After 30 years, The Week gets ready to say goodbye
In our three-decade history, we've seen many changes. As we head into thirty-first year, change is upon us again.
On Tuesday, Bliss Communications, which publishes The Week in Walworth County, Wis., announced that it has acquired Community Shoppers Inc. and its family of free distribution publications.
CSI's Walworth County Shopper Advertiser and Walworth County Sunday, owned by Steve and Cindy Karstaedt, have a long history in Walworth County.
So as the company's attention turns towards these established papers, The Week will cease publication in August.
Many of our readers' favorite features of The Week will be rolled into the Shopper Advertiser and Walworth County Sunday, however as part of the consolidation, most positions at The Week will be eliminated.
Sunday marks the thirtieth anniversary of the paper's debut.
"These community newspapers and shoppers have served a large number of readers and advertisers throughout southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois for many years, providing them with great information and proven results," said Sidney H. "Skip" Bliss, president of Bliss Communications and a lifelong Fontana, Wis., resident.
"We are proud to welcome them into our fine family of publications."
CSI employs more than 100 people, a majority of whom will join the Bliss operation. Dan Pyfer, CSI's former general manager, has been named vice president and general manager of the renamed company, CSI Media.
The deal includes CSI's printing and inserting facility in Delavan, Wis., which Bliss said has capabilities that are different from those of the company's new $22 million printing and distribution center on Janesville's east side.
The Delavan plant will give Bliss more options in securing commercial printing business, he said.
In addition to The Janesville Gazette, Bliss operates radio stations WCLO and WJVL in Janesville. It publishes daily newspapers in Monroe, Marinette and Ironwood, Mich., as well as the Freeport Shopping News in Freeport, Ill.
The company, which this year will mark 125 years of Bliss family ownership, also operates AM and FM radio stations in West Bend and Racine.
Most of my inspiration is really imitation in disguise. I suspect I'm no different from most editors.
I'm always looking for new ways to better communicate with our readers. When we find something in the media that impresses us, we'll quickly find a way to modify it to how we do things at The Week.
One of my sources of inspiration takes places each year when the editor's of The Week's sister newspapers gather in Steven's Points for two days of brainstorming, learning and just plain catching up.
In one of this year's sessions, each paper will give a tour of their Web site, talking about what works, what doesn't and what challenges the Web presents.
A free publication has both benefits and drawbacks for our Web site. Because we're a free weekly, we don't pick up any readers who want content without paying for it.
Our readership is lower, compared to sites run by paid dailies, but the when readers do visit our site, they have very specific needs that we need to satisfy efficiently.
Interactivity
We're only limited by time and ideas. Election coverage is a good area for interactivity. We've done a Google mash up of candidate districts, video of candidate forums and Hot Topic sections for reader interaction
Package big news stories: Because we don't use a Merlin type archiving system, we make sure to package big news story coverage. It helps readers as stories develop, as well as helping staff with background. Examples: Elections Delavan shootings County board downsizing
Photography
We don't' overlook the power of good photography. Just like good writing, it can draw readers in.
We make sure photo galleries are presented prominently and easy to find.
In breaking news situations, a photograph is often the quickest content to get on the Web. We try to think about it as live coverage.
Video
We're always looking for good stories that will tell well in video. We're also ready with video for breaking news. For feature stories, reporters often use video instead of their recorders.
We post our videos to YouTube. On one occasion, a video from a school bus crash was picked up by a TV station.
News feeds
We keep a Topix.net news feed on our headline page. It's a good way to find out about local people in the news elsewhere. We digest the feeds into the almanac on print and brief stories online. If you need proof that short stories have as much impact as long ones, keep an eye on these.
Productivity
Reader services: We have a small staff, but large circulation with large circulation expectations. Whenever we have regular request for service, we add that function to the Web site. For example, reader and advertiser services. Downloadable press release forms are one of our biggest time savers.
If you have suggestions about how to improve the user experience on our Web site, let us know.
There's no denying competition makes a good story. Who doesn't want to know what makes a winner a winner?
The drama comes from the challenges every victor must face and how they overcome whatever obstacles lie in their path.
