Former Union Editor Starting Weekly Newspaper in Nevada City

Pat Butler, who used to be the Editor of The Union (a great editor, by the way) is starting, with his wife Stacy, a weekly newspaper to be called the Nevada City Advocate. Stacy will sell advertising and Pat will write the stories. He expects it to be about 16 pages and feature entertainment and news, primarily. It will be delivered by bulk drop to places people hang out, like Java Johns. It will be free. I don't know if there is an exact starting date, but you may find it about July 3. Interesting concept, eh? What do you think?

Comments

[Anna Haynes]

"... no matter how many "neighbors" sections big city papers fill with feel-good news and school lunch menus, it is the enterprising little weeklies -- the ones that care enough about their small communities to get their hands dirty and report the hell out of stories -- that often make the difference."
(found on Poynter, I think)

FYI, NU's got an alternative paper -
http://nuunderground.blogspot.com/

(Greg Zaller just told me about it - so it's now in Nevada County Voices)

[Lindy Beatie]

i thought pat moved to texas?

[Pam Wood Sibley]

As one-time art director/ production manager of the Nevada City Independent, I've had that exhilarating experience of participating in putting out a weekly. It's no easy task to publish a weekly for free, but the entire staff found it rewarding to have a week to dig up interesting and pertinent stories which a daily couldn't touch.We were definitely able to make an impact on the community. The trick is how to keep it going without subscriptions. I wish this brave couple lots of luck! I'll be anxious to see how it turns out.

Pam (Wood) Sibley

[Anna Haynes]

What Mr. Butler should do, in my humble opinion, is teach a Sierra College journalism class up here - AFAIK, S.C.'s extant journo class is _always_ held way down in Rocklin - and use the students' writings as fodder for the paper.

[Anna Haynes]

re Russ's

> [Pat] would be better off creating an online newspaper...

Time was, I would have agreed with you.

But the ecosystem has changed - to the degree that just this morning (yes, in Java John's) we were whining about how there was nothing worth reading in the newspapers at hand (SF Chron and Union), and hungering for something - on paper - to read while ingesting our caffeine MDA.

So, there is a consumer demand.

[Russ Steele]

Pat may be brave, but I am not sure how smart he is? He would be better off creating an online newspaper, fewer and fewer people are reading pulp papers, FREE or not.

[Anna Haynes]

Does anyone (including Pat, if he's out there) know if Pat has been active online at all, post-Union?

a blog? comments?

[Aaron]

I don't know Pat, but he's obviously a very brave man.

[Anna Haynes]

Hooray for Pat and Stacy! I'm glad they're doing it.
(but Pat, if it's going to be available at Java Johns, you know, you're going to have to come in there...)