There Ya Go
Ihave to admit, I had no idea I would been doing what I did last Wednesday night when I started in this business as a teenager, or even when Tara and I bought the Headlight in 2019.
Most of my job is writing stories and columns, taking photos, conducting interviews and laying out pages. I love all of it. There are no bad days for me. But now that we co-own four newspapers, we are also uber drivers. However, it’s not people we’re driving around, it’s papers.
Last week’s editions were our fourth for our new Lincoln County papers. Running these three publications changes what our week looks like. We proof their copy and pages and send them to our printers. But that’s just half the battle. We also have to make sure the papers get to the newsstands and post offices, just like we do with the Headlight.
And that means driving. A lot of driving.
Our four papers usually arrive in Tracy between 7:30-8 p.m. on Wednesdays. Then, we have to sort them, town by town, a process that takes about a half hour.
That’s when the fun begins. Because Tara was gone to the Minnesota Newspaper Association annual convention in the Cities, the responsibility of sorting and delivering fell on me. That’s like putting a 6-year-old in charge of a zoo. Thankfully, Ben was in town to help me sort, which is super important. If the papers aren’t put in the right crate, they won’t get brought to right places.
So Ben and I got the papers crammed into my Jeep (I’m the only one in the office who believed they would all fit, by the way) and off I want. I left Tracy at 9:14 p.m.
Three-and-a-half hours, a half tank of gas and a bag of Funyuns later, I got back to Tracy to pick up my dog.
Let me tell you something about driving around southwest Minnesota at 11 at night. It’s dark. Everything is closed. It’s lonely and quiet. Add to that fact that I hate driving, and it all makes for one long night.
It wasn’t a trip as much as it was an adventure. I had a plan, which is to say, I had directions. But because it was only the second time I had ever taken the trip — and first time solo — I wasn’t 100% sure I was even doing it right.
Turns out, I did get it right. I hit the post offices I needed to. I got all the newsstands covered. And I got to bed at about 2 a.m., which isn’t daunting except for the fact that I had to be in Slayton at 6 in the morning Thursday to take care of getting the Headlight out. Then, I had to drive to the Cities to join Tara at the convention. Did I mention I hate driving?
This might sound like I’m whining, but I’m really not. I do this because I love my job, and I’m proud of the four papers we put out every week. But if for some reason we decide to close the papers and walk away from the industry, at least now I know I can make money as a chauffeur.
MNA’s new leader …
To wrap this week’s column up, I want to give a shout-out to my best friend and fellow newspaper owner, Tara. In case you were so eager to get to my column that you skipped the front page, Tara was named the new president of the Minnesota Newspaper Association this past weekend. That’s a pretty big deal. Not only has she proven herself to be a true leader of four southwest Minnesota papers, she has made her way up the ranks to run a statewide organization, becoming one of only a handful of women ever to do so. I don’t have to tell you that I’m very proud of her. Let’s just hope all this power doesn’t go to her head!