Of course sports are all about competition, and we cover those stories regularly.
But sometimes the most interesting stories about winning and losing don't come from sports at all.
In Walworth County recently, they came from the world of ... food.
Here are two winning accomplishments you can sink your teeth into.
We knew the culinary arts team at Badger High School was pretty good after they won the state competition in March. It was the third year in a row for them, and earned the team a birth at the National ProStart Invitational in San Diego, April 24-26.
That's where Badger High School topped teams from 35 states, territories and districts to win the competition.
Team members Clayton Maricle and Kendall Kelly, both seniors, and juniors Michael Pane and Jessica Bania each won a $5,000 scholarship from the National Restaurant Association and The Coca-Cola Co., which sponsors the competition.
In addition, the students were offered scholarships to several different culinary schools, including full tuition to the New England Culinary Institute.
Their entrée, by the way, was braised veal shank with cranberry and red wine reduction.
The Badger High School culinary team was mentored by three area culinary professionals: David Ross of Lake Lawn Resort, Ken Hnilo of Gilbert's Restaurant and Danell Craig of 3D Cakes.
Not to be outdone by these student chefs, two bakers from Walworth County won a different competition on the opposite side of the country.
Marty Adams and Jennifer Klemke of the Lake Geneva Pie Company made two blue-ribbon-winning pies at National Pie Championships April 18-20 in Kissimmee, Fla.
The competition is sponsored by the American Pie Council.
The pies won in the commercial division. One was an apple pie, the other blueberry.
It was the first time the two had entered this competition, which had over 400 pies entered.
So much for the breakfast of champions-Walworth County can now boast the dinner and desserts of champions.
Editor's note: A story in the Week about student efforts to help end child abuse sparked a thread of letters to the editor regarding the beginnings of life.
Therese McKenzie's letter, below, ran April 20, followed by Bernard Dalsey's response on April 27 (his letter follows).
Post your comment below.
Letter: The unborn can't escape abuse either
Dear Editor,
The article on efforts to prevent child abuse caught my attention (Posters highlight efforts to prevent abuse, The Week, April 6).
I was touched by the posters that some of the area students had created, and I applaud the work of the organizations which are involved.
Seeing the pictures reminded me that there is yet another group of babies who are abused but whose plight is rarely publicized in the media-those unborn babies who are intentionally aborted. I feel compelled to speak up on their behalf.
Surely child abuse and abortion are both complex problems, and those who engage in these behaviors need our compassion.
Yet the complexity does not justify the mistreatment of innocent lives, which is why we speak out about child abuse. For the same reason, I choose to speak out for the sake of fragile unborn children and to remind prospective parents to handle them with care.
Therese McKenzie Whitewater April 20, 2008
Letter: Life begins at conception, babies don't
Editor,
Regarding those concerned about abuse of the unborn (Letters to the editor, The Week, April 20), late in term, I agree with you.
For the first 30 years of my life I agreed with you completely. Having been adopted from birth, I have a natural hatred of abortion.
Early in term, these groups of cells are not "babies." Have you had any babies in your family? You can't freeze babies. The fertility clinics freeze these fertilized eggs.
I've never heard of any so-called "pro-lifers" protesting when the fertility clinics throw out the fertilized eggs.
A mass of cells early in pregnancy is not a "baby." Human life begins at conception. But a baby it isn't, and to call it so is insanity.
For many of us who believe in the soul, our belief is that the soul enters the body later in term. And ironic it is that many fueled with religious dogma and hatred are so afraid of some pre-born human fetus or mass of cells going back to the Creator.
I've also never heard of a single pro-lifer paying to help a poor woman raise her child. When is the last time any of these self-righteous hypocrites anted up 10 grand a year to help some poor woman raise her child?
They want abortion illegal from conception, but once a pregnancy goes to term you're on your own. Or they will talk about adoption as if it were as trivial as dropping off some shirts at the laundry.
I know some righteous anti-abortion folks who are also anti-war. Our nation has killed over 600,000 Iraqi children between the sanctions and the invasion and occupation of that country that did nothing to us. How many pro-lifers are concerned about that?
How many are concerned about our lack of national health care and our high rate of infant mortality?
