "across the tracks" in west Morris. I had an odd feeling all along that things just weren't going well. I felt no cause to "celebrate" anything. My parents came and I almost felt uncomfortable they were there. The editor wasn't there that day and he later claimed to not feeling well or something. I doubt that.
At the end of the day I felt an obligation to attend a staff gathering at the Morris Legion, this when smoking indoors was still permitted. A member of upper Forum management was there and he smoked a lot, as I recall. When I got home I put my smelly clothes in the basement until I could get them aired out.
Eventually the company played the typical corporate game with me so that I'd leave, which I did in June of 2006. It's possible the UMM goalpost incident set the wheels in motion for that - the catalyst as it were. I feel bad that my coverage of that even became a topic for unpleasant discussion. The crowning blow was a letter to the editor from Michael Busian when he was still alive. I suspect he was part of a group that developed negative feelings about me - Morris is a town of "groups" of course - and I regret he couldn't get to know me better. I'm really quite human.
I suspect his letter got the attention of Forum higher-ups. Tom Larson here probably got marching orders to turn the screws on me, because his personality toward me changed abruptly. For a long time I enjoyed my contact with him.

A return to Quinco of Lowry
My source tells me the Morris paper under Anfinson will return to Quinco Press in Lowry. I am overjoyed to hear that. Quinco was a big part of my life when I took over the van driving duties from Howard Moser when Howard had arrived at a time in his life when he had to retire. Taking over those duties was an infusion of significant life in my career, at a time when various interests and individuals associated with the Morris school district had become fierce adversaries toward me.
Today I can write about Tiger sports online, getting info from other media sources, and not worry about what anyone thinks.
Our school district went through a torrent of harmful controversy and conflict in the decade of the 1980s, culminating in 1988-90. Education is always being pulled through transitions. The kind of problems we had in the 1980s were typical to a degree, but we just felt it far worse than in other places.
My interpretation is that our biggest problem was the intransigence of our local public school teachers union. It was one of those "groups" that I have alluded to, one of the defining features of Morris MN. In fact, Kevin Wohlers tells me that one aspect of the Prairie Pioneer Days changes is that there is "a group" - his words - that has become absolutely determined to shift the event to September.
In September all the well-heeled "lake people" are pretty much done with going to the lake, right? Del Sarlette has advised me, though, that in September people still find excuses to leave town on weekends, and in September it's to "go to the Cities."
 
Door is closed, probably
I probably will be afforded no more opportunities to work in the commercial media again. I'm 64 and probably losing some of my get up and go. My eyesight has been deteriorating and I'm considering Lasik eye surgery.
I certainly do wish the new ownership of the Morris paper well - I'm not saying that in an obligatory way. And I wish them well even if certain key people might have negative biases toward me. I'm getting Social Security so I do have a foundation. However, I'm afraid of interest rates being cut to zero in which case I could lose all interest on my bank savings. Well, you can't go through life worrying.
My sources tell me Sue Dieter is "out" as part of the change. The rest of the staff is welcome to stay, I'm told. I wonder if Sue's departure will be reported in a way that indicates an amicable situation. If it's non-amicable, do I feel sorry for her? I actually do. She has gotten an image of being rather aloof, maybe even arrogant. But I saw a side to her that was softer and more sympathetic. I will say this: she appeared to defer totally to Forum Communications. I doubt she would ever assert herself and try to advocate for the best way of serving the Morris community.
We'll see how things go now.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com