I've always thought the true professionals at it were candidates on the state and national levels. Local candidates always seemed to be more civil.
But this political season has gone topsy-turvy.
While Democratic opponents Hillary Clinton (up until this week, at least) and Barack Obama have treated each other like the best of friends, local politics has seen its share of mean spiritedness.
We get our share of news "tips" on candidates for local offices. These tips allege to have uncovered some dirt, but under closer scrutiny their claims are either misinformed or flat out wrong.
The anonymous flyer or letter is a popular technique. Many county residents have received them in one form or another, and for the most part, the ones we've looked into don't hold up to the facts.
The same can be said for the comments on our Web site, theweekextra.com. Like every news organization, one of our missions is to provide a forum for public discourse. Our role isn't to dictate that discourse, so we put as few restrictions on those comments as possible.
Sadly, the online world seems to be the place where people can vent their most negative emotions.
The real trouble in this sort of mud slinging, is that it diverts voters' and candidates' attention from what's really important-a vision of what kind of community we want to live in.
In Lake Geneva, for example, how a candidate runs his or her business is probably less important to the future of the community than how that person may vote on the proposed Mirbeau-Hummel residential development on the city's south side.
Lake Geneva is at a fork in the road, and the course of its future will be determined to a large extent by which way its leaders go on that development.
It's an issue that should be decided simply on its merits, not by rumor or innuendo.
The same is true in county government.
The current debate is about taxes. The future, however, is about what services the county will or will not provide.
Many claim the county takes too much tax money. Some have even proposed a tax levy freeze.
It's an idea worth debating.
But after that, what kind of a Walworth County would that lead to? That's what candidates and voters should be thinking about.
Keep in mind, the owner of a $250,000 home chipped in about $975 to pay for county services last year.
A 10 percent cut or 10 percent increase in the county tax levy would amount to less than $100. That's a nice chunk of change, but it's also not a life-changing amount of money for a homeowner.
The effect on county services, however, would be dramatic.
Ultimately, that's the issue that should be considered and debated by both candidates and voters before the polls open on April 1.
Considering the hotly contested primary races for the Walworth County Board, the announcement last weekend that Mike Heine won an award for reporting on local government seems particularly timely.
Heine's coverage of the Walworth County Board downsizing debate earned third place honors at last weekend's Wisconsin Newspaper Association's Better Newspaper Contest.
The contest was held as part of the WNA convention at the Kalahari convention center in the Wisconsin Dells.
The award was one of three The Week received.
Heine also received second place in interpretive reporting for his package, "Broken trust," which examined how the August, 2006 raid on Star Packaging in Whitewater affected how members of the community perceived each other.
The Week's advertising and creative design departments also won a second place for best advertising sales tool for our special section, Feel Well. This year's section is HERE. The section highlighted businesses and services related to health and fitness in Walworth County.
For Heine's coverage of the Walworth County Board downsizing debate, judges from the Michigan Press Association poured over stories from four editions that spanned six months.
In February, Heine's cover story, "One size doesn't fit all," examined the size and make-up of other county boards, and how Walworth County might fare under similar setups.
In March, prior to the vote, Heine compiled a package of interviews where various interested parties explained their positions for and against the move to downsize the number of seats on the board from 25-11.
Then, in July, Heine wrote two stories covering the fallout from the vote, which some said led to the ouster of Supervisor Ann Lohrmann from her position as Walworth County Board chairperson.
The final chapter of that story will be written April 1 when voters chose the 11 members who will make up the leaner Walworth County Board.
It may be beneficial to others to go back and see how the predictions of 2007 play out in 2008.
Heine's coverage of the raid of a packaging business in Whitewater also looked at issues from a variety of perspectives.
Some said the raid targeted immigrants, others said was the result of an identity theft investigation.
In any case the raid raised suspicions about law enforcement among members of the large Hispanic community in Whitewater.
Heine's coverage examined why the raid led to suspicion and the Whitewater police department's ongoing efforts to bridge the gap in perceptions.
The election season is in full swing with the primary coming up in just over a month on Tuesday, Feb. 19.
I suspect the turnout will be high, considering the number of local and national races that voters will be keeping track of.
Wisconsin's presidential primary may actually have some bearing on party nominees this year.
With Mitt Romney's win in Michigan Tuesday, the Republicans have three candidates (along with John McCain and Mike Huckabee) who have secured primary wins. It may take until the convention to settle that race.
The Democrats have both Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton with wins, and considering how things have gone, it's probably too early to count John Edwards out.
Locally, all county board seats will be contested for the first time in my memory. One of the motivations for reducing the number of seats on the board from 25 to 11 was to increase competition.
Consider the move a success on that score.
Before it's too late, here are some ground rules to help readers participate in the dialogue.
We won't print letters to the editor in the edition before the election. However, we'll allow letters on the Walworth County Politics blog on our Web site at any time.
Also, letters will be limited to 300 words to allow room to get all of them in.
We plan to focus on the Walworth County Board for our election coverage and plan several packages prior to both the primary and general elections.
A listing of candidates in other races can be found online at theweekextra.com
We've also received a variety of candidacy announcements in the last few weeks.
We've posted the complete announcements online at theweekextra.com, but to whet your appetite, here is an excerpt from each of the announcements:
"I am concerned that if the present trend in government spending continues, that may of the taxpayers will not be able to afford to live here. By electing the right kind of people, we can curb government's big appetite."~Supervisor Ann Lohrmann, running for Walworth County Board District 3.
"Norem has concerns about the direction of Walworth County regarding taxes, property owners' rights, as well as the transparency and accountability of our county board. Well planned economic development will be crucial for solving our increasing tax burden."~William Norem, running for Walworth County Board District 2.
"For the past six years, I have worked very hard to try and control spending, but unfortunately, I was in the minority."~Joseph Guido, running for Walworth County Board District 8.
"I believe in open and accessible government. My philosophy is we should make every effort to anticipate problems before a crisis occurs and to encourage early involvement by the public."~Supervisor Dan Kilkenny, running for Walworth County Board District 8.
"Easing the anxiety caused by the high cost of health care, promoting job growth, maintaining great schools and making higher education accessible and affordable are all priorities for me."~Debi Towns, running for state assembly in the 43rd District.
Letters to the editor have been a mainstay of newspapers since the very beginning. The digital revolution has made letter writing as easy as sending an e-mail. The digital revolution has another offspring, the photo to the editor.
For years, newspapers have regularly published photographs submitted by businesses, schools and organizations. We do as well.
Recently we've seen a rise in the number of photographs like these taken by citizens out and about in their communities.
This week, for example, is the bowing snowman. The series is on page 3A of Sunday's paper.
Dan Roeda/Contributor
Jordan Joeda's snowman that bowed in the back yard of his family’s Delavan home.
In recent weeks we've also published photographs from our readers of the frozen benches near the boat launch in Lake Geneva, as well as photos from two different readers of the pier on Delavan Lake that became embedded in ice and floated off into the middle of the lake.
Sue Laesch, who took one of those photos, says the pier came from a "newbie" across the lake who apparently didn't know they should be removed for the winter.
She cautions snowmobilers to be careful if the ice thickens up again and the pier hasn't sunk to the bottom.
The trend in the newspaper business is called citizen journalism.
Typically, daily newspapers have promoted citizen journalism as a way to leverage the interactivity of their Web sites.
The newspapers say it's a way to stay more fully connected with their readers.
The cynics say it's because content from citizen journalists costs nothing to produce and is easy to publish online. It also escapes the same journalistic scrutiny for accuracy that staff reports do.
In either case, there is a good way and bad way to use it.
We've always given reader contributions a priority at The Week, and bucking conventional methods, most of it is published in our print edition, not solely online.
There are occasions where the unlimited space on Web sites is a benefit. For example, we published two extensive photo galleries last week.
It is a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism that encourages voters to capture, post and share photographs of this year's primaries, caucuses and general election. We've posted a link on our Web site.
I remain confident that citizen journalists won't completely replace those of us who do it full time, but it's easy to see how their contributions make the coverage of communities even richer and more compelling.
If you've taken a photograph that you'd like to share, e-mail it to us at theweek@theweekextra.com
